and dashed all their ioy and mirth laied it in the dust But was this all Oh no no besides all this they that led vs captiues required of vs songs and mirth when wee had hanged vppe our harpes saying sing vs one of the songs of Zion Oh the wicked Babylonians came scoffingly and tauntingly and mocked them by their religion and flowted at the very name of God which was praised in their songs and this cut the very heart strings of them in twain as the proud Spaniard would scoffe at vs and our religion if the Lord as iustly he might should deliuer vs into their handes Come on you Protestants would they say let vs heare now one of your Geneua psalmes c. Oh this would go to the heart of vs if wee had anie sparke of Gods spirite in vs to heare God thus and his holy religion had in derision of his wicked enemies Here then we may learne that wee neuer see what a benefit it is to haue religion and the ministery of the word vntill it be taken from vs. 〈◊〉 â—4 3 Though Dauid alwayes loued religion yet neuer so much as when hee was in trouble and banishment for then he coulde make his mone vnto God and say that the sparrowes and the swallowes were at a better passe then he because they might come and build their nests neere vnto the altar of the Lord and they could haue a place in the Lords house when hee was shut out Then did his soule long for the presence of the Lord againe 〈◊〉 42.1 As the Hart longeth for water when shee is chased then was his meate nothing but teares and his drincke stil mingled with weeping and then did he poure out his soule vnto God like water and his bones were as it were cut a sunder so great was his griefe then wheÌ„ he remembred how he had gone with the multitude into the house of the Lorde with songs of praise and thanksgiuing as vnto a feast which nowe he could not do Amos. 8.14 And this is that which Amos prophecieth of when the Lord shall bring a famine of the word of god vpon the land theÌ„ shall men run vp and downe from one place vnto another yea from one sea to another and from North to South to seeke it and shal not finde it for he that wanteth meate and health and libertie can best tell what they be worth And the rather to prouoke vs to a loue of these heauenly things we are to note that religion and libertie goe both together The Kings of Iudah neuer prospered better then when they embraced most zealously the worde of the Lorde And most true is that saying of the Lorde Iesus that if wee first seeke as many did the king dome of GOD and the righteousnesse thereof Mat. 6.33 then libertie then peace then health then riches and then all other things shal be cast vpon vs. It foloweth 15 And I will giue you Pastours according to my heart As if he should say whereas before you went into captiuitie you had pastours that were either dumbe dogges that could not teach you at all or false prophets that taught as it stoode with their aduauntage so that you could neither haue knovvledge nor conscience to serue me for which cause I sent you into captiuitie 〈◊〉 5.13 nowe I will not only bring you home againe but I will also giue you wise and godly pastours which may teach you how to serue me rightly and may also call vpon you to serue me faithfully that you may goe no more into captiuity Here then we may note first that a wise and a learned ministerie is a most needful thing in asmuch as without it it is not possible tru religion shoulde continue And therefore when God beganne an ordinary religion he commanded that Aaron and his sonnes and the tribe of Leui should be sanctified to the office of priesthoode to offer sacrifices for the sinnes of the people and to teach and instruct them in the vvill of the Lord shewing thereby that religion could not be vpholden without some special means to teach and direct the people therein According to my heart that is such as I shall like and approue that shall haue their calling from me and their gifts from mee and their allovvance from me and shal teach for me and reproue for me and shall seeke nothing but my glorie and your good such as my selfe shall like of so is Dauid saide to be a man after Gods ovvne heart that is such a one as God taketh delight in and approoueth and that is Gods heart indeed for the Lord hath no heart nor head nor body nor hands nor feete nor eies nor mouth nor eares as man hath and as the grose Papistes haue set him out in their pictures vpon their vvindovves c. But these partes of man are attributed and giuen to God after the manner of men for mans better vnderstanding of the nature of God for euery man knovveth to vvhat vse these partes of mans body serue