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 meu. For I deny not but they may, and should have vent in publie, 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 surely they should not be fewer and less frequent alone, than in company, for that is a little subject to suspicion. See Jer. ix, 1; O 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.

IV. The subject of this affection is, not the ungodly themselves who 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 brings 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 worthy 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 this bitter root? Whence arise those public miseries of nations and kingdoms, but from the epidemic national sins of the people, as the deserving and procuring 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 nation: they are truly the incendiaries of states and kingdoms. And these mourners, though they can do no more, are the most loyal and most 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, when he would weep for the slain of his people, is straightway led from that to bewail the sin of his people, ver. 2, 3. And in his book of tears and lamentations, he often reduces all these sad evils, to sin as causing them, particularly v. 16; The crown is fallen from our head. Wo 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 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 abomi

nations were marked, and the common desolation took not hold on them. This mourning for other men's wickedness testifies and preserves the godly man's innocence. I say, it preserves it, as well as testifies it: it keeps him from the contagion of that bad air he lives 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 displeasing to a man, it will before long begin to be pleasing to him.

3. If we consider the nature of the godly, we shall see this mourning suit with it exceedingly, both in regard of his relation to God and to man. God is his Father, and therefore it cannot but grieve him much to see him offended and dishonored. Love to God and consequently to his law, and love to men, and desire of their good, are the spring of these rivers. A godly man is tender of God's glory and of his law; every stroke that it receives striketh his heart: and he hath bowels of compassion to men, and would be glad if they were converted and saved. He considers every man as his brother, and therefore is sorrowful to see him run the hazard of perishing in sin. The former sympathy, whereby the godly man tenders the glory of God, is from his piety; this latter, whereby he pities the misery of man, is from his charity. And from these flow the rivers that run down his eyes.

To be too sensible of worldly crosses, and prodigal of tears upon such slight occasions, is little better than childish or womanish; but these tears that flow from love to God and grief for sin, have neither uncomeliness nor excess in them. Abundance of them will beseem any man who is a Christian. Let profane men judge it a weakness 10 weep for sin, yet, we see David do it. Men of arms and valor need not fear disparagement by weeping thus. It is the truest magnanimity to be sensible of the point of God's honor, which is injured by sin.

Again; the consideration of this truth will discover the world guilty of very much ingratitude to godly men. It hath always been the custom of profane persons to seek to brand religion and godliness with disloyalty and turbulency, and to make it pass for an enemy to the peace

and prosperity of states and kingdoms. You see clearly with what affection religion furnishes men towards the public, causing them to mourn for common sins, and so to prevent, as far as in them lies, common calamities. And this is of no little consequence; for truly it is not foreign power, so much as sin at home, that ruins kingdoms. All the winds that blow without the earth, be they never so violent, stir it not; only that which is within its own bowels makes an earthquake. It was a grave answer of Epaminondas, being asked what he was doing solitary and pensive in the time of solemn mirth and feasting; "While my countrymen," said he, are so peaceably feasting, I am thinking on the best means to preserve that peace to them, that it may continue"which, a little altered, is applicable to the godly. They are oftentimes mourning for the sins, and praying for the peace of the places where they live; when, in the mean time, the greatest part are multiplying sin, and so forfeiting their peace.

Rivers of Waters. "This is a mournful, melancholy life that these Precisians lead," says the worlding. Yes, truly, if there were no more in it than what he can perceive and judge of. But besides the full joy laid up for them and the beginnings of it here, there is even in this mourning an unknown sweetness and delight. The philosopher says even of common tears, that there is some kind of pleasure in them, as some things please the taste by their very tartness. But of these tears, they that know them, know it to be eminently true, that they are pleasant. But be this exercise as sad as the profane call it, yet why observe they not, that they themselves are much the cause of it? As they may read here; Be cause they keep not God's law.

But to pass by divers inferences that the words afford, let us take notice of the duty here practised, and how much we are all obliged to the present practice of it. Who will deny that we have too much matter and occasions of it? Besides the sorrow of Sion, and particularly the blood-shedding and distress of our brethren and our own danger, what corner of the land, what rank or condition of people is there, that abounds not in gross and

heinous violations of God's law? They keep not thy law: magistrates and judges turning judgment into gall and wormwood; ministers remiss in that great care, the care of souls; people wallowing in ungodliness and uncleanness, swearing, and other profaneness; the greater oppressing the less, and the less defrauding and wronging the greater; no sensible and notable work of conversion almost to be seen or heard of amongst us; the Lord absenting himself from his ordinances. O that he would dwell in his house, and fill it with the cloud of his glory! What vile uncleanness and wantonness! What shameful drunkenness and excess ! And some are so far from mourning for others' guiltiness of this sin, that they glory in making others guilty of it, and count it a pastime to make others drunk. And this is a far greater sin than drunkenness itself; for these men, while they make beasts of their companions, make devils of themselves, becoming tempters and provokers to sin. If any such be here, either tremble at the wo that the prophet Habakkuk denounceth, or confess that you believe not the scriptures; Wo to him that gives his neighbour drink, and puts the bottle to him to make him drunken. The cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned to thee: it is full of heavy vengeance. There is a cup, if you like it, to pay you home the cups you give to others.

Again; how is the land filled with oaths and cursings! How are your streets, and almost all companies where a man can come, defiled, partly with tearing the precious name of God, partly with calling on the devil!

There would be no end of reckoning up all particulars; sabbath-breaking, fraud and covetousness, pride and malice, and envyings one of another, and the rest. But the sum is this, a universal want of the fear of God and his law.

And the cause of this is, in a great part, ignorance of God and of his law. And truly it is wonderful, under so much light and such plentiful preaching, to find so much darkness, not only in the skirts and remote places, but even in the prime parts of this land. Multitudes there are that are strangers to the very principles and fundamentals of that religion which they profess; and