dust of their feet against those that rejected them Or to shake their garments at them So did Paul against the Jews Act. 18. 5 6. He preaching Christ unto them when they opposed themselves and blasphemed he shook his raiment c. Thereby intimating not onely his deserting but Gods rejecting of them Of such sad consequence is it for a people not to give entertainment to the Gospel and the messengers thereof This layeth them under a curse rendring them justly obnoxious to the vengeance of God I shall not dwell any longer upon Confirmation or Illustration Bring we it home to our selves by way of Application Where in the first place see vve vvhat cause vve have to mourn and vveep over this Nation vvherein vve live vvherein Christ and his Gospel have found such sleight and slender entertainment as generally they have done and yet do A long time it is that the Gospel hath been held forth among us Christ hath sent unto us his messengers the Ministers of reconciliation offering peace unto us upon Gospel tearms upon our receiving him as our Saviour and Lord. But vvhat is the reception vvhat is the entertainment that for the most part he hath met with Is it any more then a formal reception a formal profession of his name This indeed hath generally obtained The name of Christ is called upon us But is not this all What is there more to be found among the greatest part but a naked profession without any power How few are there that have received Christ into their hearts Truth is our acknowledgment of Christ hath been and is generally more in Ceremony then in reality Not unlike that of the Iews many of which at his entrance here in to Ierusalem were full of Ceremony and outward expressions They spread their garments in the way as a Carpet for him to ride upon They cut down branches of trees and strowed the way with them as tokens of festivity and solemnity And they cry Hosanna saluting him by the name of a Saviour But yet they were far from taking him to be their King No when he was propounded to them under that notion as he was by Pilate John 19. 14. the chief Priests make answer for the rest we have no King but Caesar vers 15. And they who had even now cried out Hosanna now change their note crying out as loud Crucifige Away with him away with him Crucifie him And is it not so with the greatest part of this Nation In a formal way they have acknowledged Christ for a Saviour complementing him with some Ceremonial observances such and no better have been the services which they have performed unto him meer shadows without any substance but as for taking him to be their King how are the greatest part resolved with those Citizens in the Parable Luke 19. 14. Nolumus regnare we will not have this man to reign over us And O what a sad and deplorable thing is this what cause have we to sit down and weep over England upon this account This was the thing which belonged to our peace Had we thus received Christ and his Gospel had we yielded up our selvs to be governed and regulated by his Laws how happy a people might we then have been Then might we have hoped that God would have subdued our enemies and turned his hand against our adversaries Then had our race been as a river and our righteousness as the waves of the Sea as the divine Psalmist and Prophet have it in the places forecited Psal. 81. 13. Isaiah 48. 18. Then had there been peace within our wals and prosperity within our Palaces But sleighting and rejecting him not submitting to his Government not to his outward Government which the greatest part stand out against having cast off those golden reines they will not now endure any Government in the Church much less to his inward Government to rule in their hearts what evil have we cause to fear Nay what may we not fear In the fear of God let this be seriously laid to heart by every of us this day We see how our blessed Saviour laid to heart this wretchlesness in Ierusalem How he lamenteth over it for it O if thou hadst known the things which belong unto thy peace And have not we just cause to take up the like Lamentation over this Nation O England if thou hadst known in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace O how happy how blessed hadst thou been But now what God intends towards thee who knoweth Should he remove thy Candlestick take away the Gospel from thee which is cause enough to fear should he bring the like evils upon thee as our blessed Saviour here threatens against Ierusalem should he make our Houses Cities Temples desolate should he bring utter desolation both upon Church and State should he give a near and larger Commission to the Sword to eat fiesh and drink bloud seconding it with those ordinary attendants which through a wonderful providence we have hitherto been freed from Famine and Pestilence so sweeping us as dung off from the face of the earth yet must we acknowledg the Lord to be just and