blacke He is just like the Glow-Worme seeming to bee all light but make tryall of him in earnest and you shall find him a miserable Worme Great showes and little substance God wot like our high hang'd Mills that keep abundance of clacking when they grinde the least store of Griste Or like your shallow babling streames that make a great noise and murmur in their running when alasse they carry the least substance of water Aske him why he doth not abandon these his formall and deceiving vanities why he doth not returne in sincerity to the fountaine and well-spring of life and hee will answer that he doth as his neighbours doe and that his Religion is the same that the greatest part are of so that wee may justly compare such meere formalists unto simple and silly children that will follow one another though it bee into the mire and dirt whereas the counsell of the Holy Ghost is farre contrary to this their practice advising all in the feare of God to present their bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is their reasonable service Rom. 12.1 2 and not to bee conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of their minde that they may prove what is that good and perfect and acceptable will of God But what I pray doth the Apostle Saint Jude say else of such But that they are clouds without water carried about of windes Iude 12.13 trees without fruit twice dead pluckt up by the rootes raging waves of the Sea foming out their owne shame and wandring starres to whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever and therefore doth Saint Paul exhort all GODS children by all meanes in the world not to keepe company with such but to turne away from them because they have a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof 2 Tim. 3.5 The meere morallist to be reproved Secondly I must reprove here the meere morallist I meane the meere morally honest meaning man that lookes no farther into Religion than the very heathen did These are highly to be condemned making no care at all to returne to Christ but conceiving their morall actions to bee all-sufficient for their soules salvation If they be temperate and not luxurious if just and pay every man his owne if chaste and not fleshly given if carefull of performing covenants and not break their day if honest to their neighbours and not defraud them of that which is theirs if liberall handed and not penurious if constant to their friend and not unstable minded if moderate in meates and drinks and not voluptuous if modest in apparell and not proud and arrogant if sober minded and not given to sensualitie then they thinke they have Religion enough and that this duty of returning to Christ and to his fold is in vaine and needlesse for them to looke after But I would to GOD that these men would consider how that the very heathen that knew not Christ did equallize them in these morall matters if they did not out-strip them and alasse alasse what were they without Christ and all their morall vertues What became of their perfections and their vertuous designes Surely my brethren the best that can be said of them is that they were but splendida peccata but glistring sins but shining vanities and then I pray what are we and our righteousnesse What are we and all our Temperance and Iustice and honesty and carefulnesse and liberality and constancy and moderation and humility without CHRIST Isa 64.6 Surely nothing else then an uncleane thing and all our righteousnesse like filthie ragges and therefore henceforward let the morall and honest meaning man thinke of a returne to Christ with all speed and diligence for being with him we are at the fountaine of life and without him wee a e no better than in the bondage of death and the reâ—son is this 1 Ioh. 2.1 2 because hee is our Advocate and hee is the Propitiation for all our sinnes Thirdly The carnall humourist to be reproved I must reprove our carnall humourists who sometimes will neglect and slight this duty of returning unto Christ and to his fold because it doth crosse their pleasures and other times againe because it doth crosse their profits If that the religious performance of this so sacred a dutie of returning to our blessed Saviour doe but crosse their pleasures that they cannot put away farre from them the evill day and cause the seate of violence to come neere unto them that they cannot againe lye upon their beds of Ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches Amos 6.3 4 5. and eate the Lambes out of the flock and the Calves out of the midst of the stall that they cannot chaunt to the Violl and drinke their Wine in Bowles that they cannot with Zimri and Cosbi enjoy their unlawfull lusts Num. 25.6 and with the deboist crue stay till the wine inflame them then and presentlie then they deale with this gracious exercise Isa 5.11 with this duty of returning to our blessed Iesus even as our wanton Gallants deale with their hunting Horses when they are not for their sports they must to the mill Or and if this sacred duty doe but crosse their profits that they cannot lye and sell and get gaine that they cannot joyne house to house and field to field Isa 5.11 Amos 8.6 that they cannot buy the poore for silver and the needy for a paire of shooes that they cannot make the Ephah