Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A45344
|
A sermon preached at Mercers-Chappel, on the 13th of January, 1688/9 by Timothy lord bishop of Oxford.
|
Hall, Timothy, 1637?-1690.
|
1689
(1689)
|
Wing H444; ESTC R42065
|
24,800
|
45
|
Pastor if he reprove not The Shepherd was bound to make good that which was stollen as Jacob did to Laban Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a trumpet and shew my people their Transgression and the house of Jacob their sins 'T is the Spiritual Father's charge to his own Son in the Faith That he rebuke them that sin before all that others may fear And this he must do without Partiality not fearing the Eminency nor being deterr'd at the Greatness or any bold and open Transgressor As this is required of Ministers chiefly so it is expected and demanded of Parents and Masters God hath made them Guardians of their Children and Servants It is an idle conceit to think that we only are intrusted with the Cure of Souls you will find it no excuse for your negligence and omission in the great day of giving up your Accounts at God's Tribunal you are obliged to be keepers of their Souls as well as we nay every man in this sense ought to be his Brother's Keeper As God hath set Conscience to watch over the inward man so for the conversation he hath set Christians to watch over one another Suffer me before I proceed any further to improve this 1. It should teach all Ministers to be faithful in their places and to take care that no man muzzle up their mouths See how the Holy Ghost commends the Angel of the Church of Ephesus I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil Wicked men are sometimes intolerable not to be endured or bore with It is no breach of Patience to be impatient against sin and sinners It is said of Suetonius that he took the same liberty in writing the Emperors lives that they took in leading them Wicked men take liberty to licentiousness in committing sin let us take as great a liberty in reproving it and let nothing either affright or allure us to a sinful connivance at their bold violations of God's Law. We must not be dumb tho they should use us as the thief doth a dog hold out a piece of bread to bribe us not to bark 2. This should teach the Great ones of the world to bear with Patience and to receive with Meekness the word of Reproof None are so high exalted as to be out of the reach of that Word which God speaks None are more our friends than they are who cannot stand by and see us offer violence to our selves without holding of our hands Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyl which shall not break my head There may be smiting without violation of Friendship and his wise Son Solomon preferr'd the wounds of a friend before the kisses of an enemy These may be pleasanter but those will prove wholesomer there is Treachery in these kisses but in those wounds faithfulness The Mother of Cyrus charged him who was to speak to the King to express himself verbis byssinis in soft and silken terms 'T is true sometimes we must come in the Spirit and Language of Love but 't is as true there is oftentimes as great need of coming with a Rod in our hands as a soft word in our mouths Bad men love not a Correcting Ministry like them Amos 7.10 The land is not able to bear all his words and ver 13. prophesie not again any more at Bethel for it is the King's chappel and it is the King's court They hate him that rebuketh in the gate i. e. the Judg that punished sin they abhor him that speaketh uprightly Men will endure to hear new Notions and controverted Points any Satyrical Reflections and bitter Invectives against their brethren but cannot brook to have their own Personal sins roughly handled Be careful you do not Galatizare as Tertullian phrases it hate him who tells you the truth nor be like those hearers mentioned Luke 4.19 21 22 28. While our Saviour preached the acceptable and glad tidings of Salvation the good news contained in the Gospel all the Congregation of Nazareth applauded his Doctrine and admired at the blessed words which proceeded out of his mouth but when he came to apply the word unto themselves they were filled with wrath against him thrust him out of the City and would have broke his neck by attempting to cast him down headlong from the brow of the Hill v. 29. Have a care you resist not such a Ministry which awakens the Conscience and sets the worm on gnawing altho it should provoke thee to cry out with a loud voice as he did who was possessed with an unclean Spirit Let us alone art thou come to destroy us God doth manifest his Presence and mighty Power in such a sifting Ministry and the nature of Sin is to make men afraid of God's Appearance and foolishly with Adam to attempt the secreting of themselves from his All-seeing Eye We are commanded to exhort and rebuke with all authority and you are enjoined not to despise and fret against the Doctrine we deliver and that on pain of Everlasting Damnation for he that hateth reproof shall dye I proceed to the 2 d Branch of Reproof that which is Fraternal and done in Brotherly Charity Every Private Christian may bear the Person tho not the Office of a Reprover and this is founded upon undeniable Grounds too large to be insisted on at this time in one single Sermon Whether we consult the Honour of God or the necessity of a punctual conformity to his Will not distinguishing his Commands but obeying all equally it nor disputing any of them but obeying all readily it will appear to be our interest as well as our duty presently to comply with God's Will and Pleasure Or if we respect the happiness and welfare of our Brother exercising in this work the highest acts of charity and benevolence for if he hear us then we have gained our brother When thou hearest thy Neighbour swear lye slander deride holiness persecute with his Tongue the Man who is more righteous than himself intreat him then to bethink himself what will be the end of such Devilish practices shew him his danger and snatch him if it be possible out of the fire he is hastning into Thou hast a heart of Stone if thou art not concerned and industrious to prevent his everlasting ruine for he is riding post to the Devil if a stop be not put in his way It is no privilege to any Man to be out of the way of a Reprover but a severe judgment to be told they shall no more be smitten with this Rod. God to punish Judah for their Rebellion threatneth to impose silence on his Prophet Let us make much of a blow and stroke of this nature it carrieth healing with it St. Austin gives two instances of the happy success of Admonition the one given by
