their lives and conversations that they may he exemplary to others That is that which both Paul and Peter require from them in the places forecited 1 Tim. 4. 12. Tit. 2. 7. 1 Pet. 5. 3. Quest. But wherein should they he so exemplary unto others Answ. In setting forth of this I will not go from the word I have in hand Onely send them to the Stars which I shall propound as patterns to them in those things wherein I would have them to be patterns to others 1. Let them be Examples to others in Purity Such are the Stars pure creatures Not a spot not a blemish to be seen in any of them I mean in the fixed stars True indeed in the Moon there are spots but not so in any of the fixed stars which are most properly the Ministers Embleme They are all pure And such all the Ministers of Christ should labour to be Pure The Priests under the Law must not have a blemish Levit. 22. Patterns of Purity This is one thing wherein Paul would have Timothy to be a Pattern in that place forenamed 1 Tim. 4. 12. Be thou an example of the believers But wherein why among other things in Puritie And again Chap. 5. 22. Keep thy self pure And herein should all the Ministers of Christ be exemplary to others In purity of Conversation keeping themselves unspotted of the world free from the evils of the times and places wherein they live that their lives be not spotted with any scandalous crimes Which if they be they will be like those spots in the Moon obvious to every eye and no small blemish to their holy function 2. As in Purity so in Zeal Stars as they shine so they sparkle Therein differing from the Moon as a Diamond doth from a Christal The one shines but it is but with a pale wan light The other both shines and sparkles And so should it be with the Ministers of Christ Whilest they shine in purity they should sparkle with zeal Such a light was Iohn the Baptist not onely shining but burning John 6. 35. shining with holiness and burning with zeal And such should all the Ministers of God be as pure so zealous That is the thing which the Spirit requires from one of these seven Angels the Minister or Ministers of the Laodicean Church Rev. 3. 19. Be zealous And so should all the Ministers of Christ be zealous for God for his truth for his worship and service zealous against Errours Heresies all kind of doctrinal or practical wickedness Such were Moses and Phineas whose zeal standeth upon record to their eternal honour And such was Paul of whom the story tels us Acts 13. 9. that when he saw Elimas the Sorcerer opposing him as he did not so much his Person as his Doctrine Being filled with the Holy Ghost saith the Text he set his eyes upon him His eyes even sparkled with a holy indignation against him And so when he came to Athens and there saw the City so wholly given to Idolatry his spirit was stirred within him saith the Text Acts 17. 16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exacerbabat spiritus ejus his spirit was sharpned it had an edge set upon it it was so stirred that he could not but break forth into an open and tart reproof And so was it with our blessed Lord and Master the Lord Iesus However in his own personal concernments none more patient that Lamb of God yet in the cause of his father none more zealous The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up It is spoken of Christ Iohn 2. 17. Such was his holy zeal for the service and honour of God his Father that it was as a fire in his Breast continually feeding upon his spirits so busying and taking up his thoughts that it made him even regardless of himself And such should be the zeal of his servants his Ministers Onely let them see that it be a well tempered zeal Not fiery not furious In this do Stars differ from Comets Blazing-stars Both sparkle but the one in a temperate the other in a furious way as if they would set the world on fire Such zeal the Ministers of God must be ware of When Iames and Iohn having had some affront offered them and their Master by the Samaritans wo refused to receive them propound to him this course of proceeding against them wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven to consume them he presently makes answer to them with a Check ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of Luke 9. 54 55. Giving them to know that their counsel did not suit with their calling neither did it favour of a truly Ministerial spirit which should be a spirit of meekness and gentleness Zealous the Ministers of God may be ought to be But let it be for God and not for themselves And then let their fervour be tempered with a wise and holy discretion Let them sparkle where need is but let it be like Stars not like Blazing-stars Thirdly As in Puritie and Zeale so in Humilitie Hereof the Stars are very proper Emblems as Lapide hints it upon the Text. Which though they be vaste bodyes most of them far bigger then the Earth yet how little doe they seem to be And such should the Ministers of the Gospel be what euer they be for place for partes for gifts yet they should be little in their owne eyes· So was Paul however not Inferiour in place or gifts to any of the Apostles which being thereunto provoked by his emulous Adversaries he sometimes asserts and stands upon 2 Cor. 11. 