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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46710	A sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of Norwich at the primary visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Bishop of Norwich May 18, 1692 by John Jeffery ...	Jeffery, John, 1647-1720.	1692 (1692)	Wing J519; ESTC R1693	21,384	36

the Lights of the World (z) Origen cont Cels l. 3. p. 128. and according to the success of this Work so is the Increase of Wisdom and Righteousness among men This is a Rational Service (a) Rom. 12.1 by which we are the Ministers of God to men for their Spiritual and Eternal Good and by which the Communion between God and Men is maintained For by Prayer Men make their Addresses unto God and by his Word God makes his Addresses unto Men. By this Sacred Intercourse Men assimulate unto God and receive Influences from Him and thus by the Exercises of Religion they are prepared for the enjoyment of Happiness For this end when the Son of God had fulfilled his Ministry He ascended up on High and led Captivity Captive and gave Gifts unto Men viz. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ (b) Eph. 4.8 11 12. Some extraordinary and some ordinary Ministers of Christ and the several Orders and Degrees of both have been in the Christian Church as the Records of Ancient Times attest and as the Nature of things does require These all are Ministers by whom we believe according as God gave unto every man (c) 1 Cor. 3.5 So far therefore as the Kingdom of God i. e. the Interest of True Religion for the Kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (d) Rom. 14.17 So far I say as True Religion and the Power of Godliness (e) 2 Tim. 3.5 does prevail upon the Hearts and Lives of men and so many as those men are upon whom it prevails so far Christ's Kingdom is set up and He reigns among men This is what we are to expect by our Attendance upon the Appointments of God and putting our selves under the conduct of the Guides of Souls When Christ Lives in us (f) Gal. 2.20 then are we Subjects of his Spiritual Kingdom and He is with effect our Lord and we are in Truth his Servants Thus is the Son of God Incarnate the only Supream Lord Thus is the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy the Inferior Ministers of his Spiritual Kingdom And thus are Men by the power of Godliness Subjects of that Kingdom Hitherto I have given an Account 1. Of the Nature of this Spiritual Kingdom 2. Of the Glory of its Supream Lord And 3. of the Office of his Inferior Ministers The Application of what I have said shall be made 1. To those who are the Ministers And 2. To those who are the Subjects of this Spiritual Kingdom of which Christ is the Lord. 1. By what I have said those who have the Honour to be Ministers of the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ are obliged 1. To be Faithful in their Office And 2. To be Humble towards their Brethren 1. Those who are Ministers of the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ are obliged to be Faithful in their Office We are entrusted with the Gospel of Christ and with the Souls of Men and we sensibly cry out with the Apostle Who is sufficient for these things (g) 2 Cor. 2.16 But our sufficiency is of God who hath made us Able Ministers of the New Testament (h) 2 Cor. 3.5 6. At the beginning the Ministers of the Gospel were endowed with the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost and performed their Duty by a Wisdom and Inclination that they were Inspired with But as We pretend not to such Miraculous Gifts so we are now prepared by the Experience of a Religious Life and by the Study of Divine Truth With these Advantages we offer our selves to Examination and the Censure of those whom God has Appointed to Ordain Ministers and to Judge what Persons are fit for that Office We do not Intrude our selves upon the Sacred Function without a regular Calling and Approbation and therefore we humbly expect that God will Accept and Prosper our Endeavours We know that Men are to account of us as the Ministers of Christ and the Stewards of the Mysteries of God Moreover we know it is required in Stewards that a Man be found Faithful (i) 1 Cor. 4.1 2. We consider that we are according to our proportion Watch men unto the House of Israel and that if we give not Warning unto the Wicked Man He shall die in his Sin but his Blood will be required at Our hands And if we do give Warning to the Wicked and He turn not He shall die in his Sin and We have delivered our Souls (k) Ezek. 18.17 18 19. Our great Care therefore is To keep back nothing that is necessary or profitable but to Teach and Inculcate the Duties of Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ that we may be pure from the Blood of all Men (l) Act. 20.20 21 26. We are Dignified by our Character and our Sollicitude is that we may act suitably to it We are sensible what will befall us If while a Heathen was applauded by Heathens for doing Honour to a vile Office by his Virtue we should render a Sacred Office contemptible by our Vice (m) Erasm de rat Concion l. 1. p. 80. I have noted that our Religion is by some of the Ancients call'd Philosophy And we remember that such as the Philosophy is such ought the Professor of it to be (n) Qualis est Philosophia talem decet esse Professorem Erasm ibid. p. 62 c. And that to ascend to a higher degree of Dignity and not to ascend to a higher degree of Virtue is to descend and not to ascend (o) Ascendere ad dignitatis gradum c non ascendere and sublimes Virtutes descendere est verius quam ascendere Ibid. p. 152. We study to Affect our selves with the Importance of our Office that others may be affected by our Exercise of it knowing that none can speak to the Heart but from the Heart (p) Nullus autem potest loqui ad Cor populi nisi loquatur ex Corde Id. p. 155. Ut ridentibus arrident sic flentibus adsunt Humani vultus si vis me flere dolendum Primum ipsi tibi tunc tuà me insortunia laedunt Hor. de Art Poet. We are aware that 't is sufficient Honour to be the faithful Shepherd of a small Flock And that all Souls are equally precious in the sight of God We are aware that our Sins rest not in our own persons but spread among the People and that 't is not possible we should be vicious alone as Isidore speaks (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isid Ep. 3 22. We have a double Care upon us to be Good Men and Faithful Guides For we know well that The Ecclesiastical Dignity makes not any One a Christian as S. Jerom says * Non omnes Episcopi Episcopi sunt non facit Ecclesiastica dignitas

