Chapter 3, A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a… by Thomas Brooks (1669) | AskReformation

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But now the sorrow, the grief of wicked men for sin, 'tis like a morning cloud, or the early dew, or the crackling of thorns under a pot, or a Post that quickly passeth by, or a dream that soon vanisheth, or like a tale that is told, &c. their sorrowful hearts and mournful eyes soon dry up together. As you may see in Esau, Ahab, Pharaoh and Judas; but the streams of godly sorrow will last and run, as long as sin hangs upon us, and dwells in us, 1 Cor. 15.9. I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. Psal. 25.7. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. David prayeth to the Lord, not only to forgive but also to forget, both the sins of his youth, and the sins of his age. David remembered all his faults, both of former and of later times. David was well in years when he defiled himself with Bathsheba; and this he remembers and mourns over, Psal. 51. And 'tis very observable, that God charged his people for to remember old sins, Deut. 9.7. Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness. Repentance is a grace, and must have its daily operation as well as other graces, witness the very covenant of grace it self, Ezek. 16.62, 63. I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord, that thou mayest remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done. Certainly a true penitent can no more satisfy himself with one act of repentance, than he can satisfy himself with one act of faith, or or with one act of hope, or with one act of love, or with one act of humility, or with one act of patience, or with one act of self-denial. Godly sorrow is a Gospel-grace that will live and last as well and as long as other graces, 'tis a spring that in this life can never be drawn dry.

But now the sorrow, the grief of wicked men for sin, 'tis like a morning cloud, or the early dew, or the crackling of thorns under a pot, or a Post that quickly passeth by, or a dream that soon vanisheth, or like a tale that is told, &c. their sorrowful hearts and mournful eyes soon dry up together. As you may see in Esau, Ahab, Pharaoh and Judas; but the streams of godly sorrow will last and run, as long as sin hangs upon us, and dwells in us, 1 Cor. 15.9. I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. Psal. 25.7. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. David prayeth to the Lord, not only to forgive but also to forget, both the sins of his youth, and the sins of his age. David remembred all his faults, both of former and of later times. David was well in years when he defiled himself with Bathsheba; and this he remembers and mourns over, Psal. 51. And 'tis very observable, that God charged his people for to remember old sins, Deut. 9.7. Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness. Repentance is a grace, and must have its daily operation as well as other graces, witness the very covenant of grace it self, Ezek. 16.62, 63. I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord, that thou mayest remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done. Certainly a true penitent can no more satisfie himself with one act of repentance, than he can satisfie himself with one act of faith, or or with one act of hope, or with one act of love, or with one act of humility, or with one act of patience, or with one act of self-denial. Godly sorrow is a Gospel-grace that will live and last as well and as long as other graces, 'tis a spring that in this life can never be drawn dry.

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Sixthly, Godly sorrow is a divorcing sorrow, it divorces §6the heart from sin, it breaks that ancient league that has been between the heart and sin;¹ there is a strong firm league between every sinner and his sin, Isa. 28.15, 18. but when godly sorrow enters, it dissolves that league, it separates between a sinner and his sin, it sets the soul at an everlasting distance from sin. The union between the root and the branches, the foundation and the building, the head and the members, the father and the child, the husband and the wife, the body and the soul are all near, very near unions; yet that between a sinner and his sin seems to be a nearer union. Observable is the story of Phaltiel. ²You know when David had married Michol, Saul injuriously gave her to another; but when David came to the crown, and sent forth his Royal commands that his wife should be brought to him, her husband dares not but obey, brings her on her journey, and then not without great reluctancy of spirit, takes his leave of her. But what was Phaltiel weary of his wife, that he now forsakes her? O no, he was enforced, and though she was gone, yet he had many a sad thought about parting with her, and he never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Baharim, weeping and bemoaning her absence. Just thus stands the heart of every unregenerate man towards his sins, as Phaltiel's heart stood towards his wife. But when the springs of godly sorrow rise in the soul, the league, the friendship, the union that was between the sinner and his sins, comes to be dissolved and broken in pieces, Hosea 14.8. All godly sorrow sets the heart against sin; he that divinely mourns over sin, can't live in a course of sin; when of all bitters God makes sin to be the greatest bitter to the soul, then the soul bids an everlasting farewell to sin; now the soul in good earnest bids adieu to sin for ever. O Sirs!³ this is a most certain Maxim (to live and die with) that either a mans sins will make an end of his mourning, or else his mourning will make an end of his sin; for he that holds on sinning, will certainly leave off mourning (no man can make a trade of sin, and yet keep his heart in a mourning frame) but he that holds on mourning for sin, will certainly leave off the trade of sin, holy grief for sin, ⟨p. 226⟩will sooner or later break off all leagues and friendships with sin.⁴

