for sommer and warme for winter for you must know that gold is too heauie for any but for the beasts of the earth to carry Neuerthelesse in humilitie be it spoken sith Moses Aaron by Gods ordinance went hand in hand I see nothing from God to the contrarie but we ought to haue an honorable Ministerie as well as an honourable Magistracie and that a good Minister be as well allowed as a good Magistrate Look to it my beloued the contempt of Ministers and Preachers hath alreadie wrought bad effects amongst vs. Men brethren and fathers haue weeping eyes and a king hearts to see this in the florishing time of the Gospell lest the Lord punish the land for the contempt of his seruants For beleeue it this sinne maketh a way for Atheists and Papists and Vters and Newters for Solifidianâ— and Nullifidians and to make this good I might bring a cloud of Fathers to prouoke you to cleanse your harts from this wickednesse But I feare if these sins be not reformed God will enter into iudgment with theÌ„ that haue taken the Lords houses from him into their possessions And so much may suffice concerning Superiours to be amended in themselues Sins in Iuseriours Now that God may haue his due honour by your meanes from the people I should name to you the wickednesse that rote in our streets and call to you in the magistracy for reformation as to you the redresse thereof of right belongs The first is the Prophanâ—tion of the Sabbath The second is the taking of Gods name in vaine The third is Pride The fourth is Contention The fifth is Contempt of Gouernment These be the Roters that grudge if they be not satisfied they cause the land to mourne and the grasse of the earth to wither away they will hasten the Lords vengeance if speedily they be not reformed For the first touching the Sabbath the Lord God hath commanded and so doe the lawes of this Realme yea so did the late commendable Proclamation of this renouned Citie that the Sabbath day should be kept holy that the people should cease from sinne as well as from labour that they might serue God in trembling and feare not thinking their owne thoughts not speaking their owne words vpon the Lords holy day But neglect of zealous executioÌ„ of good lawes ill custome and toleration hath brought it to passe that the multitude doe most shamefully prophane the Sabbath Looke to it I beseech you and suffer not your hearts to bee defiled with this wickednes For not onely the Iewes and Turks crie shame of vs for this but the very Papists make more of the Satterday and Saints dayes then wee doe of the Lords solemne feasts The second euill among the people is the taking of Gods name in vaine Here I stand amazed to consider that the lawes of nations haue taken order for the vaine and idle taking of the names of Princes in mens mouthes so as none dare but such as are sold to treason speake of their Kings and States but reuerently with an vncouered head and yet no law made against vaine swearing and common blaspheming of the most sacred name of the King of Kings In mens ordinary talke lamentable it is to heare in euery house in euery shop yea in euery street how in ordinary talke euery one mingle words and fill vp their sentences with needlesse oathes as if that which is of al sins a most notorious dâ—shonor to God were but a small sinne but much more horrible and odious is that blasphemous and furious and outragious swearing of many men that if they be neuer so little offended and their mind displeased then they fall to disgorge their filthy stomacke vpon the glorious name of their Creator It is recorded by Herodot lib. 6. that Nicanus pitched a field on the Sabbath day against the Iewes but for his blasphemie lost both the battell and his life and his head his hands and blasphemous tongue was cut off and hanged on the pinnacles of the Temple at Ierusalem And well worthie of greatest shame because this vice of all other carrieth with it the most detestation for that it bringeth least delight of aâ—â— other sinnes For all other vices a man may wring out some excuse from nature to lessen the greatnesse but this admitteth no vaile at all Is it not a desperate case for a man in mirth to sweare by that blood the remembrance of which should strike sorrow to the most obdurate hearts that blood I say the losse of which gained redemption to the whole world Me thinkes relenting thoughts should wound the heart of a Christian to name the wounds of Christ But where reuerence is laid aside there deuotion is cold But to heate your zeale and to put an edge vpon your deuotion remember what God saith Mat. 23.23 I am bold to tell you in the Lords behalfe that our tithing of Minâ— and Commin and leauing the waightier parts of the Law vnlooked vnto is to bee feared will draw the Lords wrath downe vpon vs and bring into our Cities townes Zach. 5.4 and houses Zacharies flying booke to consume them with the timber and stones thereof For it is decreed in heauen that if thou wilt not keepe and do all the words of this Law that are written in this booke and feare this glorious and fearefull name Deut. 28.58 the Lord thy God theÌ„ the Lord will make thy playne wonderfull and the plagues of thy seed euen great plagues and of long continuance and sore diseases and of long durance For if it be true that Hosea prophecieth Hosea 4.8 then long since because of swearing the Lord hath a controuersie with the land For who seeth not that for oathes the land mourneth Ierem. 