in them that are saved and in them that perish To the one we are the savour of Death unto Death and to the other we are the savour of Life unto Life So we are if we do not corrupt the Word of God but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God we speak in Christ (b) 2. Cor. 2.15 16 17. Therefore no Case can be more dangerous than that of those Men who have a Faithful Minister of Christ watching for their Souls and who do not submit to their Conduct or Reverence their Function This is the Reason which moves and constrains us to magnifie our Office And may what is said be candidly understood and seriously considered Thus must Christians Reverence their Ministers And 2. They must Live their Religion This may justly be inferred from the foregoing Discourse in which the Nature of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom and the Glories of Him our Supream Lord and the Office of his Inferior Ministers have been accounted for A Christian professes the Religion of Christian and pretends to belong unto the Kingdom of God He is under the Obligations of a Disciple and Subject A Christians Duty is the Study of Wisdom and the Practice of Goodness by the History of Jesus Christ Learning his Doctrin and Imitating his Example That Wisdom is such as may influence us to and direct us in the practice of Goodness and that Goodness is such as the Son of God was the Pattern of who is the Consubstantial Reason of the Father Without that Wisdom there can be no Virtue For as Wisdom separated from Goodness turns Enthusiasm so Goodness separated from Wisdom turns Superstition There is no true Holiness without great Understanding and an Unlearned is an Ungodly life (c) Si verum fateri volumus nulla est sancta rusticitas sicut nulla est rusticana sanctitas ubicunque est vera Sanctitas ibi est magna Philosophia miniméque vulgaris Eruditio Erasm de rat Conc. l. 1. p. 46. The Life of Man is the Matter of Virtue and he who Lives wisely Lives religiously He does not live like a Man who does not in some sort Live like a Christian and a Rational is a Divine Conversation Religion is a practical Institution the True Art of Living well and happily For Virtue is the Art of Living in which all Action is contained says Philo (d) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo de Leg. l. 1. p. 80. Reason and Religion are of the same Original and Nature and what is Irrational is Irreligious (e) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo ibid p. 43. As Philo said of the Jewish Virtue so Justin M. said of Christian Piety it consists not in Words but Deeds (f) Justin M. ad Gr p. 33. No man must pretend to a Practical Institution and not practise by it All such Pretences are so grosly false that they are very ridiculous But as the Christian Institution is the Perfection of Religion and that Religion is a Divine Life (g) The Life of God Eph. 4.18 so the Conversation of a Christian must excel in Virtue Except our Righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees i. e. the most celebrated among the Jews we can in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven h Matt. 5.20 We cannot be happy in the other World nor Religious in this S. Cyprian in his Tract concerning Patience gives this Character of Christians We Brethren are they who are Philosophers not in Words but in Deeds who do not pretend wisdom in Habit but in Truth who know rather the Conscience than the Boast of Virtue Who do not Speak but Live great things as the Servants and Worshippers of God i Nos autem fratres charissimi qui Philosophi non verbis sed factis sumus nec vestitu sapientiam sed veritate praeserimus qui Virtutum magis Conscientiam quàm jactantiam novimus qui non loquimur magna sed vivimus quasi servi cultores Dei. Cyprian de Patient 'T is not in Speculation but in Practice 't is not in some single Acts but in a course of Life that Christianity does consist (k) 1 Pet. 1.15 Job gives the description of True Wisdom and represents it as coming from God And unto Man he said Behold the Fear of the Lord that is Wisdom and to depart from Evil is Vnderstanding (l) Job 28.28 Thus we must be Wise in this Life or we must be Miserable in the next For we have not another Life afforded us that we may seek Wisdom in this and be Wise in that 'T is necessary we should do both in this (m) Non enim nobis altera vita conceditur ut cum quaeramus in hâe sapientiam in illâ sapere possimus In hâc utrumque fieri necesse est Lactant. l. 3. c. 16. This is the great Design of the Gospel which is called the Grace of God and that Grace is saving as it teaches this The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all Men teaching us that denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Looking for the Blessed Hope and the glorious Appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto Himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works (n) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. This is the Design of our Lord and this is the Duty of his Disciples And to this End the Performances of his Ministers tend and agreeable is their Obligation I charge thee says S. Paul to Timothy therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his Appearing and his Kingdom Preach the Word be instant in season and out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all Long-suffering and Doctrin (o) 2 Tim. 4.1 2. The Kingdom of God signifies that state Eminently which shall be at the Resurrection of the Dead (p) Vid. Grot. ad Matt. 5.19 16.28 Then they that sleep in the Dust of the Earth shall awake some to everlasting Life and some to Shame and everlasting Contempt And they that be Wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many unto righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever (q) Dan. 12.2 3. Let all then who are Christians Take heed unto themselves And let us who are Ministers take heed unto our selves and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made us Overseers to feed the Church of God which He hath purchased with his own Blood That when the Chief Shepherd shall appear we may receive that Crown of Glory that fadeth not away (r) Hebr. 2.1 2 3. And O Lord God keep this for ever in the Imagination of the thoughts of the Heart of Vs thy Servants and prepare our Hearts unto thee (t) 1 Chron. 29.18 ALmighty God the Giver of all good Gifts who of thy Divine Providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church Give thy Grace we humbly beseech thee to all those who are called to any Office and Administration in the same and so replenish them with the Truth of thy Doctrin and endue them with Innocency of Life That they may faithfully serve before Thee to the glory of thy great Name and the benefit of thy Holy Church through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS