from the holy commandement delivered vnto them I will not compare the true Christian to a tree in the kingdome of Congo called by the Portugalians f Arbor tristis The sorrowfull tree because it neither buds nor blossomes nor brings forth fruit but in the night and in the day is without fruit flowers or leaues as if it were dead for the Christian is like vnto the Palme-tree which is greene both day and night though his godlinesse shineth more brightly like a Diamond in the night of his aduersitie then in the day of his prosperitie But well may I compare those painted Christians to the herbe called Heliotropium or Turnesol be cause it turneth with the Sunne both arising and going downe For so long as prosperous dayes shine vpon them they follow Christ who is t Mal. 4.2 the Sun of righteousnesse But if to put his children to a triall of their faith he hide himselfe for a little while in a darke night of persecution forthwith they turne their backes vnto him and forsake him Great and wailefull is their losse Neverthelesse the Church findeth in it a great gaine in weeping for them matter of ioy for her selfe For what are they but super fluous and vnprofitable u Ezech. 5.1.2 haire of the mystical body of Christ which he burnes with fire or scattereth in the wind when he taketh a rasour to trimme the head and the beard of his Church but x Ezech. 22.18 brasse tinne yron lead drosses which are euaporated vanish away in stincking pestilent smoak when y Mal. 3.3 the refiner and purifier of the sonnes of Levi taketh his gold and his siluer to melt and purge them in the furnace of triall but the scum which the Cauldron of the Church casteth out when it seeths and bubbles at the fire of persecution but a Psal 1.4 chaffe which the winde driueth away when the Lord taketh b Mat. 3.12 his fann◠in his hand a broome to sweepe and purge throughly his floare but c Ioh. 15.1 the fruitlesse branches of the true vine which the heavenly Vine-dresser takes away and casts into the fire of his indignation but d August in Epist Iohan. tract 3. Non de carne mea praecisi sunt sed pectus mihi premebant cum inessent c. ill humours which lay heavie vpon the stomacke of the Church but noisome and rotten deiections which shee avoyds into the iakes of the world when the Physician of the soule hath giuen her to drink a bitter potion in the cup of tribulation When such filthy excrements are euacuated she is not so grosse so swollen and puffed vp as she was but shee is more healthful Finally what are they but like vnto woodden legs or to a Creple-mans staffe which when he is cured of his disease he casteth away and not only looseth nothing of his owne but also receiueth a benefit and thankes God that they are not more behoouefull vnto him CHAP. V. 1 OVr first comfort in heaven is that wee shall be without sinne 2 The second that we shall be free from all miserie 3 The third that our faith and hope shall bee changed into the reall possession of the thing beleeved and hoped for 4 What shall bee then the blessednes of our soules 5 And of our bodies 6 Eternall life more fully described by seven circumstances 7 Then the wicked shall see the glory of Gods children who also shall see the torments of the wicked and praise God incessantly 8 Exhortation praier I. AS at the marriage e Ioh. 2.10 in Cana of Galilee all the wine was good but that which was given last was the best so all those comforts whereof I have spoken are most excellent but the last which God giveth to his children at the last day of their lives and which he shall fill to them in the unmeasurable bowles of his infinit mercies at the last day of the world surpasseth them all Our comfort and our blessednes is now that our sinnes are forgiven us our comfort our blessednes shall be then that we shall be without sinne f Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord they rest from their labours Their first their last their most continuall and toilsome labour is their sinne from it they rest And therfore the holy Apostle g Rom. 7 24 desired to die that his blessednes which consisted onely in forgivenesse of sinne by death might bee changed into the blessednesse of abolishment of sinne for then there shall bee no sinne because there shall bee no inticement no allurement to sin h Rev. 21 27 There shall in no wise enter into the holy City any thing that defileth Nothing is able to defile us but sinne and therefore to it wee shall say in that day Get thee hence stād without i Rev. 22 15 For without are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie What is sinne but a lie What is a sinner but a lover but a maker of lies But within are they of whom it is written k Esay 60.21 Thy people shall be all righteous they shall inherit the land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified O Lord l Psalm 118.9 20 open to me the gates of righteousnes I will go into them and I wil praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord into which the righteous shall enter I wil praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation II. Our comfort and our blessednes is now that when m Rev. 17 4 the Whore of Babylon drinketh unto us in the cup of her abominations and fornications not the health but the death of our soules God strengtheneth us with n Esa 11.2 the spirit of might which maketh us to say to him o Psalm 73.27 28 Loe they that are farre from thee shall perish Thou hast destroied all them that goe awhoring from thee but it is good for mee to draw neer to God I have put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare al thy works Our comfort and our blessednes is now that when our enemies make us to drink great bowles of salt teares in stead of wine we drink stoutly and are not drunk and stagger not any way from our profession when they bait us they cannot abate us when they presse us they cannot oppresse us when they cut the thread of our mortall life vvee rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory because we know that God will knit and fasten our soules to the thread of immortalitie which his owne hands have spun Our comfort our blessednes will be then that p Rev. 21 4. God shal wipe away all teares from our eyes and there shal be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shal there be any more pain q Rem
good which wee love not we serve God in covered dishes yet wee sigh not O how sensible was sin to this holy Apostle when hee cried n Rom. 7 24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from this body of death O how many teares dropping from his eyes washed his hands and blurred his paper when hee writ these words Hee with many sobbing tears desired to die that sinne might die in him o Rom. 6 7 for hee that is dead is freed from sinne We would not live if wee could not sinne for life without sinne is death unto us Wee walke as the Gentiles of whom the Apostle writeth that p Eph. 4 19 being past feeling they have given themselves over unto lasciviousnesse to work all uncleannesse with greedinesse Therefore being without sorrow in our hearts wee have no teares in our eyes and we weep not What token is this Surely that there is no love no respect to God in us for if wee loved his goodnes if wee respected his Majestie our hearts would cleave asunder for sorrow our eies would breake out into teares when we offend him CHAP. IV. 1 SEcond motive to weeping from the Iustice of God 2 Sinnes are debts whereby wee treasure up wrath to our selves 3 The sinner fighteth against God I. AS we love not his Goodnes as wee honour not his Majestie so we feare not his Iustice though wee be selfe-lovers though apparantly wee love our selves too much yet I may say that wee love not our selves enough because wee hate our owne soules q 2. Sam. 1.17 David wept lamentedâ— when Saul killed himselfe and when his best friend Ionathan was slaine by the Philistins The r Chap. 1 verse 11 author of the book of Wisedome saith that the mouth that belyeth slaieth the soule Say not that the booke is not Canonicall God himselfe saith that Å¿ Ezech. 18 7â— the soule that sinneth it shall dye Neyther is there any of you ignoraÌ„t of the scripture where S. Paul writeth that t Rom. 6 23 the wages of sinne is death Wherefore take heede to your sinnes for so many sins as yee commit against the eternall God so manie mortall blowes give yee to your immortall soules II. u Macrob. l. 2 Satur. c. 4 Habenda est inquit ad somnum mihi conciliandum illa culciâ—ra in qua ille tanto aere alieno obstrictuâ— somnum capere potuit Augustus Caesar wondred how a certain Knight of Rome vvho owed great summes of money farre beyond all his worth slept so securely that hee was no way disquieted with feare of the rigor of Iustice no way grieved with the overthrow of his family and would needes have the Quilt whereon that carelesse man could be at quiet thinking it should have more force to make him sleepe than all the Laudanum of the Apothe-caries shops Wee are that man our debts are our sinns which we pile up so mightily that as David said of his iniquities x Psalm 40.12 they are mo than the hayres of our head neverthelesse wee say with David but not in so good a cause y Psalm 4.8 I vvill lay me downe in peace sleepe neyther call wee to minde when wee are thus hoording and heaping sinnes upon sinnes as the Fables tel that the Gyants laide hills upon hills when they were to fight against God that a Rom. 2.5 through our hardnesse and impenitent heart we treasure up unto our selves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous iudgement of God This is no tale forged by a Poet but a most true saying come from Heaven for b Ro. 1.31 this is the iudgment of God that they which coÌ„mit such things are worthy of death III. What is it to sinne God saith it is to walke at all adventures with him or as the translation of the text hath contrary unto him that is as if yee should runne your head against a wall of marble stone Heare then what news he sendeth to such adventurers c Lev. 26.27 28. If ye walk at al adventures with me I will also walk at all adveÌ„tures with you in fury and I even I will chastise you seven times for your sins when we fight and bicker and tilt thus with God who shall have the upper hand and which of us shall triumph It were a safer course for us to d Gen. 32.24 wrestle with him as Iacob did e Hosea 12.4 Hee wept made supplication unto him Hee wrestled by weeping hee preuayled by praying it is sorrowing it is weeping for sinne it is praying for forgivenesse of sinnes which giveth us power over God Therefore if we desire to prevayle NOW let us weepe and pray NOW CHAP. V. 1. THird motive to weeping from the passion and death of Iesus Christ considered first in the Garden 2. Next in the High Priests house 3. Thirdly in the Iudgement-Hall 4. Fourthly upon the Crosse 5. Divers examples to moove us to weepe for his death 6. We have crucified him therefore we should weepe because of him 7. As the Iewes did 8. They that weepe not in this world shall weepe in hell I. BUt to leave this let us cast our eyes upon the passion and death of our Lord Iesus Christ f 2. Cor. 5.21 who knew no sinne and neverthelesse was of God made sinne for us Let us looke upon him in the garden there hee said that g Mat. 26 38. his soule was exceeding sorrowful even unto death He was thus sorrowfull for our sinnes and shall not we be sorrowfull for them There h Mark 14.33 he was sore amazed and very heavy And shal not we be amazed for his amazednesse and very heavy for his heavines who was thus amazed thus heavie for us There yee see him wallowing on the ground before the throne of the justice of God there i Luk. 22.44 he is in an agonie there in a cold aire the heate of the agonie openeth all the pores of his sacred body it melteth his flesh like waxe it changeth all his humors into a river of a bloody sweat which piercing and running through his garment imbued and dyed the ground with a crimson colour There yee heare him k Heb. 5.7 offering up prayers supplications with strong crying and teares unto him that was able to save him from death death which hee was to suffer not for himselfe but for us O hearts of steele when will the agonie of the Sonne of God for you cast you in an agony for your selves O eyes drier than the dryest bricke when will the bloodie sweate of your sweet Saviour which mollified the hard ground soften you when will the streames of teares running from the glorious and bright-shining eyes of the King of kings change you into fountaines of water when will weeping dig hollow furrowes and gutters in your faces O when will yee begin to shed one teare for your owne
the midst of them they have not knowne the Lord. But who vvith Iesus Christ whose actions are our instructions is grieved for the hardnes of their hearts Shall the sinnes of idolaters wring one teare out of our stony heads when our owne sinnes are increased above the haires of our head and are heavier than the sand of the sea and yet wee look on them with dry eyes as if all their muscles were withered and without sap Let us I pray you let us begin NOW to weepe because untill NOW we have not wept let us tune upon the strings of our hearts a dolefull song of heavie mourning because wee have not knowne in this peaceable Kingdome the things belonging to our peace CHAP. VII 1 THey that weep not for sinne are constrained to weep for the punishment of sinne 2 He that weepeth not in affliction is a desperate sinner 3 Godly men weep in affliction 4 In our afflictions wee must weep to God I. FOr x 1. Cor. 11.31 if we would iudge our selves we should not bee iudged If wee could once sorrow if sorrow wrought indignation in us indignation feare fear desire desire zeal zeale revenge by weeping for our sinnes and abstaining from sinne then wee should never weep for the punishmēt of sin but if wee weep not when wee should weep y Gen. 4.7 sinne lieth at the doore and the punishment thereof shall make us to weep when wee would not weep a Eph. 5.4 Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things because of fornication of uncleannesse of covetousnesse of filthy and foolish talking and other vices which are but too too common in our Churches commeth the wrath of GOD upon the childen of disobedience I am not a Prophet nor the sonne of a Prophet to say to you as Ezechiel writ to the Iews b Ezech. 