Sonne of God and Sauiour among them and with him all goodnes eternall saluation and God himselfe yet they did not see him they would not knowe him they would not beleeue in him before Christ with the kingdome of God and all goodnes departed from them and all miseries ouerwhelmed them warres famine sword and pestilence which vtterly destroyed the citie and whole Nation as Iosephus who was present at that time in the citie during the siege reporteth that one million perished with the sword and famine and after the sacking of that goodly citie which was so ruinated and laide waste that there was not left one stone vpon an other so that all that beheld it euen to this day may say O quam periere ruinae How are the ruines ruinated there were solde for slaues by the Romanes 97000. which were dispersed and scattered into all Nations So seuerely did God punish this Natiō for their incredulitie ingratitude with blindnes that they could not enioy the graces and fauours which God offered them nor escape his punishments denounced against them So fearefull a thing is it to fall into the hands of the liuing God O how horrible a punishment is this Pôrosis Cardhias obduration hardnes of hart and blindnes when God taketh away his grace and light from men which they refuse and wlll not walke therein and giueth them ouer to Sathan to be blinded who so darkeneth their cogitations as the Apostle speaketh of the Gentiles that being past feeling they giue themselues to worke all vncleannes euen with greedines And the cause of this Analgesias and losse of feeling the Apostle teacheth to be obstinacie and perseuerance in sinne against conscience so that at length they begin obducere callum to growe to hardnes of heart that as if their conscience were seared with a hotte yron they are touched with no sence and feeling of their sinnes any more nay the wickednes they commit against the first or second table they feare not to iest at and defend as if it were well done calling good euill and euill good And this is the extreamest degree to perdition and may well be called not onely the most greeuous of all sinnes but also the cause of all sinnes and a punishment of sinne in this life This the Apostle calleth Spiritum Catanózeôs Spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and eares that they should not heare O fearefull estate And from whence is so great blindnes in the world at this day among such as professe christianitie that whoredomes murthers theft periuries horrible swearing and blasphemies vsurie and oppression fraude deceit and vndermining one of an other and all other sins against conscience are daily practised without shame or any feeling at all Surely these are manifest signes of Gods wrath pursuing vs for our ingratitude and contempt of his graces giuing vs ouer as incorrigible vnto the power of Sathan and hardnes of heart And is not this a miserable blindnes that these sins haue brought vs to the very brincke of the pit of destruction and without repentance must needs cast vs shortly therein and yet we will not see it that we might auoide the danger nor the snares the diuell layeth before vs that we might escape them but run on still in our wickednes to our irreuocable ruine refusing to knowe in this our day the things which pertaine vnto our peace but after the hardnes of our heart that cannot repent heape still vnto our selues wrath against the day of wrath Surely it is to be feared that the Lords controuersie which he hath with this land is so great as that he had with that sinfull Nation because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the Land by swearing and lying stealing and whoring they breake forth and blood toucheth blood The Lord for his infinite mercy sake lighten the darkenes of our mindes and giue vs feeling and vnderstanding hearts Secondly we are here taught from whence warres famine scarcitie of all things the sword and strange diseases pestilence and all euills in the world spring and proceed namely for our ingratitude towards God because we will not knowe the time of our visitation nor the things that pertaine to our true peace This gratious visitation began when the sonne of God tooke our flesh vpon him and was borne in the world through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day spring from an high hath visited vs saith holy Zachariah