r 434 r 7"he duties anddzgnitie.r ofthe A1inijlerie. j that arc of .1 kindred, or a brotherhoecl, or :1ny A i ki.nd of iOcJety, the fev\'Cr they arc, the more ~ clo_feLy doe they combine, the more firnJC!y do 1 \ they ~1o!d togcrher agair.11 forrainc force: fO l ought Gods Minificrs to doe bcnufc their .... ·numb:cr is fo•finall: if they \f.'e;c many Icffe danger in their d'ifvnion.But-feeing theYarc fo fewc..,, the more it .cbncerncth them to cut off Con~cnrions, :~.nd all occofions of debate, and ~· V(e for StudetlU· J,To confe~ erne thenl– fch.tcl.llld eheirfludies ro th:ueo.l· ling. to ioyne_ hand in hand a.gainH: tht:fc common aduerfancs. in the third pl:1cc, 70tmg StPA.ents a.re here taugh~, fccing a tmc MiniHct·"is.but one of a thoufand,that thcrforc they bend their fiudies, and their thoughts to the MinifiCric; for they well know it is an olcl PJ·oucrbe, tiJe beft things arehardtocomchJ: :md ccrtaincly thcreareiO fcwc good MiniHers, becaufc the holymini- B fiery ,in it felfc is fo high and excellent a calling, an~·as it is a·jh4me tq,thc men that there arc fo fo.wegocd Minifter;, fo it is a commendation ~u the_ ea/ling: whofc honour and cxcellencic iS fuch., that as we fee here fcadC one ofa thon– fand anaincs vnto it,thercforc men ofthe moll excellent gifts, ire here inuitcd to dedicate themfc:lucs vnto the mdA: excellent vocation, yc"J,vcry re:lfon-it,felfc would vrge a man to be oneofarhouf~nd•." • . · Tofiirnifh ...-2-'1And. further, as they are to intend this ~~~~~~·c5 caning as the moH raft and excellent; fo this uue ornamu.fl tc3ch themIikcwife, w haflen to furnilh ~~i~t\~r:a ~hen"ifclucs withall.goo.d helpes and meancs. C that.thcy may become trt« Min;j/err and able li!terprcteri;a~d not'too long tO"fiicke in thofe. llodies,w.bicb kcepc :i man from the proC\ifc of this high funClion; for it is not to hue in theV– niu'erjitle, or in the Collcdge, and to jlndie, though a mii neucr fo fall: deuourc vp learning, but to be a good Minif/cr, is tlm that makes a I 4-Vf~fot hc;_~fsr~. i .s•.;rofeue· ( tencethc: -perfonand rc:cciuetl}C: do&rih.e, man on< of a thou[and. ··In the Iall place, Hearcr.r are here taught thcirllutie, fir!ho rcfpeU with reuerence rhe perfon, and. to rec(iue wirh reucrcncc the Me(– [ageofettcry true Mc!fcng~r,tCcing it is [o rare a[hing tofinde atrueMinifler, for as nothing .is morevile and6afe.then an euill andhwdc MiMauh..s.13. nill:cr, (whom Chrifl compares to fait which hath lo[l hu fauour, whicl; u good for nothing 0 .6stt tobecaftout, andtroden dow11eojmen:) (o is.th.c;'rcJ10ne wonhy ofmorc/oueand reuerence then a holy Miniltcr: for as EfaJ faith, thcic wr-yfeetarebeautifol!which bring gladtidingJ, and we fuould kjff~ their feetcwhich bringnewu ofp~ace:thereforc all good Chriflians are to rc– ceiucandvfc agoodklinifler, a.sS. 1 Pardfaith G.tbt. 4,J&, the Galathians did him, tHen tU an Angefl of God. Halt thou then o godly paltor? runne to him fl•r conference, for comfort, for counfell, vfc his company, fi·equcnt his fcrmons) accofit him worthie ofd(ltt6fehonow, thinke"it no fmall or ordinarie bltlling,fOr thou hafl one ofa thou– fond, and blcffc Go~d for bcfto·wing his mcrcie on tht:e, which hce had denied eo fo many o– {hcrs: for fomc haue no Minifler-: fame haue a Miniflcr, bm yet alas, he is not one of atho.,s- . Jand, I ; And funh:r, all men that :!re Fathers, mav j here learn~ to confecratc their cht!dren toGod ~-c~l~:~~;;' to in the fcruicc of the Minifieric confidcrinCT ' tile!rf··nnc.