the same wherein is performed our duty both to God and man And speaking of the nature dignitie and office thereof hee thought hee could not sufficiently exalt the honour of the same 1. Cor. 13. but thus hee saith Though I speake with the tongues of men and Angells and haue not Loue I am as a soundiing brasse or tinckling Cimball Though I had the gift of prophecying and knew all secrets and all knowledge yea if I had all faith so that I could remoue mountaines and had not Loue I were nothing And though I feede the poore with all my goods and though I giue my body to bee burned and haue not Loue it profiteth mee nothing Loue suffereth long is bountifull enuieth not boasteth not is not puffed vppe disdaineth not seeketh not her owne is not prouoked to anger thinketh not euill reioyceth not in iniquitie but reioyceth in the truth suffereth all things beleeueth all things hopeth all things and endureth all things Loue neuer falleth away though that prophecyings bee abolished or the tongues cease or knowledge vanish away Againe Verse 13. Now abideth Faith Hope and Loue these three but the chiefest of these is Loue. Therefore Saint Augustine perusing Pauls praise of this most honourable vertue seemeth to recapitulate his manifolde members in his description thereof Thus is saith hee a right Will turned vtterly away from all earthly and present thinges ioyned in seperable to GOD and vnited with a certeine fire of the holye Spirite from whence it proceedeth and is saide to be enkindled estraunged from all filthy pollution ignorant of corruption empaired with no kinde of immutabilitie superiour to all thinges which are carnally minded the strongest of all affections desirous of holy contemplations not at any time conquered of any other in any thing the summe of all good actions the health of manners the end of the heauenly lawes the death of all crimes the life of vertues the strength of the fighters the palme of the victors the armour of sacred mindes the cause of good deserts the reward of the perfect that without the which no man pleaseth God fruitfull in the repentance gladsome in them that profite glorious in those which perseuere victorious in the Martyrs profitable in all beleeuers the same in the which euery good worke whatsoeuer hath and holdeth life Finally because Saint Paul hath conioyned together faith hope and loue wee finde them so placed in this Soole and conioyned that albeit we may distinguish them yet diuide them wee may not for it is necessary the one holde fast by the other nor worketh the one without the other The Taw is staied with the Key or Pinne and reacheth from thence to the Tractory or Lambe where by the Key is signified Faith by the Tractory Hope and by the Taw Loue as before it is declared Which three hauing their seuerall offices may well expresse the same in three words Faith saith I assure it Hope saith I expect it Loue saith I tend towards it For Faith is assured of the good thinges which God hath promised nor doubteth shee of the performance of his word knowing him to be righteous Hope with a longing desire euer expecteth and looketh to obtain those good things which God hath promised and faith hath assured and therefore is not wearie Loue in the daily exercise of the diuine vertues and fruits of faith standeth not still gaping for the same without her dutifull endeuour but worketh righteously and tendeth towards the attainement of that which is promised assured and hoped for Loe such a precious Iewell is Loue Such a powerfull Taw hath Pieties Plough And thus haue we the Soole throughly performed CHAP. XXVIII The Oxen which draw forth the Soole of Pieties Plough AS wee haue throughly perused the Soole of Spiritual Plough so now is it meete that we also peruse the Oxen which drawe the same wherein wee may consider three principall points viz. First those Oxen. Next their Labour Lastly their Reward First 1 The Oxen we might after the minde of some men vnderstand by those Oxen the Commaundements of God partly in regard of the number partly for the office 10. Oxen. There bee ten particular Commaundements in both the Tables of the Lawe which stand as for fiue yoke or couples whose strength is the force of true Contrition and the powerful draught of godly repentance by the which mans hard vncircumcised heart is fallowed and prepared for the seede whereof the Apostle called it a Schoolemaister vnto Christ for they drawe or force men to Christ in whome there is founde mercie and perfection Howbeit there bee other liuely Oxen the which the Maister husbandman hath both prepared yoked together and perswaded to draw strongly forth this Spirituall Soole 1. Cor. 9.9 1. Tim. 5.18 Saint Paul as well in his Epistle to Timothy as in that to the Corinthians likeneth the true labourers of the Lord in his spirituall worke Deu. 25.4 to Oxen. Thou shalt not muste the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne This hee taketh out of the Law and that wee might the better vnderstand his meaning hee addeth Doth God take care for Oxen As if hee saide