to drt wfie SAINT S. 1 2O5 pari{h, as- Pent was at Ephefur ; when we can fay to our people, You bath God quickened by us, ashe fayes, you bath hequickfned, who were deael,Ephef.a.t. I dare fay it was a great comfort to his foule, to fee that his Miniftry was quick e- ning ; nay, if our Minittry be quickening, though none be quickened by it, but two or three, nay, though none at all, yet we (hall have comfort; whereas when we have preacht a thou land times in a dead hearted manner, never labouring to creep into mens Confciences, nor to be Miutfte:s of life, we {hall have no comfort on our death beds ; nay our owne hearts will tell us, we have preached often indeed, but we ne- ver preached Chrift Jefus, we never flung our hearts among our people, as one {aid of the good Bifhop Felton, he flung his heart among his people. But when our conlciences, cannfay, . we are not hearty for God, we are not earneft to fave our peo- ples foules, we did not goe the way to doe them good this will lye as lead upon our bofontes when we dye. Fifthly, a dead Miniftry, is but the bare name of a Mini - flry, it is little better then meet l/oyce ; as the Laccdenionian in Plutarch faid, when bee heard how fweetly the Nigh - ting,ll fang, O thought he, finely that Bird is good meat rf J had it ; and fo when he took it, and eat it, and found but little neat in it, he Paid , vox er d' praterea nihil ; now J fee thou art meere voyce and nothing elfe ; fo a dead Miniftry , it may have a great name of a good Miüiftry, and a man may delire to live under it, O let me live under filch a M iniftry, but when he comes to it and thinks to receive much benefit by it, he finds it to be little better then a Name. Sixthly, a dead Minftry is not a ligne to our people ; '?vlini- flers fhould 6e fgnes to the people, thus Etechiel is unto you a ligne, according as he bath done, fo (hall ye doe. A voyce, Ezek 24.24. true, John the Baptifl was 4 voyce, Ifa.4o.3. J but bee was more then a voyce , he was a burning and a fhining light , there was life and heat in hisMiniffry, he was not a meere voyce. But when ones Miniftry is but a meere 'uoyee, little good comes of fund Miniflry.. Fourth- 5. 6.
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