will endeavour to discharge his duty by good report and evil report 2. You may observe that goodness it self is hated and truth it self slandered and traduced for in his mouth was found no guile but as Saint John saith he is the way the truth and the life and yet all that malice can invent is thought little enough to be laid on him he must bear in his bosom the reproach of a mighty people and he must endure the contradictions of a wicked generation And therefore what wonder is it if the best King and Governour in the world were he as mild as Moses as religious as King David as upright as Samuel and as bountiful to Gods servants as Nehemiah or if as worthy Preachers as ever trod pulpit were they as faithful as Saint Peter as loving as Saint John and as zealous as Saint Paul should be maligned traduced and slandered for you may assure your selves it is no new thing though a very true thing for the wicked to deal thus with the good and godly at all times But among all the subtil arguments doubtful questions and malicious disputations that the Scribes Christs good deeds inraged the wicked Pharisees and Heredians had with our Saviour Christ which were very many and all only for to intrap him in his speech that they might bring him to his death and not to beget faith in their own hearts that they might attain-to eternal life this conflict in this chapter seemeth to be none of the least for after he had so miraculously healed the poor man that was born blind their malice was so inraged and their rage so furious against him that they excommunicated the poor fellow and thrust him out of their Synagogue for speaking well of him that had done so much good for him or because he would not be so wicked and so malicious as themselves and then gathering themselves together round about Christ they began to question him about his office and very strictly to examine him whether he was the Christ the Messias or not And Our Saviour Christ Christ answereth for the good of the godly that knew their thoughts better then themselves intendeth not to satisfie their desire which was to receive such an answer whereby they might accuse him yet for their instruction that would believe in him he setteth down an institution or an infallible induction whereby both their subtil question was fully answered and his own true servants perfectly expressed and distinguished from them that serve him not in these words My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me Wherein The means ways to save us our Saviour setteth down the means whereby the true Christians are eternally saved in being called justified and sanctified which are the three main steps or degrees whereby we pass from our natural state of corruption unto the blessed state of grace that brings us to eternal glory 1. Called in these words My sheep hear my voice 2. Justified in these words I know them 3. Sanctified in these words They follow me 1. Then the Christians are called to come to Christ in that he saith My sheep hear my voice for as Adam after his transgression never sought for God until God sought for him and said Adam Where art thou So all the children of Adam would never come to Christ if Christ did not call them to come unto him but as wisdom crieth without and uttereth her voice in the streets Prov. 1.20 so doth this wisdome of God Jesus Christ cry Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you and if he did not cry and utter forth his voice his sheep could not hear his voice but God sendeth forth his voice yea and that a mighty voice and as the Prophet David saith The Lord thundered out of heaven Psal 68 33. and the most high uttered his voice And that not onely as he did once unto the Israelites God uttereth his voice two wayes when he delivered his laws on mount Sinai but also to all others whom he calleth and uttereth his voice unto them two special ways 1. To the ears of his people by the mouths of his Prophets 1 To our ears Apostles and Preachers of his holy Word that do continually call and cry unto them to come to hear his voice and to obey his Precepts 2. To the hearts of his servants by the inspiration of his blessed Spirit 2 To our hearts which teacheth them to cry abba Father and perswadeth them to yield obedience to all his heavenly motions And our Saviour saith that his sheep or servants will hear his voice that is both uttered by his servants and inspired by his Spirit and they will neither neglect to hear the preaching of his written Word nor suffocate or choak the inspired Word that is the internal motions of his holy Spirit but they will most readily and willingly hear both these voices My sheep hear my voice howsoever uttered Three things observable For the further and the better understanding of which words you may observe these three things 1. The denomination Sheep 2. Their appropriation my sheep 3. Their qualification hear my voice 1. By Sheep here is understood not those four-footed silly creatures The children of God called sheep in a double respect that by their wooll and lamb and milk and their own flesh are so profitable unto us and by their simplicity are so easie to be kept and are the most innocent among all the beasts of the field but those children of God and true Christians that are called and compared unto sheep in a double respect 1. In respect of Christ that is their Pastour or Shepherd 2. In respect of themselves that are his flock 1. Christ is often called in the Scriptures our Shepherd 1 Grand Shepherd of the sheep Christ the good Shepherd in two respects 1. A lawful entrance into his Office Heb. 5.4 1. By the testimony of his own conscience 2. By an outward approbation and he is set forth unto us in this 10. c. by a double manifestation 1. Of a lawful entrance into his Office 2. Of an absolute performance of his Duties 1. The Apostle saith No man taketh this honour unto himself that is to be the Shepherd over Gods flock and a Priest to teach Gods people but he that is called of God as was Aaron And how was Aaron called 1. By God inwardly by the testimony of his own conscience that tells him the Spirit of God calleth him to such an Office 2. Because a man is not to believe his own private spirit that many times deceiveth us therefore God would have Aaron to take his commission and his ordination from Moses as you may see Exod. 28.1 and as the Lord had formerly said unto Moses that he should be instead of God unto Aaron to call him unto the Priests office And as no man taketh or should
herein and that is that all and every one that had any hand or finger in that good King's Death or in the death of any of those His good Subjects that were unjustly and illegally sentenced to death I do not speak of them that were killed in the War because as the Poet Lucan saith Pharsal lib. 1. Victrix causa Diis placuit sed victa Catoni And as the Prophet David saith The Sword devoureth the one as well as the other but of those that in cold blood by usu ping Judges under the Colour of Law were contrary to the Laws both of God and of the Land most unjustly condemned unto death should for that their unjust Proceedings be justly questioned and legally tryed for their former Offence the same being of so high a Nature as I shewed to you before But you will say many of them as blinde Bartimaeus might easily see that acted very highly against the last King and as it is conceived had their hands deep in his death were as active as any others and most special Instruments to bring His now Sacred Majesty unto His Right whereby they have fully expiated their foul offence and deserve rather to be well rewarded and honoured as some say they are then any ways questioned as their Adversaries would have them to be I answer that His Majesty is wise as the Angel of God and knoweth best what he should best do and the Policy of State is far beyond the Sphere of mine Intelligence and their doings therein ought highly to be commended and deserve not meanly to be rewarded though as Will. Sommers told King Henry the Eight that such a Gentleman threatned to kill him and the King answered that if he killed