God of whom I haue receiued both my commission and lesson what and how to speake and how farre to proceed against you That you may the rather hearken and giue your attention vnto the words know the exceeding loue affection the Lord hath toward you hee is so farre from desâ—ring your destruction or delighting and pleasing himselfe in your ponishment as that hee be moneth your miserie and lamenteth your losse yea as a compassionate father hee pitieth you and hath compassion on all those of whose returne there is any hope And that you should beleeue it his will is that his messengers should haue the same tender affection and compassionate care ouer the Church that Iaphâ—â—â— may be allured to dwell in the â—ems of Sam. And that none may stand vp to excuse himselfe my words do not poynt to the Assyrions Idumeâ—ns nor Moâ—bites but they doe concerne thee O Ierusalem that take your selues to bee a purified people There be none so holy but need farther information and reformation and it is the Ministers duty to speak the word and rebuke sinne and exhort every kinde of profession vnto religion and that you the hearers might nor thinke it an Indifferent thing to heare or not to he are because men like your selues speake it It is not a counsell but a commandement enforcing the estimation of the authority of the Prophet no lesse the Gods own authority Wherefore in the Lords behalfe suruey your waits in your heâ—reâ— by the glasse of Gods law you that think your selues to bee a sanctified people shall behold great 〈◊〉 of washing not only the seet but the head also not the out side alone but the very insulâ— is defiled For I must tell you you are no better within then you bee without But albeit thou art commanded to sanctifie thy heart beware of assuming any power vnto your selues for as sanctification is an action not words so it is not mans but Gods worke yet so that God worketh not vpon man as vpon stocks but as vpon reasonable creatures who by Gods preuenting grace work together with him the works of God For in this action the hand is the whole Trinitie the water is the teares of repentance 1. Thes 5.23 the soape is the grace of God through Christ and the sunne that drieth vs maketh vs accepted is the applying and iustifying faith through Christ Iesus And in this worke be sure that thou thy selfe bee exercised therein for God will not be serued and worshipped by atturneyes and another for thee for thou must serue God for thy selfe because the iust man must liue by his own faith And heere O Ierusalem you must vnderstand although the Lord hath made you the Prince of the Prouinces seating you in the high places to cleanse and reforme others yet the Lord requireth that you first cleanse your selues and wash your owne hearts before you sit vpon others first sit vpon your selues And herein bee not hypocrites for outward holinesse without the heart goe with it is abominable before God but sanctifie the heart and all will be cleane Therefore let the obiect wherabout you must be busied be your sins wickednesse for the readiest way to bring you backe from prophanenesse is to conuince your selues of sinne And so doing the gaine is your owne for thereby you shall not profit the Lord with your righteousnesse but your selues For so shall you in this life bee preserued when others perish and in the life to come saued when other shall be damned The God of all grace so sanctifie vs in the vnderstanding hereof generally that wee so apply the doctrines particularly to our hearts that all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit may so bee cleansed that wee may grow vp vnto full holinesse in the feare of God Concerning the fust point containing the Acclamation in the coÌ„mandement where I beseech you 1. consider the persons speaking namely God by Ieremie and the Prophet in the name of the Lord. 2. Chr. â—9 25 And this is of great force to enforce the commandement The world is become so captious that it is more ready to question by what authority the Preacher preacheth then with obedience to obey the preaching Therefore to remoue all lets that may hinder the acceptance of his doctrine he first of all pleadeth his commission Doct. 1 From whence wee may learne that none ought to speake teach in the Lords name that be not able to shew their authority and commission to bee set on worke both by God and his Church This the Prophet proueth speaking not in his owne but in the Lords name As if he should haue said I doe not of my selfe command you for theÌ„ you might think me too busie but I haue authority and commission diuine and am set a worke by the Lord whose will I must obey and therfore you ought to heare me with patience For I am none of those who run and God hath not sent my calling is from God And for this cause receiued I the anoynting 1. Ioh. 2.21 which is nothing else but the assignement vocation and ordination of any to â—n office in Church or Common-wealth with a promise of bestowing