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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65764	The pastors charge and cure, or, A sermon first preached in Latine at Oxford and afterwards translated by the author the preaching of which created the author much trouble, and in the winding up of all, suspension from his ministery, and thereupon inforcement to leave his native countrey / by Nath. White, pastor of a congregation at summer islands.	White, Nathaniel, 17th cent.	1645 (1645)	Wing W1798; ESTC R33619	34,854	42

said of them which the Psalmist long since hath said My lovers and my friends stand aloofe from my soare a Psal 38.11 this is a most just complaint neither can it more justly be applied to any age then to ours Thus he which would to God my weake labours might be available to perswade this venerable Assembly to avoid and to yeeld obedience to the charge of the Apostle which if it shal come to passe suffer me O yee my Brethren to intreat this at your hands I shall obtain my desire But if it shall fall out otherwise but farre be it from me that I should be fore-stal'd in my opinion concerning you I shall bewaile my labour and travel spent in vain But to the purpose This Text may worthily be stiled Division of the Text. The Pastors Charge and Care in which you may observe these ensuing parts The first of which is the Charge it selfe the attention that ought to be in Pastors in the first word of the Text Attendite be yee attentive or heedfull Take yee heed The second is the extent of this Charge of this Attention how farre it reacheth and to whom To your selves and to all the Flock The third is the intention of this Charge of this Attention as we speak in Schools that is with what Arguments the Apostle doth intend that is doth make this their attention more attentive with which he doth stretch or strain their attention to the very height and they truly are foure The first is that bond and tie that is upon them in respect of the Flock which they have the charge and oversight of they are made the Overseers of it the care of it is committed peculiarly to them and they have ingaged their faith that they will look unto it they are Bishops or Overseers The second is That they have not been called to this Office by mortall man onely but by the holy Ghost Over which the holy Ghost hath made you Overseers The third is That it is no common honour which is vouchsafed unto them it is the governing or the feeding of the Church of God To feed the Church of God The fourth is That the Lord hath testified by an excellent example in what price and esteem he hath the Church He hath redeemed it with his own bloud These are the parts Now should I peak of all these things at large a river of Tullies eloquence would not suffice I will therfore with Hierome imitate those who doe delineate the vast circumference of the earth in a little Table I will present unto you things shadowed not expressed which whilst according to my ability I doe endeavour to performe doe thou who sittest upon the Throne and thou O Lamb the Off-spring of David who onely wast worthy to take the sealed Book and to open it open the eyes of the servant stretch forth thy hand unto him direct his mind that he may see something in these mysteries and may draw it forth to the glory of thy Name and to the profit of thy Church Amen Attend vee or take yee heed c. Who are these Yee that are here meant They are the Bishops or the Presbyters that must be thus attentive for those whom he calleth Elders in the 17. verse of this Chapter he calleth the very same persons Bishops in this verse as Lorinus a Lor. upon this Text. hath observed and Oecumenius b In foure severall places in his Comments upon this chapter As also in his Comments upon the Epistle of Timothy Tuns and the Phil. teacheth that in the New Testament the names of Bishops and Presbyters are taken promiscuously to whom Hierome Chrysostome Lyranus Carthusianus Hugo and many others give their consent So then yee see by this that none are exempted from this care whosoever they be that are Pastors of the Church of God they must attend they must take heed whether they be Bishops or Presbyters to feed the Flock of Christ Here is great need of attention that we may understand what the Apostle intendeth saith Lorinus and most truly doth he say so because there is hardly a verse interceding in which he doth not inculcate and ingeminate the same thing In the 31. verse he saith therefore Be yee watchfull which is as if he should have said I doe give you to understand again and again that the businesse you have taken upon you is a businesse hard and difficult a businesse that doth require attentive eares watchfull eyes attentive eares and therefore attend yee vigilant eyes and therefore watch yee Neither without doubt were these things uttered rashly and inconsideratly the Apostle saw without peradventure some such in Asia as we may see not a few in England who waited on their office either very remissly or not with that cheerfulnesse and alacrity as they should have done therefore he exhorteth them to attend or give heed Take heed But to speak the truth and as the thing is the Latin word Attendite which signifieth to attend doth not