Sixthly, Godly sorrow is a divorcing sorrow, it divorces §6the heart from sin, it breaks that ancient league that has been between the heart and sin;¹ there is a strong firm league between every sinner and his sin, Isa. 28.15, 18. but when godly sorrow enters, it dissolves that league, it separates between a sinner and his sin, it sets the soul at an everlasting distance from sin. The union between the root and the branches, the foundation and the building, the head and the members, the father and the child, the husband and the wife, the body and the soul are all neer, very neer unions; yet that between a sinner and his sin seems to be a neerer union. Observable is the story of Phaltiel. ²You know when David had married Michol, Saul injuriously gave her to another; but when David came to the crown, and sent forth his Royal commands that his wife should be brought to him, her husband dares not but obey, brings her on her journey, and then not without great reluctancy of spirit, takes his leave of her. But what was Phaltiel weary of his wife, that he now forsakes her? O no, he was enforced, and though she was gone, yet he had many a sad thought about parting with her, and he never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Baharim, weeping and bemoaning her absence. Just thus stands the heart of every unregenerate man towards his sins, as Phaltiel's heart stood towards his wife. But when the springs of godly sorrow rise in the soul, the league, the friendship, the union that was between the sinner and his sins, comes to be dissolved and broken in pieces, Hosea 14.8. All godly sorrow sets the heart against sin; he that divinely mourns over sin, can't live in a course of sin; when of all bitters God makes sin to be the greatest bitter to the soul, then the soul bids an everlasting farewel to sin; now the soul in good earnest bids adieu to sin for ever. O Sirs!³ this is a most certain Maxim (to live and die with) that either a mans sins will make an end of his mourning, or else his mourning will make an end of his sin; for he that holds on sinning, will certainly leave off mourning (no man can make a trade of sin, and yet keep his heart in a mourning frame) but he that holds on mourning for sin, will certainly leave off the trade of sin, holy grief for sin, ⟨p. 226⟩

1It is an excellent saying of Austin, He doth truly bewail the sins he hath committed, who never commits the sins he hath bewailed.
22 Sam. 3.14, 15, 16.
3☜
4Isa. 59.1, 2.

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But now, though you may find an unsound heart sometimes a lamenting over his sins, yet you shall never find him a leaving off his sins. Pharaoh lamented over his sin, crying out, I have sinned, ¹the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. And again, Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron in haste, and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. But though you find him here lamenting and complaining over his sin, yet you never find him leaving or forsaking of his sin. So Saul could cry out, he had sinned, but yet he still continued in his sin; he acknowledged that he did evil in persecuting of David, and yet he still held on persecuting of him. An unsound heart mourns over sin, and yet he holds on in a course of sin; he sins and mourns, and mourns and sins, and commonly all his mourning for sin does but the more embolden him in a way of sin; but the gracious soul says with Job, ²If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more. He laments over sin and leaves it, he confesses it and forsakes it, and he is as willing to forgo it, as he is willing that God should forgive it.

But now, though you may find an unsound heart sometimes a lamenting over his sins, yet you shall never find him a leaving off his sins. Pharaoh lamented over his sin, crying out, I have sinned, ¹the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. And again, Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron in haste, and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. But though you find him here lamenting and complaining over his sin, yet you never find him leaving or forsaking of his sin. So Saul could cry out, he had sinned, but yet he still continued in his sin; he acknowledged that he did evil in persecuting of David, and yet he still held on persecuting of him. An unsound heart mourns over sin, and yet he holds on in a course of sin; he sins and mourns, and mourns and sins, and commonly all his mourning for sin does but the more imbolden him in a way of sin; but the gracious soul sayes with Job, ²If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more. He laments over sin and leaves it, he confesses it and forsakes it, and he is as willing to forgo it, as he is willing that God should forgive it.

1Exod. 9.27 . & 10.16.
2Job 34.32.

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Seventhly, All (and if you please I shall give you many things in one) godly sorrow is the fruit and effect of Evangelical faith, it flows from faith as the stream from the fountain, the branch from the root, and the effect from the cause, Zech. 12.10. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. Look, as all legal sorrow flows from a legal faith, as you may see in Ahab's and the Ninevites, so all Evangelical sorrow flows from an Evangelical faith; They shall look ⟨p. 227⟩upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn. All gracious mourning flows from looking, from believing; nothing breaks the heart of a sinner like a look of faith; all tears of godly sorrow drop from the eye of faith; godly sorrow rises and falls, as faith rises and falls; faith and godly sorrow are like the fountain and the flood, which rise and fall together. The more a man is able by faith to look upon a pierced Christ, the more his heart will mourn over all the dishonours that he has done to Christ; the more deep and wide the wounds are that faith shows me in the heart and sides of Christ, the more my heart will be wounded for sinning against Christ.

