A Caveat for Archippus

1. Only and wholly.

False prophets fulfill none of God's work, he sets none on work to tell, and teach lies. Aaron's Bells must be golden Bells, not copper ones, nor any other brazen metal, but pure gold; God's pure truth must be dispensed. And as the truth, so the whole truth. Paul testifies his desire to fulfill his Ministry, Acts 20. 14. and therefore in verse 27. he tells them, that he Kept back nothing, but had shown them all the counsel of God. And so he fulfilled his Ministry by making his Ministry fully known, as he speaks to Timothy, 2. Tim. 4. 5. Then doth a man make his Ministry fully known, when in the course of his Ministry he makes the whole truth of God fully known.

2. Painfully and diligently.

The Ministry is the work of the Lord, and Cursed is everyone that doth the work of the Lord negligently. Ierem. 48. 10. A necessity is laid upon me, and woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel, 1. Cor. 9. 16. Be diligent therefore to know the estate of thy flock, and take heed to the herds, Pro. 27. 23. Take heed to the herds, that is, take heed to the fulfilling of thy Ministry. But how may that be done? Be diligent to know the estate of thy flocks, and to let thy flock know the state of the truth.

This is that which evidences our love both to the shepherd, and the sheep. To the shepherd. Therefore doth our Savior so urge that upon Peter, John 21. Peter, lovest thou me? feed my sheep: Louest thou me, &c. Not only that his threefold confession, might be equivalent to his threefold denial, but that his threefold love might appear by his threefold diligence in his Ministry, and to require diligence in feeding, as the most sure evidence of loving. Who professes not with Peter, Lord I love thee? Make we good then our love by our labor, Hebr. 6. the labor of your love. Every man's love is as his labor, little and no labor argues the same measure of love. Therefore Love and Diligence are of one root in Latin, because love is diligent.

Surely me thinks we have cause to blush, and to hang down our heads for shame in the conscience of our negligence, when we shall consider, not only Paul's prayer, and tears night and day, Acts 20, but when we shall consider Iaakobs diligence and pains in the attendance of Laban's flocks: Genesis 31. 40. In the day time I was consumed with heat, in the night with frost, and my sleep departed from mine mine eyes. Alas, what comparison between Christ and Laban? between a churlish master and a merciful redeemer? What comparison between the sheep of Christ and Laban? Ah vile shame then that Laban should be better served then Christ, and his sheep better attended then Christ's. Is Jacob thus painful and careful in looking to Laban's sheep? How can we then excuse our supine negligence and gross sluggishness, to whom the care and cure of reasonable souls is committed? If what Jacob hath done for Laban's sheep move us not, please we turn our eyes upon the Great shepherd himself Christ Jesus, and see what he hath done for his sheep? Behold him not only in the Temple daily, and in the Synagogues teaching every Sabbath; but behold him in the Garden, sweating drops of blood, and on the Cross shedding his heart blood for these sheep. Ah insufferable sloth, and ingratitude both, that we should make so dainty to shed a little sweat in love to him, who in love to us shed not sweat, but sweat groans of blood. Had he been so dainty of his blood, as a number are of their sweat, poor sheep, poor flocks, what had become of them?

As to the Shepherd, so it no less euidenceth our love to the Sheep. They may plead, Peter, lovest thou us? feed us thy sheep. But unto many a Pastor may the flock speak as Delilah to Sampson; How canst thou say thou lovest me, when thy heart is not with me? How is thy heart with me, when neither thy pains nor thy person is with me, but ye yourselves set others to take the charge of my Sanctuary, Ezek. 44. 8. May not that be spoken innocently to many which Eliab spake churlishly to David? 1. Sam. 17. 28. With whom hast thou left these few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart, that thou art come down to seethe battle. So to many Ministers, Where be those Sheep? &c. It may be they are wandering, if not starving in the wilderness, while the Shepherd in the naughtiness of his heart is gone up to see, and to live in the City, and under the color of a City Lecture, neglects his country pastoral charge. A righteous man is merciful to his beast. I will not say, what a beast then, but what an unrighteous man is he that is not merciful to his poor flock, to those poor souls committed to his charge? Mee thinks it was an heavy case, and well worth the lamenting which we find, Lament. 4. 4. The little ones asked bread, and no man brake it to them: Indeed it is not lawful to cast the children's bread unto dogs: but what do they better, who though they give it not to dogs, yet give it not to the children, are they better then dogs in the maunger?

