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  JOSIAH'S REFORMATION
  by Richard Sibbes
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Sibbes preaches on 2 Chronicles 34:26 concerning King Josiah's tender heart
before God. He explores what constitutes a tender heart, why God values
tenderness and brokenness, and how Josiah's reformation of Judah began with his
own personal humility and responsiveness to God's Word, providing a model for
spiritual renewal.

  Chapters: 5

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. 0.1. Josiah's Reformation
    2. 1. THE TENDER HEART
    3. 2. THE ART OF SELF-HUMBLING
    4. 3. THE ART OF MOURNING
    5. 4. THE SAINT'S REFRESHING

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  CHAPTER 1: 0.1. JOSIAH'S REFORMATION
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Josiah’s Reformation Laid Open in Four Sermons by Richard Sibbes LONDON, Printed
for R. DAVVLMAN, at the brazen Serpent in Pauls Churchyard. 1637. The text of
this module was taken from a PDF created by Monergism ©For more free books like
this, and other theological literature, please visitwww.monergism.com


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  CHAPTER 2: 1. THE TENDER HEART
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THE TENDER HEART

SERMON I And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, so
shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel concerning the words
which thou hast heard, Because thine heart was tender, &c.—2 Chronicles 34:26.

THESE words are a part of the message which the prophetess Huldah sent to good
King Josiah; for as the message was concerning him and his people, so his answer
from her is exact, both for himself and them. That part which concerned his
people is set down in the three foregoing verses; that which belongs unto
himself is contained in the words now read unto you, ’But to the king of Judah,’
&c. The preface to her message we see strengthened with authority from God,
’Thus saith the Lord God of Israel;’ which words carry in them the greater force
and power from the majesty of the author. For if words spoken from a king carry
authority, how much more then the word of the Lord of hosts, the King of kings?
Here is her wisdom, therefore, that she lays aside her own authority, and speaks
in the name of the Lord.

We see that waters of the same colour have not the same nature and effect, for
hot waters are of the same colour with plain ordinary waters, yet more
effectual; so the words of a man coming from a man may seem at first to be the
same with others, yet notwithstanding, the words of God coming from the Spirit
of God, carry a more wonderful excellency in them even to the hearts of kings.
They bind kings, though they labour to shake them off. They are arrows to pierce
their hearts; if not to save them, yet to damn them. Therefore she speaks to the
king, ’Thus saith the Lord God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast
heard,’ &c.

Here we read of Josiah, that he was a man of an upright heart, and one who did
that which was right in the sight of the Lord; and answerably we find the Lord
to deal with him. For he, desirous to know the issue of a fearful judgment
threatened against him and his people, sendeth to Huldah, a prophetess of the
Lord, to be certified therein; whereupon he receiveth a full and perfect answer
of the Lord’s determination, both touching himself and his people, that they
being forewarned might be forearmed; and by their timely conversion to the Lord,
might procure the aversion* of so heavy wrath. He in uprightness sends to
inquire, and the Lord returns him a full and upright answer. Whence we may
learn,

Doct. 1. That God doth graciously fit prophets for persons, and his word, to a
people that are upright in their hearts. Where there is a true desire to know
the will of God, there God will give men sincere prophets that shall answer them
exactly; not according to their own lusts, but for their good. Josiah was an
holy man, who, out of a gracious disposition, desirous to be informed from God
what should become of him and his people, sends to the prophetess Huldah. It was
God’s mercy that he should have a Huldah, a Jeremiah, to send to; and it was
God’s mercy that they should deal faithfully with him. This is God’s mercy to
those that are true-hearted. He will give them teachers suitable to their
desires; but those that are false-hearted shall have suitable teachers, who
shall instruct them according to their lusts. If they be like Ahab, they shall
have four hundred false prophets to teach falsehood, to please their lusts, 1
Kings 22:6; but if they be Davids, they shall have Nathans. If they be Josiahs,
they shall have Huldahs and Jeremiahs. Indeed, Herod may have a John Baptist,
Mark 6:27; but what will he do with him in the end when he doth come to cross
him in his sin? Then off goes his head.

Use. This should teach us to labour for sincerity, to have our hearts upright
towards God; and then he will send us men of a direct and right spirit, that
shall teach us according to his own heart. But if we be false-hearted, God will
give us teachers that shall teach us, not according to his will, but to please
our own. We shall light upon belly-gods and epicures, and shall fall into the
hands of priests and Jesuits. Where such are, there are the judgments of God
upon the people, because they do not desire to know the will of God in truth. We
see, Ezekiel 14:3-4, the people desired to have a stumblingblock for their
iniquity. They were naught,* and would have idols. Therefore they desired
stumblingblocks. They would have false prophets, that so they might go to hell
with some authority. Well, saith God, they shall have stumblingblocks: for thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, ’To every man that setteth up his idols in his
heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and
cometh to the prophet to inquire; I the Lord will answer him that cometh,
according to the multitude of his idols; according to his own false heart, and
not according to good.’ What brought the greatest judgment upon the world, next
to hell itself, I mean antichrist—the terriblest judgment of all, that hath
drawn so many souls to hell—but the wickedness of the place and people, and his
own ambition? The sins of the people gave life to him. They could not endure the
word of God or plain dealing; they thought it a simple thing. They must have
more sacrifices, more ceremonies, and a more glorious government. They would not
be content with Christ’s government which he left them, but were weary of this.
Therefore he being gone to heaven, they must have a pope to go before them and
lead them to hell. Therefore let men never excuse those sins, for certainly God
saw a great deal of evil in them, and therefore gave them up to the judgment of
antichrist. But let us magnify God’s mercies that hath not so given us up. Thus
we see how graciously God deals with a true-hearted king: he sends him a true
answer of his message.

Ver. 27, ’Because thine heart was tender,’ &c.

Now here comes a comfortable message to good Josiah, that he should be taken
away and not see the miseries that should befall his people; the cause whereof
is here set down, ’Because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself
before God;’ which cause is double.

1. Inward. 2. Outward.

1. The inward is the tenderness of his heart and humbling of himself. 2. And
then the outward expression of it is set down in a double act:

(1.) Rending of clothes. (2.) Weeping.

’Because thou hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me.’ After which comes the
promise, ’I have also heard thee,’ saith the Lord; ’behold, I will gather thee
to thy fathers, and thou shalt be put in thy grave in peace, and thine eyes
shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place, and upon the
inhabitants of the same.’

I will first remove one doubt, before I come to the tenderness of Josiah’s
heart.

Quest. What! may some say, Is there anything in man that can cause God to do do
him good?

Ans. No. One thing is the cause of another, but all come from the first cause.
So tenderness of heart may be some cause of removal of judgment; but God is the
cause of both, for they all come from the first cause, which is God. So that
these words do rather contain an order than a cause. For God hath set down this
order in things, that where there is a broken heart there shall be a freedom
from judgment; not that tenderness of heart deserves anything at God’s hand, as
the papists gather, but because God hath decreed it so, that where tenderness of
heart is, there mercy shall follow; as here there was a tender heart in Josiah,
therefore mercy did follow. God’s promises are made conditionally; not that the
condition on our part deserves anything at God’s hand, but when God hath given
the condition, he gives the thing promised. So that this is an order which God
hath set down, that where there is grace, mercy shall follow. For where God
intends to do any good, he first works in them a gracious disposition: after
which he looks upon his own work as upon a lovely object, and so doth give them
other blessings. God crowns grace with grace. By ’heart’ is not meant the inward
material and fleshy part of the body; but that spiritual part, the soul and
affections thereof. In that it is said to be ’tender’ or melting, it is a
borrowed and metaphorical phrase. Now in a ’tender heart’ these three properties
concur:

1. It is sensible. 2. It is pliable. 3. It is yielding.

1. First, A tender heart is always a sensible* heart. It hath life, and
therefore sense. There is no living creature but hath life, and sense to
preserve that life. So a tender heart is sensible of any grievance; for
tenderness doth presuppose life, because nothing that hath not life is tender.
Some senses are not altogether necessary for the being of a living creature, as
hearing and seeing; but sensibleness is needful to the being of every living
creature. It is a sign of life in a Christian when he is sensible of
inconveniences. Therefore God hath planted such affections in man, as may
preserve the life of man, as fear and love. Fear is that which makes a man avoid
many dangers. Therefore God hath given us fear to cause us make our peace with
him in time, that we may be freed from inconveniences; yea, from that greatest
of inconveniences, hell fire.

2, 3. Again, A tender heart is pliable and yielding. Now that is said to be
yielding and pliable, which yields to the touch of anything that is put to it,
and doth not stand out, as a stone that rebounds back when it is thrown against
a wall. So that is said to be tender which hath life, and sense, and is pliable,
as wax is yielding and pliable to the disposition of him that works it, and is
apt to receive any impression that is applied to it. In a tender heart there is
no resistance, but it yields presently to every truth, and hath a pliableness
and a fitness to receive any impression, and to execute any performance; a fit
temper indeed for a heart wrought on by the Spirit. God must first make us fit,
and then use us to work. As a wheel must first be made round, and then turned
round, so the heart must be first altered, and then used in a renewed way. A
tender heart, so soon as the word is spoken, yields to it. It quakes at
threatenings, obeys precepts, melts at promises, and the promises sweeten the
heart. In all duties concerning God, and all offices of love to men, a tender
heart is thus qualified. But hardness of heart is quite opposite. For, as things
dead and insensible, it will not yield to the touch, but returns back whatsoever
is cast upon it. Such a heart may be broken in pieces, but it will not receive
any impression; as a stone may be broken, but will not be pliable, but rebound
back again. A hard heart is indeed like wax to the devil, but like a stone to
God or goodness. It is not yielding, but resists and repels all that is good;
and therefore compared in the Scripture to the adamant stone. Sometimes it is
called a frozen heart, because it is unpliable to anything. You may break it in
pieces, but it is unframeable for any service, for any impression; it will not
be wrought upon. But on the contrary, a melting and tender heart is sensible,
yielding, and fit for any service both to God and man. Thus we see plainly what
a tender heart is. The point from hence is,

Doct. 2. That it is a supernatural disposition of a true child of God to have a
tender, soft, and a melting heart. I say that a disposition of a true child of
God, and the frame of soul of such an one, to be tender, apprehensive, and
serviceable, is a supernatural disposition; and of necessity it must be so,
because naturally the heart is of another temper—a stony heart. All by nature
have stony hearts in respect of spiritual goodness. There may be a tenderness in
regard of natural things; but in regard of grace, the heart is stony, and beats
back all that is put to it. Say what you will to a hard heart, it will never
yield. A hammer will do no good to a stone. It may break it in pieces, but not
draw it to any form. So to a stony heart, all the threatenings in the world will
do no good. You may break it in pieces, but never work upon it. It must be the
almighty power of God. There is nothing in the world so hard as the heart of
man. The very creatures will yield obedience to God; as flies, and lice, to
destroy Pharaoh; but Pharaoh himself was so hard-hearted, that after ten plagues
he was ten times the more hardened, Exodus 10:28. Therefore, if a man have not a
melting heart, he is diverted from his proper object; because God hath placed
affections in us, to be raised presently upon suitable objects. When any object
is offered in the word of God, if our hearts were not corrupted, we would have
correspondent affections. At judgments we would tremble, at the word of
threatenings quake, at promises we would with faith believe, and at mercies be
comforted; at directions we would be pliable and yielding. But by nature our
hearts are hard. God may threaten, and promise, and direct, and yet we
insensible all the while. Well, all Josiahs, and all that are gracious, of
necessity must have soft hearts. Therefore I will shew you, 1. How a tender
heart is wrought.

2. How it may be preserved and maintained.

3. How it may be discerned from the contrary.

1. First, A tender heart is made tender by him that made it. For no creature in
the world can soften and turn the heart, only God must alter and change it; for
we are all by nature earthly, dead, and hard. Hence is it that God doth make
that gracious promise, Ezekiel 11:19, ’I will give them one heart, and put a new
spirit within their bowels; and I will take away the stony hearts out of their
bodies, and give them a heart of flesh;’ that is, a living, sensible heart.

Quest. But doth God immediately make the heart tender, and change it, without
any help by means?

Song of Solomon 1. I answer, Means do not make the heart tender, but God through
the use of means softens it by his word. God’s word is a hammer to break, and as
fire to melt the hardened heart, Jeremiah 23:9. And thus it works, first, when
God doth shew to the heart our cursed estate, and opens to the same the true
dangers of the soul, which it is in by nature and custom of sin, and sets before
it the terrors of the last day and present danger of judgment. When the Spirit
of God, by the word, doth convince the soul to be in a damned estate, dead, born
under wrath, and an heir of damnation; that by nature God frowns, and hell is
ready to swallow us up; when the soul is thus convinced, then the heart begins
to be astonished, and cries out, ’Men and brethren, what shall I do?’ Acts 2:37.
When the word is thus preached with particular application, it doth good. For a
man may hear the word of God generally, and yet have no broken heart. But when a
Peter comes and saith, ’You have crucified the Lord of life;’ and when a Nathan
comes to David, and saith, ’Thou art the man,’ then comes the heart to be broken
and confounded. But it is not enough to have the heart broken; for a pot may be
broken in pieces, and yet be good for nothing; so may a heart be, through
terrors, and sense of judgment, and yet not be like wax, pliable. Therefore it
must be melting;* for which cause, when God by his judgments hath cast down the
heart, then comes the Spirit of God, revealing the comfort of the word; then the
gracious mercy of God in Christ is manifested, that ’there is mercy with God,
that he may be feared,’ Psalms 130:4. This being laid open to the quick, to a
dejected soul, hence it comes to be melted and tender; for the apprehension of
judgment is only a preparing work, which doth break the heart, and prepare it
for tenderness.

Song of Solomon 2. Again, Tenderness of heart is wrought by an apprehension of
tenderness and love in Christ. A soft heart is made soft by the blood of Christ.
Many say, that an adamant cannot be melted with fire, but by blood. I cannot
tell whether this be true or no; but I am sure nothing will melt the hard heart
of man but the blood of Christ, the passion of our blessed Saviour. When a man
considers of the love that God hath shewed him in sending of his Son, and doing
such great things as he hath done, in giving of Christ to satisfy his justice,
in setting us free from hell, Satan and death: the consideration of this, with
the persuasion that we have interest in the same, melts the heart, and makes it
become tender. And this must needs be so, because that with the preaching of the
gospel unto broken-hearted sinners cast down, there always goes the Spirit of
God, which works an application of the gospel.

Christ is the first gift to the Church. When God hath given Christ, then comes
the Spirit, and works in the heart a gracious acceptance of mercy offered. The
Spirit works an assurance of the love and mercy of God. Now love and mercy felt,
work upon the tender heart a reflective love to God again. What, hath the great
God of heaven and earth sent Christ into the world for me? humbled himself to
the death of the cross for me? and hath he let angels alone, and left many
thousands in the world, to choose me? and hath he sent his ministers to reveal
unto me this assurance of the love and mercy of God? This consideration cannot
but work love to God again; for love is a kind of fire which melts the heart. So
that when our souls are persuaded that God loves us from everlasting, then we
reflect our love to him again; and then our heart says to God, ’Speak, Lord;
what wilt thou have me to do?’ The soul is pliable for doing, for suffering, for
anything God will have it. Then, ’Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth,’ 1
Samuel 3:9. And when the heart is thus wrought upon, and made tender by the
Spirit, then afterward in the proceeding of our lives, many things will work
tenderness: as the works of God, his judgments, the word and sacraments, when
they are made effectual by the Spirit of God, work tenderness. The promises of
God also make the heart tender, as Romans 12:1, ’I beseech you, brethren, by the
mercies of God, offer up your souls and bodies a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable unto God.’ There is no such like argument to persuade men to
tenderness of heart, as to propound the love and mercy of God. And so the fear
of any judgment will work tenderness. This made Josiah’s heart to melt, but yet
this did not work first upon him; for he having a tender heart before, and being
sure of God’s love, when he heard the judgment that should come upon his people,
out of love to God and to his people, his heart melted, not so much for fear of
judgment, but to think that God should be provoked by the sins of his people.
And thus we have seen how tenderness of heart is wrought. Now I come to shew,

2. Second, The means how we may preserve this tenderness of heart, because it is
a disposition of God’s children. How then shall we preserve ourselves in such a
perpetual temper? The way to preserve a tender heart is,

1. First, To be under the means whereby God’s Spirit will work; for it is he by
his Spirit that works upon the heart, and doth preserve tenderness in us; and he
will work only by his own means. All the devices in the world will not work upon
the heart. Therefore let us be under the means that may preserve tenderness, and
hear what God’s word says of our estate by nature, of the wrath and justice of
God, and of the judgment that will shortly come upon all the world. This made
Paul to cry, though he knew that he was the child of God, and free from the law.
’Therefore,’ saith he, ’knowing the terror of the law, we admonish you.’

2. And then, go into the house of mourning, and present before yourselves the
miserable and forlorn estate of the church of God abroad. It was this that broke
Nehemiah’s heart. When he heard that the Jews were in great affliction and
reproach, that the wall of the city was broken down, and the gates thereof burnt
with fire, he sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, fasted and prayed
before the God of heaven, Nehemiah 1:4. This made this good man Nehemiah to
mourn, so that all the princes of the court could not comfort him. This also
made Moses’s heart to melt, when he looked on his brethren’s affliction in
Egypt. So we might keep our hearts tender if we did but set before our eyes the
pitiful estate of God’s church abroad, and that we may come to be in such an
estate ourselves ere long.

3. And if thou wilt preserve tenderness of heart, labour for a legal and
evangelical faith. We must believe that all the threatenings of God’s vengeance
against the wicked shall come to pass. Faith doth make these things present
before our eyes; for it is the nature of faith to set things absent as present
before us. What makes the malefactor to tremble and be cast down, but when he
sees that he is ready for to die, is going to the place of execution, and sees
death look him in the face? So faith setting the day of judgment before our
eyes, will make us to tremble. Therefore Paul doth so often adjure Timothy by
the coming of the Lord Jesus to judgment, 2 Timothy 4:1; and Enoch set the day
of judgment before him, at the beginning of the world, as we may see in Jude
1:14. He had a faith, that set things to come as present, and made him to walk
with God. So if we had an evangelical faith to believe the goodness of God,
pardon from him, and everlasting life, this would preserve tenderness of heart.

4. Again, Good company will preserve tenderness of heart, sorting ourselves with
those that are tender-hearted. For the soul will reason thus: Doth such a one
make conscience of swearing, profaning the Sabbath? and doth he mourn for the
miseries of the church? Then what a hard piece of dead flesh am I, that have
nothing in me!

5. Again, If thou wouldst preserve tenderness of heart, by all means take heed
of the least sin against conscience, for the least sin in this kind makes way
for hardness of heart. Sins that are committed against conscience do darken the
understanding, dead the affection, and take away life; so that one hath not the
least strength to withstand the least temptation. And so it comes to pass by
God’s judgment; for when men will live in sins against conscience, he takes away
his Spirit, and gives up the heart from one degree of hardness to another. For
the heart at first being tender, will endure nothing, but the least sin will
trouble it. As water, when it begins to freeze, will not endure anything, no not
so much as the weight of a pin upon it, but after a while will bear the weight
of a cart; even so at the beginning, the heart being tender, trembles at the
least sin, and will not bear with any one; but when it once gives way to sins
against conscience, it becomes so frozen that it can endure any sin, and so
becomes more and more hard. Men are so obdurate, having once made a breach in
their own hearts by sins against conscience, that they can endure to commit any
sin; and therefore God gives them up from one degree of hardness to another.
What will not men do whom God hath given up to hardness of heart?

6. Again, If thou wilt preserve tenderness of heart, take heed of spiritual
drunkenness; that is, that thou be not drunk with an immoderate use of the
creatures; of setting thy love too much upon outward things. For what saith the
prophet? ’Wine and women take away the heart,’ Hosea 4:11; that is, the
immoderate use of any earthly thing takes away spiritual sense; for the more
sensible the soul is of outward things, the less it is of spiritual. For as the
outward takes away the inward heat, so the love of one thing abates the love of
another. The setting of too much love upon earthly things, takes away the sense
of better things, and hardens the heart. When the heart is filled with the
pleasures and profits of this life, it is not sensible of any judgment that
hangs over the head; as in the old world, ’they ate and drank, they married and
gave in marriage, they bought and sold, while the flood came upon them and swept
all away,’ Matthew 24:37. When a man sets his love upon the creature, the very
strength of his soul is lost. Therefore in the Scripture, God joins prayer and
fasting both together, Matthew 17:21; that when he would have our hearts raised
up to heaven, we should have all use of earthly things taken away. Therefore
when we are to go about spiritual duties, we must cut ourselves short in the use
of the creatures. Talk of religion to a carnal man, whose senses are lost with
love of earthly things, he hath no ear for that; his sense is quite lost, he
hath no relish or savour of anything that is good. Talk to a covetous man, that
hath his soul set upon the things of this life, he hath no relish of anything
else; his heart is already so hardened to get honour and wealth, though it be to
the ruin of others, that he cares not how hard it become. Therefore we are
bidden to take heed that our hearts be not overcome with drunkenness and the
cares of this life, for these will make a man to be insensible of spiritual
things, Luke 21:34.

