this dreadfull truth That the untimely death of their good King Josiah was not a Judgement upon the King but upon the People not upon him but upon Judah and Jerusalem and that 's the second cause of their great lamentation their dreadfull apprehension for what was like to befall them Judah and Jerusalem mourned for themselves in mourning for Josiah And the Prophet Jeremie shews them as much who though he writ his Lamentations upon this sad occasion the Death of Josiah as Jarchi expounds these words of my Text Behold they are written in the Lamentations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he that is In the Book of Lamentations yet he begins his complaint with the miserable estate not of Josiah but of Jerusalem How doth the Citie fit solitarie that was full of people None of all the Prophets seem so framed for and composed to Lamentations as Jeremiah he had a Heart to conceive it a Hand to endite it and a Tongue to expresse it Surely because he writ much about the time of Josiahs death which was the Inlet of all Judahs miserie For immediatly after that Judah was captivated under sin and that brought in the captivity under Babylon whiles Josiah lived he made Judah and Ierusalem serve God so devoutly that Non fuit simile huic in Israel was the Eulogie of their Passeover 2 Chron. 35. 18. And no sooner is he dead bus 'tis said of them They walked after the imagination of their own heart a most secret but a most sottish kind of Idolatry And after Baalim which their fathers taught them Jer. 9. 14. for in all probability this Chapter was not penned till after Iosiahs death This is the reason Ieremiah Prophesies so mournfully a fit Prophet for those calamitous times both for the Disposition in himself and for his Invitation of others to sorrow and contrition insomuch that a great part of his Prophesie is but a meer Lamentation especially the former part of it which was neerest the time of Iosiah for after the 21. chapter all his Prophesie is in the dayes of Iehoiakim and Zedechiah wherein he somewhat exceeds the sorrow of his own spirit writing not onely more dolefully then any other Prophet but also more dolefully then all the other parts of his own Prophecie I will give you but one instance for all and that is cap. 4. v. 19. My bowells my bowells I am pained at the very heart 'T is in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am pained as a woman in travaile at the walls or bulwarks of my heart that which most struggles to keep life hath the stroke of death upon it The sorrows of a woman in her travail are almost insupportable But a wounded spirit who can beare Prov. 18. 14. The pain of the heart is for greater then the pain of the bowells but lest wee should think he was not in the greatest extremitie of pain he joyns them both together saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am so pained at the heart as if I were in child-birth such was his griefe for Iosiah's death a pain that both rends the bowells and breaks the heart and batters down the very walls and bulwarks of life And what 's the reason of all this great pain He tells us in the next verse Destruction upon destruction is cryed for the whole land is spoyled which could not be while Iosiah lived and therefore in these and such like sad expressions he did Prophetically foretell if not Historically bemoan Iosiah's death or rather indeed bemoan Ierusalem not but that his affection was most dutifull to Iosiah but because his apprehension was more dreadfull for Jerusalem For he saw that Iosiah was taken to the Reward of mercy for his great zeale to God and Religion but Jerusalem was left exposed to Judgement for her multiplied Abominations and Impieties And to the most heavy judgements of this world Fire and Sword and Bondage and to the most heavie bondage that could be to them a Bondage under the Egyptians A Bondage which their Fathers before had groaned so long under and which they could not at that time but tremble to think upon for Josiahs Passeovers according to the Law Exod. 12. 26 27. could not but fill their eares with the narration and their hearts with the horrour of it It was the Bondage of Egypt which those children could not but expect mercilesse whose Fathers had been formerly the spoylers and destroyers of the Egyptians Let us a little view this new Bondage that it may appeare their feares were not greater then their dangers though they were greater then their hopes for now Egypt had learned to act beyond it selfe in the practise of cruelty Before it was contented to take the tribute of their hands in work or of their backs for not working by the Brick-task-masters But now besides these it hath found out money task-masters to demand Tribute of their purses The former Tyrants had made them slaves but this Necho makes them pay for their slavery nay he made not onely their Purses Tributary but also their Patience whiles they were forced to see Jehoaaz whom they had declared King in his Fathers stead deposed by this Tyrant and themselves punished for their Alleageance towards Josiah their beloved Josiah and his seed in an hundred talents of Silver and one talent of Gold 2 Chro. 36. 