AS God hauing tyed Abra­hams faith, and by tryall found it sincere, in walking obediently vnto his will, did plant his Church in Abra­hams posterity, being holie branches of a holy tree: so this Church God woulde not leaue destitute of his fur­ther grace, but as in mercy hee had freely chosen the same from among the rest, so in his goodnes he bles­sed it aboue the rest. He sent his Prophets from time to time, as dilligent husband-men to employ theyr Prayers both earely and late, for the dressing of hys Vineyard, and to do all things which might serue to make it fruitfull: that as hee had planted the same by himselfe, so he might water it by his seruants, & giue the increase by his spirit.

Amongst these seruants of God, whom the Lord had indued with the spirite of Prophesie, some were employed specially among the Iewes, consisting of [Page] the Tribes of Iudah and Beniamin: some were sent to the ten Tribes of Israell, which being reuolted from the house of Dauid, were now become a seueral king­dome of themselues: some exercised a more ioynt function concerning both the kingdome of Iudah & Israell: and some Prophecied more specially concer­ning forraigne Nations. Of those Prophets, whose commission was to preach vnto the Iewes, our pro­phet Ieremiah was neyther the last nor the least: who being indued with rare and excellent gifts of God; as namely with feruent zeale, inuincible courage, and vnchaungeable constancy, beganne for to pro­phecie in a most corrupt and daungerous time, when the Booke of the Lawe was lost, and neuer a coppie thereof extant for the instruction of the people. Whereof it is easie to gather, howe much a do the prophet had with the way-ward people, ha­uing no common rule to direct them, either for the worship of God, or for the leading of their liues, (but euery man liuing as himselfe liked best) both corrup­ting the seruice of God with their Idolatrous inuen­tions, and defiling their conuersations with horrible sinnes. And after that, when the Booke of the Lawe was found, and publickly authorized by godly King Iosiah, the people for all that became not much more tractable, though for his time reduced to some better order; yet afterwardes, like false-hearted Apostataes, they vtterly reuolted to their olde superstitions, and loosenes of life. And straunge it is to consider, what contradiction the holy prophet founde among that stif-necked people, who neither regarded the Lorde [Page] that sent him, nor the Ambassage hee deliuered, nor the iminent calamities which were ready to fal vpon their heads.

None of all these thinges could make their stonie harts to repent, but on the contrary, they raysed vp troubles and persecutions against the prophet, shut­ting him sundry times in prison, & sundry times see­king his life, they remoued him from one dungeon to another, where his feet stucke fast in the myre, in so much that he could not bee gotten out, till hee was drawne vp with ropes, as we see in the 37. & 38. chap­ters. And yet notwithstanding, he was not dismayd, but patiently endured al these afflictions, and hauing constantly continued in the faithfull discharge of his propheticall function, for the space of more then 40. yeares together, at length (as it is recorded of him) he was stoned to death in Egypt, by those Iewes that wer fled thither for feare of the Chaldaeans.

But now to approch nearer vnto our text. When Isaiah that excellent prophet of the Lorde, who had bin vehement in rebuking the sinnes of the people, & had laboured most earnestly to bring them to repen­tance, could not preuaile with all his Trauayle, but lost his labour, and spent his strength in vain, hauing continued prophesying about the space of threescore yeares: what hope could our prophet Ieremiah con­ceiue, who succeeded him, to preuaile more with that obstinate people, then his predecessor had done, be­ing both seruants of the same Lord, both employed in the same affayres, and both ayming at one marke, which was the repentance of the people, and theyr [Page] preseruation from destruction, depending vpon their repentance? Our prophet therefore, as hee was later in time, and the destruction of the Iewes nearer at hand, so his care was the greater, to frame and com­pose himselfe in speaking to the Iewes after such a sort, as his speech might most deepely pierce the ve­ry sinnewes of their harts, and transfuse it selfe into the marrow of their soules: not that he hoped to at­chiue any greater maters with them, then Isay & Ioel his predecessors had done, but to make them inexcu­sable before God, and that themselues might ackno­ledge the Lord to deale most iustly with them, when they should feele the rigor of his iudgements, hauing bin thereof so often fore-warned. This therefore is the cheefest point in Ieremiah his doctrine to be ob­serued, that nowe no hope of pardon was left vnto the Iewes. they had so long despised mercy, that now vengeance was come, and therefore they were to looke for nothing but to feele the waight of Gods heauy indignation. And for this they were to thanke themselues; for thogh God be ful of patience & long suffering, and is loth to punish sinners when they do offend, yet hee will not alwaies suffer himselfe to be mocked; his iustice wil not alwaies be sleeping, but at length wil rowze vp it selfe like a ramping Lyon, and who is able to indure the fiercenes thereof. Though he giue his people a long time to repent, & sende his seruants to call them, to inuite them, to intreat them, & to wo them, as a man doth wo a Virgin, whom he would make his wife, promising that hee wil be mer­ciful to their sins, and not remember their iniquities, [Page] that he wil deal with them in the greatnes of his loue, & not in the rigour of his iudgement; that he will re­ceiue and embrace them, as his deare children, & be­stow al good things vpon them both in this life, & in the life to come, if they will amend their liues, & turn vnto him; yet when they wil not be reformed, when they remaine impenitent & incorrigible, and do har­den their harts against al these louing & gracious ad­monitions, how can the lord do lesse then make them know and feele, that as he hath aboundance of sweet mercies laid vp in store for them that feare him, so his treasure is not without sharpe arrows, swords, and al kind of weapons, to gore the harts of al his enemies? Seeing then the Iewes were such, how could the pro­phet Ieremiah do lesse, then sounde out the trumpet of Gods wrath, & thunder out the threatnings of Gods indignation against them? But what? did not Isay be­fore him, denounce the iudgementes of God against the Iewes? Yes verily, but with this difference: that Isaiah, as he was vehement, so with his threatnings he alwaies mingled words of comfort, and gaue hope of pardon vpon amendment: but Ieremiah, whē neither Isaiahs preaching would moue them, nor the example of their bretheren (whom the Assyrians had caried a­way captiues, hauing vtterly destroied their kingdom) could work any remorse in their harts, Ieremiah after al this, seeing the Iewes obstinatly giuen ouer to hard­nes of hart, he tels them plainly, that he must not now dissemble with them, but as they were obdurate in their malice, without hope to bee reclaimed, so they must nowe prepare themselues euer to beare the [Page] burthen of Gods wrath, without hope to be released.

