Reasons.

1 Because they are members of the same body;the Reason intimated by the Apostle, Remember them that are in adversitie, as being your selves also in the same body. Now it is the part of one mem­ber to fellow-feele with another. When the Shunamites sonne was sick, especially in one part, his whole body complained, saying, My head, 2 King. 4.19. my head. This made David to say for my brethren and Companions sake, I will say, Psal. 1 22, 8. Peace be within thee. He desired the peace of Jerusalem, because of his brethren and companions there, who were as it were, bone of his bone.

2 It is a great lightning of the afflictions of bre­thren, to be bemoaned by brethren and friends in time of affliction. Solamem miseris socios, &c. sociall sorrowes doe somewhat solace the mise­rable. Which wee see in Jerusalems Complaint for want of pity from her Lovers, and Jobs (at last) from his friends. Now it is the part of friends and fellowes to beare one anothers bur­dens. Yea it is of the Law of Christ, Gal. 6.2. which is the Law of Love. And surely, if a man doth but see his horse over-burdened, he will run presently and lighten the loade that is upon him.

3 Againe; Consider that it may be the case of, friends themselves, who then would be glad to be sympathized with. A man that hath friends, Prov. 18. last. saith Salomon, must carry himselfe friendly. He may soone els loose his friends when he expects [Page 6]to be dealt with friendly by them. One reason why mercy rejoyceth against judgement, Iam. 2.13. is because as it hath yeelded mercy to others in time of Judgement, so now it expects the same from them in like case.

4 Lastly, It is an easie service of Love. It cost Jobs friends but little to come and bestow their teares and their sorrowes upon him. What can a friend doe lesse? true friendship and brother­hood goes further, it will, nay it must, if need be, lay downe its life for the brethren. 1 Ioh. 3.16.

Ʋse.

1 Before I come to the maine use which I ayme at, I will speake a few words, by way of Infor­mation, to shew how farre they are from being friends or brethren, who are ready to rejoyce at the afflictions and miseries of others. A right E­domitish quality; Obad. vers. 12. for Edom rejoyced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction, and spake proudly in the day of their distresse: and these were a cursed generation. And indeed the Psalmist implyes it to be a property of ab­jects thus to doe: In mine adversity they rejoyced, Psal. 35.15. and gathered themselves together, yea the abjects, ( i.e. the cast-awayes) gathered themselves toge­ther. And it is commonly observed, that men and women who have turned Witches, and been in league with the devill, thereby to doe mis­chiefe, are never given over so to doe, till they begin to have an evill eye, which grieveth at the [Page 7]Prosperity, and rejoyceth at the misery of others. Hence Witchcrast is described by an evill eye.

I know not what eye hath bewitched my young Lambes. And when any are bewitched, Nescio quis te­neros oculus mihi fascina [...] agnos. it is a phrase of speech among many to say, they are overseene, i.e. lookt upon with a malicious eye. Nay, it is the property of the devill to be thus affected. Mans prosperity is his p [...]ine, and mans adversity his rejoyeing, as wee see in Iob; neither is there (scarce) any thing that doth more import the seed of the Serpent in a man, then this same [...] rejoycing in the evill and misery of another. It is then the property of Edomites, abjects, witches and devils, to re­joyce in the misery that befalleth others. And though I am not able to charge any of you with this cursed affection, yet I doe wish you to looke into your owne hearts; for this I am sure, here are strong temptations sometimes, leading to­wards it in this Land, which when they meet with an heart voyd of grace, must needs stirre up the disposition in it, and not onely emulati­ons and envyings, but witchcraft it selfe is a worke of the flesh. Gal. 5.19, 20.

2 But the use that I doe principally intend, is of Exhortation to you all, as you desire to ap­proveyour selves the true friends and brethren of your deare Countrey-men in old England, to condole with them this day in their afflictions. Jobs friends, you see, did it for him seven dayes and seven nights, i.e. many dayes, oh let us doe it then this one day, at least, for these.

