and anointing the wounds of the Apostles Witnesse Zacheus who of a pilling and powling Publican and a grinder of the faces of the poor presently became a mercifull refresher of their bowels Witnesse many others c. Every mans life is a Way wherein without intermission he walkes from the Wombe to the Grave Ab utero ad Sepulchrum ambulamus omnes and this is the way which Joshua calls the way of all flesh But in this way there is a great difference for some are upright in it and those are declared to be such as walk in the way of godlinesse to glorification Others turn aside after the crooked wayes of sin and those walk on unto perdition they goe singing and in a moment tumble into Hell Now the Lord our God that would not the death of a sinner calls all to Repentance whilest we not feeling those privy nips and perillous wounds that sin impaires our soules withall doe swim in the fullest delights that invention can procure us and our souls cleaving to the midst of our mirth our way but beguyles us and for not minding our Voyage in stead of arriving at our wished for Haven we are suckt into the gulfe ere ever we are aw re so that we had need labour for a Reformation by the wholesome Information of the Word and Christs Schoole being a Schoole for all sorts we had need all become Schollars in the Schoole of Christ both young and old and old as well as young First young men for the age of youth is indeed the age of right reformation Bend a tree while it is but a twig and it will ply which way you will have it but let it alone untill it be a sturdy Oke there is then no dealing with it Even so settle the soule once upon the lees of sinfull lust and custome in sinning proves another nature and in the end becomes inflexible incorrigible Let a man through his youth set his face against Heaven and blaspheme Gods Religion it shall be as easie for the Blackamoore to change his hue or the Leopard his spots as for that man that hath been alwayes accustomed to evill ever to learn to doe well I doe not say impâ—ssible for I know that it is the easiest thing in the world with God to enrich a sinner with his grace and therefore we dispute not his power nor his mercy Not his power for God can in an instant make of a sinner a Saint Not his mercy for Gods mercy knows no bounds nor limits But it is not easie for that sinner that hath been alwayes accustomed to doe evill ever to learn to doe well for you know the curse is commonly passed out against those who have been so long fruitlesse Mat. 21.19 Never fruit grow on thee henceforth neither in this World nor in the World to come reape they shall bring forth they shall not but they shall reape the fruit of Judgement the fruit of punishment other fruit they shall never bring forth dead Trees cut off from the land of the living dead Branches cut off from the Tree of Life And indeed what can that ground expect that brings forth nothing but thorns and bryars Heb. 6.8 but that the end of it should be to be burned So that though ye rejoyce in your youth O ye young men yet remember you must come to Judgement And sure it is but an evill and wofull division when young years are given to Sathan and old age to the Lord. It s the first fruits that God requires And you may find Saint John writing to Young men as well as to Elders 1 Iohn 2.12 13. to Children as well as to Fathers And Solomon adviseth the young man Eccles 12.1 To remember his Creator in the dayes of his youth And David Psal 119 9 to redresse his wayes For indeed the age of youth is the very Harvest and Summer in which whosoever sleepeth is the son of confusion but he that gathereth is the child of wisedome Pro. 10.5 It is with grace as it is with grafts there must be a time of in-setting and a time of out-growing and both these must be seasonable before fruit can be expected so that seed must be sown in youth which must come up in age For nip a blossome in the Spring and where is the hope of its Autumne And indeed where Sathan can make youth unprofitable little good nay much spirituall beggery may be expected in all the other ages of that mans life Again Call thy wayes to remembrance while thou art young that thy Conscience may be at peace when thou art aged for assure thy selfe that the vanitles of youth will vex the heart for many yeares after Psal 25.7 See David Praying against the sins of his youth and not without a bitter sense and sting of them Psal 25.7 Ieâ— 13.16 It was the voyce of Ephraim I was ashamed yea confounded because I did beare the roproach of my youth for though for the present a man may be sencelesse of his grossest sins yet God will waken his Conscience at last and make the very thought of his iniquities as bitter as ever the practice of them was pleasant the thought of them will fill him with trouble of Conscience and bring him not onely to doubt of his effectuall calling to Grace but almost to a despaire of his salvation And if he would be fenced against all these afterclaps the time is now wherein he may prevent such afflictions by bearing Gods yoke in his youth Now is the time wherein he should take notice of that great bundle of folly which is naturally bound up in his heart But alas No age so much stops its eares as this age of youth charme the charmer never so wisely For whereas young men should live as Nazarites consecrated to the Lord they rather live like men that have vowed and dedicated themselves to the service of Sathan loathing or seorning to become Schollars in the Schoole of Christ which indeed is most effectuall to cure the disordered affections of youth But those that would be Trees of Righteousnesse and known to be of the Lords own Planting laden especially in their age with the fruits of the Spirit must in their youth timely bud timely blossome and timely beare that so their whole lives may be a fruitfull course whereby God may be glorified others edified and themselves receive in the end a more full consolation Secondly as young men so old as well as young must be Schollars in the Schoole of Christ for though its true that the age of youth of all ages is most subject to the dangerous diseases of inordinate lusts yet there is no age without its blemishes not the hoary haire without its errors David so often as he considered his wayes found alwayes something that needed redresse and there is none so well renewed in this life but they may find somthing in themselves that needs further reformation Who can say
how could we goe unto him by the Foot of Prayer if we did not beleeve in him Rom. 10. â—â— For how shall they call on him in whom they have not belceved The second Foot is Prayer which is so swift a Foot as that it dispatcheth in an instant all the way betwixt Heaven and Earth and as a fiery Chariot mounts into the presence of the Almighty to implore his assistance and though we live here in this vale of misery so farre off from our Fathers House yet being furnished with these two spirituall Feet we may in a moment ascend up thither and there recreate our wearied spirits though we live in this world as in a wast desart if we be in want of any thing with these spirituall Fees we may runne to our Fathers House and there provide our selves If the Lord hath east us down upon our bed of sicknesse that we cannot use the Feet of our bodies yet he hath given us those other Feet of Faith and Prayer to use in flead of them Hezekiah being sick of the Plague 1 Kings 20.2 could not use the Feet of his Body but with the Feet of the Spirit he went unto this place Ionah was lockt up in Prison in the belly of the Whale yet by the vertue of these Feet out of the depth he ascended to the holy Temple of Iehovah But notwithstanding all this though we know we have a House to goe unto and no hinderance in the way nor difficulty in the passage nor want a guide to direct us and have good right to the place and friends and acquaintance to entertaine us and robes to adorne us and feet to carry us thither yet if we know not how to behave our selves when we come there though we come as suiters we shall be but bad speeders And therefore the next shall be to teach you how to demeanc your selves in this House of the Lord your God And for this purpose I shall for your sakes endeavour my selfe to binde you all to such good behaviour in Gods House as becomes the glory of his publick service and presence for the godly Christian ought with all care to lay before him the rules that tye him to a comely composure and carryage in the House of God and to strive to fashion his nature and practice so as may become the Majesty of his Publick Worship for there be divers things which in a speciall manner must be lookt unto in performing these publick duties And to this end I shall give you some few Rules which if you please to observe you shall not onely be good Suiters but good Speeders also First All of all sorts must come and appear publikely before the Lord to doe him homage and service Viâ— unita fortior the more the better not onely the Elders but all the Iuhabitants of the Land This you may see in Deutoronomy 31.11.12.13 where you shall find That all Israel were to come to appeare before the Lord their God in the place which he should chuse men women and children and the stranger within their gates that they might heare and learne and feare the Lord their God and keep and observe the words of his Law none exempted all must come Secondly We must come with all possible reverence and look to our feet when we enter into the House of God and strive to shew before all men our most carefull respect to God his holy Ordinances for God will be sanctified by them that come neer him and he looks for it at our hands by our reverent behaviour to be glorified before all the people See it your selves in the tenth of Leviticus and the third And Ecclesiastes the fifth and first and be perswaded to shew a most holy and reverent feare of Gods name and presence So that Princely Prophet I will come into thine House in the multitude of thy mercies and in thy feare will I worship towards thy holy temple Psal 5.7 Thirdly We must come with a great deale of Zeale In all publick duties that of David should be true of us The Zeale of Gods House should eat us up Psal 69.9 And this singular Zeale we should shew these six wayes 1. By loving Gods House above all other places in the world our heart should be fired in us in that respect that we may truely say with the Psalmist Psal 26.8 O how I love thy house I have loved the habitation of thine house and the place where thine honour-dwelleth 2. By resolutely purposing to resort to Gods House with joy and gladnesse notwithstanding the scornes and oppositions of worldly men O that we were of Davids mind glad when men say Come let us goe into the House of the Lord Psal 122.1 3. By stirring up others with all importunity to goe with us to worship God in Sion The mountaine of the House of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of the mountaines and shall be exalted above the hils and all Nations shall flow unto it the word flow declaring the zeale of the Children of God when they are called And many people shall goe and say Come let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord to the House of the God of Jacob and he will teach us his wayes and we will walke in his paths for the Law shall goe forth of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem Isay 2.2.3 4. By making hast to Gods worship going to the House of the Lord with the first and with willing hearts with an holy thirst after the means flocking and flying thither as the Cloudes or as so many Doves to their Windows Up let us goe and pray before the Lord and seek the Lord of Hosts Zachar. 8.21 And the Psalmist Thy people shall come willingly at the time of assembling thine army in holy beauty from the wombe of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth Psal 110.3 5. By forwardnesse and cheerefulnesse in contributing towards the maintenance of Gods House and service in the means thereof 6. By grieving heartily because other men neglect and contemne the House of God The Zeale of Gods Children ought to be such when they see his Word sleighted as that they should be like David whose Eyes gusht out with Rivers of Water because men keep not thy Law Psal 119.136 Fourthly We should in all publick Duties serve God with one consent and one heart There should appeare in Gods servants a wonderfull desire of unanimity and concord that when they speake to God it may be as the voyce of one man when the Lord speaks to them they should heare with one Eare It is a marvellous glory in Religion when people can come to this to serve the Lord with one shoulder Let us all call upon the name of the Lord Zeph. 3.9 and serve him with one consent or as it were with one shoulder Fiftly and lastly look upon the fifty second Psalme eighth and ninth verses and from thence we
