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A35545
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The workes of Ephesus explained in a sermon before the honovrable House of Commons at their late solemne fast, April 27th 1642 / by Ioseph Caryl ...
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Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing C790; ESTC R3989
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40,178
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69
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not beare his plaine dealing and reproofes neither could he beare their hypocrisie and rebellion And Ieremy had almost beene like Manlius in giving over upon this ground Then I said I will not make mention of him nor speake any more in his name Chap. 20. 9. But he recovers himselfe his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay Heathens may but beleevers cannot quite give up their worke because of the contradiction of sinners And hence he becomes a man of strife For in the close of that verse he shewes that he had avoided all other occasions I Ier. 15. 10. have neither lent on usury nor men have lent to me on usury as if he had said I kept my selfe exactly within the bounds of my calling I have not troubled my self or this people with any other matters I have not entangled my selfe in any of the affairs of this life which 2 Tim. 2. 4. he expresses by the Synecdoche of not lending upon usury and yet he was a man of contention On the same termes we have many men of contention at this day But as it was commanded Ieremy by the Lord in that Chapter ver 19. so may we say to these for all the clamours of men Let them returne unto you but doe not you returne unto them For doe they strive against sinne It is their duty Doe they oppose error they are called to it Doe they beat downe superstitious vanities God commands it Can they not beare evill It commends them to God To agree with men thus were to conspire against Christ Such peace on Earth is warre with Heaven And we may answer all men who would have us quiet with evill as that Sword did to those who said unto it O thou Sword of the Lord how long Ier. 47. 6 7. will it be ere thou be quiet put up thy selfe into thy scabbard rest and be still How can we be quiet seeing the Lord hath given us a charge against Askelon and against the Sea-shore of Babylon there he hath appointed us He hath given all his people a charge against iniquity against every evill there hee hath appointed them And may this Sword and Bow of all the upright in heart be like the bow of Jonathan and the Sword of 2 Sam. 1. 22. Saul not turning backe nor returning empty from the blood of sinne-slaine and from the fat of our mightiest corruptions both in Church and Common-wealth Let me therefore close this Doctrine with Exhortation Vse 3 to all in your severall places beare not them that are evill this impotency is your strength for God and this impatience your holinesse Beare not evill in your Governments in your Families in your Children in your Servants in your friends that are as your owne soules no nor in your own souls But let this word be to You especially even to You of the Great and Honourable Assembly who are the called of God and the King and the chosen of this whole Nation Your great worke for God for the King for the whole Nation is to finde out and take away both things and persons which are evill Let your Acts testifie before Heaven and Earth that you cannot beare them It was a noble resolution of the Israelites who were no sooner informed that their Brethren the children of Reuben and Iosh 22. 11. the children of Gad and the halfe Tribe of Manasseh had built an Altar on the borders of Iordan but presently they resolve to fight against them They will not Ver. 12. beare them in this though their Brethren the reason was because as the Morall Law taught but one God so the Ceremoniall taught but one Altar and therfore a second was insufferable And had not their answer V 13 14. Ver. 21. to the Princes sent in Embassie satisfied them that they meant it not for Sacrifice doubtlesse they had taken deepe revenge in that quarrell of God And let me beseech you this day to take up the like resolution and speedily to execute it against every Altar yea every thing about Gods worship whose Authours and abetters cannot give as good an account for its beginning standing and continuance as those Reubenites did for that I hope I have seasonably moved you this day of your Fast to resolve on this For the Prophet tels us this is Gods Fast Is not this the Fast that I have Isa 58. 6. chosen To loose the bands of wickednesse to undoe the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed goe free and that yee breake every yoake Those things then which are bands of wickednesse resolve now to loose them whatsoever is a heavy burden resolve to undoe it when 1 King 21 9 â—0 IejunioruÌ„ dies insumebantur in reconciliando Deo maleficijs tollendu et jure dicendo Iunius in loc you are shewed any yoake that is not of Christs making resolve as in the sight of God this day to breake it That so all the bands being loosed the burdens undone the yoakes broken every one that is oppressed may goe free It was a custome among the Iewes upon the very day of their Fast to enquire after publike offenders This was the reason why cursed Iezabel to put a face of holinesse upon murder caused a Fast to be proclaimed that she might slay innocent Naboath pretending that he had blasphemed God and the King Change the persons and the president in the maine is very imitable It is a good part of a Fast-duty to judge those to stoning some legall punishment who doe indeed cast stones of blasphemy either at God or Kings And so in a proportion to judge any evill doer Againe I exhort to this the removing of evill as the most proper method of doing good If the body naturall be distemper'd it is to little purpose to be at the charge for Cordials and Restoratives untill the noxious humours be purged and carried away No man will bring in goodly furniture into his house untill the dust and rubbish be swept up and cast out I doubt not your approbation nay who hath not seene your practise of this course for the restoring of the body politicke and the Adorning of Gods house his Church whose house are we even as many as hold fast the confidence Heb. 4. 6. and rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end Lastly I exhort to the removing of these burdens the evils of sinne least wee provoke God to lay other burdens upon us more blessed be his name then hee hath done yet of the evils of punishment They that will beare the former burdens shall beare the latter whether they will or no Be they persons or Nations We have heard heretofore such out-cryes against some faithfull Ministers as Amaziah made at Court against Amos. The Land is not able to beare all their words Wee have just cause to feare Amos 7. 1. that the Land will
