for that day hired diuers fishermen to attend the banks with boates and nets and to bring in plenty of fish and to lay it at his feet making Cannius beleeue who wondered at it that it was the royalty of the place and that that seruice was due to him as Lord of the garden whensoeuer he came thither Cannius beleeuing him and being much in loue with such a commodity would needes haue the garden and paid for it to the purpose Shortly after he had a disposition to let some of his friends see what a purchase hee had made and brought them to the garden to bee merry making full account that the fishermen would bee there both to shew him pastime to present him with a tribute of fish When hee saw neither boate nor fisherman nor net hee asked his neighbours whether it where holy-day with fishermen They answered none that they knew of and added withall that they wondred at the late resorte of fishermen there as a thing vnvsuall in that place Vpon this Cannius perceiued hee was cozened but it was too late he could not helpe it And thus may an heedless person be deceiued in his dependance vpō Gods ordināce He may meet with some crafty Pythius for so was hee called who deceiued Cannius who may commend a doctrine to him and set it out with many plausible tearmes as if it were of such and such excellent vse for a mans soule which yet when it is brought to triall shall be found to yeelde out no such matter as was promised Thus still may this point be amplified touching the possibilitie to receiue infection euen by preaching to which when we shall ioyne our owne aptnesse to be misled and the perill of going awry the generall point must needes bee yelded to namely that in receiuing of doctrines Trying ought to goe before Trusting we must labour to bee sure that which we intend to keepe is good before wee set vpon the keeping of it as good This point of doctrine makes to the discouerie I wish also it may so please God to the recouerie of three great euils which are very preuailing and very vniuersall in these our Times 1 Wilfulnesse 2 Carelesness 3 Vnskilfulnesse The first of these is a froward humour The second a negligent humor The third a sottish humour They are ouercomne with the first who plead for their excuse in either not hearing or not crediting any whom they heare the variety of opinions to bee found among preachers and the possibility of beeing deceiued by dependance on them scarcely two of them of a minde say some and therefore my resolution is I will beleeue none How doth this agree with the Rule of Trying all things It is not the counsell of the holy Ghost because there is a spirit of errour in the mouthes of many and the best learned may mistake therefore cease to hear but because it is thus be sure to try This bindes to iudiciall hearing it giues no warrant to desist from hearing Wilt thou rather starue because of a possibility to bee poysoned or goe naked and neere the winde because in the shops of them that sell thou mayst be cozened or lie downe in the streete or by the hedge because perhaps thou maist either goe wrong or stumble on the way Our Sauiour would haue his Disciples learn and inquire and seeke to bee sure what he was though some saide one thing some another touching him That I may bee deceiued must encrease my care not ouerthrow my diligence Now touching the second euill of carelessenesse it is to be seene in those who are apt to take all for sound good which is deliuered If they can countenance that which they seeme to maintaine with the name of a Teacher or say it was deliuered at a Sermon they thinke it is enough Especially there is euen a kinde of Idolatry committed by some in selling themselues so to some mens iudgements that they doe in a manner repute euery word an Oracle which they speake It is sufficient for them if such or such a man hath said it This is euen a spice of that which Saint Paul tearmes a being seruants to men It is to haue ones faith more in the wisedome of man then in the power of God Let a man esteme of vs as the ministers of God but yet not as men in whom but by whom you belieue Were he an Angel from heauen yet his Gospel must bee looked into Hearken to a matter because wee say it so much wee may chalenge by our place but doe not belieue it vntill you knowe vpon what ground wee haue spoken it Could wee once work a conscience of this dutie in our hearers many who doe now despise our doctrine would then approoue it and they which doe approoue it would finde ten times more sweetnesse in it then they doe But now commeth the third euill at the least as bad as the two former and that is vnskilfulnesse This reacheth farre For besides that they who are guilty of the two before named are also chargeable with this euen they who are better disposed and haue a kinde of inclination to the dutie of Triall yet want that skill and ablenesse for it which is necessarie It is not easie no not