words and actions be mild gentle tender and compassionate towards all men and to this end let me propound to your considerations also these few particulars 1. These Gospel-like conditions are the onely markes that doe difference you from other men If saies our Saviour in Mat. 5. you love them onely that love you and do good only to your friends what doe you more then the Heathens or Publicans what goodnesse of spirit do you shew more then they but saies he if you be my servants I must have you excell other men therefore I say unto you love your enemies those that hate curse and persecute you those whom none else will love that so you may shew your selves to have such a spirit as none else have and to be the children of the most High who doth doe good to the unthankfull and to the evill Christ would that the carriages and conditions of his servants should speake as loud to the world whose they are as the conditions of the wicked doe speake to whom they belong doth not the mercilesse cruell and bloudy dealings of the Papists in Ireland speake them to be the very members of Antichrist and limbs of him that was a murderer from the beginning O let the mercifull tender and gentle carriages of the Protestants in England speak them also to be the members of Christs and children of him that loved us from the beginning In the Primitive times the Christians were knowne from all other men onely by their discovery of this spirit of the Gospel in them the story saies that in the time of that great Famine and Pestilence under Maximinus that the Christians onely did shew compassion to the Heathen their persecutors travelling up and downe some in burying the dead and some in helping the sicke when they were of their owne sort forsaken yea and other some of the Christians call'd and gathered the company together which were in danger of death by famine and distributed bread unto them whereby they ministred occasion to all men to glorifie the God of the Christians Brethren you are their successers in profession of Christianity let it appeare that you are also their successors in the possession of the same holy and loving spirit by your not degenerating from their conditions 2. Consider you are called of God into the state of Christianity for this very end to discover to the Age wherein you live these Gospel-like conditions see 1 Pet. 3. 8 9. Finally saies the Apostle be all of one mind have compassion one of another love as brethren be pitifull be courteous not rendring evill for evill or railing for railing but contrariwise blessing knowing that you are there unto called that you should inherit a blessing there you see first that you are called to manifest these conditions and secondly that your manifestation of them doth fit you to inherit the blessing of God And I pray friends who should set forth and shew the sweet conditions of the spirit of the Gospel if you should not who are called there unto your enemies will not they are all for the contrary spirit for railing lying hatred bloud revenge rebellion nor doth God call them to so holy and so cleane a worke as this is 3. Consider it is a great honour which God hereby doth call you unto even the greatest that is namely to present his owne selfe and his Sonne to the darke world Jesus Christ was the Image of the everlasting Father in whom was cleerely discovered all Gods fatherly affections and dispositions his meeknesse patience gentlenesse mercie pity and all his lovely graces and attributes as you may see and observe in the story of Christ and his carriage in the Gospel And Brethren you are appointed to be the Images of Christ to discover the same things to other men and is not this a great honour therefore you must walk as Christ walked and manifest to the world all those lovely graces and conditions that were transparent in him there be many men that cannot read the Bible to observe Gods and Christs affections and conditions there many will not they care not for it now the Lord therefore in pity to these poore creatures hath ordained you to be living Bibles to manifest to their view what ever in the written word is commended and commanded he would have you alwayes in a visible sort to represent to their eyes himselfe and his Christ by your carriages O therefore behave your selves worthy of the honour 4. Consider that your neglect of duty herein will make you above measure sinfull and answerably distastfull both to God and man God threatned to make the Prophets more vile and contemptible then others because of their unworthy walking in so high a calling and because his Vineyard which hee had honoured with his cost and care from which he expected good brought forth wild Grapes he exposed it to utter râ—ine and desolation and amongst men who cares to live neere a scandalous professor that hath a malicious and a bitter spirit a foul mouth and a railing tongue The Lord deliver me will they say from having dealings with such a one his