Were those compassionate bowels in us, and that love to our flocks, which should make us, with the Apostle, to deal our own souls to them, would we then hunch at a little bodily pains? What dream we of ease, pleasure, delicacy? Are these the things we propound to our selves in this holy service? Thou that art thus sparing of thy sweat, what wouldst thou do if Christ should call for thy blood for his flocks sake? for so hath Augusline well noted, that immediately upon the threefold injunction of feeding, our Savior tells him of his martyrdom; thereby teaching Peter, that he must feed his people, not only by preaching of the Gospel, but by the shedding of his blood. Now we that dream of ease and delicacy, &c. what if Christ should call us to fulfill our testimony by the shedding of our blood? surely, ill would he shed his blood for him, that is so loath to shed a little sweat for him. How would he go cheerfully to a stake for him, that goes so like a Bear to the stake when he goes to the Pulpit for him? He would ill abide frying, that so ill abides sweating. He would ill abide the pains of burning, that so ill abides the pains of preaching.

How are the Fathers magnified among us, and justly, and yet in the mean time this their practice of frequent, and diligent preaching vilified by us? Had they held their people to a monthly stint, & the poor pittance of a quarterly allowance, never had their works grown to so fair volumes, nor their names to so great renown. Chrysostom's 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . and Bernard's Cras, which they have in so many of their Sermons, argue, if not a daily, yet a diligent, & a frequent preaching; Why should not this work of the Fathers be in equal grace with the rest of their works with us? How is it that we grace them, and disgrace their practice? It is true, it is laborious and painful thus to attend the Ministry: But, the labor of your love, saith the Apostle, Hebr. 6. Where there is this labor of love, it will make us love the labor: love will make the burden light. Nullo enim modo onerosi sunt labores amantium, sed etiam ipsi delectant, sicut venantium, piscantium, &c. Nam in eo quod amatur, aut non laboratur, aut & labor amatur; & vide quàm pudendum & dolendum sit, fi delectat labor vt fera capiatur; I will make bold a little to alter his words: Et non delectat labor vt anima capiatur.

Doth not the Scripture make the Ministry a calling of that pains, weight, and importance, as that Saint Paul's 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 would make a man dread the entrance? Now if so slighty & easy a performance will discharge it, as many put it off withal, who then may not easily be sufficient for these things: who may not soon be sufficient to read prayers, and the Church-service, and once in a Moon to bestow a mornings blessing upon his people? If this be all, how easily may the Ministry be fulfilled? what need such a solemn charge to be given to Archippus?

If then we would fulfill our Ministry, we should labor to have that fulfilled of our Sabbaths which Origen speaks of the Sabbaths of his times: In nostro die dominico semper pluit Deus Manna de coelo. Indeed the Jews Manna never fell on their Sabbath. What Manna soever fall on the week day, never should the Sabbath pass without these Manna- shoures; every Sabbath should have the first and the latter rain. Give a portion of this Manna to seven and to eight. And in the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening, let not thy hand rest, Eccl. 11. 6.

Why stand ye here idle all the day long? Matth. 20. 6. Here, and all the day long. Here, where? In the market place, where they could plead, Nemo nos conduxit. Is it blame-worthy to be idle in the market place, were none had hired them? What is it then to be idle in the Vineyard, where both hired, and paid wages? If a sin to be idle in the market place all the day long, how much more to be idle all the day long, all the Sabbath day long in the Vineyard?

