obey not his gospell Now q Ioh. 14. 15 if ye loue me saith Christ keepe my commandements and againe r Ioh. 15. 14. ye are my friends if ye doe whatsoeuer I commaund you and againe he saith Å¿ Ioh. 14. 23 if a man loue me he will keepe my words And therefore the word of exhortation and dutie of lip-feeding being one of his especiall commandements so frequently inculcated as wee haue heard He that saith he loueth him though he say it againe and againe and call the Lord to witnes for it as t Ioh. 21. 17 Peter did yet if he keepe not this his commaundement v 1 Ioh. 2. 4. he is a lyar and the truth is not in him as S. Iohn saith Secondly whatsoeuer sticketh deepest in the loue of the heart wil soonest bewray it selfe in the vtterance of the tongue for out of the vv Mat 12. 34 abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Why doth the x Psal 37. 30 tongue of the righteous man so talk of iudgmeÌ„t but because the y Vers 31 Law of God is in his heart What made the Prophet Dauid to z Psal 34. 1. 35. 28. blesse the Lord at al times to haue his praise continually in his mouth euen all the day long Why did his a Psal 34. 2 3 soule so make her boast of the Lord and so stirre vp others to magnifie the Lord with him to exalt his name together to b Psal 105. 1 2 3. thanke him to call vpon his name to make knowne his deeds among the people to sing Psalmes vnto him to talke of all his wondrous workes to glory in him Why the Lord was the c Psal 16. 5 portion of his inheritance his d Psal 42. 1. heart panted after him his e Psal 63. 1. soule thirsted for him and his flesh longed for him yea he cals God to witnes to his soule saying f Psal 73. 25 26. Whom haue I in heauen but thee there is none in earth that I desire besides thee my flesh my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart my portion for euer So looke to the spouse in Canticâ—es if Christ be he whom her g Cant. 1. 7. soule loueth if he be the h Cant. 5. 10 cheifest among ten thousand vnto her how frequently doth she i Cant. 1. 12 2. 3. c. talke of him how passionately doth she k Cant. 3. 9 5. 8. aske after him how eloquent is she to discourse of him how potent to l Cant. 5. 9 6. 1. perswade others to enquire after him All the excellencies of Art and Nature the m Cant. 5. 10 13. c. white and â—uddy orient colours the sweete flowers and odoriferous beds of spices gould rings set with berill and pillars of marble set vpon sockets of fine golâ— and the like such as would seeme to others like wonders of nyne dayes to talke of they are not heare of out of her lips but as they may serue her either for resemblances to set forth or as Organes to sound out the beauty and sauour the worth and excellency of her beloued friend whom her souleâ— loueth And if the tongues â— righteous men of the maâ— after Gods heart and of thâ— spouse of Christ be not enough to schoole n Psal 71. 15 or mouthes to shew forth anâ— our o Verâ—â— tongues to talke oâ— the righteousnes and saluâ—tion of our great God anâ— Sauiour euen all the daâ— long as Christ in an otheâ— case p Luk. 16. 8 9 puts vs to learne â— the vniust steward so heere say I learne for shame le ts learne of wordlings of Mammonists of Belly Gods whose q Psal 17. 14 portion is in this life Consider the men of these perillous times that are as S. Paul saith r 2. Tim. 3. 4. louers of pleasures or of riches and of the glory of the world more then louers of God How doth proud Haman crake and vaunte of the Å¿ Hest 5. 11 12 glory of his riches and the height of his promotions and the preheminence he had aboue all others in the Kings fauours and the Queenes banquets How doth the rich foole talke and boast of his t Luk. 12. 17 18 19. plentifull crops of his pulling downe barnes and building greater of disposing all hâ— fruits of his much gooâ— layed vp for many yeareâ— c Yea euery voluptuoâ— faulkener and huntfmaâ—nay euery base pot coâ—panion how doe they in aâ— companies prate and braâ— of the sport the game thâ— good fellowship they thuâ— and thus met withall as â— they had no sweeter nâ— worthier no louelier God to consecrate the fruit â—â— their lips vnto Shall the thus talke and fill theâ— mouthes with discourses euery man of his Idoll hâ—uing nothing else buâ— u Pro. 15. 14 foolishnesse for their mouths to feede on and wâ— hauing for our portion theâ— vv Ioh. 17. 3 only true God and Iesuâ— Christ whom he hath sentâ— the x Tit. 2. 13. great God and our Sauiour whose y Esa 9. 6. name is wonderfull the prince of peace the z Heb. 2. 20. Captaine of our saluation the a 1. Tim 6. 15 blessed and only potentate who hath b Reu. 1. 