him he would have him hanged for it Will. Sommers replied Nay good King let him be hanged before he kills me or else his death will not preserve my life and his hanging will do me no good so I heard some say that they would have had the Enemies of the last King first punished for their Rebellion and the Murder of Him and then rewarded for their good Service to His now gracious Majesty or else reward them well for their good Service done to our now gracious King and then question them and punish them answerable to their Deserts for their Disloyalty and Treachery to our late King as I read it in the Turkish History and in some other Historians of some very wise Kings that did so to the like Offenders because we may believe it for a truth that they which have proved false to their own true just and lawful Prince will scarce ever prove faithful to any Prince nor seem to be but either for hope still to reap the fruit of their Subtlety to turn when the Winde turns or for fear to be dash'd in Pieces if they turn not their Sayls to escape those Rocks which they cannot otherwise avoid and no thanks to such men for any good they do when they do it perforce and therefore should be trusted perchance And it may be many of the very Murderers both of the good King and of his loyal Subjects have robbed and spoyled not the Aegyptians of their Jewels but the Israelites their Brethren of their Goods Lands and Possessions which they have gotten into their own hands and thereby became exceeding rich and enabled themselves to match their Sons and their Daughters to great Families and to bestow large Gifts that do blind the eyes of the wise on others to make to themselves Friends of their unrig hteous Mammon to preserve them from ther just deserts and to pull down the Wrath and Vengeance of God on others for this their obstructing of the straight rule of Justice that teacheth us to do otherwise Or if it were not so many men do wonder how so many men as were conceived to have been active and most of them to have their hands embrued in the good King's Blood and were likewise guilty of the death of His innocent Subjects should escape uncensured and so few of them sentenced to expiate and appease the Wrath of God for such horrible unparallebd and transcendent Murthers for I knew eight persons executed at Dublin for the Murther of one ordinary Traveller and is it not strange that we see no more brought to their Trial for such a Sâ—aughter as was done upon our good King and His innocent Subjects so judicially and yet so illegally and altogether unjustly sentenced to death or shall we think that no more were guilty then were condemned or not rather that the guilty Murtherers by their Wealth Subtlety and Friends made many others guilty of God's anger and the pulling down of God's vengeance upon many more for their excusing covering and clearing such abominable Transgressours for I would have all men to consider duly how destructive Murther is to mankinde and how odious and hatefull it is to God above all other sins whatsoever especially when an innocent man is judicially and illegally Murthered as you may rightly finde the truth hereof fully proved in the fifth Chapter of the first Book of The Great Anti-Christ revealed and in these Sermons following And I would the Protectours of the King's Murtherers would rightly weigh what the people sayd to King David that His life was worth ten thousand of the lives of the common people and how the Lord punished the whole house and posterity of Saul and all the Kingdom of Israel until his wrath was satisfied for the innocent death of the Gibeonites that were but a poor contemptible people but killed without cause 2. Sam. xxi and especially that there be not any more but two sins that I can finde in the whole Book of God that the Lord saith cannot be pardoned and obliterated without their due punishment and they are 1. The high Abuse of God's Messengers and Publishers of his Will 2. The unjust shedding of innocent Blood For Of the First the Spirit of God saith that when the Lord God sent his Messengers unto the Children of Israel and they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets the wrath of the Lord arose against his People until there was no Remedy as if he had said For other sins of these Israelites some ways and remedies might have been found out as Moses and Aaron by their prayers and censers appeased the wrath of God to turn away the Punishment of them and David and Ezra did the like from the Jews but when they mocked his Messengers despised his Word and misused his Prophets which were the onely Sâ—â—ve or Medicine that could heal their sickned Souls when they refused and cast away these Remedies from them then there was no Remedy in the World for them to preserve them from their just deserved Punishment and therefore saith the Text The Lord brought upon them the King of the Chaldees who slew their young men with the Sword in thâ— House of their Sanctuary and had no Compassion
truth as the Poet saith of Ibis Tincta Lycambaeo sanguine tela dabunt Ovid. in Ibin Their sword is dipt in blood and â—ats the flesh of Innocents and they will give you poyson in a golden cup and deceive you even with Scripture Phrases when as Claudian saith de voluptate Stiliconis Blanda quidem vâ—ltu Claudian de volupt l. 2. Stilic sed qua non tetrior ulla Interius fucata genas amicia dolosis Illecebris So their Doctrine hath the Countenance of truth and the shews of a great deale of piety and charity but you can not see so far as the further end of their intention or at least of his intention that sets them on this course which is to divide the seamless coat of Christ to bring sects and divisions into the Church and to break the two staffes wherewith the Church of Christ is guided and subsisteth Beauty and Bands i.e. the pure Doctrine and the discreet Discipline of the Governors of the Church that these Governors being suppressed and their discipline destroyed and the bands which are the Fences of Gods Vine-yard being broken all to pieces the wild Bore out of the Forrest and all the Beasts out of the Field may destroy the Vine-yard at their pleasure and make the Church of Christ to become the Synagogue of Satan and the House of God a Den of thieves And therefore when any of these false Prophets should arise and seek to withdraw Gods servants from the Truth and true God Deut 13.5 1 Reg. 18.40 the Lord commands his people to put that Prophet to death and so Elias caused all the Prophets of Baal to be slain and Jehu did the like and though our Saviour Christ be not so severe in the New Testament as God was in the Old Testament to command us to put the false Prophets to death yet he doth most seriously advise us to beware of them Apoc. 22.15 and the Holy Ghost calleth them Dogs barking dogs of whom the Apostle biddeth us to beware lest they bite us And truely we have the greatest reason in the world to beware of them because these false Prophets that seduce the people with their smooth Preaching and with the Words of God are worse then any other wicked men that destroy none but themselves and they bring thousands after them out of the right way and from the right service of God And yet these false Prophets were the only Prophets whom the Jews magnified and the true Prophets of God they persecuted for Jezabel fed 400. of these false Prophets at her own Table which was a pretty company for one woman to maintain and for Elias which was the true Prophet of the Lord she swore that she would be the death of him as you may see in 1 Reg. 19.2 1 Reg. 19.2 And the rest of the People of the Jews walked in the same waies And therefore the Lord saith Micah 2.11 If a man walking in the spirit and falshood do lie or walk with the wind and lie falfly he shall even be the Prophet of this people And this hath been the Common course of the world in all ages For all wicked men and all worldlings that would notwithstanding seem to be Religious and pretend to serve God as well as the best and rather then the best will therefore have Preachers and Prophets to instruct them in the