Indeed when we looke upon our selves at this time in this Land, the Lord hath given us great cause of rejoycing, both in respect of civill and spirituall peace. God hath at once subdued the proud Pequats and the proud opinions that rose up in this Land; and for plenty, never had the Land the like. Yea, which is much better, the Word of God growes and multiplyeth; Act. 12. the Churches have rest throughout the whole land, and are edified, Act. 9.31. and walking in the feare of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy Ghost, are multiplyed. This is much, and more it would be, if the edge of these and other our comforts were not this day turned by the feare of civill strifes and combustions in the Land of our Na­tivitie, which doe not a little abate the sweet­nesse of all other our happinesse to us, and call for Lamentation and sack cloth at our hands.

When Artaxerxes said unto Nehemiah, Neh. 2.3. Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sicke? Have you not read the answer? Why should not my countenance be sad, when the City, the place of my Fathers sepulchres lyes wast, and the gates there­of are consumed with fire? Why? Nehemiah was well enough at ease, he had honour, and power, and favour, and pleasure enough, and being the Kings Cup-bearer, he had Wine enough of all sorts at his command, which maketh glad the heart of man. But what is all this not to cloud his countenance, and to overcast it with griefe and sorrow, when the City of his Fathers was layd wast, and the gates thereof consumed with [Page 9]fire? Thus Beloved, if our comforts were treble to what they are this day, yet could it not but much abate the sweetnesse of them, to consider what distresses may lie at this time upon [...]ur na­tive Countrey, for ought wee know, a [...] have too just cause to feare. When the Arke and Israel and Judah abode in tents, and Joab and his men were encamped in the open fields, 2 Sam. 12.11. Ʋrijah tooke no comfort in his beautifull wise, nor in his house, nor in his meate and drinke.

Let us therefore, I beseech you, lay aside the though [...]s of all our comforts this day, and let us f [...]sten our eyes upon the calamities of our bre­thren in old England, calamities, at least, immi­nent calamities dropping, swords that have hung along time over their heads by a twine thread, judgements long since threatned as foreseene by many of Gods Messengers in the causes, though not foretold by a Spirit prophetically guided; heavy judgements in all probability when they fall, if they are not fallen already. And not to looke upon the occasions given on the one side or the other, betweene the two Sister Nations (Sister Nations? ah, the word woundeth,) let us looke this day simply on the event, a sad e­vent in all likelihood, the dividing of a King from his Subjects, and him from them, their mutuall taking up of Armes in opposition and desence; the consequences, even the gloomy and darke consequences thereof, are killing and slaying, and sacking and burning, and robbing and rifting, cursing and blaspheming, &c.

If you should but see Warre described to you in a Map, especially in a Countrey well knowne to you, nay dearely beloved of you, where you drew your first breath, where once, yea where lately you dwelt, where you have received ten thousand mercies, and have many a deare friend and Countrey-man and kinsman abiding, how could you but lament and mourne?

Warre is the conflict of enemies enraged with bloody revenge, wherein the parties opposite carry their lives in their hands, every man tur­ning prodigall of his very heart blood, and wil­ling to be killed to kill. The instruments are cla­shing swords, ratling speares, skul-dividing Hol­beards, murthering pieces, and thundering Can­nons, from whose mouths proceed the fire and smell and smoake and terrour and death, as it were, of the very bottomlesse pit. Wee wonder now and then at the sudden death of a man; alas, you might there see a thousand men not onely healthy, but stout and strong, struck dead in the twinckling of an eye, their breath exhales with­out so much as, Lord have mercy upon us. Death heweth its way thorow a wood of men in a mi­nute of time from the mouth of a murderer, tur­ning a forrest into a champion suddenly; and when it hath used these to slay their opposites, they are recompenced with the like death them­selves. O the shrill care-piercing clangs of the trumpets, noise of drums, the animating voices of Horse Captains and Commanders, learned and lear­ning to destroy! Iob 39.19, 20, &c. There is the undaunted horse whose [Page 11]neck is clothed with thunder, and the glory of whose nostrills is terrible; how doth he lye pawing and praunsing in the valley going forth to meet the ar­med men? he mocks at feare, swallowing the ground with fiercenes and rage, and saying among the trum­pets, Ha, Ha, he smels the battell a far off, the thun­der of the Captaines and the shouting. Here ride some dead men swagging in their deep saddles; there fall others alive upon their dead horses; death sends a message to those from the mouth of the Muskets, these it talkes with face to face, and stabbs them in the fist rib: In yonder file there is a man hath his arme struck off from his shoulder, another by him hath lost his leg; here stands a Souldier with halfe a face, there fights another upon his strumps, and at once both kils and is killed; not far off lyes a company wallow­ing in their sweat and goare; such a man whilest he chargeth his Musket is discharg'd of his life, and falls upon his dead fellow. Isa. 9.6. Every battell of the warriour is with confused noise and gar­ments rouled in blood. Death reignes in the field, and is sure to have the day which side soe­ver falls. In the meane while (ô formidable!) the infernall fiends follow the Campe to catch after the soules of rude nefarious souldiers (such as are commonly men of that calling) who fight themselves fearelesly into the mouth of hell for revenge, a booty, or a little revenue. How thick and threefold doe they speed one another to destruction? A day of battell is a day of harvest for the devill.