5. I suppose I was not any whit behind the cheifest of the Apostles And againe in the Chapter following verse 11. he inculcates the same In nothing am I behind the very cheifest Apostles Yet in his owne eyes how low was he Even the least of them So much we may heare him elswhere acknowledging 1 Cor. 15. 9. I am the least of the Apostles Yea the least of Saints So he tels his Ephesians cap. 3. verse 8 Vnto me who am least then the least of all Saints is this grace given 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a double diminitive Less then the Least i.e. for the least So little was this great Apostle to himself Even as nothing That is his Expression elswhere in that place forenamed 2. Cor. 12 11. In nothing am I behind the very cheifest Apostles though I be nothing Thus whilst he tooke notice of the abundant grace of God to him in bestowing such gifts as he had done upon him yet with all he acknowledgeth his owne nothingness How in and of himself he was nothing nothing without Christ even as the stars are nothing without the Sun of no use good for nothing Such was Paul in his own eyes And he would not seeme over great in the eyes of others It is the reason which he giveth why he did forbeare to speake somewhat of himself which
savorie doctrine and holy example they season others changing and altering them for the better And on the other hand being bad themselves they infect others So as what the Lord speaks of the Prophets and people of Israel in another sense Hos. 4. 9. We may use it in this Like Preist Like people Surely it was not without cause that the Lord sending his destroying Angell to Ierusalem he orders him to begin at the Sanctuarie Ezek. 9. 6. From thence came the rise of all those Abominations that were done in the midest of that Citie of which he speakes verse 4. they began at the Preists who if they had not been first corrupted themselves the people had not been what then they were Thus are the Ministers of God like Stars for those Influences which they have upon the people To which I might add did I not feare the straining of this string as an enlargment or further improvement of this Resemblance Stars having such an Influence upon the earth they have also a power of Binding and Loosing Such are the properties of those two a foresayd Constellations Pleiades and Orion The one bindeth the earth with the hard frost the other looseth it by the warme ayre and showres And such a power hath Jesus Christ given to these Stars the Ministers of his Gospel a Binding and a Loosing power This power he gave to Peter Mat. 16. 19. I will give unto thee the keyes of the Kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth shall be loosed in heaven But not to Peter alone but to the â—est of the Apostles and Disciples as well as to him So you shall finde it Ioh. 20. 23. Where explaining what he meant by binding and loosing with their solemn Mission he giveth them this Commission Whosoever sinnes ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosoever sins ye retayne they are retayned This power did Jesus Christ give unto them and their successors putting the Keyes of the Kingdom of heaven into their handes the Keye of Doctrine and the Keye of Discipline whereby they open and shut binde and loose binde the Obstinate loose the Penitent both which they doe in a Ministeriall and declarative way Even as it may be conceived of those two foresayd Constellations Orion and Pleiades the one bindeth the earth the other looseth it But how Not meerely by their owne influence as being the sole or yet principall Cause of that Change for that is to be attributed to the Sun which by his Recess and returne maketh that alteration but they by their rising notifie those changes Even so is it with these Stars the Ministers of Christ what herein they doe they doe it not by their owne power or vertue as Peter said of his healing the Cripple Act. 3. 12. but by Anthoritie from Jesus Christ in his name declaring what his will and pleasure is Here is a sixth Resemblance To which I might yet add some other which are reached unto me by other handes But I would not seeme to straine the Allegorie by drawing that from it which it will not naturally and voluntarily yield And I shall have occasion to touch upon some and diverse other in the Application Which let it be directed both to Ministers and People 1. For the former were the Audience sutable I might from hence take a just occasion to speake largly to the men of my owne Tribe minding them of their Duty and exciting them to the discharge of it But however give me leave here to present to you what more immediately and properly concerneth them Hirein I shall preach to my self and you must give us leave sometimes so to doe Whereof you may have the benefit afterwards Besides you hearing what the duties of Ministers are may be the better able to doe what you are 〈◊〉 onely allowed but in some cases required to doe viz. to say to Archippus as Paul biddeth them Col. 4. 