breach of a holy law, as the wounding and crucifying of a holy Saviour, as the grieving and sadding of a holy Sanctifier, and as an eternal loss and undoing of his own soul, and not mourn over it ? Oh, who can cast a serious eye upon the nature of sin, or upon the exceeding sinful- ness of sin, or upon the aggravations of sin, and not have his heart humbled, his soul grieved, and his spirit melted for sin? Oh, who can look upon sin as it strikes at the honour of God, the name of God, the being of God, the glory of God, and the design of God, and not have his mouth full of penitential confessions, his eyes full of peni- tential tears, and his heart full of penitential sorrow ? Some, as they say of witches, cannot weep for sin ; but they that weep not for sin here, where there are handkerchiefs in the hands of Christ to wipe off their tears, shall weep out their eyes in heU hereafter. It is better to weep bitterly for thy sins on earth, than to weep eternally for thy folly in hell. Ah, how hard is that heart that can sadly lament and bewail the loss of a groat, a chick, a child, a sheep, a ship, a friend, &c., and yet can't let fall a tear to save a lost soul ! Jacob weeps and prevails with God, Hosea xii. 4 ; his tears made a happy conquest upon God. Jacob weeps and prevails with God for his life ; and what dost thou know but that by thy penitential tears thou mayest prevail with God for thy soul ? He weeps and prevails with God for temporals ; and why mayest not thou by weeping prevail with God for eternals ? He weeps and prevails with God for some outward happiness ; and why mayest not thou by weeping prevail with God for inward holiness ? It is an old observation, that the tears of repenting sinners are the wine of angels. Certainly God himself can smile to see a sinner grieve for his sins, and to see him grieve that he can grieve no more, for that he has sinned against a God so great, so gracious, so bountiful, so merciful, &c., Ps. li. 17. Though God be displeased with a sinner's sins, yet he is very well pleased with a sinner's tears, and therefore as he has a bag for the one, so he has a bottle for the other. It cannot but be a pleasure to God to see a sinner drown his sins in a deluge of penitential tears. Though tears of indignation, as was Esau's, and tears of dissimulation, as was Ishmael's, and tears of desperation, as was Judas's, be abominable to God, yet tears of godly compunction and contrition are acceptable and delightful unto God. A sinner never looks so sweetly, as when he weeps most penitentially : witness Mary Magdalene, Manasseh, and those murderers of Christ, Acts ii. A sinner 8 face never shines so beautiful, as when it is bedewed with penitential tears. Tears have a voice as well as blood, Ps. vi. 8. And God has an eye as well upon a man's tears as upon his prayers. Peni- tent tears are divine ambassadors, that never return from the throne of grace without answers of grace, Isa, xxxviii. 5. Peter said nothing, but went out and wept bitterly, and obtained mercy. Mat. xxvi. 75. Tears are a kind of silent prayers, that will at last prevail for mercy. Naaman the Syrian was cleansed of his leprosy by the waters of Jordan ; penitential tears may do much towards the cleansing of thy leprous soul from sin. He that really grieves that he cannot grieve for sin, is grieved for sin ; he that is truly sorry that he cannot be sorry for sin, is in a measure sorry for sin ; he that truly desires to drown his Mns in his tears, he has in divine account drowned his. sins in his
214 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
tears. The maid in Scaliger swooned at the sight of a lily. Oh, how much more should you at the sight of your unholiness ! Basil wept when he saw the rose, because it brought to his mind the first sin from whence it had the prickles. Oh, how should a sinner fall a-weep- ing when he looks upon the greatness of his wickedness and his want of holiness ! As ever you would be holy, mourn over your own unholi- ness. But,