the which you are called preaching truly the word of God to edifie the Church and that you will not abuse the Doctrine to serve your carnall affections or to please any man living but that you will use it in a sound conscience to serve to his glory and the benefit of his people you do promise also that you will keep the Ecclesiasticall ordinances and the Discipline received in this Church and as your charge is admonish those that fail to acquit your self faithfully without giving any place to hatred favour vengeance or any other carnall affection and in general do that which belongs to a good and faithfull Minister Item you promise to keep and maintain as far as lyeth in you the good and preservation of this estate procure in what possible you can the peace and union thereof and not to consent any manner of way to that which may be contrary and hurtfull to it The brother Mr. Stouppe by his gesture signified his promise and answered yea The Minister said to him God give you the grace to accomplish your promise The Minister being descended from the Pulpit and the brother Stouppe kneeling on a cushion within the inclosure where Ministers and Elders siâ— accompanied with Mr. Calendrin Minister of the Dutch Church of London and with Mr. Cismer minister of the French Church of London having all three their hands on his head his back turned towards the people and his face towards the ministers The minister made this prayer as followeth ALmighty God heavenly Father who after the fall of our first Parents was the first preacher of the Gospel in Paradise unto our said Parents and our Lord Jesus Christ being descended from heaven on earth for our sakes honoured and sanctified the holy ministry in his own person and ascending up into heaven to give gifts to man he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ seeing it hath pleased thee to call our dear brother and thine humble servant prostrated here on his knees before thee to be ordinated and ordained Minister of thy holy word We beseech thee to give him sufficient graces that he may thereby acquit himself vertuously and duly of his charge in this his Ministry and denounce the secret of thy Son that he may manifest it as he ought create in him a new heart in changing his heart into another as thou didst unto Saul being anointed King transform him by the renewing of his mind that he may prove what is that good that acceptable that perfect wil of thine enlighten his understanding from above with the rayes and beams of thy divine light warm him and fill him with the true zeal of thy glory and sincere intention to thy Service open his lips and his mouth shall set forth thy praise guide him in all truth that be walk not deceitfully nor falsifie thy word but that he hold fast the faithfull word which is according to instruction let him not have the spirit of fear and timerousnes but the spirit of strength and of courage let the word be given to him with a doore of utterance and with a covenient boldnesse that he may speak freely as he ought and fear not those that can kill the body and not the soul but rather that he fear thee O God that canst destroy body and soul in hell Let the Tummims and Urims to wit perfection and light be upon him give him grace that in any part of his calling he be not moved nor carried away with ambition or covetousnesse but as a man of God not as he is to thee such an one by creation or redemption onely but as he is a man of God by this particular calling he flee these things and follow after righteousnesse godlinesse faith love patience meeknesse dispel from him the desires of the world which may interlace in his thought and traverse his holy resolution permit not O good God that the world by his allurements and baits or his own flesh by its infirmities have the upper hand but strengthen him by thy holy Spirit that he may be victorious in the midst of assaults by faith that may be his victory that overcometh the world Give him thy grace to preach thy holy word purely to live holily and religiously and marry his holy life with his preaching that he ruine not that with one that which he builds with the other but that he may be an example to the faithfull in word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith in purity lest by any means having preached to others he himself should be a cast-away Govern him by thy holy spirit that he attribute nothing to himself but to the vertue of thy holy spirit and acknowledge that it is not Paul that planteth nor Apollo that watereth but it is thou O God that givest the increase give him grace that he may have prudence in his guiding efficacy in his preaching that he admonish the unruly comfort those that are of a low spirit and feeble heart chear up the weak ones that he be of a mild spirit towards all and that he walk in his calling as it is fitting to the glory of thy great name to the advancement of the Kingdome of thy Son our Lord to the edification and consolation of this Church and to the salvation of his own Soul Amen After the Prayer ended the Minister added and said in ordaining and consecrating him the two other Ministers continuing their hands on his head with him IN the name and by the authority of the Almighty God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost at the request of the