The Beatitudes, Discourse · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Motives to holy mourning.
2. LET me exhort Chriſtians to holy Mourning: Uſe 2 Exhort.I now perſwade ſuch a Mourning as will prepare the ſoul for bleſſedneſs. Oh that our hearts were ſpiritual limbicks, diſtilling the water of holy tears! Chriſts Doves weep. Ezek. 7.16. They that eſcape ſhall be like Doves of the Vallies, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity. There are ſeveral Divine Motives to holy Mourning.
1. Tears cannot be put to a better uſe; if you weep Motive. 1 for outward loſſes, you loſe your tears; 'tis like a ſhowre upon a Rock, which doth no good; but tears for ſin are bleſſed tears; Bleſſed are they that mourn. Theſe poyſon our corruptions; ſalt-water kills the worms; the briniſh water of repenting tears will help to kill that worm of ſin which would gnaw the conſcience.
2. Goſpel-Mourning is an evidence of grace. Zach. Motive. 2 12.10. I will poure upon the houſe of David and the Inhabitants of Jeruſalem the Spirit of grace, and they ſhall mourn, &c. The Holy Ghoſt deſcended on Chriſt like a Dove, Matth. 3. The Dove is a weeping creature; where there is a Dove-like weeping, it is a good ſign the Spirit of God hath deſcended there; weeping for ſin is a ſign of the new birth; aſſoon as the child is born, it weeps. Exod. 2.3. And behold the babe wept. To weep kindly for ſin, is a good ſign we are born of God. Mourning ſhews an heart of fleſh, Ezek. 36.26. A ſtone will not melt; when the heart is in a melting frame, it is a ſign the heart of ſtone is taken away.
Motive. 3 3. The preciouſneſs of tears: foreign; tears dropping from a mournful, penitent eye, are like the water dropping from the Roſes, very ſweet and precious to God; a Fountain in the Garden makes it pleaſant; that heart is moſt delightful to God, which hath a Fountain of ſorrow running in it. Mary stood at Chriſts feet weeping, Luke 7.38. Her tears were more fragrant and odoriferous than her oyntment; the incenſe when it is broken, ſmells ſweeteſt; when the heart is broken for ſin, now our ſervices give forth their ſweeteſt perfume. There is joy in heaven over a ſinner that repenteth, Luke 15.7. Whereupon St. Bernard calls tears Vinum Angelorum, the wine of Angels; and ſure God delights much in tears; elſe he would not keep a bottle for them, Pſal. 56.8. One calls tears Holocauſtum pingue, a fat ſacrifice, which under the Law was moſt acceptable, Lev. 3.3. St. Hierom calls Mourning a plank after ſhipwrack: Chryſoſtom calls tears a ſpunge to wipe off ſin; tears are powerful Orators for mercy. Euſebius ſaith there was an Altar at Athens, on which they poured no other ſacrifice but tears; as if the Heathens thought there was no better way to pacifie their angry gods, than by weeping: Jacob wept, and had power over the Angel, Hoſea 12.4. Tears melt the heart of God. When a Malefactor comes weeping to the Bar, this melts the Judges heart towards him: When a man comes weeping in prayer, and ſmites on his breaſt, ſaying, God be merciful to me a ſinner, this doth melt Gods heart towards him. Prayer (ſaith Hierom) inclines God to ſhew mercy, tears compel him; God ſeals his pardons upon melting hearts; tears, though they are ſilent, yet have a voice, Pſal. 6.8. Tears waſh away ſinne; raine melts and waſheth away a ball of ſnow; repenting tears waſh away ſinne. That ſinne ſaith Ambroſe *Quod defendi non poteſt, ablui poteſt. Ambr., which cannot be defended by argument, may be waſhed away by tears.