5. loued and washed vs in his owne bloud and so c 1 Tim. 1. 10 abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the great and glorious mistery of the gospell shall not we d Psal 106. 5 glory with his inheritance and e Psal 105. 2 talke of all his wondrous workes Therefore they shall be f Mat. 12. 27. our iudges and accordingly as our Sauiour foreteils euery man of vs saying g Vers 37. by thy words thou shalt be iustified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned so shall they who haue so many words to witnesse their loue to their idols h Vers 41. rise vp in iudgment and condemne many a professor for his louelesse silence Thirdly as the glorious and gracious workes of our great God and Sauiour should set our tongues on worke so the reproches indignities blasphemies which wee see and heare daily whereby men i Esa 3. 8. prouoke the eyes of his glory should force vs to break silence and for his names sake wee should not hold our peace if there be any sparke of the loue of his name abiding in vs. Wee know what our Lord saith k Mat. 10. 37 he that loueth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me and he that loueth Sonne or Daughter more then me is not worthy of me that is not to be l 2 Thess 1. 5 counted worthy no not by the m Iac. 2. 12. Law of liberty or by the n Rom. 3. 27 Law of faith And accordingly elsewhere he explanes his meaning saying o Luk. 14. 26 if any man come to me
enioyned addeth a most solemne charge too high and heauy for any earthly potentate to dispense withall saying b 1 Tim. 5. 21 I charge thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ and the elect Angels that thou obserue these things without preferring one before an other doing nothing by paâ—tiality And sure if publique sinnes were to haue priuate admonition before publique reproofe then would not the Prophet Elias so c 1 Reg. 18. 18 21. 20 instantly and openly haue reproued king Ahab nor our Sauiour so haue d Luk. 13. 32 taxed king Herod for a foxe nor haue said so openly to Peter e Mat. 16. 23 get behind me Satan c. nor to the ruler of the synagogue f Luk. 13. 15 thou hipocrite c. neither would S. Paul so haue g Gal. 2. 14 reproued S. Peter before all nor S. Peter himselfe haue so said to his auditors h Act. 2. 36. Iesus whom ye haue â—rucified c. and againe i Act. 4 15. this is the stone set at nought of you builders c. Now if rulers if Apostles if kings be not to be spared who men Doubtles it is a great â—ult and no lesse then an k Eze. 22. 2 abhomination to l Verse 7. set light by Father Mother to m Iud. vers 8 despise dominion and to speake euill of dignities for it is written n Act 23. 5. thou shalt not speake euill of the ruler of thy people that is by o Exo. 22. 28. any reuiling manner or cursing as the law expresseth the meaning But this is no reuiling when reuerence and honour being exhibited to dominions and dignities and that with all feare and trembling as vnto Gods vicegerents on earth the scandall of a publique flagitious offence is sought to be remoued by a publique reproofe And most famous through the Christian world is that commendation which Thedosius Vid. Theodoris hist Eccl. lib. 5. cap. 17. the Emperour gaue to S. Ambrose saving that he had hardly found a teacher of truth and that he knew onely bishop Ambrose worthy of that name because Ambrose had openly reproued him Ruffinus his fauourite for their publique scandalous faults And to the euerlasting praise of our gracious Soueraigne King Iames it is worthy to be written with the point of a Diamond how Anno Domino 1619. in detestation of the impudent whorish attire and habits of some man-like monstrous women who with a whores fore-head then out-faced Church Court his most excellent Maiesty commanded the Lord Arch-bishop of Cant and other Bishops by him to charge the preachers in his royall name publiquely in their pulpits to rebuke such women and put them to open shame And for as much as by notorious haynous offences p Rom. 2. 24 Gods name is blasphemed and many soules endangered notorious offences being as q Heb. 12. 15 powerfull to corrupt others as a r 1 Cor. 5. 6 little leauen is to leauen the whole lumpe What reason that the honour of our heauenly Father and the safety of many soules should yeeld to the vndeserued credit or respect of any one man Vnles it were good piety towards our parents to heare them capitally slaundered in publique and to dismisse the slaunderer with a reproofe in secret or good charity towards our neighbours to suffer a whole citty to be infected rather then they should heare an Alderman publiquely rebuked for going among them with the botch running on him Finally when I heare how the loue of euery naturall childe cryeth to haue the plaister as broad as the wound giuen to his Fathers honour and remember the verdict of our Sauiour saying Å¿ Mat. 10. 