word such a conscience a care to reforme your selues your housholdes What I saye hath wrought these things in you how came you by thē What is it that hath so altered your mindes déedes affections Let your conscience be witnesse to me in this matter I am sure you wil approue y t which I haue spoken acknowledge the profite the power and necessity of the worde preached All euery one of these arguments do prooue and confirm as I think that euery minister necessarily ought to preach and otherwise y t he is no minister approoued of God Al euery one of these or most of them do quite ouerthrow and condemne all dumb idle carelesse ministers whatsoeuer One day they shall know what account he maketh of the soules of his people for seeing the word of the Lord in so many places requireth in a minister preaching yea diligent and carefull preaching in what a miserable and damnable state doe these men stand The Apostle sayeth Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell Well it may be whatsoeuer I haue yet spoken will be granted it is necessary that euery minister preach but what shall all those be condemned which haue not such ful measure of knowledge as other haue which be not accoūted and allowed for publique preachers God forbid I know there is difference in gifts there was so amongst the Apostles but they all sufficiently preached Amongst vs and such others as vse this place and such like places there is difference euerye one of vs haue not the like measure but for my part I speake as I thinke our measure is smal ynough yet the Lord be thanked for that we haue giue vs grace to vse it to his glorye the benefit of his church In my selfe I professe and grant very smal and weake measure insufficiency and lacke of giftes and the Lorde the searcher of the hearts knoweth that the consideration of this hath and doth make me to feare and tremble oftentimes to sigh and lament y ◠so greate a charge and so waighty a burthen is layd vpon me so simple and weake a wretch To you that haue any measure of those giftes which the Lord requireth in his ministers to you I say quench not the spirite vse the meanes to encrease your measure if you be painfull carefull watchfull and faithfull in your Ministerie with a holye and pure affection the Lorde will blesse you To him that hath shall be giuen wee cannot at the first come to perfection Appollos a learned Doctor feruent in the spirite and mighty in the Scriptures yet was he ignoraunt in some things and receiued instructiōs from Aquila and Priscilla Some haue more then others some haue ten talentes some fiue and some but one yet alwayes remember and let it neuer slip out of your minds that the slouthfull and vnprofitable seruaunt shall bee cast into vtter darknesse there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth Against such I speake which in deede neuer had any one Talent or any giftes of Ministers or hauing any doe either abuse them or at least doe not put them soorth to any profitable vse Consider a little the state of our ministery There be some amongest vs sacrificing and Massing Priestes full of manifest superstition and hypocrisie and in trueth enemies to Christs religiō Others there be altogether ignoraunt vnlearned very Idoles they can do what Euen iust nothing Others there be which may haue some grounde of learning but in deede they vtter verie little neither is y ◠people bettered by them Some are idle some carelesse some altogether lewd and prophane some ioyne liuing to liuing and take more vpon them then they can discharge although it may bee they speake in one place yet are they dumbe in an other All these and such like are worthie of blame to bee openlye spoken agaynste because they openlye commit offence All these stande daily in a miserable and damnable state without repentaunce But my chiefe drift at this time in this part of my Text is to prooue as you haue heard that euerye Minister approoued of God must preache that is hee must féede the people he must cut the word of God he must improoue rebuke exhort hee must not simply or barelye read or heare the people say some Catachisme but he is to be able in some sufficient measure to open interpret the holy scripture and apply them I hope that this is alreadye prooued onely I exhorte you to account the Lorde wisest to rest in his holie decrees and allowe his owne order as best Let vs not take vppon vs to appointe him what he should do Seeing he hath set downe preaching as the most excellent ordinarie means to saluation let vs not say y t reading will serue the turn Séeing that he requireth that his Ministers be apt to teach let vs not count them his ministers which neuer taught nor euer had any aptnesse in them If he may bee counted a lawfull Minister and teacher that onely readeth the ordinary Seruice and sometime heareth a fewe Children to say a Catechisme without booke as it is set downe before him then may the Cleark also of the Town be counted a minister and