4. The ſweetneſſe of tears; mourning is the way to Motive. 4 ſolid joy; the ſweeteſt wine is that which comes out of the Wine-preſſe of the eyes*foreign. Chryſ.; the ſoul is never more enlarged, than when it can weep. Cloſet teares are better than Court-muſick. When the heart is ſad, weeping eaſeth it by giving vent: the ſoul of a Chriſtian is moſt eaſed, when it can vent it ſelf by holy mourning; Chryſoſtome obſerves, David who was the great mourner in Iſrael, was the ſweet ſinger in Iſrael, Pſal. 43.3. my teares were my meat; on which place Ambroſe gives this gloſſe; No meat ſo ſweet as teares; the teares of the penitent ſaith Bernard, are ſweeter than all worldly joy; a Chriſtian thinks himſelf ſometimes in the ſuburbs of heaven when he can weep; when Hannah had wept, ſhe went away and was no more ſad; ſugar when it melts is ſweeteſt; when a Chriſtian melts in teares, now he hath the ſweeteſt joy; when the daughter of Pharaoh deſcended into the river, ſhe found a babe there among the flags; ſo when we deſcend into the river of repenting teares, we finde the babe Jeſus there, who ſhall wipe away all teares from our eyes. Well therefore might Chryſoſtom ſolemnly bleſſe God for giving to us this Lavor of teares to waſh in.
5. A mourner for ſinne doth not only good to himſelf, Motive. 5 but to others; he helps to keep off wrath from a Land; as when Abraham was going to ſtrike the blow, the Angel ſtaid his hand, Gen. 22.12. ſo when God is going to deſtroy a Nation, the mourner ſtayes his hand; teares in the childs eye ſometimes move the angry father to ſpare the child; penitential teares melt Gods heart, and binde his hand: Jeremy who was a weeping Prophet, was a great interceſſor; God ſaith to him, pray not for this people, Jer. 7.16. as if the Lord had ſaid, Jeremy, ſo powerful are thy prayers and teares, that if thou prayeſt I cannot deny thee; Si quid opus eſt impera, as he ſaid in Plautus; teares have a mighty influence upon God: ſure God hath ſome mourners in the Land, or he had deſtroyed us before now.
Motive. 6 6. Holy mourning is preventing phyſick; our mourning for ſinne here, will prevent mourning in hell; hell is locus ejulatus, a place of weeping, Matth. 8.12. the damned mingle their drink with weeping. God is ſaid to hold his bottle for our teares, Pſal. 56.8. They who will not ſhed a bottle full of teares, ſhall hereafter ſhed rivers of teares, Luke 6.25. Woe to you that laugh now, for ye ſhall mourn. You have ſometimes ſeene ſugar lying in a damp place diſſolve to water; all the ſugred joyes of the wicked diſſolve at laſt to the water of teares; now teares will do us good, now it is ſeaſonable weeping, 'tis like a ſhower in the ſpring; if we do not weep now, it will be too late: did we hear the language of the damned, they are now curſing themſelves that they did not weep ſoon enough. O is it not better to have our hell here, than hereafter? is it not better to ſhed repenting tears than deſpairing tears? he that weeps here is a bleſſed mourner; he that weeps in hell is a curſed mourner. The Phyſitian by letting the Patient blood, prevents death: by the opening a veine of godly ſorrow, we prevent the death of our ſouls.
Motive. 7 7. There's no other way the Goſpel preſcribes to bleſſedneſſe but this, bleſsed are they that mourn; This is the road that leads to the new Jeruſalem. There may be ſeveral wayes leading to a City, ſome go one way, ſome another; but there's but one way to heaven, and that is by Bethlehem the houſe of weeping, Acts 26.20. Perhaps a man may think thus, If I cannot mourn for ſinne, I will get to heaven ſome other way; I will go to Church, I will give Almes, I will lead a civil life; Nay, but I tell you there's but one way to bleſſedneſſe, and that is through the valley of teares; if you go not this way you will miſſe of Paradiſe. Luke 14.3. I tell you nay, except you repent, ye ſhall all likewiſe periſh. There are many lines leading to the Centre; but the heavenly Centre hath but one line leading to it, and that is, a tear dropping from the eye of faith; a man may have a diſeaſe in his body, that twenty medicines will heale; ſinne is a diſeaſe of the ſoul, which makes it ſick unto death; now there is but one medicine will heale, and that is the medicine of repentance.
8. Conſider what need every Chriſtian hath to be converſant Motive. 8 in holy mourning; a man may take phyſick when he hath no need of it; many go to the Bath when they have no need; 'Tis rather out of curioſity than neceſſity. But O what need is there for every one to go into the weeping bath! Think what a ſinner thou haſt been; thou haſt fill'd Gods book with thy debts, and what need haſt thou to fill his bottle with thy tears! Thou that haſt lived in ſecret ſinne, God enjoyns thee this penance, mourn for ſinne: but perhaps ſome may ſay, I have no need of mourning, for I have lived a very civil life; go home and mourn becauſe thou art but civil; many a mans civility being reſted upon, hath damned him. 'Tis ſad for men to be without repentance, but 'tis worſe to need no repentance, Luke 15.7.