3. For it is more then probable that Necho condemned the Land in that mulct or punishment for presuming to be true and faithfull to the Succession of the Crown without his leave And yet there is a worse Bondage then this the bondage of their Religion begun by the Egyptians and compleated after by the Babylonians This bondage of their Religion was now begun by the Egyptians for Necho made Eliakim change his name to Jehoiakim 2 Chron. 36. 4. before he would admit him to bee King as if he should renounce or forget his Circumcision wherein his name was first given him or lose his Kingdoms And this same Bondage was compleated by the Babylonians who carried away all the Treasures of the house of the Lord and cut in pieces all the Vessels of gold which Solomon King of Israel had made in the Temple of the Lord Thus were they forced to see the abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy place which carried the Desolation further then the Temple even to their souls that saw it whiles they were compelled to look on prophannesse in stead of Religion and see their Temple and worship both made havock of by uncircumcised Babylonians they not in the least degree able to help either themselves or their Temple All the Book of God sets not down so sad an History of a King destroyed for his People as this of Josiah And therefore no wonder if we find not any where else so sad a lamentation they had kept a solemn Passeover before but now they were forced to keep a dismall Passeover when their innocent Josiah was made the Paschal Lamb
can exceed in sorrow for Josiah because he was taken away from the evill to come yet you cannot for your own sinnes by which he was taken away I am brought into so great trouble and miserie saith the tender-hearted King Psa 38. 6. that I go mourning all the day long Hee for my sinnes and not I much rather for mine own Sorrow is certainly most agreeable with a godly heart or the man after Gods own heart could not have spoken thus much lesse in the Person of the Sonne of God not is the Precept and practise thereof meerly legall for those onely that were under the curse of the Law but also Evangelicall for those that are under the Crosse of Christ and the blessings of the Gospel James 4. 8 9. They that are sinners must be afflicted and mourn and weep though they are bound to believe the Remission of sins And they must be sinners here in their own who hope to be Saints hereafter in Gods account Let us then joyn our selves to this sad Quire of mourners the season calls for it Lent was antiently a time of mourning The occasion calls for it our Josiah is slain and wee have yet a twofold lowder call that of our own sinnes and of Gods judgements both which cry aloud for the most bitter kinds of Lamentation If not for our interest in the life of our King yet for our sin in his Death we must heartily lamenr and that we may so do wee must ever hereafter speak of Iosiah in all our Lamentations They spake of Iosiah in their Lamentations to this day Sorrow is very unwilling to lift up either Head or Eye and therefore though we have heard some of the mournings of Iudah yet we have not looked so much about us as to see either the occasion of the mourning or the condition of it The Text directs us immediately unto both First The occasion of this bitter mourning it was the untimely death of Josiah untimely to all but to himselfe They mourned for Iosiah 2. The condition of it in the train of the Mourners All Judah and Jerusalem mourned and Jeremiah lamented and all the singing men c. First the occasion of this bitter mourning the untimely death of Iosiah lamentable in it selfe slain by Egyptians in a full age and ripenesse of years to govern both himselfe and Iudah 2 Kings 22. 1. But more lamentable in its circumstances for hee had newly made a Religious Real not a specious Phantasticall league and covenant with God 2 Chron. 34. 31. A Covenant that bound him to change his heart not his Religion and to keep the cōmandements which God had given not to give a new Commandement in the name of God He had taken away all the abominations of Israel 34. 33. Kept a most solemne Passeover 35. 18. and both with so great a Humiliation and Devotion as might have exempted a most wicked Ahab from a judgement already denounced against him not onely in his own as 1 Kin. 21. 29. but also in his sons daies Yet after all this comes his untimely Death as it is said 2 Chro. 35. 20. After all this when Josiah had prepared the Temple Necho King of Egypt came up c. After all this when Iosiah had prepared the Temple then himselfe was made the Sacrifice So that this one occasion affords in truth many causes of their mourning which are all reducible to these two Heads Their Affection and their Apprehension their Affection for what had befallen Iosiah and their Apprehension for what was like to befall them 1. There Affection for what had befallen Iosiah So the Prophet Ieremy begins his Lamentations How is the City become a widow Amisso Rege optimo qui Regni quasi meritus est popularium quasi Pater saith Tremelius a very good Protestant but in this a far better Christian Ierusalem was a widow having lost her Husband and an Orphan having lost her Father in the death of one Iosiah And so comes both with the Affection of a widow to mourn for her husband and with the affection of a child to mourn for her Father If Rachel mourned so affectionately for her children much more for her Husband Ierem. 