ground of grief to the Lord Jesus, that people were so hardened that
little time you have among them, so as they may be fitted for death.
2. Christ wept, because people in their day did not know, i.e., do, the things that belonged to their peace, Luke 19:41, 42. When he thought upon this their stupidity, it made the tears trinkle down his precious cheeks. O my soul, you have this ground of mourning, this day, wherever you go. Who are they that are concerned to do what is necessary to be done in order to their peace with God? Few or none are brought in to Christ. It is rare to hear now of a soul converted, but most part are sleeping on in their sins in this their day, like to sit the day of God's patience with them, till patience be turned into fury. Many heart-melting considerations to this purpose may be found. I shall only say this to sum up, that such a case is most deplorable, in the noontide of the day that people should venture on the feud of such a dreadful enemy as God is, and should sit as quiet even when the sword of vengeance is hanging by a hair over their heads, and notwithstanding that every day may be, for ought I know, their last day, every sermon the last that ever they shall hear, and that ere the next day these enemies shall be made to encounter with the terrible and dreadful Majesty, who shall go through them as thorns and briers, and burn them up together, by the fire of his wrath, world without end. O my soul, how can you think of this, and not be more affected with the case of people as they are now-a-days? Sure, if you could weep, here is ground enough for tears of blood.
3. He was grieved for the hardness of people's hearts, Mark 3:5. It was ground of grief to the Lord Jesus, that people were so hardened that no means used for their amendment would do them good. Follow Christ in this, O my soul; be grieved and affected with the hardness of the hearts of this generation. O what hardness of heart may you see in every corner whither you go, and where you preach, most part being as unconcerned as the very stones of the wall; and say what you will, either by setting before them alluring promises or dreadful threatenings, yet people are hardened against both, none relenting for what they have done, or concerned about it, though you would preach till your eyes leap out. O happy they whose time God has brought to a
close, and taken to himself! Happy servants whom God has called out of the vineyard before the ground grow so hard that almost all labour was in vain! This is a time of mourning for the preachers of the gospel, for people are strangely hardened. Which is the more lamentable, O my soul, if you consider (1.) What God has done even for this generation. He has taken off from our necks the yoke of tyranny and arbitrary power, and has given deliverance from Prelatic bondage; and yet for all this the generation is hardened. (2.) If you consider how the Lord has been dealing with us by rods. For some time there was great dearth of fodder for beasts; yet that stirred us not up. Afterwards was death of cattle; yet we have not returned to the Lord. Then followed death of men, women, and children. He has sent blasting among our corns. This is now, I suppose, the fourth year of our dearth. And for all these things we remain hardened. O Lord, you have stricken them, but they have not grieved; you have consumed them, but they refuse to receive correction; they make their faces harder than a rock, they refuse to return. What shall be the end of such hardness as this? (3.) It is yet more lamentable, in regard the plague of hardness seems to be universal. It is not only the wicked, or openly profane, or those who have no religion, but the professors of religion that are hardened in part. Oh my soul, this is a day wherein Scotland's pillars are like to fail, a day wherein the hands of our Moseses are like to fall, and Amalek is like to prevail. Many professors desire to hear the causes of God's wrath searched into, but they are not mourning over them; and truly it is most lamentable, that those among us who as so many Joshuas should be discovering the Achans in our camp, that are the troublers of Israel, by a strange kind of dealing are very wary in meddling therewith, or to show them unto people. And it is much to be feared, that there are among us some accursed things that are not yet found out. O that God would put it in the hearts of Zion's watchmen to discover what these Achans are, and that preachers were obliged even by the church to speak more freely of the sins of the land. But, alas! O Lord, why have you hardened all of us from your fear? (4.) If you consider, that this hardness of heart is a token of sad things yet to come. Who has hardened himself against God, and prospered! Job 10:4. Alas! it is a sad prognostic of a further stroke, that seeing we will not be