A29696:211
London's lamentation, or, A serious discourse concerning the late fiery dispensation that turned our…
London's lamentation, or, A serious discourse concerning the late fiery dispensation that turned our (once renowned) city into a ruinous heap also the several lessons that are incumbent upon those whose houses have escaped the consuming flames / by Thomas Brooks.
London: printed for John Hancock and Nathaniel Ponder, 1670
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Sixthly, Rejecting the Gospel, contemning the Gospel, §6and slighting the free and gracious offers of Christ in the Gospel, brings the fiery Dispensation upon a people, and causes the Lord to lay their Cities desolate. Math. 22. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain King, which made a marriage for his Son. And he sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made slight of it, •nd went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the King heard thereof, he was wroth: and sent forth his armies, and destroyed those mu• derers, and burnt up their City. In this Parable the Vocation of the Gentiles, and the Rejection of the Jews, is set forth. The 1Jews have the honour to be first called to the Marriage-feast; they are invited by the Prophets, and afterwards by the Apostles to partake of Christ and of all his royal Benefits and Favours which are displayed in the Gospel. God the Father was very willing and desirous to make up a match between Christ and the Jews, and between Christ and the Gentiles: and he is here called a King, to declare his divine Majesty, and to set forth the stateliness and magnificence of the ⟨p. 101⟩Feast. Marriage-feasts that are usually made by Kings, are full of joy, and full of state, full of splendour and glory; who can sum up the variety of dishes and dainties that then the Guests are feasted with? The variety of the glorious excellencies, favours, and mercies of Christ that are discovered and tendered by God in Gospel-offers, in Gospel-ordinances, is the Wedding-feast to which all sorts of sinners are invited; but here you see they slight, and scorn, and contemn both Master of the feast, and the matter of the feast, and all those servants that were sent to invite them to the feast; and hereupon the King was wroth, and sent forth his armies (the Romans, as most Interpreters do agree) and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their City.