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A29531 Tears for Jerusalem, 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 John Brinsley. Brinsley, John, 1600-1665. 1656 (1656) Wing B4731A; ESTC R210555 79,536 150

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door Among other in this way is pity and compassion often let into the heart The good Samaritane he saw the man that was fallen among theeves And when he saw him saith the text he had compassion on him Luk. 10.33 And thus our Saviour here saw the City of Hierusalem and when he saw it he was thus affected with it Seeing it as with his bodily eye so with the eye of his mind considering the state and condition of it Q. But what was it that he there saw What Christ looked upon in Jerusalem that so affected him or looked upon that did so affect and move him A. Why 1. The City it se●f magnificent for structure first with his bodily eye he took notice of the place the City it self where he beheld as goodly a prospect as the earth could afford A magnificent City beautiful for scituation Beautiful for scituation the joy of the whole earth is mount Sion Psal 48.2 Beautiful for edifices and structures which were rich and stately Among which the Temple rebuilt by King Herod was the most sumptuous and magnificent pile that then the world was owner of So as had there been nothing else this alone had been enough to move compassion to think that so goodly a City as that should within a short time be ruined such stately edifices laid level with the ground This is conceived to have affected the Disciples of Christ as the story sets it forth Matth. 24.1 His Disciples came saith the text to shew him the buildings of the Temple This they did as by way of admiration being much taken with the rich magnificence of the structure so also out of pity and commiseration in as much as their master had but a little before given them a hint of the destruction thereof cap. 23.38 Behold your house is left unto you desolate intimating that both the City and Temple should be destroyed Hereupon they now shewed him the buildings thereof as pittying that sad fate that so stately a fabrick should be ruined This moved them And I will not say but it might also at the present affect their master when he had this goodly prospect in his eye to think what afterwards he speaks verse 44. that the enemy should lay that City and Temple even with the ground not leaving one stone upon another This possibly might move some compassion in him But this was but the least grain in the ballance There were divers other considerations besides this of greater importance which our Saviour might then have in his thoughts As viz. In the second place the number of people The number of people devoted to destruction Magis tamen subversionem planxit animarum quam ruinas par●etum Carthus ●d lot in that City which was great and populous All these generally he looked upon as destinated to ruin and destruction either by sword or famine or pestilence Gods three stringed whip or by exile or else miserable slavery And this questionlesse could not but much affect him So it did in another case as the Evangelist reports the story once and again Matth. 9.36 When he saw the multitude he was moved with compassion in them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepheard And again cap. 15. vers 32. he tells his Disciples I have compassion on the multitude because they continue with me now three dayes and have nothing to eat Thus did he pity the condition of the people having compassion both on their souls and bodies the one because they wanted instruction the other because they wanted refreshment How much more then might this stir the like affection in him when looking upon this populous City he considered how many were like to perish in that desolation which hung over the head of it As it is reported of that great Commander Xerxes that from a hill beholding his numerous Armies consisting of some hundreds of thousands of able fighting men and considering how that with in a short time 40. or 50. years not a man of them should be left alive he could not refrain from weeping And even alike consideration might here draw tears from the eyes of our blessed Saviour Which also himself gives a hint of in that 44. verse after the Text where speaking how the City should be laid level with the ground he adds and thy children within thee meaning that they also should perish the very little ones being as the Psalmist saith of the Babylonians Psal 137. dashed against the stones The qualitie of the people Gods people Thirdly To this in the third place add the quality of the people which as they were numerous so also they were a select a choice people Gods people A people whom God had chosen out of all the nations in the world whom he had adopted and taken into Covenant with himself To whom belongeth the adoption and the Covenant saith that Apostle reckoning up the priviledges of the people Rom. 9.4 Now that they through their own ingratitude and obstinacy in refusing the offer and means of grace held forth to them should perish so miserably This as Calvin noteth upon it could not but exceedingly affect him who came into the world to seek and save them Quum populum qui in spem vita aeternae ad opius erat suae ingratitudine malitia misere peri●e videret nihil mirum si lachrymas non tenuit Cal. ad loc This thought exceedingly affected the blessed Apostle as he tells his Romanes Rom. 9.1.2 I say the truth in Christ I lie not c. That I have great heavinesse and continual sorrow in my heart viz. for his countreymen the Jews to think of their obstinacy and consequently their rejection So it followeth For I could wish that my self were accursed from Christ for my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh So was Paul affected with the miscarriage of that people that he could even have wished the greatest of evils to himself so as he might have prevented it in them And the like thought no question could not but exceedingly affect our blessed Saviour to think that such a people the hope of the world the onely people in Covenant with God at that time that they should miscarry they should perish Fourthly Ierusalem the metropolis the head city upon which the whole Nation had a dependance To this add in the fourth place that that City as it was the Metropolis the head City of the Kingdome of Iudaea so the whole Kingdome was concerned in it and depended upon it Yea the whole Nation of the Jews As it went with that City so it was like to go with the whole body of that nation If that miscarried it could not but prove fatal to that whole kingdome and to all the people of God in it who had all an adventure in that bottome nay were themselves imbarqued in it And so were like to swim or sink with it As it was with Babylon being
