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A09054
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Dorcas: or, A perfect patterne of a true disciple A sermon preached by Bartholomew Parsons B. of Divinity and rector of Ludgershall in the country of Wilts.
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Parsons, Bartholomew, 1574-1642.
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1631
(1631)
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STC 19346; ESTC S105866
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13,782
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45
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DORCAS OR A PERFECT PATTERNE OF A TRUE DISCIPLE A Sermon Preached by Bartholomew Parsons B. of Divinity and Rector of Ludgershall in the County of Wilts Ioh. 15.8 Herein is my Father glorified that yee beare much fruit so shall yee be my Disciples Prov. 31.20 Shee stretcheth out her hand to the poore yea shee reacheth forth her hands to the needy OXFORD Printed by William Turner Printer to the famous Vniversity 1631. TO THE HONOVRED MY LOVING FRIEND St FRANCIS PILE BARONET WORTHY SIR HOly Iob being about to vttter a divine meditation concerning the future resurrection cryeth out Oh that my words were written now Oh that they were printed in a Booke Iob. 19.23 And you of late being the Principall Auditor where according to the gift giuen to me J vttered this following Meditation conceived vpon an excellent patterne in my Text both of good workes in generall and of Almes-deeds in speciall the best of workes which shall be remembred and rewarded at the last resurrection afore and aboue all other workes walked in the same Spirit with that righteous man in desiring that these same words might be written vnto you and not vanish away in the houre and aire wherein they were vttered J haue therefore transcribed this copy and doe willingly and deseruedly Dedicate to your selfe this piece of my labours And so much the rather J present it to you because as face answereth to face in water Prov. 27.19 so both your selfe your worthy Lady answere fully to this face of charity and almes-doing represented here to you in this Disciple Dorcas in the sowing plentifully and solemnly at the set times weekely the seede of your almes at your gates to the poore round about yuo which J write not out of any flattery from which both by nature and conscience J am averse but as Paul said of the Macedonians in alike case 2. Cor. 8.1.3 to beare witnesse of the grace of God bestowed on you both who are mette together in another Cornelius and Dorcas abounding in this worke of the Lord. As you haue therfore worthily begunne so happily goe on in sowing the seed of your almes plentiously that you may reape plentiously in the day of the Lord. For though you seeme to the world to cast your bread vpon the waters where it is lost yet after many dayes you shall finde it againe even in the great day of the Lord. The poore may say vnto thee that I in receiving of Almes giue no lesse vnto thee then thou in bestowing them giuest vnto mee For if there were not some to receiue thine Almes thou couldest not giue earth and receiue heaven as St Austin sayth And in the meane season God that is rich to all will so blesse your basket and your store that alwayes hauing sufficiencie in all things you may still abound in this worke For as St Chrysostome sayth Almes-doing maketh not any man poore but enricheth him for it is promised giue and it shall be giuen you and againe that thou mai'st be rich giue thy goods liberally that thou mai'st gather scatter follow the sower sow in blessings that thou mai'st reape in blessings in his 53. and 68. Homilie to the people of Antioch Now the God of Heaven blesse You and your worthy Lady not onely with the blessings of Heaven aboue and Earth beneath but also with all Spirituall blessings in Christ Jesus that when you haue finished your course happily in this world you may raigne eternally in the World to come So wisheth Your Servant in our Master Christ Iesus BARTHOL PARSONS From my house at Collingborne April 1. 