as all other graces bee called Gods worke because it is hee which doth all the worke his spirit making his ordinances effectuall and therefore is that spirit called n Zach. 12.10 the spirit of mourning and supplieation and promised to all the faithfull yea put in the forefront of that blessed new Couenant which the eternall makes with his people o Ezec. 36.26 A new heart will I giue them and a new spirit will I put in their bowels and I will take away their stonie heart and giue them an heart of flesh And this spirit apparantly manifests it selfe in godly sorrow by refasolating and comforting the heart strengthning quieting and refreshing the soule with sweete showers and influences from the head Christ with vnspeakeable secret ioy peace and contentation as also affecting so the heart as it bendeth the desires thereof to the obedience of God in all things in trueth though not in perfection Yet this wee are not to suppose the Spirit doth without meanes miraculously and extraordinarily but by such ordinary meanes as God in wisedome hath appointed to the same purpose as 1. The ministery of the word is the principall as appeares in these 3000. Conuerts Dauid Iosiah and others When they heard it saith the Text p Act. 2 41â— They were pricked in their hearts c. When Nathan sent by God himselfe to preach to Dauid and had deliuered his message cried out q 2. Saâ— 1 â—0 13. I haue sinned against the Lord r 2. King 22 11. When Iosiah heard Shaphan read the Booke of the Law he rent his clothes and wept c. And saith Ieremie Å¿ Ier. 23.29 Is not my word like a hammer that breakes the hard stone 2. The sacrament of the Supper is another meanes for by it saith the Apostle t 1. Cor. 11. We remember Christ his death and both these are intended I doubt not by Paul when hee saith to the u Galat. 3.1 Galatians that Christ was before them crucified and slaine in the ministerie of the word to the eare and in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper crucified and slame by the eye to the vnderstanding in the breaking of the bread and powring out of the wine visibly before the people and thus is this godly sorrow wrought ordinarily in the heart both by the word Sacrament that blessed sweet grace of consideration wrought by the spirit of God making both the other effectuall for this purpose that a man now bethinkes himselfe my sinne is the cause of all this torment which Christ the blessed Sonne of God indured and therefore affectes the heart with godly sorrow for it Yet doth it not immediately breake forth but the Word Sacraments sometimes inject certaine scintillutae or sparkles which lye hid sometimes in the heart a good space euen in the childe of God and therefore the Lord vseth another meanes 3. Afflictions which are his rod which though they are not able to conuert a soule no more then the Sacrament yet are afflictions preparatory meanes to set the word on worke as in w 2. Chrâ— 33 11. Manasseh he questionlesse had oft heard the word in the time of his good Father the Paragon of all the Kings of Israel and Iudah but it little helped him therefore God bound him in chaines and sent him to Babell and when he was in prison and fetters hee bumbled himselfe greatly before the God of his fathers c. This also is manifest in x 2. King 20 2. Hezekiah and especially in the y Act. 16.29 Iayler when hee saw the Earthquake and opening of the prison doores he cryed out What shall I doe c. So that I say not that afflictions can conuert a soule to GOD for then mee thinkes Pharaoh must of necessitie haue beene a conuert who had tenne fearefull plagues and yet drowned and likely damned but I say sometimes they make way for conuersion by preparing the soule to attend and hearken to the word and also when men haue heard the word and the immortall seede is sowen there as a graine of corne sowen in a field lyes somtimes long vntill a ground raine moysten it and then springs as in Physicke a pill or potion lyes in the stomacke an houre or two and neuer stirres the party yet let him drinke warme broth or posset-ale which haue no facultie of themselues to purge yet setteth the Physicke on worke so doth afflictions the word preached and the seed sowen tenne twentie or thirty yeares before and it may be affected the heart therewith at the present but it blowes ouer againe with thorny cares or pleasures then comes the rodd of God and sets all that word on worke and brings forth not an Embrio or abortive birth but this blessed grace of godly sorrow which when it once seazeth vpon the heart eateth vp all worldly and carnall sorrowes as z Exod. 7.12 Moses his rod did eate vp all the inchaunters roddes and Serpents yea the least scruple of this godly sorrow would weigh downe a pound of carnall or legall sorrow and end in sweete true ioy and contentment Consider this yee that spend dayes weekes Moneths and yeares in worldly sorrowes without ease or comfort learne this lesson and practise it and my soule for thine thine end will bee peace and invaluable consolation 2 Signe of this godly sorrow not onely that it is fruitefull but brauncheth forth into variety of good happy fruit and therefore not onely true beleeuers in Scriptures are compared to t