37 he that loueth Father more th 〈…〉 e is not worthy of me Againe when I consider that as Mr. Perkins saith t Perk. in Gal. 2. 14. liberty in reprouing is not the fruit of a rash disposition but the fruit of Gods spirit and so to be acknowledged as the Prophet u Mic. 3. 8. Micah sheweth and that S. Paul is neuer any where so witnessed to be filled with vv Act. 13. 7 8 9 10 the holy Ghost as when he set his eyes on Elymas and openly to his face said though he were a man in respect with the Deputy of the Country O full of subtilly and mischiefe thou child of the diuell thou enemy of all righteousnesse c. Last of all when I remember how in the dayes of Iohn Baptist x Mat. 11. 12 when the Kingdome of heauen suffered ruiolence and men tooke it by force men were y Mat. 3. 6. baptised of him in Iordan confessing their sinnes and how afterwards in the dayes of the Apostles preaching the z Act. 19. 18 c. word is said so mightily to grow and preuaile that many beleeuers came and confessed and shewed their deeds and many great curious artists brought their bookes together and burnt them before al men though the price of them being counted was found to be 50000 pieces of siluer about 800 English pounds and how long before these a Num. 20. 10 11 12. Moses the seruant of God b Psal 51. 1 in the title of the Psal King Dauid c Ion. 1. 3. 5 Ionas the Prophet and d Act. 22. 4. 5 26. 9. c Paul the Apostle for an example to all the w 〈…〉 d being all e 2. Pet. 2. 21 inspired by â—â—e holy Ghost that f 2 Tim. 1. 6 spirit of power and loue of a sound minde stoode forth as voluntary penitents with their publique writings accusing confessing against themselues their publique notorious offences and shaming themselues to glorifie God and edifie men When I call to minde these things and lay them to heart my belly trembleth to conceiue in what disgrace and contempt the word of publique reproofe is held being censured as the froth of a rash and giddy braine rather then the fruit of Gods spirit and how it is husht and almost buried in silence as well in pulpits as p 〈…〉 ru meetings to fulfill the prophecies written of these last and perillous times namely g Mat. â—4 12 because iniquity shall abound as Christ saith the loue of many shall waxe colde h 2 Tim. 3. 1 2 5. and men shall be louers of their owne selues as S. Paul saith hauing a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof Concerning the manner of publique reproofe I gain say not any discretion or respect to men that good is but wish all heauenly skill and humble endeauours therein to be vsed either by helpe of parables as the i 2 Sam. 12. Prophets dealt with King Dauid and k 1 Reg. 20. 39 c. â—ing Ahab or by way of intercessio◠〈◊〉 humble aduise and intrâ—aty as l Dan. 4. 19 27. Daniel delt with King Nebuchadâ—ezzâ—r and m Iere. 38. 20 c. Ieremy with King Zedekiah
thee r Psal 91. 11. who haue charge ouer thee to guard thee in all thy wayes Yea the Å¿ Psal 121. 4 5. Lord himselfe that keepeth Israell and neither slumbereth nor sleepeth will be thy keeper he t Psal 37. 23 will order thy steps and delight in thy way leading thee familiarly as a v Ioh. 15. 13 15. friend that hauing laid downe his life for thee will not keepe his secret from thee compassionately as a w Heb. 2. 13 1â— 4. 15. Brother who partaking the same flesh with thee can be touched with thy infirmities and is able to succour thee and most louingly as a x Esa 62. 5. husband reioycing ouer thee as a Bridegroome doth ouer the Bride y Cant. 2. 6. with his left hand vnder thy head and with his right hand imbracing thee z Psal 45. 11 greatly desiring thy beauty and a Cant. 4. 9. his heart being rauished with the loue of thee to whom thou art b Can. 7. 6. faire and pleasant for delights c Can. 2. 14. thy voice sweet thy countenance comely his Loue his d Can. 6. 8. 9 Doâ—e his vndefiled faire as the Moone cleare as the Sun e Cant. 4. 7. all faire and no spot in thee For he being the Sun of righteousnesse hath â— blotted out all thy sinnes as a cloud and hee hath g Micah 2. 19 cast them all into the depths of the sea of his mercies which in its vastnesse can swallow a thousand as one and mountaines as mole-hils so that h Ier. 50. 20. no sins of thine can bee found though they be sought for but i Ier. 54. 17. euery tongue that riseth against thee in iudgement shalt thou condemne k Rom. 8. 