blowes are more bloudy then other mens they pierce deeper his profession puts a sharpe edge upon a slander and more poyson into it wherefore as the Apostle saies Shall I take the members of Christ and make them the members of a Harlot God forbid so doe thou that art a professor say Shall I take the tongue of Christ and make it the tongue of a railer of a slanderer of an â—vill speaker Shall I take the spirit of Christ and make it the spirit of malice mischiefe and cruelty of sedition rebellion and disobedience Shall I so dishonour and grieve the good spirit of God by which I am sealed to the day of redemption God forbid 5. Consider that by the carefull performance of this yoÌ„ur duty you shall have honour both from God and man He that honours me saies God I will honour and he that confesseth me saies Christ before men I will acknowledge him before my Father Who honours God and confesseth Christ aright but he that imitates Gods and Chrâ—sts conditions we glorifie God and Christ not so much by profession as by imitaton and saies the Wifewan if a mans wayes please the Lord he will make his very enemies to be at peace with him namely at the last the Heathens in the Primitive times by seeing and tasting the sweetnesse of the Christians spirits in their forenamed miseries did cease to persecute them and began to love them and to plead for them or however though in this world you meete with trouble for God and Christs sake whose Image you beare and for the Gospels sake whose spirit you shew yet be of good comfort saies our Saviour for in me you shall have peace peace in the midst of trouble the spirit of the Gospel is the spirit of consolation and a thankfull spirit if you honour that that
FOVRE SERMONS VVHEREIN IS MADE A FOVRE-FOLD DISCOVERY viz. of Ecclesiasticall selfe-seeking A Wisemans carriage in evill times The benefit of Christian patience The right nature and temper of the spirit of the Gospel By EDVVARD SYMONS Minister of Rayâ—e in Essex 1 COR. 4. 2. It is required in Stewards that a man be found faithfull ROM 14. 12. Every one of us shall give account of himselfe to God LONDON Printed by R. C. for Andrew Crooke and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Greene Dragon in Pauls Church-yard 1642. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND TRVLY LOYALL ARTHVR LORD CAPEL Baron of HADDAM my singular good Lord and Patron My Lord I Confesse it might cause wonder that so weake and worthlesse a creature as I am should expose any thing to publike view did not the custome of the present timâ—â— plead a certaine liberty of the Presse even for weaknesse it selfe Three speciall reasons are usually given of divâ—â—lging Sermons in this kind First to helpe and benefit Gods Church and people Secondly to manifest that inward respect which the publishers owe to those Honourable or Worshipfull persons to whom they are dedicated and presented Thirdly to vindicate the truth against the mistakes and traducements of ignorant or ill-affected hearers and truly my Lord these are the reasons that have imboldened my weaknesse thus to discover it selfe in thrusting these following Sermons from my private Cell 1. I know that the wise God doth sometime surther the greatest affaires of his Church by the poore indeavours of his meanest servants and at this time one of the great matters in hand is to reforme the Clergy and to constitute such a Ministry as should only seeke the things of Jesus Christ and he that knowes all hearts can witnesse that mine aime when I preached the first of these did tend to that thing and I now conceived that with Gods providence and blessing the samemight haply at this present afford some under service towards that so pious and necessary a worke And mine indeavours in the second of these were by perswasions out of Gods booke to tie peoples tongues to their good behaviours as I apprehended did become a Minister of Christ to doe in those evill and barking dayes and the conditions of many are still the same they take and keepe to themselves I know not what strange liberty of bold speaking whereby these unsetled times are likely to prove exceeding miserable for evill tongues as they discover evill men so they doe make evill times and therefore I conceived that that Sermon also if it come into some hands and God please to say Amen to my prayers with it may not altogether at this present prove unprofitable or unseasonable And in third mine aimes were when I first uttered it to move my fellow-members and sufferers in the cause of Christ to make use of that soveraigne preservative of patience which experience hath alwayes found to be so truly effectuall against the heavie blowes of potent hands and the smarting wounds of poysonous tongues And I dare boldly say that while sinne and sorrow hath a being upon earth it will never be improper to heare or read a discourse of that subject for we have all at all times yea at this time need of patience nay I dare add