tender mother accounts it not enough to bring forth her child except shee also nursse and cherish it vp vnto mans estate So hath the Lord in these sacraments to shew the aboundant sweetnesse of his loue in Christ after hee hath in the word preached made the couenant of grace knowne vnto men hee also doth most surely seale it vp vnto their soules by those seales of the righteousnesse of faith The former sealing vp their vnion ingrafting and fellowship with Christ from whom as from a roote they draw and sucke the moysture of grace without which they are but dead and withered branches The latter assuring their continuall grouth and encrease in him till they become tall trees of righteousnesse and both of them further helping both our vnderstandings as glasses by which we see clearer into the mistery of our redemption as also our memories as monuments before our eyes with which sence of learning our God would haue vs taught as well as by the other of hearing as in the third place both of them not onely spurring vp euery beleeuer to the performing of the couenant but also strengthening him to euery good duty whereby hee may magnifie this grace of God Thirdly for prayer how vnspeakable is the glory of GOD rendred by the Church gathered together and how wonderfull are the blessings which are vouchsafed the Church from God in and by meanes of this holy dutie especially when they are assembled in the house of prayer In the former regarde is it sayd by the Prophet Praise waiteth for thee in Sion For what greater honour can befall the Lord then first in petition to bee acknowledged the giuer of euery good and perfect gift to bee depended vpon for all comfort instruction and euery good grace to bee acknowledged the author and finisher of our faith the beginner and accomplisher of all our workes in vs and for vs and in the confession of our indignity and misery euen the best to haue his free grace amplified and his prerogatiue yeelded him whose priuiledge it is to say I will forgiue Secondly in prayses to be magnified by his whole Church for the fruites of his free loue manifestlie shining in his workes of creation redemption preseruation and saluation of his Church yea and when his people haue done all they can in way of thankfulnesse for them yet euen the best of them shall acknowledge that they cannot finde what to render vnto him for his vndeserued loue Thus the Tribes goe vppe to Ierusalem to praise the name of the Lord. In the second respect what a singular priuiledge is it that wee haue leaue giuen vs by our requests to speake and commune with our God and where-as the riche treasures of grace and good things are with him surely kept as vnder locke and key how happily may wee by this meanes vnlocke and open them all vnto our selues Yea that when wee cannot by any thing in vs or from vs demerite the least blessing wee beeing lesse then the least mercy yet if wee can but lift vppe one request of faith wee haue preuayled and ouer-come God himselfe in the greatest And if the prayer of one righteous man can preuaile so much as the scriptures testifie of Moyses Iacob Elias how much more when two or three consent togither in priuat prayer But when publike prayer is presented vp by many yea the whole church how can that but exceed in strength For as in experience we see many flowers bound together yeeld the stronger sent and compound water is sweeter thē simple many sticks make a great fire and vnited force more forceable so euery christian alone and a part in this duty is acceptable vnto God but when many ioyne in holy society they are much more pleasing vnto him much more ioyfull among them-selues and much more mutually incouraged to the practises of piety loue one towards another Publike breaches are soone made vp if many Moysesses stand vp in the gap Publike peace if it be wanting is speedily and happily procured when many Eliases lift vp requests vnto the Lord euery one of which are as strong as the Horsemen and Chariots of Israel Publike blessings are easily obteyned when many Iacobs wrastle together with the Lord Fully resolued not to lette him goe vntill hee haue giuen them a blessing The publike ministry is successefully both setled and exercised when the Saints striue with their Ministers by prayers to God for them and when the faithfull labour together in praier for the same purpose The priuate necessities also of any one priuate member of the Church are sooner supplied by the instance and importunity of the whole and such as cannot come vpon their owne feet as the man sicke of the palsie are lette downe by the cordes of the churches prayer and sette before Christ. A powerfull and preuayling thing is it with the Lord when a number of beleeuers are in one place and one accord of one heart and one soule as it were in many bodies to whom hee hath giuen one heart and one way yea one pure language to cal on his name and serue him with one shoulder Fourthly if vnto the three former we shal ad the last part of the ministry performed in our holy meetings we shall see both the glory of God further inlarged the benefit of the church amplified For here we haue also to our vnspeakable good the Keyes of the Kingdome opening and shutting heauen the power of binding or loosing of sinners The authority of deliuering to Satan the obstinate sinners and releasing the penitent Now what glory is it to the almighty when his iust sentence is before hand denounced against the vngodly of the earth Where by him-selfe is cleared