7.5 6 7. An evill an onely evill behold is come An end is come the end is come it awaketh against thee behold it is come The morning is come unto thee O thou that dwellest in the land the time is come the day of trouble is neer Yee see it come upon your brethren for whom ye fast should weepe NOW Are they not as honest as godly as religious as ye are Therefore say not with the profane Iews c Esa 28.15 Wee have made a covenant with death with hell are we at agreement When the over-flowing scourge shal passe thorow it shall not come unto us for we have made lies our refuge under falshood have wee hid our selves Apply rather to your selves that which Christ who cannot lie said to the Iewes of d Luke 13.2 the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices and of those eighteene upon whom the Towre in Siloe fell that they were not sinners above all the rest of the people And therefore except ye repent yee shall all likewise perish II. When affliction is comne I need not exhort you to weep for it To that nature will be to you a most perswasive preacher The heart must bee harder than a Stithie if it sorrow not the eyes must be dryer than a potsheard if they weep not in affliction The Iewes were come to the height of sinne when the Lord checked them for hardnesse of heart in their oppression saying e Esay 22 12 13 14 In that day did the Lord GOD of Hostes call to weeping to mourning and to baldnes and to girding with sackcloth and behold ioy and gladnes slaying oxen and killing sheep eating flesh and drinking wine and ye say Let us eat and drink for to-morrow we shall die Such a sinner in that was their King Achaz who in the time of his distresse did trespasse yet more against the Lord. He was ever king Achaz ever like himselfe never better but rather worse This hardnesse of heart is a neere cousin to the irremissible sinne for God said to these stony-hearted sinners Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die III. I hope there is none so wickedly disposed amongst you all for I deeme there is none amongst you but hee will sorrow weep and mourne when the hand of God is heavie upon him we are all of one metall Iob saith that in his afflictions f Iob 3 24 his roarings were poured out like the waters hee g Iob 30.28 31. cried his harp was turned into mourning and his organe into the voice of them that weep The like wee haue heard of many others with the refutation of the indolence and unsensiblenes of the Stoicks IV. But if ye do nothing but roare but cry but weepe and mourne when yee are chastised what doe yee that your dogges will not doe will they not cry and howle when they are beaten Teares if they bee alone are no more regarded of God than the howling and yelling of beasts which will roare when they are hardly used Weepe then as the Saints have alwayes wept When your eyes run downe with teares and your eye-lids gush our with waters let your prayers runne up to heaven with them to powre them out into the bosome of God Weepe as h 1. Sam. 1.10 Hannah wept who beeing in bitternesse of soule prayed unto the Lord and wept sore Weepe as the children of Israel wept for when the children of Beniamin had destroied of them fortie thousand men i Iudg. 20 23 26. they wept before the Lord. Weepe as Iob wept when k Iob 16.20 his eyes powred out teares unto God Weepe as David wept who when he was swimming in his teares said l Psal 55.17 Evening and morning and at noone will I pray and cry aloud and hee shall heare my voice Weepe as Hezekiah wept m 2. Kin. 20.2 3. He prayed unto the Lord and wept sore n Esa 38.84 Hee chattered like a crane or a swallow hee mourned as a dove his eyes failed with looking upward his praier was O Lord I am oppressed undertake for me CHAP. IIX 1. WE must weepe also for the desolation of the Church 2. As David and Ieremiah did 3. Great desolation of the Churches by the last troubles 4. Their present state most pitifull and lamentable 5. Examples to moove us to weepe for them I WHen yee have thus wept for your selves remember that ye are not for your selves onely consider that yee belong to the mysticall body of our Lord Iesus Christ the mēbers wherof are disperst through the whole world and print in your minds the most reasonable commandement of the holy Apostle o Rom. 12.15 Weepe with them that weepe Weepe for the Church as the holy men of God have wept for it They mourned for the evills past for the evills that were present and for the evills that were to come II. When David heard the tydings of the overthrow of Gods people by the Philistins p 2. Sam. 1.11 12. He and all the men that were with him
others which have no hope he forbiddeth you not to be waile your dead for it is impossible to fight against the motions of nature Did not u Gen. 23.2 Abraham the father of the faithfull mourne and weepe for Saâ—ra Did not x Gen. 50 1.10 Ioseph weepe upon his dead father and kisse him did not all his sonnes bury him with a very great and sore lamentation Did not y Num. 20.29 all the congregation of Israel mourne for Aaron thirty dayes Did a Deut. 34.8 they not weep for Moses as many dayes Did not David weepe for b v 2. Sam. 1.17 Saul for x 2. Sam. 3.32 Abner and for his sonne y 2. Sam. 18.33 Absalom and did not our Lord Iesus Christ a Ioh. 11.35 weep for Lazarus Did not b Act. 8.32 the devout men of Ierusalem make great lamentations over Steven Did not c Act. 9.39 the Christian widdowes of Lydda weepe for Dorcas when she was dead V. The thing which the Apostle forbiddeth is weeping such as is the weeping of the Gentiles which is immoderate because they have no hope One of them seeing hee must needes pay the last tribute to nature go the way of all the earth as he was dying made an heavy mone for his soul saying d Spartiani Adrianus Animula vagula blandula Hospes comesque corporis Quae nune abibis in loca Pallidula rigida nudula Nec ut soles dabis iocos O my restlesse my gentle my sweet soule soule which hast been a friendly guest and companion of my body O how wanne how cold how bare and empty is the place whither thou must now goe neyther shalt thou hereafter make me merry The rest had no better hope if they spake not so they thought no lesse But we know that e Ioh. 5.24 hee that beleeveth in Christ hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life therefore we must not weepe for our dead immoderately as Gentiles doe but moderately as Christians doe In f Ier 9.17 18. Ieremiah his time there was an heathnish custome among the Iewes Praficae mulieres to hire mourning women who were accustomed to take up a wailing for their dead and that g Chrysost ad Popul Antiochen homil 69. 70. profane custome was in the Church in S. Chrysostomes dayes It is now banished out of the Church But that w eh we doe is not much unlike unto it wee teare our faces with our nails we pull the haire out of our heads we rend our clothes wee yell wee roare wee howle like beasts and shew indeed that wee are without hope so great hypocrites or that we consisider not what wee are doing Chrysostome said that h Ex ostentatione potius ambitione inani gloria sunt c. there is more ostentation ambition and vaine glory than true sorrow in such weeping for a man may weep bitterly in his closet and not make such a shew Yea in such weeping there is great shame and great offence offered to our most holy religion For how shall we speak of the immortality of the soule to them which beleeve no such thing how shall wee perswade them to beleeve i Tertull. de Resurrect Carnis Fiducia Christianorum resurrectio mortuorum the rising again faith of Christians when by such yelling wee make them to beleeve that death is as horrible unto us as unto them for they heed not what we beleeve but what we doe And how shall we our selves contemne death if wee shew so great impatience when our friends die IV. Hearken then and learne how to weep for the dead doe yee consider death as it is k Rom 6.23 the wages of sin Weep Consider it also as it is through Christ l Ioh. 5.24 a passage to life and weep not Doe ye consider how your dear friend whom ye loved so tenderly is by death become so ugly and loathsome that ye are constrained with m Gen. 23.4 Abraham to bury him out of your sight lest he become suddenly a stinking carrion Weep CoÌ„sider also that through Christ his grave is made a Doctor unto him and weepe not Doth experieÌ„ce make you to say that by and by he shall bee dust and ashes Weepe But send for faith and it will tell you that though hee sleep now in the dust of the earth n Dan. 12.2 he shal awake to everlasting life according to the comfortable saying of Christ to Martha o Iohn 11 25 26 I am the resurrection and the life he that beleeveth in mee though he were dead yet shall he live And whosoever liveth and beleeveth in me shall never dye For in that blessed day of the resurrection of the righteous Christ p Phil. 3.21 shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body Heer is the comfort of your faith The Pagans speaking of a dead man were wont to say q Scal. Castigat in Festum verbo AbitioneÌ„ FUIT He was because they were without hope for the time to come But your r Rom. 5 5. hope which maketh not ashamed teacheth you to say ERIT He shall be They said also m Tert. de testimonio animae adver Gent. c. 4. Abijt iam sed reverti debet Hee is gone but he will come again not shewing that they had any hope of the resurrection as Tertullian deemed but seeking Euphemisms fair words having a sense repugnaÌ„t to their mind to shew that they esteemed all dead men to be lost In that same sense they said VIXIT He did live and therefore they called him n Ibid. Cúm alicuius defuncti recordaris miselluÌ„ vocas cum miserable If yee consider your dead brother as departed out of this life because of sinne say He did live and weep but knowe ye not that o 1. Sam. 25.29 his soule is bound in the bundle of life with the Lord his God Therfore say VIVIT Hee liveth say Hee is blessed and weep not p Rev. 14 13 For blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. Beleeve yee not that they are past from death to life Wherefore then weep ye Will ye bee injurious to our Lord Iesus Christ Will yee deny the vertue of his death Will ye forsake the merit thereof Knowe yee not that his death is to us which beleeve the death of our death and the life of our life Then weep not O but he was my loving husband she was my vertuous wife thou hast had some losse weep but thy losse is their gaine They are gone to the marriage-supper of the Sonne of God and it is written Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb. These are the true sayings of God Therefore weep not Alas hee was mine onely sonne the heire of all my goods and now alas to whom shall I leave them
they which mourn shall be comforted III. Our comfort is our blessednesse and all blessednesse is of God to whose prayse we cry aloud with the holy Apostle f Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ So all our comforts are of God who g Isa 51.3 shall comfort Sion For he is h 2 Cor. 1.4 the God of all comfort who comforteth vs in all our tribulation He comforteth vs by his deare Sonne Iesus Christ who saith that the Lord hath sent him i Isa 61.2 to comfort all that mourn and as he came into the world for that end so he doth that wherefore he came as he said to his Disciples k Ioh. 14.18 I will not leaue you Orphanes that is comfortlesse I will come to you He cometh to vs by his Spirit who is the true Comforter For he ascended into heauen thence he l Tertull. de praescript cap. 11. Misit vicariam vim spiritus sancti qui credentes agat hath sent in stead of himselfe the power of the holy Spirit by whom the beleeuers are led according to his promise m Ioh. 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall giue you another comforter that he may abide with you for euer IV. Here is the certaintie of our comforts God hath promised that we shall be comforted n Heb. 10.23 He is faithfull that promised and o 1 Thes 5.24 also will do it He giueth not that charge to another His owne selfe doth it p Isa 46.10.11 My counsell sayth he shall stand and I will doe all my pleasure I haue spoken it I will also bring it to passe I haue purposed it I will also doe it Hee doth it by his owno Spirit As q Ioh. 3.8 the wind so the Spirit bloweth where it listeth If he will comfort vs who can grieue vs Men will doe what they can to make vs weepe But saith Christ r Ioh. 16.25 Your heart shall reioyce and your ioy no man taketh from you If we hold our eyes vpon our selues we see our own weaknesse and we know we may loose our ioy But Christ hath prayed that ſ Ioh. 17.13 wee may haue his ioy full filled in our selues And the Comforter himselfe abideth in vs who then shall take the fruits of our teares from vs O most precious pearles of your eyes O teares most acceptable to God! The French Virgin is not so curious to keepe the teares of the vine wherwith a Plin. l. 23. cap. 1. Cutem in facie mulierum purgant Ibid. Vitia cutis in facie varosque lentignes emendant she takes away the speckes and pimples and other spots of her face and hands keepeth their skin soft and faire As God is carefull to keepe the teares which trill from the spiritual branches ingraffed into Iesus Christ who b Ioh. 15.1 is the true Vine c Psal 56.8 Hee putteth them into his bottle Are they not in his Booke d Ctesias in Indicis When the teares distilling from the Indian tree called Siptachora fall into the riuer Hyparchus they are congealed there and turned into most excellent Amber So when our teares fall into the riuer of the mercies of God they become there a most precious iewell And as the Sunne drawing salt vapours out of the Sea vp into the aire turneth them into pleasāt showers of raine e Isa 55.10 which watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may giue seed to the sower and bread to the eater So f Mala. 4.2 the Sunne of righteousness our Lord Iesus Christ draweth vp to heauen our sighs our groans the salt vapours of our deuotion the bitter teares of our godly sorrow which we poure out before him and keepeth them in his bottles till being all gathered together hee powre them downe vpon vs againe in a mos sweet and well-come shower of all kinde of heauenly comforts which are our blessednesse both in this world and in the world to come V. Be not deceiued with the errour of Papists Imagine not that there is any merit in teares as that word is taken by Papists that in them there is any satisfaction as Papists speake of satisfaction that they wash out the blots of the soule which are our sinnes as water cleanseth and taketh away the spots of the body as Papists dare too boldly and ignorantly affirme they haue not in themselues any such efficacy neither hath God made vnto thē any such promise Nothing can satisfie the wrath of God but the death of the son God Nothing is of worth and value before his eyes to be rewarded with glory but the obedience of the Lord of glory No water can purge and take away sinnes g Ioh. 1.29 It is the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world VI. If ye aske who hath satisfied the wrath of God I answere with Isaiah Christ h Isa 53.5 was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities iquities the chastisement of our peace was vpō him with his stripes we are healed If ye aske again by what means by what deserts ye obtaine eternall life Christ himself answereth i Ioh. 14.6 I am the Way the Truth and the Life i.e. The true way to eternall life And the Apostle faith that k 1 Cor. 1.30.31 of God ye are in Christ Iesus who of God is made vnto vs wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption That according as it is written He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Finally if ye aske which is the riuer which is the poole wherein we are clensed of all our sinnes so perfectly that there remaineth no spot no blemish in vs The Disciple which lay in Christs bosome was priuie to all his secrets faith that l 1. Ioh. 1.7 the bloud of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God clenseth vs from all sinne He only is the riuer of Iordan wherein the leprosie of sin is cured m 2 Kings 5.14 The riuer Iordan in the land of Canaan did neuer clense any man of the leprosie of the body but Naamās the Syrian This Iordan of the heauenly Canaan clenseth perfectly all leprous sinners which wash and dippe themselues in it At n Ioh. 5.4 the poole of Bethesda he onely was made whole of his disease who first after the troubling of the water stepped in But when soeuer a sinner shal repent of his sinnes that he hath committed and cast himselfe into this vndraynable poole of the bloud of the sonne of God his sicknes shall be cured and his soule shal be healed Yee read in the Legendes that Constantine the great being leprous was councelled to wash in a bath made of the bloud of little children that he might be made cleane That bath was nothing else but the bloud