satisfie me in all things the word in the originall is more full 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which sounds as much in Latin as Adhibite lay to or apply apply to your selves to your Flock But what must they apply Why doubtlesse seeing there is nothing concluded certainly the Apostle would be understood to speak indefinitly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is apply your eares and eyes your minds and soul all your care and diligence From whence doth arise the first consectary or doctrinall conclusion which is this Doct. 1 That an idle and sluggish life doth no way become the Pastors of the Church of God The Apostle affirmeth thus much in the word attendite attend ye or take ye heed for this word attend is an operative word as the Lawyers speak a word that imports labour and industry whence it is most cleer and conspicuous that it becometh not the Shepheards of Gods flock to live supinely or to passe away their dayes unfruitfully and unprofitably but to apply themselves with all care and diligence to the discharging of their duty When Christ sent out his Disciples what did he say unto them go sleep play take your ease live delicately nothing lesse but Go c Matth. 28.19 2. teach yee teach all nations and baptize them And againe teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a faithfull saying saith the Apostle He that desireth the d 1 Tim 3.1 office of a Bishop desireth a good work if the office of a Bishop be a good work then the Bishops ought to be labourers not loyterers how therefore saith e In cundem locum Beza upon this place can slow bellies idle droans usurp the name of Bishops without shame and blushing Let them heare yea I would to God they could heare Bernard thundring against the idle Pastors of his time f In Epist ad Hen. Senecensem Si quis ludat

woe doth wait upon and that close at the heels of every one of these Woe unto them saith the Apostle Jude x Iude 11. for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the errour of Balaam for reward This woe is a short word a little particle but it is of a horrid and dreadfull signification denouncing eternall vengeance to them on whom it shall fall as lightning from-heaven Men Brethren and Fathers I heartily pray that this woe may not fall upon the heads of any of us but upon the heads of our enemies upon the heads of the impious and impure Ministery of the Church of Rome who doe remain in the clippings and embracings of the Babylonish strumpet of whose number that we may not be it behoveth us to speak those things that become sound Doctrine not playing the hucksters with the word of God as doe some but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ and let us firmly abide in them If we shall doe this we shall save our selves and those that heare us as St. Paul told Timothy a 1 Epist 4.16 And thus I passe from the first degree of the extent the first object of their attention to the second Attend or give heed to yourselves and then to the whole Flock 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now by the word Flock the Apostle doth signifie the Church imitating therin the Prophets and Christ himselfe who have often used the same Allegory and indeed the use of the word in this kind is not improper because that it significantly comprehends all men of all sorts as the words House and Family by which the Church is elsewhere pointed out For these words doe admonish both Mlnisters and people together of their duty Hence the Ministers may learn that the care and charge of all sorts of men in their flock doe appertain unto them neither is it lawfull for them to neglect any one whether learned or unlearned whether noble or ignoble whether rich or poore whether bond or free In a great house there are various and divers sorts of vessels now it is not the pleasure of the Housholder that his servants should cast off the care of any of them Again hence the people may learn that all men of what place rank or condition soever they be that they ought to be subject to the Ministery and Discipline of the Word neither can any one be free from this yoak who wil be accounted a sheep of the divine flock or one of Gods houshold for that which God speaks to b Ier. 1.18 Jeremy the Prophet is not unknown Behold I have made thee this day a defenced City and an Iron pillar and a brazen wall against the whole land against the Kings of Judah against the Princes thereof against the Priests thereof and against the people of the Land Therefore their sottishnes is too grosse and their stubborn rebellion too unbridled who challenging a certain immunity to themselves doe utterly deny the care of these things to appertain to the Ministers of the Gospel But to what end must the Bishops or Presbyters of Ephesus attend the whole flock 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle to feed it which many have translated to rule or govern the Church of God but that interpretation is too lofty for this Text saith c Bullinger in locum Bullinger especially in our times in which the Bishops doe think the Office of a Bishop to be nought else then unlawfull desire of domineering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore is to d Barth Petrus Lynt in locum