teacher then may euery husbandmā Seruingman nay euery boy or child that can do asmuch be so counted Let not some say for defence of ignoraunt ministers that if they do that which they can do it will serue the turn for in the building of an house as there be some Master builders which bring timber and Stone so other there bee which bring morter and fillings and serue to necessarye vse but let vs remember y t euerye Mynister in his charge is or oughte to be a builder yea a master builder and if the cheefe builder bring nothing but fillinges how shall y ◠Lords building in y ◠place goe forward The Apostle in y ◠place which hath bene already twise alleaged saith That the Lorde hath ordained the Minister for the gathering together of his Saincts and for the edification of the body of Christ till we all meete together in the vnity of fayth knowledge of the Son of GOD vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Oh these be no small things these are no trifles this is no vile simple and drudgery worke no small measure but very greate weightye high and most excellent The holy ghost in another place sayth Leauing the doctrine of the beginning of Christe let vs be led forward vnto perfection not laying againe the foundation of repentance from dead workes and of fayth towarde God of the doctrine of baptisme and laying on of hands of the resurrection from the deade and of eternall iudgement Marke I beseech you these wordes There be many people yea and Ministers also that are ignorant of the first rudiments of Christe that of repentaunce of Baptisme of the
preaching and that euery minister is bound to preach Thirdly I will shewe what they ought to preach The first point as in manye other places so here it is named but not fully set downe what it is but in other places we may easily gather what it is The second is here named and prooued For Saint Paule beeing a minister and saying Woe be vnto me if I preach not the Gospell doth plainely affirme as much The third is here set downe moste plainely the matter that we must preach of namely the Gospell As touching the first let vs see how the Scripture speaketh of it as it is particularly and specially applied to y e publique office of the minister otherwise I know this worde preaching to haue a further and more generall signification But I speake of it as Christ and the Apostles do applying it to the ministers Saint Paule sayth He that prophecieth speaketh vnto men to edifiyng to exhortation and to comfort The same Apostle charging Timothy and in him euery minister to preach the worde addeth immediately Improoue rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine The blessed Apostle Peter as he receiued of his master a charge to feed his flocke so he exhorteth al other to do the same The holy Euangelist Luke sayeth that Christ taught or preached in Nazareth He firste read then shut the booke afterwarde he expounded that scripture which he read and so applied it to the hearers By theâ—e and such like places we may gather that preaching properly as we speake of it is an exposition and application of the scriptures by the liuely voyce of the minister to the edifiyng of the people whereby it may easily appeare that reading is not preaching nor yet sufficieÌ„t in a minister approued of God Saint Paul wil haue him apt to teach The Prophet Malachy affirmeth that the Priestes lips must preserue knowledge Christ after reading shut the booke and expouÌ„ded and yet some are not ashamed to count simple reading sufficient saying it will serue the turne and there may be as much good done by it as by preaching As for reading we speake not againste it we disalow it not but account it a holy lawfull necessarye and profitable meane wherby great good and benefite is wrought to the Church of God but yet it doth not followe that it is sufficient in a minister that it will serue simply of it selfe in the publique congregation The Lorde hath set dâ—â—n an other order and requireth greater thinges at the hands of his speciall seruauntes But this matter shal appeare more plaine in y e wordes following For my purpose in this part is onely to shew you by some circumstances and descriptions what preaching is that reading is not preaching or at least that kind of preaching which the Lord requireth in his ministers as may appeare by comparing them together and by vsing some apt similitudes for the explanation of this matter The smell or sight of meat doth good to the hungrie man but it will not feede him except he taste of it So by reading men may haue some smell of religion but they shall neuer throughly taste of it without preaching and therefore it is called a feeding as we heard before and Preachers are counted Pastors and féeders Again meat that is rawe and fatte maye bee called good but it is not to bee eaten before it be made readye and dressed so are the Scriptures read good holy and pure but not sufficient food for the people without preaching Againe