which benefite was so great that all the wit of men and Angells is not able to expresse it sufficiently and this louing visitation as yet endureth he ceaseth not still to visite vs but how little doe we consider thereof what thankfulnesse haue we shewed how little are we bettered thereby how small is our care to serue him in holines and righteousnes all the daies of our life yet to this very end our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ visited vs saith his Apostle who gaue himselfe for vs that he might redeeme vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe zealous of good workes No maruell then that we haue had so many yeares of dearth vnseasonable weather horrible tempests shipwrackes pestilence strange diseases c. God hath but now begun he doth in fatherly affection but shake the rodde ouer our heads our sinnes are the cause which except we remoue the effects will not cease patientia laesa fit furor except he see amendment his long patience shal be conuerted into the furie of his wrath Let then Ierusalem and the people of the Iewes be a warning vnto vs. Happie is he whom other mens harmes can cause to beware The vse is that we applie these things vnto our selues and learne to be wise by the punishments of others A long time now hath the Gospell bene purely preached vnto vs but with what fruite How fewe of vs doe acknowledge as we ought this gratious visitation of the Lord Where is our obedience reuerence and thankefulnes due vnto Gods holy word where is our zeale and loue we owe vnto Gods ministers where is our reformation of life How many scoffers are there among vs How many are there which thinke themselues in the arrogancie of their spirit to be wiser then their teachers How many are there which come rather as criticall carpers and censurers of the Preacher then fruitfull hearers What contempt and neglect of the holy exercise of publike prayer the chiefest dutie of a true Christian to which God hath made so many sweete promises and so earnestly commaundeth How many are there which holde that the whole dutie of a Christian consisteth in hearing onely without any care to conuert their hearing into knowledge and their knowledge into action How many swinish Epicures are there to be found de grege porci which liue rather like hogges then Christians Shall we thinke that God the iust reuenger of all impietie will
a learned Diuine excellently obserueth I would here haue ended but I cannot forget an obseruation of an ancieÌ„t Schooleman vpon these words in this thy day He calles this their day wherein the Sauiour of the world offered them so louingly his grace and saluation their true and eternall peace which if they had embraced then had not the Romanes sacked their citie Here obserue that the day of this life is giuen vs to make prouision for our true and eternall peace but there is an other day wherein Christ will come in iudgement seuerely to punish the contempt and abuse of his proffered grace and saluation in this our day which we haue so vnkindly reiected These two dayes are diligently to be pondered and thought vpon in our mindes the one of these daies is Gods day the other if so I may tearme it is mans day because he abuseth the benefite of this time of grace not to the will of God but to serue his owne pleasures and vanities In this day the wicked will serue their owne lustes and doe as they please now may Zedekiah persecute the Lords Prophet and cast him into a Dungeon But in the day of Gods Iustice Zedekiah shall be taken depriued of his kingdome and his eyes thrust out Betwixt the godly and the wicked this is the difference all the daies of a godly mans life is the day of God for he vseth it to Gods glory and worketh the worke of the Lord. But the wicked maketh it his owne day for he abuseth the whole time of his life to pleasure lust gluttonie c and why Because these things are hidden from thine eyes Here is now the cause of all euill the wicked securely wallowe in their sinnes abuse Gods patience growe dayly worse and worse and become more obdurate in their sinnes because Gods iudgements for sinne and his imminent vengeance is hidden from their eyes as the Prophet saith They put farre from them the euill day and approach to the seate of iniquitie This reason also Salomon giueth Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are fully