4. Growing in grace so likewise a spiritual by degrees encreaseth waxeth stronger stronger approching neerer to perfection that with a proportionable sutable encrease of euery part and member as I may call it of the new man For though in some parts he may be weaker then in others yet in those weaker parts also considering the weaknesse there is a growth correspondent to the growing of other parts Ioh. 15.2 All the branches that bring forth fruit in Christ the vine the Father the good husbandman purgeth that they may bring forth more fruit and in Christ all the body hauing nourishment ministred and knit together Colos 2.19 encreaseth with the encrease of God and that also according to the effectuall working of euery part A liuing branch in a liuing tree will draw sap and get growth A liuing member of a liuing body cannot by the course of nature but attract fit nouriture and procure to it selfe a going forward in stature till the stature bee full and perfect Doubtlesse Christ is a liuing tree his mysticall body a liuing body wherefore the regenerate must needs be growing But this matter of growth doth stand in need of a sound explanation Vnderstand therefore that there is a double growth one in greatnesse the other in goodnesse one in quantity the other in quality So you may see a man from his birth to 24. or 25. yeeres grow bigger and bigger he is higher and thicker hath larger lims and stronger ioynts but from these yeeres vpward he growes wiser sager more stable more sober and better setled also in his bodily might So an apple from Spring to Midsommer or after growes larger and larger in bignesse from thence to the time of its pulling it growes pleasanter and pleasanter in taste and better and better relished Thus it is with a Christian man For a good space of time hee doth sensibly encrease in knowing and leauing more sinnes and in knowing and doing more duties this is to grow in bignesse but after a good time spent in Christs schoole and that there bee but few new lessons not aboue his forme as it were to be learnt hee cons ouer the old lessons againe and gets them more perfectly by heart and better vnderstood Those sins he leaueth he leaueth with more sincerity with more rectified zeale with more loue to God with more detestation of sinne Those duties likewise which he performeth he performeth more aduisedly more resolutely more humbly more soundly and with a more entire bending of his soule to the glory of God in them then before This is his growing in goodnesse and in ripenesse And alwaies in this latter kinde of growth a Christian man stands so affected that hee doth most of all quarrell with himselfe for not growing when he growes most of all Yea his slippes into some grosse faults and it may bee also sometimes too too thicke doe further this his growth ordinarily so that he neuer growes faster and better then after the time that some falles have discouered vnto him his badnesse for then he growes in humility in hatred of himselfe in suspicion of his owne frailty whereby he is made capable of a profitable growing in all vertues till at length this become his excellency that the better he is the meaner he is in his owne eyes and the further he proceedeth the more he is acquainted with his owne defects and becomes more sorrowfull and ashamed for the slownesse of his proceedings But now it must be further conceiued that this growth hath his stops stayes hindrances intermissions and those also somtimes euen some long space of time together euen for moneths and yeeres as is to be seene in Dauid Salomon Asa Vzziah and others For as in naturall life the child may grow till it be twentie or more yeeres old and then fall into a dangerous fit of sicknesse as an ague or the like which shall cast him vpon his bed and make his cheekes pale and wan his legges quaking and feeble his stomacke naught and quite turned away from almost all food his whole body faint and powerlesse so that he can neither stand nor goe nor scarce speake or moue himselfe but euen lie at point of death Euen so also in the life of grace there be Agues there bee diseases there bee sicknesses into which a Christian man euen now it may be come to so much ripenes as this life wil beare doth suddenly somtimes but most times by degrees fall headlong and almost dies though quite to die it bee impossible Now if you speake of his growing hee doth but grow backward euen as a sicke man growes weaker and weaker after sicknesse hath ceized vpon him These diseases grow for the most part from the comming in of promotion and wealth and the pleasures and vanities that most commonly come in with them that we may see how dangerous the goods and greatnesse of this world be to a Christian soule that cannot soundly digest and concoct them Or else they arise from the poysonfull infection of some euill companion or other to whom a man hath by some occasion foolishly linked himselfe in familiaritie In truth most times surfeting breeds spirituall sicknesse From the excessiue loue and liking and vsing and enioying of earthly things and from a conceit of ones owne being better and safer for their abundance a man comes to bee lesse satisfied in God and in holy duties and to haue lesse minde to thinke and muse of heauen and the graces of Gods Spirit the practising of which is the way to come to heauen So there is a stoppage and obstruction in the soule and hence so sensible a decay of