Englands Golden LEGACY: OR, A brief description of the manifold mer­cies and blessings which the Lord hath bestowed upon our sinful Nation. Set forth to the end that all people that reads or hears it, may repent them of their sins, and be thankful to the Lord for his benefits. Here is also a brief description of Je­rusalems sorrows and troubles, which is worthy to be kept in memory.

Written by Laurence Price. 1656.

Ierusalem

London, Printed for Th [...]. J [...] next door to the Eagle & Child in Giltspur-street.

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The Epistle to all Christians.

BEloved friends the matter contained in this Book is to give war­ning to the world, that e­very man may take heed of that fearful sin of In­gratitude, & to that pur­pose I have here for a president laid open the bit­ter calamities and extre­mities of that glorious & unparaleld City of Jeru­salem, [Page] which was once known to be the mirrour of the whole world: but at last brought to utter ruine and desolation, by their unthankfulness and disobedience to their Lord and Savior. So ho­ping that you will con­sider, and lay it to heart, to foresee the dangers to come, I remaine your friend and Servant so long as you serve God.

Laurence Price.

ENGLANDS Golden Legacy.

CHAP. I. How Christ foretold the miseries that would come upon Jerusalem, is plain­ly here set down as an example for us to take warning by.

OUr blessed Lord and Savi­our Iesus Christ, when he approached neer unto the fair and goodly City of Je­rusalem, he most bitterly wept and lamented over it; and know­ing of the manifold miseries which would after his death fall upon the Ci­ty, and the Inhabitants thereof; and therewithall being in a great Passion, with a lowd voyce he cryed out in this manner, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou at lest those things which be­long [Page 6] unto thy peace, even in this thy day but now are they hid from thine eyes: For the dayes shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and, compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and make thee even with the ground, and thy children which are in thee, and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou knowest not the time of the visitation, Luke 19.42, 43. & 44. those words so spoken by our Savior was heard by many of the Iews, yet few believed, and none regarded his say­ings; but while he wept for them they laught at him and his disciples, and although he had before shewn many wonders, and done many miracles in all the Countries round about as was very well known to them that were then in place: He made the deaf to hear: the dumb to speak: the lame to go: the blind to see: cleansed the Le­pers, and raised up the dead from the grave, Ioh. 11.44. Yet would not all these miracles, bring the stiff-necked Iews into a right belief; but instead of giving God the praise, they sought the death of him that came into the world [Page 7] to cure their bodies, and to save their souls from everlasting damnation.

CHAP. II. Of the cruelty of the Jewes, and how bloodily they dealt with our Savior Christ, was as followeth.

AND it came to pass afterwards he himself went throughout every City and Village preaching and shew­ing the glad tidings of salvation, and of the Kingdom of God, and his twelve disciples were with him, Luke 8.1. Casting out of devils, and healing all diseases: yet was the hatred of the Iews so much they could never let him rest at quiet: for why the Scribes and Pharisees of the people conspired his death; and the High Priests consulted to deprive him of his life, and to that end and purpose came false witnesses to accuse him of that which he never did, as you may read Matth. 26. And when Judas had betrayed him into their hands, they dealt with him so wickedly that the like was never known before: No Pen can write, no tongue can exrresse, nor no heart of man can thinke what extream sorrows, and wofull bickerments he went through, [Page 9] They took him and bound him, they scourged him and whipt him, they buf­feted and sm [...]te him, they spit in his face, they crown'd him with a wreath of pricking thorns, and they made him in disgrace to carry his own Cross to the place of Execution, where they most bloodily nailed him through both his hands, and feet, between two sinful Malefactors; and last of all they gave him vinegar and gall to drink, Mark 27.34. But for all those bitter tor­ments and sufferings of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, he was never heard to give them so much as one angry word; but with milde and gentle words he prayed for his enemies, saying, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do, Joh. 18.32. So, crying with a loud voice, Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit, he gave up the Ghost: and when they had so murder­ed the Lord of Life, there was imme­diatly after such a horible unexpected Eclipse of the Sun, that thers was a darkness over all the Land; and the vail of the Temple rent from the top to the bottom, and there was also a most terible earth-quake which rent the [Page 8] vail of the Temple from the top to the bottom, Mark 15 38. And then the Centurion and others that beheld it, which had no bolief in them before, did both confess and say, Verily, and truly, this was the true Son of the living God, Mark 15.40.

One thing more to be considered of is this, that whilst our Savior was at the Bar of Arraignment, every one was against him and no man pittied his sor­rows, but only the Iudge Pilate, which was then set upon life and death, whose conscience was sorely pricked when he was to passe the Sentence of death up­on Christ, and therefore he took wa­ter and washed his hands; saying, I am guiltless of the shedding of the blood of this innocent man; whereupon they cryed out all with one consent, Away with him, crucifie him; and let his blood be upon us, and upon our children for ever, Mark 15.13, 14. A heavy curse God knows did the Iews wish to fall upon themselvs; and I pray that Chri­stians may never do the like evil, nor know the like sorrow. And what become of them after the Passion of Christ, you shall hear in this following Chapter.

CHAP. III. Of the grievous Afflictions and miseries that befell the Jewes, after they had crucified the Lord of Life: And of their desolation, and total overthrow and destruction is here set down for our example.

