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<DATE>2013-03-26</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P><HI>God wooing his Church:</HI></P>
<P>Set foorth in three godly Sermons.</P>
<P><HI>By William Burton preacher at Reading.</HI></P>
<P>LONDON Printed by <HI>V.S.</HI> for <HI>Iohn Hardie dwelling in Paules Church|yard</HI> at the &s;igne of the Tygers head, 1596</P>
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<DIV1 N="1" TYPE="sermon">
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<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>God wooing his Church. The first Sermon.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>IEREMIE Chap. 3.</HI></BIBL>
<P><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 14</HI></BIBL> O ye di&s;obedient children, turne a|gaine, &s;aith the Lord, for I am your Lord, and I will take you one of a citie, and two of a tribe, and will bring you to Zion.</P>
<P><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 15</HI></BIBL> And I will giue you Pa&s;tors ac|cording to mine heart, which &s;hall feede you with knowledge and vnder&s;tanding.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe&s;e wordes be part of an Ex|hortation begunne in the 12. ver&s;e of this chap. and made to the captiue I&s;raelits in A&s;siria, in the 9. yere of <HI>Ho&s;hea</HI> king of the ten tribes, as appeareth in 2. <HI>King.</HI> 17.6. And it groweth vppon a complaint again&s;t Iuda, becau&s;e that Iuda did not profit by the iugements of God vpon I&s;rael: which com|plaint being ended, the Lord here comman|deth the prophet to labor with the ten tribes that were in captiuitie, that they might pro|fite better by tho&s;e afflictions which were
<PB N="2" REF="3">vpon them, and by timely and hearty repen|tance to turn vnto God, which if they would yeeld vnto, the Lord doth al&s;o promi&s;e for his part to forget all their &s;innes pa&s;t, and to place them in their former e&s;tate of libertie againe.</P>
<P>This Scripture hath two partes; an Ex|hortation, and a Promi&s;e. In the Exhortati|on there are two circum&s;tances to be con&s;i|dered of: the fir&s;t is of the per&s;ons; the &s;e|cond is of the matter &s;ubiect. The per&s;ons be two-folde, exhorted, and exhorting: the per&s;ons exhorted are the captiue Iewes de&s;|cribed in the twoo fir&s;t wordes, <HI>di&s;obedient children.</HI> The per&s;ons exhorting are al&s;o double, the Lord by <HI>Ieremy,</HI> and <HI>Ieremy</HI> in the name of the Lord; and that appeares in the&s;e wordes <HI>[&s;aith the Lord.]</HI> The matter &s;ubiect is two-folde; fir&s;t, what it is that they are ex|horted vnto, in the&s;e wordes, <HI>Turne againe:</HI> &s;econdly, a rea&s;on why, in the&s;e wordes, <HI>For I am your Lord.</HI></P>
<P>In the manner of &s;peaking to the per&s;ons exhorted, doth notably appeare the &s;ingular wi&s;edome, and vn&s;peakeable mercy of God. Gods wi&s;edome appeareth in ripping vppe of their &s;innes, before he exhorteth them to repentance: Yea that he may bring them to repentance for their &s;innes; he &s;aith not &s;im|ply, O my children, turne againe, le&s;t they
<PB N="3" REF="3">&s;hould take an action again&s;t <HI>Ieremy,</HI> for im|peaching their credit: but he &s;aith, <HI>O ye di&s;o|bedient children,</HI> that &s;o hee might conuince their con&s;ciences, &s;top their mouthes, and take away all occa&s;ion of boa&s;ting. From this wi&s;e cour&s;e of wi&s;edome it &s;elfe, in calling men to God, both the mini&s;ter of God, and euery chri&s;tian brother may learne this pro|fitable le&s;&s;on; that the readie&s;t way to bring men from their profanene&s;&s;e to true repen|tance, is fir&s;t to conuince them of &s;inne, and then to exhort them to repentance. Many cry repent, and amend, thundering out the iudgements of God again&s;t the people: this ought to be done; but if we do not fir&s;t &s;hew them what is amis, they wil &s;ay as the proud Iewes &s;aid to <HI>Malachie, What haue wee done?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.13, 14</NOTE> But let <HI>Malachie</HI> tell them what their words are, and then they wil blu&s;h for &s;hame. Then will <HI>Felix</HI> tremble,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 24.26.</NOTE> when <HI>Paul</HI> preacheth of righteou&s;nes, temperance, and iudgement to come, all which do concerne him. Then will <HI>Dauid</HI> confes his &s;in,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 12.7.</NOTE> when <HI>Nathan</HI> &s;hall lay the parable clo&s;e to his con&s;cience. Then is <HI>Nabal</HI> &s;triken as a &s;tone,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 25.3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> when <HI>Abigaile</HI> &s;hal wi&s;ely watch hir time, and tell him of his churli&s;hnes.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 4.19.</NOTE> Then will the Samaritane wo|man leaue hir &s;coffing, when Chri&s;t &s;hall come home to her con&s;cience. Then wil the ten tribes returne (if euer they will returne)
<PB N="4" REF="4">when <HI>Ieremy</HI> &s;hal &s;ummon them before gods iudgement &s;eat for di&s;obedience. And then may the Preacher look to profit by his pub|like doctrine; and the brother by his priuate coun&s;ell, when fir&s;t they &s;hal proue to their con&s;ciences, that of this and that &s;in they are guilty.</P>
<P>Secondly, from this wi&s;edome of God, we learne that it is lawfull and nece&s;&s;ary for the mini&s;ter of god &s;omtime to v&s;e &s;harp words, if he meane to do any good, &s;pecially when he hath to deale with men who&s;e faces are of bra&s;&s;e, who&s;e necks are of yron, who&s;e harts are offlint, and who&s;e con&s;ciences are &s;eared vp with an hote iron. And yet he is not al|wayes to lay on loade, but &s;ometime (with <HI>Paule</HI>) to doubt whether hee &s;hould come with a rod, or with the &s;pirit of mildne&s;&s;e; &amp; as he &s;hall perceiue them either ob&s;tinate, or tractable, &s;o to make the edge of his repre|hen&s;ion blunt, or &s;harp; as he &s;eeth his Stil to drop, &s;o to quicken or &s;lake his fire; and &s;o to &s;traine, or let downe the &s;trings, as that nei|ther by too much &s;training, or too much loo&s;ening, they be brought more out of tune then they were before.</P>
<P>Againe he is not to handle all alike, but to remember that as all the &s;trings, of an in|&s;trument are not alike placed, alike natured, alike &s;ounded, nor all &s;trained alike, nor all
<PB N="5" REF="4">out of tune alike, and that according to their place, quantitie, and qualitie, euery one mu&s;t more or le&s;&s;e bee &s;trained, &s;o it mu&s;t be a|mong men. The magi&s;trate is to be repro|ued, but with great reuerence, and &s;ingular mode&s;tie. The mini&s;ter is to be reproued,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <HI>Tim.</HI> 5.1.</NOTE> but as an Elder. The elder &s;ort mu&s;t be re|prooued, but as fathers. The yoonger &s;ort mu&s;t be reprooued, but as children. And euery one according to his place and calling mu&s;t be dealt withall.</P>
<P>Againe, if two be fallen into one and the &s;ame &s;inne, he is wi&s;ely to ob&s;erue how they came down, &amp; warily to put a difference be|tweene the one and the other. The one may fall by weakene&s;&s;e, the other of wilfulnes, the one of ignorance, the other of mallice: the one therfore with lenity, the other with &s;eueritie mu&s;t be proceeded again&s;t, alwaies tempering his &s;peeches according to the na|ture and di&s;po&s;itions of per&s;ons with whom he hath to deale, and according to the quali|tie and quantitie of the &s;inne again&s;t which he dealeth: examples hereof we haue not a few in the &s;cripture.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12.20. P&s;a. 2 9.</NOTE> Chri&s;t will not breake the bru&s;ed reede, nor quench the &s;moking flaxe, but the rebellious hee will batter in peeces, like a potters ve&s;&s;ell.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 12.3.</NOTE> <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was the meeke&s;t man on earth, yet none more angry with <HI>Aaron,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32.6.</NOTE> nor more &s;euere again&s;t Idola|tors
<PB N="6" REF="5">then he.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 26.28.</NOTE> <HI>Paul</HI> will per&s;wade <HI>Felix</HI> to be|come a chri&s;tian,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 4, 19. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 2.11.14.</NOTE> and will conuey him&s;elfe into the bowels of the Gallatians to winne them to Chri&s;t, but hee meaneth to take vp <HI>Peter</HI> for halting,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 113.10.</NOTE> and to pronounce <HI>Elimas</HI> the verie child of the deuill.</P>
<P>As this doctrine was alwayes profitable, &s;o neuer more needefull then now, when there be <HI>quot homines tot &s;ententiae,</HI> how many men, &s;o many minds. Some would haue the preacher &s;peake alwaies alike, and that of no|thing but of mercy and &s;aluation, to pro|phe&s;ie of new wine and &s;trong drinke, but in no ca&s;e to awake them out of their &s;ins. Som would haue him alwaies to bee thundering out the iudgements of God, and to mini&s;ter nothing but bitter purgations, as though <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll men were &s;icke at once, or of one di&s;ea&s;e, or of one cau&s;e. Some againe can abide neither piping, nor mourning. If the mini&s;ter re|proue their &s;innes, they call him a bu&s;ie con|trolour: If he &s;hall applie the word to the con&s;cience, then, who made him a iudge? If he denounce the iudgements of god, then he fraieth his audience. If he &s;tandeth aboue his houre, the~ he is tedious. If he entreat friend|ly, then he is glad to curry fauor. If he be &s;pa|ring in reprofe, the~ he is afraid to di&s;plea&s;e. If he &s;peake learnedly, then he is too deepe. If plainely, then he is no &s;choller, but if he
<PB N="7" REF="5">will &s;ooth them vp with an <HI>Omne bene,</HI> or a <HI>nihil dicit,</HI> then he is the be&s;t church man that euer they knew.</P>
<P>Thirdly the Prophet telleth the Iewes of their di&s;obedience, that &s;o hee might make them more fit to returne vnto God, being fir&s;t humbled with the &s;ight of their &s;innes, to teach vs, that in all our reprehen&s;ions or admonitions, we mu&s;t &s;eek the good of our brother, and the glory of God; as <HI>Iohn</HI> the Bapti&s;t called the Phari&s;es and Sadduces a generation of vipers,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3.7</NOTE> not to make them de|&s;perate, but fruitful in the workes of repen|tance. And &s;urely (good brethren) then is there hope of doing good by &s;harpe cen|&s;ures, when men may &s;ee that they are not cen&s;ured of malice, or to make them odious, or for &s;ome other &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pect, but of con|&s;cience and loue, &s;eeking therby the good a|mendement of our brother, and that we are no whit glad for their faults, but rather grie|ued at their falles. And if this rule were al|waies ob&s;erued, among&s;t all tho&s;e to whome the cen&s;ures of the church are committed, I doe not doubt but that much more good might be done, then is done; but if men &s;hall &s;ee that their cen&s;ures (what&s;oeuer they are) proceede not from a hatred of &s;inne, nor a con&s;cience and care to amend their brethre~, but either of &s;tomack to reuenge their own
<PB N="8" REF="6">quarrelles, or from a couetous affection, to maintaine their own gaines; alas, how &s;hould they be regarded as they ought? Nay, howe &s;houlde the kingdome of Sathan bee ouer|throwen, when the golden iudge giueth &s;en|tence? Howe can the right marke bee hit, when a wrong marke is &s;et vppe to bee &s;hot at?
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 6.9.</NOTE> and howe can the Church bee terrible as an armie with banners, when the lea|ders of the army &s;hall turne their &s;words points again&s;t their owne &s;ouldiers but this may &s;uffi&s;e for the wi&s;edone of God in men|tioning their &s;innes, before hee calleth them to repentance, in this fir&s;t word <HI>di&s;obedient.</HI></P>
<P>As the fir&s;t word is a mo&s;t euident te&s;ti|monie of Gods wi&s;edome, &s;o is the &s;econd of his mercie; for lo, he calleth them &s;till by the names of children. Oh loue vn&s;peakeable, that cannot &s;o forget the workeman&s;hip of his owne hands, but albeit they had mo&s;t &s;hamefully abu&s;ed his maie&s;tie, yet &s;till offe|reth to be their father. He cea&s;eth not to try them by afflictions, to call them by his pro|phets, to draw them by his &s;pirit, to wooe them by his benefits, to pardon them in his mercie,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 103.9.</NOTE> and to receiue them into his wonted fauour againe. Thus wee &s;ee that our God will not alwaies be chiding, neither will hee keepe his anger for euer, <MILESTONE N="13"> but as a father pit|tieth his children, &s;o hath the Lord compa&s;|&s;ion
<PB N="9" REF="6">on all tho&s;e of who&s;e returne there is a|ny hope.
<MILESTONE UNIT="Applicat."> This doctrine will &s;tand vs in &s;tead many waies; <MILESTONE N="1"> fir&s;t the papi&s;t may learne from hence, that the Lord doth not deale with vs, according to our de&s;erts, but according to his merits in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. <MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly from hence the afflicted con&s;cience (that groneth vnder the burden of his &s;innes) may fetch comfort again&s;t al the firy darts of Sathan, when hee &s;halbe &s;urely per&s;waded that in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t the partition wall is broken downe, and the hand-writing fa&s;tened vnto his cro&s;&s;e, and therefore, that al his &s;innes &s;hall not be able to ramper vp the gate of Gods mercie a|gain&s;t him. Thirdly this teacheth vs, <MILESTONE N="3"> that if any be fallen by infirmitie, wee &s;houlde doe what wee can (with the &s;pirit of brotherly loue, &amp; long &s;uffering) to re&s;tore him again. And good rea&s;on, for if we be bound by the law of God to helpe vp a bea&s;t vnder his burden, much more our brother; but alas, how &s;trange is this among&s;t vs? If a mans foote hath &s;lipped neuer &s;o little, e&s;pecially if hee be a good man (and who can &s;ay his heart is cleane?) profane men are ready to exclaime of him, but neuer labor to reclaim him; neuer remembring what our &s;auiour Chri&s;t &s;aid when he wrote vpon the ground,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 8.7</NOTE> but forgetting them&s;elues to be laden both with moats, and beames, they do as dogs do,
<PB N="10" REF="7">which (when one is in di&s;grace) run al toge|ther after him with open mouth and ful cry. Now if the Lord &s;huld thus hotly pur&s;ue vs, as we do our brethren, what &s;hould become of vs? Fourthly, this gracious example of our heauenly father, dealing &s;o mercifully with his di&s;obedient children, co~demneth the vn|charitable practi&s;es of three &s;orts of men: the fir&s;t &s;ort is the Papi&s;ts, who&s;e fingers are dy|ed of a &s;anguine colour in the bloud of tho&s;e men, which haue but tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed the dirtie decrees of an Italian prie&s;t; &amp; yet the&s;e gnat|&s;trainers, and camel &s;walowers, bewaile the want of loue among vs: &s;econdly it meeteth with an abu&s;e in church gouernours, who v&s;e &s;ometime to make out exco~munications for fees, for trifles, and matters of &s;mall impor|tance, as though the greate&s;t cen&s;ure of the church and the greate&s;t iudgement next to the generall iudgeme~t may be dallied with|al, and &s;o farre abu&s;ed, as thereby to cut off, &amp; ca&s;t out members of the church, to &s;athan at mens plea&s;ures. Our good God ca&s;teth not off his people, no not for di&s;obedience, but &s;till admoni&s;heth them, and taketh them for his children, &s;o long as there is any hope of returning: thirdly it meeteth with the ra&s;h &amp; furious dealing of Browni&s;ts, who (for &s;om defects and blemi&s;hes) ca&s;t off the whole church of God in England for no apparant
<PB N="11" REF="7">church of God, which is more then they ought to do for two cau&s;es. Fir&s;t, thogh di&s;o|bedience be (as it is indeed) as the &s;in of wich|craft, and who is not di&s;obedient in many things? yet &s;o long as they ca~not chalenge vs, for apo&s;tacy, as we may &s;ome of them, and &s;o long as there is any life of the &s;pirit at all in her, &s;he is not to be laied out vpon the colde ground. But &s;oft a while: though &s;hee hath not all her ornaments according to the word of God, yet &s;he doth not refu&s;e them, if &s;he might lawfully come by them; but is readie to receiue them when&s;oeuer &s;hee may law|fully obtaine them.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 9.4</NOTE> In the meane time &s;hee mourneth for her wantes, and &s;eeketh a re|dre&s;&s;e as &s;he may, and &s;ueth as &s;he ought, and therefore no doubt is marked on the fore|head for the deare &s;pou&s;e of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;o long as &s;hee holdeth the foundation in him. But &s;uppo&s;e that the church of Engla~d were proued as the church of Rome, a very har|lot, and were adiudged for her continuance worthy to be put into the black book of ex|communication, (which God forbid) yet for them to be their owne caruers and bailifes, is more then they ought,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 5.4</NOTE> being but priuate men: and this is certaine, that no particular congregation, much le&s;&s;e a priuate per&s;on may excommunicate a whole church.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, in ioyning the&s;e two words toge|ther,
<PB N="12" REF="8">wee are taught to cen&s;ure &s;inne in all men, but yet to iudge charitably of all. And on the other &s;ide to iudge charitably of all, but &s;o as we winke not at &s;in in any,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">. 19.17.</NOTE> for that were to hate our brother. And this are wee taught here, while God calleth them di&s;o|bedient; yet &s;till children: and children, but yet di&s;obedient. Many thinke that wee hate them if we tell them of their &s;innes, taking tho&s;e for their be&s;t friends, which do alwaies &s;ooth them vp in their &s;innes, but the&s;e men are much deceiued;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 7.6.</NOTE> for the reproofe of a friend is better then the ki&s;&s;e of a flatterer; yea, if <HI>Shimei</HI> an enemie &s;hall raile vpon <HI>Da|uid,</HI> though that bee <HI>Shimei</HI> his &s;inne, yet it may be and ought to be <HI>Dauids</HI> benefit. A|gaine, the &s;weete&s;t words to the eare, are not alwaies the whole&s;ome&s;t to the heart: no, the bitter pill is better to purge, then the &s;weete perfume. The boi&s;terous wind will make a man hold his garment fa&s;t about him, when the gleaming &s;unne will make him put off al to his &s;hirt. The thunder and lightning doe more purifie the aire, then the calme&s;t day in &s;ummer. The greene&s;t herbe doth often couer the foule&s;t toad, where the water is &s;tille&s;t, there is it deepe&s;t; the fai|re&s;t garment doth often couer the filthie&s;t carkas; when the baite is mo&s;t in &s;ight, the hooke is lea&s;t &s;u&s;pected; the friendlie&s;t ki&s;&s;e
<PB N="13" REF="8">in &s;hew, is &s;ometime but trea&s;on in &s;ub&s;tance; the Bee hath hir honey, &s;o hath &s;he a &s;ting, and the one &s;hal wound more then the other &s;hall heale; when <HI>Herodes</HI> courtiers &s;hal crie to <HI>Herod,</HI> Oh the voice of God, not of man, then mu&s;t <HI>Herod</HI> come downe with a mi&s;|chiefe; when 400. fal&s;e prophets &s;hall &s;ay to <HI>Achab,</HI> go and pro&s;per, then mu&s;t <HI>Achab</HI> looke lea&s;t to thriue, neither &s;hal he returne in peace: and &s;o much for the per&s;ons exhor|ted, in the&s;e words, <HI>O ye di&s;obedient children.</HI></P>
<P>The per&s;ons exhorting are, God by <HI>Iere|my,</HI> and the prophet in the name of the Lord, and this is of force al&s;o to enforce the exhortation: as if he &s;hould &s;ay, I doe not of my &s;elfe thus reproue you, for then you might thinke me too bu&s;ie, but the Lord &s;et me aworke, who&s;e will I mu&s;t obey, and therfore you mu&s;t heare me with patience. Thus <HI>Ieremy</HI> pleadeth his commi&s;sion, partly for his owne di&s;charge, and partly to make his me&s;&s;age of more credit and force with them. And thus might <HI>Ieremy</HI> rea&s;on. He that is but a &s;eruant, mu&s;t do his ma&s;ters me&s;|&s;age: I am but a &s;eruant, therefore I mu&s;t do my ma&s;ters me&s;&s;age. And againe, he that doth but his ma&s;ters me&s;&s;age, ought not ther|fore to be blamed; I do that, and no more, and therefore I ought not for that to be bla|med. And againe, what&s;oeuer the Lord by
<PB N="14" REF="9">his me&s;&s;enger &s;aith, that mu&s;t be beleeued: but the Lord (by me his me&s;&s;enger) &s;aith that you are di&s;obedient, &amp; promi&s;eth that if you wil turne againe, and obey him, he wil be your Lord, therefore you mu&s;t beleeue it. And againe, what&s;oeuer the Lord by his me&s;&s;engers doth command, that mu&s;t be o|beied; but the Lord by me doth commaund you to turne againe, therefore &s;ee that you o|bey his commandement as you will an&s;were at your vtmo&s;t perill. Here then we haue three things to con&s;ider of in the mini&s;ters of God: Fir&s;t their authoritie, &s;econdly their dignitie, thirdly their dutie.</P>
<P>Their authoritie is very great,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> their au|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">titie.</NOTE> and their commi&s;&s;ion is very large; for behold (&s;aith the Lord to <HI>Ieremy</HI>) <HI>I haue &s;et thee ouer nati|ons and kingdomes,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 11.10.</NOTE> <HI>to plucke vp, and to root out, to de&s;troy, and to throw downe to build and to plant.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">. 2</NOTE> But how? <HI>Exechiel</HI> &s;heweth how; <HI>Thou &s;onne of man, feare them not, nor their wordes, although thou remaine among &s;corpi|ons, feare not their lookes, for they are a rebel|lious hou&s;e;</HI> ver&s;e 7. Therefore thou &s;halt &s;peake my words vnto them: &s;o that it mu&s;t be done without feare, and by &s;peaking the word of God without cea&s;ing. The mini&s;ter of the word therefore hath authoritie to re|proue princes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 36.15 27.2.</NOTE> as the prophet &s;aith, but not by the &s;word to remoue princes as the pope
<PB N="15" REF="9">&s;aith.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 20.23.</NOTE> He hath authoritie in Chri&s;ts &s;tead to pronounce forgiuene&s;&s;e of &s;innes to the faithful as the Euangeli&s;t &s;aith, but not to ab&s;olue whom he li&s;t as the pope &s;aith. He hath authoritie to reproue things ami&s;&s;e in the church, or the common weale by doc|trine as the word &s;aith, but not of him&s;elfe to re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">orme by practi&s;e, as Browni&s;ts &s;aie, for depo&s;ition of Princes belongs to God only: forgiuene&s;&s;e of &s;innes, belongeth to God only: reformation of churches and common weales belongeth to Princes onely, but the reprouing of &s;in in prince, church, or co~mon wealth belongeth to mini&s;ters al&s;o. And this in wi&s;edome and di&s;cretion, they may &amp; ought to do. Nay bloud for bloud, if they do le&s;&s;e then this, if they do more then this, and if they do not all this; Why then &s;hould <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> be murmured at? why &s;huld <HI>Michea</HI> be &s;mitten? or why &s;hould <HI>Ieremy</HI> be impri&s;o|ned? and al thus troubled for executing their commi&s;sion? haue they not authoritie to &s;peake? Nay we &s;ay to you, (if you be angrie with vs for this) as your &s;eruants will &s;ay for them&s;elues. We are but &s;eruants, it is no|thing to vs, agree with our ma&s;ter and wee &s;hallbe content, wee may &s;peake what his word &s;peaketh, for we haue authoritie, and &s;o much we mu&s;t &s;peake, for the refore are we put in authoritie. And &s;o much briefly
<PB N="16" REF="10">for the authoritie of Gods mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>As their authoritie is great, &s;o is their cal|ling excellent, and honourable, in re&s;pect of their office, and of his per&s;on, who&s;e mouth they are. We can thinke as ba&s;ely of our &s;elues, as any can either think or &s;peak of vs, but if it be an excellent thing to bee a kings amba&s;&s;adour, howe much more then to be emba&s;&s;adour to the king of heauen &amp; earth? Therfore are they called in the &s;cripture by names of great account;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 12.1. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 2.12. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 4.15.18. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 4.12.</NOTE> as <HI>Angels, Stars, Fa|thers, Hor&s;emen, and Chariots of I&s;rael,</HI> wherof &s;ome be old as <HI>Heli</HI> was, &s;ome be young as <HI>Timothie</HI> was, yet all the me&s;sengers of the Lord Ie&s;us.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 22.3. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 4.13. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 25.15. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 20.2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 9.17</NOTE> Some haue tenne talents, &s;ome haue but one, yet all mu&s;t occupie for their Lords aduantage. Some come at the fir&s;t houre, &s;ome at the la&s;t, yet all &s;ent of God. Some are like <HI>Iames</HI> and <HI>Iohn</HI> the &s;onnes of thunder,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 4.36. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 4.7. Cor. 4.1.</NOTE> &s;ome like <HI>Barnabas</HI> the &s;onne of con&s;olation, yet all the me&s;sengers of God. Some haue receiued a greater mea&s;ure of g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">fts, &s;ome a le&s;&s;e, yet all according to the mea&s;ure of the gift of Chri&s;t. And therfore let vs e&s;teeme of them as of the mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and the di&s;po&s;ers of the &s;ecrets of God. Men they are as we are, that is our be|nefite, for if God him&s;elfe &s;hould &s;end forth his voice, we mu&s;t yeeld vp our liues. Sinfull they are as others,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> that is, becau&s;e they are
<PB N="17" REF="10">men, mortall they are as others are, and that is becau&s;e they are &s;infull; yet &s;till the me&s;|&s;engers of God, and be&s;eech vs in Chri&s;t his &s;tead to be reconciled vnto God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 5.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> If this were regarded, then Gods mini&s;ters &s;houlde be more regarded, and le&s;&s;e de&s;pi&s;ed, more be|leeued, le&s;&s;e di&s;graced, better prouided for, le&s;&s;e pinched, and not &s;o &s;hamefully &s;lande|red and abu&s;ed of &s;o many as now they are. But alas, it is not once thought vpon of ma|ny, and therefore euerie churli&s;h <HI>Nabal</HI> denieth them maintenaunce, euerie coue|tous <HI>Achab</HI> is &s;icke for their liuings,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 21.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> euery proud minion, and min&s;iing dam&s;ell longeth for their heads in a platter,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.15. 1. King. 22.4</NOTE> euerie <HI>Iudas</HI> is ready to betray them <HI>Zidkijah</HI> the kings claw backe will not &s;ticke to take his fi&s;t from their cheekes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 24.4, 5.</NOTE> <HI>Tertullus</HI> the oratour dareth call them pe&s;tilent fellowes, and troublers of the &s;tate, if any man of his courte&s;ie will giue the~ the hearing. <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> in his mad mood,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 26.24.</NOTE> will call them mad men, and lay the fault (if there be any) vpon their learning too.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim 4.10.</NOTE> <HI>Demas</HI> the wordling will giue them the &s;lip,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 17 9.</NOTE> onely the poore widdow of Sarepta is founde re|leeuing poore bani&s;hed <HI>Eliah.</HI> And &s;ome (thanks be to God) but not many in re&s;pect of the multitude, haue the amba&s;&s;adours of the Lord Ie&s;us, in that good account which they &s;hould, e&s;pecially for their works &s;ake,
<PB N="18" REF="11">for do not many grudge our meate, number our mor&s;els, and reckon our liuings to eue|ry farthing? Chri&s;t commanded his to carry neither bread nor money,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> nor to put on two coates: he is a rich man nowadayes that hath two coates to put on, except &s;ome that haue twoo or three benefices, for many in the world are turned out of all, and yet (God be thanked) they are deliuered. We may &s;ay as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aide, we are afflicted on euery &s;ide, in pouerty,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 4.8.</NOTE> yet not ouercome of pouerty; as dead, yet aliue; as &s;orrowing, yet reioycing; as po&s;&s;e&s;sing nothing, yet hauing all things. In the time of popery one congregation did maintaine many ma&s;&s;e-prie&s;ts, now many congregations will hardely maintaine one good preacher of the go&s;pel: and no mar|uell, for then there were too many fooli&s;h Bees that brought all their honny into the popes hiue, and nowe wee haue too many droanes that &s;ucke all the hony out of the churches hiue; yea too many hor&s;e-leaches, which alwaies cry,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 30.15.</NOTE> Giue, giue, but neuer &s;ay, Ho. One crieth, giue me the college landes, another crieth, and mee the landes of cathe|drall churches; another longeth for the im|propriations; the fourth mu&s;t haue an o|ther benefice or two for to buy him bookes withall; one is &s;icke for a deanry; and &s;ome are &s;icke of a con&s;umption, and a bi&s;hoprike
<PB N="19" REF="11">or twoo would re&s;tore them againe, or &s;ome other thing that &s;hould go to the church, and &s;ome will not leaue till they haue the deuill and all, or till the deuill haue them. If men take paines, &s;ome will rewarde them with a thi&s;tle the reward of an A&s;&s;e: others would &s;end away their pa&s;tours in wor&s;e ca&s;e then the ba&s;e&s;t officer in their kitchin, without either warning or wages. I blame not all, but all &s;uch. Why, &s;ay &s;ome of the&s;e men, can you not liue as the apo&s;tles liued? Why, &s;ay I againe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 4.35. Act. 4.2.</NOTE> let them lay downe their goods at the Apo&s;tles feete, and then let them aske that que&s;tion. Truely many dee as <HI>Anani|as</HI> did, if they giue one groat, they will brag of two. Many aske, from whence commeth the fall of the church? Indeede it is a que&s;ti|on to be moued, though the di&s;ea&s;e wil hard|ly or neuer be remoued: It is &s;aid that &s;euen ilfauoured leane kine deuoured &s;euen fatte kine, and this was <HI>Pharaoes</HI> dreame;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 41.10.</NOTE> but now &s;euenty times &s;euen ilfauoured leane kine haue deuoured &s;eauen hundred fatte kine; and this is no dreame, but a very troth: but wherefore I pray you are Gods me&s;&s;engers thus handled? Doe they demaunde their dueties? No they dare not; for the earthen potte dareth not &s;triue again&s;t the bra&s;en ve&s;&s;ell, and menne are nowe like drunken gue&s;ts, which hauing filled their bellies are
