Commonwealth and surely he is no good and dutiful childe that will not mourn for his fathers death especially if he see him slain and murthered by bloody hands in such a case not to shed tears were a sign of a graceless and godless son and certainly they are no good children no loyal or dutiful subjects that mourn not for the horrid slaughter and barbarous assassination of their civil father 3. A good King is the light of our eyes and breath of our nostrils yea the very life of our lives a principal means under God of our temporal weal and being under whose shadow and protection we enjoy our selves and all in safety life goods and estate He is the Minister of God to thee for good Rom. 13.4 And is it not a sad thing to have such a pillar broken down such a one taken away by cruel hands What can be expected to follow but ruine rapine confusion and misery oppression and calamity as we have felt by woful experience and will not all that have any goodness that delight not to live by devouring others lament for the loss of such a one 4. A good King is under God a principal cause of our well-being in relation to spiritual things for our souls benefit it is under him and by his power and Law that we are preserved to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty 1 Tim. 2.2 therefore the loss of him must needs be deplorable as opening a wide gap to all prophaneness and dissolute living It was a sad time with Israel when there was no King in Israel every man did what was good in his own eyes Iudg. 17.6 and to what exorbitances and villanies will not the corrupt nature of man left to its own liberty and actuated by satanical fury break out in such an Anarchy will not this make a good heart mourn 5. A good King is a nursing Father of the Church so called in Scripture phrase it is by his care and providence by his good example and diligence in the service of God and in the holy duties of his worship that Religion is upheld and the practise of it furthered and the Church maintained in a flourishing condition Regis ad exemplum to tus componitur orbis people are much inclined to follow the example of the Prince And can good people that wish well to Sion and are well affected to Religion to the service and worship of God see such a one snatch'd from them by violent death to the great decay of Religion abolishing of the solemn worship of God and the bringing in a Babel-like confusion of hearts and Tongues as we have seen to our reproach to the breaking of our hearts to the joy and derision of our enemies and not be filled with extreme grief and betake themselves to great and bitter mourning 6. A good King is the Bridegroom of the Commonwealth the Husband of his people and hence it hath been an ancient custome at the Inauguration or Coronation of Kings to deliver them a Ring as a pledge or token of wedding them to their people and will not the children of the Bride-chamber mourn when the Bridgeroom is taken away from them Christ himself in the Gospel assures us that they will and shall mourn in that day And here I pray take notice that they are no children of the Bridechamber that mourn not for such a loss what then are they that rejoyce Can the Bride a loving Spouse endure to see her dear Husband assassinated murthered by cruel Butchers and that in the Bridechamber in his own house or at his own gates Can she endure for ever to have him separated from her or to have his head separated from his body before her eyes without shrieking out and wringing hands without bitter tears and doleful lamentations surely no And how then can good people good Christians good Subjects call to mind the murdering of a good King at the door of his own Royal Palace by some of his own people of his own subjects and servants without bleeding hearts weeping eyes and mournful spirits These may stand as so many grounds or arguments to confirm the point in hand that the death especially the violent death of a good King is a ground of great mourning to all good people To all these I might add the confusion that follows such a black deed The barbarous murder of a good King is commonly attended with a deplorable Chaos of confusion both in Church and State The plotters and actors in such a foul work are none of the best yea they are the very worst and vilest of men men of hard hearts and seared consciences of wild large and loose principles who having swallowed Royal blood do easily glut themselves with the blood of Nobles and other of their fellow subjects and like ravening Wolves having slain the Shepherd sport themselves in tearing and worrying the sheep and to conclude make no bones of the greatest evil so it may promote their wicked designs And must not this needs bring on a rueful confusion 1. There follows a Chaos of confusion in the Church when a good King is murdered if the murderers escape they new-model Religion and fit it to their own Standard and make it a meer Machiavillian politick Engine to prop and boulster up their usurped power When Ieroboam wrested the ten Tribes from the house of David with his new Kingdome he set up a new Religion for fear least if the people kept to their old Religion they would return to their old King 1 King 12.26 27 28. Ieroboam said in his heart Now shall the Kingdome return to the house of David if this people go up to do sacrifice in the House of the Lord at Ierusalem then shall the heart of this people burn again unto their Lord even to Rehoboam King of Iudah and they