the eie to see by the eare to heare by the mouth to speake by the hand to worke by the foote to goe by And sometime these partes in man are in the scriptures put for the qualities and properties that be in them and sometime for the actions and deedes that are vvrought by them as appeareth in the fift chapter of the gospel after Saint Matthew vvhere it is said by our sauiour Christ if thy eie offend thee plucke it out or if thy hand offend thee cut it off his meaning is that men should take heede of such things as are done by the hand and by the eâ—e and so by the rest to the offence of God or our neighbour And it is an vsuall thing in our common speaking amongst men vvhen vve see any mans vvriting we say this is such a mannes hand and yet the writing is not his hand but his handy worke When we heare one speake wee vse to say that is such a mans tongue or I knovve him by his tongue and yet his speech is not his tongue but a thing vttered by the meanes of his tongue So likewise in God there are such properties and qualities which are indeed his very essence and being and are described in the Scriptures for our better vnderstanding what the Lorde is vnto vs as knovvledge and wisedome and vnderstanding and might and strength and iustice and mercy and prouidence and loue and hatred and anger and liking and disliking and many moe vvhich are all set foorth eyther vnder the partes of mans body or by other creatures whose natures are very well knowen vnto men And how could we better come vnto the knowledge of Gods vnspeakeable nature so farre as is meete for vs to knovve but by such things as we are familiarly acquainted vvithall our selues for doe not al men know that strength doth vtter her force by the meanes of the arme and that knovvledge and
God wooing his Church Set foorth in three godly Sermons By William Burton preacher at Reading LONDON Printed by V.S. for Iohn Hardie dwelling in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Tygers head 1596 God wooing his Church The first Sermon IEREMIE Chap. 3. Verse 14 O ye disobedient children turne againe saith the Lord for I am your Lord and I will take you one of a citie and two of a tribe and will bring you to Zion Verse 15 And I will giue you Pastors according to mine heart which shall feede you with knowledge and vnderstanding THese wordes be part of an Exhortation begunne in the 12. verse of this chap. and made to the captiue Israelits in Assiria in the 9. yere of Hoshea king of the ten tribes as appeareth in 2. King 17.6 And it groweth vppon a complaint against Iuda because that Iuda did not profit by the iugements of God vpon Israel which complaint being ended the Lord here commandeth the prophet to labor with the ten tribes that were in captiuitie that they might profite better by those afflictions which were vpon them and by timely and hearty repentance to turn vnto God which if they would yeeld vnto the Lord doth also promise for his part to forget all their sinnes past and to place them in their former estate of libertie againe This Scripture hath two partes an Exhortation and a Promise In the Exhortation there are two circumstances to be considered of the first is of the persons the second is of the matter subiect The persons be two-folde exhorted and exhorting the persons exhorted are the captiue Iewes described in the twoo first wordes disobedient children The persons exhorting are also double the Lord by Ieremy and Ieremy in the name of the Lord and that appeares in these wordes saith the Lord. The matter subiect is two-folde first what it is that they are exhorted vnto in these wordes Turne againe secondly a reason why in these wordes For I am your Lord. In the manner of speaking to the persons exhorted doth notably appeare the singular wisedome and vnspeakeable mercy of God Gods wisedome appeareth in ripping vppe of their sinnes before he exhorteth them to repentance Yea that he may bring them to repentance for their sinnes he saith not simply O my children turne againe lest they should take an action against Ieremy for impeaching their credit but he saith O ye disobedient children that so hee might conuince their consciences stop their mouthes and take away all occasion of boasting From this wise course of wisedome it selfe in calling men to God both the minister of God and euery christian brother may learne this profitable lesson that the readiest way to bring men from their profanenesse to true repentance is first to conuince them of sinne and then to exhort them to repentance Many cry repent and amend thundering out the iudgements of God against the people