encouragement for all Pastors and Ministers of Gods Church to labour painfully faithfully in their places for the goodnesse of the Lord will neuer faile them nor shall they want comfort when euer they stand in neede thereof Yea rather shall Angels from heauen be their helpes and comforters then faithfull Ministers shall be left destitute Hitherto of the second generall points namely of the Prophets consolation The third and last generall point is the renouatiou of the Prophets commission in the eight part of the ninth verses and it containeth 3. parts 1. A question or inquirie made by God When shall I send and who shall goe for vs 2 The answere of the Prophet Here am I send me 3 The commission renued vnto him The Lord said Goe and speake vnto this people The first part is a question made by God by way of proclamation wherein he enquireth who shall goe preach vnto this people Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who shall gae for vs In which Proclamation and inquirie of the Lord we are not to imagine that the Lord was either vnprouided of such as should execute his will or knewe not who were able or who were willing to goe preach his word For as the Apostle saith in the matter of Election The Lord knoweth whr are his so much more in particular vocations The Lord knoweth who are his and neede not to aske whom shall I send or who shall goe But then it may be demanded why the Lorde saith so I answere not for his owne sake but for ours whom hereby he would instruct in diuers points of holy doctrine First hereby he would giue vs to vnderstand how hard a thing it is to finde an able and godly Minister for if there were not a great scarcitie of such men the Lorde needed not aske this question But some will obiect against this that there are in many Christian Churches so many Ministers as they cannot all bee maintained but some goe vp and downe vndisposed and vnprouided for I answere this is too true in all ages there were Wandering Leuits in the Olde Testament which went vp and downe and offered their seruice and serued for 10. shekels of siluer and a sute of apparell and meate and drinke but this calamitie was vpon the Church of the Iewes neuer but then when there was no King in Israel and euery one did that which was good in his owne eyes If therefore there bee any in our Church and in christian nations which goe vp and downe and offer their seruice at such rates it is much more miserable seeing now there are kings in Israel and therefore it is no reason that euerie man rob the Church as it shal please his couetous minde But ceasing to enquire whether this be so or no and if it bee so leauing the reformation thereof to those Churches and States whom it may concerne I answere for the matter in hand that this may be so and yet the Lorde may complaine as heere hee doth Whom shall I send for the Lord meaneâ—h not such as beare the name of Leuits or Priestes in the olde or of Ministers in the new Testament for there were alwaies inow of them who some for preferment sake some for their ease and some for a refuge how to liue are willing to enter that function and accordingly in that calling seee not the Lord but themselues and their owne ends But heere the Lorde enquireth for such men as first purely doe seeke and vndertake that function therein to honour God and to gather his Church and then in all their labours and ministeriall duties truly and faithfully endeuour to the same ends Preaching Gods word and as Gods word diligently reprouing exhorting and admonishing and shining before their people in good workes for such men it is no maruell though the Lorde light a Candle at No one day and make open Proclamation to seeke for them saying Whom shall I send for such a man is as Iob saith One of a thousand for some wat ability to discharge their duties as S. Paul saith Who are sufficient for those things And some want willingnesse to vndertake the labour as God here complaineth Who shall goe for vs Now to make vse of this doctrine to our Church It were to be wished that in these daies for our christian Churches the Lord had not as great cause to cry out in the want of able faithfull and godly Ministers Whom shall I send and who shall goe for vs But alas this want is too apparant and this blemish is too notorious and it is a worke worthy the labour of kings and princes to reforme it and is a kings euil not to be healed but by the power of a King for as long as there are so fewe and meane preferments for painefull Ministers there will neuer want abundance of such Ministers as doe want either conscience or abilitie to discharge their duties In the meane time till God put into the hearts of Parliaments and Princes to locke to this great and needfull worke let vs Ministers learne our duties and first wee who are in the Vniuersities are here admonished to look to our selues By Gods blessing we are many