31. 15. Do but change the persons and you may see how Ierusalem mourned for Iosiah A voice was heard in Ramah Lamentation and bitter weeping not Rachel weeping for her children but Ierusalem weeping for her Husband refuseth to be comforted for her Husband because hee is not If Ieremy could lament so exceedingly for the slain of the Daughter then how much more for the slaying of the Father of his People Doe but so change his words and you have a short view how Ieremiah lamented for Iosiah as he went along with the mourners Ier. 9. 1. O that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountaine of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the Daughters but much more for the slain of the Father of my people Thus the greatest natural and personal affection that could be to their Josiah as a Father as a Husband is the cause of this great Lamentation and yet greater is the affection they shew to themselves For they did indeed in Josiahs death mourn and lament their owne Funeralls their affection to him was capable of some comfort but their affection to themselves was capable of none They knew that nothing but good had befallen Josiah for hee was gathered to his Fathers in peace as Huldah had prophesied 2 Chron. 34. 28. But they knew that nothing but evill could befall themselves for whose sinnes he was so soon gathered to his Fathers So that for their affection to him they could comfort themselves with these two documents First That God will not have his faithfull servants rely upon a temporall reward for their service but calleth them to the contemplation and fruition of Eternitie and yet is no debter in not paying their wages here in this world 2 Cor. 4. 17. Secondly That an untimely and unmercifull Death is sometimes given in favour not in judgement to Righteous and mercifull men even to take them away from the evill to come Isa 57. 1. As it was prophesied of this same Josiah that he should be gathered to his fathers in peace 2 Chron. 34. 28. which was without doubt fulfilled though hee was afterwards slain in Battell which hath the most cruell and the most dreadfull visage of War so that their inference savours of ill Logick but of worse divinity who upon those words Behold how he loved him John 11. 36. Presently replyed v. 37. Could he not have caused that this man should not have died as if that had been the greatest testimonie of his love For because God loved Iosiah he suffered him to die Thus their affection towards Iosiah might receive comfort from these two Documents which most of all distracts and disturbs their apprehension when they reflect upon themselves For both these considerations speak aloud to them
and their first born not saved but destroyed by the sprinkling of his blood We have but one example that comes neer this and that is of our Saviour Christ And he bids the women of Jerusalem lament not for him but for themselves and for their children Luk. 23. 27. for though his death did satisfie the eternall wrath of God against other sinners yet did it open the floudgates to let in his temporall wrath upon them that crucified him by a whole deluge of Bloud But behold in this of Josiah is somewhat a more dismal Passeover For in the Passeover of Christ as it was typicall in the Lamb none but Egyptians as it was reall in himselfe none but Divels were smitten But in this of Josiah all Israel nay the best of all Israel Judah and Jerusalem nay the best of Jerusalem the Temple of God nay the best of the Temple the Altar the worship of God was smitten All the Plagues that Israel had formerly occasioned unto Egypt were now more then aboundantly repayed back again to them by the Egyptians in taking away their Josiah who stood alone betwixt them and the finall wrath of God From henceforth Jerusalem may expect to be made a Cup of trembling unto others Zach. 12. 2. and much more unto her selfe And the Inhabitants of Judah may take up that sad complaint of the Psalmist Psal 60. 