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A09445	Of the calling of the ministerie two treatises, discribing the duties and dignities of that calling. Delivered publickly in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge, by Maister Perkins. Taken then from his mouth, and now dilligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word with a preface prefixed touching the publishing of Maister Perkins his workes, & a catalogue of all such particulars thereof, as are to bee expected.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Crashaw, William, 1572-1626.	1605 (1605)	STC 19733; ESTC S102894	75,919	204

behold how thou art beholden to a godly Minister who when Adam had lost both himselfe and thee that Iewell of righteousnesse which was and is the whole wealth of thy soule can truly tell thee where it is and howe it is to be had againe and who when the deuill haleth thee to the barre of gods iustice to receaue triall for thy sinnes can drawe thee there such a declaration as the deuill himselfe shall not bee able to answere and who when thy soule is sicke to death euen to damnation can heale the deadly wounds thereof A good Minister therefore is worthy as the Apostle saith of double honour whose duty we see is to declare vnto man his righteousnesse And to conclude this point also the consideration of the height of this office of a Minister may encourage fathers to dedicate their sonnes to this holy calling for the Phisitions care for the body or the Lawyers for thy cause are both inferior duties to this of the Minister A good Lawyer may be one of te●●e a good Phisition one of 20. a good man one of 100. but a good Minister is one of a 1000. A good Lawyer may declare the true state of thy cause a good Phisition may declare the true state of thy body No calling no man can declare vnto thee thy righteousnesse but a true Minister And thus wee see the office or function of a Minister Now followeth the blessing Then will he haue mercy vppon him The fourth generall part of this discription is the blessing which God giueth to the labours and function of a true Minister then that is when a man by the preaching of the lawe is brought to true humiliation and repentance and by the preaching of the Gospell to true faith in the Messias then wil hee that is God haue mercy on him that is on the penitent and beleeuing sinner Behold heere the admirable simpathy and the cooperation of God and the Ministers office Man preacheth and God blesseth Man worketh on the hart and God giues grace a Minister declares vnto man his righteousnesse and God saith so be it he shall be righteous a Minister pronounceth mercy to a penitent sinner and forthwith God hath mercy on him Heere we see the great and glorious account which God makes of the word of his Ministers by them truly taught and rightly applied namely that he as it were tieth his blessing vnto it for ordinarily till a man knowe his righteousnesse by the meanes of an Interpreter God hath not mercy on him but as soon as he doth knowe it then as wee see heere God will haue mercy on him and wil say deliuer him c. This is no small honour to Ministers to their Ministerie that God himselfe giues a blessing vnto it and worketh when they worke and as it were stayeth waiting when they declare vnto a man his righteousnesse and then hath he mercy on him so powerfull and so effectuall is the word spoken by a Minister of God This is that which Christ auoucheth whatsoeuer you binde in earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer you loose in earth shall bee loosed in h●auen Will you knowe the meaning heereof read Saint Iohn whose sinnes soeuer you remit they are remitted whose you retaine they are retained will they haue the meaning of both read Esay God destroyeth the tokens of Sou●● sayers and makes v●sards and Astrologers Fooles ●●●neth worldly wisemen backward and makes their knowledge foolishnes but he confirmeth the word of his seruants and performeth the counsell of his Messengers Thus God bindeth and looseth with them remitteth and retaineth with them by confirming their word and performing their counsell for example A true Minister seeth a sinner hardned in his sins and stil rebelling against the will of God he therefore declareth vnto him his vnrighteousnes his sinne denounceth vnto him the miseries curses of Gods iustice as due vnto him for the same heere he binds on earth here he retaines on earth this mans sins are likewise bound and retained in heauen On the other side he seeth a man peniten● and belieuing hee pronounceth forgiuenes of sins happines vnto him for the same he looseth him from the band of his sinnes by declaring vnto him his righteousnes this mans sinnes are likewise loosed remitted in heauen and God himselfe doth pronounce him cleere in heauen when the Minister doth on earth Thus God confirmeth the word of his seruaunts and performeth the counsell of his Messengers The vse of this doctrine is first for Rulers and great men of this worlde this may teach them to be nursing Fathers nursing Mothers vnto the Church whose authority they see is so great ouer them as that their decree stands ratified in heauen Therefore though their place be great they be Gods vpon earth yet must they withall acknowledge that in iustifying a sinner in interpretation in declaring vnto man his righteousnes in binding loosing their power also is immediate from God aboue theirs and they themselues as they are men must submit themselues to this powerfull word of the Ministers to be taught by it and to be