Section 8
8. A godly man is an Evangelical weeper. David did sometimes sing with his Harp, and sometimes the Organ of his eye did weep, Psalm 6:6. I water my couch with tears. Christ calls his Spouse his Dove, Canticles 2:14. The Dove is a weeping creature: Grace dissolves and liquifies the Soul, causing a spiritual thaw: The sorrow of the heart runs out at the eye, Psalm 31:9.
The Rabbis report, that the same night Israel departed out of Egypt towards Canaan, all the Idols of Egypt were broken down by Lightning and Earthquake. So at that very time men go forth out of their natural condition towards heaven, all the Idols of sin in the heart must be broken down by Repentance. A melting heart is the chief branch of the Covenant of Grace, Ezekiel 36:26. and the product of the Spirit, Zechariah 12:10. I will pour upon the House of David the Spirit of Grace, and they shall look on me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him.
Question. But why is a godly man a weeper? Is not sin pardoned, which is the ground of Joy? Has he not had a transforming work upon his heart, why then does he weep?
Answer. A godly man finds matter enough of weeping.
1. He weeps for the in-being of sin, the Law in his members, Romans 7:23. The ebullitions, and first risings of sin; his Nature is a poisoned Fountain: A regenerate person grieves that he carries that about him which is enmity to God; his heart is like the wide Sea, wherein there are creeping things innumerable; vain sinful thoughts. A Child of God laments hidden wickedness; he has more evil in him than he knows of: There are those meanders in his heart which he cannot trace; a terra incognita, an unknown world of sin, Psalm 19:12. Who can understand his errors?
2. A godly man weeps for the adherency of Corruption; if he could get rid of sin, there were some comfort, but he cannot shake off this Viper. Sin cleaves to him as the Leprosy to the wall, Leviticus 14:39. Though a Child of God forsakes his sin, yet sin will not forsake him, Daniel 7:12. Concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their Dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season. So though the dominion of sin is taken away, yet the life of it is prolonged for a season; and while sin lives it molests. The Persians were daily Enemies to the Romans, and would be invading upon their frontiers. So sin wars against the Soul, 1 Peter 2:11. And no cessation of arms till death; will not this cause tears?
3. A Child of God weeps that he is sometimes overcome by the prevalency of Corruption, Romans 7:19. The evil I would not, that do I. Paul was like a man carried down the stream: How often is a Saint overpowered with pride and passion! When David had sinned, he steeped his Soul in the briny tears of Repentance: It cannot but grieve a regenerate person to think he should be so foolish, as after he has felt the smart of sin, yet to put this fire in his bosom again.
4. A godly heart grieves that he can be no more holy; it troubles him that he shoots so short of the Rule and Standard which God hath set. I should, says he, love the Lord with all my heart: But how defective is my love? How far short do I come of what I should be, nay, of what I might have been: What can I see in my life, but either blanks or blots?
5. A godly man weeps sometimes, out of the sense of God's love: Gold is the finest and most solid of all the metals, yet is soonest melted with the fire. Gracious hearts, which are golden hearts, are the soonest melted into tears by the fire of God's love. I once knew a holy man, who walking in his garden, and shedding plenty of tears, a friend coming to him accidentally, asked him, why he wept? He broke forth into this moving expression, O the love of Christ, the love of Christ, Thus have we seen the Cloud melted into water by the Sun-beams.
6. A godly person weeps, because the sins he commits are in some sense worse than the sins of other men; the sin of a justified person is very odious.
1. Because he acts contrary to his own principles; he does not only sin against the Rule, but against his Principles, against his knowledge, vows, prayers, hopes, experiences. He knows how dear sin will cost him, yet he ventures upon the forbidden fruit.
2. The sin of a Justified person is odious, because it is a sin of unkindness, 2 Kings 11:9. Peter's denying of Christ was a sin against love; Christ had enrolled him among the Apostles, he had taken him up into the Mount of Transfiguration, and showed him the glory of Heaven in a Vision; yet after all this signal Mercy, that he should deny Christ, it was high ingratitude. This made him go out and weep bitterly, Matthew 26:75. He baptized himself, as it were, in his own tears: The sins of the godly go nearest to God's Heart: Others' sins anger God, these grieve him: The sins of the wicked pierce Christ's sides, the sins of the godly wound his heart; the unkindness of a Spouse goes nearest the heart of her Husband.
3. The sin of a Justified person is odious, because it reflects more dishonor upon God, 2 Samuel 12:14. By this deed, thou hast given occasion to the Enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The sins of God's people put black spots in the face of Religion. Thus we see what cause there is, why a Child of God should weep even after Conversion. —Quis talia fando, temperet à lachrymis?
Now this sorrow of a godly man for sin, is not a despairing sorrow; he does not mourn without hope. Psalm 65:3. Iniquities prevail against me: There is the Holy Soul weeping; as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away: There is Faith triumphing.