Obstinacy in sin never to be cured Job painting out this evill saith That the sinner taketh pleasure therein and that it seemeth sweet unto him it is as pellets of sugar under his tongue he first delights in the company of sin then he marries himselfe unto sin and leaves her not till death them depart Thus sin creepeth into the heart by steps and degrees till at last it sinks him down to the bottom of Hell But woe is pronovnced to that sinfull Nation to that people that are laden with iniquity Isay 5.18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cord of vanity and sin as with cart ropes For God is a severe punisheâ— of sin and his wrath fails not to come and seize on those that soâ—â— pillows underneath their sins Ephes 5.6 So St. Paul Let no man deceive yâ—â— with vain words for for such things commeth the wrath of God upoâ— the children of disobedience Was it not sin that brought the cursâ— upon Adam and all his Posterity his Apple proves his poysonâ— 1 Sam. 23 28. Saul for his disobedience was turned out of his Kingdom What 〈◊〉 the ruine and destruction of Countres and Cities but the sins 〈◊〉 the People 2 Sam 24 15. Davids sins and his Pride was the death of seventy thousand in an instant there the people perisheth for the sin of the Prince I could tell you of a Prince that perished for the sins of the people whose like was no King before him neither after him arose there any like him You may find him your selves 2 King 23 25 26. Like unto him was there no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soule and with all his might according to all the Law of Moses neither after him arose there any like him Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fiercenesse of his wrath wherewith he was angry against Judah c. 2 Kings 22 2. Josiah a good King one whose like was not before him Josiah who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord yet Josiah must be slain Thus you see when iniquity hath playd her part vengeance will leape upon the stage What was the reason why Gods hand was stretched over this Land why the Sword devoured and the people perished but the sins of the Nation And was there ever more sinning or ever lesse remorse for sin What is this world but the region of sin a Sea of filthinesie and whilst men are bewitched with the delight thereof how like Swine doe they wallow in the filthy mire and puddle of their sins It may be their bodies are curiously deckt and shining but alas they have nasty and abominable soules Is not our Land still full of Achans looking upon the Wedge of Gold Ios 7 21. or Babylonish Garment How is the beauty of Bathsheba able to entice the greatest number Gehazi will still post after Naaman for rich presents 2 Sam. 11 12. but the leprosie follows him close at his heels vengeance attends him neer Was there ever more Drinking Swearing Stealing Lying Envying c. and since our sins thus cry for vengeance what wonder is it that the Lord is stil up in arms against us O then put away your swinish drunkennesse your prophane swearing your brutish fleshlinesse your devilish lying and deceiving your hellish covetousnesse your savage eruelty and all your other notorieties and frame the whole course of your lives according to the rules of Temperance Chastity Truth Righteousnesse and holinesse and so though our souls be yet all staind with sinue they may in time become cleerer and whiter then snow Let as all with a spirituall eye behold the things of the world separate from their seeming beauty and so we shall not be bewitcht therewith Let us consider Gold and Silver not as glistring and shining but as drosse and dung yea as poysonous through a curse incorporated herewith-all if our hearts be insected with the love thereof or by any unlawfull means we doe seek after it Let us consider the beauty of the fairest woman as vanity or as a piece of painted clay or as a stale set for the taking of silly fooles And lastly Let us consider all other pleasing things as Drinking Banqueting Gaming Playing c. as the very stinging of a Scorpion which giveth incredible delight for the present but is by and by turned into tormenting and deadly pangs till the man thus stung perisheth And therefore since sinne is thus hurtfull let it be as hatefull unto us and let us hereafter strive as resolutely against sin as we have formerly served cheerfully under it Let us hate all sins of all suits and keep our selves from all spot of sin 1 Thes 5 22. And with St. Paul Abstaine from all appearance of evill Iude ver 23. And with Iude Hate the very garment spotted with the flesh In a word Let us avoyd all sins and have nothing to doe with these filthy inmates that are dayly plotting and contriving to set the whole tenement on fire and are good for nothing but to bring rottennesse into our bones and bowels And let us not defer to turn from sin nor delay till the Morning but take warning by the foolish Virgins for to morrow for ought we know may be the midnight of Christs call when if we be found wallowing in the mire of our sins and stinking puddles of our iniquities how can we hope or expect to be taken as associates to so glorious a Bridegroom And thus having found the cause of our sufferings to be in our selves let us lament for our sins that have brought upon us a burthen so heavy the onely way to re-infavour us again with our justly offended God And for that purpose I shall endeavour my selfe to the utmost of my skill to clothe every one of you with a livery of sorrow which is the next in the Text the assembly called must be solemne Call an assembly First part of the method or order Ierusalem the largest map of misery that ever eye beheld having been often threatned often battered and her visitation growing neerer and greater then before Salem being to become a tributary City Lam. 1.4 Jerusalem a solitary widow the wayes of Sion to mourne her streets to be empty her gates desolate her feasts unfrequented her Priests to sigh and her Virgins to be afflicted she her selfe the object of this sight and subject of this sorrow Lam. 1.2 to weep day and night and the tears to run down her cheeks continually her plagues growing mighty because her sins were waxen many many committing them few mourning for them Ezek. 9.2.5.6 The Lord now sendeth six to destroy this City commanding them to spare none nor take no pitty but to destroy young and old Maids Children and Women yet to touch none that had the Marke and what this marke is you may see in the fourth verse Sighing sobbing
crying for the abominations weeping and mourning for the wickednesse that is committed there you shall find a publick Notary sent to take the list of mourners their sorrow is their safety their lamentation the cause of their preservation for for our comforts mercy hath her lodgings taken up in every Town in every City in every Country be Gods judgements never so great mercy cannot mercy will not be excluded the Saints are alwayes priviledged men they have speciall in munities an Arke a Goshen a Zoar a City of Refuge shall be ever prepared Mat. 5. to the 12. The meek the mercifull the Peace-maker the persecuted the poor in spirit the pure in heart and those that hunger annd thirst for righteousnesse all these shall be blessed and not onely these but mourners shall have a part Psal 125.5 The godly may sow in tears but shall reape in joy thousands shall fall before them and ten thousands at their right hand but the plague shall not come nigh them Our English Sion while those unhappy differences and wofull divisions continued amongst us was like Ierusalem the very map of misery the Sword devoured the people perished our sons butcherd our young men slain our Goods plunderd our Lands sequestred and our bodies Catived our plagues then grew mighty because our sins were waxen many the most committing them few mourning for them and it is still to be feared though we have thus sinned and have thus been punished that there was never more sinning nor never lesse remorse for sin and if againe the Lord should still be incensed and up in arms against us what strength were there in us who are but stubble to stand before such a consuming Fire And therefore to prevent Gods further revenge and threatned punishments since you have seen in Ezekiel that tears are the preservatives of the living for not a sigh is sent out but is heard in Heaven not a teare but is kept nor a groane but it coms before God let us sigh and cry for all the abominations of the times let us weep for the sins of the Nation let us lament for out sins the cause of all our sufferings and wee let sorrow now cloath us and mourning cloud us let our Foreheads be marked with a down-right solemne mourning the Assembly called must be solemne Call a solemne Assembly The word solemne which is as much as serious sad and heavy me thinks may well contain furniture for the times of mourning and having never more cause I wish I might robe you with the garment of heavinesse The Text Proclaims a solemne assembly and wills you to mourn for the sins of the Land the word solemn me thinks wills us all to lay aside our wanton superfluous and supercilious sales of Pride and put on sables mourning habiliments I mean heavy sad and solemn countenances outwardly to testifie our sorrow inwardly because the Lord hath turn'd his favours into frowns He that formerly cloathed us with Beauty did again cloath us with Leprosie He that formerly cloathed us with Health and Happinesse did again in stead of a Garment give us a Rent and plagued us with the Sword and other deadly poysonous and Infectious Diseases Will you look a little into the rifling of a Wardrobe in Isaiah the Inventory you will find taken in the third chapter from the 18. ver to the end of the 23. The bravery of their ornaments and chains and bracelets and mufflers and bonnets and tablets and eare-rings and rings and ornaments of the legs and changeable sults of apparell and mantles and wimples and crisping pins and glasses and boods c. But the destruction of all this Foeminine Furniture you shall find in the next verses from the 24. to the end It shall come to passe that in stead of a sweet smell there shall be a stinke in stead of a girdle a rent in stead of well set haire baldnesse and in stead of a stomacher a girding with sackcloth and burning in stead of beauty The gates shall lament and mourne The story sheweth what our state was God grant we have not cause again to say is for so we sinned so we were plagued and me thinks should be sufficient to stir up all the powers and passions of sorrow in every one of us this me thinks should be sufficient to set open those ciâ—terns of our souls that rivers of tears may flow from our heart-breaking yet well-pleasing pensivenesse for the nature of griefe doth utterly exile all objects of pleasure and when true sorrow sits her down in a stupid and a stupendious manner and calls for Heaven above to weep with her the Earth beneath to lament the Rocks to cleave the Mountains to Eccho forth groans and the Rivers to run with tears of griefe the Israelites did not more loath then such sorrow as this doth delight to sit down on the banks of Babylon her Musick is Lachrymae or Doloroso she is as Rachel in her hard labour she no sooner conceives but is delivered and no sooner delivered but conceives againe her throbs and throws almost divide her soule from her selfe but that her solace being in division that which killeth others keepeth her alive emptinesse in the bowels blacknesse on the back round about spectacles of misery all circumstances to make sorrow greater then her selfe Surely our cause was and is great sinne being the cause of our misery Let then our tears be many let us put on the garments of lamentation let mourning be the marke of our Foreheads let our hearts be heavy our bodies faint our looks sad and our countenance solemne and especially upon our Fast dayes or dayes of Humiliation let us all goe mourning to the House of the Lord our God with garments rent and with sackcloth cloathed Let the Bride goe forth of her chamber Let the Priests weep between the Porch and the Altar Nay howle ye poor Firr-trees and let the House of David mourne and let all the Inhabitants of the land mourne and weep and lament and let our lamentation be as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo And let the land bewayle every Family apart Let weeping be in all the ends of our Nation and complaining in the streess of every City Towne and Country crying in the chambers of every house Woe and alas Woe unto us that we have sinned Nay let all the Orders and Companies of every severall holy convocation throughout this Land of England from the Ruler to the Subject from the Priest to the People from the Honourable Councellour to him that draweth Water from the Men of gray years to the yong Child and Suckling all plentifully water their Cheeks with Tears Let sighs be their ordinary Language to our offended God and cry unto the Lord to spare us from the Sword c. Our occasion is just our cause is good for our sins are great and our God is incensed and therefore solemnity expects it Call a solemne Assembly Obj.