NO sooner was our Savior Christ out of sight, but he was also out of mind; for the Jewes thought they had done well in p [...]ting him to death, and never took sorrow till it was too late, they eat drank and were merry; they gave their minds to all manner of voluptuous▪ living as carousing in Ale­houses and Taverns, Swearing and Blaspheaming, wantonness and cham­bering, and what not.

But with the old Proverb, every sweet will have his sower: So tared it with the Iewes; for in the middest of all their pleasure, they beheld most strange and wonderfull Visions and Apparitions in the A [...]re; one while there seemed to be a mighty Host of warlike Souldiers a fighting one a­gainst [Page 11] the other. Some times there appeared a strange & prodigeous blaz­ing Star, shining more bright then the Sun in his full glory: & for a long time together there was every day seene a fierce fiery flaming Sword, hanging right over the stately City of Jerusalem with the point downwards, which brought such amazement through all parts of the City, and Countrey round about, that the People were (many of them) at their wits end, not knowing what were best for them to do.

And in these sad destracted times, some hanged themselves, some drown­ed themselves, some cut their owne throats, all which was done for want of serving of God; as many have late­ly done in the City of London, and in other parts of England, the more is the pitty.

But to goe forward with my Dis­course, it is not one Swallow that makes a Summer? neither does one evill goe alone by it selfe; for as the waves of the Sea in a tem­pestious Storme, drives and beats one upon another along with the voiolence of the wind, even so doth [Page 12] vexations, crosses and troubles, one come on the neck of another when men have offended God: For in the time that the Iews were in this sad destra­ction, then came a Messenger of sor­row into the City, to bring them ti­dings of Titus Vespatians approach with a mighty great Army of valiant Souldiers, which had vowed to scale the stately walls of Jerusalem, and make their buildings level with the ground.

Whereupon the Governors of the Iews took courage upon them, and made this Reply, Let not that proud Emperour Vespatian think but that we scorn to be subject to, or bow our necks to his yoke. We have quoth they an hundred thousand lusty fighting men: we have plenty of corn and other pro­vision, enough to serve us for twenty yeers. We have above a thousand stately Towers of defence to save us from the slaughter of our enemies if need require. Why then, quoth they, should we be danuted, or stand in fear of any power that can come against us.

Thus while the Iews slattered [Page 13] themselves within the walls of the City, thinking themselves secure, the valiant Emperour Titus incamped, and besieged the City round about, where they lay so long, doing spoil and cut­ting up the water pipes; and many other such like mischiefs that is t [...]o tedious here to be told.

But to be brief, this it was: That the Iews that were within the City fell out amongst themselves, and divi­ded themselves into three parts, where they made more havock and slaughter one of another, then all the enemies that ever came against them could do. God grant that the like may never be done in England; for there were peo­ple all together by the ears: One neighbor killing and murdering one another. The Son had no compassion on the Father, and the daughter ripping up the bowels of the mother. Souldiers from place to place with drawn swords in their hands, run up and down not caring who they killed; for they neither spared old nor young, friend nor enemy; insomuch the chan­nels run down with blood, as if it had been water: besides all this the dead [Page 14] corps of the People lay in heaps about the streets, that they stun [...]e above the ground for want of buriall: and with the noysumnes thereof there bred such an Infection amongst them that hun­dreds of thousands were quite eaten up and destroyed with the grievious Plague of pestilence: but the last pu­nishment they had was the worst of all, as you shall presantly heare.

There was two seditious Captains amongst the Iews, who in one night set on fire, and burned up all the Pro­vision which was in the City; where­upon there came such a great Famine in the City, that they were at last in­forc'd to féed upon Dogs, and Cats, or any other stinking carion, nay worse then that, some were glad to eat their own excrements, & some Mothers Rost­ed & eat the flesh of their own children, & when it was too late, they that were left alive delivered up the City, and themselves to the mercy of the enemy, who dealt with them according as Christ had foretold [...] for they left not one stone upon another that would doe them any good.

Thus much have I spoken for a [Page 15] truth, conserning the destruction of the Iews, and their City; having a teste­mony for the same, bo [...]h from the Scriptures, & other sufficient Authors. And I pray to God to give a blessing to all them that hears, and reads the word of God? so that they make bet­ter use of their wayes and actions, then the Iews did: To which let all true Christians say Amen.

And now before I conclude, I desire you all that are in presence to take good heed, and beare in mind this last chapter of my Booke, which is called Englands Golden Legacy.

The Legacies, and Blessings that the Lord hath bestowed are so many, that they cannot all be unmbred: but those which we every day & minute make use off, we may best remember; as namely the light of the Gospell to eluminate our soules, Gods holy word & spirit to assist us in our wayes, & actions; the Scriptures interpreted and made plaine unto us, and Expounded in our Language? these things if we pursue and make good use off wee can never doe amiss.

Besides this we have praised be God, all manner of bodily sustenance in great plenty, and at a cheap sate; as food for the body, and rayment for the back; only Trading is something dead, and money hard to come by for this present, but I would desire every one to wait with patience till better times come, and let us not in any case murmur against the Lord, nor pro­voke him to anger, least the sweet and happy Legacy and blessing which we now enjoy should be turned into a Curse as the Iews was; and since we bare, and have the name of Chri­stians, I would have all men and wo­men to carry themselves li [...]e Christi­ans, laying a part all hatred, spight, envy and malice; all drunkenesse, wh [...]ring, swearing, and cursing; all lying, backbiting, and saithfully to learn and labour, and to ma [...]e use of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ his new Commanbment, which is to love one another.

L. P.
FINIS.

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