the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord other servants may change their master but the served of the Lord with him in the old law must be bored through the ear to ferve him for ever be thou faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of Rev. 2. life If you want any further direction the Text suggests it in the words following worthy of the Lord which is the next step of this first general that ye walk worthy of the Lord here worthyness according to the current of interpreters seems to note a correspondency of one thing to another God is the most exact copy for us to follow Jesus Christ Ephes 5. v. 1. came into the world to be an example as well as a Saviour be ye followers of God as dear children and walk also in love as Christ also hath loved us other examples may be followed so far as they follow God without this lunitation they will prove but an ignis fatuus to lead us out of the way Lucius Aemilius looking upon the Image of Jupiter at first stood amazed afterward burst forth into this expression solus profecto Jupiter Phidae Jovis Homerici expressit imaginem we make the applycation to God Almighty such is his eternal weight of glory as the tongue of Men and Angels is not able to express it yet we may behold him in his back parts with Moses so far as he hath revealed himself to us in his holy word he becomes an exact copy not only for admiration but imitation there are four things wherein Gods example is set forth to us for our imitation First his wisdome and knowledge in him are hid all the Col. 2. v. 3. treasures of Wisdome and Knowlâ—dg so glorious is this Suns lustre as might dazzle the purest eyes to behold it in the perfection of its beauty yet in those beams descending thence it becomes obvious to our sight so pretious a Jewel is wisdome the splendour whereof makes the Angels out shine all the Worthies of the World it is the distinction betwixt man and man and man from beast but this is but the trapings of wisdome the beauty whereof doth most clearly appear in the saving knowledg of God in Christ this is life eternal John 17. 3. that they may know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Secondly purity and holyness it is the quintesence of the divine essence the life of God the character of his Laws the qualifiâ—ation of his Subjects he is so jealous of the least tincture of impurity as he hates the garments spotted with the flesh he that hath the hope purifyeth himself as he is pure 1 John 3. 3. Joh. 1. 29. Mat. 11. 29 30. 1 Kings 12. v. 14. Christ himself comes into the World as a Lamb in all his â—ermons he strives to work meekness and humility propounds his own example the preservative of meekness and lawliness take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lawâ—y and you shall find rest unto your Souls for my yoak is easy and my burden is light It was Rehoboams answer to old mens counsel my father made your yoake heavy but I will add to your yoak but Christs yoak is easy and his burden is light Fourthly Love and Charity God is love and is the fountain from whence all those rivelets of charity do flow he spared not his own Son that he might spare us but delivered Rom. 8. 32. him up for us that he might deliver us from death amor sine exemplo charitas sine paralelo love without an example charity without a paralel and as he is the fountain of love so he â—â—â—ds us to draw water out of this well of salvation our blessed Saviour breathing out of the bosome of his Father his will to us doth stretch forth this duty like Davids Sun Psal 19. 6. from one end of the Earth to the other not only to our friends and those that have done us good but even to our very Enemies love your enemies bless them that curse you do Mat. 5. 44. good to them that hate you pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you how prone are we Elijah like to call fire from Heaven upon our Enemies hence our Saviour seems to keep our mouth as it were with a bit and bridle and to temper our language that we may bless them that curse us and when our weening passion seems to bespeak us as God did Moses let me alone that I may be avenged of this People Christ binds our hands and turns our hearts to do good to them that hate us and directs our prayers to pray for them that despitefuly use us and persecute us and all this is perfumed with the sweet odour of love So I come to the third step of this first general quem ad sinem to what end unto all pleasing and these words seem to be referred ad formale religionis to the right ordering of our actions so as they may please God we must so guide the Stern of our actions as they may arrive at the Harbour of Gods acceptance we must not rest in opere operato in the deed done but look at the modus agendi let not formality Luk. 12. 43. 1 Cor. 9. 24. 1 Cor. 11 28. Heb. 12. v. 1 2. swallow up the crown of your endeavors God is much delighted in Adverbs blessed is that servanâ— whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing So run that ye may obtain Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. Then let us run with patience the race is set before you looking unto Jesus the Authour and finisher of our faith So I come to the first step of the second General being fruitful The terms seems Metaphorical a tree not only buds and blossomes but brings forth fruit a Christians buds are holy thoughts his blossomes godly words his fruits is in the power of godliness we must not only be budded with good thoughts nor blossome in good words but bring forth fruit the fruit of righteousness yet how few such trees of righteousness are there some bring forth no fruit and fall Mat. 20. 6. within the compass of our Saviours reprehension why stand ye here all the day idle neglect of duty lets in all suggestion and holds in all pollutions idleness is aâ—horrent to Nature the heart is alwayes thinking the fancy alwayes working the Earth doth bring forth herbs for the service of man if all this will avail nothing consider that heavy doom denounced against the unprofitable servant cast ye the unprofitable servant Mat. 25 30. into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth others bring forth false fruits How many such Jezebels there be that can paint over a foul face with fair colours and draw a fair