way of God as they pretend but it is indeed to cover and to cloak their Hypocrisie and therefore their Preachers must be like Jezabels Prophets Prophets like themselves that will Prophesie what they please and serve what god they please and with what service they like best And such Prophets and Preachers as will do so to follow their directory they shall want no preferment they shall have annuities and pensions and augmentations and eat at Jezabels Table Thus did the Jews lay down a pattern to magnify the false Prophets and now the Christians follow them But how did they deal with the other sort of Prophets that were the Prophets of the Lord the Prophet Esay tels you To the Seers they said see not Esay 30.10 and to the true Prophets they said Prophesy not to us right things and because the true Prophets that the Lord owned to be His Prophets would not dissemble and smooth them up by sowing pillows under their elbows and prophesying placentia deceits and pleasing things unto them therefore the Holy Ghost tels us they mocked these Messengers of God 2 Chr. 36.16 and despised his words that is the Words of God that were spoken to them by his Messengers and they misused his Prophets as you may see in 2 Chron. 36.16 And as S. Stephen saith they persecuted them from time to time and from place to place And thus did the Jews use or rather abuse the true Prophets And have we not seen the like dealings in our own time and the people imitating these Jews to a hair Persecuting all the Reverend Bishops and all the grave Preachers and spoyling them of all their Livelihoods to make them the very scorn of the World as we have been above these two Lustra's of years and yet in a deep Hypocrisy to magnify and to advance the false Prophets and those young novices and Preachers that commended their waies and walked after their steps though now the tide being turn'd the most of them cry Peccavi and say with the Jews We have sinned with our Fathers we have done amiss and dealt wickedly to let you see what kind of Prophets they were and what you should conceive of their extorted confession but enough of this that sheweth you what Prophets and whose Prophets their Fathers persecuted the true Prophets of the Lord. Yet here is one point more and that is 3. The Generality of their persecution for Quem Prophetarum 3 The Generality of the Persecution saith the Martyr Which of the Prophets have not your Fathers persecuted Can you name any one of Gods Prophets that hath escaped their persecuting hands And is it not strange that there is no Bound nor Measure of their malice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Devil is Gods ape but it must extend and reach to all Gods Prophets Surely no For the Devil is Gods apâ—â—â—nd as in many things else so he would fain imitate God herein As God would have all the Prophets of Baal destroyed that there might not be a false Prophet left to seduce his people so the Devill would have all the Prophets of the Lord destroyed that there might not be one true Prophet left to instruct Gods people and therefore he crieth out unto his instruments Down with them down with them even to the ground and let the foundations be cast down that their building may be quite demolished like the re-edifying of Jericho whose builder should be accursed and should lay the foundation thereof in his First born Josh 6.26 and set up the gates thereof in his
that the Herodians are his bitter enemies and do intend to kill him and therefore he should do wisely to convey himself out of their reach But of every such Pharisee Cum tibi dicit Ave tanquam ab hoste Cave 5. For their observation of the Sabbath they are so zealous or rather superstitious that the Disciples must not pick an ear of corn and put it in their mouth to asswage their hunger nor Christ speak a word to heal a lame or a blind man on that day without danger of a Câ—uncell to be severely censured and we read that if a barrell or vessel of wine leakt and run out on the Sabbath they would rather suffer the same to be all spilt then stop it on that day and Stow writes it in his Chronicle that one of them dwelling in the Old Jury in London happened to fall into a Privie upon the Saturday which was and is their Sabbath day and he refused to be pluckt out because he would not have his neighbour to prophane the Sabbath and his neighbour being a Christian denied to help him out on the Sunday which is the Christian Sabbath saying If thou art so precise to observe thy Sabbath I will be as zealous for my Sabbath and before the Munday he was stifled with the ill savour of his lodging So religious were these Saints in their superstition so fair in their outward holinesse of fasting praying and hearing Sermons exceeding all other men so far as Religion seems to exceed prophanenesse But he that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the searcher of all hearts and seeth the secrets of all thoughts tells us plainly they were but meer hypocrites appearing unto men like silly sheep but were indeed ravening Wolves that devoured widowes houses and plundered all their poor neighbours not leaving to many of them bread to put into their childrens mouthes under the colour of their long prayers and the pretence of Zeal and Religion this is the very truth of the matter How mighty these hypocrites increased in number in power and authority And yet these wicked men these holy hypocrites by their dissembling and faigned holinesse grew so great both in number and power that they soon over-spread the whole land and became as it were the only Oracles of the people and their faction ruled upon the matter not only the City of Jerusalem but almost all the land of Jury so farre that as Josephus saith Herod himself was afraid to displease them they had so infinitely bewitched the people with the opinion of their knowledge in the Scripture and their zealous profession that nothing was thought well done but what they did or approved of as it appeareth by that question unto the Officers Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him But let such hypocrites go on in their hypocrisie John 7.48 â—â—arth 5.20 and let them be deceived that will believe them it is not these outward shewes of holinesse and shadows of Religion that pleaseth God who is not mocked as the Apostle speaketh but requireth truth in the inward parts as the Psalmist saith and therefore tells us and we may believe him that except our righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the hypocrites that do but deceive the world and bewitch the simple people we shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of heaven 2. 2 The Scribes The next Sect that were most sedulous to betray Christ and to murder their King were the Scribes such as were the continual Writers not of Bills and Bonds Like our Presbyterians in dependants and Lay-Preachers as our Scriveners do but of the Holy Scriptures and therefore they pretended that they alone had the perfect knowledge and understanding of the same consequently that they alone were the only people of God all the rest no better or but little better then cast-aways so censorious were these scribling gnosticks But if you would examin their Exposition you should find that praeter falsitatem hypocrisin uihil habent they were such Interpreters of the Scripture as Hogs are dressers of Vines and when they stuffe their impertinent discourses with more impertinent Texts of Scripture 2 pet 3.16 they do but as Peter saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wrest it and pervert it and as the word implies deal with it as Shoemakers do with their Leather stretch it and tear it oft-times with their teeth when it is so that of it self it cannot reach to fit their purpose And truly the Church of God never wanted such Scribes in every place Tertullian saith credunt Scripturis ut credant adversus Scripturas they alledge Scriptures to overthrow the Scriptures and no Scripture shall be believed but as themselves interpret it and to give you a taste of their Expositions 1. When the Prophet Joel saith Your sons and your daughters shall prophesie Joel 2.28 they will justifie their Revelations and their speciall inspiration of Gods Spirit when as the Prophet meant it only of the Apostles and the immediate disciples of our Saviour 2. When the Prophet Hosea saith The children of Israel shall remain without King Hos 3.4 and without Prince many dayes this is a sufficient proof they shall be independent from all Government but their own and therefore being thus inspired by the lying spirit they were earnestly set on to kill their King and to abjure their Prince that they might still continue Independents without any regal Government 3. When Obadiah saith Thy mighty men O Teman shall be dismaid to the end that every one of the Mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter Obadiah v. 9. Malach. 