3. Thou hast given us a drink of deadly wine Potasti nos Vino 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tremoris quod bibens homo contramiscit moritur Thou hast given us not onely a drink of deadly poyson 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as saith Jarchie that contracts and shuts up the Heart but also a drink of Palsie-poyson that first brings a shaking then death upon him that drinks it Jerusalem had such a Cup of Trembling at Josiah's death she could not but fear and tremble to think that since her sins were now so great as to make God snatch away her Josiah that he might recall the blessings of Peace and Truth which he had given they would not in hast be so little as to suffer him to renew again such blessed gifts This was the occasion of this great mourning and the condition is answerable to the occasion which is my second generall part The condition of this mourning in the train of Mourners And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned and Jeremiah lamented and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their Lamentations c. The condition of this mourning is such as never was before nor after it all the imaginable degrees of sorrow are to be found in it Gradus extensionis Gradus intensionis Gradus Protensionis The greatest sorrow that ever was in Judah for its universality for its vehemencie for its continuance 1. Gradus extensionis The greatest sorrow that ever was for its Universality For t is Omnes singuli all Judah and Jerusalem in general Then Jeremiah and the singing men singing women in particular in their severall consorts and companies nay in their severall Families saith Zach. 12. 12 13. And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart for the great losse that is befallen the house of David And the family of the house of Levi apart for the great losse that is befallen to the house of God Every family apart for their great losse in the losses of the house of David and the house of God If true griefe of heart could endure to be Ceremonious it would here easily find an employment for a Litania major and busie another Gregory for here is a Mauritius too slaughtered by the Captain of his Armies to order this sad Procession wherein all the Families of Iudah and Ierusalem apart do bewaile and lament the losse of their dearest Lord the onely joy of their hearts whiles he lived and now dead the greatest griefe of them But I can take notice onely of their Passion which makes them cry out with great earnestnesse but greater sorrow in this dreadfull Quaking of men as those of Constantinople sometimes did in that dreadfull quaking of the Earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanctus Deus Sanctus Fortis Sanctus Immortalis miserere nostri Holy O God Holy O mightie Holy ô Immortal have mercy upon us have mercy upon us that are living who hast already magnified thy mercy towards the dead in taking him away by death from the insupportable miseries of this wretched life But why is there no mention of Israel in this Universall sorrow of all Judahs and Jerusalems mourning for Josiah I answer they were not so happy though this happinesse was the greatest of miseries they were not so happy as to have any share in this losse and therefore not in this Lamentation this sorrow had too much of God for the Israelites to be partners in it who had so little of God left in them Nay who had so desperately fallen away from him which Apostasie of theirs is remarkably set forth by one of their own writers R. David Kimchi upon Hos 3. v. 4 5. The words of the Prophet are these Verse 4. For the children of Israel shall abide many daies without a King and without a Prince and without a Sacrifice and without an Ephod and Teraphim Verse 5. Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall fear the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes The fourth verse sets down Israels captivity for their sin The fift verse their Restauration for their Repentance And Kimchie upon those words gives us this glosse The children of Israel saith he did in the daies of Rehoboam reject or forsake three things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They did reject the kingdome of Heaven in forsaking God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Kingdom of the house of David in forsaking Rehoboam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the house of the Sanctuary or temple of Jerusalem in setting up Calves at Bethel And in these three consisted their captivity Therefore in the fift verse where is promised their Restauration the Prophet saith they shall return again to all these They shall seek the Lord their God there is promised their return to the Kingdome of Heaven And David their King there 's promised their return to the house of David And shall fear the Lord and his goodnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bonum ejus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Kimchie that is His Sanctuary There 's promised their return to the house of God In their defection from these was their Apostasie in their Apostasie was their miserie and captivitie Before their Revolt in King Davids time it was O Israel trust in the Lord and he shall redeem Israel from all his sinnes Psal 130. But after Jeroboams Rebellion and Revolt from the house of David we find that Israel had not one good King in many successions of Ages and that it had very little share in