And we may further say, that God by the prophet Isay did expostulate with the Iewes, hee pleaded hys cause against them, and brought them to their tryall; but by Ieremiah he conuinceth them, he findes them guilty, and giues sentence against them, & that sen­tence was performed euen in Ieremiahs time, who saw with his owne eyes the execution thereof.

Seeing then, that the decree was passed, theyr de­struction determined, and the sentence irreuocable: Admonitions were vnprofitable, exhortations were vnfruitfull, to pray for them was forbidden: Thou shalt not pray for this people, neyther lift vppe cry or prayer for them, neither entreat me, for I will not heare thee, sayth the Lord. Ier. 7, 16. This was the cause, that our prophet heere frames himselfe to mourne, lament, and bewayle, the misery, destruction, and ca­lamity of the Iewish Nation: Oh that my head were ful of water, &c.

And because this Citty, and this land, hath bin as much blessed of God as euer Iudah & Ierusalem was, and the Lordes Gracious care to call you to repen­tance, that ye might not perrish in your sinnes, hath beene as great ouer you, as euer it was ouer them: & that so many excellent Preachers, indued with such variety of gifts, haue been sent vnto you from so ma­ny places, besides your ordinarie Preachers, whome the Lorde hath placed among you (which though they bee few through your owne fault, yet are they enow to make you without excuse:) and al these haue not ceased to cry and cal on you, for the amendment [Page] of your liues, to lay away your swearing, your drun­kennesse, your Whoredome, your falshood and de­ceit in buying, selling, and bargaining, your propha­ning of Gods Sabboths, your contempt of his word, your biting, extorting, and oppressing vsuries, be­sides infinite others your grieuous and abhominable sinnes, and yet all in vaine; insomuch that the Lord hauing laid his heauy hand vpon many places of this Land, to the destruction of many thousands, hath be­gunne also to stretch it out vppon this Citty, and is like to proceed further, and not yet to make an end, according to that of the Prophet Isaiah 9, 12. The wrath of the Lord is not yet turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. This is the cause, that hath mooued me, laying aside all matter both of doctrine and ex­hortation, to make choyse of this place of Scripture, the better to occasion me to lament & bewaile both the hardnes of your hearts, and the greatnes of your punishment, and to say with the prophet Ieremiah, Oh that my head, &c.

The Prophet in these words doth signifie, that as their sinnes were monstrous, passing al measure, so the destruction was fearfull, which the Lord was de­termined to bring vpon them, exceeding the measure of his ordinary Iudgements: and therefore, that hee was not able sufficiently to bewayle the greatnesse thereof. For great sinnes procure great punishments, and great punnishments are neuer without great sor­row and lamentation. Seeing therefore the punnish­ments which God had prepared for the Iewes, were such as they had neuer felt before, so the Prophet de­sireth [Page] to bewayl the same with such a measure of La­mentation, as neuer had bin heard of before: that the greatnes of his mourning might (if it wer possible) be fully answerable to the greatnesse of their miseries. In these wordes wee may obserue two things: First, the mourning of the prophet, and secondly, the obiect of his mourning. The mourning in these words, Oh that mine head were full of Water, and mine eies a fountain of teares, that I might weep day and night: the obiect of his mourning was, the slaughter of the people: that I might weepe day and night, for the slain of the daughter of my people. His mourning he sets down in most patheticall and significant terms. And this he doth by way of a Rhetoricall gradation; for he that weepeth, sheds tears, and he that sheds tears, must haue some inward moisture that must be resolued into tears. The pro­phet therfore framing & composing himself to weep, and in weeping to exceed measure, & to passe mode­ration, that he might not be interrupted in the course of his weeping for want of matrer to ministet suply of tears, he first wisheth that his head were full of water, or rather, that his head were resolued into water: for that commeth nearer the Haebrew original, Oh that some man wold make my head to become as water. In this great lamentatiō the prophet seemeth to fear nothing more, then that his head should be drawn dry, & that for lack of moysture, he should be constrained in time to forbear weeping, for (as Seneca saith) Nullus dolor longus est, qui magna est.

The sorrow that is great cannot be long, for such is the infirmity of nature, that nothing vehemēt or vio­lent [Page] can bee of long continuance. Seeing therefore, that this sorrowe was extraordinatie, because it did arise of an extraordinary ocasiō, here he sets forth in extraordinary & hyperbolicall formes of speech, ra­ther expressing his desire, how hee would haue it to bee, then any hope he had that it could so be, & not so much declaring what was possible & likely to bee doone, as what was meete and conuenient to bee done.

