Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
B07428
|
God wooing his church: set foorth in three godly sermons. / By William Burton preacher at Reading.
|
Burton, William, d. 1616.
|
1596
(1596)
|
STC 4174.5; ESTC S91261
|
71,970
|
150
|
gift And to those that turne vnto me I will giue pastours according to my heart for house and riches are the inheritance of the fathers saith Salomon but a prudent wife commeth of the Lord Pr. 19 14. So a good pastor comes not as house and land by inheritance but as a good wife comes and that is of the Lord. Such pastours and teachers are sent as speciall loue tokens to the godly whereby they may knowe how the Lorde doth loue them But ignorant ministers and Non-residents and time-seruers idoll shepherds and such like are sent of God to the wicked as Saul was giuen to Israell in his wrath to plague them withal and to strengthen them in their sinnes and so to seale vp their condemnation as Salomon saith of a harlot Prouerb 22 The lippes of a strange woman are as a deep pit and he with whom the Lord is angrie shall fall into the same so may it be saide of wicked pastors and blinde guides they and their people goe together into the ditch and they whome the Lord is angrie with shal be plagued with such The Apostle Paul saith that Christ ascending vp on high gaue gifts vnto men some to be apostles some to be pastours and doctors c. and those he gaue to his church for the gathering together his saints to teach vs that they are not sent of God like marchandise for our money as Simen Magus thought of the gifts of the holie-ghost but they are sent as gifts 〈…〉 20. and are to be receiued as the gifts of the Lord. The only way to obtaine such gifts 〈◊〉 9.37 38. is by prayer The haruest is great saith Christ and the labourers are few pray ye therefore to the Lorde of the haruest and he shall send foorth labourers to shew that God will haue his giftes drawen from him by prayer that is he vell be knowen and acknowledged to be the giuer of them as men will say if hee had asked it of me I would haue giuen it him so doth the Lord say if they had asked such pastors of me I would haue giuen them such This therefore is the cause why there are so fewe true labourers in the Lordes haruest and so many wicked loiterers because the church in generall and congregations and christians in particular are not earnest enough in prayer vnto God for them for as Esay saith We should not giue the Lorde any rest 〈◊〉 2.7 but as it were wearie him with our prayers vntill he repaire the decayed places of Zion and build vp Ierusalem in her perfect beautie which is the praise of the worlde Neither are good pastors gotten nor bad ones displaced by railing and libelling against Bishops and the gouernours of the church as some haue thought nor by factious and seditious drawing of multitudes to practise against the sworde of authoritie nor by robbing the church of her children nor by scismaticall seperating of our selues from the church as hereticall schismatikes doe thinke nor by withdrawing of their liuings as couetous worldlings imagin but by humble suing to God with prayer and supplications for so are his gifts obtained so that if men woulde leaue their scurrilous libelling and their vnseemely railing and their vaine talking and their scismaticall seperating and their seditious banding and their cruell dealing and now another while trie the Lord by turning vnto him as here he requireth vs and plie him with our humble prayers as Christ hath commaunded vs there is no doubt but it would goe better with the poore church of Christ then it doth for if we do that which is required of vs most certainely the Lorde will performe that which hee hath promised Nowe where the Lord hath bestowed such pastors and planted the meanes of saluation there is much no doubt required againe What is requiâ—â— of them that haue good pastours Two things doth the Lord expect and looke for at their hands which haue receiued such gifts of the Lorde namely loue and obedience for loue requires loue againâ— and seeing these gifts are sent froÌ„ the Lord as special tokens of his loue fauor toward vs his maiestie lookes for great loue again of vs towards the gift for his sake that gaue it towards the giuer for his own goodnes sake which only moued him to giue the gift And sith he giueth them to feede vs with knowledge vnderstanding he laboreth that we should grow and thriue therby that is to be the better reformed both in iudgements also in our maners But that it may appeare the better what loue we owe to the Lord in this respect we ought to consider the greatnes goodnes value of the gift wherby we shal al see the great loue and goodnes of him that is the giuer Euery man is friend vnto him that giueth gifts â—orerb 19.6 then euery man should loue the Lord for none giueth so many gifts as he doth yea for the gifts which men giue the Lord is to be loued bicause they had neither what to giue nor wil to giue vntill the Lord giue both Al the gifts of the Lord are either bodily or spiritual teÌ„poral or eternal general or special some are common to man beast some are common to good and bad to the reprobate the elect as meate drinke apparel appetite and digestion houses and lands cattel and corne gold siluer health and welth wife children beuty honor peace and plenty learning and wit wisdom and policy frends and promotion and many such like the least wherof deserueth and requireth that wee shoulde loue and feare the Lord with al our harts with al our strength but besides these the daily giftes which the Lord giueth to man and to the earth the sea and the heauens yea the whole world for mans vse they are infinit that to go about to nuÌ„ber them were to measure the sea with a spoon for which we return nothing but our sins which are mo then his benefits yet such is his goodnes that giueth al forgiueth al. But amongst al the Lords gifts there is none comparable to pastors that feed mens soules with knoledge vnderstanding When Dauid would set out the greatnes of this gift he reherseth many works of god shewed in his church for which he is to be praised Psal 147.13 1 Praise the Lord O IerusaleÌ„ praise thy God O Zion for he hath made the bars of thy gates stroÌ„g hath blessed thy children within thee he setteth peace in thy borders satisfieth thee with the flour of wheat When he considereth the benefit of Gods word he saith He sheweth his word vnto Iacob his statutes and iudgements vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with euery nation to shew that the word of God is a speciall blessing and not to be reckoned amongst such things as are common to all nations of the world When the Apostle saint Paul would set out the greatnesse