4.2 3. and Malachy saith To you shall arise the Sun of righteousnesse and you shall tread down the wicked as ashes under your feet this is a sufficient warrant to destroy all Malignants and to root them out of the world as the enemies of Gods people which they say are themselves and none else 4. Esay 61.6 When the Prophet Esay saith You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles and in their glorie shall you boast your selves this is a good warrant for them that take all the wealth and possession of their malignant neighbours they need no more but take them and seize upon them and never call them to answer Whether they have offended the Law and so forfeited their estates or not And is the world now free from such Scribes as do falsifie the sayings of the Apostles as these Jewish Scribes did the words of the Prophets No no for you may find many writings and Pamphlets of our Scribes that have most strangelie perverted the words of S. Paul Rom. 13.1 2 3. to cast off all Regall power and to establish the Democratical government and as peevishiy expounded the words of S. Peter to prove the lawfulnesse of deposing and decollating their Kings many more such Scriptures you may find perverted by our new-sprung Scribes if you cast your eye
fashion devised by the false Prophets now serving him in his Temple and consecrated house dedicated for his worship and presently serving him in Chambers in the Groves and under every green Tree But I conceive that the Prophet means according to Tremelius translation that they erred from the right service of God and from the performance of their duties unto their neighbours and so straid like lost sheep without a shepherd The Law of God is the way wherein we ought to walk both from the way of piety and from the rules of equity and the further they go on the harder it is for them to return to the right way for you must know that the way wherein we ought to walk is the Law of God even as the Prophet David sheweth saying Blessed are they that are undefiled in the way Psal 119.1 that walk in the Law of the Lord and not in the way of sinners which is the transgression and aberration from the right way that is the Law of the Lord. And this people The Jews and ourselves like the Egyptians and why the Jews were as we are for the most part of us like unto the Egyptians that received the most plentifull benefits of the river Nilus and yet they knew not the fountain from whence it sprang so did they reap all the favours of God his Oracles his Prophets and his blessings more then any other Nation of the World and yet they neither knew God nor the will of God Hos 4.1 Vide Esay 1.3 for as the Prophet Hosea saith There was neither truth nor mercy nor knowledg of God in the Land and therefore they wandered indeed and wandered far out of the way But you will say it is very strange that the Jews of all other people should be ignorant either of God or of the law of God when as the Apostle saith Vnto them were committed the Oracles of God and Rom 3.2 chap. 9.4 Psal 76.1 What great means the Iews had to understand learn the true service of God Amos 3.7 as the Prophet saith In Jurie is God known and his name is great in Israel and he gave unto them Priests and Levits Scribes and Pharisees that should continually expound his Laws both to them and to their children for ever and when they failed to do their duties he raised up his Prophets to direct them to the right way and to shew them how they should both worship God and love their neighbour and as the Prophet Amos saith Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he reveileth his secrets unto his servants the Prophets and therefore How could this people be ignorant of God or wander out of his waies To this the Prophet answereth in the next point and sheweth the true cause of their wandering and of all their deviation and starting aside from the right service of God for 2. He saith They loved to wander therefore what wonder is it Where the Jews erred that they should erre and go out of the right way when they loved desired and were well pleased to go out of it but it is strange and a great deal more strange for men to love to erre then it is to erre For humanum est errare God alone is truth and every man a lyer the best of us all is subject unto error when as ever since the fall of Adam there were four things Four things imposed on Adam and on all his seed for his transgression saith Beda most justly imposed upon all his seed for his unjust transgression 1. Ignorance 2. Impotence 3. Concupiscence 4. Malice For the healing of which four maladies the second Adam was made unto us as the Apostle saith 1. Wisdom 2. Righteousness 3. Sanctification 1 Cor. 1.20 4. Redemption Therefore seeing ignorance is incident unto all men and every man is born blind every one may well say with the Eunuch How can I understand without a Teacher or Act. 8.31 how can I walk in the right way without a guide But for a man to put out the light or for a blind man to refuse a guide and for an ignorant man to refuse knowledge this is the condemnation whereof our Saviour speaketh That light is come into the world Joh. 3.19 and men love darkness more then light And yet this was the Epidemicall disease of this people and it hath continued among all Nations to this very day for as the Scripture testifieth of the ungodly Noluerunt intelligere ut bene agerent but they say to God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies So it is true of too too many they will not understand the truth that they might do right they will not hear the true Preachers Job 21.14 2 Chr. 18.7 but as the King of Israel would not hear Micaiah but hated him so will not many men hearken to the true Prophets but they will do as Ahab said he did to Micaiah hate them and as the Jews dealt with the teachers of Gods true worship that is stone the Prophets and kill them that were sent unto them as Samuel was rejected Esay sawed in pieces Jeremy thrown to a filthy dungeon Zachary the son of Jehâ—ida was stoned with stones even in the court of the House of the Lord Micheas thrown down by Joram to break his neck because he rebuked him for the sins of his fathers Amos killed with a club Ezechiel slain Vrias the son of Semeiah for Prophesying against Jerusalem was killed by Joakim Jer. 26.23 Elias persecuted and threatned to be killed by Jezabel and the spirit of God demandeth of the Jews Act. 7.52 Which of the Prophets had not their fathers persecuted Even so do many men in many places and in most Countreys use the true Preachers and teachers of Gods true worship and the repairers of their errors in these very daies and if the true Preachers say with this Prophet Jer. 6.16 Ask for the old pathes where is the good way and walk therein and you shall find rest for your souls I am affraid our people will answer with the words of this people and say We will not walk therein But to proceed to shew unto you the doings of this people the Prophet tels us they have not only rejected the true Prophets and refused the bright shining light of the truth and right service of God offered unto them by the legitimate messengers of God but as our Prophet speaketh they have committed two evils 1. Jer. 32.33 chap. 7.25 They have forsaken the Fountain of living waters 2. They have hewed them out Cisterns even broken Cisterns that can hold no water And these two evils do commonly go together to silence and deprive the old and true Preachers and to advance and magnify the young novices that are fitter to be taught then to teach yea to forsake God and then to adore the Calf to throw away the service of