bare reading is as thogh one shoulde cast a whole loafe before them which want strength to cut it Preaching is a cutting and diuiding of the breade of life that euery one may haue his seueral portion Again bare reading without preaching is euen as the husbandman should cast whole strikes and bushels of Corne on his land together on heapes not scattering of it preaching is a spreading and a sowing of the seed Again bare reading is as though the Fisher should shuffle his nets on heapes not opening them Preaching is a wise opening laying and handling of the Net Bare reading is as one shoulde offer good treasures and yet such as were hid shut vp and fast locked and coulde not be come by Preaching is an opening of the treasures to the ioy of Gods children Reading is like to fire couered with ashes which doth smally profite them that stand by it Preaching is an opening and discouering of the fire Let vs consider one example amongst many for the further explaning of this matter The Chamberlaine that noble treasurer of Aethiopia going to Hierusalem to worshippe God as he went read the Scriptures if reading woulde haue serued his turne Philip needed not to haue come to him but he vnderstoode not before he had a guide he was not conuerted neither had he faith sufficient to saluation before he hearde the preaching of the worde which indeed is that especiall effectuall blessed and excellent ordinarye meane of faith as it appeareth more plainlie and fully in the next part of our text Which beeing rightly waighed confirmeth the great necessitye of preaching and prooueth that euerye minister ought to preach Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell And why so because I am called to it because I am a minister because the Lorde requireth it of me Although Saint Paule and the other Apostles had priuiledges and prerogatiues which we haue not although we haue not fullye so large a Commission as he and they had although they did manye thinges which we neither may nor can do yet as touching the office of preaching it appertaineth as well to vs as to them And for the further proofe of this matter I will rehearse some argumentes which before I haue vsed in this place adding diuers others to them 1 It is the coÌ„mandement of Christ and the holy Apostles therefore necessary Christ saide to his Apostles Goe preach the Gospell The which coÌ„mandement in this behalfe belongeth to all the ministers of God Saint Paule straightly chargeth the ministers of Ephesus Take heede vnto your selues and to all the flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers to feede the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own bloud And most weightily of all he requireth it in the place already alleadged he leaueth it not as a thing indifferent that may bee done or vndone but speaketh with a wonderful and mighty protestation hee ioyneth the Scripture and preaching togeather For hauing before in the former Chapiter set foorth the great profit of the scriptures straight waye hee necessarilye addeth this forecible exhortation I charge thee therefore before God and before the Lord Iesus Christ which shall iudge the quicke and the deade at his appearing and in his kingdome preach the worde be instant in season and out of season improoue rebuke exhort 2 It is an argument and token of the loue the minister oweth vnto
ignorant and carnall men for none of these in truth doe make account of the Gospell And now let vs come to the thirde part of our Text wherin is set down what euery minister ought to preach namely the Gospell They are not bound to deliuer the counsels of men the traditions of the fathers the statutes of earthly Princes or the authoritie of mortall men but as they are the seruauntes of Iesus Christ Prince of all Princes so are they bounde onely to preach his Gospell The true Prophetes neuer spake of them selues to the people but as they receiued warning from the Lorde They had no authority to speak their owne wordes nor the wordes of any mortal mā The Apostles might not teach their owne doctrine but only y ◠which they had receiued from their master who enioyneth them to teach all thinges whatsoeuer he had commanded them Goe saith he and preach the Gospell The holy Apostle writing to the Corinthiās auoucheth that he receiued of the Lorde that which he deliuered to thē Wherby we may sée al these teachers cōfuted which stand vppon the authoritie of men which add or diminish anye thing from the Scriptures which ioyne their owne fantasies and the traditions of men with the holy pure perfect worde of God Woe be to those sonnes of vanities for in deede they preach not the Gospell they preach not Christ but themselues they deface and weaken the authoritie of the holy scriptures The lawe of God is a perfect lawe conuerting soules The scripture is able to make the man of God absolute and perfect to all good workes The Lorde sayth by his Prophet He that hath a dreame let him tell a dreame