the head City of the Persian Monarchy the peace of the whole Kingdome and all the subjects in it depended upon that And therefore the Prophet adviseth the Jewish captives to seek the peace of that City and to pray unto the Lord for it for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace Jer. 29.7 Even thus was it with Jerusalem Yet again in the fifth place This City it was the City of the great King so called by the Psalmist 48.2 The great King Ierusalem the City of the great King the city of God but what king why not onely the City of David as it is sometimes called Luk. 2.4.11 the Emperial City where David and his successours had sate upon the throne for many Generations almost five hundred years together before the Captivity of Babylon There are set thrones of judgement saith the Psalmist the throne of the house of David Psal 122.5 Not onely so but it was the City of the great King of the King of heaven the City of God So our Saviour meaneth it Matth. 5.35 where forbidding to swear by Hierusalem he giveth this reason for it for it is the City of the great King i. e. of God So the Psalmist explains himself in the 8. verse of that psalme Psal 48. As we have heard so have we seen in the City of the Lord of Hosts in the City of God As also in the first verse God is greatly to be praised in the City of our God So was Hierusalem There God dwelt The Lord hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell Psal 132.13 14. This was the place the onely place upon earth where God manifested his presence in a fixed and constant way Here formerly was the Ark of the Covenant the pledge and token of Gods presence The glory of Israel and of the world and therefore called The glory Rom. 9.4 Here was the Sanctuary where God dwelt betwixt the Cherubins and from whence the light of salvation went forth unto all the world This was urbs sacris dicata as Grotius saith of it a place dedicated to the worship and service of God a place which God had chosen to put his name there the place whither the tribes came up to worship Psal 122.4 where the Ordinances of God were set up in their glory majesty and held forth in a publick way So as this place miscarrying it could not but go ill with the Churches of God and with the Religion of God And this it was as Gualter and Calvin note it upon the Text which above all other things our blessed Saviour took to heart Quum expenderet illam divinitus electam esse sacram sedem in qua resideret salutis aeternae foedus Sanctuarium unde prodiret salus salas toti mundo fieri non potuit quam ejus interitum graviter doleret Cal. ad loc The other considerations might move him but this above all to think that that place which God had made choice of to put his name in where he had dwelt where his Temple Part 2. the place of his publick worship was that that should be brought to such a miserable desolation The expression of Christs compassion by weeping Lachrymae sunt legati doloris Cyprianus lib. Ep. 7. as he by the eye of his divinitie saw to hang over the head of it this this it was that pierced his heart and stirred up his compassions in him drawing tears from his eies When he beheld the City he wept over it Wept over it There is the expression of his compassion Let me touch upon that also and I shall put the application of both these together He wept This Passion Weeping a passion not unsutable to Christ Mutarunt homines temerarii delicati quibus flere Christo indignis videbatur Grotius ad Text. some look upon as unsutable to the person of Christ And thereupon as both Beza and Grotius take notice of it from Epiphanus in divers of the ancient Copies this passage was left out But without any just cause Gorranus ad Text. alli Alii septies Christum flevisse asserunt Gerhard Harm ad loc To hear of Christs weeping is not such a rarity that any should boggle at it Four several times saith one Writing upon the Text we read hereof The first at his Nativity his Birth For this he citeth that Apochryphal Text Wisd 7.3 Where wisedome whereby he understandeth Christ who is so called Prov. 8. saith that she was Borne crying and weeping as all other do Thus Infants are commonly born crying whether weeping or no I will not say And thus that pretended Solomon is conceived to set forth the birth of Christ who was therein conformed to the rest of the sons of men But that being Apocryphal I leave it as I find it uncertain so as it may be believed or rejected without any prejudice to the faith The three other are clear The first at the raising up of Lazarus where we read Joh. 11.53 And Jesus wept The second here in this his Procession to Hierusalem as he calleth it He wept over it The third and last in his Passion in the Garden concerning which the Author to the Hebrews tels us that he offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears Heb. 5.7 Thus saith he did our blessed Saviour who was the fountain of life water the world with his tears which he compareth to the four Rivers which went out of Paradise to water the earth But letting that passe as more witty then weightie Weeping we see was no new or strange thing with our Saviour That ever he laughed that we read not that he wept we meet with it more then once Q. But it may be said Why Christ lamenteth what he could have remedied Wherefore should our Saviour here weep over Hierusalem what ever calamities he saw impending hanging over the head of it he could have prevented them if he had pleased And why then doth he lament that which with a word he was able to have remedied A. To this it is answered First This he did to shew the truth of his humanity To shew the truth of his humanity Carne humana circundatus vere humanos induit affectus Cal. ad loc Taking upon him our nature he took upon him also all Passions and Affections common to that nature Being made like unto us in all things sin onely excepted as the Apostle hath it Heb. 4.15 subjected to all our not sinful infirmities Thus he slept eat and drank which the nature of man requireth And thus we read that he was weary hungry thirsty and thus he wept All to shew himself truly man and that together with our nature he had also taken our Infirmities as the Evangelist Saint Mathew hath it Matth. 8.17 But secondly Hereby he testified his affection To testifie his affection to the Iews Hoc fletu testatus est