A SERMON PREACHED In the FRENCH CHURCH in LONDON On the 29. day of August 1652. At the Imposition of Hands on Mr. Stouppe By JOHN BULTEEL Minister of the Word of God With the Action and Circumstances thereof LONDON Printed by T.M. for Edward Archer and are to be sold at the Sign of the Adam and Eve in Little-Brittain near the Church 1654. To his Reverend and honoured Brethren The Pastors Elders and Deacons of the french-French-Church in London Reverend and Honoured Brethren THe Ambassadour of the Emperour of Germany who was sent to the great Emperor of the Turks writes that he saw at Constantinople an Embleme represented on a piece of Tapestry made of an exquisite work containing four Candlesticks with four Candles which represented four sorts of Religions as namely the Heathenish the Jewish the Christian and the Mahometan Three of these candlesticks were turned topsie turvie with their three Candles extinguished but the fourth Candlestick stood upright with its Candle burning There was this Arabicall Inscription This is the true Light thinking to make to world to believe that the Mahometane Religion is the onely and true light and that the three other lights extinguished are false ones But we know that the Christian Religion is the onely and true Light represented and presented not in nor by the books of the Philosophers nor in the Talmud and Cabala of the Rabbins nor in the Alcoran of the Mahumetans but within and by the holy Scripture which represents and presents unto us our Lord Jesus Christ the true light who lighteth every man that cometh into the world that whosoever believes in him and follows him shall not walk in darknesse but have the light of life It is he that is in the midst of the golden candlesticks who hath in his right hand seven stars out of whose mouth issueth a sharp two edged sword wherewith he smites the Nations whose countenance is as the Sun-shine in his strength It is that Jesus Christ the Son of righteousnesse who by his beams doth inlighten the starres who are the Angels of the Churches it is he that walks amidst the golden Candle sticks which are the Churches and doth enlighten them by his holy word which is a lamp unto their feet and a lantern of light unto passengers in the dark nights on sea which doth enlighten them within the glittering rayes of his holy spirit It is that divine word that glistering light of the Old and New Testament of the Law and of the Gospel carried by the Torch-bearers the excellent and holy Prophets Apostles Evangelists and Ministers of the word of God But the world of unbelievers whether Heathens Hereticks or Prophane persons hath not known nor received this marvellous light of this sacred word but hath rejected it indeavoured to exinguish it either in whole or in part The Pagans have rejected the holy Scripture altogether The Manichees have refused all the old Testament The Ptolemaits have rejected the five books of Moses which the Sadduces did onely imbrace refusing all other books of the old Testament The Anabaptists reject the book of Ecclesiastes the canticle of Canticles Porphyrius did refuse the book of the Prophet Daniel and the Nicolaitans did the like of the Psalmes of the royall Prophet David The Jews reject all the New Testament The Ebionites have onely Saint Matthews Gospel and Cerinthus approved that of Saint Mark Cerdon that of Saint Luke the Valentinians did onely imbrace that of Saint John and the Tatians onely the book of the Acts of the Apostles These are those that have blot out the passages of holy Scripture which were contrary to their opinions and practises Mareion the Heretick did blot out the passages of Luke and John and of the Apostles Epistles that maintained the Deity and humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ The Papists do raze out many sentences that repugne their false dogmes and among others the second Commandement of the Morall Law Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image c. is left out as appears in many of their Printed books But behold a strange case that among those of the reformed Religion there are some here in England that have caused some Passages of the holy Scripture to be razed out that were written on the walls of Churches As for Example there was a suffragant of the Archbishop of Canterbury who a little before these troubles did excommunicate two Churhwardens because they had not blotted out that notable and true sentence written on the wall of the Church where he kept his Spirituall Court My House shall be called the House of prayer but ye have made it a den of thieves yea there was at the same time a Bishop in England who caused the Clark of a Parish in his Diocesse to blot out that Divine sentence written on the wall just right over the Ministers pulpit Necessity is laid upon me yea wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel An insupportable boldnesse and which cannot be paralelled these persons would in all appearance have indeavoured to have blotted these Divine Sentences out of the books of holy Scripture if it had been in their power Cumanus a Heathen Governour of the Romanes caused a Romane Souldier to be beheaded for tearing the books of Moses at the Sack of a city to appease the tumult of the Jews who were scandalised thereat Surely God saith in the Apocalipse chap. 22.19 If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this Prophesie God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the holy City Now whereas I have expounded in your Church the aforesaid passage of the 1 Corinth 9.16 For though I preach the Gospel I have nothing to glory of for necessity is laid upon me yea wo is unto if I preach not the Gospel I do represent and present the Sermon unto you because it is due unto you having been the occasion thereof for being requested by Letters signed by the Pastor and some of the Elders and Deacons of your Church in the name of them all to come to London to assist to the examination of the Honoured brother Mr. Stouppe where divers reverend brethren Ministers did assist with the Elders and Deacons of the Coetus of the Dutch and French Churches of London and having heard him both in his Sermon ad Clerum and his Latine Theses as also in his Answers to what objections soever were propounded unto him the company did receive such contentment and satisfaction as he was judged able and capable to be received and confirmed in the holy Ministry Yee did me the honor to request me to preach and perform the Action on the day of his Ordination at which assisted the Reverend Brethren Mr. Calendrin Pastor of the Dutch Church and Mr. Cismer Pastor of your Church we all three together gave the Imposition of hands on the said honoured brother Mr. Stouppe Now I put this Sermon in print
