leaue and liking of his Lord that called him His owne conceipts must yeelde vnto his calling and his fancies must not make him craze his faith It is better to beate them as Abraham beat the Birds that hindred him then by bending to them to breake lose from his calling or to be beat from his businesse as being vnworthy of it or vnfit for it And in a word no feare must fray him no terror must amaze him nothing must make him flie oft of the hookes Shall the obstinacy of the people Although saith Chrysostome I be not ignorant that I speake in vaine yet will I not giue ouer for so doing I shall be excused before God although no body would heare me in 3. Chap. Ioh. And it may be with continual shewring vpon them their harts will at length relent and waxe soft Shall their rage their choler The frantique saith Augustine will not be bound neither would such as are troubled with a lethargie be roused but charity perseuereth to castigate the frantique to stirre vp the lethargique to loue theÌ„ both Both are offended but both are loued Both of theÌ„ being molested so long as their disease coÌ„tinueth doth take it ill that you shold so trouble theÌ„ but both of them being cured they do reioyce Shall threats disgraces Shall the malice enuy of the wicked was not Christ disgraced maligned calumnized euill inâ—reated Were not all his Apostles hated persecuted Shall pouerty driue thee froÌ„ thy calling or make thee to faint in thy calling Was not Christ poore to Man that he might make thee rich to God And were not his Apostles poore Gloriosa in sacerdotibus Domini paupertas Pouerty saith Ambrosâ— is glorious in the Priestes of God A crosse it may be to them but not a curse Paul was a man of much affliction yet saith he Seeing we haue this ministery as we haue receiued mercy we faint not Non fecisse sed perfecisse virtutis est To worke is not so commendable as to continue constant in working till the work be brought to perfection Ministers must be like the salt waters which hauing once begun to flow continue flowing till they come to their full sloud A candle being once lighted burneth on so long as it lasteth except it be put out with violence Euen so they as candles being once lighted set in the church as in a candle-sticke to giue light vnto the people by holding out the lampe of light that is the word of God they shold burne bright continually Aliis inseruientes semetâ—psos consumentes spending themselues like lamps or torches in seruing shining vnto others Salomon left not building of a temple for the Lord made of lifelesse stones vntill it was built vp So should they continue coÌ„stant in building his teÌ„ple made of liuing stones till it be brought to perfection if in this life it were possible They should do their best indeauour and languish not Vt desint vires tamen est laudanda voluntas Paul laboured constantly in his calling till God cald him away by death Possidonius saith that Augustine preached the word of God coÌ„stantly Vsque ad ipsam suam extremam aegritudinem vnto the extremity of his sicknes Fox saith of Bradford that preaching reading and prayer was his whole life These are good patternes and worthy imitation Peter saith that he ought in equity to put them in mind of their duty whiles he continueth in his earthy tabernacle The Minister and his Ministery should cease together and not one before another Paul commandeth Timothy to exercise himselfe in and to adâ—iâ—â— himselfe vnto reading exhortation and doctrine and to continue in learning If wee would duly consider that by preaching the couenant of grace is reuealed that Gods oracles are explained and his dispersed sheepe brought home and nourished that faith is thereby wrought and confirmed and the children of God begotten and conserued that his house is builded his field is eared his scepter erected his throne established his kingdome augmented and Sathan eiected vndoubtedly it would moue vs to a continuall and constant execution of our office without either fainting in it or forsaking of it The Sun we see neuer ceaseth moueing all the while his course is vnfinished The Laborers in the parable wrought vnto the euening euen till their Lord set and sent his Steward to call them from their worke So we that are the Lords labourers appointed by him to worke in his vineyard and set in the Church as the Sunne in the heauens to giue light vnto his people must labour constantly and moue continually till our course be finished and our taske be ended we must not giue ouer till our houre-glasse be runne out till our Sunne be set and the Euening of our life be shut in or vntill our Lord and Maister shall call vs from our worke or send a Messenger to fetch vs. Salomon saith In the morning I sowe thy seede and in the euening let not thine hand rest All men ought to be constant in their labouâ—s and neuer be weary of well doing much more therefore Ministers whose labours are most excellent commodious who ought to be to al other men as that cloudy and fiery pillar was vnto the Israelites which led theÌ„ and let them see their way to Canaan God commaunded that there should be Light alway shining in the Tabernacle The Church militant is Gods spirituall Tabernacle Ministers are the Light that must shine