Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	according_a	age_n	agreement_n	23	3	9.2275	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04167	Diverse sermons with a short treatise befitting these present times, now first published by Thomas Iackson, Dr in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, and president of Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford. ...	Jackson, Thomas, 1579-1640.	1637 (1637)	STC 14307; ESTC S107448	114,882	232

call portenta or prodigia that is in sacred language peculiar signes of the time or forewarnings of greater calamities to follow we gather from the first words of the Chap. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there were some present 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in illo ipso articulo temporis in that very season or nick of time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilat had mingled with their sacrifices What season was that That point of time wherein he said vnto the people 12. Chap. 4. v. When yee see a cloud rise out of the West streightway yee say there commeth a showre and so it is And when yee see the South wind blow yee say there will be heat and it commeth to passe Yee Hypocrites yee can discerne the face of the skie and of the earth but how is it that yee doe not discerne this time Yea and why euen of your selues iudge yee not what is right And when the Pharises with the Sadduces came tempting and desiring him that he would shew them a signe from heauen as it is Math. 16. v. 1. 2. c. He answered and said vnto them when it is euening yee say it will be faire weather for the skie is red And in the morning it will be foule-weather to day for the skie is red and lowring O yee Hypocrites yee can discerne the face of the skie but can yee not discerne the signes of the times And albeit his recited speeches Luk. 12. v. 54. were directed vnto the people or promiscuous multitude then present yet in that multitude there were no question some Scribes which had the prerogatiue and portion of the first borne in the title of Hypocrites Now our Sauiour's discourse immediately before my text being of the signes of the time and a taxe of his Auditors dulnesse in not discerning them This unexpected intersertion of those Galileans whose bloud Pilat had mingled with their sacrifices whatsoever the newes-mongers intended was indeed no interruption but rather an illustration of his doctrine It comes in ' its right cue and the relators of this sad accident serve his turne as fitly as the Chirurgion doth the Physitian by making a visible dissection of that part on which the other makes an Anatomy lecture The implication or importance of the newes thus suted by divine providence unto the point then handled by our Saviour is in effect as much as if hee himselfe had said unto his Auditors If you want other signes of the time to meditate upon take these two for your theame the unusuall masacre of these Galileans and the disaster of those eighteene inhabitants of Ierusalem upon whom the tower in Siloe fell and slew them These are the first drops of Gods displeasure against the Nation but these drops without repentance will grow into a current and the current into a river and the river swell into a flood and the flood into an ocean of publique woe and tragique miseries The Prophet Ieremie long before had taxed their forefathers as more dull and stupid then the reasonlesse Creatures as the birds of the ayre for not discerning or not observing those signes of the time which did foreshew Gods judgments vpon them with the causes which did provoke them Ier. 8. 6. 7. I hearkned and heard but they speake not aright no man repented him of his wickednesse saying what haue I done every one turned to his course as the horse rusheth into the battel yea the Storke in the heauen knoweth her appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow obserue the time of their comming but my people know not the Iudgment of the Lord. This stupidity or senslesnesse in man whether Iew or Gentile whether Christian or Heathen in thus slighting or neglecting the signes of the time that is such portendments or prognostiques of Gods judgments or calamities as the very booke of nature or of the visible creatures affords argues the nature at least the disposition of men in whom this stupiditie is found to be farther out of frame then the nature of the birds of the ayre or beasts of the feild For they commonly fore-see vnseaonable weather or storme comming and seeke in time for some refuge or shelter but so doe not men for the most part returne to God who is their only refuge vnder the shadow of whose wings there is only hope of safety albeit he daily giues them more pregnant prognosticks of wrath ensuing then the disposition of the ayre doth vnto birds or foules From these circumstances of the season wherein these newes were brought unto our Sauiour the ensuing discourse must take its rise by these degrees first of the peculiar signes of times portending unusuall calamities and of their generall use Secondly of the manner how this prophesy was fulfilled upon the whole Iewish Nation according to the scale or model of these two signes upon these few Galileans and inhabitants of Ierusalem Thirdly of the morall use or application of both these signes and predictions That the preserver of mankind doth alwayes in one kind or other gently yet seriously forwarn every city or nation of such extraordinary calamities as hang over their heads and without repentance inevitably fall upon them there can bee no better proofe than by induction that is by the generall agreement of Historians whether sacred Christian or heathen in all ages Of Historians whose workes are entirely extant or unsuspected to be the Authors whose names they beare Herodotus is the most ancient and he hath made up the induction to out hands untill his owne times Quoties ingentes sunt eventurae calamitates vel civitati vel nationi solent signis praenunciari Extraordinary calamities whether such as befall cities or peculiar Segniories are alwaies foreshewne by some signe or other This author lived before Alexander the great but after Cyrus had taken the city of Babilon and is quoted by Aristotle who was Alexanders instructor I referre his instances or ensamples confirming his former induction of generall observation to a fitter opportunity diverse of them being more paralleld to the signes of the times in my text then any I haue read in any heathen Author In the age next ensuing the Author of the second booke of Maccabees A man of authentique credit for matter of fact though not of Canonicall authority for his doctrine or judgement vpon matter of fact related by him hath recorded the like forewarnings though in another kind foresignifying the warres that befell the Iewish nation by Antiochus Chap. 5. 2. 3. To parallel these with the like in every age since that time would be lesse painefull to an ordinary Preacher then troublesome to his auditors Matchiavel a man as free from superstition or vaine credulity as any other writer that hath bin borne and bred amongst Christians out of his owne reading and experience hath made the same induction which Herodotus did but somewhat more full Vt causam facilè confitebor me ignorare it a rem