this ought to be done but if we do not first shew them what is amis they wil say as the proud Iewes said to Malachie What haue wee done Mal. 3.13 14 But let Malachie tell them what their words are and then they wil blush for shame Then will Felix tremble Act. 24.26 when Paul preacheth of righteousnes temperance and iudgement to come all which do concerne him Then will Dauid confes his sin 2. Sam. 12.7 when Nathan shall lay the parable close to his conscience Then is Nabal striken as a stone 1. Sam. 25 3◠when Abigaile shal wisely watch hir time and tell him of his churlishnes Ioh. 4.19 Then will the Samaritane woman leaue hir scoffing when Christ shall come home to her conscience Then wil the ten tribes returne if euer they will returne when Ieremy shal summon them before gods iudgement seat for disobedience And then may the Preacher look to profit by his publike doctrine and the brother by his priuate counsell when first they shal proue to their consciences that of this and that sin they are guilty Secondly from this wisedome of God we learne that it is lawfull and necessary for the minister of god somtime to vse sharp words if he meane to do any good specially when he hath to deale with men whose faces are of brasse whose necks are of yron whose harts are offlint and whose consciences are seared vp with an hote iron And yet he is not alwayes to lay on loade but sometime with Paule to doubt whether hee should come with a rod or with the spirit of mildnesse as he shall perceiue them either obstinate or tractable so to make the edge of his reprehension blunt or sharp as he seeth his Stil to drop so to quicken or slake his fire and so to straine or let downe the strings as that neither by too much straining or too much loosening they be brought more out of tune then they were before Againe he is not to handle all alike but to remember that as all the strings of an instrument are not alike placed alike natured alike sounded nor all strained alike nor all out of tune alike and that according to their place quantitie and qualitie euery one must more or lesse bee strained so it must be among men The magistrate is to be reproued but with great reuerence and singular modestie The minister is to be reproued 2. Tim. 5.1 but as an Elder The elder sort must be reprooued but as fathers The yoonger sort must be reprooued but as children And euery one according to his place and calling must be dealt withall Againe if two be fallen into one and the same sinne he is wisely to obserue how they came down warily to put a difference betweene the one and the other The one may fall by weakenesse the other of wilfulnes the one of ignorance the other of mallice the one therfore with lenity the other with seueritie must be proceeded against alwaies tempering his speeches according to the nature and dispositions of persons with whom he hath to deale and according to the qualitie and quantitie of the sinne against which he dealeth examples hereof we haue not a few in the scripture Mat. 12.20 Psa 2 9. Christ will not breake the brused reede nor quench the smoking flaxe but the rebellious hee will batter in peeces like a potters vessell Num. 12.3 Moses was the meekest man on earth yet none more angry with Aaron Deut. 32.6 nor more seuere against Idolators then he 〈◊〉 26.28 Paul will perswade Felix to become a christian 〈◊〉 4 19. 〈◊〉 2.11.14 and will conuey himselfe into the bowels of the Gallatians to winne them to Christ but hee meaneth to take vp Peter for halting 〈◊〉 113.10 and to pronounce Elimas the verie child of the deuill As this doctrine was alwayes profitable so neuer more needefull then now when there be quot homines tot sententiae how many men so many minds Some would haue the preacher speake alwaies alike and that of nothing
deceiued constancy is wanting in the Iewes which wil crie Crucifige and Hosanna and almost all with a wind so that Christ is executed there wanted in Pharaoes butler thankfull remembrance of his friend so that Ioseph is forgotten mercie in Rehoboam wisedome and discretion in his yong counsellers and a good name in both is wanting so that Quicquid delâ—rant reges plectuntur Achiui The whole land smarted for their folly In al men wanteth somewhat the whole world hath not all things no the worlde hath no interest in vs for wee are chosen out of it by that GOD that saith heere I am your Lorde There are not wanting the contrarie which like scorpions should driue vs from the world to the Lord as the malice of Cain the hatred of Esau the villanie of Ioab the vnkindnes of Haman the trechery of Iudas the cruelty of Iezabell the sicknes