Far be it from us above all others, to eat the bread of Idleness; Upon none more then Ministers must that be verified, In the sweat of thy brows shalt thou eat thy bread. In the sweat of their brows, and their brains too must they eat their bread. But certainly many do so idly and negligently live in the ministry, that they may very well do as that priest did of whom the Waldenses make mention in an Apology of theirs, Qui ex sacerdote factus est agricola; and his reason was, because he found it written, In the sweat of thy brows shalt thou eat thy bread. Had he so diligently discharged his calling as he ought, he never should have needed to have turned husbandman, to have found sweat, and sauce to his bread. But as happily he, so a number there are, that live with such dry brows in the Ministry, that dry bread in another calling would yield them more comfort and content, then all their fullness in the Ministry, because they make no conscience to fulfill their Ministry.

3. Plainly.

As the word must be dispensed frequently and diligently with respect unto Peoples Necessities, so also Plainly with respect unto people's Capacities; so as our plain people may be able to understand us for matter, and manner of delivery. Thus did our Savior teach the people, not as he was able to speak, but as they were able to hear, Mark 4. 33. and John 16. 12. as they could hear. So the Pastors after God's own heart should feed with knowledge and understanding, Ier. 3. How with knowledge unless with understanding? & how with understanding unless they could be understood? Here commonly a double error is committed.

1. Some affect such craggy scholastical disquisitions, as are fitter for the Chair then for the Pulpit, as not coming within the short and shallow reach of a popular capacity.

2. Others, though their matter be low enough, yet affect such a soaring sublimity of phrase, & such a Roman-English, as plain English men cannot understand. Except ye utter words which have signification, how shall it be understood what is spoken? for ye shall speak in the air, 1. Cor. 14. 9. And 19, I had rather in the Church to speak five words with mine understanding, that I might also instruct others, then ten thousand words in a strange tongue. Our language is now grown so learned, that a man may Clerum in English, and may so speak his own language, that he may be a barbarian to the men of his own language. It were good therefore that Ministers would all follow that good counsel that Austin took from some learned men in his time, who having read over his Books against the Manichees, and perceiving them to be written in so learned a phrase, as the common people could not understand; They kindly (saith he) admonished me, that I would not forsake the common and ordinary kind of speech. And he gives a reason why he likes their counsel well. For the common and usual phrase of speech learned men understand, but the other unlearned men understand not. And yet a man may take far more liberty in writing then in preaching.

Therefore it was that else-where he chose rather to speak barbarously then finely, and to use the barbarous word ossum, rather then the word Os, because he desired his people's profit above his own credit. He allows Os in the Text, and so reads it; but in his Exposition useth ossum, as the more intelligible word. His intention was not Rhemish, and Jesuitical to darken the Text with absolute barbarismes, but to help their understandings with a familiar and plain, though not so gramatical a word.

Ministers must be Nurces, 1. Thess. 2. Nurces are not ashamed, nay they delight in it, to condescend to the balbutient infancy of their nurcelings. Even in this fence should we become all unto all, Barbarians unto Barbarians. Indeed when a man is not to speak to Barbarians, but to learned and intelligent Auditors, I would not then debar him the liberty of his liberal education. But certainly, when the Jews shall hear Paul, Acts 22. 2, to speak in the Hebrew tongue, they will both keep the more silence, and give the better audience. It was in judgment that Christ taught the Pharisees in Parables. What difference between a dark conveyance, and a dark phrase? So then preach as that we may rather make our people scholars, then show our selves scholars to our people.

4. Profitably.

Paul, in the same place where he testifies his desire to fulfill his Ministry, instanceth at the first in this particular, Acts 20. 20. I have kept back nothing that was profitable. Therefore the Pastors after God's own heart, feed not only with understanding, but with knowledge. Many may be understood, but what knowledge or profit can be gathered from them? To feed with understanding only, without knowledge, is to feed with an empty spoon. So Luke 4. 22. They wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of Christ's mouth; not at his cloquent, witty, conceited, picked & affected quaint terms, but at his gracious, sanctified, savory, substantial solidity. As for that other froath, neither did our Savior affect it, neither would it have so affected the people as to have made them astonied.