in his iudgement and the sinner more iustlie wrapped vp in the bandes of death which he had no care to preuent And on the other side no lesse comfort it is for the humble soule in the same Ministerie of the Word preached to bee fully released from sinne and absolued from all his vnrighteousnesse and assured that whatsoeuer such sentence is rightly pronounced in Earth is ratified also in Heauen These thinges beeing of such an high nature as in which the publicke worshippe of GOD is performed to his so great glorie and our own so great good no marueil if Dauip be so instant in his desire yet these things were after a sort vailed and but shadowed in that ministry of the sanctuary For the Arke it selfe was with curtaines and there lay no high way vnto it no not for Dauid him-self only men must look towards it in their prayers And within that Arke were hidde and chested vppe the tables of the couering representing the VVord read and preached In the Tabernacle also was the golden potte of Mannah a speciall type of our Sacraments and the rod of Aaron shadowing the rod of the church Discipline How much more should wee were wee not so
GOD is meant all one thing And although by the house of God is meant some-time the Church triumphant Iohn 14. 2. In my fathers house are many mansions that is in heauen where the Saints enioy the presence of GOD and some-times the Church Militant 1. Tim. 3. 15. That thou mayest know how to behaue thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the liuing God Yet here is it taken in neither of those sences but more specially signifieth such a part of the Church militant as where Gods people haue obtained liberty and freedome to worship God purely ioyning together in the confession of their sinnes and of their faith in hearing the worde receiuing the Sacraments publicke prayers c. Thus Salomon calleth the Temple the house of GOD almost twentie times in 1. Kings 8. Thus Dauid here calleth the tabernacle first the Courts of God alluding to the stately courts of Kings in which were sundry courts and among them one for the people to assemble into seperate from the Sanctuarie and secondly the house of God First because herein the Lord had promised to dwell among his people euen as a man dwells in his house continually For which cause the Arke a signe of his presence was set in the Sanctuarie which the Lord calleth by his owne name Ioshua 4 vers 13. Fortie thousand went before the Lord to battle against Iericho that is before the Arke of the Lord. 2. because hee especially reueiled himselfe here and gaue speciall testimony of his presence vnto such as purely sought him in y e excercises of his worship For where can a man be either sooner or surelier found then at his owne house hence was the place of Gods worship called the face of God which wee are commanded to seeke from which Caine was cast out Not that in such places were any false vizors or formes whereby God might bee remembred but because his pure worship praescribed by himselfe and accordingly by his children performed is that ordinance in which his face is seene glorious and not out of it In this Court of God in this house of God Dauid wished hee might alwayes dwell and that neither 1. vnaduisedly as Peter in Christs transfiguration Maister it is good being here let vs make three tabernacles but hee wist not what he said Neither 2. formally or for fashion but most affectionately yea so ardently that the very vehemencie of his desire conflicting with deniall of it brought leannesse into his flesh drynesse into his bones and consumption into his parts for so much the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the second verse implyeth that he was euen wasted with the sighing groning out these most inward desires of his soule nor yet 3. doth he propoūd his wish in simple forme of speach for that would not serue him to expresse more then ordinary affectiō but as one most superlatiuely affecting aboue all other things this one he instituteth a double comparison The former is drawne from the consideration of the time One day spent in these Courts of GOD is better then a thousand elsewhere as though he had said It were no great difficulty for me being a King and the head of all Israell to passe the whole terme of my life in the Pallaces of the mighty and in aboundance of earthly pleasure If I could with the most of the world account these the matters of highest honor and truest happinesse But might I obtaine one day that is neuer so little a time of the daies of my pilgrimage within thy Courts tabernacle where with the rest of thy people I might ioyne in y e pure worship of thy name I would account my selfe more honorable happy then to spend thousands of dayes in the company of the prophane although neuer so great The latter comparison is drawne from consideration of the estate condition of men of whom some are in eminent place and dignity some in meaner and baser degree Dauid although he had good experience of both yet with all his soule hee would make exchange of all his greatnesse glory with a meane and contemptible outward estate so be hee might enioy God in his ordinance with it And therefore although he was a king yet all that greatnesse did not so take vp his heart neither lift it vp but that he could be contēted nay desirous to be a doore-keeper in the house of God rather then to dwell in the tabernacles of wickednesse resoluing that he would rather hold the meanest roome in the tabernacle then without it to