bee The same admonitions of our Saviour are related totidem dem verbis Marke 13. v. 14. to the 20. and by S. Luk. 21. 21. to the 26. with some additions Then let them which are in Iudea fly unto the mountaines and let them which are in the midst of it depart out and let not them which are in the countrey enter thereinto For these bee the dayes of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled and they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall bee led away captive into all Nations And Ierusalem shall bee trodden downe of the Gentiles untill the times of the Gentiles bee fulfilled After Gods wrath had once seyzed upon them the execution of it was so nimble quicke that if it had continued but some few weeks or many dayes as it had begun all Isaacks seed according to the flesh had utterly perished But for the elect's sake or such as God had chosen out of that Nation to propagate the Kingdome of his sonne these dayes of tribulation were shortned And however the persecution of both Iewes and Christians did not determine with the destruction of Ierusalem yet the number of Christians did multiply faster then the seed of Abraham according to the flesh had done in Egypt Now all these signes which our Saviour had given of Ierusalem's destruction were fulfilled within forty yeares after his resurrection and ascension and the dissolution of the Temple of the city which these signes or abominations did portend was accomplished in the Autumne following Now after the exhibition of these signes and the tribulation of those dayes the fearefull signes here mentioned in my text were immediatly to follow But how immediatly without any delay or inter position of time of dayes of monthes or yeares this wee may not say this wee cannot safely collect from our Saviour's words These signes were to follow immediatly non immediatione tēporis sed immediatione signorum that is they were to follow immediatly not with reference to the next times ensuing but with reference to the next remarkable signes of the times of which the world as well the Christians then encreased as the reliques of the Iewish Nation as the Gentiles who were the greatest part of the world after the destruction of Ierusalem were to take warning In this sense wee say that one King is another's immediat successor if there be no King betweene them albeit their bee an interregnum either of weekes or moneths betwixt them The vacancy of an Episcopall see for one or two yeares or more doth not make the next succeeding Bishop not to be the others immediat successor albeit there bee an intermediat time betwixt the ones death or removall and the others election or consecration Thus albeit the signes in my text did immediatly succeed the former signes of Ierusalem's destruction yet the world as well the Iewes and Christians as the Romans had a convenient time allotted to pause or meditate upon the strange desolation of Ierusalem and Iudea before the second ranke of signes here in my text were to bee exhibited for they were not exhibited untill the second yeare of Titus his raigne For seeing the Nations would take no notice of Christ's Kingdome or of Gods judgements by the prodigious destruction of Ierusalem it was shall I say his will yea an act of his mercy to give them a second a more solemne publique warning of that great and terrible day wherein that Iesus whom the Iewes had crucified whom the Romans had strangely sleighted and grievously persecuted in his members will come with glory and power to execute judgement upon all ungodly men upon all unbelievers or rebels against his Kingdome But before I come to shew you the particular manner how this phophecy was fulfilled within that age current wherein it was uttered it will be expedient to acquaint you with the strange manner how the Iewes first and the Romans after them did misconstrue or pervert the signes of the time which God had given them for their good The Heathen writers themselves acknowledge there was a constant fame or received opinion throughout the East that the land of Iury in this age should bring forth one who was to be Lord and King over the whole world This generall fame and opinion tooke its originall from the prophecies of the old testament concerning our Saviour's birth and resurrection And unto these propheticall predictions all the signes of the time did fully accord yet seeing our Saviour's Kingdome was not of this world though more universall seeing the authority which hee excercised was meerely spirituall not temporall seeing he would not take upon him to imprison to put to death or to divide inheritances or to manage warres against the enemies of this people they sleited him then as most part of the world have done his true Embassadors since For who is there almost that feares the edge of the spirituall sword unlesse it be backed with the temporall But did the Iewish Nation then take notice of the former constant fame throughout the East concerning the great Lord of Lords which was then to arise out of Iury or had they no apprehension of the signes of the time which did confirme or seale the truth of the prophecies which occasioned this fame Yes the signes of those times did worke very strange though very bad effects even in the very worst of this people Their hearts were so overgrowne with pride vaine-glory and hypocrisy that the abundance of these and the like bad humours did turne good Physicke even the foode of life it selfe into deadly poyson For out of this undoubted prenotion that this was the very time wherein the Lord had promised to deliver this people from the hands of their enemies they became so prone as the event proves they were to take armes and rebell against the Romans partly about the time of our Saviour's birth but especially after his resurrection when his Kingdome began to bee propagated through the world There was no man of greater might or potency amongst them which did not take upon him to promise this peoples deliverance from the Roman yoke with which the more they strugled the sorer it crushed them and the multitude were as prone to believe every one that would take upon him the name or title of a Saviour or deliverer The fore-sight of this pronenesse in great ones to promise salvation to this people and the peoples promptnesse to believe them did occasion our Saviour to give these admonitions to his Disciples Beware of false Christs Mat. 24. v. 4. Mark 13. v. 6. Luk. 21. v. 6. which would arise in Iury before the destruction of Ierusalem with such faire inticeing promises and pretences of deliverance that if it had beene possible the very elect should have beene deceived by them And no question but many of our Saviour's Disciples had followed these false Christs unlesse their master the true Christ had expressely forewarned them to