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A19639
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Three sermons viz. The walking sleeper, the ministeriall husbandrie, the discouerie of the heart. Preached and published by Sam. Crooke.
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Crook, Samuel, 1575-1649.
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1615
(1615)
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STC 6069; ESTC S117125
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72,467
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211
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as the ground which drinking in the Raine that commeth ost vpon it and bringing forth hearbes meete for the vse of them by whom it is dressed receiueth blessing of God not as that which bearing thornes and briars is nere vnto cursing whose end is to bee burned The Maniches abhorred husbandrie counting it murther to kill the weeds c. This is no Heresie for a good husband to bee of Gods ground must not receiue seed among thornes but into an heart well manured purged from the loue of sin and of this world into an honest a good and a patient heart Luke 8.15 If not thornes then what fruit surely such as the Lord soweth or planteth the sweet milde and wholesome fruits of sinceritie humilitie pietie mercie and sobrietie c. These fruites must they bring forth that will bring forth fruit vnto God that hauing their fruit in holinesse Rom. 6.22 they may haue in the end eternall life But ah beloued if the Lord come to take a tast of our fruites how soone shal his teeth be set on edge If hee looke for sinceritie hee shall meete with palpable hypocrisie if for humilitie selfe-loue and singularitie if for pietie prophanesse and blasphemie if for mercy oppressō vsury robberies if for sobrietie surfeiting and drunkennesse all manner of loosenesse and superfluitie And all those vnder a visor and vaile of the profession of Christianitie and with names of excuse and pretences of neighbourhood and good fellowship of frugalitie of libertie and in genuitie and I know not what to blere the eyes of men that are easily deceiued with sowre grapes with wildings and with starued corne and tares instead of Grapes Apples and good graine Gal. 6.7 But bee not deceiued God is not mocked If these be the fruits wee yeeld in recompence of his care and husbandrie Esay 5.5 hee will take away the hedge and wall of protection from bodily and spiritual enemies Psal 80.12.13 and then the wilde Bore out of the Forrest will root vs vp and the roaring Lion that seeketh for his prey may quickly deuoure vs he will giue off his care and cost of dressing vs by his word and then the Bryars and Thornes will grow vp the seeds of vice wil horribly breake forth and ouer grow vs he will commaund the cloudes aboue Esay 5.5 that they raine no Raine vpon vs that is hee will restraine his grace euen his restraining grace shall be taken away and the curse of euerlasting barrennesse and filthinesse pronounced Mat. 21.19 Ezek. 24.13 neuer more fruite grow on thee because I would haue purged thee and thou wouldest not bee purged neuer bee thou purged from thy filthinesse Fruit vnto Gods seruants 1. Cor. 9.7 and fellow-labourers Who feedeth a flocke and eateth not of the milke of the flocke It is a hard bargaine that will not maintaine both the Housholder and his charge especially so many as beslow their trauell vpon it The earth is the Embleme of Iustice and of her Vsurie may be taken with a good conscience and what vsurie one of tenne nay tenne for one Loc then how God deales with thee for temporall matters giuing thee with thy trauaile where to hee enables thee ten for one hee demaunds of thee for the maintenance of his seruants the Ministers one of tenne ten in the hundred They are bound to impart to thee all the counsell of God the treasures of his wisedome loue Act. 20 27 truth c. Oughtest not thou then that art taught in the word make him Gal. 6.6 that hath taught thee partaker with thee of all thy goods partaker of all that is of euerie kind some share must come to Gods fellow-laborer who whiles hee sowes vnto thee spirituall thinges an emploiment 1. Cor. 9.11 that disables him frō worldly busines yet freeth him not from the cōmon necessities of other mē is it a great matter if he reap thy carnal things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to haue the Gospell without cost were a thing would like this age well But the Age is past that could afford it and yet did not alwayes