23.10 and the inhabitants are smitten and they feele it not But the houre-glasse calleth mee to the pride of the Land The prophet Zephaniah 1.8 saith It shall bee in the daye of the Lords wrath that the Lord will visit all such as are clothed with strange apparell Pride hath so many feathers added to her wings that shee couereth all the earth with her shadow If we looke to men who should be both wisest strongest they are growne so effeminate and our women so manlike that if it might bee they would exchange kindes What modest eye can with patience behold the immodest gestures and attires of our time no sooner is infancie put of but impudencie is put on Many seemes to imitate Nero in prodigality of apparel Cap. 30 to verifie that in theÌ„selues which was said of him by Suetonius In Nerone nullam vesâ—â—us bis indust Many there be amongst vs that put not on one apparell nor one fashion twice till at length they come to haue no apparell to put on Many inuent fashions to please the world but the secret iudgement of God crosseth their desires for they displease more then they please but if their brauerie condemne them before men
God of whom I haue receiued both my commission and lesson what and how to speake and how farre to proceed against you That you may the rather hearken and giue your attention vnto the words know the exceeding loue affection the Lord hath toward you hee is so farre from desâ—ring your destruction or delighting and pleasing himselfe in your ponishment as that hee be moneth your miserie and lamenteth your losse yea as a compassionate father hee pitieth you and hath compassion on all those of whose returne there is any hope And that you should beleeue it his will is that his messengers should haue the same tender affection and compassionate care ouer the Church that Iaphâ—â—â— may be allured to dwell in the â—ems of Sam. And that none may stand vp to excuse himselfe my words do not poynt to the Assyrions Idumeâ—ns nor Moâ—bites but they doe concerne thee O Ierusalem that take your selues to bee a purified people There be none so holy but need farther information and reformation and it is the Ministers duty to speak the word and rebuke sinne and exhort every kinde of profession vnto religion and that you the hearers might nor thinke it an Indifferent thing to heare or not to he are because men like your selues speake it It is not a counsell but a commandement enforcing the estimation of the authority of the Prophet no lesse the Gods own authority Wherefore in the Lords behalfe suruey your waits in your heâ—reâ— by the glasse of Gods law you that think your selues to bee a sanctified people shall behold great 〈◊〉 of washing not only the seet but the head also not the out side alone but the very insulâ— is defiled For I must tell you you are no better within then you bee without But albeit thou art commanded to sanctifie thy heart beware of assuming any power vnto your selues for as sanctification is an action not words so it is not mans but Gods worke yet so that God worketh not vpon man as vpon stocks but as vpon reasonable creatures who by Gods preuenting grace work together with him the works of God For in this action the hand is the whole Trinitie the water is the teares of repentance 1. Thes 5.23 the soape is the grace of God through Christ and the sunne that drieth vs maketh vs accepted is the applying and iustifying faith through Christ Iesus And in this worke be sure that thou thy selfe bee exercised therein for God will not be serued and worshipped by atturneyes and another for thee for thou must serue God for thy selfe because the iust man must liue by his own faith And heere O Ierusalem you must vnderstand although the Lord hath made you the Prince of the Prouinces seating you in the high places to cleanse and reforme others yet the Lord requireth that you first cleanse your selues and wash your owne hearts before you sit vpon others first sit vpon your selues And herein bee not hypocrites for outward holinesse without the heart goe with it is abominable before God but sanctifie the heart and all will be cleane Therefore let the obiect wherabout you must be busied be your sins wickednesse for the readiest way to bring you backe from prophanenesse is to conuince your selues of sinne And so doing the gaine is your owne for thereby you shall not profit the Lord with your righteousnesse but your selues For so shall you in this life bee preserued when others perish and in the life to come saued when other shall be damned The God of all grace so sanctifie vs in the vnderstanding hereof generally that wee so