But more particularly to branch this out a little in several sorts of men; this godly grief is a very large sphere, it will extend to remote people, remote every way, not only in place, but in manners and religion, even to heathens and gross idolaters. Yea, the very sins of enemies, and of such as are professed enemies to God, yet moves the tender-hearted Christian to sorrow and compassion. "Of whom I now tell you, weeping, that they are enemies to the cross of Christ." Philip. iii. 18. Enemies, and yet he speaks of them weeping. What he writes concerning them he would have written in tears, if that had been legible. Thus you see the extension of this grief. But yet, out of all question, it will be more intensive in particulars of nearer concernment. It is the burden of the pious man's heart, that His law who made the world, and gives being to all things, should be so little regarded, and so much broken through all the world; but yet more especially, that in his own church, amongst his own people, transgression should abound. Sins within the church are most properly scandals; God manifests himself (so to speak) most sensible of these, and therefore the godly man is so too. Whether they be the continual enormities of licentious and profane persons, which are by external profession in the face of the visible church, though indeed they be in it, but as spots and blemishes, as the apostle speaks: or whether it be the apostacy of hypocrites, or (which soinetimes falls out) the gross falls of true converts. All these are the great grief of the godly. The relations of men either natural or civil will add something too. This sorrow will be greater than ordinary in a Christian; he will melt in a particular tenderness for the sins of his kindred, parents or children, husband or wife; and most of all, ministers for their people. How pathetically does this appear in St. Paul, 2 Cor. xii. 21: "And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness, and fornication, and lasciviousness, which

they have committed"! A man cannot but be more particularly touched with the sins of that nation, and of that city and congregation and family whereof he is a member. 2 Pet. ii. 8: "For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul, from day to day, with their unlawful deeds." The sins of more eminent persons, either in church or commonwealth, will most affect a prudent Christian, because their inclinations and actions import the public much. Therefore the apostle, when he had exhorted to supplications and prayers for all men, he particularly mentions kings, and such as are in authority. And truly, when they are abused by misadvice and corrupt counsel, some of these tears were very well spent, if poured forth before God in their behalf; for in his hand (as that wise king confesseth) are their hearts, compared to rivers of waters. Let their motion be ever so impetuous, yet he turns them whither he pleaseth. And who knows but these rivers of waters, these tears, may prevail with the Lord to reduce the violent current of that river (a king's heart) from the wrong channel?

II. But to proceed. The second thing to be considered in this affection, is, the nature of it. (1.) It is not a Stoical apathy, and affected carelessness, much less a delightful partaking with sinful practices. (2.) Not a proud setting off their own goodness, with marking the sin of others, as the Pharisee did in the gospel. (3.) Not the derision and mocking the folly of men, with that laughing philosopher; it comes nearer to the temper of the other, that wept always for it. It is not a bitter, bilious anger, breaking forth into railings and reproaches, nor an upbraiding insultation. Nor is it a vindictive desire of punishment, venting itself in curses and imprecations, which is the rash temper of many, but especially of the vulgar sort. The disciples' motion to Christ was far different from that way, and yet he says to them, You know not of what spirit ye are. They thought they had been of Elias's spirit, but he told them they were mistaken, and did not

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know of what a spirit they were in that motion. Thus heady zeal often mistakes and flatters itself. find not here a desire of fire to come down from heaven upon the breakers of the law, but such a grief as would rather bring waters to quench it, if it were falling on them. Rivers of waters, &c.