possesse the highest place of the earth for where Gods tabernacle is not there can be nothing but tabernacles of wickednesse It may be true here which some lerned obserue that Dauid in mention of a doore-keeper in Gods house had respect vnto the Chorits to whose custody this psalm was comitted for their incouragemēt against the contempt of lewd men but whether he had or no their office being to keepe the doores of the tabernacle the truth is he y t had preferred the very sparrows and swallows aboue himselfe in this regard that they might resort to the tabernacle make their nests there did much more account the Chorites far more happie then himselfe because they by their office were tied to be euer day night in their courses about the tabernacle w c priuiledge himselfe in this his flight whether before Saul or Absolon could not enioy Thus the Prophet enforceth his request and petition vnto God that therefore he would please to vouchsafe him a comfortable returne vnto the holy exercises of religion that he might pertake in the publick duties thereof with his people because hee accounteth this blessing the greatest happines vpō earth yea next to heauen it selfe although 1. neuer so little a while 2. in neuer so meane a condition So much of the meaning the instructions follow It is a note of a good heart to account the wante of the word and ministery the greatest want and heuiest burthen of al other Dauid for such affections was called a man after Gods owne hart so earnest and so frequēt they were with him in Psal. 27. 4. he was in many wants was driuen from house and home yea destitute of all earthly comforts yet he felt none of thē in comparrison neither wished the supply of any of them But one thing he wanted which he desired of the Lord euen that hee might dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of his life to behold the beauty of the Lord to visit his temple And this was not so peculiar vnto this man of God but that it is cōmon also with other y e Saints of God Ieremy bewailing y e estate of the Iewes in captiuity beginneth his lamentatiō there where was greatest matter of mourning The waies of Sion lament because no man commeth to the solemne feastes all her gates are desolate her priests sigh Infinite
is the Mother of vs all And of Sion is it sayd that many are borne in her And this last was not the least motiue which stirred in our holy Prophet these instant desires The Lord is grace and glory not onely because the Lord is the glory of his people here and hereafter Nor that onely in the Church the Lord reueileth his glorie but also because he leadeth his children vnto it by the meanes there by his wisdome appointed Now considering the places whereon our feete stand are holy ground the persons present holy and glorious the duties performed holy and spirituall the priuiledges of Gods people so preacious and aboundant in all these regardes can we doe lesse then wish our portions and shares in them and doth it not now seeme a most reasonable and religious wish to spend if it were but one day here rather then a thousand else-where or shall wee still neede many goads to prouoke vs to loue or rejoyce in Ierusalem where wee may thus suck and bee satisfied with the brest of her consolation where wee may milke out and bee delighted with the brightnesse of her glory If wee would haue our hearts iustifie vs in this holy reioysing our labour must bee to see dayly further into these beauties of Gods house which may rauish our hearts with the loue of it aboue all other places in the earth The Scriptures not in a few places aduanceth and highly extolleth such assemblies as wherein God and his people are mette together to the former purposes and all that our hearts and affections might bee mooued to enquire and finde out such excellencies here as the mouth of the Lord himselfe hath so frequently recommended vnto vs. The Prophet Isay saith that the house of the Lord is prepared in the top of the mountaines and exalted aboue the hills Which place may receiue some light by that comparison which the Prophet Dauid maketh betweene Mount Sion and mount Basan and many other great hills Why hoppe yee so yee hills this is Gods hill By Mountaines are meant the greatest Empires and most flourishing Kingdomes of the earth abounding with wealth and power which all in Basan are made inferiour to Sion not that either in spaciousnesse of ground or multitude or goodnesse of people or strength or riches or outward pompe and glory Sion was comparable to any of them for the kingdome of Israell was the least and fewest and as badde and wicked as any people vnder heauen It was bounded and shutte vppe in a small modell and compasse of ground and for strength and power came farre short of the great kingdomes of Assyria Aegipt c. How then was it so aduanced and exalted aboue the mountaines surely herein This is Gods hill and so made high aboue all nations in praise name and glory Gods dwelling in it was the wealth strength and beauty yea I adde the blessednesse of it for blessed is that land whose God is the Lord. Thus also was Capernaum said to be lifted vp vnto heauen onely in regarde of the presence doctrine and miracles of Christ. So in our Bethels God himselfe is the beauty and glory of euery of them his administration here farre excelling Salomon in all wisdome the owner of it being the true Salomon the God of Israel who as a great housholder out of his goodnesse fostereth out of his wisdome teacheth out of his power