they here take and that which wee must take in the like distresse according to the measure of the affliction and as it is more publike or priuate so must be the measure of our lamentation To this there is a promise made in the prophesie of Isaiah c. That when our hands cannot help our selues nor our tongues preuaile with others yet then wee may relieue our selues by our prayers vnto God Isaiah 61. 12. c. for in that place the Lord vndertaketh that mourners shal be comforted c. God the Father sends his owne sonne and the Father and the Sonne doe send the holy Ghost that when men are mourning and seele their pouertie so as it breakes their hearts the spirit which is the comforter may minister comfort vnto them that when they feele their captiuitie and imprisonment as it were Christ Iesus may set them at libertie be they neuer so weake neuer so meane neuer so miserable neuer so sinfull if once they come thus to mourne they shall haue their hearts comforted though they bee couered with ashes God will giue them beautie for ashes and put on them the garment of gladnes for the spirit of heauines bestowing vpon them that which shall make them cheerefull euen the oyle of ioy not an earthly but an heauenly oyle And there is great cause why God should deale so with such kinde of persons for Reasons 1 1 Hee is full of pitie and compassion and therefore the prophet Ioel in his 2. Chap. vers 13. biddeth vs rent our hearts and not our garments Ioel. 2.13 that is bring inward sorrow that may crush and breake the heart and then turne vnto the Lord which if we doe wee shal be sure of reliefe and why the Lord is mercifull saith hee and our God is very readie to forgiue When wee see our children mourning and confessing their faults wee cannot but haue our bowels of compassion earning towards them If Iacob had stood by and heard his sonne Iosephs pitifull moane that in the anguish of his soule hee made vnto his brethren when they dealt so vnnaturallie with him would hee not haue pitied him and by strong hand haue rescued him from his cruell sonnes What shall wee then thinke of God he is farre more mercifull than Iacob was and wee are neerer vnto him than euer Ioseph was vnto his father And therefore when wee mourne in a holy manner certainely hee will arise and haue mercy vpon vs. Hee cannot slay when he sees our hearts full of sorrow and our eyes full of teares for the sighs and groanes of his people doe giue him no rest in heauen Secondly this godly mourning must needs be a speciall remedie in all manner of afflictions because it makes our prayers very forcible it sets an edge vpon our petitions and makes vs pray heartily feruently and strongly When Iacob wept in his prayer it was so effectuall that hee preuailed Genesis 32.11 When Gods people ioyned together to powre forth buckets full of teares drawne from the bottome of their hearts before the Lord they were marueilously helped 1. Sam. 7.6 for the great measure of their teares made their supplications more feruent and therefore it is said of Christ Iesus himselfe that in the dayes of his flesh hee did offer vp prayers with strong crying Heb. 5.7 and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death When our Sauiour was about the principal point of his mediatorship then did he gather strength vnto himselfe by this meanes Thirdly this must needs be very effectuall because it is exceeding forcible against sinne for when sorrow comes into the heart sinne goes out it will not lodge there vnlesse it bee cockered and made much of When euery one laments his iniquitie and mournes ouer Christ Iesus whom hee hath pierced by his sinnes then there is a fountaine opened to wash them from all euen from sins that made a separation betwixt God and vs. Zacharie 12. 13. Seeing then that this godly and holy sorrow is a means to make God pitie vs to make vs call earnestly vpon him and to expell sinne which might hinder vs from preuailing with him it must needes follow that of all remedies in times of distresse this is the best and surest Vse 1 This serues for instruction vnto vs to vse all meanes and furtherances whereby wee may attaine vnto this There are many afflictions abroad many neerer home in our owne townes and families nay there are many things amisse in our owne hearts here is a medicine for euetie one of our maladies let vs get it and vse it and all arguments and helps that may continue and increase it as the Nineuites hauing direction by the spirit of God as many of them as were his did when Ionah threatned destruction against their citie within fortie dayes they abased themselues and fell to mourning and vsed fasting to helpe it onward the people must shew it in their countenances the lowing of the beasts and crying of the infants must further them to this holy remorse and griefe for their great and haynous transgressions They had grieued the Lord by their iniquities and therefore now they would grieue themselues with godly contrition for them Hence it was that Gods people amongst the Iewes vsed to weare sack-cloth to lie on the ground and to put dust vpon their heads which were then meanes to further them in the worke of humiliation Therefore now that wee feare danger is neere vs let vs betake our selues to this holy mourning if wee refuse to doe it and still continue to be hard-hearted if the pestilence come into our families wee are likelie to be taken away with the first and to haue not only our bodies but our soules in danger and that of Gods wrath and euerlasting displeasure Therefore let vs seeke to haue our hearts mollified by this excellent meanes of God and for this end consider of the blessings of God plentifully powred downe vpon our nation Nehemi 9. and vpon out selues in particular as they did in the day of their humiliation of whom Nehemiah maketh mention Let vs seriously recount how many mercies wee haue enioyed and how much they haue beene abused how many afflictions wee haue felt and how little wee haue beene bettered how many deliuerances wee haue found and yet how carelesse nay how rebellious we haue beene notwithstanding them all Let vs weigh with our selues what hurt our sins haue done vnto vs how many good thinges they haue turned from vs and how many euils they haue puld vpon vs and aboue all let vs remember what a huge weight and multitude of miseries they haue brought vpon our Sauiour namely debasement and humiliation sorrowes and sufferings assaults and temptations the heauie burden of our guiltines and the greeuous punishment due for our deserts the rage and violence of most malicious men and the wrath and displeasure of the most righteous God torments of bodie and terrors
fit cause them to bee at a stand and bring them euen to their wits end as it did these here but they will recouer themselues and get heart againe and though in their distempers they say God hath forsaken them which is a wofull thing yet they recall their words againe and at length betake themselues to the right meanes of recouerie which is to make their griefes knowne vnto God who is able to saue and readie to succour those that seeke vnto him This may bee euidentlie seene in Psal 88. vers 6. Psal 88.6 where the man of God bemoneth his case saying Thou hast laid mee in the lowest pit in darknesse and in the deepe Thine indignation lieth vpon mee and thou hast vexed me with all the waues From which words together with the rest in that Psalme wee may gather that hee was in wonderfull fore perplexitie Now in this extremitie what doth hee O Lord God of my saluation saith he I cry day and night before thee as if hee should haue said Though thou hast cut off mee yet I call vpon thee and though thy hand lie heauie vpon mee yet I pray still Isaiah 38.1.21 2. Kings 20.1 So Hezekiah was smitten as it seemes with the plague and that vnto death and was in such extremitie That hee chattered like a crane or a swallow and mourned like a doue and concluded that hee should goe to the gates af the graue and bee depriued of the residue of his yeares His case in appearance was desperate so that it was as hard to recouer him as to make the sunne in the firmament to goe backward yet hee set vpon the matter by prayer and obtained his desire insomuch that fifteene yeeres were added to his daies so that no man in the world had euer such a lease of his life as hee had So Ionah when hee fled from the presence of the Lord and was therefore cast into the Sea and swallowed vp of the whale beeing in a low dungeon where hee had neither sunne-light nor candle-light yet hee doth not thinke his case remedilesse as indeede it was not but hee cryed in his affliction vnto the Lord Ionah 2.1.2 and hee heard him Out of the bellie of hell did hee crie and God heard his voice and then as sinne and passion had brought him into danger so repentance and prayer did helpe him out of it Yea the Lord Iesus Christ when the burden of our sins and of his fathers wrath for the same was so grieuous that it made his soule heauie vnto the death and pressed bloud out of his vaines Luke 22.42 44. Heb. 5. yet the more horror hee was in the more feruently hee prayed vnto his father Reason 1 And the reason why Christians cannot by any distresse be driuen from prayer is 1 Because hee that is once Gods child is euer so and euery child of God Rom. 8.26 hath the spirit of prayer which will alwaies stirre vs vp to make requests with sighs and grones that cannot bee expressed If those that cast Gods seruants in prison could withall pull Gods spirit out of their hearts then they had done somewhat to the purpose but they may as well plucke the sunne out of the firmament as the holy Ghost out of their soules And therefore they can neuer bring them so low but they can cast their eyes vp towards heauen and make their complaint vnto their God And if he be with them in prison as hee was with Ioseph their restraint shall be farre more pleasant than their aduersaries libertie and they shal be able with Paul and Silas to sing Psalmes at midnight through ioy and gladnes Act. 6.25 2 Secondly Gods children haue faith in their hearts and the nature of faith is to beare downe all before it and to breake thorow al manner of lets and hindrances Therefore Gods seruants hold vp their heads because their faith ouercomes the world Joh. 5.4 And therefore wicked hypocrites faint because the world ouercomes them When Gods child goes vnto the dungeon faith goes with him and then hee will neuer giue ouer praying but bee more feruent in praying And this is