All this while, the poore wife and tender children sit weeping together at home, having taken their late farewell of the harnessed hus­band and father (ô it was a sad parting if you had seene it!) never looking to see his face againe, as indeed many and the most of them never doe; for anon comes Ely's messenger from the Camp, saying, 1 Sam. 4.17. There is a great slanghter among the people, and your husband is dead, your father is dead, he was slaine in an hot fight, he was shot dead in the place and never spake a word more. Then the poore widow who fed yet upon a crumb of hope, teares her haire from her head, rends her cloths, wrings her hands, lifts up her voice to heaven, and weeps like Rachell that would not be com­forted, her children hang about her crying and saying, O my father is slaine, my father is dead, I shall never see my father more; and so they cry and sob and sight out their afflicted soules, and breake their hearts together. Alas, Alas! this is yet but Warre thorow a Crevise. Beloved, doe but consider; There is many times fire without warre, and famine and pestilence with­out warre, but warre is never without them: and there are many times robberies without warre, and murthering of passengers, ravishing of matrones, deflouring of virgins, cruelties and torments and sometimes barbarous and inhu­mane practices without warre, but warre goes seldome or never without them.

Warre, it is malum complexum, a compound of Judgements, Psal. 75.8. amixt misery, the cup in the hand [Page 13]of the Lord, the wine whereof is red, and it is full of mixture. The wine is indeed as red as blood, and the ingredients are fire, famine, pestilence, murthers, robberies, rapes, deflourings, cruel­ties, torments, with many other miseries. The voice of melody ceaseth, relations that were lately the comfort are now become the griefe of the life of men; the high wayes are unoccupyed, Iudges 5.6, 7, 11. the travellers walke thorow by wayes, the Inhabi­tants of the villages cease, and the noise of the Ar­chers is heard in the places of drawing water. Warre, it is the immediate hand of such whose tenderest mercies are cruelties, 2 Sam. 24.14. commonly therefore the last of Gods stroakes upon them that will take no warning. But yet there is dif­ference in warres; a warre in the borders of an enemy is held better then a warre in ones native Countrey; for commonly, the land that is as the garden of Eden before an enemy, Joel 2.3. behind them is like a desolate Wildernesse; and it is ve­ry wofull when people and land shall be wasted together. Or if it be warre in our owne and, yet a warre against a forreigne enemy invading, is far better then a civill warre. It is grievous, but not admirable, to see an Egyptian and an Hebrew contending, but to see, as the Prophet sayth, Egyptians against Egyptians, Isa. 19.2. and every one fighting against his brother, and against his neighbour, City against City, and Kingdome against Kingdome; or to see, as the same Pro­phet sayth, Manasseh against Ephraim, Isa. 9.21. and E­phraim against Manasseh, and both against Ju­dah; [Page 14]O, this is both lamentable and wonderfull! The mad Souldier in the heart of his blood, and the depth of his Atheisme, may account it per­haps at first with Abner but a play, to see Israe­lites catching of Israelites by the beard, 2 Sam. 2.14, 15, 16. and thru­sting their swords in one anothers sides: but of all warres none so bloody, neither hath any play such bitternesse in the end.

