the stage as very Artificial and cunning Traders if not Corrupters and Abusers of holy Scripture Scripture the Oraracles of the Holy Ghost truth delivered to us from inspired Prophets holy Apostles confirmed by miracles water'd by the bloud of Martyrs preserved to us in all the Combustions Changes and Persecutions of the world inviolate This is the word which the holy Fathers of the Church spent their time and oyl in to explain borrowing vacancies even from their vigils Canonical hours Embers Fastings and other Penances to meditate on the sacred merchandize which with exquisite pains they unfolded and aired as it were with pious Homilies and Comments that no pestilent breath of heresies might pollute nor errours ruffle or sully it This merchandize the word they sorted for divers Festivals and with distinct portions of it celebrated them fitted and adjusted to anniversary Commemorations of our Saviour the Blessed Virgin and other Saints and Martyrs This is the word in which are treasured up the most sacred Merchandize that the world can or ever will shew Nothing in it carnal rich promises oyl of gladness the Covenant of grace seals of pardon Gracious offers sharp reproofs wholsome counsels St Mary Magdalens St Peters and other penitents tears the bloud of our Saviour indeed what not And if the Atheist nor much more the hypocrite beleeves it not for the wantonness of wit Drolleries and scoffs of the one and Pharisaical quoting of it by the other especially when he is to serve his worldly interest by ostentation of godliness are some evidences to me they do not yet the word is still the same and retains yet its Glofy majesty verdure and beauty these drencht in pleasures and sensuality are too mean and despicable to intice sober Christians minds from so solid foundations and excellent structures of piety but that they will always be ready to pawn their very souls for the verity of it and govern their lives and conversations by its holy precepts laws and injunctions Indeed the danger is somewhat more and looks like a victorious mischief though the word it self can never be foiled or worsted being an incorruptible seed which preserves in it self a pure and chaste sense which neither Angel Devil or any creature can pervert yet when some men that are set apart and dedicated to holy ministrations who besides the dignity of their Calling may have some varnish upon them of strictness and zeal to set them off with the Vulgar just as in trades they that would deceive to the utmost advantage affect to have the repute at least of conscientious men above others in their dealing shall with a daring confidence nail an interpretation upon the holy Scripture then whatsoever they hold forth is with many the very word of God it self the milk of the Word The Bread of life though never so unlike the candour whiteness and innocency of one or the other And this gaudy shew of preciseness sometimes with heat and passion against authorized Decencies in religion or slie touches wherewith we besmear any established Order in the worship of God with the odious Title of Stinting or quenching the Spirit or of Superstition for which we have taken our measure before of the Vulgar who are of the Combination This zeal cannot but win us the repute of godly conscientious scrupulous tender men and when we have once so builded our fame upon the premises how fast do we climb to such an estimation that our persons are had in admiration so that we may then deâ—â—â—â— the whole trade of the pulpit vend all sorts of ware good or bad for people come to the Sanctuary resolved to take them off our hands at any price and never to examine the goodness folidity Scriptural worth or Textual Argumentation for them I shall not denie which we have learned from mysteries and crafts too we put off good and bad merchan dize together as one helps off the other in shops The great and solemn Mysteries of Christs Incarnation his Crucifixion Death Resurrection are exposed sometimes to our view and our memories rub'd with them and yet perhaps not neither at their proper Festivals to vend these they need no dark shops nor false lights these are unquestionable rich indubitable verities which we all adore and to which all our faiths stoop and bow it may be too when they are in the frolick they make though not very quick but duller and cold exhortations to charity and some few other Christian Graces men perhaps that have sometimes smart touches against drunkenness swearing uncleanness and we could wish they had had that good success of their lungs pains and menacing hell fire to them as to have struck the guilty into blushes horrour repentance and amendment but they have a concealing art against sins of as deep and crimson a dye such as they beleeve will not be cheap'ned or bought up by their Great masters or they reserve them for other Marts if they have any minde at all to vend them they winde off and come not near Sacriledge lying forswearing cheating hypocrisie gluttony covetousness which is idolatry schism and disobedience these are wares they rather let lie upon their hands then anger the slie and cunning patrons of them and besides they have their wrested and forced Doctrines their rackt wines either sowr or made liquours stained course ill dyed thrummed wares stuffs as it were purposely drest and perfum'd for popular Auditories for that is another art and skill in commerce to know when and to whom we vend one or the other for all people are not easie alike to be beguiled it is to the unskilful Buyer we conceal our best and expose our worst to sale To speak plainer It must be granted if any where that wisdom is requisite in our calling to know to whom we preach for unless we watch opportunities to discover the several necessities tempers and wants of men how to urge them or forbear to make our assaults or to retire they will scarce be ever our crown of rejoycing in the day of the Lord so if we be otherwise bent to nourish sin lusts or corruption in them as both are much in our power by the Ministration committed to us we can never do that so completely artificially and crafts-men like as when we spie out their inclinations and accordingly vend them incentives and provoking drugs dress our Ambushes and oyl our words these advancements and proficiencies some of us have made even to the endangering of our own and other mens souls by borrowed Arts from wordly Trades which supply me with one more by which they work deceits and cozenages that is they have ordinarily false weights and measures which differ from the common and approved standard And it is as certain when some of us with weights and measures of our own careless of the Churches standard which is the established Doctrine in her Confession of faith and Articles of Religion by which we should mete out the word