righteous In the humble acknowledgment whereof let all of us seriously set our selves for the diverting and preventing of these Judgments To which end be we admonished and exhorted yet to hearken to this wish in the Text. So some here look upon the words in the Text reading them Optatively utinam nosses O that or would to God that thou hadst known And O that England would yet hearken to this wish so as to comply with it Then which what can be more desirable for it What those things are you have heard viz. to receive Christ and his Gospel to give such entertainment to him and it as he requireth Now let all of us as we wish well to our own souls in particular and to this Nation in general seriously apply our selves hereunto As yet through riches of grace the Gospel of peace is held forth unto us As yet we enjoy the Ordinances of Christ Word and Sacraments with liberty and purity O let us now make much of them and make use of them with holy care and conscience waiting and attending upon them thereby making it manifest what esteem we have of them Specially indeavouring to profit by them to finde the power and life of them inwardly in our hearts in the changing and transforming them and to express that power in the course of our lives and conversations by so walking as becometh the Gospel So doing now may we yet comfortably hope that he who doth here so compassionately mourn over a rebellious people rejecting him and his Gospel will much more pitty spare a repenting people that is willing to hearken to his voice So pitty us as to turn away those threatned evils continuing the Gospel of peace with the peace of the Gospel to us and our posterities after us
are l 16 r over his Church p 3. l 5. r far surpassing l. 19. r In the third place p 4 l 25. r. far exceeding l last r. Interpreter p 5 l. 28 r as it is conceived p 6 l 8 r may seem p 7. l last r Bagnalim p. 8 l 1 r Baal-Perazim l. last r false 10 suns pmarg r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 13. l. 27. r all which l 29 r Thus is p. 14 l 16 marg del reason l 27. r Thus Jesus p. 16. l. 8. r the light of glory p 18. l 24 r Isai 61 p 19 l 2 r putteth p. 26 l 17. for answer r consume p. 27. l 2 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 29. l 5 for bottome r bosome p. 30 l 26. r giveth p 37 l 9 r too dilutely expounds p 44 l 6 r salutation TEARS FOR IERVSALEM OR The compassionate Lamentation of a tender hearted Saviour over a rebellious and obdurate people A subject entered upon on the late day of solemn Humiliation December 6. 1655. afterwards prosecuted and now published as useful at all times but very seasonable for the present By Iohn Brinsley Minister of the Gospel at Great Yarmouth Daughters of Ierusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves and for your children Luke 23. 28. LONDON Printed by I. L. for Tho. Newberry 1656. To the Mourners in Sion Such as being truely sensible of are cordially affected with the present sad and calamitous condition of the Church of God in the Island of Great Britain Much esteeemed in the Lord. THe last year I sent forth a Groan a Groan for Israel I now here second it with Tears Tears for Ierusalem And whether there be cause for both these I appeal to you whom God hath in any measure made sensible of the present state of the land of your Nativity and specially of the Church therein When Nehemiah heard that sad report concerning Ierusalem that the remnant which were left therein were in great affliction and reproach and that the Wall thereof was broken down c. It came to passe saith he when I heard these words that I sate down and wept and mourned Neh. 1. 4. And is not this the Condition of the poor Church of God among us in this Nation at this day Is not the Wall thereof broken down All Church-Government levelled By reason whereof all kind of dangerous and damnable Errours and Heresies and enormious practises with unbrotherly and unchristian divisions have broke in upon us to the rendring of us a scorn and derision to the Nations round about Thus doth Englands sore run in this night of her Affliction and ceaseth not her calamity every day increasing And yet which is no small addition to her misery how few are there who so lay it to heart as to seek out for cure and remedy Nay how many who refuse it being offered not induring to hear of any such thing as Church-Government Insomuch as the servants of God some and many of them may take up the like complaint concerning this Nation that Babylons friends once did concerning her Ier. 51. 