7. Again, If thou wilt preserve tenderness of heart, take heed of hypocrisy; for
it causeth swelling, and pride makes the heart to contemn others that be not
like unto us. They bless themselves that they live thus and thus, they think
themselves better than any other; and if they hear the minister reprove them for
sin, they will shift it off, and say, Oh, this belongeth not to me, but to such
a carnal man, and to such a wicked person; as the Scribes and Pharisees, who
were vile hypocrites, yet they were the cause of all mischief, and more
hard-hearted than Pilate, an heathen man; for he would have delivered Christ,
but they would not, Luke 23:14, seq. So, take a Romish hypocrite, that can
proudly compliment it at every word with enticing speech, yet you shall find him
more hard hearted than Turk or Jew; for full of cruelty and blood is the ’whore
of Babylon.’ Therefore, if thou wilt have tenderness of heart, take heed of
hypocrisy.

8. Again, Above all things, take heed of great sins, which will harden the
heart; for little sins do many times not dead the heart, but stir up the
conscience; but great sins do stond* and dull a man; as a prick of a pin will
make a man to start, but a heavy blow maketh a man for to be dead for the
present. Therefore take heed of great sins. Thus it was with David. He sinned in
numbering of the people, and for this his heart smote him; but when he came to
the great and devouring sin of Uriah and Bathsheba, this was a great blow that
struck him and laid him for dead, till Nathan came and revived him, 2 Samuel
12:1. For when men fall into great sins, their hearts are so hardened, that they
go on from sin to sin. Let us therefore be watchful over our own hearts, to
preserve tenderness. The eye being a tender part, and soonest hurt, how watchful
is man by nature over that, that it take no hurt. So the heart, being a tender
thing, let us preserve it by all watchfulness to keep blows from off it. It is a
terrible thing to keep a wound of some great sin upon the conscience, for it
makes a way for a new breach; because when the conscience once begins to be
hardened with some great sin, then there is no stop, but we run on to commit sin
with all greediness.

9. Lastly, If thou wilt preserve tenderness of heart, consider the miserable
estate of hardness of heart. Such an one that hath an hard heart is next to hell
itself, to the estate of a damned spirit, a most terrible estate. A hard heart
is neither melted with promises nor broken with threatenings. He hath no bowels
of pity to men or love to God. He forgets all judgment for things past, and
looks for none to come. When the soul is in this case, it is fit for nothing but
for sin and the devil, whereas a tender-hearted man is fit for all good. Let God
threaten: he trembles and quakes; let God promise: his heart melts and
rejoiceth, and makes him even to break forth into thanksgiving; let God command:
he will perform all; he is fit for any good thing to God and man. But when a
man’s heart is hardened by hypocrisy, covetousness, or custom in sin, he hath no
pity, no compassion: let God command, threaten, or promise, yet the heart is
never a whit moved. This is a terrible estate of soul.

Now, to speak a little to young men that are like to this holy man Josiah.
Surely his tenderness had some advantage from his years. Let those that are
young by all means labour to keep tenderness of heart; for if young persons be
good, there is a sweet communion between God and them, before the heart be
pestered with the cares of the world. God delights much in the prayers of young
men, because they come not from so polluted a soul, hardened with the practices
of this world. Let such, therefore, as are young, take advantage of it, to
repent in time of their sins, and let them not put it off unto their old days.
While we are young, let us not neglect natural tenderness; although we cannot
bring ourselves under the compass of God’s kingdom by it, yet shall we get our
hearts the sooner to be tender. In our youth, therefore, let us not neglect this
good opportunity, as good Josiah did not when he was but young. Therefore let us
repent of every sin betimes, and acquaint ourselves with those that are good; as
it is said, Hebrews 3:13, ’Let us provoke one another daily, while it is called
to-day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.’ Let us
use all means to keep our hearts tender. Oh, it is a blessed estate! We are fit
to live when our hearts are tender; fit to die, fit to receive anything from
God, fit for duties of honesty to men, for any service to God. But when we have
lost sense and feeling, it must be the almighty power of God that must recover
us again, and not one amongst an hundred comes to good. Therefore labour to
preserve a tender, soft, and melting heart.

Now, ere I proceed, give me leave to answer some cases of conscience, as, Quest.
1. First, Whether the children of God may be subject to this hardness of heart,
opposed to this tenderness?

Quest. 2. Secondly, Whether a Christian may be more sensible of outward things
than of spiritual, as the love of God, or his own sin, and the like?

Song of Solomon 1. To the first I answer, that the child of God may be
hard-hearted. He may have some degrees of hardness of heart in him. For a
Christian is a compounded creature; he hath not only body and soul, but flesh
and spirit. He is but in part renewed; and therefore, having in him both flesh
and spirit, he is subject to hardness of heart; and it is clear that it may be
so. Examples shew that God’s children are not always alike sensible of the wrath
of God and of his mercy. They do not yield so to his commands as they should.
But what is the reason that God doth suffer his children to fall into this
hardness of heart? There is something in us that makes him give us up unto it,
for we are no longer soft than he works upon us.

Quest. But what doth move him to leave us in this disposition?

Sol. I answer, he doth it for correction of former negligences, for sins of
omission; especially when they neglect some means of grace whereby their hearts
might be kept tender: it is for want of stirring up of God’s grace in them; for
want of an high esteem of grace bestowed upon them; want of care of their
company, for not associating themselves with such as are tender-hearted; and
from hence it comes that God suffers his children to fall into hardness of
heart.

Quest. But now, from hence ariseth another question: How may a man know his
heart from the heart of a reprobate, seeing that God’s children may have
hardness of heart?

Ans. I answer, that the heart of a man that is a very reprobate is totally,
wholly, and finally hardened, and it is joined with security and insensibleness;
it is joined with obstinacy, and with contempt of the means. But the child of
God hath not total and final hardness of heart, but hath a sensibleness of it,
he feeleth and seeth it. Total hardness doth feel nothing, but a Christian that
hath hardness of heart, doth feel that he hath it; as a man that hath the stone
in his bladder, feels and knows that he hath a stone. A hard-hearted man feels
nothing, but he that hath but only hardness of heart doth feel: for there is
difference between hardness of heart and a hard heart; for the child of God may
have hardness of heart, but not a hard heart. Now, I say a child of God that
hath hardness of heart is sensible of his hardness, and performs the actions of
a sensible soul: he useth some good means for the softening of it, for the sense
thereof is grievous to him above all other crosses; and whiles he is under it,
he thinks that all is not with him as it should be: therefore he complains of it
above all other afflictions, which makes him cry to God, as we may see, Isaiah
63:17, ’Why hast thou hardened our hearts from thy fear?’

Obj. But some may demand how God doth harden.

Sol. I answer, the cause is first from our own selves; but he hardens four ways:

First, Privatively, by withholding and withdrawing his melting and softening
power. For as the sun causeth darkness by withdrawing his light and warming
power, so God withdrawing that melting power whereby we should be softened, it
cannot be but that we must needs be hardened.

2. Secondly, Negatively, by denying of grace; by taking away from us his graces,
which are not natural in us. Thus God doth to those whom he doth absolutely
harden; he takes away that which they have, and so they become worse than they
of themselves were by nature. When men walk unworthy of the gospel, God takes
away very rational life from them, and gives them up to hardness of heart, that
they run on in such courses, as that they are their own enemies, and bring upon
themselves ruin.

3. Thirdly, And as God hardens by privation and negation, so, in the third
place, he hardens by tradition:* by giving us up to the devil, to be vexed by
his troubles, to harden us. It is a fearful judgment. When we take a course to
grieve the Spirit of God, the Spirit will take a course to grieve us: he will
give us up to Satan, to blind and to harden us. So that though God doth not
work, as the author, effectually in this hardening, yet as a just judge he doth,
by giving us up to Satan and the natural lusts of our own hearts, which are
worse than all the devils in hell.

4. Fourthly and lastly, He doth harden objectively, by propounding good objects,
which, meeting with a wicked heart, make it more hard, as, Isaiah 6:10, it is
said, ’Harden these people’s hearts.’ How? By preaching of the word. A good
object, if it lights upon a bad soul, hardens the heart; for they that are not
bettered by religion, under the means, are so much the worse by their use. So we
see God cannot be impeached with the hardening of our hearts, because all the
cause is from ourselves; for whether he hardens by privation, negation,
tradition, or by propounding good objects, it is all from ourselves; and
likewise we have seen that God’s children may have hardness of heart in some
measure, but yet it differs from a reprobate, because they see and feel it,
grieve for it, and complain of it to God.

Quest. The second question is, But whether may a child of God be more sensible
of outward joys or crosses, than of spiritual things? for this makes many think
they have not tender hearts, because they are more sensible of outward things
than of spiritual.

Ans. I answer, It is not always alike with them; for God’s children are still
complaining of something: of their carelessness in good duties, of their want of
strength against corruption. They go mourning when they have made God to bring
them down upon their knees for their hardness of heart; but there is an
intercourse, in the children of God, between the flesh and the spirit. They are
partly flesh and partly spirit. Therefore many times, for a while, when the
flesh prevails, there may be a sudden joy and a sudden sorrow, which may be
greater than spiritual joy or spiritual sorrow; but yet it is not continual. But
spiritual sorrow, grief for sin, though it be not so vehement as, for the
sudden, outward sorrow is, yet it is more constant. Grief for sin is continual;
whereas outward sorrow is but upon a sudden, though it seem to be more violent.

2. And again, in regard of their valuing and prizing of earthly things, there
may be a sudden sorrow: for a child of God may, upon a sudden, overprize outward
things, and esteem them at too high a rate; but yet after that, valuing things
by good advice, they prize spiritual things far beyond outward; and therefore
their sorrow and joy is more for spiritual things, because it is constant. This
I speak, not to cherish any neglect in any Christian, but for comfort to such as
are troubled for it; therefore let such know, that God will not ’break the
bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax.’ If they have but a desire, and by
conscionable* use of means, do shew their desire to be true, they shall have it
at last, for Christ doth continue to make intercession for us; and if there were
no weakness in us, what need Christ continue to make peace for us? for peace is
made for those that fall out. Therefore, if there were no falling out between
God and us, what need Christ to continue to make intercession for us? For these
reasons, we see a child of God, for the present, may be more sensible of outward
things than of spiritual.

Quest. But here another question may be asked, How shall we know that we have
sensibleness and pliableness, or not?

Ans. I answer, Easily, by applying of the soul unto objects, as 1, to God; 2, to
his word; 3, to his works; 4, to man.

We may try our tenderness and pliableness of heart these four ways:

1. To God. As it is tender from God, so it is tender for God; for the three
persons of the Trinity. He that hath a tender heart cannot endure to dishonour
God himself, or to hear others dishonour him, either by his own sins or by
others.’ He cannot endure to hear God’s name blasphemed. So that they have a
tender heart who when they see Christ in his religion to be wronged, cannot
choose but be affected with it. So again, a man hath a tender heart when he
yields to the motions of the Holy Ghost. When the Spirit moves, and he yields,
this shews there is a tender heart. But a hard heart beats back all, and as a
stone to the hammer, will not yield to any motion of God’s Spirit.

2. Now, in the second place, to come downward, a tender heart is sensible in
regard of the word of God; as, first, at the threatenings a true tender heart
will tremble, as Isaiah 66:2, ’To him will I look, even to him that is of a
contrite and broken spirit, and trembleth at my words.’ A man that hath a tender
heart will tremble at the signs of the anger of God: ’Shall the lion roar, and
the beasts of the forest not be afraid?’ Amos 3:4. Yes, they will stand still
and tremble at the roaring of the lion; but much more will a tender heart
tremble when God roars, and threatens vengeance. A tender heart will tremble
when it hears of the terrors of the Lord at the day of judgment, as Paul did:
’Now knowing the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men,’ 2 Corinthians 5:11. It
forced him to be faithful in his office. This use the apostle Peter would have
us make of it: 2 Peter 3:11, ’That seeing all these things must be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought we to be in holy conversation and godliness?’ And
so for the promises in the word. The heart is tender when the word of God doth
rejoice a man above all things. How can the heart but melt at God’s promises,
for they are the sweetest things that can be. Therefore when a tender heart
hears God’s promises, it makes him to melt and be sensible of them. Again, a
tender heart will be pliable to any direction in the word. To God’s call it will
answer, ’Here I am;’ Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? As Isaiah, when he had
once a tender heart, then ’Send me, Lord,’ Isaiah 6:8. So David to God’s
command, ’Seek ye my face,’ answers, ’Thy face, Lord, will I seek,’ Psalms 27:8.
There is a gracious echo of the soul to God in whatsoever he saith in his word.
And thus a true, tender heart doth yield to the word of God, and is fit to run
on any errand.

3. Thirdly, By applying it to the works of God; for a tender heart quakes when
it doth see the judgment of God abroad upon others. It hastens to make his peace
with God, and to meet him by repentance. So again, a tender heart rejoiceth at
the mercy of God, for it doth see something in it better than the thing itself;
and that is the love of God, from which it doth proceed.

4. Fourthly, A man may know his heart to be tender and sensible, in regard of
the estate of others, whether they be good or bad. If they be wicked, he hath a
tender heart for them; as David, Psalms 119:136, ’Mine eyes gush out with rivers
of water, because men keep not thy law.’ So Paul saith, ’There are many that
walk inordinately, of whom I have told you before, and now tell you weeping,’
&c., Php 3:18. So Christ was sensible of the misery of Jerusalem, wept for it,
and a little while after, shed his own blood for it, Matthew 23:37. Thus had he
a tender heart. But when Christ looked to God’s decree, he saith, ’Father, I
thank thee, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the
wise and noble, and hast revealed them unto babes,’ Matthew 11:25. And so
likewise for those that are good, in giving and forgiving; in giving, they give
not only the thing, but they give their hearts and affections with it; and so in
forgiving, they apprehend Christ’s love in forgiving them; therefore they
forgive others. So for works, will God have a tender heart to do anything, it
will do it. If he will have it mourn, it will mourn; if to rejoice, it will
rejoice; it is fit for every good work. By these marks we may know whether we
have tender hearts or no. But to apply this; how is this affection of Josiah in
the hearts of men in these days? How many have melting hearts when they hear God
blasphemed, and the religion of Christ wronged? How few are there that yield to
the motions of the Spirit! We may take up a wonderful complaint of the hardness
of men’s hearts in these days, who never tremble at the word of God. Neither his
promises, nor threatenings, nor commands will melt their hearts; but this is
certain, that they which are not better under religion, by the means of grace,
are much the worse. And how sensible are we of the church’s miseries? For a
tender heart is sensible of the miseries of the church, as being members of the
same body, whereof Christ is the head. But men now-a-days are so far from
melting hearts, that they want natural affection, as Paul foretells of such in
the latter times, 1 Timothy 4:1. They have less bowels of pity in them, when
they hear how it goes with the church abroad, than very pagans and heathens.
This shews they have no tender hearts, that they are not knit to Christ by
faith, who is the head; nor to the church, the body, in love. How is thy heart
affected to men when they commit any sin against God, as idolaters, swearers,
drunkards, liars, and the like? Is it mercy to let these go on in their sins
towards hell? No, this is cruelty; but mercy is to be shewed unto them, in
restraining men from their wicked courses. Therefore do not think thou shewest
mercy unto them by letting them alone in sin, but exhort and instruct them.
Coldness and deadness is a spiritual disease in these days. But surely they that
have the Spirit of God warming their hearts, are sensible of their own good and
ill, and of the good and ill of the time. Well, if you will know you have a
tender heart, look to God, look to his word, to his works, to yourselves, and
others; and so you shall know whether you have tender hearts or not.

Quest. But here may be another question asked, How shall men recover themselves,
when they are subject to this hardness, deadness, and insensibleness? If after
examination a man find himself to be thus, how shall he recover himself out of
this estate. I answer,

Ans. 1. First, As when things are cold we bring them to the fire to heat and
melt, so bring we our cold hearts to the fire of the love of Christ; consider we
of our sins against Christ, and of Christ’s love towards us; dwell upon this
meditation. Think what great love Christ hath shewed unto us, and how little we
have deserved, and this will make our hearts to melt, and be as pliable as wax
before the sun.

2. Secondly, If thou wilt have this tender and melting heart, then use the
means; be always under the sunshine of the gospel. Be under God’s sunshine, that
he may melt thy heart; be constant in good means; and help one another. ’We must
provoke one another daily, lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of
sin,’ Hebrews 3:13. Physicians love not to give physic to themselves. So a man
is not always fit to help himself when he is not right; but good company is fit
to do it. ’Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us?’ said the
two disciples, holding communion each with other at Emmaus, Luke 24:32. For then
Christ comes and makes a third, joins with them, and so makes their hearts burn
within them. So Christ saith, ’Where two or three are met together in his name,
he is in the midst of them,’ Matthew 18:20. Now they were under the promise,
therefore he affords his presence. Where two hold communion together, there
Christ will make a third. Therefore let us use the help of others, seeing David
could not recover himself, being a prophet, but he must have a Nathan to help
him, 2 Samuel 12:7. Therefore if we would recover ourselves from hard and
insensible hearts, let us use the help one of another.

3. Thirdly, We must with boldness and reverence challenge the covenant of grace;
for this is the covenant that God hath made with us, to give us tender hearts,
hearts of flesh, as Ezekiel 11:19, ’I will give them one heart, and put a new
spirit within their bowels; I will take away the stony hearts out of their
bodies, and I will give them a heart of flesh. Now seeing this is a covenant God
hath made, to give us fleshly hearts and to take away our stony, let us
challenge him with his promise, and go to him by prayer. Entreat him to give
thee a fleshly heart; go to him, wait his time, for that is the best time.
Therefore wait though he do not hear at first. These are the means to bring
tenderness of heart.

Now, that ye may be stirred up to this duty, namely, to get a soft and tender
heart, mark here,

1. First, What an excellent thing a tender heart is. God hath promised to dwell
in such an heart, and is it an excellent thing to have God dwell in our hearts,
as he hath promised, Isaiah 57:15, ’For thus saith he that is high and
excellent, he that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is the Holy One: I will dwell
in the high and holy place, and with him also 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?’ So Isaiah 66:2, ’To him will I look, even to him that is poor
and contrite in spirit, and doth tremble at my words.’ Now God having promised
to dwell where there is a soft heart, and no hardness, no rocks to keep him out;
can God come into a heart without a blessing? Can he be separated from goodness,
which is goodness itself? When the heart therefore is pliable and thus tender,
there is an immediate communion between the soul and God; and can that heart be
miserable that hath communion with God? Surely no.

2. Secondly, Consider that this doth fit a man for the end for which he was
created. A man is never fit for that end for which he was made, but when he hath
a tender heart; and what are we redeemed for, but that we should serve God? And
who is fit to be put in the service of God but he that hath begged a tender
heart of God?

3. Thirdly, To stir you up to labour for this, consider that a tender heart is
fit for any blessedness. It is capable of any beatitude. What makes a man
blessed in anything but a tender heart? This will make a man to hear the word,
to read, to shew mercies to others. ’Blessed are the poor in spirit,’ saith
Christ, ’for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ A tender heart is blessed,
because that only heareth God’s word, and doth it; and it is always a merciful
heart, and therefore blessed.

4. Again, Consider the wretched estate of a heart contrary, that is not tender,
and will not yield. Oh what a wonderful hardness would the heart of man grow to,
if we do not follow it with means to soften it! What a fearful thing was it to
see what strange things fell out at Christ’s death, what darkness there was,
what thunders and lightnings. The veil of the Temple rent, the sun was turned
into darkness, the graves opened, and the dead did rise, yet notwithstanding
none of these would make the hypocritical Pharisees to tremble, but they mocked
at it, although it made a very heathen man confess it the work of God, Matthew
27:45-54. For a ceremonial hypocrite is more hard than a Turk, Jew, or Pagan.
All the judgments of God upon Pharaoh were not so great as hardness of heart.
The papists, after they have been at their superstitious devotion, are fittest
for powder-plots and treasons, because their hearts are so much more hardened.
What fearful things may a man come to, if he give way to hardness of heart! He
may come to an estate like the devil, yea, worse than Judas, for he had some
sensibleness of his sin; he confessed he had sinned in betraying the innocent
blood. But many of these hypocrites have no sensibleness at all, which is a
fearful thing. Eli’s children hearkened not to the voice of their father,
because that the Lord had a purpose to destroy them, 1 Samuel 2:25. So it is in
this case a shrewd sign that God will destroy those that are so insensible that
nothing will work upon them. But these hypocrites shall be sensible one day,
when they shall wish they were as insensible as in their lifetime they were. But
it will be an unfruitful repentance to repent in hell; for there a man shall get
no benefit by his repentance, seeing there they cannot shake off the execution
of God’s judgment, as they shake off the threatenings of his judgments here.
Well, to this fearful end, before it be long, must every one that hath a hard
heart come, unless they repent. Therefore let every one be persuaded to labour
for a tender, pliable, yielding, and sensible heart here, else we shall have it
hereafter against our wills, when it will do us no good; for then hypocrites
shall be sensible against their wills, though they would not be sensible in this
life. And thus I have done with the first inward cause in Josiah that moved God
so to respect him, namely, tenderness of heart.


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  CHAPTER 3: 2. THE ART OF SELF-HUMBLING
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THE ART OF SELF-HUMBLING

SERMON II

Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when
thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof,
and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me,
&c.—2 Chronicles 34:27. OF tenderness of heart, the first inward cause in
Josiah, which moved God to pity him, so as he should not be an eye-witness of
the fearful calamities to come upon his land and people, is largely spoken in
the former sermon; wherein is also shewed how it is wrought, preserved,
discerned, recovered when it is lost; what encouragements we have to seek and
labour for it, with some other things which I will not here repeat, but fall
directly upon that which follows, ’And thou didst humble thyself before God.’ In
which words we have set down the second inward cause in Josiah, that moved God
to shew mercy unto him; the humbling of himself. ’And thou didst humble thyself
before God.’ Tenderness of heart and humbling a man’s self go both together; for
things that are hard will not yield nor bow. A great iron bar will not bow, a
hard stony heart will not yield. Now, therefore, humbling of ourselves, the
making of us as low as the ground itself, is added unto tenderness; for the soul
being once tender and melting, is fit to be humbled, yea, cares not how low it
be abased, so mercy may follow. For the better unfolding of the words, we will
consider, 1. The person that did humble himself: ’Josiah,’ a king, a great man.