1631. Actes 9.36 Now there was at Ioppa a certaine Disciple named Tabitha which by interpretation is called Dorcas This woman was full of good workes and almes-deedes which shee did TO that question of King Lemuel Solomon in that Prophecy taught him by a woman his mother who can finde a vertuous woman Prov. 31.10 arguing and intimating die rarity of good women wee may returne here an inventa est and cry out with that passionate exclamation of Archimedes a famous Mathematician when he had found out a Mathematicall experiment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found I have found ecce hîc behold here is one and so much the sooner haue wee found with Iaacob because the Lord our God hath brought one to our hands Gen. 27.10 beautified and beatified with all graces accompanying salvation in woman Faith and Charity and Holinesse with sobriety 1. Tim. 2.15 For that wee might not count her an alien but one of the houshold of faith she is a Disciple Disciples and Christians are termini convertibiles of equivalent signification Act. 11.26 one that was not ashamed of Christ and his words Luke 9.26 that we may be assured that shee professed not to know Christ deny him in her works Tit. 1.16 Shee is a good tree bringing forth good fruites Mat. 7. joyning vertue with her faith 2. Pet. 1.5 and shewing her faith by her good workes or that onely some good was found in her as in Ieroboams son 1 Kings 14.13 some gleaning grapes as the shaking of an Oliue tree Isa 17.6 Shee is full of good workes defectiue and behind in no gift 1. Cor. 1.7 or that shee serued God only in holines in the works of piety and not in righteousnesse in the works of charity as too many put asunder those things which God hath joyned together she distributeth to the necessities of the Saints doth almes-deeds and as she aboundeth in every thing so in this gift also 2. Cor. 8.7 soweth the seed of her almes plentiously is full of almes-deedes which she did But that by my ordering of things here I may further your remembring of them as ordo est mater memoriae order is the mother of memory obserue I pray you in this narration a twofold description of this vertuous woman 1. by her civill condition There was at Ioppa a certaine Disciple named Tabitha which by interpretation is called Dorcas 2. by her religious disposition this woman was full of good workes and almes-deedes which shee did In her civill state and condition wee haue 1. her place of habitation Ioppa 2 her name either propounded named Tabitha or expounded which by interpretation is called Dorcas In her religious disposition wee haue 1. her profession a Disciple 2. her expression of it either generally in good workes amplified by the measure and extent full of good workes or specially in almes-deeds being of the same size full of almes-deeds which she did Concerning her civill state and condition her habitation and denomination being but the outward skin and rine of the Text in respect of the pith within I will not according to the proverbe haerere in cortice sticke in the barke Onely in transitu in our passage heare and beare a word or two of the propounding and expounding of her name for if wee strike this rocke the waters will gush out Exod. 17.6 shee was named Tabitha
Lord 1. Cor. 15.58 what the yong man boasted of vaine-gloriously wee must striue after sincerely all these haue I kept from my youth vpwardes Mar. 10.20 For God loueth a fulnesse of all things an abounding in every good gift 2. Cor. 8. a fulnesse of knowledge Col. 1.9 a fulnesse of obedience Phil. 1.11 a fulnesse of faith and for that purpose giueth to his a fulnesse of the holy Ghost Stephen full of faith and of the holy Ghost Act. 6.5 Away then with those depthes of Satan when men thinke that they may borrow a point of God and with that yong man Marke 10. faile in one thing or other and with Herod Mar. 6. keepe their minion Herodias some darling sinne or other so long as they doe many good things Let not then the vsurer flatter himselfe with an opinion that God will be mercifull vnto him in his vsury as Naaman prayed that God would be mercifull vnto him in the point of bowing in the idoles temple 2. Kings 5. nor the adulterer in his adultery nor the blaspemer in his swearing nor the drunkard in his swilling nor the slanderer in his evill speaking nor the louer of pleasures in his immoderate and vnlawfull pastimes nor any man in his taking liberty to committe continue in any knowne sinne Our obedience to God must be vniversall like to that which the Reubenites Gadites and halfe tribe of Manasseh professe and promise to Ioshuah all that thou commandest vs will wee doe whithersoever thou sendest vs will we goe in all things as we obeyed Moses so will wee obey thee los 1.16.17 We must then with the Apostle pray that the God of peace would make vs perfect in every good worke to doe his will Heb. 13.20.21 And Almes-deedes which shee did But the holy Ghost here transit à thesi ad hypothesin passeth from the generall to the speciall from her fulnesse in good workes in generall to her fulnesse in one good worke specially and that is in almes-deeds It may be sayd what neede this wast of words if shee