Sinner's sobs, or, The sinner's way to Sion's joy

by Mathew Killiary

THE

SINNER’S SOBS;

OR, THE

Sinners Way to Sion's Joy.

Plainly demonstrating

THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF

TRUE GODLY SORROW,

FOR THE SINNER'S SAFETY.

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BY MATHEW KILLIARY, M. D.

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EDINBURGH:

PRINTED FOR THE BOOKSELLERS.

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Price One Penny.

THE

SINNER’S SOBS;

OR, THE

SINNER’S WAY TO SIN’S JOY.

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Acts. ii. 17.

Now when they heard this,they were pricked in their hearts, and said to the other Apostles, men and brethren what shall we do to be saved?

In this chapter you have an account of the effects of the apostle St Peter’s famous sermon; having told the Jews in the verses before the text, that they were the men that crucified the Lord of life, and, shed the blood of the Son of God! that they had consented to it and imbrued their hands in it: This stung their consciences, and pricked their hearts: the arrows of the Lord, which the Apostles had shot secretly into their souls came home to their hearts and consciences, that they could bear no longer; but came to Peter and the rest and said, what shall we do to be saved?

The doctrine which I would briefly speak o from these words, is this.

Doctrine and unfeigned sorrow and contrition of heart convinced of God’s pleasure for sin, is absolutely necessary to salvation.

This is that we call the beginning of the work of grace, even in the bruising of a sinner’s heart, under the sense of any sin committed.

To prove this to be absolutely necessary to salvation, not only scripture, but reason will tell us: For Scripture, see the 1 Cor. vii 10. Godly sorrow causeth repentance until salvation. And as the prophet David, in the bitterness of his spirit, said. Thou knowest mine eyes waking, and my sin is ever before me. If the Lord loves a sinner, and means to do him good, he will not let the sinner alone in his own sinful courses, but will free him from his den, bruise, and beat him as in a morter. What caused David’s sorrow but his sin? He needed no restoring, had lie not been degraded.

Well then, is this a work of grace? Is this contrition for sorrow and sin, a beginning of repentance? then it must needs be of great necessity to salvation; for without repentance there is no salvation.

Now, that something may be hinted to put sinners in a way to this unfeigned sorrow, let me beg of you, in the bowels of love, earnestly desiring your souls welfare to meditate seriously on these three things, which will (if set home by the spirit of God) help you to the after work, even hearty sorrow and true contrition.

I. Look over your life past, and labour to see the mercy, goodness, and patience of God, that hath been abused and despised by that unkind dealing of yours. Oh souls! remember the days of old, and reckon up God’s gracious dealings with you. Were you ever in want, who supplied you? Were you ever in weakness, who strengthened you? In sickness, who cured you. In miseries, who succoured you? In poverty, who relieved you? Was it not the Lord? And how can you forget. him, who forgot not you in your low estate? Will you reward the Lord thus? What shall I say of you? Hear, O heavens! and hearken O earth! The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; and will not you acknowledge God’s kindness and goodness to you?Look into your houses, go to your tables and beds, and say, who gives these and continues them to us? doth not the Lord? and yet you sin against this God: Certainly my friends serious meditation on this must break the heart, and cause sorrow for sin. But,

II. If the mercy, goodness, and long patience of God will not move nor melt you: Consider it (God is just too) if mercy cannot prevail, you shall have justice enough. Take heed, O hard hearted and undaunted sinners, the just law that hath been contemned, and the righteous statutes that hath been broken, and that God that hath been provoked by you and will be revenged of you. Where is Nimrod and Nebuchadnezzer Pharoah, and Herod, and all these proud persons that set their mouths against God and their hearts against heaven, what is now become of them ? they are now in the bottomless pit of hell.

As the apostle saith, Our God is a consuming fire, Heb. xiii. 29. And if my fire be kendled, it shall burn to the bottom of hell. O therefore meditate on the justice of God provoked! lest thou art called to the bar too soon, to answer for thy sins and certainly & serious meditation here must need provoke an unforeigned contrition.