shall kill me Whereupon he took counsel and made two calves and set the one in Bethel and the other in Dan and pretended all to be done for the good and ease of the people it is too much for you to go up to Ierusalem whereas it was for his own base ends and according to his new Religion he made a new sort of Priests not of the sons of Aaron according to Gods Ordination but whosoever would might be a Priest for that State-Religion and served well enough to serve calves He made of the lowest and meanest of the people Priests of the high places whosoever would he consecrated him and he became one of the Priests of the high places and this thing became a sin unto the house of Ieroboam even to cut it off and to destroy it from off the face of the earth 1 King 13.33 34. I need not tell you how exactly the late Tyrants our Masters followed his steps the sad thought of it is too fresh in our memories Our old true and established Religion must be thrown down and turned out both for government discipline
doctrine manner of worship and Divine Ordination as if all had been nought and a boundless toleration given for a monstrous many headed new Religion and Priests start up of the meanest and lowest of the people many boldly intruded upon that holy work to administer the Word and Sacraments without a lawful call and separation to it they climbed up and crept in the wrong way like thieves and robbers Iohn 10. they consecrated themselves with audacious and sacrilegious presumption rushing upon that sacred Function and came not in by the door of Divine Ordination which none ever durst presume to do since the Apostles time till these daies of confusion and these were the Priests of the high places these these the only men in those disorderly times who having never taken holy Orders were thought most worthy to be mounted to the high places of preferment 2. A Chaos of confusion follows also in the state They which kill the Heir to gain the inheritance and stone Naboth to seize his Vineyard must maintain with a vast expence of blood and treasure what they have unjustly gotten by which means the poor people are oppressed and squeezed harrowed and peeled to the very bones We have found and felt this true what sore oppressions unsupportable taxes and over-heavy burthens besides devouring free-quarter when our Lord-Danes boasted that all was theirs and that they had more to do in our houses and with our goods expertus loquor then we our selves have we undergone since the oppression and murder of our good King Besides there is a vast confusion after such a fact by reason of contestations between Competitors as was in the Roman Empire upon Caesars death between Octavius Lepidus Marcus Antonius and others there is a furious busling and strugling who shall be Master and Supreme now one strives for it and now another now one hath it and then another now one Government is up and then another and so the oppressed people in this time of confusion are the greatest sufferers pelted and buffeted between both tumbled and tossed and emptied from one vessel to another till their purses are as empty of money as their hearts of content or their lives of comfort Now then seeing such a Chaos of confusion both in Church and State follows upon the murder or violent death of a good King as we all alas can too feelingly and knowingly speak is not the point clear that the death especially the violent death of a good King is a ground of great mourning to all good people for I am sure none will grant them to be good people unless themselves may be Judges and their own mouths praise them who applaud a Chaos of confusion in Church and State and delight like Sharks Harpies and Cormorants to fish in troubled waters or like Tories to live upon spoil and rapine because there out they have formerly sucked no small advantage I hasten on to the application of this truth to all our souls Vse 1. First then see here what great cause we have of sad mourning and of great lamentation who have seen a Iosiah a good and religious King our great our chief friend our common Father our Bridegroom our dear Husband snatched from us by bloody hands and by a violent death well may this day be called a bitter day as the mourning for one only son or the mourning of Hadadrimmon for Englands Iosiah Let us a little parallel Iosiah in my Text with our Iosiah that so seeing his excellent worth we may be the more sensible of this exceeding loss and find what cause we have for great mourning 1. Iosiah was a very pious and religious Prince well affected to Religion to the true Religion the reformed Religion as it was by his care reformed and restored according to the Law of God found in the Temple by Hilkiah the High-Priest to this he adhered cleaving to the Lord with all his heart and walking in all the wayes of David his father and turned not aside to the right hand or to the lest 2 King 22.2 So our Iosiah was very pious and zealously affected to Religion to the true reformed Protestant Religion which he firmly professed and cleaved to And though his adversaries in the beginning of our troubles blasted him with Popery as if he had been a Papist a slander as false as the Father of Lies could invent and one of their most cunning Engines whereby Absalem-like they stole away the hearts of his people and brought him so low yet he continued constant in it to his last breath and sealed it with his blood and that unparallell'd book which he wrote and left