<PB N="20" REF="12">loath to pay their reckoning. What is the cau&s;e? Any cau&s;e will &s;erue the turne in this point. <HI>Facile inuenias baculum, quo canem ce|das.</HI> It is an ea&s;ie matter to find a &s;taffe to beate a dogge withall. When the Phari&s;ies could not abide the doctrine of Chri&s;t nor his di&s;ciples,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 24.</NOTE> they quickly found a iu&s;t de|fence of their quarrell. They do that on the &s;abboth daie which is not lawfull. And wot you what that was; they plucked the eares of corne. Our Phari&s;es al&s;o haue taken vp the &s;ame accu&s;ation again&s;t vs, for (&s;ay they) we do that on the &s;aboth day that is not lawful. And fir&s;t to begin withal, they crie, out vpon him rebell, he wil not weare the &s;urplis eue|rie &s;unday and holy day. Againe, he will not reade all &s;eruice at all times, and therefore (whether lawe di&s;pence with him or no for his preaching we haue found &s;ufficient cau&s;e to denie him his dutie. Againe, he will not reade diuine &s;eruice to the walles and the windowes: to the &s;tooles and the &s;tones, &amp; is not this cau&s;e &s;ufficient to denie him his dutie? Againe, they preach again&s;t papi&s;ts, Athei&s;ts. v&s;urers, drunkards, &s;wearers, lords of mi&s;&s;c-rule, abu&s;e of apparrell, and other profanings of the &s;abboth day, and &s;uch like comendable, and common excerci&s;es of good neighbourhood, and is not this a &s;uffi|cient cau&s;e al&s;o? La&s;tly, if they &s;hould pay the
<PB N="21" REF="12">mini&s;ter his dutie, the lone of &s;o much mo|ney were lo&s;t, which in many yeares would amount to &s;ome round &s;umme, and are not all the&s;e, or any of the&s;e &s;ufficient cau&s;es thinke you, to handle Gods poore mini&s;ters and &s;eruaunts as hath beene &s;hewed before? But what hath good queene <HI>Elizabeth</HI> done, that &s;he can get nothing of &s;ome of them, I hope it is not becau&s;e &s;he hath bani&s;hed ido|latrie and brought in the go&s;pel. Some can rob <HI>Peter</HI> to pay <HI>Paul,</HI> (they &s;ay) but the&s;e men can cunningly rob both <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Paul</HI> too, and pay neither of both. Well, we haue beene all this while but among the eares of corne: but what? Are wee &s;harpe in reproouing their &s;inne? No, wee dare not &s;ay to <HI>Herod,</HI> thou mu&s;t not haue thy bro|thers wife, wee may not &s;ay, that a right papi&s;t is a ranke traitour, le&s;t wee &s;hould be told, that when we are in our priuileged places, wee prate what we li&s;t, as once I was tolde.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehem. 13.17.</NOTE> We may not &s;ay the magi|&s;trates are profaners of the &s;abboth day, if they &s;uffer it to bee profaned, though the word &s;aith &s;o. And to meddle with a|ny abu&s;es or corruptions in the church, is <HI>Auribus canem,</HI> to pull a dogge by the eares, and to put our hande into a hornets ne&s;t. A learned father (who belike had experience of &s;uch things) &s;aid once (if not
<PB N="22" REF="13">often) <HI>Tutior e&s;t di&s;centis, qu&agrave;m docentis ratio:</HI> It is better to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">earne then to teach: but wee may &s;ay nowadayes, <HI>Tutior e&s;t peccantis, qu&agrave;m arguen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">is conditio,</HI> It is more daungerous to reprooue &s;inne, then to commit &s;inne. And if euer it were true, it is now true, that <HI>Lepores concionantur leonibus,</HI> we mu&s;t preach in fear as poore hates before proude lions: for if we plea&s;e them not,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 22.8.</NOTE> they will &s;ay as <HI>Achab</HI> &s;aid, Hee doth not prophecie good vnto me, but euill, and therefore my &s;oule doth hate him. We reade that <HI>Pharao</HI> cried again&s;t the I&s;|raelites as appeareth in <HI>Exod.</HI> 5.8. <HI>Giue them no more &s;traw but let them gather it them&s;elues, and get it where they can, and yet we will haue our whole tale of bricke; And why &s;o? for they be idle and crie, Let vs go three daies iourny in|to the wilderne&s;se and offer &s;acrifice vnto God.</HI> So play many with vs, for they crie, let our pa&s;tors and preachers haue no more liberty giuen them let them gather their &s;traw the~|&s;elues, that is, let them preach as much as they will (for they account of preaching but as off&s;traw;) but in the meaue time we wil haue our whole tale of bricke, that is, all our old cu&s;tomes and ceremonies kept what&s;oe|uer they be: and albeit we haue no lawe for them, yet will wee haue them to doe as wee will. And why &s;o? Becau&s;e for &s;ooth (as they &s;ay) we be idle, and crie, let vs go offer &s;acri|fice;
<PB N="23" REF="13">that is (&s;ay they) they neuer leaue cal|ling to church, and to the &s;ermon euery day, and there wee mu&s;t be reprooued for euerie fault, and this diet is not for our humors; and they were as good be idle as thus occupied. And as <HI>Pharao</HI> vrged tho&s;e things at I&s;raels hands, which hee would not touch him&s;elfe with his lea&s;t finger: &s;o the&s;e <HI>Pharaos</HI> would lay heauier burthens vppon the mini&s;ters backes, then either prince, or lawe, or con&s;|cience will warrant. Againe, becau&s;e the E|gyptian taske was not done, the I&s;raelites, and their officers were beaten. Euen &s;o, be|cau&s;e their taske (I meane not the taske of the lawe, for that haue wee borne, and are ready mo&s;t willingly to vnder go it) but the vn&s;tinted taske of mens vnbrideled affecti|ons, who&s;e behauiour &s;auoureth of the di&s;|cipline of an alehou&s;e, becau&s;e their taske is not done: we are beaten with the &s;launde|rous tongues of vngodly men, with the re|proch of the world, with the di&s;grace of our mini&s;tery, with the bitings of pouertie; and if &s;ome might preuaile, with the lo&s;&s;e of li|bertie, liuing, and life it &s;elfe; for they crie <HI>Crucifige</HI> already, the Lord (if it be his will) turne &s;uch <HI>Pharaoes</HI> hearts. But, will not the Lord be reuenged of his &s;eruants wrong and oppre&s;sion? Yes no doubt; for if Princes take that contempt to them&s;elues which is
<PB N="24" REF="14">offered to their amba&s;&s;adours, much more will God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">10.19.4.</NOTE> If <HI>Haman</HI> and <HI>Ammon</HI> &s;tincke in the no&s;trels of I&s;rael, for their villanie offe|red to <HI>Dauids</HI> me&s;&s;engers, much more &s;hall the&s;e &s;tinke before God. And if God made Ieru&s;alem, yea euen famous Ieru&s;alem a heape of &s;tones, and the &s;hame of the world, for mocking, de&s;pi&s;ing, &amp; mi&s;u&s;ing of Gods me&s;&s;engers, how &s;hall God &s;uffer the&s;e op|pre&s;sing <HI>Pharaoes,</HI> whether they be papi&s;ts, or athei&s;ts, or libertines, or neuters, or Ma|chiauils, whether in city or country, whether in village or in cotage, or wher&s;oeuer or who &s;oeuer they be, how &s;hal God &s;uffer them at la&s;t thogh he &s;uffer them long to e&s;cape his heauy wrath? Therefore I would wi&s;h that this contempt and neglect of Gods mini|&s;ters might be bani&s;hed from among&s;t vs; for although in re&s;pect of humane infirmi|ties, they are but as other men are; although the me&s;&s;enger of Sathan bee &s;ent to buffet them; and though there bee a lawe in their members, rebelling again&s;t the law of their minds, whereby many times they are led (a|gain&s;t their wils captiues to the law of &s;inne, oh wretched men that we are: yet in re&s;pect of their office which is honourable and ex|celle~t in re&s;pect of him who&s;e me&s;&s;age they bring; and in re&s;pect of the me&s;&s;age it &s;elfe which they bring, they are to be regarded
<PB N="25" REF="14">and reuerenced: and &s;o much for the digni|tie of Gods mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>Their authoritie is great,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Of their dueti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></NOTE> honourable is their office, and great is their dignity; their duety therefore mu&s;t needes be very great, but which is the greate&s;t I know not. They are me&s;&s;engers of Gods coun&s;elles,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 20.27. 1. Cor. 4.15.</NOTE> therefore they mu&s;t be tru&s;ty; they are fathers vnto Gods children, therefore they mu&s;t be lo|uing and tender;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3.10. 1. Cor. 4.2.</NOTE> they are builders of Gods church, &s;tewards of Gods hou&s;holde, &s;hepe|heards of Gods flocke, therefore they mu&s;t be skilfull, faithfull, and watchfull; they are captaines ouer Gods church,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> which is terri|ble as an army with banners, therefore they mu&s;t not be feareful and faint-hearted;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.14.</NOTE> they are the lightes of the world, and the &s;alt of the earth, and therefore they mu&s;t neither &s;tand vnder a bu&s;hel, nor be vn&s;auoury; they are nur&s;es of gods tender ones, therfore their brea&s;ts &s;hould neuer be without milke; they are to heale with old and yong, with learned and vnlearned, with &s;trong and weake, with wilful and ignorant, and with all &s;orts, there|fore they mu&s;t be wi&s;e. In the time of peace, and in the time of warre, in time of pro&s;peri|ty, and in time of aduer&s;ity, in &s;ea&s;on, and out of &s;ea&s;on, and at all times;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 6.12.</NOTE> therfore they mu&s;t be no time-&s;eruers: Again&s;t principallities and powers, again&s;t holds mighty and &s;trong
<PB N="26" REF="15">again&s;t fle&s;h and bloud the world &amp; world|lings, the deuill and hell, pre&s;umption and de&s;paire, and again&s;t all &s;in in others and in them&s;elues: before princes and &s;ubtects, be|fore angels &amp; men, before heauen and earth, and before God him&s;elfe, &amp; therefore their garners mu&s;t be &s;tored with al kind of grain, both old and new, their lips mu&s;t alwaies pre&s;erue knowledge.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 13.52. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 2.7. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 17.12.</NOTE> Their hands mu&s;t be holden vp, &amp; their armes vnder&s;et whe~ they faint in prayer, their eies &s;hould dazle with waiting for the hope of their praier, their cheekes &s;huld be watered with teares, when they pray for the &s;ins of the people,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 1.</NOTE> &amp; when they can pray and preach no longer, let the~ chatter like a &s;wallow, mourne like a doue und grone in their &s;pirites: for <HI>oportet Epi&s;|copum mori concionantem &amp; orantem,</HI> &s;aith a godly father. A good Bi&s;hop mu&s;t die prea|ching, and praying, &amp; mu&s;t pray and preach till he die. What &s;hould I &s;ay more, he is the mini&s;ter of God, therefore of God hee mu&s;t learne his duty, and vnto God he mu&s;t performe his dutie. Hee is to &s;peake in the name of god, therefore he mu&s;t &s;peake both what, &amp; when, &amp; to whom, &amp; in that maner that God will. If therefore we &s;peake mens inuentions in painted eloquence to &s;et forth our &s;elues, to &s;ome &amp; not to all, faintly and coldly, to <HI>Thar&s;is</HI> for Niniuy, if we condemne
<PB N="27" REF="15">the good, and commend the bad, encourage the wicked, and di&s;courage the godly, if we &s;peake but ance a yeare, once a quarter, or when we li&s;t, or not at all, and at all times as occa&s;ion &s;erueth, both in&s;tantly and earne&s;t|ly, we doe not the dutie of good me&s;&s;en|gers. But if wee &s;peake Gods glorious will, without adding or dimini&s;hing, in the eui|dence of the &s;pirit, to the con&s;cience as wel as to the eare, to the courtier and countrie|man, with courage and boldne&s;&s;e, with wi&s;edome and di&s;cretion, with a zeale of Gods glorie, a loue of Gods people, and a de&s;ire of their good, and that continually, con&s;tantly, and faithfully, then wee doe the dutie of Gods mini&s;ters, If therefore any man &s;hal &s;end for Gods mini&s;ter, to &s;choole him before hande, and to teach him either what to &s;peake, as generall doctrine with|out application, or howe to &s;peake, as in fine tearmes, and filed phra&s;es, to plea&s;e all, and to di&s;plea&s;e none (as the manner of &s;ome is, and who is not cunning in the mi|ni&s;ters office, and in euerie mans office &s;auing his owne) wee are to &s;ignifie thus much vnto him, that wee are not mini|&s;ters of mens vnbrideled affections, but of the Lordes mo&s;t holie will, and there|fore wee mu&s;t not &s;peake either what they will, or how they li&s;t, but all mu&s;t bee both
<PB N="28" REF="16">for matter, and maner as God wil; &s;o &s;aid <HI>Mi|chaiah</HI> the tru prophet to the kings eunuch;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">m. 23.3.</NOTE> &s;o &s;aid <HI>Balaam</HI> the fal&s;e prophet to the King him&s;elfe; and &s;o &s;ay we to euery one. And good rea&s;on; for if the Lawyer wil &s;corne to learne of the Diuine to pleade at the barre, why &s;hould the Lawyer take vppon him to teach the Diuine how to &s;peake in the pul|pit? And if our &s;eruants are not to doe our bu&s;ines by other mens directions; if the &s;te|ward mu&s;t not di&s;po&s;e of his ma&s;ters goodes at another mans appointment; if the captain mu&s;t not fight when the meane &s;ouldier wil appoint him; and if the &s;ouldier mu&s;t not fight with &s;uch weapons as his ennemie will appoint him, why then &s;hould Gods mini&s;ter (who is to pleade Gods matters, to doe Gods bu&s;ines, to di&s;po&s;e of Gods trea|&s;ures, and to fight the Lords battels) become a &s;laue and a &s;eruant to mens affections? If he &s;hould (which God forbid) hurt he may do much; but God he &s;hal do none. And yet I deny not,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">em. 23.32. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">. 4.17.</NOTE> but that the mini&s;ter is to receiue good coun&s;el of any man. And the Colo&s;si|ans may &s;ay to <HI>Archippus,</HI> looke to thy mini|&s;tery. And &s;o much for the authoritie, digni|tie, and duetie of Gods mini&s;ters. And thus much both for the per&s;ons exhorted, and ex|horting.</P>
<P>In the &s;econd part we are to con&s;ider; fir&s;t
<PB N="29" REF="16">of that whereunto they are exhorted, and then of the rea&s;on why. For the fir&s;t, it is re|pentance, and is here called a turning again: alluding to one that is out of his way, and cannot come into the right way, except hee turne againe, or el&s;e to one that had left &s;ome thing behinde him, without which his iourney could, not pro&s;per, but mo&s;t likely to a wife diuor&s;ed from her husband,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ierem. 3.1, 8.</NOTE> for adulterie, but he calling to mind the old and &s;weet loue that was wont to be between them, calleth her againe, and offers &s;til to be her &s;pou&s;e, vpon condition that &s;hee wil be|come a new woman. At all the&s;e &s;taies were we all of our &s;elues, for by nature we are all gone out of the way, we are corrupt, and be|come abhominable, the waies of peace we haue not knowen. But then did the Lord cal vnto vs, and &s;aid, <HI>Adam where art thou?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.9.</NOTE> come into the right way, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us the &s;eed of the woman, is the way the truth and the life, walke thou in this way, and he &s;hall conduct thee directly vnto Chanaan the kingdome of heauen.</P>
<P>Againe, when we had found Chri&s;t the way, wee made no more reckoning but thought that we had all, when wee had the way, but we were denied; for we left behind vs the works of faith, and repentance. We were going to Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt. 8.11.</NOTE> not like the wi&s;emen
<PB N="30" REF="17">with our pre&s;ents, but like the fooli&s;h vir|gins without oyle in our lamps;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 25.</NOTE> but behold, the Lord calleth vnto vs, and &s;aith. Turne againe, and take your proui&s;ion with you, we al&s;o went a whoring after our owne inuenti|ons,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 106.</NOTE> we were trudging to hell, with bagge, and baggage, we had plighted our troth to the world, &s;inne, and Sathan. Yet lo: God of his infinite mercie and goodne&s;&s;e, &s;endeth emba&s;&s;adours after vs, his Prophets, Apo|&s;tles, and mini&s;ters, to call vs backe againe, and to offer vs condicions of peace. Nay hee &s;ent his owne &s;onne to call vs backe againe, and he crieth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 11.</NOTE> Come vnto me, come vnto me, &amp;c.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">c. 18.31</NOTE> Nay God him&s;elfe calleth vnto vs, and he crieth vnto vs why wil you die, O hou&s;e of <HI>Iacob,</HI> why wil you die? when this would not &s;erue, he falleth to entreating of vs, that we would be reconciled vnto him.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">or. 5.20.</NOTE> Oh loue without compari&s;on. Thus hath our good God, and mo&s;t gracious father forbidde the banes of matrimonie betweene the deuil and vs,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 8.32. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">r. 1.2.</NOTE> and offereth vs a better match, euen his owne &s;onne, the heire of all things and king of heauen and earth, and all vpon this condi|tion, that we will turne againe, and for&s;ake the deuill, with all his works, and embrace Chri&s;t Ie&s;us with all his merites, and &s;erue him in righteousnes, and true holyne all the daies of our life,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 1.7<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> ble&s;&s;ed be his name for euer.</P>
<PB N="31" REF="17">
<P> Well then, by this time wee &s;ee what true repentance is, namely a continuall turning a|gaine vnto God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 24.16.</NOTE> by for&s;aking our old waies of iniquitie, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and walking in the new waies of holy life,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13.12</NOTE> by ca&s;ting off the worke of darkenes, and putting on the ar|mour of light. This turning againe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.11</NOTE> is a ha|tred of all &s;inne pa&s;t, with a hearty &s;orow for the &s;ame, with a care to preuent &s;in to come, and a &s;tedfa&s;t re&s;olution not to entertaine it, when it is offered againe.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 10.33.</NOTE> It is a conque&s;t of our owne wills and affections,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 95.7.</NOTE> and a &s;ub|iecting them vnto the will of God. The time of this turning againe mu&s;t be alwaies, euen while it is &s;aide to day. This turning againe mu&s;t be by one certain way,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14.6.</NOTE> and that is Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. And for the better finding out of our way, &amp; keeping of it being found,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.5.</NOTE> we mu&s;t needs haue a lanterne to our feete, and a light to our pathes, and that mu&s;t bee the word of God, read, preached, heard,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;h. 1.8.</NOTE> be|leeued and meditated vpon. And becau&s;e we walke in this world as on a &s;ea of gla&s;&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 4.6.</NOTE> verie &s;lipperie, and we verie feeble &amp; faint, wee mu&s;t haue the &s;taffe of faith to goe by. Our guide mu&s;t be the &s;pirit of wi&s;edome, knowledge, vnder&s;tanding, of courage,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 11.2.</NOTE> and &s;trength. And becau&s;e Chri&s;t our way is ho|ly ground, wee mu&s;t therefore put off the &s;hooes of our bea&s;tly affections, which car|ried
<PB N="32" REF="18">vs euerie way before, and put vpon our feete the &s;hooes of preparation to the go|&s;pel.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 6.15.</NOTE> In this our turning again, we &s;hal meet with many di&s;couragements, we mu&s;t there|fore be couered with a helmet of hope, and le&s;t our old enimies the world, the fle&s;h, and the deuill, &s;hould make vs retire backe, we mu&s;t put vpon vs the whole armour of god,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 6.13.</NOTE> be valiant, and quit our &s;elues like men, and &s;o march forward toward our heuenly Cha|naan. And if at any time we chance to loo&s;e our way, as being either benighted, weather beaten, or otherwi&s;e beguiled, we mu&s;t goe about the cittie; by the &s;treets and open pla|ces,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 5.7.</NOTE> and enquire of the watchmen, the mi|ni&s;ters that are &s;et to go about the cittie, if they did not &s;ee him whome our &s;oule lo|ueth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">at 5.3</NOTE> &amp; if they &s;hall &s;hew vs where he is, we mu&s;t not &s;ay, I haue put off my coate, howe &s;hall I put it on? but leauing all &s;uch dilatory pleaes, turne againe, and meete him with great ioy.</P>
<P>If the&s;e be the properties and qualities of true repentance, then are many in the world far from true repentance.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">api&s;ts.</NOTE> The papi&s;ts di|&s;pence with murther &amp; tre&s;on. The price of whordome, ince&s;t, &s;odomitry, patricide, ma|tricide, fratricide, &amp; of all &s;in is &s;et down in the market of Rome where. <HI>Omnia venalia,</HI> al is for mony, &amp; the deuil clarke of the mat|ket,
<PB N="33" REF="18">far inough therefore are they from true repe~tance, neither can they be &s;aued, except they turne againe. Their fooli&s;h penance of whipping, creeping to the cro&s;&s;e, going bare foote, and &s;uch like, God neuer required, and therefore no true conuer&s;ion, except they leaue the&s;e toies and turne againe. The Turke followeth his Alcaron,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Turkes.</NOTE> euen darke|ne&s;&s;e it &s;elfe, leauing the word of God, euen light it &s;elfe, and therfore &s;o long as he doth &s;o he cannot turne againe.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iewes.</NOTE> The Iewes denied Chri&s;t the right way, and therefore they are farre from this turning againe.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Anabap.</NOTE> The Ana|bapti&s;t reiecteth the written word of God, and relieth vppon his drou&s;ie dreames, and night-reuilations, and therfote &s;hal not po&s;|&s;ibly find the right way, except he turne a|gaine. The Neuter is for any way,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neuters.</NOTE> and there|fore out of the right way, except he turne a|gaine.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Athei&s;ts.</NOTE> The Athei&s;t &s;aith in his heart there is no god. The Machiuel with the Athei&s;t, wil not acknowledge that there is either god or deuill, hell or heauen, and in all their actions they quench the &s;pirit of god, which one day they &s;hal know to their co&s;t, except they re|turne. The prophane worldling,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Worldlings</NOTE> with <HI>E&s;au</HI> weepeth not for his &s;ins, but for the lo&s;&s;e of &s;om worldly co~modity,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pre&s;umptuo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></NOTE> but this is no true tur+ning. The pre&s;umptuous per&s;on driues of al to the la&s;t hour, &amp; therfore is like to be pre|ted,
<PB N="34" REF="19">if in time hee doe not turne againe. The de&s;perate per&s;on is in hatred with him&s;elfe for his &s;innes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ite.</NOTE> but becau&s;e he wanteth Chri&s;t the way, and the &s;taffe of faith he layeth vi|olent hands vpon his owne body, and de|&s;troieth the good creature of God, and &s;o turneth further from god, then euer before. The turning turner that turneth with the weathercocke in the wind,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">coatrs.</NOTE> mu&s;t al&s;o turne a|gaine before he can be &s;aued. The church|papi&s;t turneth in &s;hew,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> papi&s;t.</NOTE> but not in truth, and therefore mu&s;t looke for his portion with hypocrites except hee turne againe. The Barbarians turned from one opinion to ano|ther,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">8.4.6.</NOTE> but both in extremities; for one while they iudged <HI>Paul</HI> as a murtherer, another while they e&s;teemed him as a God. Our Browni&s;ts al&s;o once accounted highly of gods mini&s;ters,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ni&s;ts.</NOTE> but now they account them but murtherers, and fal&s;e prophets; once they thought our church to be the onely church, but now no church; but I hope that &s;o many of them as belong vnto God, &s;hall one day turne againe. Some turne from popery, to Athei&s;me, from one &s;inne to another, but to God they cannot turne, except by true re|pentance they turne againe. Some turne as dogges do, that is, either to their vomit a|gaine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> or el&s;e to &s;natch at them which bring them meate. I would I could deui&s;e a way
<PB N="35" REF="19">to make v&s;urers turne againe, but I feare mee I &s;hall not, for they which can co&s;in al lawes, (no doubt) will be too cunning for me. V&s;u|ry is a deu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> that all the di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t, in England cannot ca&s;t out, for it is a kinde that will not be ca&s;t out, but by fa&s;ting and prayer.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 5.3.4</NOTE> We reade that there was a man po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed with a deuill called Legion, hee kept among&s;t the graues, and no man could pa&s;&s;e quietly by him: I thinke v&s;urers al&s;o are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the &s;ame deuill, for no man can pa&s;&s;e by without his marks. The father crieth, oh my &s;onne is vndone by the v&s;urer, the &s;onne crieth, oh the v&s;urer hath eaten vp my father, and euerie one that commeth that way where the v&s;urer keepeth, crieth, God keepe me out of the v&s;urers hands. No &s;ta|tute, nor lawes can tame v&s;urie, for he hath &s;o many turnings and turne againes, that a man cannot tell where to find him. He is in mo|ney, and wares, in buying and &s;elling, he dea|leth for ready money, and for time, hee bor|roweth and lendeth, he dealeth by him&s;elfe and his brokers, the deuils hunt&s;men. And this is certaine, that v&s;urie is growe~ &s;o &s;trong, that hee hath &s;inewes and bones like a man, and walketh vp and downe the &s;treetes like a &s;eruing man, like a gentleman, like a mar|chant man, and like an alderman; yea and that &s;o &s;toutly that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e taketh the wall of all
<PB N="36" REF="20">hone&s;tie and religion.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 31</NOTE> The&s;e turners are like the deuill, who being driuen out of a man, woulde needes bee in the &s;wine, but where&s;oeuer they be, they wil be &s;ure to do no good. Good brethren, in many things we &s;in all, and therefore wee haue neede at all times to be turning againe. In euerie tur|ning againe there is <HI>terminus &agrave; quo, &amp; termi|nus ad quem;</HI> that is, the thing from which, and the thing vnto which wee mu&s;t turne. Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;heweth that we mu&s;t turn from idols,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 1.</NOTE> to the liuing God. And <HI>Ieremy</HI> in the fir&s;t words of his text, &s;heweth that we mu&s;t turne from our di&s;obedience to true obedi|ence, for the reprouing of the one is the ap|prouing of the other, and the forbidding of the one is the co~manding of the other. And to &s;ay the truth, they are truely turned vnto God, who are truely obedient to the word of God, and they are indeed di&s;obedient per|&s;ons which di&s;obey the word of God. And therfore let vs make what &s;hewes of holines we can if wee obey not the word in al things that concerne vs, we are vnholy, wee are not truely conuerted. The word of God forbids vs to follow the fa&s;hions of the world,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 12.2 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 11.14. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 3.3</NOTE> it for|bids men the wearing of long haire, &amp; wome~ the laying out of their haire, &amp; both men &amp; women to di&s;gui&s;e them&s;elues in &s;trange at|tire, now if (al this notwith&s;tanding) we &s;hal
<PB N="37" REF="20">practi&s;e the contrary, what doe wee el&s;e but turne from the Lord vnto Sathan, who is our <HI>terminus ad quem.</HI> The Lord in his word for|bids all lying, and fal&s;e dealing to deceiue, and all deceit to liue; if any man in his &s;hop, or el&s;e-where &s;hall v&s;e both, they may well be hearers of the worde, but God will note them for mon&s;trous rebels and hypocrites. And thus wee are to examine our &s;elues for euery other thing. For the wickede&s;t man that liueth may heare the word of god glad|ly reuerence the preacher,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 6.</NOTE> &amp; in many things obey the word, as <HI>Herod</HI> did; but <HI>Herod</HI> would &s;til haue his brothers wife, and &s;o many will loue one &s;in or other as their dearling. And &s;urely the deuill can draw a man to hell a&s;|well with one bait as with a thou&s;and. Gods children mu&s;t therefore &s;triue again&s;t all &s;inne, and in euery thing labour to obey the word; or el&s;e, as God did allowe the good things, and euer had &s;omewhat to &s;ay for the euill that hee found in the &s;eauen Chur|ches of A&s;ia,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> &s;o will his maie&s;tie reckon with vs for all our &s;innes, not onelie of o|mi&s;sion but commi&s;sion; although he doe finde &s;ome, yea many good things among&s;t vs.</P>
<P>Many, vnder pretence of obedience to Princes would giue entertainement to any religion, forgetting that god mu&s;t be obeied