afford it much lesse enioyne it for perpetuitie I meane the Apostle age wherin men extraordinarily called were immediatly furnished to preach the gospel called without preparation furnished without premeditatiō Now the case is otherwise Vbi nō est farina ibi non est lex no maintenance no Ministrie Men must serue more then one Apprenticehood in the schooles of the Prophets ere they bee fitted for this calling and euery exercise if performed with care and conscience will set a worke both head and heart And couldest thou find in thy hart 1. Cor. 9.9 to muzzle the mouth of this Oxe that treadeth out the corne for thee 2. Sam. 24.24 Dauid would not serue God of that which cost him nothing How farre from Dauids spirit are they that thinke nothing so well gained or saued as from the allowance appointed for Christs Ministers But how fearefully far off or rather contrarie are they who to scrape a little pelfe Act. 8.20 that shal perish with them open no doore vnto the pastor of soules but that of indirect Symonie and direct periury no maruel if the charg so sold and so bought prooue Aceldama a field of bloud both to the seller Act. 1.19 and to the buyer If ye be Gods building beloued ye must be squared to his model fitted furnished for his entertainmēt squared to his model The pattern platforme of Gods building cōsisteth in faith loue 1 Faith whereby we relie on Christ the foundation being spiritually glued and cimented to him that we may be one spirituall bodie with him in which sence it is said Hee that is glued to the Lord is one spirit Cords will binde 1. Cor. 6.17 so will the cords of loue Hos 11.4 Zech. 11.7 and bands of discipline but cords may be vnknit nailes will fasten and wee haue the wordes of the wise as nailes fastened by the Masters of the Assembly but nailes may slippe or leaue a chinke But the glew of faith ioynes close or rather all these together will cause vs Act. 11.23 with purpose of heart to cleaue vnto the Lord. 2 Loue whereby wee are knit one vnto another euery stone so fashioned to that hee ioynes withall that it may seeme as one saith there is not in Gods building a stone vpon a stone but all the stones are one entire stone Thus is Ierusalem built euen as a Citie compact together in it selfe Psal 122.3 c. where there is vniformitie of worship the Tribes goe vp to praise the Lord and vniformitie of gouernment the thrones are set for iudgement Woe worth they that renting themselues 1. Tim. 1.19 from the foundation by shipwrack of faith or from the building by breach of loue or rather first falling out with the walles and then with the foundation for this is the
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But when I say we doe thus I meane it is the sinne and shame of our coat and calling not the personall crime of vs here assembled Nay we haue learned that wee are co-workers with God and therefore for God not for our selues and therefore to make in Gods behalfe what good vse we can not to make shew or sale of what is much lesse of what is not in our selues In a word not to bee as manie that make marchandize of the word of God but as of sinceritie but as of God in the sight of God so to speake of Christ. Thus from this point much hath bin said oh how much more might bee said concerning the calling of the Ministerie and yet something remaineth not to be omitted for the hearers that so I may passe vnto them and that point which properly concerneth them Consider well my brethren the Minister is Gods fellow-labourer the Minister I say not the hearer The scholler must not presume to bee a teacher the timber to bee a Carpenter I speake of ministeriall teaching no man taketh this honour vnto himselfe Heb. 5.4 but he that is called of God as Aaron But the Church wanteth labourers What then Ier. 17.16 Thrust not thou thy selfe in for a Pastor after God but pray to the Lord of the Haruest Mat. 9.38 to thrust forth laborers c. He that is ignorant 1. Cor. 14.38 Vers 16 let him be ignoraÌ„t that is coÌ„teÌ„t to supply the place of the ignoraÌ„t Else he shal neuer sing with a good conscience Lord my heart is not haughty Psal 131.1.2 nor my eyes lofty I haue not medled in matters to high for me Nay loue reuerence the Minister of Christ 1. Thess 5.13 for his works sake because he is a laborer for his Lords sake because he is Gods fellow-labourer with whom in whoÌ„ his Lord is receiued or despised Pauâ— commendeth the Thessalo Luk. 10 16 1. Thess 2.13 for receiuing from him the word of the preching of God not as the word of man but as indeed the word