this world ? Hath not God made foolish the wisdome of this world? Are fwelling words fuiteable to this exinanition of the Son of God? Is a lofty itile correfpondent with this abafement, Is it fit to difcourfe sweetly & delightfully upon gail & vinegar, & to befet nailes and thornes with flowers of Rhetorick, and to bring our Saviour in pompe of words, and vaine-glorious pageants of Art unto his crosse? This is not to preach Chrift, but to preach a man's felfe in a vaine glorious affectation of eloquence: Herein confifts the duty of a Minifter, for matter to preach Chrift only, for manner with all humility and him crucifi'd: This is the preaching when all's done, this I may terme the very Art of preaching, which directly tendes to the Glo ry of God, and the falvation of foules. Admit a man be of never fo meane a prefence, and men come to heare him poffeffed with a prejudicate opinion, yet if he labour to divide the word aright, and to fpeake to the confcience, rather than the fancy of his Auditors, O! what wonders doth the Lord worke, by weake meanes? As by rammes hornes, the walls of Jericho, were battered in peeces: and by earthen pitchers the huge holt of the Midianites was discomfited: fo by that preaching which the wittes of the times, and men that applaud their own fanfies accoumpt empty and foolish, the Lord workes miraculously in the converfion of foules. It's the Apostles affertion; For after that in the wisdome of God, the world through wifdome knew not God, it pleafed God, by the foolishnesse of preaching to fave them that believe. Thus having endeavour'd to beat the corne out of the eare,suffer me now togrinde it at the mill. Application is the life of every sermon, Let me then intreat your patience, in a few words, to preffe what hath been faid, unto your practife, and then I fhall put a period to my discourse. which we Marlorate, out of Calvin,drawes two inferences of practice: Quid docendum firft,and then Quid difcendum afterwards:Christ crucified, is the substance of all, that we can preach or heare. It's a leffon can be never enough taught, and never enough learn'd, In the first place, feeing this is that leffon all ought to teach ( Fathers and Brethren ) fuffer I beseech you, the word of exhortation, to conferre your best endeavours to put in practice this excellent method, and exquifite art of preaching. Waft not this pretious lamp of the fanctuary, in ma king pope, circumftantials, the maine imployment: What's this but to tithe,mint and cummin,and to neglect the weightier matters of the law. Evde bi xp. Ther's one most needfull Doctrine, which you ought frequently to inculcate, and make deep impressions upon the confcience, and that's the knowledge of Jefus Chrift and him crucified. I cannot fufficiently admire how facred is the ministeriall function What a great honour is it to be imploy'd in Embafy for the King of heaven! O! what fidelity is requifite in the discharge of fo concerning a message? You are God's sword bearers, beare up that fword which he hath put into your hands: The Lord hath promised to be your portion. And if I invert the order of the words, that they which live upon the Altar ought to ferve it; it's a piece of the fame truth, as well as that; The Lord hath so ordain'd, that those which serve the Altar fhould live upon the Altar. The readieft way I conceive) to fuppreffe, fchifmes and divifions, is by preaching the power of godlineffe. This is the way to ftop the mouthes of Gainfayers, when they see that felfe is not the maine Engineer, nor the promoting of a man's own particular ends, and interefts, but the glory of God, and the love of Chrift conftraines a then they are put to filence, and have nothing to gainsay. We read how Mofes, in his own caufe, was the meekelt man upon the face of the earth:yet tranfported with zeale in the cause of God. A fpirit of discretion is required in a Chriftian, least he may quickly pluck downe with the one hand, what he endeavours to build up with the other Moderation is much talked of; it's a good to be defired: For oft times it ferves as a golden bridle, to curbe a paf- Calvin. in Epift. fion. But Calvin's caution to Melanchthon, is worthy of your ob- ad Meland. fervation: Take heed (faith he) that moderation doe not quench thy zeale. Meekneffe and filence, doth good, and is commendable in a man's own cause. It's a man's glory to paffe by a personall injury: but when religion fuffers and the caufe of God lies a bleeding then to be filent, argues a spirituall ftupefaction, as if a man were poffeffed with a dumbe Divell. When men preach their own inventions, teaching for Doctrines, the traditions of men: When men deride the way of holineffe, cafting nicknames and afperfions of Puritans Precisians and I know not what upon them, that fo they may render their perfons,and profeffion odious, juft as thy dealt with the Saints in the Primitive Church, who were put into beares-skins, and then worryed C4 A&.17.11. worryed; When men are not affrayd to exercife their wits, to be witty even unto blafphemy, to caft a flur or a jeft upon that sacred word, by which one day they fhall be judged; This is not to preach Christ crucifi'd, but it's to crucify him atrefh, and to put the Lord of glory to an open shame: When men like fehu drive furiously, mistaking a paflion for zeale, and fo oft times fpoile a good caufe in the carriage, this is not futable to that meekneffe, that was in Chrift. Let not then any humour or opinion sway thee; ther's nothing fo dangerous in religion, as this compliance with humors, and fancies, and fiding for felfe-interefts and advantages. The Spirit of God muft be thy Pilot to fleare thee, and the word of God muit be thy compaffe, and the glory of God ought to be in thy eye as the fcope and end of all. Take nothing upon truft, but imitate those noble Bereans, who let nothing paffe, without due examination: For we read that they fearched the Scriptures dayly, whether thofe things were fo. 2. As you have heard what