Contradiction For an Ambassadour is not an Ambassadour till he hath his Commission sealed nor a steward a steward till entrusted by the Master of the Family neither may any man assume unto himself the honour and employment of a Priest but he that is lawfully and externally called and designed unto the function as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. As I shall not think the worse of my own coat for that these boisterous times have worn it thred-bare so God forbid I should be so strongly opinionated of it as not to believe a secular man may have more gifts and those more eminent then ordinarily reside in an Ecclesiastical person I know well that every Christian quatenus a Chriâ—…ian is obliged to pray for reprove exhort and instruct his Christian brother that whosoever shall convert a sinner from the error of his way whether he be Laick or Ecclesiâ—stick shall hide a multitude of sins and shall shine as the stars in Iam. 5. 20. Dan. 12. 3. the Firmament and yet though one star may differ from another in glory light and magnitude ver every star is confined to its proper Sphere otherwise they may fall under the censure of those wandering stars S. lude speaks of to whoâ— is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever Iude 13. Every man by natural pity is obliged to help a sheep out of a ditch and yet every man is not by profession a shepherd Uriah may be a good King and yet but a bad Priest There is an apparent difference 2. Chro. 26. 19. between a good man and a good Citizen a Aristotle between a good Christian and a good Minister of holy things The Apostles rule is safe and good Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he is called 1. Cor. 7. 20. In an Honourable Oeconomy there may be divers servants oâ— great eminency for their parts and yet the steward perhaps may have the greatest Trust And in a Court Royal there is no necessity that he who keeps the Seal should alwayes write the fairest Character The gifts and administrations of the same holy Ghost are divers and all given to 1. Cor. 12. 29. profit withal and yet all are not Apostles all are not Prophets Abana and Parphar rivers of Damascus might questionlesse have cured Naamans Leprosie as well as lordâ—n had the Prophet Elisha sent him thither It was not the water but the Prophets benediction did the Cure which was not the lesse Divine and miraculous because of no more difficulty but barely to wash and be clean We have many now a daiâ—s of Naamans blind perswasion that are highly oftended if their spiritual cure be not effected their own way They think nothing can be well done in the managery or Gods Ordinances that is not performed with a great deal of difficulty and straining which enclines them very frequently to look more upon the weak instrument then upon the Supreme Agent in the work of Regeneration and so far admire and dore upon the preachers gifts that they forget they ever come from any Donor Whereas the Honour and Excellency of our Ministry consisteth not so much 1. Cor. 3. 6. in our gifts and endowments For Paul may plant and Apollo may water and yet no increase unlesse God give it as in the mercy of God enâ—…iled upon our function by vertue of certain peculiar promises and concessions as Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven Mat. 18. 18. And Lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world Mat. 28. 20. Which promises do noâ— extend to all Christians at large but only unâ—o those whose commission runs in this form and â—…or Go and Teach all Nations and Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost So that those shepherds that come not into the sheepfold those Labourers that come not into the Vinyard by the dore of Ordination but climbe up or creep in some other way May justly be suspected to have ends and aimes as private and particular as the way they run in is irregular and un Apostolical And sure they come within the number of those seducers tâ—e Apostle speaks of that creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins led away with divers lusts ever learning and never abâ—e to come to the knowledge of the Truth 2. Tim. 3. 6. 7. So that having layd a false foundation it is no wonder if their superstructure prove nothing else but â—ottenes Hypocrisâ—e Nor is my charge brought only against these wandring and irrâ—gular stars but against other waveriâ—g and Apostate stars such as deserting Rev. 8. 11. their Orbe like that star in the Râ—velation called wormwood have exceedingly â—…bittered our waters of affliction These I must confesse not without sâ—me bitternesse of spirit came fairly in by the dore into the sheepfold though afterwards they proved hirelings and cowards And let no man wonder at it for it is our Saviors own prediction that immediatly before his second coming the stars should fall from heaven Math. 24. 29. and the powers of heaven should be shaken and S. Iohn saw cleerly in a vision that a time would come when the tail of the dragon should draw the third part of the stars from heaven and cast them unto the earth Rev 12. 4. The Church will never be without her Demaâ—-like Apostates who cary more of Mammon then of Christ in their bosoms 1. Tim. 1. 