England's 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 Jerusalem's sorrows and troubles, which is worthy to be kept in memory.  
Written by Laurence Price. 1656.  
jerusalem  
London, Printed for Th●. J●… next door to the Eagle & Child in Giltspur-street.   

  

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 precedent laid open the bitter calamities and extremities of that glorious & unparaleld City of Jerusalem, which was once known to be the mirror of the whole world: but at last brought to utter ruin and desolation, by their unthankfulness and disobedience to their Lord and Saviour. So hoping that you will consider, and lay it to heart, to foresee the dangers to come, I remain your friend and Servant so long as you serve God.  
Laurence Price.   

ENGLAND'S 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 jesus Christ, when he approached near 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 therewithal being in a great Passion, with a loud voice he cried out in this manner, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou at lest those things which belong unto thy peace, even in this thy day but now are they hid from thine eyes: For the days 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 Saviour was heard by many of the jews, yet few believed, and none regarded his say; but while he wept for them they laughed at him and his disciples, and although he had before shown 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, joh. 11.44. Yet would not all these miracles, bring the stiffnecked jews into a right belief; but instead of giving God the praise, they sought the death of him that came into the world to cure their bodies, and to save their souls from everlasting damnation.   

CHAP. II. Of the cruelty of the Jews, and how bloodily they dealt with our Saviour Christ, was as followeth.  
AND it came to pass afterwards he himself went throughout every City and Village preaching and showing 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 jews 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 think what extreme sorrows, and woeful bickerments he went through, They took him and bound him, they scourged him and whipped him, they buffeted and sm●te him, they spit in his face, they crowned 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 Saviour jesus Christ, he was never heard to give them so much as one angry word; but with mild 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 immediately after such a horrible unexpected Eclipse of the Sun, that there's was a darkness over all the Land; and the vail of the Temple rend from the top to the bottom, and there was also a most terrible earthquake which rend the 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 Saviour was at the Bar of Arraignment, every one was against him and no man pitied his sorrows, but only the judge Pilate, which was then set upon life and death, whose conscience was sorely pricked when he was to pass 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 cried out all with one consent, Away with him, crucify 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 jews wish to fall upon themselves; 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 Jews, 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 Saviour Christ out of sight, but he was also out of mind; for the Jews 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 Blaspheming, wantonness and chambering, and what not.  
But with the old Proverb, every sweet will have his sower: So tared it with the jews; for in the midst of all their pleasure, they beheld most strange and wonderful Visions and Apparitions in the A●re; one while there seemed to be a mighty Host of warlike Soldiers a fight one against the other. Some times there appeared a strange & prodigious blazing Star, shining more bright than the Sun in his full glory: & for a long time together there was every day seen 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 Country round about, that the People were (many of them) at their wit's end, not knowing what were best for them to do.  
And in these sad distracted times, some hanged themselves, some drowned themselves, some cut their own 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 pity.  
But to go forward with my Discourse, it is not one Swallow that makes a Summer? neither does one evil go alone by itself; for as the waves of the Sea in a tempestuous Storm, drives and beats one upon another along with the voiolence of the wind, even so doth vexations, crosses and troubles, one come on the neck of another when men have offended God: For in the time that the jews were in this sad distraction, than came a Messenger of sorrow into the City, to bring them tidings of Titus Vespasian's approach with a mighty great Army of valiant Soldiers, which had vowed to scale the stately walls of Jerusalem, and make their buildings levelly with the ground.  
Whereupon the Governors of the jews took courage upon them, and made this Reply, Let not that proud Emperor Vespasian think but that we scorn to be subject to, or bow our necks to his yoke. We have quoth they an hundred thousand lusty fight men: we have plenty of corn and other provision, enough to serve us for twenty years. 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 jews slattered themselves within the walls of the City, thinking themselves secure, the valiant Emperor Titus encamped, 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 jews that were within the City fell out amongst themselves, and divided themselves into three parts, where they made more havoc and slaughter one of another, than 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 neighbour killing and murdering one another. The Son had no compassion on the Father, and the daughter ripping up the bowels of the mother. Soldiers 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 corpse of the People lay in heaps about the streets, that they stun●e above the ground for want of burial: 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 presently hear.  
There was two seditious Captains amongst the jews, 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 enforced to feed upon Dogs, and Cats, or any other stinking carrion, nay worse than that, some were glad to eat their own excrements, & some Mothers Roasted & 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 do them any good.  
Thus much have I spoken for a truth, conserning the destruction of the jews, and their City; having a testimoney 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 ways and actions, than the jews 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 bear in mind this last chapter of my Book, which is called England's 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 Gospel to eluminate our souls, Gods holy word & spirit to assist us in our ways, & actions; the Scriptures interpreted and made plain unto us, and Expounded in our Language? these things if we pursue and make good use off we can never do amiss.  
Besides this we have praised be God, all manner of bodily sustenance in great plenty, and at a cheap sat; as food for the body, and raiment 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, lest the sweet and happy Legacy and blessing which we now enjoy should be turned into a Curse as the jews was; and since we bore, and have the name of Christians, I would have all men and women to carry themselves li●e Christians, laying a part all hatred, spite, envy and malice; all drunkenness, whoring, swearing, and cursing; all lying, backbiting, and faithfully to learn and labour, and to ma●e use of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ his new Commanbment, which is to love one another.  
L. P.  
FINIS.