behinde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein he commends that Religion to his son our now gracious Soveraign to be constantly imbraced and professed by him which he found by proof to be the best of all Religions and neerest to the Apostolical primity and purity I say this shall stand as a lasting monument to all posterity to the perpetual shame of those malitious Traducers Out of that divine book so I may call it for much of a divinely inspir'd spirit appears in it give me leave to add some of his own sweet words to the Prince of Wales If you never see my face again I do require and entreat you as your Father and your King that you never suffer your heart to receive the least check against or disaffection from the true Religion established in the Church of England I tell you I have tryed it and after much search and many disputes have concluded it to be the best in the world not only in the community as Christian but also in the special notion as reformed keeping the middle way between the pomp of superstitious tyranny and the meanness of fantastick Anarchy And a little after The scandal of the late troubles which some may object and urge to you against the Protestant Religion established in England is easily answered to them or your own thoughts in this that scarce any one who hath been a beginner or an active prosecutor of this late War against the Church the Law and me either was or is a true lover imbracer or practiser of the Protestant Religion established in England which neither gives such rule nor ever before set such examples 2. Iosiah was very zealous for Gods house he took great care for the repairing of the Temple and the beautifying of it 2 King 22.3.1 Chron. 35.20 So our Iosiah was zealous for the houses of God in the year of his raign he took order that the Temples and Churches through the Kingdome should be repaired and beautified and attempted and to a good degree brought on the reparation of that great Mother-Church the old Ornament of our Metropolis or great City famous for the antiquity of it and for its great bulk being reputed for its building the greatest pile in the Christian world great part of which charge he took upon himselfe which with his fall is falling
and gracelesse persons though they have a huge weight of sin upon them yet they feel it not their consciences are not pressed nor troubled with it because it is in its proper place But the child of God is sensible of the least sin even the appearance of evill and trembles under the weight of it because there it is out of his own place and proper Element A soft heart a tender conscience checking of sin argues a divine impression upon it if the true fear of God and of his dreadfull Majesty 7. Iosiah was a King as devout to God so devoted to his peoples good good to his people full of goodnesse to his people In the verse following my text there is mention of the acts of Josiah and his goodness Now the rest of the Acts of Josiah and his goodness or kindness ver 26. His Acts and his goodness or kindness are joyned together because he did many Acts of goodness and kindness to his people what an Act of bounty and kindnesse to his people was it to be at that vast charge in the Passe over feast for their ease and benefit before mentioned So our Iosiah did many good Acts in relation to his people In the beginning of the long Parliament he passed sundry Acts of grace and goodness for the ease and comfort of his people as for taking away ship mony for taking away all illegall taxes for the taking down the Star-Chamber Court and the high Commission Court which were found to be oppressive to his people for a trienniall Parliament and other enough to have made abundant and ample reparations for any former miscarriages of his Officers and Ministers had he been to deal with reasonable and moderate men and more he would have done and more he intended to do yea more then could in reason be required had his precious life been spared But the greedy appetite of some could not be satisfied without innocent blood royall blood as the Jews would rest in nothing but our Saviours crucifige crucifige crucifie him crucifie him though they pull'd the horrid guilt of it upon themselves and upon their children Thus you have heard what a King what a good King we had and what a blessing in him Now to have such a Iosiah taken from us is it not a sad losse and by a violent and bloody death is it not a sad case He was slain not as Iosiah in my text by strangers of another Nation and in the hear of battell but murdered in cold blood and that by some of his own Subjects and Servants who had sworn allegeance and fidelity to him who had declared promised professed protested vowed covenanted to protect preserve and defend him and to make him a glorious King O damnable Hypocrisie for these to murder him and that not in private as other Traytors have dealt with their Princes but to do it openly with great pomp and artifice as men solemnly wicked and under pretence and shew of Justice Oh hellish mockery of justice added to cruelty and malice as it were in defiance of Heaven in the sight of all Israel and in the sight of the Sun in opposition to all Laws both of God and man against the light of their own consciences This was a sad and a black fact The Powder-plotters were a great deal more modest they did their work under ground and in darkness as being ashamed of it But these played a game above board in the open light with