ruleth and out of his rich mercy tendreth the complaints and requests of euery one within his gates In this house all the houshould seruants haue one liuery and garment the righteousnesse of Christ to cloath them all feed at the selfe same table and eate childrens bread all haue one elder brother Iesus Christ the first borne of many brethren all haue one sort of seruants the Angels who not onely goe before them and at their heeles but as a guard are pitched about them all haue one inheritance and become heyres and fellow heyres with Christ himselfe The wisdome glory of which whole administration if we could as well behold as the Queene of Seba did the orders in Salomons Court we could not but account them blessed that might here be admitted into place of seruice to heare the wisdome of the King of glory and Prince of peace who dwelleth within these euerlasting doores Which heauenly delights while men know not no maruaile if they affect them not But on the contrary one comming to behold them in any euidence as little maruaile is it if with Dauid they would enioy them with exchange of all earthly pleasures For who is it which hath neuer so little tasted of the goodnesse of God that loues not the Lords habitation and the place where his honor dwelleth yee that thirsteth not after God and his presence as the Hart brayeth after the riuers of water Secondly if our hearts bee sound in this reioysing then can wee not but in heart and affection ioyne our selues vpon all good occasions vnto the Church of God in her meetings as such as would pertake of her priuiledges for this is a note of a conuerted person The beleeuers continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers And if such multitudes of sundrie sortes of people and such as could not finde their names in the genealogie came out of Aegipt and out of Babilon with the Israelites onely because they saw GODS blessing following that people How much more should wee bee prouoked to ioyne our selues to such societies as are assembled to worshippe him in spirit and truth seeing it is not any temporall blessing which runnes into our eye but spirituall and eternall neither any out-warde priuiledge which wee alone may make account of as they but such as is inwarde and heauenly yea such as rayseth vs vnto the condition of the sonnes of the liuing God But those mens hearts are not right within them that neede but the wagging of a strawe to keepe them from Church much lesse of those who place their felicitie in turning away from GOD from his ordinances and the place of his true worshippe what-so-euer their pretences may bee And heere it shall not bee amisse to meete with some of them especially such as are scarcely to be mette with-all euen there where some writers haue to verye fruitefull purpose set them-selues to answere the most obiections of this kinde 1. And first to admonish such as neede no other thing then theyr owne wilfulnesse to excommunicate and banish them-selues from the house of God and assemblies of the faithfull Of these the first sorte professe themselues touched with zeale of the glory of GOD they haue obserued the wilde beast of the Forrest to haue broken downe our hedge throwne our pale to the ground and with a prophane foote troden downe and rooted vp all our holy things they see no beauty but all deformity and nakednesse in our Churches which yet they
obedience or send his Angels furnished with power and strength for the present execution of vengeance vppon all such as deny their present obedience to their word but in compassion vnto vs hee chooseth to teach vs by a stil voyce by a more familar and fitte instruction for vs euen by such as our selues of our owne nature farre meeter for our weakenesse then if he should either in his owne Maiestie teach vs or by natures fo farre superiour vnto vs as the Angels And this appeared plainely in giuing the law when the people once hearing the voyce of God came trembling to Moyses and made request in these wordes Talke thou with vs and wee will heare but lette not God talke with vs least wee die and it was generally receiued of old that if any man did either heare this voyce or see the face of the great God the great glory would so ouerwhelme him that surely hee could not liue after it Yea Moyses him-self could not haue beheld the back-partes of the LORD if the LORD had not hidde him in the cleft of a Rocke and couered him with his hand till he passed by His loue towards man manifesteth it selfe heerein that hee vouchsafeth to putte his voyce in the mouth of man rather then of Angels What an aduancement is it to the nature of man that the high GOD should sanctifie their tongues to deliuer his good pleasure to the sonnes of men to be trust them with such high misteries and matters of such blessed and sauing vse to them-selues and others His wisdome discouereth it selfe in this ordinance sundry waies 1. In that teaching man by man hee preuenteth the danger of deceipt and delusion which wee should lye open vnto if we should bee taught by reuelations or visions or appearance of Angels For Satan is an Angel of light hee can also assume him a body and in it by Gods permission broch lies and as though he were among the sonnes of God father them vpon God Blessed be that wisedom of God y t hath deliuered vs a more certain word of the Prophets Apostles shutting out al rouing Enthusiasmes reuelations not contained within it selfe and hath sette vppe a Ministry in which his Church shall bee taught by man