oberit Omne desiderium eorum Christus praesens implebit we shall not onely taste how sweet God is but we shall be filled and satisfied with a wonderfull sweetnesse then nothing shall be wanting vnto vs nothing shall hurt vs because Christ by his presence shall fill all our desires V. Be not therefore deceiued for if ye haue not the beginnings of eternall life in this barren wildernesse of your pilgrimage ye shall neuer come to the compleatness thereof in the pleasant and fruitfull land of your rest wherof it is written k Ps 25.13 His soule shall lodge in goodness and his seed shall inherite the earth Obiect not the words which wee reade in the first Epistle of S. Iohn l Ioh. 3.2 It doth not yet appeare what we shall be for he speaketh of the full manifestation and fruition of our blessednesse of the beginnings whereof he writeth in that same Chapter m Vers 14. We know that we haue passed from death vnto life because we loue the brethren Euen as Christ affirmed * Ioh 5.24 Verily verily I say vnto you He that heareth my word and beleeueth in him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death vnto life Consider and see how by faith in Christ by loue to our brethren for Christ we haue already eternall life and blesse God who hath giuen you faith and loue CHAP. III. I. OVr first comfort and blessednesse in this world is the forgiuenesse of our sinnes II. Which is declared by the example of David III. Who affirmeth that mans blessednesse is the forgiuenesse of his sinnes IV. The same is verified by the example of a woman which was a Sinner V. To obtaine this first degree of blessednes we must be reconciled with our brethren VI. Laudable custome of the Primitiue Church to end their publicke prayers with a kisse VII We must weepe and pray to God one for another for our ownselues VIII Exhortation I. Our first comfort therfore the first degree of eternall life or of our blessednesse in this world is forgiuenesse of sinne Because our first misery is sinne Ye haue heard that eternall life is in God ye heare Isaiah saying a Isa 59.2 Your iniquities haue separated between you and your God And your sinnes haue hid his face from you that he will not heare If then a man be separated from God as he is by sinne his life is gone his blessednesse is lost misery is become his portion and death his inheritance wherfore he cannot be restored to his blessednesse but by forgiuenesse of sin wherby he is reconciled with God receiued againe into his fauour inlightned with the brightnes of his countenance quickned with his life blessed with his grace graced with all his blessings This is the first gate of heauen This is the first entrance into the kingdome of glory Blessed should we be if we could be without sinne Seeing that cannot be because b Iam. 3.2 in many things wee offend all blessed are wee if our sinnes be forgiuen vs. This is known of them onely that know what sinne is and whose eyes godly sorrow changeth into fountains of teares making their hearts to sigh their eyes to weep their tongues to cry incessantly for forgiuenes of sinne which was neuer refused to any that did aske it with a contrite and broken heart Can yee name me one among so many millions of sinners who did weepe before God and lost his teares Who did offer his supplication to the Father of mercies with a sound and single spirit and was reiected Saith he not that c Isa 66.2 He will looke to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit He hath said it and who wil say that he must not or will not doe it II. Which of you is ignorant of Davids sin Was it not most hainous in it selfe Was it not exceeding sinfull horrible aboue measure in such a man who was so many wayes beholden vnto his God Who can tell vs better then himselfe how hatefull it was He confesseth in the fiftie and one Psalme that by it he had lost the fauour of his Sauiour and fallen from the heauen of all felicitie into the hell of all misery and therefore feeling the damnation wherein he was ingulsed and desiring to recouer the saluation which he had lost he maketh with moaning and mourning this true confession to Nathan whom the Lord had sent to rebuke him d 2 Sam. 12.13 I haue sinned against the Lord. And knowing that a confession made to a mortall man was not sufficient to repaire one offence committed against the immortall God he rūneth straight to the throne of grace he couereth his bodie with sackcloth hee sprinckleth dust and ashes vpon his head hee taketh the apparell the countenance the words of a prisoner at the Bar of a malefactor condemned to die He cryeth with many teares to his Iudge e Psal 51.1 Haue mercie vpon me O God Scarcely is the word out of his mouth when God who knew the desire of his heart blessed him with this comfortable answer vttered by a man but proceeding from the bowels of mercie from mercies owne selfe The Lord also hath put away thy sin Thou shalt not die Then his heart was filled with ioy then his bruised bones were healed and moistned with the marrow of gladnesse then his face shined then his eyes were two glistering diamonds between his browes Then he leapt then hee triumphed then he sang When I sinned I was miserable Now my sinnes are forgiuen me and I am blessed III. Then f Rom 4.6.7.8 he described the blessednesse of the man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnes without workes saying g Psal 32.1.2 Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne h August in Psal 31. Conc. 2. He saith not blessed are they in whom no sinnes are found but whose sinnes are couered Sinnes are they couered They are abolished If God hath couered our sinnes noluit aduertere he would not behold them Si noluit aduertere noluit animaduertere If he would not be hold them he would not take notice of them Si noluit animaduertere noluit punire if he would not take notice of them he would not punish them Noluit agnoscere maluit ignoscere Hee would not know them he choosed rather to forgiue them Oh consider I pray you this example and this saying of David He had great store of riches he was mightie in force he ouerpeered all men in wisedome God had put on his head a crowne of fine gold he was peaceable at home victorious and triumphant abroad he had wise Captaines valiant Souldiers faith full Serjeants obedient Subjects His children were like Oliue plants round about his Table no worldly Commodities were wanting to his desires and loe they are dung vnto him Loe he
feast MARIVS himselfe could not have shewen a greater courage I could name women yet living who went stoutely to the skirmish against the enemies no wayes dreading the glistering of swords the brandishing of speares the hail of bullets falling thicke and whistling about their eares When men made head to men with their heeles they ran to the breach and catching the partizans that fleeing men had flung away laid their enemies heads where their feete were and saved the beleaguered towne The only sonnes of some of them being killed in that cause they buried them vvith dry eyes and laughing faces calling themselves happy that God had made them mothers of such children Neyther did they at any time weepe but when they saw men doe many things unbeseeming not onely Christians but men then through great displeasure they wept because men did neither blush for shame nor waxe pale for feare of eternall disgrace nor weepe for forrow that like IVDAS they had betrayed Iesus Christ or like REVBEN abode among the sheepfolds to heare the bleatings of the flockes Moreover the principall passions which provoke weeping are love anger sorrow If those passions bee more vehement in women than in men as men say then when they are sanctified in women as they are in all true Christian women we must confesse that in women there is greater anger against sinne greater sorrow for sinne and for the affliction of the Church greater love of God greater zeale of his glory than men and therefore that women weepe more than men Are they first in weeping they shall be first in comforts The more bitter their weeping is the greater shall their comfort be Women not men wept publiquely at the death of Christ therefore they vvere first comforted vvith the delightsome sight of his glorious resurrection and with the commission given unto them to bee the Apostles of the Apostles and to preach that their Lord and Master was risen againe S. Peter saith that women are the weaker vessell That speech may be turned to their praise for as a little cup of crystall though it be frayle and brittle is of more value than a thousand bowles of varnished tin so one godly and vertuous woman is more to bee esteemed when she weepeth to God in time of misery than ten thousand brutall men vvho can roare but cannot weepe I speake of brutall men for we finde in the Scriptures and I shew in this booke that the most courageous wise and godly men that ever had eyes in their heads did make of their heads living fountaines of tears of their eyes pipes to convey them to their cheekes and did weepe as much not only as women but as little children And indeed are vve not all Gods children why then shall we not weepe when vve offend him and hee chasteneth us Are vve not in his Church as new borne babes vvhy then should we not weepe in our necessities till hee take us in his lap lay our mouthes to his breast still us with the sweet milke of his spiritual comforts Can man have a true feeling of his evils and not weep Can he know that his helpe is in the Name of the Lord vvho made heaven and earth and not run unto him and cry unto him as the woman of Canaan did LORD HELP ME Will such men need rules of weeping Masters or Preachers to teach them how they ought to weepe No no their unfained love to the Church of God their earnest affection to the glory of God their extreame and godly sorrow for the bruising and crushing of Ioseph their passionate hatred and grudge against sinne will be to them a most sufficient and learned Master in that Art Godly sorrow will be Aarone rodde to their hearts of rocke and make them an undrainable spring of sighes of groans of cryes of tears of lamentations of complaints of expostulations of deprecations Their fervent love will make them most eloquent in devoute praying The heart wounded to the quicke sendeth up to the eyes rivers of teares and to the mouth flouds of most pithy and signifying words and easeth it selfe by weeping and praying There all the Saints of God men and women have in all times found teares enow and words in aboundance to make their mone to God Not that God vvho seeth without eyes heareth without eares and before whom hell it selfe is naked and the deepe hath no covering hath need of our teares to know our wants but because vve stand in need of him he will have us to know to feel our own miseries and to acknowledge with sighing mourning and praying that we have no hope but in his helpe but in the exceeding riches of his grace but in the infinite treasures of his mercies For this cause doth he exhort us to fast to weepe and to pray for the same cause at a Fast solemnized those dayes by-past made I in substance and so far as two houres of time would permit and I thought fit for the time and the hearers this exhortation to weeping which now I present to you MADAM as a publick testimonie of the due account which I make of those excellent gifts both of nature and of grace vvherewith God hath with an open hand inriched your noble and honourable person ISABELLA the Queen of women of whom I have already spoken might have been called the PHOENIX of Queenes if there had not bin a ZENOBIA before her in the Orient and after her an ELIZABETH in England This Queene was to all women a glistering Mirrour of chastitie a rare example of sobriety a perfect president of modesty She could not abide Iesters Stage-players Fidlers but banished them all off her Court when shee was not distracted with matters of State she was ever in the middest of her Ladies sewing with her owne hands and instructing exhorting them by word and by example to godlinesse and vertue Every day twice she had her ordinary houres of private prayers Her daughter MARY Queene of Portugall like unto her was very grave in all her carriage was as milde as any might be to all persons was enemy to idlenesse and was wont to exhort all her Ladies to MODESTIE saying that MODESTY IS THE PRINCIPAL ORNAMENT OF A WOMAN The Chastitie and Modesty of a woman the gracious and courteous gravity of a Lady the zeale and piety of a Christian the wisdome and providēt care of a vertuous noble Matron are the vertues w ch I have observed in your Ladiship and which have moved me to beare witnesse unto them by this dedication Futhermore all who know your Ladiship and know the perpetuall attendance of my Lord your vvorthy and right honourable husband on his Maiesty at Court will beare you record that you indeed are the vertuous Woman of whom Salomon saith that THE HEART OF HER HVSBAND DOTH SAFELY TRVST IN HER that her children arise and call her blessed that her husband praiseth her and saith MANY DAVGHTERS HAVE DONE VERTVOVSLY BVT