<PB N="38" REF="21">before men, but &s;uch men are mo&s;t di&s;obe|dient to the King of al kings, but truely obe|dient to none. Many againe crie, obedience, obedience, as though they were compoun|ded of nothing but of obedience, and yet all is not gold that &s;hineth; and flattering <HI>Iudas</HI> is not the faithfulle&s;t di&s;ciple; &amp; <HI>ex vnguibus leonem, ex fructibus arborem,</HI> the lyon &s;hall be knowen by his clawes, and the tree by his fruit. For let a man looke well vpon many of them, and he &s;hall &s;ee that there are not any generally to all lawes more di&s;obedient, in their liues, none more di&s;&s;olute and &s;canda|lous in their wor&s;hipping of god, none more &s;uper&s;titious, in the principles of true religi|on, none more ignorant, in their dealing, none more vniu&s;t, and deceitfull where ad|uantage is giuen them, none more cruell &amp; mercile&s;&s;e, and in all their &s;ports &amp; pa&s;times none more profane, and filthy, and bla&s;phe|mous; which kinde of people are not much vnlike <HI>Caius Gracchus,</HI> who tooke vpon him the defence of the trea&s;urie, wherof he him|&s;elfe was the &s;poiler. So they crie obedi|ence, when none are more di&s;obedient then they; like theeues which hauing done a rob|berie, can make hew and crie after the true man. Some can hold one with a tale, while they picke his pur&s;e, but the&s;e are cunning theeues, which can hold the world with a
<PB N="39" REF="21">tale of obedience, and conformitie, while they in the meane time doe deceiue both Prince, church, and common wealth of their duties, and them&s;elues of Gods fauour, if in time they take not a new cour&s;e. Such hal|low hearted Ambo-dexters, haue learned to &s;erue the time, but to &s;erue their own turne, looking when time will turne, that they may turne with time: but if carefull circum|&s;pection be had, which the nece&s;&s;ity of the&s;e times requireth &amp; the &s;ubtilties of the&s;e eni|mies craue, it will be no hard matter to di&s;|cerne the wolues, though they wander in &s;heepes clothing, by the noi&s;e of their how|ling, and to de&s;crie the a&s;&s;e (though he iet in the lions &s;kin) by the length of his eares, except by true repentance in time they turne againe, which God grant if it be his will.</P>
<P>But heere ari&s;eth a que&s;tion, and that is this: Whether a man in turning to God, mu&s;t for&s;ake the companie of the wicked or no? If yea (as they ought indeede) why did the&s;e Iewes continue &s;till among the A&s;&s;iri|ans which were idolatours? and why went they not to Zion, the place of gods wor&s;hip? Of if they could not, becau&s;e they were in captiuitie, to what purpo&s;e then &s;erued this exhortatio~? The an&s;wer is not heard? There is a turning in outward action and affection: In outward action, whe~ a chri&s;tian doth that
<PB N="40" REF="22">which he ought to do, and may lawfully, &amp; conueniently do it. In affection when a chri|&s;tian would doe that which hee ought to do, but ca~not, being letted outwardly, by impri|&s;onment, &s;ickenes, bani&s;hment, the lawe, or &s;uch like: or inwardly by &s;ome natural infir|mity. Examples we haue of both in the &s;crip|ture.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 6.1. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.8. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 19.7. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 137.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">2.</NOTE> They turned in outward action, who with <HI>Dauid</HI> fetched home the arke, &s;o did the Niniuites which fa&s;ted &amp; praied at the kings co~mandement; &s;o did likewi&s;e the Iewes and Grecians, which burned their books. In affe|ction turned the Iewes in Babilon, which mourned &amp; wept at the remembrance of Zi|on. In affection turned <HI>Dauid</HI> in bani&s;hme~t, whe~ he de&s;ired to go to Gods hou&s;e with the people,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 2.4</NOTE> but could not. In affectio~ al&s;o turned tho&s;e men which mourned for all the abho|minations that were done in the mid&s;t of Ie|ru&s;alem: And in affection al&s;o the Apo&s;tle turned,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 7.</NOTE> whe~ he de&s;ired to do al that he ought to do, but could not, being led captiue to the law of &s;in. So we in many things may turne, both in outward action &amp; affection of heart, as fro~ idolatry to the go&s;pel, from drunke~nes to &s;obriety, from pride to humilitie, and in many things more. Som things are yet wan|ting (which the church &s;huld haue, if &s;he had her right) as a learned mini&s;ter through the whole land, and the prefection of that god|ly,
<PB N="41" REF="22">and ancient di&s;cipline, which was in the primitiue church, but as yet we cannot haue them in acte, yet in affection we embrace them that is, we pray for them, we woulde gladly haue them if wee might lawfully come by them, and this church doth allow in our booke of common prayer, where in plaine words it is &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Preface before Commination on A&s;hwedne&s;|day.</NOTE> <HI>That there was a god|ly di&s;cipline in the primitiue church, which is to be wi&s;hed; and much to be wi&s;hed, that is might be re&s;tored againe;</HI> and therefore al&s;o when occa&s;ion &s;erueth it may be taught, and yet with great wi&s;edome and di&s;cretion: for &s;hall it be prayed for, and not be taught al|&s;o what it is, that it may be much wi&s;hed for? yes &s;urely, for <HI>Ignoti nulla cupido,</HI> there is no de&s;ire of that is not knowen. And in affec|ting that which is wanting, we are to beware that impatient ra&s;hnes draw out our affec|tions beyond the bond of chri&s;tian charity, and godly &s;obriety, le&s;t we forget to bee thankeful for tho&s;e &s;ingular benefits which wee haue already receiued, and &s;o for our impatience on the one &s;ide, and our ingra|titude on the other, we are rewarded, in the ende with the lo&s;&s;e of al.</P>
<P>Now followeth the rea&s;on of the exhorta|tion in the&s;e words: <HI>For I am your Lord.</HI> The word Lord, in the originall &s;ignifieth to co~|maund as a Lord, or to rule as a hu&s;band:
<PB N="42" REF="23">either is &s;ufficient, &s;o the &s;ence be taken, as if hee &s;hould &s;ay; it is good rea&s;on thou &s;houl|de&s;t turne againe, for thou ha&s;t entred a co|uenant with me, and married thy &s;elfe vnto me, and therefore I haue both power our you, and intere&s;t in you. This beeing the &s;en&s;e, the doctrine &s;hall be this; fir&s;t, that it is neuer in vaine to turne to the Lorde, for &s;uch is his loue vnto tho&s;e, who&s;e names are once written in his booke of election, that finally he will not for&s;ake them, but mo&s;t mercifully will embrace them, when&s;oeuer they &s;hall faithfully turne vnto him: Ney|ther doth he &s;hew vs this fauour becau&s;e we haue de&s;erued it by our turning againe, as the papi&s;ts &s;ay, but becau&s;e of his free &amp; vn|de&s;erued loue hath made vs this promi&s;e. If any &s;hal thinke that of him&s;elfe he hath po|wer or will to turne vnto God, he deceiueth him&s;elfe; for by nature we run from God as <HI>Adam</HI> did,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 3.8. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 6.5. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 51.10.</NOTE> but it is God that &s;eeketh vs vp againe. Naturally our thoughts are euill continually, our wordes are vaine, our works are filthy; but it is God that createth in vs new hearts, and that makes our words graci|ous,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor. 3.5.</NOTE> and our works acceptable to him&s;elfe, &amp; that by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t for of our &s;elues we can not &s;o much as thinke a good thought.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ilip. 2.13.</NOTE> And as God only by his grace preuenteth vs, and worketh in vs both the will and the deed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oh. 6.44.</NOTE> &s;o
<PB N="43" REF="23">by the &s;ame &s;pirit he draweth vs to him, or els we neuer come at him: and by no other &s;pirit, doth he al&s;o fini&s;h that good work he hath begun in vs, &amp; that in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. And as our repentance is of god, &s;o is our faith al|&s;o; for S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Philip. 1.29.</NOTE> <HI>To you it is giuen both to beleeue &amp; &s;uffer.</HI> S. <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.65.</NOTE> <HI>It is the work of God to beleeue in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> And what haue we that we haue not receiued? If we haue re|ceiued al the good we haue from god, &amp; not from our &s;elues, and that of his free grace and mercy, without any con&s;ideration of our parts, why &s;hould we not attribute al to him again? &amp; why &s;hould any part of our conuer|&s;ion or &s;aluation be a&s;cribed to our &s;elues, or any creature el&s;e in heauen or earth, and not wholy to the merits of Chri&s;t his death and pa&s;sion?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.17, 18, 19</NOTE> for &s;hall the di&s;obedience of one man, <HI>Adam,</HI> de&s;troy all the world, and &s;hal not the obedience of one man, Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;aue al that beleeue? &s;hal the work of men, of Saints, of martires, or of <HI>Mary</HI> (all &s;infull and imperfect) be &s;ufficient, and not the workes of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us which are mo&s;t per|fect, and perfection it &s;elfe? Is he the &s;eed of the woman that brake the &s;erpents head, and could he not do it without vs? Is he that bra|&s;en &s;erpent that heales all tho&s;e that look on him with the eie of a liuely faith, &amp; mu&s;t we now licke our &s;elues whole. But (&s;ay the Pa|pi&s;ts)
<PB N="44" REF="24">there is righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in vs as the ac|cident in the &s;ubiect. To which we an&s;wer, fir&s;t, though this be true in philo&s;ophie, yet it is fal&s;e in diuinity,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">lo&s;&s;. 2.8.</NOTE> and therfore <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Take heede le&s;t any man &s;poile you through phi|lo&s;ophie.</HI> Secondly, there is righteou&s;nes in vs, as ther was &s;in in Chri&s;t; but in Chri&s;t there was no &s;in really, of his owne, but of ours by imputation; neither haue we any righteou&s;|nes of our owne, but of Chri&s;ts, and that by imputation al&s;o. Thirdly, God by his good &s;pirit beginneth righteou&s;nes in vs, euen in this life, but it is imperfect and polluted, &s;o &s;oon as it commeth into the &s;tinking ve&s;&s;els of our corrupted nature,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">a. 64.6.</NOTE> but it &s;hall be per|fected in the world to come, by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t only. But yet the papi&s;ts haue another &s;hift, as our euill workes are auaileable vnto con|demnation, &s;o our good workes are auailea|ble to &s;aluation: for (&s;ay they) <HI>Contrarie|rum contraria e&s;tratio,</HI> of contraries, there is a contrary rea&s;on. But I an&s;wer, the com|pari&s;on is vnlike, and holdeth not; for fir&s;t, our &s;ins are of our &s;elues, our righteou&s;nes is of God: &s;econdly, our &s;innes are perfectly e|uill, our good is imperfect: thirdly, he that is guiltie of one commaundement is guiltie of all,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">m. 2.10.</NOTE> and de&s;erueth damnation; &s;hall we ther|fore conclude, that he which keepeth one, de+&s;erueth &s;aluation? what more ab&s;urd? No, no,
<PB N="45" REF="24">both our conuer&s;ion and &s;aluation bee the free workes of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1.14. Luke 12.31</NOTE> Heauen is our inheri|tance; <HI>ergo,</HI> no purcha&s;e by vs: it hath plea|&s;ed the Father to giue vs the kingdom; <HI>ergo,</HI> we get it not by our &s;elues. Saint <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith, Chri&s;t is the dore by which we mu&s;t enter.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 10.7. Act. 10.12.</NOTE> <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith, there is no other name vnder hea+uen whereby we can be &s;aued, but onely by the name of the Lorde Ie&s;us. And therefore to ioyne Chri&s;t with vs, and his perfect righ|teou&s;nes, with our broken workes, euen vn|holine&s;&s;e it &s;elfe,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt. 9.16, 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> were but to put new cloth in an old garment, and &s;o to make the rent wor&s;e; and to put new wine into old bottles, and &s;o to &s;pill all; and to build part of the hou&s;e vpon Chri&s;t, and part vpon our &s;elues were to &s;et part vpon the foundation,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3.11.</NOTE> and part be&s;ides the foundation, and &s;o to bring all vnder foote. And therefore if we will be wi&s;e builders, let vs a&s;cribe all wholy, and onely to our good God, who hath &s;o loued vs in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, that albeit we haue beene di&s;obedient to his heuenly maie&s;ty, yet if we wil come when he calleth, and v&s;e the ordi|nary means when he offreth them, &amp; turn a|gain to him with al our hearts, he will be &s;til our Lord, &amp; that for his promis &s;ake in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord, and yet al of his fauor vnde &s;erued, and loue vn&s;peakable, wherwithal he loued vs before the foundation of the world <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"></P>
<PB N="46" REF="25">
<P> This doctrine is nece&s;&s;ary for two &s;orts of men; Fir&s;t, for tho&s;e that are too much op|pre&s;&s;ed with the burthen of their &s;inne, e|uen to de&s;paire: the&s;e men are to know that Chri&s;t Ie&s;us &s;pake vnto them, when as hee &s;aide,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 11.28.</NOTE> Come vnto mee all you that are hea|uy laden, and I will ea&s;e you. And the Pro|phet heere &s;peaketh vnto them, when hee &s;aith; <HI>O you di&s;obedient children turne againe, for I am your Lord.</HI> Let them onely beleeue, and pray the Lord to helpe their vnbeleefe.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 9.24.</NOTE> And let not this be the que&s;tion, whether God will be their good Lord or no; or whe|ther they &s;hall be &s;aued or no; but whether they bee &s;urely per&s;waded of Gods loue in Chri&s;t to them or no.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 8.38.</NOTE> The &s;econd &s;ort are &s;uch as are not at all touched with their &s;ins, but are drenched in the &s;ea of &s;in, and feele not the waues; in the midde&s;t of the fire they are, and yet feele not the flame; Gods iugements are pre&s;ent, hell gates are gaping, and death ready to &s;trike them, yet they no whit aba&s;hed: No threatning, no promi&s;e, no example, nothing will make them for|go their &s;innes, that God may forgiue them: God make vs to feele our &s;ins, that we may by true repentance turne againe; for this comfort belongeth to none but to tho&s;e that in obedience turne to God by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord.</P>
<PB N="47" REF="25">
<P> The &s;econd thing that we learn from this place, is, that the con&s;ideration of gods loue towards vs, &s;hould moue vs to &s;erue him in true obedience. This argument did <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> v&s;e to the I&s;raelites;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 30.7, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> The Lord (&s;aith hee) will cur&s;e thy enemies, and them that hate thee, and per&s;ecute thee; returne therefore, &amp; obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do all his commandements. The &s;ame argu|ment did <HI>Io&s;hua</HI> v&s;e.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;. 23.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></NOTE> The Lord &s;aith he hath giuen you a land wherein you did not labor, citties which you builded not, and vine|yards which you planted not: now there|fore feare the Lord your God, &amp; &s;erue him in vprightnes and truth. The &s;ame rea&s;on al&s;o doth the Lord (by <HI>Ieremy</HI>) v&s;e heere. Turne againe, and obey, and why? for I am your Lord. The &s;ame rea&s;on ought to moue euerie one of vs to feare the Lord,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 130.4.</NOTE> for with him is mercie that hee may bee feared. Apply wee this to our &s;elues. No nation hath bene longer vrged with this argument then our Engli&s;h nation: but hath it per&s;wa|ded vs to obey the Lord? God indeed hath made vs his vineyard, and done for vs what he po&s;&s;ibly could deui&s;e, by pla~ting dre&s;&s;ing hedging, watering, &amp; defending vs. Yet lo, nothing but &s;ower grapes. Nay haue we not degenerated more then any other nation? I would to god that we had not; for thus &s;tan|deth
<PB N="48" REF="26">the ca&s;e vvith vs: the more loue from God, the le&s;&s;e dutie from vs; the more mercy in God, the le&s;&s;e pittie in vs; the more peace, the le&s;&s;e quiet; the more knovvledge the le&s;&s;e practi&s;e: let enimies come, and we vvill hold together; let enemies go, and we fall out one vvith another; let &s;ickne&s;&s;e come, &amp; vve &s;end for the preacher; let health come, and vve &s;corne the preacher; let death come, and &s;ome vvil giue a little to the poore; let life continue, &amp; they take al from the poore: when <HI>Dauid</HI> of loue &s;ent emba&s;&s;adors to vi&s;it the king of Ammon,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">o. 17.4.</NOTE> they cut away halfe their beards, and curtoled their garments by the buttockes: but &s;ome &s;eeke to cut their throats, which doe them mo&s;t good, and that euen nowe. <HI>Ionathan</HI> v&s;ed his fathers loue to <HI>Dauids</HI> benefit,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">0.36.</NOTE> and by &s;hooting of three arrowes, gaue him warning of his fa|thers di&s;plea&s;ure; but nowe many do abu&s;e their fathers loue, &s;hooting poi&s;oned ar|rowes at tho&s;e that are true of heart, cau&s;ing di&s;plea&s;ure where none was, and that euen now: When God maketh men mo&s;t able to do good, they are lea&s;t willing, and that e|uen now in the light of the go&s;pel. In time of dearth the rich hoord vp their corn, look|ing &s;til for a greater price. In time of war and co~mon calamity, whe~ men are infinitly char|ged, then is euery man for him&s;elfe, &s;etting
<PB N="49" REF="26">the dice vppon men, taking fiue &s;hillings for one, and 20. for fiue; but by the way, the&s;e be no v&s;urers, but deuills incarnate. One poore man beggeth of another. Eliah goeth to Sa|repta, &amp; from thence to the rauens for com|fort. <HI>Lazarus</HI> goeth to the rich mans gate, but the dogs giue him his alms. <HI>Nabals</HI> &s;ong is, I haue not for <HI>Dauid,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> when <HI>Nabal</HI> hath the deuill and all. Now do me~ eate the calues of the &s;tal, and the lambs of the flocke, drink wine out of golden cuppes, annoint them|&s;elues with co&s;tly ointment, wallow vpon beds of Iuorie, and &s;ing to the viall and mu|&s;icall in&s;trument: and euen now, but <HI>Io|&s;ephs</HI> affliction is quite forgotten. When the Lorde &s;pareth vs, wee &s;mite our fellow &s;eruaunts, when the Lorde forgiueth vs a thou&s;and talents, wee take our bretheren by the throate for euerie farthing. When God giueth <HI>Achab</HI> a kingdome, let <HI>Naboth</HI> looke to his vineyard. And when <HI>Achab</HI> is &s;icke for <HI>Naboths</HI> vineyard, and <HI>Iezabell</HI> religious in proclaiming a fa&s;te, for <HI>A|chabs</HI> &s;ickne&s;&s;e, then let <HI>Naboth</HI> looke vn|to his life. There is nothing but ioy|ning hou&s;e to hou&s;e, and lande to lande, vntill there bee no more roome, except it bee for a plague. The I&s;ralites be&s;tow|ed their earerings,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod: 32.3.</NOTE> and iewelles vppon a Calfe. The Papi&s;ts like calues woulde
<PB N="50" REF="27">be&s;tow all vpon the popes bull, and we like profane <HI>E&s;au</HI> are content to &s;el away our hea|uenly patrimonie for a me&s;&s;e of belly &s;or|row, and in this &s;ort we deale with the Lord, as though the Lord did &s;pare vs, that wee might &s;pare none; as though he did giue vs a portion to wa&s;te prodigally; as though hee gaue vs our meate to play withall, and as though his mercie and goodne&s;&s;e, &s;houlde not make vs merciful and louing, and finally as though his long &s;uffering and patience, were not to draw vs to repentance.</P>
<P>The la&s;t thing that I ob&s;erue from this place is this:
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 2.4.</NOTE> that &s;eeing the loue of God is &s;o free, &s;o continuall, &s;o vnde&s;erued, and vn|&s;peakeable, that therefore we ought to &s;et more by it, then by any loue in the world. Great was the loue of <HI>Damon</HI> and <HI>Pithias,</HI> when one offered to die for the other, but it was neither free, perpetuall, nor vnde&s;erued; but god loued vs when we were his enimies, and hated him:
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 5.10.</NOTE> their loue ended with their liues, Gods loue is eternall, as him&s;elfe; the loue of Princes is great, but princes may be vncon&s;tant, as <HI>Saul</HI> was to <HI>Dauid.</HI> The loue of fathers is great, but they may proue vn|naturall, as they which offered their &s;onnes and daughters to the deuill. Many wiues be vnfaithfull as <HI>Dalila,</HI> &s;coffers as <HI>Michol.</HI> Children may proue vnnaturall as <HI>Ab&s;alon</HI>
<PB N="51" REF="27">was. Seruants are vntru&s;tie, as <HI>Gehezi.</HI> Friends are fained and &s;ickle as <HI>Ioab,</HI> and <HI>Iudas;</HI> but the louing kindne&s;&s;e of the Lord endureth for euer and euer, vppon &s;uch as thinke vppon his commaundements to doe them.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 103.1</NOTE> There are many things wanting in the world, which &s;hould bring vs out of loue with the world. There wanteth abili|ty in the king of Samaria, willingnes in the wicked iudge, there wanteth iudgement in <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> &s;o as <HI>Iacob</HI> may deceiue him, fidelity is wanting in <HI>Laban,</HI> &s;o that <HI>Iacob</HI> is deceiued, con&s;tancy is wanting in the Iewes, which wil crie, <HI>Crucifige,</HI> and <HI>Ho&s;anna,</HI> and almo&s;t all with a wind, &s;o that Chri&s;t is executed: there wanted in <HI>Pharaoes</HI> butler thankfull re|membrance of his friend, &s;o that <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> is forgotten: mercie in <HI>Rehoboam,</HI> wi&s;edome and di&s;cretion in his yong coun&s;ellers, and a good name in both is wanting, &s;o that <HI>Quicquid del<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rant reges plectuntur Achiui.</HI> The whole land &s;marted for their folly. In al men wanteth &s;omewhat, the whole world hath not all things, no the worlde hath no intere&s;t in vs; for wee are cho&s;en out of it, by that GOD that &s;aith heere, <HI>I am your Lorde.</HI> There are not wanting the con|trarie, which like &s;corpions &s;hould driue vs from the world to the Lord, as the malice of <HI>Cain,</HI> the hatred of <HI>E&s;au,</HI> the villanie of <HI>Ioab,</HI>
<PB N="52" REF="28">the vnkindnes of <HI>Haman,</HI> the trechery of <HI>Iu|das,</HI> the cruelty of <HI>Iezabell,</HI> the &s;icknes of <HI>A|chab,</HI> the churli&s;hnes of <HI>Nabal,</HI> the di&s;&s;em|bling of <HI>Ananias:</HI> as the brea&s;ts of the world are not benointed onely with &s;ower things, but the verie milke that it yeeldeth bitter|nes it &s;elfe, for all is but vanity, and vexation of &s;pirite. There wanteth not ignorance, weakenes, vnwillingnes, vnfaithfulnes in all, imperfections in the be&s;t, nothing certaine, but al changable as the moone, fading as the flours of the field, &amp; vani&s;hing as the &s;moke in the aire, al waxe old as a garment, and as a ve&s;ture &s;hall we all be changed. What &s;hal I &s;ay? the whole world is &s;et on mi&s;chiefe. But with the Lord our god the ca&s;e is otherwi&s;e, for he is almighty, &amp; therfore of ability to re|ward the godly, &amp; to puni&s;h the wicked. He is our father in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, &amp; therfore wil|ling to receiue vs when we turne vnto him, he is al&s;o a iu&s;t God, &amp; therefore wil plague tho&s;e which wil not turne vnto him, he hath al knowledge, &amp; knoweth al things, &amp; ther|fore he will knowe <HI>Barrabas</HI> from <HI>Barnabas, E&s;au</HI> from <HI>Iacob, Bethauen</HI> from <HI>Bethel. Simon Magus</HI> from <HI>Simon Peter. Iudas I&s;cariot</HI> from <HI>Iudas</HI> the brother of <HI>Iames, Shibboleth</HI> from <HI>Sibboleth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">. 12.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.23. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.10.</NOTE> and who &s;hall deceiue the Lord? He is not as the &s;onne of man that he &s;hould change his mind, &amp; therefore he mu&s;t needs
<PB N="53" REF="28">be con&s;tant, and his coun&s;ell &s;hall &s;tand.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 135.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> He cannot be letted or his purpo&s;e, for he is in heauen, &amp; doth what&s;oeuer he wil:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 49.</NOTE> he cannot forget his children, for he hath written them in the palms of his ha~ds.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 121.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> He is always watch|ful ouer his children, for he that keepeth I&s;|raell doth neither &s;lumber nor &s;leepe. A &s;e|cond information &s;hal not mi&s;carrie him, for hee that knoweth all at once needeth no in|formation. No oratour &s;hal turne his mind, for he wil neuer alter the decree that is gone out of his mouth, yea his coun&s;el mu&s;t needs &s;tand, again&s;t who~ no wi&s;edom, no coun&s;el, nor &s;trength can preuaile.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 21.30.</NOTE> If he hath concei|ued any di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t his children hee wil &s;oon be intreated vpo~ their repe~tance:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 103.</NOTE> he calleth vs, he per&s;wadeth vs, he entreateth vs to turne &amp; obey him, &amp; therfore let vs turne againe: he claimeth it as his right, it is for our benifit, he &s;hal get nothing by our &s;eruice: if vve neuer &s;erue him, he vvil loo&s;e nothing by vs, if we be &s;aued, he &s;halbe glorified, &amp; if we be da~ned, he vvilbe glorified al&s;o: for no vvay vvil he loo&s;e a iot of his glory, &amp; therfore let vs turne again &amp; obey him, he co~mandeth it in his law, whe~ he &s;aith, Thou &s;halt haue no other gods but me; we co~fes it in our beliefe, whe~ vve &s;ay, I beleeue in God the father al|mighty: we pray for it whe~ we &s;ay; our father hallowed be thy name, &amp;c. &amp; therfore if we
<PB N="54" REF="29">doe not turne againe, we breake his law, we deny our faith, and we mocke God him&s;elfe in our prayers. His mercies &s;hould moue vs to obedience, his promi&s;es &s;huld allure vs to obey him. If he correct vs, it is that we might obey him; if he plague vs, it is becau&s;e we o|bey him not; but if he doth beare with vs, and forbeare vs, it is, to &s;ee whether his long &s;uffering and patience will drawe vs to repentance. The Lord is our Lord, and &s;til offreth vs mercie, we are his children and al|wayes owe him duetie: hee is our Lorde in goodnes, power, wi&s;edome, iu&s;tice, mercie, prouidence, and in him&s;elfe aboue all, and therefore let vs turne vnto him. God for his mercies &s;ake turne our hearts that he may be &s;till our God, and wee may be his people for euer, So be it. <HI>Now let vs pray.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="sermon">
<HEAD>The &s;econd Sermon of God wooing his Church.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>IEREMIE Chap. 3.</HI></BIBL>
<P><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 14</HI></BIBL> O ye di&s;obedient children, turne a|gaine, &s;aith the Lord, for I am your Lord, and I will take you one of a citie, and two of a tribe, and will bring you to Zion.</P>
<P><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 15</HI></BIBL> And I will giue you Pa&s;tors ac|cording to mine heart, which &s;hall feede you with knowledge and vnder&s;tanding.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<PB N="55" REF="29">
<P>_IN the former part of this text, the Lord hath &s;hewed what authori|tie and power hee hath ouer his people, by which he might com|pell them to &s;erue him: but now he taketh another cour&s;e, whereas hee might enforce them, he doth intreate them; and whereas hee might pre&s;&s;e them downe with mo&s;t greeuous iudgements, he doth now promi&s;e to reward them mo&s;t liberally, and to deale mo&s;t bountifully with them, for he promi|&s;eth to endow them with the be&s;t, and grea|te&s;t ble&s;sings which hee giueth vnto any of the &s;ons of men in this life. For fir&s;t where|as they were in captiuitie and bondage a|mong&s;t Gods enemies, hee promi&s;eth to &s;et them at libertie, in their owne countrie, and to e&s;tabli&s;h his true religion and wor&s;hip a|mong&s;t them. And further, that they may no more prouoke the wrath of the Lorde a|gain&s;t them through their ignoraunce, and wandring out of the way for want of lightes and guides; hee promi&s;eth to prouide for them &s;uch pa&s;tours as &s;hall watch ouer them for their good, and not &s;ee them want anie in&s;truction; as if he &s;hould &s;ay vnto them, I will bring you to my own hou&s;e, and during your whole life I will a&s;&s;ure you of the be&s;t things I haue for you, and you &s;hal want no|thing, if you will obey me, this &s;hal be your
<PB N="56" REF="30">dowrie. And thus we &s;ee how frankely the Lord dealeth with them, and what large of|fers he maketh them, as one which mean|eth to winne them, if any thing will wooe them.</P>
<P>And further, le&s;t that &s;uch as were well affected, and de&s;irous to returne indeede, might be di&s;couraged, thinking it in vaine to turne, except al would turne; and becau&s;e the promi&s;e was made to al the whole com|pany, it would not auaile them to humble them&s;elues. The Lorde (to take away that doubt) telleth them, that though but a few of them do returne, yet hee will be as good as his word: and if but one of a city, and two of a tribe, that is, very few in compari&s;on of the whole; yet if &s;o many &s;hall in trueth re|turne, they &s;hall not loo&s;e their labour, but the Lord will ble&s;&s;e them, and the re&s;t for their &s;akes. Thus the Lord &s;heweth him&s;elf carefull to remooue all cau&s;es of doubting from his people, and to put in all the proui|&s;oes that may be on their behalfe, al to make the conueiaunce of his ble&s;singes as &s;ure as may be vnto them, that they may haue no|thing to allege for them&s;elues, if they &s;huld vnkindly reiect or neglect this gracious co|uenant of the Lord, &s;o mercifully and vnde|&s;eruedly offered vnto them.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing that from hence wee may