vnto all the members of the Church yea to those that yet sit in darknesse in the shadow of death and that constantly alwaies and without intermission The Lord required a sacrifice of 2 Lambes to be offered day by day continually And it were not vnfitting if ministers did daily in their prayers present and consecrate their people like those Lambes vnto the Lord. Their duty consisteth not wholy in preaching to them but also in praying for them for the prosperous estate of the whole Church I haue set watchmen vpon thy walles O Ierusalem saith the Lord which all the day and all the night continually shall not ceâ—se Ye thaâ— are mindfull of the Lord keepe not silence giue him no rest till he repaire and set vp Ierusalem the praise of the world No man saith Christ that putteth his hand to the Plough and looketh backe is apt to the kingdome of God He is in truth neither a fit man for the kingdome of grace nor a fit Minister for the Gospell of the kingdome The Lord hath put the sword of his Spirit into our hands He will haue vs to hold it constantly and to shake and brandish it continually neuer ceasing to kill the sins of the people with it and causing them continually to die an euerlasting death to sin in this world that they may liue an euelasting life from sin in the world to come and that being couered with
great Husbandman bestoweth not his paines alike vpon them all In like manner the Church of God as a sumptuous and stately building receiueth and entertaineth many into her God is the principall and commander of all the rest And all the faithfull which being simply by themselues considered are exceeding many are his houshold seruants which abide and liue in her and are all maintained prouided for by the Lord that great house-holder And as houses are ordinarily made of diuers things or if there be an house built all of stones yet one stone differeth from another either in quantity or in quality colour or scituation So in Gods house which is made of liuing stones one stone one part differeth from another There is a fundamentall and chiefe corner stone which is Iesus Christ that Liuing stone euen Life it selfe and the Wel-spring of all our life and there are also vpper stones which are of lesse importance And of these some are better coloured then others some are larger and some are lesser some exceed others in grace and shal excell them also in glory Againe some are cut out of the Rocke before others and put into the building first and many which the builder medleth with last may be made more comly glorious then some others which were hewed out and set in the building before them For all their preferment all their comlinesse is at the free disposement of their Architect Furthermore as diuers things must be prepared before a field can be taken in and seuered from other groundes before it will bee fit for seede and plants some labour must be spent about it so before the Lord doth call take vs to be a field vnto himselfe out of the barren heath and wide wildernesse of this sinfull world before he sowes the seeds of his graces sets the pleasant plants of true christiaÌ„ vertues in our hearts he prepares and fits vs ordinarily by the ministery of his word ioyning therewith sometimes also crosses and aflictions and some other things which he hath prouidently prepared and wisely directeth for our good And euen as wood stone brick lime and such like things as concurre to the making of an house must be fitted and layed together before the house can be made so the Lord doth prepare and vnite the faithfull together that they may be one indiuidual and entire building And vntill they be all collected compacted fast together Gods house shall not be fully finished And as stones in an house cannot without mortar be layed fast and firme neither can the posts the beames and spires be well and surely ioyned without pinnes nailes or barres of yron euen so the liuing stones of Gods house the true members of his Church cannot be closely coupled and strongly knit together without true Christian charity and his most holy Spirit Againe as all things concurring to the building of an house being well composed do make much for the beauty of that house so all the faithfull being cunningly compact and laid together of God as it were by line leuell do make for the statelinesse and glory of his house which consisteth onely of Beleeuers And as all the parts of a field the variety of hearbes the diuersity of fruits and the comly orders and rankes of plants do greatly commend and set forth the field in which they are euen so the Church which is Gods field is greatly beautified and adorned through the multitude great diuersity of her members which are as it were sundry sorts of sets or hearbs as also by reason of that comly order which he the Husbandman hath set among them Moreouer fields are not in their perfect glory so soone as they be taken in and the plantes and seedes that are set and sowne in them come not presently but by degrees to their full perfection and growth So the Church is peâ—fited by degrees her plantes grow vp by little and little and the seedes of Gods graces which are sowen in our hearts spring vp grow and multiply by degrees and not all at once The