among the best professors to finde a man that hath an exercised wit to discerne both good and euill A witty and ingenious man well spoken and able to carry a matter handsomely to set it out with a smooth and pleasing phrase would soone deceiue euen a great many of those which meane well Quickly might a man of Arts and Parts make many of vs to stagger euen touching those very things which hitherto haue gone with vs for currant and wherein we haue seemed very confident A man might so lap vp the poisonous drugs of Poperie and so gild them ouer with the seeming allowance of Scripture of hore-headed Antiquity that euen the greatest part would soone swallow them downe without suspicion This is a truth but a lamentable truth What pittie is it that after this long Sunne-shine of the Gospel in this Land there should be so many who but as Saint Peters tearme is see glimmeringly and vncertainely like one who cannot see a farre of in matters of Religion and like Zebut in the holy storie either take men to be but the shadowes of mountaines or the shadowes of mountaines to be men They know not what to make of many things what to conceiue or how to determine And as Absalom and the Elders of Israel at the first gaue a generall approbation to Ahitophels aduice and were ready to follow it but by and by said the counsell of Hushai the Archite was a great deale better and so did accordingly so they who now say Surely this is the truth which we must bide by within a while are apt to cry out Nay but this is the better and like the Lystrians in
reuerence that acknowledgement which by vertue of the first Commandement is his peculiar I would faine see how the doctrine of the Church of Rome can bee freed from dispersing those affections and powers of the heart vnto sundry particulars which the Lord requireth to be giuen wholly vnto him Let the matter bee thorowly examined and if the seuerall points of that Religion which wee professe and preach in the Church of England at this day bee not like the lines in a Circumference which al meet in this one Center of Gods glory and of that maine ayme of God in all his proceedings He that reioyceth let him reioyce in the Lord we may freely allowe you to disclaime it Wee will neuer feare to ioyne issue with Papists in this wee will neuer decline nay we will entreat sue for this Triall Now for direction in dependance vpon our ordinarie preaching I commend this especially to the obseruation vse of common men For I now labour not so much to giue precepts for those that be learned and haue helps by Arts and Tongues reading to scan the things which are presented to them but I endeauour to guide those who haue no more for their ayde in this seruice then common education hath afforded them I remember a saying of Pauls Iudge you said he what I say Me thinks I may thence conclude that there is somewhat within the soule conscience of the hearer by which hee must determine touching that which commeth to him whether it bee meet to giue it entertainement yea or no. There is a certaine hid man of the heart which must bee iudge in this case Thou must try that which thou hearest by the work which it hath vpon thy soule There be three speciall things which I may tearme the aime of the whole Scripture That doctrine which tends to the furtherance of all or either of these three a man may safely build vpon it that it is true That which is a let or an impediment to any of these three it must be reiected as vnsound The three things are 1 Humility 2 Comfort 3 Conscience of obedience The whole Scripture driues to these three 1 To abase man in his owne eyes to lay him in the dust 2 To refresh his soule and to bring his bones which haue bin broken to reioyce 3 To frame his heart to a constant desire care of pleasing God These be three things simply necessarie to the composition of a right Christian Hereupon the Scripture is so exact in laying open the corruption of mans naturall estate in setting out the foulnesse and haynousnes of sinne in describing the rigour of Gods iustice in declaring the terror of that which is the best of mans desert Here upon secondly it is that it so gratiously discouereth the mystery of Christ the fulnesse of the grace which is in him the riches of Gods mercy through him euery way answering a mans spiritual necessity Hereupon thirdly it is that it so precisely straightly presseth the duties of holiness giuing no manner of liberty to mans owne naturall inclination but binding him to a finishing his saluation with fear treÌ„bling and to a causing his heart to be in the feare of God continually Marke thou this then Exaamine thine owne soule how that which thou hearest helpeth thee onwards in either of these three how it beats down the naturall pride presumption of thy heart striuing to make thee vile in thine owne eyes how it acquaints thee with the Fulness of Christ and directs the for the settling of