<PB N="57" REF="30">learne, is this, that the &s;innes of many &s;hall not hinder the cour&s;e of Gods mercies vnto the penitent, though they be but few. The Sodomites were many, and their &s;innes were as a mightie pile of woode for the wrath of the Lord to burne vpon, the crie of them a&s;cended vp vnto the eares of the Lord, and the filthine&s;&s;e of their abhomina|tions had infected the very aire; yet all this could not moue the Lord to keep backe his mercy and louing kindene&s;&s;e from righte|ous <HI>Lot,</HI> who&s;e &s;oule was vexed within him for their wickednes;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.29.</NOTE> neither did the Lorde forget his &s;eruant <HI>Abraham</HI> when the fire of his fierce wrath was flaming vpon tho&s;e wicked cities. In the like gracious manner did hee remember <HI>Rahab</HI> (who gaue enter|tainement to the &s;pies of <HI>Io&s;hua</HI>) when Ieri|cho was vtterly de&s;troyed. And this is a point of &s;ingular comfort to the godly, to remember, that God in vi&s;iting the &s;innes of the whole world, yet will not forget to &s;hew mercie vnto thou&s;ands of them that loue him and keepe his commaundements. Yea, if there bee but one of a Citie, and twoo of a Tribe that doe truely returne to the Lord, the Lord wil &s;urely embrace them what&s;oeuer others do.</P>
<P>Againe, we are further to ob&s;erue heere, that the Lorde that is the mo&s;t righteous
<PB N="58" REF="31">Iudge of the world, iudging all men in equi|tie and trueth, will not condemne all for the wickedne&s;&s;e of &s;ome, but will take them as he findeth them, if there be but one of a cit|tie, or two of a tribe that feare God, they &s;hall be iu&s;tified in their vprightne&s;&s;e, and not be condemned with the re&s;t And &s;ure|ly this is a good rule for vs to follow, that in cen&s;uring and iudging of men we may take heede of ra&s;h and ha&s;tie iudgement, for it is the maner of the peruer&s;e world to co~demn all for &s;ome, without any difference, or ex|ception. If in the mini&s;tery they heare of &s;om one or a few that be of lewd and vngod|ly behauiour, &s;traitwayes their bolt is &s;hot ouer the heads of all that are in the mini&s;te|rie, crying out that all be naught, they are al &s;uch. In like &s;ort, if any other man that is a profe&s;&s;or of the go&s;pel chance to be founde in any fault, &s;traitwayes profane Athei&s;ts crie out with open mouth, that there are none wor&s;e then profe&s;&s;ours: but they will take heede (I hope) how they do make &s;uch wry mouthed conclu&s;ions again&s;t al e&s;tates, for feare that their necke &s;houlde pay the price of their tongue. For if they &s;hould look into the &s;tate of Kings and Princes, they &s;hould finde that &s;ome haue beene v&s;urpers, &s;ome idolaters, &s;ome tyrants, and &s;ome verie vicious and licentious per&s;ons; will they
<PB N="59" REF="31">therefore conclude and &s;ay of Kinges and Princes, as they doe of the poore mini&s;ters and other inferior profe&s;&s;ors of the Go&s;pel, there are none wor&s;e then Kings and Prin|ces, for &s;uch and &s;uch were idolaters, &amp;c. they are all naught? No, I trow not, for feare of a wor&s;e matter. But doe they thinke in this &s;ort to depraue and condemne the pro|fe&s;sion of the go&s;pel, and the knowledge of the &s;acred &s;criptures as the cau&s;e of al di&s;or|der, and the profe&s;&s;ours of the &s;ame as the wor&s;t per&s;ons that liue (as the maner of ma|ny is) and to e&s;cape the Lords hands for this their horible pride, and pre&s;umptuous ra&s;h|nes: wil not the Lord (thinke we) be reuen|ged of &s;uch wicked ones that &s;hall &s;o malici|ou&s;ly beare fal&s;e witnes again&s;t Gods church and &s;lander the Lord Ie&s;us in his poore mem|bers? Is not the Lord as ielous of his owne glorie, and of the credit of his people and go&s;pel, as Kings and princes are of theirs, and their lawes? but as Chri&s;t &s;aid of his di&s;ci|ples, &s;o wee may truely &s;ay of &s;uch &s;wift iudges, they knowe not what &s;pirite they are of. For the &s;pirit of God taketh an other cour&s;e, hauing to deale with the &s;eaue~ chur|ches of A&s;ia, in the Reuelation he &s;aith thus:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> I know thy faith, and thy patience, and thy loue, and thy zeale, &amp;c. that is, I commend thee for the&s;e good things, and I approue
<PB N="60" REF="32">thy workes, but yet I haue &s;omwhat to &s;ay a|gain&s;t thee for &s;uch a thing and &s;uch a thing; that is, I neither condemne thy good, bicau&s;e of thy euill, nor commend the euill that is in thee, becau&s;e of thy good things: this cour&s;e he taketh with euerie one of them, to &s;hew what we &s;hould do in &s;uch ca&s;es, if we haue the &s;pirit of god; for we &s;o many in the world fallen into two foule extremities at this day: fir&s;t our prote&s;tants at large &s;ay, that becau&s;e wee haue the go&s;pell plentifully taught in many places of the land, and the &s;acraments, &amp; many good things (the Lord make vs in|deede thankfull for them) that therefore all is well, and nothing is ami&s;&s;e, there are no faults, nor corruptions in the church, mini|&s;ters, or people. The Browni&s;ts on the o|ther &s;ide crie out, that becau&s;e that there are &s;ome defects and wantes in the church, and euerie thing is not ineuerie re&s;pect &s;o pure|ly reformed as it ought to be by the word, therefore (&s;ay they) wee haue no church, no &s;acraments, no mini&s;ters, nor any thing that is good, but that al our mini&s;ters are dum dogges, <HI>Baals</HI> prie&s;ts, and I know not what, playing the franticke mans part, who be|cau&s;e &s;ome thing lieth in his way, or there is &s;omething in the hou&s;e that is not to his minde, therefore laieth about him at eue|ry one that commeth in his way; the poore
<PB N="61" REF="32">innocent children are beaten, the &s;eruaunts driuen out of doores, the meate on the ta|ble is ca&s;t downe to the dogges, the fire flung about the hou&s;e, the windowes are broken in peeces: and not content with this, runneth out and gathereth vppe al the filth and dirt in the &s;treete to ca&s;t in his mothers face that bare him, and wipeth his handes vppon his fathers face who be|gate him, and all to make them odious to all that &s;hall beholde them. And hauing &s;et the hou&s;e on a fire, runneth away by the light thereof, crying out to all that they haue infected with the like rage. Come out from among them, Come out from a|mong them, there is no dwelling, there is no hou&s;e, there is no meate, there is no body to dre&s;&s;e anie thing, they are al polluted and defiled, all is naught among&s;t them. And hauing made their Proclamation, away they fling into another countrey, till they haue done as great an exploite there, vn|till at the la&s;t falling out amonge&s;t them|&s;elues, and excommunicating one another, many of them return home againe &amp; as men awaked out of their dreame, they lay downe their weapon, and goe quietly to bedde a|gaine. And in the like &s;ort doe the Pa|pi&s;ts deale with vs; but their dealing is &s;o gro&s;&s;e &amp; palpable, that I wil not vouch&s;afe to
<PB N="62" REF="33">vva&s;te any breath about them. But novv to the text againe.</P>
<P><HI>One of a citie and two of a tribe, &amp;c.]</HI> Here vve are further to ob&s;erue, that God is not led by the multitude of the vvicked, to mi&s;|like of the godly being but fevv, or to like vvell of the euill, becau&s;e they are many, vvhich is al&s;o a rule for vs to immitate and follovv, and it may &s;tand vs in &s;teed many vvaies,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 23.2.</NOTE> for fir&s;t it teacheth vs to take heede that vve be not dravven avvay to euill, vvith the example of the multitude vvhich like a mighty &s;treame is very forcible to carry vs a|vvay, except vve row hard again&s;t the &s;ame. The life of the multitude is called by our &s;a|uiour Chri&s;t the broad vvay,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 7.13.</NOTE> that is, the com|mon vvay, vvherein many doe vvalke vnto their de&s;truction, vvhich therefore mu&s;t bee auoided of euerie one that vvill be &s;aued: &s;econdly vve may learne from hence, not to be di&s;couraged from good things, by rea&s;on of the &s;mall number that ioyne vvith vs, for &s;traight is the gate and narrovv is the vvay that leadeth to &s;aluation, and fevv there bee that find it. And thirdly vve may &s;ee here, that multitude is no certaine argume~t of the truth, nor of the be&s;t things, as Papi&s;ts and Athei&s;ts doe imagin, for though euill men haue all the hands and feales in the vvorld to te&s;tifie in their behalfe, yet are they neuer
<PB N="63" REF="33">the better before God, as <HI>Achabs</HI> iourney was neuer the more pro&s;perous (when hee went contrarie to Gods will again&s;t <HI>Ramoth Gilead</HI>) though foure hundred fal&s;e prophets &s;aid vnto him, <HI>go and pro&s;per,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> and but one onely was again&s;t him in it. And though ma|ny laugh thee to &s;corne, thou art neuer the wor&s;e, if thou ha&s;t the truth on thy &s;ide: as <HI>Micaiah</HI> was neuer the wor&s;e though 400. were again&s;t him, and the king and all were again&s;t him, yet was the truth &s;til the truth, (though it were iu&s;tified only in his mouth) and preuailed at the la&s;t. We &s;ee for the mo&s;t parte, that tho&s;e which turne to God as <HI>Hezechias</HI> did, are but the &s;malle&s;t num|ber, as it were one or twoo in a towne (in compari&s;on) that are truely religious, and a few in a great congregation, that are zelous indeede for the glorie of God, and they are al&s;o noted &amp; pointed at of the re&s;t, as the co~|mon wonderments of the world: and yet we mu&s;t beware, that we make not vp the whole reckoning, with tho&s;e only which we &s;ee, or can yet iudge of (as the Browni&s;ts do) exclu|ding all the re&s;t, but to thinke thus rather, that as there may bee fire vnder the a&s;hes, though I &s;ee it not, yet &s;o there may be reli|gion in the harts of many though I &s;ee it not yet. And as in the daies of <HI>Eliah,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 19.18.</NOTE> the lord had 7000. in I&s;raell which neuer bowed their
<PB N="64" REF="34">knees to <HI>Baal</HI> which <HI>Eliah</HI> could not &s;ee, as &s;harpe &s;ighted as he was, &s;o there may bee in our daies &s;eauen thou&s;and, which belong vn|to God and may proue religious, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> we &s;ee now, and yet we be not &s;o &s;harp &s;igh|ted as <HI>Eliah</HI> was. But how&s;oeuer it may be, this is &s;ure, that the &s;incere wor&s;hippers of God are alwaies the fewe&s;t; and Gods num|ber is alwaies the &s;malle&s;t. And therefore as <HI>Ieremy</HI> preached to all, but conuerted by his doctrine not pa&s;t one of a Cittie, and two of a tribe, that is, a verie fewe. So we now mu&s;t preach to all, but if one of a citie, and two of a tribe, that is, if anie at all doe re|perit at our preaching, wee may thinke our &s;elues verie happie. It may be, that as 70. followed Chri&s;t a while, which bare the name of Chri&s;ts di&s;crples, be&s;ides thou|&s;ands that followed him for their bellies &s;ake, &s;o many may follow vs nowe in the like manner: but as the&s;e &s;euentie di&s;ci|ples came after twelue, &s;o is it nowe, that as it is read in one place, of Chri&s;t and his &s;euentie, and in another place, of Chri&s;t and his twelue, &s;o nowe may wee &s;ee the like againe: for at one time you &s;hall &s;ee Chri&s;t with a great auditorie, and &s;ome time Chri&s;t with twoo or three about him, from &s;euentie to twelue; and among&s;t tho&s;e fewe will bee &s;ome hypocrites and
<PB N="65" REF="34">fal&s;e brethren too, as amonge&s;t the twelue there was found one <HI>Iudas</HI> a traitour. So that the Lords companie oftentimes prooueth like <HI>Gideons</HI> armie again&s;t the <HI>Midianites,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 7.4,</NOTE> which at the fir&s;t was 32000. amo~g&s;t which were found 22000. timerous and fearefull, which being di&s;mi&s;&s;ed, there remained but 10000. of which ten thou&s;and there were founde but 300. which would take paines to lap water like a dogge, and they were <HI>Gede|ons</HI> army, &s;o from two and thirtie thou&s;and they came downe to 300. The &s;ame is &s;til to be ob&s;erued, which hath beene from the be|ginning, and &s;hall continue to the end.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.66.</NOTE> In going fro~ god many are noted in the go&s;pel. 70. di&s;ciples for&s;ake Chri&s;t at one time for one &s;peech which they vnder&s;tood not, and came no more at him afterward, yea &amp; it was doubtfull whether the re&s;t would haue for|&s;aken him too: but in comming vnto Chri&s;t but few are noted, nowe and then one alone like <HI>Nicodemus,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.2.</NOTE> and that by might too for feare of the Iewes. Inquirie being made for prophets, four hundred fal&s;e, but one tru, four hundred again&s;t God, but one for God can be founde. In the ninth of <HI>Ezechiel,</HI> wee reade of &s;ixe that were &s;ent to de&s;troie, and but one to &s;aue. In the fifth of <HI>Ieremie</HI> the Prophet is willed to &s;earche all Ieru|&s;alem; to &s;ee if hee coulde finde but one
<PB N="66" REF="35">righteous man that the Lorde might &s;pare the city for his &s;ake. Now, this is hard, and it goeth &s;o hard,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 2.32.</NOTE> that when all are gleaned out and refined, the Lordes flocke will bee but a little flocke as Chri&s;t calleth it, in re|&s;pect of the multitude, but it is the be&s;t flocke.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">. 2.</NOTE> <HI>Gideons</HI> army was but the gleaning of Ephraim, yet tho&s;e gleanings were better then the vintage of <HI>Abiezer;</HI> &s;o the Lordes people are but the gleanings of the worlde, yet tho&s;e gleanings are better then the vin|tage of Sathan. And as hard as it goeth, &s;o mercifull is the Lord, that if in all Sodome there be found but one <HI>Lot,</HI> the Lorde will gleane him out, before the deuill &s;hall reape his harue&s;t. If one groat be lo&s;t, he will &s;eek it vp againe; if one &s;heepe be gone a&s;tray, he will fetch him home againe with ioy; if one &s;inner repenteth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">. 15.7</NOTE> there &s;hall be ioy for him among&s;t the angels in heauen; if one prodi|gall child commeth home againe, hee &s;hall be receiued; if one leaper among&s;t ten that are clen&s;ed, returne with his thanks, he &s;hal|be accepted; if in a cittie one, in a tribe but two, and in a whole world but eight iu&s;t per&s;ons bee founde, the Lord will receiue them and &s;aue them from peri&s;hing with the wicked world. The Lorde dealeth not with his people as men doe, that will &s;ay, if there be but one fi&s;h in the net, and a lit|tle
<PB N="67" REF="35">one, ca&s;t it in againe; if there come vppe but a little fruit vpon the tree, let the &s;wine eate it, except there were more; if the henne bringeth but one chickin, ca&s;t it away, be|cau&s;e there are no more; or as the wicked &s;ay, if there bee but one or two in a congre|gation that feare God, what account make you of him, hee is one, we are many again&s;t one? but the Lord makes much of one, &s;o it bee his owne, to teach vs, that we al&s;o &s;hould make more account of one good man, (if there be but one among many) then of ma|ny bad, as the Lord doth, for he dealeth like a merciful creditor, who hauing many de&s;pe+rate debts, will take any thing, and not re|fu&s;e part, becau&s;e he cannot haue all. La&s;t of all, from this place we note, that the Lord v&s;eth to &s;pare many wicked ones oftentimes for the &s;mal number of his elect &s;ake which are among&s;t them, as he &s;pared Sodom and Gomorrha for <HI>Lots</HI> &s;ake, the olde world for <HI>Noahs</HI> &s;ake, and <HI>Putiphar</HI> for <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> &s;ake, the thornes are &s;pared for the Lillies &s;ake that groweth among&s;t them, and the tares for the wheate &s;ake, are not cutte downe, and for good <HI>Ieho&s;haphat</HI> his &s;ake it was that the Lordes Prophet vouch&s;afed to goe vn|to wicked <HI>Iehoram,</HI> or el&s;e hee would not &s;o much as haue looked towardes that wicked man, though he were a king.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 3.1</NOTE></P>
<PB N="68" REF="36">
<P> This may teach vs to make much of them that feare God, for if their number be once acco~pli&s;hed, the world is at an end; for as the world was made at the fir&s;t for their &s;akes, &s;o for their &s;akes it is that it continueth and &s;tandeth: for how long did Sodom &s;tand free from the fire of Gods wrath after <HI>Lot</HI> and his hou&s;holde were remooued out of it? or how long did the old world e&s;cape drowning af|ter that <HI>Noah</HI> and his companie were entred the Arke, no longer &s;hall the world &s;tand, after that the Lord hath once gathered his cho&s;en vnto him&s;elfe. If the wicked did wel con&s;ider of this point, that when the Lord hath gathered his wheate into his barne (as the Lord Ie&s;us &s;aith) that hee will then ga|ther the tares together and ca&s;t them into vnquenchable fire, they woulde not bee &s;o ha&s;tie to driue away Gods people, and to hunt them out of their companie, and out of their Citties and townes, as they doe, like the Galileans which were not well vntill Chri&s;t were gone out of their coa&s;t, but euen in pollicie they make much of him, as fome doe of wardes, who&s;e landes they en|ioy but during their minoritie and the terme of their liues, and after their decea&s;e, or when they come to full age, all goeth from them againe to another. But nowe let vs come to the text againe.</P>
<PB N="69" REF="36">
<P> <HI>And wil bring you to Zion]</HI> Zion was a fort in Ieru&s;alem,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 5.7. 2. Sam. 6.16 1. King. 8.1</NOTE> &amp; kept in po&s;&s;e&s;sion of the Ie|bu&s;ites til <HI>Dauids</HI> time, but it was won by <HI>Da|uid</HI> when he came to the crowne. After hee had won it, hee brought <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hither the Arke of Gods couenant; to which place the people re&s;orted to wor&s;hip the Lord. So that by Zi|on is meant the place of Gods wor&s;hip and religion, &s;o that the meaning of the Lorde in the&s;e words is this in re&s;pect, I wil &s;et you at libertie from your enemies, and bring you a|gaine to your owne country, that you may &s;erue mee in holy exerci&s;es of religion, as I haue appointed. Whence we may note, that the end of the churches deliuerance fro~ any trouble and affliction, is to become more re|ligious, for to this end hath the Lord deliue|red vs out of the ha~ds of our enemies, that we might &s;erue him without feare,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 1.74.</NOTE> in righteou&s;|nes &amp; true holines alwaies. But &s;om may &s;ay: This is a mater of no great vaiue, for they had it before &amp; made no reckoning of it, &amp; ther|fore very like that this wold not moue them. But if hee had tolde them of their gorgeous hou&s;es, delicate orchards, plea&s;ant fields, and abundance of worldly wealth and great ho|nours and dignities, it may bee they woulde haue regarded &s;uch things, as &s;athan thought to mooue Chri&s;t to wor&s;hippe him that waie, when no waie el&s;e woulde preuaile,
<PB N="70" REF="37">he &s;heweth him therefore all the kingdomes of the world, and the glorie of them, and doth offer them al vnto him vpon condition that he would fall downe and wor&s;hip him, but by no means he could preuaile with his goodly offer, for the Lord Ie&s;us was not of a worldlings mind, that will do more for gold then for godline&s;&s;e. So it &s;hould &s;eeme that if the Lord had told the Iewes of &s;uch mat|ters, wherewith the heart of man is more drawen, the~ with &s;piritual matters, he might haue wonne their loue for euer. But to tell them of Zion, and religion, of pa&s;tours, and preaching, might &s;eeme to be the next way to driue them further from his loue then be|fore. Indeede this &s;eemeth to bee a good worldly pollicie, but the Lord neede not to be taught of the world. The truth is &s;o, that when they had their fill of religion and reli|gious exerci&s;es at Zion, they cared not for them: but now being wel humbled with af|fliction among&s;t idolaters and &s;coffers: and being kept from it, they account deerely of it. And the trueth of this may further ap|peare by that pittifull complaint and mone which they make in the 137.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 137 1, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> p&s;alme, when they were among&s;t the Babylonians in cap|tiuitie, <HI>By the riuers of Babel we &s;ate, and there we wept, when we remembred Zion:</HI> they wept not before, when they were at Zion, but
<PB N="71" REF="37">now they weep: yea &s;o great was their griefe at the remembrance of Zion nowe, that all mirth and mu&s;icke is laide a&s;ide: nowe they hung vp their harpes vpon the willow trees, and fall to weeping and &s;orrowing for Zion; for Zion, why could not their melodie and &s;weete mu&s;icke make them merry? Oh no, no, they could take no ioy nor comfort in a|ny &s;uch outward things, &s;o long as they were bani&s;hed from the publique exerci&s;es of Gods religion at Zion, which was a &s;igne of Gods loue and fauour vnto them; but nowe they were excommunicate and ca&s;t out as it were vn&s;auourie &s;alt vpon the dunghill (for Babylon was but a dunghill to Zion) oh God had taken his loue tokens and iewelles from them, God &s;hewed an angry countenaunce vpon them. How could they then be mer|ry? what ioy could they haue in the riuers, or plea&s;ant walkes, or &s;weete mu&s;icke when they remembred Zion? oh now Zion, Zion,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 137,</NOTE> Zion, nothing but Zion would make them weepe, and da&s;hed all their ioy and mirth, &amp; laied it in the du&s;t, But, was this all? Oh no, no, be&s;ides all this, they that led vs captiues required of vs &s;ongs, and mirth, when wee had hanged vppe our harpes, &s;aying, &s;ing vs one of the &s;ongs of Zion. Oh the wicked Babylonians came &s;coffingly, and taunting|ly, and mocked them by their religion, and
<PB N="72" REF="38">flowted at the very name of God which was prai&s;ed in their &s;ongs, and this cut the very heart &s;trings of them in twain: as the proud Spaniard would &s;coffe at vs and our religi|on, if the Lord (as iu&s;tly he might) &s;hould deliuer vs into their handes; Come on you Prote&s;tants would they &s;ay, let vs heare now one of your Geneua p&s;almes, &amp;c. Oh this would go to the heart of vs (if wee had anie &s;parke of Gods &s;pirite in vs) to heare God thus, and his holy religion had in deri&s;ion of his wicked enemies.</P>
<P>Here then we may learne, that wee neuer &s;ee what a benefit it is to haue religion, and the mini&s;tery of the word, vntill it be taken from vs.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">4.3.</NOTE> Though <HI>Dauid</HI> alwayes loued reli|gion, yet neuer &s;o much as when hee was in trouble and bani&s;hment, for then he coulde make his mone vnto God, and &s;ay, that the &s;parrowes and the &s;wallowes were at a bet|ter pa&s;&s;e then he, becau&s;e they might come and build their ne&s;ts neere vnto the altar of the Lord, and they could haue a place in the Lords hou&s;e when hee was &s;hut out. Then did his &s;oule long for the pre&s;ence of the Lord againe.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 42.1.</NOTE> As the Hart longeth for wa|ter when &s;hee is cha&s;ed; then was his meate nothing but teares, and his drincke &s;til min|gled with weeping, and then did he poure out his &s;oule vnto God like water, and his
<PB N="73" REF="38">bones were as it were cut a &s;under, &s;o great was his griefe then, whe~ he remembred how he had gone with the multitude into the hou&s;e of the Lorde with &s;ongs of prai&s;e, and thank&s;giuing as vnto a fea&s;t which nowe he could not do.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos. 8.14.</NOTE> And this is that which <HI>Amos</HI> prophecieth of, when the Lord &s;hall bring a famine of the word of god vpon the land, the~ &s;hall men run vp and downe from one place vnto another, yea from one &s;ea to another; and from North to South to &s;eeke it, and &s;hal not finde it, for he that wanteth meate, and health, and libertie, can be&s;t tell what they be worth.</P>
<P>And the rather to prouoke vs to a loue of the&s;e heauenly things, we are to note, that religion and libertie goe both together: The Kings of <HI>Iudah</HI> neuer pro&s;pered better then when they embraced mo&s;t zealou&s;ly the worde of the Lorde. And mo&s;t true is that &s;aying of the Lorde Ie&s;us, that if wee fir&s;t &s;eeke (as many did) the king dome of GOD, and the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e thereof,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6.33.</NOTE> then libertie, then peace, then health, then riches, and then all other things &s;halbe ca&s;t vpon vs. It foloweth.</P>
<P N="15">15 <HI>And I will giue you Pa&s;tours according to my heart.]</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay, whereas before you went into captiuitie, you had pa|&s;tours that were either dumbe dogges that
<PB N="74" REF="39">could not teach you at all, or fal&s;e prophets that taught as it &s;toode with their aduaun|tage, &s;o that you could neither haue knovv|ledge, nor con&s;cience to &s;erue me; for which cau&s;e I &s;ent you into captiuitie,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 5.13.</NOTE> nowe I will not only bring you home againe, but I will al&s;o giue you wi&s;e and godly pa&s;tours which may teach you how to &s;erue me rightly, and may al&s;o call vpon you to &s;erue me faithful|ly, that you may goe no more into captiuity. Here then we may note fir&s;t, that a wi&s;e and a learned mini&s;terie is a mo&s;t needful thing, in a&s;much as without it, it is not po&s;sible tru religion &s;houlde continue. And therefore when God beganne an ordinary religion, he commanded that <HI>Aaron</HI> and his &s;onnes, and the tribe of <HI>Leui</HI> &s;hould be &s;anctified to the office of prie&s;thoode, to offer &s;acrifices for the &s;innes of the people, and to teach and in&s;truct them in the vvill of the Lord, &s;hew|ing thereby that religion could not be vp|holden without &s;ome &s;pecial means to teach and direct the people therein.</P>
<P><HI>According to my heart;</HI> that is, &s;uch as I &s;hall like and approue, that &s;hall haue their calling from me, and their gifts from mee, and their allovvance from me, and &s;hal teach for me, and reproue for me, and &s;hall &s;eeke nothing but my glorie, and your good, &s;uch as my &s;elfe &s;hall like of; &s;o is <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aide to
<PB N="75" REF="39">be a man after Gods ovvne heart, that is, &s;uch a one as God taketh delight in, and approo|ueth, and that is Gods heart indeed: for the Lord hath no heart, nor head, nor body, nor hands, nor feete, nor eies, nor mouth, nor eares as man hath, and as the gro&s;e Papi&s;tes haue &s;et him out in their pictures vpon their vvindovves, &amp;c. But the&s;e partes of man are attributed and giuen to God after the manner of men, for mans better vnder&s;tan|ding of the nature of God; for euery man knovveth to vvhat v&s;e the&s;e partes of mans body &s;erue; the eie to &s;ee by, the eare to heare by, the mouth to &s;peake by, the hand to worke by, the foote to goe by. And &s;ometime the&s;e partes in man are in the &s;cri|ptures put for the qualities and properties that be in them; and &s;ometime for the acti|ons and deedes that are vvrought by them, as appeareth in the fift chapter of the go&s;pel after Saint <HI>Matthew,</HI> vvhere it is &s;aid by our &s;auiour Chri&s;t; if thy eie offend thee, plucke it out, or if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: his meaning is, that men &s;hould take heede of &s;uch things as are done by the hand, and by the e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e; and &s;o by the re&s;t, to the offence of God or our neighbour. And it is an v&s;u|all thing in our common &s;peaking among&s;t men, vvhen vve &s;ee any mans vvriting, we &s;ay, this is &s;uch a mannes hand, and yet the
<PB N="76" REF="40">writing is not his hand, but his handy worke. When we heare one &s;peake, wee v&s;e to &s;ay; that is &s;uch a mans tongue, or, I knovve him by his tongue, and yet his &s;peech is not his tongue, but a thing vttered by the meanes of his tongue. So likewi&s;e in God there are &s;uch properties and qualities, which are in|deed his very e&s;&s;ence and being, and are de|&s;cribed in the Scriptures, for our better vn|der&s;tanding what the Lorde is vnto vs; as knovvledge, and wi&s;edome, and vnder&s;tan|ding, and might, and &s;trength, and iu&s;tice, and mercy, and prouidence, and loue, and hatred, and anger, and liking, and di&s;liking, and many moe, vvhich are all &s;et foorth, ey|ther vnder the partes of mans body, or by other creatures who&s;e natures are very well knowen vnto men. And how could we bet|ter come vnto the knowledge of Gods vn|&s;peakeable nature, &s;o farre as is meete for vs to knovve, but by &s;uch things as we are familiarly acquainted vvithall our &s;elues? for doe not al men know, that &s;trength doth vt|ter her force by the meanes of the arme? and that knovvledge and vnder&s;tanding doe en|ter into the heart by the eie and the eare? <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o not men declare their mind by word and by writing? doeth not loue and anger lodge in the heart? and doth not the countenaunce bevv<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ay the liking and di&s;liking that is in
<PB N="77" REF="40">the heart? and who is &s;o &s;imple that knovv|et<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> not the&s;e things? Therefore when the &s;imple&s;t &s;hall heare the &s;criptures call God a &s;pirite, and tell vs withall, that a &s;pirit hath no fle&s;h nor bones as men haue, and yet &s;hal heare the &s;ame Scriptures to attribute vnto God a head, a heart, together with eies, and eares, and a mouth, and a face, and a &s;oule, and feete, and &s;uch like, as if he were not a &s;pirit, but a man, mu&s;t they not needes conceiue that there is &s;omething el&s;e meant by &s;uch kinde of &s;peeches, which they could not &s;o vvell vnder&s;tand, nay not at all conceiue, if God &s;hould vtter him&s;elfe as hee is in him|&s;elfe, and not by &s;uch things as are familiar with mans vnder&s;tanding, and not to ima|gine &s;o gro&s;ly as the gro&s;e headed idolatrous Papi&s;ts do, that God is a man indeede, and hath the parts of mans body indeede? Ther|fore vvhen vve heare of the Lords hand or arme, vvhat can we vnder&s;tand thereby but his omnipotent power, might, and &s;trength, vvhereby he is able to do all things which he vvill doe? Other arme and other hand the Lorde hath not, for he is a &s;pirit. When we heare of the Lords eies and eares, vvhat can we conceiue thereby, but his knowledge &amp; vnder&s;tanding, which is &s;uch that nothing can be hidden from his maie&s;tie? but that he &s;eeth and knoweth all things at one in&s;tant?