certaine that in worldly helpes the deeper distresses wee bee in the least comfort they will affoord vs so spirituall helps the greater extremities we be in the more comfort will they minister vnto vs. When wee are helplesse and hopelesse then faith workes wonders and neuer shews forth it selfe so mightilie and powerfullie as when it workes alone Beautie and wealth and strength and other outward things of the same kinde when miseries lie heauie vpon vs and wee beginne to cast an eye to them expecting some reliefe and comfort from them will deale with vs as the high Priests did with Iudas When all went well with him they made shew of fauor and friendship towards him but when in the horror and anguish of his soule hee makes his mone vnto them crying out that he had sinned betraying innocent bloud they sent him away with a cutted and vncomfortable answere VVhat is that to vs say they Such cold comfort shall we receiue from any earthly supports and props whereon we rest and stay our hearts when we haue most neede of them they will stand vs least in stead So that wee may truely say of them as Iob did of his friends miserable comforters are yee all But as for those that liue by faith in Christ Iesus they are vnderlaide with better props than the world can afford for when they haue none other to deliuer them they can deliuer themselues by prayer and by calling vpon Gods name out of the lowest dungeon Vse 1 First this may serue to shew vs the difference betwixt the wicked and the godly in times of outward or inward affliction when they drinke both of the same cup and are plunged in the same miseries Cast a wicked man into a dungeon and lay him full low where hee can meete with no worldly helpe and what course will he take You shall see that either he will blaspheme God and bite his tongue for madnes as they that are spoken of Reuel 18. Or else hee will grow desperate and make away with himselfe as Iudas and Achitophel and other monsters haue done But let a godlie man bee laid fast in the same dungeon Act. 16.25 hee wil be full of ioy when the other is full of desperate griefe and sing Psalmes and powre forth many holy prayers in stead of the others imprecations and blasphemous speeches Peter and Iudas had both dealt vnfaithfully though in a farre different degree and manner with their Lord and master and were both in the dungeon euen in great perplexitie but Peter goes out confesseh this fault weeps bitterlie and gaines exceedingly by it Iudas on the other side sorroweth desperately and speedily dispatcheth himselfe Whereby doth manifestly appeare the different cariage of the faithfull and of infidels when they are both ouerburdened with sorrowes and miseries Vse
of soule and death it selfe a painefull death a shamefull death and a cursed death Vse 2 Secondly hereby may those bee confuted that thinke it dangerous to meditate on such things as will discomfort them and bring them to desperation as they speake and therefore they would haue no man to tell them of their sinnes but let them heare of the mercies of God in Christ that they are likely to escape Gods hand when the pestilence comes neere them though others escape not but bee swept away on euery side of them beeing notwithstanding as good or better than themselues Farre bee it from vs that any here present should haue such thoughts or giue such eare to such carnall counsell There is no danger in Christian sorrow but the more of it the better And therefore the Apostle Iames saith Iam. 4.9 Suffer affliction or afflict your selues and sorrow and weepe and if any thing keepe you from mourning away with it let goe laughter and let carnall mirth be turned into mourning and your ioy into heauinesse O then you cannot cast downe your selues so lowe but God will raise you vp againe Obiection Obiect Oh but to weepe and lament it is not manhood it argues that men want courage and fortitude and is altogether vnbeseeming the person of a man they will trust in God they say and neuer mourne for the matter Solution Doth it argue want of courage to lament Nay it argues want of faith not to lament for sinne What doe they thinke of Iacob was he a coward They cannot say so for the holy Ghost giues him that commendation that he had strength and courage not onely to preuaile against men but with the Angell of the couenant And what was his conflict Hosea 12.3.4 Hee wept and prayed as the Prophet Hosea witnesseth Was this cowardlines Nothing lesse for the scripture commends it for notable strength And further what doe they thinke of Dauid was hee a coward they will not so disgrace that renowned king and worthy captaine of the Lords host as to lay vpon him the imputation of cowardise yet hee makes mention of his teares and that often Psal 6.6 Psal 9.136 as in the Psalmes where he saith that hee watered his couch with teares that his eves did gush forth with riuers of teares because men kept not Gods lawe and such like And what will they say to all Gods people of whom it is said Zacharie 12 that they should mourne as they did for Iosiah in the valley of Itadadrimmon where hee was slaine whose death all Israell did bitterly bewaile and as one mourneth for his first borne the only heire and hope of the familie What will they answere to