Psal 1.4 trees planted by the riuers which bring forth fruite in due season and in euery season as the tree of life bearing twelue sorts of fruit euery moneth but especially true mourners whose sorrow ends in joy u Is 61.5 To appoint vnto all that mourne in Zion and to giue them beauty for â—shes the oyle of ioy for mourning the garment of gladnes for the spirit of heauines that they night be called true of righteousnesse c. And thâ—se parties and these graces are not such as are obnoxious sterility and barrennesse or to beare euill fruite but such as by nature are fertile and beare good fruite as w Psal 30. â— 14. Psal 52.8 Iames 3.12 vines oliues figges and such like Therefore in such trees barrennesse or vnfruitfulnesse alone is cause enough to make them fewel for the vengeance and wrath of the Almighty and so not onely the x Is 5.4 wilde vine that bare wilde grapes and bad fruite contrary to the expectation of the Husbandman y Zach. 15.2.3.4 Luke 1 6.7 but the barren vine and fruitlesse figge and z Mat. 3.10 7.19 euery tree that beareth not good fruite is hewen downe and cast into the fire Now let vs see what fruites this grace bringeth forth that by the branches and fruites wee may know it to be right and a plant of sauing grace planted by the finger of God a Mat. 7.16 for by
there greater losses befall a man then losse of wife children c Answ The world thinkes no but it is sure many haue and the dearest childe of God may and to turne the edge of our griefe and sorrow a taste whereof I will giue you in these few particular instances A man is neuer worse spoyled then when his soule suffers spirituall losses Iob his losses by the Sabeans and Shabeans was great but theirs are infinitely greater 1. That lose the good seede sowen in their hearts as the most do l Mat. 13.19 whensoeuer a man heareth the word of the kingdome and vnderstandeth it not the euill one commeth and catcheth away that which was sowen in his heart and so hee betrayeth the seede of Gods Word into the hands of the deuill Oh how many lose the benefite of many a Sermon and bewaile it not 2. That lose the Kingdome of God in losing the meanes of the Kingdome the ministery of the Word by which an entrace is made into the Kingdome of Grace and by which they are built vp and stablished in that Kingdome m Mal. 21.43 The Kingdome of God shall be taken from you and giuen to a Nation that shall bring forth the fruit thereof How many weepe and wring their handes for the losse of these earthly things this Mammon but can liue without meanes to saue their soules and neuer shedde a teare for the want thereof Oh those blessed times of Hierome when his mouth was stopped the people cryed out It had beene better the Sun had beene plucked out of the firmament 3. That lose their first loue which sometimes they had so threatned by our Sauiour n Apoc. 2.4 I haue somewhat against thee because thou hast lost thy first loue 4. That lose what they haue wrought euen all that they haue done throughout their life because they haue not been done of faith and therefore Iohn giues this caution o 2 Iohn 8. Looke to your selues that wee lose not the things we haue done but that wee may receiue a full reward c. that is some take paines about the way to a better life but labour not aright therefore lose all and themselues 5. That lose the presence of God not the presence of his effence wherein Moses was singular but the presence of his grace and signes of his fauour mercy which the Lord himselfe threatens to take from Ephraim p Nos 5.15 I will goe and returne to my place till they acknowledge their sinnes and seeke me in their affliction they will seeke me diligently 6. That lose the taste of the life to come q Hab. 6.2 as the Aurhour to the Hebrewes sayth and all those seeming graces which sometimes they had 7. That lose the joyes of their saluation r Hs 51.13 which Dauid did as in his dolefull prayer hee expresseth Restore me to the ioy of thy saluation c. questionles it is so to many a childe of God for a time to their great sorrow and heauinesse 8. That lose the stability and stedfastnesse of their faith Å¿ Ps 51.12 as Dauid for howsoeuer it is a truth that faith cannot bee totally and finally lost yet the stedfastnes thereof hath beene and may be in the best of Gods seruants 9. That haue lost those things they had sometimes in spiritual things t Mat. 13.12 Let this be no wonder for as touching degree it may be and is true in sundry of Gods seruants though it is not true of the graces themselues 10. Most of all that lose their crowne which is either in the hypocrite leauing his perseuerance u Apoc. 3.11 or in Gods Childe growing colde and carelesse But alas this is not the true sorrow for of this worldly sorrow the Apostle sayth it w 2 Cos. 7.10 brings death both temporal and eternall so far is it from bringing life or grace 2. The second state of natural sorrowes far enough from this blessed sorrow which will bring consolation is the sorrow of the scandalized or melancholie which the Apostle Paul speaketh of in the whole fourteenth Chapter and beginning of the fifteenth of his Epistle to the Romanes calling him by the name of the weake Christiau but indeede because many are