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book_n	new_a	scripture_n	word_n	2,910	5	4.2982	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03279	The dignitie of preaching in a sermon vpon 1. Thessal. 5.20. By Sam. Hieron.	Hieron, Samuel, 1576?-1617.	1615 (1615)	STC 13396; ESTC S120671	20,449	30

is the expresse will and ordinance of God that there should be in his Church a certaine calling of men set apart to this worke and seruice of making the holy Scriptures vsefull to the people by the act of preaching 2. That this act of preaching is so ordained by God that wee haue no assurance in the world to attaine saluation but by it These two poynts well cleered will take away all doubt touching this doctines truth For if preaching be Gods ordinance shall it not be honoured and if we haue without it no hope of being saued shall it not deserue esteeme If then I shall be able to double these two two poynts I shall hope to procure an easie passage for the maine doctrine into the heart and soule of euery one that heares me So that you wil not crie when I haue done as they did against Paul Away with such a fellow from the earth b Act. 22.22 but rather breake out into some such note as theirs that followed Christ Lord euermore giue vs this preaching c Ioh. 6.34 My first taske must be this to make it to appeare that God neuer purposed to leaue his holy word to be no more but read either priuatly in mens houses or publikely in our Churches but appointed there should be men ordained to expound the same by voyce and applie it to the occasions and necessities of the people for their edifying For this is the soule of prophecying and the very life of preaching It openeth the Scripture to shew what it meaneth it fits it to the particular vses and cases of the hearers Now that there hath been from the beginning a Calling of men to deale betwixt God and man in the things of God the course of the holy storie makes it plaine In the daies before the flood besides that the first borne of euery familie was an officer of this kinde we reade particularly of Enoch and of Noah the one a Prophet by the testimonie of S. Iude d Iude vers 14. the other a Preacher of righteousnes by the witnes of S. Peter e 2. Pet. 2.5 In the following times notwithstanding the smalnes of Gods Church for diuers yeeres yet that which is said of Melchizedech that he was a Priest of the most high God f Gen. 14.18 is an argument of some such ranke and condition of men as I now speake of As the people of God multiplied and began to put on the shape of a Body politique so this course became more euident and more ordinary Then the Tribe of Leui was deputed to a speciall attendance vpon this function g Deut. 33.10 and from thence there was a continuall succession of men sitting in Moses chaire vntill our Sauiours time Christ when hee came did not ouerthrow this course but establish it He appoynted Apostles first h Luke 6.13 they being by him instructed in the things which pertaine to the kingdome of God i Act. 1.3 and precise to ordaine nothing but that which thēselues had receiued k 1. Cor. 11.23 as they were diligent in respect of their personall industrie so they appoynted such as themselues in regard of the substance of their office and gaue order for the perpetuating of this course to make choyce of faithfull men still to be employed in this seruice m 2. Tim. 2.2 and Paul saith expresly that Christ ascended on high to giue gifts vnto men euen that there might be such for the gathering together of the Saints to the end of the world n Eph. 4.11 c. Now as such a Calling was of old and must continue till time shall be no more so the speciall intendment was to teach See for proofe in the old Testament Deut. 33.10 2. Chro. 15.3 and in the new Mat. 28.19 2. Tim. 2.2 Therefore as we gather by our Sauiours speech to Nicodemus they of this profession were called Masters in Israel o Ioh. 3 10. and after in the same sort Teachers p Eph. 4.11 The matter of their teaching was in the old Testament termed the Iudgement and Law of God q Deut. 33.10 and in the new it is said to be whatsoeuer Christ hath commanded r Matth. 28.20 and more briefly the Word ſ 2. Tim. 4.2 The manner of their teaching in the old Testament is reported to be reading in the booke of the Law distinctly giuing the sense and causing the people to vnderstand the reading t Neh. 8.8 in the new a publishing of the secret of the Gospell u Ephes 6.19 a dealing vnto the people the Gospell of God x 1. Thes 2.8 Now in teaching it is manifest that there is a further matter then the publishing to the people by reading from out of the booke the words and tenour of the Scripture Euery ordinary man will quickly conceiue so much out of the nature of the word Teach Doth a Schoolmaster teach his scholler in reading to him his Rule vnlesse he doe also cause him to vnderstand it and shew him how he may practise that which is the purpose of it Doth a man of occupation teach his apprentise his trade by propounding certaine generall precepts if hee doe not discouer to him that which wee terme the Mysterie of his profession in particulars Thus farre we are come in the proofe of this first branch It is the ordinance of God that there should be a Calling of men to deale betwixt him and man and that euery one called to this calling should be apt to teach y 1. Tim. 3.2 He that wants this knowledge is no Priest for me said the Lord of old z Hos 4.6 Agreeing hereto is the wholesome order of our English Church in which no man is admitted Presbyter See the booke of ordination of Bishops Priests and Deacons but he is first exhorted by the Bishop to consider that his office is of great excellencie and of great difficultie such as he cannot by any other meanes compasse but with Doctrine and exhortation taken out of the Scripture and then after he is asked whether hee is determined to instruct the people committed to his charge with the Scriptures in the end a Bible being deliuered into his hand he is willed to take authoritie to preach the word of God And by the booke of Common Prayer it is manifest that none ought to administer the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to the people but he who may boldly say to the people If there be any of you which cannot quiet his conscience See the Booke of Common Prayer in one of the Exhortations to be somtimes vsed at the discretion of the Minister but requireth further counsell or comfort let him come to me or some other discreete and learned Minister of Gods word and open his griefe that he may receiue such ghostly counsell aduice and comfort as his conscience may be relieued It is meant that hee should haue somewhat in him who must

