REASONS TO WEEP

(Abridged)

II

Shall my heart not bleed, shall I not weep, if my attention falls upon the hardened Jewish people, who take offence up to this day at the Rock of salvation? Jews, Abraham’s offspring, beloved for the father’s sake; now a rejected people, wandering about in the world as exiles, being despised all over. Jews, a favored people in olden times; favored and blessed above all the peoples of the earth; the people in whose midst Israel’s God had His dwelling. Jews, who have so faithfully kept the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets, for which I should be very thankful. Jews, who have stumbled that they should fall; but by their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles, and their casting away has become the reconciliation of the world (Rom. 11). And what a wonder of Divine providence that I by grace may have a place among those Gentiles saved by Christ, the King of the Jews!

Jews, who must bear the scorn of so many thoughtless nominal Christians; Jews, who, without any comfort for the heart, gnaw at the barren bark of an abolished shadow-law; or who, in their disappointed expectation of a Messiah, nearly have left all religion; Jews, upon whom rests the judgment of blindness and hardening up to this day; Jews, who see in the walk of thousands of Christians so many stumbling-blocks as a food for their unbelief and to despise the religion of Christians. What must the Jews really think when they notice how thousands of Christians desecrate their Sabbath Day and trample upon the commandment of the Lord? . . . Shall I consider all these things, and not be moved? Shall I also despise a Jew and give a bad example, because he is a Jew? Shall my heart not bleed, shall my eye not weep, when I see the Jews? Shall I not watch to give them a good example, that they may have favorable thoughts of Christians and Him whom they serve and honor? They, who have many centuries ago handed over the blessed Gospel of a crucified Savior to my forefathers, were originally Jews; they became Christians, and many of them have sealed their Gospel with death as martyrs. They have cried to God in heaven that He might bless the Gospel of the cross preached amongst the heathen, and, although they did not know me, they intended my conversion also. Yea Paul, a name which I must at all times mention with reverence, who was a zealot for the salvation of the heathen, and who has more than others preached the unsearchable riches of Christ among the heathen.

Jews! now my heart bleeds, now my eyes weep! Jews, now I will kneel before Abraham’s God with the prayer: “Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come out of Zion.” The God of Abraham lives, who can bring forth Abraham’s children out of stones. Jews! now my moved soul calls, yea cries to God, and I say with Paul: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”

Shall my heart not bleed, shall my eye not weep, if I walk through the religious denominations where my Redeemer is being preached, yea, but alas! under such a veil and such a corruption of words, that hardly any footsteps of the original purity of the Gospel of the cross can be noticed therein? And when I give glory to God, that He has placed my cradle in a family where Christ and the doctrine of sovereign grace has been brought and taught, at the same time I am filled with sorrow that the Gospel of my Redeemer is so darkened, that there is such a misconception of the pure Word of God among my fellow-creatures.

Shall my heart not bleed, shall my eye not weep, if I consider that so many who have the confession of the truth are yet destitute of true conversion and do not believe with their whole heart in the Lord Jesus Christ? The most in my fatherland are strangers of this true and active faith. Must I not fear, that the most of them consider a confession with the mouth sufficient unto salvation? It fills my heart with sorrow that my Redeemer has not more true worshippers. The presence of a persevering unbelief makes me tremble. Shall my heart not bleed, considering those who sit in the bands of unbelief? May I glory in the grace given to me a poor sinner!

Shall my heart not bleed, shall my eye not weep, when I look upon myself? Every misstep, every backsliding and guilt, ought to press the tears out of my eyes. Shall I not weep bitterly if I consider the dreadful number of all my trespasses? Numberless are my wrongs, my offences towards a holy and righteous God and towards man. Committed with the thoughts of my heart, with words, and with deeds! And oh! how much is there that has slipped my attention continually! My eyes grow dim if I see it all, and I must weep. Sometimes my wrongdoings and neglecting of holy duties follow, after I have received grace to humble myself deeply and have received great consolations, having in my heart a feeling sense of the forgiveness of sin.

I must bewail this all; I feel a sorrow towards God. My soul is drawn to Him. If I see the willingness of my heavenly Father, to remain for me a forgiving God in Christ Jesus, then my soul cries to Him and my eyes weep. Then my heart bleeds and my eyes weep, if I ask myself: Is this a return of love? Is this thankfulness?

I consider how dear Jesus cast His eyes upon Peter, and it seems to me that He also calls to me: Thou, thou also, My son! This word I feel, and now I must go with the wounded Peter to weep bitterly; now the tears roll out of my eyes!

Behold, while men fill themselves with mercies of God, they can neglect the God of mercies.

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