small and the Shekel Great and that they cannot falsifie the ballances by deceit then and presently then they behave themselves like Naaman the Assyrian desiring to be excused and resolving rather to lose the favour and service of the King of heaven than the favour and countenance of their King here on earth preferring profit before piety and the pleasures of sin before the fold of Christ saying with the Leper in the story in this thing the Lord pardon thy servant 2 Kin. 5.18 that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there and hee leaneth on my hand c. the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing Before he promiseth most absolute obedience and that hee would offer neither burnt offring nor sacrifice to any other God save unto the Lord as 2 King 5.17 but assoone as profit and commodity comes in his way assoone as hee bethinkes himselfe of his place at Court hee frames an excuse valuing his preferment under the King of Syria beyond the true service of the eternall GOD. And so for application is it with our carnall humourists who when their conversion unto God begins to thwart their profit that they must goe and leave all and follow CHRIST they presently fling up all and crie out amaine hic durus est sermo this is a very hard saying who can beare it Lastly I must reprove our Luke-warme Laodicean who hath such a conceit of
because the Sonne of God was plagued for thy sinnes Rom. 4.25 Secondly because hee was delivered to Death for thy sins Thirdly Because he was sacrificed as a Passeover for thy sins 1 Cor. 5.7 Fourthly Because hee was made a curse for thy sins that thou mightest bee made the righteousnesse of God in him Gal. 3.13 Lastly Because he hath taken all thy sinnes with the hand-writing that was against thee and hath nayld them to his Crosse Col. 2.14 Yea to conclude all in a word ô be not dismaid then by no manner of meanes in the world for though thou canst not speake for thy selfe 1 Iohn 2.1 2. 1 Tim. 1.15 The third and last encouragement why we should not dispaire though wee have been a long time out of the fold of Christ yet thou hast an advocate in Heaven that will speake for thee even Iesus Christ the righteous and hee is the propitiation and sacrifice for all thy sinnes Yea thou mayest say with St. Paul namely that it is a true saying and worthy of all men to be believed that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom thou art chiefe The last encouragement why thou shouldst not dispaire though thou hast gone astray from the fold of Christ like a lost sheepe is taken from the free welcome which thou shalt have at the fathers hands when with hearty repentance thou dost returne againe Oh remember remember the welcome of the Prodigall recorded in the Parable as soone as hee returnes to his father from his wandring errors First the best Robe is called for to be put upon him Next The Father calls for a Ring to put upon his hand Thirdly for shooes to put upon his feete Fourthly and lastly for the satted Calfe to bee killed for him that so they might solace themselves and eate and bee merry For applications sake ô know that such nay a greater welcome hath the penitent sinner at our heavenly fathers hands when with the Prodigall hee returnes in penitency unto the fold againe for first the best Robe is put upon him even the Robe of CHRISTS Righteousnesse Secondly instead of a Ring and shooes and the fatted Calfe he hath a kingdome assured him and therefore our Saviour saith feare not yee little flocke it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you a kingdome Luk. 15.10 Lastly for mirth and joy the very Angels witnesse it joying and rejoycing at the straying sheepes returne and therefore for conclusion of all and to end this point in a word I would intreat all in the feare of God and for the salvation of their owne soules that for many yeares together have any way erred from the fold of CHRIST for to performe now the taske that our Saviour doth enjoyne his Spouse saying Returne returne ô Shulamite Cant. 6.13 returne returne that we may look upon thee And thus much be briefly spoken for the first estate of Saint Peters Auditors which we call'd their preterit estate in sinne Now followes their present condition their present estate in grace specified in these words following but are now returned unto the Shepheard and Bishop of your soules IN this their estate of grace we are to consider two materiall points First their action in the word returned but are now returned c. Secondly their object the object of their action and that is our blessed Saviour set forth here by two Appellations or titles 1. SHEPHEARD 2. BISHOP As we reade in the next words viz. Vnto the Shepheard and Bishop of your soules As for the action that teacheth us what wee must doe and as for the object that teacheth us to whom wee must so returne First againe for the actions that we must observe is to be performed in the practice of two particulars First in our aversion from sinne Secondly in conversion unto God In our aversion from sinne wee are to observe terminum a quo 1. the matter from which we are to turne viz. from the region and land of darkenesse and shadow of death in our conversion unto God we are to observe terminum ad quem namely the fountaine and well spring of life