The thing therefore that our prophet desireth is, first, that his head might be ful of water. It is not a small quantity of water that will content him, but he would haue it ful of water. Nay, he would haue it resolued into water, that so long as it is a heade, so long it might neuer be without water, to weepe and waile for the destruction of the people.

But why doth hee wish that his head were full of water, and not rather his heart, seeing the heart is the seate of all the affections? Although the heart is the seate of the affections, yet the head is the seat of all the sences, both inwarde and outward. And the head as it is the highest part of the bodye, so the mind which is the chiefest part of the soul, hath erect­ed her throne therein, & keepes there her residence, and from thence as from a Watch Tower, appre­hendeth all things, vnderstandeth al things, and dis­cerneth all thinges that are brought vnto her by the outward sences, which are her handmaids.

This is the place where the minde doeth sitt as Queene and Gouernour, and whatsoeuer it be shee [Page] commaundeth, prescribeth, or directeth, that the will and affections are ready to execute. And for that cause it is said, Mens cuiusque est quis (que). The mind of euery man is the man himself. This is that which first aprehendeth the cause of griefe & sorrow, and by & by Communicateth the same with the hart, which is presently moued either to embrace or dislike, as the minde Iudgeth the obiect to bee good or euil: Like vnto a Porter, who keeping the gate doth open it to his friend, and shuts it to his enemy. By this the pro­phet in his Prophetical spirit, did foresee that horible and bloody slaughter which should be committed by the hoast of the Chaldaeans in the City of Ierusalem. And this did so deeply afflict and pierce his hart, that he could not containe himselfe, but must needs break out into a most dolefull lamentation. And the better to continue and increase his sorrow by ministring (as it were) food thereunto, he wisheth that his head wer full of water: for as fire consumeth wood and coales, and for want of woode or coales, the fire it selfe will consume and be extinguished; so weeping exhausteth and draweth out teares, and when teares are consu­med, without supply, weeping it selfe must needes haue an end. And therefore, that a fresh supply might neuer be wanting, he wisheth that his head might al­waies abound with water. And for this purpose, the head is a more fit member then the heart: First, be­cause the obiect of the affections is there apprehen­ded and iudged of, and according to that iudgement the hart is affected.

Secondly, for that the head is much larger, and of [Page] a more capacious figure. Thirdly, because it is more apt to receiue and hold water, both in regard of the ventricles or receptacles of the braine within, and al­so for that it is strongly fenced and enuironed (as it were) with a hard wall round about. And lastly, for that the head hath better means to expresse the grief and sorrow of the heart, both by mourning with the voyce, and by weeping with the eyes: And thus I am come to the second point of the gradation, which is the second thing that the prophet desireth for the better expressing of his great sorrow.

He doth not onely wish that his head were full of water, but he declares the cause thereof; which was, not to keepe it still enclosed in his head, but that from thence it might bee deriued and resolued into brinish teares, as faithfull witnesses of his inward griefe. And to this end hee wisheth, that his eyes might bee as a Fountaine, or (as it is in the Haebrewe Originall) a vaine of teares, which might be alwayes open & ne­uer stopped, alwaies running and neuer dry. When a man would seeke a well, first he digges to get water, and when he hath found Water, his next care is, to draw it out, for such needfull vses, as occasion requi­reth. Euen so our Prophets desire is first; that hee might haue in his body a springing wel, that his head might be the conduit; and for the better drawing of this water out, he wisheth in the next place, that his eyes might be as spouts or as conduit pipes to powre forth this water. And it could not be, but so many as had not harts of flint, must needs bee moued with a­stonishment, to see and behold this great lamentati­on. [Page] And yet our prophet is not content with this, but he addeth, as the third step of the gradation, that I might weepe day and night. It cannot content him to haue his heade full of Water, it cannot content him, that his eyes shedde teares: but as though this were no weeping, to expresse further, that all thys comes from the inward sence & sorrow of his hart, he wisheth that hee might weepe, and not simplie weepe, but weepe so, that his eies might neuer linne weeping, and his eye-lids might neuer close them­selues to take any rest, but be alwaies open to weepe day and night. Great was that mourning of the wo­men of Bethelem, when their children were slaine by the cruelty of Herod, whereof our prophet Ieremiah prophecieth Chap, 31. 15. which Testimonies is al­ledged by rhe Euangelyst S. Mathew, in the second Chapter and the 8. verse, where hee applyeth the same to that slaughter of Herod: who seeing himself deluded by the wise men, caused al the male children of Bethlehem to be slaine, from two yeares olde and vnder, with intent to murther Christ, among the rest In Ramah was a voyce herd, mourning and weeping, & great lamencation: Rachael weeping for her children, & would not be comforted, hecause they were not. But that lamentation, although it was bitter, yet was it not to be cōpared with this of our prophet, because that was only for the losse of some of their children, but here the prophet bewayleth that miserable and fearefull destruction which shoulde generally come vpon all Iudah and Ierusalem, as well young as olde, wherein there should scarse be any that should scape & not perish, either by famine, sworde, or by pesti­lence, [Page] or at least be carried into captiuity. It is much that Dauid sayth of himselfe, Enery night wash I my head, and water my couch with my teares, psal. 6, 6. Oh worthy practise for a penitent soule to imitate, tou­ching euery sinner that groneth vnder the burden of his sins, to spend the nightes not in sleeping, but in weeping, not in slumbring & drowsynes, but in cry­ing and calling to God for mercy, shedding the tears of true repentance? Worthy also is that to bee re­membred, which is recorded of the sinfull woman in the gospell, Luke 7. who wept so aboundantly, that she washed the feete of Christ, with the teares that trickled down from her eies. But this mourning of our prophet exceeds thē both, if not in greatnes, yet in continuance, whose teares distilling without intermissiō, as from the conduit of a springing wel, would be sufficient, not only to water his couch, or to wash the feet of those that came nere him, but e­uen in time to send forth riuers of waters, like those wherof Ezechiel speaketh, chap, 47. which comming forth of the temple, were at the first measuring vp to the anckles, at the second measuring vp to the loins, but at the third measuring, the waters were become as a riuer, that could not be passed. But why doth our prophet weep so immoderatly? That by his she­ding of many teares, some might drop out of theyr eies. For the prophet weeps not here for himself, but for the great misety that should come vpon the peo­ple. And though he was likely to sustaine some part of their affliction, because he dwelt among them, yet himselfe was but one, & not one of the greatest; the state of the Monarchy rested in them, that is, in the king, in the Nobles, and the rest of the people.