rebellion and disobedience of the people as here because Zedechia was not suffered by these stubborn and disobedient people to follow the advice of this our Prophet therefore they were all delivered into seventy years Captivity And as the Lord is extream angry with those rebellious people that disobey and labour to displace the Kings and Governours that he sets over them So he sheweth abundance of his love and kindnesse to them that submit themselves to his ordinance and behave themselves dutifully and loyally towards those Kings whatsoever they be that God placeth over them as you may see it in the whole course and Story of King David and Saul for as he was the most dutiful and most faithful subject that ever we read of so God was pleased to raise him to be the best King that ever reigned over Israel for his King and his Governour was Saul the very first of that Order among the Jews and he was an hypocrite a persecutor a murderer a tyrant and a mad man yet when David whose life he thirsted after had him at his mercy and could as easily have taken off his head as to cut off the lap of his garment he said The Lord forbid 1 Sam. 24.6 that I should do this thing unto my Master the Lords Annointed to stretch forth my hand against him and his heart smote him because he had cut off his skirt And when he had him again in the like trap he said unto Abner Art not thou a valiant man and who is like thee in Israel wherefore then hast thou not kept thy Lord the King this thing is not good that thou hast done As the Lord liveth you are worthy to die because you have not kept your Master the Lords Annointed and his oath As the Lord liveth sheweth 1 Sam. 26.16 that he spake it in good earnest and jested not And if they be worthy to die that defend not and protect not such a wicked King especially in going about so vile an action as the murdering of so good a man and so dutiful a subject as David was then what shall become of them and what are they worthy of that murmur and grudge and plot against the life of such a â—ood King as maintained peace and jâ—stice amongst his people and offered no special injury to any particular man of us all Surely if I had the wisdom of Solomon and the eloquence of Demosthenes I were not able to expresse the odiousnesse of their sin that conspired against the person and proceedings of such a King as is inoffensive before God and all good men But to go on to shew unto you how faithful this good subject was to this bad King when the young man that was an Amalekite and none of Saul or Davids subjects came of his own accord to bring tidings unto David of Sauls death and of the good service that he thought he had done unto Saul at his own request to put him out of his pain David presently caused him to be put to death 2 Sam. 1.15 because he durst presume to offer any violence though that violence seemed to be a favour unto the Ruler of the people whom we are straightly forbidden to revile Exod. 22.28 or to speak evil of him So dutiful and so loyal a subject was David to so evil a Governour and so wicked a King as Saul And this his loyalty and fidelity unto Saul was one of the chiefest vertues that we find commendable in him before God had according to his fidelity to his King raised him to the Rule and Government of his people And I wish that all and every one of us would strive and study to imitate this good man in our obedience fidelity and loyalty to our King and Governours that God hath placed over us But here it may be some troubled and discontented spirit will say I could willingly yield all due respect and obedience unto our Kings and Governours could I be satisfied that God appointed them to be the Kings and Governours of his people Jeremy 23.21 but as the Lord saith of the false Prophets They run and I sent them not So he saith They have set up Kings but not by me Hosea 8.4 and they have made Princes and I knew it not And should we be obedient and faithful to such Kings and Governours that ambitiously set up themselves and are not righteously set up by God To these men that stumble at this block I answer 1. That the Prophet speaketh there as I shewed to you before not of any Soveraign Monarch but of the Aristocratical government of many men that will all be as Kings and Princes ruling and domineering over the people for so you see the Prophet speakes in the plural number of many Kings that in all the whole Scripture you shall never find to be either appointed or approved by God to be the Governours of his people for indeed those many Kings and Governours of equal authâ—rity are none of Gods Governours neither are they set up by God nor as I find approved by God in any place of all the Scripture But as God is One and the only Monarch of all the World so he ever appoints one Monarch only to be his Deputy to govern the people or nation that he committeth under his charge 2. I say that this Monarch and Governour whom God raiseth to govern his people attaineth unto his Throne and right of Government even by the ordination of God divers wayes as 1. Sometimes by Birth which is the most usual best and surest way and most agreeable to Gods will 2. Sometimes by Choice and the election of the people as Herodotus saith the Medes chose Deioces to be their King and the Princes of Germany now chuse their Emperour and they commonly chuse him that is by Birth the eldest son of the deceased King 3. Sometimes by the power of the Sword as God gave the Monarchy of the Medes unto Cyrus and the Kingdom of Darius and of many others unto Alexander and the Empire of the Romans unto Augustus and many other Kingdoms unto others that had no other right unto their Dominions but what they purchased with the edge of their Sword Which right though it be nothing else but Vsurpation and Intrusion in these ambitious hunters after rule and dominion yet notwithstanding it must needs be a very good right as the same cometh from the just God who is the God of war and giveth the victory unto Kings when as the Poet saith Victrix causa diis placuit And he having the right and power Paramount to translate the rule and transferre the dominion of his people to whom he will he hath oftentimes for their sins thrown down the mighty from their seat and translated the government of his people unto others whom some waies he thought fitter to effect his Divine will as he did give the Kingdom of Saul unto David and of Belshazzers unto Cyrus and
man Si quoties peccant homines sua fulmina mittat Jupiter c. which I may well render in the words of the Prophet If thou Lord wilt be extream to mark what is done amisse O Lord who may abide it Or as the Apostles demand Who then can be saved But the Lord beareth long and forgiveth much iniquities transgression and sin Upon what condition God forgiveth our sins Math. 6.14 15. and yet he forgiveth nothing but upon this condition that we ask forgiveness of our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us for if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses As you may see it plainly exemplified and shewed in the Parable of the unmerciful Steward And every Talent is 375. l. for when his Lord forgave him a thousand Talents and he would not forgive his fellow-servant a hundred pence his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him Math. 18.34 So that he which remitteth not the offences done unto him must never hope to have his offences remitted unto him by God saith our Saviour Christ Verse 35. And what then shall we do shall we be like James and John that when the Samaritans would not receive their Master would presently have called for fire out of Heaven to have destroyed them all Or shall we be like their Master that when the Jews like so many Cannibals were about him to â—ear him and to crucifie him and