17. take â—â—â—de unto the Ministery which thou hast received in the Lord that thou fulfill it I meane in a Christian and becoming way to excite and admonish those whome God hath or shall set over you in case they shall be found remiss or negligent in their Ministerial duty and service Upon this account I shall give an account to you of what more properly concerneth my selfe and others of my Brethren To whome the sum of what I have to say is onely thus much that seeing they are set by God as Stars in the firmament of his Church they would performe the like offices to those committed to their charge as the Stars doe to this Inferiour world But before I come to prosecute this Exhortation let me first premise one or two Premonitions Let them first see that they be Stars such as are so placed by God in the firmament of his Church Therein do true Stars differ from Comets The one is fixed by God the other ascends of it self Let not the Ministers of the Gospell doe so Let not them ascend into Mose's Chayre as that new starre is sayd to have done into Cassâ—â— pâ—â—â—s in the yeare 1572 of themselves thrusting themselves whether upon the Ministeriall function or yet particular Charge without a regular and warrantable mission So did those false Prophets in Ieremies time of whome the Lord complayns Ier. 23. 21. I have not sent these Prophets yet they ran I have not spoken unto them yet they prophesied Thus did they all on their owne heades having neither Mission nor Message from God Let it not be so with Gospell Ministers They who take that office upon them let them looke to their calling Noe man taketh this honour to himselfe but he that is called of God as Aaron was saith the Apostle of the Priesthood Heb. 5. 4. speaking not de facto but de jure not what men doe but what they ought to doe Uzziah though a King must not take upon him the office of a Preist 2 Chron. 26. 16. No more ought any to usurpe upon a Gospell ministerie taking upon them to dispence Ordinances in a ministerial way without a warrantable calling from God Let them see that they be Stars not Comets that they be set by God in the firmament of his Church 2. And being thus set let them now seeke after Illumination that they themselves may be inlightened So are the stars being set in the firmament they are inlightned without which they would be of no use And this let these mysticall stars seeke after even a supernaturall illumination God hath shined into our hearts saith the Apostle that we should give the light c. Ministers that they may inlighten others they must first be enlightned themselves And this let them seeke after And where shall they have it Why where have the stars their light but from the Sun And where should Gospel Ministers have their light but from Iesus Christ. He
them Act. 20. 28. Take heed unto the flock whereof the Holy ghost hath made you Overseers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishops which properly signifieth as there but how properly I will not say it is rendered Supervisors Oversâ—ers Guides So the Authour to the Hebrews stiles them Heb. 13. 7. 17. Where speaking not of Magistrates but of Minister as is playn enough to those that will not festucam quaerere seeke straws to put out their owne eyes with all he calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rulers Guids Such as have the rule over you Such the Ministers of Christ are thus set over you by God and doe you know them as such That is Pauls request to his Thessalonians 1 Thes. 5. 12. We beseech you brethren to know them that labour among you and are ouer you in the Lord. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set over you Ministers being set over their flocks in the Lord by God himselfe to deale in those things which concerne his worship and service let them be known and acknowledged for such This take you notice of 2. And secondly thus taking notice of them bless God for them This we have all cause to doe for the Stars Which are not onely an Ornament to the heavens but verie beneficiall to the Earth And this do you for the Ministers of God which are not onely an Ornament to the Church but verie beneficiall to your souls Many are the Benefits which men receive from the stars which they take little notice of And many are the benefits which you do or if you be not wanting to your selves may receive from the Ministers of Christ. And therefore bless that God who hath set them over you These are the Gifts which Jesus Christ upon his Ascension is said to have given He gaue gifts to men saith the Apostle viz. Some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and Teachers Eph. 4. 