set to doe euill But let vs my deare brethren betime remember the euill day and knowe the things that pertaine vnto our peace Seeke the Lord while he may be found call vpon him while he is nigh The time was when Esau had a birth-right Diues pleasure Ierusalem peace and the foolish Virgins might haue entered Now is the time that peace is offered repentance preached heaueÌ„ gates are opened The time wil come if we despise the patience of the Lord that we shall pray with Diues and not be heard weepe with Esau not be pittied knocke with the fiue Virgins the doore not opened The Storke the Crane the Turtle the Swallow knowe their appointed time And shall we be more ignorant in the things that pertaine to our peace then the very foules A traueller being being tolde of a Lyon in the way will stay his iourney a blinde man hauing notice of a Serpent in the path will refraine his walking Sathan is a roaring Lyon and shall we goe forward in vngodlines sinne is a stinging Serpent and shall we goe on still in wickednes O then while this our day lasteth while Christs hands are opened and the doore of mercy not shut let vs aske and he will giue vs let vs goe to him and he will saue vs in futuro salum remuneratio condemnatio after this life there is either reward or punishment saluation to the godly destruction to the wicked Thus much for the first impulsiue cause of Christs weeping ouer Ierusalem Namely the present euill which he sawe among them which concerned their mindes and was the cause of all their miserie the blindnes of their mindes because they would not knowe in this their day those things which belonged vnto their peace The other as I said before was the future euill which pertained vnto their bodies Namely their finall destruction by famine fire and sword which our Sauiour foresawe to be at hand for their grieuous sinnes committed against God and his ministers And lastly against the sonne of God himselfe Which destruction he excellently delineateth by the parts thereof For the daies shal come vpon thee that thine enemies shall cast 〈◊〉 trench about thee and compasse thee round â—nd keepe thee in on euery side Lastly he declareth the same by the impulsiue cause which mooued the Lord thereunto nameâ—y their ingratitude towards the gratious visitation of God because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation There was neuer any Nation vnder the sunne whose misery calamitie destruction was so great and horrible as this of the Iewish Nation as Iosephus himselfe being a Iewe and in the citie at that very time and therefore testis oculatus an eye witnes of all their miseries doth affirme And also Egesippus who liued in the Apostles time hath committed to writing and to this very day the wrath of God pursueth them as their miserable dispertion and persecution through the whole world doth manifest in the time of the siege the famine was so great that dogges cattes and mise were eaten yea one deuoured an others vomit and which I tremble to speake women did kill dresse and greedily deuour their owne children the extremitie of famine vtterly abolishing all motherly compassion and nature eleuen hundred thousand perished by famine sword and pestilence and ninetie seuen thousand after the destruction of the citie were carried away into miserable captiuitie Was euer the like masacrie heard of since the vniuersall flood wherein the whole world Noah and his company onely excepted perished by water What a fearefull example of his iustice hatred and seueritie against sinne did God shew in this horrible vastation of that citie But how great also was his pietie and mercy in that so long before he foretolde and bewailed with bitter teares this memorable desolation We reade that Christ wept for three causes and at three seuerall times First he wept for to confirme our hope and confidence in his mercy when we consider that these compassionate teares of our Sauiour flowed from his intire mercy and loue Secondly he wept that he might mollifie our stonie hearts to relent for our sinnes and to teach vs to bewaile our owne miseries Thirdly he wept to instruct vs when is the due time of weeping which is when we feele our conscience most secure in our sinnes litle thinking vpon Gods vengeance as did the Iewes at this time At three sundrie times also we reade that he wept 1 First at the raising vp of Lazarus where he bewailed mans incredulitie and conscience dead in sinne which custome hath brought to such an obstinate habite that neither his threatnings may awake nor his sweete promises rowse them vp out of this deadly lethargie 2 Secondly vpon the