But perhaps some will say What needs all this adoe what needs this sad behaviour or solemne Assembly Doth not God sea the heart and if our bearts can but bleed in sorrow for sin What need our eyes weep our tongues lament our countenances be sad or our whole behaviour solemne Ans The reason is though I might give you severall yet being in hast take this one for all as the maine Because the Lord our God is Lord as well of Body as of Soule and as well of Soule as of Body And therefore in performing any service unto him he expects-both in his Service and Worship as in Prayer our Knees must be bended to him in signe of our humility our Eyes our Hands our Hearts and all must be listed up unto him in signe of our confidence So in lamenting our sins Let our Eyes weep our Breasts sigh our Tongues complain our whole Body faint and our Soule languish see Mary weeping Peter weeping and Jeremy never making an end of weeping for the sins of his people Besides these outward circumstanees doe most lively expresse our inward sorrows Down down then with all the signes and sales of Vanity and in true sorrow and humility humble your selves before God and cry unto the Lord saying praying Enter not O Lord into judgement with thy servants for in thy sight no flesh shall be justified Keep us O God from the cursed custome of sinning and from the direfull executioners of vengeance especially from the Sword Good Lord deliver us Call a solemne Assembly It was an ordinary custome in any common calamity to rent their garments put on sackcloth and mourne in ashes When the Israelites found want of the favour of God they put off their wonted Garments as in Genesis in Amos in Iob in Ionah may be found But not to stay at all upon the renting of garments and cloathing with sackeloth nor to dwell any longer upon sad behaviours heavy countenances or solemne Assemblies I le onely wish you observe how that the sorrow and sadnesse of spirit draws the Body and all the abiliments of the Body into the participation and manifestation of griefe and indeed how is it possible that our countenance should testifie gladnesse when our hearts are heavy And though I grant that it is not needfull now to use such shadows in the light of the Gospel which hath brought us greater liberty So that whensoever you reade or heare of Isay 22.12 Weeping Mourning Baldnesse or girding with Sackcloth repentance by these signes are but thereby noted out unto us for Repentance neither consists in sackcloth nor ashes nor in any externall thing but onely in the heart Those who doe in good earnest Repent and are displeased with themselves they hate their sins and are touched to the quick with such a sense and feeling of sorrow that they abhor and detest themselves and their life past and by these outward signes they give testimony of their inward sorrow so that humbling themselves before God they therewithall shew testimony of that displeasure they had conceived in themselves before men so that indeed the signes alone are nothing and the Ceremonies are indifferent neither have we any Commandement to put on sackcloth or to pluck off our haire but the occasion of this Discourse and naming of these Signes and Ceremonies is That I might the better prevaile with you all willingly and in good earnest to put the truth of these signes in practice namely to have an unsaigned displeasure with your selves that you have so displeased your God confesse your sins your rebellions your offences and that with a broken heart and sorrowfull soule with an intent to leade a new life and hereafter as resolutely to strive against sin as we have formerly served cheerfully under it for if we judge not our selves worthy of punishment we cannot come into favour with God And therefore as the poor Malefactor bows down his face and cloaths himselfe in vile and base rayment to move the heart of the Judge so ought we to run in all humility to Gods mercy in our Lord Jesus Christ with unfaigned testimonies of our inward Repentance for conversion begins at the heart So the Prophet Joel Rent your hearts and not your garments And therefore to leave the signes to passe by the ceremonies and close up all in our mourning weeds our heavy countenances sad behaviours and solemne assemblies let us be sure to cloath mourning minds and truely sorrowfull soules Augustine is said to weep a shower of teares Ambrose a flood of tears And I am sure Jeremy wisht for a Fountain of tears Certain it is that none of us can condole so much as we ought for our sins are many and Gods plagues are mighty and therefore a deluge of tears were little enough to bear the Ark of our sorrow for our sins I have thus far brought you sorrowing towards this deluge this sea this fountaine of sorrow let us still follow on with paces of lamentation and sorrowfull remembrances of our sins which have forced the Lord to his Armoury and to put on the garments of Vengeance against us And for that purpose I shall endeavour to robe your selves with mourning garments and cloath them with the inward sackcloth of sorrow that your hearts thus rent and torne to pieces with godly griefe you may cry more earnestly to the God of mercy to spare this Land and not adde to our afflictions least those that have evill will at our English Sion rejoyce and triumph at our present miseries Souls sorrow outward griefe The word Solemne shews that our outward sorrow should testifie our inward griefe so that that which went before was but the Signe we now come to the Truth For our part we pronounce not renting of cloaths onely without the putting on of other robes not so much wishing you to put on sackcloth as to put on Christ Indâ—iâ—e is the voyce of Scripture not Scindite Put on not Rent off the Originall being from that of St. Paul Put on the Lord Iesus Christ which will be the better performed if you please to acquaint your selves with this inward mourning not Scindite Vestimenta but Scindite Corda Rent not your cloathes but rent your hearts And it was not without much reason that Solomon gives councell To goe to the house of mourning Est enim illie benedictio there is performed that blessing which Christ promiseth Mat. 5.4 A blessing is promised no where to mirth but to Mourning our Saviour hath annexed this reward And surely the keeping under of the soule is much available to all religious and devout offices and I am sure there ought to be sorrow in every soul The whole course of our Saviours life was spent in solitary sorrow and doubtlesse the cause of his sufferings being in us our Sins we had need all the dayes of our Pilgrimage lament for our sins that brought upon our Iesus a burthen so heavy insomuch that not
Ieremy onely but all Man-kind may Write lamentations So that Non finire sed semper reservare lachrymas debemus We had need never make an end of mourning never end our sorrows for Sin intermit them we may but stilâ— let us keep our acquaintance with them That of Hierome 〈◊〉 confesse is true Detestandae sunt illae lachrymae quae non habeâ—â— modum Mourning without measure is a Hell upon Earth Yet again Detestandi sunt qui carent lachrymis they are to be detested that have no measure of this heavenly Manna but happy were we if we could for ever continue our mourning for Sinne and for the abominations of the Land God hath already given us the cup of his wrath to drink off and we have tasted deeply of the cup of his displeasure we have seen affliction in the rod of indignation this Land hath presented us with sad spactacles whole heaps of slain O how should the remembrance of our late sufferings set open again the Fountains and Floodgates of sorrow that rivers of tears might flow from our pensive hearts And if the Lord shall again be incensed by reason of our sins which are as many and great as ever what can we expect but having already begun to taste of the bitter cup of his wrath and displeasure he will force us the next time to drink it down to the dregs But since that groans and sorrow for Sin is the onely way to appease Gods wrath being far better to deale with him by tears then by words and seeing there is no sorrow to that of the soule though the eyes of the body should wax blind with weeping Let us shower down rivers of tears let us plentifully water our cheeks with tears and sigh and sob and weep and howle and cry unto the Lord to spare us from the Sword and let this our lamentation and mourning be coram not clam not onely privately but openly especially upon our Fast dayes or dayes of Humiliation for as solemnity expects it so antiquity prescribes it the Assembly called must be solemne Call a solemne Assembly Obj. But perhaps some will say God expects not this inward and outward sorrow in his service this heart-breaking and body-fainting our eyes weeping and our souls languishing for God wills that we shew our selves glad and cheerfull when we serve him Aaron was sad for the death of his Sonnes and Moses reprehending him because he had not eaten that day of the Sacriifice he told him Levit. 10.19.20 Quomodo potui comedere aut placere Deo in ceremoniis mente lugubri How could I eat or please God in the ceremonies with a mourufull mind and the text saith that Moses rested satisfied The Starrs being called by their Creator to give their light they are said to doe it Cum judicate with delight or cheerfully When we serve the Lord we are bidden to serve him with alacrity Mat. 6.17 When we fast the Word bids us Anoynt our heads that we seem not to men to fast Unge Caput tunm But the fast here enjoyned and the Assembly called must be solemne How stands this together the Scripture bids us both be merry and mourn in the Service of God Ans The answer may well be this That all our felicity consisting in sorrow for sinne we may very well be merry to see our selves sad Green Wood being put upon the Fire both weeps and burns a deep Valley is cleare on the one side and cloudy on the other and mans breast is sad in one part and joyfull in another 〈…〉 7. 〈…〉 St. Paul specifies two sorts of sorrow one which grows from God the other from the World that gives life this death And furely that soule that sorrows for his Sins gives glory unto God It was commanded in Leviticus that they should celebrate with great solemnity a day of expiation 〈◊〉 23.27 c. Et affligetis animas vestras and ye shall afflict your soules It seems not to sound well that men should make a great Feast with afflicting their soules but for Gods Friend no Feast ought to be accounted so great as to offer unto him a sorrowfull and a contrite heart for as there is nothing more sad then Sin so is there nothing so cheerfull as to bewayle it All our dishonest actions are but carnests layd down for griefe for Vice is ever an infallible forerunner of wretchednesse and all our unwarrantable aberrations end at last either in anguish or confusion for Sin on the best condition brings but sorrow with it and for Sinne without sorrow is provided Hell Then down to your Knees and desire of God that he would give you a tast of the sweetnesse of tears and your soules once tasting the sweetnesse of tears will not leave them for a world for tears are the delight of a penitent and there is no true joy but in sorrow for Sin So that all our felicity consisting in sorrow for our sins we may very well be merry to see our selves sad and if our sorrow cannot move men to godlinesse yet it is forcible to move God to mercy The broken heart for griefe of sinne and love of righteousnesse however the world despise it the Lord will not despise it yea it is the sacrifice of God acceptable to him in Christ Jesus Therefore saith one August Lachrymae sunt cordis sanguis Tears are the hearts blood And Lachrymarum preces utiliores sunt quam sermonum The prayers of teares are far more profitable then those of words Saint Chrysostome sayes That our sins are set downe in the table-book of Gods memory but teares are the spunge which blot them out againe In a word those teares that slow from a broken heart are that salt brine that will eure your wounds cheere your souls ease your consciences and please your God they take away all raw humors and make us savoury meat for the Lord nay more they subdue the Invincible and binds the Omnipotent so St. Hierome Oratio Deum leuit lachryma cogit who would not then mourn for sin and grieve because they cannot grieve enough and be earnest with God in St. Augustins expression Domine da mihi gratiam lachrymarum Lord give me the grace of tears Then weep for your selves and weep for others weep for the sins of the times for the abominations of the Land and cry unto the Lord. The text I took up for your use of purpose in these sad times and God grant it may be as profitable unto you as I 'me sure its fit for these sorrowfull seasons and though I wish no end to your mourning yet having led you thus far sorrowing for your sins and the sins of the times let us look back a little upon the Fast enjoyned which having done I shall again take you by the hand and leade you into the house of mourning the place appointed the House of the Lord your God and so goe along by the banks of Babylon to