Seventhly, All (and if you please I shall give you many things in one) godly sorrow is the fruit and effect of Evangelical faith, it flows from faith as the stream from the fountain, the branch from the root, and the effect from the cause, Zech. 12.10. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. Look, as all legal sorrow flows from a legal faith, as you may see in Ahab's and the Ninevites, so all Evangelical sorrow flows from an Evangelical faith; They shall look ⟨p. 227⟩upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn. All gracious mourning flows from looking, from believing; nothing breaks the heart of a sinner like a look of faith; all tears of godly sorrow drop from the eye of faith; godly sorrow rises and falls, as faith rises and falls; faith and godly sorrow are like the fountain and the floud, which rise and fall together. The more a man is able by faith to look upon a pierced Christ, the more his heart will mourn over all the dishonours that he has done to Christ; the more deep and wide the wounds are that faith shews me in the heart and sides of Christ, the more my heart will be wounded for sining against Christ.

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The free love and favour of God, and his unspeakable goodness and mercy manifested in Jesus Christ to poor sinners, is the very spring and fountain of all Evangelical sorrow; nothing breaks the heart of a poor sinner like the sight of God's free love in a Redeemer. A man can't seriously look upon the firstness, the freeness, the greatness, the unchangeableness, the everlastingness, and the matchlessness of God's free favour and love in Christ, with a hard heart, or with dry eyes, Ezek. 36.31. compared with vers. 25, 26. O! who is there that has but one spark of ingenuity, that can read over that heart-breaking Scripture with dry eyes? Isa. 43.22, 23, 24.¹ But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob, but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel; thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings, neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices, I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense; thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices, but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities, Now a man would think, after all this horrid abuse put upon God, this would certainly follow: ⟨image 135⟩Therefore I will plague and punish thee, therefore my wrath shall smoke against thee, therefore my soul shall abhor thee, therefore I will shut up my loving kindness in displeasure against thee, therefore I will show no more mercy towards thee, therefore I will hide my face for ever from thee, therefore I will take vengeance on thee, therefore I will rain hell out of heaven upon thee, &c. O! but read and wonder, read and admire, read and stand amazed and astonished, read and refrain from tears if thou canst, ver. 25. I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. The Prophets expression in that, Zech. 12.10. is very observable; They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one that mourneth for his only son. Now 'tis observable in a fathers mourning for an only son, there is nothing but pure love, sincere love, hearty love; but in a sons mourning for his father, there may be and often is a great deal of self-love, self-respect, because the child may run and read in his father's death, his own loss, his own ruin, his own undoing;

The free love and favour of God, and his unspeakable goodness and mercy manifested in Jesus Christ to poor sinners, is the very spring and fountain of all Evangelical sorrow; nothing breaks the heart of a poor sinner like the sight of God's free love in a Redeemer. A man can't seriously look upon the firstness, the freeness, the greatness, the unchangeableness, the everlastingness, and the matchlessness of God's free favour and love in Christ, with a hard heart, or with dry eyes, Ezek. 36.31. compared with vers. 25, 26. O! who is there that has but one spark of ingenuity, that can read over that heart-breaking Scripture with dry eyes? Isa. 43.22, 23, 24.¹ But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob, but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel; thou hast not brought me the small cattel of thy burnt offerings, neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices, I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense; thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices, but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities, Now a man would think, after all this horrid abuse put upon God, this would certainly follow: ⟨image 135⟩Therefore I will plague and punish thee, therefore my wrath shall smoak against thee, therefore my soul shall abhor thee, therefore I will shut up my loving kindness in displeasure against thee, therefore I will shew no more mercy towards thee, therefore I will hide my face for ever from thee, therefore I will take vengeance on thee, therefore I will rain hell out of heaven upon thee, &c. O! but read and wonder, read and admire, read and stand amazed and astonished, read and refrain from tears if thou canst, ver. 25. I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. The Prophets expression in that, Zech. 12.10. is very observable; They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one that mourneth for his only son. Now 'tis observable in a fathers mourning for an only son, there is nothing but pure love, sincere love, hearty love; but in a sons mourning for his father, there may be and often is a great deal of self-love, self-respect, because the child may run and read in his father's death, his own loss, his own ruin, his own undoing;

1See Isa. 57.17, 18, 19.