[Page] And therefore it was the publicke state that he bewayled, whereupon euerie priuate mans condi­tion depended: as for himself he made no reckoning, and besides, he knew that God who had employed him in that Message, and had preserued him hitherto from the bloudy hands of the Iewes, who had slayne many of the Lordes Prophets, was also able to pre­serue him from the hands of the Chaldaeans, or to giue him fauour in their eyes, that they might do hym no harme, as it came to passe afterwards when the City was taken. Ier, 39, 11, 12. Seeing then, the Prophet doth weepe for the people, standes it not with good reason, that they should weepe for themselues? when our Sauiour was led to be Crucified, many Women of Ierusalem followed him weeping. But Iesus turned backe and saide vnto them, Daughters of Ierusalem, Weepe not for me, but weepe for your selues, and for your Children, Luke 23. 28.

He blames not their affection, but he speakes by way of comparison. He tels them, that if they knewe all, they had more cause to weepe for themselues then for him. They wept for him, because they loued him, but he went to die for them, because he loued them. Iudge which of these had the greater loue? Notwith­standing, such was the ingratitude of the Iewish Na­tion: such was their impiety against God, their cru­elty against his Prophetes, and their impenitency in their sinnes, that the Lord was determined vtterly to roote them out from being a Nation, and for euer to cut them off from being a people. And this he perfor­med about forty yeares after, by Titus the sonne of [Page] Vespasian, the Romaine Emperor, who brought a final destruction vpon the Iewes. And this was the cause, that when our Sauior was come nere to Ie­rusalem, and beheld the City, he wept for it, Luke 19. 41, And in another place he said, O Ierusalem, Ierusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are sent vnto thee, how often would I haue ga­thered thy children together, as the Henne gathereth her Chickens vnder her wings, and ye would not? Be­hold your habitation shall bee left vnto you desolate. Mat. 23, 37. By this complaint it appeareth that though our Sauiour mourned for the Citty of Ie­rusalem yet the people of Ierusalem had the greatest cause to bewaile theyr owne misery.

Our prophet therefore in weeping for the people, he sets them a president and rule to follow. It was their punishment that strooke his hart with this inward sorrow, and caused his eyes to shedde teares, and therefore he frames himselfe to weepe, that by his weeping hee might wring teares out of their eyes.

But ought not euery man to bee mooued most, with that which most concerneth himselfe? Why then is our Prophet touched with a more liuely sence of the Iewish calamities, then the Iewes that were to feele the smart thereof? Why doth he not wish that their heads were full of water, and theyr eyes fountaines of teares, that they might Weepe day and night for the destruction that should come vpon themselues? Oh their harts were hardned, & [Page] that makes our Prophet to mourne the more. He had rebuked them for their sinnes, but they would not amend. He had denounced Gods iudgements, but they despised his threatnings. When the false Prophets flattered them with Peace, Peace, to them they harkened. It is saide of our Sauiour Christ, concerning the Iewes, that hee did mourne for the hardnes of their harts, Marke, 3. 5. And heere our Prophet Ieremiah, when nothing would preuayle, he takes himselfe to mourning.

In this place we see, how needfull it is, that faith­ful Pastors be placed among the people when they are ignorant, to teach them: when they sin, to ad­monish them: when admonitions wil not serue, to terrifie them with Gods iudgments: when nothing will preualle to mourne for them. The dumb dogs & the ydle Non-residents do none of these thinges, the one cannot, and the other will not, and both of them haue bin the destruction of many thousande soules, which will one day bee required at both of their handes. But what shall the faithfull ministers do? Shal they tel the Drunkards, what the prophet Isaiah saith vnto them? Wo vnto them that rise vppe early to follow drunkennes, and to them that continue vntill night, till the Wine do inflame them? Isa, 5, 11. Wo vnto them that are mighty to drinke Wine, and to them that are strong to poure in strong drink, ver, 22. And what the Prophet Ioell saith. 1, 5. Awake yee Drunkardes, and howle, and weepe all ye drinkers of [Page] Wine, because of the new Wine: for it shal be pulled frō your mouth? Shall we tell the Adulterers, what our prophet Ieremiah saith of them? 5, 7.

