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 Ierusalem 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 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 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 the place of his publick worship was that that should be brought to such a miserable desolation 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 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 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 Iesus 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 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 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 towards those for whom he was made man and for whose sake he came into the world This he did first for the Jew I am not sent save onely to the Lost â—â—eepe of the house of Israel so he tells the woman of Canaan Matth. 15. 24. His arrand was first to the Iewes to seek and save them And hereby he expressed his indeared affection unto them This was the contrition which the Jewes made of his weeping over Lazarus his grave Behold how he loved him say they Ioh. 11. 36. And the same construction may we make of this his weeping over Hierusalem Hereby he shewed that tender affection which he bare unto them
so long as the Sun and Moon endureth Thus I have done with the substance of this Complaint come we now to the circumstances the Aggravations of this Evil. Which as I shewed you are two the Persons and Time Begin with the former If thou hadst known even thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si vel tu nosses Si cognovisses tu Not If thou hadst even known as the former Translation renders it putting the Emphasis upon the word Known but if even thou hadst known with reference to the Persons or Place Even thou Thou also say some thou Ierusalem as well as others as well as this poor troop of my Apostles and Disciples or as divers other lesser Cities and Villages have done or as this company now doth which acknowledgeth me to be what I am crying Hosanna or as some other places heretofore have done some of which have been so happy as timely to take notice of what belonged to their peace So did that great City Nineveh at the preaching of Ionah they repented John 3. 5. whose example elsewhere we finde propounded by our Saviour to the Jews Mat. 12. 41. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment against this generation and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Ionah And the like had some other places and persons done And O that Ierusalem had also done the like If thou also hadst known Thou as well as others Or Secondly Thou rather then others So Calvin and divers other Expositors here conceive of it As if our Saviour did here compare Ierusalem with other Cities of Iudea Yea with all other Cities of the whole world All which Ierusalem excelled in respect of many priviledges This was the City of David the Emperial City yea the City of the great King the City of God a City beloved of God above all other places upon the earth Coeleste in terris Sacrarium as Calvin saith of it a heavenly Sanctuary upon earth where God had betrusted his Oracles his Ordinances where he had manifested his presence after a special manner dwelling between the Cherubins according to that of the Psalmist Psal. 132. 13 14. For the Lord hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell Such was Ierusalem Heavens favorite Earths Non-such a City paramount preferred and advanced above all other Cities and places upon earth in respect of spiritual priviledges And this our Saviour here taketh up as an Aggravation both of his Sorrow and her Sin Of his Sorrow Even thou As for other places other Cities suppose Chorazin Bethsaida Capernaum the Gadarenes or Samaria or the like for any of these to perish and miscarry as they did this were no other but a sad thing deserving to be lamented over But that Ierusalem should do so this went nearer our Saviours heart then any other Even as Brutus his stab did to Caesars which made him cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tu Brute what thou my son thou Brutus Even so did Ierusalems obstinacy and ingratitude here to our Saviour And thereupon he crieth out after the same manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even thou Like as it is with a natural parent he cannot but be offended with the miscarriage of any of his children but that his darling the son of his delights whom he hath set his love upon and shewen most affection to that he should miscarry this goeth near him So was it with Iacob when he apprehended some sad disaster to have befallen his son Ioseph his dear son the son of his age to whom he had expressed more affection then the rest of his Brethren as appeared by his party coloured garment this went near his heart insomuch that he refused to be comforted resolving to go down to the grave to him mourning as we have the story Gen. 37. 3. 35. And so was David affected with his Absolon He being his darling whom he had tendered and cockered when he understood what a fatal end he by his Rebellion had brought himself unto this makes David break forth into that passionate Lamentation O Absolon my son my son c. 2 Sam. 19. 