viz The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed Feed the Flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly nor for filthy lucre but of a ready mind neither as being Lords over Gods heritage but being examples to the flock and when the chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a Crown of glory that fadeth not away This then being confirmed we may infer that the Elders are the Sons of the Church invested with the holy order of Priesthood Nor without due consideration was the imposition of this name but upon the account of those qualifications which are entailed upon that holy order maturity of years as well as of Judgment be required in those that wait at Gods Altar Such blossomes as over-run the spring 1 Tim. 3. 5. are usually knipt before the knitting and how can those those that venture before they know either Coast or Compass avoid those dangerous Rocks against which their own and Peoples Souls are subject to be split The Antient Romanes had a law called Lex annalis or Lex annarie which prescribed a certain age before which none was admitted to bear office the ground whereof was because tâ—meritatem adoliscentiae verebantur this Age it is less experienced so prove to rash and heady passions which Edict was for a time so duly observed that neither Birth nor Friends Favour nor affection could procure any dispensation which tended not more to the honour then benefit of the State nor were there wanting provisions wanting for the Church of the like Nature we read of many Decrees of Antient Counsels that none should attain to the Order and Degree of a Presbyter before a certain age but Canons at the first were duly observed but yet through the rust and canker of times miserably neglected and violated to the great detryment of the Church as woe to the Land where the is King is a Child so woe to the Church where the Priests are children St. Bernard in one of his Epistles complains that even in his dayes Scholares pueri nuberbes Juvcnes School boyes and beardleâ—s youths were promoted to Ecclesiastical dignityes and from the Ferula to bear rule over others Baroni tells us that Pope John the twelfth was preferred to the Popedom in his non-age and Benedict the ninth puer fere decennis scarcely ten years of age But we need not travaile into forraign parts to revieu this complaint sad experience in our own Kingdome makes it too evident how many dayes nay how many years were we without a King without a Prince without an Ephod without a Teraphin during which time Jeroboam set up his golden calves in Dan and Bethel he makes Priests of the lowest of the People nay children tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine an inlet to all Sects and Factions but now the Sun is risen those shaddows must flee away let these with Davids men first go to Jericho till their beards be shaven first let them learn to speak before they presume into publick Auditoryes to such as these the Apostles advice to Timothy is very seasonable let them give attendance unto reading that their profiting may appear unto all lest they fall into the praemunire of the Churches censure who shall visit their iniquity with rods and their sin with scourges so I come to the second step of the first general let them rule Let the Elders that rule well c. Rule or Government is the Pillar of the Law the Pedestal of Religion the Nurse of the Arts and Sciences without which Bethel will turn to Babel and the house of God to a den of Thieves When there was no Judg. 21. v. 25. King in Israel every man did that which was right in his own eyes Amongst the Persians after the death of their King a lawless liberty was granted to all Persons during the inter regnum Oh! how Murder Rapine and Plunder swarmed amongst them like the Locust of Egypt so that men were inforced to hide themselves in the Caves of the Earth to secure them from the Violence of the Enemy and if we consider what myseries we endured whilst Annarchy usurped the Crown and Mitre what Violence to Churches what Indignity to the Ministry what Contempt of all Sacred and Divine Institutions we may very well take up the complaint of the Church Behold and see if ever sorrow were like unto my Lam. 1. v. 12. sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger but now the Rod of Aaron for the house of Levi is budded with â—uds bloomes blossomes and brings forth perfect Almonds and so I pass to the third step of this first general the modus regiminis let them rule well First let them rule themselves well let them rule their hands that they be no strikers let them rule their tongues well that they be no brawlers let them rule their affections well that they be vigilant sober given to hospitality apt to teach and be examples to the Believers in word in doctrine in conversation godliness Secondly let them rule their houses well that their houses may be the houses of God wherein lodgeth wisdome righteousness holiness where the word of God dwelleth plentifully instructing the ignorant reproving the obstinate convincing the erronious confirming the weak Vttium primae concoctionis vix corrigitur in secundae That harm which is contracted in the first concoction is scarcely cured in the second and want of care to restrain enormityes in the Family Is a main cause that so many exorbitances appear in the Common-wealth those diseases that at first might admit of an easie cure by long continuance prove incureable nor is this domestical rule more necessary than profitable Theodosius religious carriage in his Family made his whole court a seminary of Religion let us then take up the resolution of holy Joshuah As for me I and my house we wâ—ll serve the Lord. Thirdly let them rule the house of God well the best things being perverted prove most hateful The best Wine soonest turns to the tartest Vinegar mans body that is compounded of the purest Elements being corrupted proves most distasteful the word of God which is the power of God to salvation being sophisticated by the cunning devices of Teachers becomes the savour of death unto death and the Church of God which is the pillar and ground of the truth being out of order opens a gap to let in the Foxes to destroy the Vines which to prevent let the Elders besides the ruling of their own houses rule the house of God well First respectu habito prudentiae the Argo was only committed to Typhis children and such as are not acquainted with the Map are not fit to guide the Stern Ezekiel must first eat and concoct the Roule before he be sent to