spiritual strength til a man fall to heape more then one or two grosse sinnes and sometimes presumptuous one vpon the necke of another and sometimes to lie long in them before hee can see to reforme them or soundly renew his repentance for them the one hardning his heart and blinding his minde so that the other following can scarce be seene or felt Thus there is wrought a strange decay of the power of godlinesse euen in a true regenerate man by the encrease of his outward estate for he was a sanctified man Prou. 30.9 that prayed God not to giue him riches lest himselfe being full should denie God and say Who is the Lord And sometimes also on the contrarie euen hard and sharpe afflictions doe bring a decay of sanctification The anguish of a crosse may breede impatiencie distrust lying vsing of base shifts and twenty disorders in a regenerate mans life in so much that hee may be drawne to very grosse and sinfull practises But when the poore Christian soule is either of these waies diseased or any other like to them O then he fareth like to a sicke man indeed he feeles his disease with exceeding great paine It makes him groane and crie out many a time hee is weary full weary of such an estate No man is more
seruāt And though the conscience being too much put to it by the seruants of God in their folly do wax somwhat sharp yet still it keepeth this note of difference from the vnpurged conscience that it drawes them vnto God So a good conscience is both quiet for it promiseth forgiuenes and withall wakefull for it cals for duty incessantly steppeth out against euery confessed euill yea against suspected ones too 3. In his will In the third place the will of the sanctified man shewes it selfe to be holy by two graces also planted in it First it is carried vp to Godward It longeth thirsteth after the liuing God so that it findeth nothing in heauen nor in earth comparable vnto him It doth embrace him and draw vnto him as vnto the chiefe in a maner the only Good The being happines and felicity of God is the thing that aboue all things yea aboue his owne happines he desireth the fauour loue and grace of God next to that aboue all other things Let him enioy the light of Gods countenance and let corne and wine goe which way they will he is happy enough in that God is happy and is his Father So Dauid once Psal 73 25. Whom haue I in heauen besides thee and whom in earth with thee and in an other place All my bones shall cry Lord who is like vnto thee Now he hath learned to place his felicity in the liuing God Now apprehending him as goodnesse it selfe he vniteth himselfe vnto him by a feruent act of his wil euen panting after him Secondly his will becommeth very flexible to the wil of God It begins to be made one with Gods will and to be as it were carried therein like a star in its proper orbe or euen as a man in the chariot wherein hee hath seated himselfe His will begins to bee euen swallowed vp in the will of God and to bee nothing but as God will haue it which is the principall and a most inconceiueable happines which he findeth in this world If it may appeare vnto him that God would haue such a thing done he resolues to doe it say profit pleasure credit what they can to the contrary Contrarily if that hee perceiues the Lord of his life would not haue him to doe such a thing his determination is that he will not doe it though he be solicited with all the allurements of delight commodity aduancement In truth this free and firme disposition of the will to doe the good and auoid the euill which God enioyneth him for Gods sake is the very heart and marrow of regeneration and therefore there is nothing which a Christian man more misseth then the worke of his will this way if it be hindred and nothing in himselfe which he doth enioy more whilest the motions of it are vninterrupted An hearty and vnfained desire to please God in all things is the characteristicall note as I may tearme it of the sanctified It is the most apparāt euidēt sensible distinction betwixt him the falsly-seeming sanctified the hypocrite Wherfore it is of much importance to finde this grace in ones selfe And so are the superiour powers of the soule framed to the blessed Image of God 2 In the inferiou◠powers The inferiour powers must needs follow the temper of the superiour and in them there resteth the spirit of grace and glory which adorneth them with the brightnesse of excellent graces First the thinking power or imagination is raised vp to God and the things of God 1. The thinking power The Christian man findes that as hee is apt by nature to thinke of the King or of his parents or friends or such like thing so by vertue of his new nature he is of himselfe moued to be taking occasion very many times to entertaine thoughts of God and alwaies thoughts tending to magnifie him within his soule Hee is often stirring vp in his owne heart motions tending to discouer vnto himselfe the beauty and sweetnesse of God his wisedome his power his truth his iustice and other attributes and withall also the admirable and inconceiueable excellency of heauen the surpassing glory and felicity of an other life There is some familiarity and louing acquaintance betwixt God and the kingdome of God and his imagination and it is a great pleasure content to him to cōuerse as it were with these things in the cogitations of his mind to haue thē dwell within him Before God was not in all his