It is a sad play, wherein not onely mens goods and bodyes and soules doe commonly lye at stake, but wherein also even the very Conque­rour is conquered, as one that played but for his owne money, and at such a desperate play whose very gaines are loosings. No warres so cruell, so unnaturall, so desolating, as civill warres. You have heard, Beloved, of the dread­full German-warres; why, if there be any in our owne Countrey this day, I may call them Ger­man-warres, because they are the warres of Germans, even the bloody contentions of bre­thren; and when relations turne opposites, no­thing more opposite. A Kingdome at warres with a forreigne enemy may stand, but a King­dome divided against it selfe, can never; there can never be prosperitie within Jerusalems palla­ces, Psal. 122.7. if first there be not peace within her walls. Unity and peace are a bond, Ephes. 4.3. and where that is broken, there must needs follow dissolution.

When the Philistines went beating downe one another, 1 Sam. 14.16. the multitude (mark the word) mel­ted away. A thing never consumes faster, then when it falls to melting: and how doe such wea­ken [Page 15]themselves for an enemy without, and sight for the conquest of some forreigne adversary? Gedeons men may stand still every man in his place, Iudg. 7.21.22. so long as Midianites turne their swords against Midianites. 2 Chron. 20. Neither needs Jehosophat strike a stroake, when the Moabites, Ammo­nites and Edomites his enemies, lye in ambush one against another; first Moah and Ammon figh­ting against Edom, and then Moah and Ammon one against another. And what was the issue of the eleven Tribes warres with their brother Benjamin, but lamentation, Iudg 21.2, 3, 6. mourning and woe? And yet too among civill warres, —En quò dis­cordia cives Perduxit mi­seros. some are worse then other. I have read, I remember, in Lucan, of warres betweene Caesar and Pompey worse then civill: Bellaper Ema­theosplusquam civilia campos. and such especially are mu­tining warres, when there is little trust to either side, and friends are scarce knowne from foes, but all things are filled with conjurations, trea­cheries, distractions, factions, feares, suspitions, tumults, combustions, spoy lings, &c. The Lord be mercifull to old England, as hitherto he hath been, yea more then to any Land this day un­der the Sunne, which indeed heightneth its sins above the Sunne, and makes it more sinfull then any Land at this time in the whole world, inso­much, that we cannot but yeeld that there are no warres that Englands sinnes have not deserved. Let us therefore feare the worst at this present in behalfe of our deare Countrey-men (conside­ring also what ill tidings we have heard thence) that nothing, as we doubt, but a miracle of di­vine [Page 16]power and mercy can preserve them from the miseries of the devouring sword. I remem­ber what the Auxiliaries of Egypt said in their distresse, Jere. 46.16. Arise, and let us goe againe unto our people, and to the Land of our Nativity from the op­pressing sword; but if wee were now under that misery, I doubt it would be in vaine for us to say the like. But that which wee are now cal­led unto, is Brotherly Compassion, and to doe the part of Jobs friends in my Text, to sit asto­nished, as at the crying sinnes, so at the feared sorrowes of our Countrymen, for in all proba­bilitie, their griefe is very great.

To this end, you may thinke a while upon these particulars.

1 Of our civill relation to that Land, and the Inhabitants therein. There is no Land that claimes our name, but England, wee are distin­guished from all the Nations in the world by the name of English. There is no Potentate breathing, that wee call our dread Soveraigne, but King CHARLES, nor Lawes of any Land have civilized us, but Englands; there is no Nation that calls us Countrey-men, but the English. Brethren! Did wee not there [...]aw in our first breath? Did not the Sunne first shine there upon our heads? Did not that Land first beare us, even that pleasant Island, but for sin, I would say, that Garden of the Lord, that Pa­radise?

2 Withall, let us thinke upon our naturall re­lations to many in that Land. Some of you, I [Page 17]know, have Fathers and Mothers there, some of you have Brethren and Sisters, others of you have Uncles and Aunts there, and neare kins­folke. All these sitting in griefe and sorrow, challenge our sympathize; and it is a fearefull sin to be voyde of naturall affections: Rom. 1.31. nature wrought in Abraham, as well as grace, when his nephew Lot was taken captive by the foure Kings. Gen. 14.