9. Tears are but finite; 'tis but awhile that we ſhall Motive. 9 weep; after a few ſhowres that fall from our eyes we ſhall have a perpetual ſunſhine; in heaven the bottle of tears is ſtopt, Rev. 7. ult. God ſhall wipe away all tears; when ſin ſhall ceaſe, tears ſhall ceaſe. Pſal. 30.5. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning; in the morning of the Aſcenſion, then ſhall all tears be wiped away.
Motive. 10 10. The benefit of holy mourning; the beſt of our commodities come by water.
1. Mourning doth make the ſoul fruitful in grace: When a ſhowre falls, the herbs and plants grow. Iſaiah 16.9. I will water thee with my tears O Heſhbon. I may allude to it; tears water our graces, and make them flouriſh. Pſal. 104 10. he ſends his ſprings into the vallies; that is the reaſon the vallies flouriſh with corn, becauſe the ſprings run there; where the ſprings of ſorrow run, there the heart bears a fruitful crop: Leah was tender-eyed, ſhe had a watry eye, and was fruitful; the tender-eyed Chriſtian uſually brings more of the fruits of the Spirit; a weeping eye is the water-pot to water our graces.
2. Mourning doth fence us againſt the Divels Tentations: Tentations are called foreign, fiery darts, Epheſ. 6.16. becauſe indeed they ſet the ſoul on fire; Tentations enrage anger, inflame luſt; now the waters of holy Mourning quench theſe fiery darts; wet powder will not ſoon take the fire; when the heart is wetted and moiſtned with ſorrow, it will not ſo eaſily take the fire of Tentation; tears are the beſt Engines and Water-works to quench the Divels fire;*Faciem noſtram debemus magis lachrymis rigare quaem lavacris. and if there be ſo much profit and benefit in Goſpel-ſorrow, then let every Chriſtian waſh his face every Morning in the Lavor of tears †.
11. And laſtly, to have a melting frame of ſpirit, is Motive. 11 a great ſign of Gods preſence with us in an Ordinance; 'tis a ſign the Sun of righteouſneſs hath riſen upon us, when our frozen hearts thaw and melt for ſin; it is a ſaying of St. Bernard, By this you may know whether you have met with God in a duty, when you find your ſelves in a melting and mourning frame; we are apr to meaſure all by comfort; we think we never have Gods preſence in an Ordinance, unleſs we have joy; herein we are like Thomas; unleſs (ſaith he) I ſhall ſee in his hands the print of the nails, I will not believe, John 20.25. So are we apt to ſay, Unleſs we have incomes of comfort, we will not believe that we have found God in a duty; but if our hearts can melt kindly in tears of love, this is a real ſign that God hath been with us; as Jacob ſaid, Gen. 28.16. Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. So Chriſtian, when thy heart breaks for ſin, and diſſolves into holy tears, God is in this duty, though thou knoweſt it not.
Methinks all that hath been ſaid, ſhould make us ſpiritual Mourners; perhaps we have tryed to mourn, and cannot; but therefore as a man that hath digged ſo many fathoms deep for water, and can find none, at laſt he digs till he finds a ſpring; ſo though we have been digging for the water of tears, and can find none, yet let us weigh all that hath been ſaid, and ſet our hearts again to work, and perhaps at laſt we may ſay as Iſaacs ſervants, Gen. 26.32. We have found water: When the herbs are preſſed, the watery juyce comes out; theſe eleven ſerious Motives may preſs out tears from the eye.
Queſt. But may ſome ſay, My conſtitution is ſuch that I cannot weep; I may as well go to ſqueeze a Rock, as think to get a tear.
Anſw. But if thou canſt not weep for ſin, can'ſt thou grieve? Intellectual mourning is beſt; there may be ſorrow where there are no tears*Curae loves loquuntur, ingentes ſtupent.; the Veſſel may be full, though it wants vent; it is not ſo much the weeping eye God reſpects, as the broken heart; yet I would be loth to ſtop their tears who can weep; God ſtood looking on Hezekiahs tears, Iſa. 38.5. I have ſeen thy tears. Davids tears made Muſick in Gods ears, Pſal. 6.8. The Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping. 'Tis a ſight fit for Angels to behold, tears as pearls dropping from a penitent eye.