subiect indeed to error but farre lesse dangerous then the former in that wee haue a certaine rule to trye the Spirites by whether they bee of God or no according to which rule and worde if they speake not there is no light in them Second hereby hee sheweth the mighty power of the word which although it seeme in the hand of a weake man a foolish meane of mens conuersion yet by this foolishnes of preaching the Lord saueth such as beleeue This Paul teacheth VVe haue this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of that power might bee of God that is knowne to bee of God and not of vs and this one thing hath confounded all the wisdome of flesh to see such weake and vile and dispised thinges bring such great things to passe And thus all the glory of the worke of conuersion redoundeth vnto God to whome indeed of right it appertaineth Thus the Apostles vsually turned off that praise glory which men preposterously would haue fastned vppon them that all the power of their word and workes might bee ascribed vnto God When Peter had healed a Cripple that lay at the beautifull gate of the Temple all the people came running and gazing on him and Iohn too much admiring their persons from whome they had seene such an euident worke which when Peter perceiued he checketh their ignorance Yea men of Israel why looke you so stedfastly on vs as though we by our own power or godlines had made this man go And wisheth them to look vpward to the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob who had glorified his sonne Iesus in whose name they had done this miracle So likewise when Paul at Lystra had healed an other lame man the people conceiuing that the Gods were come downe in the likenesse of men brought their Buls with garlands their chiefe Priest to offer sacrifice to him and Barnabas which when the Apostles saw they rent their clothes and staid them from y t horrible Idolatry Oh men why doe yea these things VVee are euen men subiect to the like passions that ye bee and so proceeded to preach the true God and his son Christ vnto them Euen so when men behold such mighty power in that word which is dispenced by men subiect to the same passions with them-selues that it is able to conquer the whole world and bring it to the knowledge and obedience of christ to subdue nature and corruption of it yea battereth the strongest holds of satan and destroyeth his Kingdome easily may they conceiue there is more power with it then any can bee in such poore men and that is indeed the power strong arme of almightie God 3. The wisedome of GOD hereby would proue and try our obedyence whether we will heare his Ministers beeing men like our selues no otherwise then wee would heare himselfe or Christ or an Angel speaking from heauen Whether we wil receiue his Ministers as the Galatians did Paul Hee came and preached in the frailtie and weaknesse of flesh yet they dispised him not nor abhorred him but receiued him as an Angel of God yea as Christ him-selfe not considering so much the meanes of their persons as y e truth of their doctrin which must be as carefully receiued and as certainly held as if Angels from heauen or Christ him-selfe did deliuer it Yea the Apostle Paul is peremptory that if an Angel should come from heauen and crosse any whit of his doctrine by teaching either a contrary or another doctrin then he did he must be held accursed Ob. It will bee heere alledged that indeed they might so certainly receiue Pauls doctrine on his word for he was priuiledged that he could not er in deliuering itas our ordinary ministers may An. To which I answer that euen we secondarily are to be heard and receiued with the same respect and certainty so farre forth as wee follow and deliuer to the Church the doctrine of the Apostles For herein we also are the Angels of the Lord of hostes and Ambassadors in the stead of Christ. And all the partes of the Ministry in our hands wee following the word are as sure and infallible as if an Angel or Christ from heauen should execute them If we threaten it is as if y e Lion of y e Tribe of Iudah should roare if we cōfort it is as sure sweet to the beleeuing soule as if the Angels should comfort vs as they did Christ in his agonie Yea or Christ him-selfe from heauen as hee did the women that sought him after hee was risen If wee admonish exhort perswade it is all one as if Christ should do it who hath said he that heareth
you heareth me And in euery of these the sheepe of Christ heare his voyce who is the great pastor of the sheepe and not so much ours and with the spouse of Christ saith this is the voice of my welbeloued 4. Hereby the wisedom of God would giue vs to conceiue that seeing wee are taught by man the one half as y e Queen of Sebah spoke of Salomon of the blessednesse prepared for them y t loue God is not nor cannot while we liue here be made known to vs seeing it cannot enter into the heart of man much lesse be vttered with his tongue And therfore we should raize vp our hearts after that blessed reuelation wherein Christ himselfe shall become our teacher and reueale vnto vs our full happinesse And further as the mercy loue and wisedome of God hath established this ordinance so also it will not be amisse in a word to see how hee hath euer maintained this his owne order in his Church And first the Angels haue another office designed them by God in the Church then to vsurpe the Ministry And although the LORD imployed them in priuate messages vnto priuate persons yet I remember