thine abased trembling soule vpon him how it hedgeth thee in in those excesses thou art inclinable to how it limits and stints thee in the things wherein thou wouldest faine haue liberty how it tieth thee vp and vrgeth thee to a kinde of strict and circumspect walking If thou finde it thus to work embrace it rest vpon it lay it vp hide it in the midst of thy heart it shall be health to thy nauill and marowe to thy bones If thou hearest a doctrine taught which thou findest to extenuate the corruption of mans nature or to darken and obscure that aboundant mercy which is in Christ weakning that assurance which an afflicted soule desireth by him or to hearten the euill inclination of the hart and to giue some liberty to the flesh and to seeme to make some of those courses tolerable which thou as a man art ready to affect beware thereof as of poyson to thy soule It is not that truth which thou must hearken to I haue set you downe a Rule which if you please to obserue and practice you shall finde to be exceeding vsefull That which thou hearest if thou perceiue that it humbleth and checketh thee in thy security comforts thee in thy perplexity curbs thee in in thy desired liberty thou maist be bolde to say It is the Truth of God All the falshood which in these dayes generally we are in danger of faileth in one of these 3 particulars If I shall shew you an experiment of this Rule it wil be the better vnderstood the better credited I pray be pleased to ioyne a little with me in the trying of the doctrine which my selfe haue here taught in my former Sermon vpon the precedent verse and vpon this thus farre I taught in that the necessity of dependance vpon preaching if we would be saued I vrged the seeking to enioy this means especially on the Sabbath day though it were with som charge or hazard I haue perswaded in this diligence to Try the doctrins which are taught care to be furnished with skill to that end Now it may bee all are not in these particulars of the same opinion perhaps you may heare that taught sometime which is somewhat differing as that other meanes may serue without preaching that there needeth not be such labouring and seeking after it now and then may suffice and that it is not for ordinarie persons to seeke to be so skilfull and busie as to fall to the examining of doctrines It may be I say such things as these may bee deliuered plausibly and with some shew of truth To resolue vs therefore herein let vs make vse of our Rule you shall finde that this doctrine which so presseth an attendance vpon preaching makes most for mans humbling most for his comfort most for his restraint 1 Most for his humbling For what can put a man downe more then the binding of him whatsoeuer he be noble wise learned and howsoeuer else outwardly qualified to sit him downe as a disciple in 〈◊〉 â—â—â—rners forme He shall not think to worke out a path to heauen by his owne industry but he must seeke sauing knowledge at the mouth of another and goe as hee is led by anothers hand This cuts the very heart of mans naturall pride according as indeed it is onely out of the hautinesse of their spirits and their loathness to stoope and the good
THE DOCTRINES TRIALL Shewing both the necessity and the way of trying what is taught in a Sermon vpon 1 Thess 5. 21. By Sam. Hieron 1 COR. 10. 15. Iudge yee what I say At LONDON Printed by Humfrey Lownes for William Butler and are to be sold at his Shop in Saint Dunstanes Church-yard in Fleet-street 1616. TO MY REVErend Friend Mr. Dr. Chaderton Master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge SIr as a pledge of the respect I owe you I haue made my selfe bolde vnder your name to set forth this Sermon The olde prouerbe which forbiddeth to send Owles to Athens hath taught mee not to send this to you as a matter of supply you now liue at the wel-head from whence I confesse and reioyce my selfe to haue drawne that little by which it hath since pleased God to enable me to the doing of som seruice in his Church and were long since one of those iudicious and painful Diuines at whose feete I sate with many others in the dayes of my preparation to that worke wherin I now by the assignement of the Lorde of the vineyard am imployed In this therefore I desire rather to be thought to present you with an account of mine own courses thē with any direction for yours The two verses before this I haue preached on and the Sermons are abroad As I helde it necessarie to treate on this also so I thought it fitting to publish that which concerning it was giuen mee to deliuer There is no one thing I thinke in which our ordinarie hearers are either more vnskilfull or more backward then this dutie of trying doctrines what vnsettlednesse in opinion what vnsoundnes in iudgement this hath caused I doubt not your selfe in your long experience haue obserued If I shall preuaile ought to the curing of this Epidemicall disease I shall glorifie God in that behalfe My endeuor that way I haue shewed in this small Sermon vvhich here from your hand I commend to the common vse of Gods Israel from Modburie in Deuon Yours respectiuely Samuel Hieron The Doctrines triall 1 Thes 5. 