The Conuiction of the Conscience, the information of the Understanding, the resolution of the Judgment, the gaining of the Affections, the redress of the Life; these should be our aims in dispensing of the Word. Now for these tricks and cranckes, this Grammatical and Rhetorical descant, these ends of gold and silver, what help they to this business? See what it is that a Minister should aim at, 1. Corint. 14. 24. 25. If all prophesy, and one comes in that believes not, the secrets of his heart are made manifest: He will fall down and say plainly, that God is in you indeed. At this should Ministers aim, to dispense the word in that power, and evidence of God's Spirit, that men's consciences may (at least) be convinced, that our Ministry is of God. But few aim at this. At this they aim rather, that it may be said; A fine wit is in them, an eloquent tongue is in them (things indeed not to be despised;) but in the mean time regard not that it may be said of them, God is in them; substance, and savory solidity is in them, 1. Corint. 4. 19. I will come to you shortly, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but their power; For the Kingdom of God is not in word, (no nor in words) but in power. Now alas, what power have such Corinthian flashes? What power have such Corinthian florishes? what power hath such paper-shot to beat down the strong holds of Satan? They were not Trumpets of gold or silver, but of plain Rammes horns that laid flat the high walls of Hierico. Labor so to blow the trumpet of the Ministry, that we may have the spirit blow with it. The spirit bloweth where it listeth. It seldom or not at all lists to blow in a painted pipe. Far be from us that humor of Cooks, who seek more for credit in making of puff-paste, and kick-shawes, then from dressing wholesome savory food. When a man hath bestowed his best pains in that kind, that may be said of him, which Austin saith of Homer, that he was dulcissime vanus. Though it be sweet and pleasing to the ear, yet it is but sweet vanity. What is the life or conscience ere the holier for these knackes? Give me leave to close this point with the two former, with that sauory counsel of that reverend father B. Babington in Leu. 7.

Spoken like a Bishop, spoken like a Father.

5. Constantly.

This crowns all the rest. He fulfilles not his race, who having an hundred miles to run, sits down at ninety nine: He fulfills not his Ministry, that giveth it over before his days are fulfilled. Though all the former be done, yet if in this we fail, our Ministry is unfulfilled. Therefore Paul joins the fulfilling of his Ministry and his Course together, Acts 20. 24: and Reu. 11. 7. the two witnesses finished their lives and their testimonies together. Herein many fail and come short of fulfilling their Ministry, being too too like that Hetrurian Idol, who whilst he was in the woods in a mean country fashion,

But when once the people, out of their love and affection to their Idol, built him a marble Temple and placed him there,

His preferments made him pursy, and he had now done giving Oracles. How many in their first beginnings are wondrous painful and industrious, and deserve well & worthily of the Church of God; but as years, and preferments come upon them, slack and abate their former diligence, and seem both to say as those, Zach. 11. 5. Blessed be God, for I am rich; as if therefore they may be idle, because they are rich; and that which is worse to do with them: And their own shepherds pity them not, and so cast a suspicion upon themselves, that they made the stairs into the Pulpit, to be but steps unto preferment.

But what is the issue? Let Experience be witness. How many whom God hath filled with the gifts of knowledge and utterance are again emptied and deprived of them, because they have not made conscience in the use of them, to fulfill their Ministry? Zach. 11. 17, we shall find a terrible threatening. His arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye utterly darkened: Against whom may this threatening be? O Idol shepherd that leaveth his flock! whether it be in regard of presence, or pains. When men will be Idol shepherds, having gifts and mouths and speak not, God in his justice will make them further Idol like, they shall have eyes and see not: God will dim and darken their right eye, yea put it out, and deprive them of that excellent gift of Knowledge, which they have not cared to employ in the Churches service.

Psal. 137. 5. 6. If I forget Jerusalem, let my right band forget her cunning, yea let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not thee to my chiefest joy. What may be the reason that many a man's right hand hath forgot her cunning? Because his arm is clean dried up: But why is his arm so dried up, as that his hand hath forgot her cunning? Surely the Idol shepherd hath forgotten Jerusalem. Therefore it is that his tongue cleaves to the roof of his mouth, because his heart cleaveth to this world: and the bent of it is so pitched upon the prosecution of secular things, the preferments of the world, that Jerusalem is not preferred to his chiefest delight. Therefore cleaveth his tongue to the roof of his mouth, not only in regard of negligence, but of insufficiency; God having a plague no less for the Idol shepherds tongue, then his arm and his eye.

