2 Josh. vii. 9 ; Ps. Ixix. 9 ; Ezra ix. 3 ; Nch. ix; Dan. ix; Micah i. 8 ; Jer. xiii. 17. VOL. IV. * I
130 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [Heb. XII. 14.
doth the holy prophet thus take on ? why doth he thus lament ? why doth he wish himself turned into waters, and into a fountain of tears ? why doth he prefer a habitation amongst the wild beasts, before his habitation among his own people ? Why, the cause you have m the following words, ' For they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men, and they bend their tongues like their bow for lies : but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth ; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.' So Ezek. ix. 4, 'And the Lord said unto him, Gro through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.' There were holy hearts in Jerusalem that did sigh and cry, and cry and sigh for the wickedness of the times ; the abominations of the times did lie in such full weight upon them, that they did fetch many a sigh from their hearts, and many a tear from their eyes. Holy hearts are able to tell you many sad stories of the groans, griefs, and gripes that other men's sins hath cost them. When most were a-sinning, God's marked ones were a-mourn- ing ; when others were with a high hand a-cursing, blaspheming, and a-rebelling, God's marked ones were deeply sorrowing ; they mourned cordially, they sighed greatly, they grieved wonderfully, they groaned lamentably, and that not for some, but for all, for all court sins, and church sins, and city sins, and family sins. And so holy Faul could not with dry eyes make mention of those belly-gods and earth- worms that were in his time, Phil. iii. 18. So holy Lot was much affected and afflicted with seeing and hearing of the wickedness of those among whom he lived, 2 Pet. ii. 7, 8. The Greek word for vexed, in ver. 7, KaTanrovov/jLevov, signifies to be oppressed under the wanton and wicked conversation of the ungodly Sodomites, as^a man that is oppressed under a heavy burden which he labours under, and would fain be delivered from ; or to be oppressed, as the Israelites were under their cruel Egyptian taskmasters. Ah, the sins, the wickedness of others sets hard upon the hearts of the saints ! The Israelites did not more labour and sigh and groan under all their loads and oppressions, than many holy hearts do labour and sigh and groan under the load of wicked men's sins. And the Greek word for vexed, in ver. 8, i^aard- vit,ev, signifies to be tortured, tormented, and racked. ^ Oh, their wicked- ness did torment and rack his righteous soul; he could not see nor hear of their wickedness, but his soul was as upon a rack. Pambus, in ecclesiastical history, wept when he saw a harlot take so much pains to deck and dress herself in curious and costly apparel, and all to enter- tain a wanton lover, and so to make work for hell. Oh, it cannot but grieve a gracious soul to see what pains poor sinners take to go to hell ! A holy heart looks upon other men's sins as great dishonours done to his father, his king; and therefore he cannot but cry out with Croesus his son, who though he was born dumb, yet seeing some going about to kill his father, his tongue-strings unloosed, and he cried out, ' Oh kill not king Croesus, kill not my father.' ^ Oh kill not my God, and my King ! Oh kUl not, oh dishonour not my dear Father and Saviour,
^ It is a metaphor taken from engines that they did torment people withal. ' As before.— G.
HeB. XII. 14] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 131
saith a holy heart. Such is the love and high respects that holy- hearts bear to their heavenly Father, that they cannot but grieve, and mourn, and cry out when they see others to act treason against the crown and dignity of heaven. Elijah had rather die than to see Ahab and Jezebel to cast contempt and dishonour upon his God.
[1.] A holy heart mourns for sin as sin, he weeps over the very nature of sin ; he grieves for sin as it is the breach of a holy law, and as it is a dishonour to a holy God, &c., and therefore he cannot but mourn for other men's sins as well as his own.i He that hates a toad as a toad, will hate a toad in other men's bosoms as well as his own ; he that hates poison as poison, wiU hate poison in another man's hand as well as his own : so he that hates sin as sin, will hate it wherever he sees it ; and he that mourns over sin as sin, cannot but mourn over sin wherever he observes it.
[2.] By other men's sins a holy man is put in mind of the badness of his own heart. Bernard makes mention in one of his Homilies of an old man, who, when he saw any man sin, wept and lamented for him, and being asked why he grieved so for other men s sins, answered, Ille hodie, et ego eras; He fell to-day, and I may fall to-morrow. The faUs of others puts a holy man in mind of the roots of bitterness that be in himself Other men's actual sins are as so many glasses, through which a holy man comes to see the manifold seeds of sin that be in his own nature, and such a sight as this cannot but melt him and break him.
[3.] A holy heart knows that the best way to keep himself pure from other men's sins, is to mourn for other men's sins.^ He that makes conscience of weeping over other men's sins will rarely be defiled with other men's sins. He that mourns not over other men's sins is accessary to other men's sins : and first or last may find them charged upon his account. He that mourns not for other men's sins is in danger of being ensnared by other men's sins. And how then can a holy man look upon other men's sins with dry eyes ?
[4.] A holy man looks upon other men's sins as the crucifiers of his Saviour. He looks upon the proud man's pride as that which set a crown of thorns upon the sacred head of Christ, and this makes him sigh ; he looks upon the swearer's oaths as the nails that nailed his blessed hands and feet to the cross, and this makes him grieve ; he looks upon scomers as spitting upon Christ, and worldlings as prefer- ring Barabbas before Christ, and this makes him groan ; he looks upon hypocrites as kissing and betraying of Christ, and he looks upon drunkards and wantons as giving gall and vinegar to Christ, and this makes him mourn ; he looks upon other men's sins as having a hand in all Christ's torments, and this puts him upon the rack, and makes his very soul heavy, even to the death.
[5.] A holy heart knows that by mourning for other men's sins, he may be instrumental to keep off wrath, Ezek. ix. 4, 6. How oft did holy Moses by his tears quench the wrath of an angry God I However, if wrath should break forth upon a nation, yet_ they that mourn for the abominations of the times, they shall be hid in the day
^ He that hates a thief as a thief, will hate a thief in another man's house as well as in his own. * 1 Tim. v. 22 j 1 Cor. v. 1-3 ; Eph. v. 11.