gaue them any authority and therefore they bring no profite vnto the people they preach and studie and take paines to no purpose like the good wife that churmeth and churmeth and can make no butter come As for the people that lâ—ue vnder their ministerie hee sheweth in the 2. verse that they be adulterers and swearers full of wickednes and vngodlines to shew that nothing but wildernesse can grow vppon the ground that is tilled by such as are not according to the Lords liking As for their owne behauiour hee sheweth in the thirteenth and fourteenth verses that it is sutable to their teaching deceitfull and filthie broken out with all manner of botches and blaines of foolishnesse and filthynes and adulterie and vncleanenes and walking in the by-pathes of lies and falshood strengthning the hands of the wicked that none can returne for his wickednesse and in one word more they are all both prophets and people vnto mee but as Sodom a sinke of sinne and as the inhabitants of Gomorrha such an other sinke this they are to me saith the Lord thus they are in my eie whatsoeuer they seeme to be in their owne opinion or in the iudgement of others whome they haue blinded and bewitched Thus we see what vgly creatures they are which runne before the Lord send them which are ministers after mens hearts but not after Gods heart as a number of blind guides amongst vs bee the Lorde taketh no pleasure in them nor in those foolish people that are contented with them and therefore sets them alone to do as they list and turneth them as false children ouer whom he hath no care but lets them runne as it were filth and vermine for waÌ„t of trimming washing with the water of his grace and spirit whereas those that are of his sending forth and such as hee taketh pleasure in he will set them out in the best manner and grace them with good gifts and holie conuersation he will make their words gracious and their ministery to be reuerenced in the eyes and heartes of all that feare God they shall bee mightie and powerfull in deliuerie of their message they shall be fruitfull in the worke of the Lorde and terrible in the consciences of the wicked they shall bee blessed in the strength of the spirit to turne many soules into the wayes of righteousnesse euen so manie as GOD hath appointed yea they and their people shall bee a righteous generation ouer whome the Lorde will haue a watchfull eye continually to renewe and to repaire them with his grace and spirit there shall not so soone any fore seeme to arise in their life or anie corruption in their profession but the Lord with his fauour and grace shall heale it againe they shall be blessed of God to the good of Gods church which are pastours according vnto Gods heart and none else I doe not meane such as are free from all corruption and staine of sinne for such are not to bee looked for in this vale of corruption but such as the Lorde hath sent foorth and furnished with gifts and sanctified for the worke of his church And the like may bee saide of ciuil magistrates and church gouernors that if euer the church of God reape any good by any it is by them that are not after Antichrists heart and lyking or according to the worldes approbation but according to Gods wordes liking for God blesseth no ordinance but his owne This doctrine may haue a good vse in respect of those that bee Pastours or that haue anie publique place of teaching in the church of GOD it maie seeme to admonish them that they approue themselues both for life and doctrine in the sight of GOD to bee such as God liketh of if they will doe any good in the worke of the ministerie and thereupon reape any comfort to their conscience in the day of the Lord. There be two markes that euery minister approued of God must principally aime at not lucre nor gain nor worldly promotion nor the vaine praise of the world as the maner of many is which shoote as rouers doe at many markes and neuer a one certaine But the markes that Gods ministers must shoote at are the glorie of God and the good of Gods church that they may say as Paul said Rom. 10.1 without checke of conscience Our hearts desire and prayer to God is that Israel may be saued And so deere should the glory of God be vnto vs and so great should be our loue vnto the church of God that if it may bee aduaunced in the saluation of our brethren yea of our enemies more then in their destruction we shoulde earnestly craue the same of the Lord yea so earnestly that rather then the Lord should loose any part of his glory therein we ought to craue it with the hazard of our owne saluation as the apostle Paul that singular paterne of zeale and loue did Rom. 9.3 when hee desired to bee accursed for his brethren sake the Iewes which were his brethren according to the flesh Some bende al their endeuor that they may be wel thought of with the Prince or with the court or with some noble man or with the chiefe of their congregation for wealth and authoritie and some desire only to be popular approued of the multitude to bring this to passe they take great paines they studie hard they reade much they currie fauour with one and flatter with another they serue the time and turne with the time watching the tide that they may rovve with the same and if they meet with any of their brethren labouring against their streame him they belabour with their Inuectiues though therein they doe striue against the streame of Gods eternall trueth but what â—â—re they so they may haue the approbation of the world whose glorie they doe hunt after like lusty Nimrods and if they chance to misse of their purpose as sometimes they are crossed as wel as others are they not ready to fall sicke of Hamans disease who was ready to die for sorrowe because Mordecai did not bow the knee vnto him It is a good blessing of God to be gracious in the eies of christian Princes and great states as it was a thing greatly to be reioyced at when Theodosius the Emperor of Rome embraced christian bishops which resorted vnto him And the fauour of Gods people in the Lorde is a good fauour of God which oftentimes hee giueth vnto his seruants when they seek not after the same But yet this is not the thing that Gods seruants must affect but all their care must be both at their first entrance into the ministerie and in the whole course of the same vnto the ende that they may bee found Pastours according to Gods owne heart Both credite and maintenance in the world are the good blessings of the Lorde and it shall be lawfull for Gods ministers to enioy the same so farre foorth as God seeth