III. Meditate on the cost and punishment of sin: Consider O stubborn sin ner: what will sin cost you? namely, those endless torments that cannot be conceived; hath not the God of heaven and earth with all his attributes passed before you; viz. his mercy his goodness' ahd patienece, his long suffering; hath not all these come to your hearts and whispered in your ears, and said, “Bounty" “ hath kept you, patience hath born with" “you; long-suffering hath endured you", “ mercy hath received you, the goodness" "of God- hath been gracious to you" All these will bid you all adieu, and then you will be sentenced to the bottomless pit, where year companions are devils, horror the language, brimstone and fire the torture; and eternal death the souls eternal life. Certainly my friends, serious meditations on this most break the heart; and cause sorrow for sin.

What a terrible day shall this be when thou halt leave this mansion and enter into an unknown region? Who can defend thee from those helish monsters? God is incensed hell prepared, justice threatened, only mercy must prevent or the soul is damned, Oh! miserable news the souls committed sin. But to give you some, reasons why there must be this piercing and wounding of souls for sin.

I. Reason. Because sin is the greatest evil of the soul, and the greatest burden also; that is most grievous which is most heavy. Now as there is no evil, so properly and directly evil to the soul, as the evil of sin is; so there is nothing that can properly do good to the soul, but God. Now while a sinner cannot see his sin, he cannot sorrow for his sin. Now it is a godly sorrow that causeth repentance unto life, as you may see in 3 Cor. vii. 10. And assuredly the soul that sees not the evil of sin, shall fall by the evil of punishment.

II. Reason, “Why unfeigned sorrow “and contrition of heart, for sin is necessary to salvation.” Because my sound sorrow the soul is truly prepared and fitted for the Lord Jesus Christ; as you may see in the Prophet Jer. xi. 8. Plow up the fallen ground ot your hearts, and sow not among thorns: What is it else, but to have the hearts pierced with the terrors of the Lord, by a sound saving sorrow for sin. “Plow up the corruptions, which are the thorns and thistles in your hearts;" as the prophet David saith, Psalm li. 27. ’Tis a broken and a contrite Heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. The heart must be broken all to pieces, beaten to powder, and must be content to be weaned from all sin, which is the way to be fitted for Jesus Christ.

III. Reason, The soul can not part with his sins and lusts, which is his God; until he find himself wearied with them, and as gall and wormwood to him; and how this weariedness and burden of sin, 'must needs cause in the soul a sound sor row for sin; before the soul sees the venomous and ugly nature of it, he is not willing to part with it: Go to pull away the adulterer’s whore, and the drunkard’s pots, you had as good go to kill them; the reason is, because they find sweetness in those base courses, and they arc all their delight. But now when the Lord comes to lay a heavy weight on this man's shoulders, than those wicked sins, which were so sweet before he finds them now as bitter as gall and wormwood, and now he lies down in sorrow, and cries out! "O is sin such a deadly killing evil, as "it will certainly destroy body and soul" “in hell! and is there no entering into" “heaven with the guilt of these upon" “my soul! Good Lord, do what thou" “wilt with me, only take my soul and" “save me, and take away my lusts and" “corruption from me.”

Thus have you briefly the reason of the print that this is the way of God’s working; that sorrow and contrition of heart for sin is the way of conversation from sin, and a turning to God. I now proceed to the application.

The first shall be for instruction.

The second for reproof and complaint.

The third for exhortation.

Use 1. It is so that this sorrow’, under the burden and weight of sin, will pierce a man's soul to the quick, and grind him as it were to powder, being run through by the arrow’s of the almighty, and that it is of so great necessity to be humbled and soundly sorrowful for sin? Then let this teach brethren now to carry them selves one towards another and to such as God hath dealt thus with having their souls pierced? O! do you pity them. They lie down in sorrow, eat the bread of adversity, and drink the water of affliction, have compassion on them! See what the Lord says by Moses, Duet. xxii. 1. Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them, thou shall in any case bring them again unto thy brother.