further that even your Lordship in the midst of your Honours since you have resolved to follow only the dictate of Gods word and conscience in your walke and way while mens tongues runne at liberty will have occasions sometimes to thinke upon it And in the last of these I have though briefely handled a matter most needfull also I am sure for this present age to be acquainted with it is the right temper and nature of the spirit of the Gospel I preached of it onely to mine owne Parish but I pray for the inlargement of it in all places and I know your Honour and all others that have religious and loyall hearts truly aiming at the Gospels glory and the Kingdomes peace doe in like sort desire the same to the end therefore that I might be a meane to awaken others more able of my profession to make more ample discoveries of it as their duty to God and their Prince commands and these times require I have beene here bold to publish my notes upon that subject also And this my Lord is my first reason 2. My second is to manifect by this occasion to the worlds eye that true inward respect which I acknowledge of long time to have duly owed unto your Lordship your Noble Grandfather of pious memory being quickened by your most friendly solicitation did freely bestow upon mâ— that place of maintenance wherin as yet I have my dwelling upon this sole condition and charge that I should truly labour to winne soules to Christ which godly care of his as it spake him a true friend of Christ so it may expose him for a patterne to all Patrons and your Lordship herein is his true successour so that if these my first fruits of this nature were of any worth I am bound by a double tye to Dedicate them onely to your selfe as to mine ancient Noble friend as to my present Honourable Patron But my Lord there is yet another reason that doth challenge this duty from me of manifesting my selfe unto the world to be your servant and that is this When I was questioned and much menaced for the first of these Sermons and did upon that occasion to the end you might not be mistaken in the cause of my troubles present a copy of it to your view you were pleased upon the reading thereof to proffer your selfe like a true Patron to be my defender in that businesse and you would also make use of all the friends you had in England that was your owne expression in my behalfe rather then I for that matter should suffer dammage Truly my Lord the consideration of that your Noblenesse in being so freely ready to engage your selfe in the cause of Christ for me so mâ—ane a person the times being then so conflicting hath more deepely captivated my heart to your Lordships service then my hand or tongue is able to expresse yea should some crafty Zibaes unhappily so farre prevaile as I hope they never shall against your poore Mephibosheth as to move my Lord in aftertimes to thinke amisse of his servant and as David did to judge him unworthy of former favour yet I would have all men know that of necessity I am bound and therefore must and shall from the remembrance of that your goodnesse for ever honour you And my Lord whither now should that poore wounded Sermon retire her selfe at this her second and more publike appearance whither should shee flie for shelter but onely to that wing which did not disdaine of its owne accord at her first flight to open it selfe unto her in the middest of dangers And behold my Lord she comes unto you and your free
passe not when they have sought themselves in the durt all the week on Saturday in the afternoone they beginne to thinke of seeking Christ or to speake in their owne prophane phrase then they beginne to provide fodder for their cattell or it may be it is Sunday morning before they goe about their Sermon Peradventure some of their wits deserves commendation but to be sure their custome deserves no imitation for make the best of it it is to doe Gods work negligently and cursed be he that doth so Jer. 48. Yea and marke it such men too as their heart on the weeke dayes runnes wholly after their covetousnesse so for the most part doth their tongues upon the Sabbath for what are the mainest points that such men beat most upon in the Pulpit but paiment of Tythes Church duties and plenty of arguments they can produce for the pressure of this point which though a modest man haply hath more cause to use yet he dares not alleadge lest he should give his people occasion to thinke that contrary to Saint Pauls practice he sought theirs more then them It is very true peoples conscience in tything even every where is like some Ministers conscience in preaching it alwayes comes short of duty and yet Brethren let us observe it of all sinnes preaching is least prevailing against this sinne for whatsoever the Minister speakes in this case they will judge to be spoken in his owne case what ever he intends they will taxe him of selfe-seeking for it is a point called Nolime tangere the very touch will infect