Divine sorrow is excellent: There is as much difference between the sorrow of a godly man and a wicked, as between the water of a Spring which is clear and sweet, and the water of the Sea which is salt and brackish. A godly man's sorrow has these three qualifications,
1. It is internal; it is a sorrow of the Soul; hypocrites disfigure their faces, Matthew 6:16. Godly sorrow goes deep, it is a pricking at the heart, Acts 2:37. True sorrow is a spiritual Martyrdom therefore called Soul-affliction, Leviticus 23:29.
2. Godly sorrow is ingenuous; it is more for the evil that is in sin, than the evil which follows after; it is more for the spot than the sting: Hypocrites weep for sin only as it brings affliction. I have read of a Fountain that never sends out streams, but the Evening before a Famine: Hypocrites never send forth the streams of their tears, but when God's Judgments are approaching.
3. Godly sorrow is influential; it makes the heart better, Ecclesiastes 7:3. By the sadness of the countenance, the heart is made better. Divine tears do not only wet, but wash, they purge out the love of sin.
Use 1. How far are they from being godly, who scarce ever shed a tear for sin: If they lose a near Relation, they weep, but though they are in danger of losing God and their Souls, they weep not. How few know what it is to be in an Agony for sin, or what a broken heart means; their eyes are not like the Fish-pools of Heshbon, full of water, Canticles 7:4. but rather like the Mountains of Gilboa, which had no dew upon them, 2 Samuel 1:21. It was a greater plague for Pharaoh to have his heart turned into stone, than to have his Rivers turned into blood.
Others, if they do sometimes shed a tear, yet they are never the better, they go on in wickedness, and do not drown their sins in their tears.
Use 2. Let us labor for this Divine Character, be weepers. This is a repentance not to be repented of, 2 Corinthians 7:10. 'Tis reported of Mr. Bradford Martyr, that he was of a melting spirit, he seldom sat down to his meat, but some tears trickled down his cheeks. There are two Lavers to wash away sin, Blood and Tears: The Blood of Christ washes away the guilt of sin, tears wash away the filth; repenting tears are precious, God puts them in his bottle, Psalm 56:8. They are beautifying; a tear in the eye does more adorn, than a Ring on the finger: Oil makes the face shine, Psalm 104:15. Tears make the heart shine; tears are comforting; a sinner's mirth turns to melancholy, a Saint's mourning turns to music: Repentance may be compared to Myrrh, which though it be bitter to the taste, it is comforting to the spirits: Repentance may be bitter to the fleshly part, but it is most refreshing to the spiritual. Wax that melts is fit for the Seal; a melting Soul is fit to take the stamp of all heavenly blessings: Let us give Christ the water of our tears, and he will give us the Wine of his Blood.
8. A godly man is one who weeps with gospel sorrow. David sometimes played his harp with joy, and at other times the instrument of his eyes wept. Psalm 6:6: I water my couch with tears. Christ calls His bride a dove in Song of Solomon 2:14. The dove is a mourning creature. Grace softens and melts the soul, causing a spiritual thaw — the sorrow of the heart runs out through the eye, as Psalm 31:9 says.
The rabbis report that on the very night Israel departed from Egypt toward Canaan, all the idols of Egypt were struck down by lightning and earthquake. In the same way, at the very moment people move from their natural condition toward heaven, all the idols of sin in the heart must be broken down by repentance. A softened and melting heart is a key promise of the covenant of grace, as Ezekiel 36:26 says, and is the fruit of the Spirit. Zechariah 12:10: I will pour out on the house of David the Spirit of grace, and they shall look on Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him.
Question: But why does a godly man weep? Has not his sin been pardoned, which is reason for joy? Has he not had a transforming work done in his heart? Why then does he weep?
Answer: A godly man finds plenty of reason to weep.
1. He weeps because sin still lives within him — the law of sin in his members, as Romans 7:23 says. He grieves over the stirrings and first risings of sin. His nature is a poisoned fountain. A regenerate person grieves that he carries within him what is at enmity with God — his heart is like the wide sea, full of crawling things without number, namely vain and sinful thoughts. A child of God mourns over his hidden wickedness. He has more evil in him than he is even aware of. There are winding passages in his heart he cannot trace — an unknown world of sin within. Psalm 19:12: Who can discern his own errors?
2. A godly man weeps because corruption clings to him. If he could be rid of sin there would be some comfort, but he cannot shake off this viper. Sin clings to him like leprosy to the wall, as Leviticus 14:39 says. Although a child of God forsakes his sin, sin does not forsake him. Daniel 7:12: As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season. In the same way, though sin's dominion is removed, its life lingers for a season — and while sin lives, it troubles. The Persians were constant enemies to the Romans and continually raiding their borders. So sin wages war against the soul, as 1 Peter 2:11 says. There is no ceasefire until death — how can this fail to produce tears?
3. A child of God weeps because he is sometimes overcome by the power of his corruption. Romans 7:19: The evil I do not want, that is what I do. Paul was like a man being swept downstream. How often is a saint overpowered by pride and anger! When David had sinned, he soaked his soul in the bitter tears of repentance. It cannot help but grieve a regenerate person to think that having once felt the sting of sin, he would yet again press it to his chest.