the true worship of God and as little in his blessing Secondly Gradus intensionis The greatest sorrow that ever was in Judah for its Vehemencie mourning lamenting speaking ordaining writing not words enough to expresse this Lamentation Therefore is that for the death of Christ compared to it and expressed by it Zach. 12. 11. To shew that not words but onely tears can speak it Those silent orators make least noise but greatest moan Christ answers the tears of the weeping Woman when he would not answer the words of the insolent Judge I hope he will so answer us and in mercie look back upon us as he did upon them Luk. 23. 28. Bewayling and lamenting our sins that brought death both upon him and upon our Josiah we have no other Balme to afford him at his Buriall but what grows in our heads and drops from our eyes Joseph is acquitted from consenting to the counsell of them that killed Christ by providing a Tomb to bury him Luk. 23. 51. Let us acquit our selves too by providing tears to embalm him And notwithstanding the outcry of the people in their generall Petition for Justice against the Lords anointed for Christ is so both to Heaven and Earth as against one that had injured God and Caesar the Text seems to speak favourably of them who smote their breasts and returned Luk. 23. 48. for such did certainly either shew their innocencie or wish themselves innocent Let us earnestly follow after such an innocencie which what it wants in Righteousnesse hath in Repentance Necho himself though he opened that dismal Urine of Bloud yet cared not to stop this milder Vein of water Hee had filled their hearts too full to denie them to fill their eyes And that man would professe himself worse then an Egyptian Tyrant who should goe about to forbid such mourning for a dead King as testifies sorrow for the sinne that killed Him for that were all one as to forbid Repentance and to encourage an impenitent course of sinning No Conquerour may expect to exercise his conquest over the affections And least of all should he desire to exercise it over that of sorrow because that most plainly though unwillingly acknowledgeth his Conquest But if Necho should have desired this he would have desired it in vain for none can take away tears from the eyes but he that made them to be there It was an easier taske for him to gain a conquest over the mens hands then over womens eyes nay in this respect hee had made the most couragious and stout-hearted men of Judah to become women that whom by their Swords they could not preserve from falling him being fallen they might bewaile with their tears thinking it more honourable to pay the tribute of women to their dead King then the tribute of men to a living Tyrant And yet indeed those teares were not so much the expresions of duty to their dead Lord as of Piety to their living God Teares of Repentance and remorse of conscience The man of Judah highly disdaining to become tributary to Egypt before they had been tributary to Heaven and therefore they first pay God tribute of their teares then Pharaoh of their money first God the tribute of their soules by a hearty sorrow then Necho the tribute of their bodies by a constrained Captivity Thirdly Gradus Protentionis The greatest sorrow that ever was in Judah for its continuance For To this day saith the Text and an Ordinance in Israel and written in the Lamentations Till this day id est till Ezra's time after the Captivity of Babylon nay indeed till our time till all time if not in the sorrow it selfe which is too too certain yet in the Records of it The Booke of the Lamentations 'T was happily a practise for some few but sure 't was a Patterne for all Ages An Ordinance in Israel for in all publick lamentations ever after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Jarchie They took an occasion to rub up this sore to make mention of this bitter weeping It seems they had a Remembrance of this in all their great mournings as they had of worshipping Aarons Calfe in all their great Repentances And as in all their Epidemical miseries and calamities after their Idolatrie they supposed they saw a Dramme of Aarons Calfe which made them still bewaile that sinne So in all the bloudshed that ever after came upon Jerusalem they might well suppose they did behold some one drop of Josiahs Bloud and that made them multiply those tears which though they could not wipe away their guilt yet could weep out their sorrow O God put thy Jerusalems tears into thine own bottle who diddest first put them into her eyes Let thy hand wipe them away from thence because thy Spirit first put them there And lest passing through so muddie a channel of sinfull earth they should defile thy Hand to touch them Wash we beseech thee both our Bodies and Soules in the Bloud of thy Sonne that though we mourne for a season in this life yet we may be everlastingly comforted in the life to come even in the blessed Vision and fruition of God the Father the Sonne and the holy Gost world without end Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whom God hath crowned whom God hath ever taught For him God would not have deliverance wrought And is he gone may flames earth overthrow And gloomy darknesse Heavens overgrow It was not Inke but Teares that fill'd my Penne When I did write King CHARLES is crown'd in Heav'n Thus did I sigh this was my hearty Groane Who lov'd my Kings life better then mine owne FINIS