not that euer in the publicke Ministry their office was to preach but to set men on preaching and preserue them in teaching we read that they were to reueale from God to his Prophets some part of his will which the Prophets were to deliuer to the Church but the Church was not to depend on the ministry of the Angels but on y e Ministry of man One Angel commaundeth another to teach Zachary a prophecy which he must deliuer vnto the church concerning the building and repayring of the Citty and Temple Go tell this young man But nether of the Angels might publish this prophecie vnto the church So the Eunuch sitting in his Chariot reading the Scriptures and not knowing what hee read an Angel sendeth Philip to teach him But why did not the Angel teach the Eunuch him-selfe Was it because he could not Or if he could might not hee in such an extraordinary time haue saued Philip that tedious iourney between Gaza Azotus which were distant a sunder about six thirty miles Yes hee could haue taught him but hee would not nor might not but sendeth him an ordinary meanes teaching vs that if there be a Philip wee must from him seek instruction and not from the mouth of an Angel In like manner an Angel in a vision stood before Paul like a man of Macedonia praied him saying come helpe vs in Macedonia which was a calling of Paul to teach that people in the way of God But why did not the Angell him-selfe in whose mouth the Word would seem to carry much more authority and who would haue beene much more respected then Paul why doth not hee go and preach in Macedonia Surely because it was as farre as his calling extended to set Paul to this businesse and he would not meddle with a calling destinated vnto man The Lord Jesus him-selfe when he vndertook that function in which hee declared himself the chiefe Doctor of his church would first take flesh and become man and in that flesh declare his fathers name to his brethren To which purpose the Apostle saith that God in these last daies hath spoken by his son that is very familiarly by his son made man Yea further when he was ascended into his glory hee would from thence shew him-selfe powerfull to Paul to the casting him to the ground to y e humbling of his heart by terror astonishment and so to the preparing and fitting of him vnto instructiō but when he comes to be taught he sendeth him into the Citty he leaueth al y t function vnto Ananias Wherin he expresly in his own example teacheth that it was his good pleasure that that ministry of Pastors and teachers which hee hadde a little before his ascension established in the Church for the gathering together of his Saintes for the worke of the Ministry and the edification of the body of Christ should bee inuiolably preserued in the Church till his comming againe wherein wee shall all meete together in the vnity of the faith and knowledge of the sonne of GOD vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ. And lastly as we haue already sufficiently shewed the folly of such who wil needs be wise aboue and against God so also in one word the Scripture sheweth vs how false that is which they alledge For those who haue Moyses and the Prophets and will not beleeue thē neither would they beleeue if one shoulde come from the dead So we say that those who will not beleeue the Lord speaking in our Ministery lette an Angel come from heauen lette a diuell come from hell yet will they not beleeue And the reason is plaine because in the begetting of faith wee must not consider the maked word but as it is ioyned and accompanied with the spirit of GOD whose worke properly it is Now seeing that the spirit ordinarily worketh in the meanes appointed by God it followeth that who-soeuer despiseth the meanes in which the spirit worketh wanteth that spirit of God which ordinarily worketh not without those meanes which spirit so long as they want they would not beleeue Angels nor men dead nor liuing neither Moses nor the Prophets neither Peter nor Paul no nor Christ himselfe if he were liuing againe vpō the face of the earth And thus hauing somwhat more largely satisfied y t allegation we come to take out of the wayes of two sorts of protestants such Lions as they faine to lye betweene them and the Church The former sort are idle and lazie Protestants that are so farre from being at the cost of seeking and sending for the worde that when it commeth to seeke them and freely offereth it selfe vnto them yet will they not disease them-selues to stirre ouer their threesholds for it Saluation commeth almost euery day euen into their houses but they by shutting it out of doores make themselues vnworthy of it nay rather they will liue starke beggars and die in their spirituall pouertie then receiue our treasures offred them freely And truly too common is the experience of the lamentable fruites hereof in very many in their owne and others account Christians whose hearts and loues are full fraught with noysome lusts threatning destruction that the field of Salomons sluggard was neuer more ouer-growne with weedes and thistles and nettles then the thoughts and courses of these idle and sluggish Protestants with weedes of earthlinesse voluptuousnesse pride enuie atheisme hypocrisie and such other not a few most noysome both for their sight and sent vnto God and his people and all is because their sinfull negligence suffereth them not to come vnder Gods pruning knife in the ministery of the word Ob. But that wee may see that idlenesse hath sewed her selfe some