heads rather should have been stricken off What doth it signifie or avail Oftentimes it doth more harm than good and rather emboldens than reforms the Offender It is a piece of great Wisdom and Skill to commensurate our rebukes to the temper of the offender and to the nature of his offence Commonly we are either too remiss if we endeavour Moderation or too austere and rough if we design faithfulness But I think there is little need to caution any persons against overdoing in this kind it is an Extreme few fall into there being more danger in our oyl than in our salt i e. as one expresses it in our smooth words than in our sharp rebukes I fear the greatest work that is done in this matter is sowing of pillows under sinners elbows when our duty should be quilting of thorns to lay under their backs that when the bold and contumacious sinner retires to his Chamber he may also retire within himself and be kept awake in his bed here that so his sleeping an everlasting sleep of death and making his bed in unquenchable flames may be prevented Command then thy brother in the name of God to be think himself to repent and reform to read what the God of Truth and Justice has threatned against him if he do not amend and turn fight him with this glittering Sword of God's Word and 't is the likeliest way to make his sins fall before thee and to give up the Ghost There are several other weighty Directions relating to the prudent management of this important duty of Fraternal Rebuke which I must pass by with a very little reference to them that so as we ought to pray read sing and perform all Christian Offices with the Spirit and with our Understandings also so we may perform this in that manner that it may not be a sacrifice of fools Let us apply our selves to learn that Wisdom which is from above so as to take the Sinner by a holy craft and guile as the Apostle expresses it And here distinction should be made between the Persons and Crimes of Offenders the proper Seasons and the particular Ways and Methods of Reproof 1. We must distinguish between the Persons Of some we are to have compassion making a difference Making a difference between men in publick and private capacities Thou shalt not revile the gods nor curse the ruler of thy people Rough and unhewn language is not to be used to them Shimei said nothing more in substance to David than Nathan did but it was in a very scurrilous and railing manner Tho we may rebuke we must not revile Difference must be made between the tempers of sinners There cannot be an uniform proceeding with all but we must vary according to their dispositions Some men are like Thorns which if gently touched hurt not but if you grasp them with an hard and unwary hand they will fetch blood Others are like Nettles which if they are nicely and delicately handled sting and prick but if closely and roughly press'd and grasp'd you may pull them up without pain or harm Before therefore you reprove a sinner know whether he be a Thorn or Nettle 2. Difference is to be made betwixt their Crimes As the Offence is great or small so should the reproof be sharp or mild There are Beams and Motes Pimples and Plague-sores Scratches and Ulcers We must not hang a man for filching a pin or a rattle and whip him gently and tenderly for Murther and Treason As the Offence is more secretly or more impudently committed whether drunk in the Night in his Chamber or at noon-day in the Exchange Some sin publickly the greater is their sin and so should their shame because they give the greater scandal others sin more privately our Reprehension in this case ought to be auricular and there is no better Sepulchre than that of secresie wherein to bury his more hidden failings There is no need of going to the House-top when a Closet would be more proper Thus we see that tho all sins want an equal Price and Merit for Atonement and Satisfaction yet they require not equal severity in our Rebukes and Admonitions Some must have Lenitives others Corrosives Superiors may be reformed by Exhortation Equals by Friendly Admonition and Inferiors if in the highest form and chair of Scorners by severe Reprehension We must not indeed be fiery-hot in terrifying the meaner sort and look upon the rich as that Mount which must not be touched We must not talk one half in the language of Canaan and the other in that of Ashdod but let us go to work impartially not executing the command as Saul did against Amalek when he spared the fat and chief and destroyed only the poor and refuse This made that excellent Emperor Theodosius have so great a value for St. Ambrose because he was not affrighted with the huffing of the Proudest and had great compassion to the souls of the poorest 3. We must make a difference in the seasons of Reproof There is a time to speak and a time to be silent It is difficult here to assign the mollia fandi tempora the soft Articles and Opportunities wherein we are to speak because variety of Circumstances may alter the case only all must agree to do it as soon as conveniently we may Delays harden As we must exhort so we must rebuke daily Heb. 3.13 Suffer not sin to lye upon him nor he in his sin one day longer if it be in your power to help it But especially avoid thy rebuking of him when he is like the wild Ass with whom there is no medling while she is in the heat and fervour of her lust Jer. 2.24 but she hath her particular month to be taken in Abigal deferred to reprove Nabal in his Wine she let him sleep it out thinking the best time to give him this Physick would be when he was fasting in the Morning Good Physicians evacuate not the body in extremity either of heat or cold Watch when thy Brother is himself nay more than himself humble tender and pliable then he is indeed a qualified recipient Such are times of Affliction and Fear Sickness and impending Chastisements But do not under pretence of a more convenient season totally neglect and shift off thy Duty 4. We are to make difference in the ways and methods of reproving sometimes plainly and directly as Nathan to David Thou art the man at other times more covertly by intimation and circumlocution The Sun keeps the world in good temper by moving in an oblique Circle and Ships Mariners say sail best and make the greatest way with side-winds I crave leave only to Apply what has been said in these following ways when I have laid down this single Caution viz. That tho Reproof is then best taken when it is best given according to those Directions now given yet no man must reject it because the Reprover wants those due Qualifications to render him every