I know indeed there may be a dispensation where age and painfulness have disabled natural faculties: and I know that the aged Levite, whose hands begin now to tremble with the often and diligent lifting of the heavy Axe, hath a permission to discharge him the cleaving of the Sacrifices; yet in the strength and vigor of a man's best gifts and years to give out, this I know not how to excuse. I know some plead bodily indisposition and weakness, but the question is, whether the body or the plea be weakest. Timothy was surely weak, and but a sickely, tuely man; yet Paul that prescribes him to drink a little wine, for his stomachs sake, and often infirmities, yet never prescribed him but a little preaching. Nay, though a weakly sickely man, yet he charges him before the Judge of quick and dead, to preach in season and out of season: strange counsel one would think for a weak body.

I deny not but God will have mercy and not sacrifice, yet take we heed of pretended disabilities, and of making our selves weaker then God hath made us. What our bodies will bear without a manifest and dangerous injury to them, let them bear it in the name of God for the good of many souls. These bodies of ours must perish and be consumed at last, when we have made the most of them we can. In what more honorable service can we spend them then in the service of the Church? For a man to spend his body in the work of the Ministry, I hold it the next degree of honor to the crown of Martyrdom. Yea even the aged Levite, though his shaking hands be discharged the service of he Axe, yet must not be idle, Num. 8. 26. Attamen seruito fratribus suis; to wit, though he cleave not the sacrifices, yet let him counsel, advise, direct and instruct the iunior Levites in the service of the Tabernacle, and so still minister to his brethren. And thus is the Ministry fulfilled in the fidelity of dispensation.

The second point and part follows:

The fulfilling of the Ministry in holy Conversation. A man's Ministry standeth not all in preaching, the life of his Ministry is his life. He is but half a Minister that preacheth as he should; He is complete, and fulfills his Ministry, that preaches and lives as he should. Though a man should speak with the tongue of men and Angels, and yet in the mean time be an angel of 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 darkness, he is but a tinkling Cymbal, and a Bell without a Pomegranate. The Scripture complains of Idol shepherds. What may an Idol shepherd be? He that is like to Idols. How they are described, see Psal. 115. 5 7. Mouthes they have and speak not, feet they have and walk not. So then not only he that hath a mouth and speaks not, but he also that hath a foot and walks not, is an Idol shepherd: not only the dumb, but also the lame shepherd is Idol-like. Therefore Theophylacts note is witty, Mat. 5. 2, Christ opened his mouth & taught the people. He makes a question, whether the first word be not superfluous, or no: for how could Christ teach, but he must open his mouth? He answers, that these words were not idle, because Christ did sometimes teach and opened not his mouth, viz. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 by his life and miracles; but now he opened his mouth, and taught them by doctrine.

This, this is that that gains credit and regard to our Ministry and persons, even from our very enemies. For Mar. 6. 20. Herod feared John, knowing that be was an holy and a just man: Not because he was a great man, or learned, or a powerful preacher, though these also; but because an holy and a just man. Holiness casts a more dreadful dazzling and sparkling luster then any other accomplishment whatsoever. Herod was greater, but John was holier; therefore Herod fears John.

The common complaint is that the Ministry is contemptible, & basely accounted of; I would the complaint were not too true: but may a man be so bold as to inquire into the causes of it? Among many other, questionless, this is none of the least, the unholy & scandalous lives of some in the Ministry, frō whose personal scandals the iniudicious multitude concludes the calling it self base. The Prophet Malachi points at this, Mal. 2. 8. 9. Therefore I have made you base and contemptible before all the people. Wherefore▪ see verse 8. Ye are gone out of the way, ye have caused many to fall by the Law, ye have broken the covenant of Leut: which conenant see what it was, ve. 5. 6. for this cause God made them base and contemptible. Let no man despise thy youth, 1. Tim. 4. 12. He says not only to the Corinthians of Timothy, Let no man therefore despise him, 1. Cor. 16 11. but to Timothy himself, Let no man despise thee. Why? lies our credit in our own keeping? is it in our power to keep our selves from contempt? From just contempt it is, else should Paul have said, Let none of the people despise Timothies youth, and not have given this counsel to Timothy. But how must he preserve him self from contempt, but be an example to all that believe, in word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith, in pureness? Because these holy endowments are wanting, hence is it that the Ministry is so contemptible. The more shame for such, and the greater judgment will it be to such, who by their unholy lives bring this contempt upon this calling, and cause the dirt and filth of their vicious courses to be cast in the faces of all. May I not tax, and take up a number of dissolute ones in the Ministry, as Apollonius girds up the false prophet of the Montanists, Propheta, dic quaeso, ludit tesseris, ac tabulis? Propheta foeneratur? I may add many such interrogatories, as, Propheta saltat? iurat? bibit? scortatur?