taken with numbers either seducers and deceivers or the train that they draw after them The Vulgar are much pleased with this gaudiness muster and shew and it is hard to take their minds off from this pageantry if there be many of these deceivers they take as it were fatisfaction to be deluded The Apostle doth indeed take notice of the strength of their Faction and so may we too without any blame in us but perhaps if it makes any great impression in us we may too much gratifie them in their vain glory for they love to be admired yes and feared too upon all occasions for their Troops none make more oftentation of the people they boast every where of their Many which they produce when either Reason or Arguments fail them just as the Devil in the Gospel did to Christ My name is Legion for we are many Yet Christ for all that and perhaps the rather cast them out I doubt not though it be a kinde of menace to the government thus to out-brave it with force yet God will still bear up both the Church and Crown and strengthen their hands to over-aw them that work now as Deceivers but if their adherencies were so great as their friends would make us beleeve they would quickly pull off their mask and disguise and scarce so tamely ask and sue for that which with more daring they could command But in the mean while it is the great joy of a Christian to meditate and call to minde those remarkable abatements and casting down the courages and spirits of such Deceivers though never so numerous by very late examples when all outward Force was theirs to make use of And it cannot but be a great refreshing to all humble hearts and such as are sensible of our sad fractions that they can scarce finde any Faction that took content and high complacency in multitudes but God took some way or other in his good time to lessen and abate their pride either by the weak arm of a Supreme Magistrate deserted or by their own divisions these numbers no good Christian that hath a heart prepared to embrace what God shall allot them though it carries with it the face of never so direfull and angry a persecution can tremble at or fear Not that I contemn or despise numbers for I hope I shall always have in great veneration the Glorious Company of the Apostles the goodly fellowship of the Prophets the holy Army of Martyrs and the Catholick Church throughout all the world But I was always of that opinion when by Gods permission any strong combination of men are knit together in detriment to the truth of the Eternal God and casting blots upon his Sacred Oracles in unworthily betraying the true and pious sense of holy Scripture to serve wicked purposes and practices that neither their numbers nor their cunning contrivances can keep them long from the shame that must pursue such Sacrilegious Cheats but as their numbers must needs melt at the breath of Gods displeasure for so high an impietie so their impure and stained cozenages and impostures are so easily detected though wilfulness may shut the eyes of the Vulgar that their despicable troops together with their scattered and routed falsities will but the more at length dress out the triumph of pure and undefiled verity To conclude all Our Apostle is in our eye and he well maintains his innocency and denies any insincerity in his Doctrine any deceit cozenage or imposturage in his preaching which if true he could not lose his reputation in any thing sooner and I could wish some that are ready thus to hazard theirs upon the account of errours would consider it So unworthy a thing it seems to our Apostle to be esteemed a Broacher of Corrupt Doctrine a vender of paint and fucusses or indeed any thing that are mixtures and sophisticate or that hath onely the shadowings of truth the fallacies of Arguments and the pretty Romance victories of Errours to elude with far from that humour which is now so common to decline the Churches Doctrine as too mean a vassalage to submit to which truths perhaps may serve to so low ends as to serve God with fear reverence purity and holiness to the subduing of lusts hating of sin to lead men into the paths of righteousness and so to heaven but not to the triumphs and glorious credit that vended errours may procure them in this world which is the brave designe they drive on and truly they might do much to that end but that ordinarily such falshoods light into mean Artists hands to dress and into very dull souls to manage I must needs say the time is come that many consent not to wholsome words nor can endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and turn away from the truth yet if we will indeed do right to our sacred Order win credit and honour to our holy Office and to our Ministration in the Word if we would have Christians our hope our joy our crown of rejoycing in the presence of our Lord at his coming we must not be vain talkers and deceivers speaking lies in hypocrisie and teaching things that we ought not for filthy lucres sake we must shew incorruptness gravity sincerity sound speech that cannot be condemned we must not desire to please men but God who tryeth our hearts And we cannot have a more illustrious example then our Apostle St Paul who walked not in crastiness but by manifestation of the truth commended himself to every mans conscience in the sight of God in all things approved himself as the Minister of God by unfeigned love by the word of truth that he had corrupted no man that Christians were in his heart to live and die with them and his words toward them were not yea and nay or as my Text expresseth him and Timothy We are not as many that corrupt the word of God but of sincority as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ FINIS