may gather three other Rules which in a speciall manner fit us for a decent behaviour in Gods House 1. We should alwayes be as green Olive-trees in the House of the Lord But I shall be like a green Olive tree in the House of God For howsoever it goe with men in the world yet when we come before the Lord our hearts should rejoyce and revive and our spirits be fresh and cheerfull and our affections should be healed of all the cares and distempers that were in them before Gods Ordinances should have such a power over us as to make a suddaine fresh spring of desires and holy thoughts in us there is that power in the Ordinances of God to effect this if the fault be not in us I meane when these Ordinances are exercised in the power and life of them Let us then rejoyce to have a place among the servants of God that we may grow in the knowledge of godlinesse and be like green Olive-trees in the House of God 2. We must trust in the mercy of God For I trusted in the mercy of God for ever and ever bringing an heart ready to beleevâ— every good Word of God and resolving that if the Lord will speak comfortably to his servants we will not dishonour his consolations through carelesnesse and unbeleefe but receive them with all our hearts and establish our selves in the safe keeping of his good word Let us trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever 3. We must resolve to be thankfull I will alwayes prayse thee for that thou hast done Let us be thankfull with all earnestnesse for all experiences of Gods presence and goodnesse towards us in the means vowing with David to prayse him for ever for them and if the Lord doe with-hold hiâ— power and presence for a time so as we feele not the effectualnesse of his Ordinances yet we should resolve withouâ— distemper to wait upon the Lord and observe him according to the seasons of his grace and alwayes prayse him for that he hath done Thus having hitherto endevoured to tye you all to such good behaviour in the House of the Lord in all your publick service and worship of God as shall become the glory of his presence wishing that these my weak and unskilfull labours might wooe some more excellent Wits and more skilfull Pens to better this Discourse so needfull to be sounded in our Ears in these unhappy and unmannerly times wherein so many come so saweily and irreverently into the presence of the God of glory never once considering with Jacob How dreadfull is this Place and that this is no other but the House of God I shall now likewise endeavour to tye you all to the good-behaviour in your hearing of the Word of God for which these three directions will order you aright whereof some will bind us to the good-behaviour before we come to heare some at the time of hearing and some after we have heard 1. Before we come to heare We must bring with us two things First A resolution to deny our own wits reasons opinions and conceits and empty our heads of all perswasion of our own skill to judge of the things of God being ready to beleeve and think in all things as God shall teach us out of his Word 1 Cor. 3.18 We must be fools that we may be wise humbling our selves at his very feet to receive his law Deut. 33.3 They are humbled at thy feet to receive thy words Secondly We must bring with us a meek and quiet spirit a mind quieted from passions and perturbations and at rest from the turmoiling cares of this world The Word is able to doe great things in us if we receive it with meeknesse Wherefore lay apart all filthinesse and superfluity of naughtinesse and receive with meekenesse the ingrafted Word which is able to save your soules James 1.21 2. At the time of hearing two things are to be observed First We must hearken without distraction we must heare as it were for our lives we must incline our Ears and shake off all impediments arising from our own drowsinesse or vain thoughts or distracting objects Encline your Eares and come unto me heare and your soule shall live Isay 53.3 For indeed the Preaching of the Word saveth the soule it is able to make the soule immortall if it be once ingrafted in us For this cause the Word is called 1 Pet 1.23 Incorruptible Seed that endureth for ever because it maketh us incorruptible and happy for ever for he that hath his soule saved liveth for evermore Now would you be sharers in this unspeakable blessednesse the Word must then be ingrafted in your hearts this heavenly plant of the Word must be set into your understandings and affections for when a man heareth the VVord with understanding it entreth into the heart as the impe into the stocke and when with love and affection he imbraceth it it is closed about that it may grow and prosper therein but this Word cannot be ingrafted in our hearts except the heart first be cleansed sin must be put out that the VVord may be ingrafted in the filthinesse of sin and all the sprouts of malice must be put away of harsh hasty and churlish we must become meek milde Mat. 18.2.3 and gentle The Disciples must become like little Children that is they must put away those evill affections of Envy Pride deceit c. which grow upon them with yeares otherwise they should but follow and heare their Master in vaine the VVord could not be ingrafted in them to save their soules You may see the Prophet Isaiah reproving the Jewes Isa 1.16 That they came to holy duties in their sins So that first of all there must be a putting away the evill of their doings and then a comming together to heare the Lord to their comfort No wise man will sow his Corne or plant his delicate Fruit-trees but will have the bryars and thornes first taken away and whatsoever filthy stuffe may hinder the prospering of his seed and thriving of his plants He will not poure Wine or Milke into filthy Vessels Every man cleares his Table books of the old writing when he intends to put in any new matter Now the VVord of God is seed the Preaching of it is a Planting it is VVine and Milke and a writing in the table of mens hearts all filthinesse of sin therefore must be removed this ground must be cleared from the bryars of Anger Hatred c. that the VVord may be Planted in we must like the Disciples and the first Christians leave off all that we may attend the VVord of God we must put away worldly things which cause pollution in the heart we must be like Zacheus Luke 19.8 who that he might heare Christ to his salvation put away Extortion Bribery and Oppression Or like the beleeving Ephesians Acts 19.19 who put away their curious Arts Or like Saul
Acts 9.4 who ceased from going on in his persecuting course that he might heare Christ speaking unto him And thus the Word is able to make our soules Immortall for t is a great deceit to think to retaine our sins still and yet to heare the Word unto salvation And if so then what shall become of those men that set down their resolution to continue in theirsins for a season are resolved to trade in Drunkennesse Whoredom Covetousnesse c surely there can be no ground in such mens hearts for the Word of God to grow up to the saving of their soules the seed may happily be sown amongst them but it cannot possibly enter to doe them good Obj. But it may be objected That if the Word cannot profit any but such as put away all sin it cannot then profit any man that heareth seeing no man can so put away his sins as that his ground may be cleare Ans The Answer is this That every godly person doth cleere the ground of his heart from all sin so as that he is not pleased with any sin but he hates it and himselfe for committing it he strives against it and he is dayly grieved and poures forth his supplications for the pardon of it You may look for this at your leisures upon the first of Saint John the third and third and fifth and eighteenth and he that will not once put his helping hand to the removing of his sins that he may make roome for the Word of God to be grafted in him need never look for any comfortable event of his hearing but having thus shaken off all impediments all distracting objects and hearkning unto the Word without disturbance hearing as it were for our lives thus heare and your soules shall live Secondly VVe must prove all things and keep that which is good we must heate with judgement and hearken for our selves its ordinary with most men to heare for others and not for themselves but we must have a speciall care to look to that Doctrine which in particular concerns us to lay that up in our hearts and apply it effectually and this is a rule of singular thrift in godlinesse if we doe marke what sin in us the Lord reproveth or what comfort is especially fitted to our hearts or what direction doth chiefly concerne us and he hath an honest memory that will be sure to keep these things though he forget all the rest but he hath a wretched memory and heart too that forgets these things though he could repeat all the Sermon verbatim 3. After we have heard two things likewise must be done First we must by Meditation labour to make those things we have heard and which concerns us fast that they slip not out of our minds and we must take heed that neither the Devill steale away the good seed nor our own hearts through negligence lose it the VVord being let into the heart must setledly continue and not be broken off by the wild beasts of vain speeches and cogitations nor blowne out by the gusts of strong winds of Sathans temptations or of his Instruments that will immediately after we have heard the word be offering other objects for our minds to be taken up withall Psal 1.2 The blessed man doth not onely Reade but Meditates upon the Word David hid the word in his heart even as he that hath bought a Pearle of incomparable worth hideth it And as the Husbandman having cast his Seed into the ground harrowes it in so this Heavenly Plant of the word must be set into the understanding and affections it must enter into the heart as before is said like the Impe into the Stocke and being imbraced and closed about with love and affections it then thrives and grows and prospers David is a notable example for this how often doth he expresse his affections to the word in his 119. Psalme And Saint Paul professed Rom. 7.22 the Law to have been his delight as it is indeed oâ— every blessed man for the hearing of the word is not sufficient neither is it sufficient to keep those things we havâ— heard for an houre but it ought to be our delight and our dayly worke we should alwayes be thinking and ruminating of what we have heard till there be a sure impression of the word in our hearts Let then every one of us gage our soules and try and see whether we finde our selves to be such as to whom the word is thus powerfull to save our soules that we goe not on upon false grounds in our hopes about this unspeakable blessednesse Doth thy heart cleave before the word Preached through trembling and terrour in respect of thy sins and the sins of others Is it ingrafted in thee Doth it enter into thy understanding and is it closed about with a most earnest love and affection Doth it remaine with thee after the hearing of it by serious Meditation and doth it grow and is it vigorous in thy life over-topping all superfluous branches of sin then thou mayest truely comfort thy selfe it shall undoubtedly be thy salvation But if thine heart be hardened and not to be moved before the word if thy understanding be so blinded as that thou hast no apprehension of that which is taught if thy affections be so benummed as that thou art without all love unto it if thou give way to worldly and vaine discourses works or sports after thou hast heard insomuch that all departeth out of thy memory againe so soon as thou hast received it if all teaching be neglected and thou swimmest in the streame of thine owne corruptions then look not up to the joyes of Heaven for no part of them belongs unto thee for though Food being eaten is able to save the life and Apparell put on to keep the body warme and a Treasure possessed to enrich a man yet he that Feedeth not shall be Famisht with Hunger he that goeth Naked shall be pinched with Cold and he that hath wealth and will not use it is but a poor miserable man so he that maketh no better use of the word which is the onely satning Food of his Soule his Soule shall be hunger-starved and perish notwithstanding all his hearing And this is the case of most men in these times wherein sin and the neglect of Ordinances hath gotten such an head through a long continued custome that though the heardest Oke is cloven with wedges and the flintiest Stone made hollow with continuall dropping of water yet there is not one heart amongst many penetrated by the VVord and if there be any trembling sometime as it was with Felix when Paul Preached it is but for the present the word is not retained but flown from as it was by him so that there can be no growth of this Heavenly suckle in these mens lives but branches of sinne will be so luxuriant that the word will be farre over-topt by them and kept perpetually at under And therefore