reconciled by meanes of it and highly must they receiue it for though a man speake it yet is it the word of God this is to licke the dust of Christs feete which the Porphet speaketh of not as the Pope would haue it to hold the stirrop and lead the horse and hold the water to the Pope to kisse his toes to hold their kingdoms of him as tenants at will or by curtesie but reuerently to acknowledge the ordinance to be Gods the function and duty to be high and excellent to acknowledge the power of their keyes censures being rightly applied their promises their threatnings to be as from God and to submit to them accordingly Secondly Ministers themselues here must learne when they take the word of reconciliation into their hands and mouthes to call to mind whose it is euen the Lords and that hee worketh with them hath the greatest hand in the work and that therfore they must vse it in holy maner with much feare reuerence It is not theyr owne they may not vse it as th●y list And lastly Hearers are heere taught first ●o see how mad such men be which carelesly ●nd fildome heare sermons but vpon any oc●asion fly to wisards and charmers which are ●he deuils prophets for see the difference of ●hese two the wisard and charmer hath socie●ie with the deuill the Preacher with God the ●harmer hath his calling from the deuill the Preacher his from God the charmers charme 〈◊〉 the deuils watchword when he charmeth the deuil doth the feare the Preachers doctrine is Gods watchword when hee truly applyeth it GOD himselfe ratifieth and makes it good wherefore let all men feare to haue thus to doe with the deuill by seeking to his slaues let them

OF THE CALling of the Ministerie two Treatises discribing The Duties and Dignities of that Calling DELIVERED PVBlickly in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge by Maister Perkins Taken then from his mouth and now dilligently perused and published by a Preacher of the word With a preface prefixed touching the publishing of Maister Perkins his works a Catalogue of all such particulars thereof as are to bee expected 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a man so thinke of vs as of the Ministers of Christ and disposers of the secrets of God Imprinted at London by I. R. for Willliam Welby and are to be sold at his shop in Paules-Churchyard at the signe of the Grayhound 1605. To the Right Worshipfull Sir Edward Cooke Knight his Maiesties Attorney Generall and Sir Thomas Heskith Knight Attorney of his Highnes Court of Wardes liueries and one of his Maiesties Honourable Counsell in the North two of Gods principall Attorneyes in the Cause of true Religion Grace and peace from Iesus Christ. RIght Worshipfull giue mee leaue to put you both in one Epistle whō one seruice one place one profession one order one Religion haue so neerely combined As you are Brethren many waies and especially in the profession practise of one Religion so vouchsafe to be ioynt Patrons of this little after-birth this faetus posthumus of that vvorthy man Ma. Perkins now deceased I send you heere one of the shortest and one of the sweetest of his Treatises had it been as well brought foorth by me as it ws begot by him it had beene a child not vnwoorthy of so great a father but seeing it is now as a fatherles child be you the Tutors to this Orphane at whose hands Orphanes and Wards haue euer been well vsed The father whilst he liued was a shining light in this our Church and beeing dead is a shining starre in heauen for he turned manie to righteousnes and his doctrine will shine in Christian Churches vvhilst the sunne shineth vppon the earth The subiect of this Treatise is the Ministerie whereof are layde downe the duties dignities And well dooth he couple these two together for some can challenge the dignities of the Ministerie and cunningly cast the duties frō theyr shoulders others performe the duties but are kept from the dignities dulle belonging to that calling but as hee that will doe the duties may iustly challenge the dignities so he that will expect the dignities must doe the duties of a Minister therefore in this building these two beames are in great wisdome well set together by this wise Maister builder and so closelie coupled as the idle or ambitious man cannot looke at the dignities but he must withal behold the duties nor the painful laborious man see his dutie but withal shal see the dignitie thereto belonging And surely Right Worshipfull none might better haue written of this subiect then he for who may more worthily describe the dignities of the Ministerie then he who neither by doctrine nor conuersation was euer the least disgrace vnto his Ministerie or who may better challenge the honour of his calling then he who was euer an honour to his calling And vvho might better teach the duties of the Ministerie then hee who so discharged them as Enuie it selfe cannot iustly reproue and the enemies thēselues cannot but commend and who may better teach them to others then he that carefully practised thē in his owne person And as none could be a fitter Author of this discourse then he so not many fitter Patrons then your selues not many in your profession better schollers nor any that better loue schollers then your selues you are some of those few in this wicked age who willingly yield all dignities and due reuerence to such Ministers as you see willingly to discharge the duties of good Ministers Well would it be with the Ministerie of England and the better with it the better with England if all as great as you vvere as great friends to it