God dooth not so much respect the Oxen themselues as hee doth men for whose sake this was written for the labourer in the Lordes worke is worthie of his hire as the labouring Oxe requireth to haue his fodder 2. King 19 19. Wee finde in the second Booke of the Kings that when Eliah went forth to annoint Elishah for a Prophet in his place hee found him in the Lande ploughing with twelue yoke of Oxen and himselfe with the twelue 12. Yoke of Oxen. After the which number wee may take for this labour certaine orders of holy and wise persons remembred and commended in the sacred Scriptures As first the twelue Patriarkes tied vppe vnder the yoke of the olde Testament and the twelue Apostles bearing the gentle yoke of the Gospell And these both yoked or numbred together make the iust twelue yoke and the number of those foure and twentie Elders mentioned by Saint Iohn in his Apocalyps In the like sense Apoc. 4. and 5. wee haue the number of the twelue foundations and twelue gates of the heauenly Ierusalem Saint Paul neuerthelesse 10. Orders of Oxen. alluding to the former number of the ten Commaundements maketh ten orders of those spirituall Oxen of the which in his Epistle to the Ephesians chapter 4. hee nameth fiue and in his former Epistle to the Corinthians chapter 12. hee nameth other fiue As first Apostles next Prophets thirdly Euangelists fourthly Pastours fiftly Doctours sixtly Powers seuenthly Healers eightly Helpers ninthly Gouernours tenthly Linguists And these are first those Doctours of the newe Testament immediately chosen called 1 Apostles and sent forth of Christ to teach the Gospel with a speciall power of the holy Ministerie 2 Prophets The second sort are those Preachers of the diuine mysteries
husbandry whereof wee may timely reape and gladsomely vse and enioy the ripe and soueraigne fruits in all peace and quietnesse through Iesus Christ our true happinesse Amen CHAP. II. Pietie the scope of all the holy Scriptures SAint Paul endeuoring to perswade Pietie not onely to Timothy but to all the elected Saintes 2. Tim 3.16 commendeth vnto both him and them the holy Scripture which hath as he affirmeth his chiefe ayme to this scope that the man of GOD may be absolute Ro. 15.4 A double vse of the Scripture being made perfect vnto all good workes and for whose better acceptation writing to the Romanes deliuereth thereof a double vse the first serueth for Doctrine the second for consolation The Doctrine instructeth men not only what is this vertue and wherein it consisteth but also the ready way how by what meanes to obtaine and enioy her The consolation encourageth both them that seeke her and perseuere in her waies to hold on and continue without feare or fainting for seeing that they which will liue godly in CHRIST IESVS shall suffer persecution for that the olde Serpent standeth as an enemie opposite to their peace it is necessarie that they should not onely bee taught what they ought to doe and what they ought to flye and so in the true vse of Pieties Plough bee perswaded to worke out their saluation in feare but also to bee encouraged to proceede and preseuere in the knowne truth and studie of Pietie in the full assurance of GODS mercies and hope of eternall felicitie To and for the former are annexed Admonitions threatnings Iudgements corrections refutations such like as are not onely requisite but needefull to beate downe the pride of mans nature and the presumption of the enemie and so to till and manure as it were mans vnfallowed soyle to the latter belong the louing promises graces and sweete mercies of GOD which is no lesse necessarie then the former to succour sustaine and consolate that which is readie to perish in the deepe consideration of his owne imbecilitie and vnworthinesse And thereof is it that the LORD GOD who might iustly by his supreame authoritie haue onely commaunded and compelled all men to the obseruance of this seruice and dutie without any other reason An argumeÌ„t of God loue to man doth neuerthelesse in his great loue and mercies allure and encourage them to come and labour in his field with the sweete promises of meete wages and eternall rewardes yea hee doth most gently and with vnspeakeable kindnesse perswade and entreat them to be reconciled vnto him and to dwell in his house To this purpose was that doctrine preached that Iesus Christ was sent vnto vs from his father to blesse vs Act. 3.19.26 in turning euery one of vs from our inequities he would that wee should amend our liues and conuert to the Lord that our sinnes might be done away when the time of refreshing coÌ„meth in the presence of the Lord. In summe this is the scope of the Scriptures both legall Propheticall Historicall Euangelicall and Apostolicall that thereby men might be taught and perswaded to repent and belieue and that they might finde and obtaine remission of sinnes and eternall life through Iesus Christ So are we certified therein both of Pietie and her princely reward the former whereof is declared in those two other wordes Pietie and her reward Repentance