3 But which is more, let us remember, how(for many of us) we stand in a spirituall rela­tion to many, yea very many in that Land. The same threed of grace is spun thorow the hearts of all the godly under heaven. Such a one there, is thy spirituall Father, he begot thee in Christ Jesus thorow the Gospell; and there thou hast spirituall Brethren and Sisters and Mothers. Matth. 12.50. O there is many a sweet, loving, humble, heavenly soule in that Land, in whose bosome Christ breaths by his blessed Spirit every day, and such as I hope wee shall ever love at the remotest distance, were it from one end of the earth unto the other. Why, they are bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh in Christ, nearer by farre then friends, and kindred, oh let their sorrowes be our sorrowes, and their miseries ours.

4 Besides these relations, civill, naturall, spiri­tuall,let us thinke upon the speciall tyes and and engagements that many there have upon us. Among your friends there, whither naturall or spirituall, there are, no doubt, some there, [Page 18]whom you prize above the rest. O if you could but see them, your soules would hardly stay within your bodies for running forth to meet them; At lest, you would strive to incorporate your selves into them by the closest embraces. Alas, these now, perhaps, are weeping in their secret places, these are now sitting with Job a­mong the ashes. If you could but see the ex­pressions of their sorrowes, and heare their pre­sent speeches and complaints, and how they, their wives, and little ones doe sit and lament to­gether, it may be some of them in expectation of daily death, and how they fast and pray, and afflict their soules, or how, peradventure, they wish themselves at this very instant with us; O you would weepe and cry, and melt away in­to teares of sorrow.

5 To this, adde the Consideration of the many mercies, heapes of rich and precious mercies, twenty, yea thirty and forty yeares mercies, and to some more, which wee have there received; especially soule mercies. There the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ Jesus first shined forth unto thee; there first thou heardst his pleasant voice; there did his good Spirit first breathe upon thine heart; there didst thou first beleeve and repent, and amend thy lewd wayes. And never was there a Land, I thinke, since Christ and his Apostles left the world, so richly blest in converts, or that ever brought forth such and so many worthies into the world. Yet there now (alas indeed, where sooner, when sinne [Page 19]aboundeth?) doth Judgement begin to reigne, as we may greatly feare.

6 Or is it not meet that we should beare a partwith them in their sorrowes, who have borne a part with them in their sinnes? Have we con­ferred so many sinnes as we have done to speed on their confusion, and shall we bestow no sor­row on them? Shall we not help to quench the fire with our teares, that we have kindled with our sinnes? O cruell! How know wee but that the Lord is at this instant visiting our transgres­sions there acted, which polluted the Land? Beloved, did wee not commit there ten thou­sand millions of sinnes and more amongst us du­ring our aboad there? There, O there, we play­ed the ungodly Atheists, there it was we halted betweene God and Baal, sware by the Lord and by Malchom, were neither hot nor cold; there some of us blasphemed the dreadfull name of the ever blessed God, polluted his Sabbaths, despised his messengers, contemned his holy wayes, prophaned and abused his mercies, and his good creatures, ran with others to the same excesse of riot, &c. And how ever some may say, they have repented hereof, yet little doe they know what evill examples they have left there behind to fill up the measure both of sinne and wrath. If thy sinnes committed there be pardoned, yet thy sins sins may be punished, like as a Father may be spared, and yet his chil­dren executed.

Thy sinnes; ôman, have begotten many sins [Page 20]there; there is many a formalist, and many a conformitant the more for thee, as indeed I feare there is for me. Alas, how have they kept on sinning upon our examples? Anothers drun­kennesses have begotten many a drunkard there, as anothers spirituall cowardize many a Nicode­mite, and anothers Lukewarmenesse many a Laodicean. Now, doe we feare that the Lord is gone forth this day to call that Land to an ac­count, and to visite for these and the like abo­minations, and is this nothing unto us? Shall men be slaine for our sinnes, and we afford them no sorrow? What? shall the old Prophet in Bethel rise up in judgement against us? for when he had slaine the man of God by his ly­ing and dissembling to him, he yet mourned and lamented over him, 1 King. 13.30. saying, Alas my Bro­ther. Ah my friends and brethren, let us doe the like; our sinnes have slaine, perhaps by this time, a little Army of men, what can wee lesse then lament over them, saying, Alas, Alas, our Brethren. Surely, wee in this Land have great cause to doe as wee doe this day, if for no other respect, yet for this; for wee have done enough and enough to overwhelme old England with the wrath of God; that our hearts at this time could be but over-shadowed with a cloud of sorrow!