~ th at it is fo rare and excellent~ rhiJl'J robe~ 1 ~l:;~~~ :O.!nJI. good miniHcr:nay,that man fl1ould think himtClfc happie, and honoured ofGod, who may be father to fnch a fonne, as fl1al proouc one of athou{and. In a word to conclude this point, all men 5 . Vf<: forall mull: here lcarnc, fccing good Minifiers arc fo ~;rea:· that fcarce, to prllJ the Lordof the hamejl) to thmif ' co;liV!IU[d otlt morelabourer; into rhe harurft: and fOr thofc l ennc~fc the that arc called already, that God would make number. them f2ithfull in that high fimC\ion, And as£- 1 lijhR craucth of Elias, that the good sPirit rAt'-) l %,Res.1, 9 • he do•bi<d and treM<d vpon rh<m, fo that the numberJnay be increafed. And rhus we haaH~ the truth,the rcafon, and the ?.foof this, that a a good minificr is one ofa tho1t[and. It followcth, TodeclarcvntomAn hU righte– onfn<ffe, Here is the third part of the dcfcriprion .9fa 3 .Plr~ or the miniA:cr, that is, by his office to declarevnro d:rc~ption 11'Jitn hU rightcoJifiJcjJC:that is,whcn a poore fi'n- ! ~~a~1ts~~cc, ner, by h1s Jinncs (the foulcneflC whereof hcc j !c;!~~~;~nh~ feerh, and the burthen wherof he fcelcrh) JS 1 tcoutncs.g brought downe, as Jt w ere to the very gates of I hdl, when this finncr by the p1caching of the Law, 1s brought to a nue fight of thu miferse: and agarn by preaching tbc GofpcJ, IS brought Themu. · tola;boldonlt[mChrijl: ThcnJsuthepropcr nJng. office of aMmJ{tcr, to declare vnto that ma11 hu righteoufn<ffe. Namc!y,that though in himfelfe he be as ill, and as foulc as finne can make him, and as the law can difcouer him to be: vtt inChr;j/ hre ts r.ghuom,and iu!t, and by Ch~ift fo iuHified, as he is no more a finner in the prefcnce and account ofGod:this is the righreouf-. i ne/feofa Chriflian man. this is the iuftification of a finner. AOd todeclare thiJ righteoufoef{e.to him that repents and bclccucs,is the proper dut:ie ofa uue Mini.fte-1", In the ..ftls ParJ{[~ith o( himfelfe, that bee Ad".2o.H: witneJTedto the Imes, and to the Genti!eJ, the repentance roward1 God, and faith towt:P·ds ott"'r Lord lcfmChrtff. In '"''hieh words is laid down the complete duty of a Minifkr ( as hec is a publique Angellor Interpreter,) firfi, to Preach repentance, which a man mull pcrforme . to God, whom by his linncs he h:uh grieuoufly offended; fecandly, to preach faith in Chrift, and free forgiucnciTc, and perfeCt faluation , through that faith in Cbrifl:, to 31l that fhall Itcompre– trudy belccuc it~ hin~.And after both t~efe ~ol- ~~~f!e~ints. lowcth that whJCh JS here fpoken ot, vvh1ch I' comprchcndeth both the former; namely, to ,, Hemull declarevnru ma-n. hU righteOfJJ!teJTe. So thatin ~~hc:::;~ruc thcfc words, ~re lnclufiucly latde downe, thcfc 1righcc:ollfnc$ points of a mini!lcrs calling: Firfi, a true Mini- ~ is, Her may and muH d~clarc vntoa finnefull m~n where r;ghtetmfor!Jet-s to bee fotmd, n:uncly 111 1 lob,. le{t:& Chriftthe nghtcous. Secondly, how that \ _ _ _ ______ ,gh- 1
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