9. We would have healed her but shee is not healed Nay that which is far worse shee refuseth so to be So deplorable and almost desperate is her condition now become Now in this case what shall Sions friends do What desert and forsake her This indeed is the resolve of Babylons friends there Let us forsake her say they and let us goe every man into his own Countrey for her Iudgment reacheth unto heaven and is lifted up unto the skies They will give her over and every one shifteth for himselfe But far be such thoughts from all the servants of God in this Nation How ever it must be acknowledged they have cause enough to feare the event having so many sad symptomes before their eyes yet not knowing but that there may be hope in Israel concerning this thing let them not in the day of her adversity forsake their Mother in whose womb they were conceived and whose breasts have given them suck But let them with faith and patience yet looke out look up for from thence must come Englands cure being importunate with the God of Israel that he who hath in his just judgment for our unfruitfulnesse broken down the hedge of his Church amongst us so as the Boar out of the wood doth waste it and the wild beast of the field doth devour it would in his free grace and mercy return and look down from heaven and visit this vine and the vineyard which his own right hand hath planted Which that all may be excited to do is the design of this small Treatise To which end if it may be in any degree serviceable to any I have that I aimed at In the hopes whereof I rest Great Yarmouth Feb. 2. 1655. Your Brother and Companion in the Kingdome and Patience of Iesus Christ John Brinsley TEARS FOR IERVSALEM OR The compassionate Lamentation of a tender hearted Saviour over a rebellious and obdurate people Luk. 19. 41 42. And when he was come near he beheld the City and wept over it 42. Saying If thou hadst known even thou at the least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace But now they are hid from thine eyes THis portion of Scripture I now take up not that I look upon it as Prophetical to England So indeed it was to Hierusalem to which it is was spoken I wish it may not be so to this Nation But as concerning it both useful and seasonable for the present times and as proper to the present occasion as any I can meet with finding it put into my hands by that Declaration which hath upon this day called us together where we are directed to make this one chief part of our arrand at the throne of grace to beg it of God that he would give his people in this nation to know the things which belong unto their peace which is the very thing which our blessed Saviour here wisheth to Hierusalem and that with tears in his eyes And when he was come near he beheld the City c. In the words we have a short History reported onely by this one Evangelist setting forth unto us the Passionate lamentation of our blessed Saviour over Hierusalem wherein the occasion of it the expression of it the ground or cause of it We may take notice of three things First the occasion of that lamentation his approaching and beholding of the City And when he was come near and beheld the City Secondly the expression of it by tears He wept over it Thirdly The ground or cause of it the sad state of the City in regard of a two-fold evil the one of sin the other of punishment of sin the stupidity and blindnesse of the inhabitants of that City in not laying hold upon the offers and tenders of grace and mercy held forth to them If thou hadst known c.
Majestie of God and as a dreadful addition to all other offences so calling for a proportionable weight of Iudgment That it is so it cannot I presume it will not be denyed Bring we it home to our selves by way of Application Let that be directed onely two waies by way of Conviction by way of Exhortation 1. By way of Conviction Reflect we upon our selves we of this Nation we of this place in Ierusalâ—ms glass beholding our own face beholding our ingratitude our sin what mercies what favours whether temporal or spiritual was Ierusalem blessed with which England hath not been Was Ierusalem lift up to heaven in respect of Spiritual priviledges hath not England been so were the Oracles of God committed unto them and have they not been so to us was Christ clearly held forth unto them hath he not beene so unto us in the preaching of the Gospel even evidently set forth and crucified before our eyes as Paul tels his Galathians he was to them Gal. 3 was Ierusalems light greater and clearer then that which shone upon other Cities and hath not Englands light I may speake it without flatterie out shined the light of any other Nation in the world was God pleased to send a continued succession of Prophets and Apostles unto them and hath he not done the like to us in this Nation sent a succession of able and faithfull ministers to declare and make known his mind and will to us Thus hath England been exalted above other Nations in regard of special priviledges To which also adde temporall favours which how many how great what nation under heaven might compare with England upon that account what peace what plenty of all things what tranquillity and prosperity did England for many yeares together enjoy to the