Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world

CHAP. 75. The Fifteenth Argument: Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God to be reconciled to sinners.

But further, the Lord shows his willingness to be reconciled to sinners in this, that when this way will not prevail you will think there were never another way to be found, yet there is another way when God doth deal in a familiar way as man to man, when he hath brought his Arguments, and answered Objections, and been importunate, and pleaded, then truly sometimes, (if it be a tender hearted man) perhaps his heart doth even break within him, and he is ready to burst out with tears, because of the stoutness and frowardness, of such a one, that will ruin himself and stand out against so much reason, and that prevailing more than all the other arguments, especially when he is to speak to one that he hath any reference to, as a Father, the Father perhaps persuades the Child, and answers what the Child hath to say, is importunate, appeals to the conscience of the Child, yet he stands out stubbornly, and at length the ⟨p. 345⟩Father or Mother can hold no longer, but burst out in tears, lamenting the hardness of heart of such a one. Now if a Child that is stubborn should look in at a key-hole, and see his Father, or Mother, shedding of tears, because of his hardness of heart, then the Child will certainly be convinced of this. Now certainly my Father loves me, and all he doth, it is but for my good, certainly thus did Christ, when he came to Jerusalem he wept over it, Upon what ground? O! that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that concern thy peace: O! that thou hadst known, & Christ fell a weeping. Now we are to know this, that the tears of Christ at that time concern sinners now, as verily & truly as they did concern sinners at that very instant, and we are to look upon Christs carriage of himself to sinners in former times, as at this instant, concerning us, and amongst us. Now I would appeal to you; suppose Christ were born in this world in the flesh again as he was, and should come and look towards this commonwealth and should come hither; and say, O! England, England, O! that thou hadst known the things that concern thy peace, and should weep over London, or weep over Westminster, as he did over that City of Jerusalem, Would not this break our hearts? Would not we take this as a great Argument that Christ was very desirous of the peace of this City or place?