to the people in our sensing and interpreting it shall parcel out Scripture and so vend it as it were by retail and not in gross without a due regard to the whole scain intireness harmony and unity or to what the rich and full sense of one piece may supply to to the short conciseness and seeming vacuity of the other how easily may we err and be deceived and if any temptations lie in our way as very oft they do especially of profit or popularity deceive others and perhaps which is the height of the accusation in the text purposely and maliciously too When we once lay aside that standard the Churches exposition upon which God hath set so remarkably in all ages his arms ingraven his motto and name it is verily to be beleeved at least it is suspicious when we yeeld the balance to our own wit understandings fancies and inventions to hold it that though it may go even to the eyes of men yet there may be too as it often happens more cunning then innocency in the hand that directs it so needfull it is for us to hear for the conduct and safety of souls to obey and best too for the peace and unity of Christians is the Churches skill sincerity uprightness and authority that we can with no hands better trust these weights and measures the beam of the Sanctuary it self her balance and scale who may and no doubt will preserve its steadiness constancy and evenness and is the most unlikely to beguile deceive or delude us And this is a truth that experience hath taught us that when people make light of the Churches doctrine and are fond of new disguisings and interpretations of holy Scripture the Priest shall easily comply with that humour nay by insinuations and hintings to them much cherish it for he is under no trivial temptations to do so he cannot but foresee the Mart he may open for all comers to resort to many passions are set on work besides pride which tickles him with the conceit of great abilities in himself to deceive which confinements to an authorized sense of the word restrains him from and which latitude and freedom cannot but gratifie him in especially having felt the pulse of this age distemper'd and bearing high with feavers and new diseases of refractoriness to Catholick Doctrine and wholsome words and indeed with great inclinations and longings for feculent glossings upon the dictates of the holy Spirit and divine and celestial verities but now being master of the mint which is in his eye it cannot but be a gainfull office to him for the Scripture will be a rich Bullion to coin what doctrines he shall please out of it and then to imprint or stamp what gay and holy names he shall think good upon it Indeed we should be workmen that need not be ashamed yet though our pains is in the word which is the finest Gold we can mix much dross of our own fancy with it so that the ear-rings which we make out of it for the people and vessels which we frame for the Altar and Sanctuary service are too too oft of a mean and baser metall We trade in the most holy of Grains the sacred Text but it is so ill threshed out and winnowed by some of us that the wise buyer is loath to cheapen it so ill it will serve for holy uses or bread of life It is not long since though I hope we are now reconciled to a greater sobriety and primitive truth that the Word the Scripture and its pure streams were fathomed plummed searched every bed every corner of it every grain and sand of it to the least scruple weighed to ex authorize the Hierarchy and to shuffle into the Church an Apocryphal Ordination This Word that teacheth us exactly from whose hands we must receive our holy Orders without which we should not dare to minister in holy things yet hath this been shamefully wrested to decry all solemn Designment of persons to holy offices and to level the Function with the very loom These brave and gallant attempts have been made upon our Profession not by filings or washings of some scattered pieces or medals of holy Scripture but by melting down the whole Plate the sacred Text every dram of it This Word that allows no protection no patents for committing any evil no though good may come of it yet have some culd examples out of it and so have upon occasion limned them out as handsome beautiful pieces not onely to look upon but for imitation as of Phinees Samson Ehud and Elias and seeing these drawn with colours laid in oyl in the Scripture that preserves them yet fresh some will not know but that they may copy them out but sure we must not speak wickedly for God nor talk deceitfully for him for should now any be so furiously bold beyond any moderate zeal to tread the stage as they did and innocently might do by some heroical Acts which are not our measure they must be sure to have the same licence commission and anointings the same spiritual dress and attire even Elias his mantle too which they can never for all their pretensions and illuminations wear or gird about them This is the Word so strict in precepts so severe in menaces against disobedience to them whom God hath set over us this holy Canon of Scripture this sacred Forest in which from the tallest Cedar to the lowest shrub is nothing but shade and protection for Princes and Governours to preserve their Crowns and dignities from winds and storms the rude violence of subjects nothing but sap and oyl to anoint their persons and to sacre them yet have some malicious wits feld timber from it unbark'd hew'd hackt and exposed it to sale for fuel to kindle seditions to put kingdoms into combustions to frame new Common wealths to erect Judgement-seats for arraignment Bars for Princes to plead at nay to build scaffolds and stages and then to dye them with Royal bloud This is the Word wherein as in a glass we may see our own deformities and we that hold out this glass to the people should not make it so dim with our breathing upon it we should so set it before them that is so impartially expound the Word that men may well see and view their many imperfections frailties and infirmities by which they have contracted paleness and wanness much guilt and sin whereas some of us do so cunningly hold it that they can spie in themselves nothing but beauty comeliness and excellent features that they are the children of Grace when had this glass been with less art and more innocency placed before them not upon a hollow vaulted and inclining wall bending to parties factions and adherencies they might have seen many spots and blemishes in their lives which they daily sport in and converse with as new and fresh guests yea and some wrinckles and furrows too Customary aged sins which have long lodged and