4. A godly heart grieves that he cannot be more holy. It troubles him that he falls so far short of the standard God has set. He says: I should love the Lord with all my heart — but how weak is my love! How far short I fall of what I should be — even of what I might have been. When I look at my life, what do I see but blanks and blots?
5. A godly man sometimes weeps out of a sense of God's love. Gold is the finest and most solid of all metals, yet it is also the most readily melted by fire. Gracious hearts — which are golden hearts — are the most readily melted into tears by the fire of God's love. I once knew a holy man who was walking in his garden shedding many tears. A friend happened upon him and asked why he was weeping. He burst out: O the love of Christ, the love of Christ! So we see the cloud melted into water by the rays of the sun.
6. A godly person weeps because the sins he commits are in a certain sense more serious than the sins of others — the sin of a justified person is especially offensive.
1. Because he acts against his own principles. He sins not only against the rule but against his own knowledge, vows, prayers, hopes, and past experiences with God. He knows how dearly sin will cost him, yet he still reaches for the forbidden fruit.
2. The sin of a justified person is offensive because it is a sin of ingratitude. 2 Kings 11:9. Peter's denial of Christ was a sin against love — Christ had included him among the apostles, had taken him up onto the Mount of Transfiguration, and had shown him a vision of heavenly glory. Yet after all that grace and favor, Peter denied Christ — it was the worst of ingratitude. This drove him out to weep bitterly, as Matthew 26:75 says. He baptized himself, as it were, in his own tears. The sins of the godly go closest to God's heart — the sins of others anger God, but these grieve Him. The sins of the wicked pierce Christ's side, but the sins of the godly wound His heart. The unkindness of a wife cuts deepest into the heart of her husband.
3. The sin of a justified person is offensive because it brings more dishonor upon God. 2 Samuel 12:14: By this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The sins of God's people put dark stains on the face of religion. We can see from all this how much reason a child of God has to weep even after conversion. Who could hear these things and hold back tears?
Now this sorrow of a godly man for sin is not a despairing sorrow — he does not mourn without hope. Psalm 65:3: Iniquities prevail against me — there is the holy soul weeping. As for our transgressions, You will purge them away — there is faith triumphing.
This kind of holy sorrow is excellent. There is as much difference between the sorrow of a godly person and that of a wicked person as there is between spring water — clear and sweet — and seawater, which is salt and bitter. A godly man's sorrow has three characteristics.
1. It is inward — it is a sorrow of the soul. Hypocrites make their faces look sorrowful on the outside, as Matthew 6:16 describes. But godly sorrow goes deep — it is a piercing of the heart, as Acts 2:37 says. True sorrow is a kind of spiritual martyrdom, which is why it is called soul-affliction in Leviticus 23:29.
2. Godly sorrow is genuine — it grieves more over the evil that is in sin than the evil that follows from it. It grieves more over the stain than the sting. Hypocrites weep for sin only when it brings punishment. I have read of a spring that never sends out streams except the evening before a famine — and hypocrites never shed their tears except when God's judgments are approaching.
3. Godly sorrow is transforming — it makes the heart better. Ecclesiastes 7:3: By the sadness of the face the heart is made better. Holy tears do not merely wet the face — they wash it. They purge out the love of sin.
Application 1: How far from godliness are those who scarcely ever shed a tear for sin. They weep when they lose a loved one, but though they are in danger of losing God and their own souls, they do not weep. How few know what it is to be in agony over sin, or what a broken heart means. Their eyes are not like the fishpools of Heshbon, full of water, as Song of Solomon 7:4 says, but more like the mountains of Gilboa which had no dew upon them, as 2 Samuel 1:21 says. It was a greater plague for Pharaoh to have his heart turned to stone than to have his rivers turned to blood.
Others shed a tear from time to time, yet are no better for it — they go right on in wickedness and do not drown their sins in their tears.
Application 2: Let us pursue this divine characteristic and become weepers. This is a repentance never to be regretted, as 2 Corinthians 7:10 says. It is reported of the martyr Mr. Bradford that he was of a tender spirit — he rarely sat down to eat without tears trickling down his cheeks. There are two cleansing basins for sin: blood and tears. The blood of Christ washes away the guilt of sin; tears wash away the filth. Tears of repentance are precious — God collects them in His bottle, as Psalm 56:8 says. They are beautiful — a tear in the eye adorns more than a ring on the finger. Oil makes the face shine, as Psalm 104:15 says, but tears make the heart shine. Tears bring comfort — the sinner's laughter turns to grief, but the saint's mourning turns to music. Repentance may be compared to myrrh — bitter to the taste, but strengthening to the spirit. Repentance may be bitter to the flesh, but it is deeply refreshing to the spirit. Wax that melts is fit to receive a seal — a melting soul is fit to receive the stamp of every heavenly blessing. Let us give Christ the water of our tears, and He will give us the wine of His blood.