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¹Thirdly, Yea what indignation or stomach, [Greek or Hebrew], wrath unto grief; it notes the very rising of the stomach with rage, and a being angry unto fretting, fuming and sickness. Again, it notes the very height of anger and rage. The true penitent is not so exceeding angry with himself for any thing, as he is angry with himself for his sins. Indignation here imports the turning of all the passions of the soul wholly against sin. There are no men in the world so hot and angry against themselves for their sins,² as penitents are; witness those that polluted the Idols that they had perfumed, Isa. 30.22. witness David, Psal. 73.22. witness Ephraim, Hosea 14.8. and witness Paul, Rom. 7.22, 23. There are none that fret, and fume, and chafe at themselves for sin, as penitent souls do; there are none that loath themselves, that ⟨p. 231⟩abhor themselves, and that are weary of themselves, upon the account of their sins, like penitent souls. 'Tis not this thing, nor that, nor this enemy, nor that, nor this party, nor that, nor this design, nor that; but sin that is the main, the grand object of a penitents hatred, scorn, wrath, rage, reproach, disgrace and contempt, &c. He that would be angry and sin not, must be angry at nothing but sin. If some men would but spend more of their anger and indignation against their sins, they would not be so angry as they are with their brethren, that in disputable things differ from them.

¹Thirdly, Yea what indignation or stomack, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, wrath unto grief; it notes the very rising of the stomack with rage, and a being angry unto fretting, fuming and sickness. Again, it notes the very heighth of anger and rage. The true penitent is not so exceeding angry with himself for any thing, as he is angry with himself for his sins. Indignation here imports the turning of all the passions of the soul wholly against sin. There are no men in the world so hot and angry against themselves for their sins,² as penitents are; witness those that polluted the Idols that they had perfumed, Isa. 30.22. witness David, Psal. 73.22. witness Ephraim, Hosea 14.8. and witness Paul, Rom. 7.22, 23. There are none that fret, and fume, and chafe at themselves for sin, as penitent souls do; there are none that loath themselves, that ⟨p. 231⟩abhor themselves, and that are weary of themselves, upon the account of their sins, like penitent souls. 'Tis not this thing, nor that, nor this enemy, nor that, nor this party, nor that, nor this design, nor that; but sin that is the main, the grand object of a penitents hatred, scorn, wrath, rage, reproach, disgrace and contempt, &c. He that would be angry and sin not, must be angry at nothing but sin. If some men would but spend more of their anger and indignation against their sins, they would not be so angry as they are with their brethren, that in disputable things differ from them.

13. Concomitant of godly sorrow.
2Isa. 2.20.

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Fourthly, Yea what fear of God's displeasure,¹ and of doing any more so wickedly before the Lord. Penitent souls are of all souls the most trembling souls, the most timorous souls, Prov. 28.14. Blessed is the man that feareth always. The penitent Christian has still a jealous eye upon his own heart, words and ways; he is very apt to suspect a snake under every flower, and to fear a snare in every creature-comfort. The burnt child dreads the fire; he that has been once stung hates a snake, he that has been in danger of drowning, trembles at the thoughts of going by water; and he that has once broke his leg, rides and walks with a fear of diligence and vigilancy all his life after. I have read of the Dove, that she is afraid of every feather that hath grown upon a Hawk; the very sight of any of the Hawks feathers, brings as much terror upon her, as if she saw the Hawk her self; such a native dread is (it seems) implanted in her, that it detests and abhors the very sight of any such feather. In every penitent God implants such a holy fear, such a filial fear, such a reverential fear, such a fear of diligence and vigilancy, that the penitent Christians heart rises, detests and abhors, not only gross sins, but the least motions, inclinations and temptations to sin. They that have paid dear for past guilt, that have known what an aching heart, a wounded conscience, and a bleeding soul means, that have experienced what the frowns of God, the threatenings of God, and the wrath of God means, will certainly beware of sin, watch and war against it, and fear to fall into it.

Fourthly, Yea what fear of God's displeasure,¹ and of doing any more so wickedly before the Lord. Penitent souls are of all souls the most trembling souls, the most timerous souls, Prov. 28.14. Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes. The penitent Christian has still a jealous eye upon his own heart, words and wayes; he is very apt to suspect a snake under every flower, and to fear a snare in every creature-comfort. The burnt child dreads the fire; he that has been once stung hates a snake, he that has been in danger of drowning, trembles at the thoughts of going by water; and he that has once broke his leg, rides and walks with a fear of diligence and vigilancy all his life after. I have read of the Dove, that she is afraid of every feather that hath grown upon a Hawk; the very sight of any of the Hawks feathers, brings as much terror upon her, as if she saw the Hawk her self; such a native dread is (it seems) implanted in her, that it detests and abhors the very sight of any such feather. In every penitent God implants such a holy fear, such a filial fear, such a reverential fear, such a fear of diligence and vigilancy, that the penitent Christians heart rises, detests and abhors, not only gross sins, but the least motions, inclinations and temptations to sin. They that have paid dear for past guilt, that have known what an aking heart, a wounded conscience, and a bleeding soul means, that have experienced what the frowns of God, the threatnings of God, and the wrath of God means, will certainly beware of sin, watch and war against it, and fear to fall into it.

14. Concomitant of godly sorrow.