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A09580
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The fisher-man A sermon preached at a synode held at Southwell in Nottinghamshire. Shewing 1. The necessitie of calling and gifts enabling in a minister. 2. The danger intruders are in. 3. Whose fault it is that such are in the Church. 4. A good life requisite in all that professe Christianitie, but especially in ministers. 5. Wisedome and learning absolutely necessary in preachers. 6. Vnlearned & frothy preaching doth much hurt. 7. Gods worke goeth best forward when his workmen agree well amongst themselues. 8. Contempt of Gods ministers shall not be vnpunished. With other points of moment. By Ierom Phillips Bachelour in Diuinitie.
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Phillips, Jerome, d. ca. 1648.
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1623
(1623)
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STC 19862; ESTC S114717
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16,136
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34
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and are called Christians It is not said of the Pastors onely but of the sheepe also that they follow the chiefe Shepheard My sheep heare my voice Iohn 10.27 and they follow me And to the whole Church at Ephesus Be ye followers of God as deare children Eph. 5.1 and walke in loue euen as Christ hath loued vs c. No sheep in Christs fold is barren of good works They all go vp from the washing euery one hath twins Cant 4.2 and none is barren amongst them Shew me thy faith by thy works saith Saint Iames. Thy faith is best seen by thy following of Christ Iesus The life of a Christian is his faith the life of his faith is his good workes for faith without workes saith Saint Iames is a dead faith Iam. 2.17 A sound Religion makes the professors thereof trees of righteousnesse saith the Prophet not barren and dead trees like the fig-tree our Sauiour Christ cursed hauing leaues and no fruite on it but fruitfull trees Math. 21.19 Such as be planted in the house of the Lord Psal 92.13 shall flourish in the courts of our God they shall bring forth fruit in their age they shall be fat and flourishing Though we do not teach you to merit heauen by your good workes yet we must tell you that your faith that is emptie of good works is no good faith Iustifying faith and a good conscience are inseparable companions and say one to another as Ruth said to Naomi Ruth 1 17. Where thou dwellest there will I dwell and where thou diest there will I die A fruitlesse faith is a dead faith Giue me children Gen. 13.1 saith Rachel to her husband or else I die So saith Faith to the professors thereof Let good workes be the fruite of my wombe or else I am but dead We glorie much to compare our age enlightened to the darknesse of the age of our fore-fathers what darknesse they sat in and what light we now do see But if we looke well about vs our wants are as great as theirs they walked in darknesse because they had no light but this is the condemnation of this our age that light is come into the world and men loue darknesse more then light because their deeds are euill The former age indeed was as Leah bleare-eyd yet fruitfull in many commendable workes our age as Rachel quicke sighted and beautifull to the eye but barren we are fruitfull indeed in professed religion but fruitlesse of the true practise of pietie Many that professe to follow Christ Iesus aequis passibus as it were at the very heeles yet are found to halt and so discredit themselues and their profession 2. Sam. 12.14 and cause the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme The more glorious you are in your profession if your actions be not answerable the more do you wrong the Church wherein you stand and wound your owne soules Angels tongues would haue Angels liues Saints liues at the least But where there are Angels tongues and diuels liues there are diuels incarnate Satan transformed into an Angel of light It is better that wickednesse should be seene in her owne colours then vnder the hood and habit of vertue A wicked Professor is worse then a professed wicked man But this dutie of following our maister Christ is here chiefly intended to vs of the Ministery wee must so follow as that we must be examples to our flocks we must follow Christ so neare as that they may follow him in following vs that we may say to them as the Apostle Paul 1. Cor. 11.1 Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ so we must teach them as well by example of life in following as by doctrine in preaching Christ We are by resemblance starres Apoc. 1.10 starres we are in this life and shall be starres in