2. Humiliation itself, and the qualities of it: ’and humbledst thyself before
God,’ which argued the sincerity of it.

3. The occasion of it: ’when thou heardest the words against this place, and
against the inhabitants thereof.’

4. The outward expression of it, in weeping and rending his clothes; which we
will handle in their place.

1. First, for the person, ’Thou didst humble thyself,’ Josiah a king, who was
tenderly brought up, and highly advanced; a thing which makes the work so much
the more commendable; whence we learn,

Doct. 1. That it is a disposition, not unbefitting kings to humble themselves
before God. For howsoever they are gods downward, to those that are under them,
yet if they look upward, what are kings? The greater light hides the lesser.
What are all the inhabitants of the earth in his sight, but as a drop of a
bucket, as dust upon the balance, of no moment! Isaiah 40:15. ’I have said you
are gods, but you shall die like men,’ Psalms 82:6-7. For howsoever the saints
of God differ from other men in regard of their use, and the inscription God
hath set upon them, yet they are of the same stuff, dust, as others are. And so
kings, though in civil respects they differ from other men, yet are they of the
same metal, and shall end in death, all their glory must lie in the dust.

Therefore it is not unbefitting kings to humble themselves before God, seeing
they have to deal with him who is a ’consuming fire,’ Hebrews 12:29, before whom
the very angels cover their faces. I say it is no shame for the greatest monarch
of the earth to abase himself when he hath to do with God; yea, kings, of all
other persons, ought most to humble themselves, to shew their thankfulness to
God, who hath raised them from their brethren to be heads of his people. And
considering the endowments which kings usually have, they are bound to humble
themselves, as also in regard of the authority and power which God hath put into
their hands, saying, ’By me kings reign,’ Proverbs 8:15. But usually we see,
from the beginning of the world, that kings forget God. Where there is not grace
above nature, there kings will not stoop to Christ; but so far as it agrees with
their pleasure and will, so far shall Christ be served, and no farther. But yet
God hath always raised up some nursing fathers and mothers,—as he hath done to
us, for which we ought to bless God,—who have and do make conscience of this
mentioned duty, so well beseeming Christian princes, as in sundry other
respects, so also in this, that therein they might be exemplary to the people.
For no doubt but Josiah did this also, that his people might not think it a
shame for them to humble themselves before God, whenas he their king, tender in
years, and subject to no earthly man, did before them, in his own person,
prostrate himself in the humblest manner before the great God of heaven and
earth. As that ointment poured upon Aaron’s head fell from his head to the
skirts, and so spread itself to the rest of the parts, even to his feet, Psalms
133:2, so a good example in a king descends down to the lowest subjects, as the
rain from the mountains into the valleys. Therefore a king should first begin to
humble himself. Kings are called fathers to their subjects, because they should
bear a loving and holy affection to their people, that when anything troubles
the subjects, they should be affected with it. Governors are not to have a
distinct good from their subjects, but the welfare of the subjects should be the
glory of their head. Therefore Josiah took the judgments threatened as his own:
howsoever his estate was nothing unto theirs.

It is said moreover, ’Thou didst humble thyself.’ He was both the agent and the
patient, the worker and the object of his work: it came from him, and ended in
him. Humiliation is a reflected action: Josiah humbled himself. And certainly
this is that true humiliation, the humbling of ourselves; for it is no thanks
for a man to be humbled by God, as Pharaoh was; for God can humble and pull down
the proudest that do oppose his church. God by this gets himself glory. But here
is the glory of a Christian, that he hath got grace from God to humble himself;
which humbling is, from our own judgment, and upon discerning of good grounds,
to bring our affections to stoop unto God; to humble ourselves. Many are humbled
that are not humble; many are cast down that have proud hearts still, as Pharaoh
had. It is said, ’Thou humbledst thyself.’ Then we learn,

Doct. 2. That the actions of grace are reflected actions. They begin from a
man’s self, and end in a man’s self; yet we must not exclude the Spirit of God;
for he doth not say, thou from thyself didst humble thyself, but ’thou didst
humble thyself.’ We have grace from God to humble ourselves. So that the Spirit
of God doth work upon us as upon fit subjects, in which grace doth work. Though
such works be the works of God, yet they are said to be ours, because God doth
work them in us and by us. We are said to humble ourselves, because we are
temples wherein he works, seeing he useth the parts of our soul, as the
understanding, the will, and the affections, in the work. Therefore it is
foolish for the papists to say, good works be our own, as from ourselves. No;
good works, say we, are ours, as effects of the Spirit in us. But for the
further expression of this humbling of ourselves before God, we will consider,
1. The kinds and degrees of it.

2. Some directions how we may humble ourselves.

3. The motives to move us to it.

4. The notes whereby it may be known.

1. First, for the nature and kinds of it; we must know that humiliation is
either (1.) Inward, in the mind first of all, and then in the affections; or,
(2.) Outward, in expression of words, and likewise in carriage.

(1.) To begin with the first inward humiliation in the mind, in regard of
judgment and knowledge, is, when our understandings are convinced, that we are
as we are; when we are not high-minded, but when we judge meanly and basely of
ourselves, both in regard of our beginning and dependency upon God, having all
from him, both life, motion, and being; and also in regard of our end, what we
shall be ere long. All glory shall end in the dust, all honour in the grave, and
all riches in poverty. And withal, true humiliation is also in regard of
spiritual respects, when we judge aright how base and vile we are in regard of
our natural corruption, that we are by nature not only guilty of Adam’s sin, but
that we have, besides that, wrapt ourselves in a thousand more guilts by our
sinful course of life, and that we have nothing of our own, no, not power to do
the least good thing. When we look upon any vile person, we may see our own
image. So that if God had not been gracious unto us, we should have been as bad
as they. In a word, inward conviction of our natural frailty and misery, in
regard of the filthy and foul stain of sin in our nature and actions, and of the
many guilts of spiritual and temporal plagues in this life and that which is to
come, is that inward humiliation in the judgment or understanding.

Again, Inward humiliation, besides spiritual conviction, is when there are
affections of humiliation. And what be those? Shame, sorrow, fear, and such like
penal afflictive affections. For, upon a right conviction of the understanding,
the soul comes to be stricken with shame that we are in such a case as we are;
especially when we consider God’s goodness to us, and our dealing with him. This
will breed shame and abasement, as it did in Daniel. Shame and sorrow ever
follow sin, first or last, as the apostle demands, Romans 6:21, ’What fruit had
ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?’ After conviction of
judgment there is always shame; and likewise there is sorrow and grief. For God
hath made the inward faculties of the soul so, that upon the apprehension of the
understanding, the heart comes to be stricken through with grief, which works
upon our souls. Therefore we are said in Scripture to afflict ourselves; that
is, when we set ourselves upon meditation of our deserts. Hereupon we cannot but
be affected inwardly, for these sorrows are so many daggers to pierce through
the heart. The third penal affection is, fear and trembling before God’s
judgments and his threatenings, a fear of the majesty of God, whom we have
offended, which is able to send us to hell if his mercies were not beyond our
deserts. But his mercy it is, that we are not consumed. A fear of this great God
is a part of this inward humiliation. So we see what inward humiliation is:
first, a conviction of the judgment; and then it proceeds to inward afflictive
affections, as grief, shame, fear, which, when upon good ground and fit objects,
they are wrought in us by the Holy Ghost, they are parts of inward humiliation.
But as for the wicked, they drown themselves in their profaneness, because they
would not be ashamed, nor fear, nor grieve for them. But this makes way for
terrible shame, sorrow, and fear afterwards; for those that will not shame,
grieve, and fear here, shall be ashamed before God and his angels at the day of
judgment, and shall be tormented in hell for ever.

2. Secondly, His outward humiliation is expressed and manifested in words, in
outward behaviour and carriage. The words which he used are not here set down;
but certainly Josiah did speak words when he humbled himself. It was not a dumb
show, but done with his outward expression and his inward affection. This is
evident by those words of the text, ’I have heard thee also,’ saith the Lord.
Without doubt, therefore, he did speak something. But because true sorrow cannot
speak distinctly,—for a broken soul can speak but broken words,—therefore his
words are not here set down, but yet God heard them well enough. And indeed, so
it is sometimes, that the grief for the affliction may be stronger than the
faculty of speech, so that a man cannot speak for grief. As a heathen man, by
light of nature, did weep and grieve for his friends, but when his child came to
be killed before him, he stood like a stone, because his sorrow was so great
that it exceeded all expression. So humiliation may so exceed that it cannot be
expressed in words; as David himself, when he was told of his sins by Nathan,
did not express all his sorrow, but saith, ’I have sinned;’ yet afterwards, he
makes the 51st Psalm, a composed speech for supply, a fit pattern for an humble
and broken soul. So doubtless there was outward expression of words in Josiah,
although they be not here set down. This speech, which is a part of humiliation,
is called a confession of our sins to God; with it should be joined hatred and
grief afflictive, as also a deprecation and desire that God would remove the
judgment which we have deserved by our sins; and likewise a justification of
God, in what he hath laid or may lay upon us. Lord, thou art righteous and just
in all thy judgments; shame and confusion belongeth unto me; my sins have
deserved that thou shouldest pour down thy vengeance upon me; it is thy great
mercy that I am not consumed. The good thief upon the cross justified God,
saying, ’We are here justly for our deserts; but this man doth suffer
wrongfully,’ Luke 23:41. Justification and self-condemnation go with
humiliation. This is the outward expression in words. Now the outward
humiliation in respect of his carriage, is here directly set down in two acts:

1. Rending of clothes. And 2. Weeping. But of these I shall speak afterwards
when I come at them. Thus we have seen the degrees and kinds of humiliation.

Seeing it is such a necessary qualification, for humiliation is a fundamental
grace that gives strength to all other graces; seeing, I say, it is such a
necessary temper of a holy gracious man to be humble; how may we come to humble
ourselves as we should do? I answer, Let us take these directions:

1. First, Get poor spirits, that is, spirits to see the wants in ourselves and
in the creature; the emptiness of all earthly things without God’s favour; the
insufficiency of ourselves and of the creature at the day of judgment; for what
the wise man saith of riches may be truly said of all other things under the
sun: they avail not in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivereth from
death, Proverbs 11:4.

Josiah was not poor in respect of the world, for he was a king; but he was ’poor
in spirit,’ because he saw an emptiness in himself. He knew his kindgom could
not shield him from God’s judgment, if he were once angry.

(1.) Let us consider our original. From whence came we? From the earth, from
nothing. Whither go we? To the earth, to nothing. And in respect of spiritual
things, we have nothing. We are not able to do anything of ourselves, no, not so
much as to think a good thought.

(2.) Likewise, consider we the guilt of our sins. What do we deserve? Hell and
damnation, to have our portion with hypocrites in that ’lake that burneth with
fire and brimstone.’

(3.) Let us have before our eyes the picture of old Adam, our sinful nature: how
we are drawn away by every object; how ready to be proud of anything; how unable
to resist the least sin; how ready to be cast down under every affliction; that
we cannot rejoice in any blessing; that we have no strength of ourselves to
perform any good or suffer ill; in a word, how that we carry a nature about us
indisposed to good, and prone to all evil. This consideration humbled Paul, and
made him to cry out, when no other afflictions could move him, ’O miserable man
that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?’ Romans 7:24. By this
means we come to be poor in spirit.

2. If we would have humble spirits, let us bring ourselves into the presence of
the great God: set ourselves in his presence, and consider of his attributes,
his works of justice abroad in the world, and open* ourselves in particular.

Consider his wisdom, holiness, power, and strength, with our own. It will make
us abhor ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes. Let us bring ourselves into
God’s presence, be under the means, under his word, that there we may see
ourselves ripped up, and see what we are. As Job, when he brought himself into
God’s presence, said, ’I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes,’ Job 42:6.
Job thought himself somebody before; but when God comes to examine him, and upon
examination found that he could not give a reason of the creature, much less of
the Lord’s, afflicting his children, then he saith, ’I abhor myself.’ So
Abraham, the more he talked with God, the more he did see himself but dust and
ashes. This is the language of the holy men in Scripture, when they have to deal
or think of God. ’I am not worthy,’ says John Baptist, John 1:27. So Paul: ’I am
not worthy to be called an apostle,’ 1 Corinthians 15:9. So the centurion: ’I am
not worthy thou shouldst come into my house,’ Matthew 8:8. ’I am less than the
least of thy blessings,’ saith Jacob, Genesis 32:10. Thus let us come into the
presence of God, under the means of his word, and then we shall see our own
vileness, which will work humiliation; for, as the apostle saith, when a poor
simple man doth come, and hears the prophecy that is, the word of God, with
application unto himself, laying open his particular sins, doubtless he will
say, God is in you, 1 Corinthians 14:24-25.

3. That we may humble ourselves, let us be content to hear of our sins and
baseness by others. Let us be content that others should acquaint us with
anything that may humble us. Proud men are the devil’s pipes, and flatterers the
musicians to blow these pipes. Therefore it is, that though men have nothing of
their own, yet they love to give heed to flatterers, to blow their bladder full,
which do rob them of themselves; whereas a true, wise man, will be content to
hear of anything that may humble him before God.

4. And withal, that we may humble ourselves, look to the time to come, what we
shall be ere long, earth and dust; and at the day of judgment we must be
stripped of all. What should puff us up in this world? All our glory shall end
in shame, all magnificency in confusion, all riches in poverty. It is a strange
thing that the devil should raise men to be proud of that which they have not of
their own, but of such things which they have borrowed and begged; as for men to
be proud of themselves in regard of their parents. So, many there are who think
the better of themselves for their apparel, when yet they are clothed with
nothing of their own, and so are proud of the very creature. But thus the devil
hath besotted our nature, to make us glory in that which should abase us, and to
think the better of ourselves, for that which is none of our own. Nay, many in
the church of God, are so far from humbling themselves, that they come to
manifest their pride, to shew themselves, to see and to be seen. Thus the devil
besots many thousand silly creatures, that come in vainglory into the house of
God; that whereas they should humble themselves before him, they are puffed up
with a base empty pride, even before God. Therefore let us take notice of our
wonderful proneness to have a conceit of ourselves; for if a man have a new
fashion, or some new thing, which nobody else knows besides himself, how
wonderful conceited will he be of himself! Let us take notice, I say, of our
proneness to this sin of pride; for the best are prone to it. Consider, it is a
wonderful hateful sin, a sin of sins, that God most hates. It was this sin that
made him thrust Adam out of paradise. It was this sin which made him thrust the
evil angels out of heaven, who shall never come there again. Yea, it is a sin
that God cures with other sins, so far he hateth it; as Paul, being subject to
be proud through the abundance of revelations, was cured of it by a prick in the
flesh: being exercised with some dangerous, noisome, and strange cure. Indeed,
it is profitable for some men to fall, that so by their humiliation for
infirmities, they may be cured of this great, this sacrilegious sin.* And why is
it called a sacrilegious sin? Because it robs God of his glory. For God hath
said, ’My glory I will not give to another,’ Isaiah 42:8. Is not the grace,
goodness, and mercy of God sufficient for us, but we must enter into his
prerogatives, and exalt ourselves? We are both idols and idol-worshippers, when
we think highly of ourselves, for we make ourselves idols. Now God hates
idolatry; but pride is a sacrilege, therefore God hates pride.

5. If we would humble ourselves, let us set before us the example of our blessed
Saviour; for we must be conformable to him, by whom we hope to be saved. He left
heaven, took our base nature, and humbled himself to the death of the cross,
yea, to the washing of his disciples’ feet, and among the rest, washed Judas’s
feet, and so suffered himself to be killed as a traitor, Philip, 2:5–7; and all
this to satisfy the wrath of God for us, and that he might be a pattern for us
to be like-minded. Therefore, if we would humble ourselves by pattern, here is a
pattern without all exception. Let us be transformed into the likeness of him;
yea, the more we think of him, the more we shall be humbled. For it is
impossible for a man to dwell upon this meditation of Christ in humility, and
with faith to apply it to himself, that he is his particular Saviour, but this
faith will abase the heart, and bring it to be like Christ in all spiritual
representation. A heart that believeth in Christ will be humbled like Christ. It
will be turned from all fleshly conceit of excellency, to be like him. Is it
possible, if a man consider he is to be saved by an abased and humble Saviour,
that was pliable to every base service, that had not a house to hide himself; I
say, is it possible that he which considers of this, should ever be willingly or
wilfully proud? Do we hope to be saved by Christ, and will we not be like him?
When we were firebrands of hell, he humbled himself to the death of the cross,
left heaven and happiness a-while, and took our shame, to be a pattern to us. We
know that Christ was brought into the world by a humble virgin. So the heart
wherein he dwells must be an humble heart. If we have true faith in Christ, it
will cast us down, and make us to be humbled. For it is impossible that a man
should have faith to challenge any part in Christ, except he be conformed to the
image of Christ in humility. Therefore let us take counsel of Christ: ’Learn of
me, for I am humble and meek; and so you shall find rest to your souls,’ Matthew
11:29.

Lastly, That we may humble ourselves, let us work upon our own souls by
reasoning, discoursing, and speaking to our own hearts. For the soul hath a
faculty to work upon itself. Now this, being a reflected action, to humble
ourselves, it must be done by some inward action; and what is that? To discourse
thus: If so be a prince should but frown upon me when I have offended his law,
in what case should I be! Yet, when the great God of heaven threatens, what an
atheistical unbelieving heart have I, that can be moved at the threatenings of a
mortal man, that is but dust and ashes, and yet cannot be moved with the
threatenings of the great God! Consider also, if a man had been so kind and
bountiful to me, if I should reward his kindness with unkindness, I should have
been ashamed, and have covered my face with shame; and yet how unkind have I
been unto God, that hath been so kind to me, and yet I never a whit ashamed! If
a friend should have come to me, and I have given him no entertainment, what a
shame were this! But yet how often hath the Holy Ghost knocked at the door of my
heart, and suggested many holy motions into me of mortification, repentance, and
newness of life, yet notwithstanding I have given him the repulse, opposed the
outward means of grace, and have thought myself unworthy of it; what a shame is
this!

Thus, if we compare our carriage in earthly things with our carriage in
heavenly, this will be a means to work upon our hearts, inwardly to humble
ourselves. Thus was David abased; for when Nathan came and told him of a rich
man, who having many sheep, spared his own and took away a poor man’s, which was
all that he had; when David considered that he had so dealt with Uriah, he was
dejected and ashamed of his own courses. Let us labour to work our hearts to
humility, into true sorrow, shame, true fear, that so we may have God to pity
and respect us, who only doth regard a humble soul. Thus we have seen some
directions how we may come to humble ourselves.

Further, There is an order, method, and agreement in these reflected actions,
when we turn the edge of our own souls upon ourselves and examine ourselves; for
the way that leads to rest is by the examination of ourselves. We must examine
ourselves strictly, and then bring ourselves before God, judge and condemn
ourselves; for humiliation is a kind of execution. Examination leads to all the
rest. So, then, this is the order of our actions; there is examination of
ourselves strictly before God, then indicting ourselves, after that comes
judging of ourselves.

Oh that we could be brought to these inward reflected actions, to examine
indict, judge, and condemn ourselves, that so we might spare God a labour, and
so all things might go well with us!

3. Now I come to the third thing I propounded, the motives to move us to get
this humiliation.

(1.) First, Let us consider of the gracious promises that are made to this
disposition of humbling ourselves; as Isaiah 57:15, ’For thus saith he that is
holy and excellent, he that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is the Holy One; I
dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of an humble and
contrite spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to give life to them
that are of a contrite heart.’ So there is a promise that God will give grace to
the humble. An example of mercy in this kind we have in Manasseh, who, though a
very wicked man, yet because he humbled himself, obtained mercy. Peter humbled
himself, and David humbled himself, and both found mercy. And so likewise
Josiah; yea, and in James 4:10, we are bid to ’humble ourselves under the mighty
hand of God, and he will exalt us in due time.’ There is the promise. Yea, every
branch of humiliation hath a promise. As confession of sins, if we confess and
forsake our sins, we shall have mercy and find pardon. So those that judge
themselves shall not be judged. A humble heart is a vessel of all graces. It is
a grace itself, and a vessel of grace. It doth better the soul and make it holy,
for the soul is never fitter for God than when it is humbled. It is a
fundamental grace that gives strength to all other graces. So much humility, so
much grace. For according to the measure of humiliation is the measure of other
grace, because a humble heart hath in it a spiritual emptiness. Humility
emptieth the heart for God to fill it. If the heart be emptied of temporal
things, then it must needs be filled with spiritual things; for nature abhorreth
emptiness; grace much more. When the heart is made low, there is a spiritual
emptiness, and what fills this up but the Spirit of God? In that measure we
empty ourselves, in that measure we are filled with the fulness of God. When a
man is humbled, he is fit for all good; but when he is proud, he is fit for all
ill, and beats back all good. God hath but two heavens to dwell in; the heaven
of heavens, and the heart of a poor humble man. The proud swelling heart, that
is full of ambition, high conceits, and self-dependence, will not endure to have
God to enter; but he dwells largely and easily in the heart of an humble man. If
we will dwell in heaven hereafter, let us humble ourselves now. The rich in
themselves are sent ’empty away;’ the humble soul is a rich soul, rich in God;
and therefore God regards the lowly and resists the proud. As all the water that
is upon the hills runs into the valleys, so all grace goes to the humble. ’The
mountains of Gilboa are accursed,’ 2 Samuel 1:21. So there is a curse upon
pride, because it will not yield to God.

