Chap. 20 A Sixth Corollary. If sin be thus sinful, it should teach us not only to be troubled for ou
CHAP. XX.
A Sixth Corollary.
If sin be thus sinful, it should teach us not only to be troubled for our own sins, but the sins of others.
Sixthly, A Sixth Corollary, If sin be so much against God, and wrong God so, Hence it should teach all those that know God, and have any love to God, to be troubled, not only for their own sins, but for the sins of others, for sin wheresoever they see it. Oh I see the blessed God wronged, fought against, stroke at; and this should go near the heart of all those that have any love to God at all: As with David in the 119. Psalm, 136. Rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Laws.
It is true, every man and woman should especially look to themselves, and their hearts should especially be troubled for their own sins; but mark the Saints that know how sin is against God, their hearts cannot but be wonderfully troubled when they see that God, so dear and precious to them, thus wronged; Rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law. Oh when (I put it to thee in the Name of the Lord) in all thy life didst thou shed one tear for the sins of those among whom you live? for the sins of thy
Family? And vers. 158. I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved:
Oh I was grieved and pained at my heart.
Yes, thus it will be with thee if thou lovest God. When thou in the family, may be thou art a child, when thou beholdest thy Father or Mother Carnal, and spending all their lives without the knowledge of God, and in ways of sinning against God, thou shouldest get alone, and mourn and lament for it: Oh it is that, if any thing in the world, that would break a Parents heart, if there be a young Child, a
Youth, or a Maid, that God begins to reveal himself unto them, and the Parent speaks, may be against them, and God's people, and swear, or profane God's Day, or speak against his Ordinances, though it may be it do not become thee to speak to them; but if thou canst before them, let tears drop from thine eyes; or get alone, and fall down and lament before God, if thou canst by lamenting reprove their sins; that they shall see thee lament for them, this may break their hearts it may be: notwithstanding if it do not break their hearts, it has this in it; Certainly, if any thing in the world will stir us and break our own hearts, this should be it, To see God dishonored in the world as he is, though our hearts be never so much hardened otherwise.
There is a Story of a Child of Cressus that was born dumb, he seeing a Soldier ready to strike at his Father and kill him, the affection to his Father brake the bars of his Tongue, and he cried out, Oh why will you kill the King? Then he cried out thus though he never spoke before; but the stroke against his Father made him speak.
So thou man or woman, shouldest have thy heart dead in other things, and have no mind to speak, yet when you see wretched men and women strike at God, (as they do, as I have shewed in their sin) if thou have any heart in the world; any life in the world, when thou seest this stroke at God, now speak; Oh that should burst all bars asunder.
Though thou beest never so meek in thy family, and canst bear other things, yet thou shouldest shew that thou canst not bear sin against God. Oh I beseech you consider this, and see how near this comes to you; How many if any thing be done in your Family against you, or among your neighbors that is against you, you cannot bear it; but you can bear that which is done against God, and never be troubled at it.
As many a master, let the servant neglect his work, and displease him, he cannot bear it; but let his servant be wicked, and break the
Sabbath, deny God his time, let his servant perhaps swear, or do such wickedness, he goes away and said it may be, Why do you so? or, you should not do so; or it may be, takes no notice of it. Certainly that man knows neither God nor sin, or has little relation to God that takes so little notice of that done against God.Yet that done against himself, he cannot bear it.
Take this along with you, If you have any relation to God, your hearts will be more troubled for the wrong done to God by your children and servants, than when yourselves are wronged by your servants or children. Oh how many men and women would go and wring their hands to their neighbors and friends, Oh! never man or woman so miserable as I! my own child out of my bowels wrongs me, and does what hurt he can to me! this is accounted matter of bitter lamentation: But now why should not thy heart melt and lament when thou canst say, Oh the child out of my loins and bowels, how does he wrong the blessed God of all the world? Oh that I should be so miserable to bear in my bowels one an enemy to the infinite blessed God! Oh that an Enemy to God should ever come out of my Loins!
I think this should move tender hearted mothers, to see that they should bring forth such that should go on in ways of enmity against God himself. Suppose one out of your bowels should be a traitor to the Parliament, and do mischief to the State, would not this trouble you, that one out of your bowels should be a traitor to the commonwealth? this would be a grievous vexation. Now is it not more if that thou hast a wicked Child, one out of thy bowels that strikes at God, and is a Traitor to the God of Heaven? these do more mischief than to destroy a whole nation; I say, if a man should live to destroy, to undo a whole land for their outward estate, there were not so much evil in it, as in one sin against God.
You would say, that were a miscreant that should be born to undo a whole nation, and woe to me that I should bear one that should live to do such mischief to undo a State: Now if thou bear one that
strikes against God, and wrongs God in ways of sin, this should trouble thee as much as the other: therefore never be at quiet till thou see some work of grace, till thou see the heart of thy Child called in.
I remember Augustine said this of his mother, and I propound this for mothers example, he being very wicked a while, and his mother godly; Oh it grieved her heart that she should have a child go on in such wickedness against God, and she prayed and wept, so that Augustine said of her, after God had enlightened his eyes to consider what she did for him, said he, I persuade my self my mother did as much labor, and endure as much pain for my second birth, as ever for my first birth.
This is his testimony of her, that by her prayers and tears for her child's salvation that was wicked, he did verily believe it cost her as much labor for the second birth, as for the first: upon which, when she comes and complains to Ambrose of her child, well said he, Be of good comfort, surely a son of so many prayers and tears can hardly perish; and he did not indeed, for he proved a worthy instrument of God's glory afterward in the Church.
Now is there any mother in this congregation that can say, I have labored as much, and it has cost me as much pain for the second
Birth of my child, as ever it did for the first?
Certainly did you know what sin were, and how against God, it would cost you a great deal of travail when you see your children wicked, and much prayer and cost, that you might not have a child an enemy to God, a traitor to the crown, scepter, and dignity of Jesus Christ.
Oh Brethren, does it not pity your souls to see that infinite, blessed, holy, dreadful God so much wronged in the world as he is. It should move us to pity to see any saint, a man or a woman of an excellent gracious Spirit, to see such a soul abused and wronged; as Solomon