sae's' .IX, Of Converfien, ór Turning t®G`od, 497 Lastly, Todirell inmatters ofdoubt and toadvife in cafes ofConfcience..Hence III% they arecompared to light, and toguides that lead the blind, anddire& in un- knownand dangerous wayes : and certainly, this isno mean task : Who is fuffrci- eut for this very imployment, To determine in, perplexed cafes of Conscience, what istobe done, and nor to fin ? Thus Pau! determinesmany cafes of Confci-. ence in his Epilftes, about eating, andnot eating, about prefence in I ololatrical Temples", about marriage andfingle life,z Cor.7. and the meeting of a Synod at fernfelem;Aet.r s. was inonepart to advife in matters:of eontcienne..Thefe are the four noble and fupernaturall ends, for which God hath appointed this Office ; fo that weare toattend upon the Miniflry, and toexpert thofe divineeffeéts in no o- ther ordinary way ; forChrifts promife is to be expePted only oo here his In(}itutí- on is. Fourthly, Thewifdome of God is herein obfervable, Tiaat havingappointed the Minifiry for flack fupernaturalleffeEla 'beispleafedtotale fuchoutward contemptible means. We carry, faith the Apoltle, thìsTreafnre is earthen Veffels, z Cot. 4.7. The Veffel is contemptible and unworthy, yet the creature therein is glorious: That God fhould work filch admirable cff ds in a way fo unlikely to flesh and bloud ; this was toconfound the world ; for when he appointed the twelve Apo- like, whodidmoreto change mens hearts, thanever all the Emperors could do to propagate their Empireby the fword; how mean anddefpicable were they ? Thus (od hath(till appointed, that not the humane eloquence and externail pomp of the world, fhould be infirumenrall to thisfavoury and fpiricual operation ;" But the plain and fimple Explication and Application of Gods Word ; which made Paul truly fay, That Godkith chafes thefoolifh andWeak things oftheWorld, to con- foundtheWife andftrong, s Cor, a. HenceRawl. Pan!againcals ic,The foolifhnef fe of Preaching'; -chat is, in the eyes of carnali andhumane wifedome. Thepews they require a Sign, and the Greek! wifdome, that is, eloquence and acute demon- ftrations: But this foolifhneffe of Preaching, is the po wer of aid ro falvation. Oh then take heed, that vain carnall pride and contemptdcie nor hinder theefrom this fpiritual good : as ai4uflin was offendedat the frmpleand plain Rile of the Scrip- tore, hefoundnot filch fwelling, tuned eloquence, as in humaneAuthors, which made himfay, Dedignabarefe parvnlue. Oh know, that unleffea man becomelike a little child, hecannever with faith and trembling receive this word aright. I wonder not then, if the great wife menof the world do fo undervalue this plain way of Gods Wordpreached; They cannotbecome like little children. Fiftly, Confider,That although the Office and c3l'liniflry of the Church 6e thus ordainedandowned byChrift; yet fo nniverfaü andgenerali may the ignoranceand corruption be of chafe that are in thiu Office , that the clean contrary to Godsend le drought about. In headof Intruction, men aremore nourifhed in Ignorance; in- Readof Converfron,men more Rrengthened in their wickedticfill as che falte Pro- phets fpake peace, and promifed good to chafe whom God abhorred. Oh thisis the molt fatali judgement that canbefall a people, tohave blinde, ignorant, dumband fcandalous Minigers ; and although people generallymay love to have Inch, becaufe tomeeyes cannot abide the light ; yet its the heavief expreffion of Gods wrath upan a people. This Chapter complaineth that from fuck falfe Pro- phets all evil)came to perofalem. Even asif the Sun and Moon fhouldbe turned into darkneffe and blond ; fo is it, when thole that fhould be guides; eyes, watch-. men, are clean contrary : onely by the way, when thefe are called here talk Pro- phets,obfetve, that they may be called falle in two refpeéh, either in regardadmit Office, or in regardof their matter ; oftheirOffice, and fuch are falte Prophets, oe falfeMinigers,ashave no true Call either mediateor immediatefromGod: So that although a man fhouldpreach that which is true and good matter; yet if he have not lawfully eared into thisOffice, he is a falfe Prophet, Confider that remarkable place : If there arifea falfe Prophet, who foretell a thing,and the thing come topdffd, I the Larddoe ittetry you, Daut, s3.r,2,3. Ob(rve, that a falte Prophet may tell
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