rbegieatBenefit of a Godly Minifir.y.. 427 linnets; We fee Chrift was cavilled at, and quarrelled withby fome: And thus the holy Apoftles , their lives were traduced, they went through evil report, as well as good report , z Cor.10. 2. And thus fithanafior, who was traduced for anAdulterer by the Arians ; and fo Luther and -Colvin are reprefented and reported by the Papifts, as if theyhad been the vileft creatures in the world : The, wicked man cavils at,& finds fpots,at leaft do what he canto find fpots in the Sun; and fome, who are not fowicked, do look for an Evangelical per- feaion inMinifters, andall theirs, their wives, and their childoen , and their Servants, and their company : -how ready are people groay and uncharitably to cenfure a Minifter for any , yea , the leaft they difcern in him, or his ; and is this their vertue ? nay , is it their vice and corruption ? z. It U no breach of the Churches' peace, no argument of a contentioes andunquiet fpirit in a Minifter, to fpeak vilely of vile Minifters and enemies of tie Churches ,peace. Wiry, who are they ? John Baptift tells us, he calls themvipers, ageneration of vipers : why, were they not Preachers ? Mat. 3.7. and will you fay that John Baptifl was a man of a contentious fpirit , of an unquiet fpirit ? And whowere they whomour Welled Saviour calls ageneration of vipers ? as Mat. 12.34, 38, 39 and who were they that our Savior calls a generation of vipers , and an evil and adaterow generation ? were theynot Preachers ? and it is very obfervable, both John Baptift , and our Sa- viour did call thofe Preachers thus, even in the hearing of them who were their ordinary hearers; and dobut obferve what -ftrange tearms of difgrace S. Peter gives them, 2. Pet. 2.1'2. to certain Preachers in his time , ver. 14. what ftrange tearms doth the Apoftle give thofe Teachers,whofe pernicious wayes many would follow , as in ver. 2 . of that chap. but did not the Scribes and Pharifees fit in Mojes Chair? and did theynot preach fome good Dot tine , infomuch that Jefus Chrift bids the people hear them, and obferveovhat they faid,though not.what they did , as Mat. z 3.1, 23 . Therefore may Come fay Iifeemeth ftrange , that Chrift fhould thus difgrace the Scribes and Pharifees , was not this the way to make their Minittry con., temptible ? Firit, It isvery clear andundeniable that there were a generation of pittiful lorryTeachers, as in Mat. 9. 36. Why, did not thepeo- ple enjoy the teaching of the Scribes andPharifees ? yes , they did ; - but the Scribes andPharifees were Idol Shepherds , they knew not how to feed their flock , and therefore Chrift lookt on tile peopl as theep fcattered abroad for all theScribes andPharifees. They did not underftand that there was heart-murder, or heart-adultery, until our
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