flints the stones and stinking weedes are not all remoued and gathered out of vs at the first The hardnesse of our hearts the flintinesse of our affections and the weeds of wickednesse are not at one instant but by degrees remoued and taken away And as no field is inclosed and taken out of the heath or common in one moment of time but one part after another So God doth not take in the whole Church and by effectuall vocation seuer her and call her out of the world and inuiron her with his fauour reuealed to her at one point of time but he doth it by degrees at seueral times in that order and maner which in his wisedome he seeth most beseeming and which before all time hee did with himselfe decree In like maner also as no house is built vp all at once but by degrees so is the Church in generall and we that are her particular members erected and perfited by peecemeale and in processe of time And we do not attaine to our ful perfection whiles we liue heere For there is no man iust in the earth that doth good and sinneth not The clearest riuer hath some mudde in the bottome and the healthiest body hath some corruption in it So the purest soule is notwithout some sin Regeneration doth not in this life wholly extirp originall corruption but onely weaken abate and wast it by degrees For while we liue sinne shall not dy but death that receiued life from sin must be the death of sinne Our sins and we shall dye together And when the threed of this momentany life is cut asunder by death and a dissolution or diuorcement made betwixt those two parts of man which God did at the first vnite and wedde to make a perfect man the one must for a time returne vnto the earth and the other shall be taken vp into heauen thereto receiue both perfect grace perfect glory when God shal after a time repeale end the separation reunite them then they shal iointly receiue both holines happines in al perfection without future alteration in the paradise of God In whose presence there is fulnesse of ioy and at whose right hand are pleasures for euermore It is true indeed that we are perfect in this life in two respects First in regard of the perfection of parts because like inâ—ants we haue all the parts of a christian God hath giuen vs all his graces though we haue theÌ„ not in their full perfection And secondly wee are reputed perfect in Christ our head being clothed with his perfect righteousnesse And for this cause the Church is sayed to be faire beautifull comly vndefiled and pure to wit because she is inuested in the spotlesse and pure robes of Christs absolute most meritorious holinesse and obedience which is imputed to her and accepted as her owne But if we
of the Prophets is not regarded the raine of their exhortations runs by vs and is not receiued And although we be continually dressed daily pruned by the word of God as by a sprittle or pruning knife yet are we full of superfluous branches our fruit is rotten sowre vnwholesome vnpleasant What may we now expect of God if he shall deale with vs as we haue dealt with him but that he should pull downe his hedge breake downe his wal and lay this vineyard waste and bestow his paines vpon a people that will bring forth better fruites Let vs therefore repent before it bee too late let vs labour against our barrennesse vnto good against our vnfruitfull fruitfulnesse in that which is euill Shall we labour that our soile may be good and fertile and shall we with patience see our soules sterile vnfruitfull Can we not endure our gardens to be ouergrowne with weedes and shall we suffer our heartes to be defaced with sin which is more stinking and infestant then any weed is or can be Shall we desire God to giue vs the first and the latter raine to water our grounds and shall we not pray him also to water the dry ground of our hearts with the sweet shewers of his graces and to moisten and soke vs with the water of his Spirit Shal we desire God to shew kindnesse vnto vs in giuing vs the timely fruites of the yeare and shall we be vnkind vnto him in keeping froÌ„ him the timely fruits of our hearts Do we dislike slerility in our groundes barrennesse in our sheep and kine shall we not as wel dislike the barrennesse of our hearts and the spirituall sterility of our soules If we would shew our selues to be indeed the field of God and would not shame his husbandmen let vs striue against our barrennesse let vs lay aside all the vnfruitfull works of darkenesse and let vs labour to bring forth fruits in aboundance beseeming repentance and those that professe themselues to be the field of the liuing God And thus much for the first title CHAP. 5. We ought to trim vp our selues We may be sure that God will keepe house within vs. THE vses which we ought to make of the consideration of the second title are especially two First considering that we are Gods house we are taught so to dresse vp our selues as that we may be pleasing to him and not offensiue To this end we must remoue those things which are displeasing and deck our selues with such things as he doth delight in We must therfore tune the disordered strings of our sinfull soules labour for a sweet concent in all our affections that they may be iointly fixed vpon good and not on euill