and hee that hath my worde let him speake my worde faithfullie And what is the chaffe to the wheate saith the Lorde Is not my word euen like a fire sayth the Lorde and like a hammer that breaketh the stone Our Sauiour in the Gospell speaketh against such teachers saying In vaine they worship me teaching the doctrine and preceptes of men Let vs remember that which is spoken in the last Chapiter of the Reuelation I protest vnto euery man that heareth the prophesie of this booke if anye man adde vnto these thinges GOD shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke And if any man shall diminishe of the wordes of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the booke of life and out of the holy Citie and from these thinges which are written in this booke Woe be to them which preach and yet preach not the Gospell But that we may know the better how the Gospell shoulde bee preached let vs consider a litle what it is and what it contayneth The Euangelistes call it the Gospell of the kingdome Saint Paule accompteth it that which was promised before by the Prophetes in the holye scriptures concerning Iesus Christ our Lorde And in the same Chapiter he sayth It is the power of GOD vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth And in an other place he calleth it the worde and ministerie of reconciliation Saint Iohn calleth it the testimonie of Iesus Christ From these and such like places maye bee easilie gathered a full difinition of the Gospel which I leaue to your Godly consideration onely this I add that vnder the voyce of the Gospell is comprehended the whole Historye of Iesus Christ in the flesh and also the fruite and vse of the same historie As touching the first namely the historie of Christ it is sommarily comprehended vnder his passion and resurrection the vse and ende of al is that we should haue repentance and remission of sins in his name And this doth Christ himselfe witnesse when as he saide to his Apostles after his resurrection Thus it is written thus it behooued Christ to suffer and to rise againe from the deade the third daye and that repentance and remission of sinnes shoulde be preached in his name among all Nations To this agreeth the holy Apostle S. Peter when as he sayeth with other the Apostles to the counsell and chief Priestes The God of our Fathers hath raised vp Iesus whom ye slue and hanged on a tree Him hath God lift vp with his right hand to be a Prince and a Sauiour to giue repentance vnto Israell forgiuenes of sinnes By this we may see how the Gospell must be preached the people must be taught what Christ hath don for them The whole storie of his Incarnation Conception Byrth sufferinges Resurrection and Ascention these thinges I saye must be oftentimes and effectually preached to the people as they are set downe by the holy Euangelistes and Apostles but yet this is not ynough to shew what Christ hath done to rehearse the storie of his Incarnation but also the minister must be carefull to preach the vse the end and fruite of the same storie which is that the people may repent be tourned vnfaynedly vnto God and so by faith made partakers of remission of sinnes through Iesus Christ Repentance is a true turning to God a chaunging of the outwarde and inward man a dying to sin a liuing to righteousnes and amendmēt of y e whol life with this doctrine we must begin this we must first of all and chiefly vrge this is that doctrine cheefly and moste of all preached by the holy prophets This is the common and vsuall voice O Israel returne to the Lorde Iohn the Paptist the Messenger and also Iesus Christ his Maister they cry both of them Repent for the Kingdome of Heauen is at hand The Apostles also euery where exhort men to repentaunce to amendment of life to mortification and regeneration This is an vsuall doctrin in all their Epistles Nowe they can neuer truely repent which know not the greatnesse of their sinnes and the punishmente due to them And howe shall they knowe this except their sinnes be reprooued and laide open by preaching the lawe of God for by the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne so that the Doctrine of the lawe must not be seperated from the preaching of the Gospell for it is a Schoolmaster to bring vs to Christ This then is necessarily required of euery Minister freelye and boldlye to reprooue sinne in all states and degrees whatsoeuer This is it that the Lorde sayeth to his prophet Crye aloude spare not lift vp thy voyce lyke a Trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and to the house of Iacob their sinnes Our Sauiour Christ accounteth it as an office duetie of the holy Ghost to reproue the world of sinne And in deed there is no doctrine more necessary for this age wherein wee liue although few can away w t it but cry out against such as preach it And as in other places so in this place heretofore I haue had proofe in this matter For vpon iust occasion noting the certaintie of Gods