govern after the manner of Pastors saith Bartholomeus Petrus Lyntriensis neither doth the Apostle darkly point at this himselfe he continueth that Metaphor by which he had called the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Flock here he useth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to feed But here we must diligently observe that there is a Synecdoche in the word feed for that word doth set forth the whole care of a Pastor namely to feed with word to govern with discipline to defend keep with the rod of jurisdiction In the same sense the word is used Joh 20. e Iohn 20. where Christ three times repeating to Peter Feed my sheep doth exhort him to discharge all the offices and duties of a Pastor from whence we conclude in the third place That the Church of God Conclusion 3 is with all possible care and diligence to be fed governed and defended by the Bishops or Elders which are her Pastors She is to be fed with food that she languish not and through famine pine away she is to be governed with discipline lest she erre and wander from the right way she is to be defended with the rod of jurisdiction and power that the ravenous Wolves and cruell wild beasts doe not violently seize upon her teare her and devour her In a word all care by all means is to be had of her by them that not any the least sheep be neglected or perish through their default It would be too tedious but onely to point at every particular duty of a Pastor in its order wherefore I desiring to be briefe will content my selfe with two places onely which notwithstanding shall be like unto a most cleare glasse in which every one present may see what he ought to be and so may conform himselfe accordingly The first of which is taken out of the first Epistle of Peter Chapt. 5. vers 1 2. f 1 Pet. 5.1 2. The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind The second is taken out of the g Ezek. 34. Prophesie of the Prophet Ezekiel Chap. 34. where the care of a good Shepheard is notably set forth unto us Like a faithfull guide he goes before doth lead his flock into and doth feed it in a good pasture and in a fat pasture he doth cause his flock to lie down also he doth seek that which was lost he doth bring again that which was driven away and doth bind up that which was broken and doth strengthen that which was sick but he doth destroy the fat and the strong and all these things he doth do circumspectly and with judgement From which places it clearly appeareth that the office and duty of a Pastor is to feed govern and defend the flock of Christ and diligently to take care that not any the least and poorest sheep of Christs flock be neglected or perish through his sloath and negligence From hence first of all we may learn Fathers and Brethren in Christ that it is most necessary that Pastors should reside with their flocks and that it is not lawfull for them to be wanting unlesse it be for a time and that upon great and weighty

and earth 2. Let it not be offensive I pray if I adde this humble request as a second reason of publick concernment You with them have been famous for your wisdom courage justice mercy in the vindicating your Civill lawes liberties c. yet let it not be grievous to yours and their thoughts to ponder a little why all the prayers tears and fastings in this nation have not pierced the heavens and quench'd these flames which yet who knows how far they 'l spread and when they 'l out You with them have broke the jaws of the oppressors and taken the prey out of their teeth for which act I beleeve it hath pleased the most high God to set a guard not only of trained men but of mighty Angels to secure your sitting and the Citie Oh! that there may be a lengthening of Londons tranquillity of Parliaments safety by mercy to the ●oore h Dan. Oh! or the Lords sake take heed of soul yoaks soul-oppressions lest the poore cry and the Lord heare ●he saying of the holy Prophet is worthy your sad lest and most serious deliberation For the oppr●ssion of the poore for the sighing of the needy now will I arise s●ith the Lord I will let him in safety from him that puffeth at him i Psal 12.5 And if for the oppression of the outward man how much more for the oppression of the inward man the soul and conscience I have done with publick reasons Privat are such as co●cern mine own particular enoagements and they are 1. To testifie my gratitude and thankfull acknowledgement not onely of many more then merited favours conferred on me k Beneficiorum memor●a senescer● non ●bet Sen lib de Benefic which the great God will recompence into your bosome with advantage I question not for God is not unrighteous to forget your work labour of love which you have shewed toward his Name in that you have ministred to the Saints and doe minister l Heb. 6.10 but also for that countenance which you were pleased to shew unto me even then when I was for the preaching of this Sermon only and for no other cause under a black cloud grates pers●●vere dignas Non opis est nostrae Dido ●ii tibi siqua pios respespectant Numina si quid usquam justitiae mens sibi conscia recti praemia digna ferant Virg. Aeneid m T●mpora si fuerini nubila solus eris Ovid de Trist then and since though the world hath looked upon me obliquely and with a squint eye as we use to say yet have you ever since I had the happinesse to be acquainted with you retained as better knowing me candid and respectfull thoughts of me and though you have of late been in a kind upbraided with it n Mr Prinnes fresh discovery in B. letter yet I verily beleeve you shall never repent you nor be ashamed that you have owned me no not before men And when you shall appeare in the upper world at the Tribunall of God the Judge of all you are not ignorant that the spirit of glory shall rest upon you in that you have not been ashamed of the chains and bonds of Christ in his Members in his Messengers o Tim. 1.16 17 18. Matth. 