The motives are many. He that will mourn must look to these. There is one rule generally for mourning, and that is this : He that will mourn spiritually, he must apply himself to God's means and motives only. There be that tell us of a course of getting of sackcloth and haircloth, and I know not what, to work godly mourning. This makes men superstitious, and not humble. He that is an holy mourner, he will follow God's directions, he will work upon his motives and reasons, and no other ; and therefore he mourns, because God bids him so mourn, for the Scripture bids us look upon Christ, not as he is in pictures, but in the word, presented upon the cross, and to weep, and to mourn, and to bleed out our souls there for our sins committed against him, and so to look upon him whom we have pierced, and to weep for him, as it is Zech. xii. 10. That is in general.
Now, in particular, consider these motives.
1 , It is needful for us to mourn,
2, It is seasonable for us to mourn,
3, It is profitable. And,
4, It is comfortable.
Of these we should have said something more largely if the time and strength had given leave, but seeing both fail, we will only touch them now, and leave them till we can further prosecute them,
1. First, It is needful to mourn in a spiritual manner. Whosoever hath sin must mourn. Let him take, his time and place, whether he will do it in this life or in that which is to come. Sin must have sorrow, that is a ruled case ; and he that will not willingly mourn, shall, will he or nill he, in another place. And therefore, my brethren, we see there is a necessity laid upon us in regard of our sins. It is needful also in regard of others, to draw them to it by our example and practice, I know not how it comes to pass, but we are all fallen into a wondrous sleepy age, a time of security. Men bless themselves in their courses. They secure themselves in a formal, ordinary kind of religion and profession, with an ordinary stint of holy duties, when there is no powerful, hearty, sanctifying actions done in secret for our own sins, and the sins of the times. Why, sith* that all men sleep, let us be wakeful, and since others have need of provoking to this duty, let Christian men lead them the way. Let their faces, and apparel, and enter- tainment, and all their carriage and behaviour, speak mourning and lamen- tation to other men. Secondly, As it is needful in regard of others, so also it is needful in rer/ard of ourselves too ; for who doth not find in him- self a wondrous proneness to sin, and aptness to take infection from others ? Who finds not in himself a readiness to close with others in their * That is, ' since.' — G,
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sins ? The way to preserve us is to mourn. That will preserve us from the infection now, and from judgment hereafter. How was Lot preserved in Sodom ? By hearing and seeing they vexed his righteous soul, &c. While Lot mom-ned for their sin, he was free from sin ; while he mourned for their impiety, he was free from the judgment. Because he did not partake of their wickedness, therefore he was not plagued with the wicked. If then we would not be infected by sin, if we would not be wrapped up in the common calamities and judgments, this course we had need to take, we must fall to mourning for our own sins and for their sins.
2. Secondly, As it is needful, so also it is very seasonable. The very time tends that way, as it were ; the season is the time of weeping ; the church of God weeps abroad. It is the time, as I told you, of Jacob's trouble. Oh the sighs, oh the tears, oh the griefs and sorrows that cover and overwhelm the people of God in other nations, and other places ! The prophet David could say, his right hand should forget to play, rather than he would forget Jerusalem, Ps. cxxxvii. 5; but I know not how, what for play, and for sport, and for ease, and feasting, and one thing or other, we forget Jerusalem, we forget the misery of the church in other places. Well, now they pray, and call upon us, as far as Prague, as far as Heidelberg, as far as France, that we would take notice of their afflictions, and of their miseries ; at the least, that we would comfort them so far as to mourn for them.* As it is seasonable in regard of the afflictions of the church, so in respect of provoking of others of this nation. For sin is now grown to a fulness, to a ripeness. Oh the oaths that are sworn in one day, in one city, and in one town ! Oh the lies that are uttered in one fair, in one market daily ! Oh the sins that are committed by high and low of all degrees within the compass of twenty-four hours ! Who is able to reckon them ? And the sins that are committed with an high hand against the knowledge, and against the light of the gospel, and against the express letter of the law, the word of God, should not these things cause us to mourn ? They would cause a David to weep rivers of tears, and shall not we weep at all ?