wonder if not envie of most other nations Thus was England for a long time the favourite and darling of heaven as Ierusalem But now what returne hath she made of these mercies these favours Is not that too like Ierusalems Have we not generally beene an ungratful and rebellious people as they were A people that have not known the things which belong to our peace Temporal and Eternall A people which have not given that intertainment to Christ and his Gospell that he expected and other nations probably would have done A people that have rather cast off the yoake of Christ not induring his goverment any Goverment that lookes like his And for our temporal mercies our peace our plenty have we not been even surfeited with them have we not waxed wanton by their Abusing our peace to the making of us secure setled upon our â—ees abusing our plenty as evill stomacks turne good meats into ill humours turning it into pride Luxurie riot and Excess Thus hath this nation under these long continued mercies been like unto a peice of ground which being overmanured grown too lustie runs wilde bringing forth a crop of weedes Thus hath this abundance of mercies amongst us through the abuse of them brought forth abundance of sinnes Neyther are we to this day hettered by all those sharpe rods those severe corrections wherewith of late yeares God hath corrected us but Israel like we even revolt more and more as it were hating to be reformed Such is the requitals such is the returne which England I speake as to the greatest part therein hath made unto her God And what an Aggravation of her sin is this That any nation should thus deal with their God to walk stubbornly and rebelliously against him it is inexcusable but that a people so favoured so honoured of God as England hath been should do this this is a thing which God cannot but take more heynously at our hands then at others So the Lord maketh his complaint concerning Israel Isaiah 1. 2 3. I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me The oxe knoweth his owner c. But Israel doth not know my people doth not consider And may not he take up the like complaint against England God hath nourished and tendred us as children yet we have rebelled against him England hath not known England hath not considered Now this he cannot but take worse at our hands then at the hands of any other nation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thou O England that thou shouldest do this that thou shouldest make such a return to thy God for all his mercies and favours This is an heinous aggravation of Englands sin And aggravating the sinne what can we expect but that it should also aggravate thy Iudgment So it did Ierusalems here Her sin being uppon this account greater then the sin of any other place so was her Judgment as the verses following set it forth No one place that the hand of God fell so heavy upon as it did upon Ierusalem And have not we of this nation just cause to fear the like that in as much as our sins have exceeded the sins of other nations our judgments should exceed also And what is said of the Nation in general let it be applied to this place in special Upon which it cannot be denied but God hath bestowed many singular mercies both Spiritual and Temporal Among other preserving us in the midst of this late fiery furnace which hath burnt so hot in most parts of the nation to this day continuing our peace and liberty not suffering the sword though shakeÌ„ over us to break in upoÌ„ us in an hostile way as it hath don upon maÌ„y other Cities Townes Now shal we stil persist and go on in our sinful provocations in sleighting of Ordinances profaning Sabbaths abusing creatures c. what can we expect but that as our sinnes upon this account shall be greater then the sins of other places who have not enjoyed the like mercies so should our judgments be For the preventing of which suffer a word of Exhortation All of us be we excited to indeavour an answerable return to the mercies and favours bestowed upon us Publick mercies Private mercies Spiritual Temporal Take notice of all and study to answer all Looking upon these differencing and distinguishing mercies as so many obligations and Engagements upon us binding us to duty above others let it be our care to walk answerably In as much as God hath been pleased to exalt and prefer us above and before others let it be our endeavour to go before others in all grateful aâ—d exemplarie obedience That so these blessings which through the mercy and goodnesse of our God we have and do yet in so great a measure injoy may not be what otherwise they will as so many testimonies against us affording matter of a just Exprobration Which is a sad thing when God cometh to upbraid a people with his favours Mark it That is Ierusalems case the Text to whom our Saviour here speaketh as both Calvin and Beza taking it from Budaeus conceive of it