Though I fed them to the full, yet they commit A­dultery, and assemble themselues by companies into the Harlots houses: they rise vp in the morning like fedde horses, & euery man neyeth after his neighbors wife. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shal not my soule be auenged on such a Nation as this? shal wee say to the common and prophane swearer, as the wise man saith, Ezechiel 23, 9. Accustome not thy mouth to swearing, for in it there are many falles, neither take vp for a custome the naming of the Holie one, for thou shalt not be vnpunished for such thinges. And ver. 11. A man that vseth much swearing, shall be filled with wickednes, and the plague shall neuer go from his howse? Or that which God himselfe sayeth in the third commaundement, that the Lord wil not hold that person guiltles that taketh his name in vain? Shall wee cry out against deceite in buying and sel­ling, against false weights and measures, against de­ceitfull and vnprofitable wares: against extortion, oppression, and such like. in condemning whereof the Scripture is vehement? Shall wee say to the V­surer in the name of the Lord, Thou shalt take no v­sury of thy Brother, thou shalt seeke no aduantage a­gainst him, but thou shalt feare thy God, that thy Bro­ther may liue with thee. Thou shalt not giue him thy mony to vsury, nor lend him vitels for increase. Le, 25. 36 [Page] Or that which in another place. Thou shalt not giue to vsury vnto thy Brother: as vsury of money, vsury of meate, or vsury of any thing that is put to vsurie, Deut, 23, 19.

But what auayleth it vs to speake of these things? your Pulpits haue sounded with these exclamati­ons: but all in vaine. These sinnes haue so bewit­chedy our minds, partly with pleasure, and partly with profitte, that they are become like the deafe Adder, that stoppeth her eares, and will not heare the voyce of the Charmer, Charme hee neuer so wisely. They are so deepely rooted in your harts, through long continuance, that all their labour is in vaine, which shall endeuour to plucke them vp. They haue so lulled you asleepe in the cradle of se­curity, that it is easier for vs to raise vp Lazarus out of his Graue, then to bring you to any sence or fee­ling of your sinnes.

Seeing then, that all things are brought to this desperate state, the Lorde hath at length begun to waken vp his iudgements, to see if he can Waken you out of your sleepe of sinne. He hath begun at length to stretch forth his punishing hande vppon this Citty, which as it hath bin heauy vppon those whom it hath touched, so it threatneth destruction to many moe.

Oh then, what remaineth for vs, but with the [Page] Prophet Ieremy to weepe and lament? And heere­in, leaue mee not alone; but as Moses and all the congregation of Israell wept before the dore of the Tabernacle when the wrath of the Lord was kind­led against them. Numb, 25, 6. so it behoueth you all to ioyne with me as Actors in this lamentation. And first, you that are the Fathers and Gouernors of this Citty, as your sinnes are not the least (for I may not flatter you) so it is your partes to bee the formost in this great humiliation.

But if you thinke the matter doth not concerne you, then I turne mee vnto the Lawyers, the Mer­chants, and Artificers, with all the residue vvhose sins haue conspired together to bring downe Gods wrath vpon this Citty. And if they refuse me, then where should I make my mone, but to the women vvho haue good reason to be partakers of this common sorrowe, because their Pride, Vanity, Loftie lookes, Gayrish attyre, Wanton gesture, & other vices, haue not beene the least cause to sute this cit­ty with this fearefull pestilence? And if they disdain to mingle their tears vvith mine, then haue I none to fly vnto, but the little children, that they at least with their crying and weeping, may helpe to in­crease this dolefull lamentation.

But if the hearts of all bee hardened: if neither Men, Women, nor Children will mourne vvyth mee, yet vvill I vvayle and mourne my selfe alone, [Page] and say with the prophet, Oh that my head were full of water, and mine eyes a Fountaine of teares, that I might weepe day and night.

And so I come to the second part, which is the obiect of the Prophets mourning, that I might weep (for what?) for the slain of the daughter of my people. There is a time to laugh, and a time to Weepe: a time to sow, and a time to reape, a time to commit sinne, and a time to be punished for sin. The Iews had laughed a long time in security, but afterwards they mourned a long time in misery.

They had a long time sowne the Tares of diso­bedience, but now they were to reape the fruite of wrath and vengeance. And as they had spent a long time in running the race of sinne, so the Lorde at length found out his time to breake off their course, by powring his heauy iudgements vpon them. The prophet heere bewayleth the slaughter of the peo­ple: he makes no mention of their sins, which were the cause thereof. But in speaking of the effect, hee implyeth the cause; for had it not beene for theyr sinnes, the hoast of the Chaldaeans had not come a­mongst them, and then that slaughter had not bin committed.

Hereby he teacheth them, that it had beene in theyr power to haue preuented this lamentable ef­fect, if they had repented of theyr sinnes, and ac­cepted [Page] the time of Grace, when it was offered vnto them: but when they had despised mercy, & had chosen to wallow still in theyr sinnes, now was the dore of mercy shut, and nothing but miserable de­struction to fall vpon them. This was the cause, that our prophet ceaseth to bewaile their sinnes, and in­steed thereof, he bewaileth the punishment which their sinnes had produced.

