Of ProphecieandPreaching. 395 Ierufalem , then theyfay the Lord bathnot rentthee,thou art taughtto fpeakeeuill, &c. feremidbr Wherefore wee muff bring our relues tothis, tobe as glad tobeare, and with asgreat pa-?""bi"g, tience,the aétion ofthcLord commenced againft vs, as againd anyother. And weemay noceit as a fault and marke offalfeProphets, to propheticagainst otherCountries,and to befall of generali tearrnes,but to cometo particulars,that they wereloath to fpeake, and otherswere loath coheare. Being atSamaria , theyfpeakeagainft Ierufaiem: and beeing at Ierufalein,they fpeakeagainft Samaria: being at Bethel, they prophetic againtt Gilgal: and when they areat Gilgal, theyfpeakeagainst Bethell : atData agamtt Sheba, at Sheba against Dan. This is a finne otfalfe Prophets, the trueProphets doe not fo. g The honour of a Prophet is not from thebread of hisMother, it is not fomaterial], rrepberying, whowas hisfather as whowas his teacher. Inwhome chieflie is to beconfiitered, what the Prophet fpeakethand how.The Prophetsdid rot-mimesthreaten,fometimes promile,fotne- times coniforr,tometimes reprooue, but this they did rather asteachers then Prophets,as whore properfunétion fpecialliewasin [peakingoffuture things, wedoe not fomuchiin- brace good things, as wonder atftrange thinges. The Prophets fpakethatby intpiration, which they knew by. Reuelation,God difpofingboth their words and wrinngs,fo that all that they fpake Srwrote, theydid but asiottrumtnts frii God ;fogreat a differenceisthere ^betwixt our fpeeches and theirs.Though we conceiueexquifrtely, howlong are wee be- fore wecan Ipeake? And whenwe hauemeditated well,doe not ourtongues faker in our mouthes? Though our tongues vtter most thepuritie of knowledge, when wee vtter the wifedomeofGod; yetwhen hereinweadde much indeuour, how forewe grieveour lira- rers,fotnetimesby obfcuririe,fometitaìes by vntauorie, and fometimesby vnfeemelie fpee- ches? In thingesof arteorreafonbe they Prophets,be theyApoftles,be they Euangililts, or be theyPaltors,they may be deceiued. Was notMofer counfelledbyhis father in law The eerrnint á Jethro? Was not Peter conaiaedoferror byPaul?Was not force ofthe Prophets conuifq- T he ree sin& ed by JeremiahandEzecbiell But how then arethe bookes of the Prophets fo generallie txre. allowed? Anfwereis,thacthe Prophets were exemptedfrom all poflibilitie of errour in thole thinges which they receiued by diuinekeuelation,indeede they muff be voide ofer- roar,becaufeGod teaching them ismssediatlieeuerieword and writing is voide of errour. Note. But how [hall weknoiv,that liefetheirbookeswereoffuchdiuinereuelation, and deli- uered fromGod himfclfe? Wcrnssftknow, that the cercaineknowledgehereofto thepro p. becia pliers wasone,and tothe hearers wasanother. The Prophets by vifion molt certainelie tried. knew,that thethingesthey deliveredwerefromGod. The knowledge and certaintie of therethingswere confirmed to the hearersby miracle,and oracle; by miracletheperfons of theProphetswereauthorized ;(for without doing of miracles, they were accountedOf as the Sonnesof the Prophetsnot as Prophets: by oracle their bookes were tried by offe- ring them to the viewof otherof theProplicts, andofthePrieftes, who asking counfell of God forthe warrant oftliem,were anfieeredby oracle fromGod. io Another fcrupleis yet tobe anfwered,whether the Prophetsdid fpeake there things beeinginthemfelues ,oras rapt out ofthemfelues. True it is, the Heathen Prophets did fpeakethingesto others only,theProphets of Goddid otherwife,as they that were them= feints ranilhed and affeó}edwith the things givenout toothers. Thepromifes of God by them deliuered,wereas !ionicin theirownemouthes, fofweetly werethey mooned with ,A notebe- them: the threatnings denounced abroad,left a fhárpe fling in their owne bowels, and tame thetrio made themfelues totremble;the word of obedience taught to others, bounde them as rydfafie 'r''- ftreightly,as if othershadbeene theteachers of that word,& theyto be taughtby it. See - p ingthen thisis thecertainty and dignitieof thewritings ofthe Prophets,isit not firange that the Prophets,atwhore doomand threfholds,ftood Princes and Gouernours intimes part to aske counfell,thouldnowof eueriemeane perfon be either wholy contemned, of retchleflie receivad, when they are read or interpreted? Though thegreaterthingiste doe,yet the first thing is tolearnt. For as hearing without dooingaddeth to our confufì- on,fo doingwithout knowledge,isneyther acceptable toGod, nor profttablefor vs. Let vs not therefore heareonly orheare vanitie, letvs not beam the Preachersas wee heart minítrels,leaft that When we fhould beold men in knowledge,andchildren in, malice,we become t
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