wee must not saith the Apostle t 2. Cor. 4.18 Looke at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall for if wee did seeke our blessednesse in temporall things subiect to corruption they comming to decay to waxe old and to rot our blessednes should faile with them Thirdly reason it selfe teacheth us that to make up true perfect blessednes all good things must ioyne together for though a man be inriched with them all saving one so long as that one is lacking to his desire hee is not throughly blessed for in a blessed man there is nothing void no part emptie all his desires are satisfied and so full that he saith It is enough III. Now where shall we finde all good things where else but in God who as hee is the soveraigne God so hee is the soveraigne good as hee is u Deut. 10.17 the GOD of gods and x Psal 8.10 God alone so he is the good of goods and y Mat. 19.17 there is none good but he In him are all goods to satisfie all our desires the goods which are in him are like unto himselfe a Iam. 1.17 With him there is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning he is b Esa 57.15 the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternitie to whom David said with most humble supplication Thou wilt shew mee the path of life c Psal 16.11 In thy presence is fulnes of ioy at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore And againe d Psal 17.11 When I awake I will be satisfied with thy likenes IV. God who is all goodnesse it selfe is e Boêt 3. de Consolat Pros 10. also blessednesse it selfe he is blessednesse by his owne essence Per essentiam Mans blessednes commeth from his by participation Per participationem even so farre as according to our capablenesse wee are filled with his infinite goodnesse He borroweth nothing from any creature yea tho all creatures were brought to the first nothing whereout of they were taken as hee was from ever so hee should bee blessed for ever Wee borrow all from him and our blessednesse is nothing but the enioying of him which the Scripture calleth The vision of God according to the comfortable saying of our Saviour f Mat. 5.8 Blessed are the poore in heart for they shall see God O blessed blessednes when shall we see thee where shall wee enioy thee that wee may bee blessed in thee g Bâ—â—t ibid. Pros 3. Beatitudo est status omnium bonorum aggregatione perfectus Oh blessed blessednesse of them that see thee In thee they see all goodnesse in thee they enjoy all good things they are filled with thee and thou beeing with them they are fully consummated by thee who art to all thy Elect h Thom. 12a q. 2. art 8. Concl. Beatitudo est bonum perfectum quod totaliter quietat appetitum their perfect universall good satisfying all their desires O blessed blessednes which dwellest in them whom thou blessest without interruption and who art never weary of dwelling in them dwell in us who are heere before thee i Aug. Confess lib. 1. cap. 1. Quia fecisti not ad te Et inquietum est cornostrum domae requiesâ—at in to for thou hast made us to goe to thee and our heart findeth no rest till it rest in thee Let us all speake so to our God that hee hearing our prayers may fill us with his blessednesse and so we may be blessed in him V. Yee have heard what blessednesse is thereby yee may iudge who is blessed k Idem de morib Eccl. Cath. cap. 3. Hee who hath not that which he desireth whatsoever it be is not blessed neither is hee blessed who hath that which hee loveth if it bee hurtfull nor hee also who loveth not that which hee hath how good soever it be for hee who coveteth that which he cannot obtain is grieved Cruciatur and hee who hath obtained that which he should not covet Fallitur is deceived and hee who coveteth not that which should be obtained is sick Aegrotat None of these can have place in the soule of man without miserie now miserie and blessednesse cannot dwell together in one maÌ„ Therfore none of those men are blessed VI. Who then are blessed not they l Ciecro Aiunt esse beatos quil vivunt ut ipsi velint c. Velle enim quod non deceat id ipsum miserimum est who live at their owne will for to will that which is not decent is a most miserable thing Otherwaies many wicked meÌ„ should bee blessed For m Psal 10 3. the wicked boasteth of his harts desire and blesseth the covetous whom the Lord abhorreth Hee onely is blessed n Aug. de Trinit lib. 13. cap. 5. Beatus non est nisi qui habet omnia qua vult nihil vuls malâ— who hath all that his heart can desire and desireth nothing amisse Such shall be they that weep and mourne now as Iesus Christ saith in my text CHAP. III. 1. WEeping is often put in the Scripture for fasting repentance and prayers 2. Of the naturall causes of weeping 3. What mourning is 4. Errour of those which condemne weeping and other naturall affections 5. Divers examples of courageous and godly men which did weepe namely of our Lord Iesus Christ 6. Too great moderation in the things of God is a sin excesse in them is laudable 7. Some teares are indifferent 8. Some are wicked 9. Some are good 10. First motive to weeping by the examples of godly men which wept through godly sorrow I. THerefore ye must learn with the assistance of Gods Spirit I will teach you what are the naturall causes of weeping and mourning what difference there is betweene them how weeping is not unworthy of men who thinke themselves the most worthiest of all men and is no unseemlinesse in a Christian man finally which is the weeping and mourning whereunto blessednes is promised This discourse is fit for this day which is a day of repentance of fasting of weeping and extraordinary prayers for where fasting is there weeping mourning should be as yee may learne of the exhortation which God made to his people by the Prophet Ioel saying a Ioel 2.12 Turne yee even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning Yea they are so inseparably conjoyned that weeping is put for fasting for the people did aske of the Prophet Zech. b Zech. 7 3. Should I weep in the fift month separating my selfe as I have done these so many yeares because there is no true fasting without weeping Ye read likewise that when the Disciples of Iohn came to Christ saying c Mat. 9.14 15. Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft
omnesque corum fibras c. The Pelagians sowed those tares in the field of the church teaching that all affections yea their smallest fillets may bee taken from man Now r Lact. Inst l. 6. c. 15. Laetitiae affectus in splene est irae in fells libidinis in iecore timoris in corde ioy is in the spleen choler in the gall lust in the liver feare in the heart wherfore ye cannot pull those affections from man except yee pluck from him the milt the gall the liver the heart transform him into another nature yea forbid him to be vertuous and honest for vertue is nothing but an ordering tempering of the affections to that which is honest and good take them away way and vertue is gon Without anger there is no fortitude without feare no prudence and advisednesse without lust no temperance without joy no love no sense feeling of vertue Therefore other Philosophers said better that affections are like unto good plants growing in a fertile soil which if yee neglect they wex wilde but if they bee carefully husbanded they bring foorth most pleasant and excellent fruit Which doctrine is true for wee must weed our affections and snip from them whatsoever is irregular and vicious To pluck them out by the root is as if when yee have killed a man ye should cōmand him to stand on his feet and live Yet ſ Plato de Repub. lib. 3. in principio the same philosophers who gave so excellēt precepts for the keeping of the affections in a due proportion measure thought weeping and mourning to bee tolerable in base fellows and meane women but uncomely in all men of note and in women also which are of the right stamp and desire to bee esteemed vertuous V. Consider now what difference there is between the wise men of the world and God Philosophers say that there is much unmanlinesse and faint-heartednesse but no generousnesse in weeping therfore they condemne it as childish rather than man-like many men are still of that opinion GOD is of a far other minde for hee giveth most earnest commandements to his people to weep and rebuketh them sharpely when they weep not Christ in my Text blesseth them that weep and the Scripture ministers unto us many examples of the most courageous men that have been at any time under the vault of heaven which did both weep and mourn Was not t Hos 12.4 Iacob so stout and hardie that he wrestled with God and prevailed yet then even then hee wept and he mourned so bitterly for Ioseph whom hee deemed to be dead that u Gen. 37.35 he refused to be comforted for said he I will go down into the grave unto my sonne mourning Did not x 1 Sam. 17.35 David kill a Lion and a Bear Slew hee not with a sling and a stone the monstrous Giant Goliath Was there ever in battell a more valiant man in an Armie a more courageous Captain in a Kingdome a more royall King yet how did hee weep for Absalom hee was not ashamed to tell that when God's hand was heavie upon him y Psalm 32.3 hee roared all the day long If I should produce for an example of bitter weeping a Ier. 31 15. Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted ye would peradventure say that shee was a woman and that women are not so courageous But what can yee say to Iacob to Ioseph to David ye must needs confess that they mourned not through want of courage but through abundance of love Zechariah speaking in typicall words of the death of Christ and of Christians faith b Zech. 12 11 12 13 14 In that day shall there bee a great mourning in Ierusalem as the morning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon and the land shall mourne every familie apart the family of the house of David apart their wives apart the familie of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart the familie of the house of Levi apart and their wives apart the familie of Shemei apart their wives apart ALL the families that remaine every familie apart and their wives apart See the mean in mourning it shal be without mean such as was the mourning at Megiddo where the good King Iosiah was slain for c 2 Chro. 35.24 all Iuda and Ierusalem mourned for him See the persons that shall mourn Men and women of all qualities and conditions First Kings and their wives secondly Princes and their wives thirdly all ecclesiastical persons their wives finally all the rest of true Christians their wives Where is courage rage where generosity where constancy if it bee not in Christians who wrestle against the divell and overcome him Was there ever in the world any man or in heaven any Angell to be compared with Iesus Christ did hee not d Iohn 11 33.35 grone in the spirit did hee not trouble himself did he not weep for Lazarus If ye seek a President of weeping who may bee to you a true President heer ye have one who is better and e Psalm 45.2 fairer than all the children of men Shall wee refuse to follow such a Ring-leader and seeing the Sonne of God did weep because f Heb. 2 17 in all things it behooved him to bee like unto his brethren shall wee think it a disgrace unto us to weep and to be like unto him VI. Surely his holy Spirit sanctifieth in us our naturall affections but abolishes them not And wheras many Philosophers take them for vices when they exceed mediocrity God gives them full libertie when they come from a good cause and aspire unto a good end g Lact. Inst l. 6. c. 16. Potest et qui graditur errare qui currit rectam viam tenere For as hee that walketh softly may stray and hee that runneth keep the high way so a man may be moderate in his affections sin and let them growe to the highest measure and not sinne yea if he should restrain them he should sinne No mediocrity is to bee praised in ill-doing If thou be but tickled with joy for the death of thine enemie thou sinnest but h 2 Sam. 6 14 20 23 David leaping for joy and dancing before the Lord with all his might when hee brought the Ark into Sion sinned not Contrariwise Michol his wife reproving him for the excesse of his joy sinned and was punished In things which are truely good no excesse is vicious for God liketh a man who dooth good things with all his minde all his soule all his heart and all the strength of his affections Who will say that to leap for joy for the deliverance of the Church is a sin i Lact. ibid. Nemo dubitat quin in illo exiguū laetari in hoc parum laetari sit maximum crimen The Church saith that not to leap for joy in such a case is
a Feast of mourning let everie man NOW drinke to his brother every woman to her sister full cups of tears When the people of Israel were rebuked of Samuel for their sinnes t 1 Sam. 7.6 they gathered together to Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day said there Wee have sinned against the Lord. Lo how busy lo how forward they were to draw water for the clensing of their sacrifices and for the purifying and washing of their bodies or as some Doctors allegorize the words lo how contrite they were making of their harts wels of godly sorrow and going thither with the bucket of faith to draw up to the eyes tears of repentance for bewailing of their sinnes And what had they done They had worshipped strange gods and set up among them ASTAROTH u R. David Kimchi in lib. radicum which was the god of their sheep their fathers had done the like And when the Angell of the Lord rebuked them of that sinne x Iudg. 2 4 5 they lift up their voice and wept and called the name of that place Bokim i. weepers and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. O how many strange gods doe wee worship What are our self-love our ambition our filthy lusts our envie our hatred our pride but strāge gods to whō we offer most abominable sacrifices al the hours of the day Our covetousnes our insatiable desire of cattel of sheep of the Mammon of unrighteousnes is our Astaroth yea an Idoll so much worse than Astaroth in that wee worship it not openly but privately not in the face of the world but in the face of God not in temples of stone but in the temples of our hearts which God hath dedicated to his owne service How many Samuels how many Angels hath GOD sent unto us to reprove us of so many sinnes and wee are heer assembled as Israel in Mizpeh to acknowledge confesse our sinnes O then dear brethren and sisters let us first look up to the infinite Majestie of God whom wee have offended and let us afterwards looke downewards to our selves who are the offenders y Iob 4 19 Wee dwell in houses of clay our foundation is in the dust wee are crushed before the moth Houses of clay earth and dust wormes which are the meat of of wormes sin against God and shall wee not mourne shall wee not draw teares from our hearts shall wee not command our eyes to pour them out NOVV before the Lord shall wee not NOVV wash with them our reasonable sacrifices the calves of our lips which wee are come hither to offer up unto God shall not this House of God bee this day Bokim unto us shall wee not NOVV cry to heaven with weeping mourning Wee have sinned against the Lord David sinned but one night and b Psalm 6.6 hee was weary with his groning every night hee made his bed to swim hee watered his couch with his teares If I say of many of us that we sin every night and every day I thinke that I shall not lie Oh then shall we not weep this one day David when he wept cried to heaven c Psalm 51.1 2 3 Have mercie upon mee O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions wash mee thorowly from mine iniquitie and clense mee from my sin What moved him to cry so loud and in crying to pray for mercie For saith hee I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever before me Because he acknowledged his sinne therfore he wept If wee knew how hatefull our sinnes are to God we would weep we knowe them not we feele them not wee cast them still behinde our backs wee never bring them before our eyes therefore we weep not Oh how horrible shall bee that day wherein shall bee fulfilled that which GOD saith d Psalm 50.21 I will reprove thee and set them in order before thy