8. 11. And a greater next to himselfe he never gave unto his Church So looke you upon it blessing God for this Gift Bless him for the office of Ministers And if they be in measure able and faithfull burning and shining Lights Stars bless him for their Persons And with all bless him for their Libertie that these Stars are not so clouded but that yet they may shine forth It was a sad time with the Marriners in Pauls voyage to Rome when they could not see so much as a Star for many nights together Act. 27. 20. And it is a sad time with the Church as in time of Persecution it sometimes fals out when these stars appeare not Such stormes there have beene But blessed be he who holdeth these Stars in his right hand that it is not so with this Church at this day Astorme it hath felt and that sad one but blessed be God these Stars yet shine forth 3. Which that they may still do be you earnest with God on their behalfe It is a mercie which the Lord maketh promise of to his people Isaiah 30. 20. Though the Lord give you the bread of Adversity and the water of Affliction yet shall not thy Teachers be removed into corners any more but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers And that this promise may be made good unto you and to your Brethren in this Nation be you earnest with God in this behalf This Paul begs from his Colossians on his own behalf Col. 4. 3. And this let me beg from you as in my own and fellow-labourers here so in the behalf of all the Ministers of Christ in this Nation that God would open keep open unto them a door of utterance to speak the mysterie of Christ. Fourthly Thus praying for them give unto them those respects which upon the account of their office is due unto them Whatever their persons be yet their office is venerable Stars are no despicable creatures And for their office sake have also a respect to their persons Giving unto them that double honour which upon the account of a double work their Teaching and Ruling the Apostle tells you is due unto them 1 Tim. 5. 17. This yield you unto those who desire and endeavour to be found faithful in this Ministration This Paul begs from his Thessalonians and in them from you 1 Thes. 5. 12. We beseech you know them that labour among you and are over you in the Lord and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake Fifthly and lastly having them thus in respect now shew this respect as in other ways so specially by making that use of them for which God hath set them up Making use of their light First Their light of Doctrine Not playing by it as children sometimes do by their Candle till they are fain to go darklings to bed And the like let them make account of who shall so play by this light not regarding not making use of it whilest it is held forth unto them let them make account to go to bed in the dark to die without comfort Neither secondly think it enough to gaze upon it to let this light into the eye of the understanding I mean content not your selves with a meer speculative knowledg Nor yet thirdly think it enough to be a little affected with it So was Herod with looking on that burning and shining light hearing Iohns Doctrine He observed him saith the Text and when he heard him he heard him gladly Mark 6. 20. And the like did many of the Iews They were willing to rejoyce in his light for a season as our Saviour tels them Iohn 5. 35. But do you walk by this light Such use men make of the Stars in the night season they walk by the light of them And such use make you of the light of these stars While you are here in the night of this world walk by the light of their Doctrine As ye have received Christ Iesus the Lord so walk ye in him saith Paul to his Colossians chap. 2. 6. 2. And as by their Doctrine so also by their Example Such use Seamen make of some of the Stars they stear their course by them And such use make you of the Examples of the faithful Ministers of Christ whose lives are truly exemplary Stear your course by them follow them This Paul calleth for from his Corinthians 1 Cor. 4. 16. Wherefore I beseech you be ye followers of me And the like from his Philippians Brethren be ye followers together of me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joynt imitators and mark them which so walk as you have us for an Example Phil. 3. 7. And thus should Christians be of their Ministers Remember them which have the rule over you saith the Apostle to his Hebrews chap. 13. 7. who have spoken to you the word of God whose faith follow the faith which they preached and professed considering the end of their conversation viz. that you may imitate them Onely here remember that Limitation
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.