and Faith the latter in those two other wordes Remission of sinnes and eternall life A place taken from Hos 10. Vers 12. But nowe of and among so many pregnant places as the holy Scriptures affoord vs concerning this argument I haue gladly made chiefe choice of that one wherein the Prophet Hoseay Preaching to those tenne Tribes of Israel which had before fallen away from GOD by the wicked counsell of Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat and long wallowed in their sinnes and abhominations without amendment or remorse saide thus to them in the name of the Lord So we to your selues in Righteousnesse Reape after the measure of Mercie Plough vp your fallow Ground for it is time to seeke the Lord till hee come and raine Righteousnesse vpon you In the which words the Prophet hath two principall parts whereof Two generall parts of the whole discourse the one is an Exhortation to Pietie the other is the conueience thereof The former hath his efficacie of the Lords coÌ„mandement to the which they should in equitie obey the latter of the Lords gracious promise of mercie rewards which both consolateth encourageth them to performe Againe in the former is seene what the Lord God requireth of his people namely Iustice and Mercie In the latter we learne what they are to expect and hope for from his gracious hand namely the fruit of Righteousnesse Finally Couenants and conditions betweene God and vs. these two points containe the couenants and conditions had made and concluded betweene God and his people and so that if they will take and enioy the benefit of the Lords promises they must be carefull to obserue the conditions and promises on their part made and prouided But before wee attempt to pearce the bowells of this present place knowing that the occasion of the Prophets exhortation may well stand for a meete introduction and no meane helpe for the better vnderstanding of the Lords pleasure therein we may neither omit nor neglect but carefully regard and duly consider of the same The occasion of the words The Prophet perusing the case and condition of the Israelites vnto whom the Lord sent him to preach in the dayes of Ieroboam the second of that name found that part of the land of Israel right resemblant to the field of the foolish couered ouer and ouer with bryars Pro. 24 3â— bushes and thornes into the which he knew well it booted him little to cast the soueraigne seede vntill the same were cleansâ—d of those vnprofitable things for as the Lord saith The seede falling into the thornes is choked and made vnfruitfull and therefore hee wisely aduised Iudah Ierusalem by the Prophet Ieremy Ier. 4.3.4 Plough vp your fallowe ground and so we not among the thornes For notwithstanding all the great mercies wonderfull workes of the Lord done too for this people far beyond that he had done too and for other nations whereof he was worthily called the God of Israel The ingratitude of the Israelites and their condition they knowne by the name of the people of God before all other the inhabitors of the earth which required their great gratitude godly obedience yet were they ingratefull and long time wallowed in their stubborne disobedience whereby they had quite extinguished the feare of God true Religion and all Pietie For from the raigne of King Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat who had set vp the Calues in Bethel and Dan to be worshipped and thereby had subtilly allured and drawne away those ten
for the institution of the people The third 3 Euangelists are such as are sent to some particular Churches to preach the Gospel vnto them The fourth 4 Pastors are diuinely called and appointed to take charge of the soules to them committed to feed them with spirituall food to administer the Sacraments The fift 5 Doctours are called to catechize teach the principles grounds of Religion The sixt were to execute the faculty of the Spirit against wicked deriders of discipline 6 Powers to correct such as contemned the plaine doctrine 7 Healers The seuenth are to heale and worke beyond the common course of nature in the prime of the Church thereby the sooner to confirme the faith and doctrine preached transferred at this time vnto such as beyond some others bountifull and zealous in the works of mercie do refresh and comfort others The eight 8 Helpers are appointed as Deacons or Ministers to regard the necessitie of the Church to helpe the poore Christians with a faithfull collection and distribution of goods The ninth are to rule and gouerne others 9 Gouernors after the grace and wisedome giuen them thereto in the ecclesiasticall policie 10 Linguistes The tenth haue the gift of tongues and grace of interpretation of tongues for the better edification of the Church Here we haue fiue yoke of Oxen. The Oxen are the Preachers c and why In a word the Oxen which ordinarily drawe on this Plough are the Preachers Ministers and faithfull disposers of the secrets of the word of God vnto the people as before it is said who are not vnaptly likened to Oxen for fiue