sit gifts for the discharge thereof To this end Kings Prophets Priests in the old Testament were â—nnointed signifying the spirituall oyle of Gods grace fitting vs to our calling this is that Chrysma that will teach vs all things Here I mind not with Ireâ—ans Lib. 3. cap. 3. to shew you that Alia vocatio est extraordinaria alia ordinaria that the one is without the suffrage of men by the onely voice of God as was Abraham Moses and the Prophets vnder the Law and as Iohn the Baptist and the Apostles in the time of the Gospell and that the other was by the suffrage of the Church Precibus impositione manuum as now in the time of the Gospell the Lord sendeth labourers into his vineyard But my purpose is briefly to shew you that none without a lawfull calling froÌ„ the Church by whose hands the Lord sendeth forth fit men into the Ministery ought to be heard of the Lords people If the Lord would not beare with any of what degree soeuer in the time of the Law but would punish euen Kings that would meddle with the Priests office that had no calling thereunto Then none without a lawful calling may take vpon them the ministerie not bee heard of the Lords people But the proposition is true Exod. 28.1 Numb 16.32.35 1. Sam. 13.9.10.11.13 2. Reg. 9.7.31 2. Sam. 6.6.7 2. Reg. 15.5 If no man may take this office but he that is called as Aaron was Then c. But Hebr. 5.4 If the Lord from heauen complaineth of such that runne before they be sent then such ought not to bee heard of the Lords people But the Lord complaineth let 23.21 saying I haue not sent these Prophets yet they runne I haue not spoken vnto them and yet
and repentance is an action pressed vpon vs and that from God For it is his coÌ„mandement we must wash therefore we are vncleance Doct. 1 From whence the instruction is that there is not any thing in al this world that doth defile the soule and body in the sight of God as sin doth Proued here That which is not defiled need not to be washed But here man is commaÌ„ded to wash himselfe therefore he is defiled Sinne is called rottennesse and corruption and is that which wee haue drawne either by propagation from our parents in originall sinne which hath defiled and corrupted the whole nature of man that he is blinded in vnderstanding froward in will and rebelling in all his actions against the will word of God or else it is the increase of this vncleannesse which wee haue greatly augmented by our owne euill practise and wicked conuersation and is that which the Apostle calleth old leauen to be purged 1. Cor. 5.7 that it may be a new lumpe This vncleannesse of sinne was prefigured in the ancient washings of Aaron and his sonnes with water at the doore of the Tabernacle Exodus 29.4 And in the typicall and signifying washings of the old Testament foreshewing the cleansing and purifying of our hearts in the Gospell Mat. 5.8 For Gods Altar and seruice must bee compassed with innocencie the Lord will be sanctified in those that come neere him Leu. 10 The purification of the soule and bodie is the fruite of sauing hope 1. Ioh. 3.3 For euery one that hath this hope in him purgeth himselfe as he is pure This vncleannes is deciphered in Ezek. 16.6 for the Lord vnto whose eyes all things are naked Heb. 13 4. seeth euerie one polluted in his own blood Luk. 10.30 It is the spirituall pitch that who so toucheth is defiled therewith Sin doth mortifie vs and maketh vs dead to grace and goodnesse And in the old Testament he that touched a dead carkâ—se was vncleane and might not come into the Sanctuarie till he was cleansed Vse 1 The first vse is to teach vs to labour with our owne hearts to hate and abhorre sinne in all but specially in our selues and that with a perfect hatred euen more then the diuell of hell for he cannot hurt vs till sinne doe staine vs. Sinne is that which much delighted the diuell and therefore it is the Tempters office and continual endeuour to prouoke vs to sinne Therefore he is called an Enemie Apocal. 12.10 an Accuser a Compasser Iob. 1.7 a Sister Luk. 22.31 a Deceiuer GeÌ„ 3.13 Wherfore I beseech you trust him not for hee hath a minde to get all the members of thy body and all the affections of thy soule from out of Gods seruice into his slauerie and subiection Sinne greatly displeaseth God and therefore he hath euery where in his word threatned fearefull punishments against the transgressors of his law Leuit. 