21. Try all things and keep that which is good I Will not enter into any course of repeating that which I taught in my former Sermon This in briefe to manifest the connexion and order of both both my two Texts Lectures In the former we were taught the necessitiy of diligent and respectiue dependance vpon the preaching of the Word vnless we will presumptuously and vnwarrantably aduenture our selues vpon the neglect of the ordinarie way by which God is pleased to collect gather his vnto himself We are now to bee informed with what wisedome it becommeth vs to behaue our selues in awayting vpon this ordinance of God that so wee may reape that good by it which in the purpose of God is intended in it A seruice in it selfe and in it owne nature wholesome profitable may yet in the maner of vsing it bee depraued Hearing is a very necessarie and an important dutie and yet a man through his owne default may be constant and continuall in it to his hurt rather then to his benefit To the end therefore wee may so attend vpon this exercise of Prophecying as that thereby wee may be edified in our holy faith Paul commendeth here vnto vs two necessarie vertues 1 Discretion 2 Constancy Discretion to try all things Constancy to holde fast that which is found vpon tryall to be good To retaine ought in Religion stifly before a man haue tryed it thorowly what greater folly This is wilfulnesse rather and Pertinacy then true Constancy Againe to examine points diligently and then to neglect them carelesly what greater vanity It is a great deale of labour to no vse But to sift and scanne that which is heard exactly and to maintaine that which is found to holde at the touch resolutely this is the glory and credit of Christianity Of these two points I am now in order to intreat Concerning the first this is the Doctrine That it is the dutie of those which honour preaching as the meanes appointed for saluation To try things taught before they giue their full and absolute yeelding thereunto Who that lookes vpon the place but hee will foorthwith conceiue this to bee the doctrine The aduice of the spirite of God is that our honouring of prophecying should bee accompanied with trying it So respect it as that you bind not your selues to a receiuing without enquirie hand ouer head whatsoeuer is commended by it Heereto is that charge to be referred of trying the spirits that is of examining their persons doctrines who professe to speake vnto vs by the Spirit It remaineth vpon record as an honour to the Nobles of Berea and it is a rule for vs that hearing Paul and Silas preach they were diligent in searching whether the things they spake were so The course of seeking holy knowledge at the mouthes of those whose lippes by their calling ought to preserue it is tearmed by Salomon a buying of the Truth As therefore in buying it is euery mans wisedome to consider the wares which are tendered to him how they are conditioned and as Chrysostom saith pithily to this purpose to go from shop to shop and from chapman to chapman to look where hee may haue the best before hee make a through bargaine so it ought to bee the care of a prudent Christian to consider of particulars which are taught before he giue them entertainement Take heede how you heare said our Sauiour Doth not this Take heed in hearing intend a tryall of things heard Consider two things with me and the truth equitie and necessitie of this doctrine will soone bee yeelded to The one is the possibilitie of beeing deceiued in our dependance vpon prophecying The other is the danger of mistaking The possibility of beeing deceiued proceeds from two things 1 Somewhat in them which prophecy 2. Somewhat in our selues who listen thereunto Touching them which prophecy there are two sorts by whom there is danger of deceit 1 Some purpose to deceiue 2 Some casually may deceiue Some purpose to deceiue whom the Apostle tearmeth liers in wait to deceiue and whom hee compares according to the nature of the Greeke word vsed to cheaters and false gamesters who haue deuices by cogging dice to deceiue the vnskilful These speake peruerse things and priuily bring in damnable heresies It hath been an ancient practice of the diuell to be a lying spirit in the mouthes of some Prophets There haue beene euer some misleading leaders causers of the people to erre by their lyes and Saint Peter hath assured vs that in this particular the latter times will hold proportion with the former Still there will be some seeds-men of Tares amongst them that sowe the purer Wheate some temperers of Leauen with the sweet lumpe of Gods sacred Truth Others there are againe which may casually deceiue