(2.) Again, All outward actions benefit other men; but this inward action of
humbling a man’s self makes the soul itself good.

(3.) An humble soul is a secure and safe soul; for a man that is not high, but
of a low stature, needs not to fear falling. A humble soul is a safe soul;—safe
in regard of outward troubles; for when we have humbled ourselves, God needs not
follow us with any other judgment: safe, in regard of inward vexation or any
trouble by God; for when the soul hath brought itself low, and laid itself level
as the ground, then God ceaseth to afflict it. Will the ploughman plough when he
hath broken up the ground enough? or doth he delight in breaking up the ground?
See what Isaiah saith to this purpose in chap. 28:28. When God seeth that a man
hath abased himself, he will not follow with any other judgment; such a one may
say to God, Lord, I have kept court in mine own conscience already, I have
humbled and judged myself, therefore do not thou judge me; I am ready to do
whatsoever thou wilt, and to suffer what thou wilt have me. I have deserved
worse a thousand times, but, Lord, remember I am but dust and ashes. Thus God
spares his labour when the soul hath humbled itself. But if we do not do this
ourselves, God will take us in hand; for God will have but one God. Now if we
will be gods, to exalt ourselves, he must take us in hand to humble us, either
first or last. And is it not better for us to humble ourselves than for God to
give us up to the merciless rage and fury of men, for them to humble us, or to
fall into the hands of God, who is a ’consuming fire’? For when we accuse and
judge ourselves, we prevent much shame and sorrow. What is the reason God hath
given us up to shame and crosses in this world, but because we have not humbled
ourselves? What is the reason many are damned in hell? Because God hath given
them reason, judgment, and affections, but they have not used them for
themselves, to examine their ways, whether they were in the state of
condemnation or salvation. They never used their affections and judgment to this
end, therefore God was forced to take them in hand. Well saith Austin, all men
must be humbled one way or other; either we must humble ourselves or God will;*
if we will do this ourselves, the apostle promiseth, we shall not be judged of
the Lord, 1 Corinthians 11:31. But we do not these things as we should, because
it is a secret action. We love to do things that the world may take notice of,
but this inward humiliation can only be seen by God, and by our own consciences.
Let these motives therefore stir us up to humble ourselves, for humbled we must
be by one way or other. How many judgments might be avoided by humbling
ourselves! How many scandals might be prevented if we would judge ourselves!
What is the reason so many Christians fall into scandalous sins, whereby,
provoking God’s anger, they fall into the hands of their enemies, but because
they spare themselves, and think this humbling themselves a troublesome action.
Therefore to spare themselves, they run on. Because they would not work this
upon themselves, they grow to be in a desperate state at last. Wherefore upon
any occasion be humble, let us prepare ourselves to meet the Lord our God. When
we hear but any noise of the judgments of God, we should humble ourselves, as
good Josiah did; when he did but hear of the threatenings against his land, it
made him humble himself.

Quest. But here it may be demanded, considering that wicked men do oftentimes
humble themselves, being convinced in their consciences, and thereupon ashamed,

4. How may we know holy from hypocritical humiliation? which is the last thing I
propounded concerning humiliation, namely, the notes and marks whereby we may
know true humiliation from false, which are these.

Ans. 1. First, Holy humiliation is voluntary; for it is a reflected action,
which comes from a man’s self. It ends where it begins. Therefore Josiah is said
to humble himself. But, on the contrary, the humiliation of other men is against
their will. False humiliation is not voluntary, but by force it is extorted from
them. God is fain to break, crush, and deal hardly with them, which they grieve
and murmur at. But the children of God have the Spirit of God, which is a free
Spirit, that sets their hearts at liberty. For God’s Spirit is a working Spirit,
that works upon their hearts, and hereby they willingly humble themselves,
whereas the wicked, wanting this Spirit of God, cannot humble themselves
willingly, but are cast down against their wills. For God can pluck down the
proudest. He can break Pharaoh’s courage, who, though he was humbled, yet he did
not humble himself. A man may be humbled, and yet not humble. But the children
of God are to humble themselves, not that the grace whereby we humble ourselves
is from ourselves; but we are said to humble ourselves, when God doth rule the
parts he hath given us, when he sets our wits and understanding on work to see
our misery, and then our will and affection to work upon these. Thus we are said
to humble ourselves when God works in us. An hypocrite God may humble and work
by him. He may work by graceless persons, but he doth not work in them. But
God’s children have God’s Spirit in them, not only working in* them his own
works, as he doth by hypocrites and sinful persons, but his Spirit works in
them. So that here is the main difference between true humiliation and that
which is counterfeit. The one is voluntary, being a reflected action, to work
upon and to humble ourselves; but the other is a forced humiliation.

2. Again, True humiliation is ever joined with reformation. Humble thyself and
walk with thy God, saith the prophet: Micah 6:8, ’He hath shewed thee, O man,
what he doth require of thee, to humble thyself, and walk with thy God.’ Now the
humiliation of wicked men is never joined with reformation. There is no walking
with God. Josiah reformed himself and his people to outward obedience, as much
as he could, but he had not their hearts at command.

3. Again, Sin must appear bitter to the soul, else we shall never be truly
humbled for it. There is in every renewed soul a secret hatred and loathing of
evil, which manifests the soundness both of true humiliation and reformation,
and is expressed in three things.

(1.) In a serious purpose and resolution not to offend God in the least kind.
The drunkard must purpose to leave his drunkenness, and the swearer resolve
between God and his own heart, to forsake his base courses, and cry mightily
herein for help from above.

(2.) Secondly, There must be a constant endeavour to avoid the occasions and
allurements of sin. Thus Job made a covenant with his eyes, that ’he would not
look upon a maid,’ Job 31:1; and thus every unclean and filthy person should
make a covenant with themselves against the sins which they are most addicted
unto. When they came to serve God, in Hosea, then ’away with idols,’ Hosea 14:8.
So must we, when we look heavenward, cast from us all our sins whatsoever.

(3.) Thirdly, There must be a hatred and loathing of sin in our confessions. We
must confess it with all the circumstances, the time when, and place where. We
must aggravate our offences, as David did: ’Against thee have I sinned, and done
this evil in thy sight;’ Psalms 51:4; and as the apostle: ’I was a blasphemer, I
was a persecutor,’ I was thus and thus. He did not extenuate his sin, and say,
the rulers commanded me so to do; but, ’I persecuted the church’ out of the
wickedness of mine own heart. A true Christian will not hide his sins, but lay
them open, the more to abase himself before God. This aggravating of our sins
will make them more vile unto us, and us more humble in the sight of them. True
reformation of life is ever joined with an indignation of all sin, there is such
a contrariety in the nature of a child of God against all evil.

[1.]* We should therefore first hate sin universally; not one sin, but every
kind of sin, and that most of all which most rules in us, and which is most
prevalent in our own hearts. A sincere Christian hates sin in himself most. We
must not hate that in another which we cherish in ourselves.

[2.] We should hate sin the more, the nearer it comes to us, in our children and
friends, or any other way. It was David’s fault to let Absalom his son go
unreproved in his wicked practices, and Eli for not correcting his sons. We see
what came of it, even their utter overthrow.

[3.] He that truly hates sin will not think much to be admonished and reproved
when he errs. A man that hath a bad plant in his ground, that will eat out the
heart of it, will not hate another that shall discover such an evil to him; so
if any one shall reprove thee for this or that sin, and thou hate him for it, it
is a sign corruption is sweet to thee.

Only this caution must be remembered, reproof must not be given with a proud
spirit, but in a loving, mild manner, with desire of doing good. There is a
great deal of self-love in some men, who, instead of hating sin in themselves
and others, approve and countenance it, especially in great men, flattering them
in their base humours, and fearing lest by telling them the truth they should be
esteemed their enemies.

[4.] Our hatred of sin may be discerned by our willingness to talk of it. He
that hates a snake, or toad, will flee from it; so a man that truly abhors sin,
will not endure to come near the occasions of it. What shall we say then of
those that prostitute themselves to all sinful delights? As hatred of sin is in
our affection, so it will appear in our actions. Those that love to see sin
acted did never as yet truly loathe it.

It is a sign that we do not hate sin when we take not to heart the sins of our
land. ’Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell in the tents of Kedar,’ saith
David; ’mine eyes gush out with tears because men keep not thy law,’ Psalms
120:5. Lot’s soul was vexed at the unclean conversation of the wicked, 2 Peter
2:7. But, alas! how do we come short of this! The greatest number are so far
from mourning for the abominations of the land, that they rather set themselves
against God in a most disobedient manner, and press others to sin against him.
Are magistrates of David’s mind, to labour to cut off all workers of iniquity
from the land? Indeed, for small trifling things they will do a man justice, but
where is the tenderness of God’s glory? Where are those that seek to reform
idolatry, Sabbath-breaking, and profaneness amongst us? Pity it is to see how
many do hold the stirrup to the devil, by giving occasions and encouragements to
others to commit evil. Do we hate sin, when we are like tinder, ready to receive
the least motion to it, as our fashion-mongers, who transform themselves into
every effeminate unbeseeming guise? Shall we say that these men hate sin, which,
when they are reproved for it, labour to defend it or excuse it, counting their
pride but comeliness, their miserable covetousness but thirst, and drunkenness
only good fellowship? To strengthen our indignation against sin the better,
consider,

1. The ugliness thereof, how opposite and distasteful it is to the Almighty, as
appears in Sodom and in the old world. It is that for which God himself hates
his own creature, and for which he will say to the wicked at the day of
judgment, ’Go, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,’ Matthew 25:41. Sin is the
cause of all those diseases and crosses that befall the sons of men. It hath its
rise from the devil, who is the father of it, and whose lusts we do whensoever
we offend God.

There is not the least sin but it is committed against an infinite majesty, yea,
against a good God, to whom we owe ourselves and all that we have, who waits
when you will turn to him and live for ever; but if you despise his goodness,
and continue still to provoke the eyes of his glory, is a terrible and
revengeful* God, and ready every moment to destroy both body and soul in hell.

Sin is the bane of all comfort. That which we love more than our souls undoes
us. It embitters every comfort, and makes that we cannot perform duties with
spiritual life. Our very prayers are abominable to God so long as we live in
known sin. What makes the hour of death and the day of judgment terrible but
this?

2. Again, Grow in the love of God. The more we delight in him, the more we shall
hate whatsoever is contrary to him. In that proportion that we affect God and
his truth we will abhor every evil way, for these go together. Ye that love the
Lord, hate the thing that is ill. The nearer we draw to him, the farther we are
separated from everything below.

3. And to strengthen our indignation against sin, we should drive our affections
another way, and set them upon the right object. A Christian should consider,
Wherefore did God give me this affection of love? Was it to set it on this or
that lust, or any sinful course? Or hath he given me this affection of hatred
that I should envy my brethren, and condemn the good way? No, surely. I ought to
improve every faculty of my soul to the glory of the giver, by loving that which
he loves, and hating that which he hates. God’s truth, his ways, and children,
are objects worthy our love, and Satan with his deeds of darkness the fittest
subjects of our indignation and hatred.

4. Fourthly, True humiliation proceeds from faith, and is in the faithful not
only when judgment is upon them, but before the judgment comes, which they
foreseeing by faith, do humble themselves. True humiliation quakes at the
threatenings, for the very frowns of a father will terrify a dutiful child. As
Josiah, when he did but hear of the threatenings against the land, he humbled
himself in dust and ashes. ’He rent his clothes.’ So true humiliation doth quake
at the foresight of judgment, but the wicked never humble themselves but when
the judgment is upon them. Carnal people are like men that, hearing
thunder-claps afar off, are never a whit moved; but when it is present over
their heads, then they tremble. So hypocrites care not for judgments afar off;
as now when the church of God is in misery abroad we bless ourselves, and think
all is well. It is no thanks for a man to be humbled when the judgment is upon
him, for so Pharaoh was, who yet, when the judgment was off, then he goes to his
old bias again.

Let us try our humiliation by these signs, whether we can willingly humble
ourselves privately before God, and call ourselves to a reckoning; whether we
add reformation of life to outward humiliation, when our heart doth tell us that
we live in such and such sins; whether our hearts tremble at the threatenings,
when we hear of judgments public or private. What is the ground that may deceive
themselves? They say, if any judgment come upon them, then they will repent, and
cry to God for mercy; and why should I deny myself of my pleasures of sin
before? Oh, this is but a forced humiliation, not from love to God, but love to
thyself. It is not free, therefore thou mayest go to hell with it. Others defer
off their repentance till it be too late. When they have any sickness upon them
they will cry to God for mercy. This is but Ahab’s and Pharaoh’s humiliation. It
is not out of any love to God, but merely forced. It is too late to do it when
God hath seized upon us by any judgment. Do it when he doth threaten, and now he
hath seized upon the parts of the church abroad already; therefore now meet thy
God by repentance.

5. A fifth difference between true humiliation and false is, that with true
humiliation is joined hope, to raise up our souls with some comfort, else it is
a desperation, not a humiliation. The devils do chafe, vex, and fret themselves,
in regard of their desperate estate, because they have no hope. If there be no
hope, it is impossible there should be true and sound humiliation; but true
humiliation doth carry us to God, that what we have taken out of ourselves by
humiliation, we may recover it in God. Therefore humility is such a grace, that
though it make us nothing in ourselves, yet doth it carry us to God, who is all
in all. Humiliation works between God and ourselves, and makes the heart leave
itself, to plant and pitch itself upon God, and looks for comfort and assurance
from him. And where there is not this there is no true humiliation. There is
nothing more profitable in the world than humility, because, though it seem to
have nothing, yet it carrieth the soul to him that fills all in all. Hence it
is, that there is an abasing of ourselves for anything that we have done amiss,
from love to God and love to his people, but yet it is joined with hope. We know
God to be a gracious God unto us, and therefore we humble ourselves, and are
grieved for offending of him.

6. A sixth difference between true humiliation and false is this, That
hypocrites are sorrowful for the judgment that is upon them; but not for that
which is the cause of the judgment, which is sin; but the child of God, he is
humbled for sin, which is the cause of all judgments. As good Josiah, when he
heard read out of Deuteronomy the curses threatened for sin, and comparing the
sins of his people with the sins against which the curses were threatened, he
humbled himself for his sin and the sins of his people. For God’s children know,
if there were no iniquity in them, there should no adversity hurt them; and
therefore they run to the cause, and are humbled for that. Whereas the wicked,
they humble themselves only because of the smart and trouble which they do
endure.

7. The last difference between true humiliation and false is this, that true
humiliation is a thorough humiliation. Therefore it is twice repeated in this
verse, ’thou didst humble thyself before God;’ when thou heardest the words
against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, ’and humbledst thyself
before me.’ It is twice repeated in this verse, and afterward expressed by
’rending of clothes,’ and ’tears.’ It was thorough humiliation. For he dwelt
upon the humbling of his own soul. So that the children of God thoroughly humble
themselves, but the hypocrite, when he doth humble himself, it is not
thoroughly. They count it a light matter. As soon as the judgment is off, they
have forgotten their humiliation, as Pharaoh did. Many will heave a few sighs,
and hang down the head like a bulrush for a time; but it is, like Ephraim’s
morning dew, quickly gone. They have no sound and thorough humiliation. It is
but a mere offer of humiliation. Whereas the children of God, when they begin,
they never cease working upon their own hearts with meditation, until they have
brought their heart to a blessed temper, as we see in David, Ezra, Nehemiah, and
Daniel, how they did humble themselves. But why do God’s children take pains in
humbling themselves?

Partly because it must be done to purpose, else God will not accept it; and
partly because there is a great deal of hardness and pride in the best, and much
ado before a man can be brought for to humble himself. Therefore we must labour
for this. We see what ado there was before Job could be brought to humble
himself. Yet Job must be humbled before there comes ’one of a thousand’ to
comfort him, as Job 33:23. If a man be once thoroughly and truly humbled, he
shall soon have comfort. By these marks we may know true humiliation from an
humiliation counterfeit.

Quest. But here may arise another question, How may we know when we are humbled
enough, or when we are grieved enough?

Ans. To this I answer, 1. That there is not the same measure of humiliation
required in all. For those whom God did pick out for some great work, he doth
more humble them than others, as he did Moses and Paul before he wrought the
great work of converting the Gentiles. So David, before he came to be king, was
a long time humbled.

2. Again, There are others that have been greater sinners, and more openly
wicked in their courses than others, and in them a greater measure of
humiliation is required.

3. Again, There are others that are more tenderly brought up from childhood, who
have often renewed their repentance. These need not to be humbled so much as
others; for humiliation should be proportionable unto the sinful estate of the
soul; which because it differs in divers men, in like manner their humiliation
ought to differ. But to answer the question more directly, we are said to be
humbled enough,

1. First, When we have wrought our souls to a hearty grief that we have offended
God, when we have a perfect and inward hatred of all sin, and when thou dost
shew the truth of thy grief by leaving off thy sinful courses. So that, dost
thou hate and leave thy sinful course? Then thou art sufficiently humbled. Go
away with peace and comfort, thy sins are forgiven thee. Therefore it is not a
slight humiliation that will serve the turn, but our hearts must be wrought unto
a perfect hatred and leaving of all sins; for if this be not, we are not
sufficiently humbled as yet. And when we find ourselves to hate and leave sin in
some measure, then fasten our souls by faith, as much as may be, upon the mercy
of God in Jesus Christ. For the soul hath two eyes, the one to look upon itself
and our vileness, to humble us the more; the other, to fasten upon the mercy of
God in Christ, to raise up our souls. For if the whole soul were fastened upon
its own misery and vileness, then there could not be that humiliation which
ought to be, neither could we serve God with such cheerfulness; therefore we
must have our souls raised up to God’s mercy. Now let us labour for the first,
because the devil is so main an enemy unto it; for he knows well enough, that so
much as we are humble and go out of ourselves to God, and rest upon him, so much
we stand impregnable against his temptations, that he cannot prevail against us;
and so much as we do not trust in God, but upon the creature, so much must we
lie open to his snares. Therefore all his temptations tend to draw us to trust
in the creature, to have a conceit of ourselves, and to draw our hearts from
relying upon God. His first plot is always to make us rest in ourselves.
Therefore let us labour to go out of ourselves, to see a vanity in ourselves,
and a happiness in God, that so going out of ourselves, and relying upon God and
his mercies, we may stand safe against Satan’s temptations.

Use. This should teach us to take heed of such affections as tend directly
contrary to humiliation; for how can it be but that those should be proud, that
hold the doctrine of the Church of Rome, as, first, that we have no original sin
in us, but it is taken away by baptism; that we are able to fulfil the law fully
in this life. This is presumptuous. Whereas Paul cries out after baptism, ’O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death!’ Romans
7:24. Nay, they can do more, namely, works of supererogation, whereby they merit
heaven. How do these blow up the heart of man, and make it swell with pride!
This must needs make men very proud, to think that a man can merit by works.
With such blasphemous opinions they have infected the world, and led captive
millions of souls into hell. Therefore let this be a rule of discerning true
religion; for surely that is true religion which doth make us go out of
ourselves; that takes away all from ourselves and gives all the glory to God;
which makes us to plead for salvation by the mercy of God through the merits of
Christ. But our religion doth teach us thus. Therefore it is the true religion,
and will yield us sound comfort at the last. Thus much for inward humiliation,
the humbling of ourselves, as Josiah did.


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  CHAPTER 4: 3. THE ART OF MOURNING
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THE ART OF MOURNING

SERMON III But because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself
before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the
inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy
clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.—2
Chronicles 34:27. As the waters issuing from the sanctuary, mentioned by the
prophet Ezekiel, grew deeper and deeper; first to the ancles, then to the knees,
and after to the loins, until it came to an overflowing river, so hath it fared
with us in handling of this text; wherein, from tenderness of heart, we have
waded deeper and deeper through the mysteries of humiliation in the inward man,
until at length from thence we are broken forth to the outward expressions of
Josiah’s inward humiliation, his ’rending of his clothes,’ and overflowing
floods of ’tears;’ which sprung partly from his apprehension of ruin at hand, to
come upon God’s sanctuary, and partly from the sorrow and sense of sin in
himself and the people, as causes of his fear. But to come to the text now read
in your hearing, ’And didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me,’ here we have
set down the outward expression of Josiah’s inward humiliation. For true
humiliation shews itself as well outwardly as inwardly. Now, the outward
expression of his inward affection is set down in two things:

1. By rending of his clothes; 2. By his weeping. No doubt but he did express his
sorrow as well by words as by these gestures, although they be not here set down
with the other; for he might for the time be surprised with so great a measure
of sorrow and grief, as could not be expressed presently at that instant, or we
may conceive that for the time he was so thoroughly humbled, that he could not
speak orderly. Wherefore God did regard and look more to his affections and
tears than to his words, for he rent his clothes and wept before God. As it is
written of the poor publican, that he could not say much, and looked down with
his eyes, saying, ’Lord, be merciful to me a sinner,’ Luke 18:13; and as it was
with the poor woman in the gospel who came to Christ weeping, and washed his
feet with her tears, yet she said nothing, Luke 7:38; and as when Christ, upon
the cock’s third crowing, looked upon Peter, we find not what he said, but that
he went out and wept bitterly, Luke 22:61-62; so here, we may imagine Josiah’s
affection was too full of sorrow to speak distinctly and composedly; for from a
troubled soul can proceed nothing but troubled words; from a broken heart comes
broken language. But howsoever, likely it is that Josiah did speak somewhat; for
God saith, ’I have even also heard thee.’ But to leave this and come to the
outward expressions here set down, let us learn somewhat from his rending of his
clothes and weeping.