eyes The Lord in his mercy preserve us from the terror and horror of that day Hee will doe it if by the weeping of this day wee prevent the weeping of that day if as Daniel did e Dan. 9 3 c. wee set our face unto the Lord God to seek him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes if as he did wee confesse that wee have sinned committed iniquity and done wickedly our Kings our Princes our fathers and all the people of the Land if wee acknowledge as hee did that if GOD should deale with us as hee dealt with his people of those daies righteousnesse should belong unto him unto us confusion of face if as hee did we joyne deprecation to the accusation of our owne sins and confession of our owne deserts crying f Ver. 19 O Lord heare O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and doe Where are the women of joy which through grief for their sin wash Christ's feet with their teares as g Luke 7 37 one woman of that kinde did once How many alas how many Publicanes yea worse than Publicanes doe swarme in the Church Shall ye finde one among a thousand who dare h Luke 18.13 not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven for shame who smiteth upon his breast which conceived sin in him who with words interrupted with sighes and carried into heaven with a swift flowing stream of teares cryeth to God God be mercifull to mee a sinner as the Publicane in the Gospell did Wee are all prodigall sonnes what do we all but feed swine but feed upon swines provender but cherish in our selves our filthie lusts but delight in sin Nevertheless which of us all commeth to himself returneth to his Father and saith Father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne i Luke 15 15 as once a prodigall sonne did k Mat. 26 75. Peter denied Christ but once and against his heart and yet he excused not his fault but wept for it bitterly Are wee not of the crue of those of whom the Apostle writes that l Tit. 1.16 they professe they knowe God but by their workes they deny him beeing abominable and disobedient and to every good worke reprobate Would to God we were not But we are and yet our hart is glad our faces shine our cheeks are dry our eyes are hardned like Pumice-stones and we weep not Think yee that Saint Paul could write to the Romanes without vehement sighing how m Rom. 7 19 the good that he would hee did not but the evill which he would not that he did We are of a disposition much disagreeing unto his The evill that we would we do not but the good which wee would not that wee doe Through feare of punishment wee abstaine often from the evill which wee like to doe and through love of praise or of some reward we do sometimes the
sinnes Is it not time to begin NOVV if ye have not begun till NOVV II. Behold l Luk. 22.48 Iudas betraying him with a kisse behold m Ioh. 18 12. the Officers binding him as if hee had beene a male factor behold them in the high Priests house n Luk. 22 63 64 65. mocking him smiting him blindfolding him and aftervvards striking him on the face asking him Who is it that smote thee behold them speaking manie other things blasphemously against him o Mat. 26.59.65 66. behold the chief Priests Elders and all the Councell seeking false vvitnesses against him behold them all vvith the high Priest pronouÌ„cing against him their award and last sentence He is guilty of death Novv harts burst Novv eies weepe NOW Christians if there bee any love of Christ if there be any bowels of compassion in you mourne and lament The Sonne of God was bound for you who were slaves that ye might bee set at libertie The Lord of glory was mockt for you who were the divells mocking stocke that ye might bee honoured of God who is your glory The light of the world was blind-folded for you who were darknesse that ye might bee enlightened The righteous was outrageously beaten for you who were unrighteous that ye might be spared The Innocent was condemned for you who were guilty that ye might be absolved Christ suffered all this for you and yet ye weepe not III. Follow him into the Iudgement-Hall Canst thou with an unbroken heart and dry eyes see him p Ioh. 19.1 2. scourged there and his flesh mangled and torne in pieces for thy sake Behold his naked head begirt with a crowne of sharpe thornes O let us us I say who professe to bee members of his body q Pudeat membrum deliciarisub capite spinis coronato O let us be ashamed to sport and to make merry under a head crowned with thornes IV. Goe to the Crosse heed the souldiers nayling to the unfruitfull tree his hands and his feete behold them giving him vineger mingled with gall to drinke in stead of wine consider how they stript him ere he die that hee may dye with more shame listen to all those that passe by and looke on him yee shall see them wagging their heads ye shal hear them reviling him and rayling on him most outrageously There he yeelded up the ghost there his side was pierst there he was made a woefull spectacle and the principall actor of a bloodie and pitifull Tragedy r Mat. 27 45 51. The Sunne could not looke on it it covered it selfe with a black mourning weede and was darkened but our faces shine as if wee had no cause of mourning The earth did quake but we tremble not The rockes rent our hearts are harder than flint stones yea than the most hard Diamonds and cannot be broken The graves were opened our throates alas are open Sepulchers breathing out all filthinesse and rotten words but our soules are graves sealed and shut to all good The dead rose againe we lye dead in trespasses and sinnes without any spirituall motion any feeling of the wrath of God which Christ in the passion of his death suffered for us For Å¿ 1. Pet. 2.24 his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his owne body on the tree There t Esa 53.5 he was wouÌ„ded for our transgressions there he was bruised for our iniquities there there the chastisement of our peace was upon him with his stripes which he received there wee are healed Hee whom the ignominious passion of Christ whom the shedding of his blood whom his cursed death will not wound with a pricking remorse and sting of sin he out of whose eyes the bruising and crushing of his body the sorrow and agony of his soule will not thrust a floud of teares shall never bee mooved by any other argument to mourne and to weep u Plin. hist nat l. 37. c. 4 I lla invicta vis duarum violentissimae naturae reruÌ„ ferri ignÃsque contemptrix hircino rumpitur sanguine The blood of a Hee-goat will beat in peeces the diamond which no heat of fire can melt no hammer of steele can breake What fire will melt what hammer will break our hearts of diamond if the blood of the Lamb of God will not doe it V. Iudas a Reprobate x Mat. 27 3 Iud is which had betraied him when hee saw that he was condemned repented and wept and wee who brag of our elation weep not The Centurion an ignorant Pagan when hee saw what was done when hee considered all the circumstances of his death glorified God saying y Luke 23 47 Certainly this was a righteous man wee that are called Christians wee that boast of the knowledge of God in Christ acknowledge not his righteousnes as wee should seeing wee weep not because hee z 1. Pet. 3 18 suffred for our unrighteousnesse a Luke 23 48 All the people that came together to that sight beholding the things which were done smote their breasts We know all the things that were done every day b Gal. 3.1 Christ is evidently set forth crucified among us by the preaching of the Gospell and yet none of us smiteth his breast c Ezech. 8.14 The idolatrous women of Ierusalem sate weeping for TAMMVS d Plut. de Iside Osiride called by the Greekes OSIRIS the false god of the Aegyptians whom Typhon slue and wee weep not for Iesus Christ who e 1 Iohn 5.20 is the true GOD and eternall life whom the Iewes slue f Plut de cessatione Oraculorum The Divells themselves which were in the Iles of Paxes did mourne at his death when Thamos the Pilot of the ship which was sayling by cried The great Pan is dead Who is the great Pan but hee who is all in all our Lord Iesus Christ The Divells mourned because g Heb. 2 14 through death hee destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Divell their master and them also we mourne not wee I say who were the causes of his death VI. It is written in the Revelat. that h Rev. 1.7 every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wayle because of him Why shall they wayle because of him because they pierced him O God! have we pierced him are wee guiltie of his death was it not Iudas which betrayed him was it not the Councell of the State of the Church which sent to take him was it not the high-priest which accused him was it not Pilate which condemned him were they not Pilat's souldiers which scourged crowned nailed stript and pearced him What ye ask is true But why did hee suffer mortall men to exercise such cruelties on his innocent person He stood there in our room and what wee deserved that hee suffered Our covetousnesse betrayed him Our anger laide hold on him and tied him Our
lust mocked him Our envy accused him Our pride delivered him Our worldly feare condeÌ„ned him Ouâ—â—nhumanitie scourged him Our ambition crowned him with thornes Our profanenesse and atheism spet upon him smote him and abused him Our causelesse othes nayled him Our intemperancie in drinking gave him vinegar and gall to drink Our blasphemies our horrible execrations our cursings pearced him to the heart and yet wee weep not God was made a worm for us and wee weepe not Blessing it self was made a curse for us and wee â—eep not Life it selfe is dead for us and we weep not VII When the Iewes heard that hee whom they denied whom they delivered whom they crucified and killed by wicked hands was i Acts 3 14.15 the Holy One the Iust the Prince of life k Acts 2 37. they were pricked in their hearts although that l Act. 3.17 through ignorance they did it O how bitterly did Saint Paul weep when he recorded how he had bin m 1 Tim. 1.3 a blasphemer a persecuter and an oppressor of Christ's Church altho hee did it ignorantly in unbeleef wee n Heb. 6.6 crucifie him wee put him to an open shame every day if not vvickedly at least vvittingly and vvillingly neverthelesse vvee are not pricked in our hearts and therefore vve have no tears in our eies to vveep and vvail because of him vvhom vvee have pearced VIII Will vve deferre the accomplishment of St. Iohn's Prophesie till Dooms-day vvhen o Rev. 6.15 16 the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and all the rabble of vvicked men shal cry to the mountains and rockes Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lambe vvhen their crying shall availe them nothing vvhen the irrevocable Doome shall bee pronounced and they shall bee cast into utter darknes vvhere p Mat. 22 13 there shall weeping and gnashing of teeth because then shall bee fulfilled the threatning of Christ * Luke 6.25 Wo bee to you that laugh now for ye shall waile and weep That vveeping vvill be unfruitfull because it shall bee a vveeping of despaire such as Iudas vveeping vvas when he hanged himself Let us then my beloved dear brethren begin to weep NOVV and to shead fruitfull teares q Aug de Temp ser 66. Duplicem habere debet fletum in poenitentiâ omnis peccator five per negligentiam bonum non fecit seu per audaciam malum perpetravit Quod enim oportuit non gessit quod non oportuit egit teares for our sinnes of omission teares for our sins of commission for through negligeÌ„ce we have not done the good wee should have done through rashnes vve have done the evill vvhich vvee should not have done Let us join to that vveeping a resolution to sin no more let us after that manner according to the exhortation of S. Iohn r Mat 3.8 bring forth fruits answerable to amendmeÌ„t of life Å¿ Aug. ibid. Fructus dignus est poenitentiae transacta flere peccata eadem iterum non agere To bring forth such fruits is to weep for our sinnes past and not to commit any sin for which we shal have need to weep again CHAP. VI. 1. TEares of repentance are fruitfull but they are not honourable 2. Teares of charity which we powre out for the sinnes of our brethren are both fruitfull and honourable 3. In this charity there is a duty to God 4. And to man 5. Examples of godly men which wept for other mens sinnnes are accusations of the hardnes of our hearts 6. Namely the examples of Iesus Christ I. SUch fruites are fruitfull such teares are profitable but they are not honourable 'T is shame to a man to sinne and therefore it is not honorable unto him to have need of pardon to beg it to weepe for it t Quem liberat notat A remission is a disgracefull brand to him that opposeth it to the hands of justice and amongst the Nobles of the land those are most esteemed in whose family there is no pardon no letters of remission But u it is the glory of a man v Pro. 19.15 and namely of a King to passe over a transgression and to forgive it It is even so between God and us x Pro. 25.2 It is the glory of God to conceale a thing and to give pardons to great sinners But they which receive such pardons must confesse as Daniel did that y Dan. 9.8 to them belongeth confusion of face and say with Ieremiah a Lam. 3.2 It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed because his compassions faile not II. As we must have fruitfull teares of repentance to weepe for our owne sinnes NOW so must we have honorable tears of charity to weep NOW for the sinnes of our brethren whereof we are not guiltie As it is honourable to b Luk. 15.10 the Angells to reioyce over the sinners that repent because they themselves are without sin so it is a glory to us to mourne for those sinnes wherewith wee are not blemished III. In this glory there is a duty if wee honour God if we feare his glorious Majestie if wee bee zealous of his glory can we heare his great and fearfull name blasphemed can we see his word despised his law transgressed his glory turned into shame and not bee commooved If our dearest friends uttered in our eares but one word of discommendation and reproach against our fathers and mothers that begat us what noise would we not make up would all friendship go no exhortation no submission no satisfaction would be able to bridle our impatience and to restraine our passionatenesse furie from vengeance If great men who are above our reach if our Magistrates if our Princes if our Kings speake disdainfully of them at the least wee would weepe at the least wee would shew by all kind of tokens of sorrow that such disgracing checks are grievous unto us The living God the Father of spirits is every where vilipended dishonoured reviled by great and small by our inferiors by our superiours by our equals by our friends by our foes And shall not we which professe to be Gods children be sensible of such contumelies IV. A great many yea many millions yea the greatest part of men give themselves over unto lasciviousnesse and run head-long into the dark gulf of death eternall damnation Are they not created to the image of God as well as wee are Are they not our owne flesh are they not our brethren where then is our charitie where our bowells where our mercy if we seek not to rescue them if we endeavour not to pull them out of the fire if all helps beeing impossible to us wee weepe not for them V. c 2. Pet. 2.7 8. Lot a poor stranger in the middest of a towne swarming with wicked men when hee could