of Achab the churlishnes of Nabal the dissembling of Ananias as the breasts of the world are not benointed onely with sower things but the verie milke that it yeeldeth bitternes it selfe for all is but vanity and vexation of spirite There wanteth not ignorance weakenes vnwillingnes vnfaithfulnes in all imperfections in the best nothing certaine but al changable as the moone fading as the flours of the field vanishing as the smoke in the aire al waxe old as a garment and as a vesture shall we all be changed What shal I say the whole world is set on mischiefe But with the Lord our god the case is otherwise for he is almighty therfore of ability to reward the godly to punish the wicked He is our father in Iesus Christ therfore willing to receiue vs when we turne vnto him he is also a iust God therefore wil plague those which wil not turne vnto him he hath al knowledge knoweth al things therfore he will knowe Barrabas from Barnabas Esau from Iacob Bethauen from Bethel Simon Magus from Simon Peter Iudas Iscariot from Iudas the brother of Iames Shibboleth from Sibboleth 〈…〉 12. â—â— 23 â— 10 and who shall deceiue the Lord He is not as the sonne of man that he should change his mind therefore he must needs be constant and his counsell shall stand Psal 135. â— He cannot be letted or his purpose for he is in heauen doth whatsoeuer he wil Esa 49. he cannot forget his children for he hath written them in the palms of his haÌ„ds Psal 121. â— He is always watchful ouer his children for he that keepeth Israell doth neither slumber nor sleepe A second information shal not miscarrie him for hee that knoweth all at once needeth no information No oratour shal turne his mind for he wil neuer alter the decree that is gone out of his mouth yea his counsel must needs stand against whoÌ„ no wisedom no counsel nor strength can preuaile Pro. 21.30 If he hath conceiued any displeasure against his children hee wil soon be intreated vpoÌ„ their repeÌ„tance Psa 103. he calleth vs he perswadeth vs he entreateth vs to turne obey him therfore let vs turne againe he claimeth it as his right it is for our benifit he shal get nothing by our seruice if vve neuer serue him he vvil loose nothing by vs if we be saued he shal be glorified if we be daÌ„ned he vvilbe glorified also for no vvay vvil he loose a iot of his glory therfore let vs turne again obey him he coÌ„mandeth it in his law wheÌ„ he saith Thou shalt haue no other gods but me we coÌ„fes it in our beliefe wheÌ„ vve say I beleeue in God the father almighty we pray for it wheÌ„ we say our father hallowed be thy name c. therfore if we doe not turne againe we breake his law we deny our faith and we mocke God himselfe in our prayers His mercies should moue vs to obedience his promises shuld allure vs to obey him If he correct vs it is that we might obey him if he plague vs it is because we obey him not but if he doth beare with vs and forbeare vs it is to see whether his long suffering and patience will drawe vs to repentance The Lord is our Lord and stil offreth vs mercie we are his children and alwayes owe him duetie hee is our Lorde in goodnes power wisedome iustice mercie prouidence and in himselfe aboue all and therefore let vs turne vnto him God for his mercies sake turne our hearts that he may be still our God and wee may be his people for euer So be it Now let vs pray The second Sermon of God wooing his Church IEREMIE Chap. 3. Verse 14 O ye disobedient children turne againe saith the Lord for I am your Lord and I will take you one of a citie and two of a tribe and will bring you to Zion Verse 15 And I will giue you Pastors according to mine heart which shall feede you with knowledge and vnderstanding IN the former part of this text the Lord hath shewed what authoritie and power hee hath ouer his people by which he might compell them to serue him but now he taketh another course whereas hee might enforce them he doth intreate them and whereas hee might presse them downe with most greeuous iudgements he doth now promise to reward them most liberally and to deale most bountifully with them for he promiseth to endow them with the best and greatest blessings which hee giueth vnto any of the sons of men in this life For first whereas they were in captiuitie and bondage amongst Gods enemies hee promiseth to set them at libertie in their owne countrie and to establish his true religion and worship amongst them And further that they may no more prouoke the wrath of the Lorde against them through their ignoraunce and wandring out of the way for want of lightes and guides hee promiseth to prouide for them such