’Rending of clothes’ was a thing frequently used in old times, as we see in the
Scriptures; and it was a visible representation of the inward sorrow of the
heart. Job rent his clothes, Job 1:20; his friends rent their clothes, Job 2:12;
Paul and Barnabas rent theirs, Acts 14:14; the high priest rent his clothes,
being to accuse Christ, Mark 14:63; and Hezekiah rent his clothes when he heard
the words of Rabshakeh, Isaiah 37:1. Nay, this was a common action, and
frequently used among the heathen also; for they likewise, upon any disastrous
accident, were used to rend their clothes; as we read of a heathen king, that
having his city invaded round about with enemies, rent his clothes.* So that it
hath been the custom both of God’s church and also of heathen, to rend their
clothes. But what is the ground or reason of this? The reason of such their
rending of clothes was, because that in their sorrow they thought themselves
unworthy to wear any. They forgat all the comforts of this life; as holy Josiah
forgets his estate, his throne, his royal majesty, and crown. He looks up to the
great God, and considers duly whom he stood under, and the miserable estate of
the people, over whom he was governor; and thereupon he rends his clothes,
shewing hereby that he was unworthy of those ornaments wherewith he was covered.
We know that clothes have divers uses; as, 1. First, For necessity, to cover our
nakedness, and to preserve from the injuries of the weather.

2. Secondly, Clothes are given for distinction of sexes and degrees: to know the
great man from the mean, the woman from the man.

3. And lastly, They serve for ornaments to honour our vile flesh, which is so
base that it must fetch ornaments from base creatures. Now, so far as they
served for ornaments, he rent his clothes, as thinking himself unworthy of any
garments; for he being in grief doth rend his clothes, thinking with himself,
why should I stand upon clothes and outward things to cover me? God is angry.
Till he be appeased I will take no pleasure in any earthly thing. Therefore,
apprehending the wrath of God, he rent his clothes. Well, this is but an outward
expression, and therefore it must proceed from inward truth. This rending of
clothes was a national ceremony, which seeing we have not used amongst us, we
must rend our hearts with grief. For the rending of clothes shews the rending of
the heart before, without which there is no acceptance with God; for the rending
of the clothes without the rending of the heart is but hypocrisy; as Joel 2:13,
he says, ’Rend your hearts, and not your garments, ye hypocrites.’ So that
outward expressions of sorrow are no further good, than when they come from
inward grief and affection. Now, when both these are joined together it is a
comely thing; for wherein stands comeliness but when all the parts of our body
do agree in proportion, when one limb is not bigger than another? So it is
uncomely and an hypocritical thing for a man to have all outward expression and
yet to have no inward grief. This is but acting of humiliation, when we hang
down the head like a bulrush, and the heart is not sound. But outward
expressions are good when the heart is grieved to purpose; when they proceed
from inward humiliation.

Quest. And why ought this to be?

Ans. Because both body and soul have a part in the action of sin. Therefore it
is needful that they should be joined in humiliation for sin. There is no sin of
the body but the soul hath part in it, nor any sin in the soul but the body hath
part in it. Therefore both body and soul should be humbled together. Labour then
to have outward expressions and shows of sorrow come from a true sorrowful
heart. There be two things in the religious actions of men.

1. There is the outward action or expression.

2. There is the inward, which gives life to the other. The outward is easy, and
subject to hypocrisy. It is an easy matter to rend clothes and to force tears,
but it is a hard matter to afflict the soul. The heart of man taketh the easiest
ways, and lets the hardest alone, thinking to please God with that. But God will
not be served so; for he must have the inward affections, or else he doth abhor
the outward actions. Therefore let us as well labour for humble hearts as humble
gestures. We must rend our hearts and not our clothes, when we come into the
presence of God. We must labour, as to shew humility, so to have humility, that
so we be not like hypocrites, who make show of a great deal of devotion in
carriage, but yet have none in heart; a great deal of outward humiliation,
whenas they have none within. The papists are wicked and erroneous in all their
devotions, especially in the point of justification, and in other points of the
worship of God; for is it not a superstitious error, to think to please God with
outward observations, when they do not come from inward truth? Their religion is
all an outside, consisting merely of outward performances. But true devotion,
the Scripture teacheth, cometh from a heart judicially understanding the case of
its own self; considering what a great God it hath to deal withal, a God full of
glory and majesty. Doth God love blind sacrifices? No. Devotion must come from
the heart, and spread itself from thence into the countenance and carriage. For
then it is true, when the outward expression doth shew the inward disposition.

Use. This reproves the negligence of people in these times. Where is their
inward humiliation? Nay, where is their outward humiliation? In popery, there is
an acting of humiliation. They whip themselves in their bodies, and other such
outward fooleries and gestures they have in their hypocritical devotions. Thus
do they in some sort humble themselves. But how few are there amongst us that
humble themselves in apprehension of their own misery, who yet, if they look to
their own persons, have cause enough! Yea, and how few are there that are
humbled for the miseries of the church abroad! Where shall we find a mourning
soul?

Well, seeing it is not a custom amongst us to rend our clothes, yet let us make
conscience of being proud in apparel; for it is a wicked and a fearful thing
when men will regard some wicked and foolish fashion, and set more by it than by
God’s favour, threatenings, and judgments abroad. Many there are that, instead
of rending their clothes, come into God’s house to shew their bravery; to see
and to be seen. Where they should most of all humble themselves, there they come
to shew their pride, even before God. Whereas they should come to hear the voice
of the great God of heaven, and stand in his presence, who is a ’consuming
fire.’ Before whom the very angels cover their faces and the earth trembles,
they, contrariwise, come to outface and provoke him with their pride. We see
Josiah, though he were a king, he rent his clothes, forgot all his bravery, and
considers himself not so much a king over the people, over whom God had set him,
as a subject to God. Wherefore, though, as I said, the custom of rending of
clothes be not used in our church, yet let us ever make conscience of rending
our hearts, and so to make our peace with God, as this good king did. It
follows;—

’And weptest before me.’ In which words is set down the second outward
expression of Josiah’s inward humiliation, which is ’weeping.’ This came nearer
to him than rending of clothes, for it touched his body. Hence, in a word,
observe,

Doct. 1. That the body and soul must join together in the action of humiliation,
for the soul and body go together in the acting of sin, therefore they must go
together in humiliation. As they were both made by God, and redeemed by Christ,
so they sin and practise good together. Now I will shew three ways wherein the
soul and body have communion one with another, whereby it may appear how
reasonable and fitting a thing it is they should be both humbled together.

1. First, The soul and body have communion together by way of impression or
information; for sensible things have an impression upon the senses, and so come
into the soul; for nothing comes into it but through the senses of the body;
because, though the soul may imagine golden mountains, and things that it never
saw, yet the working of the soul depends upon the body, for the body informs it
of all outward objects. As the body is beholding to the soul for the ruling and
guiding of it, so the soul is beholding to the body for many things; as now in
the very sacrament, God helps the soul with the senses; Christ, as it were, in
the sacrament enters through the senses more lively than in the preaching of the
word, for there he enters in by the ears, but in the sacrament he is seen,
tasted, handled, felt. So that the soul and body have communion together by way
of information.

2. Secondly, The soul and body have communion together by way of temptation; for
the soul standing in need of many outward things which are pleasing and
delightful, and having sympathy with the body, it is led away by the body.
Outward objects are pleasing to the senses of carnal men. Now these passing
through the senses into the soul, it is led away, and so they become a dangerous
temptation.

3. Thirdly, The soul and the body have communion together, both in sinful and in
good actions, by way of subjection or execution; for God hath made the body,
with the parts thereof, to be the instruments and weapons of the soul. The body
is a house wherein the soul is kept. It is a shop for the soul. Now the soul
useth the body, with the members thereof, as instruments or weapons, either to
honour God or dishonour him. The wicked fight against God with all the members
of their body, with their eyes, tongue, feet, hands. Now the body having thus a
part in sin, as well as the soul, therefore it is necessary that the body and
soul should join together in humiliation.

Caution. Here we must take heed of a notable sleight of the devil in popery. The
papists think the body only in fault for sin, and therefore they humble and
afflict their bodies for it, while they puff up their soul with pride, a conceit
of merit and satisfaction. They are falsely humble and truly proud, while they
afflict the body and omit the soul. They are falsely humbled, because they
humble their body only; but truly proud, because they think by afflicting and
humbling their bodies to merit. But let us take heed of this gross error, and
remember to let both soul and body join in the work.

Doct. 2. The second thing here to be noted is, that when God will afflict or
humble a man, it is not a kingdom that will save him. As Josiah, though he were
a monarch,—for he was an absolute monarch,—yet if God threaten, his kingdom can
do him no good. If God will abase men, whether they be his children or enemies,
it is not a kingdom can protect them. When God shewed Belshazzar the handwriting
upon the wall, he could take no comfort in anything, Daniel 5:5; yea, his dear
children, if he shew but tokens of his displeasure against them, though they be
kings, as Josiah was, yet he can humble them. If God roar, it is not their
greatness can keep them; if not now, yet he will make them to tremble hereafter.

Doct. 3. The third thing here that we learn from the example of Josiah, being a
king, is, That tears and mourning for sin, when it comes from inward grief, is a
temper well befitting any man. It is a carriage befitting a king. It is not
unbeseeming any, of what sex or degree soever. It is no womanish or base thing.
When one hath to deal with God, he must forget his estate and take the best way
to meet with God. This is evident by many instances, for David, though a man of
war, yet when he had to deal with God he watered his couch with his tears,
Psalms 6:6. So Hezekiah, though a great king, yet he humbled himself, Isaiah
38:1, seq. Nay, our blessed Saviour himself did it ’with strong cries and
tears,’ Hebrews 5:7, when he had to deal with God.

Use. This serves for the justification of this holy abasement and humbling of
ourselves. When we have to deal with God, then all abasement is little enough.
’I will be yet more vile than thus,’ saith holy David, 2 Samuel 6:22. So let us
say when we have to deal with God; I will be yet more vile, and so cast
ourselves down before the Lord. All expression of devotion is little enough, so
it be without hypocrisy. Yet I pray give me leave once again to give warning
unto you concerning outward actions, for most have conceived wrong of devotion
and humiliation. They think that devotion is only in outward actions; as in
outward act to hear a little, to read, confer, or pray a little, whereas in
truth these outward acts do only make up the body of devotion, which, without
the soul, namely, the inward religious affection, looking unto God, is no better
than a dead carrion. Our outward expression must come from the apprehension of
the goodness, mercy, and justice of God, before whom the very angels veil their
faces. It is not outward devotion that will serve the turn, as to come to the
church with this bare conceit and forethought; I will go pray, and kneel, and
express all outward carriage, in the meantime neglecting to stir up the soul to
worship God with these or like thoughts; I will go to the place where God is,
where his truth is, where his angels are, to hear that word whereby I shall be
judged at the last day. Therefore let all holy actions come from within first,
and thence to the outward man. Let us work upon our hearts a consideration of
the goodness, justice, majesty, and mercy of God, and then let there be an
expression in body, such as may bring men off from their sins; for else there is
a spirit of superstition that will draw men far from God in seeming services,
conceiving that God will accept of outward and formal expressions only. Well, we
see that weeping and mourning for sins is a carriage not unbeseeming for a king.
Therefore it is a desperate madness not to humble ourselves and be abased, now
we have to deal with God. Your desperate atheists of the world will not tremble
at threatenings, nor humble themselves till death comes, which humbles them and
makes them tremble; whereas, on the contrary, that soul which, feeling the wrath
of God, humbles itself betimes, and trembles at threatenings, that soul, I
say,—when the great judgment of death comes, and appearance before God,—looks
death in the face with comfort; whereas your desperate atheists, that can now
scorn God, swear at every word, and blaspheme God to his face; let God but shew
his displeasure, they tremble and quake upon any noise of fear. Therefore when
we have to deal with God, it is wisdom, and the ground of all courage, to humble
and abase ourselves with fear, as Josiah did although he were a king.

’And thou didst weep before me.’ His tender heart did melt itself into tears. In
the first clause of the verse you have his tender heart set down, and here we
have the melting of the tender heart. There we have the cloud, here we have the
shower. Therefore I will speak something of the original of tears. We know that
tears are strained from the inward parts, through the eyes; for the
understanding first conceiveth cause of grief upon the heart, after which the
heart sends up matter of grief to the brain, and the brain being of a cold
nature, doth distil it down into tears; so that if the grief be sharp and
piercing, there will follow tears after from most. But to come to the
particulars; we see the provoking cause of tears, from without, in Josiah, was
the danger of his kingdom, hearing the judgment of God threatened against his
country and place. Whence, for the instruction of magistrates, I will enforce
this point.

Doct. 4. That it concerns magistrates above all others, to take to heart any
danger whatsoever, that is upon their people; for as kings are set above all
other people in place, so they should be above them in goodness and grace. They
ought, above all others, to take to heart any judgment, either upon them
already, or feared; as good Josiah did, whom, while he looked not so much to
himself and his own good, as to that state whereof he was king, the very
threatenings of judgment against it, made to express his grief with tears. The
bond that knits the king to the people, and the people to the king, requires
this; for kings are heads, and shepherds over the people. Now the shepherd
watcheth over his flock; the head is quickly sensible of any hurt of the body;
all the senses are provident for the body. So it should be with all great
persons in authority. They should cherish the good estate of the subjects as
their own; for they are committed to their care. And even as the head doth care
for the body, and forecast for it, so those that are in authority should
forecast for any good to the body of the commonwealth. An excellent example of
this we have in holy David; who, when there was a judgment coming upon his
people, Lord, saith he, let the judgment come upon me and my father’s house;
what have these sheep done?’ 2 Samuel 24:17. And surely such magistrates as are
tenderly affected with the case of those under them, shall lose nothing by it;
for the people likewise will carry a tender affection towards them again. As we
see, when the people went to fight against Absalom, they would not let David go
with them, but they said to him, ’Thou art worth ten thousand of us,’ 2 Samuel
18:3; that is, they had rather that ten thousand of them should die in the
battle, than that David should have any hurt come to him; so he lost nothing for
his love and affection towards the people, for they shewed the like love to him
in his distress. So likewise when Josiah was dead, the people wept largely for
him (for with him perished all the glory of that flourishing kingdom), as we may
read in the story, 2 Chronicles 35:24-25, compared with Zechariah 12:11. They
mourned for him with an exceeding great mourning, in Hadadrimmon, in the valley
of Megiddo. So that there is no love lost between the magistrate and the people;
for if the magistrate be tenderly affected to them, the people will likewise
weep for him again, and lament his case in his distress. But now to come to a
more general instruction, we will leave speaking of Josiah as king, and take him
into consideration as an holy man, and make him a pattern unto us all, of
whatsoever civil condition we be; and so we learn this point,

Doct. 5. That it is the duty of every Christian to take to heart the
threatenings of God against the place and people where he doth live; to take to
heart the afflictions and miseries of the church and commonwealth, the
grievances of others as well as his own. The mourning and weeping of Josiah was
for the estate of the church, when he heard the judgment threatened against the
place and inhabitants thereof. There be tears of compassion for ourselves and
for others. There were both of them in Josiah; for no doubt but he wept for
himself and his own sins, and over and above his own had special tears of
compassion for his people. Thus then it becomes a Christian that will have the
reward of Josiah, to abase his heart as he did for the estate of the church.
Good Nehemiah took to heart the grief of his country. The joy of his own
preferment did not so much glad him, as the grief for his nation the Jews cast
him down. What joy can a true heart have, now the church of God is in
affliction? We are all of one house. When one part of the house is a-fire, the
other part had need to look to itself. There were many things wrought upon the
heart of Josiah, which caused him to weep; so there are many causes should move
us, as the seeing of the sins that are committed in the land ought to make us
grieve, and to express our grief one way or other. And the love of Christ, were
it in us, would make us mourn; as when we hear God blasphemed, and his name
dishonoured, and when we see the people bent to idolatry; how can this but break
even a heart of stone, nay, a gracious heart will mourn and weep for the
judgment of God upon wicked men, considering them as men, and as the creatures
of God. Thus Christ wept for the wicked Jews in Jerusalem, though they were his
enemies: ’O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,’ &c., Luke 19:41; and so good Jeremiah, though
he were ill used, and exceedingly abused by the people, yet he saith, ’Oh that
my head were water, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and
night for them,’ Jeremiah 9:1. Though they had wronged, persecuted, and counted
him a contentious fellow, only because he taught the truth of God; yet such was
the affection of tender-hearted Jeremiah, that he desired that he might weep day
and night for them. But continual weeping must have a lasting spring affording
continual issues of tears, which Jeremiah not finding in himself (such is the
dryness of every man’s heart, that it is soon emptied of tears), and thereupon
fearing he should not weep enough, he doth earnestly desire it, and if hearty
wishes may obtain, he would have it to be supplied with a plentiful measure of
tears in his lamentation for the ensuing calamity of his people: ’O that mine
head were a well of water, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep
day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!’

Quest. But why did not Jeremiah rather pray that they had a fountain of tears to
weep for themselves?

Ans. Because he, knowing the hardness of their hearts, thought it to no end to
entreat them to weep for themselves. Their hearts were harder than the nether
millstone. They never desired it, yet he weeps for them. Thus we see how godly
men have been formerly affected, and [that] it is our duty even to weep and
mourn for the very wicked. We have matter enough of lamentation and weepings at
this day, if we look abroad; and at home, if we look to judgments felt and
feared, we have cause to weep, before the decree come out against us. Therefore
we should meet God beforehand. It is no thank for a man to be humbled when the
judgment is come upon him; but when we can weep before the judgment is come, it
is a sign of faith. Happy were we if faith could make us do that which sense
makes wicked men to do. If the believing of the judgment before it come would
make us seek unto God, Oh how God would love such a one! This should teach us
every one to mourn; and indeed a Christian soul cannot but do it, and that for
divers reasons.

1. First, Because of that sympathy between the Head and the members. A Christian
hath the spirit of Christ, who takes to heart the miseries of the church. Now,
can that spirit of Christ be in any, and he not affected as Christ in heaven is
affected? Surely no.

2. Again, It must needs be so in regard of the communion which is between the
members of the body. We are all a part of one mystical body, whereof Christ is
the head. What member can he be of this body that doth not take to heart the
miseries of the other members? There is want of life where there is no sense of
misery.

3. Thirdly, Where there is true grace there will be weeping and mourning for the
church, in regard of the insolency of the church’s enemies and their blasphemous
speeches. Where is now their God? their religion? What is now become of their
Reformation? What child can hear the reproach and dishonour of God his Father
without bowels of compassion?

4. Again, A gracious man will weep in regard of the danger of not mourning; for
by not mourning we have a kind of guilt lying upon us, for we make the sins and
miseries of the church our own, as Paul tells the Corinthians, reproving them
for not mourning, 1 Corinthians 5:2. Therefore as we are a part of the body, so
we must have a part of the shame and grief. Again, God hath promised to mark and
single out all those that mourn for the sins of the time; therefore, on the
contrary, those that do not mourn are in a dangerous estate, Ezekiel 9:4.

5. Again, We must add reformation unto lamentation, else the whole church and
commonwealth is in danger. If Achan be not sought out and punished, the whole
state is in danger, and lies open to the wrath of God. For these reasons we
ought to take to heart the sins and miseries of the times; for the Spirit of God
is in every Christian, that will not suffer him otherwise to be, than to weep
and mourn for his own sins, and for the sins and miseries of others.

Use 1. If this be so, what will become of those that take not to heart nor mourn
for the miseries of the church? that judge not aright of the poor, but censure
the judgment of the afflicted, add affliction to the afflicted and misery to the
miserable? What shall we say to those that are so far from helping God, that
they help the enemies of God, and are grieved at the heart to hear any cause of
comfort on the church’s part? whose hearts it doth joy to hear of any overthrow
on the church’s side? Such false hearts there are, and many that are glad of the
sins of others, thinking thereby to hide their own wicked courses. These men are
far from mourning. Let our souls also be far from entering into their secrets.

Use 2. If this be so, that holy men ought to take to heart and weep for the
judgments of the commonwealth, both felt and feared, and also for the judgment
of God upon the churches abroad, then Quest. How may we get this weeping and
mourning for others? I answer,

Ans. 1. First, Remove the impediments that hinder; as, first, a hard and stony
heart, which is opposite to tenderness. Josiah had a melting heart, and
therefore it was soon dissolved into tears. Our hearts are worse than brass or
stone, for workmen can work upon them; but nothing will work upon the hard heart
of man. All the judgments in the world will not work upon it; for all the
Israelites saw the judgments of God in Egypt, and all his mercies and blessings
unto them in the wilderness, yet it would not work upon them, because they had
hard hearts. Therefore let us get a good spring of tears, that is, a soft and
tender heart, and let us beg it of God, for it is his promise to give us tender
hearts; and then there will be an easy expression of it in the outward man.

2. The second, Let us beware of the love of earthly things, and get a heart
truly loving towards God; for love is compared to fire; and fire, among many
other properties it hath, melts the gold, and makes it pliable. Heat is the
organ of the soul, whereby it doth anything, and the instrument of nature. So
spiritual heat, a warm soul, warmed with the love of God and of our Christian
brethren, will make the heart pliable, and melt into tears. Therefore get a
loving heart, filled with love to God and Christian brethren, that we may
mortify self-love, which dries up the soul. There can be no melting in such a
self-loved soul. Let us therefore labour for spiritual love, to cross and subdue
carnal self-love. It is this blessed heat that must send forth this heavenly
water of tears; it is the spirit of love that must yield this distillation from
the broken heart; this works all heavenly affection in us. Therefore Christ
compriseth all the commandments under love. And indeed that is all.