to the which we must bend all our course Jsa 9.2 and that is to the great shepheard and Bishop of our soules We will not speake here touching the first particular namly our aversion from sinne because we are to handle it shortly in another treatise come we therefore briefly to the second namely our conversion and returne to God or as the Text saith to the Shepheard and Bishop of our soules But are now returned c. And happie ô thrice happie were all wee in this world might this heavenly action and practice of Saint Peters assembly be as truly and as really verified of us as it was of them But alasse alasse our times are such and men now adayes so averse from Pietie as that we may say with the Prophet hee that departeth from evill maketh himselfe a prey yea glomerantur in unum innumerae pestes erebi The mischiefes of hell are got to one Croude and we God wot are scarce free from them Yea and the Prophet Isaiahs reproofe may justly bee cast in our teeth viz. Ah sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquitie Jsa 1 4. a seed of evill doers children that are corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the holy One of Israel unto anger they are gone away backward Nay the Poets out-cry may most truly cry downe our corruptions saying Vivitur ex rapto non hospes ab hospite tutus Non sâ—cer a genero fratrum quoque gratia rara est Imminet exitio vir conjugis illa mariti Lurida terribiles miscent aconita Noverca Filius ante diâ—m Patrios inquirit in annos Victa jacet Pietas virgo caede Madentes Vltima coelestum terras Astraea reliquit Rom. 3.12 Which words of the Poet are concordant with the Apostle to wit they are all gone out of the way they are altogether become unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one But now to alter the course of these mens sinfull conversations whose wayes are the wayes of death and whose steps goe downe quicke into hell Certaine Motives to move men to returne to the fold againe I would desire them in the feare of God and for their more speedy conversion and returning unto the great Shepheard and Bishop of their soules to entertaine into their considerations these certaine motives which like piercing Goades are able to make to stirre even a very heart of flint The first motive The first Motive why we should speedily bethink our selves of turning the Card of our affections and of returning to our blessed Saviour and his fold againe is taken from Gods infinite love most marvellouslie shewed this kingdome from time to time Oh my deare brethren Miâ—ah 6.4 hath not God with a mightie hand brought us out of the land of Aegypt and redeemed us out
loynes and with ropes on our heads knowing the King of Jsrael is a mercifull King Secondly or the second manner of way how we are to returne to our blessed Iesus from whom wee have gone astray even from our Cradles to this present houre is this wee must retuâ—ne cum fidelitate with an assured faith and confidence that his bloud and passion hath merited our redemption and also hath merited an eternall acceptance for us into the fathers love and favour againe and the reason is this because hee that believeth so shall be saved Mar. 16.16 but hee that beleeveth not so shall be damned Oh therefore my brethren let us draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinckled from an evill conscience Heb. 10.22 and our bodies washed with pure water Thirdly wee must returne cum detestatione iniquitatum with a loathing and detestation of our former conversations we must be weary of the burthen and pressure of our sins our former life in sinne must bee no more pleasant in our sight than your bitter gall and worm-wood is to our tastes and pallates for so will the children of GOD behave themselves when they returne to God Ezec. 36.31 according to the saying of the Prophet in this particular saying then shall you remember your owne evill wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loth your selves in your owne sâ—â—ht for your iniquities and for your abhominations Fourthly we must returne cum sinceritate with the sinceritie and integrity of all our hearts T is not enough for us to cry Lord Lord we returne to thee and to thy kingdome and to do this only with a meere orall and verball expression with the utterance and declaration meerly of the lips and tongue but we must performe and do it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with and in the tâ—uth of the substance of our hearts sincerely loving nothing so dearely as to be with Christ and therefore saith the blessed father of all mankinde Mat. 15.18 fili da mihi cor tuum sonne give mee thine heart mightily disliking and condemning all such manner of men whose lips are neere him and whose hearts are far from him yea and in great wrath and indignation threatning a most dismall plague and misery to fall upon them and the kingdome wherein they live according to the words of the Prophet saying because this people honour mee with their lips and their heart is removed far from me therefore behold I will proceed to doe a marvellous worke amongst this people even a marveilous worke and a wonder the wisdome of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid Isa 29.14 Fifthly and lastly wee must returne cum perseverantia with continuall perseverance