an harlots face without shame or blushing so that all circumstances and aggravations considered that might be named it was the most daring and horrid act of immanity and iniquity that was ever perpetrated under the Sun next to the crucifying of the Lord of Life an act not to be equalized in any history not only of Holy Writ but also of prophane and heathen Authors For such a King to be thus murthered is the faddest ground of mourning that ever the good people of this Nation had therefore for this O England gird thee with sackcloth lament and howl Ier. 4.8 yea wallow and rowl thy self in ashes make thee mourning as for an only son yea bitter lamentation Ier. 6.26 and as it is Zach. 11.2 howl firre tree for the Cedar is fallen And let us everyone wish with the Prophet O that mine head were full of water and mine eyes a fountain of tears to weep day and night for the slain the Ruler of the people Ier. 9.1 or as it is Ier. 14.17 Let mine eyes run down night and day and let them not cease for the Virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach and with a very grievous blow O that blow that very grievous blow made the greatest breach upon the sons and daughters of Sion upon all true children of this Church that ever was made to the piercing of their hearts and wounding of their spirits and bleeding of their very souls therefore weep and mourn for this let our hearts be filled with bitter grief and our eyes with brinish tears And as for the loss of such a King so much more let us mourn for that wonderful and horrid sin which was this day committed in the Land the shedding of his innocent blood a sin over passing the deeds of the wicked a sin that no Nation no people ever committed Let us beseech the Lord to pardon it to acquit the Land of it that it may no longer cry for vengeance and call for judgements to be continued upon us and cause him to poure out his fury upon us in blood Let the blood of sprinkling the blood of Christ speak better things then the blood of Abel Abel's blood cryed for vengeance and so may the blood of this righteous one but the blood of Christ cryes for mercy Holy Father let that blood of thy dear Son out-cry the other and bring down mercy upon the Land O deliver us and be merciful to us in regard of that crying sin for it was great Lord lay not the guilt of that blood this day shed upon the whole Nation for thou hast many among us who having neither hands not hearts defiled in it did with abhorrency of soul detest and loath and in much bitterness of spirit mourn for that odious fact Thou who art the searcher of hearts and knowest our thoughts knowest this to be true Lay it home to their consciences who had a hand in it and are yet living that they may see the greatness of their sin and be moved to great sorrow and bitter repentance and obtain pardon out of thy great and abundant mercies in Christ that the innocency of thy blessed Martyr may be cleared our Religion vindicated from the scandal and out Nation cleared from the vengeance of that blood and thy mercy glorified in the conversion of so great sinners And as for this horrid fact so for all our other sins and provocations let us mourn which helped forward this judgment for our personal sins
Ierusalem all the good people in that Church and Nation betake themselves to dolefull lamentations And all Judah and Jerusalem c. 1. Of the first of these That the child the dearest child of God may undergo a violent death As a child of God may be exposed in this world to any tempration that is common to the Nature of man to the sorest and sharpest affliction so to the sharpest kind of death The reason is because death by the decree of God by the desert of man is the inseparable sequel of sin to all the sons of Adam aswel to the godly as to the wicked forasmuch as all have sinned all must dye whatsoever may conduce to or bring on death whether it be corruption from within in these our earthly Tabernacles our bodies breeding some noysome or grivous disease or force and violence from without by wounds hurts and bruises may befal the the one God permitting aswel as the other As death is common to all so the same causes procurers and producers of death are incident and alike common to all As the the undergoing any sore affliction or a violent death is no sure argument that a man is the child of God so the undergoing the like is no certain evidence that he is not the child of God we cannot conclude any one to be a reprobate simply from any kind of suffering or from any kind of death because Gods dear child may be exposed to the one or the other The Donatists of old who were the forefathers of our Anabaptisticall fanatique Section separating brood vainly supposed that the undergoing of sore afflictions and violent death was the most ready way to bring them to heaven and a sure character of eminent Saints and therfore would willfully and needlesly expose themselves to grievous sufferings and sometimes to cruell death As Venner the Sectarian Preacher or rather prater the Wine-cooper and his cursed crue lately gloried to shed their blood in fighting for King Jesus Thus do they blasphemously abuse that good sweet and precious name though in open and horrid Treason and Rebellion against the lawfull powers ordained by God and in plain opposition to the laws of God and of the Land as if Christ who foretold by his Prophets as a great blessing to his Church and People under the Gospell That Kings should be their nursing