33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe who is euen at the right hand of GOD who also maketh intercession for vs. So that committing our way to him in things indifferent as in all things else we may l Esa 45. 25. glory in him in whom wee are iustified casting downe the gantleâ— of defiance against all our spirituall enemies for m Rom. 8. 31 if God be for vs who can bee against vs so that for ioy of heart wee may sing to him with Dauid n Psal 73. 24. thou shalt guide mee with thy counsell and â— afterward receiue me to glory Aqu. Mr. Archippus you haue euen rauished our soules with the admiration of Christ our Counsellor Wonderfull may his name well bee who is such a friend and brother and husband as well as councellor vnto vs. The children of this world that are wise in their generation if they haue a Lawyer at hand of whom they may aske counsaile vpon euery occasion at their pleasure and free-cost will bee sure to doe nothing wherein appeareth any suspition of danger without aduise And haue we a Councellor so nigh vs with his word in our mouth yea with his spirit and word in our heart so wonderfull in his friendly familiarity in his brotherly compassion and husbandly louing kindenesse with whom wee may in all things consult without money or price who is neuer weary of our conference but delighted with our voice and presence and neuer displeased with vs but either for o Esa 30. 1. 31. 1. not asking or p Pro. 1. 25. 30. not following his counsell and shall wee children of light sleight him and presume on our owne discretion without him especially where there is such deadly danger in the abuse of things indifferent would not the children of this world so rise vp in iudgement against vs Surely confusion already couereth our faces to thinke on our former foole-hardinesse and whiles we liue we sh 〈…〉 neuer more say to our diâ—cretion 〈…〉 u art our guiâ—â— Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proceeâ—â— we pray you to your tâ—irâ—â—ile of direction for our mutuall edification Arch. My third rule concerneth the materials the parties I meane whom wee are to edifie and they are principally the p 1 Pet. 2. 17. brotherhood houshold of q Gal. 6. 10. faith for they are r Esa 61. 3. called trees of righteousnesse and Å¿ 1 Pet 2. 5. liuely stones because they are already fit to be built vp a spirituall house an holy Priest-hood to offer vp spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Iesus Christ And among them t 2 Tim. 5. 8. especially those that are our own and of our own house our u Phile. verse 16. brethren both in the flesh in thâ— Lord. Yet may not Deut. 11. 19. Gen. 18. 9. our loue that edifieth bee restrained onely to those for the same Scriptures that order vs to doe good especially to the houshold of faith and to loue the brotherhood charge vs also to vv 1 Pet. 2. 17. honour all men and to doe good euen x Gal. 6. 10. to all â— Thes 5. 15. yea to y Mat. 5. 44. loue and to doe good to our enemies yea though they be our hateful spitefull persecutors much more then to our friends and families and other neighbours Aqu. But say some what man can edifie all Arch. As when the Scripture saith z Heb. 12. 14 follow peace with all men the meaning is not as if any good man could haue either commerce or concord with all for besides all those whose â—aces he neueâ— saw there are some a Psal 120 6 haters of peace against whom Dauid made his protestation saying I am for peaâ—e but when I speake they are for warre as also hee complained of furious Ioab that b 1 Reg. 2. 5. he shed the bloud of warre in peace but as the Apostle saith c Rom. 12. 18 If it be possible as much as lyeth in you liue peaceably with all men so here wee meane not as if any could edifie all for besides those millions of people whose faces we neuer see how many of those with whom wee conuerse are as stones crumbling all to crattell as soone as we begin to hammer them and as timber falling to splinters when we fall to hewing of them both which are fitter for the high-way and chimney corner then for Gods building and other such d 1 Sam. 25. 17. sonnes of Beliall there are that a man cannot speake to them they are e 2 Sam. 23. 6 7. thornes that cannot be taken with hands but the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and with the staffe of a speare will such euer be edified Nay they shall be thrust away as thornes saith the Prophet yea vtterly burnt with fire in the same place The meaning therefore is that if it bee possible as much as â—lyeth in vs wee should edify all and f 1 Cor. 9. 22 be made all things to all men as euery mans calling