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A41006 Dr. Daniel Featley revived, or, The faithfull shepheard a sermon preached at the consecration of three bishops, the lords elect of Oxford, Bristoll, and Chester, in His Graces chappell at Lambeth, May, 9, 1619 / by ... Daniell Featley ... ; and now reprinted at the sole charge of George Vineing ... Featley, Daniel, 1582-1645. 1661 (1661) Wing F580; ESTC R5460 16,007 24

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Dr. DANIEL FEATLEY revived OR THE FAITHFULL SHEPHEARD A Sermon Preached at the Consecration of three Bishops the Lords Elect of Oxford Bristoll and Chester in his Graces Chappell at Lambeth May 9. 1619. By that most Learned Pillar of our Church Daniell Featley Dr. in Divinity Rector of Lambeth and Acton Provost of Chelsey-Colledge and Chaplain in ordinary to his late Majesty Unto whom is Dedicated his large Volume Clavis Mystica And now Reprinted at the sole charge of George Vineing sometimes Servant to the right Honourable Henry Earl of Manchester Lord Privy Seal Deceased LONDON Printed in the Yeer 1661. To the Courteous Reader Courteous Reader HErein is shewn the Originall and dignity of Bishops and the singular union between Regall and Episcopall right and Authority drawn from Constantine after the Church begun to have a little vigor against the persecuting Arians And because the works of this famous Author should be had in Endlesse remembrance by all Protestants as he is and ever will be to the terror of all Papists And if any shall demand why I the Reprinter should take upon me to publish this famous Sermon my answer is as ready as true because for the sincere love that I bear unto the truth and the Endlesse true love that I owe unto my Deceased spirituall Father who begat me in 1624. out of blinde Popery from dumb'd and dead Idols and brought me into the clear light to serve the true and living God that he may have glory by it and every Reader the benefit of it I have thought no time so seasonable nor none of all the Authors works so sutable as this small volume is that all those who never knew his person much lesse were conversant with him or never read him in his large field of his manifold unparallel'd works may herein have a most sweet taste of his worth which may make them desirous to know him more in his larger works so this small piece is to inform the ignorant to reforme the obstinate to conform the moderate and to confirm all to communicate in the Church of God That all Christians may so do is the hearty desires and daily prayers of the meanest of the Sons of the Church G. V. THE FAITHFULL SHEPHEARD A Sermon Preached at the Consecration of three Bishops the Lords Elect of Oxford Bristoll and Chester in his Graces Chappell at Lambeth May 9. 1619. 1 PET 5. 2 3 4. Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind not as being Lords over Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flock And when the chief shepheard shall appear you shall receive a Crown of glory that fadeth not away Most Reverend Right Honourable Right reverend Right worshipfull c. ARchilocus sharpning his quill and dipping it in gall against Licambes that his satirical invectives might be more poignant putteth the pen in Archilocrus his fathers hand and by an elegant prosopopeia maketh him upbraid his sonne with those errors and vices which it was not fit that any but his father should in such sort rip up And Tully being to read a lecture of gravity and modesty to Clodia which became not his yeers or condition raiseth up as it were from the grave her old grandfather Appius Caecus and out of his mouth delivereth a sage and fatherly admonition to her In like manner Right Reverend receiving the charge from you to give the charge unto you at this present and being over-ruled by authority to speak something of the eminent authority and sacred dignity into which ye are now to be invested I have brought upon this holy stage the first of your ranke and auncientest of your Apostolical order to admonish you with authority both of your general calling as Pastours set over Christs flocke and your speciall as Bishops set over the Pastours themselves That in the former words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feed this in the latter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bishoping or taking the over-sight of them Both they are to perform 1 Not by constraint 2 Not for lucre 3 Not with pride 1 Not by constraint constraint standeth not with the dignity of the Apostles successors 2. Not for filthy lucre filthy lucre sorts not with Gods Priests 3 Not in or with Lord-like pride Lord-like pride complyeth not with the humility of Christs Ministers As Tully the aged wrote to Cato the ancient of old age so in the words of my text Peter the Elder writeth to Elders of the calling life and reward of Elders in the Church of God 1 Their function is feeding and overlooking Christs flock enjoyned ver 2. 2 Their life is to be a pattern of all vertue drawn ver 3. 3 Their reward is a Crowne of glory set before them ver 4. 1 Their function sacred answerable to their calling which is divine 2 Their life exemplary answerable to their function which is sacred 3 Their reward exceeding great answerable to the eminency of the one and excellency of the other May it please you therefore to observe out of the words 1 For your instruction what your function is 2 For correction what your life should be 3 For comfort what your reward shall be As the costly ornaments of Aaron were fastned to the Ephod with golden chaines of writhen works so all the parts and points of the Apostles exhortation are artificially joyned and tyed together with excellent coherence as it were with chaines of gold This chain thus I draw through them all 1 There are some of the Ministery fitter to be fed and led like sheep than to feed or lead like shepheards they are hunger-starved themselves having no better provision than the Apostles had in the wildernenesse after Christs miraculous feast a few baskets full of broken meat Saint Bernard admireth at their Charity saying they by whom the streams of heavenly doctrine flow to us are of such superabundant charity that they desire to empty themselves before they are half full nay many before they have any drop of saving knowledge and divine learning most ready to deliver that which they never received and teach what they never learned Such a one was that Bithynian whom Lactantius taketh up for taking upon him to cure dimme and dark eyes when himself was stark blind I find nothing whereunto I may fitter resemble them than to squibs or small fire-works which as soon as they take fire never leave popping and shooting and making a hidious noise till all the powder be spent so these having rammed a little stuffe together and being kindled with blind zeal never leave shooting and spitting fire in the pulpit as long as their poor provision lasteth These men howsoever they are lyable to many other exceptions yet all men will free them from the imputation which Felix laid upon Saint Paul much learning hath made thee mad And as secure are they