That I might weepe for the slaine. He saith not, for those that were dead among the people; for then, he might seeme to insinuate, that this destruction should be by some natural cause. But when he saith for the slaine, he shewes it was by violent death vp­on the sword of their enemy. And heere consider the destroyers, and the destroyed. The destroyers are described. Ier, 22, 23. Beholde, a people commeth from the North-countrey, and a great Nation shall a­rise from the sides of the earth. With Bow and shielde shall they be weaponed: they are cruell, and will haue no compassion, their voyce roareth like the sea, and they ride vpon horses, well appointed like men of warre, a­gainst thee, O daughter of Zyon. And Ier, 4, 13. Behold, he shal come vp as the clowds, and his Charicts shall be as a Tempest: his horses are lighter then Eagles. Woe vnto vs, for we are destroyed. And Ier, 8, 16. The ney­ing of his horses was heard from Dan, the whole Lande trembled at the neyghing of his strong horses: for they are come, and haue deuoured the Lande with all that is in it, the Citty and those that dwell therein: The de­stroyers then were the hoaste of the King of Babel, clad in glitering armor, with their bloody weapons [Page] their hands, vvounding, and slaying, and killing al that come in their Way, their Horsses besprinck­led vvith blood, trampling vpon the dead Carkas­ses, crushing their flesh and their bones vnder their feet, vvhile they lay gasping and panting, and brea­thing out the Ghost.

The destroyed were the Iewes, signified by these Words, the slaine of the daughter of my people. These are they whome the Prophet bevvayleth, hauing theyr flesh mangled, their bodies dismembred, their limbes scattered vp and dovvne, here a legge, and there a hand, and there a head, and their bloud running too and fro in the streets of Ierusalem.

But is the slaughter among vs such a slaughter? Beloued, whether our sins may prouoke the Lorde in his vvrath to make such a slaughter of our peo­ple, I leaue that to your vpright and due considera­on. But the svvord of the enemy hath not yet made such hauocke among vs. The Lord hath taken the matter into his ovvne hand. He hath sent his An­gels to destroy euen from Dan to Bersheba, from the one end of the Land to the other, and the slaughter they haue made is a great slaghter. And the vvrath of the Lord is not yet turned avvay, but his hand is yet stretched out still. Our sinnes haue made our eyes to see that verified vvhich the Lord threatneth by the Prophet Moses, Deut, 32, 42. I wil make mine arrowes drunke with the blood, and my sword shall eat [Page] flesh. If euer this iudgementwere accomplished in this land, it is nowe executed in these our dayes. The atrowes of the Lord are drunke with blood and his sword do [...]h not cease deuouring of mans flesh. O wretched people, that would not be war­ned in time, to escape this fearefull iudgement of the Lord. You therefore that would not followe our counsell, when we exhorted you in the name of the Lord to forsake your sins and amend your liues: now must you heare vs strike vp the drum of Gods wrath, and sound out the Trumpet vnto the Lords battels. Oye Angels, smite, slay, pur­sue, till the Lord shall command to make an end of killing, and till it shall please him to giue a sign of retrait. But so long as your sins strike vp the a­larum, so long will the Angels of the Lorde de­stroy. First therefore must we sound the retrayte from sinne, before the Lord wil sound the retrait from the battell.

But what? shall I put you in hope, that if yee presently repent and turn vnto the Lord, the lord will forthwith stay his hande, and slay no more? Beloued I haue no such commission. When the Iewes had many yeares taken their full scope to roue and range licentiously in their sinnes, despi­sing the admonitions of Isaiah, Ioel, and the rest of that time: our Prophet Ieremiah comming af­ter them, finding no better entertainement then they had done, in the 4. chap. xii: ver, hee gyues [Page] sentence against them, which was too late to bee reuersed. And though sometimes hee insert ma­ny excellent promises for the comfort of Goddes Church, that they might not vtterly despaire of mercy: yet those promises wer not to take place, till first they had felte the smart of their former contempt; as we may see, Ier, 29, 10, &c. So the Lord hauing vouchsafed vnto vs the preaching of his Gospell with al temporal blessings accom­panying the same, so long a time, and in so graci­ous a measure, as neuer nation vnder heauen, hath beene so blessed of God, as this Land, and this Citty; novv that our sinnes haue as much abounded against GOD, as his mercies haue abounded towards vs, insomuch that the Lorde could no longer with-hold his iudgements: how can we looke that this wrath of the Lord should be so easily remoued, which wee our selues haue prouoked, til first we haue felt his scourge for our former vnthankfulnes? And yet it stands you vp­on, euen speedily to repent, & flee vnto the mer­cy of God in his sonne Christ, least you bee not onely cut off by this sword of the Lorde, but also perish for euer in the world to come.

The iudgements of God are of two sortes, ey­ther generall, prepared for the destruction of all the world, or particuler, for the punnishment of certaine Nations, Kingdoms, Citties, or towns. The general iudgements are of two sorts: Fyrst, the Element of Water, whereby the old worlde was destroyed.

[Page] But this is no more to be feared: for God hath promised, that the worlde shall no more bee de­stroyed by a floud: and to that end he hath set his rainebow in the clowdes, as a signe of his Coue­nant, Gen▪ 19, 13. The other general iudgment is by the element of fire. 2, Pet. 3, 7. The heauens and earth, which are now, are kept by the same worde in store, & reserued vnto fire against the day of iudge­ment, and of the destruction of vngodly men. And a little after verse, 10. The day of the Lord wil come as a theefe in the night, in the which the heauens shall passe away with a noyse, and the Element shall melte with heate, and the earth with the workes that are therein shalt be burnt vp, &c. But this iudgement god wil not execute til the end of the world, whē the sinnes of al mankind shal bee growne to full ripenes.