mourned and wept and fasted untill even Made not Ieremiah lamentations for the desolation of Ierusalem and when his eyes were dryed up when his eye-lids were so withered that heavinesse and sorrow could find no water to squeese out of them did he not then wish did hee not theÌ„ cry q Ier. 9.1 O that my head were waters mine eyes a fountaine of teares that I might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of my people III. Deare brethren there is no man beyond seas in those places where the warre was but he may say as truely as Ieremiah saide in his Lamentations r Lam. 3.1 I am the man that hath seene affliction by the rod of the Lords wrath who as Å¿ Ier. 15.3 he had appointed over his Churches their foure kinds the sword to slay the dogges to teare the fowles of the heaven to devoure and the beasts of the earth to destroy so hath hee brought those fierce and pitilesse executioners of his justice upon his people t Lam. 2.21 Hee hath slaine in the day of his anger he hath killed he hath not pitied Chast women and honest matrons were defiled and murthered shamefac't and pure virgins were most vilely deflowred the young men were put to death by the sword sucklings were pulled away from their mothers breasts and cast into the rivers or dasht against the stones the principall men of towns were hanged the faces of Elders were not honored their bodies which had beene Temples of the Holy Ghost were given to bee meate unto the fowles of the heaven and unto the beasts of the earth as if they had beene dead dogs Populous townes are now heapes of stones where defenced and strong cities were nothing is to be seen but ruines That which was thought impossible to be atchieved in fifty yeares by all the sleight and might of the enemies was begun and finished in fiftie dayes u Esa 4.26 The Lord hissed unto them and they came upoÌ„ the Churches with speed swiftly None was weary none stumbled amongst them their horses hoofes were like flint the wheeles of their charriots were like a whirle-wind Their roaring was like a Lyon they laid hold of the prey and carried it away safe and there was none to deliver So on them was accomplished that which Isaiah prophecyed once against the Iewes and which was fulfilled The head of those armies might have written about the Embleme of his unlooked-for victories the posie which Iulius Caesar carryed graven in the table of his triumph of the Parthians VENI VIDI VICI I came to them I saw them I overcame them Is there any head so frozen and hardned with unsensiblenesse but it will NOW melt and flowe over with teares at the naming only of the great breach which hath beene made in the Church of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ IV. There was never wound so weil healed but the cicature remained O how great is the scarre of this wound Alas alas when shall it bee closed up Behold and consider the present state of the Churches of the Palatinate of Bohemia and of many moe Is it not NOVV most miserable and a sorrowfull subject of a tragicall lamentation and shall wee not weepe NOVV V. x Iob 30.25 Did I not weepe saith Iob for him that had evill dayes was not my soule grieved for the poore O how evill are Novv the daies of our distressed brethren and shall not wee weepe for them NOVV O how many rich men have beene turned into their shirts how many are now poore that were wont to relieve the poore and shall not our soules bee grieved for them NOVV y 1. Sam. 4.20 21 22. Phineas wife was not so gladded because she had borne a sonne as she was deadly wouÌ„ded with displeasure because the Arke of God was taken At that tydings shee called her sonne Ichabod that is to say Where is the glory and nothing at all regarding him shee saide in her mourning and lamentation The glory is departed from Israel for the Ark of God is taken So weeping so mourning so bemoning not so much the death of her beloved husband as the taking of the Arke shee gave up the ghost The true Ark of God is the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ Gospell which a Rom. 1.16 is the power to every one that beleeveth The Philistins have taken the Arke Antichrist hath againe smothered the Gospell the glory is departed from the Churches the abomination of desolation is alas alas set up again in the houses of the Lord swarms of drones humming and buzzing make an unknowne and most unpleasant noyse where the word of the Lord was wont to bee preached his Name to be taâ—â—ed upon his praises to be sung If men hearing NOW these wofull tidings will not weepe NOW shall not women who are more sensible of injuries and sooner pricked with sorrow mourne and weep NOW even NOW Nehemiah was more sorrowfull for the desolation of the City of Ierusalem than he was joyfull for all his credit and favour with the great King When hee heard that the people of God which was returned from the â—â—ptivity of Babylon b Neh. 1 3 4. was in great affliction and reproach that the wall of Ierusalem was broken down the gates thereof burnt with fire he sate down wept mourned certain daies and fasted and praied before the God of heaven The king wondred to see his countenance thinking his royall favour more than sufficient to cheer him up and to make his heart glad But hee answered c Neh. 2.3 Why should not my countenance bee sad when the Citie the place of my fathers sepulchres lieth waste and the gates thereof are consumed with fire This is the present state of many bretheren where they are suffred to live they live in so great affliction and reproach that death would bee welcomer unto them than life Their towns are dismantled their houses are turned into cotages they that had something are by the oppression of garrisons brought to little or nothing If there bee not at Artaxerxes Court a Nehemiah to weep a few daies let us who are no Courtiers weep this one day for them let us weep NOW David said of his enemies that d Psal 35 12 13 14. they rewarded him evill for good seeking to deprive him of his soule But as for me saith hee when they were sicke my clothing was sackcloth I humbled my soule with fasting and my praier returned into mine owne bosome I behaved my selfe as though hee had beene my friend and brother I bowed down heavily as one that mourneth for his mother Was that holy mans charity so fervent that hee wept for his foes and shall ours bee so cold that wee cannot finde one teare to shead NOVV for our friends e Iohn 11 35 36 Iesus wept for his friend Lazarus vvho was dead and stinking Then said the Iewes Behold how hee loved him Our
Thy losse is great weep his advantage is greater He is gone to his heavenly Father hee is now his heir Thou couldst give him but earthly goods those which hee enjoyeth are celestiall Thine are perishable death would have constrained him to leave them to another those which hee now possesseth are everlasting and are not subject unto losse If thy son were in credit with the King I thinke thou shouldst laugh and not weep hee is in credit with the King of kings and in great felicity in his presence and if hee could send thee tidings from heaven he would admonish thee to leave thy goods to thy poore kinsmen and according to the commandement of the Apostle q 1. Tim. 5.3 first to shew pietie at home and next to strangers that are needy Therefore weep not He was a godly man and well-away I am bereft of his godly and fruitfull conversation That affliction is great to thee weep but thy crosse is his crown And therfore if thou lovedst him as much as thou lovest thy self thou wouldest rather rejoyce for him than weep for thy self Weep for wicked men for they are with the divell yea saith r Ad pop Antioch hom 69. NaÌ„ si lugendum est diabolum oporteret lugero c. Chrysostom If ye would weep yee should weep for the divell himselfe Rather let the divell weep for himselfe because he is damned let wicked men weepe for theÌ„selves because they are tormented But let us rejoyce for good and godly men because they are with God and are saved VII This hath ever been the doctrine of the Christian Church which to withdraw those of the Gentiles that beleeved from mourning crying at funerals was accustomed to celebrate the funerals of Christians with singing of psalms Å¿ Chrysost ibid. hom 70. and the words which they sung were t Psalm 23.4 I will feare no evill for thou art with mee Item u Psalm 32.7 Thou art my hiding-place thou shalt preserve me from trouble as also x Psalm 116.7 Return unto thy rest O my soule for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee CoÌ„sider now and behold God calls death a benefit why then dost thou weep Thou wilt weep for the welfare of thine enemy because thou hat'st him wilt thou make thy friend his companion and weepe also for his weale The Apostle forbidding us to weepe as the Gentiles doe biddeth us y 1. Thes 4.18 comfort one another with these words of the resurrection If notwithstanding we weepe as the Gentiles doe I say that weeping when we should we weepe not as we should VIII I say the same of all those which when they are rebuked of sinne will weepe and yet leave not off to sinne The Scripture saith that a 1. King 21.25 26 27. there was none like unto Achab which did sell himselfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord. Yet when he heard the judgments of God denounced against him he rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his flesh and fasted and lay in sackecloth and went softly O how bitterly hee wept O how dolefully hee mourned To looke on him yee would have said This is a penitent man But immediately after b 1. Kin. 22.6.27 he giveth heede to false Prophets he casteth Micaiah the Prophet of the Lord in prison and surceaseth not from sinning till God kill him Doubtlesse Cain wept mourned when hee saide to God c Gen 4.13 My iniquitie is greater than I can beare Neverthelesse he did not forbeare to sinne but waxed worse and worse Such men saith d Greg. Pastoralis Curae 1. parte Flendo inanitâ—r se muÌ„dant qui vivendo se nequiter inquinant Gregory Wash themselves in vaine with teares because they beray themselves by their naughtie lives and practise that which is said in a Proverbe e 2. Pet. 2.22 The dogge is turned to his own vomit againe and the sow which was washed to her wallowing in the mire what is such weeping but increasing of sinne Thou weepest for sinne because thou knowest that it is an evill thing And yet thou goest backe unto it againe as if thou soughtest to shed teares to steepe in them the dirt of thy sinnes that as a sow thou maist wallow with full content in myrie water As when Balaam wished with sighing f Numb 23.10 Let me dy the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his yet after that hee sought to curse the righteous and gave a pernicious counsell to the King of Moab against them what did he but heape sinne upon sinne and aggravate his owne condemnation CHAP. X. 1. OF them that weepe not when they should weepe for their owne sinnes 2. Nor for the sins of other men 3. Nor for the afflictions of the Church I. BUt how alas how are they increased that weepe not How many see wee before our eyes every day benummed with a spirit of slumber who g Cypr. de Laps Quando debuerant stare iacuerunt quando iacere prosternere se Deo debent stare se opinantur when they should stand fall and when they should fall stand who when they should resist sinne and stand fast for their souls against the wiles of the divell fall into sinne and when they should fall on their faces with sad hearts and moist eyes before the throne of the mercy of God stand straight like Idols in Popish Churches are no more mooved than if they had done nothing amisse h Ibid. Ante admissum facinus improvidi post facinus obstinati nec prius stablles nec postmodum supplices neyther carefull to stand before they sinne nor to pray and weepe after they have sinned Ieremiah powred out his heart like water before the face of the Lord his teares did run downe like a river day and night he gave himselfe no rest the apples of his eyes ceased not to weepe for the ruine and destruction of the Temple builded with stones k Heb. 9.4 wherein was the Arke of the Covenant the golden Censor the golden pot that had Manna Aarons rod that budded and the Tables of the covenant l Chrysost ad Popul Antiochen homil 22. Si morientibus compaâ—imuâ— quis tam sine misericordia est qui animam suam morientem non deploret And they weepe not for their soules which are more holy and have dwelling in them the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost even the holy Trinitie They will weepe for a dead man though a fremme body if they know him And they are so desperate that they cannot weepe for the death of their best friend of the guest and companion of their body of their immortall soule which is dead in sinne m Rom. 8.22 Every creature groaneth and travelleth in paine together untill now for the vanity of man and man even hee that calleth himselfe a Christian man is a dullard and unsensible of his owne