not bee able long to beare all their workes who made this cry if they be borne The burden of Gods wrath will sinke a whole people together who are willing to beare the errours and vanities of one another At least our children may beare the sin of this generation in bearing their sin as the children of the Israelites did their Fathers sinne Of whom God speakes Numb 14. 27. How long shall I beare this Generation Your carkasses shall fall in the Wildernesse v. 32. And your children shall wander in the wildernesse fourty yeares and beare your whoredomes their Fathers dyed and they carried their Fathers sinne fourty yeares and were so long debarr'd the possession of the promised Canaan If we should as they prove false to Christ our carkasses may fall and our children may wander who knowes how long in a wildernesse of trouble and distraction bearing this spirituall whoredome of ours before they shall be admitted to the Canaan of a setled condition Therfore to conclude all doe not this great this dangerous evill The Bearing of them that are The Bearing of that which is evill Beare not Oppressors and Merchants rather then Stewards of Justice in the State Beare not Buyers and Sellers Money-changers rather then Ministers in the Temple Beare not the Seates of those who have sold and vext Doves but have spared Crowes and admitted uncleane birds to nestle there Beare not ignorant idle Idoll-Shepheards who feed themselves and not the flocke Beare not sonnes of Belial who make men abhorre the offerings of the Lord. 1 Sam. 2. 12 17. Beare not prophane Atheists blasphemous Swearers swinish Drunkards filthy Adulterers bloudy Murtherers false Witnesses in any corner of the Land Beare not Idolaters who change the truth of God into a Lye and Rom. 1. 25 worship the creature more then the Creator or the creature with the Creator who is blessed for evermore Beare not a Graven Image nor the Maker nor the Adorer of it But defile all the Coverings of the Graven Images of Silver Isa 30. 22. and the Ornaments of all the molten Images of Gold cast them away as a menstrous cloth say unto them with amighty voice a voice hath been heard as the voice of many waters already But say it now with a mighty voice even the voice of a great thunder Get ye hence Beare not superstitious Rev. 14. 2. Innovators who are all for mixtures in the worship of God Whose minds are corrupted and they have a mind to corrupt others from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Cor. 11. 3 The Gospell and the wayes of it are not Simple as Simplicity is opposed to depth of wisedome for therein is made knowne the manifold wisedome of God But as simplicity Eph. 3. 10. is opposed to mixture As in Philosophy we distinguish between simple and mixt Bodies so in Divinity we may between simple and mixt Ordinances Every thing the more simple in this sence it is the more excellent it is and more free from corruption And God who infinitely excels All is most Simple He is Ens Simplicissimum Simplicity is his first Attribute I heare the Heralds have a rule amongst them That the most simple Bearing is the most honourable Bearing Coates full of Devices shew a meane Descent I am sure the simplest Worship is fullest of Honour A Religion full of devices could never nor ever shall prove it hath often attempted to purchase a Pedigree from Heaven Then beare not mixing Innovators Neither beare the old mixtures the old Leaven which was left in the first reformation Take away the names of Baalim the Remnants of Superstition that they may no more be remembred by their Name Hos 2. 17. Consider and consider whether you should beare that which hath been groaned to you as a burden by many by most Petitions from all the Quarters of the Land I meane plainly Our present Frame and Constitution of Church-Discipline and Government But let this come to Tryall Though Ephesus had not the patience to beare them or those things which were evill yet Ephesus had the patience to heare and try those who said they were good though upon the debate it appeared they were not Thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them Lyars This is the second great worke specified about which Second worke of the Text. that Church laboured and exercised their patience And should now be discussed but I will onely hint at those three particulars which the words hold forth concerning such tryals First The necessity of them None either persons or things although they pretend divine Authority ought to be admitted without tryall For here such as said they were Apostles were found Lyars Who remembring Eph. 5. 8. 1 Cor. 13. 9. Mat. 24. 24 Acts 20. 29 30. 2 Pet. 2. 1. 2 Cor. 18 13 14. Mat. 24 24 that all men by Nature are darknesse and that the best are but in part enlightened That Christ and his Apostles have prophecyed False Christs and false Apostles shall come and that the worst men shall come in the best shapes A Devill will transforme himselfe into an Angell of Light That these false Teachers are many and that they shall have many Followers their Art being so exquisite that it will deceive if it were possible the very Elect Who I say taking in these thoughts will not conclude the necessity of a Tryall though Ius divinum be the plea. Secondly the words hold forth the justice and equity of such Tryals Such as pretend divine Authority ought not to be rejected or condemned before Tryall Thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles It is most reasonable that so high and sacred a plea as that should be fully heard Prejudices and suspitions bare reports and accusations miscarriages and ill successes cannot single or all together beare out the rejection of any thing or person before Tryall which claimes by Divine right Thirdly the words hold forth the fruit and benefit of such Tryals Due tryall will quickly discover those who are but pretenders it will unmaske hypocrites Thou having tryed hast found them lyars As the Furnace to mettall or the Ballance to coyne such is due Tryall to men it will shew what is Drosse what is Light I say due Tryall will shew it For if you bring a light peece to a false beame it will returne for currant Then it must be a due tryall due for the Nature of it not a Tryall of Curiosity but of Sobriety not of Temptation but of Disquisition Due also in regard of the Rule it is made by Not by Tradition not by Custome not by Councels not by that which is usually called Antiquity Iosh 9. 4. The torne Garments and mouldy bread of cunning Gibeonites will not prove them come from the far countrey Some things are so old that they are the worse for it Like the Gibeonites bread they mould Truth doth not so It