that there may be as liâ—tle discord iarring in theÌ„ as is possible whiles we continue in these houses of clay We must yet proceed a little further labouring with all our power to cleanse our soules bodies of all filthinesse of sin We must kill the spiders of a poisonfull and rancorous spirit We must brush downe the cobwebs of proud and haughty imaginations which are mounted vp into the turrets of the head and cleaue as it were to the seeling of the braine We must by true repentance sweep out of our hearts the dust of wickednesse as couetousnesse worldly cares and such like and cleanse out all vncleanenesse of fornication and fleshly desires We must let out the smoake of iniquity and purge our selues of al our sins by true remorse by godly sorrow and vnfeigned mortification O Ierusalem wash thine heart from wickednesse that thou maist be saued How long shall thy wicked thoughts remaine within thee Wash you make you cleane saith the Lord take away the euill of your works from before mine eyes We must not make our selues who are Gods house to be the dennes of sins which like Theeues rob him of that honour which is due vnto him Therfore as good Iosiah tooke away all the abominations out of all his countries so let vs by true repentance remoue al our sins which are al abominable out of all the corners of our hearts And as the Priests and Leuits cleansed all the House of God and brought out all the vncleanenesse threw it into Kidron so let vs which are spirituall Priests in Gods spirituall Temple cleanse the houses of our hearts of all vncleanenesse of our sins and condemne and cast them into the pit of hell that sulphirie lake from whence they came that so the workes of the diuell being dissolued himselfe eiected he may be past all hope of future entrance and recouery of his former hold that howsoeuer he may looke in at the doore or peep in at the window by his tentations and dart in a wicked thought yet he may find no roome swept vp and furnished for him to rest in and make his mansion Neither is it sufficient for vs to clense our selues of that which doth defile vs but we must also decke and adorne our selues with those things which are neat and comly We should therfore strew our hearts with the fresh flowers of Gods graces We should decke our selues inwardly with the lowlinesse of mind We should hang our soules with the rich arras and costly tapestry of holinesse innocency and sinceritie We should perfume our hearts with coales of Iuniper and with the frankincense of Gods Spirit We should set open our windowes that the blessed Sunne of righteousnesse may shine into vs to warme and enlighten vs. We should set open the gates of our hearts that the king of glory may come in And finally we should present our selues vnto him as a liuing and holy sacrifice We should prepare the banquet of an honest heart and a good conscience for him And we should giue him the best entertainement that we are able in all respect And so doing we shall be pleasing to him and shall reape exceeding comfort to our selues And therfore al those are to be reproued which professe themselues to be the houses of the liuing God and yet wallow in their sins as hogges in the mire are full of the dust of wickednesse giuing themselues ouer to ignoraÌ„ce profanenes worldlinesse drunkennes epicurisme all vncleanenes These are not the Temples of the Spirit but the tents of the diuell These are not the houses of God but the tabernacles of wickednesse the sinks of sin the cabbins of vncleane spirits hauing not onely the fire of sin within them but beeing indeed also compassed about with the flames thereof on euery side And let them in time take heed and come forth For sin is a fire that burneth to destruction It worketh both a confusion in the soule the confusion of the soule The wages thereof is the eternall death both of soule and body Rom. 6 23. Secondly seeing we are GODS house we may assure our selues that he will reside and dwell
the Canopy of Gods grace in this life they may be clothed with the robes of his glory in the life to come Finally the Lord hath put his Booke into our handes Wee must vpon all iust occasions open and expound it We must constantly hold it vp and out vnto his People We must not lay it aside nor cast it into corners Our hands in holding it must neuer faint least the enemies of God and his Church should preuaile and conquer And so much for the properties of a good workeman CHAP. 13. Ministers ought to be peaceable and louing to each other but yet the refractarie must be bridled Doct. 6 LAbourers together Seeing that wee worke together with and for the Lord seeing all faithful Ministers are the Lords Labourers appointed by God to husband his field and to repaire and build vp his House we should all agree and loue one another entirely that our worke may go the faster forward and that so we may receiue greater comfort and ioy The Psalmist describing the wicked saith that they smite downe Gods people and trouble his heritage Their throat saith Dauid is an open sepulchre and their mouth is full of cursing Destruction saith Esay is in their pathes and they know not the way of peace But these things do nothing beseeme the Ministers of God who are or ought