heauen too if we fulfill our Ministery effectually Dan. 12.3 They that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as starres in the firmament for euermore Starred haue light that points at our doctrine starres haue influence too Iob. 38.31 that points at our good works Canst thou restraine the sweet influence of the Pliades or loose the bands of Orion saith almightie God to Iob. As the Philosophers define Stella est densior pars sui orbis a starre is a massier part of his orbe so should good Ministers be more compact of goodnes and grace then the rest of the people amongst whom they liue Wherefore beloued brethren starres of this constellation since our Calling is high and honorable let the condition of our liues be suitable let there not be disparitie and disproportion betwixt our callings and conuersations Ne sit sedes prima vita ima Ad Oceanum It is Saint Ieroms annotation vpon the name of Pastor giuen to vs Talis â—ligendus est Pastor prae quo reliquus populus grex est The like note may we as wel haue here from this name of Fisherman Talis est eligendus Piscator prae quo reliquus populus pisces sunt He ought to be so conspicuous for Gods graces eminent in him that it may be said of him as of the man whom God did chuse to be the first King ouer his people Israel Videte virum quem elegit Dominus 1. Sam. 10.24 Behold the man whom the Lord hath chosen higher then all the people by the head there is none like vnto him of all the people We aime at not onely the grosse and greatest sinnes of the people but euen at the least too euen motes must we take away and how cleane must he be himselfe that should be a mote-finder in other mens liues We may not go with beames in our owne eyes to pull out motes out of our brothers eyes if we do they will as soone suffer vs to pull their eyes out of their heads as any motes out of their eyes For such is the peruersnesse of people I may well call it peruersnesse in them they will not be taught by their doctrines whose liues teach not too Math. 7 5. but they haue learned to say Hypocrite first pull the beame out of thine owne eye then shalt thou see more clearely to pull the mote out of thy brothers eye Motes in our eyes are beames they are beames indeed in the peoples account nay they are beames in Gods account I would to God then they might be so in our account too Our motes are beames in Gods account for marke it and it is obserued by Chrysostome Dial. lib. 6 cap. 10. that vnder the Law there was as much sacrifice to be offered for the sinne of the Priest as for the whole multitude to signifie that for the dignity of his place and for the common mischiefe ensuing vpon his fall by example his sin weighed as much as the sinne of all the people And the Priests daughter that did not intermeddle in the Priests office yet in regard of her descent
THE FISHER-MAN A Sermon preached at a Synode held at Southwell in Nottinghamshire Shewing 1. The necessitie of calling and gifts enabling in a Minister 2. The danger intruders are in 3. Whose fault it is that such are in the Church 4. A good life requisite in all that professe Christianitie but especially in Ministers 5. Wisedome and learning absolutely necessary in Preachers 6. Vnlearned frothy preaching doth much hurt 7. Gods worke goeth best forward when his workmen agree well amongst themselues 8. Contempt of Gods Ministers shall not be vnpunished With other points of moment By Ierom Phillips Bachelour in Diuinitie LONDON Printed for W. I. for Robert Bird and are to be sold in Ivie Lane 1623. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE LORD AND REVEREND FATHER in God IOHN by diuine prouidence Bishop of Lincolne Lord Keeper of the great Seale of England Right Honorable I Present vnto your Lordships view this short Discourse of the trade of Fishing Fishing for Men the best trade that mortall men can spend their time in though all come not to it with the best mindes for some are fishers of Saint Peters trade for this hope onely that they may haply speed as once Saint Peter did Math. 17. vlt. to cast an angle into the sea and pull vp a fish with mony in the mouth of it Such seeke their owne and not the things of Iesus Christ Phil. 2.21 But howsoeuer they that come with good affection to the work and perform it with good effect cannot be free from the poison of Aspes that lieth vnder the lips of some men For if any exorbitancie be sound in any of our coate and calling it is strange to see how our aduersaries insult thereupon and exclaime against all of the Clergie from the highest to the lowest as if thereby there were cause enough giuen to pull downe the whole fabrik of our Church and for themselues to take vp that crie of the cursed Edomites Downe with it downe with