Christ finding him Preaching to the People they hearkned unto him with that earnest and diligent attention that they had quite forgot to put in execution that which was given them in charge by the Pharisees And being demanded by them why did ye not bring him along with you they returned this Answer Never man spake like this man The glorious Doctor Saint Augustine before that he had unwinded himselfe out of the error of the Manichees he went on purpose to heare Saint Ambrose but not with any intention to give any credit to his Doctrine but onely to please his Eares with the Elegancy of his Phrase and being ravished with the sweetnesse of his expressions had his Heart taken as well as his Eare his attention supplyed the fault of his intention this was that putting of a Knife to the throat The Apostle Saint Paul goes a little further and calls Gods word not onely Cultrum but Gladium not a Knife but a Sword Take unto thee the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God that thy Soule be not distracted with the troublesome businesses of this world freeing it from all worldly cares and molestations The fourth is Audire cum conservatione to heare with a retention and to lay up the Word in our Hearts to locke it up in the closet of our Soules and so Blessed are they that heare the Word of God and keep it The Physitian despaires of that Patients Stomacke that cannot keep its meat but throwes it up as soon as it receives it So he that hears a Sermon should retire himselfe into his Chamber and there imprint it in his memory Many take no pleasure in Flowers or care any further for them then to look upon them to smell at them and to have them in their Hands while they are sweet and fresh and lovely and then throw them by but the Bee drawes from them both honey and was So many heares Sermons for pleasure for delicacy of words for gravity of Sentences and for gracefulnesse in the delivery but this is but to make a Nosegay to smell at for a while and presently to cast it away but we must heare with retention we must seale it up in the coffers of our Remembrance For blessed are they that heare the Word of God and keep it And now having learnt how to behave our selves in the House of the Lord our God in his Publick Service and Worship and particularly how to comport our selves in the Hearing of the Word both to our Comfort and Profit We come now to the greatest and the most excellent service that God requires of us and that is Prayer which is that very Art of Arts that adornes a Christian And David saith That the holinesse of the Temple consisted in the Prayers which then had their force there And here you see That the Assembly gathered into the House of the Lord their exercise there is Sighing Sobbing Praying Crying Cry unto the Lord. And to this the Angels whet on our diligence and the Lord himselfe by Prayer permits us familiarly to poure out our hearts before him for Prayer is nothing else but an opening of our hearts in the presence of God and the best remedy we have to releeve our cares anguishes miseries oppressions and troubles is to lay them all up in his bosome Cast thy burthen upon the Lord saith David and he shall nourish thee And therefore whensoever we feele our selves deprived o◠Gods benefits towards us whensoever we finde a want or 〈◊〉 with holding of Gods wonted favour and mercy from us by reason of our sins whensoever the height of our sinnes brings downe the weight of Gods Judgement upon us whether it be by Plague Famine Warre or any other calamity let us run to this House and importune the God of glory and compassion for this is the onely businesse of this Fast and of this Solemne Meeting which brings us to the last Circumstance in the Method or Order And cry unto the Lord. Good cause had all this People to figh and weep and cry continually for their Land was russeted with a bloodlesse Famine And for us of this Land Lamen 2.1 c. How hath the Lord darkened the Daughter of Zion in his wrath and hath cast downe the beauty of Israel and remembred not his foot-stoole in the day of his wrath He hath cut off in his fierce wrath all the herne of Israel he hath drawne backe his right hand and a Fire was kindled in Jacob which devoured round about he hath bent his Bow like an Enemy his right kand was stretched out as an Adversary He hath despised in the indignation of his wrath the King and the Priest So that well may we take up a lamentation such as was not in the dayes of our Fathers for alas no lamentation can proportion our affliction so that a Deluge of Teares is little enough for the Ocean of our miseries Let then sorrow be our individuall companion with this we begun with this let us end nay never let us make an end of mourning for the abominations of this Land and let us all learne that last lesson of our Saviour to weep for our selves to weep for our sins And for this cause I shall still leade you on with paces of lamentation to the House of mourning where we are to cry unto the Lord. We will stay no longer to look upon the behaviour of this People whose teares did not onely runne downe like a River Day and Night but their very Hearts cryed unto the Lord They poured forth their Hearts like Water before the face of the Lord they lifted up their Hands towards him for the lives of their young Children that fainted for hunger in the Corners of all their Streets the services they brought unto the Lord were not onely Prayers but Teares they did not onely Pray but Cry And since we have so sinned and have been so punished doth it not now concern us and is it not now high time for us to betake our selves unto this Sanctuary of Prayer nay what manner of Prayers should we now send up to Heaven surely not such as most what we use to make such cold and frigid ones as if they were onely for fashion sake and as if there were an indifferency in us whether or no they found acceptation from the Lord and People that are in the fiery Furnace of affliction under the torrid Zone of Heauens indignation to be so luke-warme nay so very cold in their Devotions what doth this argue but either desperation that their praying is to no purpose or else mindlesnesse under the heavy hand of God whereas there is no better meanes for the removing of this Hand then Prayer For what sin doeth Prayer undoeth especially fervent Prayer Therefore the sins of our Nation being so great and loud as that the cry of them hath brought downe such horrible Vengeance upon us who can tell whether the cry of humble Prayer unto
God for mercy may not yet enter into his Eates For this reason Let us cry unto the Lord. And as we must thus imitate their behaviour in misery so the next is their Remedy which likewise muâ—â— be ours They cast their burthen upon the Lord knowing full well that he was able to help them being the Lord and as willing as able because their God In treating of which the utmost of my intent shall be to divide such shares of sorrow among you as that your very soules may be even cut asunder wâ—thin you being indeed your onely remedy in trouble and the onely way to appease your angry God for the broken and contrite heart he will not dispise And therefore let us sigh and weep and cry unto the Lord. As the cause of this Peoples misery was Famine so their case in regard of any Earthly succour that could be expected was helplesse and remedilesse For the Heavens were become as Brasse and the Earth as Iron unto them the Lord their God who comprehends all in his Fist had withheld from them the bottles of Heaven and stopped the spouts of Raine now being ready to dye with hunger they mingle their Bread with weeping seeking to relieve themselves by tears and groans And cry unto the Lord. Hence the Point is this Obs That godly sorrow and holy affliction is the best remedy in any sorrow and affliction whether it be from Men from Sathan or from God himselfe whether it be in Body Estate Name Mind or soule of a Man whether it be on particular Persons or on our Selves or on our Friends or those that are about us or on the whole Land as on Church or Common wealth This is the most soveraigne Remedy in all distresse and extremity whatsoever this inward godly griefe is a salve for every sore and a playster for every wound To Weep and Cry and poure out our Hearts before God is the course that this people here took and that which we must take in the like or any other ealamity and according to the measure of the affliction and as it is more publick or private so must be the measure of our lamentation To this there is a promise made in Isaiah Isa 61.1.2.3 That when our Hands cannot help our selves nor our Tongues prevaile with others yet then we may relieve our selves by our Prayers unto God for in that place the Lord undertaketh that Mourners shall be comforted And there is great cause why God should so deale with such kind of Persons For first He is full of pitty and compassion and therefore the Prophet Joel bids us Joel 2.13 Rent our Hearts and not our Garments that is bring inward sorrow that may crush and breake the Heart and then turne unto the Lord which if we doe we shall be sure of reliefe because the Lord is mercifull saith he and our God is ready to forgive When we see our Children weeping mourning and consessing their faults we cannot but have our bowels of compassion carning towards them what shall we then thinke of God He is our Father we are his Children and be is farre more mercifull then we can be for he hath no other bowels then the bowels of compassion and therefore when we Mourne in an holy manner certainly he will arise and have mercy upon us he cannot slay when he sees our Eyes full of Teares and our Hearts full of sorrow for the sighs and groanes of his people will not let him have rest in Heaven Secondly This godly mourning must needs be a speciall remedy in all manner of afflictions because it makes our Prayers very forcible it sets an edge upon our Petitions and makes us pray heartily servently and strongly When Jacob wept in his Prayer Hos 12 4. it was so effectuall that he prevayled When Gods people joyned together to poure forth buckets full of Teares drawne from the bottome of their Hearts before the Lord 1 Sam 7.6 they were marvellously helped for the great measure of their Teares made their supplication more servent And therefore when our Saviour was about the principall point of his Mediatorship then did he gather strength unto himselfe by this means He did offer up Prayers with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death Heb. 5.7 Thirdly This godly sorrow must needs be very effectuall because it is exceeding forcible against sin for when sorrow comes into the Heart sin goes out it will not lodge there unlesse it be cockered and much made of When every one laments his iniquity and mourns over Christ Jesus whom by his sinnes he hath pierced then there is a Fountaine opened to wash us all from our sins that have made a wicked separation betwixt us and our God And seeing then that this godly sorrow is a means to make God pitty us and to make us call earnestly upon him and to expell sin which might hinder us from prevayling with him it must needs follow That of all remedies in time of distresse this is the best and surest Since sorrow is our onely safery and the best and surest remedy in distresse Let us a little reflect upon our selves and miseries and apply this soveraigne Balme to all our wounds There are many afflictions abroad at Sea Ships taken Merchants spoyled goods seized Marriners imprisoned many at home in our Townes nay in our owne Families as losses erosses sicknesses diseases parting with friends discontents nay there are many things amisse in our owne Hearts and here is medicine for every one of our maladies Let us then get it and use it and all arguments and helps that may continue and increase it Thus the Ninevites when Jonah threatned distruction against their City within forty dayes they humbled and abased themselves and fell to mourning and used Fasting to help it forward and to further them to this remorse and griefe for their great and hainous transgressions they had grieved the Lord by their iniquities and therefore now they would grieve themselves with contrition for them and neglect no means to further them in the worke of humiliation Jonah 3.5 6 7 8. They Proclaime a Fast they put on Sackcloth from the greatest to the least they neither eat nor drinke they cry mightily unto God and every man turnes from his evill way and from the wickednesse that is in their hands And when God saw that they turned from their evill wayes than God repented of the evill that he said he would doe unto them and he did it not And since we of this Nation have seen and felt affliction and justly may feare danger to be neer us still let us betake our selves to this mourning if we refuse to doe it and shall continue to be hard-hearted suppose the devouring bloud-letting Sword should come againe into our Land suppose the Plague like a loaden spunge should come flying through our Townes and Countries sprinkling poyson wheresoever she comes suppose pale meager