4. Thus did Ierusalems carriage and miscarriage her sin and punishment which our Saviour saw and foresaw affect him more then if it had been any other place O if even thou hadst known This was an Aggravation of his Sorrow 2. And so secondly of their Sin This also our Saviour may well be conceived to insinuate in this passionate expression If Even thou Thou which hast enjoyed such means so many mercies that hast been lifted up to heaven preferred before al places in the world in respect of spiritual favours and Gospel priviledges that thou shouldest be thus stupid thus blinde as not to see not to regard the things which belonged to thy peace and happiness this renders thee of all others most miserable and maketh thy ingratitude most superlative So he here chargeth this upon them as a heinous aggravation of their Sin calling for an answerable Iudgment And so indeed it is as Calvin maketh the observation the more means the greater mercies a people enjoy the greater is their sin and the greater shall their punishment be in case they do not walk answerably to them and in some measure worthy of them Mark it this is the Observation which this passage naturally yieldeth Means and Mercies not regarded not improved not answered are dreadful aggravations both of Sin and Judgment For this express and full is that obvious Text Mat. 11. 20. where our Saviour breaketh forth into a like Exprobration against those Cities which he had honoured with his presence and doctrine as here he doth against Ierusalem Then saith the Text began he to upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not verse 20. In the verses foregoing he had taxed the general morosity and frowardness of that people upon whom no means could work neither Iohns austerity nor his own Comitie this he doth vers 16 17 18 19. But now he cometh more specially to deal with those particular places where he had been most conversant taxing them as being most faulty of all the rest Their sin was greater and so should their punishment be So it followeth vers 21. Woe unto thee Chorazin woe unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloath and ashes Chorazin and Bethsaida two Cities upon the Lake of Gennezareth where Christ conversed much taught often wrought many miracles yet they repented not they were not thereby wrought upon to imbrace the Gospel What followeth you have it in the next verse v. 22. I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment then for you At the day of general
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
TWO TREATISES I. Three Sacred Emblems The Mystical Starres Sword Sunne in the Hand Mouth Face of the SON OF MAN II. TEARS for JERUSALEM OR The Compassionate Lamentation of a tender-hearted SAVIOUR over a rebellious and obdurate people Both lately delivered to the Church of God at Great YARMOUTH and now published as useful and seasonable By JOHN BRINSLEY Minister of the Gospel there London Printed by I. L. for Tho. Newberry over-against the Conduit in Cornhill by the Exchange 1656. THREE Sacred Emblems The Mystical Starres Sword Sunne in the Hand Mouth Face of the SON OF MAN Wherein is held forth the Authority Dignity Duty and Security of the Gospel Ministery with the efficacious and powerful opperations of the Word and Spirit of Iesus Cirist With divers other particulars useful at all times and some of them very seasonable for the present As they were lately delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth by JOHN BRINSLEY Minister of the Gospel there TEXT Revel 1. 16. And he had in his right hand seven stars And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword And his countenance was as the Sun shining in his strength London Printed by I. L. for Tho. Newberry 1656. To my honoured and worthy Brethren the faithful dispensers of the Mysteries of Christ in the County of NORFOLKE And especially those who were Assistant or present at the late publick Ordination of Ministers in the City of Norwich November 14. 1655. Much esteemed in the Lord. HAving made choice of the three first Chapters of the Revelation to be the subject of a weekly Exercise in the place where God hath set me if he shall please so long to continue my life and liberty till I have finished this taske and having through his assistance passed through the first fifteene verses it pleased his providence so to dispose as that the sixteenth came to hand upon that verie day on which some and as I since understood many of you were assembled together for the Ordaining of certaine Candidates for the Ministery Being in number parallel to the Starres in my Text however one of them as it happeneth sometimes to the Starres appeared not With this providential Syncronisme I was then somewhat affected looking upon the Subject I had in hand as far more sutable to that audience where you then were and my self should have been had not bodily imfirmity not daring to conflict with the difficulty of the season hindred then that to which I was then preaching And hereupon it is that I have beene since induced to communicate unto you these my Meditations which here I put into your hands wishing that they may be as useful to you and others of my Brethren elsewhere