And henceforth the Lord commanded mercy to be shewn to the unreasonable creature that is wearied, with the weight he carries. Hath the Lord care of oxen? And O! wilt thou not help to ease the herd of thy brother, that is thus tried with the wrath of the almighty? Do you see and cannot you mourn for them, pray for them, and sneak in the behalf of distressed souls. See what Job saith Chap, xix. 11, 22, 23. O (said he) that my sorrows were all weighed they would prove, heavier than the sands. As if he had said, “O my friends have pity upon me! 'What have you no regard of a man in misery: Have you no pity, though he cry in, bitterness of his soul, help, help, for the Lord’s, sake? Oh pray for and pity those wounds arm vexations of spirit, which no man feels but he that is thus wounded: The poor man lies crying under the burden of sin, sighing and mourning and saying, O when will it once be, that God will revive his drooping soul! Certainly it would make one’s heart; to bleed to hear the sounding away of such a man, that the sword of the Almighty hath pierced his heart, and he lies breathing, out his sorrow, as though he was going down to hell. It is a sign that soul is marked for destruction of himself who harboureth such a desperate design against poor wounded souls. Oh could you see Job all smitten with broils, be lying miserably, forlorn in the eye of men; and would you not lend him a hand nor a mouth to help him? Can you endure to see them pricked to the heart? roaring and staring under the heavy yoke and burden of their sins, crying out, “What shall we do to be saved: O what shall we do to escape hell and damnation, and those unsupportahle and unquenchable flames of the wrath of God?" Canst thou stand still and say or do nothing, or rather canst thou upbraid them? O soul! assuredly the Lord will remember thee in the day of thy death; and as thou hast shewed no mercy, so shall thou receive no mercy in that day; such willing and violent opposers of God’s grace, the Lord will bring them one day on a bed of languishings and make them roar by force under the violence of his wrath. "O friends! be troubled at others troubles, and mourn in secret for all them that mourn under the terrible burden of their sin"

Use 2. And here let me make a lamentation, in the nature of reproof, against the secure souls in this generation where we live! the lord be merciful unto a world of men, that live within the bosom of the church. Oh that we had a fountain of tears to bewail for thee, in this respect, as Diogenes went about Athens with a lanthorn and candles at noon-day to seek for honest men: So should a minister go from country to country, and from shire to shire. O how few would he find mourning for their sins! Sin is far from being a burthen or poison to them, that it is their sport and pastime, just Esau like. What did he when he did eat and drink? he rose up to play, Gen. xxv. How few are they like Ephraim, who smite upon their thigh and cry'out, What have I done? Men upon their ale benches can swear, drink, rail against God, and defy the holy one of Israel. O how few rail against their own sins, and wish the death and destruction of them! How few cry out, men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved? But on the contrary, O that it were but sound lamented for and reproved, many do despight to the Spirit of grace, and glory in these things for which they have cause to be ashamed, Says the vile swearer, “I have swore such a man out of his house." Saith the drunkard, “I have drunk such a man under the table dead.

O sinner! pray read that place of the apostle, and there you may see your doom I speak, to impudent and incorrigible sinners, 2 Thes. 11. 12, That all they will be damned, which believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness, methinks that these words should shake a man’s heart to think on them, and the Lord in mercy look upon you, and make sin as loathsome and bitter to you, as ever it hath been sweet and pleasant. O sport not yourselves with sin! consider Dives, for a drunken feast here, had a dry feast in hell, and could not get one drop of water to cool his tongue, so will it be with you, you must either repent. and mourn for sin, or else burn forever. What wilt thou do O man! when God shall come to tear thee in pieces, and there be none to help? when God shall grant the Devil leave to take thee into his Accursed mansions, and there shalt thou lie, weeping and gnashing of thy teeth, for ever! then thou there shalt lie blaspheming, with Gud’s wrath like a pile of fire upon thy soul, burning with floods and seas of tears, which thou mayest shed but shalt never quench it. Which way soever thou lookest, thou shalt see matter and cause of everlasting grief. Look up to heaven, and there thou shalt see, that God is good for ever. look about thee, and thou shalt see devils quaking and cursing God, and thousands, nay millions of sinful damned.creatures, crying and roaring out with doleful shrieks, “O the day that ever I was born!” look within thee, there is a guilty conscience continually gnawing thee: Look on the time past, O those golden days of grace, and sweet seasons of mercy are gone! Look to the time to come, and there shalt thou behold devils, troops, and swarms of sorrows and woes, and raging waves, and, billows of wrath come roaring upon thee. Fly from, it, O fools, bewail yourselves m the sight of the Lord, be pricked to the heart; go tell God you cannot bear your sins, they are too heavy for you, much more the punishment: companion to him who is able to ease you: O vex not the righteous soul of the Godly from day. to day, neither grieve the holy spirit of God, but be couverted, that ye may live: Cry mightly to the Lord, peradventure he may hear, and forget, and forgive all your provocations; weep that you have lamented no more; and grieve-that you have no more grieved for sin.