Famine should come which is the very Engine of destruction and brings terrour to mortalls death to all things Are not we likely to he taken away with any of these and to have not our bodies onely but our soules in danger also and that of Gods wrath and everlasting displeasure Let us therefore seek to have our hearts mollified by this excellent meanes and for this end the better to move us let us consider of the blessings which God hath been pleased plentifully to poure downe upon this people as they did in the day of their humiliation Nehem. 9. of whom Nehemiah makes mention Let us likewise seriously recount how many mercies we have enjoyed and how much they have been abused how many afflictions we have felt and how little we have been betterd how many deliverances we have had and yet how carelesse nay how rebellious we have been notwithstanding them all Let us weigh with our selves what hurt our sins have done unto us how many good things they have turned from us and how many evills they have pull'd upon us and above all let us remember what a huge weight and multitude of miseries they have brought upon our Saviour namely debasement and humiliation exchange of the greatest glory for the greatest infamy sorrows and sufferings assaults and temptations the heavy burthen of our guiltinesse and the grievous punishment due for our deserts the rage and violence of most malicious men and the wrath and displeasure of the most righteous God torments of Body and terrours of soule and death it selfe a painefull death a shamefull death and a cursed death And because commonly sad spectacles call sorrow before it come let us look back againe upon that severe whip of Gods Justice the late Scourge of these three Lands and imagine you see your Children flame before your Eyes ones Head off anothers Arme a third crying unto you and the little one hanging upon you and then tell me if it be not hgh time to weep and mourne with them of Ziglag whose foules were grieved and they wept till they could weep no more every man for his Sons and for his Daughters 1 Sam. 30.4.6 But especially to lament for our sins of all things else most hurtfull to man undermining our soules and drawing destruction after them unsheathing Gods Sword and violently forcing him to his Armory to put on the Garments of vengeance as Isaiah speaketh And as thus the Caâ—tropes of our sins have hurried downe Gods Judgements upon us and have cryed to God for vengeance so now let our miseries cry unto him for mercy and let us implore Gods gracious power and that with an howling lamentation to stay his further threatned and justly merited punishments from any more displaying horrour throughout our Nation And for this purpose let us weep and sob and sigh and cry mightily unto the Lord our God And the more sorrow the better for us for such moysture will dissolve the clouds of our iniquities and the more showers of griefe fall from our Eyes and Hearts the cleerer and fairer will the wayes of our Hearts be for the feet of the Lord to walke in Let us then sollow the Apostles councell James 4.9 Suffer affliction sorrow and weep And if any thing keep us from this mourning away with it Let our laughter be turned into mourning and our joy into heavinesse for we cannot cast downe our selves so low but God will raise us up againe Seeing then sorrow is the onely Antidote and Soveraigne Remedy for all our poysonous Diseases let there be weeping and crying in every Towne in every Street in every House in every Chamber Cry unto the Lord. Obj. But perhaps some will say Is Godly griefe a Salve for all Soâ—es a Remedy for all Diseases Suppose Warre as lately it did should againe thunder in this Land Surely to weep and lament in the time of Warre is no signe of Manhood it rather argues that Men are faint-hearted want courage and fortitude so that this wringing and wayling is altogether unbeseeming the person of a Man of Valour let us therefore trust in God and be stout and of a good courage and never mourne for the matter Ans Doâ—h it argue want of Courage to lament for sinne It râ—ther argues want of Faith not to lament for sinne What doe you thinke of Jacob was he a Coward you cannot say so of him for the holy Ghost gives him this commendation That he had strength and courage not onely to prevayle against men but with the Angel of the Covenant Gen 32.28 And his conflict was he Wept and Prayed So that that which we thinke weaknesse the Scripture calls strength For by his strength he had power with God Hosea 12.2.4 What doe you thinke of David was he a Coward there is none I thinke will so disgrace that worthy and renowned Captaine of the Lord of Hosts And yet he himselfe in his Psalmes often makes mention of his Teares and sayes Psal 6.6 That he watered his couch with his teares And that his Eyes did gush out with Rivers of teares What will ye say to all Gods People of whom it is said Zach. 12.11 That they should mourne as they did for Josiah in the Valley of Hadadrimmon and as one mourneth for his First-borne the onely Heyre and hope of the Family Will you condemne all Gods people for a generation of Cowards nay this is so farre from bewraying any want of Courage that we may boldly say That when men are fullest of such Teares then are they fullest of Fortitude What shall we thinke of the Lord Jesus Christ had he no Heart was he destitute of Courage that could not possibly be And yet when he was to exercise the fulnesse of his Power to undertake such a worke as no creature durst attempt when he was to offer up himselfe to his Father as a Sacrifice for the fins of the World when he was to encounter the Lords wrath and his justice the Devill Death Hell and Damnation and all the Powers of Darkenesse that same time Heb. 5.7 he Wept and that abundantly And I hope none will say that then our Saviours strength fayled him notwithstanding his bitter Tears and Cryes Surely those that doe not weep when there is cause they are without Heart and utterly voyd of true Valour and subject to marvellous fears and violent distempers which arise from a base mind For what is the reason they are so afraid of Death but because they have not mourned for their sinnes and so removed the sting of Death which if they had done they would then triumph over Death and say with Saint Paul O Death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15.55 their heartâ— would then stand fast as the strong mountains and not bâ— afraid of any evill tidings No not of the Pestilence thâ—â— walketh in the darke nor of the Plague that destroyeth 〈◊〉 noon-day Psal 91.6 Againe Since sorrow is our onely safety This makes
exceedingly for the comfort of those that are Mourners in Sion they are in favour with God and out of the reach of all danger so that nothing can befall them for hurt Blessed are they that mourne saith Christ for they shall be comforted Matth. 5.4 More happy is the poor man that weeps for his sinne then the greatest Potentate that rejoyceth in abundance And though we have cause enough of sorrow if we should flay to looke into the Calendar of these dayes and see and find the sinnes of this Land to be aspiring sinnes to see Drinking Cheating Whoring Swearing as common as Breathing which though they may be wincked at by the Eyes of Men yet are they crying in the Eares of God But to passe by these and likewise Covetousnesse Oppression whose Houses filled by cruelty and deceit Extortion of the Rich Wantonnesse of some and Prophanesse of all enough to sit every Pious soule in Mourning for the miseries of England And to look onely upon the woefull divisions amongst us touching matters of Religion not medling at all with that remnant of Baal I meane our Papists though me thinks its strange that after so long Preaching of the Gospel there should be still such as inundation of Popery nor with our hollow hearted bypoerites nor with the Atheists of our times who neither seek the Lord nor enquire after him Let us onely look upon our new Apostates and see what numberlesse numbers are carried away from true Religion to Fancies yet I reckon these Separists to be ours however they may be somewhat Sun-burnt Tand and Tackt with private Opinions though I hope the cloth is sound they yet hold fast the Foundation but runne through the Streets of every Towne and you shall scarce meet with two of one Opinion and yet all would be thought Religions and admired for Holinesse by which meanes the seamelesse Coat of Christ is miserably rent and torne and too many God grant they prove not irreparable divisions are in this poor Reuben O how should thoughts of these things open the very sluces of sorrow and cause Teares to trickle downe all cheekes that the Children should take delight in the Mothers ruine and Rayes of the glorious Gospel should suffer such dismall Eclipses by the strange and unheard of interpositions of those that would be deemed the onely Professours and lovers of it For surely there can be no greater cause of lamentation then the miseries and calamities of Gods poor distressed Church and People Hence the Point shall be this That the greatest affliction that should touch the Hearts of Gods People should be the affliction of his Church and People this of all others goes neerest the Hearts of the Saints For this see Ieremies Lamentation for the judgements of God on his Church and on Ierusalem his owne City and for the misery and calamity that lay upon the whole State see them thus bewayling their heavy ease Lament 3.48 49. c. Mine Eye casteth out Rivers of Water for the destruction of the Daughter of my People Mine Eye droppeth without stay and ceaseth not Mine Eye breaketh my Heart because of all the Daughters of my City For when Gods Inheritance was spoyled some put to the Sword others led Captive the Temple of God rized and the exercises of Religion abolished this was it that wrought upon Ieremiah and made him to grieve and breake forth into these wishes O that my Head were full of Water and mine Eyes a Fountaine of Teares that I might weep Day and Night for the Slaine of the Daughter of my People Ierem. 9.1 as if he could not have his fill nor weep enough for the desolations of Zion and the miserable overthrow thereof which he fore-saw And this was it that went neer the Heart of good Nehemiah who being in great prosperity Nehe. 1 4. Cup-hearer to the mightiest Monarch in the World and in speciall favour with him yet for the affliction and reproach wherein the Church of God was he conceived such inward sorrow Nehem. 2.1.2 That be was sad in the Kings preserce which was a thing that he must and would have forborne if possibly he could Moses goes further He doth not onely Mourne but is content to lay downe his prosperity and to expose his Estate to a manifest overthrow so that he might help forward the deliverance of the afflicted Israelites and save them from the hands of their Oppressours Hâ—b 11.24.25 For he knew he could not be in favour with Pharaoh if he should joyne with them whom he so cruelly handled But he chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God then to be called the Sonne of Pharaohs Daughter Esther seems to goe somewhat beyond him for she resolves with her selfe for the cause of the Jewes who were all appointed to slaughter to adventure her life in going to the King in their behalfe I will goe saith she though it be contrary to the Law and if I perish I perish Esther 4.16 and God blessed her boldnesse with an happy successe she saw the deliverance of her People and the confusion of her Enemies But our Lord Jesus Christ goes beyond them all for when he was in supreame excellency he was so affected with the woefull case of his Elect into which they had brought themselves by their owne rebellions against him that he humbled himselfe Phil. 2.6.7 and tooks on him the forme of a Servant and submitted himselfe to many sorrowes disgraces and sufferings not onely while he lived but principally at his Death that so he might deliver his People from the wrath to come and from Eternall Death which they had deserved and must have otherwise endured But for proofe enough if you will have Reasons take these three First There is great Reason why the affliction of the Church and People of God should so affect us In regard of the Communion that is betwixt God and them For they are called the Lords Flocke his chiefe Treasure under Heaven his First-borne yea the very Apple of his Eye and therefore being so deare unto the Lord they should be deare unto us and we should have a tender care over them and mourne in our hearts for any evill that befalls them as Jeremy did That the Lords Flocke should goe into Captivity Secondly There is great Reason why the affection of the Church should so affect us In regard of the Communion that is betwixt them and us for we are their members and neerer then bodily members And surely we should have greater care of the whole Church then of our selves because it more concernes Gods glory and yet in caring for them we care for our selves too and in labouring to prevent their afflictions we prevent our owne and in weeping for others miseries we get Armour of proofe that will keep off misery from our selves And that there is no danger in thus doing for the servants of God may appeare in Exodus one would have thought that