Fathers and Queens their nursing Mothers would have these nurses all killed and murthered by their own children And not remember what he hath said They that take the sword upon such false grounds shall perish by the sword St. Austin Epist 50. ad Bonifacium speaketh of three kinds of death wherewith the said Donatists desired to be killed or rather indeed killed themselves Some of them would make request unto the worshippers and keepers of Idols to destroy them others would offer themselves to armed men robbers and spoylers lying by the high-way side to be slain of them and there wanted not such among them as delighted to cast themselves headlong from high places into the water and into the fire In this last age some Fanatick people have traced their steps Gualterus that famous Preacher of Zurich who lived about an hundred years since Hom. 209. in Mat. cap. 16. Relateth that he himself saw a woman after she had lived many years honestly with her husband and among her neighbours being instructed or rather seducted by the Anabaptists ran away from her husband and forsook her seven little children nothing pittying the youngest though a sucking babe and being asked why so unnaturall and unlike Mother she forsooke her children she had that pretence which the rest of the Anabaptists have Christ exhorts us to bear the Cross But though he exhort to bear the Crosse yet he requireth not that we should put needless crosses upon our selves but only to bear them patiently when he is pleased to send them and when he cals to suffer As for those who rashly expose themselves to troubles and cast themselves into wilful dangers or death it self without warrant of Gods word their actions are so far from pleasing that they are very displeasing to him As Saint Austin very well affirmeth Tract 11. in 3. Iohn Let Marculus saith he fling himselfe downe headlong from a rock and let Donatus in like sort cast himself into a pit both with intent to end their lives yet shall they not be called Martyrs or at most as he speakes in another place they are but Martyrs of a foolish Philosophy mad Fanatick Martyrs Now as these or like sufferings were no evidence to them of their salvation because it is not the meet suffering or the kind of death but the cause that makes a Martyr So the like being undergone are no argument that a man is not in Gods favour The dearest child of God may undergo a violent death The Prophet the man of God that came from Iudah to cry out against Iereboams Idolatrous Altar at Bethel in his return homeward was slain by a Lyon yet all agree though his body suffered yet his soul was saved he was the dear child of God so esteemed by the old Prophet who took care for his decent burial and laid him in his own Sepulchre and they mourned over him saying alas my brother and laid a charge upon his sons to lay him in the same Sepuchre lay my bones besides his bones 1 Kin. 13.31 So this good King Iosiah esteemed him for when in accomplishment of that Prophesie he brake down the Altar of Bethel and burnt many bones upon it digging up the bones of the Idolatrous Priests and burned them when he came to the Sepulchre of this man of God and undertood by the title whose it was he gave charge to let him alone Let no man move his bones deeming him the servant of God 2 Kin. 23.18 And all those Worthies of the Old Testament spoken of Heb. 11.36 37 48. Being too good to live in this world received hard measure from the world And had tryall of cruell hands and scourgings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment they were stoned they were sawen asunder were tempted were slain with the sword Blessed Steven the Proto-martyr of the New Testament was pelted knockt to death with stones and many of the best of Gods Saints and Servants pledg'd him in the cup of Martyrdom which was very bitter and bloody The holy Baptists head was chopt off to satisfie the appetite of a lustful and luxurious woman and served up to her in a Charger And Gods holy child Jesus that just and religious one taking our sins upon him and standing in that place underwent a violent death the painful shameful and accursed death of Cross yet still most dear in his Fathers favour Iosiah here a good and a religious King yet slain by cruell hands The Archers shot him and he dyed now briefly for Application Vse 1. Learn here first That neither goodnesse nor greatness can exempt man from the saddest
sufferings Iosiah a King as good as great yet slain in battell The Lord seeth good sometimes to have it so to humble the best and greatest that none may presume or trust to any worldly priviledge or dignity and to prepare his servants for a suffering condition 2. Let us be instructed to beware of rash Iudgmen not to be censorious of all that suffer either sharp affliction or some bitter death if they die penitently c in true faith of Christ or in a good cause it doth not diminish ought from their future happinesse but rather promote them in the way to glory But let none of you suffer as a murtherer saith St Peter or as a thief or as an evill doer or as a busie bodie in other mans matters yet if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorifie God on this behalfe 1 Pet. 4.15 16. Christ hath taught us not to deem them the greatest sinners who are the greatest sufferers Eo nomine for that very reason because sufferers by the example of those Galilaans who sacrificing were sacrificed Pilate mingling their own blood with the blood