I should almost shame to english these things, but that these fellows are not ashamed of their courses. What? Prophets, and gamesters? Prophets, and dicers, dancers, drunkards, swearers &c. Are these our Prophetical endowments? Have we not the spawn of that cursed crew, Isaiah 56. 11. 12, yet living amongst us, who instead of saying, Come let us fulfill our Ministry, they say, Come, I will bring wine, and we will fill our selves with strong drink. If filling of pots, filling of cups and Tabacco pipes, if filling their bellies; if this were to fulfill the Ministry, oh how iollily had these discharged their tasks? These be those bruits that come within compass of Nehemiah his Memento, Nehem. 13. 29 Remember them (O Lord) which defile the priesthood: Yes, yes, God will remember them, though they forget him, yet he will not forget them. God of all things will not brook the defilement of the priesthood. Num. 12. 1, we shall find Aaron and Miriam both in the same sin of murmuring against Moses, & yet in the process of the story, verse 10, only Miriam is smitten with the leprosy. Both were in the same sin: what was the reason only Miriam is in the punishment? Is God partial? God forbid. What thē might be the reason? Surely me thinks Chrysostom gives a passing good one, That Aaron was not smitten with the leprosy for the dignity of the priesthood, lest the inflicting of such an unclean disease on his person, should redound to the dishonor of his office, God did forbear him. God had a respect to the holiness & honor of the priesthood. God would not therefore have his Priest infected with Leprosy. He that was to judge of Leprosy in others, and to separate others for the Leprosy, he himself was not to be leprous; and therefore though I find leprous Kings, yet I find not a leprous priest in all the Scripture.

Now then, hath the Lord our God such a tender regard of the credit and honor of the Priesthood, that for it he will forbear the execution of his justice; and shall we be so regardless thereof as to defile it with the filthier leprosy of a profane, vicious and scandalous life? If Ambrose would not admit one into the Ministry, eo quod gestus eum dedeceret, because he had but an uncomely gesture of his body; I make no question, if these nasty Lepers had fallen into his hand, but he would have put the discipline of the Leper upon them in separating them from the Congregation. Lu. 14. 34. 3 • . Salt is good, but if salt hath lost his savor, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 if it be infatuated or grown foolish (a word that suits well with Zacharias' phrase, of a foolish shepherd, Zac. 11. 15:) but if it have lost his savor, wherewithal shall it be salted? It is neither meet for the land, nor yet for the dunghill, what then must become of it? Men cast it out, saith our Savior. How happy were it for the Church, if that salt which hath lost his savor, might also lose his place. Men cast it out, that is, foolish & unsavory Ministers are to be deposed: So Jerome expounds it; and so was his exposition urged in the council of Basil against Pope Eugenius for his deposition from the Papacie.

It is neither meet for the land, nor yet for the dunghill, what a sorrow then should it do in the Church? Is the Church worse then a dunghill? Is that fit to be in the Church, which is not fit to be on the dunghill? This is to make the Church worse then a dunghill. Well, however such unsavory ones shuffle out in the world, and scape the punishment of unsavory salt, yet God will be sure to meet with them one day. He hath gall and wormwood for those prophets of Jerusalem, from whom iniquity is gone forth into all the land, Ierem. 23. 15. It is but justice, fit that they should be fed with gall and wormwood of God's vengeance, that have fed God's people with gall and wormwood of their scandalous lives. Be ye holy therefore that do bear the vessels of the Lord. The Lord will be sanctified in all them that draw near unto him. In no calling draw men so near to God as in the Ministry; let our lives have proportion with our callings.