3. Thirdly, If we would have our souls fit to grieve, let us be content to see
as much as we can, with our own eyes, the miseries of others. The best way to
weep is to enter into the house of mourning, and set before our eyes the
afflictions of others. The very sight of misery is a means to make the soul
weep. And let us be willing to hear that which we cannot see; as Nehemiah was
content to hear, nay, to inquire, concerning the church abroad; and when he
heard that it was not well with them, it made him weep. Every man will cry, What
news? But where is the man, when he hears of the news beyond the seas, that
sends up sighs to God? prayer, that he would take pity upon his church? It is a
good way to use our senses, to help our souls to grieve.

4. Again, Let us read [of] the estate of God’s church, what it hath been from
the beginning of the world; what miseries God’s children have endured in former
ages by reason of war and the like, that so we may work grief upon our own
hearts. We have always matter of grief while we are in this world; if we look
abroad, we shall find matter of mourning. And I surely we should labour to mourn
if we desire to be blessed. For ’blessed are they that mourn: they shall be
comforted,’ Matthew 5:4.

5. Fifthly, That we may get this weeping and mourning, let us work this tender
affection upon our own hearts. The soul hath a facutly to work upon itself.
Therefore let us shame ourselves for our own deadness, dryness, and spiritual
barrenness this way, that we can yield no sighs, no tears for God, for his
church and glory. Let us reason thus with our souls: If I should lose my wife,
or child, or my estate, this naughty heart of mine would weep and be grieved;
but now there is greater cause of mourning for myself and the church of God, and
yet I cannot grieve. Augustine saith he could weep for her that killed herself
out of love to him, but he could not weep for his own want of love to God.* We
have many that will weep for the loss of friends, wealth, and such like things,
but let them lose God’s favour, be in such an estate there is but one step
between them and hell, they are never grieved nor moved at it. Therefore, seeing
they do not weep for themselves, let us weep for them. Can we weep when we see a
man hurt in his body, and ought we not much more for the danger of his soul?
Therefore let us work this sorrow upon our hearts. Now, we are to receive the
sacrament, which is a feast, and therefore must be eaten cheerfully. The
passover was a banquet, and therefore to be eaten with joy, but withal it was
used to be eaten with sour herbs. So must it be in this blessed banquet which
God hath provided for our souls. There must be sorrow as well as joy. It is a
mixed action, and therefore it must be eaten with sour herbs, presenting to the
eyes of our mind the object of the old Adam; thinking upon the vileness of our
nature, that have such filthy speeches, disobedient actions, such rebellious
thoughts in us. Great need have I of the mercy and favour of God to look upon
such a defiled soul as I am. And also, having in the eyes of our soul Christ
crucified, look upon Christ, which is crucified in the sacrament, sacramentally.
What was that which broke the body of Christ? Was it not sin? That sin which I
so often cherish, this pride, this envy, unbelief, and hypocrisy, this
covetousness of mind was that which put Christ into such torment. It was not the
nails, but my sins. The sacrament must work upon our hearts so as to work grief
in us. We must weep as the people did for Josiah, according as God hath promised
we should do. It is said, Zechariah 12:10, ’They shall look on him whom they
have pierced by their sins, and weep and mourn for him as one that mourneth for
his only son.’ So then, the sacrament is not only a matter of joy and thanks,
but a matter of sorrow. Therefore, if we would joy in the sacrament, let us
first be humbled for sin, and then joy in it afterwards.

Obj. But here it might be objected, Are we not bid for to rejoice always? and
always to be thankful? 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Then how can these agree? for
weeping and mourning are contrary to thanksgiving and joy.

Ans. To this I answer, that the estate of a Christian in this life is a mixed
estate, both inward and outward; his outward estate and the inward disposition
of the soul is mixed. Therefore, having this mixed estate, our carriage must
[be] answerable; as we have always cause of mourning and rejoicing both from
that in us and from without us, therefore a Christian ought to rejoice always,
and in some measure to mourn always. As, for example, A Christian hath cause of
mourning within him when he looks upon his sinful nature and the sins which he
doth daily commit, yet notwithstanding, at the same time, there is cause of joy,
and great reason to bless God, when he considers that God hath pardoned his sins
in Christ. Thus the apostle did, Romans 7:24; when he looked upon himself and
his own vileness, he cries out, ’O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me
from this body of death!’ yet for all this, at the same time he rejoiceth and
blesseth God: ’I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord, who hath freed me from
the law of sin and of death.’ Thus, you see, we have always in respect of
ourselves both cause of joy and mourning, therefore we must do both. So have we
in like manner continual causes both of joy and sorrow from without us, if we
look to the church of God: of joy, in regard there is a God in heaven who hath
an eye to his church, who pitieth it and tendereth* it as the apple of his eye;
that takes to heart the afflictions of it; that will be glorious in the midst of
the troubles of his people, by upholding, comforting, and turning all to the
best for them;—of sorrow also, in respect of the miseries under which the church
of God doth groan, of which we are bound to take notice, and so to weep with
them that weep, Isaiah 22:12; Amos 6:6; Romans 12:15. You see the rare mixture
of joy and sorrow in a Christian, whereby he is made capable of this great
privilege, as neither to be swallowed up of grief, because that his sorrow
proceeds from a heart where there is cause of joy, nor to lose himself in
excessive joy, because he always sees in himself cause of sorrow. Now, as it is
to be seen in other mixtures that there is not at all times an equal quantity or
portion of each particular thing to be mingled, but now more of the one, and at
another time more of the other, according as the cause doth vary, so is it in
this mixture of joy and sorrow for ourselves and for others; sometimes joy must
abound with the causes of it, and sometimes sorrow with its causes doth
superabound. It will be worth our inquiry, therefore, to know when to joy most,
and when to weep most, which we shall know by God’s call in outward occasions,
and by the spirit of discretion within us, which will guide us. For God hath
given his children a spirit of discretion, that will teach them when to joy and
when to weep most. As God calls to mourning now in these times that the church
of God is in misery, as he calls for sighs for the afflictions of Joseph, so the
spirit of discretion within us doth tell us what to do.

Quest. Yet here may be a question, How shall we know when to cease and leave off
mourning? for the soul is a finite thing, and cannot dwell upon one action
always, because it hath many things to do; and therefore it cannot always mourn
nor always rejoice.

Ans. To this I answer. that we have mourned enough, and discharged our duty
sufficiently therein, when we have overcome our hearts, and brought them to a
temper of mourning, and have complained before God, spread the ill of the times
before him, and entreated pity from him, having poured out ourselves in prayer,
though short, yet effectual. When we have this done, then we have discharged our
duty in mourning, and may turn to other occasions as God doth require of us; for
when we have mourned and wept, then we must look upon causes of rejoicing and
thanksgiving. We must always remember so to mourn and weep that yet
notwithstanding, looking upon God’s blessing upon us both in kingdom, state, and
our own particular persons, we may be excited to thankfulness; for we must not
always be sullen, looking upon the evil, but casting our eyes upon the good
things we do enjoy, we must provoke ourselves to be thankful. Even as men that
have their eyes dazzled will look upon some green colour to recover their sight
again, so when we have wrought upon our souls and brought them to mourn, then to
help and raise them up, we ought to look upon causes of joy and thankfulness. We
have cause of thankfulness when we consider that many churches in France and
other places are invaded by enemies, oppressed with cruelty, and deprived of
liberty, while yet we enjoy the liberty and free passage of the gospel, being
freed from the destruction of war and pestilence, which devoureth so many that
it makes the land to mourn. He continueth to us liberty to hear the word, and
gives us many blessings which others have not. Nay, we have cause to bless God
for freeing us from that terriblest judgment of all judgments,—which makes both
church and commonwealth to mourn,—because he doth not suffer us to fall into the
hands of man, but takes us into his own hand to correct. It is God’s infinite
mercy that he doth not humble us by our enemies, but takes us into his own hand.
Therefore let us not provoke him, lest he give us up to the hands of our
merciless enemies, which is a terrible judgment. We had better an hundred times
meet him by repentance, and cast ourselves into his hands, for then we have only
to deal with a merciful God; but when we are to deal with merciless men that
scorn the gospel, then we have both God and them to deal with, which doubles our
affection.

Therefore let us mourn, seeing we have cause, for ourselves and the estates of
others; but yet let us be thankful, for if we would be more thankful for God’s
benefits, we should have them longer continued. For, as prayer begs blessings,
so thanksgiving continues them. As the best way to obtain good things is prayer
and mourning, so the best way to preserve them is thanksgiving and rejoicing.
So, then, we have plainly seen that Christians should not always be dumpish and
look sourly, but they must as well rejoice and be thankful, as mourn and weep.

Quest. 1. But here, ere I proceed, I must answer some cases of conscience. As,
first, What shall we say to those souls that cannot weep for the sins and
miseries of the church, and therefore complain for the want of it?

Secondly, What shall we say to that soul that can weep, but more for outward
than for spiritual things?

Song of Solomon 1. To the first I answer briefly, that we must not speak
friar-like of tears, and never know from whence they come. But when we speak of
weeping, we must always understand that tears are no further good than when they
spring from sorrow and love within, than when they proceed from inward hatred to
sin, and from fear and love to the church of God. If this be in a man, the
matter is not much for tears. There may be weeping without true sorrow, as there
was in Esau for the blessing, Genesis 27:38; and so the Jews, they could weep
and howl upon their beds when there was a famine, yet there was no sound sorrow
in them.

And, on the contrary, there may be true sorrow without weeping, yea, and such
may it be that there can be no weeping, because their sorrow may be so great
that it is rather an astonishment than a weeping. In a fresh wound in the body,
at the first there is not such pain felt nor the blood seen, because the part is
astonied only; so the soul for a time may be in such an astonishment and grief
that there may be no expression of tears. Again, the soul doth follow the
temperature of the body. Some are of a more easy constitution to shed tears than
others, so that there may be more grief where there are fewest tears. But to
come to the question more directly, we ought to think our estates not so good as
they should be, if we cannot at one time or other weep for the sins and miseries
of the church. If we can shed tears for outward things at one time or other, and
cannot weep for spiritual, it is a bad sign; for certainly, one time or other
ordinarily God’s children express their sorrow for their sins, and the estate of
the church, by tears. They either have tears for spiritual respects, or else
they mourn that they cannot mourn, grieve that they cannot grieve, and desire
that they might mourn and that they could weep. They wish with Jeremiah that
their head were a fountain of tears, they wish they might have their bodies to
answer the intent of their soul, that so they might largely express outwardly
their inward grief. As Jeremiah feared he should not have tears enough,
therefore wished that his head were a fountain of tears, so they desire, Oh that
I could mourn, and that I could weep!

Song of Solomon 2. But what shall we say to those that can weep for other
things? Shall they be condemned for hypocrites?

1. I answer, No; for a torrent may run faster for the present than a continual
current; so on the sudden there may be tears and grief for outward things, but
yet grief for sin is more because of the continuance thereof. For sin is a
continual cause of sorrow. Whereas sorrow for outward things is but on a sudden,
as it was in David when he cried, ’Oh my son Absalom, my son Absalom!’ 2 Samuel
18:33. What ado is here on the sudden for Absalom! but yet he wept for his sins
more, because that was a continual grief. So in a Christian, there may be some
sudden passion, when he may seem to weep and grieve most for outward things, but
yet his grief for sin and the misery of the church is more, because it is a
continual grief.

2. Again, Spiritual grief comes from spiritual causes. Tears for sin, and for
the church of God, do issue merely from spiritual grounds; whereas in natural
grief for outward things, we have both the Spirit and nature that make us
grieve. Now when both these meet together, they carry the soul strongly, as in a
stream. So that there must needs be more tears and grief for outward things. As
when the windows of heaven were opened from above, and the foundations below
were broken up, there must needs follow a great flood, Genesis 7:11; so when we
have the Spirit from above, and our nature below, there must of necessity be a
great grief for outward things. But yet in these cases, little of spiritual
sorrow is better than a great deal of natural, for spiritual grief fats the
soul. As the river Nile runs through Egypt, and fats the land, so this heavenly
water of tears and grief fattens the soul, and makes it fit for all holy
services. They are both good, but one less than the other. Natural grief is
allowable, which if a man have not, he is in a reprobate sense; for the apostle
reckons this up as a great sin, that in the latter days men should be without
natural affection. So then we see, that for this reason also there may be a
great store of grief and tears for outward things.

3. Again, Let them that grieve that they cannot more grieve, know and comfort
themselves, that they have the Spirit of God within them, which is an
everlasting spring that will in time overcome all carnal and worldly respects
whatsoever, and make the heart in a fit temper of weeping and grieving for
spiritual respects.

Use. Well, if this be thus, what shall we think of the jovial people of the
world, who are so far from this sorrow, that—when a man shall come and ask them
when they wept for their sins, when they did ever mourn and send up sighs to God
for their swearing, lying, profanation of God’s Sabbath, for the wrong they have
done to others, or for any of their sins—the time was never yet wherein they
ever shed a tear for sin, or had a sigh, groan, or mourning for sin? In what
estate are we born in? All children of wrath, and heirs of damnation. But when
got you out of this state? You have over lived in jollity. Therefore as yet you
are as you were born, a child of wrath. Do ye think to reap, and never sow? to
reap in joy, and never sow in tears? God puts all his children’s tears in a
bottle; but thou sparest God a labour, because thou never weepest. There are a
company that engross all jollity and mirth, as if they had no cause to weep,
whose language yet when any man hears, and observes their courses and living in
gross sins, he may quickly judge that they of all others have most cause to
weep, though there be none more free from mourning, and though they seem to be
the only men of the world. But I say to such, go weep, howl, and lament for your
sins; for your peace is not yet made with God. Therefore never rest till thou
hast got an assurance from heaven that thy sins are forgiven thee. Many people
are angry because ministers tell them of this, but surely we must be damned if
we do not.

Therefore, as any would hope for comfort, and have God to wipe away their tears
from them in another world, let them work upon their hearts here, to shed tears
for their own sins first, and then for the sins of the time; for their own
first, I say, for a man must first be good in himself before he can be good to
others; and then let their grief extend to their brethren even beyond the seas,
to the forlorn estate of the church there.

Now the last thing that is noted in Josiah’s weeping, is the sincerity of it.
’Thou hast wept before me;’ that is, sincerely, before God. He sinned before
him, and is humbled before him. There is nothing hid from his sight, not only
open sins, but he knows the very thoughts of our hearts: therefore let us weep
before him without hypocrisy. No matter whether the world see it or no; but let
us weep before God, as the prophet saith, Jeremiah 13:17, ’My soul shall weep in
secret for you, and mine eyes shall weep, and drop down tears in the night
season.’ Let us weep in secret before God; for this is without hypocrisy. Now
follows the issue of his weeping and humbling of himself.

’I have even heard thee also,’ saith the Lord. In which words is set down God’s
gracious acceptation of Josiah’s humiliation; which was not without his special
observation. ’For I have even heard thee,’ saith the Lord: so that it seems
Josiah did utter some words of grief, because God saith, ’I have heard it. And
we may the rather think so, because usually God’s children do in their prayers
add words unto their tears, as David and good Hezekiah did. Howsoever then his
prayer was not a distinct prayer of a composed tenor of speech; yet it was a
prayer, because that with these tears he did send up sighs, and groans, and
uttered broken words from a broken heart. There was such a language in his heart
that God did understand, for God understands the language of his own Spirit in
the hearts of his children. The Spirit knows what we mean, as Romans 8:26-27.
God hath an ear to hear our desires, our sighs and groans; for tears have the
weight of a voice, they speak for us. Where there is true grief, many times
there cannot come a composed tenor of speech; for a broken heart expresseth
itself more in sighs, groans, and tears, than in words. Though we do not utter
distinct words in a form of prayer, yet he hears our sighs and groans: his ears
are open to the cries of his children. So we learn from hence, for our comfort
against all Satan’s temptations,

Doct. 6. That God takes a particular notice, and understands the prayers we make
unto him: he hears the groans of his children. So David saith, ’My groaning is
not hid from thee,’ Psalms 38:9. So the prophet says, Psalms 145:18-19, ’He will
fulfil the desire of them that hear* him; he will also hear their cry, and will
save them;’ yea, he knows our thoughts long before. This must needs be so.

Reason 1. First, Because he is gracious and merciful; he is a God hearing
prayers.

2. Because of the relations which in his love he hath taken upon himself, to be
a Father. So that when a man shall, by the Spirit of adoption, call God Father,
there is such a deal of eloquence and rhetoric in this very word, it works so
upon the bowels of God, that he cannot choose but hear. Even as a child, when he
speaks to his father, and calls him by this name, this word father doth so work
upon him that he cannot but hear. So it is with God; when he hears us call him
Father, he cannot but hear us.

3. Because of his nature and love, which is above the love of an earthly father.
Though a mother should forget, and not hear her child, yet the Lord will hear
us. And likewise this is his promise: ’Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I
will hear thee, and thou shalt glorify me,’ Psalms 50:15.

4. Again, God cannot basely esteem of our prayers, because they are the motions
of his own Spirit. Oh, but they are broken prayers. It is true; but the Spirit
understands them and makes intercession for us, with sighs and groans that
cannot be expressed; and none can understand them but the Spirit, Romans
8:26-27.

5. Again, God cannot but hear our prayers, because they are offered up in the
name of a mediator. They are perfumed with the incense and sacrifice of his Son.
Therefore he cannot but hear them.

6. Again, God must needs hear our prayers, because they are made according to
his will. When we pray for ourselves, and for the church of God, it is according
to God’s will. So then, if we consider these respects, God cannot but hear our
prayers.

Obj. But some will object, God doth not hear me: I have prayed a long while, and
yet he hath not given me an answer.

Ans. 1. I answer, God doth always hear, though he seemeth not to hear sometimes,
to increase our importunity. Christ heard the woman of Canaan at first; but yet,
to increase her importunity, he gave her the repulse and denial, and with the
same, inward strength to wrestle with him.

Ans. 2. Again, God seems not to hear, because he delights in the music of his
children’s prayers. Oh how he loves to hear the voice of his children! As a
father to hear the language of his child, though it be none of the best; so it
is sweet music in God’s ears to hear the prayers of his children. He will have
prayers to be cries. Therefore he defers to hear; but in deferring he doth not
defer, for he increaseth our strength, as in Jacob’s wrestling, that we might
cry after him, wrestle with him, and offer violence unto him again.

Ans. 3. And sometimes, indeed, he will not hear us, because, it may be, there is
some secret Achan in the camp, or some Jonah in the ship; some sin, I mean, in
the heart unrepented of; for in this case we may come before God again and
again, and he not hear us. This is the reason why God hears not many Christians,
because they have not made a thorough inquisition into their own estates, found
out their sins, and humbled themselves for it. Thus we see for what reasons God
defers to hear our prayers.

Use 1. If this be so, that God doth hear us, let us make this use, to be
plentiful in prayers, and lay up a great store of them in the bosom of God, for
this is that will do us the most good. He hears every one in due time. We do
never lose a sigh, a tear, or anything that is good, which proceeds from his own
Spirit, but he will answer abundantly in his own time. For he that gives a
desire, and prepares our heart to pray, and gives us a Mediator by whom to offer
them up, will doubtless accept of them in his own Son, and will answer them. The
time will come when he will accept of nothing else, and we shall have no other
thing to offer up. What a comfort will it then be, that we have in former times,
and can now call upon God! The day is coming when goods will do us no good, but
prayers will. What a comfort then is it to a Christian, that he hath a God to go
to, that hears his prayers! Let all the world join together against a Christian,
take away all things else and cast him into a dungeon, yet they cannot take away
his God from him. What a happiness is it to pray! We can never be miserable so
long as we have the Spirit of prayer. Though we were in a dungeon with Jeremiah,
or in the whale’s belly with Jonah, yea, though in hell, yet there we might have
cause of comfort.

Let us therefore be ashamed of our barrenness in this duty, and observe whether
God hear our prayers, or else how can we be thankful? There be many that pray,
because their consciences do force them to some devotion, and therefore they
slubber over a few prayers that their consciences may not smite them, but they
never observe the issue of their prayers, whether God hears them or not; whereas
God is a God hearing prayers, and the child of God doth esteem of nothing but
that which he hath from God, as a fruit of prayer, and therefore accordingly he
doth return thanks. God will have his children beg all of him. As some fathers
will give nothing to their children, but they will have them first ask it of
them, so God will give us nothing but what we pray for. And though he doth
exceed to give us more than we ask, yet he looks that we should return thanks in
some measure proportionable to the benefit received. Therefore let us observe
how God hears our prayers, that so we may be suitably thankful. This will
strengthen our faith in evil times when we can thus plead with God. Hear, Lord!
Heretofore I came before thee, though weakly, yet with a broken heart, and thou
didst hear me then. Thou art still a God hearing prayer, therefore, Lord, look
upon my estate now and help me. Seeing, then, God hears our prayers, let us
think of this glorious privilege, that we have liberty to go to the throne of
grace in all our wants. The whole world is not worth this one privilege. We
cannot command the prince’s ear at all times; but we have a God always to go to,
that will hear us. What a wretched folly is it therefore of those that, by their
sins, bring themselves into such a condition that they cannot have God to hear
them.

Quest. But how shall we make such prayers as God will hear?

Ans. I answer first of all, Would we be in such an estate that we may enjoy this
blessed privilege, to have God’s ear ready to hear?