pastours as shall watch ouer them for their good and not see them want anie instruction as if he should say vnto them I will bring you to my own house and during your whole life I will assure you of the best things I haue for you and you shal want nothing if you will obey me this shal be your dowrie And thus we see how frankely the Lord dealeth with them and what large offers he maketh them as one which meaneth to winne them if any thing will wooe them And further lest that such as were well affected and desirous to returne indeede might be discouraged thinking it in vaine to turne except al would turne and because the promise was made to al the whole company it would not auaile them to humble themselues The Lorde to take away that doubt telleth them that though but a few of them do returne yet hee will be as good as his word and if but one of a city and two of a tribe that is very few in comparison of the whole yet if so many shall
if one leaper amongst ten that are clensed returne with his thanks he shal be accepted if in a cittie one in a tribe but two and in a whole world but eight iust persons bee founde the Lord will receiue them and saue them from perishing with the wicked world The Lorde dealeth not with his people as men doe that will say if there be but one fish in the net and a little one cast it in againe if there come vppe but a little fruit vpon the tree let the swine eate it except there were more if the henne bringeth but one chickin cast it away because there are no more or as the wicked say if there bee but one or two in a congregation that feare God what account make you of him hee is one we are many against one but the Lord makes much of one so it bee his owne to teach vs that we also should make more account of one good man if there be but one among many then of many bad as the Lord doth for he dealeth like a merciful creditor who hauing many desperate debts will take any thing and not refuse part because he cannot haue all Last of all from this place we note that the Lord vseth to spare many wicked ones oftentimes for the smal number of his elect sake which are amongst them as he spared Sodom and Gomorrha for Lots sake the olde world for Noahs sake and Putiphar for Iosephs sake the thornes are spared for the Lillies sake that groweth amongst them and the tares for the wheate sake are not cutte downe and for good Iehoshaphat his sake it was that the Lordes Prophet vouchsafed to goe vnto wicked Iehoram or else hee would not so much as haue looked towardes that wicked man though he were a king 2 King 3.1 This may teach vs to make much of them that feare God for if their number be once accoÌ„plished the world is at an end for as the world was made at the first for their sakes so for their sakes it is that it continueth and standeth for how long did Sodom stand free from the fire of Gods wrath after Lot and his housholde were remooued out of it or how long did the old world escape drowning after that Noah and his companie were entred the Arke no longer shall the world stand after that the Lord hath once gathered his chosen vnto himselfe If the wicked did wel consider of this point that when the Lord hath gathered his wheate into his barne as the Lord Iesus saith that hee will then gather the tares together and cast them into vnquenchable fire they woulde not bee so hastie to driue away Gods people and to hunt them out of their companie and out of their Citties and townes as they doe like the Galileans which were not well vntill Christ were gone out of their coast but euen in pollicie they make much of him as fome doe of wardes whose landes they enioy but during their minoritie and the terme of their liues and after their decease or when they come to full age all goeth from them againe to another But nowe let vs come to the text againe And wil bring you to Zion Zion was a fort in Ierusalem 2. Sam. 5.7 2. Sam. 6.16 1. King 8.1 kept in possession of the Iebusites til Dauids time but it was won by Dauid when he came to the crowne After hee had won it hee brought â—hither the Arke of Gods couenant to which place the people resorted to worship the Lord. So that by Zion is meant the place of Gods worship and religion so that the meaning of the Lorde in these words is this in respect I wil set you at libertie from your enemies and bring you againe to your owne country that you may serue mee in holy exercises of religion as I haue appointed Whence we may note that the end of the churches deliuerance froÌ„ any trouble and affliction is to become more religious for to this end hath the Lord deliuered vs out of the haÌ„ds of