this will they condemne all Gods people for a generation of cowards Nay this is so farre from bewraying want of fortitude that wee may boldly say that when men are fullest of such teares they are fullest of fortitude For what shall wee thinke of the Lord Iesus Christ had hee no heart was hee destitute of courage that could not possibly bee Nay when hee was to exercise the fulnesse of his power to vndertake such a worke as no creature durst attempt when hee was to offer vp himselfe to his father as a sacrifice for the sinnes of the Elect when hee was to encounter the Lords wrath and his iustice Sathan and death heil and damnation and all the power of darkenes that same time hee wept and that abundantly Heb. 5. And I hope none will say that then our Sauiours strength failed him notwithstanding his bitter teares and cries In trueth those that doe not weepe when there is cause they are without heart and vtterly voide of true fortitude subiect to marueilous feares and violent distempers which arise from a base minde for what is the reason they are so affraide of death but because they haue not mourned for their sinnes and so remoued the sting of death which if they had done they would triumph ouer death and say with S. Paul 1. Cor. 15. O Death where is thy sting their hearts would then stand fast as the strong mountaines and not bee affraide of any ill tidings Psal 112. Psal 91.6 Not not of the pestilence that walketh in the darke nor of the plague that destroyeth at noone day Vse 3 3 Thirdly this makes exceedingly for the comfort of those that are mourners in Sion they are in fauor with God and out of the reach of al danger so that nothing can befall them for hurt Blessed are those that mourne Math. 5.4 for they shall bee comforted more happie is the poore man that weepes for his sinne than the greatest potentate that reioyceth in the flesh Vers 18. For the destruction of the daughter of my people Here is the cause of their lamentation it was the ruines and calamities of Gods Church and poore distressed seruants whence this doctrine may be gathered Doct. 2. What afflictions doe go neerest the hearts of the Saints That the greatest affliction that shoulde touch the hearts of Gods people is the affliction of the Church as is euident out of this text For when Gods inheritance was spoiled some put to the sword others led captiue the temple of God razed and the exercises of religion abolished this made them to grieue exceedingly this was it that wrought vpon Ieremie and made him breake forth into those wishes Oh that mine head were full of water Ieremy 9.1 and that mine eyes were a fountaine of teares that I might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of my people As if hee could not haue his fill nor weepe enough for the desolations of Sion and the miserable ouerthrow thereof which he foresawe This was it that went neere the heart of good Nehemiah who beeing in great prosperitie Nehem. 1.4 2.1.2.3 cup-bearer to the mightiest Monarch that was then in the world and in speciall fauour with him yet for the affliction and reproch wherein the Church of God was hee conceiued such inward sorrow that he was sad in the kings presence which yet was a thing that he must and would haue forborne if possibly hee could Moses goes further hee does not onely mourne but is content to lay downe his prosperitie and to expose his estate to a manifest ouerthrow so that hee might helpe forward the deliuerance of the afflicted Israelites Heb. 11.24.25.26 Act. 7. and saue them from the hands of their oppressors For he knew he could not be in fauor with Pharoah if he should ioyne with them whom hee so cruelly handled but hee chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter Hester seemes to goe somewhat beyond him for she resolues with her selfe for the cause of the Iewes who were then all destinated to slaughter to aduenture her life in going to the king in their behalfe Hester 4.16 I will goe saith shee though it be
c. that wee must seeke God by all his meanes as in that place of the Canticles before alleged when the Church had lost Christ that is the feeling of his loue and the sense of that communion which formerlie she had had with him she vseth all priuate and publike meanes and at length commeth to conference with Gods seruants which few will doe till they be driuen to it of necessitie and then hauing waited a while she finds him whom her soule loued The same must bee our practise if one medicine will not serue the turne vse another Pray fast meditate conferre and then at last the Lord will be found in mercie But as we are slacke in vsing any of the meanes so shall wee faile in our comfortable expectation of fauor from God 3 The last rule is that we must vse the meanes diligentlie and in good earnest for if wee haue a base account of Gods mercies Iam. 5.16 Psal 72.12 it is iust wee should goe without them The prayer of the righteous auailes much but with this condition if it bee feruent God deliuereth the poore when he crieth If they would haue hearing there must bee crying God powres forth floods of grace Isa 44.3 but vpon whom On the thirstie ground Hence is it that a number reade and heare and pray and yet preuaile not because they doe it so drowsilie and