endeavouring this so sacred a duty daily and hourely nay even till our last breath whereupon saith Salomon bee thou in the feare of the Lord all the day long and he rendreth an effectuall reason for it because that he that wandreth out of the way of understanding shall remaine in the congregation of the dead Prov. 21.16 It ought therefore to bee our daily care to bee continually busied about so sanctified a work and the rather too Gal. 6.9 because as Saint Paul saith metemus si non elanguerimus wee shall reape if we faint not that is wee shall enjoy the crop and harvest of everlasting glory if wee persevere to the end without Apostacy and therfore as S. Paul sayth be stedfast and unmoveable 1 Cor. 15.58 alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as we know that our labour is not in vaine in the Lord I say not in vaine because also an uncorruptible Crowne of life God hath promised in his mercy to bestow upon them Rev. 2.10 Mat. 24 13 witnesse his words to Smyrna thus be faithfull unto the death and J will give thee the Crowne of life and againe qui perdurabit ad finem is servabitur hee that endures to the end the same shall be saved But how shall I know saith the wounded Conscience Ob. sayeth the remorsefull heart and bosome that I doe observe all these rules and directions that I returne to my blessed SAVIOUR with Humiliation with fidelitie with a detestation of mine iniquities with sinceritie and with perseverance For the resolution of this point Sol. that thou mayest undoubtedly know when thou art effectually returned unto the great Shepheard and Bâ—shop of thy soule Divers characters whereby wee may know when we from the practice of sinne are returned to the fold of Christ The first character 1 Cor. 2.9 take into consideration these Characters which will infallibly informe thee whether thou beest return'd or not Which characters are three First if thou beest effectually returned from the wilde and vast commons of sinne into the inclosure and pasturings of grace namely unto the great Shepheard and Bishop of thy soule then thou wilt minde nothing more than the things of a better life namely which thy blessed Saviour hath prepared and laid up for those that love him An instance for confirmation hereof we have in Saint Paul who being wean'd from the worlds vanities and entred into the fold of CHRIST mindes nothing more than a dissolution for to be with Christ saying Cupimus dissolvi I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Besides if it be so with thee as is before spoken of thou wilt have then such an high esteeme and conceit of the happinesse that Christs Lambes enjoy and are partakers of within the fold as that for other mundane transitory and perishing matters Phil. 3.8 thou wilt account them no better than dung for to winne Christ Oh then my brethren how farre thinke you are those men from the state of holinesse yea from Christ and his fold that minde nothing else but this world how wretched are their meditations yea ô how miserably are their mindes pestered with cankering cares They lie downe in carefulnesse they rise up in sorrow and the pelse they dote on is reserved to their owne hurt Eccl. 5.13 for conclusion therefore of this point ô you that are sheep of Christs blessed pasture that are Lambes of the flock and are within Gods pale see that you shew it in your lives and conversations let the things of a better life be the chiefest treasure you set your minds upon set your affections on things that are above Col. 3.2 and not on things that are below Shew to the world that you are risen with your blessed Saviour by seeking those things above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Yea seeke you first the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof and then all other things shall bee added unto you Mat. 6.33 Secondly the second Character The second Character to testifie to thine owne bosome and also to all the world that thou art effectually returned is a
Jsa 49.12 Ezek. 34.13 and some from the Land of Sinim but all to Gods Mountaine all to Christs fold And good in respect of having an immunitie or freedome from all danger whatsoever for they shall not hunger nor thirst neither shall the heate nor sun smite them Isa 49.10 Ezek. 34.14 Now as touching the place where this fold shall be Ezekiel calleth the high mountaines of Israel Secondly or the second provision that our blessed Saviour the great Shepheard of our soules cares for for his flock wherby he shewes himselfe to be a carefull shepheard indeed is pascua jucundissima he provides most wholsome and most pleasant feeding for them Cant. 6.2 Ezek. 34.13 Psal 23.2 Salomon in his Canticles calls them beds of spices Ezekiel the mountaines of Israel and the inhabited places of the Country and the Psalmist David calls them greene pastures all which insinuate Christs wonderfull care and love in so richly providing for his beloved flocke Ezek 34 29 telling also that he will raise up for them a plant of renowne Thirdly hee provides for his flocke to shew testimony of his infinite care and love towards them medicamina saluberrima all the wholsome medicines that can be imagined for their cure and therefore saith that he will not only seeke that which was lost and bring againe that which was driven