and daily growe more and more let vs therefore so furnish our selues as that when God or his Church shall say Who shall goe for vs and whom shall I send then he may find many amongst vs whoÌ„ he may send to that great worke of the Minisierie let vs feare to be such as thar God may affirme of vs as in the daies of Iob that he cannot finde one of a thousand Secondly all Ministers learne here not to content themselues with the name and title of Ministers but labour for the substantiall ornaments thereof nor to be willing to take the honour and liuings and to refuse the burden and duties of the Ministerie For else let them knowe God hath no neede of them for had the Lorde pleased or contented himself with such kinde of men as seeke to bee Ministers for themselues and not for his sake or beeing Ministers doe feede themselues and not their flocke or Preach themselues and not Christ then had he not needed to haue made this Proclamation for Ages haue yeelded store of such But contrariwise hee that is painfull and faithfull in this function let him knowe that God and his Church hath neede of him Lastly heere the Romish Cleargie are iustly to bee taxed whose number is infinite but it is lamentable to see howe fewe among them be such as the Lord heere seeketh for Their Orders of Regulars are exceeding many beside all their Secular Priests and it is almost incredible how many thousands there bee of Dominicans or Franciscans or in some one of their orders and yet amongst the many millions of their Monkes there is scarce to
curse vnder which euery man is borne is the second death the death of soule and bodie which is the eternall want of Gods presence and the accomplishment of his wrath and an apprehension and feeling of that wrath seazing on body soule and conscience The first curse was a spirituall death the death of the soule The second a temporarie death the death of the body The third is an eternall death a death both of soule and bodie together and for euer This eternall death is the curse of all curses the miserie of all miseries and torment of all torments and I shewe it thus Often when thy tooth acheth and sometime when thy head acheth or in the paine of the stone or collicke thou wouldest giue all that thou hast in the world to bee eased of that paine Nay in the exstremitie of some fitts many will wish them-selues euen out of the world Now if the paine of one tooth can so farre distemper minde and body that it cannot bee releiued with all the pleasures of this life O then what a torment shall that bee when not one kinde of paine but the whole viole of Gods wrath shall bee powred not on one member but on the whole soule body and conscience and that not for a time vnder hope of better but eternally without hope of release and that not in this world where there are comforts helpes and remedies but in that vgly and darksome place of torments and that not amongst liuing men which might mittigate thy paine or else bemone thee and beway leit with thee but with the Diuels and damned spirits which will now laugh at thy destruction and solace themselues in this thy misery and will reioyce as thou didest serue them in earth so now in hel to be thy tormēters It may be therfore by the way good warning and wisedome to vs all when we feele the extremity of some bodily paine to consider with our selues and say O then what shall be my misery and torment if I repent not when not one member but soule bodie and conscience shall be racked and tormented in the feeling and apprehension of the anger of the Lord of Hostes In these three points stands that curse and wrath of God vnder which euery man is borne And these doe answer to the three degrees of sinne which are in vs for as the two first Rules taught vs there is in euery man by nature till hee repent a three-fold guiltinesse First a guiltinesse of Adams sinne Secondly the taint of originall and vniuersal corruption Thirdly a pollution by many outragious actuall sinnes In the first of these euery man is equally guiltie In the second euery man is equally corrupt But in the third euery one keepes that compasse within which the Lord wil keepe them by his limitting power Now as in our guiltinesse of Adams sinne sin hath his beginning In originall sinne his continuance in actuall sin his perfection So answerable herevnto the wrath of God which alwaies standeth opposite to sinne is begun in leauing vs by nature to the slauerie of Sathan is continued by death and is accomplished in damnation And now these three Rules I commend to the carefull Christian consideration of you all certifying you from God that as you can neuer bee saued vnlesse you repent nor repent vnlesse you Search your selues as here the Prophet bid deth So that you can neuer search your selues aright til you bee perswaded and resolued of these three Rules and of the truth of them all euen in your hearts and