<PB N="78" REF="41">other eares and other eies, the Lord hath not, for hee is a &s;pirit. When we heare of the mouth of the Lord, what el&s;e can we vnder|&s;tand thereby but the reuelation of his will? other mouth the Lord hath not, for hee is a &s;pirit. When we heare the Lords head is as white as wooll, what can we gather thereby but the eternal wi&s;dom of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 1.14.</NOTE> becau&s;e wi&s;|dome is co~monly attributed to the grey hea|ded? other head and haire the Lord hath not, for he is a &s;pirit. When we hear of the &s;oul or heart of God, what can we concerue thereby but the Lords liking or di&s;liking of a thing? otherwi&s;e the Lord hath neither heart nor &s;oule, for hee is a &s;pirit. When we heare of the light of Gods countenance,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 46.</NOTE> what el&s;e can we vnder&s;tand thereby but the tokens of his loue and fauor? otherwi&s;e the Lord hath no countenance, &s;miling, or frowning as men haue, for he is a &s;pirit. And when we heare that God is a &s;pirit, wee mu&s;t not concerue thereby, that God is circum&s;cribed within any certaine place, as &s;ome heretikes haue thought,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;tici.</NOTE> becau&s;e a &s;pirit is &s;o; but we are to learne thereby, that he is of a &s;pirituall &s;ub|&s;tance, and inui&s;ible nature, but altogether vn&s;peakeable, infinite, and incomprehen&s;i|ble. And thus we &s;ee what is meant by Pa|&s;tours according to Gods heart, that is, &s;uch as his maie&s;tie &s;hall approoue and like of
<PB N="79" REF="41">Nowe let vs &s;ee what wee may learne from hence. The Lord promi&s;ing and purpo&s;ing to do his people good, yea the greate&s;t good that can be if they turne to him, he &s;aith, he wil gaue them pa&s;tors according to his lik|ing, &s;uch as he &s;hall approue and delight in; to teach vs that there can come no good vnto Gods people but by &s;uch meanes as God doth like of. To build vp Gods church in faith and repentance, and to keepe the &s;ame in the holy obedience of Gods lawes; there is more required then to haue pa&s;tors, and dctours, they mu&s;t be &s;uch as God doth like of. The&s;e are tokens of Gods loue to his people, and &s;hal do good in their places, and turne many vnto righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, where others are tokens of Gods wrath, and are gi|uen in his wrath, as <HI>Saul</HI> was to the I&s;raelites, to be a plague vnto the people. The&s;e that are approued of God, haue their gifts from God, and are &s;ent forth with his ble&s;sing, that they may pro&s;per &amp; beget many &s;oules to God. The other are made barren, and ac|cur&s;ed that they can doe nothing, but onely &s;upply the place of pa&s;tours, but the &s;heepe cannot feede in their pa&s;tures it is &s;o &s;ower; or if they feede, they cannot thriue, becau&s;e it is not ble&s;&s;ed, for as the body liueth not by bread onely, &s;o the &s;oule liueth not by doc|trine onely, but by the ble&s;sing of God vp|on
<PB N="80" REF="42">both. <HI>Daniels</HI> diet was but water &amp; pul&s;e, yet with that did hee like better, then they which had their porcion from the kings ta|ble, becau&s;e it was Gods allowance, and went with a ble&s;sing. So they that haue pa&s;tours according to the Lords own heart, are many times fed but with plaine, yet pure doctrine, and their &s;oules are better fed with know|ledge; their faith is more &s;trong, their repen|tance is more &s;incere, and their life more re|formed, then theirs that are fed after a more &s;tately and princely manner, which o&s;tenta|tion of humane learning and eloquence, be|cau&s;e it it is gods allowance and goeth with a ble&s;&s;ing, whereas the other commeth and goeth like the winde, which onely puffeth and bloweth at men, and &s;o leaueth them as it found them. In the twenty three of <HI>Iere|my</HI> the Lorde doth mo&s;t notably de&s;cribe &s;uch prophets, as are not according to his heart. In the 23 hee calleth them liars and dreamers, to &s;hewe that there is no credit to be giuen vnto them, more then vnto hars, neither is there in their doctrine any more certainetie then is in a dreame. In the &s;ixe and twentieth ver&s;e hee &s;aith, they delight in lies, which he calleth the deceit of their owne heartes, to &s;hewe from what foun|taine they draw all their licor, euen out of the filthy puddles of their owne braine. In
<PB N="81" REF="42">the twenty &s;euen ver&s;e hee &s;heweth what is the fruit of the&s;e dreames, namely the name of God is forgottten by their meanes a|monge&s;t the people, a mo&s;t horrible &s;inne to forget GOD, as if the deuill him&s;elfe &s;hould teach. In the thirtie ver&s;e he calleth them theeues, becau&s;e they &s;teale the word of GOD away from the people, like tho&s;e that are &s;till di&s;&s;embling and di&s;couraging men from the reading of the &s;cripitures af|ter the manner of the popi&s;h &s;ynagogue, for feare that their wickedne&s;&s;e &s;houlde be de&s;cried by the light of the worde. They that robbe by the high waie, take awaie but mens money or their worldly goodes, but the&s;e robbe mens &s;oules of the mo&s;t precious worde of GOD, therefore they are the greate&s;t theeues. And the better to effect their purpo&s;e the Lorde &s;ayth in the one and thirtieth ver&s;e that they haue verie &s;weete tongues, and can make the people beleeue that the Lord &s;aith this, and the Lord &s;aith that, when it is onely the de|ceit of their owne heart. In the two and thirtieth ver&s;e he &s;aith, they are flatterers, and through their flatterie they cau&s;e the people to erre; &amp; in a word he &s;aith, that the Lord neuer &s;ent them, neither gaue them a|ny authority, and therefore they bring no profite vnto the people, they preach and
<PB N="82" REF="43">&s;tudie and take paines to no purpo&s;e, like the good wife that churmeth, and churmeth and can make no butter come. As for the people that l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ue vnder their mini&s;terie, hee &s;heweth in the 2. ver&s;e that they be adulte|rers and &s;wearers, full of wickednes and vn|godlines, to &s;hew that nothing but wilder|ne&s;&s;e can grow vppon the ground that is til|led by &s;uch as are not according to the Lords liking. As for their owne behauiour hee &s;heweth in the thirteenth and fourteenth ver&s;es that it is &s;utable to their teaching: deceitfull and filthie; broken out with all manner of botches and blaines, of fooli&s;h|ne&s;&s;e, and filthynes, and adulterie and vn|cleanenes, and walking in the by-pathes of lies and fal&s;hood, &s;trengthning the hands of the wicked, that none can returne for his wickedne&s;&s;e, and in one word more, they are all, both prophets and people vnto mee, but as Sodom a &s;inke of &s;inne, and as the inhabi|tants of Gomorrha &s;uch an other &s;inke: this they are to me &s;aith the Lord, thus they are in my eie what&s;oeuer they &s;eeme to be in their owne opinion, or in the iudgement of others whome they haue blinded and be|witched: Thus we &s;ee what vgly creatures they are which runne before the Lord &s;end them, which are mini&s;ters after mens hearts, but not after Gods heart, as a number of
<PB N="83" REF="43">blind guides among&s;t vs bee; the Lorde ta|keth no plea&s;ure in them, nor in tho&s;e foo|li&s;h people that are contented with them: and therefore &s;ets them alone to do as they li&s;t, and turneth them as fal&s;e children, ouer whom he hath no care, but lets them runne as it were filth and vermine for wa~t of trim|ming &amp; wa&s;hing with the water of his grace and &s;pirit, whereas tho&s;e that are of his &s;en|ding forth, and &s;uch as hee taketh plea&s;ure in, he will &s;et them out in the be&s;t manner, and grace them with good gifts, and holie conuer&s;ation, he will make their words gra|cious, and their mini&s;tery to be reuerenced in the eyes and heartes of all that feare God, they &s;hall bee mightie and powerfull in de|liuerie of their me&s;&s;age, they &s;hall be fruit|full in the worke of the Lorde, and ter|rible in the con&s;ciences of the wicked, they &s;hall bee ble&s;&s;ed in the &s;trength of the &s;pirit, to turne many &s;oules into the wayes of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, euen &s;o manie as GOD hath appointed, yea they and their peo|ple &s;hall bee a righteous generation, ouer whome the Lorde will haue a watchfull eye continually, to renewe and to repaire them with his grace and &s;pirit, there &s;hall not &s;o &s;oone any fore &s;eeme to ari&s;e in their life, or anie corruption in their profe&s;si|on, but the Lord with his fauour and grace
<PB N="84" REF="44">&s;hall heale it againe, they &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed of God to the good of Gods church which are pa&s;tours according vnto Gods heart, and none el&s;e; I doe not meane &s;uch as are free from all corruption and &s;taine of &s;inne, for &s;uch are not to bee looked for in this vale of corruption, but &s;uch as the Lorde hath &s;ent foorth, and furni&s;hed with gifts, and &s;anctified for the worke of his church. And the like may bee &s;aide of ciuil magi&s;trates, and church gouernors, that if euer the church of God reape any good by any, it is by them that are not after Antichri&s;ts heart and ly|king, or according to the worldes approba|tion, but according to Gods wordes liking, for God ble&s;&s;eth no ordinance but his owne.</P>
<P>This doctrine may haue a good v&s;e in re|&s;pect of tho&s;e that bee Pa&s;tours, or that haue anie publique place of teaching in the church of GOD, it maie &s;eeme to admoni&s;h them, that they approue them|&s;elues both for life and doctrine in the &s;ight of GOD, to bee &s;uch as God liketh of, if they will doe any good in the worke of the mini&s;terie, and thereupon reape any com|fort to their con&s;cience in the day of the Lord.</P>
<P>There be two markes that euery mini&s;ter approued of God mu&s;t principally aime at, not lucre, nor gain, nor worldly promotion,
<PB N="85" REF="44">nor the vaine prai&s;e of the world, as the ma|ner of many is, which &s;hoote as rouers doe at many markes, and neuer a one certaine. But the markes that Gods mini&s;ters mu&s;t &s;hoote at, are the glorie of God and the good of Gods church, that they may &s;ay as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.1.</NOTE> without checke of con&s;cience, Our hearts de&s;ire and prayer to God is, that I&s;rael may be &s;aued. And &s;o deere &s;hould the glory of God be vnto vs, and &s;o great &s;hould be our loue vnto the church of God, that if it may bee aduaunced in the &s;aluation of our bre|thren, yea of our enemies more then in their de&s;truction, we &s;houlde earne&s;tly craue the &s;ame of the Lord, yea &s;o earne&s;tly, that ra|ther then the Lord &s;hould loo&s;e any part of his glory therein, we ought to craue it with the hazard of our owne &s;aluation, as the apo|&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> that &s;ingular paterne of zeale and loue did,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.3.</NOTE> when hee de&s;ired to bee accur&s;ed for his brethren &s;ake, the Iewes which were his brethren according to the fle&s;h. Some bende al their endeuor that they may be wel thought of with the Prince, or with the court, or with &s;ome noble man, or with the chiefe of their congregation, for wealth and authoritie, and &s;ome de&s;ire only to be popu|lar, &amp; approued of the multitude: &amp; to bring this to pa&s;&s;e, they take great paines, they &s;tudie hard, they reade much, they currie
<PB N="86" REF="45">fauour with one, and flatter with another; they &s;erue the time, and turne with the time, watching the tide, that they may rovve with the &s;ame; and if they meet with any of their brethren labouring again&s;t their &s;treame, him they belabour with their Inuectiues, though therein they doe &s;triue again&s;t the &s;treame of Gods eternall trueth; but what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">re they &s;o they may haue the approbation of the world, who&s;e glorie they doe hunt af|ter like lu&s;ty <HI>Nimrods?</HI> and if they chance to mi&s;&s;e of their purpo&s;e, as &s;ometimes they are cro&s;&s;ed as wel as others, are they not rea|dy to fall &s;icke of <HI>Hamans</HI> di&s;ea&s;e, who was ready to die for &s;orrowe, becau&s;e <HI>Mordecai</HI> did not bow the knee vnto him? It is a good ble&s;sing of God to be gracious in the eies of chri&s;tian Princes, and great &s;tates, as it was a thing greatly to be reioyced at when <HI>Theo|do&s;ius</HI> the Emperor of Rome embraced chri|&s;tian bi&s;hops which re&s;orted vnto him. And the fauour of Gods people in the Lorde is a good fauour of God, which oftentimes hee giueth vnto his &s;eruants, when they &s;eek not after the &s;ame. But yet this is not the thing that Gods &s;eruants mu&s;t affect, but all their care mu&s;t be both at their fir&s;t entrance into the mini&s;terie, and in the whole cour&s;e of the &s;ame vnto the ende, that they may bee found Pa&s;tours according to Gods owne
<PB N="87" REF="45">heart. Both credite and maintenance in the world are the good ble&s;sings of the Lorde, and it &s;hall be lawfull for Gods mini&s;ters to enioy the &s;ame &s;o farre foorth as God &s;eeth good for them; but yet they mu&s;t take heed that they make not tho&s;e things the ende of their worke; but that at the fir&s;t, and at the la&s;t, we may be approued in the &s;ight of god. The apo&s;tle had matter of reioycing in his countrey, for he was an I&s;raelite, and of his bringing vp, for hee was brought vp at the feete of <HI>Gamaliel</HI> a learned man; hee could haue &s;toode vpon his learning, for he &s;pake with tongues more then any other; if others were doctors, he was a doctour of the Gen|tiles, and many great priuiledges he had that others had not. But what, doth hee &s;tand &s;o much to the maintenance of tho&s;e thinges? No,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Philip. 3.8.</NOTE> he counteth them all but dung to winne Chri&s;t, he forgetteth them as things left be|hind him, &s;o that hee may attaine vnto the marke that is &s;et before him, euen the price of his high calling the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: he careth not a point for them, &s;o that he may approoue him&s;elfe a faithfull workeman in the &s;ight of God. And &s;o &s;houlde wee doe; if we be mini&s;ters approoued of God, wee mu&s;t not be as many are which make mer|chandi&s;e of the word of God: but as of &s;in|ceritie; but as of God in the &s;ight of God,
<PB N="88" REF="46">we mu&s;t &s;peake in Chri&s;t.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 2-17.</NOTE> If we be pa&s;tors according to Gods heart, we mu&s;t not prai&s;e our &s;elues, nor &s;tand in neede of letters of commendation vnto our charge; or of re|commendation from them vnto others (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith) but our flocke mu&s;t bee our epi&s;tle written in our hearts to be read and vnder&s;toode of all men;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or. 3.1</NOTE> not with incke, but with the &s;pirit of the liuing God. If we be mini&s;ters approoued of God, wee mu&s;t giue no occa&s;ion of offen&s;e in any thing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or. 6.3.</NOTE> that our mini&s;terie may be free from reproofe: But in al things (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) we mu&s;t approoue our &s;elues as the mini&s;ters of god, <MILESTONE N="4"> in much patience, in afflictions, in nece&s;si|ties, in di&s;tre&s;&s;es, in &s;tripes, in pri&s;ons, in tumultes, <MILESTONE N="5"> in labours, by watchings, by fa|&s;tings, by puritie, by knowledge, by long &s;uffering, <MILESTONE N="6"> by kindene&s;&s;e, by the holi-gho&s;t, by loue vnfained, <MILESTONE N="7"> by the worde of trueth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, on the right hand and on the left, that is, both in pro&s;peritie and ad|uer&s;itie, <MILESTONE N="8"> among&s;t friends and foes, by honour and di&s;honour, by euill report and good re|port, <MILESTONE N="9"> as deceiuers, and yet true, as vnkno|wen and yet knovven, as dying and yet liuing, as cha&s;tened and yet not killed, as &s;orrowing and yet alvvayes reioycing, <MILESTONE N="10"> as poore and yet making many rich, as ha|uing
<PB N="89" REF="46">nothing and yet po&s;&s;e&s;sing all things. What a notable approbation is this? How many fellovves hath the holy Apo&s;tle &s;aint <HI>Paule</HI> in this? This is for &s;aint <HI>Paule</HI> alone, and &s;uch Puritanes as he was. Heere is no mention all this while of Di&s;pen&s;ations, nor of Qualifications; nor of Pluralities, nor of Vnions, nor of Totquots, nor of any &s;uch implements, belike they were not allow|ed of in Saint <HI>Paules</HI> time; for if they had, &s;urely the Apo&s;tle would not haue left them out, or it may be that they were not then in v&s;e, and the world is grovven wi&s;er now then it was in &s;aint <HI>Paules</HI> time:
<Q>Oh quantum mutatus ab illo!</Q></P>
<P>The worlde is greatly altered &s;ince &s;aint <HI>Paules</HI> dayes; it can no skill of &s;aint <HI>Paules</HI> cour&s;e. Well yet wee mu&s;t learne to haue skill of it, if wee will be approoued in the &s;ight of God. And if all the world do com|mend vs, and yet God condemne vs, what &s;hall it aduantage vs? Mo&s;t mi&s;erable and wretched caitifes &s;hall we prooue our &s;elues to be, and better it had beene that wee had neuer beene borne, if the Lord &s;hall &s;ay hee knoweth vs not. This was <HI>Micaiah</HI> well per&s;waded of, and therefore hee &s;toode to the truth when foure hundred fal&s;e prophets &amp; flatterers &s;tood again&s;t him; yea when the
<PB N="90" REF="47">king and all was again&s;t him, but yet he was a Prophet according to the Lords heart, and that was &s;ufficient for him. Many at the fir&s;t, and a great while haue made a good &s;hew of great &s;inceritie, that no man would haue ta|ken them but to be men of God indeede (as good Prophets were called in old time) vn|till they haue fallen by the world as <HI>Demas</HI> did, or till they haue fallen into fauour with the court, or the &s;tate, or till they haue taken &s;om high degree of &s;chooles, or til they haue climed vp the ladder of promotion, and then the date of their zeale, and painfulnes and &s;inceritie hath bin expired, and they haue turned ouer their coppy to others, &amp; hauing made &s;hiprack of faith &amp; a good con&s;cience, they haue gone forth like <HI>Thamar</HI> out of hir brother <HI>Ammons</HI> chamber when <HI>Ammon</HI> had defloured hir, &s;he we~t out with her garment of diuers colors rent &amp; torn; &s;o they haue go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> away with their garment of gods graces rent and torne,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">am. 13.19.</NOTE> onely this difference is betweene <HI>Thamar</HI> and them, &s;he wept &amp; mourned for it, and &s;o doe not they, but rather reioyce at their alteration, holding the&s;e things nowe as mo&s;t vile, which before the time of their &s;inceritie they counted mo&s;t precious: &amp; this is yet a mo&s;t feareful iudgement of God vpo~ them for their apo&s;tacie, for when they be|gin thus with tongue to per&s;ecute the trueth
<PB N="91" REF="47">which before they haue profe&s;&s;ed, what doe they el&s;e but turne into that hie way which leadeth vnto the &s;inne again&s;t the &s;pirit of truth. And being thus reuolted from their fir&s;t loue, they fell to be iu&s;t of <HI>Sauls</HI> humor, who perceiuing him&s;elfe to bee for&s;aken of the Lord for his hypocri&s;ie, and di&s;&s;embling in Gods bu&s;ines, de&s;ired yet of <HI>Samuel,</HI> that he might bee honoured before the elders of the people, and then he was &s;afe, that was all that hee looked after. So &s;ay they, let vs bee honoured before the elders of the people, and that is &s;ufficient, for that is all that they looke after, as hauing their reward of men, and not of God.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="sermon">
<HEAD>The third Sermon of God wooing his Church.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>IEREMIE Chap. 3.</HI></BIBL>
<P><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 15</HI></BIBL> And I will giue you Pa&s;tors ac|cording to mine heart, which &s;hall feede you with knowledge and vnder&s;tanding.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_NOw the que&s;tion groweth how we &s;hal knowe who be pa&s;tors and mini&s;ters according to Gods liking, and who be not. The Lord Ie&s;us doth be&s;t re|&s;olue
<PB N="92" REF="48">that doubt in the 7 of <HI>Iohn</HI> ver. the 18,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">b. 7.18.</NOTE> thus; <HI>He that &s;peaketh of him&s;elfe &s;eeketh his owne glory but he that &s;eeketh his glory that &s;ent him, the &s;ame is true, and no vnrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is in him:</HI> that is, hee is a true me&s;&s;enger of God, and no counterfeit. A man is &s;aide to &s;peake of him&s;elf two waies, either when he &s;peaketh before he be required to &s;peake, or being required to &s;peake, &s;peaketh not the truth truely, but mixeth &s;ome deuice of his owne braine therewith: &s;o did the fal&s;e pro|phets, for both they ranne before they were &s;ent, and al&s;o &s;pake the errours of their own hart in &s;tead of the word of the Lord: So did <HI>Vzzah</HI> that which he did of him&s;elfe, when he put his hand to the arke of the Lord, be|cau&s;e hee was not called thereunto of the Lord.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ium. 23.38. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">d. 11.</NOTE> So <HI>Balaam</HI> &s;pake of him&s;elfe though he &s;pake the truth without adding or dimi|ni&s;hing, becau&s;e his couetous hart which &s;er|ued for the wages of iniquitie, made him go when the Lord bad him to &s;tay When <HI>Cal|phas</HI> profecied of Chri&s;ts death, S. <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith; <HI>This &s;pake he not of him&s;elfe,</HI> that is, he did not inuent it of his own brain. But what is it for a mini&s;ter to &s;eek his own glory?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 11.51.</NOTE> to be infe|cted with the &s;tain of vainglory? no, for <HI>Paul</HI> was infected with that &s;taine, as appeares by his own te&s;timony; for therefore hee had a me&s;&s;enger of Sathan &s;ent to humble him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 12.7.</NOTE>
<PB N="93" REF="48">le&s;t he &s;hould be lifted vp out of mea&s;ure for tho&s;e heauenly reuelations which were gi|uen vnto him. What then? to extoll his mi|ni&s;terie and calling when iu&s;t occa&s;ion &s;er|ueth? no neither, for the Apo&s;tle hauing to deale with &s;uch as went about to abu&s;e his mini&s;tery. He extolleth his mini&s;tery in this maner;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 11.5.</NOTE> Verely I &s;uppo&s;e that I was not infe|rior to the very chiefe apo&s;tles. But then in|deed doth he &s;eeke his owne glory, when he preacheth mans doctrine to plea&s;e men.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1.10, 11.</NOTE> <HI>For now, preach I mans doctrine or Gods?</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>or go I about to plea&s;e men? for if I &s;hould yet plea&s;e men, I were not the &s;eruant of Chri&s;t I certifie you brethren that the Go&s;pell which was preached of me, was not after man.</HI> And the apo&s;tle cha. 4. ver. 17. de&s;cribes the vaineglorious fal&s;e apo&s;tles by this marke, that they would exclude all others as no bo|dy, that the people might altogether affect them. <HI>But what is it to &s;eek Gods glory?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">4.17.</NOTE> that is a very needful que&s;tion indeed; <HI>what is it to &s;ay God be prai&s;ed, or, thanks be to God?</HI> No, for &s;o did the proud Phari&s;y who was compoun ded of vaineglory;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 18.</NOTE> and when he pronounced tho&s;e wordes, &s;ought nothing le&s;&s;e then the glory of God, and nothing more then his owne glorie. What then? is it to &s;ay, Let God be glorified? No neither, for &s;o did the per&s;ecutors of gods church when they exco~|municated
<PB N="94" REF="49">their brethren, as appeareth in <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 66.5. like the Prelates, who beganne all their excommunications and condemna|tions with <HI>In nomine Dei;</HI> and &s;o <HI>In nomine Dei</HI> burned, and impri&s;oned, and ma&s;&s;acred many of the deare &s;aints and &s;eruaunts of God. And like vnto the former are the pa|pi&s;ts, who in all their idolatrous and &s;uper|&s;titious &s;eruices &s;ing, Glory be to the father, to the Sonne, and to the Holi-gho&s;t, &amp;c. A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> which do giue as much glory to God, as the Iewes did vnto Chri&s;t, when they &s;pit in his face, and &s;aluted him with the knee, crying, Haile King of the Iewes. What then? to &s;peake Gods will without adding or dimi|ni&s;hing?