apply the doctrines particularly to our hearts that all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit may so bee cleansed that wee may grow vp vnto full holinesse in the feare of God Concerning the fust point containing the Acclamation in the coÌ„mandement where I beseech you 1. consider the persons speaking namely God by Ieremie and the Prophet in the name of the Lord. 2. Chr. â—9 25 And this is of great force to enforce the commandement The world is become so captious that it is more ready to question by what authority the Preacher preacheth then with obedience to obey the preaching Therefore to remoue all lets that may hinder the acceptance of his doctrine he first of all pleadeth his commission Doct. 1 From whence wee may learne that none ought to speake teach in the Lords name that be not able to shew their authority and commission to bee set on worke both by God and his Church This the Prophet proueth speaking not in his owne but in the Lords name As if he should haue said I doe not of my selfe command you for theÌ„ you might think me too busie but I haue authority and commission diuine and am set a worke by the Lord whose will I must obey and therfore you ought to heare me with patience For I am none of those who run and God hath not sent my calling is from God And for this cause receiued I the anoynting 1. Ioh. 2.21 which is nothing else but the assignement vocation and ordination of any to â—n office in Church or Common-wealth with a promise of bestowing sit gifts for the discharge thereof To this end Kings Prophets Priests in the old Testament were â—nnointed signifying the spirituall oyle of Gods grace fitting vs to our calling this is that Chrysma that will teach vs all things Here I mind not with Ireâ—ans Lib. 3. cap. 3. to shew you that Alia vocatio est extraordinaria alia ordinaria that the one is without the suffrage of men by the onely voice of God as was Abraham Moses and the Prophets vnder the Law and as Iohn the Baptist and the Apostles in the time of the Gospell and that the other was by the suffrage of the Church Precibus impositione manuum as now in the time of the Gospell the Lord sendeth labourers into his vineyard But my purpose is briefly to shew you that none without a lawfull calling froÌ„ the Church by whose hands the Lord sendeth forth fit men into the Ministery ought to be heard of the Lords people If the Lord would not beare with any of what degree soeuer in the time of the Law but would punish euen Kings that would meddle with the Priests office that had no calling thereunto Then none without a lawful calling may take vpon them the ministerie not bee heard of the Lords people But the proposition is true Exod. 28.1 Numb 16.32.35 1. Sam. 13.9.10.11.13 2. Reg. 9.7.31 2. Sam. 6.6.7 2. Reg. 15.5 If no man may take this office but he that is called as Aaron was Then c. But Hebr. 5.4 If the Lord from heauen complaineth of such that runne before they be sent then such ought not to bee heard of the Lords people But the Lord complaineth let 23.21 saying I haue not sent these Prophets yet they runne I haue not spoken vnto them and yet
good for vs and necessarie for our saluation Let vs doe well then and the same shal returne to our selues for good if we doe euill it shall returne to our losse And this is that which God giueth for doctrine to Cain Gen. 4.7 If thou do well shalt thou not bee accepted and if thou doest not well sinne lieth at the doore For it cannot be said that we can diminish any thing of God or that wee can rob him of any thing he hath Therefore a man by all the sinnes that hee committeth shall hurt none so much as himselfe and likewise the profit that commeth of righteousnesse returneth to his owne person Vse 1 The first vse serueth to set forth vnto vs the inestimable goodnesse and loue of our God towards vs who soliciteth vs daily that wee might doe our selues good For he commandeth vs diligently and declareth vnto vs how we should liue And all this hee doth that hee may procure our wealth here and saluation in heauen O consider deare brethren if any of you should so serue your neighbour without respect of your owne profit and bee so carefull of another mans benefit that you should goe and solicite him saying You must do this and that c. and so should continue euery day to stirre him forward and to set him in order vnto the businesse whereof no profit should redound vnto himselfe were not this a token of a rare and singular loue And euen so doth our God deale with vs hee calleth vs by his word wooeth vs by his Prophets draweth vs by his Spirit that he may pardon vs by his mercie and saue vs in his sonne according to his promises Vse 2 Wherefore deare Christians let vs not looke for the blessings of God in this life or for saluatiō after this life because by our life holy we haue done the things which the Lord hath commanded and theroby haue brought profit gaine honour or glorie to God for so to presume for Gods fauour is a presumption without cause for wee can doe God no good with all