in the time of Famine fly unto God in this their woefull wretched and miserable estate when all outward and worldly comforts fayle them and lay their burthen upon him because they knew that he was able to feed and help them though the cisternes of the world were growne dry being the Lord and as willing as able being their God For the majesty of God is so glorious that it would make them fly from him and his essence is so incomprehensible that it is a light that none can have accesse unto and an huge Sea that will drowne such as will adventure to wade into it but the Knowledge of Gods sufficiency and power to help and of his mercy and free favour whereby he is ready and willing to help that 's it that encourageth them to come before the Lord and call upon his Name with strong cryes and earnest requests with sighs and sobs and groanes and cry unto the Lord. Whence the point is this That the knowledge of Gods power and mercy is the onely cause that brings Christians into Gods presence and makes them call upon him in trouble When they are plunged in misery in distresse then God shall be sure of their custome and company like these people here who when all their hopes were perished then they run to God and cast all upon him whom they knew was able to bring Water out of the Flint as well as out of the River and Bread out of the Clouds as well as out of the Barne Canaan they knew could not maintain them without Gods blessing and with it a barren Wildernesse could and therefore to him they fly and cry They cry unto the Lord. For this look onely upon Psalme the ninth and tenth Verse where the Prophet sheweth how they come to seek unto God They that know thy name will trust in thee for thou never faylest them that seek thee How come they to seek God They first trust in God by the Knowledge of Gods Name which name is the Lord strong gracious and mercifull and till men come to know this Name they can never come to trust in God nor to seek God but by the right understanding and applying of the Name of God Nothing in distresse can hinder them from crying unto the Lord because they know that there is no evill but in his name they may have an Antidote against it no fore but there they shall have a salve to cure it no disease but there they shall have a remedy to help it no wound but there they shall have a Playster to heale it no sicknesse but there they shall have a cordiall to comfort it and Physicke to recover it no doubt but there they shall find a refolution for it nor no good thing but there they may get a certainty of obtaining it And therefore to hearten you in all assayes in all distresses miseries and calamities whatsoever to fly to this Name which will be like an Oyntment poured forth to fill and delight the hearts of the Faithfull with the odour of it And though I cannot give you a definition of the Lord your God yet take that description of the name of God notably and comfortably set downe to my hand in Exodus where you may heare the Lord himselfe Proclayming his Name in these ten severall properties Exod. 34.6.7 The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and truth reserving mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sins and not making the wicked innocent visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children and upon the Childrens Children unto the third and fourth Generation Then what misery what trouble what distresse what affliction what calamity can hindâ—r us from comming to the Lord upon the Feet of Faith and Prayer to cry unto the Lord. 1. Are you layd in the low Dungeon of misery as Ionaâ— was in the Dungeon of Hell in the bottome of the Sea in the belly of the Whale Are your Enemies mighty your sufferings many and your oppressions and pressures heavy then cry unto the Lord for he is the Lord strong all power is in him and from him and for him he is the mighty God and he doth not onely use his might for our Salvation but for our Enemies destruction If then your troubles be great and your Enemies mighty be not dismayed your God is greater and mightier to help you out of them then they are to hold you still in them and he rides upon the Heavens full of Majesty and full of ability to deliver you and to set you free from the strongest bonds of affliction Come but once to know Gods all-sufficient Power then no affliction or tryall shall make you faint The least affliction if God support us not in it will be too strong for us but the greatest nay the rushing in of all at once upon us if this strong God be on our side shall not be able to hurt uâ— or daunt us and therefore when our Hands cannot help us nor our Tongues prevaile with unreasonable men let us fly unto this strong Tower the Lord our God And cry unto the Lord. 2 And now least any poor afflicted soule hearing of Gods Power should say I know that God is strong and powerfull but what is that to me it may be he may use his power to my overthrow Nay saith the Lord God is mercifull as well as powerfull and therefore why should any be discouraged by misery since misery is the very object of mercy and the Eye of Divine pitty is ever fixed upon it For the God whom we serve hath no other riches then the riches of his mercy And this was the argument that David so often used Psal 6.2.3.4 Have mercy on me O Lord for I am weake â— O Lord heale me for my bones are vexed my soule is also sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thou delay Returns O Lord deliver my soule save me for thy mercies sake And in anâ—ther Psalme Psal 86.1 Incline thine Eare O Lord and heare me for I am poor and needy And if we come but crying unto him our very misery will be sufficient to work upon him for mercy so that he will be ready to entertaine us like the Father of the Prodigall with an Vnde plangis why weepest thou my Sonne â—â—k 15.20 I will clothe thee with the best Rayment and put my Gold Ring upon thy finger and thy Fare shall be the daintiest morsell nay he will like that Father of the Prodigall stand ready to receive us with his armes uâ—foulded to â—mbrace us with his hands open to invite us with gifts with his head inclined to afford us the kisse of peace and shew forth his love unto us upon every occasion as the Prophet Hosea testifieth Hos 14.4 saying In thee the Fatherlesse shall find mercy Let us then lift up our soules and cry continually in all straits and troubles to this God of
that are his he corrects but for a time but his anger never asswageth towards the reprobate though for a long time he deferre And therefore grudge not to see the wicked flourish like a green Bay-tree for a time passe but by a little and upon your return his place will not be found for God holds not the wicked innocent But for you though you be afflicted here you shall be comforted hereafter for through many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdome of Heaven This is the Kings high-way to happinesse and there is not a Saint in Heaven but hath led this way and beaten this path before us For Stones cannot be squared for Pallaceworke without the stroke of the Hammar and we must be content to endure the stroaks of Gods Hammar of afflictions that we may be polished and squared and made lively Stones fit to be layd in the Heavenly Jerusalem What matters it then to see Dives here flant it in Purple and fare deliciously every day when at last he must be tormented in flames while hunger-starved Lazarus though afflicted here yet his comfort is hereafter and is transported from the Porch of a Tyrant to the Bosome of Abraham Besides though God useth many wayes to bring us home unto him yet none more then affliction It was Hunger that drove the Prodigall home to his Father And surely nothing so opens the Eyes of the soule as misery and trouble O how correction opens those Eyes which prosperity kept shut O how often doth the paining of the Body work the saving of the Soule O how often doe missortunes like the Rungs in Jacobs Ladder serve to mount out soules up to Heaven Let God then wound us so he will but heale us let him strik our Bodies with sicknesse with sores with restraint so he will but with these wounds heale out Soules Let come what will come so it but chase us to God drive us home to his House end in Prayer and make us cry unto the Lord. 10. But still the afflicted soule goeth on and sayeth Though God tell us that he holds not the wicked iunocent and will not surely cleare them but ordains them for judgement and reserves them for correction yet we dayly see that they doe not onely flourish here in this world but goe to their graves in peace and are not to any outward appearance in trouble like other men Well saith God in the tenth or last place Say they doe yet will I meet with them in their Children and punish their sins in their posterity Visiting the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children and upon their Childrens Children unto the third and fourth Generation they shall be sure to tast of the bitter Cup of Gods wrath here as their Fathers doe in Hell Thus if this name of God in these ten severall properties were but rightly understood and applyed were it but as oyntment poured out and spread upon our hearts there is nothing in distresse nothing in trouble nothing in misery could hinder us from crying to the Lord considering he is strong mereifull gracious abundant in goodnesse and truth and forgiving iniquity transgression and sin c. But without any further enlargement upon these proparties in their severall particulars I will onely clap them altogether and make Application and so hasten you again to the House of Mourning to cry unto the Lord. Is the Lord thus strong and mercifull and gracious c. then why should a Christian trouble himselfe at any thing that befals him here Hath he crafty enemies let him goe cry to the Lord for direction his wisedome is infinitely beyond their policy Hath he strong enemies let him goe cry to the Lord he is mightier and stronger then they all In a word hath he any outward affliction or inward corruption that doth annoy or trouble him let him goe cry to the Lord and have recourse to his God and there he shall find remedy for all nay whatsoever mans ease be if he hut seek the Lord he shall have help Psal 145.18.19 So sayes that Princely Prophet God is neer to all that call upon him yea to all that call upon him in truth He will fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also will heare their cry and will save them And though their hearts be so oppressed that they can utter no words that 's no matter God will have respect to their very desires and surely their teares speak highest and their sighs cry loudest in the Ears of God Let us then groane for a broken heart and sigh and fob and weep and cry Cry unto the Lord. Thus having done with this peoples behaviour in the time of Famine and likewise with the Remedy they used they east their burthen upon the Lord as also with the Motives inducing them thereunto because he is able being the Lord and willing because their God Let us now close up all in our mourning garments and robing our soules with the inward sackcloth of sorrow not onely Pray but Weep nor Weep alone but Cry Cry unto the Lord. From whence the Point is this They who would not have God to shut his eares against their Prayers must be sure that they not onely Pray but Cry and that their Petitions proceed from a broken heart and an humble spirit For till the heart be even pulled in pieces by godly sorrow and rent in sunder with godly griefe sin and lust will not out and then there can be no acceptance looked for from God either of us or of our services The sacrifice of God saith David Psal 51.17 is a sorrowfull spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Mar. 7.35 And therefore did Christ groane in his Spirit when he Prayed for that poor man in the Gospel So did Hannah sigh and weep sore 1 Sam. 1.15 and poured out her soule before God And there is good reason to move us to labour thus to be inwardly touched for till we have a sense and feeling of our wants we may well speak but we can never Pray till the heart be pained with sin its impossible it should be fervent for the pardon of it He that hath no feeling of poverty cannot earnestly intreat for a supply of his necessities He that hath no feeling of his sicknesse can never be an instant suiter for the means of health So he that hath no feeling of his spirituall poverty can never covetously hunt after those true treasures which onely enrich his soule to all eternity And he that hath no sense of his sin-sick soule can never seek to that true Physitian who onely can apply Physicke to his bleeding heart and sin-sick burthened soule This serves for the reproofe of those that come with drowsie verball Prayers those that come with words of course to intreat God to pardon their sins and strengthen their Faith but never poure out their soules before God but onely spend a little breath and they