carelesselie The Lord deferres to helpe them because they are not fit for helpe and doe not striue and wrestle in their prayers as Iacob did Hosea 12.3 Let vs therefore vse all the meanes and that with constancie and carefulnesse and then wee shall obtaine our hearts desire in mercie Vers 57. Thou saiedst Feare not Not that there came any such voice vnto their eares or that God vsed any extraordinarie meanes to speake vnto them but when they drew neere to God and cast their cares vpon him and laid open their sorrowes vnto him God did so comfort them as if hee had spoken vnto them they were content to make him their stay and to trust him with their soule and state and all and then hee pacified their hearts and gaue them an expected answere to their prayers Now in that God said Feare not the point is Doct. 7. God onelie frees the heart from feares That God onelie cancure the heart of feares If ten thousand Prophets had said vnto them feare not if God had not said so by his spirit they would haue feared for al that Reasons 1 For first men cannot remoue the cause of feare which God can Thence it is that the wicked flee when none pursueth them Pro. 28.1 whereas the righteous are bold as a Lion Because their sinnes are remoued and they reconciled to God through Christ who hath made a sufficient paiment for them to satisfie his fathers iustice 2 Secondly God onelie can giue saith which rids the heart of feare in which regard Christ saith Math. 8. why did you feare O yee of little faith Implying thereby that all our troublesome distempers proceede from want of faith Now because none can giue that but the liuing God therefore none can heale the heart of feares but onelie God 3 A third reason is because God onelie can put his true feare into our hearts Ieremy 31. Ezekiel 3.6 which is a mightie defence against false feares Godly sorrow is a strong fortresse against worldly sorrow and godlie ioy a strong bulwarke against carnall ioy Therefore it is said Psal 102.1 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord c. Hee shall not bee afraide of ill tidings Vse 1 First this confutes their follie and error that thinke if they goe two or three miles from the place where the sicknesse is and there haue their gates shut and all things carefullie looked vnto then they should not bee so fearfull as they are as if that outward meanes could cure the heart of feares nay that must bee the Lords worke If they carrie with them the pestilence of an ill conscience an heart full of couetousnesse full of pride and of worldly lusts death will enter into the window if it cannot at the doore and will finde them out and set vpon them at midnight as well as at midday For God hath a quarrell against their sinnes and hee will pursue them whithersoeuer they goe and how can they stand when the curse of God hath them in chase Will you feare the plague sore vpon the bodie and will you not much more feare it vpon your soules Will you fly from that that is but a medicine vnto the godlie and not from that which is the verie bane of the whole man In truth those that carrie with them a heart full of pride and lust and such iniquities as God abhors wheresoeuer they liue are in greater danger than the godly that liue in the pest-house it selfe hauing their hearts purified by faith and their hope setled vpon Iesus Christ And therefore thinke not to put away such feares by gaming and companie-keeping by eating and drinking and laughing for they will returne againe though they may be smothered for a time and an ill conscience will be a fearefull conscience Vse 2 Secondly this doctrine ministreth vnto vs this instruction that if we would be disburdened of feares we should go to God that can worke in vs a thorow cure Not as if the meanes of seruing Gods prouidence were to be neglected or as if wee should not walke circumspectlie and auoide the occasions of danger But when wee doe so we should not rest on the meanes nor thinke I am out of the place where the plague is therefore I am free from Gods stroke If one should say I cannot die till God haue appointed and therefore I may goe into places of infection this were a tempting of God but it were worse for a wicked sinner to thinke I am not neere places of infection therefore I am safe If then wee would bee soundly cured of feares Helps against feares 1. Prayer first let vs goe vnto the Lord with a broken heart and beseech him to put courage into vs and to giue vs assurance of eternall life and the ioy of the holy Ghost then come life or death wee shall not bee much dismayed This is one speciall meanes to free our hearts from vnnecessarie feares euen faithfull prayer as the Apostle shews where hee saies Phil. 4.6 In nothing bee carefull but in all things let your requests be made knowne to God c. He bids them not take away the occasions without but heale the heart within for then they shall bee safe enough The peace of God that passeth all vnderstanding shall keepe their hearts and minds in Christ Iesus that is in a blessed communion with Christ Iesus whereby they shall bee possessed with such peace as none knoweth what it meanes but those that haue tasted of it which quiets and sets downe the heart and minde and settles the same in the assurance