our holy life Neither let vs presume in respect of God for hee neuer hath done vs any euil Neither let vs presume in respect of our selues for there is nothing in vs to moue vs to presume of Gods mercie for in vs that is in our nature dwelleth no good for we cannot think a good thought as of our selues If we had done God any good or done more good thē by the law we are bound to doe or if God had done vs any euil then we might haue presumed by the law of right and reason and by the law written that God being bound to reward or recompence wee ought not to bee sent emptie away But being with vs now as it is there is not any thing in flesh and blood that may cause vs to presume Therefore let vs confirme our iudgements that in the day of our account before God we must flie from our owne merits and deseruings be our workes neuer so many or so glorious for we bring no gaine nor profit to God by our righteousnesse From whence me thinkes I heare some obiect and say If God doe not gaine by our righteousnesse then wee cannot hurt him nor diminish his Maiestie and glorie by our sinfulnes And then it is no matter how wee liue nor any reason or iustice that God should condemne and cast away the worke of his own hands for doing such things that neither do him good nor hurt The obiection standeth on three parts The first question is whether wee doe hurt God or diminish his glorie by our sinnes I answere that our sinnes cannot diminish the glorie of God For God knoweth how to bring light out of darknesse and to turne our sinnes to the glorie of his Maiestie Exo. 9.16 as he did the sin of Pharaoh Rom. 9.17 against the Israelites And to the second question which saith it is no matter how we liue if God be neither profited nor glorified by it I say wee doe much dishonour the sacred word of God which as it is holy so in euery page line and lease calleth vpon vs as for a matter of weight and of importance to be rich in good workes which though our holinesse profit not God yet neuerthelesse God declareth that hee accepteth our doings and maketh account of them as though they were of some value For which cause God likeneth himselfe to a husbandman that hath a vineyard who causeth it to bee dressed Mat. 21 33. and 13.4 and hath a field and reapeth corne of it In which similitudes God declareth Mar. 12 1. that hee doth account our workes Ioh. 15.1 as sweete and pleasant sacrifices in his sight And to encourage vs to the workes of charitie he saith that when we doe good to the poore Mat. 25.40 it is as if wee did it euen to him it is as if wee did it euen to him and he accepteth it as done vnto himselfe Thus you see that our God to encourage vs to doe well will accept things whereby he taketh no profit And therefore doth require it as though hee were the better by it and also promiseth that wee shall not leese our labour thereby neither that it shall bee a thing vnprofitable for vs. Therfore that wee leade a good and a godly life is a matter of great necessitie Concerning the third part of the obiection saying that it is against reason and iustice that God should condemne and cast away the worke of his owne hands for such things that neither doe him good nor hurt I answere that reason requireth sinne to bee punished and iustice commandeth that the euill be corrected and the righteous rewarded And the word of God soundeth in infinite places that Gods glorie cannot bee lessened Mat. 3.9 nor his royall seruice diminished by inflicting condigne punishment in the condemnation of the vngodly For God is able of stones to raise vp children to Abraham Wherefore let vs in the feare of God euery one endeuour to bee religious if it bee but to make the Common-wealth peaceable and the kingdome happie 1. Sam. 12.14.15 For the cause why Ahabs gouernment was not so good as Dauids nor Rehoboamt so peaceable as Salomons surely it was because the one was established in the law of God and the other was mingled with filthie Idolatrie The one was gouerned in wickednesse and the other in the feare of God For the Lord saith For the transgression of the land Pro. 28.2 there are many Princes but by a man of vnderstanding and knowledge a realme likewise endureth long Lastly it serueth to reproue Atheists carnall Gospellers and Protestants at large that thinke God is bound beholding vnto them if they doe but come to Church to grace the Ministerie with their presence But know for a certaine whatsoeuer he be that walketh after the lusts of his eyes and the wickednesse of his owne heart when others shall be preserued hee shall perish and when others shall bee saued he shall be damned For the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angels in flaming fire rendring vengeance vnto them 2. Thes 1.8 that doe not know God and which obey not vnto the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ And this our example our Prophet and our text crieth loud in our eares O Ierusalem wash thy heart from wickednesse that thou maiest be saued Euen so come Lord Iesus come quickly Amen FINIS