as they are seasonable and needful for the present times I shall not neede to minde you of what I presume you cannot but be sensible what designes there are at this day on foote against your sacred function either to render it null or else contemptible either of which will serve the Devils and the Iesuites turne well enough for the exterpating of Gods true Religion Against these you shall finde that in this Treatise which serveth to animate and beare up your spirits Onely let it be your care to answer the first of these Emblems here held forth that you be Starres First such as are placed by God in the firmament of his Churh whereunto that Ordinance of a solemn Ordination is so necessary a requisite as that I suppose no moderate and well advised spirit will blame what you in this juncture of time have done though happily therein all things have not beene so regular as might have beene wished And being thus placed then let it be your care and indeavour to approve your selves in measure worthy of that honour shining as Starres giving light to this darksome world by your doctrine and example being like the Pleiades sweetly influentiall unto those over whom God hath set you And then with confidence put your selves into the hands of this Son of man committing your lives livelyhood Libertie labours to the care and custodie of this your Archbishop who being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Chiefe Shepherd will have an eye as to the Sheepe so to the Shepherds In whose hand as I find you in my Text so I leave you resting Yarmouth Decem. 11. 1655. Your unworthy fellow labourer yet desirous to be found faithful John Brinsley THE Mystical Stars In the Right Hand of JESUS CHRIST REVEL 1. 16. And he had in his right hand seven Stars IN this and the three foregoing verses we have a Description of that Son of man which in Vision appeared unto his servant Iohn in the midst of the seven Golden caâ—dlâ—sticks the Lord Iesus in the midst of the Churches Him our Apostle here sets forth as by his Habit and attire verse 13. so by the several parts and members of his Body Three whereof you have in this verse whereof the Text is part viz. His hand his mouth his face or countenance It is the first of these I have now to deal with his Hand his Right hand with the Appurtenances what he had in it viz. seven stars And he had in his right hand seven stars Where our first Enquiry must be touching the Mysterie what was herein signified What by these Stars what by their being in the hand the right hand of this Son of Man Begin with the former About which if I had any time to waste I might shew you the several fancies and conceits of Expositors Some of which hereby understand seven Angels Angelical spirits such as they conceive those to have been which are said to stand before the throne of God verse 4. Others the Spirit of God that Spiritus septiformis whose gifts and graces are seven-fold many and manifold Others the seven Planets each of which they suit with some eminent person shining in his Generation But I shall not trouble you or my self with these fancies which I 〈◊〉 upon as not worth the mentioning seeing 〈◊〉 who best knew what it was that 〈…〉 hand himself explains the Mysterie Which 〈◊〉 doth expresly in the last verse of the 〈…〉 The seven stars are the Angels of the seven Churches Not the tutelary Guardian Angels but the symbolical Angels the Mysteries of those seven Churches of Asia These are the stars here in the hand of Christ. Stars 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not precious stores Orient gems which shine like stars So I find one conceâ—â—ing of it looking upon these as so many rings upon the right hand of this Son of man every of which should have a precious stone in it Applying it to the ministers of the Gospel who being faithful are as the Lord supposeth it concerning Ieconias Jer. 22. 24. Like the signet upon his right hand dear and precious unto him But let that go among the rest Take the word here as it founds in the proper and literal signification of it
The punishment first generally declared But now they are hid from thine eyes Then more particularly explained in the verses following These are the severals some of which I have now to deal with Begin with the first The occasion of this lamentation And when he was come near he beheld the City So he did and that Oculis tam animi quam corporis with the eye both of his body and mind With the eye of his body he beheld the place And beholding it wept over it Thus is the eye of the body oftimes as a window to let in affection and passion into the soul. Love and hatred joy and grief they often enter at this 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 or looked upon that did so affect and move him A. Why 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 thâ— 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 grouâ—d 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 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 â—ap 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 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 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 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