deceiued in this sorrow and lose their soules and many also thinke the godly sorrow to bee but sicknes passion conceit or melancholy and because it changeth the body often they thinke it ariseth from the body but there is no disease like to this for symptomes and torments and therefore here I will consider two things 1. The difference betwixt godly sorrow fits of melancholy 2. How it comes to passe that this sicknesse being in the soule yet often it infeebleth the body Touching the first there are foure differences 1 They all are naturall whether it proceede from the corruption of the bloud vniversally or the bloud in the braine onely ingendred through inflammation and euill affect about the stomacke and sides which are all distinguished by Physitians by their causes and symptomes which in some are almost incredible and strange but this is supernaturall a plant of Gods owne planting that it is so needes no other reason to proue it then that God commands it for naturall things neede no commandement is a ruled axâ—ome in divinity 2. They from the constitution of the body but this is from the constitution of the soule 3. In melancholy the humors first and then the imagination but in this sorrow the conscience first and the huâ—ors after are affected to the weakning wasting of the body 4. They euen all kindes may be cured by naturall remedies medicines bringing nature to his right temper all naturall medicines vnder Heauen cannot cure this sicknes yet I confesse that sometimes these are mixed together sicknesse of the body and the minde and then is it hard to cure the one without the other but the cure must be indeauoured by spirituall bodily helpes continually 2 That the body is oft infeebled by the sicknesse of the minde is because of the neere conjunction sympathy and vnion of them both being vnited in one person for the soule possessed with feare sorrow languishing and heauinesse it is not possible that the body can take any delight in naturall and bodily comfort the sleepe will be short not so briefe as troublesome and tempestuous meates and drinkes shall bee tastelesse or loathsome or mingled with teares as Dauid sayth x Psal 102.4 I forgate to eate my bread the vse of wife children house lands c. shal be vncoÌ„fortable to him for the naturall vitall and animall spirits being all distempered by the soule which as Salomon sayth y Prov 18.14 the spirits of a man will sustaine his infirmities that is all naturall infirmities sicknesses losses molestations but when these fayle in the want of the consolations of God what shall vp-hold him 2. It comes to passe by the righteous
sweete and pleasanc to the vpright or should I be a false Prophet to speake peace to the wicked h Isa 57.21 to whom there is no peace This subiect that I purpose to intreat of is to direct the humbled sinner as the i Gen. 11.19 Angel did Hagar to the spring of water to refresh her thirstie Son Ishmael to the liuing waters of spirituall and true consolation a Riddle a Mysterie and a Paradoxe to nature the world to whom it is a true axiome maxime that euerie like begets his like as beasts birds fishes and creeping things being the sensible creatures and all plants hearbs and trees being the vegetatiue creatures hauing onely the life of increase it is also a position true in nature that contraries doe not beget or preserue their contraries but destroy and consume them as the fumes being hote and dry and the vapors and cloudes cold and moyst k Iob. 36.33 What combate and opposition is there as appeares in thunders and lightnings which are neuer quieted but by the rupture and breaking of the cloudes and vapory substance to make way for the fiery exhalations evacuation But behold here one of the wonders of the most high for his works in creation prouidence and the regenerating of men are contrarie to all the vnderstanding of nature as he brought l Gen. 1.3 light out of darkenesse the rainebow m Gen. 9.12 a signe of present raine for the most part and yet an euerlasting signe of the Couenant that God made after the deluge that hee will neuer destroy the earth any more with water He brings life to all his elect but out of death euen the death of his Sonne hee brings good out of euill euen out of the most exquisite villanies that euer were as out of Iudas his treason and all the wicked conspiracie of the high Priests Scribes and Pharisees against his eternall Sonne so in this particular ioy comfort peace and felicitie is promised to the righteous but arising out of a strange branch and that which is opposite thereto in all mens opinion euen sorrow and howsoeuer it cannot be a true position in naturall things yet it is a sound sure position in Diuinitie for being both graces of the spirit of God they doe conserue and not destroy each other The inducements perswading me to this subiect are 1. If it were possible to awaken this sinnefull world to consider that God cals them to mourning girding with sackcloth fasting and prayer in the sence of their owne sinnes and the sinnes of the time and land where wee liue and behold as the Prophet sayth m Isa 12.13 Killing Oxen and slaying sheepe eating and drinking c. a horrible sinne to be set vpon their jovall and