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">wor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 23.12. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">t. 2.16. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 11.</NOTE> No neither; for &s;o much did <HI>Balaam,</HI> who for al that, &s;ought nothing but his own commoditie and gaine, and therefore is &s;aid to &s;erue for the wages of iniquitie. Howe then? To come in outward humilitie, and &s;hewes of holine&s;&s;e, as to profe&s;&s;e wilfull pouertie, to goe barefooted, &amp;c. after the monki&s;h manner of the Popi&s;h friers, and o|thers of that fraternitie? Nothing le&s;&s;e; for the apo&s;tle doth vtterly di&s;claime them, and maruelleth that they which are dead with Chri&s;t from the ordinaunces of the worlde, will bee burned againe with traditions,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 2.20.</NOTE> as though they liued in the world, and not in Chri&s;t; <MILESTONE N="21"> as, touch not, ta&s;te not, handle not,
<PB N="95" REF="49">which all peri&s;h with the v&s;ing, and are af|ter the commaundements and doctrines of men: Which things haue a &s;hewe of wi&s;e|dome (&s;aith the apo&s;tle) in voluntarie religi|on and humblene&s;&s;e of minde, <MILESTONE N="22"> and in not &s;paring the body, <MILESTONE N="23"> neither haue they it in a|ny e&s;timation to &s;ati&s;fie the fle&s;h: thus the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh of mens traditions, to teach vs that we mu&s;t thinke of them but as of burdens too heauy for the con&s;ciences of chri&s;tians to beare, and &s;hewes, without any &s;ub&s;tance they are in the &s;ight of God. How then doth Gods mini&s;ter &s;eeke the glory of God? Fir&s;t, in &s;peaking; then marke his doc|trine. Secondly, in liuing; then marke his life: for the fir&s;t it is &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 7.18.</NOTE> he &s;peaketh not of him&s;elfe; for the &s;econd, it is &s;aid, there is no vnrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in him, that is, hee is not a &s;ubiect to &s;inne and wickedne&s;&s;e. Counter|feit and fal&s;e apo&s;tles are deceitfull wor|kers,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 11.13.</NOTE> (&s;aith S. <HI>Paul</HI>) &amp; can tran&s;forme them|&s;elues into the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t, and no maruell (&s;aith hee) for Sathan him&s;elfe is tran&s;formed into an Angel of light. There|fore it is no great thing, though his mini|&s;ters tran&s;forme them&s;elues as though they were the mini&s;ters of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. But <HI>ex fructibus,</HI> by their fruits, (&s;aith the Lorde Ie&s;us) you &s;hall know them.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 7.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> The &s;orcerers and &s;ooth&s;aiers of Egypt did imitate, or ra|ther
<PB N="96" REF="50">counterfeit <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron</HI> in many things, &s;o doe the mini&s;ters of the deuill counterfeit the mini&s;ters of God in many things: but as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did one thing which the &s;orcerers could not do; &s;o Gods me&s;&s;enger doth one thing the other cannot doe; that is, they &s;eeke the glorie of him that &s;ent them. Now when the people &s;aw <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> do that which all the cunning men of Egypt could not do, they &s;aid; this is the finger of GOD: &s;o when men &s;ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l &s;ee a man &s;ee|king in his whole mini&s;terie nothing but the glorie of GOD that &s;ent him, they mu&s;t needes &s;aie, This is a mini&s;ter of God.</P>
<P>In the doctrine it will appeare two waies; Fir&s;t, by the matter deliuered; &s;econdly, by the manner of deliuering. For the matter, it &s;halbe &s;uch as God hath put into his mouth, that he may &s;ay as the apo&s;tle did, <HI>That which I haue receiued of the Lord.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or. 11, 23.</NOTE> <HI>I haue deliuered vnto you,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 1.8.</NOTE> <HI>and if an angell from heauen &s;hall preach otherwi&s;e then the apo&s;tle preached, he is to be accur&s;ed.</HI> And herein he is not to holde him&s;elfe &s;ufficiently di&s;charged, if hee de|clareth &s;ome part of Gods will, and leaueth out &s;ome part thereof, but he is to deliuer to the church of God, the whole coun&s;ell of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 20, 20.27.</NOTE> as time and occa&s;ion &s;erueth; and yet in &s;uch &s;ort as &s;hall bee mo&s;t profitable for the
<PB N="97" REF="50">people, for wi&s;edome and faithfulne&s;&s;e mu&s;t waite one vppon another in the mini|&s;ter of God. And &s;till hee is to meete with &s;uch things as ob&s;cure the glorie of God, as <HI>Paul</HI> did when he came to Athens,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 17.</NOTE> &amp; percei|uing them to be addicted to idolatry and &s;u|per&s;tition, he aduanceth the true God, and a|ba&s;eth al fal&s;e gods, &amp; that he doth 2. waies. Fir&s;t, by &s;etting forth in God his power,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">24, 25, 28, 30.</NOTE> his goodnes &amp; his prouidence; &s;econdly, by de|claring the vanitie of idols, &amp; the ignorance of the Athenians. Againe, the manner is to be ob&s;erued; and that our doctrine may win glorie to him that &s;ent vs, two things are re|quired: Fir&s;t, concealement of humane skil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;econdly, demon&s;tration of the &s;pirit; both which are euident in the example of the A|po&s;tles preaching, who may bee a patterne of true preaching to all the doctours in the worlde.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 2.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> VVhen I came vnto you brethe|ren (&s;aith hee) I came not with excellencie of wordes, or of wi&s;edome, <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;hewing vnto you the te&s;timonie of God, <MILESTONE N="3"> for I e&s;teemed not to knowe anie thing among you, &s;a|uing Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and him crucified. <MILESTONE N="4"> And I was among you in weakene&s;&s;e, and in feare, and in much trembling. Neither &s;toode my worde, and my preaching, in the inti&s;ing &s;peech of mans wi&s;edome, but in plaine euidence of the &s;pirit, and of power.
<PB N="98" REF="51"><HI>Pauls</HI> drift is to reproue certaine teachers at Corinth: but for what? not for here&s;ie, but for the manner of their teaching, and in that for two things, for humane eloquence, and wi&s;edome, neither are they &s;implie reprooued for the&s;e, for they are good in their place, but becau&s;e they made a &s;hew of them in declaring of Gods me&s;&s;age. And in the fourth ver&s;e, humane wi&s;edome is oppo|&s;ed to the euidence of the &s;pirit, to &s;hew that they which &s;tudie only for humane learning and eloquence, cannot preach in the eui|dence and power of the &s;pirit. And this he prooueth by many arguments. Fir&s;t, the doctrine that I taught was Gods will and te&s;tament, <HI>ergo,</HI> I mu&s;t not vtter it in mat|ter and forme after men, but it mu&s;t bee &s;hewed as hee &s;et it forth. Secondly, in the &s;econd ver&s;e, <HI>I haue purpo&s;ed to know nothing but Ie&s;us Chri&s;t and him crucified;</HI> that is, to profe&s;&s;e nothing el&s;e, for hee could not but know many things more, therefore the pro|fe&s;&s;ion of all humane wi&s;edome was to bee laid a&s;ide. Thirdly, in the third ver&s;e, hee &s;aith, it was in much weakene&s;&s;e, feare, and trembling, becau&s;e hee was to deale with the deuill, and with men of bea&s;tly condi|tion, who could not be &s;ubdued with gallant &s;hewes of humane &s;trength, nor with flan|ting and flouri&s;hing in humane eloquence &amp;
<PB N="99" REF="51" MS="y">wi&s;edome. Fourthly, in the 5. ver&s;e he &s;hew|eth a notable rea&s;on why it was thus, and why it mu&s;t be thus; le&s;t your faith &s;houlde &s;tand vppon mans wi&s;edome, rather then in the power of God, and &s;o man &s;houlde haue the glorie of conuerting mens &s;oules to the faith, which is proper to God only: therfore, in the mini&s;terie the power of God mu&s;t only be &s;hewed in demon&s;tration of the &s;pi|rite, and of power. Fiftly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 4.</NOTE> we haue this trea|&s;ure in earthen ve&s;&s;elles, that the excellen|cy of that power, might bee of God, and not of vs. The mini&s;ter is compared to a ve&s;&s;ell, and a homely one, hee &s;heweth a trea&s;ure in it: What&s;oeuer therefore is in man mu&s;t be hidden: that when the trea&s;ure worketh, the vertue which is of God, may be a&s;cribed vnto God, and not to man. But then it will be demaunded of &s;ome, what v&s;e there is of arts, of doctors, and fathers, and the tougues, if they may not be &s;hewed &amp; alleaged in the publique mini&s;terie of the word. To whom we may an&s;were, that as tho&s;e things are the good ble&s;sings of god on his church &s;o there is a priuate v&s;e of them in &s;tudy, to helpe the man of God to find out doctrine and to &s;et it forth, but in publike they are not to be &s;hew|ed, by the te&s;timony of the apo&s;tle, except it be in di&s;putations and controuer&s;ies again&s;t tho&s;e that rely vpon them as the papi&s;ts do.</P>
<PB N="100" REF="52">
<P> As there mu&s;t bee a concealement of hu|mane eloquence and wi&s;edome, &s;o there mu&s;t bee a demon&s;tration of the &s;pirite,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;tration <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">pirit.</NOTE> as the Apo&s;tle &s;heweth in the fourth ver&s;e of the &s;econd chapter and the fir&s;t epi&s;tle to the Corinthians, and that is, when the mi|ni&s;ter &s;o deliuereth the word, that the peo|ple may perceiue, it is not hee that &s;pea|keth, but the &s;pirite of God in him. The whole foureteenth chapter of the fir&s;t epi|&s;tle to the Corinthians,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">. 14.</NOTE> is a commentarie of this point, and in the foure and twentieth ver&s;e he &s;heweth, that if there be propheci|ing, that is expounding, and applying to the co~&s;cience,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 4.</NOTE> the &s;cripturs in a knowen tongue: if an idiot, or an vnbeleeuer come in the meane time he is rebuked, and iudged of al, that is, he &s;hall take him&s;elfe &s;o to be, for the &s;ecrets of his hart &s;halbe made manife&s;t, and &s;o he will fall downe and wor&s;hip God, and &s;ay plainely, that God is in you indeede. And thus mu&s;t men prophecie to worke this ef|fect,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 3.8.</NOTE> they mu&s;t bee as <HI>Michaiah</HI> was, full of power, by the &s;pirit of the Lorde, and of iudgement and of &s;trength, to declare vn|to Iacob his tran&s;gre&s;sion, and to I&s;rael his &s;inne. The Apo&s;tles were not permit|ted to witne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, till they hadde re|ceiued the &s;pirite that mu&s;t execute it. And i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the &s;econd of the Actes it is &s;ayde, that
<PB N="101" REF="52">it lighted on them like fiery tongues, to &s;hew that the &s;pirit of GOD maketh the &s;peech to burne. Then where&s;oeuer the &s;peech toucheth, it burneth by the outward &s;igne, the inward worke is &s;ignified by all which we may &s;ee that there mu&s;t be no de|mon&s;tration of the per&s;on, but of the power of the &s;pirit. And further, becau&s;e explana|tion is the verie &s;oule of the &s;pirit, therefore that e&s;pecially mu&s;t bee laboured for; for in man is &s;oule, and bodie, and &s;pirit.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. The&s;. 5.2</NOTE> The &s;oule giueth life. The &s;pirite liueline&s;&s;e; and is the moouing and &s;tirring of the affe|ctions. The doctrine mu&s;t al&s;o haue ap|plication, or el&s;e it is dead; now when it is applied by the &s;pirit, it is mo&s;t liuely and ef|fectuall.</P>
<P>The liueline&s;&s;e and power of the worde thus preached, appeareth in this demon|&s;tration. Take a thing that is redde hote, and lay it to another thing that is colde, and it &s;hall kindle a heate in that too. So the mini&s;ters tongue is a fierie tongue,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Simile.</NOTE> novve when it is brought to mans &s;ences and vn|der&s;tanding, it worketh the like heate in them, &s;o that the power of the &s;pirite is conueyed vnto them. And thus an impre&s;si|on is made in the heartes of the people. And when the man &s;eeth this, he falleth downe, hee glorifieth GOD, and reuerenceth the
<PB N="102" REF="53">mini&s;ter, &amp; God in him. And for the better procuring and pre&s;eruing of this reuerence: it is verie requi&s;ite al&s;o, that his me&s;&s;age bee deliuered with authoritie and maie&s;tie, as <HI>Paul</HI> adui&s;eth <HI>Titus;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 6.4.</NOTE> the rea&s;on is in the 2. Cor. 3.20. The mini&s;ter is an emba&s;&s;a|dor for Chri&s;t; now the emba&s;&s;ador beareth his per&s;on that &s;ent him, hee is his vicegerent to &s;peake and do that that he him&s;elfe doth; therefore the whole function mu&s;t bee with authority.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 7.28, 29.</NOTE> It is &s;aid that the people were a|&s;tonied at Chri&s;ts doctrin, becau&s;e he taught them as one hauing authority, and not as the Scribes, to &s;hew that the mini&s;ter &s;hall neuer moue by his doctrine, except it be with au|thority. He that wil approue him&s;elfe in the &s;ight of God to be a mini&s;ter after the Lords liking, and win glory to him that &s;ent him, mu&s;t haue his life clothed with robes of ho|lines and righteou&s;nes. I mean not that a ho|ly life is e&s;&s;entiall to a mini&s;ter, &s;o that he is no mini&s;ter that wants it, but that it is nece&s;|&s;ary for a mini&s;ter, for many &s;hall &s;ay at the la&s;t day to Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 7.22.</NOTE> <HI>Wee haue prophe&s;ied in thy name;</HI> to whom an&s;were &s;halbe made againe, <HI>depart from me ye workers of iniquitie I know you not.</HI> The nece&s;sitie of it may appeare by many rea&s;ons: fir&s;t, a mini&s;ter vnle&s;&s;e hee bee &s;anctified hee &s;hall neuer &s;oundely, and liuely vnder&s;tand the word of GOD;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 5, 9.</NOTE> for
<PB N="103" REF="53">the Lorde reuealeth his will vnto the hum|ble, and his coun&s;elles vnto them that feare him, and to none el&s;e. Lawyers become cunning by long reading; and Phi&s;itions by experience; yet no man was euer a perfect, found, and iudiciall diuine without holines. This knowledge is rather feeling, then lear|ning, in aboundance of beart, rather then ex|treame &s;tudie, &s;ent by God to good men: &s;o that, hee that can &s;ay with <HI>Dauid,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.117</NOTE> <HI>I loue thy lawe,</HI> may &s;ay, <HI>I haue more vnderstanding then my teachers.</HI> It is the equitie of God, vn|willing to obey, vnwoorthy to knowe; for what &s;hould hee do with a talent which wil not v&s;e it? Therefore he which forbiddeth pearles to &s;wine, &s;taies his hand from ca&s;t|ing knowledge to the wicked, except &s;o much as &s;hall condemne them. Further, the ignorant people cannot &s;ee the ordinance of God, but they v&s;e to iudge of a mans mini|&s;tery by &s;en&s;ible things which they &s;ee in him; therefore a good life is nece&s;&s;arie in a mini&s;ter. For they &s;ay, becau&s;e he liueth ac|cording to his teaching wee will heare him, as <HI>Herod</HI> heard <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 6.20.</NOTE> becau&s;e he was a good man and a godly. If teachers of hu|mane artes &s;hall tell generall things without examples, it is hard to learne of them: &s;o if teachers of diuine things &s;hall teach onely without examples, it wil be as hard to learn
<PB N="104" REF="54">of them; therefore the mini&s;ter mu&s;t &s;et a copie with his life, which the Apo&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;aint <HI>Peter</HI> requireth when hee &s;aieth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">et. 5.2, 3</NOTE> <HI>Feede the flocke of God, which dependeth on you, caring for it, not by con&s;traint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready minde, not as though ye were Lordes ouer Gods heritage, but that ye may be en&s;amples of the flocke.</HI> VVhat manner of examples mini&s;ters mu&s;t bee. Saint <HI>Paule</HI> &s;heweth, 1 Timothie. 4.12. when hee &s;aieth, <HI>Bee vnto them that beleeue an en&s;ample, in worde, in conuer&s;ation, in loue, in &s;pirite, in faith, and in purene&s;&s;e.</HI> It is &s;aid vnto all men, Be ye holy; but it is en|ioyned the mini&s;ter more &s;pecially. to be a|dorned both with inward and outward ho|line&s;&s;e. Inward holine&s;&s;e &s;tandeth in faith and a good con&s;cience, which the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> would haue to be in <HI>Timothie,</HI> as wea|pons,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tim. 1.19.</NOTE> without which he cannot fight a good fight; the fir&s;t is, a per&s;wa&s;ion of the trueth, or true doctrine: the other excu&s;eth a man in euery action,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ron. 15.15,</NOTE> and therefore <HI>Salomon</HI> cal|leth a good con&s;cience a continuall fea&s;t. And <HI>Paul</HI> laboured to keepe that aboue all things;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ct. 24.16.</NOTE> <HI>for I endeuour my &s;elfe to haue al|way a cleare con&s;cience both towards God, and towards men.</HI> Outward holines which mu&s;t be in the mini&s;ter of God, is &s;et foorth in I. <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.2. <HI>A Bi&s;hop must be vnreprooueable.</HI>
<PB N="105" REF="54">Againe, there be outward dueties required of him, in regard of his per&s;on. in regard of his familie, in regarde of his calling, and in regard of &s;trangers. Fir&s;t in regarde of his owne per&s;on, he mu&s;t be vnblameable, &s;o farre from outward crimes, and gro&s;e &s;innes, that hee mu&s;t bee free from all iu&s;t cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition, becau&s;e he mu&s;t reforme others; not to be free from &s;inne, for that is not po&s;|&s;ible in this life. Hee mu&s;t wi&s;ely conceale his infirmities from others, for being once knowen, they are as a barre ca&s;t in the way of the people to &s;tumble at. And how&s;oe|uer great and foule faultes in an other man &s;eeme to bee but &s;mall, yet euery light in|firmitie in the mini&s;ter is accompted as a plague-&s;ore running vppon him, the which maketh him to be abhorred of the profane and ignorant &s;ort: therefore if the mini&s;ter &s;houlde make his infirmities knowen vnto them, it were all one as if hee &s;houlde &s;ay, I haue the plague about me, and &s;o make them to abhorre both his per&s;on, and his do|ctrine.</P>
<P>Secondly, in regarde of his ovvne per|&s;on it is required that hee be the husband of one wife, for in tho&s;e times men had twoo wiues, and then he might not be a mini&s;ter, becau&s;e that hee hadde broken the holie ordinaunce of almightie God in him&s;elfe,
<PB N="106" REF="55">which &s;hould &s;ee it kept in others. If hee had bin &s;uch a one, and now is &s;ingle, or ioy|ned onely to one, hee may be a chri&s;tian, but not a mini&s;ter. And the like is to be &s;aid of him that hath been &s;ometime a Preacher of the go&s;pell, and after that fell to be an ido|later or a Popi&s;h prie&s;t, and is now a profe&s;|&s;or of the go&s;pel again; the church may vp|on his repentance take him for a chri&s;tian, but hee ought not to &s;erue in the publique mini&s;terie of the word, as yet many doe, be|cau&s;e hee is not onely blemi&s;hed him&s;elfe wor&s;e then a man that wanteth a member, which in no wi&s;e might &s;erue in the worke of the mini&s;tery, but al&s;o is a fowle &s;carre in the face of the church, which mu&s;t be remo|ued, that the church may looke with a loue|ly and comely countenance, that her friends may be in loue with hir, and not through hir vgly and deformed vi&s;age, be occa&s;ioned to loathe her: and this is that which the Pro|phet <HI>Ezechiel</HI> in plaine words hath recorded in this manner,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">zech. 44, 10,</NOTE> <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord God, No &s;tranger vncircumci&s;ed in heart, nor vncircum|ci&s;ed in fle&s;h, &s;hal enter into my &s;anctuarie: Nei|ther the Leuites that are gone backe from mee, when I&s;rael went a&s;tray, which went a&s;tray from me after their idolles, but they &s;hall beare their iniquitie.</HI> <MILESTONE N="11"> <HI>And they &s;hal &s;erue in my &s;an|ctuarie, and keepe the gates of the hou&s;e, and mi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|ni&s;ter
<PB N="107" REF="55">in the hou&s;e.</HI> [But how &s;hal they mini|&s;ter?] they &s;hall &s;lay the <HI>burnt offering and the &s;acrifice for the people, and they &s;hall &s;tand before them to &s;erue them:</HI> that is, they &s;hall &s;erue as drudges to doe all the &s;eruile worke that belongs to the &s;anctuarie, like the Gi|beonites, who were appointed by <HI>Io&s;hua</HI> to carry wood and draw water; and why?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;h. 9.27.</NOTE> be|cau&s;e they &s;erued before, their idolles, and cau&s;ed the hou&s;e of I&s;rael to fall into iniqui|tie;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 44.12,</NOTE> <HI>Therefore haue</HI> I <HI>lift vp mine hand again&s;t them</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>and they &s;hal beare their iniquitie.</HI> <MILESTONE N="13"> <HI>And they &s;hall not come neere vnto me, to do the office of the prie&s;t vnto me, neither &s;hal they come nere vnto any of mine holy things in the mo&s;t holy place, but they &s;hall beare their &s;hame, and their abominations which they haue committed. And</HI> <MILESTONE N="14"> I <HI>will make them keepers of the watch of the hou&s;e, for all the &s;eruice there|of, and for all that &s;hal be done therein.</HI></P>
<P>Now if any man will obiect again&s;t this that hath been &s;poken, that <HI>Paul</HI> was a per|&s;ecuter of the go&s;pell, and yet afterward was caled to be a preacher of the go&s;pel, he may; but it will not &s;erue his turne; for fir&s;t, <HI>Paul</HI> was not a preacher before he was a per&s;ecu|ter, for then had hee beene a right apo&s;tata, or backe-&s;lider from the faith, as tho&s;e men were of whom I &s;pake before, as namely, &s;uch as were preachers and profe&s;&s;ors of the
<PB N="108" REF="56">go&s;pel in king <HI>Edwards</HI> dayes, and per&s;ecu|ters of the go&s;pel in Queene <HI>Maries</HI> dayes, &amp; then to become preachers of the go&s;pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l a|gaine in Qu. <HI>Elizabeths</HI> dayes; &s;uch Apo&s;ta|taes Imeane was <HI>Paul</HI> neuer, neither are they to be admitted into the mini&s;terie nowe. Secondly, <HI>Paul</HI> was extraordinarily called and conuerted; it doth not therefore follow that any now-adays &s;hould looke for an ex|tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">rdinary calling, when the &s;ame Apo&s;tle hath laied down an ordinarie rule, for an or|dinarie mini&s;terie, and among&s;t other rules hath laide downe this for one, that a mini|&s;ter mu&s;t be vnrep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ooueable: but it is verie euident, that &s;uch apo&s;tates and runningates from the f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">rh (which haue made al&s;o others to fall away with them) are very in&s;tly to be reprooued. Thirdly, it is required of a mi|ni&s;ter of God, that he be watchfull, becau&s;e the church of God is &s;ubiect to the tempta|tions of heretikes, and Sathan, therefore he mu&s;t of nece&s;sity be re&s;ident vpo~ his charge, that he may be acquainted with the natures, and conditions, &amp; opinions of his flock con|tinually, &amp; &s;o meet with euery inconuenie~ce as it ari&s;eth before it grow to a head <HI>Cur&s;ed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ierem. 48.10.</NOTE> If negligence in the Lordes worke be accur|&s;ed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Non-re&s;idencie.</NOTE> then what ble&s;sing can a Non-re&s;ident look for vpon his non-re&s;idencie? for there
<PB N="109" REF="56">can be no greater negligence in doing of the Lords work, then for a mini&s;ter to leaue his place &amp; &s;tanding, wherein god hath &s;et him, and to commit the care ouer vnto a hireling which was co~mitted to him, like the vnkind nur&s;e which turneth ouer the childe to ano|ther, whom the parents of the childe neuer tru&s;ted withall. If any wil &s;ay they can be but taught, &amp; as good by one as by another, they do but deceiue them&s;elues. For if the~&s;elues &s;hould commit their owne child to a nur&s;e, whom they haue made choice of before an|other, they would not like it well, nor take it well if that nur&s;e &s;hould take her wages, and po&s;t it ouer to another, and &s;ay, it can be but kept, or, it can be but fed, and as good by one as by another. Be&s;ides that, the Lord in his word expre&s;ly condemneth &s;uch kind of dealing in the prie&s;ts of I&s;rael,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 44.</NOTE> charging the~ to haue broken his couenant; and How? be|cau&s;e they had brought in &s;trangers to pol|lute the hou&s;e of God, <MILESTONE N="7"> being vocircumci&s;ed in fle&s;h, and in heart, who offered with the bread, fat and bloud, which the Lord calleth abominations; &s;hewing the rea&s;on of it, <MILESTONE N="8"> <HI>for ye haue not kept the ordinaunces of mine holie things, but you your &s;elues haue &s;et others to take the charge of my &s;anctuarie;</HI> which ma|keth as directly again&s;t Non-re&s;idents and their Curates or &s;ub&s;titutes as can be; for if
<PB N="110" REF="57">&s;uch care was required of the Leuites and prie&s;tes vnder the ceremonies of the lawe, which were but &s;hadowes of Chri&s;t and the go&s;pel. How much more ought the mini|&s;ters of the go&s;pel to haue this care to looke vnto the worke of God them&s;elues, vnto whome is committed, not the &s;hadowes, but the &s;ub&s;tance it &s;elfe, euen the Son of God, who was the ende of tho&s;e ceremoniall fi|gures and &s;hadowes, and the di&s;pen&s;ation of the go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, wherein is exhibited more cleerely vnto the church of God euen Chri&s;t Ie&s;us him&s;elfe alredy come, and cru|cified, and in heauen glorified, which faire exceedeth al tho&s;e things which were com|mitted to the prie&s;ts and Leuites: which did al&s;o exhibite Chri&s;t vnto the church, but more ob&s;curely, and a farre off. Now <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">f God would not di&s;pen&s;e with them for commit|ting the charge of his hou&s;e then, to others, much le&s;&s;e wil he di&s;pen&s;e with vs for com|mitting the charge of his hou&s;e nowe, to others. And admit that their &s;ub&s;titutes be hone&s;t men, godly, learned, and painefull too, which yet is but &s;eldome (though &s;om|time) &s;eene, if they be not troubled, nor cal|led into que&s;tion as others be, yet wee mu&s;t know that God hath not promi&s;ed any ble&s;|&s;ing, but to the labours of &s;uch as he hath or|dained and &s;et ouer his people, and not ouer
<PB N="111" REF="57">euerie hireling, for God will ble&s;&s;e no ordi|nance but his owne, what care and intent &s;o|euer men haue.</P>
<P>Fourthly, it is required of a mini&s;ter, that he be &s;ober, that is, there mu&s;t bee a mode|ration of all his affections, and of al his appe|tites, as in eating and drinking, in apparrell, in recreation, in companie keeping, and &s;uch like, vnto which mu&s;t be ioyned mo|de&s;tie, that in good and &s;eemely order, his outwarde behauiour mu&s;t not be offen&s;iue, he mu&s;t be free from all light &s;peeches, or &s;hewes, hee mu&s;t learne to beare his per|&s;on orderly, in dignitie and grauitie, as be|commeth the mini&s;ter of God: It is al&s;o re|quired, that hee bee harborous and full of ho&s;pitalitie, according to his abilitie, and an entertainer of the faithfull; hee mu&s;t be al&s;o apt to teach, &amp; able to deliuer the word, and to apply it aptly and fitly, according to time, place, per&s;ons, and al occa&s;ions, as <HI>E&s;ay</HI> &s;aith, he had a tongue to &s;peake words in due &s;ea|&s;on,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a, 50.4;</NOTE> which as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith) are like aples of golde with pictures of &s;iluer,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 25.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> mo&s;t precious and comely, whereof one is worth a thou&s;and of others, &amp; hath more grace then ten thou|&s;and. There be three foule vices, which mu&s;t be remoued from his per&s;on. Fir&s;t hee mu&s;t not be giuen to wine, that is, alwaies to &s;it by it, as they that take ple&s;ure in it, like the~ that
