It is a great evil upon any time, when the voice of joy is taken away from it: it is a great evil upon times, when joyful meetings can no more be observed; when if any do meet, they meet and sigh together, they meet and lament together, they meet and bemoan each others losses and calamities. The Prophet Amos speaks of a time when the songs of the Temple shall be howlings, (Chap. 8. v. 3.) And ver. 10. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and your songs into lamentation. It is very sad, when the songs of our private houses are changed into howlings: but much more when the songs of the Temple. Both these are pronounced against Babylon, as a part of that dreadful curse which God will pour out upon it, when his wrath comes to the utmost, Rev. 18.22. The voice of harpers and musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee, and the sound of the mil-stone shall be heard no more at all in thee, and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee, That is, O Babylon, there shall be no joyful voice any more at all in thee: Not the voice of music, no not the voice of a mil-stone. We have great cause to fear that the joyful voice may suddenly be taken away, not only from our nights, but also from our days; not only from our houses, but also from our Temples; For the voice of sin hath bin heard from both. Darkness hath begun to seize upon our light; the seed of division is not only sown, but ⟨p. 366⟩sprung up among us; our troubles increase, yea our joyful voice is already changed into the sound of the trumpet, and the Alarm of War, into the neighings of Horses, and the confused noise of bloody battles, Isa. 9.5. And which may afflict our hearts more, we hear the mournful voice of the Widow crying out, My Husband my Husband, We hear the mournful voice of the Orphan, crying out my Father, my Father. Husband and Father slain by the sword, while they went out to help the Lord against the mighty. It is time for us to sit solitary and alone, to mourn every family apart, and our wives apart, (Zach. 12.12.) to lift up our voice in prayer night and day, least the joyful voice be utterly taken away, and for ever silenced amongst us: Least it be said of us as of Jerusalem, (Lam. 1.1.) How doth the City sit solitary that was full of people? How is she become as a widow?
It is a great evill upon any time, when the voice of joy is taken away from it: it is a great evill upon times, when joyfull meetings can no more be observed; when if any do meete, they meete and sigh together, they meete and lament together, they meete and bemoane each others losses and calamities. The Prophet Amos speakes of a time when the songs of the Temple shall be howlings, (Chap. 8. v. 3.) And ver. 10. I will turne your feasts into mourning, and your songs into lamentation. It is very sad, when the songs of our private houses are changed into howlings: but much more when the songs of the Temple. Both these are pronounced against Babylon, as a part of that dreadfull curse which God will powre out upon it, when his wrath comes to the utmost, Rev. 18.22. The voice of harpers and musitians, and of pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee, and the sound of the mil-stone shall be heard no more at all in thee, and the voice of the bridegroome and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee, That is, O Babylon, there shall be no joyfull voice any more at all in thee: Not the voice of musick, no not the voice of a mil-stone. We have great cause to feare that the joyfull voice may suddainely be taken away, not only from our nights, but also from our dayes; not only from our houses, but also from our Temples; For the voice of sin hath bin heard from both. Darknesse hath begun to seize upon our light; the seed of division is not only sowne, but ⟨p. 366⟩sprung up among us; our troubles increase, yea our joyfull voice is already changed into the sound of the trumpet, and the Alarum of War, into the neighings of Horses, and the confused noise of bloody battels, Isa. 9.5. And which may afflict our hearts more, we heare the mournefull voice of the Widdow crying out, My Husband my Husband, We heare the mournefull voice of the Orphan, crying out my Father, my Father. Husband and Father slaine by the sword, while they went out to helpe the Lord against the mighty. It is time for us to sit solitary and alone, to mourne every family apart, and our wives apart, (Zach. 12.12.) to lift up our voice in prayer night and day, least the joyfull voice be utterly taken away, and for ever silenced amongst us: Least it be said of us as of Jerusalem, (Lam. 1.1.) How doth the City sit solitary that was full of people? How is she become as a widdow?
