abundantly to you ward He glories in the hope of the Glory of God and in his afflictions m Rom. 5.2 3. We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God and not onely so but we glory in tribulations also He glories in his infirmities n 2 Cor. 12 5. Yet of my self I will not glorie but in mine infirmities He glories in the Crosse of Christ o Gal. 6.19 God forbid that I should glory save in the Crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world But we read not that he glories in that he preached thd Gospel because he did not seek his own Glory nor the glory of men but the glory of God p Rom. 5.11 We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ The Pharisees did love more the glory of men than the glory of God but the Apostle who had been a Pharisee was no more one and did not seek his own glory but was an Apostle and servant of Jesus Christ did imitate his Master who said q Joh. 8.50.59 I seek not mine own glory If I honour my self my Honour is nothing and Saint Paul saith r 1 Thes â— 6 nor of men sought we glory neither of you nor yet of others So we speak not as pleasing men but God which tryeth our hearts We are your servants for Christs sake and we do not preach our selves but the Lord Christ he s Joh. 7.18 that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory but he that seeketh his glory that sent him the same is true and no unrighteousnesse is in him saith Christ and therefore t 2 Cor. 5.12 we commend not our selves unto you but give you occasion to glory on our behalf not being covetous of vainglory u 1 Cor. 35 6 7. I have planted saith Paul Apollo watered but God gave the increase so then neither he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God that giveth the increase Who then is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye believed The Apostle therefore had no other aim nor end but the advancement of Gods glory the Kingdome of Jesus Christ and the salvation of men he was not swoln with ambition nor desirous of vain glory but he endeavoured onely to cause the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ to shine he did glory not in his parentage nor in his riches nor in his wisdome nor in his strength but in God according as x Cor. 1.31 it is written He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. He might well glory that he was elected y Luk. 110.20 that his name was written in heaven but although he preached the Gospel he had nothing to glory of and gives the first reason saying For necessity is laid upon me to wit to preach the Gospel that which I necessarily do hath nothing of Apostolicall glorying for necessity takes away all matter and occasion of glory Now this necessity is laid upon me and therefore I have not wherein to glory Where observe here that the Apostle speaks not here of a necessity of constraint as we speak in the Schools as if the Apostle did not preach the Gospel willingly but against his mind and will God forbid that we should suspect any such thing of our Apostle who was not onely ready and willing to preach Christ z Act. 21.13 but he was ready also to be bound yea to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus And in this Chapter here of our Text he doth * 1 Cor. 9.17 18. it willingly and heartily which appears because he preached the Gospel without charge * 1 Pet. 5.2 Ye fed the flock of God not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind as Saint Peter writes Behold the ready courage of the Prophet Isaiah as soon as he heareth a Isa 6.8 the voyce of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us he presents and offers himself immediately and saith Here am I send me In like manner the Apostle b Rom. 15.15 was ready to preach the Gospel as much as in him was for as soon as he hears the voyce of the Sonne of God thundering from heaven he asks c Acts 9.6 trembling and astonished Lord what wilt thou have me to do and immediately obâ—ys the voyce of Christ he speaks freely in Damascus câ—nfounds the Jews and confirms that Jesus is the Christ and therefore O King Agrippa d Acts 26.19 I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision but shewed unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout all the coasts of Judea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent c. and therefore the Apostle did preach willingly and not by compulsion he speaks not of a necessity of coaction but he speaks of another necessity This necessity is twofold the one in regard of the people and the other in regard of himself First of all in regard of the people for it was necessary that the Apostle should preach the Gospel unto the people of God because that the Ministry of Gods word is so necessary that the saviour of the world saith e Luke 10.42 One thing is needfull And the wise King Salomon foretelleth f Prov. 29.18 Where there is no vision the people perish and there is no light of the sunne nor meat nor drink so necessary to foment and nourish this animal and corruptible life as the ministry of the Apostles and Pastors is to preserve the Church of God and to foment and cherish it with the word of God which is the spirituall food of our souls The second necessity is in regard of himself in as much as he was an Apostle for necessity was laid upon him to preach which was in respect of the necessity of obligation and that was double 1. In regard of the Commandement of God for God had called Paul to the Apostleship and had commanded him to preach h Rom. 1.1 Paul was called to be an Apostle separated unto the Gospel of God and as it is said of the Prophet Jeremiah i Jer. 1.5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee and before thou camest forth of the womb I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a Prophet unto the Nations So the Apostle tells us of himself k Gal. 1.15 16. When it pleased God who separated me from my Mothers womb and called me by his grace to reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the Heathen And Cstrist calls unto Paul l Acts 26.16 17. rise stand upon thy feet for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose to make thee a minister and a witnesse both of these things which thou hast seen and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom now