consciences namely First that thou art guiltie of Adams sin Secondly that thou art prone by nature to al euil in the world Thirdly that for these thou art subiect to the wrath of God and to all the curses of his wrath but when thou art in heart conscience resolued that these are true then thou art a fit Scholler for this Lesson of the Prophet Search thy selfe For when thou goest thus prepared vnto this Search and esteemest of thy selfe as these three Rules haue described thee then if thou Search into thy selfe thou wilt finde thy selfe and thy estate to be such as will cause thee to repent returne and take a new course therefore what the Prophet sayd to those Iewes I say vnto you also my brethren of this Realme of England who are here now gathered together out of so many countries quarters of this Realme yea in the name of the same God I cry vnto you Search O Search your selues and thinke it not a matter indifferent to do or not to doe it but know it that God commandes you as euer you will come to saluation Search your selues And the rather because by these three Rules you see how much chaffe of corruption is in your nature and what neede therefore it hath to bee searched into and fanned by Repentance Bee well assured thou man whatsoeuer thou art there is so much Chaffe in thee that if thou search not and fanne it not out thou wilt proue nothing but Chaffe at the last day and so be blown away with the winde of Gods iustice into Hell Take hold therefore of this exhortation and deferre it not Thou wilt not suffer thy Wheate to lye too long in the chaffe for feare of hurting it Is it then safe to suffer the chaffe of thy sinnes and corruptions to lie cankering and rotting in thy heart Bee sure that that little portion of grace which thou attainest vnto by liuing in the Church and vnder the Ministrie of the Word of GOD will bee putrifyed and cleane corrupted with the Chaffe of thy sinnes therefore againe and againe I exhort you to make conscience of this dutie Search into your selues fanne out this Chaffe this presumption of ours and high esteeming of our owne nature and conceits of Gods fauour before wee haue it that so this Chaffe being blowne away the Lord may then bestow vpon vs foundnesse of grace the foundation of al goodnes which is a holy humbled heart Salnation is such a building as the foundation thereof had need to be sure and strong Ignorance blindnesse and presumption are not sufficient foundations for such a building therefore as no man wil build a strong house vpon any earth but will first search it least it prooue Sandie so ouerthrow all So a wise Christian will not build his saluation vpon fancies conceits and naturall presumptions but will Search and looke into his heart and finding these to be sandie and rotten and therefore too weake for the foundation of so glorious a building wil refuse them all and labour to furnish his heart with such sound grace as whervpon he may trust so weighty a work as is the Saluation of his soule Againe if thou wilt stand in the day of triall then Search thy heart betime and discerne betwixt Chaffe Wheat thou seest that chaffe flyeth away before the wind but good corne indures the Fan and the furie of the wind so in
pouerty contempt basenesse vppon it It were a worke worth the labour of the wisest heads to put downe the true meane betwixt both extreames worth the labour of our Noble King to take order that that meane be kept without rising to the right hand or falling to the left This short Treatse may hap to giue some light directions therein or at least may encourage stir vp their hearts in whose hands it is to doe it Vnder your woorthy names would I haue it see the world not so much for that I am bound to you both in many priuate and particular respects though that be much as for that know you both to be o◠so right and reformed a iudgement in this case as you would haue none Ministers but of sufficient gifts and vnblameable liues nor those Ministers put to their Pensions or vncertaine salailes but to haue certaine sufficient maintenance proportionable to their charge and beseeming the honour of a Christian Church God continue you still in that minde and make many more of the same with you so should we haue as florishing a Church as any Christendome hath seene Goe forward in that and other your religious resolutions it is the true way to honour both heere and in a better world stand firmly for the truth and boldly against the Popish enemies thereof as hitherto you haue done Religion had neuer more cause to thanke you and all that doe so then now it hath for her enemies were neuer so insolent since they were our enemies but if you and others holde on as in your seuerall places you haue wel begun and others take the like course there is hope their insolencies will bee easily if timely repressed and themselues neerest the fall when they imagine they are in the full The Lorde blesse and assist you in your painfull places and make you on earth Instruments of his glorie to the good of his Church so shall you bee vessels of glory in the kingdome of Heauen And thus commending this little treatise to your reading and my selfe to your fauour I take leaue and wil euer rest 1605. Your Worships in the Lord VV. Crashawe A Treatise of the duties and dignitie of the Ministerie Iob. 33. 