<PB N="112" REF="58">cannot eate, but &s;til mu&s;t haue wine. <HI>Timothy</HI> might d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nke wine, not for plea&s;ure, but for his helth, &amp; for ple&s;ure too, &s;o it be not ordi|narily. Secondly, he mu&s;t be no &s;triker, if he ca~not ouercom his people by exhortation, &amp; in&s;truction in his publike function, hee may not &s;trike them. In his family he may &s;trike his &s;eruants and his children when they de|&s;erue correction, yet with di&s;cretion, for ther he is both mini&s;ter and ma&s;ter. And in wars al&s;o he may &s;trike the enemie, when by the magi&s;trate hee &s;hall be thereunto lawfully called, for hee is both a mini&s;ter and a &s;ub|iect. Thirdly, he mu&s;t not bee giuen to filthy lucre, as they that liue of the gain of v&s;ury; or of cards and dice, and other gaming, or by a|ny gains that come by hooke or by crook (as the prouerbe goeth) again&s;t the law of God &amp; man. The rea&s;ons are taken from the con|trarie cau&s;es, for &s;trokes come from anger, &amp; he mu&s;t bee a man that can bridle his anger: and couetou&s;nes is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he cau&s;e of filthy lucre, as it is the roote of all euill, which mu&s;t not be in the man of God.</P>
<P>It is required of Gods mini&s;ter in re&s;pect of his family,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uries in re&s;pect of his family.</NOTE> he be &s;uch a one that can go|uern his family wel. For the gouernment of a family is a great &s;tay of a church, and com|mon wealth, that is, when by the example of the mini&s;ter others gouerne wel, yet there is
<PB N="113" REF="58">&s;ufficient doctrine in the word to gouern by. Then doth the mini&s;ter gouerne wel, when his whole family is in &s;ubiection, and obedi|ence of the magi&s;trate, and willing to &s;uffer when they offend: now if any looke for liber|ty, it is children; therfore the apo&s;tle putteth children for all, &amp; &s;aith that they mu&s;t be in &s;ubiection; therfore much more &s;eruants: &amp; that this may not &s;eem a &s;mal matter, he &s;aith that it ma&s;t be in al hone&s;ty, or com<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ines, to &s;hewe that there is decen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ie in that family, when euery childe doth his duety, and great comelines is in &s;ubiection; the rea&s;on is, if a man cannot rule his own family, how can he rule Gods church? therefore he is not a mini|&s;ter after the Lords heart, that bringeth vp his children di&s;&s;olutely: and here by the way we may &s;ee, that God doth not require of the mini&s;ter either a &s;ingle life, or a monki&s;h life nor a whori&s;h, &amp; adulterous life, which who|&s;o leadeth in popery is better accepted then he that liueth in holy e&s;tate of matrimony.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">In re&s;pect of hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> calling to the faith.</NOTE></P>
<P>In regard of his calling to the faith it is re|quired that he be not a yong pla~t or a nouice, gods church is compared to a vineyard tho&s;e which are co~uerted are as it were brought out of the field &amp; planted in the vineyard: now if if the&s;e be but as of a years growth or &s;o, they are not fit to be mini&s;ters, le&s;t they being puf|fed vp (as many are) fal into temptatio~ of the
<PB N="114" REF="59">A man newely conuerted, hath not &s;ounde knowledge, &amp; &s;o falleth by ignorance of his mind to error, and &s;o to here&s;ie by pride, and &s;o is in the &s;ame &s;in with the deuill: nay, the apo&s;tle &s;aith, in the condemnation of the de|uil, that is, to be without a &s;auior, or not to be &s;aued: therefore we ought to take heede, for the danger is great, pride and liking of hart, wil bring a man to the diuils &s;in; if it puffe vs vp, then are we gone; pride keepeth out hu|mility, which mu&s;t needs receiue Chri&s;t. He that can a&s;cribe confu&s;io~ to him&s;elf, keepeth out pride, or at the lea&s;t fighteth again&s;t it.</P>
<P>The la&s;t property that is required to be in a mini&s;ter,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;pect of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ngers.</NOTE> is in re&s;pect of &s;trangers. He mu&s;t haue a good te&s;timony of the~ that are with|out, euen of infidels, who are not yet conuer|ted. So he mu&s;t behaue him&s;elfe, that euen fro~ the wicked (if it be po&s;sible) he may haue a good report. Hee mu&s;t be curteous to all, good, and bad, not curteous to the faithful, &amp; au&s;tere to the wicked, but curteous to al: the rea&s;on is, le&s;t he fal into reproch, &amp; the &s;nare of the deuil. The re&s;on of this duty is drawn fro~ the inconuenie~ce that wil folow the con|trarie; for whom mu&s;t hee conuert? the wic|ked: then if he come into hatred with them, hee &s;hall be able to do them no good, if they bla&s;pheme God and him. And thus by re|proch, hee is ca&s;t into the &s;nares of the de|uil,
<PB N="115" REF="59">either to be di&s;&s;olute, &amp; not to care what he doth, or el&s;e de&s;perate of verie griefe and &s;orrow of heart: by which we may &s;ee what danger it is to rai&s;e vp &s;lander of any man: it is as much as a mans &s;oule is worth, for this giueth the deuill occa&s;ion to worke vpon a man. And a man may &s;peake that which may make an other man come to de&s;truction, &s;o much as lieth in him that &s;o &s;peaketh. The world is a place where &s;atha~ hath al &s;nares on ech &s;ide, therefore we mu&s;t take heed. They that lie in the &s;nares, it may be, &s;ee nothing of all this, but tho&s;e who haue bin in, and are gone out, doe &s;ee them, therfore it is needfull to pray, <HI>Leade vs not into temptation, but deli|uer vs from euill.</HI> And thus much for the du|ties and qualities of a mini&s;ter in re&s;pect of his own per&s;on, of his family, of his calling to the faith, and of &s;trangers, by which (togither with that which hath beene &s;aide of his doc|trine) it may ea&s;ily appeare who be mini|&s;ters according to the Lords heart or liking, and who be not: It followeth in the text.</P>
<P><HI>Which &s;hal feede you with knowledge and vn|der&s;tanding.</HI> Now the Lord &s;heweth what be|nefit they &s;h&agrave;l reape by their pa&s;tors, name|ly knowledge and vnder&s;tanding; they &s;hall not only be to Gods liking, but al&s;o for their &s;oules good: nay, they cannot be pa&s;tours to Gods liking, except they be al&s;o for the be|nefite
<PB N="116" REF="60">of Gods people; for God liketh well, when his church th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ueth wel, &amp; the church thriueth wel when it groweth in knowledge and vnder&s;tanding; for that is the way to grow &s;trong in faith &amp; repentance, &amp; loue, and in zeale, and in patience and in al the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a|uing graces of the &s;pirit of God, to know and to vnder&s;tand the waies of the Lord. This knowledge is the knowlege of Gods wil re|uealed in his worde, which &s;heweth both what his purpo&s;e is concerning all men, both good and bad, wicked and godly, the faithful and vnfaithfull, the elect and the re|probate, the &s;aluation of the one, and the damnation of the other, the a&s;&s;urance of both, the meanes and the cau&s;es of both. It &s;heweth al&s;o what is required of al men to be beleeued, &amp; what to be practi&s;ed, for the ad|uancement of his glory. This is called the knowledge of God in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, where|in &s;tandeth eternall life, <HI>Iohn</HI> chapter &s;euen|teene ver&s;e 3. This knowledge of God is the fir&s;t and chiefe&s;t principle in chri&s;tian reli|gion, becau&s;e without it, it is not po&s;sible for any man to wor&s;hip him, as he ought to bee wor&s;hipped of vs, for the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, how &s;hall we call on him, on whom we haue not beleeued? and how can we beleeue in him, of whom we haue not heard? and how &s;hall we heare without a preacher?
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 10.14.</NOTE> as if hee &s;houlde
<PB N="117" REF="60">&s;ay, we can doe none of the&s;e things with|out knowledge; for knowledge is the end of hearing and of preaching: therefore doe we preach and heare, not to make the &s;criptures better (as &s;ome &s;encele&s;&s;e idiots doe imma|gine) but to bring men to the knowledge of the truth. Now as the apo&s;tle &s;peaketh of faith and prayer, which bee twoo e&s;peciall parts of Gods wor&s;hip, wee can neither be|leeue aright, nor pray aright without know|ledge, &s;o may it bee &s;aide of feare and loue, and all other points of the true wor&s;hip and &s;eruice of God, that men can neither feare God aright, nor loue God aright, nor con|fes him aright, nor acknowledge his gouern|ment aright, without the knowledge of tho&s;e things.</P>
<P>And for the better bringing vp of men in this holy knowledge of God, the Lorde hath giuen his &s;tatutes vnto <HI>Iacob,</HI> and his ordinaunces vnto <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> which hee hath not vouch&s;afed vppon all nations, for the heathen haue not the knoledge of his waies; P&s;alme a hundred fortie and &s;ix. And the&s;e &s;tatutes of God are contained in the bookes of the olde and new Te&s;tament called the holie Scriptures, by the waie of excellen|cie, which being rightly vnder&s;toode of vs doe bring vs directly to the true knowledge of God, and of our &s;elues. And becau&s;e there
<PB N="118" REF="61">are in the &s;criptures &s;om things that be hard and darke to our vnder&s;tanding: therefore the Lord hath ordained pa&s;tors &amp; doctors, whome hee hath al&s;o furni&s;hed with giftes of knowledge and vtterance, and learning, and &s;anctification, that they may teach the Lords people the true meaning of the &s;cri|ptures, and &s;o traine them vp in the know|ledge and obedience of the Lord.</P>
<P>By this then it appeareth how nece&s;&s;arie it is for all Gods children to haue the know|ledge of GOD, the vnder&s;tanding of the &s;criptures, and the preaching of the word a|mong&s;t them by a painefull, faithfull, and learned mini&s;terie. And on the other &s;ide, it be wrayeth the pe&s;tilent daunger of igno|rance and ignorant mini&s;ters, and al&s;o the barrenne&s;&s;e of bare reading, without the til|lage of expounding, of catechi&s;ing, of doc|trine, of exhortation, and of application, the which is the life of doctrine; by which holy meanes, as it were, with the Lords ploughs the fallow groundes of mens hearts are bro|ken vp,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 4.4.</NOTE> whereas otherwi&s;e the &s;eede is but ca&s;t among&s;t the thornes, as <HI>Ieremy</HI> &s;peakes. When the Queen of Ethiopia her chamber|laine was reading the prophet <HI>E&s;ay</HI> in his chariot,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">8.30.</NOTE> <HI>Philip</HI> asked him if he vnder&s;toode what he read, to &s;hew that a man may reade and reade againe, and bee neuer the nearer
<PB N="119" REF="61">without an interpreter, as that noble man confe&s;&s;ed; for how can I vnder&s;tand (&s;aide he) without a guide? Therefore <HI>Ezra</HI> (when he had read the &s;cripture,) he al&s;o gaue the &s;ence,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehem. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.8.</NOTE> and cau&s;ed the people to vnder&s;tand the reading, to &s;hew, that bare reading is not &s;ufficient to bring men to vnder&s;tanding. And therefore our &s;auior Chri&s;t al&s;o, when hee had read a place of <HI>E&s;ay</HI> that concerned him&s;elfe, hee clo&s;ed vp the booke,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 4.20.</NOTE> and ope|ned the text, making application thereof to his hearers: whereuppon it followeth in the &s;ame place, that all that heard him bare him witnes, and wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, to &s;hewe, that preaching giueth grace to reading. And when the word read is opened, and applied, then men beare witne&s;&s;e of the trueth, that is, they knowe what to holde and beleeue for trueth, and not before. This the apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> knew very well, and therefore hee did not onely teach the Ephe&s;ians openly, but priuately al&s;o in euery hou&s;e, going from hou&s;e to hou&s;e, warning,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 20.20, 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> and exhorting eue|ry one as hee had occa&s;ion, to &s;hewe what cour&s;e tho&s;e &s;heepeheardes mu&s;t take that would bring their flocks vnto the green pa|&s;tures of heauenly comforts, and the liuing waters of eternall happine&s;&s;e, both growing and flouring out of the liuely fountaines of
<PB N="120" REF="62">knowledge and vnder&s;tanding in the holy word of God. And further, for the nece&s;sity of knowledge &amp; vnder&s;tanding, what could the lord &s;ay more to &s;hew the greatnes ther|of, then to call them by the name of foode, or meate and drinke, for &s;o he doth; I <HI>will giue you pa&s;tors, which &s;hal feed you with knowledge and vnder&s;tanding;</HI> as if knowledge and vn|der&s;tanding were foode of the &s;oule, and &s;o they be to teach vs; as there is nothing more nece&s;&s;ary for the &s;trengthning of the bodie, then meate and drinke, &s;o there is nothing more nece&s;&s;arie for the &s;auing of the &s;oule then knowledge and vnder&s;tanding. Take away from the bodie ordinary &s;u&s;tenance long, and it &s;tarueth. And take away know|ledge and vnder&s;tanding from the &s;oule, and it peri&s;heth: Therefore as Chri&s;t &s;aid when he rai&s;ed vp <HI>Iairus</HI> daughter, giue hir meate, &s;o the Lorde &s;aieth, when the &s;oule is rai&s;ed vp to the life of God; giue it meate; but that mu&s;t be knowledge and vnder&s;tanding.</P>
<P>Againe, as knowledge and vnder&s;tanding are here called food, &s;o pa&s;tors are called fee|ders, as if they were nur&s;es, &amp; the people as babes &amp; children, which neither know what is good for them, nor howe to dre&s;&s;e their meat nor how to feed them&s;elues. And ther|fore many doe not vnfitly compare the bare reading of the &s;cripture vnto a whole loafe
<PB N="121" REF="62">&s;et before children, which mu&s;t bee cutte in peeces, and be d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uided before it can profite them. The preachers are al&s;o called feeders, to &s;hew that they mu&s;t be like nur&s;es in abi|litie, in affection and di&s;cretion. Some haue wherewith to feede their children, but they are vnkind and vnnaturall, like cruel harlots that kill their children, that they may not be troubled with the~. Some beare a good affec|tion to their children, but their brea&s;tes are drie, and they haue no meate to giue them when they crie for it; as in the great famine of Samaria. Som haue wherwith to feed, but for want of di&s;cretion to ob&s;erue the childes nature and con&s;titution, as al&s;o the weaknes, or &s;trongnes of the &s;tomack, the frowardnes &amp; tendernes of thinfant, and the cau&s;es of al, it happeneth that much is giuen, and little dige&s;ted, &amp; great pain is taken to little pur|po&s;e, bicau&s;e the child is either mi&s;dieted or di&s;tempred, or handled too tenderly, or too rigorou&s;ly. Therefore in the feeders of the &s;oule there ought to bee &s;ufficient &s;tore of knowlege, there ought to be a louing &amp; ten|der affection, tempered with wi&s;edome and di&s;cretion, that euery one may haue his due portion faithfully di&s;tributed vnto him, and that in due time and &s;ea&s;on. It is a lamen|ble hearing to heare the children crie for bread, and it &s;hal be an&s;wered againe by the
<PB N="122" REF="63">Nur&s;e, I haue none for thee, thou mu&s;t &s;tarue, for I haue none to giue thee. But it is a thou&s;and times more lame~table to heare the &s;oules mone for want of &s;piritual foode, oh what accompt haue they to make vnto God that take the place of &s;pirituall nur&s;es, and haue no milke in their brea&s;ts, that is, know nothing to any purpo&s;e? is it nothing to &s;tarue the Lordes people? Is the murthe|ring of mens &s;oules no &s;in before the Lorde? O that the &s;moky <HI>Kemarius</HI> of this our age, as vnpreaching mini&s;ters and non-re&s;idents, and &s;uch like did con&s;ider well of this point<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> then would they not leaue their occupations and trades, as many haue done, and betake them to the mini&s;terie, as their la&s;t refuge, for liuing and maintenaunce &s;ake, but they would leaue the mini&s;terie as fa&s;t: and be|take them&s;elues to &s;ome other trade of life againe, and wi&s;h that their heades were fountaines of teares, that they might weep day and night for the &s;laughter and de&s;truc|tion which they haue made of the Lordes people. VVhich they were better to doe nowe while the Lorde doeth allot them a time of repentance, then heereafter in hell, from whence there is no redemption. Oh that our Patrons, and Bi&s;hops likewi&s;e did enter into the due con&s;ideration of this point, then &s;hould not &s;o many &s;ymonaicall
<PB N="123" REF="63">and vnworthy worldlings be pre&s;ented and admitted, nor &s;o many godly and painefull pa&s;tors be di&s;mi&s;&s;ed as ther are, to the great woe and &s;orrowe of many poore &s;oules that haue receiued mo&s;t &s;weete comfort from their ble&s;&s;ed mini&s;terie and painefull ende|uours in the Lord.</P>
<P>But now it is time to enter combate and encounter with our aduer&s;aries the Papi&s;ts: nay the aduer&s;aries of Chri&s;t and his church about this point, who wold beare the world in hand, that Ignorance is the mother of de|uotion, and that there is no nece&s;sitie of the &s;criptures for the common people, but that euery one mu&s;t beleeue as the church belee|ueth without any further triall or examina|tion had of the matter by the word of God. Which bloudy doctrine, and vncomfortable a&s;&s;ertion we &s;hall &s;ee (by Gods grace) to fall downe and breake his necke at the &s;ight of the trueth, as <HI>Dagon</HI> the idoll of the Phili|&s;times did at the pre&s;ence of the Arke.</P>
<P>Ignorance (&s;ay the Papi&s;ts) is the mother of Deuotion. And Ignorance (&s;ay the Prote|&s;tants) is the mother of da~nation. Now ther is great oddes between Deuotion and Dam|nation; as much as is betweene ignorance and knowledge, or between light and dark|ne&s;&s;e. Indeede of Popi&s;h deuotion, who&s;e fruites are idolatrie, and &s;uper&s;tition, and &s;a|crilege,
<PB N="124" REF="64">and bla&s;phemie, and pride, and am|bition, and couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and trea&s;on, and all abhominations, and in the ende, eternall damnation. Ignoraunce is the mother, but not of true deuotion which plea&s;eth God. Knowledge and Ignorance be contrarie one to another; and as they be contrarie cau&s;es; &s;o their effects mu&s;t needes be contrary, and that by the rule of contraries; for, <HI>Contrario|rum contraria e&s;t ratio.</HI> Now if knowledge be the roote of faith, and of loue, and of zeale, and of obedience, and of all vertue and goodne&s;&s;e, as it is then is not ignorance the roote of faith, but of vnbeleefe, not of loue, but of hatred, not of zeale, but of ra&s;h|ne&s;&s;e and coldne&s;&s;e, not of obedience, but of rebellion, not of goodne&s;&s;e, but of mi&s;|chiefe; and therefore not of deuotion ney|ther, but of damnation.</P>
<P>In the ninetie fiue P&s;alme the Lorde ac|cu&s;eth the Iewes of hardnes of heart, temp|ting of God, and continuall rebellion again&s;t the Lorde for the &s;pace of fortie yeeres, and addeth this withall as a rea&s;on of all their wickedne&s;&s;e, that they knew not the waies of the Lorde; for which cau&s;e, the Lorde &s;ware in his wrath, that they &s;houlde ne|uer enter into his re&s;t, to &s;hew vs what bee the fruites of ignoraunce; which if it bee the mother of deuotion, it is of &s;uch deuo|tion
<PB N="125" REF="64">as bringeth foorth all manner of ini|quitie, and &s;hutteth men out of eternall fe|licitie.</P>
<P>In the fourth Chapiter of the Prophet <HI>Ho&s;ea,</HI> in the fir&s;t, &s;econd, third and fourth ver&s;es, the Lord hath a controuer&s;y with the inhabitants of I&s;rael, becau&s;e there was no trueth; nor mercie, nor knowledge of God among&s;t them, but &s;wearing, and lying, and killing, and &s;tealing, and whoring, and op|pre&s;sion, for which things the Lord telleth them that the land &s;hall mourne, and euerie one &s;hall be cut off, to &s;hew what is to bee looked for where the knowledge of God is wanting.</P>
<P>When the Prophet <HI>E&s;ay</HI> reproued the I&s;|raelites idolatrie, and hypocri&s;ie, hee &s;aide; Knowe&s;t thou nothing? as if he &s;hould &s;ay; the&s;e are the fruits of ignorance. In <HI>Philip.</HI> the fir&s;t chapter and the ninth ver&s;e the A|po&s;tle prayeth God, that the church might abound in knowledge and iudgement, which hee woulde not haue doone, if ignoraunce were the mother of deuotion. Our Sauiour Chri&s;t commaundeth his church to &s;earch the Scriptures, adding this as a rea&s;on, that they beare witne&s;&s;e of him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5.39.</NOTE> and &s;hewe the way to eternall life, to &s;hew that ignorance is not the mother of deuotion. By this may we &s;ee how much we are beholding to the
<PB N="126" REF="65">papi&s;ts for &s;hutting vp the doores of know|ledge again&s;t the church of God. They are like the Phili&s;tines that put out the eies of Samp&s;on,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 16.21.</NOTE> that &s;o they might the better make &s;port with him, and when the Papi&s;ts had put out the right eye of knowledge in the church, they might then make them doe what they li&s;t them&s;elues. They are like the cruell <HI>Naha&s;h</HI> the Ammonite that would make no couenaunt with the I&s;raelites,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 11.2.</NOTE> but vppon condition that euerie man woulde put out his right eye. The rauen when hee falleth vppon a &s;heepe, the fir&s;t thing hee doth, is to picke out his eies, that &s;o he may the more ea&s;ily deuoure the body; &s;o when the Papi&s;ts fall vpon the &s;heepe of Chri&s;t, the fir&s;t thing they labour to effect, is to put out their eies of knowledge, that &s;o they may the more ea&s;ily prey vpon their bodie and goodes too. They tell vs for&s;ooth that the &s;earching of the &s;cripture is the cau&s;e of errour. And our &s;auiour Chri&s;t &s;aith, there|fore you erre becau&s;e you knowe not the &s;criptures,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 12.24.</NOTE> which of the&s;e mu&s;t we beleeue, the Papi&s;ts or our Sauiour Chri&s;t? They tel vs that the &s;criptures are hard to bee vnder|&s;toode, but the Lorde &s;aith. Al the words of my mouth are righteous, there is no lewd|ne&s;&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 8, 8, 9.</NOTE> nor frowardne&s;&s;e in them. They are all plaine to him that will vnder&s;tand, and
<PB N="127" REF="65">&s;traight, to them that would find knowledge. The papi&s;ts &s;ay, they are hard, and the Lord &s;aith, they are plaine and &s;traight; which of the&s;e now &s;hal we beleeue, the papi&s;ts, or the Lord? Indeede &s;aint <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith, that in the writings of his brother <HI>Paul,</HI> there are &s;ome things hard to be vnder&s;toode,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 3.1, 6</NOTE> which igno|raunt and vn&s;table men doe peruert as they doe all other &s;criptures to their condemna|tion: now if they be hard, we &s;ee to whome they are hard, to the ignorant and vn&s;ta|ble, but not to tho&s;e that de&s;ire knowledge, to them they are made ea&s;ie by the Lorde. Therefore it mu&s;t &s;tand vs in hande to bee well repaired, and &s;anctified by fayth and prayer, when wee deale with the &s;criptures, and bee truely re&s;olued to bee reformed thereby, or el&s;e wee may fall into errour, as a iu&s;t recompence of our pride &amp; pre&s;ump|tion.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 19.</NOTE> VVhen the I&s;raelites &s;houlde come before the Lord, they mu&s;t be &s;anctified to day and to morrow &s;aith the Lord: when we come to the handling of the &s;criptures, wee come before the Lorde, and therefore wee mu&s;t bee throughly &s;anctified, and with <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> wee mu&s;t put off the &s;hooes of our carnall affections when wee come to deale with the booke of GOD, for the &s;criptures are the mount, from which God doth &s;hew him&s;elfe, and the bu&s;h out of which goeth
<PB N="128" REF="66">a flame of fire. In them the Lord &s;peaketh to vs, and wee heare the words of euerla&s;ting life, wee mu&s;t therefore &s;trip off all our af|fections, and fall downe before the Lorde with feare, and knowe who it is that &s;pea|keth. His worde is holy, let vs take heede therefore into what hearts we put it; wee may not receiue it to puffe vp our hearts, &amp; to waxe proud with knowledge, we may not v&s;e it to maintaine debate, and contention, to vaunt our &s;elues, or to make &s;hew of our cunning. His worde teacheth lowline&s;&s;e of mind to know our &s;elues. If wee learne not humility we learne nothing. The &s;criptures are Gods my&s;teries, therefore bee not too curious: they are Gods &s;ea, therefore take heede that wee bee not drowned in them. They are Gods fire, therefore take we heed that wee bee not burned in them. They are the glorious &s;unne of the Lorde, to giue light to them that &s;it in darkene&s;&s;e and &s;ha|dow of death, but they that gaze ouer hard|ly vppon the &s;unne, take blemi&s;h in their eie &s;ight. Now if wee come to the worde of God with that feare. and reuerence, &amp; paier, and faith, and repentance, and loue, &amp; zeale, and humilitie that &s;hould be in vs, wee &s;hall ea&s;ily proue the papi&s;ts liars, in &s;aying the &s;criptures are hard, &amp; aboue the reach of the people, as <HI>Iulian</HI> the heretike &s;aide, whom
<PB N="129" REF="66">Saint <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> therefore reproueth verie &s;harpely in writing again&s;t him.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Augu&s;t. li. 5. Ca. 1. cont. Iuli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> And great rea&s;on had hee for it, for God him&s;elf telles vs otherwi&s;e. In <HI>Deuteronomie</HI> chapter 30. 11, 12, 13, 14. ver&s;es he &s;aith. <HI>This comman|dement which I giue thee this day, is not hidden from thee, neither is it farre off. It is not in heauen, that thou &s;houlde&s;t &s;ay, who &s;hall goe vp for vs to heauen, and bring it vs, and cau&s;e vs to heare it, that woe may dooe it? Neither is it beyonde the Sea, that thou &s;houlde&s;t &s;aie, who &s;hall goe ouer the &s;ea for vs, and bring it vs, and cau&s;e vs to heare it, that wee may doe it? But the worde is very neare vnto thee, euen in thy mouth, and in thy heart for to do it.</HI> And in the nineteenth P&s;alme he &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alme. 19 7.</NOTE> <HI>that the law of the Lord is perfect, conuerting the &s;oule, the te&s;timonie of the Lorde is &s;ure, and giueth wi&s;edome vnto the &s;imple, the &s;tatutes of the Lorde are right, and reioyce the heart, the commaundement of the Lorde is pure, and gi|ueth light vnto the eies: Dauid</HI> &s;aith, <HI>The word of the Lorde is a lanterne vnto his feete,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 118.108.</NOTE> <HI>and a light vnto his pathes,</HI> and hee and wee mu&s;t goe all by one light. Nowe if the light bee darke, then what is cleare? or what can hee &s;ee that cannot &s;ee the light. It is expedi|ent (&s;ayth a reuerend and learned Father,) that &s;omething &s;houlde be couered to make vs more diligent in reading, more de&s;irous