And thus we see how we must fulfill our Ministry, and what we must aim at therein. Not at the filling of our barns, of our bellies, of our purses, but at the fulfilling the office of an Evangelist. For such then as walk after this rule, and are careful to fulfill their Ministry in the former particulars, go ye on in the name of God, and the blessing of God be upon your heads; and howsoever ye may have but little thank and encouragement from an ungrateful people, yet let the Prophet Esaies comfort be yours, My work is with my God, Isaiah 49. 4. To you be it spoken, 1. Pet. 5. 3. 5, Feed the flock which depends upon you. And when the chief shepherd shall come, ye shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory. What though ye have many a frump and frown for your fidelity, and people be cross; yet comfort yourself against all with the view of this crown of glory, which the righteous Judge shall give you at that day. Happy, yea thrice happy then shall that servant be, that hath so discharged his pastoral task, as that he may hear from Christ that comfortable Euge, Well done, good and faithful servant; though in the mean time, and till then, he, and his over-great officiousness, falsely so supposed, be disgraced with the worlds Apage.

And for such as make no conscience thus to fulfil their Ministry, to them I say, as once that good Father spake to the Council of Reims, Fratres aliam vobis pronuncio synodum: So I to you, Fratres aliam vobis pronuncio visitationem; I give you warning of another, and of another gates Visitation, which the great Archbishop of our souls shall hold at the dreadful day of his appearance. At the which, as the same good man speaks, if we must give an account of those things which we have done, every man in his own body, how much more of those things which we have done in the body of Christ, which is his Church! Rub up therefore your secure and negligent consciences with Job's meditation, Job 31. 14. What then shall I do when God riseth up, and when he visits, what shall I answer him? God himself will one day come a visiting; Bethinke yourselves what ye will then answer. Must not he needs be speechless there that hath been dumb here? Alas, how wilt thou be able to stand before his dreadful Tribunal, that shalt be found to stand idle in his Vineyard? How wilt thou be able to appear before that glorious and holy God, whose holy Priesthood thou hast defiled with thy unholy life? In the fear of God therefore, and in the conscience of that account which must be made, Take heed to the Ministry which ye have received of the Lord, that ye fulfill it: fulfill it in conscionable Dispensation, in holy Conversation.

2. The Caveat is urged by a reason.

Which thou hast received of the Lord. Areason indeed which may work upon any but such as are without all reason. We receive our Ministry by man, but not of man▪ man admits, but God fits to the work. It is God's work and not man's. And therefore as Jehoshaphat, 2. Chron. 19. 6, speaks to the Judges, Take heed what ye do, for ye execute the judgment, not of man, but of the Lord: So may it be said to Ministers, Take heed what ye do, Take heed to your Ministry to fulfill it; for ye have received it of God, and not of man. He of whom we have received our Ministry, will look to receive an account from us for our Ministry. Surely the Ministry is an honorable calling, and so much this reason will imply: It is a calling received from God in a more peculiar manner then are others. But as there is a Dignity, so there is a Duty in it, at which these words look more then at the Dignity. How many look at the Dignity, and forget the Duty, glorying that they have received their Ministry from God, but neglecting the fulfilling of it, and the returning of their glory to the glory of God? To which of the Angels hath God said at any time, I will give unto you the Keys of the kingdom of heaven? This he hath said unto his Ministers, and with our Ministry we receive these Keys from the Lord. Well then may God's Ministers have the name of Angels, that have a prerogative above Angels. And shall we now that have received such an honorable Ministry from God, be idle, careless and negligent in the fulfilling thereof? God forbid. If we had received our Ministry but of man, that should betrust us with such a business of weight, would we not be careful to make good his confidence he had in our fidelity? God and not Man hath betrusted us with this office, therefore for God's sake be entreated to be faithful in the fulfilling of your Ministry; even for the Lord's sake, of whom you have received your honor, your gifts, your calling; take heed to your Ministry that ye fulfill it.