thoughts as the Psalmist speaketh Psal 10.4 but now contrarily as the same Psalmist affirmeth of himselfe his meditation of God is sweete euery thing almost that he sees serueth but to beget in him new formes of apprehending Gods excellencie which in truth shineth forth most brightly in all these his workes A man that knowes a rare secret and hidden treasure cannot but euer and a none haue the cogitation of it reuiuing it selfe within him and the Christian hauing the eie of his minde opened to know God and to beleeue in him sees such rich treasures of wisedome and goodnes in him that his minde must needs be entertaining him within by the imagination of these things Wherefore not in solitarines alone but in company the motions of his minde are aduaunced towards heauen and other things serue but as ladders to raise his soule thitherward He is often euen in the middest of other businesses digesting in his minde the excellencies of God and thinking with himselfe how good how great how wise is the Lord God who hath done this and this and this how excellent is his name through all the earth how happy is he in the highest heauens where hee hath founded the throne of his glory yea how blessed a Crowne hath he laid vp for thē that feare him how plentifull a reward is reserued for them when he walketh abroad and sees Gods workes and when he is imploied in other occasions he holdeth his inward comfortable conference with himselfe about his God and often hath his soule prouoked to speake vnto God and to take him into part of this diuine conference telling him as it were with a reuerent boldnes and wife-like familiarity how much good hee knowes by him and how excellent hee must needes conceiue him to bee by such and such workes of his In one word hee mindeth not onely not chiefely the things that are belowe as once he did but the things that are aboue where Iesus Christ our sauiour sitteth at the right hand of glory His meditation is of God and his law and Kingdome continually In like sort his memory is hallowed to the remembring of God 2. Memorie and the things that pertaine to God He frequently mindeth himselfe of that all-seeing eie which in all places attendeth him and though the Lord as being a spirit be in a sort absent from his senses yet by vertue of this sanctified memory which makes absent things present he
he knoweth not how to deny himselfe nor his couenant But perhaps still the Diuell may be busie with thee and cast some quiddity and subtill cauill in thy way as sometimes he hath done telling thee that if thou beest not as thou findest thy selfe not to be regenerate thy prayers cannot be heard because they be not of faith Thou maiest answere him that that worke of God in his word which moueth thee so to pray is a beginning of regeneration which shall vndoubtedly be perfected if thou continue to pray and therefore that thou wilt not be hindred by such cauils For thou beleeuest that God hath said true when he said Ho euery one that thirsteth and seeing out of a perswasion of the truth of this generall promise thou addressest thy selfe to performe the duty whereto the promise is made thy prayer must needs be of faith though of a weake faith and be no sinne but an acceptable seruice vnto God Now therefore brethren be not discouraged for praying for the spirit of life to breathe vpon you by any cauils or obiections of Satan be not made carelesse of seeking so necessary a thing by any fond imaginations that he will put into your minds be not diuerted from doing this duty by any worldly businesse that may come betwixt but what euer thou doest now in thine heart and when thou commest home in thy closet and in the solemnest manner bow thy selfe to God and cry vnto him for the holy Ghost to regenerate thee And O thou blessed spirit that art like the wind and breathest euen where thou lusteâ—â— breathe into the hearts of some of these that heare me this day and cause some of them to be inflamed with a desire of regeneration and to be incouraged to the begging of it whereas yet it hath not been wrought And so much for the first meanes to be vsed 2. An hiding of the word of God in the heart The second meanes is a diligent hiding of the word of God in the heart For seeing that is the seede of immortality if it be closely laid vp in the ground of our soules it will fructifie to life This law is pure and it will purifie It is perfect and it wil conuert the soule if like a plaister it be laid vnto it Let it be ingraffed into you like a science and it will change the wild sap of your nature and make you able to bring forth fruits of holinesse A man then buries the seed of the word in his hart when he doth ponder and muse vpon it when he sets himselfe seriously to consider the truth of it and to apply it vnto his owne soule taking that that is generally deliuered as pertaining to himselfe in speciall Now the whole word must be thus whetted vpon the heart not the Law alone for that of it selfe will breed nothing but miserable terrours not the Gospel alone for that finding the heart vnprepared to receiue it in such ill ground will bring forth nothing but the stinking weedes of presumption but both the Law and the Gospell it so being tempered together and obtaining a ioynt worke in the soule by their mutual forces they may both produce the grace of sanctification So then if one would be regenerate he must take to himself the whole Word of God