to lay such loads of abuses and indignities upon him as the like were never laid on any other man yet was he so far from being incensed against them that although the least breath of his mouth could in an instant have blown them all to be destroyed yet his only revenge was Luke 22.34 Father forgive them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for they know not what they do And his servant S. Stephen imitating him when he was stoned to death desired none other revenge but kneeling down Act. 7.60 cryed with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their charge And if notwithstanding all this that I have said men will be still transported with the spirit of Revenge I shall only wish them to remember what Erasmus saith for a worldly counsel seeing they refuse the counsel of God that some remedies are far worse than the disease yea so far worse Vt satius sit oppetere mortem quà m his aucupari salutem Better to suffer wrongs than to repell them with far greater damage That it is better to suffer the Patients to die than to go about to compasse their health and recovery Veluti sugere sanguinem è vulnere recenti gladiatorum morientium As when we go about to save their lives by sucking the blood from the new-made wounds of the dying Gladiators And so saith he Melius est ferre pacem etiamsi parum commodam quà m bellum cum immensis malis suscipere It is sometimes better to conclude a peace or accept of peace though with some disadvantage than to undertake a war with far greater inconveniencies As it was better for David to bear a while with the sons of Zervia than presently with the hazard of his Kingdom to go about to punish their insolencies And so likewise Satius est aliquando ferre injuriam quà m majori incommodo ulcisci It is sometimes far better for a man to take some wrong and injuries than to revenge his wrongs with the suffering of far greater mischiefs And therefore touching fore-past injuries and wrongs done unto us I say with Juvenal minuti Semper infirmi est animi exiguique voluptas Juven l. 5. Sat. 13. Vltio câ—ntinuò sic collâ—ge quòd vindiciâ Nemo magis gaudet quà m foemina Revenge is the badge of a Coward and the argument of a feeble-mind befitting rather weak women than any man of a Heroick spirit especially such as are endued with the Spirit of God whose Precept is to forgive and whose language is peace as the Prophet testifieth He will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints that they turn not again that is to revenge to war and fight again but to forget all former injuries and to honour all men and therefore not to revenge our selves upon any man And according to this Precept of S. Peter to honour all men S. Paul to inforce this Duty a little further Heb. 12.14 and to shew the meaning of it somewhat clearer biddeth us to follow peace with all men Wherein you may observe 1. The large extent of our peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all men Two things to be observed 2. The great desire that we should have to get peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow peace that is just as the Psalmist saith Seek peace and ensue it 1. It must be with all men for it were a strange thing 1 The large extent of our peace with men and love to men that men should not live in peace with good men with Christians and with the Saints of God but that as in Moses time an Israelite fell out with an Israelite about the bricks and strawes of Egypt So we that professe the same Faith live under the same Head and dwell in the same Kingdom or perhaps in the same City must for the toyes and trifles of this world go to Law one with another or for some mistaken conceits and different opinions in our Faith fall out and war and rob and spoil and kill one another When as the Apostle bids us to honour all men and to follow peace with all men good or bad Jews or Gentiles For as Lot served God and lived in peace among the Sodomites and Joseph did the like among the Egyptians and Daniel likewise served the true God in Nebuchadnezzars Court and lived peaceably among the Idolatrous Chaldeans and all the true Saints and servants of Christ do keep themselves undefiled in the midst of a crooked and a froward generation So should we endeavour to live in peace and to honour and love even those that professe themselves enemies unto peace and to be of a different Faith and Religion from us that is not only the Papists Puritanes and the like Sectaries but also with the Jews Infidels and Pagans and as the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all men Because we are bound to love our enemies and to do good to them that hate us and to pray for them that persecute us And therefore much more bound are we to be at peace with them and yet not to be corrupted or seduced by them but still to retain the true Faith The praise of Gods servants is to live holily among the wicked and to serve our God aright as we ought to do otherwise What thanks to them that live holily in heaven among
take this office upon him but he that is as well outwardly approved by such as are lawfully authorized to approve him Exod. 4.16 as inwardly called by the restifying spirit of his own conscience so also Christ saith the Apostle glorified not himself to be made an high Priest and to become the great Shepherd of Gods flock Heb. 5.5 c. 17.21 but he that said unto him Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee and hath sworn Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech And therefore if no man no not Christ himself taketh this holy office upon him but he that is lawfully called by such as have lawful authority to call him I wonder how any man dares to intrude himself into the Ministry without any mission from Christ or commission from such as are lawfully authorized by Christ to admit them You know what our Saviour saith As my father sent me so send I you and they that were his Apostles never went until he sent them for there must be an Ite go ye Mat. 28.19 Mar. 16.15 John 10.1 before Praedicate preach ye and you see what our Saviour saith here Verily verily I say unto you he that entreth not by the door into the sheepfold but climbeth up some other way the same is a thief and a robber that is he that is not lawfully called and comes not the right way into the Ministry to be the shepherd of Gods flock the same is none of Gods Ministers Jer. 23.21 14.14 but is a thief and a robber stealing to himself what of right belongs to another And yet I fear we have now too many of whom the Lord may say as he doth by the Prophet Jeremy I have not sent these Prophets yet they ran I have not spoken unto them yet they prophesied for we are not onely to consider whether they be called and approved to be the Ministers of Christ but we must likewise consider by whom they are called and approved for as idem est non esse non apparere so it is all one to be not called and not approved as to be called and approved by such as have no right nor authority to call and approve them as when a company of thieves and robbers gives power and authority to a man to be Justice of the Peace or a Judge of Assize we say his power and authority is null and of no validity so they that give orders and approve of Priests and have no right no power nor authority to give orders and to allow them do just nothing in the just way and their orders is worth nothing But you will say this may be true of the Lay-preachers but those that are ordained by the Presbyterians and approved by an assembly of Presbyters cannot be denied to be lawfully called and to enter in by the door into the sheepfold I answer that I will not at this time discuss who gave them this power and authority to ordain Priests but I say that I dare not I cannot approve and justifie their authority let them answer for it that presume to do it I have shewed you their error in my discovery of the great Antichrist So you see how this grand Shepherd did lawfully enter into his office and how all his under-Shepherds should imitate him in their lawfull entrance and not intrude themselves nor be unlawfully admitted into the Ministry 2. 