but to glance in the Pulpit upon the unconscionablenesse of people in this kind is the very next way to spread the contagion such are their natures and constitutions And yet Brethren this is a common place and therfore I may the better speake it and where there is one Lay-man here I would there were a hundred for to heare me but here are the Church-wardens that for the most part are the ringleaders to dishonesty in this kind the Proverb holding true in them The nearer the Church the farther from God so soone as they have taken the Oath of Relation to the Church then will they shew themselves injurious one way or other to the chiefe Churchman and the Devill perhaps perswades them they may doe it that yeare by authority But as I was saying and I pray you be pleased to marke it you of the Laity and tell your neighbours of it when you come at home A Minister may and ought to seeke that which God and the Law hath alotted him for his maintenance and yet be no selfe-seeker but may seeke Christ in it and the soules of you his people in it I warrant you will not beleeve this but I le make it plaine unto you First he seekes Christ in it for Tythes are called Gods portion Mal. 3. 8. the Ministers are but Gods Rent-gatherers and should they faile in their duty in this kind we may well fore-see by the unconscionable conditions of men who above all things love to cheate God of his due that by the next generation Christ would have cause to take up his old complaint The Foxes have holes and the Birds of the aire have nests but the Sonne of man Christ Jesus hath not where to hide his head therefore in seeking their owne dues you see they may be said to seeke Christ even to keepe him in the Land amongst you Then secondly they in this seeke not so much themselves as they doe you their people for marke it wouldst not thou say that that man did chiefely aime at thy good that should bestow all his paines and indeavour to save thee from the Gallowes although he should get to himselfe there by the price for the Halter Why I tell thee of all thefts this is the most dangerous and dunnable when thou doest withold or diminish that which is due to the Ministers of God Now that the curse which God threatens Mal. 3. might not fall upon thee thy Minister lookes more narrowly to receive his dues and it is a part of his duty to thee lest I say thou by his remisnesse shouldst pull the curle upon thine owne head And I pray thee what doth hee get by it even the price of a two peny halter for thy Tythes and thy dues which thou payest to him are but as of that value in respect of thy soule the whole world is nothing in comparison of that saies Christ and I hope thou wilt not deny it if thou lovest thy soule But indeed Brethren this is the truth of it people doe not love their owne soules it appeares in this of all men they doe not care for him that hath the charge of their soules it goes most against the stomachs of many of them to doe him a common courtesie Any Lay-man shall have better dealings with them and shall receive better Tythes from them where Lay-men doe receive them then he that hath the charge of their soules yea any other Minister any Lecturer shall have their affections and it may be sometimes their monies too but their owne Pastor that hath the charge of their soules though he be never so carefull and painfull for their good shall not get so much as his dues of them Nay which is more strange yet if a Lecturer doth but turne Pastor and take the charge of soules upon him it is the very next way to lose many of the peoples loves which haply before he did injoy and this some Lecturers fore-see well enough and therefore refuse to take any such charge upon them But what is the reason that people in this sort affect not him that hath the charge over their soules when as the Apostle also commands it so expressely but even because they doe not love their owne soules But Brethren I would you would but seriously in your retired thoughts thinke upon that charge of the Apostle Heb. 13. 17. and read over with due consideration that place in the third of Malachi where Tythes are called Gods portion and where the curse is threatned to light upon those that retaine them and a gracious blessing is promised to all the rest of their substance to the free willing and liberall payers of them I say if you would but consider well of those two places it would never goe so against your stomachs to doe your Minister a common courtesie nor would you ever thinke ill of him for looking after that which belongs unto him nor would you ever put him off with the riffe-raffe of your things as the worst fleece the least sheafe and the like nor in your bargaining with him for your Tythes would you desire to get a drinking penny as you call it by him which according to the ballance of your owne consciences if you can shall be at least halfe in halfe no nor would you ever thinke you did wrong the Countrey in giving God his due in