He must set himself al alone to muse of it saying to himself These coÌ„mandements the Law giueth to al mankind among the rest to me these curses it denounceth against the transgressers of it of which seeing I cannot deny my selfe to bee one the curses thereof belong vnto me and I alasse I lie vnder them But the Word of God hath shewed me the way of escaping the curse for Christ Iesus the Sonne of God was in our stead accursed that wee might be free from the curse and bee partakers of that blessing which was long since promised in him saying In thy seede shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed Also the Word of God doth plainely declare concerning al the sonnes of men Psalm 14. that they haue done a corrupt and abominable deede and that none of them doe good no not one It shuts them all vnder sinne and pronounceth them al the sonnes of wrath But Iesus Christ is become the Sauiour of mankind and in him his Father is well pleased and none that beleeue in him shall perish Yea in him is preached remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to all that beleeue in him and rest vpon his merits as vpon a perfect satisfaction and hee doth ratifie all the sweete promises of the Law to all that beleeue in him and striue to obey him so that for his sake they shall obtaine all the good things which the Law promiseth but because we are all sinfull it cannot bestow them on vs. I am a sinfull wretch I am a cursed creature I am vnder Gods anger in my selfe but Christ Iesus hath satisfied for my sinnes he hath performed a perfect righteousnesse for me I will goe out of my selfe I will renounce mine owne righteousnesse and rest onely in him euen vpon him onely in whom O my soule assure thou thy selfe to find full remission and perfect saluation onely so be it thou turne not the grace of God into wantonnesse but out of loue to him set thy self to keep his holy coÌ„mandements and take vpon thy neck that sweet gentle yoke of his the bearing of which is the most comfortable liberty in the World Certainly men and brethren he that will often renew these meditations in his soule and see the foulenes of sin in the glasse of the Law and the sweetnes and brightnes of Gods free grace shining forth in the doctrine of the Gospel shal surely be translated into the image of God from glory to glory Therefore now resolue with your selues that you wil find time constantly to meditate on the Word of God and it shal not faile to giue light vnto your eyes and life vnto your soules So haue you the second meanes of attaining regeneratioÌ„ Tâ—irâ— constant 〈◊〉 tâ—e Worâ— pâ—eached The third and last is to attend at the gates of Wisdome to waite on her posts I meane to be constant hearers of the Word of God preached This is the ordinance of God which he will worke by most effectually and most vsually The mouth of the Minister is the Conduit pipe wherby the Lord doth please to deriue the sweet wholsome waters of life into the soules of men 1. Cor. 1.20 It hath pleased God by the foolishnes of preaching to saue theÌ„ that belieue The Lord hath appointed his Ministers to be spirituall fathers by their labours in publishing his Word to beget men vnto him and whosoeuer will not seeke regeneration and saluation here where God hath taken order that he may meete with them he for his carelesnes or ignorance of Gods ordinance shall neuer bee able else-where to attaine them I told you mine opinion before of the Word
labouring to driue into their heads the maine points of Christian doctrine and that in such familiar sort of questioning with them that they may make him perceiue they know what they speake Must not children be brought vp in information of the Lord and how this should be if they be not catechized I thinke no man can conceiue Is not knowledge as necessary for the soule as foode for the body Doubtlesse he must be void of knowledge that will denie it How then shall he not deserue to be called worse then an Infidell that cares not though his peoples soules be sterued You all know that the master is inioyned to looke that his seruants breake not the Sabbath Assure your selues the law of God puts one part of his duty for all parts of the same kind so that hee must as well looke to him that he know God and his worship as that he doe not prophane his Sabbath Salomons mother taught him when he was young Shee may bee a president for all mothers and the father should bee ashamed to be found negligent in that wherein the mother must be forward Abraham commanded his seruants to keepe the law of God How should hee command them to keepe it if he had not taught it them God would haue him that was bought with money circumcised Doubtlesse then he would haue him also instructed in the religion of the Iewes whereof that circumcision was a badge In very deed if this and the former duty be not done by the master he shewes himselfe little to heed the saluation of his family So that whosoeuer doth make conscience of helping his houshold to heauen must leade them the way by seruing the Lord with them and teaching them his waies Thirdly Thirdly bringing them to the Church he must likewise bring them to the assembly of God to heare his word preached and examine them what they haue learnt and remembred For if people be at Church and attend not little shall they get by the word and if they be neuer demanded what they haue heard they will not likely attend but a