2 A perfect performance of all the duties of a good Shepherd Philo Jud. in l. de opificio mundi The other point here spoken of this great Shepherd is a perfect and most absolute performance of all the duties of a good Shepherd Where first of all you must observe that Theocritus Virgil and others writing of this office of Shepherds do make three kindes of Pastors or Shepherds and so doth Philo Judaeus where he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Shepherd Goatesman and Herdsman drive the flocks of sheep goats and bullocks and it is observed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dici de pastore omnium animalium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum relatione tantum ad oves that the Greeks do call him onely that keepeth sheep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a shepherd and our Saviour saith not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am the good goatsman or the good herdsman John 10.14 but he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am the good Shepherd that taketh care for his sheep but not for goats because the Lord careth for the righteous but as the Prophet saith he scattereth abroad all the ungodly And seeing that he is a Shepherd you know what the Poet saith Pastorem Tytere pingues Pascere oportet oves Vagil Eglog 6. The Shepherd ought to feed his sheep for as the old proverb goeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spartam nactus es hanc orna every one should look to his own office as the learned Divine to preach the Word of God the Cobler to mend his shoes the Countrey-man to plough his ground curabit prelia Conon and the King or whosoever is the chief Magistrate to provide for war and to conclude peace which is the onely way to keep all things in the right way because that mittere falcem in alienam messem for the Coachman with his whip to lash the pulpit the Taylor with his shears to divide the Word of God the shepherd with his hook to rule the people and the unruly people to reign as Kings is that which as the Poet saith Turbabit fadera mundi Lucan phars l. 1. and is the readiest way to pull all things asunder to tear in pieces the whole course of nature and to subvert all the order of Gods creatures and indeed to reduce the total frame of the creation to a speedy dissolution whereas that man is worthy of all praise as Aelian saith which meddleth with nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that pertaineth nothing unto him but looketh onely and carefully to his own duty and he is worthy to be reproved as our Saviour checkt Saint Peter for his curiosity to know what John must do that is a stranger in his own affairs and busieth himself onely with what onely belongs unto others And therefore not to do my self what I blame in others or to extend my discourse beyond my line to treat of the art of war with Phormio before Hannibal or to tell you the office of a King or a Judge when my text tels me I am to treat of a Shepherd but to keep my self contrary to the common practise ad idem to my own proper task I shall desire you to remember that the duty of a good Shepherd consisteth chiefly in these two points 1. Negatively what he should not do to his sheep 2. Affirmatively what he should do for them 1. The heathen man could tell us that boni pastoris est pecus tondere non deglubere it is the part of a good Shepherd to fleece
for his flock For the affirmative or positive duties of a good Shepherd what he should do for his sheep never any came neer the goodnesse of this good Shepherd For 1. He provideth for his flock not onely the outward food of their bodies which he doth for all other living creatures when as the Prophet saith He openeth his hands and filleth all things living with plenteousness and as the same Prophet saith He feedeth the young ravens that call upon him and the best of us hath not a crum of bread but what he hath from him but he hath provided also the spiritual food of their souls which is the Word of God and the blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper for as our Saviour alledged against Satan Mat. 4.4 Man liveth not by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and the blessed Sacraments are Verba visibilia Evangelii the visible and palpable words of the Gospel and are as the celestiall manna the heavenly food that perisheth not but feedeth us to eternall life The errour of the Messalian Hereticks if we strive to receive the same worthily as we ought to do though now we have too too many that are poysoned with the conceit of the Messalian Hereticks that said Baptism and the Lords Supper did neither profit us nor hurt us but that they which were inspired by Gods Spirit were guided by the revelation of that Spirit how to behave themselves in all their wayes which is the readiest way to lead them to the infernal spirits because we are not to be led by the inspiration of any spirit but by those holy directions which the Spirit of God hath left us in the holy Scriptures What is meant to be inspired with Gods spirit and when we pray to be inspired with Gods Spirit we mean no otherwise then that the Spirit of God would guide us to lead our lives and to do all things as we are commanded by the same spirit to do in the word of God that is left unto us by the Prophets and Apostles of Jesus Christ to be the onely Rule of all our actions 2. As he provideth thus both our temporal and our spiritual food 2 Christ ordereth how the food of his should be disposed so he ordereth and disposeth this food unto his sheep not according to their sensual appetite but for the natural good of their bodies and the spiritual health of their souls that it may be unto them the savour of life unto life and not the savour of death unto death As 1. For their natural food 1 Their natural food he would have us with the son of Jakeh to desire neither poverty nor riches neither too much nor too little but to be fed with food convenient lest if we be too full we forget the Lord grow too proud as the great rich men commonly be or if we be too poor we be driven to steal and to lie Prov. 30.8 9. and to take the name of God in vain And What should be convenient for every man because most men are loath to understand what is the mean betwixt too much and too little and what measure is that that is convenient S. Paul tells us That having food and rayment we should therewith be contented for the greatest Monarch in the world can have no more and our Saviour that best knew what is convenient for every man bids us prey to God that he would give us this day our daily bread that is so much as will serve us for our present necessity Luke 12.19 and not with that fool in the Gospel to lay up much goods for many years when he knew not that his soul in that night should be taken from him and then he could not tell who should enjoy those things or how those things should be spent that he had provided And 2. For our spiritual food 2 Their spiritual food this good Shepherd hath commanded us that are his under-Shepherds to give unto his sheep their owne portion in due season 1. Their own portion and that both in quality and quantity 1 Their own portion 1. In quality 1. In Quality what is most proper for every one as all meats serve not for every stomack and every potion serves not for all diseases so it is with our spiritual food and the divine physick of our soules and therefore we are advised to give milk unto the babes and stronger meat to them that are stronger men in Christ that is plain and easie doctrines to the plain and more ignorant people and deeper and more polite discourses to the judicious and those of deeper knowledge because as S. Paul saith we are debtors both to the Greeks and to the Barbaâ—ians to the wise and to the unwise and therefore as Christ biddeth his Apostles so must we sometimes launch forth into the deep both of Divinity and Humanity and as well of Arts as of Languages And so we are to give praises to the good reproofes to the bad but flatteries unto none when we ought no more to flatter the sweet and