Use 3. Is of exhortation, to exhort and beseech poor unconverted sinners that are under the command of the prince of the power of the air who are strangers to God, end alines to the covenant of promise, who have lived all this while without God in the world to come hither, and take the right way to bring your hearts to a right pitch of sorrow. Let me tell you it will never repent you at the last day, that you have had your heart humbled, it will never repent you that you have wept, when our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ comes to wipe away all tears from your eyes. Hear what our blessed saviour saith, Mat. v. 4. Blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Is it not better to endure a little torment here for a small time, than to be tormented in hell tire for, ever? O therefore, if you desire ever to see the face of God with comfort, and to have Christ speak for you, break your hearts with sorrow for sin soundly. For the Lord’s sake no not cozon yourselves: It is not only the tears of the eye, but the blood of your heart your sins must cost, and till you come to this, never think your sorrow is good. This sorrow consists, not in a bare rending of garments, or change of apparrel, or denying themselves those outward ornaments, as some people of late days do foolishly conceive, who had been filled with desperate hypocrisy, having left all here, and gone no farther; but you must break off your hearts, wound yourselves here, and be driven into amazement for sin, or else it will live with you here and in hell too: O therefore, when God begins to work, follow the blow, and with the prophet David, Psal. xxiii 2. Our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us. Get your consciences wounded, and resolve not to hear the counsel of carnal friends. Go thou and lie at God’s footstool and confess thy sins before him, for it is he that confesseth and forsaketh all shall find mercy, and where there is this true and hearty confession, there must needs be a godly sorrow for sin.

To provoke you to it, let me leave you two or three motives.

1. Consider it is not a vain thing that you are exhorted to, hut that upon which the life of your souls depends for without a thorough sense, and pricking at the heart for sin, there is salvation from sin: He that would be Christ’s disciple, must leave all he hath, father and mother, wife and children, all that’s near and dear to him, and take up the cross and follow Christ. He that would be a true convert, must both confess and grieve for sin, as the prophet Ezekiel saith, They shall remember their ways that were not good, and shall be ashamed, O then, be persueded, poor careless and unregenerate sinners, to mind the check of your conscience within you, and the clear perspicuous light of the gospel without you, and come among the number of mourners to mourn for sin: You may weep your eyes out hereafter to no purpose. Better w eep here a while than for ever in hell, for our Lord Jesus hath said. Blessed are, the mourners for they shall be comforted; O souls! these are no trivial things: press you to; the Lord make you serious in your sorrow for sin, that it may be such godly sorrow as worketh life and peace.

2. Consider deep and hearty sorrow for, and ture confession of sin, is a very honourable thing in the eyes of God and good men. O souls! it will tend to your everlasting honour and renown. In the great day, when God shall acquit you before all the world, both angels, men, and devils, and say, “ Here, behold the ingenious confessor, and true godly mourner! who was not ashamed to say, in sin I was conceived, and in iniquity brought forth." This weeping soul have comforted with my spirits and he stands justified by my Son’s merits: I'll honour him with a mantle that is better than that of all the daughters. Come then O soul! see among .the mourners in Zion, as every one desires to her comforted, and as every one would.be so highly honored.

3. Consider then that godly sorrow and confession of sin is a safe thing, it is the best and safest way to heaven and glory! is it safe to contend with God? Can briars and thorns contend with God in battle? Is it safe to fall into the hands of the living God, with the gilt of all your sins upon you? No, therefore consider what I have said, and the way I have fixed upon, viz. Godly sorrow and true Heart breaking for sin, and the Lord give you understanding in all things. Amen.

Now to God the Father, God the Son.

and God the Holy Ghost, three persons and one God, be given (as is most due) all. honour, glory and praise, now and for ever.