desire of not shaming themselues by silence to such questions will make them bow their eares and listen Indeed herein the master must consider the capacity of his seruants and encourage those of meane wits in the little they can doe and rather draw them to remember something who are lesse ready for that dutie by louing perswasion then by tartnesse of speech and by commending to them the necessity of remembring the word rather then by speeches of disgrace And if they cannot remember any thing yet he must not desist to examine exhort admonish still for why this is the best meanes that he can doe to make them marke and obserue and hauing done his owne duty he shall bee blamelesse before God though they be negligent And last of al he must not forget to pray vnto God for the regenerating of those vnder his roofe in speciall 4. Praying for regeneration For if Paul did beg of God the saluation of the Iewes his country-men shall a gouernour of a family forget those of his family whom he daily sees and speaketh with In truth of all requests that a man can make for his people this is the most behoofefull and the most necessary This the master that doth shall finde himselfe made louing charitable patient courteous towards his seruants for in exercising Christian charity towards them he shall be sure to find it encrease And if he make such particular prayers either they shall be heard to his great content or at least they shall bee accepted by God as fruits of his charity as much as if they were heard If God be glorified by the conuersion and saluation of our children and seruants as well as our owne and his glory be as it should be deere vnto vs as wel as our owne saluation why should we forget to beg at his hands so profitable a thing for persons so neere vnto vs Wherefore if thou hast formerly been behind hand in mentioning thy wife childreÌ„ seruants to God this way now make it one of thy daily harty petitions O Lord be thou intreated to make these my children thy children these my seruants thy seruants let thy spirit work grace in theÌ„ that they may be true members of thy family the Church of the sanctified as well as of this my family But there remaineth one peculiar thing in behalfe of Infants Especially for Infants to bring them to â—aptisme in right manner that is not alone to bring them to Baptisme which all do as a matter of course but to bring them to Baptisme with an high esteeme of the ordinance with feruent praiers to God for his blessing vpon it that it may be effectual for their regeneration Doubtlesse Baptisme is the Sacrament of the New birth and looke what efficacy the Lords Supper hath to feed our soules the same I must thinke vnlesse I could see a difference in the common nature of these two Sacraments hath Baptisme to the re-begetting Wherefore it is a most behoofefull duty of the parents not with those publike prayers alone which are made in and by the congregation being very well and fitly prescribed in our Liturgie but with most vrgent prayers at home to beg of God that his Infant may bee washed with the holy Ghost as well as with water Is not a New birth worth asking thinke we thy child cannot aske therefore it is thy dutie as to bring him to be baptized so to striue with God in earnest prayers that his Baptisme may become effectuall For my part brethren none errour seemes to me more absurd then to imagine that the spirit of regeneration is included in water as a medecine in a boxe or so necessarily ioyned to the water as a sweet smell to something that is perfumed that all which are baptized should also bee inwardly and actually regenerated But this I hold that wee should beg the regeneration of each one that is baptized and presume him to be regenerate because wee see the seale of the new birth stamped vpon him But among other causes of the in-efficacy of this Sacrament I thinke one chiefe to bee the parents little esteeme of it that rather doe it as a matter of course then as a thing that shall be behoofefull for them and that they expect Gods blessing vpon for the sealing vp of regeneration God is not for the most part hee is not importuned as he expecteth to be for his co-operation with this ordinance Many and many parents come to the baptisme of their children or cause their children to be brought vnto it without faith without feruent prayer without any care vsed to haue it blessed vnto their children Many a good man would bee afraid to come to the Communion himselfe without some speciall calling vpon God for his heauenly blessing without some speciall care of renuing his repentance but â—uen of those
that thus make account of the Sacrament of nourishment for themselues there be that haue made so little account of the Sacrament of begetting againe that they scarce haue made one prayer the more for it or been any whit the more carefull to lament their owne originall corruption and their childes which it hath receiued from them O how great a blessing is it to a Father to haue his child regenerated euen from his infancy how great a blessing for the child to be borne againe euen so soone almost as euer he is first borne Why should not a man cry mightily to God for such a blessing Hath not the Lord bound vs to seeke to his ordinance and to bring our children to it Doubtlesse Circumcision was no more needfull for Iewish Infants then Baptisme for ours Why then why do not we seeke to it according to the worth