The particuler iudgements are of many sorts, but heere we wil not meddle with those that con­cerne particuler persons, but such as are inflicted vpon particular Nations, Kingdomes, Citties, & Townes. And these are either extraordinary and lesse vsual, as fire & Brimstone; wherewith Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Gen, 19, 24. and Earth-quakes, wherewith Antioch and manie o­ther Citties were brought to extreame ruines, as we may read in the Ecclesiastical histories: or cō ­mon and ordinary, which are specialy three, war, famine, & pestilence.

Al these are sharpe arrowes which the Lorde [Page] shooteth out against particuler Nations and Cit­ties for the punishment of their sinns. Of all these together speaketh our Prophet Iere, 14, 12. When they fast, I will not heare their cry, and when they of­fer burnt offring, and an Obligation, I will not ac­cept them: but I will consume them by the sword, & by the famine, and by the Pestilence.

Now which of all these iudgementes hath the Lord sent vpon this land? He hath caused warres to cease, he hath not sent a famine amongst vs, he hath in mercy laid vpon vs Dauids choise: vvho when he had sinned, the lord offred him to chose which of these three he wold, three months war, seaven yeares famine, or three dayes pestilence. Of three three euils Dauid choosed the last, as the least, and thus resolued: Let vs fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, & let me not fall into the hand of man. 2 Sam. 24, 14. Seeing then we are in the hands of the Lord, why shuld we think much with the Lords visitation? whose mercy doth euidently appeare in this, that vvhen our Sins had long cried to heauen for vengeance yet the Lord stil forbare to punish & now when our sins would suffer him to forbeare no longer, yet it hath pleased him, without our desire, or de­sert, to lay on vs the easiest of his iudgementes: wherefore; he hath not left vs without hope, that the same mercy, wherby he was moued to deale thus graciously with vs in allotting vnto vs thys [Page] kind of punishment, the same will also moue him not to be too rigorous in the manner and order of inflicting thereof.

Oh but (you will say) that is a fearefull iudge­ment, and we had rather die of any other sicknes, then of the plague. Oh, but I must answere you, that you must thanke your selues, and your sins for it, which haue deserued farre greater iudge­ments. Shal we take liberty to our selues, to com­mit what sins it pleaseth vs, and shall we abridge the Lord of his liberty? Shall wee not giue hym leaue to punish our sins with vvhat kinds of pun­nishments it pleaseth him? Seeing it coulde not stand with the course of Gods Iustice, but that same iudgment must needs come vpon this land, how coulde the Lorde send an easier iudgement then this vpon vs? Would it not be more gree­uous, to haue their bodies pinched with famine, that for the satisfying of your hunger ye shoulde be forced to eat the flesh of your ovvne children, as came to passe in the siege of Samaria 2: King. 6 29. Would it not be more grieuous, to see your houses burnt, your goods spoyled, your wiues & daughters rauished before your faces, and afteral this, your selues to be slain with the sword of the enemy? Al vvhich calamities, besides infinit mo are incident to the broyles of Warre. What thing could haue hapned more grieuous to Ze­dekiah King of Iudah, then beeing taken by the hoast of the Chaldaeans, to see his sonnes slayne [Page] before his eyes, and all the Nobles of Iudah putte to death, and after that to haue hir own eyes put out, and after all that, to be bound in chaynes, & carried captiue to Babel? Ier, 39. Al this might the Lord iustly haue brought vpon vs: and ther­fore haue not we good cause to admire and mag­nifie his goodnes, in taking the Chastisement of our sinnes into his owne hands, and not deliue­ring vs ouer to the will and pleasure of our ene­myes.

And yet it cannot bee denyed, but that this is also a grievous iudgement, though easie in com­parison of the other two: for it is accompanyed with terrour, danger, & great discomfort. When we consider, how men and Women, that were lusty and strong, are suddenly laide along in the dust of the earth. Oh this is terible and fearefull to those that be liuing! When we consider, how the infection is deriued from one to another by waies and meanes, neither visible nor sencible, that no man knowes where he shal bee safe: Oh, this makes the sicknes exceding dangerous! when we consider the misery of such a time, how euery man will bee doubtfull to accompany with hys neighbor, for feare to take harme, and carefull to shun those that bee infected: Oh, what great dis­comfort is this to the visited persons, and what increase of feare to those that be well? And heete you may consider the state of those that be infec­ted: when this coutagious sicknes shal enter vp­on [Page] any of your bodies. First, it fils the head full of paine, and then it weakneth the stomacke, and makes it able to hold nothing. And after when it hath by little and litle ouercome nature, being not longer able to withstand the force thereof, it do­eth as a Captaine, who having won a City, forth with he spreads his Banners, and displaies his en­signes on the top of the wals, in token of victory. So this cruel Tyraunt when hee hath gotten the maistery, displayes his Ensignes on the Wals of our bodies. He fils the skin full of spots as the to­kens of death, which at the first are red, shewing his cruelty: then they are blewish, shewing death to approach: And lastly, they grow black, wher­by wee are put in mind of those horrible tormēts that followe after death in the fire of hel. And when they are dead, hovve shal yee bee buried? Which of your neighbors vvil accompany your corpes to the graue? And thus, by the iust iudge­ment of GOD, those that haue sinned wilfully, are buried shamefully.