26.15 Deu. 28.15 And there hath been none so deare nor is any so beloued vnto God in heauen Paradise nor in the earth but for sin the Lord hath punished The Angels that kept not their first estate Iude epist they are reserued in chaines of darknesse for euer to be punished Adam for sinne throwne out of Paradise The Canaanites with their sixe bordering nations disinherited and cast forth of their countrie The first world drowned Sodome and Gomer burned Kings vnthroaned Iudges Magistrates strooke downe from the bench and the Mightie cast from their seates Yea the Lord forsooke his own inheritance euen mount Sion which hee loued because they sinned against him that so the saying of his Prophet might be true Psalme 5.4 Thou art not a God that loueth wickednesse neither shall euell dwell with thee The foolish shall not stand in thy sight for thou hatest all them that worke iniquitie Isai 1.16 Wash you make you cleane put away the euill of your workes cease to doe euill learne to doe well and then come and let vs reason together For wee must wash our hands in innocencie before we may come to compasse the Lords Altar Vse 2 Here also it serueth to informe our iudgements concerning sin and wickednesse namely that euerie sinne defileth and subuerteth the worke of God it turneth good into euill faire into soule forme into deformitie and life into doâ—â—â— And this doth the holy Ghost teach vs Tit. 1.15 saying Vnto the cleanâ— are all things cleane but vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing Is nothing cleane but euen their minds and consciences are defiled Should not this deare Christians inforce vpon our consciences this doctrine of sanctification and cleansing of our flesh and spirits from wickednesse suh it defileth all things it commeth neere Let Gods word come to a sinful he are it is defiled as pure water in a foule vessell What is there in man or without man that sinne hath not defiled It hath made our tongues become Adders speares our lippes instruments of guile our hands to worke iniquitie and our feete to runne to euill and to shed blood But what speake I of the defilement of the members the Spirit saith sin defileth the very minds and consciences of men And how should it bee otherwise for if sin so abuse the naturall parts what will it doe with the minde It grieueth me to tell you but I will tell you that it may warne you It turneth prayers into cursing it vseth knowledge to beguile the Scriptures to couer prophanenesse it vseth their wittes to cauill which brings Lawyers much gold and siluer it vseth wealth to oppresse strength to steale to wine and to women It vseth naturall wisedome to maintaine vnnatural blasphemy It vseth hunger to gluttonie thirst to drunk â—â—ues garments to pride honour to disdome marriage to lust offices to briberie the Minssterie to contention saw to delay It vseth the day to open euill and the night to secret shame Shall I cease here I weepe to speake it It either despiseth or wresteth damnably the holy and sacred word of God and the ordinances of God it prophaneth wickedly For haue we not in this our age to fill vp the measure of vncleannesse haue we not Ribaldrie as in Playes and the like committed to the presse to be commended in print lest posteritie should want patternes of impietie Whoredome with some is good physicke honestie is but foolerie knauerie is commoditie dissembling is discretion and idlenesse is gentrie If this bee not cleansed with the winde of the law or cut downe by your sword of iustice or purged with the Lords fanne to what height of sinne shall we grow vnto But the thing which I admire is this that God Almightie for all this doth suffer vs stil to liue It may be hee doth it that his long patience might leade vs to repentance or that wee should fulfill the measure of sin in defying the grace of God as wee haue defiled the nature of man that so at last we may abuse death as we
they prophesie If Christ Iesus in the new Testament approueth this then such ought not to bee heard that haue not the same approbation But Christ Iesus from heauen in the chosen vessell Saint Paul Acts 9.12 sending him to Ananias that hee might lay his hands vpon him and receiue sight Vrim and Thummim science and good conscience knowledge and holinesse to beare his name before the Gentiles which maketh the proposition If in nature order doe sound against such irregular persons then it cannot be well pleasing to God that any in the Lords name without the Lords appointment should meddle with the Ephod or deale with the sacred things of God But Peter Martyr vpon the 1. of Sam. 14. saith Spectanda est in ecclesiasticis Eutaxia in politicis autem parendum est In Ecclesiasticall lawes good order must be considered but in politicall wee must obey And to thrust in a mans selfe without an assignement is against order which is ingrauen in euery mans person euen from the head to the foote For is not the head a tower the eyes watchmen the eye-lids windowes for light the mouth a doore to let in prouision the tongue a speaker to call for that which is needfull and to examine that which is doubtfull be not the cares spies to listen the hands seruitors the feet messengers to carrie and recarrie â—1 â—â—al the teeth grinders of natures prouision is not the pâ—llat a taster the stomack a kitchin wherein all things bee prepared for the benefit of nature that so the whole body bee preserued as the closet of the soule All which being held in that order that God hath set them doe cry against the disordered furie