of it and cry to him also to be mercifull to them and vs in washing them with his spirit and with water Sure God hath giuen thee good hope that thy child may be regenerate there and then by calling it to the seale of regeneration wherefore doe thou thy best endeauour to procure that it may be regenerate by begging the performance of what the seale imports Set a day at least some good time apart to seeke the face of God to finde out and confesse thy sinnes chiefly thine originall sinne which thou hast deriued to thine infant lament it in thy selfe lament it in and for him and with the most vehement prayers that thou canst put vp beseech the Lord to accept thee to accept the fruit of thy body to blesse his owne institution to it to wash it with the holy Ghost and to beget it to a new life and to infuse into it that holinesse now by meanes of Baptisme which he can as easily infuse into an Infant as into a man of yeeres I say againe pray for the regeneration of thy childe as well as for thine owne nourishing to obtaine the fruit of Baptisme for it as to obtaine the fruit of the Lords Supper for thy selfe Both are Sacraments both Gods ordinances but the efficacy of Baptisme is more necessary then that of the Lords supper for if one be not borne anew he cannot bee saued hee may bee saued without sensible confirmation And Baptisme cannot be reiterated as may the Lords Supper wherefore what thou canst doe but once for thy child that thou must be carefull to doe this once in the best manner that being well done it may be better then twice done How strong and full hopes of his childs saluation and regeneration might a parent haue if he would thus win them of God by prayer the feruent prayer of a righteous man preuaileth very much Here therfore if in any thing at this time if at any time and for this benefit if for any benefit see that you make your praiers most feruent And so much for those duties which concerne all men to vse both towards all and towards those of their owne families both elder and infants Now I come to those that concerne the Ministers of Gods Word especially The Minister principally by constaâ—t and plaine preaching In all the former duties they are bound to abound aboue others for their calling affords them more knowledge more opportunities more authoritie But some things they must doe that others may not They must administer the holy Sacraments they must offer vp publike prayers for and with the Congregation they must preach the Word constantly in season and out of season following Christ Iesus whose custome it was to goe into their synagogues vpon the Sabbath day and so to speake as all wondred at his gratious words In truth God would not haue ordained in his Church Pastors that should liue of the Gospell and whose maine work should be to studie and to grow in knowledge but that they should be carefull to speake as beseemed wholesome doctrine euen to speake and exhort with all long suffering and with all authoritie I doe wonder in my very soule how any man dare aduenture to take vpon him the weightiest office and burthen that can bee euen the care of mens soules that knowes himselfe able to doe no more for their saluation then a schoole-boy of a dozen yeres old might doe euen fairely reade them some prayers and a chapter or two Is this the labouring in the Word and doctrine for which Ministers are specially accounted worthy double honour Is this to be a Worke-man that needeth not to be ashamed diuiding the Word of truth aright Who can hold vp his face before God and make answere to these questions so as it shall not inforce him to confesse that if he will be a pastour ouer soules he must be able to doe more for the sheep then many perhaps most of the sheepe are able to doe for themselues The conscience therefore of that pastour must needs beare witnesse against him that dares reap earthly things when he cannot sow spirituall that dare challenge a place of double honour wheÌ„ he caÌ„not perform a single work Darest thou whosoeuer thou art for a liuing's sake serue filthy lucre in aduenturing on that calling which thou knowest thy self vtterly vnable to fulfill Doubtlesse the time will come when thou shalt wish that thou haddest rather chosen to haue liued any where then at the Altar not being able to doe the seruice of the Altar and then of the Gospell not being able to preach the Gospell O then study day and night and by continuall paines and putting forth thy selfe to all laboriousnesse make thy selfe able to do that which by paines-taking with much prayer to God for a blessing thou maiest attaine vnto I entreate thee to consider the words of our Sauiour Christ whosoeuer is a scribe instructed for the kingdome of God that is a good and fit Minister must not alone haue in his treasure but as a good housholder bring forth of his treasure new things and old Art thou not Gods steward art thou not Gods Embassadour art thou not Gods fellow-workman why doest thou not deliuer thine embassage why doest thou not distribute Gods foode why doest thou not plant and water that God may giue the encrease Consider what a waighty duty what a great honour it is to bee Gods instrument for the regenerating others to be a spirituall father to haue them our spiritual sons in Christ who are Gods adopted sons in Christ Happy is he to whom many men some men one man oweth his title of Gods child and his interest into Gods Kingdome FINIS