23. 24. If there bee with him a Messenger An Interpreter one of a thousand to declare vnto man his righteousnesse Then will be haue mercie on him and will say deliuer him that he goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation IN this Chapter and the former Elihu a holy learned noble wise young man had conference with Iob in matters of high and excellent Diuinitie the points of his conference are these From the first verse of this chap. to the 7. verse is a Praeface to his speach From thence to the 13. he repeateth certaine propositions of Iob and reproueth them frō thence to these wordes hee instructeth Iob in certaine points touching Gods dealing with sinners and those are two 1 How God preserueth a sinner from falling 2 How God restoreth a sinner being falne 1 The meanes whereby God preserueth a sinner are set downe to bee two principall 1 By Admonitions in dreames and visions 2 By scourges and chastisments when the first will not preuaile And these are layde downe from the thirteene verse vnto these words 2 Then followeth the 2. point namely the restoring of a sinner when both the meanes formerly spoken of haue not preuailed with him but that through his corruption he is fallen and concerning this point he handleth these particulers 1 The remedie and meanes of his restoring 2 The effect that followeth thereupon 1 The remedie is layde downe in these wordes now red vnto vs then followeth the effect which is that when a sinner is restored by repentance then the graces of God are plentifully powred vpon him both for soule body from these words to the end of the Chapter The intent then of this Scripture is that God vseth meanes in his mercie to preserue sinners from falling into sinne but if they doe then hee in much greater mercie afordeth them meanes and helpes to rise againe And this is the summe and substance of the words Now that means and remedie is the matter I purpose to speake of out of these wordes The meanes then to restore a sinner after a fall is to raise him by repentance to a better estate then hee was in before and that is inclusiuely and by implication taught in this Text But the instrument by whom that great worke is to be wrought is here in plaine termes layd downe to bee a Minister of God lawfully called and sent by God appointed by his Church to that great dutie So that these wordes containe a worthy description of a true Minister and he is here described 1 By his titles which are two An Angell An Interpreter 2 By his rarnesse One of a thousand 3 By his office which is to declare vnto man his righteousnes 4 By the blessing that God giueth vpon the labours of this true Minister which is then God will haue mercie vpon the sinner 5 By his Commission and authoritie in the last wordes God will say Deliuer him that he goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation Let vs speake of them in order as they lie in the text and first of his titles 1 The first title of a Minister of God is he is called a Messenger or an Angel and not here alone but elswhere in the Scripture Malachy 2. 7. He is the Messenger of the Lord of hostes And in the Reuelation the Ministers of the 7. Churches are called the Angels of those Churches So that it is apparant a true Minister is an Angel of God in one place and in the other place the Angel of the Church Hee is an Angell or Messenger sent from God to his Church This consideration affords matter of much vse And first for Ministers themselues The most of vs in this place are eyther Prophets or sonnes of the Prophets If thou be a Prophet thou art Gods Angel If a sonne of the prophets thou intendest to bee then marke thy dutie prophets and Ministers are Angels in the very institution of their calling Therefore thou must preach Gods word as GODS word and deliuer it as thou receiuest it for Angels Embassadors and Messengers carry not their owne message but the message of their Lords and Maisters who sent them and Ministers carry the message of the Lord of Hostes therefore they are bound to deliuer it as the Lords and not their owne In the first Epistle of Peter 4. 11. wee are bid If any man speake let him speake not onely the word of God but as the word of God Gods word must bee spoken and as Gods word then shew thy faithfulnesse to the Lord in discharging thy hands sincerely of that message which he hath honoured thee to