necessary that Pastours l Gal. 6.2 bear with one another burdens that is to say to beare with the infirmityes of one another and so fulfill the Law of Christ to support them redresse and restore them with the spirit of meeknesse In the time of the reformation of the Church of God God stirred up two excellent and eminent persons but of contrary constitutions and dispositions Luther and Melancton Luther was hot Melancton cold Luther was of a cholerick inclination but Melancton was of a temperat and sweet disposition Luther was couragious and bold Melancton was timorous Luther was as oyle and fire to warme his coldnesse Melancton was as water to temper the heat of Luther Melancton was as a bridle to Luther Luther was as a spurre to Melancton by these means so contrary and tones so diverse there was by Gods providence a holy harmony and faire corespondence between these two great instruments of God and restorers of Gods Church being happily joyned together and bearing with one anothers infirmities But if enmities continue between Pastours and that there is an apparent danger of a schisme by their divisions Let us observe what Constantine the great Emperour did who having received divers letters from the Bishops full of defamatory invectives of the one against the others and seeing that the Bishops were more inconsed to wrangle one with another than carefull to unite themselves and fight against the errour of Arrius He cast all their papers into the fire without reading any of them exhorting them to a mutuall peace and brotherly concord one with another and therefore let the Ministers of the word of God preach the word of God purely let them live holily let them love one another cordially O then they will edifie the Church of God more and more and having finished their course they shall receive their Crown of glory Enter ye faithfull servants into the joy of your Lord and as they have been m Rev. 1.20 stars in Christs right hand in the sphere of this militant Church n Dan. 12.3 having turned many to righteousnesse they shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and as the starres for ever and ever in the sphere of the Triumphant Church in heaven o Rev. 22.9 20. as they are fellow servants with the angels yea stiled angels here on earth they shall be like the angels in glory in heaven Now as we that are Ministers have heard our lesson ye also my brethren have here your lesson too for if wo is unto Saint Paul and unto the Ministers of Gods word if they preach not the Gospel it followeth that wo is unto the Corinthians and unto you if they hear not if you hear not the preaching of the Gospel for if a necessity is laid upon Saint Paul and upon Pâ—stors to preach there is also a necessity laid upon the Corinthians and upon the people of God to hear the Gospel It is that necessity whereof Christ Jesus speaks p Luke 10.41 42. Martha Martha thou art carefull and troubled about many things but one thing is needfull and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her He speaks of the necessity of the word of God q Rom. 10.17 For faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God and as he is of God that preacheth the word of God r John 8.47 So he is of God that heareth Gods word The same God that requires of the one the preaching requires of the other the hearing and therefore the same curse that is pronounced and threatned against dumb Pastors is pronounced against deaf hearers Wo unto them that preach not the Gospel but also Å¿ Mar. 11.23 thou Capernaum which art exalted unto heaven thou shalt be brought to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodome it would have remained untill this day In Sodome there was a Lot in Capernaum a Jesus Lot was a man Christ God and man Lot was a sinner Christ innocent Lot did no miracles among the Sodomites Christ did miracles in Capernaum Sodom saw not any Judgements on Jerusalem as Jerusalem saw those fearfull and terrible Judgements on Sodom written in characters from heaven of fire and Brimstone so that one might as it were read them in running The Lake Asphaltites or dead sea is a fearfull testimony of Gods wrath upon them and therefore it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of Judgement than for them verse 29. according to that the Apostle teacheth us t Heb. 2.2 3 That if the word spoken by angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord was confirmed unto us by them that heard him And therefore a necessity is laid upon the people of God to hear his holy word The second duty of Gods people is to pray for their Pastors the people think that it is the Pastors Office and duty to pray for them and that is true for the Minister of God is Gods mouth to the People and the peoples mouth to God it is he that makes intercession between God and the people u 1 Sam. 12 23. God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you saith Samuel and truly Moses interceding for the Jews Samuel and Daniel in like manner have been powerfull intercessors and their prayers have been of great force towards God for the good of the people of God in the name and intercession of the Messias to come namely Jesus Christ but you must know it is also the duty of the people to pray for their Pastors and teachers for so great an Apostle as Saint Paul had need of the prayers of the Church and said Pray for me that the door of utterance may be given unto me that I may speak boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel Eph. 6.19 and and you also helping together by prayer for us that for the gift bestowed upon us c. 2 Cor. 1.11 how much more we that are inferiours to so great an Apostle have need of your prayers x Acts 12.5 Prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for Peter And certes we fear that by reason of the want of the prayes of Gods people for their Pastors God takes away sometimes the Ministers of his holy word as God hath taken away to himself out of your Church three Pastors in nine moneths Mr. Marmet Mr. Mary Mr. Primrose Anno 1642. And God suffers sometimes Ministers to fall into strange and irregular opinions into heresies or into some scandalous sin because the Church prayeth not with that zeal and fervour for their Pastors as they ought if therefore you desire that God continue his Ministry among you and preserve your