Consistory of this Church and according to the Commission and charge which hath been given us and we have accepted of We Ministers of Gods word do institute thee John Baptista Stouppe do consecrate thee and confirm thee Minister of the word of God in the Church of God and particularly of this Church we give thee power and authority to preach the word of God to distribute the Sacraments to exercise the Ecclesiasticall discipline conformable to Gods word and to do all the functions that appertain to the man of God and Minister of Gods word And to the end that God ratifie in heaven that which we do here on earth we beseech him who is the God of peace who through the blood of the everlasting covenant hath brought again from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep Heb. 13.20 21. who is our Lord Jesus Christ make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Paranymphi Then the two Ministers brought back the Minister newly ordained and confirmed to the seat of the Ministers who sat between them both And the Minister ascended the Pulpit made the ordinary prayer but there where it concerned Pastors he interlaced a prayer for the Minister confirmed and among other things concerning the laying on of the hands on his person The prayer ended he caused the Psalm 133. to be sung O how happy a thing it is and joyfull for to see brethren together fast to hold the band of amity c. and that according to the subject concerning the consecration of Aaron and concord then afterward he blessed the people in the prescribed form in the 6. chap. of Numbers The Lord blesse thee and keep thee the Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee c. Afterwards the Pastours and Elders entred into the Consistory and as James Cephas and John gave the right hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas Gal. 2.9 so the three Pastors gave the right hand of fellowship to Mr. Stouppe their fellow brother with convenient congratulations and holy wishes then the brethren Elders one after another did the like unto him So this Action ended to the contentment of the Church Amen
I send thee And therefore m Amos 3.8 The Lion hath roared who will not fear The Lord God hath spoken who can but prophesie Amaziah the Prief of Bethel said n Amos 7.12 13 14 15. unto Amos O thou Seer go flee thee away into the Land of Judah and there eat bread and prophesie there but prophesie not again any more at Bethel for it is the Kings Chappel and it is the Kings Court Then answered Amos and said to Amaziah I was no Prophet neither was I a Prophets son but I was an herdman and a gatherer of Sycomore fruit and the Lord took me as I followed the flock and the Lord said unto me go prophesie unto my people Israel As if Amos had said I did not heretofore prophesie but now I do prophesie for there is a necessity laid upon me to prophesie So Saint Paul was neither an Apostle nor an Apostles son but a Pharisee and a persecutor of the Apostles and disciples of Christ and of his Church but after he received a Commandement from Christ Go I do ordain thee a minister of the Gentiles this necessity was laid upon him to preach the Gospel This necessity of Gods command did make Moses to teach the people of the Jews although he was adopted son of the daughter of Pharaoh It was this that induced the Prophet Isaiah to prophesie although rich and noble being the uncle unto the King Manasses according to the opinion of the Hebrews So likewise Paul though an Hebrew of the Hebrews of the tribe of Benjamin a Pharisee as touching the Law brought up at the feet of Gamaliel did preach for the necessity of Gods Command occasioned the necessity of obligation Saint Paul was obliged by the Commandment of God to preach the Gospel without any glorying therein o Luke 17.10 When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do saith Christ the Saviour of the world unto his Disciples 2. Saint Paul was bound to preach the Gospel by his calling for his office and those excellent and eminent titles of his vocation did oblige him to do it the prophets the Apostles the Evangelists and Ministers of the word of God are stiled the Chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof Angels watchmen Bishops overseers superintendants fishers of men the light and salt of the earth workers and labourers yea labourers together with God builders vine-dressers Pastors spirituall Fathers Stewards of the mysteries of God saviours starres in the right hand of Christ and other such titles and admirable names that are attributed and appropriated unto them in holy scripture to shew and signifie their calling their charge their duty and their honour We read that Timotheus the Musician was so expert learned and admirable in his art that he made of men Lions or Lambs when he would for playing on his instrument he did so stir up and encourage Alexander the great that he did arm himself with all his armour animated and provoked with courage and force to go and fight against his enemies and then on a sudden changing the tune and notes he touched so sweetly on the strings of his instrument that he did pacifie and mollifie King Alexander he did calm him and made him as supple and quiet as a Lamb. The Ministers of God are intitled Boanerges which is the sons of thunder Mark 3.17 who animate and encourage