our enemies that we might serue him without feare Luke 1.74 in righteousnes true holines alwaies But som may say This is a mater of no great vaiue for they had it before made no reckoning of it therfore very like that this wold not moue them But if hee had tolde them of their gorgeous houses delicate orchards pleasant fields and abundance of worldly wealth and great honours and dignities it may bee they woulde haue regarded such things as sathan thought to mooue Christ to worshippe him that waie when no waie else woulde preuaile he sheweth him therefore all the kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them and doth offer them al vnto him vpon condition that he would fall downe and worship him but by no means he could preuaile with his goodly offer for the Lord Iesus was not of a worldlings mind that will do more for gold then for godlinesse So it should seeme that if the Lord had told the Iewes of such matters wherewith the heart of man is more drawen theÌ„ with spiritual matters he might haue wonne their loue for euer But to tell them of Zion and religion of pastours and preaching might seeme to be the next way to driue them further from his loue then before Indeede this seemeth to bee a good worldly pollicie but the Lord neede not to be taught of the world The truth is so that when they had their fill of religion and religious exercises at Zion they cared not for them but now being wel humbled with affliction amongst idolaters and scoffers and being kept from it they account deerely of it And the trueth of this may further appeare by that pittifull complaint and mone which they make in the 137. 〈◊〉 137 1 â— psalme when they were amongst the Babylonians in captiuitie By the riuers of Babel we sate and there we wept when we remembred Zion they wept not before when they were at Zion but now they weep yea so great was their griefe at the remembrance of Zion nowe that all mirth and musicke is laide aside nowe they hung vp their harpes vpon the willow trees and fall to weeping and sorrowing for Zion for Zion why could not their melodie and sweete musicke make them merry Oh no no they could take no ioy nor comfort in any such outward things so long as they were banished from the publique exercises of Gods religion at Zion which was a signe of Gods loue and fauour vnto them but nowe they were excommunicate and cast out as it were vnsauourie salt vpon the dunghill for Babylon was but a dunghill to Zion oh God had taken his loue tokens and iewelles from them God shewed an angry countenaunce vpon them How could they then be merry what ioy could they haue in the riuers or pleasant walkes or sweete musicke when they remembred Zion oh now Zion Zion Psal 137 Zion nothing but Zion would make them weepe
gift And to those that turne vnto me I will giue pastours according to my heart for house and riches are the inheritance of the fathers saith Salomon but a prudent wife commeth of the Lord Pr. 19 14. So a good pastor comes not as house and land by inheritance but as a good wife comes and that is of the Lord. Such pastours and teachers are sent as speciall loue tokens to the godly whereby they may knowe how the Lorde doth loue them But ignorant ministers and Non-residents and time-seruers idoll shepherds and such like are sent of God to the wicked as Saul was giuen to Israell in his wrath to plague them withal and to strengthen them in their sinnes and so to seale vp their condemnation as Salomon saith of a harlot Prouerb 22 The lippes of a strange woman are as a deep pit and he with whom the Lord is angrie shall fall into the same so may it be saide of wicked pastors and blinde guides they and their people goe together into the ditch and they whome the Lord is angrie with shal be plagued with such The Apostle Paul saith that Christ ascending vp on high gaue gifts vnto men some to be apostles some to be pastours and doctors c. and those he gaue to his church for the gathering together his saints to teach vs that they are not sent of God like marchandise for our money as Simen Magus thought of the gifts of the holie-ghost but they are sent as gifts 〈…〉 20. and are to be receiued as the gifts of the Lord. The only way to obtaine such gifts 〈◊〉 9.37 38. is by prayer The haruest is great saith Christ and the labourers are few pray ye therefore to the Lorde of the haruest and he shall send foorth labourers to shew that God will haue his giftes drawen from him by prayer that is he vell be knowen and acknowledged to be the giuer of them as men will say if hee had asked it of me I would haue giuen it him so doth the Lord say if they had