stint my selfe in that which I could say in this argument I heare what men say when they be not able to elude the euidence of these testimonies Obiect They obiect and crie out Oh Crueltie oh Barbarisme now you doe damne all that haue no preaching Answer I speake al this while of a way and course to which we are tied and whereto wee must trust and out of which wee may not venture I take not on me to preiudice the power or mercie of God I will not for a world say in a pulpit that there are none in heauen which neuer heard a Sermon I am not ignorant of Gods ablenes to saue as he pleaseth I know God can giue bread from heauen c Exod. 6. he can make one sute of clothes or one paire of shooes to serue a mans turne fortie yeeres d Deut. 29.5 he can cause the earth to yeeld corne without sowing e Isai 37.30 he can make one pitcher of oyle to pay a great deale of debt f 2. King 4.2 But what of this no warrant hence for me to say Husbandrie is not the ordinarie meanes of hauing Corne sowing mending the ordinarie meanes to preserue apparell prouidence and industrie and endeuour to get money the ordinarie meanes to pay debts Because the Israelites were fed with Mannah may I lie vnder a hedge in the Sunne looking till Mannah drop into my mouth or because Corne once grew without sowing goe fell away my Plough and like Salomons sluggard g Prou. 26.15 sheathe vp my hands into my bosome and renounce husbandrie or because of that of the Prophets widow discharging debt by a pitcher of oyle purposely runne my selfe into debt many pounds resoluing to leaue to my Executor a Iarue of oyle to pay all we would laugh at such inferences and think a man halfe mad who should make such conclusions And yet I know they are better a great deale then this that because wee doe not say they are all damned which haue no preaching therefore Preaching is not the ordained meanes to seeke saluation by I say these conclusions are better because wee haue euidence of some sustained in outward things by such vnusuall meanes but there is no certaintie of any particular mans saluation without ministeriall Teaching As therefore notwithstanding Gods dealing with the Israelites with Hezechiah with the widow I may boldly say that he who trusts to be fed from heauen shall be sterued and he who supposeth to pay his debts with a pitcher of oyle shall rot in prison So he who thinkes to be saued without preaching shall be damned We must looke to what God bids vs doe and not to what he in his absolute power can do Gods extraordinarie working is no impeachment at all to the truth of an ordinarie Rule Obiect There be some which haue gotten that by the end which Augustine reports touching himselfe how that hee heard a voyce saying to him Confes lib. 8. c. 12. Take vp and reade take vp and reade And so taking the new Testament he fell suddenly at the first opening of the booke vpon that place Not in gluttonie and drunkennes c. h Rom. 13. and hereby it is supposed Augustine was conuerted whereupon they would conclude a possibilitie of turning a man from the power of Satan vnto God without preaching Answer Hereupon I answere that who so shall say that Augustine was not conuerted vntill he heard that voyce shall deliuer an vntruth For it is plaine that Augustine had before that time been in spirituall affliction greatly exercised with a combat betwixt the flesh and the spirit as appeareth plainly in the chapter going next before this whereas he reports the matter of the Voice And when this Voyce came he was on his face weeping and at prayer earnestly confessing his sinnes and desiring to bee deliuered from them This Voyce is rather to be reputed a confirmation and perfiting of his conuersion then the proper instrument of working it If wee would know whereby in deede he was conuerted let himselfe be heard whose report this is Confes lib. 5. cap. 13.14 That being a Rhetorician he came to the citie wherein Ambrose was Bishop desiring there to professe Rhetoricke while hee was there hee would needs goe heare Ambrose preach Non vt doctorem veri Not as a Teacher of the Truth so are his own words for hee thought there was no such to bee found among the professors of the Christian faith but because hee had vnto him shewed kindnesse Now marke what hee speakes directing his speech to God Ad eum per te ducebar nescius vt ad te per eum sciens ducerer Omni die Dominico Sensim nescius To him I was by thee led vnawares that by him I might through knowledge be led to thee and so he goeth on to shew how by hearing him whom as hee reports other-where he heard preaching euery Lords day he was brought by little and little ere he was aware neerer and neerer to the embracing of the truth An excellent example for the confirmation of this point that preaching is the meanes of a mans conuersion And yet I adde that in case it were true that the reading of that place had been the direct meanes of his Turning yet it were nothing to the preiudice of that which I now teach for I would say and well I might it was extraordinarie and such whereof we can make no Rule and so indeed whensoeuer any man is brought to haue sauing grace true faith otherwise then by preaching it is a course out of course such wherein God will shew his power and mercie and the freedome of his proceedings not such wherupon he will haue vs simply and generally to relie I returne then to my poynt which is this We haue no warrant to expect saluation any other way then by dependance vpon preaching neither may we to speake of an ordinary course perswade our selues wee are in the way of saluation vnlesse wee be sensible of our being set into it by this meanes God doth diuers things as it it were by way of preparing mē to grace such are afflictions crosses inward affrightments but when all is done and spoken that can be to this wee must come at last that the maine worke ordinarily either by preaching it is wrought or not at all What an absurd thing were it to acknowledge preaching to be Gods ordinance and yet to denie it to be simply necessarie to saluation and to mince it ouer with I know not what faire termes that it is good if it may bee had and profitable for those who haue no other helpes and the like Why what make we of Gods ordinances doe we account them only matters of conueniencie and not of necessitie For my part I know no more scripture for faith without preaching then for saluation without faith I am sure the same spirit of God which hath said Beleeue that thou maist be