were full of all good workes then consequently of almes-deedes if shee abounded in every grace then in this also for Genus est inseparabile à suis speciebus the generall and the speciall cannot be separated one from another It is true the one cannot be without the other but very frequently in scripture where wee finde religion good works mētioned we shall see giving of almes attend vpon thē as an elder daughter vpon the mother Cornelius being cōmended for a devout man one that feared God this point is presētly added he gaue muchalmes to the people Act. 10.2 the Apostle requiring in a widow to be chosē for the service of the Church that she shold be well reported of for good workes presently hitteth vpon this speciall if she haue lodged strangers if she haue washed the Saints feet if shee haue relieued the afflicted 1. Tim. 5.10 and calling vpon the Hebrewes that they should not forget to doe good in the next place he addeth and to communicate Heb. 13.16 either joyning the speciall to the generall communicating to doing of good or by both words signifying one thing because distributing to the necessities of our brethren is magna pars bonorum operum a great and principall part of good works it is as Demosthenes sayd pronunciation was in Rhetoricke primum secundum tertium in benefaciendo the first second and third point in doing of good Yea consider how great a good worke almes doing is seeing it shall be mentioned when all our other workes shall be omitted Come ye blessed of my Father c. for I was hungry and yee fedde me I was thirsty and ye gaue me drinke Matt. 25.34.35 tacet Deus c. God concealeth all the other good deedes of the righteous and onely vouchsafeth to remember their almes he concealeth also all the evill deedes of vngodly men and onely thinketh meete to rebuke their barrennesse in almes Augustine in his 28. Homily and Peter Chrysologus in his 14. Sermon In the kingdome of heaven before all in the assēbly of thē that rise God mentioneth not that Abel suffred that Noah preserved the world that Abraham kept the faith that Moses gaue the law that Peter ascēded vp to the crosse of Iesus with his heeles vpwards but only speaketh of that which the pore eateth and seeing our riches so lost as the world thinketh shall be found when all the treasures that we lay vp closely shal be lost for as Gregory sayth by keeping earthly things we loose them but by giving of them we preserue them and as Peter Chrysologus whatsoever thou giuest to the poore thou shalt haue it whatsoever thou giuest not to the poore another shall haue it The point to be pressed to vs hence is as plaine as Abacuckes vision Hab. 2.2 hee may runne that readeth and observeth it It is that every Disciple of the houshold of faith must pro suo modulo according to his measure abound in this grace of distributing the rich must be rich in good workes ready to distribute willing to communicate 1. Tim. 6.17 They must cast great gifts into Christs treasury the meaner sort must not be wanting in their mites Mar. 12. and every one according to his ability must relieue his brethren for so they proportion it at Antioch Act. 11.29 yea and in case of necessity sometimes beyond his ability 2. Cor. 8.3 But who is such a stranger in our Israell that hee knoweth not these things I may say of this point as Luther sayd of that verse of the 15. Ps he that hath not giuen his money vpon vsury Iste versus non indiget expositione sed impletione this verse needes no expounding but fulfilling Instruction in this righteousnesse wee neede not but rather correction for our being behinde in this worke of the Lord. Amongst vs that are called Christians there are many professours fewe practisers and those fewe that seeme ready to other good workes are backward inough to this I will not say with the Apostle 1. Cor. 15. I speake it to our shame that little of this fruit groweth vpon many of those trees that seeme not onely to haue beene long planted but also much to flourish in the Courts of Gods house that this sure marke of sound religion is almost worne out amongst many who yet primos se volunt esse in religione would be ringleaders in religion but I will take vp those words of Naaman 2. Kings 5. God be mercifull vnto vs in this point and double them with him God be mercifull vnto vs in this point for want of shewing our pure and vndefiled religion before God by the workes of mercy towards our brethren for failing in this fruit of our faith and proofe of our being true worshippers of God caeteris rebus pietatem colimus in other matters we shew our selues very godly we can goe vp to Gods temple stand before him in his house make