7 Againe; let us suppose that things were even now turned end for end, and that wee were this day in distresse, and those our brethren in peace; I am confident, that they would condole with [Page 21]us, yea and powre out many a prayer for us: for they did as much, I know, when this Land lay sometimes under dearth, another time when the Indians rebelled, a third, when the mon­strous opinions prevailed. And how have they alwayes lissened after our wellfare, ebbing and flowing in their affections with us? How doe they (I meane all this while, multitudes of well affected persons there) talke of New-England with delight! How much nearer heaven doe some of their charities account this Land, then any other place they heare of in the world? Such is their good opinion of us! How have some a­mong them desired to dye, if they might not be vouchsafed to live in this Land? And when sometimes a New-England man returnes thi­ther, how is he lookt upon, lookt after, recei­ved, entertained, the ground he walks upon be­loved for his sake, and the house held the better where he is? how are his words lissened to, laid up, and related frequently when he is gone? neither is any love or kindnesse held too much for such a man.

8 Neither let this be forgotten, that of all theChristian people this day in the world, wee in this Land enjoy the greatest measure of peace and tranquilitie. Wee have beaten our swords into plough-shares and our speares into pruning hookes, when others have beaten their pruning hookes into speares, and their plough-shares in­to sword. And now, as Moses sayd to the Reu­benites and the Gadites, Numb. 32.6. Shall your brethren goe [Page 22]to warre, and shall yee sit still? So, shall our bre­thren goe to warre, and we sit still, and not so much as grieve with them? shall they be woun­ded with the sword and speare, and not we pier­ced so much as with brotherly sorrow? Surely then, if ever the LORD should bring the like houre of temptation upon us, as his people here have not been long hitherto without exercise, he might justly shut us out of the hearts of all our brethren in the world. And whereas too perhaps here and there one in our native Land, especially in their passions, may have had some transient thoughts, touching, it may be, some of us, as if the exorbitant spirit of John and James were in us, desirous that fire from heaven should fall upon them, as if, I meane, we would be glad to heare of Judgements upon our native Coun­trey (ô cruell, and unnaturall!) our fellow-fee­lings this day, I hope, shall wipe away all such prejudices. And truly, if Gods Justice might be satisfied with that Lands amendment without one drop of blood, though we should shed store both of teares and blood to effect it, wee would greatly rejoyce, and soone turne this day of Humiliation into a day of gratulation, graise, and thankesgiving.

9 What shall I say? If there should be any one heart here digd out of a Marpelian rock, let such an one remember, Iere. 29.7. lastly, that in the peace of that Land, we shall have peace, and therefore in the misery of that Land, we shall never be happie. You know, that God hath hitherto made that [Page 23]Land a blessing unto this; If Christ hath a Vine here, that Land hath as yet been the Elme that hath susteined it. Thence hath the Lord thus stockt this American part with such Worthies, there were they bred and nurst, thence hitherto have been our yearely supplies of men, and of many an usefull commoditie. If then they suffer, we may easily smart; if they sink, wee are not likely to rise. And this, at least, may be a perswasive to a sordide minde, that will not be wrought upon by more ingenuous Argu­ments.

The mercifull God stirre up all our affections, and give us that godly sympathy, which that Land deserveth at our hands, and teach us to expresse it upon all occasions of ill tydings com­ming to our eares from thence. Yea, let us sit at this time like old Ely upon the wayes side, 1 Sam. 4. wat­ching, as he did, for the Arke of the Lord, with a trembling hand and heart. And let us be every day confessing of our old England sinnes, of its high pride, Idolatry, superstition, blasphemies, blood, cruelties, Atheismes, &c. and let us ne­ver goe to our secrets without our Censors in our hands for old England, deare England still in diverse respects, left indeed by us in our per­sons, but never yet forsaken in our affections. The good God of Heaven, have mercy upon it, and upon all his deare people and servants in it, for Christ his sake, Amen.