it Psal 137.7 euen with the ground VVe all haue our faults and too many of vs too many but what then shall the innocent beare the reproach with the nocent Or shall the reuerend Fathers of the Church be taxable for the crimes of some Church-men which they cannot mend Shall the Maister beare the blame because some of his Disciples eate with vnwashen hands I doubt not but many a thousand in the Land Prelates and other good Pastors that stand in peaceable conformitie with the Church can as ill brooke scandalous life and vnsound doctrine in a Minister as any of those fiery spirited declamors The Gouerners of the Church cannot be so circumspect but through the craft and malice of man and Satan some such may craftily creep in that shall dishonor God and defile the priesthood Nehem. 13.20 Since by the prouidence of God and his Maiesties most iudicious choice you are called to so high a place of honour and weightie emploiment for the Church and Kingdome it is the hope of good men that the Church shall haue cause to reioyce much in your Honours aduancement and that goodnesse in you shall receiue no losse by the accesse of greatnesse but rather much gaine In te factam esse hanc mutationem confido Bernard ad Eugen non de te nec priori statui tuo successisse hanc promotionem sed accessisse It is the confidēce of them that conuersed with your Lordship whilest you liued in these parts and in this confidence haue I bin bold to present your Honor with this little Treatise I can say nothing for my selfe why I should be so bold sauing that the subiect requireth such a Patron and my selfe am yours in the seruice of the Church hauing pastorall charge in your Lordships Diocesse It was first made publike I confesse by deliuery in the Prouince and Diocesse of that most reuerend Archbishop of Yorke to whom I am much obliged for many courtesies according to his accustomed benignity towards all euen of the least deseruings in the cause of the Church yet herein I thought to make somewhat an equall diuision betwixt his Grace and your Honour since you both haue interest in me that as it was preached by his Graces appointment so now it may be published vnder your Honours protection Thus humbly crauing your Lordships acceptance I commend you to the God of grace and glorie From Althorpe in the Isle of Axholme Your Lordships in all humble and dutifull obseruance Ierom Phillips THE FISHER-MAN MARK 1.17 Follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men. FRom the ninth verse of this Chapter the Euangelist doth record the Baptisme Fasting Temptation and preaching of Christ The next thing is his calling of others to the same worke of preaching He calleth here two paire of brethren Simon and Andrew his brother Iames and Iohn his brother They were but men yet he will make them workers together with God 1. Cor. 3.9 they were but simple fisher-men yet he will make them Fishers of men Follow me and I will make you Fishers of men Consider in the Text two parts 1. Calling Follow me 2. Qualifying I will make you Fishers of men Before I speake of the parts let me consider the order and disposition of the parts First Calling then Qualifying First Follow then be made fishers This first calling of the Apostles is not to the worke of Apostleship but rather to the schoole of Discipleship It is not Follow me and straightwayes be fishers but Follow and I will make you Fishers Neither did these fishers vpon this call immediatly leaue their nets and preach the Gospell but they left their nets and followed Christ Iesus and expected another calling and deputation to that great worke they were not as yet gifted for so high a calling They must learne before they can teach First be Disciples before they can be Apostles Followers before Fishers Many ouer-skip this degree and make themselues Apostles that neuer knew what it was to be Disciples of Christ Iesus Prophets they are made that neuer knew the Schoole of the Prophets nor what it is to be among the sonnes of the Prophets hauing got a place in the Church if you aske them whence they came thither if they will answer truly Iob 1.7 they must say as Satan did From compassing the earth and from walking to and fro in it as wanderers that could neuer settle in any good course of liuing their indowments of body and mind are so meane as that no Calling in the world could affoord them bread for their paines and therefore are faine to say as it was Gods curie vpon Elies wicked sons Appoint me 1. Sam 2. vlt. I pray thee to one of the Priests offices that I may eate a morsell of bread Prou. 6.11 Thus necessitie pursuing them like an armed man as Salomon saith they flie from their enemie and take hold on the hornes of the Altar there they eate the Shew-bread which