of men in the ministeâ—ie that runne before they are sonâ— Yea not onely Diuinity reason and nature but Christian policie proclaimeth that if Iudget Iesticâ—â— in their Sessions suting for correction of vice in the Kings name first plead their commission then ought no man in the name of the King of heauen preach without his assignement For application It sâ—rueth to teach vs that as many â—s â—aue any feare of God ought to heare with all meeknesse Such Ministers and messengers of the Lord that haue receiued their calling from the Church which is that which Saint Iames giueth for doctrine Iom 1.21 Wee being called bee the Lords seruants therefore wee must doe our masters message and hee that doth but his masters message no more ought not to be blamed nay ought to be beleeued For whatsoeuer the Lord by his messengers sayeth must bee beleeued and being commanded by them who are first commanded by the Lord they must be obeyed Therefore the Lord in this our text commanding high and low rich poore to sanctifie themselues speaketh vnto vs here present Wherefore this day wee ought to obey this commaundement as we will answere it at our vttermost perill Vse 2 The second vse serueth for reproose first concerning the Papacie whose vocation is scarce sufficient to giue them a lawfull assignment to bee Ministers of the Gospell and of the Sacraments For the right of those orders whereby they were ordained to sacrifice for the quicke and the dead vndermining the sacrifice of our Sauiour we denie to be one and the same with the most iust and equall lawes which the Lord made touching the necessity of vocation The third vse Vse 3 Yea this lastly serueth to teach vs to confute condemne the irregular and preposterous course of the Separatists Anabaptists and Familists that runne before they are sent and take vpon them to ordaine and send forth Ministers being no Ministers themselues Wherefore such as go forth without the ordinance of the Church as Heretickes and Schismatickes doe are not to bee receiued nor heard of such as feare God For what truth may hee deliuer from God that hath his calling froÌ„ man and not from God what Sacraments may hee administer that hath no lawfull calling to the ministery what profit may he bring vnto the people himselfe not brought vp nor sent of God euen as much as Saint Peter that fished on the wrong side of the ship al night and caught nothing so much good and no more may we looke to come by their ministerie that in contempt of the Churches ordination and imposition of hands runne vp and downe gathering vnto themselues a heape of hearers who are not taught as you haue heard from God by Ieremy but from Ieremy by Ieremy and so doe Toto coelo errare à coelo feed vpon mans inuentions in stead of the immortall food of Gods word Hence it commeth that diuines turne religion into disputation and stand more vpon science then good conscience to get themselues a name by leading the poore people into a thousand pitifull opinions In the first and best daies of the Church it was farre otherwife vnto which glorious dayes the Lord Iesus brings vs and that soone lest Christians turne Iewes and Christianity be turned into Atheisme and let euery good Christian say Amen Now a word Doct. 2 as they bee the words of the Prophet in the name of the Lord. Ieremiah speaketh from the Lord Therefore of God hee must learne his dutie From whence I beseech you Fathers and brethren let vs confirme our iudgements that the Ministers of God are not before hand to bee taught their lessons of men but they must first learne both matter and manner what to speak and how to speake from God before they teach men The truth of this our example leadeth vs to For Ieremy speaketh from God and not from man This doctrine runneth with the current and streame of the liuely waters Exod. 3.12 The Lord said to Moses I will bee with thee Exod. 4.12 and I will be with thy mouth and will teach thee what thou shalt say Of the Iudges of Israel it was said Iudg. 3.10 And the spirit of the Lord came vpon him and he iudged Israel It is the Lords appointment Isa 6.6 with a coale from his Altar to inflame the tongue of his messenger Because to whom a Minister is to performe his dutie of him hee is to learne his dutie Ephes 6.17 But in teaching of men a Minister is to performe his duty to God 1. Cor. 4.1 3.10 Therefore wee must not speake what we will nor how wee list but all must be both for matter manner as God will So saith the Prophet 1. Reg. 22.14 Whatsoeuer the Lord saith vnto me that will I speak Yea so saith the false Prophet Numb 23.3 Whatsoeuer the Lord sheweth vnto me I will tell thee And this is that which the Prophet Isay prophecied of our blessed Sauiour that before he should be sent forth of the Father to preach it was said Luk. 4.18 that the spirit of the Lord God is vpon me therefore hath the Lordannointed me he hath sent me to preach good tidings c. To conclude this If some Magistrates will scorne to learne