20. and with Hymaeneus and Alexander wil sooner make shipwrack of their faith then their â—ortunes as if those many Text oâ— self Denial and forsaking all for Christs sake and his Gospel were meer Apocryphal or to be expunged at pleasure and there were no such thing as persecution in the Church militant Certainly these men never sate down and considered before theâ—r Ordination what that sacred engagement might cost them as the times might prove and may justly be suspected to have wanâ—ed much of that inward calling which they outwardly professed to have and to have had their eyes more upon the wages then upon the work of the Ministry But as our Saviour will one day have a Nescio Vos for such as shall plead â—aying Lord have we not prophesied in thy name And in thy name have cast our Divels And in thy name done many wonderful works So Math. 7. 22. will câ—r dear though deserted mother the Church of England have a Nescio Vos sor that viperous brood who in these Apostate times have eaten their own way or the way to their own ends through that womb that bare them In the mean time however these men may esteem of themselves or be esteemed of by others they are not like to be reckâ—ned among the Lords Prophets their lot at best will fall out to be but among the peoples Prophets because they forge and
wound our friends and their designs at any distance would be seriously thought on by all that wish us good luck and that we may prosper in the name of Lord. That as we are hungry and greedy enquirers after news and transactions so we would be as zealous in abstaining from that which will certainly render our intelligence more welcom and desired That after a long and sad experience of the severe hand of God against us God may at last have the â—onouâ— and our selves the comfort of a final victory over our selves and sinful enormities as well as Enemies 2. Somtimes God suffers the hearts of such as hate to be reformed to be hardned and infatuated perâ—inisterium Diaboli by the service and ministry of our grand enemy the Divel For the Angels which kept not their first estate are not so reserved in chains under darkness but that they have leave to walk the world to promote the Kingdom of darkness S. John tells us The great dragon was cast out of heaven that old serpent called the Devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world he was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him Rev. 12. 9. And our Saviour compares the Kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his fiâ—ld but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way Mat. 13. 24. 25. Almighty God hath four principal fields Heaven Paradise the Church and mans heart In heaven Lucifer sowed pride In Paradise Satan sowed disobedience In the Church he soweth Schismes and Heresies and in mans heart he sows all manner of unlawful sects And for the great harvest he gains by his unwâ—aried industry in sowing he is called the God of this world the Eph. 2. 2. prince of the ayr who ruleth in the hearts of the children of disobedience It is said of Judas Iscariot that after he had recâ—ived the sop from his masters hand which was the signal discovery which of the twelve should prove the Traitor that Satan entrâ—d into him Ioh. 13. 27. What advisâ— this infernal tutor dictated unto him is sâ—t down V. 2. He put into his heart to betray his master which was prophesied long besore that Satan should stand at his right hand Psal 109. 6. It was very proper and natural that the Divel should have the sole conduct of Iudas who was to be the guide unto them who were to take Jesus All Trâ—ason though never so â—peciously guilded and disguised we know from whence it comes it is neither beâ—ter nor worse then the Divels whisper And indeed there is no reconciling Christ and Belial no middle path between oâ—edience and disobedience no neutrality between God and his enemies They that will not have the one of raign over them do ipso facto subscribe unto the others Goveâ—nment Saul is no sooner deserted by a good Spirit but immediatly possessed of an evil one And this is most agreeable to the Iustice of God that 1. Sam 16. 14. such as will not be led by the saving conduct of his good Spirit should be left to the mercy of a Spirit so full of malice that when he cannot have his full blow aâ— man receives some satisfaction in the destruction of an herd of swine Mar. 3. 12. We read of Ahab that being designed by the Iustice of God to fall at Ramoth Gilead a lying Spirit comes and offers his service to be the instrument of his destruction and propounding a very plausible way to effect his designe namely by being a lying Spirit in the mouth of all his Prophers he gains a Commission or rather a Permission to go and act accordingly Where we may pause a little and enquire what was the reason the Divel was so active and officious in this service Was it to befriend the Syrian army with a glorious victory 'T is not likely he should be friend to any party who is the irreconciliable enemy of all mankind Or was it for the accomplishment of Eliahs Prophecy concerning Ahabs fall Doubtlesse the promoting and accomplishing Gods Truth quatenus his Truth is no very pleasing employment to a lying Spirit He that was a Lyar from the beginning and the arch Patron of all imposture would certainly change Gods Truth into a lye if the thing were possible and his power proportionable to his malice No his malice strikes at the King of Israel that in that one blow he mâ—ght â—ound all the thousands of Isâ—ael He knew well that if the sheperd were once but smitten the sheep would immediatly bâ— scattered into misery and confusion enough Which as Micaiah saw in a vision so the Divel by the advantage of long experience knew would be the certain consequent of the Kings fall And therefore for this grand purpose he wher 's all his endeavours for this he Councels the King of Assiriâ— to issue out a Command saying Fight 1. King 22. 