away Ezek. 34.16 but will binde up that which is broken and will strengthen that which is â—ick and wil feed them with judgment Psal 23 2. Fourthly he provides aquaria suavissima most sweete waterings for his flocke The Psalmist calls them the waters of comfort The Prophet Isaiah calls them the springs of water Isa 49.10 saying even by the springs of water shall hee guide them Rev. 7.17 Yea and Saint Iohn in his Revelation calls them the living fountaines of waters saying he shall leade them unto living fountaines of waters yea and he tearmes them elsewhere the fountaine of the water of life saying I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountaine of the water of life freely Rev. 21.6 All which most pregnantly illustrate this ground of truth that the flock of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ blessed for evermore shall have all necessaries whatsoever and shall want no manner of thing that is good Lastly he provides for them refrigerium tranquillum a peacefull quiet and a most rest-full Lare Ezek 3â— 15 saying I will feed my flocke and I will cause them to lye downe saith the Lord God and again Ezek. 34.28 they shall no more be a prey to the heathen neither shall the beasts of the Land devoure them but they shall dwell safely and none shall make them afraid Yea I will make a covenant of peace with them verse 25. saith the great Shepheard and will cause the evill beasts to cease out of the Land and they shall dwell safely in the wildernesse and sleep in the woods whence briefely appeares thus much as is before specified how Christs flock have a comfortable lare a comfortable resting place and how that they shall lye downe in peace and no one shall make them affraid The third point now wherein our blessed Saviour shewed himselfe to be an absolute Shepheard is his faithfulnesse in the exact performance of that his office Which faithfulnesse he shewed two manner of wayes First In quaerendo oves in seeking out his flock Secondly In tradendo vitam ejus propter oves in delivering up his life for his flockes sake First I say Mat. 15.24 hee shewed his faithfulnesse in the exact performance of his shepheards Office by seeking out his flocke and thereupon professeth to all the world that he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and again I am not come to call the righteous saith he but sinners to repentance and againe he saith behold I even I will both search my sheep and seeke them out and as a shepheard seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered Ezek. 34 11 12. so will I seeke out my sheepe and will deliver them out of all places wherby they have bin scattered in the cloudy and darke day saith the Lord God Secondly hee shewed his faithfulnesse in the exact performing of his shepheards office by delivering up his life for his flockes sake Hee who being in the forme of GOD Phil. 2 6. and thought it not robbery to be equall with God made himselfe for his flockes sake of no reputation yea humbled himselfe and became obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse for his flockes redemption Oh my Christian brethren was there ever shepheards love like to the love of this our great Shepheard Oh here is love passing the love of women Many shepheards there are which peradventure will be very carefull for the safety of their flocks but never any shepheard save this our great Shepheard the shepheard of our soules that ever laid downe his life for to save his sheep He did it alone Gal. 3.13 and none but he suffering himselfe to be made a curse for us that wee might obtaine the blessing of the Father through him and thereupon tearmes himselfe to be and that meritoriously Pastor ille bonus that rare and excellent and good Shepheard that did dare to doe such a matter for his flockes salvation professing farther that as the father did know him that so hee did know the Father Ioh. 10.15 and that he did lay downe his life for his sheepe And thus much for the first title of the office which our Apostle Saint Peter renders to our blessed Saviour here namely that hee was a shepheard come we now to the second namely that he was a Bishop also and that animarum vestrarum the Bishop of your soules as in the words of the Text but now are yee returned to the great Shepheard and Bishop of your soules 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Bishop As our blessed Saviour is called a Shepheard from governing and guiding his flock so is he most justly called a Bishop from his teaching and instructing them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the overseeing or looking into or searching or throughly considering the nature of his flocke for so did our blessed Saviour carry himselfe towards his blessed Lambes even from the manger to Mount Calvary even from Maries wombe to Golgotha In short therefore let all the world know that our Saviour was a true and reall Bishop and that because too all the significations all the interpretations Nay all the full and whole meaning of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Bishop as in their proper place and center met in him Three manner of waies is our Saviour justly to be tearmed Bishop Three manner of wayes therefore in briefe may wee call our blessed Saviour an absolute and reall Bishop