strangers to the testament they were the naturall branches of the Oliue we were but graffes if then God dealt so seuerely with the naturall branches when they sinned against him what should we looke for which are fallen into the like sinnes surely we may iustly feare greater punishments For so saith the Lord by his Prophet Ieremie For loe I begin to plague a citie where my name is called vpon and should you goe free ye shall not goe quit saith the Lord of hostes And for the beating downe of securitie let vs consider that this miserie fell vpon Ierusalem when they were most secure in their sinnes for when they thought that the heauens had buried in obliuion the blood of the Prophets and the cruell death of the sonne of God then when they least surmised God raised vp the whole power of the Romaines vnder the conduct of Vespatian and Hadrian which vtterly subuerted the Cittie Ierusalem with fiftie other fenced Cities and eight hundred fourescore and fiue walled Townes of the kingdome of Iudea in which they left scarce one foote of the wall standing Gods vengeance was neuer so neare the rich man as when he was most secure and vaunted to himselfe when he saide to his soule Soule thou hast much goods layed vp in store for many yeares liue at ease eate drinke and be merrie Scarce had he vttered or conceiued in minde this thought before he heard this voyce O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee whose then shall those things be which thou hast prouided Let vs therefore beloued hauing alwaies these examples before our eyes begin yet at last to be wise by others harmes and this present opportunitie of repentance which God in his mercy hath lent vs let vs not suffer vnfruitfully to passe away let vs neuer forget this saying of our Lord The Night commeth when none can worke but while the day of saluation lasteth while the Iudge himselfe most louingly calleth vs and offereth his free grace and mercy vnto vs flie chearefully vnto him in serious repentance studying to serue him in holines and righteousnes all the daies of our life Which God graunt for his infinite mercy sake to whom with the Sonne and the holy Ghost three persons in one most glorious Trinitie one God in vnitie might and Maiestie be all praise power and dominion now and for euer Amen FINIS LONDON Printed by Thomas Creede for Arthur Iohnson dwelling neere the great North doore of S. Paules Church at the signe of the white Horse 1613. Vers 43. 44. Vers 44. Hosanna saue now a word of ioy acclamation or tryumph the Iewes calsed so the willow braÌ„ches which they bare in their hands at the feast of tabernacles Mat. 21.7 Apoc. 3.20 Zepha 3.1 2. vers Mat. 26. Luc. 19. Mar. 9. Psal 1â—4 29 Psal 102. Psal 145.9 Obser doctrin Ier. 9.1 Psal 137. The wretched estate or impenitent sinners The happie securitie in the heauenly Countrey Heraclitus Democritus A wonder-how a wicked man caÌ„ be merie Dionisius the Tyrant of Siracusa Damocles his flatterer Aiax Gen. 27. vaine teares 1. Sam. 15 30. The true profitable vse of teares Similies to shew the vanitie of sorrow for worldly accidents Simile Lactant. dâ— ira Dei cap. 13. Simile Psal 6.6 Psal 42.3 Contempt of vaine delights Pro. 14.13 The pleasures of this life are but a fome a smoake a dreame A medicine against the loue of the world The diuel like a cunning Mathematician S. Bernard Luk. 19.38 The loue of this world Esa 55. The follie of worldlings Pro. 23.5 Isai 59. ve 4. 5. The conception and birth of sin The nature of the Cockatrice Couetous men hunt after flies The couetous man like a Spider Numb 25.6 2. Cor. 12. vers vlt. Phil. 3 18. 19. Act. 20.31 Ieremy 9. Iob. 29. Heb. 2.15 Marcus Marcellus Aug. lib. 1. de ciui dei Tit. Flam. Sulpitius The Analisis Aposiopesis Aeneid 1. Aeneid 11. Obser 1. Thes 5. Simile Valer. Grego 1. Cor. 7.30 Eccle. 11. A Simile shewing the vanitie of worldly delights Psal 76.5 Note 1. Thes 5.3 2. Pet. 3.10 Luc. 12. Hebr. 9. Ieri Thren 1.9 Poma virent Sodomis cinerem dant carptaque fumum Dan. 2. Act. 12. Pro. 31. Iob. 7. Gen. 25. Deut. 32. Simile Vers 43. Luc. 22.53 Simile Plini lib. 8 cap. 22. nat hist Ezek. 18. 