FINIS

A

MEDITATION

ON THE

FOUR LAST THINGS.

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viz.

Death, Judgement, Heaven,

and Hell.

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A Meditation on Death.

Death the old serpent’s son,
Thou hadst a sting once like thy fire,
That carrion hell, and ever burnting fire:
⁠But those black days are o’er;
Thy foolish pride buried thy sting
⁠In the profound and wide
⁠Wound of our Saviour’s side.
And now thouart become atame and harm
⁠A thing we’darenot fear [less thing.
⁠Since we hear.
That our triumphant Ciod to punish thee
For the affront thou didst him on the tree,
Hath snatch'd tiie keys of hell out of thy
⁠Hand and made thee stand,
A porteratth’ gate of life thy mortal enemy.

On the Day of Judgement.

Great judge of all who we vile wretches
Our guilty bones do ake, [quake.
Our marrow freezes when we think
Of the consuming fire
Of thine ire'
And horrid phials thou shalt make
The wicked drink,
Thou wine-press of thy wrath shall tread,
With feet of lead.
Sinful rebellious clay! what unknown place
Shall hide it from thy face.
When earth shall vanish from thy sight?
The heavensthat never err'd.
But observed [flight.
Thy laws, shall from thy presence take their
And kill’d with glory their bright eyes stark
Start from their head: [dead
Lord how shall we.
Thy enemies, endure to see
So bright, so killing majesty?
Mercy, dear Saviour: Thy judgement-seat}}
⁠⁠⁠⁠We eare not. Lord, intreat;
⁠⁠⁠We’re condemn’d already there
⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercy, vouch safe our look
Of life, Lord, we can read thy saving Jesus here,
And in his name our own salvation see,
⁠⁠⁠⁠Lord set us free:
⁠⁠⁠⁠The book of sin
⁠⁠⁠⁠Is cross’d within,
⁠⁠⁠⁠Our debts are paid thee.

Of Heaven.

O beauties God! uncircumscrib’d treasure
Of an eternal pleasure!
Thy throne is seated far,
Above the highest star;
Where thou prepar’d a glorious place
Within the brigntness of thy face.
For every spirit
To inherit.
That builds his hopes on thy merit.
And loves thee with an holy charity,
What ravish,d heart seraphic tongue or
Clear as the morrinng’s rise, [eyes,
Can speak or think or see.
That bright eternity.
Where the great king’s transparent throne
Is of an entire jasper stone;
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠There the eye
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠O’ the chrysolite.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠And a sky
Of diamonds; rubies, chrysoprase ;
⁠⁠And above all thy holy face,
⁠⁠Makes an eternal ciarity,
When thou thy Jewelsup dost bind that day
⁠⁠⁠Remember us we pray ;
⁠⁠⁠That where the bervillies,
⁠⁠⁠And the crystal ’bove the skies
There thou may’st appoint us place.
Within the brightness of thy face ;
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠And our soul
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠In the scrol
Of life and blissness enrol,
Thatt we may praise thee to eternity.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hallelujah.

Of Hell

Horrid darkness, sad and fore,
⁠⁠And an eternal night;
Cries and shrieks, and thousands more,
⁠⁠⁠In the want of glorious light:
⁠⁠⁠Every corner hath a snake
⁠⁠⁠In the accurced lake.
⁠⁠⁠Seas of tire, beds of snow.
⁠⁠⁠Are the best delights below;
⁠⁠⁠A viper from the tire is his hire
That knows not moments from eternity
⁠⁠Glorious God of day and night,
⁠⁠⁠Spring of eternal light;
Hallelujahs, hymns, and psalms,
⁠⁠⁠And coronets of psalms
Fill thy people evermore.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠O mighty God,
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Let not thy bruising rod
Crush thy loins with an eternal pressure
O let thy mercy be the measure;
O let thy mercy be thy measure;
For if thou keepest wrath in store,
⁠⁠⁠⁠We shall all die.
⁠⁠⁠⁠And none shall be left to glorify
⁠⁠⁠⁠Thy name, and tell
How thou hast sav’d our souls from hell.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mercy.

FINIS.