31. neither with small nor great save only with the King of Israel For this he sends his Emissaries among all the Prophets For this he raiseth persecution against single but faithful Micaiah because he would not follow his false suggestions And at the accomplishment of this designe how do the hellish and infernal suries clâ—p their black hands in a tryumphant acclamation saying There there so would we have it I have insisted the longer on this story for the near affinitie and correspondence it hath with these times For let us but set a good King in the place of a bad and sure we have much of Micaiahs vision accomplished in our Israel Sure I am we are scattered on all hands as sheep that have no shepherd at least no shepherd where he should be and in this our sad confusion we are not without good store of Foxes and Tygers and wolves in sheeps clothing preying upon us And no wonder for was the lying Spirit so active and busie in Ahabs time and hath he been lesse active and busie in ours Was he so active and busie in cutting of an Ahab from the Throne of Israel and hath he been lesse active and busie in cutting of an Hezechiah from the Throne of England Was it the language of the lying Spirit in thâ— Prophets of those times Go up and prâ—sper and is it not the language of the same Spirit in the b'ack mouthes of our Prophets Go on and prosper in the most prodigious ways that ever â—he Sun beheld Was Michaiah smitten and imprisoned and reduced to bread and water for speaking in the name of the Lord And are not our Micaiahs our Prophets as vilely and villanously intreated by our Pashurs and Zedechias among the Prophets and by our Ammons and Governours among the people I would to God that many of us the Lords Prophets had but so much as bread and water that we could call our own till our Soveraign Lord the King were setled in his Throne in peace But alas what can either Priest or
â—respasse go and tell him his ault between thee and him alone If he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more and if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an Heatâ—…n c And thâ—n follows verily I say unto you Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven c. The thunder of the Churches censures was not wont to be discharged at every disagreement in doctrine every dissâ—nâ—ment in matters pethâ—ps meerly indifferent I fear our modern reformers have learned of the Iesuite to reduce all matters ad Spiritualia out of particular aymâ— and satisfactions making their censures as cheap as contemptible and as scandalous as themselves That fulâ—nen Ecclesiae was wont to be used only in cases of extreme necessity and with great deliberation and candour as when the matter was fundamental to the faith or when the person scandalo is by his contumacy and all other meâ—ins had been used to reclaime him In such cases Tutius est ut pereat unus qu un unitas better a Hand or a Leg be cut oâ—t rather then the whole body should be endangered by a Gangrene It is said of S. Stephens murtherers Act. 7. 57 That they stopped their ears and ran upon hâ—m all at once and cast him out of the City and stoned him When men stop their ears against the voice of their reprovers it is no wonder if they involve themselves in desperate horrid consequences It was a custome among the Hâ—athens and afterwards in imitation of them among the Israelites 1 King 23. 10. when they sacrificed their children unto Mâ—lock to make use of drums such like instruments to deaf the ears and dull the senses of the spectators leâ—t they should be moved to compassionate the pitiful Cries of the poor sacrificed children From whence the valley of Hinnom is thought by some to receive the name of Tophet from Toph which signifies a Drâ—n And we read Mat. 8. 