<PB N="130" REF="67">to vnder&s;tand,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ell.</NOTE> more feruent in prayer, more willing to aske the iudgement of others, and to pre&s;ume the le&s;&s;&s;e vppon our owne iudge|ment. It cau&s;eth a man to take that profit by paines, which he could not take by negli|gence. And al things (&s;aith he) are plaine to him that hath &s;ound knowledge, but to fools the mo&s;t ea&s;ie places &s;eeme hard; for how can wi&s;edome enter into a fooles heart, or a wicked mans heart, both which are enemies vnto wi&s;edome? They are like the Owle that cannot &s;ee the brightne&s;&s;e of the &s;unne, not becau&s;e the &s;unne beames are darke, but becau&s;e his eies are weake, and cannot a|bide &s;o cleare a light.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ctio.</NOTE> But the Papi&s;ts tel vs that they are not for the common people,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">on&s;io.</NOTE> as though for&s;ooth the common people were none of gods people, or had no &s;ouls to &s;aue. The &s;criptures bee bread and drinke which nouri&s;heth vnto euerla&s;ting life, (&s;aith the &s;ame father) &amp; great cruelty it is (&s;aith he) to &s;tarue Gods people to death; But what, are they vnfit to haue the &s;cripturs becau&s;e they bee poore? why Chri&s;t &s;aith, the poore re|ceiue the go&s;pell,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 11.5.</NOTE> and ble&s;&s;ed are the poore in &s;pirit, for theirs is the kingdome of hea|uen;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 5.3</NOTE> if the kingdome of heauen bee theirs, why &s;houlde they not haue the &s;criptures, as their euidence to &s;hewe for the &s;aide in|heritance? What then? Are they vnfit to
<PB N="131" REF="67">haue the &s;criptures, becau&s;e they are vnlear|ned? why the apo&s;tle &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 2.2.</NOTE> I e&s;teem to know nothing but Chri&s;t, and him crucified: &amp; our &s;auiour Chri&s;t &s;aith, that his father hath hid the&s;e things from the wi&s;e &amp; learned of the world, and reuealed them vnto babes, and &s;imple ones. And the Apo&s;tles were &s;ent to all creatures, learned, and vnlearned, poore, and rich. There is none too poore, nor too rich, nor too olde, nor too yong, but who&s;oe|uer hath eare to heare hath learning inough to be a hearer. The wi&s;e&s;t, and the learned men in matters of this worlde, haue not al|waies prooued the readie&s;t to &s;et forth the glory of God; for who re&s;i&s;ted <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>A|ron?</HI> not the people, but the king &amp; the chief of Egypt. Who &s;toode again&s;t <HI>Elias,</HI> but the prie&s;ts of <HI>Baal?</HI> who &s;toned the prophets, but the wi&s;e&s;t in I&s;rael? who crucified Chri&s;t, but the Scribes and Phari&s;ees, not the common people? wherein wee may &s;ee that fulfilled which the apo&s;tle alleadged out of the pro|phet, &s;peaking in the per&s;on of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 1.19,</NOTE> I <HI>will de&s;troy the wi&s;edome of the wi&s;e, and wil ca&s;t a|way the vnder&s;ta~ding of the prudent;</HI> where is the wi&s;e? where is the &s;cribe? where is the di|&s;puter of this world? hath not God made the wi&s;edom of this world fooli&s;hnes? for &s;eeing that the world by wi&s;edome knew not God in the wi&s;edome of God, it plea&s;ed God by
<PB N="132" REF="68">the fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e of preaching to &s;aue tho&s;e that beleeue, whether they be poore or rich, learned or vnlearned, that is no matter, &s;o they beleeue they &s;hall be &s;aued, by the means of preaching, which by the wi&s;edom of the world is condemned for fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e. And thus we &s;ee the Papi&s;ts condemned of mo&s;t horrible crueltie and murther, for that they woulde of their chari<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ie &s;tarue Gods church, by withholding the food of know|ledge and vnder&s;tanding from them.</P>
<P>It is further to be ob&s;erued, that tho&s;e pa|&s;tors are promi&s;ed of the Lord to come as a gift, both to &s;hew how vnworthy wee are of &s;uch a ble&s;sing, as al&s;o to teach vs how tha~k|fully we &s;hould receiue it at the hands of the Lord that is the giuer. <HI>I wil giue you pa&s;tors, &amp;c.</HI> as if he &s;hould &s;ay; when you haue them you mu&s;t not take them as due vnto you for your de&s;eruings (for you de&s;erue no good thing of me) but I will freely be&s;towe them vpon my church. Among&s;t temporal bene|fites there is none like a good wife: and a|mong&s;t &s;piritual benefits there is none like a good pa&s;tor: And both are &s;ent from God, to tho&s;e that feare him with this po&s;ie vpon them, <HI>donum Dei,</HI> the gift of God; that if a ma~ &s;hould aske, Who giueth this woman to be married to this man? the Lord doth reach his hand as is were from heauen, &s;aying, that
<PB N="133" REF="68">do I; &s;o if any man aske, who gaue this pa|&s;tour to this congregation? and other &s;uch to the re&s;t of his church; the Lord doth an|&s;were from heauen and &s;aith, that do I: he is my gift. And to tho&s;e that turne vnto me, I will giue pa&s;tours according to my heart; <HI>for hou&s;e and riches are the inheritance of the fathers,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Salomon, but a prudent wife com|meth of the Lord Pr.</HI> 19 14. So a good pa&s;tor comes not as hou&s;e and land, by inheritance, but as a good wife comes, and that is of the Lord. Such pa&s;tours and teachers are &s;ent as &s;peciall loue tokens to the godly, whereby they may knowe how the Lorde doth loue them. But ignorant mini&s;ters, and Non-re|&s;idents, and time-&s;eruers, &amp; idoll &s;hepherds, and &s;uch like are &s;ent of God to the wicked. as <HI>Saul</HI> was giuen to I&s;raell in his wrath to plague them withal, and to &s;trengthen them in their &s;innes, and &s;o to &s;eale vp their con|demnation, as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith of a harlot;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prouerb. 22</NOTE> <HI>The lippes of a &s;trange woman are as a deep pit and he with whom the Lord is angrie &s;hall fall in|to the &s;ame;</HI> &s;o may it be &s;aide of wicked pa|&s;tors and blinde guides, they and their peo|ple goe together into the ditch, and they whome the Lord is angrie with, &s;hal be pla|gued with &s;uch. The Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, that Chri&s;t a&s;cending vp on high gaue gifts vnto men, &s;ome to be apo&s;tles, &s;ome to be
<PB N="134" REF="69">pa&s;tours and doctors, &amp;c. and tho&s;e he gaue to his church, for the gathering together his &s;aints, to teach vs that they are not &s;ent of God like marchandi&s;e for our money (as <HI>Si|men Magus</HI> thought of the gifts of the holie|gho&s;t) but they are &s;ent as gifts,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 20.</NOTE> and are to be receiued as the gifts of the Lord. The only way to obtaine &s;uch gifts,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 9.37, 38.</NOTE> is by prayer, <HI>The harue&s;t is great</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>and the labou|rers are few, pray ye therefore to the Lorde of the harue&s;t, and he &s;hall &s;end foorth labourers,</HI> to &s;hew that God will haue his giftes dra|wen from him by prayer, that is, he vell be knowen and acknowledged to be the giuer of them, as men will &s;ay, if hee had asked it of me, I would haue giuen it him; &s;o doth the Lord &s;ay; if they had asked &s;uch pa&s;tors of me, I would haue giuen them &s;uch. This therefore is the cau&s;e why there are &s;o fewe true labourers in the Lordes harue&s;t, and &s;o many wicked loiterers, becau&s;e the church in generall, and congregations, and chri&s;ti|ans in particular, are not earne&s;t enough in prayer vnto God for them; for (as <HI>E&s;ay</HI> &s;aith) <HI>We &s;hould not giue the Lorde any re&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 2.7.</NOTE> <HI>but, as it were, wearie him with our prayers, vntill he repaire the decayed places of Zion, and build vp Ieru&s;alem in her perfect beautie, which is the prai&s;e of the worlde:</HI> Neither are good pa|&s;tors gotten, nor bad ones di&s;placed, by rai|ling
<PB N="135" REF="69">and libelling again&s;t Bi&s;hops, and the gouernours of the church, (as &s;ome haue thought) nor by factious and &s;editious draw|ing of multitudes to practi&s;e again&s;t the &s;worde of authoritie, nor by robbing the church of her children, nor by &s;ci&s;maticall &s;eperating of our &s;elues from the church, as hereticall &s;chi&s;matikes doe thinke, nor by withdrawing of their liuings as couetous worldlings imagin, but by humble &s;uing to God with prayer and &s;upplications, for &s;o are his gifts obtained; &s;o that if men woulde leaue their &s;currilous libelling, and their vn|&s;eemely railing, and their vaine talking, and their &s;ci&s;maticall &s;eperating, and their &s;edi|tious banding, and their cruell dealing, and now another while trie the Lord by turning vnto him, as here he requireth vs, and plie him with our humble prayers, as Chri&s;t hath commaunded vs, there is no doubt, but it would goe better with the poore church of Chri&s;t then it doth; for if we do that which is required of vs, mo&s;t certainely the Lorde will performe that which hee hath promi|&s;ed. Nowe where the Lord hath be&s;towed &s;uch pa&s;tors, and planted the meanes of &s;al|uation, there is much (no doubt) required againe.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">What is requi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> of them that haue good pa|&s;tours.</NOTE> Two things doth the Lord expect and looke for at their hands which haue re|ceiued &s;uch gifts of the Lorde; namely, loue
<PB N="136" REF="70">and obedience: for loue requires loue again<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> and &s;eeing the&s;e gifts are &s;ent fro~ the Lord as &s;pecial tokens of his loue &amp; fauor toward vs, his maie&s;tie lookes for great loue again of vs towards the gift for his &s;ake that gaue it, &amp; towards the giuer for his own goodnes &s;ake, which only moued him to giue the gift. And &s;ith he giueth them to feede vs with know|ledge &amp; vnder&s;tanding, he laboreth that we &s;hould grow and thriue therby, that is, to be the better reformed, both in iudgements &amp; al&s;o in our maners. But that it may appeare the better what loue we owe to the Lord in this re&s;pect, we ought to con&s;ider the great|nes, goodnes, &amp; value of the gift, wherby we &s;hal al &s;ee the great loue and goodnes of him that is the giuer. <HI>Euery man is friend vnto him that giueth gifts;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">orerb. 19.6.</NOTE> then euery man &s;hould loue the Lord, for none giueth &s;o many gifts as he doth; yea for the gifts which men giue, the Lord is to be loued, bicau&s;e they had neither what to giue, nor wil to giue, vntill the Lord giue both. Al the gifts of the Lord are either bodily or &s;piritual, te~poral or eternal, general or &s;pecial; &s;ome are common to man &amp; bea&s;t &amp; &s;ome are common to good and bad, to the reprobate &amp; the elect, as meate, &amp; drinke &amp; apparel, appetite and dige&s;tion, hou&s;es and lands, cattel and corne, gold &amp; &s;iluer, health and welth, wife &amp; children, beuty &amp; honor,
<PB N="137" REF="70">peace and plenty, learning and wit, wi&s;dom and policy, frends and promotion, and many &s;uch like, the lea&s;t wherof de&s;erueth and re|quireth that wee &s;houlde loue and feare the Lord with al our harts, with al our &s;trength: but be&s;ides the&s;e, the daily giftes which the Lord giueth to man, and to the earth, &amp; the &s;ea, and the heauens; yea the whole world for mans v&s;e they are infinit, that to go about to nu~ber them, were to mea&s;ure the &s;ea with a &s;poon; for which we return nothing but our &s;ins, which are mo then his benefits: yet &s;uch is his goodnes that giueth al, &amp; forgiueth al. But among&s;t al the Lords gifts, there is none comparable to pa&s;tors that feed mens &s;oules with knoledge &amp; vnder&s;tanding. When <HI>Da|uid</HI> would &s;et out the greatnes of this gift, he reher&s;eth many works of god &s;hewed in his church, for which he is to be prai&s;ed;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 147.13, 1</NOTE> <HI>Prai&s;e the Lord, O Ieru&s;ale~, prai&s;e thy God O Zion, for he hath made the bars of thy gates &s;tro~g &amp; hath ble&s;sed thy children within thee,</HI> <MILESTONE N="18"> <HI>he &s;etteth peace in thy borders, &amp; &s;atisfieth thee with the flour of wheat.</HI> When he con&s;idereth the benefit of Gods word, he &s;aith; <MILESTONE N="19"> <HI>He &s;heweth his word vnto Iacob, his &s;tatutes and iudgements vnto I&s;rael: he hath not dealt &s;o with euery nation;</HI> <MILESTONE N="20"> to &s;hew that the word of God is a &s;peciall ble&s;sing, and not to be reckoned among&s;t &s;uch things as are common to all nations of the world.</P>
<PB N="138" REF="71">
<P> When the Apo&s;tle &s;aint <HI>Paul</HI> would &s;et out the greatne&s;&s;e of this gift,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 1.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> he &s;aith, that <HI>the grace of God which bringeth &s;aluation hath appeared,</HI> meaning the go&s;pel, to &s;hew that men cannot be &s;aued without it; &s;o great, &s;o good, &s;o excellent, and &s;o nece&s;&s;arie it is. All other ble&s;sings are of the grace of God; there is an enriching grace, a healthy grace, and a wealthy grace, and a healing grace, &amp;c. But this is called the &s;auing grace of GOD. <HI>Dauid</HI> preferreth it before his kingdome, becau&s;e it did comfort him in his affliction; <HI>if thy word</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>had not beene my comfort in my affliction,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 119.92.</NOTE> <HI>I had peri&s;hed,</HI> to &s;hew that the word of God is better then a kingdome. This may make the children of God the more to loue &s;uch me&s;&s;engers, as bring &s;uch tidings of peace, and to feare &s;uch a God, as giueth &s;uch gifts vnto men; but as for the wicked who&s;e eies the god of this worlde, that is, Sathan, hath blinded, to them it is but as a tale of a fooli&s;h thing, for they are like the &s;wine, which finde more &s;auour in the mire, then in &s;weet perfumes; or like the dunghil cocke, that had rather find a graine of corne, then a precious &s;tone. If &s;weete floures be giuen to him that hath his &s;ences, they will &s;mell &s;weete, but a dead man feeles no &s;weetne&s;&s;e in them, though they be put to his no&s;e; &s;o the &s;pirituall and regenerate
<PB N="139" REF="71">man &s;hall feele the &s;weetnes and goodnes of this gift, but the carnall man, in whome is not the life of the &s;pirite, &s;hall neuer make any account of it. Againe, the faithfull doe not onely loue the giuer for his gift, but al|&s;o maketh much of the gift, for the giuers &s;ake; as men will &s;ay of their friends giftes or tokens, I will not part withall, I wil keep it full daintily (though they haue no v&s;e for it) for his &s;ake that be&s;towed it on me: much more doe the faithfull reuerence the mini|&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and their pa&s;tours which la|bour amonge&s;t them in word and doctrine, and are ouer them in the Lord; they make much of them, yea they haue them in &s;ingu|lar account for their workes &s;ake, and keepe them very carefully, both becau&s;e the Lord gaue them, and they haue a maruelous com|fortable and heauenly v&s;e of them to eter|nall &s;aluation. Whereas the wicked who neuer knew the worth or want of good Pa|&s;tours, nor the nece&s;sitie of knowledge and vnder&s;tanding, doe they take them to bee &s;ent of God as tokens of his loue, or as the onely meanes of &s;aluation, or doe they feare the Lord euer the more for &s;uch gifts? or do they loue and reuerence the gifts for the gi|uers &s;ake? or doe they account of them for their &s;ake? No, no &s;uch matter, they knowe not what the&s;e things mean, they take them
<PB N="140" REF="72">rather for their enimies,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ng. 21.20.</NOTE> as <HI>Achab</HI> did <HI>Eliah</HI> who &s;aid, ha&s;t thou found me O my enimy? they take them as men &s;ent of the Lorde, or rather come out from the deuill to plague them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ouble them, as <HI>Herod</HI> and Ie|ru&s;alem thought of Chri&s;t: and after that rate doe they v&s;e them, with all reproches and mockes that can be deui&s;ed, with al di&s;|daine, with all manner of iniuries and &s;lan|ders, and thus doe the wicked rewarde their pa&s;tours which feede them, which they woulde not doe, if they did take them as the gifts of God: but al this ought not to di&s;cou|rage pa&s;tours and preachers of the worde, becau&s;e ba&s;e per&s;ons doe ba&s;ely account of them, but rather confirme them in the &s;aith|full execution of their office, taking the hatred of the worlde as a &s;ure token of their mini&s;ters effectuall working, and let them learne to play the parte of a nur&s;e with their people, who hath manie a foule hande with the childe before &s;hee can bring it to anie perfection. And let them bee content to become like torches, which burne out them|&s;elues while they giue light vnto others, not feareing the faces of men becau&s;e the Lorde is a bra&s;en wall betweene them and their aduer&s;aries, and though they bee ill rewarded of the worlde, yet let them bee glad, for as much as they looke for their re|ward
<PB N="141" REF="72">from the lord who hath &s;et the~ a worke.</P>
<P><HI>I wil giue.]</HI> The la&s;t thing we haue to ob|&s;erue here, is, that the Lord doth not onely &s;ay you &s;hall haue pa&s;tors, but <HI>I will giue you pa&s;tours according to my heart:</HI> if his people will repent, hee will performe that which is promi&s;ed &amp; none other for him; this is great|ly for the confirmatio~ of the churches faith, when the lord him&s;elf doth promi&s;e a thing, &amp; vndertake the performance of it him&s;elfe. If a ma~ had made &s;uch a promi&s;e the perfor|mance remaineth doubtful, becau&s;e he wan|toth power, or skil, or con&s;tancie, his minde may alter, or meanes may faile, or hee may bee cro&s;&s;ed with &s;ome higher power; but with the Lorde is no &s;uch thing, for he hath both power and skil, and is alwaies the &s;ame and changeth not, neither is there any power aboue him to cro&s;&s;e his maie&s;tie. If an angell from heauen had made &s;uch a promi&s;e, yet the performance is doutful, becau&s;e he is but a creature, &amp; is &s;ubiect to the checke, &amp; con|trolement of the Lord; but if god &s;ay he wil, it &s;halbe, as the Centurion &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 7.7</NOTE> <HI>Lorde doe but &s;peak the word &amp; my &s;eruant &s;halbe whole;</HI> whe~ the power &amp; wil of god do meete, then there wants nothing to let the matter, but our &s;ins, <HI>Lord if thou wilt</HI> (&s;aith the leaper) <HI>thou can&s;t make me eleane. I will</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>be thou cleane, and immediatly the lepro&s;ie was clean&s;ed.</HI></P>
<PB N="142" REF="73">
<P> But this people were in captiuitie,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 8.3.</NOTE> &amp; their enemies had dominion ouer them: how wil the Lord re&s;tore them? very wel; for the lord is able to do it either by force of angels, as he deliuered <HI>Peter</HI> out of pri&s;on, or by men, or by other creatures, as he delt with <HI>Pharao,</HI> or by turning their enimies hearts, as he turned <HI>Saules</HI> heart, when he followed <HI>Dauid</HI> to kil him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ns 24.18.</NOTE> according to the &s;aying of <HI>Salomon. When a mans waies plea&s;e the Lorde, hee will cau&s;e his foes to become his friends,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 16.7.</NOTE> or without meanes, onely by that worde, whereby hee made heauen and earth and all the worlde,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> 1.</NOTE> when matter was wanting. Hereof we haue many examples: God &s;aid he woulde make I&s;rael a mightie people,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 2.10.</NOTE> could <HI>Pharao</HI> pre|uent it? no, though hee &s;aid, <HI>Come and let vs worke wi&s;ely with them, le&s;t they multiply &amp;c.</HI> God &s;aid <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;hould be king, could <HI>Saule</HI> preuent it? no, though he &s;aid, I wil giue him my elde&s;t daughter vppon condition that he bring mee a hundred foreskins of the Phili|&s;tines,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">am. 18.17, 25.</NOTE> thinking by this pollicy to make a rid|dance of him. God &s;aid <HI>Elizabeth</HI> &s;hal raigne, could any defeat her? no, though fir&s;t they &s;ifted her for trea&s;on, as con&s;piring with <HI>Wiat,</HI> and then <HI>Gardiner</HI> the wolfe cried &s;til, &s;tub vppe the roote, &s;tub vp the roote: then how many waies haue beene deui&s;ed &s;ince to &s;ubuert her by papi&s;ts, and traitours, and
<PB N="145" REF="73"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;uites, and the vnholy league, and all with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he deuill him&s;elfe, hauing &s;worne &amp; vowed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rdeath; yet &s;he raigneth, thanked be God, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd long may &s;he raigne O Lord we b&s;eech <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hee for thy mercies &s;ake, in de&s;pite of all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">y enemies: here we may &s;ee that verefied <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hat is in the Prouerbs, <HI>There is no coun&s;aile,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 21.3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or wi&s;edome, nor &s;trength, again&s;t the Lord.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 19.21.</NOTE> And in another place he &s;aith, <HI>Many deui&s;es <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">re in a mans heart,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 5.25.</NOTE> <HI>but the coun&s;ell of the Lord <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">all &s;tand.</HI> If any thing hinder good things <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rom vs, it is our &s;inne, but no deui&s;e of man <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or deuill, they &s;hall doe no more then the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">orde hath appointed. Our &s;innes are the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hiefe cau&s;e, and the wicked are in&s;trumen|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">all cau&s;es, and v&s;ed by the Lord like <HI>A&s;hur,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">who was called the &s;taffe of the Lord) to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lague his church withall. And therefore <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">any take a wrong cour&s;e to haue the chur|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hes e&s;tate bettered, they crie out vpon the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">me, and the &s;tate, and the Bi&s;hops, and pa|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ons, and the dumbe mini&s;ters (I &s;peake not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ow in defence of any mans fault or corrup|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">on) but their owne hou&s;ehold are vnrefor|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed, they and their families are ignorant and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rofane, they abu&s;e the good gifts of god al|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eady be&s;towed, and yet they find fault they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">aue no more, like children that ca&s;t their <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eate to the dogges and then crie for more: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hey &s;ay, &s;o long as &s;uch and &s;uch beare &s;way
<PB N="146" REF="74">in the church, neuer a good mini&s;ter &s;hal be long at re&s;t, and I know not what, neuer loo|king what hurt their ra&s;hnes and prepo&s;te|rous blind zeale doth procure: but they are much deceiued, for let tho&s;e that call vppon the name of God departe from euill, and turne vnto the Lorde, and then looke what his maie&s;tie hath promi&s;ed, it &s;hall &s;urely be performed, though the time be prolonged for the exerci&s;e of our faith, &amp; patie~ce. It is &s;ufficie~t for vs, if the Lord &s;aith he wil do it, though he do not tell vs when, and howe he will do it, hee hath wayes enow to bring his coun&s;el to pa&s;&s;e. With this <HI>[I wil]</HI> or pro|mi&s;e of God let vs learne to arme our &s;elues again&s;t all temptations, all feares, all doubts, and all lets what&s;oeuer, let men take heede how they enterpri&s;e any thing again&s;t the will of God, what meanes &s;oeuer they haue to effect their purpo&s;e, for if they &s;ay, they will, and the Lord &s;ay, hee wil not, or if they &s;ay, it &s;hal not be, and the Lord &s;aith, it &s;ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> be, all their murmuring &amp; banding and con|&s;ulting,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ac. 36.12. and 37.33.</NOTE> and practi&s;ing will be in vaine; <HI>Sen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|charib</HI> &s;aid he would come again&s;t Ieru&s;a|lem with a mightie ho&s;t, and make them t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> eate their owne dunge and drinke their ow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pi&s;&s;e, but the Lord &s;aid he &s;hould not &s;hoo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> an arrow into Ieru&s;alem, and it came to pa&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> as the Lord &s;aid. <HI>E&s;au</HI> &s;aid hee would kill <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="147" REF="74">brother <HI>Iacob,</HI> but he did not,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="4 letters">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> the Iewes vow|ed neither to eate nor drinke till they hadde killed <HI>Paule,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">. 21.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> but if they had kept their vowe they had &s;tarued. <HI>Herod</HI> though to haue kil|led Chri&s;t, but hee coulde not, and many o|thers haue purpo&s;ed many other things, but the Lord hath di&s;po&s;ed of them according to his own wil and plea&s;ure; and all to &s;hewe how truely <HI>Iob</HI> &s;pake when he &s;aid, <HI>The hand of man is not able to accompli&s;h the deui&s;e of his heart.</HI> As this is a &s;ingular con&s;olation at all times, &s;o now in this hard time of dearth and &s;carcitie, the Lord doth promi&s;e vppon the true repentance of his people, to ble&s;&s;e the earth, with plentie, &amp; to &s;atifie the poore with bread, let the wretched cornemongers, and couetous caterpillers &s;ay, the price &s;hall not fall, the Lord that hath &s;aid the word wil do it manger their beards, and cau&s;e them to fall too, with &s;hame inough if they repent not: let no man &s;ay as the noble man of <HI>Sama|ria</HI> &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. King. 7.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> <HI>Though the Lord &s;hould open the win|dowes of heauen and raine downe wheate, &amp;c.</HI> I will not beleeue the words of the prophet, le&s;t he &s;ee it, but enioy it, not as hee did that was troden downe in the gates of the cittie. And to conclude, &s;eeing as we are readie to take a mans word for any thing, if hee be an hone&s;t man, and of any credit or ability, and think our &s;elues &s;afe, if the prince, or a mea|ner
<PB N="148" REF="75">per&s;on &s;ay; I will giue thee this or tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> how much more ought we to take the Lord<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> word for any thing that he promi&s;eth, wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> is all &s;ufficient and faithfull? yea if wee do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> doubt of the matter when he &s;aith, I will, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pre&s;ume when hee &s;aith, I wil not, wee offe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> his maie&s;tie that iniurie, which we our &s;elue<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> would hardly let go vnreuenged at any mans hand, if it lay in our power to reuenge the &s;ame.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="75">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