25. 2. And because there were in the world not only Critical censurers but malicious detractors who fear not to speak evill of good though a woe be denounced against it p Isa 5. I have assumed boldnesse to shelter this Opusculum which though little may be of some use in the house of God Etiam capillus unus habet umbram suam one hair casteth its own shadow under your worships patronage beseeching you as Ruth did Boaz in another case q Ruth 3 9. to spread your skirt over it I have said what I have to say touching my publishing this Sermon and my dedicating it to your Worship My prayer is for you and your worthy consort and your hopefull progeny what Pauls was for the house of Onesiphorus r 2 Tim. 1.16 that the Lord would grant unto you that you may find mercy in that day for ye oft refreshed me And in the interim that you may be stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord knewing that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Yours humbly devoted in him who is our all in all NATH WHITE TO THE CANDID and Ingenuous Reader READER MY businesse with thee at this present is not so much to Court thy favour as to admonish thee First read and then judge ſ Si judicas cognosce Sen. read serioussy and then judge uprightly It is the voyce of Heaven of Christ himselfe judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgement t John 7 24. And this I desire for thine own good for rash unadvised ●udgement oftentimes more hurts the person judging then the person judg●d u Temerarium jud●cium ●erumqucnibil no●●t ei de quo tem●re jud●catur etau●em qu● temere judidut ●sa●●emer●as ●e cesse est u● nos●at Aug. de Serm Dom. in mont Now that thou moyst judge whether my pretended crime were answerable to the great cry and what I merited to what I suffered I shall present thee with these ensuing considerations First consider the place where I preached this Sermon it was at Oxford in the Universitie in corona doctis erud risque viris stipa●â in an Ass●mbly of learned and skilfull men which will somewhat Apologize for some p●ssages and expressions otherwise liable to censure Secondly consider he ground of my preaching it there It was required by the Statutes of the University and therefore I may say of all the ensuing troubles they were not unnecessarily drawn upon my selfe what I did was in discharge of my duty when called unto it which meliorates my cause and aggravates their sinne who ●e ●●d that trouble unto me The punishing the servants of th● LORD for speaking truly though boldly when called unto it lawfully is a provoking sinne a sinne of a deeper die then they were or would be aware of w 2 Chron. 36.14 15. Thirdly consider the subject matter of it it is the P●stors Care or Charge that he should take ●eed to himselfe fi●st to his Flock next to himselfe that is to his life that it be pure to his Doctrine that it be sincere and incorrupt To his flock that is the Church of God that he first feed it secondly govern it thirdly defend it from such devouring Wolves as would otherwise prey upon it And all this first because they are Bishops or Overseers secondly made such by the holy Ghost thirdly because of the excellency of the duty it is to Feed fourthly because of the dignity of the flock it is the Church of God purchased with his own bloud These things did flow as I conceive naturally and without straining from the Text these things were suitable

causes because they ought by themselves not by their substitutes to feed the flock of Christ and to keep it and to watch over it and to give an account to God of every one committed to their charge which perisheth That Pastor doth not deserve the name of a Pastor saith Cajetan if he doe not personally attend on his slock Cajet And not every master of sheep is to be called a Pastor but he onely saith h Bell ad Nep. Bellarmine that doth feed his own sheep And beleeve me my brethren we should not as many Pastors are wont to doe leave the sheep of Christ committed to our charge wandring in the wildernesse as the Ostridge mentioned by i Iob. 39.17 Job leaveth her Egs in the sand much lesse should we deliver them over to ignorant hirelings to men of no reputation taken sometimes as it were from the high-way side to be miserably cared for by them as he in Gellius did his horse to his servant Statius to the end that wee may more freely apply our selves to idlenesse and to pleasure to the gathering together of riches and to the heaping up of honours Neither verily should we imagine that we have sufficiently discharged our duty if as the