the faithfull p Eph. 6 19 15 16 17. to take the whole armour of God having their loins girt about with tâ—ruth and having on the breast plate of righteousnesse their feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace above all taking the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God By these heavenly weapons they fight against the Devil the world and the flesh and have the victory over them They are besides in another consideration stiled Boanerges the sons of thunder to thunder the Judgements of God against sinners and to draw them to repentance and humility and to reclaim them and make them as tame quiet as lambs The ministers are also named Barnabas which is being interpreted the son of consolation Act. 4.36 to comfort all that mourn q Isa 61.1 to preach good tidings unto the meek to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound They are stiled Barsabas Acts 1.23 to wit sons of Conversion converting sinnes to repentance yea and they are called Bar-jonas sons of the dove that is to say sons of peace and reconciliation So that these titles which are given them do shew their Office and duty their honor and charge for it is not an idle dignity but a work and honourable burden Thus in the Old Testament r Habbak 1 1. The burden which Habbakuck the Prophet did see and Saint Paul in the new Testament calls it Å¿ Rom. 1.5 grace and Apostleship or charge of Apostle Now these titles above mentioned did appertain unto Paul as an apostle and Evangelist to represent his vocation office obligation and therefore necessity was laid upon him to preach the Gospel But besides this twofold necessity there was another necessity that did presse and urge him namely the threatning and curse of the Lord in case he shewed himself refractory and disobedient and would not preach the Gospel and that is that which the Apostle propoundeth in the last place which he saith Yea wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel Here we must observe that the word Wo is taken in holy Writ two manner of wayes 1. It doth signifie a corporall wo a temporall curse calamity and misery 2. A spirituall and everlasting wo and curse When Jesus Christ said u Mat. 24.19 Wo unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those dayes he speaks not there of a spirituall and eternall wo but of a temporall and corporall wo whereunto women that are with child and that give suck shall be subject in those times But when he saith x Luk. 6.25 Wo unto you that are rich for ye have received your consolation c. He speaks of a spirituall and everlasting wo so the rich man that had had here on earth his consolation was in eternall desolation and misery in hell For y Luk. 16.5 Abraham said unto him son remember that thou in thy life time received good things likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented And the Reprobates do feel in hell unspeakable torments which eye hath never seen nor ear heard neither hath entred into the heart of man crying out uncessantly Wo wo unto us Now when the Apostle saith here wo is unto me he means it not in the first sense he speaks not of a temporall and corporall
they might be saved Consider thou Jonas the type of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore also of his Church thou seest him swallowed up by the Whale thou seest him devoured and thou hast some reason to believe it at the onely word at the twinckling of the eye of the Lord this monster vomits out Jonah upon the dry land a Herald ordained to go from thence to preach unto the Ninivites to a people aliens from the Church and dost thou find it strange that this poore Church which Popery as it were swallowed up God willing it having foretold it heretofore maugre her power and malice she hath vomited it up again and rendered it in our dayes and for to preach the Gospel more gloriously yea and that to our selves So then we bring that which the Apostles have brought have delivered unto us and have taught us and therefore let us retain and maintain these Doctrines And let us reject all false irregular and erroneous doctrines which have too much the vogue and sway in these Countreys For England that was heretofore a Paradise even as the Garden of the Lord is alas become a Bochim a valley of tears an Aceldama a field of blood a Golgotha and Mount of Calvary a Charnel of skulls a common sinke and sewer of all sorts of Heresies and that there are here among us as many or more sects and opinions than there are among all the reformed Churches in Europe There is a place near London named the Isle of dogs but alas how many kinds of dogs are there in this Island of England The sacred Scripture compares divers kinds of persons to dogs the a Mat. 7.6 prophane persons b Phil. 3.2 the Schismaticks c Isa 56.10 mercenary Pastors d Ps 22.17 the persecutors the Apostates and especially those may be called dogs that do bark against the Deity of God or the Trinity of persons e 2 Pet. 2.22 as Arrius Sabellian Servetus Socinus and other blasphemous Hereticks Such an one was Lucian a dog in condition who for his impiety was devoured by dogs Such an one was Julian the Apostata who being struck with an unknown dart casted up his blood with his hand towards heaven crying aloud Thou hast overcome O Galilean thou hast overcome The Arminians and Socinians