2. Pet. 3. Exod. 34.6 7. Dan. 4. Luc. 13. Gen. 6. Rom. 2.4 Chriso ser 50. de paen The vse Rom. 2. Ber. Ferus Ber. Cant. 5.3 I. H. Lucan Repentance the sanctuary of the soule Iacobus Ianâ—ensit Obs Ier. 3.7 Ier. 39.7 Note The cause of all euil Amos 6.3 Eccle. 8. Esa 55. Mat. 25. Ier. 8. Aug. Vers 42. The second impulsiue cause of Christs weeping The Analysis Vers 43. 44. Iosephus lib. 6. 7. de bello Iudeorum Egesippus lib. 5. cap. 10. When we are most secure in our sinnes then haue wee greatest cause to weepe Ioh. 11. Heb. 5.7 Luc. 23. Vespatianus Titus his sonne 2. Chron. 36.15.16 and 17. Mal. 3.6 Eccle. 5.6 2. Pet. 2.2.4.5.6 Iob. 4.18 Iude 6. Gen. 7. Gen. 19.24.25 Exod. 14.27.28 Exod. 32.28 Num. 25.9 2. Sam 12. vers 9.10.11 12. 2 Sam. 12.13 Psal 51. Psal 38.6.8.9 Psal 6 6. 2. Sam. 12. 2. Sam. 13. 2 Sam. 15. 2. Sam. 16. Hebr. 10. 1. Cor. 10. Rom. 15 4· 2. Pet. 2.4 Varieties of torments Luc. 16. Luc. 19.44 Rom. 6.13 Reu. 18.7 Mat. â—0 â—8 Luc. 1.37 Ioh 9.4 2. Cor. 6.2 Luc. 1.17 â—h 8.21 Luc. 17.22 Mat. 23.37 Luc. 23.28 Two necessary obseruations to be considered Ingratitude A most grieuous punishment Iosephus Heb 10.31 Ephes 4.18.19 Rom. 11.8 Rom. 2.4.5 Hos 4.12 Luc. 1.78 Tit. 2.14 The vse Rom. 13.11.12.13 vers Two daies The time oâ— grace the time of wrath 2. Pet. 1.10 Iob. 14. Phil. 2.15 Mar. 13.33 Phil. 3.13.14 The day of wrath and Iudgement Zepan 1.15 Ioel. 2.11 No man so wicked but hath his day 2. Cor. 26. Psal 106.4 Psal 89.30 Ier. 3.8 Horatius Iob. 41.16 2. Chron. 36.16 Luc. 13.34 M. G. W. in a ser at Pauls crosse An. 1609. fol. 26. 1. Cor. 4.13 Nehem. 4.1 â— Sam. 10 Num. 16. Dan. 2.31 Act. 5. 2. Kings 4.16 Eccle. 21.2 Sinne is full of losse shame sorrowe and bitternes Esa 59 Similes Ioh. 3. Gen. 3. Simile Aug. cons lib. 1. cap. 12. Ier. 12.19 Simile Pro. 5.3 Sinne like an itching Vlcer Simile Leu. 16.17.36 vers Timon Publius Mimus The vse Heb. 2.12 Rom. 11.17.20.21 Noli altum sapere Ier. 25.29 Vide Dione Cassi in vita Hadriani Luc. 12.19 Ioh. 9.4
righteousnes Continuall custome in sinne hath conuerted nature into so obstinate an habite vt callos in anima contrax erint As the prouerbe is their very hearts are so hard as brawne altogether insensible in their wickednes That strong armed man which besiegeth the fort of their hearts diligently laboureth to stoppe euery passage that the light of Gods holy spirit cannot peirce into them The nature and might of that enemie is mistically shadowed out by God himselfe in the description of the monster Leuiathan his scales are like strong shieldes and are sure sealed one is set to an other that no winde may come betweene them Such as this olde Sepent is such are his children whom he possesseth he fortifieth the holde of their heart as it were with hard scales that no spiritual artillerie may penetrate the same lay before them Gods threatnings for sin the terrors of hell for the reprobate the ioyes of heauen for the penitent c. They are no more moued quam si parieti loqueris then if thou spakest to the Wall as if Hell and Death had alreadie laide holde and seazed vpon them The Booke of God assureth vs that the cause of their captiuitie heretofore was the contempt of Gods Worde and Prophets when all the people were miserablie caryed away into Babell But they mocked the Messengers of the Lorde and contemned his Words and misused his Prophets vntill the wrath of the Lorde arose against his people and till there was no remedie And the Sonne of God saieth heere That the cause of their woefull and finall destruction whereof I haue spoken was also because they refused to know the time of their visitation and therefore persecuted his messengers And lastly the Sonne of God himselfe which he bewailed O Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the prophets stonest them which are sent vnto thee how often would I haue gathered thy childrē together as the Hen gathereth her brood vnder her wings ye would not But ô good God if we compare the sins of England at this day with the sinnes of the Iewes how can wee chuse but feare tremble Considering that not Ierusalem onely but also England is plunged in as deepe obliuion of the Time of her Visitation as euer that sinfull Citie was Surely Beloued griefe of heart willeth me to sit still in silence and wish with holie Ieremie that my Head were full of water and