high Priest who once every yeare under the Law entred into the Holy place so we once or twice at the most every year with geat edification as Surius k Comment rer in orb gest speaketh of the perambulation of Pius quintus do visit our flocks here and there scattered and dispersed nothing fearing lest we heare that which Mary spake to our Saviour after the death of Lazarus from some one at least from our own conscience Master if thou hadst been present my brother had not been dead this or that of thy flock had not perished in his sinnes at least by thy fault and with danger of thy bloud Secondly hence we may learn that it is not sufficient for Bishops and Pastors to reside in their Church and with their flock but there is a necessity that they should watch and labour in the word and doctrine the Church is to be fed saith the Apostle in this place A necessity is laid upon me yea woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel saith he in another place l 1 Cor. 9.16 so also Ambrose imitating St. Paul thus imprecates m Amb. lib. de d●g sacerd c. 1. Wo wil be unto me saith he if I shall not preach or if I shal hide in the earth the heavenly treasure received and shall keep the light of Gods word hidden under a bushell and shall not manifest it unto the eyes of all men it being placed on a Candlestick that afterwards I may heare Well done thou good and faithfull servant thou hast been faithfull in a little I will make thee ruler of much enter thou into the joy of thy Master And Bernard breaks forth into a complaint not much unlike it n Serm. 30. Advent Hei mihi c. Wo is me saith he a portion of the bloud of Christ is committed unto me what therefore shall I doe unhappy man whither shall I turn my selfe if it shall happen that I shall negligently keep a treasure so great a pledge so pretious that Christ set more by it then by his own bloud Bernard There was a woe abiding St. Paul Ambrose Bernard if they did not preach the Gospel and will not a woe wait upon me will not a woe diligently attend upon you if yee preach not the Gospel Yes most assuredly wherefore suffer me my brethren to exhort you in the words of Bernard Whosoever among you have been alotted or appointed to the work of the Ministery take heed unto your selves and to the pretious pledge concredite● unto you it is a Citie watch ye that ye may keep and defend it i● is a Bride study to deck and adorn it it is a flock be ye carefull to seed it But because there is great need in difficult and dangerous functions that our dull and lingring flesh should be urged and pressed with reasons give me leave I beseech you to dispatch the intention of this attention in few words which was the third thing observed by us in the Text that is the Arguments which the Apostle doth use that so he might make the Elders of Ephesus more attentive to and more intent upon the charge committed unto them The first of which is drawn from the office Argument 1 you are made Bishops that is Overseers or Watchmen or Superintendents this calleth you to attention for Augustine ingenuously confesseth a Bishop to be o Aug. lib. de Civit. Dei nomen oneris non bonoris a name of labour not of honour and being moved with that spirit he doth after this sort exhort his fellow Bishops p Homil. 4. A Bishop ought continually to ponder w th himself what a weighty and heavie charge lies upon him and what an account he shall give of it to his Lord and Master and lest that by any means a Bishop should abate or diminish his labour Christ doth compare a Preacher both to a Fisher also to a Pastor whose life as it is painfull and full of labour so is it a life above others subject to storms and tempests The second Argument is taken from the Author of the Office Argument 2 namely the holy Ghost for the holy Ghost hath made you Bishops or Presbyters he is the Ordainer Consecrator and Metropolitan of you all For if you be Bishops indeed and not in name onely not Man but the holy Ghost hath made you Bishops and therefore you sin against him that hath made you Bishops viz. the holy Ghost if you attend not to that which he hath appointed you And who or what is he that shall escape scotfree who doth sinne against God and doth neglect the vocation of the holy Ghost If one man sin against another the Judge shall judge him but if a man sinne against the Lord who shall intreat for him saith Eli to his sonnes q 1 Sam. 2.25 O let this very cogitation as a whetstone more and more sharpen and provoke your attention The third Argument is taken from the excellency of this duty Argument 3 the holy Ghost hath appointed you Bishops that you should undertake the care of the Church which is the spouse of Christ Now verily to be the overseer of the house of Christ of the people of God is a Title of high honour Remember therefore that there is no place for slothfull negligence in so high and difficult an office neither shal they be excuseable whom God hath made chiefe Stewards of his family unlesse by how much higher the degree of honour is they shall answer to so great dignity and honour that is unlesse they shall diligently and valiantly act their parts The fourth Argument is taken from the dignity of the Church Argument 4 This your flock is the Church of God