to be Praecones pietatis the preachers of peace and piety and not fighters and strikers but meeke gentle and studious of concord and amity The Word and not the sword is committed by the Lord vnto them the word of grace the word of reconcilement the sword of the Spirit and not the sword of Reuenge If his workmen fall to wrangling how shal his worke go forward God hath hired vs to worke and not to wrangle praedicare non praeliari If any man lust to be contentious we haue no such custome saith Paul neither the Churches of God It is mery with wolues and foxes when the shepheards are together by the eates one with another Lamentable are those flockes miserable are those sheepe We should rather bend then band and bowe rather then breake Ferentes non ferientes bearing one with another and not biting or beating one another lest we be deuoured one of another If the builders and plowmen quarrell one with another their worke must needs be hindred If a kingdome saith Christ be deuided against it selfe that kingdome cannot stand or if an house be deuided against it selfe that house cannot continue Euen so Gods kingdome vpon earth cannot but be much weakened and the rearing of his house much hindred if Ministers which either are or ought to be his chiefest instruments to build his house and to propagate and vphold his kingdome be deuided one against another in factions and hostile manner Diuide et regna Deuide and reigne is no rule for vs to practise amongst our selues It was not the true but the counterfeit mother of the child that said Let it be neither thine nor mine but diuide it If the builders of old Ierusalem in the daies of Nehemiah had contended one against another it had bene easiy for their enimies to haue destroyed both them and their building So if the Builders of new Ierusalem of spirituall and mysticall Ierulem do fight and biker one with another they do without doubt expose themselues and their building to the danger of the enimie that taketh all oportunity to worke a mischiefe Diuide a ship and how shall it saile Diuide the Church and how shall she hold out vpon the waters and not be drowned There is little got but much lost by contention Nimium altercando veritas amittitur Ouer-hot contention loseth the truth and ouer-great dissention amongst the sheepheards scattereth and disquieteth the sheepe The dissention of the captaines was the destruction of Ierusalem But pace florent omnia true peace like Aprill shewers makes all thinges flourish Vires vnitae sunt fortiores A three-fold cord is hardly crackt asunder A sheafe of arrowes is hardly broken Thorefore as Labourers of one Lord as Builders of one House as plowers of one fielde as shepheards of one fold as keepers of one garden as dressers of one vineyard as workemen in one haruest as watchmen of one city as souldiers of one captaine as seruants of one maister and as sonnes of one father let vs all agree one with another being coupled fast together by one spirit like linkes of one chaine and as if there were but one temperature of all our bodies and but one soule within them all And accordingly let vs vnitis viribus ac toto conatu ioyntly labour with might maine that Gods worke may goe forward that the powers of darknesse may be shaken that the gates of Hell may be flung from their hinges and that sin and sathan beeing dismounted from their thrones the scepter of Christ Iesus may be set vp in the hearts of his people If we must loue all men and if we must be gentle towards all men is it seemely for vs to hate one another Shall we be spitefull and crabbed one vnto another God is loue and the well-spring of true peace and the Diuell is the father of hatred and enmity therefore it behoueth all the Ministers of God to be peaceable and louing that so they may be like the Lord vnlike the Diuell If we should labor to haue peace with all men how earnestly should we striue to haue it amongst our selues Nec minor est virtus quam quaerere parta tueri Are all men bound to be of the like affection one towards another and is it fit for vs that are or ought to be lights and guides vnto others to be of a contrary affection one to another Ought not the strong to beare the infirmities of the weake and not to please themselues Wisedome and lenitie will say so And ought not the weake labour to see their infirmity and to waxe weary of their weaknesse that so there may be a simpathy and no antipathy peace and not passions concord and not hostility It is one thing to be weake and another thing to affect weaknesse It is one thing to shew weaknesse and another thing to shroud and shield it It is good to confesse it but bad to professe it There is a strong weakenesse and there is a weaknesse that is weake indeed All weaknesse is vncommeâ—dable but affected and sturdy weaknesse is vntollerable This is the peace-breaker and he must be bridled Easie salues are for easie soares bâ—t gangrenes must be pared off and fisiulaes must be bitten The Leper musâ— keepe his house And he that hath the plague about him must not come abroad Melius est vt pereat vnus quam vnitas It is better to want one then lose all It is better to cut off a finger then to lose the hand And an honorable warre is better then a seruile peace We