Doctrine condemns those of whom Gregory speaks the world is full of priests and notwithstanding there are found but few Labourers in the harvest they take upon them the office but do not execute the charge they leave the charge the preaching and the office and take the benefice and benefit thereof such are Archbishops Cardinals and Bishops among the Papists we may also say some of our Bishops and some of our Ministers of the word of God among us in this Land who esteem nothing in this world more unworthy of their persons than the charge of teaching and seems unto them that it is a thing too low contemptible and inferiour unto the Episcopal and Ministeriall dignity to preach the Gospel and notwithstanding they do possesse and enjoy great Benefices and revenews Saint Paul saith here wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel but they say clean contrary wo unto us if we do preach the Gospel The Apostles said n Act. 6.2.9 It is not reasonable that we should leave the word of God and serve Tables but we will give our selves continually to prayer and to the Ministry of the word But the Popes Cardinalls Archbishops Bishops in a contrary sense do the quite contrary it seems unto them that it is not reasonable that they should leave the politick affairs of the State to preach the word they esteem it to be a base and vile thing to preach the Gospel whereas o Pet. 1.12 the angels themselves desired look into it to search and know the depth and the bottome of this profound mystery of the Gospel yea they were joyfull and ready to preach the birth of Christ p Luk. 2.10 13 14. Behold I bring you tidings of great joy and with the angel there was a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and earth Peace good will towwards men The charge of the Ministry is so honorable the burden so heavy saith Chrysostome that it is formidable unto the angels that the Angels themselves notwithstanding would esteem it an honour and would crouch and stoop their shoulders to bear it and therefore how noble how rich how honorable soever men are let them not think that the Ministry is too vile or unworthy of them but rather that they are unworthy of the Ministry as it appears by the forementioned and forenamed titles for they are fellow servants with the angels yea they are stiled angels yea to which of the angels unto which of the Princes of the world did God at any time time say that which he said unto his apostles ministers q Mat. 16.19 whatsoever you shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven Whatsoever you shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven And r John 20.23 whose soever sins yee remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sinnes ye retain they are retained But if the Cardinals Archbishops and Bishops of the Romish Church do preach it is but rarely and seldome and when they preach and teach they do not preach the word of God but false doctrine the traditions of men the superstitious ceremonies of the Pope they feed the people with Fables and curious Questions so that in what manner soever we do consider them they are ranked and comprehended within and under the curse Wo unto them because they preach not the Gospel 2. This condemns those that swell and raise up themselves against God and against his Church by oftentation ambition or vain glory a vice altogether unworthy of pastors and Ministers of Gods word and notwithstanding a cōmon vice but a dangerous one so that it is a safer thing to hear the word of God than to preach it for he that hears Gods word learns to humble himself but he that preaches is in danger to exalt himself for the more he receives the graces of God the more he is subject to ambition and certes we see that the Apostle Paul was in danger to exalt himself above measure in that he was an Apostle ſ 2 〈…〉 4.7 And through the abundance of the revelations caught up to the third heaven into Paradise heard unspeakable words which is not lawfull or possible for a man to utter there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh the Mssenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure Pirncipally this sin is incident to novices and young ministers t 1 Tim. 3.6 who are in danger to be lifted up with pride and to fall into the condemnation of the Devil as if he should have said he will glory in that he is a minister u Mat. 7.22 and preacheth Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name O we must not glory in that for though I preach the Gospel saith Saint Paul I have nothing to glory of If Saint Paul so great so excellent an Apostle could not glory in that who in all his Epistles abaseth himself that God may be his all and may be thereby exalted and glorified who will know nothing save Jesus Christ and him crucified who protests that he will glory not in his vertues not in his merits but in his infirmities that the power of God may rest upon him If such an Apostle so sensible of his infirmities so humble by reason of them such an Herald of the mercy of God such an enemy of the merits of men such a trumpeter of their sinnes and demorits if such an Apostle could not would not boast of such things and especially would not glory in the preaching of the Gospel because necessity was laid upon him and wo unto him if he did not preach it how much lesse the Pastors and ministers of the word of God inferiors to so great an Apostle have they matter and occasion to glory therein by reason of that necessity and of that threatning But to come nearer unto our selves and to apply those things and uses to us that are Pastors and to the brother whom we are to establish and ordain unto the holy ministry without making a particular application unto our said brother as we might We learn and he also our duty which is proposed at length in this 9. chapter of the 1 Cor. and in the first of Timothy chap. 3. and in first chapter of Titus which we will read to you anon The first and principall duty is to preach the Gospel and teach the truth and will of God contained and revealed in the sacred Scripture x 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Given by inspiration of God and profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto oll good works sufficient not onely for our salvation which the Papists confesse but also for our instruction which they deny witnesse Bonner Bishop of London who examining a martyr and telling him that he was a right Scripture man and would have nothing but Scripture and
loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel In a word the imposition of hands signifies that the Minister who is ordained of God is assured of his calling is not for himself but for God and his Church and that the Minister ought to preach and there is a necessity laid on him and therefore he ought to take care look diligently to his Commission for his office and Commission is great and heavy and hath need to pray to God to blesse him in his calling and mission On the other side the laying on of the hands doth declare the hand of God to be heavy on him not for good but for evil if he doth not his duty For as on the one side God saith x Ezech. 33 9.8 Son of man if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it if he do not turn from his way he shall die in his iniquity but thou hast delivered thy soul but if thou doest not speak to warn the wicked from his way that wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand and so wo unto us if we preach not the Gospel And therefore the laying on of the hands doth admonish us that as on the one side y 1 Tim. 5.22 we lay hands suddenly on no man so on the other side z 1 Tim. 4.14 we neglect not the gift that is in us which was given by prophesie with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery And a 2 Tim. 1.6 Let us stir up the gift of God which is in us by the putting on of hands Let us hearken to that which Saint Paul saith to Archippus b Col 4.17 Take heed to the Ministry which thou hast received in the Lord that thou fulfill it Let us here the summons of the Apostle Paul I c 2 Tim. 4.1 2. charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearance and his Kingdome preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine And elsewhere d 1 Tim. 5.21 I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality And again e 1 Tim. 6.13 19. I give thee charge in the sight of God who quickeneth all things and before Jesus Christ who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession that thou keed this Commandement without spot unrebukeable untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ And that thou fleest f 1 Tim. 6.10 Avarice the root of all evil Avarice which Bernard represents drawn by a Chariot with four wheels of vices The first is faint heartednesse The second Inhumanity The third the contempt of God The fourth the forgetfulnesse of death this Chariot is drawn by two horses coupled together the one forcible taking the other force to retain things taken the Coachman that guides this Chariot and commands it is Covetousnesse or the love of money who guiding the covetous man in such a dangerous Coach and with such furious horses leads him out of the true way makes him to erre from the faith to fall into temptation and snares and doth plunge him into destruction and perdition as the Apostle tells us in the 9. and 10. verses of this sixth Chapter Therefore he doth exhort his disciple Timothie in the 11. verse But thou O man of God flee these things and follow after righteousnesse godlinesse faith love patience meeknesse as thou art and as much as thou art a man of God not onely in regard of the Creation and of redemption but more particularly in regard of thy vocation a man of God a Minister of the word of God Which place of Scripture we expounded unto you in a Sermon last Wednesday as a preparative and forerunner to this action declaring what the Minister must flee what he must follow after before God and before men 3. We that are Ministers must learn that to preach the Gospel well and render our preaching fruitfull and of efficacy we ought to be united together g Psal 133.1 2 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity it is like precious ointment upon the head of Aaron when he was ordained and consecrated an high Priest that ran down upon the beard even Aarons beard that went down to the skirts of his garments But alas Satan to hinder the course and progresse of the Ministry doth cast the apple of discord between the Apostles themselves and between the Ministers of the Gospel also One while for precedency h Luke 22 29. There was a strife among the Apostles which of them should be accounted the greatest Another while for a difference concerning a third person as between Paul and Barnabas concerning John surnamed Mark i Acts 15.37 38 39 40 41. Barnabas determined to take with them Mark but Paul thought it not good to take him with them and the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other So Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus but Paul chose Silas and departed being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God and he went through Syria and Cilicia confirming the Churches Sometimes for the small respect which one bears another and by false reports We read that there was enmity between Chrysostome and Severian Bishops Serapion who wedded the quarrell of Chrysostome passed by Severian and did not salute him Severian provoked with the little respect Serapion shewed him gives way to his passion Socrates Ecclesiasticall history and said If Serapion die a Christian Christ was not made man Serapion reports the words of Severian at half and omits the first part of the Sentence and tells Chrysostome that Severian maintained that Christ was not made man thereupon Chrysostom chaseth Severian out of the City the Empresse Eudoxia puts her self between these two Bishops and endeavours to appease the choller of Chrysostome and brings her son Theodosius who falls at Chrysostoms feet to obtaine by intreatie a reconciliation which by much adoe he compassed If there had been no contention between these two Bishops this had not happened If Serapion who was Chrysostoms friend had prevented Severian with honour as the k Phil. 2.3 Apostle exhorts or at least had given him the honour that was due to him and in Lowlinesse of mind had esteemed him better then himself Severian had not uttered such terible and unchristian words if Serapion had not made a false report to Chrysostom concerning Severian and if Chrysostom had not been so light of beleef but had examined both the one and the other party and had reserved one eare for the other party as Alexander the great did he had not expelled Severian Hence we see what divisions among Pastours can do it is