asked such pastors of me I would haue giuen them such This therefore is the cause why there are so fewe true labourers in the Lordes haruest and so many wicked loiterers because the church in generall and congregations and christians in particular are not earnest enough in prayer vnto God for them for as Esay saith We should not giue the Lorde any rest 〈◊〉 2.7 but as it were wearie him with our prayers vntill he repaire the decayed places of Zion and build vp Ierusalem in her perfect beautie which is the praise of the worlde Neither are good pastors gotten nor bad ones displaced by railing and libelling against Bishops and the gouernours of the church as some haue thought nor by factious and seditious drawing of multitudes to practise against the sworde of authoritie nor by robbing the church of her children nor by scismaticall seperating of our selues from the church as hereticall schismatikes doe thinke nor by withdrawing of their liuings as couetous worldlings imagin but by humble suing to God with prayer and supplications for so are his gifts obtained so that if men woulde leaue their scurrilous libelling and their vnseemely railing and their vaine talking and their scismaticall seperating and their seditious banding and their cruell dealing and now another while trie the Lord by turning vnto him as here he requireth vs and plie him with our humble prayers as Christ hath commaunded vs there is no doubt but it would goe better with the poore church of Christ then it doth for if we do that which is required of vs most certainely the Lorde will performe that which hee hath promised Nowe where the Lord hath bestowed such pastors and planted the meanes of saluation there is much no doubt required againe What is requiâ—â— of them that haue good pastours Two things doth the Lord expect and looke for at their hands which haue receiued such gifts of the Lorde namely loue and obedience for loue requires loue againâ— and seeing these gifts are sent froÌ„ the Lord as special tokens of his loue fauor toward vs his maiestie lookes for great loue again of vs towards the gift for his sake that gaue it towards the giuer for his own goodnes sake which only moued him to giue the gift And sith he giueth them to feede vs with knowledge vnderstanding he laboreth that we should grow and thriue therby that is to be the better reformed both in iudgements also in our maners But that it may appeare the better what loue we owe to the Lord in this respect we ought to consider the greatnes goodnes value of the gift wherby we shal al see the great loue and goodnes of him that is the giuer Euery man is friend vnto him that giueth gifts â—orerb 19.6 then euery man should loue the Lord for none giueth so many gifts as he doth yea for the gifts which men giue the Lord is to be loued bicause they had neither what to giue nor wil to giue vntill the Lord giue both Al the gifts of the Lord are either bodily or spiritual teÌ„poral or eternal general or special some are common to man beast some are common to good and bad to the reprobate the elect as meate drinke apparel appetite and digestion houses and lands cattel and corne gold siluer health and welth wife children beuty honor peace and plenty learning and wit wisdom and policy frends and promotion and many such like the least wherof deserueth and requireth that wee shoulde loue and feare the Lord with al our harts with al our strength but besides these the daily giftes which the Lord giueth to man and to the earth the sea and the heauens yea the whole world for mans vse they are infinit that to go about to nuÌ„ber them were to measure the sea with a spoon for which we return nothing but our sins which are mo then his benefits yet such is his goodnes that giueth al forgiueth al. But amongst al the Lords gifts there is none comparable to pastors that feed mens soules with knoledge vnderstanding When Dauid would set out the greatnes of this gift he reherseth many works of god shewed in his church for which he is to be praised Psal 147.13 1 Praise the Lord O IerusaleÌ„ praise thy God O Zion for he hath made the bars of thy gates stroÌ„g hath blessed thy children within thee he setteth peace in thy borders satisfieth thee with the flour of wheat When he considereth the benefit of Gods word he saith He sheweth his word vnto Iacob his statutes and iudgements vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with euery nation to shew that the word of God is a speciall blessing and not to be reckoned amongst such things as are common to all nations of the world When the Apostle saint Paul would set out the greatnesse