chiefe respects that is First for their wisedome secondly for their authority thirdly for their continency fourthly for their strength fiftly for their vtility The wisedome appeareth in the eyes the authority in the hornes their continencie in their castracie their strength in their labours their vtilitie in their vse It is said in the Apocalyps 5. that the Lambe had seuen eyes which noted his great wisedome 1 Wisdome and perfection of knowledge But the Oxe hath but two eyes whereby as Isaiah saith he knoweth his owner is ready to obey him By these two eyes is signified knowledge of the Lordes Law and Commandements and a willing obedience to the same And againe here is the loue of God and the loue of man alluding to those two tables in the Lawe In a word here is both wisedome and the worke of wisedome in the Oxe Secondly the Lambe hath also seuen hornes which noteth the perfect power and authoritie 2 Authoritie of Christ But this Oxe hath but two hornes to note a double vocation wherof the one is within the other without from the which the Christian especially the Pastor Preacher Minister or Elder taketh his power and authoritie for how can he preach except he be sent Thirdly the Oxe is gelded by the which he is made more tame readie 3 Chastitie and subiect to his worke and yoke And of certaine spiritual Oxen we heare the Lord say There be some chaste Mat. 19.12 which were so borne of their mothers wombe and there be some chaste which be made chaste of men and there be some chaste which haue made themselues chaste for the kingdome of heauen For some are chaste by nature and some others are made chaste beeing gelded by men but these hauing subdued their appetites vse the gift of continenciâ— in the seruice of God for they are disposed by the holy Ghost to beare the yoke of Christ with meekenesse of minde by the ripenesse of repentance the quietnesse of conscience the worke of obedience the grauitie of their modest conuersation and christian modestie 4 Strength Fourthly the Oxe is ordained for labour and so the Husbandman vseth him in his fielde and plough In like maner the Elders and Ministers of the Word in their spirituall Husbandrie are not to stand idle but to labour as said the Apostles Wee are Gods Labourers yee are his Husbandry And this was the saying of the good husbandman to them whom hee found standing idle in the Market-place Why stand you here all the day idle goe and enter my Vineyard and labour and whatsoeuer is iust ye shall receiue Here is labour required neither may such imagine which take this charge on them that they are worthy their rewards without labour nor that they shall be holden guiltlesse before the Lord except they worke and labour for they be spirituall Oxen. 5 Vtilitie Fiftly the Oxe bringeth great vtilitie vnto the Husbandman As not onely in that it easeth him of the great labour of his hand in tilling the earth which the Lord cursed as Gen. 15.20 but also in treading out his corne in yeelding him plentie of graine in drawing for his carriages and lastly in submitting his life and body to him for his victualles So able is the faithfull Minister of the Gospell to boulte out and dispose the hidden graine of Gods mysteries vnto the people in yeelding him plentie of foode at all times by preaching the Word in season out of season yea and to offer vp his body vnto the Lord a sacrifice as the holy Marters haue done for the confirmatioÌ„ of the faith and better comfort of the Church Thus hauing perused the Oxen let vs now consider something more of their kinde of labour 2 The labor of the Oxen The Apostle citing that place of the law saith that the chiefe labour of the Oxe is to Tread out the Corne. Meaning such a labour as whereby the Husbandman is prouided for and furnished with that whereof hee liueth And indeede the labour of the spirituall Oxe is the treading out of the spirituall foode vnto the people The good Householder saith our Sauiour bringeth forth out of his treasure thinges new and olde To this he compareth the Preacher or preaching of the kingdome of heauen in the which the Lawe applied to the Gospell and as well iudgements from the one as mercies from the other declared vnto men the field of the Lord is fallowed and prepared and a great abundance of good fruites brought vnto them that labour the same Saint Paul writing to Timothy 1. Tim. 5.17 speaking of those Oxen whom he there calleth Elders for â—â—â—ir wisedome grauitie authoritie and digniâ—â—â—â—ommendeth vnto them two especiall duties viz. First good gouernment next studie and doctrine The Elders saith he which rule well Elders that rule well are worthy of double honour especially they which labour in the Word and Doctrine By this Ruling he noteth a gouernment but by well ruling he noteth the manner thereof neither is it much regarded that men rule but that they rule well in their places thus ought the Minister to rule well the Church the which that he may the better perform he must learn first to gouern wel himselfe and next his owne family for hee that cannot doe that