Ministers it behoves you to pray to God for your Ministers for that is their desire So the Martyrs were accustomed to close and finish their Epistles to their friends with these words Pray Pray Pray for us c. Thirdly Gods people ought to be united and not divided for where the spirit of division is there cannot be the spirit of prayer nor of concord Now as the amity and concord of Pastors one with another and of Pastors with the people is of great profit so their division is of a dangerous consequence the chiefs and principalls disagreeing have alwayes their adherents The Apostle condemnes these divisions among the Corinthians y 1 Cor. 1.12 It hath been declared unto me of you that there are contentions among you for every one of you saith I am of Paul and I of Apollo and I of Cephas and I of Christ Is Christ divided is Paul crucified for you or were you baptised in the name of Paul z 1 Cor. 3.3 5. There is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men who is Paul who is Apollo but ministers by whom ye believed By this he gives us to understand that there is nothing more dangerous and pernicious than the division among the people concerning Pastors especially when there is more regard to one minister than to another and some are admirers yea idolaters of their persons as the Jews preferred Abraham Jacob Moses and esteemed them above Christ an insupportable blasphemy Luther Calvin and others have been too much esteemed and preferred before other Ministers The report is that there was a man in Geneva that made so much esteem of Calvin that he said if Saint Paul should come down from heaven and preach at the same time that Calvin preached he would rather hear Calvin then Paul O let us not be admirers and adorers of persons it is God that gives divers gifts unto Pastors by the same spirit Such an one will expound the Text wondrous well and cite to the purpose the Passages of the sacred Scripture another will apply well another will be an excellent and eloquent Orator Such an one will be a great disputer of controversies Another as a Boanerges will thunder forth Judgements of God Another will be a Barnabas admirable in his consolations This man will be patheticall in his uses That man will be admirable in his prayers Another will be excellent in Consistory and in Councell and it may be there will be some other that hath not these and the like gifts which will be more humble than all the rest There is not one among a thousand that hath all these gifts together as Elihu said to Job if there be a messenger with him one among a thousand to shew to man his uprightnesse 1 Cor. 4.1 Job 33.23 Therefore let us esteem them all and so account of them as of the Ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God and of the divers gifts o his Spirit and that there be no divisions among us which ruines and turns upsided down the Church of God as sad experience teacheth us That as the Tythean stone though a great one yet as long as it is whole swims but being broken in pieces sinks to the bottome So the Church of God united subsists but divided sinks down sure no house no city no Church no Kingdome being divided can stand And therefore if we desire the prosperity of Gods Church the good of this Church be united together a Acts 2.1 be all with one accord in one place fall not out by the way Gen. 45.24 If b Phil. 2.1 2 3. therefore there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye my joy saith Saint Paul that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord of of one mind let nothing be done through strife vain glory c Eph. 4.3 4 5 6. endevouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace there is one body and one spirit ye are called in one hope of your calling having one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all and one mother the Church Now he who is is the Almighty God powerfull to confirm and strengthen us according to his Gospel and the preaching of Christ fortifie us more and more in faith and in the truth of his Gospel and brotherly concord and charity make us firm and stable therein that when Jesus Christ shall come in his glory and Majesty pouring down the cataracts of his indignation upon the wicked he may find us holding that which he hath admonished us of observing that which he hath taught us doing that which he hath done retaining his Gospel till his coming Then may we be assured that we shall be saved in that last day Pastors and sheep governed and guided in one sheepfold under the hook of that grand and Soveraign Shepherd of our souls Jesus Christ to be fed by him received in his Kingdome and crowned with glory there we shall live with the Patriarcks the Prophets the Apostles with the angels with the Saints and with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be given all honour glory power Majesty and dominion for ever and ever Amen The Sermon being finished the Minister spake unto the people saying YE have heard my brthren that the brother John Baptista Stouppe being chosen by the Consistory of this Church to be a Pastor of this said Church hath undergone the examination wherein he hath made apparent his dexterity both in his Latine Sermon ad Clerum as also in answering unto the objections which have been made and propounded unto him concerning the principall points of the Christian Religion so that he hath been judged capable to be admitted unto the Ministry who having been published two succeeding Lords-dayes publickly in this Church and having heard of no opposition on your part we take your silence as an approbation of his Ministry among you and therefore we will proceed unto his reception unto the Ministry But first we will read unto you that which is written the 1. Epistle to Timothy chap. 3 from the 1. verse to the 7. verse inclusively and after that the 1. chapter to Titus the 4. verse to the 10. verse exclusively and you may read at your leasure the 9. chapter of the 1. Epistle unto the Corinthians then we will take a promise from our brother and afterwards we will proceed to his ordination unto the Ministry So having read that which is written to Timothy and Titus concerning the charge and duty of Pastors of the Church of God The Minister spake to Mr. Stouppe saying You John Baptista Stouppe do promise before God and his Church that you will serve him faithfully in your ministry to