of the beasts which they offered and of the other who were mangled and quashed to death by the sudden fall of a Tower Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans because they suffered such things I tell you nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Or those eighteen upon whom the Tower in Siloe fell and flew them think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwell at Ierusalem I tell you nay But except you repent you shal likewise perish Lu. 13.2 3 4. And though our late dear Iosiah underwent a bloody death made as it were a sacrifice for the Church and his people by the rage malice and immane cruelty of mercilesse and perfidious men or rather monsters Horrendum factum dictu Horrendum Yet God forbid any of us should have the least doubt of his souls felicity Although his hard hearted and implacable enemies denyed him that which is freely granted to the vilest and most notorious condemned malefactors the help and comforts of his Chaplaines for his souls refreshment in the time of his hard imprisonment and therein as he complaines in his Soliloquies might seem as they sought to deprive him of all things else so to be afraid he should save his soul other sence charity it selfe can hardly pick out of these repulses I received saith he Yet we have good ground to conclude and ful assurance to perswade us that the better part of him is safe they which killed the body had no power to hurt the soul That bitter cup conduced much to his souls happinesse calix mortis calix salutis the cup of death and Martyrdom was to him a cup of Salvation His meek submitting to the will of God his patient bearing taunts reproaches and injuries evento shameful spitting on his meek yeelding to an unjust and bloody stroak his hearty praying for his enemies and murtherers according to that glorious pattern of his blessed Master his commending his soul to God trusting to his mercies in Jesus Christ our only Saviour for an eternal crown all being fruits of a sanctified soule are comfortable evidences of a saved soule Though his death was bloody and violent yet being sweetned with Christs death and his being washed and bathed in the blood of the Lamb we have firmperswasion and good assurance that he lived and dyed the dear child of God and is now a Saint in Heaven praising God among the noble army of Martyrs an heire of salvation and of that immarcescible Crown of glory which the Lord hath promised to them that love him Vse 3. Let it prepare and arm us against the fear and terrour of violent death if such should befal any of us we know not but it may it is sometimes the lot of Gods dearest children Let us not then overmuch disquiet our selves with the fear of violent death by theeves robbers murtherers or by the rebellious rout of Fanaticks The Sectaries talk high and hope yet to have a day their hearts are bloody and their hands would be at work these times they say will not hold we shall have a change though we have now a time of rejoycing yet we shall ere long have a time of howling and crying our harp shall be turned into mourning and our mirth into the voyce of them that weep but we hope their hornes will be clipt and their nailes pared a book be put into their nostrils and a bridle in their lips to hold them back from rebellion and mischief If they should break out in murther as they did begin and if any of us should fall by their knives swords or guns let not the fear or thought of this too much affright us Let us arme and prepare our selves with the shield of Faith and be alwaies ready and if we die in the Faith and favour of our God in Christ it shall not hinder us at all to our way to heaven but bring us the sooner to our Fathers House the place of true rest and happiness I proceed to the second Observation That it hath been an ancient custom among the people of God to mourn for the dead and in a moderate manner to mourn for our departed friends is not unlawful but rather Christian and commendable The custome hath been very ancient Solomon speakes of it as a thing commonly used in his time Eccl. 12.5 And we find it more ancient Abraham the Father of the faithfull bewailed his dead wife Sarah Gen. 23.2 Sarah dyed in Kirjath-arba the same is Hebron in the Land of Canaan and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her Joseph mourned many dayes for his Father Jacob. They mourned with a very great and sore lamentation and with grievous mourning Gen. 50.10.11 All the people mourned thirty dayes for Moses Deut. 34. David mourned for Ammon and for Absolom and for Abner yea he was the chiefe mourner there King David himselfe followed the biere and the King lift up his voyce and wept at the grave of Abner and all the people wept yea all the people wept again for Abner 2 Sam. 3.31 32. And as in the Old Testament so we find it used in the New The devout widows wept for the death of Tabitha Act. 6.39 Christ wept at the grave of Lazarus Joh. 12. And the good woman mourned and wept when he dyed And devout men carryed Steven to his buriall and made great lamentation over him Act. 8.2 And here all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah and Jeremiah lamented for Josiah c. From all which examples we see the the antiquity of this custom and hence Use May learn That moderate mourning for the dead is not unlawful but rather commendable Christians are not to be like Stoicks or rather Stocks void of all naturall affection But to this I shall not need to exhort