root downward in humility considering that they have nothing of their own but sin and what a foolish and impious sin of pride is it to be proud of sin He that presumes on his own strength saith holy Austine is conquered before he fight To repose trust in our selves saith Bernard is not of faith but perfidiousnesse neither breeds it true confidence but diffidence To be proud of knowledge is to be blind with light to be proud of vertue is to poyson himself with the Antidote and to be proud of authority is to make his rise his downfall and his ladder his ruine It is the darke soyle that giveth the Diamond its brightest luster it is the humble and low and obscure conceit of our own worth that giveth luster and grace to all our vertues and perfections if we have any Moses glory was the greater because his face shined and he knew not of it Thus have I numbred unto you the severall linkes of the Apostles golden chaine of instructions for Pastors now let us gather them together in a narrow roome 1 Be not such as need to be fed but are able and willing to feed 2 Feed not your selves but the flock 3 Feed not the flock or droves of Antichrist but the flock of God 4 Feed the flock of God not out of your charge or without you but the flock of God which is among you 5 Content not your selves with feeding them onely with the word and Sacrament but over-looke them also have an eye to their manners 6 Doe this not constrainedly but willingly 7 Not out of private respects but freely 8 Not proudly but humbly not to shew your authority over the flock but to set before them an ensample in your selves of humility meekness temperance patience and all other vertues Thus feed the flock of God that is among you thus rule those whom you feed thus carry your selves towards those whom you rule thus give good ensample in your carriage and when the chief Shepheard and Bishop of your souls Christ Jesus shall appear you shall receive instead of a Crosier a Scepter of a Miter a Crown of a Diocesse upon earth a Kingdom in heaven You see I have a large and plentifull field before me yet I purpose at this time to follow the example of the Apostles who as they passed through the corn field plucked only an ear or two and rubbed them in their hands To rub the first ear that you may see what grain it yeeldeth To feed saith Bellarmine signifieth to rule with princely authority to sway the scepter as a spiritual Prince over Christs flock and to this purpose he alledgeth that text in the Apocalyps 2. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall feed or rule them with a rod of iron hard feeding for Christs sheep he had need to have an Estridge's stomack that can digest this interpretation here Feed not over-ruling ver 3. that is over-rule them not feeding this is as natural an interpretation of this Scripture as the glosse upon the word statuimus in the Canon law id est abrogamus or statuimus quod non we enact that is we abrogate we command that is we forbid we appoint this that is we appoint that this shall not be If this be a right interpretation of this place and the other parallel to it in Saint Iohn then St. Bernard was in the wrong for he infers the clean contrary from it and which is most considerable in a book of consideration dedicated to the Pope himself Peter could not give thee that which he had not what he had that he gave thee care over the Churches but did he not also give thee dominion heare what himself saith not as being Lords over Gods heritage but being made examples to the flock least any man should think that this was spoken onely in humility and not in truth it is the voice of the Lord in the Gospel Kings of the Nations beare rule over them but it shall not be so with you it is plain that Lord-like dominion is forbidden to the Apostles goe too therefore now and assume to thy self if thou dare either the office of an Apostle if thou be a Lord or Lord-like dominion if thou be an Apostle Howbeit I deny not that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used sometimes signifieth to rule with Princely authority and Lord-like command both in Scriptures and prophane Writers as Homer stileth King Agamemnon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Shepheard of the people so God himself calleth Cyrus his Shepheard and which is very observable Cyrus as if he had taken notice of this name imposed by God upon him before his birth was wont usually to say That a good Prince was like a good Shepheard who can by no other means grow rich than by making his flock to thrive under him the prosperity of the subject is not onely the honour but the wealth also of the Prince All this maketh nothing for the Popes triple Crowne to which he layeth claime by vertue of Christs threefold pasce or feed Ioh. 21. 15 16 17. for neither doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 originally or properly nor usually signifie to reigne as a King especially when oves meae or grex domini my sheep or the flock of God is construed with it nor can it be so taken here or Ioh. 21. as the light of texts set together reflecting one upon the other will clear the point For that which Christ enjoyneth Peter Ioh. 21. that Peter here enjoyneth all Elders the words of the charge are the same Feed my sheep there Feed the flock of God here But Saint Peter enjoyneth not all Elders in these words to rule with soveraigne authority as Kings over the whole flock or as Lords over their own peculiar for this he expressely forbiddeth ver 3. therefore to usurpe authority over the whole Church or to domineere over any part thereof is not to feed according to Christs charge to Saint Peter or Saint Peters to all Elders What is it then if you have reference to the Etomology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to feed as the word imports in the original is to reside upon our cure or abide with our flock where the spouse is commanded to seeke Christ go thy way forth to the footsteps of the flock And indeed where should the Sentinel be but upon his watch tower Where the Pilot but at the sterne where the intelligence but at his orbe where the Sun but within his ecliptick line where the candle but in the canble-stick where the diamond but in the ring where the shepherd but among his flock whom he is to feed for whom he is to provide of whom he is to take the over-sight to whom he ought to be an example which he cannot be if he never be in their sight But because this observation is grounded only upon the Etymology I will lay no