is the righteousnes of a Christian man this is the iustification of a sinner And to declare this righteousnes to him that repents and belieues is the proper dutie of a true Minister In the Actes Paule saith of himselfe that he witnessed to the Iewes to the Gentiles the repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Iesus Christ In which words is layde downe the complete dutie of a Minister as he is a publique Angell or Interpreter first to preach repentance which a man must performe to GOD whom by his sins hee hath grieuously offended secondly to preach faith in Christ and free forgiuenes and perfect saluation through that faith in Christ to all that shal truly belieue in him And after both these followeth that which is heere spoken of which comprehendeth both the former namely to declare vnto man his righteeusnesse So that in these words are inclusiâ—ely layd downe these points of a Ministers calling first a true Minister may must declare vnto a sinfull man where righteousnesse is to be found namely in Iesus Christ the righteous Secondly how that righteousnes may bee obtained namely by dâ—â—ing two duties First by denying disclaiming his owne righteousnesse and that is done by repentance secondry by clayming cleaning to Christe righteousnes and that is done by faith Thirdly a true Minister may and must declare this righteousnes to him that is first publish and proclaime that it is ready to his bestowed on euery sinner which will thus apprehend it and that it is able to iustifie and saue him secondly beside a bare publication of this instification he must as Paul did witnes and testifie it to the conscience of the sinner that it is as certainely true 〈◊〉 God is true For as a witnesse in doubtfull cases is called that by his testimone 〈◊〉 may cleere the truth so when the consciences of poore sinners are 〈◊〉 and doubtfull what to belieue when they doubt of this righteousnesse then is a true minister as a faithfull witnesse of God to auerre and testifie this truth from his owne conscience knowledge and feeling of the infallible certaintie of Gods promises vnto the doubtfull and distresâ—ed conscience of the sinner Thirdly besides declaration and testificatiâ—n been to maintaine this truth and this righteousnesse if the sinners conscience be yet not quiet against all gain sayers against the power of darknesse and all the gates of helld that this is true and perfect righteousnessâ— to him that apprehends it as afore is 〈◊〉 downe 〈◊〉 this is so infallible to euery soule that repents and beleeueth that the minister may assure it to the conscience of the sinner in the worde of truth and in the name of God and may call to 〈◊〉 all Gods Saints and all his holy Angels and may 〈◊〉 vnto him his owne 〈◊〉 vpon it that it is most true that this is 〈◊〉 perfect and 〈◊〉 sufficient righteousnesse That we see in some measure what it is to declare vnto a man his righteousnes And this is the peculiar office of a Minister of God and this is the height and excellencie of his office In the want of godly ministers I confesse that godly Christian men may one helpe another in the performance of these duties and that with profit but it is the proper function of a godly Minister to doe it and the promise and blessing belong properly to him as the consciences of all penitent sinners will testifie in this case let Dauids serue for many who when hee was cast downe euen to the mouth of hell by that fearefull discouery of his two hideous sinnes by Nathans preaching when the faith of his soule beganne to wrestle against Hell and striue against despaire and to apprehend the mercy of God in Christ then I say could not the testimonie of all the men in the worlde haue giuen him that ioy comfort and assurance that Nathan did when hee saide in the word of a Prophet and of a true Minister God hath taken away thy sinne thou shalt not dye what did Nathan here but declare vnto man his righteousnesse what did Nathan heere but the duty of euery true minister If this be the office and duty of a minister and if such bee the height and excellency of his office let vs see then what vse we may make of it First concerning the Ministerie It first discouereth how nakedly weakely and insufficiently the Popish Church doth declare vnto man his righteousnesse who wil let a man seeke it in himselfe where alas it is not for Paule himselfe testifieth that his desire is that hee may bee found out of himselfe and in Christ and yet certainly if euer man had righteousnesse of his owne worth trusting to Paule had this is the cause why so many of that religion finde not that righteousnesse which will pacific and satisfie their consciences when they come to dye and why so many of them wheÌ„ it comes to the pinch do then go out of themselues and with vs doe seek for this righteousnesse in Christ where both assuredly and sufficiently it is to be found Then for our owne Ministerie heere they are taught first the true manner of teaching and declaring