but he was great in faith By faith he ran by faith hee climbed up into a tree to see Iesus by faith he made haste by humility hee came downe by charity hee received Christ into his house joyfully Rejoice after that manner and receive Christ into thy house that rejoycing will be as acceptable to Christ as weeping By true charity he gave half his goods to the poore yea if hee wept not hee sorrowed to repentance after a godly maner he gave fourefold to them whom he had cousened If thou wilt not doe as much as he did do as he did restore unto thy neighbour that wherein thou hast deceived him in this day of thy devotion give a charitable devotion to the poore make that their feasting which thou hast spared by fasting and seeing thou canst not weepe for thy selfe make them which weep for themselves laugh that they rejoycing for theÌ„selves may weep and pray for thee Almes excels weeping V. But I fear this is a shift If wee can shead tears enow for the losse of our goods let us not excuse the constitution of our bodies rather let us accuse the corruption of our soules if we caÌ„not also weep for offending God For he that forroweth indeed to repentance will bee more deeply feelingly troubled with the loss of the favour of his good God than of all the world besides VI. Now what grief and vexation a worldly loss is unto us we know all Let us lay aside all frivolous excuses and let us now in the face of the blessed Angels and of this holy Assembly pray and sigh to GOD with tears and lamentations of true repentaÌ„ce let us not seeke to asswage our mourning let us seek to increase it that this day our hearts may grone and our eies weep sore run down with teares for the distressed members of the Church of Christ Iesus Let us joyne our hearts with their hearts our eies with their eies our tongues with their tongues that all together with one heart and one mouth wee may sigh weep mourn pray for their deliverance for the continuation of this happy and long peace amongst us VII Such weeping is a gift of God As waters came not out of the hard rocke c Numb 20.10 til Moses with his rod smote it twice so the rivers of teares will never flow from our hearts of stone till the Lord Iesus smite them often with the rod of his mouth soften them with the mightie and powerfull blowes of his holy Spirit 'T is the spirit that bruiseth our rocky harts 't is the heat of the spirit that melteth the yce of our frozen eyes maketh the waters flow 'T is the Spirit of Christ Iesus d Rom. 8 15 whereby wee cry Abba Father e Rom. 8.26 'T is the Spirit it selfe which maketh intercession for us with gronings which cannot be uttered f Ambros in Lucam c. 22. v. 61 62. Quos Iesus respicit plorant c. He hee onely upon whoÌ„ Christ looketh weepeth Peter denyed him once wept not because the Lord looked not He deny'd him the second time and he wept not because the Lord looked not He denyed him the third time the Lord looked upon him and hee wept bitterly VIII O Lord Iesus O sweet Iesus we have once twice thrice denyed thee Look now upon us O Savior of mankind now the cock croweth now look upon us g Veni Creator Spiritus insunde coelitus lucis tuae radium O holy Spirit Creator reformer of mankind come and create in us a new heart send from heaven into our congealed hearts an hote beam of thy comfortable light to breake and melt them that now at least now we may know our sins and the afflictions of our brethren that knovving them we may feele them that feeling them wee may weep to thee for them that weeping to thee vve may be comforted by thee according to thy promise vv ch thou hast made to us by thy dear Son Iesus Christ FINIS The second part OF THE CHRISTIAN MANS TEARES Containing CHRISTS Comforts CHAPTER I. The Argument of the first Chapter I. AS there is a time of weeping and of mourning so there is a time of comfort and of ioy II. Our comfort is spirituall N III. Gods owne selfe is our comforter IV. Thence is the certaintie of our salvation V. The cause of our comforts are not in the merits of our teares VI. There is no merit nor satisfaction but in our Lord Iesus Christ VII Blessednes is giuen to godly men but not for their godlinesse VIII How we must vnderstand some spâ—â—ches of the Doctors concerning Teares MATH 5. 5. Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted LVK. 6.21 Blessed are ye that weepe now for ye shall laugh I. EXperience teacheth vs the scripture ioyning hands with experience saith that a Eccles 3.1.4 To euery thing there is a season and a time to euery purpose vnder the heaueÌ„s Amongst orther things that there is a time to weepe and a time to laugh a time to maurne and a time to dance A time to weepe as Christ hath said Blessed are yee that weepe now A time to laugh For saith he ye shall laugh A time to mourne because Christ saith Blessed are they that mourn A time to dance because he saith also that they shall be comforted I know not where b Cicero 4. Tuscul HERACLITVS could find such abundance of teares and what could moue him to weepe alwayes was there no blessing of God in the world to make him laugh Was not DEMOCRITVS a vaine man to laugh perpetually at the vanitie of the world and neuer to weepe for it CATONS heart was made of steele and could neither be moued to laugh for ioy when God blessed the State nor to weepe for sorrow when it was afflicted But DAVID who was better then any of them c 2 Sam. 6.14 danced for ioy when the Arke of the Lord entred into his house and wept for sorrow when he sinned against the Lord. IESVS who was the best of all d Luk. 10.21 reioyced in spirit when he considered the wise dispensations of the blessings of God He was also sorry and wept when he saw mens incredulity and obstinacie in their sinnes And he saith to all Christians that they shall weep for the causes whereof we haue spoken as also that they shall laugh for the causes whereof we are to speake II. Laughing is an effect of ioy Such as the ioy is such is the laughing Our ioy is such as we are or should be Inward celestiall spirituall for it cometh from the faith and hope of heauenly things as Christ said to them which are persecuted e Mat 5.12 Reioyce and be glad for great is your reward in heauen For our laughing is spirituall heauenly and inward flowing from an inward and spirituall ioy The Spring of our ioy is comfort whereof Christ sayth that
of the Sonne of God wherein he washt by faith and was made cleane of the incurable leprosie of sinne So then if ye aske by whose satisfaction merits ye obtaine eternall life the Scripture answereth absolutely that it is by the onely satisfaction and merits of our Lord Iesus Christ o Act. 4.12 Neither is there Saluation in any other for there is none other Name vnder heauen giuen among men whereby we must be saued VII But if we aske to whom this saluation is giuen That is another question where vnto the Scripture maketh another answere and faith as Elizabeth said to the Virgin Marie p Luk. 1.45 Blessed is she that beleeued q 2 Cor. 1.20 All the promises of God in Christ are Yea and in Christ are Amen vnto the glory of God And r Gal. 3.14 we receiue the promise of the Spirit through faith Neither haue we any other hand to receiue Christ who is promised vnto vs but faith Therefore it is written that ſ Eph. 2.8 by grace ye are saued by faith And because our last and principall blessednesse is our saluation it is also written that they which be of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham t Act. 15.9 The hearts are purified by faith Therefre it is written u Math. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart The heart by faith is broken and bruised with the sense of sinne and with x 2 Cor. 7.10 godly sorrow for sinne Therefore it is written y Math. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit Faith looketh vp to heaven with a weeping eye Faith calleth vpon God with prayers steeped in teares Faith stretcheth soorth to the throne of grace hands dipped in the bitter and salt waters of repentance And therefore it is written Blessed are they that mourne If faith did not repent sigh weepe pray repentēce weeping sighing prayer should be sinnes For a Rom. 14.23 whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne So the teares of Esau were sinnes So when David prayeth against the wicked man b Psal 109.7 Let his prayer become sinne he teacheth vs that prayers of wicked and vnbeleeuing men are sinnes for to such men c Tit. 1.15 nothing is pure but euen their mind and conscience is defiled And what can come from such a puddle but filth and stincking putrefaction h Gal. 5.6 Faith worketh by loue and is rich in good workes Therefore it is written l Psal 1.2 blessed is the man whose delight is the Law of the Lord m Psal 119.1 Blessed are the vndefiled in the way n Psal 128.1 Blessed is euery one that feareth the Lord c. Yee see what persons are blessed And what qualities are required in you if you desire to be partakers of blessednes The first must be faith For o Heb. 11.6 without faith it is impossible to please God From faith springs forrow for sin repentance weeping prayers good workes p Eph. 2.10 which God hath prepared that we should walke in them All those which are adorned and inriched with those good qualities are blessed but the cause wherfore they are blessed is the merite of Christ Iesus in whom they beleeue by whom they pray for whom they weepe and by whose spirit they are lead in the way of the Lord doe good workes For to them q Zech 12.10 that mourne in Ierusalem Zechariah saith that r Zech. 13.1 there shall be a fountaine opened for sinne and for vncleannesse what are not their eyes a fountaine To weepe for sinne they may be To blot out and abolish the slaine of sinne they cannot be The only side of Christ which was pierced in his death was made a fountain of bloud to wash in it the sinnes of all them which to weepe for their sinnes make of their heads a fountaine of teares VIII Therefore when ye read in the Homilies of the Doctors of the Church either auncient or moderne that teares are a satisfaction for sinne that they wash it away and blot it out and many such hyperbolicall speeches yee must vnderstand them f Cum graeno salis with a graine of salt as the Iurisconsults speake of some sayings of their Doctors and know that either they speake of satisfaction giuen to the Church or attribute to the effect that which is proper to the cause which is frequent amongst orators and in speeches gilt and beautified with Rhetoricke Consider that in my text blessednesse is attributed to them which weepe not to weeping to the tree not to the fruit to the worker not to the worke And when yee seeke the causes of your blessednesse looke not downeward to your selues but vpward to the mercie of God and with a sincere heart and true mouth follow the holy Apostle and say t Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed vs with al spirituall blessings in heauenly places in Christ u Rom. 11.36 For of him and through him and to him are all things To whom be glory for euer Amen If yee remember this distinctiō betweene the qualification of the persons which are to be saued the causes wherfore they are saued as also the chāging of attributions when the effects are honoured with the glorious titles which belong to their causes ye wil not easily be seduced with Papistry nor troubled with som speeches which the Doctors vttered hyperbolically which the Papists wrest vnlearnedly which ye must vnderstand x Rom. 12.6 according to the proportion of faith soundly CHAPTER II. I. ALl our comforts are called Life and wherefore II. Item wherefore that life which is our onely comfort is called euerlasting III. What eternall life is IV. T is imperfect in this world and perfect in the world to come V. He that hath not the beginnings of eternall life in this world shal neuer come to the perfection thereof in the world to come I. BVT to leaue of disputing against Papists which is not fit for this day wherin we are assembled to dispute against our owne sinnes and to let alone the hyperbolicall speeches of Doctors let vs come to Christs comforts wherin our blessednesse consisteth Our Blessednesse in holy Scripture is called Life Euerlasting T is called Life not because we shall act liue and moue by it as we doe now during our abode in the earthly tabernacles of our mortall bodies but because it is a most glorious happie and blessed estate our soueraigne good and felicitie the full perforformance of all our desires the longed-for wish of our vnsatiable hearts the center and last resting place of all the agitations of our stirring and vnquiet soules There is nothing that man loueth better then life For how can he loue what can he loue if he liue not Life is the spring of loue life is the enioyer life is the vser of all the things which we loue As we cannot loue without life So life
assigneth not blessednes vnto them but vnto the forgiuenesse of sins Therefore let vs cry after him with sweet Bernard i Bernard in Cantica Ser. 23. O solus vere beatus cui non imputauit Dominus peccatum O the onely O the true blessed man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne For who is without sinne None no not one ALL haue sinned and come short of the glory of God Neuerthelesse who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect T is sufficient to me in stead of all righteousnesse to haue God alone propitious vnto me because to him alone I haue sinned What 's oeuer he hath decreed not to impute vnto men is as if it had neuer beene non peccare Dei iustitia est Hominis iustitia indulgentia Dei Not to sinne is the righteousness of God The righteousness of man is Gods indulgence Gods mercifull fauour whereby hee forgiueth sinne is my blessedness IV. This was the iudgement of a man who had beene an adulterer and a murtherer Such also was the iudgement of a woman whom the Scripture calleth k Luk. 7.37 A Sinner She came to the Pharisees house where Christ was The Pharisees of all men were most affectionate to the Law l Gal. 3.24 The Law is a pedagogue to Christ m Rom. 10.4 who is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to euery one that beleeueth See the wisedome of the woman when shee is in the Pharisees house shee goeth not to him who taught who beleeued that man is saued by the righteousness of the Law She said in her heart with David n Psal 51.3 I acknowledg my transgression my sinne is euer before mee I haue transgressed the Law I find no good workes in my life which hath bin so lewd that I dare not trust in it Therefore O Pharisee I am come to thy house but not to thee Thou speakest of perfection of righteousnesse thou preachest of rewards thou bragst of merites I cry to my God o Psal 130.3.4 If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquitie O Lord who shall stand But there is forgiuenesse with thee that thou mayest he feared My misery is my sinne my blessedness is his mercy I haue need of forgiuenesse I come to craue mercy I haue hoised the sailes of my faith towards the only haven which God hath ordained for sinners I flie to the port of Salvation where the stormie windes of the law tearing asunder the mountaines and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord blow not where the still and small voice of the Gospel refresheth the conscience which thirsteth after thee O my God like a drie land I am come ô Pharisee to him who p 1 Tim. 1.15 is come into the world to saue sinners of whom I am chiefe He is in thy house He is not of thy house So she thought so hâ—â— hart spake Out of hand she runneth to her Sauiour And to apply to her with the alteratioÌ„ of two words that which S. Chrysostome hath written of the woman of Canaan * Chrysost tom 2. Ex varijs in Matthaum locis homil 16. See the wisedome of the woman Shee intreats not Iames shee prayeth not to Iohn shee goeth not to Peter shee looketh not to the company of the Apostles shee sought not a Mediatour In stead of them all she tooke repentance with her for companion which was to her in stead of an aduocate and so she goeth straight to the Soueraigne Spring for this saith she is he come downe from heauen for this hath hee taken our flesh for this was he made man that I may be bold to goe vnto him In the heauens aboue the Cherubims tremble before him the Seraphims feare him and here below a Whoore goeth vnto him She speaketh not she cryeth not with her mouth as the Woman of Canaan did q Mat. 15 22. Haue mercy on mee O Lord thou sonne of David Her humility spake for her She stood at his feet behind him Her godly sorrow for sinne cryed aloud vnto him She washt his feet with teares and wiped them with the haires of her head Her loue was a most ardent prayer She kissed them she anointed them with oyntment each of those actions was a sensible prayer O Lord O sweet Iesus haue mercy on mee Thou art come into the world to haue mercy on sinners O sonne of God haue mercy on me Thou hast taken our flesh thou art become that which I am to haue mercy on sinners O sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon mee Thou art still that which thou wast thou art become that which thou wast not Now thou art both in one person O Immanuel O God and man haue mercy on me Woman what ayles thee What cause hast thou to weepe Iudge by Christs answer to her weeping prayers what was the cause of her praying teares r Luk. 7.48.50 Thy sinnes saith he are forgiuen For her sinne she wept because her sinne was her misery Her sin was forgiuen her because forgiuenesse of sinne was her felicitie Simon the Pharisee made vnto him a feast of flâ—sh filled vnto him cups of wine The Lord had no stomacke for Simons meate no thirst for his drinke This woman like vnto Å¿ Gen. 27.9 Rebecca who could make sauourie meat to Isaac such as he loved knowing that t Ioh 4.34 his meat and drinke was to comfort and to saue repenting sinners filleth vnto him a bowle of teares mingled with faith and he pledgeth her in u Psal 116.13 the cup of salvation saying vnto her Thy faith hath saued thee Goe in peace Deare brethren if this day wee weepe as this sinner did our fasting will bee feasting to Christ our teares will be his drinke If we cry to God as David did x Psal 6.1.4.8 O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Returne O Lord deliver my soule oh saue me for thy mercies sake The Lord will come and speake to our soules and wee shall returne home saying with David Depart from mee all ye workers of iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping V. I say if ye pray so the Lord will heare you If ye weepe so the Lord will comfort you If yee trust not in the prayers one of another If ye rely not vpon the prayers of the Church but if euery one pray for himselfe Heed what I say I doe not forbid you to pray and to weepe one for another for I haue taught you that the Saints did weepe and pray when their brethren sinned did not God say to Iobs friends y Iob. 42.8 Goe to my servant Iob and offer vp for your selues a burnt offering and my servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept He commanded them to goe to Iob whom they had offended and to require his prayers He commanded them also to offer vp for themselues a burnt offering to teach vs three most profitable lessons The first that