mad mirth as the wise man speakes throwing axes edge-tooles firebrands and deadly weapons at the faces each of other saying am I not in jest When the Lord cals for lamentation and mourning Luk. 6.25 O ponder the woe of our Sauiour you that forget God Woe be to you that now laugh for you shall mourne it may be when it is too late 2. That I might direct the poore humbled Soule which though they be but few scarce one of a family or ten of a Tribe the true way to the consolations of GOD n Isa 55.1.3 that they may receiue the wine and milke of comfort and their soules may liue time hath beene Oh that I might truly say time is when wee that are the dispensers of the mysteries and treasures of God I speake experimentally haue not inioyed time three or foure houres after a Sermon to eate or refresh our selues for answering the doubts of perplexed and afflicted consciences a happy worke But now Oh the obdurate and adamantine hardnesse of heart an afflicted spirit is as a signe wonder in Israel yet blessed be God some there are for whose cause and of a tender commiseration and respect my soule desires to vndergoe any taske or trauaile for their ease refreshing and releefe I haue knowne some in terrors of conscience Prou. 18.14 and vnder the vexation of a wounded spirit which the wise man saith Who can beare tenne twentie yeares when I was not so able to administer consolation which might haue beene soone directed and recouered with the assisstance and blessing of the spirit of God Now for the point it is a certaine truth that there is no true ioy to bee expected before the heart be humbled with sorrow in the sence and feeling of a mans sinne 1. Because the current of all the promises runne thus Our Sauiour who best knew to administer a word in season pronounceth mourners onely to be happy o Matt. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted and Dauid by the spirit of God teacheth this p Ps 126.5 They that sow in teares shall reape in ioy Againe q Ps 30.5.11 Weeping may abide in the Euening but ioy commeth in the Morning And in the 11. vers Thou hast turned my mourning into ioy thou hast loosed my sacke and guirded mee with gladnesse thus he proclaymeth this experiment to the comfort of all succeeding ages and professeth that hee will for that favour prayse God for euer 2. A broken heart are the sweete odours and sacrifices acceptable to him and the Prophet vtters it as if it were all better then all r Psa 51.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart and that he will neuer despise it what could be spoken more amply then this 3. The Lord himselfe professeth that hee will take vp the contrite heart to keepe his royall Court of refidence there and to reuiue that spirit Å¿ Isa 66.2 To him will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word that is receiueth my word and doctrine with feare and trembling Quest But doth the promises of happinesse and beatitude belong to all sorrowes indefinitly Answ That were too large and layes open a doore of happines to many which sorrow and that excessiuely yet shall vndoubtedly perish there must be therefore issued out as the Lawyers say a Writ of melias inquirendum which I will doe by a distribution of sorrowes and mourners into their seuerall rankes and answere till I come at the true sorrow as the Lord answered t 1 Sam. 16.7.12 Samuel when he sent him to annoint Dauid King of Ifrael the sonnes of Ishai being brought Eliab Abinadab Sbamuah the Lord said to each seuerally the Lord hath not chosen him nor any of Ishais seuen sonnes vntill Dauid came and then the Lord answered annoint him King ouer my people for this is he We are therefore to obserue three kindes of sorrowes 1. Naturall sorrowes 2. Vnnaturall diabolicall or diuelish sorrowes 3. Supernaturall The sorrowes of the afflicted scandalized I call naturall because they proceed from nature and naturall causes The sorrowes
speciall to Gods people f Mat. 10.15 and a specificall worke of the holy Ghost neuer yet did God vouchsafe this gift or grace vpon hypocrite or reprobate but vpon his owne speciall beloued ones and neuer did true beleeuer want it though some haue wanted the sence of it stiled in Scripture h 2. Cor. 7.10 godly sorrow or a sorrow for God offended beloued put in the forefront of the blessed Couenant which God makes with his people i Ezec. 26 3â— A new heart also will I giue you and a new spirit will I put in your bowels and I will take away your stonie heart and giue you a heart of flesh But that we may apprehend and receiue this grace more perspicuously what it is let vs a little consider the rife and immediate branch out of which it springs and sprouts which is loue in this manner when faith hath apprehended the loue of God for the pardon and remission of sinnes our full iustification and adoption through the bloud of Christ Gods loue being shed abroad in our heartes by the holy Ghost the heart is immediatly rauished and inflamed with the loue of God againe and then the consideration which is as a blessed light held out to the mind le ts the soule see as in a chrystall glasse all the sinnes that it hath committed against the mercy goodnesse gratiousnesse and bountie of that gracious