righteousnesse namely this not to preach the lawe alone or the Gospell alone as some vnaduisedly doe but both without profite but both the lawe and the Gospell the lawe to breed repentance the gospell to worke fâ—â—thâ— but in order first the lawe to breede repentance and then the gospell to worke faith and forgiuenesse but neuer before Secondly they are taught to bee holy to bee sanctified and reconciled themselues for is it thy office to declare vnto man his righteousnesse and not thy own to thy selfe and how canst thou bee a true witnesse to testifie betwixt God and the soule of a sinner when thy owne soule knoweth not nor feeleth the truth of it certainly such men are but lame witnesses betwixt God and the sinners soule Dauid saith to the sinner I will instruct thre in the way wherein thou shalt goe but hee first of all in the same sets downe his owne experience in a large story of his owne repentance and of Gods mercy on himselfe And though God some time doe satisfie and saue the poore distressed soule of a sinner by the testimonie of such men to teach vs that the vertue is not in the men but in the truth of Gods couenant yet alas how fewe are they to teach vs how pleasing it is vnto him when a Minister is a declarer of that righteousnesse to others which hee first hath himselfe and is a witnesse of that truth to others which he first knoweth in his owne experience Thirdly the consideration of this high excellencie of their calling must arme all true Ministers against the scorne and contempt of the world which by wicked men is cast like dust and mire into the face of
but grieue their christian harts to see the maintenance so miserable This Treatise I first of all send to you vnder your names to the world to you first for as I am sure you loued the Author and honoured those excellent gifts of God in him so you cānot but accept this after birth of his as a fatherles child for the fathers sake And for my self to cōceale al personal priuat respects in the name of many thousands in the Northeren countries I praise God for the good done in those parts by your painful courses religious care not doubting but if your selues or the like bee imployed there to asist our honourable and Religie us Lord President that the multitude of Popish Priestes there lurking will bee dayly lessened the number of preachers augmented Poperie put downe and the Gospell maintained more and more Which blessing GOD graunt to that and all other Counteries of this Kingdome for his mercies sake and giue vnto you all others in your place the spirit of courage and constancie in these declining dayes that being faithfull in your great charges vnto the end you may receiue the Crowne of life for which he hartily prayeth who will euer rest VV. Crashawe The second Treatise of the Duties and Dignities of the Ministerie Esay 6. 5. Then I said woe is me I am vndone for I am a man of polluted lips and dwell in the midst of a people of polluted lips for my eyes haue seene the king and Lord of hostes 6. Then flewe one of the Seraphins vnto me with a hote coale in his hand 7. Which he tooke from the Altar with the tonges and touched my mouth and said Loe this hath touched thy lips and thy iniquitie shall be taken away and thy sin shall be purged 8. Also I heard the voyce of the Lorde saying whom shall I send and who shall goe for vs then said I here am I send me and he said goe IN the fiue former Chapters are cōtained such Sermons as the Prophet had made vnder Vzziah king of Iuda At this Chapter begin such as he preached in the raigne of Iotham and so forward But before hee either preach or prophecie of any thing in King Iothams dayes or his successors the Lord in this Chapter giues a newe commission to the Prophet a newe confirmation to this Calling the olde king in whose dayes Esayah was first called being now dead another succeeding him God with the new king reneweth the calling commission of the Prophet wherein God doth not giue him another calling for one calling to the office of the ministery is sufficient but hee confirmeth the calling formerly giuen by repeating ratifying it And this God did to Esay not as he was an ordinarie but an extraordinary prophet for ordinary Ministers need no renouation of their calling nor any new signes of cōfirmation but extraordinary prophets who come in extraordinary maner to doe many extraordinary workes God in his wisdom wil haue their calling confirmed again againe that by very extraordinary meanes Out of which practise of the Lord we learne how great cause wee haue to doubt these men to bee either fantasticall or worse who pretend extraordinary callings in these dayes and yet scarce can shew vs any good signes of an ordinary much lesse of an extraordinatie motion for if in those dayes when such courses were more cōmon God will haue his extraordinary Prophets calling to be renued cōfirmed again