blemish to us that Divines are less regarded amongst them in any Nation in the World either Christian or Heathen And so I pass from thee quality of the Elders due to the quantity double honour a due answerable to the duty as the reward to the merit their duty is double ruling and labouring their labour double in the Word and Doctrine so that all these respects double honour is due to them besides the honour of reverence their is the honouâ— of maintenance due to them as St. Chrysostâ—me and others upon these words See what a large patrymony God conferred upon those that Ministred about holy â—eut 18 things under the Law no less hath ordained under the Gospel the Apostle by seven irrefragible arguments proves Cor. 1. â— 9. from â— 9 to â— the maintenance of the Ministry is not a beggarly almes given to them only in charity or by way of â—enevolence hut an honourable stipend due to them in Justice for their workes â—ake And as we have an entail from the Lord of all so have we the continued usage of the Church time out of mind if we search into former ages we shall find that this homage hath been ever paid to the Church we cannot say of this as our Saviour said of the divorce from the beginning it was not so Mâ—lchesidick was tempore antiquiâ—r without Father without Mother without deseent 〈◊〉 14. 20. â—at 23. â— 23. King of Salem and Priest of the most high God and he received tythes of Abraham And this attested by our Saviour to be paid in his time and approved by him nor can the Enemies of the Church plead any prescription since that I have read of a lamp that burnt a thousand years and afterward went out but these with the Mat. 25. wiâ—e Virgins shall have oyl in their vessels with their lamps so long as the Sun and Moon endureth Thirdly dignâ— they are worthy First dignitate officâ— by the worthyness of their Office in the Scripture they are called Starres Angels Pastours of the Church the Amâ—assadours of Heaven nihil in hoc lâ—â—o excâ—ll â—tius sacâ—rdotâ—bus They that be wise shall shine Chrâ—â— as the â—rightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever Secondly dignâ—taâ—â—â—periâ— the worthyness of the work this work is to work out mans salvation honour the Physitian because of thy need saith the wise man now these are only conversant about the body in saving it from death temporal much more should be hâ—noured these spiritual Physitiâ—ns who are conversant about the Souâ— in saving it death eternal The more excellent a thing is in Nature the more acceptable is the preservation of it now the soul is the express Image of God the free-born child and heir of eternal it is Gods choicest jewel Christs purchase and therefore what an honour is it to save this soul from death and therefore not without good cause was the Apostles exhortation We beseech you Brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the 1 Thes 5 v. 12. 13. Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake Thirdly dignatione Dei by Gods vouchsafeing mercy The Saints shall be all cloathed with honourable robes white robes shall be given unto them duplicibus vestientur stola prima saith St. Bernard ipsa est felâ—citas requies animarum happiness and rest of Souls secunda vero est immortalitas gloria corporum Immortality and glory of Bodies such honour have all his saints but as the elder Brother the beginning of strength the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power had sundry preheminences above the rest he was Lord over all his Brethren he had a double portion and succeeded in the double Office hoth Kingly and Priestly so the Elders that rule well and labour for the rest of their Brethren in the Church Militant shall have double honour a double portion in the Church tryumphant The wise and faithful Steward whom his Lord maketh ruler over his houshold here him will he make ruler over all that he hath hereafter and of this they are worthy dignitate dei non St. Ber. dignitate sua by Gods acceptance not their merit Fourthly Quomodo How let them be counted worthy of double honour Here give me leave to turn the Apostles direction into an exhortation First I shall direct my speech to my Brethren of the Ministry si qua coelopictas quae talia curat If there be any comolation in Christ any comfort of love any fellowship of the Spirit c. mind ye not every one your own things but the things of the Church let the honour of the Church and the Ministry thereof be dear in your sight he that toucheth it let him touch the Apple of your eye Gregor Nazienzen Jonas like desired to be cast into the Sea so all might be calm and well in the Church and let us labour to hold up the great Authority of the Church and the honour of the Ministry against the unjust censures and machinations of the common Enemy and take we up that noble resolve If I Psal 137 v. 4. forget thee O Jerusalem let mâ— right hand forget her cunning If I do not remember thee let mâ— tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth Secondly a word or two to the Officers of the Church the Church-Wardens and Sides-men you are the eyes and ears of the Church and Court Be ye not as the Scripture speaks of the Idols that have eyes and see not ears and hear not mouths and speak not let not your presentments be like the Spiders where Hornets break through and smaller Flies are catcht but search Jerusalem with candles find out all those that have ill will at our Sion and bring them to condign punishment You Lam. 1 v. 1. shall not need to seek a knot in a Bulrush I wish there was no cause to renew the Churches complaint how doth the City sit solitar that was full of People Besides the Act. 10. Ataâ—ie and disorder by reason of several gestures makeing the Church seem like the sheet knit at the four corners where were all manner of four footed Beasts wild Beasts and creeping things and Fowles of the air or the Altar at Athens whereon was this inscription to the unknow God Let not these Beasts of prey lurk within your Parishes to rent contumelies against the Church and the holy order of the Ministry I shall wind up all with an exhortation to all in general look not with an evil eye upon the dues and rights of the Church neither withold them from those to whom they are due which of you by unjust deteinure can adde one Cubit to your statute hereby your riches shall be corrupted and your garments moath eaten your gold and your silver ankerd and the rust of them shall be a witness againâ—t â—on