Section 2

SECT. II.

II. Bewail your former failings in this respect;^{1 2}this will divers ways conduce to your amendment:

II. BEwail your former failings in this respect;^{1 2}this will divers waies conduce to your amendment:

1. 1§. 2.
2. 2II. Bewail former failings herein.

1. Morally, being an Argument that you really dislike the sin, and the condition of God's pardon thereof. The ordinary Lord have mercy, doth herein fall short of pardon, because it is not spoke in tears; If God did but see a man grieve for his sin^*, a ⟨p. 170⟩little ado, a few words should get forgiveness. The Publican had but a short peccavi, nor David upon his dreadful fall; but they were words that were felt, they were heart deep, they swum in tears, each word fetched a drop of blood from the heart. And God was well pleased with them in Christ. When Antipater had written a large Letter to Alexander, against his Mother Olympia, his answer was, dost thou not know, that one tear from my Mother's eye, can wash away all her faults? so one penitential tear from a believers eye, can persuade much with God in Christ for the pardon of his wanderings. But the most embroidered phrases, without this Christian grief, work not with God at all. Lachrymarum lingua disertissimè loquitur — If Christ Jesus himself did sue for pardon for an impenitent sinner, he would not be heard. But when your conscience is touched, and the heart melts, and bleeds for your faults herein; now, saith God, I see yonder man cannot live with a wandering heart, and therefore he shall live without it. I'll never see him drowned in his distractions, that is thus drowned in tears about them; if he really dislike them, I'll really dispel them.