againe then certainly in these dayes we may iustly require more more wonderfull signes of an extraordinary calling afore we belieue it and if God himselfe was so carefull to satisfie his Church in those dayes of the vocation of his prophet surely the church in these daies hath much more cause to doubt in such cases and to require many and extraordinary signes afore it acknowledge any such extraordinary calling These men therefore offer much wrong to the Church deserue both the censure thereof and the sword of the Magistrate who dare so boldly offer and obtrude to the Church their owne fancies and dreames as extraordinary motions of Gods spirit This is the occasion and coherence This Chapter hath two partes first the meanes of his confirmation from the beginning to these words secondly the confirmation it selfe from these words to the end the meanes of his confirmation is a vision he saw from heauen of certaine holy Angels appearing and speaking to him in the first 4. verses In the confirmation which followeth in these words are three points◠1 The effect of the vision which i wrought in the Prophet it caused him feare it astonisht him and cast him downe in the fifth verse 2 His Consolation raising vp again after his feare in the 6. and 7. verses 3 The renuing of his Commission againe from thence to the end The feare and astonishment of the Prophet is described 1 By the signes of which are two 1 A note of exclamation woe is me 2 By a note of extreame deiection in himselfe I am vndone 2 By the causes of it which are also set downe to be two 1 He was a man polluted and dwelt amongst people polluted 2 He had seene the Lord. Then said I woe is me I am vndone The first point in order is the feare extasie into which the Lord droue his holy Prophet which the Lord did not in his anger but in his loue vnto him not for a punishment of sinne but as an euidence of his further loue for the intent and purpose of God in striking this feare into him was to inable him to be a true prophet a fit messenger for himself It may seeme a strange course which God taketh to confirme raise vp his seruant in zeale and courage to strike him into an extreame feare euen to astonish and amaze him and yet we see it is the course which the Lord taketh out of which practise of the Lord we learne this doctrine That all true Ministers especially such as are deputed to the greatest works in his church must be first of all striken into a great feare in consideration of the greatnes of their function yea into an amazement and astonishment in the admiration of Gods glory greatnes whose roome they occupy whose message they bring the more they are afraid and shrinke so it be vnder the contemplation of Gods Maiestie and their owne weaknes the more likelier it is that they are truly cald of God appointed for worthy purposes in his Church but he that steps to this function without feare he may thrust in himselfe but its doubtfull whether hee bee cald of God as here the Prophet was Nor is it so here alone but euery where when God called any of his seruants to any great worke be first droue thē into these feares and a mazements as is euident in Moses in Ieremie in
those that are their fellowes are vnfaithfull And it should further teach them to adorne their Calling with a holy life for as sinne is that that grieues the angels driues them away so it is grace and holinesse which makes them delight in the fellowship of men And it may also encourage any man to take paines in that holy Calling wherein hee is sure to haue Gods angels in a speciall manner to attende him to assist him to protect him and to bee a witnesse of his faithfulnesse and who would not worke cheerefully in that labour wherein hee hath the Angels to bee in a sort fellow-workers with him To doe these three duties is to honour good angels and that Minister that conscionably performeth them the angels will take themselues sufficiently honoured of that man And if beside this honour we would reioyce Gods angels and minister matter of ioy vnto them then in the fourth place let all Ministers propounde to themselues aboue al things the conversion of soules rather then their own praise or liuing or pleasing of men and so endeuour it both in teaching and all their other courses that the angels may see it and bee witnesse of it for if they reioyce at the conversion of a sinner as Christ saith they doe then those men make them oftest reioyce which doe most seriously aime at the conversion of sinners And thus we see both the seruice of angels to Gods Ministers and the duties they are to performe to them in that regard The due consideration of this point may raise the world to a better conceit of this Calling and perswade fathers to dedicate their sonnes to it and stirre vp young students to consecrate themseluest hereto turne their studies to that ende for no man in no calling hath so speciall