of God and not so onely but he commends the Galatians Gal. 4.14 for receiuing him as an Angell of God yea as Christ Iesus You vnderstand this in regard of his office not of his person Thus is a Prophet receiued in the name of a Prophet and the reward is great Mat. 10.41 euen the reward of a Prophet So is the perill great if a Prophet as a Prophet be despised For is not the sound of his Masters feete behind him 2. King 6.32 Dauid neuer shewed extremitie but once the Kings of Israel were merciful Kings 1. King 20.31 and that once was when his Embassadors were abused 2. Sam. 10.4 Embassadors of peace The refusall of peace brought warre vpon the Ammonites and the euill entreatie of the Embassadors brought the wretched people vnder sawes harrowes and axes of iron 2. Sam. 12.31 As God is a greater King so is the abuse of his Embassador the refusall of his peace and amitie more contemptuous and dishonourable As hee is more iust so is his wrath more inexorable as hee is more mightie so is his vengeance more intolerable Ye haue heard somewhat of your place and dutie from this that God is the chiefe worker and owner somewhat againe from this that we are Gods fellow-labourers but now I come wholy to you my deare brethren and to that part of my text which properly concerneth you Ye are Gods husbandrie and Gods building First ye are Gods husbandrie Beza translates it Gods arable but as I presume that word is of too narrow signification seeing God is called an husbandman euen in respect of his Vineyard which euery man knowes is not arable and Noah is said to play the Husbandman planting a vineyard So then from what part of Husbandrie soeuer the metaphor bee taken ye are that husbandrie From the vineyard Ioh. 15.1.5 We are branches of the Vine whereof God is the husbandman The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel Esay 5.7 and the men of Iudah are his pleasant plant From the arable ye are Gods corn-Corne-ground that must be fallowed Ier. 4.4 Break vp your fallow grounds sow not among the thornes And what other is meant by the ground good or badde receiuing the seed Mat. 13. Luc. 8. but the bearers of the word preached From the pleasant pasture The Church for pleasure and plentie is Gods Carmel Esâ—â— â—2 16 Psal 68.15 Iustitia in Charmel sedebit Gods Bashan The mountaine of God is as the mount of Bashan finally vpon the Church as vpon Iacob is the smell of a Field that the Lord hath blessed Gen. 27.27 Yee are Gods building house and land mannor and demaines make an absolute possession The Church is not onely Gods vine but his vine vpon his house sides Psal 128.3 such is the wife to her Husband Such is Christs Spouse or rather Vineyard and house and all His corne-ground and his barne but his corne-ground here his barne in Heauen His pleasant pasture whiles hee wanders in her loue His retrait Pro. 5.19 and place of habitation when turning from the troubles of the world hee quiets himselfe in his loue Zeph. 3.17 His husbandry tilled dressed fenced by him his building founded fashioned furnished by him and both husbandrie and building in one because both rooted built in him Col. 2.7 Esay 61.3 Rooted in him as a tree of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Built vp in him Ephes 2.21 in whome all the building coupled together groweth into an holy Temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are built together to bee the habitation Ephes 2.22 of God by the spirit Loe here then a growing-Temple Psal 92.13 in which whosoeuer bee planted shall flourish in the courts of God Gods house and the furniture of his house is built of greene growing timber Our bed is greene of liuing stones Can. 1.16 1. Pet. 2.5 Else how should the Church bee a spirituall house as there she is called vnlesse shee were an house not inhabited onely but animated also with the spirit of life a liuing house that she may be the house of the liuing God 1. Tim. 3.15 For application of this point If yee be Gods husbandrie beloued and that laboured vpon by his seruants the Ministers ye must yeeld fruit for God and fruit for his seruants Fruit for God If in all this time with all this paines the Regions bee not white to haruest they are drie and barren for the fire But what fruit thernes and weeds Indeede that is the fruit our corrupt nature naturally yeildeth being as the accursed earth that brings forth thornes and thistles to Adam Gen. 3.18 and his sinfull issue But ye are Gods husbandrie not his possession onely but his possession husbanded therefore yee must bee Heb. 6.7.8