240 U àünifby holyname Vpon the Frydayafter out by Cundrynames. Etth. 3147. Minifitrsin thisworld nothing but hard tptafure. Gods mercy is eau incorn- tetitionwith than: malice. Mifit Senorfuos , rvt acciperentFruaus. Heflinhis Serrant: . Thefe Seruants were theProphets, whowere alwayes buffed in requiring this Fruit, and did die inthis their demaund. In their pla- ces fucceeded the Apoftles : After them , the Prelates and Preachers of his Church. And though he had giuen them thename ofHuntfinen&of Fithers, [MillionPifcatoresmultos] here hee calls them Secatores, Cutters or Reapers; MOServosfuosvt acciperentFrutJus.ByEzechiel he cals themwatchmen orSen- tinells, Animam demaneleeulateris requiram, I haue madethee aWatchman to the Houle ofIfraell,thercfore thou (halt hearethe Word from mymouth , and admonifh them fromme. But ifthe Watchmanfeethe Sword come,and blow notthe Trumpet,and the People bee not warned; if the Sword comeand take any man from among them, he istaken away for his iniquitie, but hisbloudwil I requireat the Watchmans hands. This isahard office ; for if thou dooft not feeketo fauehim, Godwill require himof thee : Andifthou dooft take pains, and goeft about to gather inhis rents,the Renters will killthee. Aliosceciderunt, alios lapidauerunt,aliosocciderunt. Theybeatone,flonedanother,andkilled a third . This is the recompenceof our Sauiour Chrifts Minifters ; foras his Kingdome is notof this world, fo neither are his Minifters, nor his rewards. He faidvnto Pilat, If I were ofthis world, tMjnl/lri meivtiquedecertarent, My Mimfers moxldcontendfor me. From thedif- ferenceof this hisKingdome,he inferredthatof his Minifters. The Minifters of this worldmay pleadan excufe for the non-payment of their Matters Rent ; for the Vineyardwhich they inioy is not Chrifts,neitherdidhe rentit out vnto them, nor arethe Fruits Chrifts which they reapethereof: It is a Vineyard that they got by their owne proper induftrie,fo thatthey fallto eatingofit vp, and to take away the Fruit of it, without paying any rent or penfion out of it. For albeit all kindof goods vpon earth belongvnto God,andare duevntohim; yet it feemethvnto them, that theyare onely dueto their owne diligence ; andRick not to fayin their heart,It is our Donehandleoorke,Godhamingerin it. Some theyheat . BySaint cs3 atheo, Chrift charged the Pharifeeswith the bloudof the Righteous ; from v1be1, toZacharies time, thofewho were flame betwixt the Templeand the Alter, ioyning their bloudwith that of the Pro- phets:to theendthattheir condemnation fhouldgrow vp to it's fulneffe. He Pent againe and againe, the fecond and the third time; and betides, that herein he Iliewed vs his fingular clemencie andgoodneffi,headuifeth vs with- all, That when one medicinewillworkenogood vponthe Sicke, hewill applie many others. Seneca tellsvs, Thatifthe earthwill not yeeldvs anyfruit the firft yeare, wemutt fall aploughing the fecondand the third, andfomanyyeares to- gether.Inone yeare the defaults ofmanyyeares are repairedandamended; but here Gods merciegoes a littlefurther,as Saint Chryffloraehath notedit; for not hauing anyhope to ftop theirmalice, yet he ftops not hismercie : & being that thedifeafe was incurable, yet would hec trieand makeexperiment, whither his Medicinecould workevpon it andouercome it;here ioyned together asit were incompetition, Mansmalice, with Gods meecie. And although great was the obftinacieof their malice, yet in the end Mercie wasmatterof the field. Saint Hilariebrings in the example ofa Father that had a franticke Sonne ; who al- thoughhe would throwthe TrenchersandCandleftickes at his head,yet forall that did henot leauctodoehis belt to cure him. Worthie are thofe words of Saint
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