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III. The degree of this sorrow; it is vehement, not a light, transient dislike, but a deep resentment, such as causeth not some few sighs, or some drops of tears, but rivers. It is true, the measure and degree of sorrow for sin, whether their own or others', are different in divers persons, that are yet true mourners; and they are also different in the same persons, at divers times, not only upon the difference of the cause, but even where the cause is equal, upon the different influence and working of the Spirit of God. Sometimes it pleaseth him to warm and melt the heart more abundantly, and so he raises these rivers, in these eyes, to a higher tide than ordinary. Sometimes

they remove again, but yet this godly sorrow is always serious and sincere; and that is the other quality here remarkable in it. It is not a histrionical weeping, only in public; for the speech is here directed to God, as a more frequent witness of these tears than any other, who is always the witness of the sincerity of them, even when they cannot be hid from the eyes of men, (for I deny not but they may and should have vent in public, especially at such times as are set apart for solemn mourning and humiliation). Yet, even then, usually these streams run deepest, where they are stillest and most quietly conveyed. But, howsoever, sure they would not be fewer, and less frequent alone than in company, for that is a little subject to suspicion. Jer. ix. 1: Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! And xiii. 17: But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive. *Palge maijim. Pelagus aquarum,"

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IV. The subject of this affection, is, not the un godly themselves that are professed transgressors of this law; they rather make a sport of sin, as Solomon speaks; they play and make themselves merry with it, as the Philistines did with Samson, till it bring the house down about their ears. But the godly are they that are affected with this sorrow, such as are careful observers of the law themselves, and mourn first for their own breaches; for these are the only fit mourners for the transgression of others.

Now to inquire a little into the cause of this, why the breaking of God's law should cause such sorrow in the godly, as here breaketh forth into abundance of tears; we shall find it very reasonable if we consider, 1. The nature of sin, which is the transgression or breach of the law, as the apostle defines it. 2. The nature of this sorrow and these tears. 3. The nature of the godly.

1. Sin is the greatest evil in the world; yea truly, in comparison, it alone is worth the name of evil, and therefore may justly challenge sorrow, and the greatest sorrow. The greatest of evils it is; both formally, in that it alone is the defilement and deformity of the soul; and causally, being the root from whence all other evils spring; the fruitful womb that conceives and brings forth all those miseries that either man feels, or hath cause to fear. Whence are

all those personal evils incident to men in their estates, or in their bodies, or minds, outward turmoils and diseases, and inward discontents, and death itself, in all the kinds of it; are they not all the fruits of that bitter root? Whence arise these public miseries of nations and kingdoms, but from the epidemic national sins of the people, as the deserving and pro. curing cause at God's hand? And withal, oftentimes from the ambitious and wicked practices of some particular men, as the working and effecting causes ; so that every way, if we follow these evils home to their original, we shall find it to be sin, or the breaking of God's law. Ungodly men, though they meddle not with public affairs at all, yea, though they be

faithful and honest in meddling with them, yet by reason of their impious lives, are traitors to their na tion; they are truly the incendiaries of states and kingdoms. And these mourners, though they can do no more, are the most loyal and serviceable subjects, bringing tears to quench the fire of wrath-Rivers of waters. And therefore, sorrow and tears are not only most due to sin, as the greatest of evils, but they are best bestowed upon it, if they can do any thing to its redress; because that is both the surest and most compendious way to remedy all the rest, sin being the source and spring of them all.

This is the reason why Jeremiah, ix. 1, when he would weep for the slain of his people, is straightway led from that to bewail the sin of his people, vers. 2, 3, &c. And in his book of tears and lamentations, he often reduces all these sad evils to sin as causing them, particularly chap. v. 16: The crown is fallen from our head; woe unto us that we have sinned. He turns the complaint more to the sin than to the affliction.

2. Consider the nature of these tears, Tears spent for worldly crosses are all lost; they run all to waste; they are lachrymæ inanes, empty, fruitless things: but tears shed for the breach of God's law, are the means to quench God's wrath. The prayers and tears of some few, may avert the punishment of many, yea, of a whole land; and if not so, yet are they not lost; the mourners themselves have always benefit by them, as you have it in that known place, Ezek. ix. 4. They that mourned for the common abominations were marked, and the common desolation took not hold on them. This mourning for other men's wickedness, both testifies and preserves the godly man's innocence, I say, it preserves it, as well as testifies it; keeps them from the contagion of that bad air they live in, for without this, sin would soon grow familiar. It is good for men to keep up and maintain in their souls a dislike of sin; for when once it ceaseth to be