1. First, Then hear him. If we will have God to hear us, then let us hear God,
as Josiah did. When he heard the word read, his heart melted. For ’he that
turneth away his ears from hearing the law, even his prayers shall be
abominable,’ saith God, Proverbs 28:9. And is it not good reason, think we, for
God not to hear us, when we will not hear him? Proverbs 1:24-25, ’Because I have
called, and you have refused; when you are in misery, and shall out of self-love
cry to me to be delivered, then I will refuse to hear you,’ saith the Lord.
Therefore let all profane persons, that will not hear God, know a time will
come, that though they cry and roar, yet he will not hear them.

2. Secondly, If we will have God hear our prayers, they must proceed from a
broken heart. Prayers be the sacrifice of a broken spirit. Josiah had a tender
and a broken heart, and therefore God could not despise his prayers. So David
pleads with God: Psalms 51:17, ’The sacrifice of God is a broken and a contrite
spirit.’ So holy Bernard saith, ’I have led a life unbefitting me; but yet my
comfort is, that a broken heart and a contrite spirit, Lord, thou wilt not
despise.’* God will hear the prayers and tears of relenting hearts.

3. Thirdly, To strengthen our prayers we must add to them the wings of love,
faith, hope, and earnestness, as Josiah did here. Out of love to his country his
prayers were joined with weeping, and he wrestled with tears. Oh! the prayers
that have tears with them cannot go without a blessing.

4. Lastly, If we would have God to hear us, let us have such a resolution and
purpose of reformation as Josiah had; for his prayers were joined with a purpose
of reformation, which he afterwards performed in so strict a manner, that there
was never such a reformation among all the kings of Judah as he made. To this
purpose David saith, ’If I regard wickedness in my heart, God will not hear my
prayer,’ Psalms 66:18. If we have but a resolution to live in any sinful course,
let us make as many prayers as we will, God will not respect them. God regarded
good Josiah, because he had no purpose to live in any sin against him.

If we come with a traitorous mind unto God, with our sins in our arms, we must
look for no acceptation from him. When a man comes to a king to put up a
petition unto him, and comes with a dagger in his hand to stab him, will the
king accept of this man’s petition? So, do we think that God will hear our
prayers when we bring a dagger in our hand, to stab him with our sins? If we
will not leave swearing, lying, pride, covetousness, and the like, if we have
not covenanted with our own hearts, but still go on in sin, we shall never go
away with a blessing. Josiah reformed himself; therefore God saith, ’I have also
heard thee.’ Thus if our prayers issue from a heart rightly affected, as good
Josiah’s was, then we shall speed as he did; for God did not only hear his
prayer, but see how he rewards him with an excellent blessing; to be taken home
to heaven from the troubles of this life: which we shall in the next place speak
of.


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  CHAPTER 5: 4. THE SAINT'S REFRESHING
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THE SAINT’S REFRESHING

SERMON IV

Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy
grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon
this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word
again.—2 Chronicles 34:28.

IT is for the most part the privilege of a Christian, that his last days are his
best; and ’though weeping be in the evening, yet joy comes in the morning,’
Psalms 30:5; though he do begin in darkness, yet he ends in light. Whereas, on
the contrary, the wicked begin in jollity and light, but end in darkness; yea,
such a darkness as is ’utter darkness,’ Matthew 8:12—by Peter called the
’blackness of darkness,’ 2 Peter 2:17—the preparations whereunto are, God’s
outward judgments in this life inflicted upon the impenitent and rebellious,
wherein God many times puts a sensible, visible difference betwixt the godly and
the wicked; as betwixt Lot and the Sodom-mites, Noah and the adulterous world,
Moses and the Israelites with him, from Korah, Dathan, and his company, the
Egyptians and the Israelites at the Red Sea; and in this text, betwixt this good
king and his people. He must not see all the evil that God was to bring upon his
wicked and rebellious subjects. Oh the happiness of holiness, which is sure to
speed well in all storms whatsoever; because on all the glory there is a
defence, as Isaiah speaks, Isaiah 4:5. Light is sown for the righteous, Psalms
97:11; and whatsoever his troubles be, yet his last end shall be blessed. ’Let
me die,’ saith Balaam, ’the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like
his,’ Numbers 23:10. Such honour have all his saints, such honour had this good
king Josiah; being removed from hence that he might not see the evil to come.
Though he were taken from earth, yet it was for his good, that he might be
gathered into heaven, and make a royal exchange. The words contain a promise of
a reward, and great favour unto good king Josiah, that he should die, and be
gathered unto his fathers; and that which is more, the manner considered, that
he should ’die in peace;’ the ground whereof is shewed unto him: ’Because thine
eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the
inhabitants of the same.’ God’s promises are of three sorts. First, Such as he
made upon condition of legal obedience: ’Do this and thou shalt live.’ Secondly,
When we are humbled upon sight of our sins, then he propounds another way, and
promises that if we believe in Jesus Christ our surety, who hath made
satisfaction for us, then we shall live. This is the grand promise of all, the
promise of life everlasting, and pardon of sin. Thirdly, There are promises of
encouragement unto us, when we are in the state of grace. As a father, who means
to make his son an heir, doth give him many promises of encouragement, so God
deals with his children, when they are in the covenant of grace.

There are, I say, promises of particular rewards to encourage them, as they are
sure of the main and great reward, namely, everlasting life. Therefore Josiah
being an heir of heaven, God did propound a promise of encouragement unto him,
by way of favour, to shew that his good works were not unregarded. In general
here,

Doct. 1. First, We may observe God’s gracious dealing with his children, that he
takes notice of every good thing they do, and doth reward them for it, yea, in
this life. There is not a sigh but God hears it, not a tear but he hath a bottle
for it. Most men spare God a labour in this kind. He promiseth ’to wipe away all
tears from our eyes,’ Revelation 21:4, but they will shed none. Yet the least
tear shed, and word spoken in a good cause, goes not without a reward from God;
not so much as a cup of cold water, but he rewards. Which must needs be so:

Because God looks upon the good things we do, being his own works in us, as upon
lovely objects, with a love unto them; for though Josiah had said nothing, yet
his deep humiliation itself, was as it were a prayer, that cried strongly in the
ears of God, that he could not but reward it. So that partly because God looks
upon us as lovely objects, he loving the work of his own Spirit, and partly
because they cry unto God, as it were, and pluck down a blessing from heaven,
they cannot go unrewarded.

Use. This is matter of comfort, that God will not only reward us with heaven,
but will also recompense every good thing we do, even in this world; yea, such
is his bounty, he rewards hypocrites. Because he will not be beholding to them
for any good thing they do, nor have them die unrewarded, he recompenseth them
with some outward favours, which is all they desire. Ahab did but act
counterfeit humiliation, and he was rewarded for it, 1 Kings 21:27-29. So the
Scribes and Pharisees did many good things, and had that they looked for. They
looked not for heaven, but for the praise of men. This they had, as Christ tells
them, ’Verily, I say unto you, you have your reward,’ Matthew 6:5. God will be
beholding to none; but whosoever do anything that is good, they shall have some
reward, whether they be good or bad. If the conscience of a man did judge well,
he might come to God with boldness, not to brag of good works, but out of an
humble heart saying, ’Remember me, O Lord, as I have dealt with thee.’ So good
Hezekiah did: ’Remember, Lord, how I have walked before thee in truth,’ Isaiah
38:3. When we labour in all our actions to please God, we may with boldness
approach to the throne of grace, and say with Peter, Remember, Lord, ’Thou
knowest that I love thee,’ John 21:15. If there were no other reward but this,
that we have a privilege to go to God with boldness, our conscience not accusing
us, it were enough. What a shame is it, then, that we should be so barren in
good works, seeing our labour shall not be unrewarded of the Lord! Oh then let
us take counsel of the apostle: ’Finally, my brethren, be ye stedfast and
unmoveable, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not
in vain in the Lord,’ 1 Corinthians 15:58. He hath a reward for every cup of
cold water, for every tear. Every good deed we do hath the force of a prayer to
beg a blessing; yea, our very tears speak loud to God, although we say nothing.
But to come to particulars.

’Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers,’ &c.

Here we see this word behold, a word serving to stir up attention, set before
the promise, which was formerly set before a threatening, ’Behold, I will bring
evil upon this place,’ &c. Behold is as necessary before promises as
threatenings. For the soul is ready to behold that which is evil, and by nature
is prone to dejection, and to cast down itself. Therefore there need be a
’behold’ put before the promise, to raise up the dejected soul of Josiah or
others, and all little enough. Christians should have two eyes, one to look upon
the ill, the other upon the good, and the grace of God that is in them, that so
we may be thankful. But they for the most part look only upon the ill that is in
them, and so God wants his glory and we our comfort.

’Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy
grave in peace.’

Doct. 2. Mark here the language of Canaan, how the Spirit of God in common
matters doth raise up the soul to think highly of them

Therefore it is that the Holy Ghost sweetens death with a phrase of ’gathering.’
Instead of saying, Thou shalt die, he saith, ’Thou shalt be gathered.’ How many
phrases have we in Scripture that have comfort wrapped in them, as there is in
this phrase, ’Thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace.’ I will not speak
how many ways peace is taken in Scripture. ’Thou shalt die in peace;’ that is,
thou shalt die quietly, honourably, and peaceably. And thou shalt not see the
misery that I will bring upon the state and kingdom. Thou shalt be gathered to
thy fathers, which is meant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all the
faithful patriarchs.

Doct. 3. Only observe, it is a very sweet word, and imports unto us, that death
is nothing but a gathering, and presupposeth that God’s children are all
scattered in this world amongst wicked men, in a forlorn place, where they are
used untowardly, as pilgrims use to be in a strange land. Therefore we had need
be gathered, and it is a comfort to be gathered. But from whence shall he be
gathered? He shall be gathered from a wicked, confused world; and to whom shall
he go? To his Father. His soul shall go to their souls, his body shall be laid
in the grave with theirs. As if he had said, Thou shalt leave some company, but
go to better; thou shalt leave a kingly estate, but thou shalt go to a better
kingdom.

Doct. 4. The changes of God’s children are for the better. Death to them is but
a gathering. This gathering doth shew the preciousness of the thing gathered;
for God doth not use to gather things of no value. Josiah was a pearl worth the
gathering. He was one of high esteem, very precious. So every Christian is
dearly bought, with the blood of Christ. Therefore God will not suffer him to
perish, but will gather him before the evil days come. As men use to gather
jewels before fire comes into their houses; or as husbandmen will be sure to
gather their corn, before they will let the beasts come into the field; so saith
God to him, I will be sure to gather thee before I bring destruction upon the
land. We are all by nature lost in Adam, and scattered from God, therefore we
must be gathered again in Christ. For all gathering that is good is in him; for
he is the head of all union that is good. And this is to be wrought by the
ordinances of God, by the means of the ministry, which is appointed unto that
end, to gather us, as Matthew 23:37, Christ speaks to Jerusalem, ’How often
would I have gathered you together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, but you would not.’ Christ would have gathered them unto himself, by his
word, but they refused.

All the gathering of a Christian in this life is a gathering to Christ by faith,
and to the communion of saints by love, 1 Thessalonians 4:17; and the more he
doth grow in grace, the more near communion he hath with Christ. Then after this
gathering by grace, there comes by death a gathering to Christ in glory. For the
soul goes for ever and ever to be with the Lord. After this comes a higher
degree of gathering at the day of judgment, when there shall be a great meeting
of all saints, and the soul and body shall be reunited together, to remain for
ever with the Lord. Let us then think of this, that whatsoever befalls us in the
world, we shall be sure to be gathered, for death is but a gathering. For from
whence goes Josiah? From a sinful world, a sinful estate, a wretched people,
unto his fathers, who are all good, nay, to God his Father. We are all here as
Daniel in the lion’s den, as sheep among wolves; but at death we shall be
gathered to our fathers. It is a gathering to a better place, to heaven; and to
better persons, to fathers, where we shall be for ever praising the Lord, never
offending him, loving and pleasing one another. Here Christians displease one
another, and cannot be gathered together in love and affection, but there they
shall be gathered in unity of love for ever.

Use. This serves, first of all, to comfort us in departure of friends, to render
their souls up with comfort into the hands of God. We know they are not lost,
but sent before us. We shall be gathered to them, they cannot come to us.
Therefore why should we grieve? They are gathered in quietness and rest to their
fathers. This should also make us render our souls to God, as into the hands of
a faithful Creator and Redeemer. From whence go we? From a sinful world and
place of tears, to a place of happiness above expression. Why should we be
afraid of death? It is but a gathering to our fathers. What a comfort is it to
us in this world, that we shall go to a place where all is good, where we shall
be perfectly renewed, made in the image of God, and shall have nothing defaced?
Let this raise up our dead and drowsy souls. Thus we shall be one day gathered.
The wicked shall be gathered together, but a woeful gathering is it. They shall
be gathered like a bundle of tares, to be thrown into hell, there for ever to
burn. They are dross and chaff, never gathered to Christ by faith, nor to the
body of the church by love; and therefore they are as dross and chaff, which the
wind scatters here, and shall for ever be scattered hereafter, Psalms 1:4. They
are, as Cain, vagabonds in regard of the life of grace here; and therefore shall
be for ever scattered from the life of glory hereafter. They shall be gathered
to those whom they delighted in, and kept company with, whilst they were in this
world. They loved to keep company with the wicked here, therefore they shall be
gathered to them in hell hereafter. This is sure, thou shalt live in heaven or
hell afterwards, with those whom thou livedst with here. Dost thou live only
delighted in evil company now? It is pity thou shouldst be severed from them
hereafter. If thou be gathered to them in love and affection here, thou shalt be
gathered to them in hell and destruction hereafter. It is a comfortable evidence
to those that delight in good company, that they shall be with them in heaven
for ever. ’Hereby we know that we are translated from death to life, because we
love the brethren,’ 1 John 3:14. And on the contrary, those that are brethren in
evil here, may read in their own wicked courses and conversation what will
become of them hereafter. They are all tares, and shall be gathered together in
a bundle, and cast into hell fire for ever.

’And thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace.’

Here is a reward, not only to die, but to die in peace. Josiah goes the way of
all flesh; he must die though he be a king. This statute binds all. All are
liable to death. ’And thou shalt be gathered, or put in thy grave in peace.’
This doth declare that he should be buried; the ground whereof is out of Genesis
3:19, ’Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.’ From earth we came, and to
earth we shall return. The earth we carry and the earth we tread on shall both
meet together. In that God doth here promise it to Josiah as a blessing, we may
hence learn,

Doct. 5. That burial is a comely and honourable thing, and that we ought to have
respect unto it, partly because the body of a dead Christian is a precious
thing. They are temples of the Holy Ghost, members of Christ, and therefore
ought to have the honour of burial. Partly because it shews our love and
affection to the party buried, for it is the last kindness we can do unto them.
Again, we ought to have respect to burial, to shew our hope of the resurrection,
that though the body be cast into the earth, yet it shall rise; though it be
sown in dishonour, yet it shall rise in honour. So we see that for these reasons
burial is honourable. Therefore it is said of the faithful in Scripture, that
they were buried, to shew how honourable a thing it is; and indeed it is an
honour, specially for fathers, to be buried by their friends and children, and
carried by them into their graves. For to be buried like a beast is a judgment
to wicked men.

Quest. But what then shall we say to all those that are not thus buried, whose
bodies are given to be torn by wild beasts, or burnt to ashes, or flung into
rivers, as antichrist useth to deal with many saints?

Ans. I answer, that in this case faith must raise itself above difficulty; for
though it be a favour and blessing of God, to have Christian burial after we are
dead, yet Christians must be content to go without this blessing sometimes, when
God calls them to the contrary, as when we cannot have it upon good terms, with
peace of conscience, or with God’s love. In this case a burial in regard of
God’s favour is not worth the naming. Therefore let all Christians be content to
put their bodies, life and all, to hazard; not only to be willing to want burial
when we are dead, but to sacrifice our lives and whatsoever else for God, as
many saints have been martyred, and their bodies burnt to ashes. Yet God will
gather together the ashes of the dead bodies of his children; for ’right
precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints,’ Psalms 116:15.
And is it not better to want this with God’s favour, than to have the most
honourable burial in the world on evil terms? For what saith the Spirit of God?
’Happy and blessed are they which die in the Lord,’ Revelation 14:13; not happy
are they that die in pomp, and are buried in state, but happy are they that die
in the Lord. Therefore when we may not have it, although it be a comely thing,
yet if we have God and Christ, we have all that is good. Therefore it is no
matter what becomes of our bodies after we are dead; for though we be flung into
the sea, burnt to ashes, yet both sea and earth must give up all the dead, as it
is Revelation 20:13. Therefore as for our bodies, let us be willing that God may
have them, who gave them; and if he will have us to sacrifice our lives for him,
let us do it willingly.

’And thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace.’

Obj. How is this? for we read, in the succeeding chapter of Josiah, that he died
a violent death; he was slain by the hands of his enemies. Is this to die in
peace?

Sol. I answer, the next words do expound it. He died in peace, ’because his eyes
should not see the evil that God would bring upon the land afterwards;’ as if he
had said, Thou shalt not see the ruin of the church and commonwealth. So, though
Josiah were slain by idolaters, by Pharaoh and his chariots, yet he died in
peace comparatively with a worse state of life. For though he died a bloody
death by the hands of his enemies, yet he died in peace, because he was
prevented by death from seeing that which was worse than death. For God may
reserve a man in this life to worse miseries than death itself. From hence we
learn this instruction,

Doct. 6. That death may be less miserable than the ill which a man may live to
see in this life; or, that the miseries of this life may be such as that death
may be much better than life, and far rather to be chosen. We may fall into such
miseries whilst we do live, that we may desire death, they being greater than
it. The reason hereof is, because that a sudden death, in some respects, is
better than a lingering one. One death is better than many deaths, for how many
deaths did Josiah escape by this one death! It would have been a death to him if
he had lived to see the ruin of the commonwealth, the church of God, and his own
sons carried into captivity, to have seen them slain, their eyes plucked out,
the temple of God plucked down, and idolatry set up.

We ought then to be careful how to avoid a cursed and miserable estate after
death. All the care of wicked men is to avoid death. But they may fall into such
an estate in this life that they may wish death, as an heathen emperor once did,
who complaining said, ’I have none will do me so much favour as to kill me.’*
All the desire of atheists is, that they may live. Thou base atheist, thou
mayest fall into such an estate as is worse than death, and if that be so
terrible, what will that† estate be after death? An atheist in this life desires
life, Oh that I might not die! But in hell thou wilt desire, Oh that I might
die! The time will come that thou shalt desire that which thou canst not abide
to hear of now. What desperate folly is it therefore to redeem life with base
conditions; not to give it for the gospel when we are called to it. In this
case, that base life which we so stand upon, will cost us the loss of our soul
for ever in hell, when we shall desire to die.

’Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be put in thy grave
in peace.’ The Lord saith, he ’will gather.’ So we see,

Doct. 7. Our times are in God’s hand; as David saith, ’My time is in thy hand,’
Psalms 31:15. Our times of coming into the world, continuing in it, and going
out of it, are in God’s hand. Therefore he saith, ’Thou shalt be put in thy
grave in peace.’ God hath power of death. Our going and coming is from God; he
is the Lord of life and death.

Use. This is a comfort unto us while we live in this world, that whilst we live
we are not in our own hands, we shall not die in our own time; neither is it in
our enemies’ hands, but in God’s hand. He hath appointed a certain time of our
being here in this world. This should tie us to obedience, and to die in hope
and faith; because when we die we are but gathered to our fathers, to better
company and place than we leave behind us.

Again we see here that men may outlive their own happiness, that at last life
may be a judgment unto them, because they may see that which is worse than
death. How many parents live to see the ruin of their own families! the undoing
of their children by their own miscarriage! We see God takes away Josiah,
because he will not have him live, as it were, beyond his happiness. We see how
tenderly affected God is for the good of his children. He pities them when they
are in misery, knows what they are able to bear, and will lay no more upon them
than he gives them strength to endure. God knew that Josiah was tender-hearted,
and melted at the very threatenings, which if he could not endure to hear
against his country, could he ever have endured to have seen the miseries upon
his people and country? Surely no. Therefore God will rather gather him to his
fathers.

Now this is a wonderful comfort, that many times God will not let us see too
great matter of grief. Let us then imitate God, and deal so one with another as
God deals with us—the husband with the wife, and the wife with the husband, and
the like. Let us not acquaint them with such things as may make them more grieve
than is fitting, or they are able to bear. God would not have Josiah to see the
misery he brought upon his country, because he knew that he was tenderly
disposed, that a little grief would soon overcome him. So let us beware of
causing any to grieve, or to let them know things which they are not able to
bear.

Again, Seeing this is a grief to a kind and loving father, yea, worse than
death, to see the ruin of his child, this should teach all those that are young,
to take care that they give no occasion of offence to those that are over them,
for to grieve; which will be worse than death unto them. It would have been
worse than a death unto Josiah to have seen the ruin of his children. So for
those children which have been cherished by their parents in their nonage, it
will be worse than death to them in their age to see their children lewd and
come to ruin, whereby they bring so much sooner the grey head of their father to
the grave in sorrow. These offend against the sixth commandment, which saith,
’Thou shalt not kill.’ Let us then rather revive and comfort the heart of those
that have been good unto us, and not kill them, or do that which is worse than
death unto them.

’Neither shall thy eyes see the misery I will bring upon this people.’

Doct. 8. Here we learn again that it is the sight of misery which woks the
deepest impression. It is not the hearing of a thing, but the sight of it, which
affecteth most deeply; as in the sacrament, the seeing of the bread broken, and
the wine poured out, works a deep impression; and because God knew Josiah’s
heart would break at the sight of the misery, therefore he tells him, ’Thine
eyes shall not see the evil that I will bring upon this place.’ The sight is a
most working sense, to make the deepest impression upon the soul. What shall be
our great joy and happiness in heaven, but that we shall see God for evermore?
Sight is a blessing upon earth, both the eyes of the body wherewith we see, and
the eyes of the soul—that is, faith—which makes us see afar off, till in heaven
we shall see him face to face. So that sight makes us both happy and miserable.