speed accordingly for their cold Prayers bring but cold successe And this is true not onely of the wicked but even of the godly Psal 32.3.4.5 David roared and cryed but was never the better till he confessed his sin and was inwardly grieved for the same and then both sin and punishment were removed at once Therefore let us strive with the Lord in our Prayers and Supplications labouring for this fighing and crying this inward sorrow which is so needfull that doing as this people did in the time of Famine we may speed as they did in this time of our calamity For thus saith he that is high and excellent he that inhabiteth eternity Isa 57.15 whose name is the Holy one I dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to give life to them that are of a contrite heart And the longer we wayt and cry the greater measure of comfort we shall have and the longer it shall tarry with us And therefore since servency in Prayer is so requisite let us not onely Pray but Cry Cry unto the Lord. And for our comforts we shall find God as ready to heare as we are to cry and if we send up our Petitions unto him with sighs and groans he will send down speedy and comfortable help unto us and we shall be sure of good successe even above that we can ask or think As it is in the Lamentations Lamt 3.5 c. Thou hast heard my Voyce thou drewest neer in the day that I called upon thee Whether we desire the suppression of our enemies or subduing of our own corruptions or whatsoever else we shall be sure to speed well God will draw neer unto us by his mercifull presence and with gracious deliverance if we draw neer unto him in our miseries and afflictions So saith our Saviour Mat. 7.8 Whosoever asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened Let us then knocke at Gods presence Chamber-doore and though we be never so mean never so contemptible we shall have no repulse For he will fulfill the desires of those that feare him he will also heare their cry their sins though never so many in number or grosse in nature cannot hinder Gods favour Witnesse the Israelites who lived many years without the true God 2 Chron. 13. yet whosoever returned in his misery and sought God he was found of him Another example of Gods goodnesse in this regard we have in Jonah who though for his Rebellion he was cast into the Sea yet God heard him out of the belly of the fish and set him upon the dry land again A third shall be that notorious Theefe who had spent all his life in the Devils service yet no sooner cryes Lord remember me Luke 22.42.43 but Christ not once casting him in the teeth with his sins gives him this good and quick and comfortable dispatch To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise The last for this shall be Manasses who had been a most weefull and miserable sinner 2 Chron. 33. yet When he cryed to the Lord in his distresse he heard him set him free and restored him to his Kingdome Here then is comfort for every distressed soule let us but call upon the name of our God and then help and comfort is at hand for God is neer to all that call upon him in truth though it be not with such strength of Faith as we should yet if we seek him he will be found of us and he limits us not to time conditions or things but we may look for help at all times in all straits and in all things and when we have most need then we shall be sure of the best help But now if we would be certain of this comsort we must observe these three Rules Job 11.14 First We must put all wickednesse out of our hearts and out of our hands we must humble our selves and turn from our wicked wayes we must remove our sins and then God will remove our crosses James 4.8 So Saint James exhorts Purge your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded And this is it we must doe if we will have God to draw neer unto us for God will not dwell in an heart defiled with sin he will turn both eyes and ears from us if we continue in our evill wayes because that when our Tongues cry for mercy then our Sins cry for vengeance and though we cannot come to him without iniquity yet we may come to him without the love and liking of iniquity we may come with shame and sorrow for our iniquity and then our sins neither hinder our Prayers nor stop or keep back Gods favour from us Secondly We must seek God according to all his means as we find in the Canticles Cant. 3.1.2 c. Who when the Church had lost Christ that is the feeling of his love and the sense of that Communion which formerly she had with him she then useth all private and publick means and at length commeth to conserence with Gods servants which few will doe till they be driven to it of necessity and then having wayted a while she finds him whom her soule loveth The same must be our practice if one medicine will not serve the turn use another Pray Fast Meditate Confer and then at last the Lord will be found in mercy but as we are slack in using any of the means so shall we fayle in our comfortable expectation of favour from God Thirdly We must use the means diligently and in good earnest for if we have a base account of Gods mercies its just that we should goe without them James 5.16 The Prayer of the righteous avayleth much but upon this condition Psal 72.12 if it be fervent God delivereth the poor when he cryeth but if they would have hearing there must be crying God poures forth Floods of grace but upon whom The Prophet tells us Isay 44.3 Onely on the thirsty ground God filleth the hungry with good things but they must be hungry they must be such as feel themselves pincht and starved with spirituall famine Luke 1.53 Christ was sent to Preach the acceptable yeare but not to the mighty and States of the world To whom then even to Prisoners and Captives that is to such as could grieve and mourn for their Captivity Hence is it that a number reade and heare and pray and yet prevaile not because they doe it so drowsily and carelesly the Lord desers to help them because they are not fit for help because they doe not strive and wrastle in their Prayers Let us therefore use all the means with constancy and carefulnesse and then we shall obtain our hearts desire even above that we can ask or think for if we would not have God to shut his ears to our Prayers we must not
onely Pray but Cry Let us then having first washed our hearts and hands from unrepented sins goe unto the Lord and cry unto him to give us the assurance of eternall life and the joy of the holy Ghost and then come life or death it matters not much for though our name and liberty and riches and all be taken away from us yet we shall be setled in the assurance of an happy issue out of all our straits and difficulties for the Lord our God will maintain our cause against all those that strive with us and will stand on our part and fight against those that fight against us according to that of the Prophet Isaiah He watcheth over them night and day and waters them every moment and he will contend with them Isa 27.3 that contend against his people and so either free them from their oppressions and miseries or else which is best of all take them to himselfe where they shall be sure to have joy without sadnesse pleasure without paine wealth without want health without sicknesse life without death and a Kingdom without a change The consideration whereof me thinks should strike terrour into the hearts of those that are injurious unto the servants of God they may be bold where the hedge is low every Dwarfe will adventure to leape over there but let them know that God is a wall of fire about those that are his and he will maintain the right of his children and therfore it must needs at last goe ill with such as list up themselves against them Lam. 3.58 O Lord thou hast maintained the cause of my soule there is our stay Let us be sure we have a good cause and lay it before Gods judgement seat and then though we be overborne God will not be overborne but he will stand on our side even he that loves goodnesse and hates wickednesse and will be avenged on those that bend themselves and their endeavours to doe mischiefe unto his people Lam. 3.59 Again all our wrongs are known unto God O Lord thou hast seen my wrong nothing is done spoken or imagined against any of Gods Children but God takes knowledge of it there is not one practice slander or devise of cruell wolves against the sheep of Christ but God sees it and markes it and it belongs unto him to judge the cause of his servants Reuel 20.12 and to reward every one according to their works He must and will give them full pay and for that end keeps all upon just and due record so that as the works of the righteous shall stand for them so shall the works of the wicked he written in great Capitall Letters against them that all the world may take notice of them at the last day How may we then cheare up our hearts in all distresse for howsoever our Adversaries be busie and watchfull to plot and procure our hurt yet they cannot be so vigilent for our hurt as God is watchfull for our good and therefore we may be sure to have an happy issue out of all our troubles if so be we can but make our moan to God and wait patiently for his mercy And though God knows our griefes and oppressions before hand and purposeth to destroy our enemies yet would he have us to prefer our Bill of complaint and goe on in our suite against them and still cry unto the Lord. Neither is this to be restrained onely to corporall adversaries but it holds much more strongly for spirituall enemies Say a man be surcharged with sin and Sathan who play the Tyrants over him his soule being even scorched with the flames of Hell let him but bemoane his Case before the Lord and it will be a marvellovs ease unto him Therefore in all such extremities likewise let God be our refuge and Tower-Royall let us cast all our cares and sorrows upon him who is both able and willing to beare them and in due season will both free us from them and in the end make us gainers by them if we cry unto the Lord. To come to the close In the first of the Chronicles 1 Chron. 4.9.10 Jabez the son of Ashur is said to be more honourable then all his brethren the reason is because his Mother bare him in sorrow and his name is a name of sorrow and it is there said That Jabez called upon the God of Israel to be delivered from evill and the Lord saith the Text heard him and granted the thing that he asked And is the Lord so ready to hear and willing to grant how then comes it to passe that we who have been so severely scourged with the whip of Gods indignation after all these years of sufferings of punishments and of divisions amongst us the hand of the Lord should be stretched out still for though thanks be to God we are no way disquieted with any sound of war nor alarmes to Battell in our Nation yet the reformation of Religion which was one main thing intended at the beginning of our unhappy differences and as hopefully expected and prayed and sought for hath been hitherto so eclipsed as that whereas before there were different opinions amongst us as indeed there was never Church without the wrinkles of division so now men are grown to such variety of conceits about Gods service as that we have almost as many religions as men insomuch that we who should have all one God to our Father all one Church to our Mother all one Christ Jesus to our elder Brother are so far from unity amity and unanimity amongst our selves in respect of these woefull divisions as that opinions must either be suffered to take wall of Scripture and substance give way to circumstance which God sorbid or else as branches we cannot grow together nor as members agree together nor as brethren love and live together nor as Christs Sheep Feed and Fold together And what is the reason that after all this while we are not yet helped but Religion in stead of being reformed must still receive new and more wounds then before Surely the cause is this Because we have not so mourned as we ought in these our common calamities for the sins of the times and for the abominations of the Land because we have not sighed and groaned heartily for the sins that cleave to our soules otherwise God would have been as ready to heare as we to cry for good suiters are alwayes good speeders but it seems we have howled upon our Beds as the Lord himselfe complains in Hosea Hos 7.14 And though these rents in our Church be sufficient of themselves to open the floud-gates of sorrow and clothe all our dejected soules with the garments of heavinesse and liveries of mourning yet there are other miseries and troubles though not fit to stand in competition with these that lye so sadly upon us as might well fill our eyes with tears our breasts with sighs To name them were superfluous