mine eyes a Fountaine of Teares that I might weepe Day and Night for the sinnes of this Land Yet sithe Zeale enforceth mee to speake I had rather vse the wordes of a zealous Preacher vttered before the greatest Auditorie in this Land to this purpose then insist vpon mine owne heerein The Word of God is a reproach vnto men they haue no delight in it And this want of delight in the Message maketh the Messengers to be despised Are not Gods Cryers reckoned but as Cassandraes prophesies His Ambassadors worse then Iustinians Orators Yea no better then the Filthe and Offscowring of all things vnto this Day Euery cursed Tobiah and Samballat is enuying at our Spirituall buildings Euery scoffing Michol maketh a jeast of our preaching Euery sacrilegious Ammonite is clipping of our garments Euery presumptuous Chorah and Abiram is carping at our preferment It is reported in Ecclesiasticall histories that at what time Constantine that worthie Patron of the Church had inuested the poore distressed Ministers with temporall patrimonies one was heard to say Hodie venenum cecidit in ecclesiam But now the Miscreants of this age haue found a remedie for that disease and haue giuen vs tryacle ynough to purge out all this poyson which hath neuer ceased vntill it hath extracted almost bowells and all What the Palmer-worme Papist with his Impropriations and after him the Grashopper Athiest with his prescriptions and after him the Cankerworme Patron with his reseruations And last of all the Caterpiller Cormorant with his illusions The Patrimonie of the Church like Pharaoes goodly kine hath bene deuoured by ill fauoured leane and hungrie Nunscions and made like the descēt of Nabuchadnezzars Image from golde to siluer from siluer to brasse from brasse to yron from yron to claye Hence it is that the word of God is no more regarded because the Messengers thereof are so much contemned and the cause of all this is our ingratitude because we will not knowe the time of our visitation If he smote with so dreadfull a iudgement Ananiah and Saphyrah his wife saith a worthie and a reuerend Father of our Church for withholding but part of the Church maintenāce which by themselues was giuen will he endure for euer them that take what they neuer gaue No no and that shall they knowe when peraduenture it will be too late to be sorrie for it Did these men see what my selfe haue seene and diuers yet liuing which can witnes the same as well as I what twitching torments of a wounded conscience what hellish gripes of dispairing feare neuer to see the face of God but to perish for euer with cast awaies some haue had for detaining but a small portion of such maintenance which now is thought the best cheat that can be caught happily it would nay surely it would except hell and death had alreadie taken possession abate the lust and asswage the longing that they haue to deuoure the incouragements of learning that yet remaine vnspoyled in this land But what they haue not seene in others they may feele in themselues too soone and sharpe if nothing will perswade them Thou art dead O Sunanite that intreatedst thy husbād to builde for the Prophet a chamber and to furnish it but thy memorie is blessed with God and man and a witnes shalt thou be in the day of iudgement against pullers downe of the houses built by men and women of deuotion and pietie for the Prophets children of the Prophets I speake nothing at this time for breuities sake of adulterie and whoredome swearing and forswearing drunkennes and riot oppression and crueltie fraude deceit in buying and selling which are so common in this land The Lord be mercifull vnto vs and giue vs grace betime by vnfained repentance to auert the heauie wrath of God hanging ouer our heads In that which I haue said brethren we may behold the fruite that springeth from this poysoned roote of sinne and what is the reward thereof how hatesome all wickednes is in the fight of God which caused him to plucke vp his people whom he had planted to cast euen downe to hell them whom he had aduanced aboue all other Nations and lifted vp to heauen This should worke in vs a detestation of sinne yea by all meanes to flie from sinne as from a Serpent which is the cause of all miserie in this life and of eternall torments in the life to come from sinne I say an euill so full of losse and dammage so full of