we must all teach, so you shall 2Quid difeen heare what we must all learne, viz: Chrift crucifi'd, Let me then dum. perfwade you as ferome doth in an Epiftle to Paulinus. ) Let's learne that knowledge on earth, which will carry us unto heaven. May Difcamus cam terris quorum it never be verifi'd of any of us, that, we feek our own things, and fcientia perfeve not the things of Jefus Christ, and that we resemble Mercuries ftarabit in cœlis. tue, that poynt the way to others,but move not one step ourselves. Hieronymus in A good life is the best commentary of a good fermon, and the best Epift. ad Paulinum. contentation of a flaunder. The fhepherd hath difcharged his duty, when by his own example, he leads his flock to the waters of comfort. We should all labour to be fpirituall builders: As no noise was heard in Solomons Temple; fo my heart defires that there may be no differences nor jarrings, to be heard among us. Quirites was a forcible word with Cafar, to fuppreffe all his fouldiers mutinies and fhall not the word Chriftiani be as prevalent with us. What faid Abraham to Lot, Gen. 13.18. Let there be no strife between my herdsmen, and thy herdsmen, for we be brethren. So fay I, we that are fons of the fame mother the Church, fervants of the fame God, heires of the fame hope, how should we confult the good, one of another, labouring to build up one another in the holy faith, confidering to provoke one another to love and to good workes. We are unr, members one of another. Is there a controverfy betweene thee and thy brother? be not wanting in thy duty to pray for him: this, if any thing, will be the reconciler. Imitate thy Saviour on the croffe: who prayed for his enemies. None are fo bad, but they deferve thy prayers, and commiferation; Is thy brother ignorant?doe not defpife him: Confider who made thee to differ from thy brother, and a greater mercy, requires a greater measure of thankfulneffe. Copy out that excellent advice of the Apoftle, 1 Pet. 4. 8. And above all things have firvent charity among your felves for charity shall cover the multitude of finnes. This is to learne Chrift crucifi'd, when we labour to purity our felves even as he is pure, when we labour to be holy as he was, in all manner of converfation, when we imitate him, in putting on bowells of mercy and tender compaflion. My brethren, God hath given you greater measure of knowledge, and therefore he expects from you greater improvements. It was a greivous complaint of Auftine in his time: Surgunt indocti & rapiunt cœlum, & nos cum do trinis noftris detrudimur in gehennam. God grant that our holy life, may be the confutation. Let it never be told in Gath, and publishe in the streets of Askelon (I wish there were no cause) that any fon of Levi should prove a fon of Belial, and make the facrifice of the Lord to be abhor'd. God forbid, that in fo facred an order, (as the Ministeriall Function is) That there should be any profane Efaus, any taunting Ishmaels, and blafphemous swearers. We cannot in any wife brooke Intruders into the Church: wee abhorre, and that defervedly, their irregular motions who runne before they are fent: wherefore wee should all unite our prayers and endeavours in our capacities, and callings to God as one man, to hinder fuch from ever fetting footing in our Ifrael.If any fuch be, (as I feare there are) methinks the fearfull judgments of God executed upon Uzzah, and Uzziah, for their over-officious fervices, and intermedling without a calling, should make them feare and tremble,spaiv aviro, fo unpreparedly to adventure, upon facred myfteries. In the interim, let us walke inoffenfively and more circumfpectly in our life and converfation, and give no juft offence, neither to Jew, nor Gen ile, nor Church of G d. This counfell is not unfeasonable; for we know not what advantage a fcandalous life gives unto a common Adverfary. If those that fhould be Seers, yet will be blind,if the Watchmen fleep, and the Shop D hards 1 Joh. 3.3. Auguft. ger. 8.6. beards leave their flocks to hierlings, then will fome of Jeroboams Priefts, of the bafeft of the people, prefumptuoutly ufurpe the Minifteriall function. Take which you will, a negligent Minister who performes not his duty, or one that runs without a calling, of his own miflion,and the flatteries of fuch like himfeife, they are both abominable, fuperfluous branches, which God will pluck up and fweep away, as dung out of the Church. Would we then have our callings more honoured, and our perfons more reverenced, and our Doctrine with more cheerfulneffe embraced ?lets all endeavour to be more confciencious in the difcharge of our duties; let us not poft off reformation, from one, to another, accufing, and excufing one another, but let's commune with our own hearts, make diligent enquiry into our own bofomes, every one faying with himseite in particular, what have I done? The way to contract greater reverence abroad is to be more circumfpect at home, that as we goe beyond others in knowledg, fo likewife, we should outftrip them in the practise of holineffe. Chrift in a more fpeciall manner bath communicated unto us, the knowledg of his waies: how should we ftrive with a pious contention, which of us fhould bring moft glory to God, and advance the caufe of Chrift! It fhall be my clofe and prayer with Mofes, that God would put his Urim and Thummim, upon his holy ones, even write upon all our hearts; Holynesse unto the Hieb. 13.20.21. Lord, that fowe may be a Royall Generation, a Holy Priesthood, a pɛculiar people, to fet forth the praises of him, who hath called us out of darknefse into this marvelous light. I fhall conclude with the Apostle, Now the God of peace, that brought againe from the dead our Lord Jefus, that great shepheard of the sheep, through the bloud of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good worke, to doe his will: working you, that which is well pleasing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift 1Pet. 2.9 in our Lord. 康樂 Baruchs |