Use 1. How wretched, then, is the estate of them that shall see themselves, with
their own wicked eyes, sent to hell, with the creature they delighted in. That
which the eyes see, the heart feels. There are many atheists, whose whole care
is to preserve life. They would live, although they live the life of a dog. But
the time will come, that thou wilt more earnestly desire death than life. Thy
eyes shall see, and thy body feel, and thy conscience too, that which is worse
than a thousand deaths. Thou shalt then die a living death. The worm of thy
conscience shall gnaw thee for ever, and shalt see and feel the tormenting fire
which shall never be quenched. That which the wicked nourish now to follow their
humour, never caring to please God, the day will be when they shall desire to
avoid it; and that which they labour to avoid most now, the time will come when
they shall most desire it. Death is the king of fears. It is terrible. But then
look beyond death: what is behind that? Thou shalt see at the heels of it hell
and eternal damnation.

Use 2. This should teach us also how to understand the promise of long life. It
is a promise and a favour of God to be desired. It is a prayer with condition,
if God see it good; else God may give us long life, to see and feel a world of
misery. Therefore such promises are to be desired conditionally: if God see it
good for us.

Doct. 9. Again, The Holy Ghost saith here, ’Thy eyes shall not see the evil I
will bring upon this place.’ Hence we learn, that those which be dead in the
Lord, are freed from seeing of any evil or misery. The godly shall see no misery
after death. If this be so, then they do not go into purgatory after death, as
the papists hold. The Holy Ghost saith, Josiah is taken away from seeing any
evil to come. Then sure they do not fall into such misery after death, which is
worse than death. True, say the papists, such excellent men as Josiah do go to
heaven immediately. Ay, but the Holy Ghost saith by Isaiah 57:1, that ’the
righteous are taken away from the evil to come.’ It is spoken of the whole
generation of righteous men. Therefore it is a sottish thing for them to hold
that any of them shall see purgatory, when God saith the righteous are taken
away from seeing any evil to come.

Doct. 10. And as it is against them in this, so here is another conclusion
against popery, that takes away their invocation of saints: for the righteous go
to heaven, and cannot see or know our wants and miseries; yea, they are taken
away, because they should not see the miserable estate that befalls their
posterity. Then if they do not know our wants, how can they hear and help us
when we pray, seeing it is a part of their happiness not to understand our
miseries? For if Josiah, from heaven, could have seen the desolation and misery
that befell his country afterwards, it would have I wrought upon him. But Josiah
was taken away, that he should not see it. Therefore, why should men spend that
blessed incense and sacrifice of prayer, unto those that cannot hear? But put
case, they could hear some; yet can they hear all that pray unto them? A finite
creature hath but a finite act and limited power. How can one saint give a
distinct answer and help to perhaps a thousand prayers, as the virgin Mary hath
many thousand prayers offered her? How can she distinctly know, and give a
distinct answer to every prayer?

’Thou shalt be put in thy grave in peace, neither shall thy eyes see all, the
evil that I will bring upon this place.’ Let us learn here a mystery of divine
providence in his death; for there is a mystery of providence, not only in great
matters, as election and predestination, but in ordering of the common things of
the world. How many excellent mysteries are here wrapt together in this death of
Josiah! As, first, it is said that he died in peace, whereas he died a violent
death, and was slain by the hands of his enemies. His death was both a mercy and
a correction: a correction for his error in being so hasty in going to war with
Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and yet it was a mercy, because it prevented him from
seeing the evil to come, and so likewise brought him sooner to heaven. It is a
strange thing to see how the wisdom of heaven can mingle crosses and favours,
corrections and mercies together; that the same thing should be both a mercy to
Josiah to be taken away, and yet a correction also for his error, in going to
fight against Necho, king of Egypt, as we see 2 Chronicles 35:23. We may have
mercies and afflictions upon us at the same time, as God, by the same death,
corrected Josiah’s folly, and rewarded his humility.

Mark here again another mystery, in the carriage of divine providence: how he
brings his promises to pass strangely above the reach of man; as here, he having
promised Josiah that he should die in peace, one would have thought that Josiah
should have died in pomp and state. No. Thou shalt die in peace, although thou
be slain by the hand of thy enemies; thou shalt come to heaven, although it be
by a strange way. Thus God brings his children to heaven by strange ways, yea,
by contrary ways, [by] afflictions and persecutions. Paul knew he should come to
Rome, although it were by a strange way; though he suffered shipwreck, and was
in great danger, as we may see Acts 27:2, seq. God hath strange ways to bring
his counsels to pass, which he doth so strangely, as we may see his own hand in
it.

Again, Here we may see another mystery in divine providence, concerning the
death of Josiah, in that he was taken away being a young man, but thirty-nine
years old, who was the flower of his kingdom, and one upon whom the flourishing
estate of such a kingdom did depend. Now, for such a gracious prince to be taken
away in such a time, and at such an age, when he might have done much good, a
man would hardly believe this mystery in divine providence. But ’our times are
in God’s hand,’ Psalms 31:15. His time is better than ours. And therefore he,
seeing the sins of the people to be so great, that he could not bear with them
longer,—for it was the sins of the people that deprived them of Josiah. It was
not the king of Egypt who was the cause of his death, but the sins of the
land—those caused God to make this way, to take away their gracious king.

Use. Here we may admire the wisdom of God, who doth not give an account unto us
of his doings, why he suffers some to live, and takes away others; why he
suffers the wicked to live, and takes away his own. We can give little reason
for it, because it is a mystery; but God best knoweth the time when to reap his
own corn.

’Neither shall thy eyes see all the evil I will bring upon this place, and upon
the inhabitants of the land.’

Doct. 11. Here the Holy Ghost doth insinuate unto us that whilst Josiah was
alive, God would not bring this judgment upon the land, but after his death,
then it should come upon them. So here we learn this comfortable point of
instruction, that the lives of God’s children do keep back judgment and evil
from the place where they live, and their death is a forerunner of judgment.
Their life keeps back ill, and their death plucks down ill. While thou art
alive, I will bring no evil upon this place, but when thou art gone, then I will
bring it down, saith God. The reasons of this are,

Reason 1. Because gracious men do make the times and the places good where they
live. It is a world of good that is done by their example and help. While they
live the times are the better for them.

Reason 2. And again, they keep back ill, because gracious men do bind God by
their prayers. They force, as it were, a necessity upon God, that he must let
the world alone. They bind his hands, that he will do nothing while they are in
it; as to Lot in Sodom, ’I can do nothing while* thou art gone, saith the
angel,’ Genesis 19:22. They stand in the gap, and keep God from pouring down the
vials of his wrath. But when they are gone, there is nothing to hinder or stop
the current of divine justice, but that it must needs have his course. As when
men have gathered their corn into their barns, then let their beasts, or
whatsoever else go into the field, they care not; and as when the jewels are
taken out of a rotten house, though the fire then seize upon it, men regard not.
So when God’s jewels are gathered to himself, then woe to the wicked world, for
then God will break forth in wrath upon them. Woe to the old world when Noah
goes into the ark, for then follows the flood. Woe to Sodom when Lot goes out of
it, for then it is sure to be burned. Luther prayed that God would not bring war
upon the people in Germany all his time, but when he died, the whole land was
overspread with war. So, before the destruction of Jerusalem, God did gather the
Christians to a little city called Pella, near Jerusalem, then came Titus and
Vespasian and ruinated the city of Jerusalem. So there are many gracious parents
that die, after whose death comes some miserable end to their wicked children,
but not before. God takes away the parents out of the world, that they might not
see the ruin of their children. So then we see that it is clear, that good men
keep back judgment from the places where they live.

What should we learn from hence?

Use 1. This should teach us to make much of such men as truly fear God, seeing
it is for their sakes that God doth spare us. They carry the blessing of God
with them wheresoever they go. As Laban’s house was blessed for Jacob’s sake,
Genesis 30:27, and Potiphar’s for Joseph’s sake, Genesis 39:23, so the wicked
are spared and fare the better for the saints who live among them. But what is
the common course of wicked men? To hate such with a deadly hatred above all
others, because their lives and speeches do discover the wickedness of theirs,
and because they tell them the truth, and reprove them.

Therefore it was that Ahab could not endure the sight of Micaiah, that holy
prophet, who without flattery spake downright truth, 1 Kings 22:8, seq. So it is
now beyond seas and elsewhere. They labour to root out all the good men. But
what will they get by it? Surely it will be a thousand times worse with them
than it is; for if they were out, then woe to the land presently.

Use 2. This should also teach us to pray to God to bless those that are good. Is
it not good for us to uphold those pillars whereby we stand? What madness is it
for a man to labour to pull down the pillar whereby he is holden alive? As
Samson, pulling down the pillars of the house, brought death upon himself, so
godly men, the pillars of this tottering world, which uphold the places whereby
they live, being once shaken, all the whole state falls. Therefore let us not be
enemies to our own good, to hate the godly; for it is for their sakes the Lord
shews mercy to us, and refrains to pour out his judgment upon the wicked world.
And when the best gathering of all gatherings shall come; that the elect of God
shall be gathered together, then comes the misery of all miseries to the wicked.
So we see this point is clear, that the godly, while they are alive, keep back
ill and bring much good. For doth God continue the world for wicked men? Surely
no. For what glory and honour hath God from such wicked wretches? Do they not
swear, lie, live filthily, and abuse his members? Is it for these that God doth
continue the world? Surely no; but for the godly’s sake are judgments deferred,
and the world is continued.

Use 3. If this be thus, well may we lament the death of those that are good. For
when they are gone, our safety is gone. ’They are the chariots and horsemen of
Israel,’ 2 Kings 2:12. Therefore well may we bewail their loss. Well might
Jeremiah lament for the death of Josiah, for together with the breath of Josiah
the life of that state breathed out; together with him, the flourishing
condition of Jerusalem died, and lay buried with him as it were in the same
grave.

See here again how God correcteth too much resting on the arm of flesh. They
blessed themselves under Josiah, as if no evil should come near them; as
appears, Lament, 4:20, ’The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord,
was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live.’ There
is no greater wrong to ourselves, and to others on whom we rest so much, than to
secure ourselves so much on them as to neglect serious turning to God.

’Neither shall thy eyes see all the evil I will bring upon this place.’ This is
the ground why he should die in peace, ’Because he shall not see all the evil I
will bring upon this place.’ Here we see that the judgment which God threatened
to bring upon the church and commonwealth is set down by this word ’evil.’
’Thine eyes shall not see all the evil I will bring upon this place.’ But who
sends this evil. It is an evil brought by God. Thou shalt not see the evil ’I
will bring,’ &c. It was not God that brought it properly, but Nebuchadnezzar,
who carried his sons into captivity. Howsoever, God had a hand in it. ’For is
there any evil in the city and God hath not done it?’ saith the prophet, Amos
3:6. But we must distinguish between evil. There is, 1. The evil of sin; and 2.
The evil of punishment.

First, the evil of sin; and this God doth not bring, for it is hateful unto him.
Then the evil of punishment, which is twofold:

(1.) Either that which comes immediately from God, as famine, pestilence, or the
like; in which punishments we are to deal with God alone.

(2.) Or else, the evil that comes from God, but by men, which he useth as
instruments to punish us, and this is by war and cruel usage.

Now thus Josiah is taken away from this greatest evil we can suffer in this
life; to have God correct us by the hands of men. For when we have to deal with
God, the labour is easier to prevail with him, as David did, 2 Samuel 24:14. But
when we have to deal with merciless men, then we have to deal with the poisoned
malice of men, besides God’s anger. Now the evil that comes from God is chiefly,
The ill which seizeth upon the soul after death; or else, the evil which seizeth
upon the whole man, both soul and body, both in this and after this life.

Thus God is said to bring evil, not the evil of sin, but the evil of punishment.

Doct. 12. Hence we learn, that the evils which we suffer, they are from the evil
of sin. It is sin that makes God to bring evil upon the creature. If we look
upward to God, there is no evil in the world, for in that consideration all
things are good so far as he hath a hand in them. Therefore, whatsoever the
creature suffers, it comes from the meritorious evil, the evil of sin. It comes
from God, but through the evil of sin provoking him.

Quest. If any man ask, How can God, which is good, bring that which is evil?

Sol. I answer, We must know that the evil of punishment is the good of justice.
All the evil that he doth is good, as it comes from him in his justice
punishing, because it doth good to them that are punished, either to cause them
return, or if they will not, to shew the glory of his justice in condemning
them. It is the good of justice, and it is not always in God only permitting or
suffering such a thing for to be done; but it is in him as an act, having a hand
in it. Therefore God saith, ’Ashur is the rod of my wrath;’* so that in all
punishments God hath a hand, whether it be upon the body or soul.

Use. This serves for direction unto us, To begin where we should begin; in all
our afflictions to go to heaven and make our peace with God, and not go to
secondary causes. For all evil of punishment comes from him. Let us, if we fear
evil, make our peace with God by repentance and new obedience; and then he will
overrule all secondary causes so as to help us. Go not in this case to the
jailor, or to the executioner, but go to the judge. Let us make our peace in
heaven first, and then there will be soon a command for our ease. Yea, Christ
can command the wind and sea to be still, the devil himself to be quiet, if our
peace be made with him.

Therefore let us learn this lesson, and not fret against the instrument whereby
God useth to correct us. David had learned thus much when Shimei railed upon
him: ’It is God that hath bid him, therefore let him alone,’ 2 Samuel 16:11. So
holy Job saith, ’It is God that gives, and God that takes away,’ Job 1:21. He
doth not only say, God gives, but God takes away. Oh but it was the Chaldeans
that took it away. Ay, but it is no matter for that, God gave them leave.
Therefore let us carry ourselves patiently in all troubles, submitting ourselves
under the mighty hand of God, from whom we have all evil of punishment.

Obj. Again, Here we have another mystery of divine providence. For it may be
objected. What! will God bring evil upon his own church and people? upon the
temple and place where his name is called upon, and that by idolaters. Where is
divine justice now?

Sol. I answer. Hold thy peace, take not the balance out of God’s hand. He knows
what is better for us than we ourselves. We must not call God to our bar, for we
shall all appear before his. God useth servants and slaves to correct his sons;
worse men than his people to correct his people. It is his course so to do, when
they of his own sin against him. For evil men many times make evil men good,
when they are used as instruments to correct them; as here God useth wicked men
to make his children good. So God makes a rod of Ashur, to make his evil
children better. He useth slaves to correct his sons, because it is too base a
service for the angels or good men to do. Therefore he useth the devil and his
instruments to do it. Wherefore let us not call into question God’s providence;
for when he will punish his people, he can hiss for a worse people; for Egypt,
or Ashur, or the like. So if he will punish England, he can hiss again for the
Danes, or Normans, to punish his own people. Let us not boast we are God’s
people and they idolaters. No; God can hiss for a baser people to punish his own
servants. It is the will of God so to dispose, and the will of God is summa
justitia, the height of justice. God will have it so. Let us make our peace with
him, and not demand why he doth thus and thus.

’And so they brought the king word again.’ I will but touch this in a word, and
so make an end.

Here we see that the messengers deal faithfully with Josiah. They brought the
direct message which the prophetess did bid them, which was good for himself,
but doleful for his estate. He was a gracious man, and God gave him gracious
servants.

Doct. 13. For God will give good men faithful servants, that shall deal
faithfully with them. As for the wicked, God will give them such servants that
shall humour them to their own ruin. If they have a heart not desirous to hear
the truth, if they be Ahabs, they shall have four hundred false prophets to lead
them in a course to their own ruin. But Josiah had an upright heart, desiring to
know the truth. Therefore God gave him a faithful prophetess to deal truly with
him, and faithful messengers to bring the true answer.

’Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the
people great and small,’ &c. Which words shew what good king Josiah did upon the
receipt of this message. As soon as ever he heard it, he did not suffer it to
cool upon him. But when his spirit was stirred up, he did as a gracious king
should do, he sent and gathered all the elders of Judah, and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, both great and small, and they went up to the house of the Lord, and
there read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was
found in the house of the Lord.

Here, first, we see that Josiah gathered, as it were, a parliament and a
council; as also, in both Josiah and the people, we may behold an excellent and
sweet harmony of state, when all, both king and priests, Levites and people, did
meet amiably together. This was an excellent time, when there was such an
harmony between king and people, that he no sooner commands but they obeyed him.
But more particularly we learn,

Doct. 14. That the care of the commonwealth and of the church is a duty
belonging to the king, that the reformation both of church and commonwealth
belongs unto the prince. There is a generation which think that the king must
only take care for the commonwealth. But they have also power to look to
religion. We see Josiah doth it, he is the keeper of both. Josiah hath a care of
religion, and it doth become his place. He is a head, and it is befitting his
relation. He is a father, not only to look to the temporal state, but to the
church. The Donatists in Augustine’s time did ask, What had the emperor to do
with the church? But it was answered that the emperor could not rule the
commonwealth except he govern the church, for the church is a commonwealth. So
that we see, as a chief right, the ordering of the matters of religion belongs
to the care of the prince. But there are two things in religion: first,
intrinsecal, within the church, as to preach, administer the sacraments, and
ordain ministers. These he ought not to do. But for those things that are
without it, these belong unto him. If any of those that are placed in church or
commonwealth, do not their duty, it is fitting for him to correct. He ought to
set all a-going without, and to remove abuses, but not to meddle with the things
within the church aforesaid, as to execute the same, but to oversee and govern
their execution, and those persons whose proper office it is to execute them.
This observe against the usurpation of the pope, and see the supremacy of king
Josiah, that he is supreme over all; not only over temporal persons, but over
evangelical persons. For there was an high priest at that time and the Levites,
but none were above king Josiah.

Quest. Ay, but this was under the law, say the papists.

Song of Solomon 1. I answer, that this is a rule in divinity, that the gospel
doth not take away or dissolve the laws of nature and reason. Therefore if the
supremacy belonged to the prince then, surely now much more. Therefore saith
one, We give respect to the emperor as next to God; to God in the first place,
and then to the emperor.* The ministers have power over the prince for to direct
him and give him counsel, but yet they are not above him. A physician doth give
directions for his patient. Is he therefore above him? So a builder giveth
direction for the building of the king’s house. Is this any supremacy? So the
minister may give direction and counsel to the prince; but hath he therefore any
superiority above the prince? Surely no.

Song of Solomon 2. In the second place, here we see who it is that called this
parliament. It was king Josiah. He was the first mover in calling of this
council, for he was the head; and had it not been a strange thing to have seen
the foot move before the head? The head must first give direction before any of
the members can move. Therefore it is only in the authority of the king to
gather a council, and none must gather a public assembly without authority from
the king. The calling of assemblies belongs to the prince. If it be a general
council, then it must be by the emperor; if it be a national council, then by
the king or prince of that nation; if provincial, then first from the king or
princes, as first movers of it, and so to others. As the heavens, and these
celestial bodies over the earth, first move, and then all other afterward, so
kings ought first to move, and then all to follow.

Use 1. If this be so, we see how the pope wrongfully takes this right of calling
councils to himself, which properly belongs to the emperor; for we know that for
a thousand years after Christ the emperor called councils, if any were. But of
late years the pope, encroaching upon the emperor, hath usurped this right of
calling them, whenas you see no assemblies ought to be gathered without the
authority of the prince.

Though fasting be an excellent thing, yet public fasting must not be without the
consent of the king. Let Christians have as much private fasting as they will,
thereby to humble themselves, but public fasts must not be without the consent
of the king; for great matters are to be done by great motions. Here is a great
matter of gathering a council. Therefore the head and body and all join
together. As it is when the body is to do some great thing, all the members of
the body stir together to do it, so it is with the commonwealth. When great
matters are in hand, all must be joined together, as here king, priests,
Levites, and all the people, both great and small, joined together for to
prevent the judgment threatened. But what must we do if things be amiss? I
answer, Take the right course; that is, go to God by prayer, and entreat him who
hath the hearts of kings in his hands, to incline and stir up the hearts of
princes for to reform abuses. Well, but what did the king do when he had
gathered all the elders and inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem into the house of
the Lord? They went up thither to fast, and pray, and read the book of the law.

Reformation makes all outward things fall into a good rule, but they are to be
called only by the authority of the prince, and when a fit time and occasion
requires. The papists brag much of the Council of Trent; but if ever there was a
conspiracy against Christ, it was in that council; for the parties that had most
offended, and were most accused, and should have been judged, were the judges;
and the Holy Ghost, which should have been in the council, and should have been
their judge, him they excluded, and received a foul spirit of antichrist sent
unto them, in a cap-case* from Rome, whence they had all their counsel. Was not
this a goodly council?

Again, In that Josiah gathered a council in time of public disorder and public
danger, here we learn that it is not only lawful, but many times necessary, to
gather assemblies and councils for reformation of abuses, both in church and
commonwealth, which otherwise cannot be abolished. So councils are good to make
canons, rules, and to prevent heresy; yea, much good may be done by gathering of
them, if they meet to a good end, for the good of the church, and the glory of
God; for God who is willing and able to perform the good will be strongly
amongst them. For if Christ by his Spirit hath promised to be in that assembly,
’where two or three are gathered together’ upon good grounds, and to good ends,
how much more will he be, when two or three hundreds are so gathered together?
But this must be done by the consent of authority, otherwise it would be an
impeachment to government. So much briefly for this text, and for this time.

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