Ofthe ; nifferie: bethinkeyour felues,thatyemake as it were new fermon to Ourfclues,when yee be a lone,theLord hachblelfed you,and you hauedonewell. Ifitbath doneyou no good, and, itbath beenheard without feeling, asthough you carednot greatly for it,it bathdete&ed yourcorruption,and accufeth your owneconfciences,fyourhearing is turned into finne and this (hall ferse to fill vp your endicement, and tomake your condemnation.more iuff againffthe dayofthe Lord. For let no man euerthinke,butthat euery time he liea reth theword,it *orketh in¡din either to better or worfe,there isnoqualifyingof it,there is no altering of it. Enter it will,be thine Bares neuer fo vncircumcifed,itwill lurely en- ter,andoneway it willbeeffeetuall,and thou (halt departfrom it either amore reverend efteemer,or a more défperate condemner than thou =left. For this word Ehall neuer gòeforth invaine,but the worke,thaeis appoynted for it to doe,it will affuredly bring to- paffe.Seeing that we hauefuch dullcares, let vs pray heartily thatermaypleafe the Lord, to layeppachal to our cares,and hearts,that the word may haueeafie paffage into them. . And this graueadmonition, Itroll will moue vs, ifweehave notfet a doubleLocke toour cares,andquenched the graceofGod alreadiein vs. 04 The dealingwith an allegorieasit isridiculous if it betoo farm purfued,as many Hawware to doe,who,when theyhaue gotten an allegorie by theend, ring it fodeepe, that oftentimes dealt l. they turne theclapper : fo it is dangerous, if it benot warily handled, infomuchthat men legartu. theFathersthemfelues, as lace that readeth them,fhall marke, by preffing themtoo hard, doeoft times giue blood in fkeadof 'Wilke. 171 CHAP. 4.9.. Of the 5Xinifterie. T is to be feared,that theprice of the Minifferie will daily decay Of thehid) and fall lelfeand leflè: well,howbale foeuer it feemethin the eyes divineof tbb ofmen,howlow foeuer the world accountit,when it is atthe low- .alemSierie, eat ell,itisgood,andIproteff good enough for any, and toogoodfori,ldignitie forre. Butit is dangerous withall(which comma's ofttopalle,too whichfame oftifit pleafed God) if itchance (I fay) to be tainted anyway,ifput vonit. his preaching beflafh,and hauenomore talle in itthanthewhite of an egge,for lacke of learning, orifit be notthroughly powde- redwithfalt,that itmaygiuegrace to thehearers,and make their foules thirlhafter the watersof life,for lackeofzeale, or ifhis lifehaueno fait of the co- uenant,andno part ofhim be fauourie,his calciovery dangerous:he is Cubic&tothe curfe, his minifferie is denied ablefling. z The MinifferoftheGofpell muff not peopheciepeace to liimlclfe,nor ofafruitfull preachers vineonthewalles of his houle, nor of oliue branches round abouthis table, nor ofwife mutt bepreps. and children, bee muff not dreatne, that bee is carriedon Eagles wings, and that all the redfortreuble. íheaues in the fhocke'hall falldowneathis fheafe, hemutt not imagine ofdrinkingwine in carved bowies, ofkeepinga great houle, licemuft notthinke lice (hall goetg Isisgraue likea ricke of corne, lice mull drearne of mill fauoured kine, of troublefome friends, ofhard times, of the willow trees by the waters of Babell, of exile, ofdarke prifon, which needeth no interpretation, that his flimsies are threthed with an yron flaile,and that her graue is made him in a wooditocke : to be thort, his miede mutt not runne of getting and keeping, but of forfaking and forgoing, ifperfecution come,wee muff trudge. rjwewillpro- 3 IfChrift and Isis Gofpell lhould goe fromvs, wee mufffollow him, weemuffgoe fefeChrif, we fing the Lords long in a ftrange land : and this is not all. Thole that loue thee belt, muff bearethe whole Cowles are knitto thy foule, thou mutt forfake. O myfatherAbraham, and O my twoee,, 6ß fan Ifaacmuff part, thoumuftforfake thy father which begat thee, &bring his gray bead beanieyoketo. with ßrjkeblcade
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