attendance and assistance of Gods angels as godly Ministers haue At least if it worke not this in the world yet it may yeeld comfort contentment to all faithfull Ministers in their painfull calling But let vs see how the angel performed his seruice to the Prophet not vnwillingly not lingeringly but speedily so saith the Text. He flewe Which is not so to bee vnderstood as though the angels had wings for they haue no corporall nor sensible bodyes but spirituall and insensible substances the actions whereof are performed with such nimblenesse and agilitie as can not fall within the compasse of outward sense But the Phrase is vsed for our capacities to shew how readily and speedily the angel went about to minister comfort to the Prophet For as nothing moueth so quickly to our sense as doth the creature that flyeth and as wee say that man doth flye about his businesse which doth it quickly and diligently so here the holy Ghost sets downe the willingnesse and quicknesse of the angel to comfort this holy Prophet and to doe the will of God Where we learne First what excellent seruants of God the holy angels bee which so readily willingly and speedily execute the will of their Lord. This must teach all gods seruants to doe the like and to imitate thē in this excellent obedience And the rather because wee pray dayly to God Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen In earth of vs as it is in heauen of the holy angels But they doe it most cheerfully and without all lingring therefore so ought we Magistrates in their places and Ministers in theirs and euery man in his function is to apply this to himselfe and to bee stirred vp thereby to a cheerfulnesse quicknesse in their duties for therein they resemble the blessed angels then their deodes accord wity their prayer but contrariwise he that doth his dutie vnwillingly and vnreadly is like the Diuel which indeed doth Gods will yet against his will and surely vnto such obedience there belongeth no reward But as God loueth a cheerfull giuer so doubtlesse loues hee a cheerfull worker Secondly we see here how great loue angels beare vnto Gods children especially vnto godly Ministers how willingly they are imployed to doe them good Willingnesse and readines to doe good to any man must needes come from loue and yet alas all men euen the best and all Ministers euen the best are creatures farre inferior to the angels Here Magistrates Ministers must learne to be farre from contempt of their inferiours and to doe their duties of ruling and teaching carefully though the people bee farre their infriors it is the nature of loue to make any man doe seruice most willingly to him that hee loues though he be farre meaner then himselfe If therefore Princes loue their subiects they will not spare any care cost nor paines nay they will reioyce to doe them good and they will labour to bee like the angels who are farre greater then men as they are then their subiects And if Ministers loue their people they will forget their owne dignitie which oft-times they might stand vpon and will make themselues euen seruants to all that they may winne some And seeing angels doe flie so fast to giue helpe and comfort to good Ministers this must teach them further First euery one to labour to bee a good Minister for then are they sure of the loue of angels and then most willingly doe the angels any seruice to them Againe let it teach them to flye as fast to the discharge of their duties to Gods Church as the angels flye to doe them seruice so shal God angels thinke their diligence and carefull seruice well bestowed vpon them Lastly this diligence of the angels their willingnesse proceeding from loue must stirre vp al Christians to performe all duties of godlinesse to God of loue vnto his Church with alacritie and cheerfulnesse So doe Gods angels we looke to be like the angels in glory in the world to come then bee like the angels in diligence loue and faithfulnes in this world The Wise man saith Hee that is slothfull in his businesse is good for nothing but the diligent man shall stand before the King And surely hee that is willing diligent in the duties of Christianitie shall stand before the King of kings in heauen And let this suffice for the Angels seruice and his diligence in his seruice Now let vs see what instrument the Angel vsed A coale from the Altar The fourth Circumstance of this consolation is the Instrument which it pleased God the angel should vse to minister comfort to the Prophet a strange instrument for so great a work A coale of fire Here let humane reason hide it selfe and wordly wisedome bee confounded to see the wonderfull works of the Lord God could haue healed the Prophets infirmities and giuen him comfort against his feare courage in his calling without meanes but hee will vse meanes and what a weake meanes nay a meanes that seemes contrary A coale of fire