clement then to fear the cruel tyrant and in like manner we are commanded to apply comfors and consolations to the dejected spirits to pronounce pardon to the penitent sinners and to thunder out the terrors of Gods judgements to none but such as are impenitent and obstinate transgressors 2. In Quantity we are to give our sheep neither too much of this spiritual food 2 In quantity nor yet too little for where prophesie faileth the people perish and the worst famine is the famine not of corn wine and oyl but of the famine of Gods Word and therofere the Apostle saith Wo is me if I preach not the Gospel and wo is them that hinder us to preach it as they have done these many years And yet as we are not to give our sheep too little of this spiritual pasture lest they should want so they should not have too much lest they should loath it for a man may eat too much of the Honey-comb saith Solomon Prov. 25.16 Num. 11.20 and the children of Israel had so much Manna that they loathed it and Quails so plentifully that the flesh came out at their nostrils and so men may have the Word of God so fully that they will despise it or at least neglect it because as Solomon saith Prov. 27.7 the full soul loatheth or treadeth under foot the honey-comb but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet so is the Word of God precious when it is not so plentiful and despised when we are full of it And truly I do believe Knowledge how more plentiful now then ever it was the Gospel of Christ and the rest of the holy Scriptures were never since Christ his time so fully and so generally and so truly published as of late they were in the reigne of our late King
Christ doth administer much matter unto us Christ uttereth his voice three manner of wayes 1. Way for Christ speaketh unto his sheep three manner of wayes 1. By the inward inspiration of his spirit which suggesteth good motions into the hearts and heads of his sheep 2. By his holy Word that is written unto us by his Prophets and Apostles 2 Way to declare his will that is his Laws Statutes and Ordinances his decrees promises and threatnings that we might obey his precepts believe his promises and fear his threatnings 3. By the lively voice of his under Shepherds 3 Way those Preachers that he continually sendeth to instruct his sheep and to inform them of the truth and true meaning of his will that is set down in his written Word 1. And because there are many spirits we are not to believe every spirit 1 Iohn 4.1 but we ought to be very careful to try the spirits whether those motions and inspirations of the spirit that we have be agreeable to the written Word of God which if they be not they are the suggestions of the lying spirit and not the inspiration of Gods Spirit 2. And because the written Word is but the dead letter a dumb Judge and full of mysteries and obscurities Christ sends his servants to explain that written Word as Councellors do the written Law unto his sheep or if it were not so there was no need of Teachers but every one that had a Bible and could read ir could understand the voice of Christ But Christ knew how necessary it was for his sheep to have Instructors and explainers of his will and therefore he sendeth his under-Shepherds continually to sound forth his voice unto them and he tells us plainly Luke 10.16 He that heareth them heareth him But here by the voice of Christ which the preachers are to explain unto the sheep the question is whether they ought to alledge or cite any other voice or the voice of any other man then what is set down by the divine Pen-men of the holy Scriptures in the Canonical books of the Old and New Testament which are the only writings that are of divine inspiration and infallibly true without any commixion of any errour For some will believe nothing and would have nothing said or alledged but what is set down directis terminis in the holy Scriptures that are the only undoubted voice of Christ therefore they do blame them much and tax them sore that cite any other Author or produce any other proof of any truth then what is found in the holy Bible To these men I answer that as I love their Zeal to Gods Word so I pity their Ignorance of Gods Will for they should know that as every lie is the voice of the Devil who is a lier from the beginning and the Father of all lies as our Saviour saith so every one that is of the truth heareth my voice saith Christ and as he is Pater luminum the Father of Lights so he is Pater veritatum the Father of Truths and every truth qua truth John 8.44 John 18.37 1 Sam. 10.12 is the Voice of God and comes from God as when Saul prophesied it became a Proverb in Israel Is Saul also among the Prophets and when Caiphas the high Priest that condemned Christ to death prophesied that it was expedient for the Jews That one man should die for the people that the whole nation perish not John 11.10 his words were the Truth of God and they are registred in the holy Scriptures nay more when Satan said I know who thou art even the holy one of God And again Thou art Christ the Son of God And when Peter said Thou art Christ the son of the living God Luke 4.34 4â— Utriusque confessionis non neganda sed agnoscenda est veritas the truth of either of their confession cannot be denied but must be acknowledged ought to be believed for truth not because either of them hath said it but because what either of them hath said is true otherwise if we refuse to believe the truth because the Devil speaks it his malice is so great that to hinder our Faith he would perchance very often say the truth that we might not believe iâ— which is his aim and desire alwayes when he doth speak truth and therefore Quamvis hic laudatur iste tamen vituperatur though S. Peter was commended yet Satan was reproved for his confession because he had no command nor commission to speak that truth and he spake it to none other end but that it might not be believed because he hoped that none would believe the Devil Galat. 1.8 but S. Paul tells us That if an angel from heaven should preach to us any other gospel then what was truth he should be accursed to teach us that neither the worthiness nor the unworthiness of the persons speaking but the lawful commission and authority of the speaker the truth of what is spoken is most chiefly to be regarded by the hearers and therefore Christ saith The Scribes and Pharisees that were wicked men and his enemies do sit in Moses chair that is they are lawfully called to teach the people and to expound the law of God All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe Mat. 23.2 3. that observe and do but do not ye after their works because they say and do not And therefore though the holy Scriptures primarily infallibly and perfectly without errour be the voice of Christ and the true Word of God yet this denieth no but that other Writings either of holy Faith witty Poets and learned Philosophets or whosoever they be that write the Truth either Historically or Physically or Morally may secondarily be stiled the voice of Christ so far forth as they are the words of truth otherwise S. Paul would never have cited three Testimonies of the Heathens to justifie the truth of what he delivered which was like the fact of David to cut off Goliah's head with his own sword or as the Israelites robb'd the Egyptians of their Gold and of their Jewels when we take what is good out of prophine Authors as S. Aug. sheweth at large De doct Chr. l. 2. c. 40. and produceth many excellent points out of their Writings De civ dei l. 8. c. 6 7 8. And if it were not lawfull and useful to quote other Authors as the Voice of Christ unto the people it had been but a vain thing either for the Fathers of old or for any other learned Divine now to write any thing at all if their writings bare no credit or was of no use either with the Readers or the Hearers of their explications or shall we think that all the learned Authors that have written since the Apostles tiâ—e were such fools as to take such pains as they have done to no purpose which must needs be to no purpose if no use can be made of