What profit haue ye had then of those things, vvhereof yee are now ashamed? the end of those things is death. Rom, 6, 21. This (methinkes) shoulde strike your harts vvith remorse, & moue you to crie and cal vpon god, for mercy and par­don of your heynous sinnes, vvith teares of true repentance.

[Page] But hath the Lorde brought vpon vs such a la­mentable time? See then what alteration the lord can make. Before, nothing was heard in this Cit­ty, but myrth and melody, musicke and dancing, nothing was vsed, but feasting and banquetting, quaffing and carowsing: Come, where shall wee drinke the best wine? where is the strongest Ale to be had? But now, no speech: but where is the Sicknes? What fresh houses bee visited? Howe many are dead? Loe, this is the change that the Lord hath made. Before we followed Sinne, be­cause we wold not avoid it, but now we avoid sin because we cannot follow it. Before, we spent the time in committing Sinne, but now is the tyme come to suffer punishment for your sinne. What will now the Adulterers doe? They must leaue hunting the Harlots houses, least the Angell of the Lord meet them by the way. What wil now the couetous Vsurers do? Let him humble him­selfe in prayer and fasting, let him cry and call to God for mercy. Let him do as Zachaeus did, Luke 19. euen restore that which hee had wrongfully gotten, that GOD may bee mercifull vnto hys soule.

O▪ wretched man, what will thy vvealth pro­fit thee or thine, when the Lord shall take avvay both thee and thine, and giue thy substance vnto strangers? Oh, vvell had it beene for thee, if thou hadst never taken penny Vsury in all thy life.

[Page] When you were before admonished of these Iudgments in the name of the Lord, you thoght it came but from men, speaking out of the heate of their owne affections, but now the Lord hath ratified and confirmed by his owne hande from heauen, that the threatninges denounced by hys faithful Ministers against the impenitent, are not of man but of God.

This is the note that Moses giues whereby a true Prophet may bee discerned from the false: When a Prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thinge followe not, nor come to passe, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, &c. Deut, 18, 22. But when the word of the Prophet shall come to passe (sayth Ieremy) then shall the Prophet be known that the Lord hath sent him. Ier, 28, 9. That some fearefull Iudgement was like to fall vpon the lād, euery man mighr see, that had but a hart to con­sider the ordinary proceedinges of Gods former Iudgements, and the horrible sins that were eue­ry where committed.

But what manner of iudgement it would proue flesh and blood could not discerne, till nowe the Lord hath reuealed the same. And the iudgment we see, is the iudgement of a plague: which yet is not alone. I would it brought not pouerty and famin with it. You are almost as a Citty besied­ged: [Page] and there be many flee from you, but who comes in?

The Countrey is now as much affraid of you as you haue beene heeretofore affraide of others. Now is the time for you that bee rich, to make you frends with the vnrighteous Mammon: for­sake not your poore neighboures, flee not from them in their greatest distresse. At least if you flee, releeue them with your purses, and cease not to pray vnto God for them. Spend something for his sake, that spent his bloude for you. But as for you, vpon whom the charge of Gouernment do­eth lie, whether you bee the chiefe Magistrate, or such as are Assistants vnto him: the Lord hath ti­ed you to residence.

Your Christian Charity, to releeue the dis­stressed, your prouident care to prevent daunger, your Godly wisedom to ser downe good orders, your paines and industry to see the same obser­ued, and your Authority to punish the disobedi­ent, was neuer more needefull then at this time. And if any of you depart, be sure the hand of the Lord can folow you, whethersoever you go. And well may you feare, that rather then ye should e­scape, death wil enter in at your Windowes, as our Prophet saith in the one and twenteth verse of this Chapter.

[Page] The children of the Prophets said vnto Elisha, 2. King, 4. 40. Mors in ollâ, vir Dei. O thou man of God, death is in the pot. But wel may you fear, that there will be Mors in domo, mors in ollâ, mors in lecto, & mors vbique: Death in the house, death in the pot, death in the bed, and death euery where.

If it bee Gods will, you shall bee safe any where, if it be not Gods will, you shall be safe no where. Well may you hope of Gods preseruation and blessing, if you faithfully serue him in the place where he hath set you: And well may you feare his wrath & vengeance, if ye flee from the charge which he hath laid (euen in this time of visitati­on vpon you.

But what need, haue I to admonish you, whose wisedome and godly care doth evidently shew it selfe this distressed time? I will onely say this and so conclude. If you would haue your Citty flou­rish, bee carefull to furnish it with store of Gods Preachers.

For assure your selues, that the more the Gos­pell is sincerely preached, the more wil sinne de­cay, and the more will the true knowledge and feare of GOD be planted & grafted in the hearts of the people. And this will be the onely meanes to remoue the iust vengeance and wrath of God from this Citty, and procure his blessings to bee powred vpon you.

[Page] Thus much I thought good in discharge of the duety and loue I beare this Citty, as a Neighbor child to deliuer vnto you. The Lorde blesse the good meanes ye vse for preseruing your City, & grant a gracious successe thereunto, that the in­fection, if it be his will, may spred no further: If ye presently repent, and that vnfainedly, I doubt not, but God in mercy will remoue the plague if not, yet will I not cease to weepe for you. (▪)