do agree together in many errors that a man may say of them as of old as of Plato and of Philo either Philo doth Platonise or Plato doth Philonise So either the Arminians do Socinianise or the Socinians do Arminianise in divers points as concerning Predestination original Sin the unperseverance of Saints touching the kingdom of Christ universal grace the Sacrament of Baptisme of the holy Supper of the Lord and divers other things among other points concerning the Son of God saving that the Son of God cannot rightfully truly be called Jehovah God of himself and by himself that the arguments taken from the works of the creation from the attributes of eternity frō the name of Jehovah c. are not sufficient to prove the Deity of the Son of God that Christ is named the Son of God in respect of his marvellous conception his anointing his resurrection ascention his sitting at the right hand of God is it not that which the Catechism of the Socinian Churches in Poland and in Lithuania doth teach affirming that there is but the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only true God that that man Jesus of Nazareth born of the Virgin is not God c. A book full full of blafhemies against the son of God a book that hath been reimprinted in England without the knowledge of the superior powers A book which deserues to be burnt and it is said it hath been the Printers and furtherers thereof worthy to be punished but O Lord how long we read a notable example in the Ecclesiasticall history Amphilochius an orthodox Bishop in Licaonia made a request unto the Emperour Theodosius to be pleased to make a decree for the banishment of the Arrians out of his Empire but the Emperours rejected it as an unjust and cruell request and which could not be executed without danger Now the Bishop thought on a way how the Emperour might be moved to consent to his request He came one day with other Bishops to the imperiall Court Theodor l. 5 c. 16. at the time that the Emperour Theodosius sat on his throne and Arcadius his son sitting on his side newly designed Emperour with him to congratulate them which the Bishops did and did congratulate both the Emperour and his son Arcadius but Amphilochius did bow to the Emperour Theodosius with all reverence and humility but he did it not to his son Arcadius the Emperour thought he did not do reverence to his son either because he saw him not or by forgetfulnesse shews him his son and adviseth him to salute and honour him but Amphilochius told him He that honours the Father honoureth the son the Emperour taking this act this fact to heart with a kind of indignation replyed unto him He that dishonoureth the Son dishonoureth the Father and commands those about him to cause him to avoid the Court. Amphilochius having that which he desired to attain unto his aim and end cryed out O Emperour doest thou take so to heart the contempt of thy sonne dost thou think that in dishonouring thy son I dishonour thee and dost thou not think that in dishonouring the son of God thou dost not dishonor God the Father remember that God hates those that dishonor his Son doth he not say f Josh 5.23 that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father he that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him The Emperor was so much moved with this answer admiring the wise boldnes of the old man that he descended his throne embraced the Bishop confessed he had told the truth asked of him pardon and made an Edict banishing the Arrians out of his Empire And certes Saint John saith g 1 John 2.23 Whosoever denyeth the Son the same hath not the Father but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also Whosoever therefore preacheth another Gospel another Jesus another Spirit is accursed and if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16.22 O that these Blasphemers that sin against God the Father in sinning against God the Son either in regard of his person or of his divine or humane nature or of his offices were suppressed in England For how can we be said to honour God the Father if we permit that God the Son be dishonoured 2. The Ministers of the Gospel ought and are to preach the Gospel not onely in regard of the Doctrine but also in respect of a holy conversation of life edifying the Church of God as well with the one hand as with the other by the preaching of
the word and by good example For otherwise the Pastor will ruine the Church of God more by his bad life than he will edifie it by his wholesome Doctrine He will destroy that which he hath built and will pluck up with one hand that which he hath planted with the other for the people look as much or more to his life and conversation than to his preaching He that preacheth well and lives ill is like the statue of Mercury who shews the way unto others but doth not bow one step he resembles the Scribes and Pharisees that sent the wise men of the East that came to adore Jesus Christ to Bethlehem but stirred not from their houses they are like unto the Comedian who crying with a loud voice O heaven shewed with his finger the earth which the principall Magistrate beholding could not fit longer in his place but rose and withdrew himself from the company in a fury saying this man hath made a solecisme with his hand So they that have Heaven at their