louing Father how they haue dishonoured his blessed Maiesty grieued his good spirit and deserued his wrath now it lookes vpon Christ whom his sinnes hath pierced through and considers with it selfe it was not Iudas Pilate the High Priest Scribes and Pharises that crucified the blessed Sonne of God but my sinnes haue nailed him to the Crosse and pierced his pericardion and caused his heart bloud to issue forth thus doth Peter beate home this point to the conscience in that excellent and fruitfull Sermon wherein three thousand were converted of whom sayth hee k Acts 2.3.16 Yee are now the betrayers and murtherers Could they or the whole world haue crucified Christ no verily when hee did but aske them l Iohn 13.4 whom seeke ye they fell baeckward to the ground his wordes were able to vanquish infinite millions and as himselfe speakes to Peter m Mat. 26.5 thinkest thou not that I can now pray to my Father and hee would giue me more then twelue Legions of Angels one whereof n 1 King 19.5 slew a hundred fourescore and fiue thousand in one night and o Gen. 12.29 all the first-borne of Egypt in a night It was then thy sinnes my sins and the sinnes of all the â—lect that crucified Christ which the Prophet Zachary aptly expresseth p Zach. 12.10 They shall looke vpon him whom they haue pierced through Amaritudine afficientur sicut amaritudine afficâ—tur quispiam and they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for the losse of his only sonne And for the measure of their sorrow the Hebrew expresseth it liuely Arrius Montanus translates it significantly amarificare enm c. This this I say is the sweet braunch whence this blessed grace doth issue and spring fonrth and hee which mourneth with this sorrow shal haue the issue and fruite thereof in joy heere and consolation vnspeakable and glorious hereafter Quest May not a godly man deare and precious in Gods account mourne and sorrow for sinnes with deepe lamentations and yet not bee the right and true godly sorrow Sol. Yes questionlesse it is the case of many a good man and that will appeare by these reasons 1. Because the sorrow euen of some speciall beloued ones continues long vpon them I haue knowne some seauen ten yea twentie yeares in afflictions of minde tormented and vexed with the sence of their sinnes and yet haue found little or no comfort which they should haue done had their soules been directed by any that had the tongue of the learned to administer seasonable direction for so is the ordinarie current of the promises n Ps 30.5 Sorrow ouer night but ioy in the morning Againe o Ps 126.5 They went out weeping and carried pretious seed but they shall returne with ioy and bring their sheaues after them Thus in the examples of p 2 King 20.25 Hezechias who turned his face to the wall and wept and presently receiued consolation And Iosiah who when hee heard the Booke of the q 2 King 22.8.12.13 Law found by Hilkiah and reade by Shaphan rent his clothes and wept sore sent to Huldah the prophetesse to inquire of the Lord for him and his people received a gratious answere and was comforted 2. When euen a godly man cryes and roares onely in the sence of the paine and smart of sinne yet it neither brings glory to God nor consolation to his owne soule it is not godly sorrow yea though the object be God offended as 1. When men are impatient or distrust GOD of his word providence and promises the Highest is so farre from being honoured thereby as that he is highly dishonoured and himselfe no way eased but his griefe augmented and increased 2. That sorrow which brings glory to God and good to the party workes in the soule a sweet motion and inclination of the heart to loue God and so to pant desire and breathe after the sence of Gods fauour and loue as the Spouse in the Canticles r Cant. 5. â— Christ let fall some droppes of his precious grace into her heart which inflamed her so as it inforced her to seeke him indefatigably vntill shee had found and imbraced him and had beene imbraced by him but if the Å¿ Ps 51 1â— Spirit in sorrow being grieued with-draweth himselfe and the heart is dead and feeles no motion to sue vnto God O beware of such a sorrow trust it not it is like to bee vnfound as t Gen. 3.8 Adams which caused him to run from God and hide himselfe in the thicket which brought nought but shame but the sorrow of the u Luke 15.18 Prodigal inclined his heart to returne vnto his father and w Inbn 12.3 that of Mary Magdalene drew her heart and body neerer to Christ 3. That sorrow vnder paine though God offended bee the object thereof which is not accompanied with confession and relinquishing of sinne though of a godly man is not right because it hath not the promise of remission which onely is made to a true confessioÌ„ which issueth onely out of godly sorrow q Iohn 1.9 If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and true to forgiue vs our sins and to cleanst vs from all vnrighteousnes Oh sweete ground and foundation of consolation for faith to lay holde vpon but on the contrary r Pro. 28.13 hee that hides his sinne shall neuer prosper that is in grace and consolation not onely to confesse but to relinquish the sinne else men doe like a Cut-purse that