The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 2 · Meditation 8
8. Our God who neuer sinned neither can he hurt by sinne, can sigh for the sinnes of man; albeit sinfull man onelyonly hurt by sinne, dare sing to his sinnes, which shall make him at length to weepe for euer.
VVHen I reade and consider Scripture with any spirituall sight, with any holy sense, ô my soule, I must be moued, and being moued, I must lament my owne estate, and the estate of others in many respects, and for this especially; that I heare him sighing for sinnes, that I see him wetting his cheekes with salt teares for sinners, (considering what merciemercy and good things by sinne they depriue themselues of, and what wrath and iudgement they procure vntounto themselues by sinne) who neuer sinned…, who neuer was hurt, who neuer shall be hurt by sinne. He who shall reade and consider Scripture, shall beare and see, not onelyonly brutish creatures void of immortall soules, and wanting reason; but also dead sensles creatures void of life and motions, moued at the confused voice of Gods workes: while men and women, who do lodge immortall soules within their mortall bodies, and in the bosome of their soules; reason, and discretion; can no wayes be moued with that cleare, and distinct voice of the word of God, sounding softly merciemercy if they content and obey, sounding fearefully, and yet most iustly wrath; if they refuse and be rebellious: when I reade that first of Isaiah, I heare thy blessed God, ô my soule, who neuer sinned, who cannot be hurt by sinne, sighing for the obstinate Iewes, brutishly vnkind to his Maiestie, while the oxe and the asse are dutifull to their owner and maister; yea, with this drawing vp a most heauie iust complaint against the Iewes, because of their vnkindnesse, and yet wanting a man (notwithstanding of the manie men were in the world) before whom he might poure forth his complaint against them, summoning the verie deafest heauens, and senslesse earth to heare him, euen with groaning making this his complaint. For brings not Isaiah in, our God speaking thus.Esay 1. 2. 2. 35. Heare ô heauens, and hearken ô earth, for the Lord hath said: I hauehave nourished and brought vp children, but they hauehave rebelled against me. The oxe knoweth his owner, and the asse his maisters cribbe, but Israel hath not knowne, my people hath not vnderstood: Ah sinfull nation, a people loaden with iniquitie, a seed of the wicked, corrupt children, they hauehave forsaken the Lord, they hauehave prouoked the holy one of Israel to anger, they are gone backward. But, alas, ô my soule, I cannot find the vnkind Iewes, beside Isaiah, sighing for their vnkindnesse, and lamenting that they had so grossely abused a gratious louing father, and an almightie alsufficient prouisor and protector. When I reade that 19, of Luke, I see that meekest Lambe of God, Iesus, whose sworne enemies would not accuse him for sinne, yea, whose Iudge was compelled by the verie force of his conscience to pronounce him to be innocent shedding bitter teares, for the blindnesse of the minds, hardnesse of the hearts, deadnesse of the soules, and loosenesse of the liues of the people of Ierusalem, crying out with great griefe of heart. O if thou haddest euen knowne at the least in this thy day these things which belong to thy place. But, alas, beside Luke, can I find the inhabitants of Ierusalem shedding out teares for themselues? or can I heare them lamenting that by their sinnes they should hauehave moued that meekest gentle Lambe to whom they proued furious and fierce lions, mourne and lament for them. When I reade the 29. Psalme, I see the voice of the Lord breaking the Cedars of Lebanon, making them to leape like a calfe, yea, like an yong Vnicorne, diuiding the flames of fire, making the wildernesse, euen the wilde…nesse of Cadesh to tremble, yea, making the hyndes to calfe, and discouering the forrest. But when I cast my eyes vponupon these of this deadest debauched time, can I heare and see that two edged sword of that word of God, making liuing men, liuing reasonable men, liuing reasonable Christian men (if their owne workes may be beleeued) to shake, to tremble, before that great Maiestie whose word it is, out of a sense of these sinnes they hauehave (alas,) euen sold themselues vntounto, and of that miserie and wrath vnderunder the which they hauehave couered themselues by these sinnes. Now, ô my soule, canst thou tell me what shall be the fruite, a man, in this respect more then miserable, must at length reape. Sighes thy God ô sinner for thy sinnes, while thou art making merrie with thy sinnes. Be sure, be sure, ô sinner, as God liueth, as Christ is sitting this day in thy nature, at the right hand of his Father in heauen,Prou. 1. 25. 26. God shall laugh at thy destruction, and thou shalt mourne when thy destruction shall come; and Christ who gladly would hauehave saued thee, shall iustly reioyce in thy condemnation, and thou shalt weepe and gnash thy teeth in hell for euermore, because of that remediles condemnation, vntounto the which thou shalt be adiudged. Be sure, be sure, ô sinner, marke thou that plaine, cleare, and distinct sauing voice of Gods blessed word brought to thy eares, while creatures void of reason wanting life, can tremble at the hearing of that confused voice of Gods mightie workes, when these creatures shall be deliuered from the bondage of corruption, thou shalt heare a voice and see a light, which shal make thee to tremble more fearefully then Baltasar trembled when he saw the fingers of a mans hand writing against the candelsticke vponupon the plaister of the wall;Dan. 5. 5▪ 6. yea, more fearefully then Felix did when Paul was disputing before him of righteousnesse and temperance,Acts 24. 26. and of the iudgement to come. For oh, ô my soule, what readst thou beside Iohn, in the Reuelation? Tels not that Scripture them, that that great day of the Lord, and sole iudge of all the world being come; the Kings of the earth, the great men, the chiefe captaines, the mightie men, and eueryevery bond man, and euerie free man, shall hide themselues in dennes amongst the rockes of the mountaines, saying vntounto the mountaines fall vponupon vsus, and hide vsus from the presence of him that sitteth vponupon the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lambe, for the great day of his wrath is come and who can stand. O if these Princes and people of this our last and worst time who now dare shew themselues mala, partly abroade in euerie place mocking the good word of God, cruelly persecuting, and murthering his dearest children, and most faithfull seruants, had grace afore hand to hearken to this, to beleeue this, to remember it, to consider it. Sure I am, ô my soule, that they with Saul casting their swords from them and changing their tunes, would crie out; who art thou Lord whose word we are mocking, whose children and seruants we are persecuting, and that they hauing this answer made vntounto them: I am Iesus whom ye mocke, ye persecute: It is heard for you to kicke against prickes; would tremble hand and foote as we speake, and with wounded hearts and mourning voices crie and say: O Lord what wilt thou that we shall do, and so be readie to hate that they loued, to louelove that they hated▪ and to preserue them which they persecuted.