tongues end and the earth at their fingers end speak false and bad Divinity whereas they might avoid such an incongruous irregularity and make a congruity between the tongue and the hand if they did as they speak and lived as they preach They are like to those that built the Ark of Noah but did not enter into it and were not saved so that those who build the Church of God by their preaching but are not of the Church by faith which worketh by good deeds shall not be saved They will say in the last day of Judgement to Jesus Christ the Soveraign Judge i Mat. 7.22 23 Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name done many wonderfull works but the Judge will say unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity k Psal 50.16 18. k Ps 50 16 18 What hast thou to do to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing when thou sawest a thief thou consendest with him and hast been partaker with adulterers Origen being excommunicated for offering Incense on the altar and so denying covertly Jesus Christ requested by some to expound unto the people a a passage of Scripture fell by Gods providence on these 16 17 18 verses of this 50. Psalm shut up the book not able not willing to expound that place and wept and all the people wept with him l Rom. 2.21 22 23 24. Thou which teachest another teachest thou not thy self thou that preachest a man should not steal doest thou steal thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery doest thou commit adultery thou that abhorest Idols doest thou commit Sacriledge thou that makest thy boast of the Law through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God for the name of the Lord is blasphemed amomg the Gentiles through you And therefore let us endeavour to marry our preaching with our life lest that by any means having preached to others we our selves should be cast away and reprobates 1 Cor. 9.27 Let us build the Church of God with the one and the other hand m 1 Tim. 4-13 12.14 Let us give attendance to reading to exhortation to Doctrine and be also patterns of the believers in word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith in purity and that in consideration of the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery as it is in the 19. verse of that same Chapter We intend not to discourse here of the Imposition or of the laying on of the hands upon the sacrifices upon particular persons in blessing them or in healing them and such like things But we say that the Imposition or the laying on of the hands is not a naked ceremony as some suppose as if it were of no efficacy or on the other side as if it did imprint an indelible character which cannot be blotted out as the Papists say or in breathing on persons as the Bishops do and saying to them Receive ye the Holy Ghost they received the Holy Ghost as Christ in breathing on the Apostles and saying Receive ye the Holy Ghost they received the Holy Ghost or as the Apostles in laying the hands on some who received the extraordinary gift of the Holy Ghost as it was in the time of the Primitive Church when God did inrich his Church with that miraculous gift when those that had received the Imposition of hands did speak strange languages c. No such matter but the laying on of the hands which we that are Ministers have received and which our dear brother here present is to receive doth signifie other things For it signifies that the Minister is not sent by himself no man imposeth hands on himself Aaron himself hath been chosen n Heb. 5.4 For no man taketh this Honour unto himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron So also Christ glorified not himself but was called and truly o Rom. 10.17 14 15. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent p Jer. 23.21 I have not sent these Prophets yet they ran I have not spoken to them yet they prophesied The laying on of hands therefore signifies a sending The Holy Ghost said q Acts 13.2 3. separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them and when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them they sent them away So Moses r Num. 27.22 23. laid his hands upon his servant and successour Joshua before all the Congregation and gave him a charge as the Lord commanded him Besides it signifies the power and authority given unto him to preach that receives the laying on of hands authority according to the power that is given by Jesus Christ not to destruction but to edification the laying on of the hands doth also signifie that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights Jam. 1.17 that God gives necessary and convenient gifts to the discharge of the Minister in his Ministry Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things and he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers c. The laying on of the hands therefore doth shew that God governs the Ministry and guides his Ministers by his hand and his Church by the hand of his Ministers t Ps 77.20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron It declares the hand of God and his help that he will be with his servants in all things and every where will preserve them in all dangers and against all kind of evils u 1 Kin. 18 46. The hand of the Lord was on Elijah he girded up his
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