29. Of two Demoniacks that were exceedingly tormented at our Saviours presence and therefore they cry out Quid nos tecum what have wee to do with thee thou Iesus son of the living God art thou come to torment us before our time of the same hellish and infernal constitution is the stubborn and incorrigible spirit He is enraged and disquieted at the thought of any thing that may tend to his conversion and therefore he stops his ears against all pious and sober Councels He will not go to church for fear of being awakened out of his beloved sleep will not hear such a man preach for fear of being pricked in conscience which will put him to more pain then he is willing to endure He is resolved upon his course from which hee will not be diverted by any seasonable warnings no though one should be sent unto him from the dead on purpose to reclaim him And as is the Sin so is the punishment The sin wilful and the punishment inevitable For when men are resolved that nothing shall divert them in their sin God is resolved that nothing shall divert their Iudgement When men stop their ears from Hearing God will not only stop the mouthes of his Prophets from reproving but his own gracious ears from Hearing They stop their ears at his calls and he will stop his ears at their Cries in the day of their Extremity And for this we have a very cleer Text Prov. 1. 24. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have et at nought all my Counsel and would none of my reproof I also wil laugh at your calamity I wil mock when your fear cometh when your fear cometh as a desolation and your destruction as whirl-wind when distresse and anguish cometh upon you then shall â—hey call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me And certainly it is a sâ—d condition to perish and to have none to pity us For what pity can we expeâ—t froâ— men or Angels when the father of mercies and the God of all consolation will laugh at our destructioâ— He that at one time wept over Ierusalem because shee would not repeâ—t Luc. 19. 41. and foresee the day of her visitatioâ— was at another time pleased with the destruction of that incorrigible City when there was no way left for repentance So that this desperate wilfulnesse of mind as it is the natural effect and consequent of infatuation so it is the cerâ—ain forerunner of ruine and destructâ—on For the proof of this I shall only produâ—e two instances The one is in the sons of Ely of whom it is said They harkned not unto the voice of their father because the â—ord would slay them The other is in Amaziah king of Judah who having gained a victory over the Edomites taken their gods to be his gods the Lord sent a prophet to reprove him for it who answered the prophet saving Art thou made of the Kings Counsel forbear why shouldest thou be smitten Then the prophet forbare and said I know that God hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not harkned unto my counsel And so it fell out within a short time after And therefore Go to now all ye that despise and reject the seasonable warnings of your prophets That daâ—e the day of your visitation and say with those in the prophet Isaiah Let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it and let the counsel oâ— the holy one of Israel draw nigh that we may know it Ye that walk after your own lusts and yet are of the number of those scoffers S. Peter speaks of saying where is the promise of his coming for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation Ye that glory in your shame and boast of your wickedness and say our Tongues are our own we are they that ought to speak we will not subject our Consciences to any yoke Look to it and be assured that there is evil before you though you discern it not we can see from the sacred oracles that four star that governs and that sad fate that attends you without calculating your Nativities And without the help of a prognostication discern at a distance that black cloud of judgement which is gathering over you wherein the thunder and lightning of the fierce wrath of God is reserved for you And the ground of this confident assertion we derive from that of Solomon Pro. 29. 1. He that being often reproved hardneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Fourthly This incurable evil of Incorrigibleness is ever attended with another evil as desperate and pernicious to the soul And that is senslesness and security especially in the time of the greatest
as a garment thou doest set them in slippery places thou castest them down to destruction how are they brought into desolation in a momentâ— They are utterly consumed with tâ—rrors Psal 73. 5. 6. 7. 18. 19. Impunity is no good evidence to prove Integrity it is very often the instrument of sottish and secure stupidity Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully seâ— in them to do evil Eccl. 8. 11. Where though sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily yet 't is worth the observing every evil work how plausibly soever disguâ—sed and palliated is immediately sentenced There is an obligation unto punishment belongs to every worker of Iniquiâ—y which nothing but repentance can râ—verse and cancel Salomon saith There is a just man that perisheth in his righteousnesse and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in wickednesse Eccl. 7. 15. and S. Paul saith If in this life only we had hope in Christ speaking there of the Saints and servants of God we were of all men the most miserable 1. Cor. 15. 