God wil heare him Moses prayed often for the people and God remoued froÌ„ them temporall plagues But he did neuer forgiue sinne to any man who praied not for himselfe Yea Moses prayed for his sister MiriaÌ„ who for her sin was strucke with leprosie d Num. 12.13 He cryed vnto the Lord saying Heale her now O God I beseech thee and he was heard Did not Samuel mourne for Saul vnprofitably For God sayd vnto him e 1 Sam. 16.1 How long wilt thou mourne for Saul seeing I haue reiected him Did not Ieremiah pray and mourne incessantly for the people of Iuda and was not heard f Ierem. 11.14 Pray not thou for this people sayth God vnto him neither lift vp a crie or prayer for them For g Ierem 15.1 though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my mind could not be toward this people Cast them out of my sight and â—et them goe forth Doubtlesse Ezechiel prayed for Ierusalem when the Lord said vnto him h Ezech. 14.20 Though Noah Daniel Iob were in it as I liue they shall deliuer neither Sonne nor Daughter Thinkest thou thaâ— God will heare another weeping for thy sins so long as he heareth thee blaspheming his holy Name and seeth thee wallowing with delight and content in the mire of filthy pleasure But if thou weepest and prayest for thy selfe hee will heare thee although all other mens and Angels mouthes were dumble Though all hearts were merry though al cheekes were dry and no vapours ascended from the eyes no tongue darted prayers vp to heauen but thine For i Chrysost in Math. homil 5. tom 2. Namet Deus gratiam non tam alijs rogantibus pro nobis vult donare quam nobis God delightes to giue grace not so much to others which pray for vs as to our selues Take for example Dauid Manasseh the forlorne Son the woman of whom I haue spoken the Theefe on the Crosse and Peter who wept and prayed for themselues when no body that we reade of prayed for them yea saith k Idem homil deprofecta Euangelij tom 3. Chrysostome wilt thou learne that when we pray for our selues we come better speed with God then when others pray for vs. The woman of Canaan cryed l Matth 15.23 and the Disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for shee crieth after vs But he answered to them and said I am not sent but vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israel But when she commeth her selfe and holds on her crying and saith Truth Lord yet the Dogs eate of the crummes which fall from their masters table then he gaue her a benefit and said Be it vnto thee euen as thou wilt Yee see how he reiects her when others pray for her and grants her requests when shee prayeth her selfe VII Beloued auditors retaine and keepe in your sanctified memories these three lessons and now euen now put them in practise I beseech you I pray you for Christs sake m Col. 3.12.13 put on as the elect of God holy and beloued the bowels of mercies kindnes humblenes of mind meeknes long suffering forbearing one another forgiuing one another if any man haue a quarrell against any Euen as Christ forgaue you so also doe yee n Eph. 6.18 Pray alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watch thereunto with all perseuerance and supplication for all Saints Namely take heede that euery one of you pray and weepe this day euery day for your ownselues Which if ye doe with with an vnfained repentance doubt not of the forgiuenesse of your sins for God hath saith that o Esa 1.18 though yâ—ur sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool And I am sent to you of God this day as Paul was to the Iewes of Antioche p Act. 13.38.39 To preach vnto you through Christ the forgiuenesse of sinnes And that by him all that beleeue are iustified from all things from which ye could not be iustified by the Law of Moses CHAPTER IV. I THe second comfort and blessednesse promised to them which weepe is deliuerance from the punishment of sinne II. If they suffer for righteousnesse sake the cause of their sufferings is a comfort vnto them III. God deliuereth them in a conuenient time IV. Till that time come he strengtheneth vs with his holy Spirit IV. Apostates which fall away are no true members of Christs Church I Bâ—essed are we if God hath blessed vs with this first and most necessarie blessing forgiuenesse of sinnes for to whom hee forgiueth sinnes he giueth all other necessary comforts And therefore our second comfort is that putting away from before his eyes the iniquitie of our sinnes he will also take away from our backes the punishment of them For when the cause is gone the effect must cease If ye desire a proofe of this truth hearken to David saying in the 32. Psalme q Psal 32.5 I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee and mine iniquity haue I not hid I said I will confesse my transgressions vnto the Lord And thou hast taken away the punishment of my sinne Did not the Lord say to Hezekiah who had wept and prayed vnto him r 2 Kings 20.3.5 I haue heard thy prayer I haue seene thy teares Behold I will heale thee This healing of the body was an effect of the healing of the soule as the good King confessed in his song of thankesgiuing when he said to his God Å¿ Esa 38.17 Thou hast in loue to my soule deliuered it from the pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my sinnes behind thy backe So yee reade in the Gospell of Matthew that Christ when hee was to cure one sicke of the Palsie said first vnto him t Matth. 9.2.6 Sonne be of good cheare thy sinnes be forgiuen thee And consequeÌ„tly Arise take vp thy bed and goe vnto thine owne house This is the order of Gods blessings the first is the forgiuenesse of sinne The second is the remouing of the punishment of sinne But we put the Plough before the Oxen we weepe and cry desiring to be deliuered of the punishment of sinne are not heard because we haue not sought with teares the forgiuenesse of sinne II. If we be persecuted for Righteousnes sake as many of our deare breathren are now wee haue subiect of comfort in the middest of our sufferings because we know that the cause of our sufferings is not only good and honest but also most honorable So saith Christ bidding vs u Matth. 5.21 reioyce and be exceeding glad when we are persecuted for righteousnes sake and reuiled for his sake So thought his Apostles when x Act. 5.41 they departed from the presence of the Councell reioycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name Such brands are rather glorious then disgracefull wherefore then should we
not reioyce in them III. If we had no other share lotted vnto vs but afflictions how could we subsist and what should become of our hope Therefore Iesus Christ said to his Disciples y Iohn 16.20 Verily verily I say vnto you that yee shall weepe and lament but the world shal reioyce yee shall be sorrow full but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy Consider how turned into ioy First the Apostle saith z 1 Cor. 10 13 God is faithfull who wil not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that yee may be able to beare it And how often hath God made such a way to his afflicted Church How often hath beene fulfilled that which Dauid saith a Psal 34.6 This poore man cryed and the Lord heard him and saued him out of all his troubles How many examples might I produce of Gods most wonderful deliuer āces whereby the sorrow of his children was turned into ioy and the day of their mourning and fasting into a good day of feasting and of gladnesse as in b Ester 9.19 22. the time of Queen Esther Leaving other examples whereof I haue spoken else where let vs consider one which cannot be yet worne out of our memories I speake of the Churches of France The wind with most horrible noice blowed vpon vs whole stormes of bullets and firie raine The sea wrought and of a plaine became high mountaines which we could not ouerswim Her flouds swelled her billowes roared her proud and outragious waues gauesuch blowes against the small skiffe wherin Iesus was asleep and redoubled them with such swiftnesse violence that neither could the shipper direct nor the steeresman stand at the rudder nor the mariners resist Thē our eares and our eyes hauing nothing before them but monstrous cries of roaring voyces but vgly darknesse but terrible images of desolation and death Then seeing our little boat ready to be driuen vpon the Rocke of destruction Then nothing being left vs but feare but dismaidnes but despaire of safetie but expectation of a loath some end we ran to the Lord who was a sleepe and awoke him crying as the Aposties did when vpon the tempestuous Sea they were a type of the Church c Matth. 8.25.26 Lord saue vs we perish Then d Fsal 121.4 the keeper of Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps arose Then he spake to the windes and they spake no more he rebuked the waues of the Sea and they leuelled their mountaines they sleeked the furrowes of their angry browes they changed their wrinkles into smoothnes their crookednesse into euennesse their roughnesse into a faire plaine He made the storme a calme and when we could not be in a harder plight as being without hope to escape he directed our course to a more safe pleasant hauen then that which is nigh vnto the Citie of Lasea called c Act. 27 8. the Faire hauens So we arriued to the harbour of grace to the port of peace to the vnlooked for but much desired hauen of tranquillitie and quietnesse This was the fruite this was the effect of our humiliation of our fasting of our mourning and prayers in France Vndoubtedly the same cause shall bring foorth the same effect in the Palatinate and other parts of Germanie They haue a longer winterthen we had T is now their sowing time and now they sow in teares Their haruest shall come then shall be accōplished that which is written f Psal 126 5. They that sow in teares shall reape in ioy g Psal 147.9 God heareth the voyce of the young Rauens which cry and will he not heare the voyce h Luke 18.7.8 of his owne elect which cry day and night vnto him I tell you saith Christ that hee will auenge them speedily i Psal 14.7 O that the Saluation of Israel were come out of Sion when the. Lord bringeth backe the captiuitie of his people Iacob shall reioyce and Israel shall be glad IV. Secondly God hath a time ordained for his deliverances which the scripture calleth k Ps 69.13 Isa 49.3 an acceptable time Till that time come the Lord sweetneth the bitter gall of bodily tribulations with the honey of his spirituall comforts As Christ said to his Disciples l Ioh. 16.22 Now yee haue sorrow but your ioy no man taketh from you For euen then the comforter m Rom. 8.16 the Spirit of adoption beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the children of God And that comfort is so great that when wee weepe wee weepe for ioy and say with the Apostle n 2 Cor. 1.5 As the sufferings of Christ abound in vn so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ T is a wonder to behold the true Christian in the time of his trouble and distresse Men seeke to bring him downe to the ground but hope lifts him vp aboue the skie As when David said o Psal 94.18.19 My foot slippeth the experience of Gods wonderfull assistance made him to say forth with Thy mercy O Lord held me vp In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soule When men haue done what they can to overcome him with bitter iests with sharpe stripes and cruell tortures he overcometh them with patience And in him is verified that which the Apostle said p 2 Cor. 4.8.9 Wee are troubled on euery side yet not distressed we are perplexed but not in despaire persecuted but not forsaken cast downe but not destroyed As q Plin. histor natural l. 12. cap. 25. the Balme which of all liquors hath the sweetest and most pleasant smell distills not from the Balsame tree till it be pricked So the most precious graces of the Spirit of GOD wherwith the foules of truely religious Christians are beautified their faith their zeale their patience their constancie their contempt of the world their earnest desire of heauēly things flow neuer so aboundantly as when the sword of perse cution makes in them a deepe incision Therefore the Lord hath troden the Virgin the daughter of Iudah as in a Wine-presse and he hath pressed and wrung out of her the most excellent liquor of her faith hope and charitie which before was hid in the grapes and vnder the faire skin of a peaccable profession V. On the other part t is a monstrous spectacle to behold then the ficklenesse and inconstancie of counterfeit professors who fearing the weight of GODS Wine-presse conueigh themselues away from vnder it and doe euen as if one who desires to be esteemed an honest man when he seeth robbers and way-layers comming to the company where he is did troupe and ioine hands with them to take his friends purse or life from him to saue his owne r 2 Pet. 2.21 It had beene better for them not to haue knowne the way of righteonsnesse then after they haue knowne it to turne