19. I have produced all these Textâ— â—…d Instances for no other purpose but to shew the vanity and imposture of these times which have built so much upon so false and rotten a foundation as if thâ—y had borrowed light rather from the Turkish Alcoroâ— then from any Scripture given by Inspiration So that however ignorant and ungrounded men and somtimes Gods own select and peculiar servants as Iob and David may stumble at the prosperity of fools and wicked men and look upon their secular advantages as so many marks of the Divine â—…odnesse and Benignity yet let them but approach the Sanctuary of God and there consult his Sacred Oracles they shall find that the stations of these men are set in dark and slippery places That their Damnation 2. Pet. 2. 3. sluâ—breth nâ—t but is rather so much the nearer by how much the farther they think themselves removed out of the reach of it And for those of our Age and Nation who have built their greatnesse upon the ruines and rubbish of a glorious Church and a flourishing Kingdom that have fatted themselves with the blood of their brethren and from the Tayl of the people have advanced themselves to such a pitch as to be able to trample upon the head and throne of Majesty it self however these men may flatter and applaud themselves in the successe of their own Councels and Contrivances and by an Hysteron Proteron conclude and infer Godliness from Gain and not Gain from Godliness Sanctity from Success and not Success from Sanctity I could wish they would be advised to suspend their Iudgement of Gods secret decree upon our Nation till they have seen the last Act upon the stage There is a Tragical Scene will one day shew it self whensoever God shall draw the curtain it shall then appear to all the world that their webs shall not become garments neither shall they cover themselves with their works their works are works of iniquity and the act of violence is in their hands Isa 59. 6. Then shall be fulfilled that saying of Eliphaz A dreadful sound is in their ears in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon them Iob 15. 21. In the mean time I shall only recommend unto them two Texts of Scripture which I wish may be well studied and digested of Them The one is Isa 30. 12. 13. Thus saith the holy one of Israel Because ye despise my word and trust in oppression and perversness and stay thereon therefore this iniquity shall be to you â—… a breach ready to fall swelling out in aâ— high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant The other is Isa 50. 11 Behold all ye that kindle a fire that compass about your selves with sparks walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled This shall ye have of mine hand ye shall â—…e down in sorrow I shall dismiss this point with two Cautions only the one concerns the right stating of our Iudgement and that is That we would not think the worse but the better of our Religion for the cruel persecution which the Devil by these infernal instruments hath raised against it There werâ— some in the Psalmists time that irreligiously demanded saying where is now the God of the Hebrews And there are even of those that have laid the train to our Destruction that demand with as much insolence as absurdity where is now the Protestant Religion in England Not where was it before Luthers time but where is it now To whom we answer That it is now where it was before Luthers time that is under the Eclipse of Persecution They may with as much reason demand with those useful instruments of theirs the Sectaries where is the Kings power now in England Since it is not exercised aâ— present by any persons deputed by his Majesty nor in any part of that Isâ—and that I know of which if they do In promptu est responsio Every true hearted Englishman hâ—th his answer ready though he dare not speak it out namely That the Kings power however trampled upon by Rebels and Regicides lives still and long may it in the hearts of all his faithful and loyal subjects And as for our Religion I doubt not but like the late martyred defender of it it will improve by sufferings and appear more glorious and celestial when these black clouds and foggs shall be dissolved and scattered into nothings we are neither Millenaries nor Papists We pretend not to be members of a glorious visible triumphant Churâ—h We esteem it mercy enoâ—gh to be of the despised members of a Church Militant to be of the posterity of the woman persecuted by the great red dragon into the wilderness who when he couâ—d not reach her person by those waterâ— of persecutiâ—n he cast after her was wroth with the woman and resolves to make war with the remnaut of her seed for ever Rev. 12. 17. The other Caution concerns our Conversations That as we would not think the worse of our faith so we would think the worse of our Lives for the growth of our enemies power and success and that our wilful and resolved wickednesses are of a more fatal and pernicious influence then our highest courages or most active performances can compensate Let that Military Caution of Moses be set seriously before our eys When the host goeth forth against thine enemies then keep thee from every wickned thing Deut. 23. 9. For however we sit here warm and disingaged yet how far our friends in other places are a About the time of that mercilesse slaughter at Drogeda in Ireland at this instant exposed to the cruel mercies of our Enemies How far our Soveraign may be endangered by snares and treacheries and close conspiracies How far we are concerned in the final issue of the war and how far we may