as you And if the Papists except and say how can this be for that you haue beene persecuters of their Priests let me answere once for you who often aunswere for many distressed men they persecute you with slander that say you persecuted thē but be content to beare your part in popish slanders with our Prince and state our Counsellers Clergie our Parliaments and Lawes for none of these haue escaped these viperous tongues for though you haue executed the lawes vpon some of them in your seuerall places yet not with sharpnes nor seueritie but with mercifull iustice and that also not as they were Priests but Plotters Practisers subuerters and seducers and as they vvere Priests you sought their reformation not their ruine And if they who can hardlie discharge themselues from beeing Priests of Baal haue had but iustice and that also tempered with mercy it shewes how good regard you haue and howe much you esteeme all good and faithfull Ministers which are Gods Interpreters In a word if all our Ministers were such as this Treatise describeth or came but as neere it as the Author hereof did if all our great ones did vse esteeme good Ministers as you do we should then soone pull the Ministerie frō vnder that foote of contempt with which this prophane age doth daily tread vpon it The Church of Rome who are farre wiser in theyr kinde then the children of light haue taken other strange courses to magnifie the Clergie They teach that the state Ecclesiasticall is so far more excellent then the Ciuile as the sunne is then the moone that not in spirituall onely for that we deny not but in temporall power pompe estate and that therefore the Chiefe of their Clergie is as farre aboue the mightiest Emperour as the sunne is aboue the moone and as the moone borroweth her light from the sunne so doth the Emperour his state and power from the Pope They teach that the Clergie is a state so distinct so absolute of it selfe as it hath not to do with the Ciuile state yea they exempt their Clergie from beeing any vvay subiect to the temporall Magistrate And though their crimes be neuer so many or monstrous yet the Prince or ciuile authoritie hath nothing to do to take notice thereof much lesse to punnish them herevpon great volumes are written and many Acts and decrees are made in theyr Cannon Law De exemptione Clericorum They extoll their Clergie aboue the Temporaltie allowing the Priests both Breade and Wine in the Sacrament but leauing the Laitie bread alone They make them in their Masse Mediators betwixt Christ God the Father Creators of their Creator and Redeemer when and as often as themselues list And finally they send for the most part all their Clergie immediatly to heauen without let wheras all the Temporalty except Martyrs must passe by Purgatory Here are great buildings but on a sandy foundation goodly Castles but built in the ayre if

these deuises vvere of God they would certainly stand but their long tottring threatens a suddaine fall Contrariwise our Church or rather the corruption of our Church by auoyding this Scilla haue falne into Charibdis by auoyding one extremitie haue falne into the other by taking too much dignity authority frō our Ministerie by laying too much pouerty contempt and basenes vppon it It were a worke worth the labour of the wisest heads to put downe the true meane betwixt both extreames vvorth 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 Treatise may hap to giue som light directions therein or at least may encourage stir vp their harts in vvhose 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 particuler respects though that be much as for that I know you both to be of 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 salaries but to haue certaine sufficient maintenance proportionable to theyr 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 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 hetherto 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 easilie 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 be 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 will euer rest Your Worships in the Lord W. Crashawe To the Christian Reader and Especially to all such as haue any Coppies of the workes of Maister Perkins or intend any of them to the Presse FOrasmuch as there hath beene lately signification made of diuers of Maister Perkins his workes heereafter to bee printed in an Epistle to the Reader praemised before the Treatise of callings and that signification beeing but generall might peraduenture giue occasion to some to set out some particulars without the consent of Maister Perkins his assignes as imperfectly as are these two bookes intituled The Reformation of couetousnesse The practise of faith iustly and truly for ought that I see censured in the aforesaid Epistle It is therefore now thought good to mention the particular Treatises and workes of his which shall heereafter if God will be published for the benefit of Gods Church I doe therefore heereby make knowne to all whom it any way may concerne that there were found in the studie of the deceased and are in the hands of his Executors or assignes and preparing for the Presse 1 His Expositions on the Epistle ●● the Galathians 2 on the Epistle of Iude. 2 His Booke of the Cases of Conscience 3 His Treatises 1 of Wi●chcraft 2 of Callings All these he had perused himselfe and made them ready for the presse according to which coppies by himselfe so corrected some of them already are and the rest will be published in due time And heereuppon we desire all men who haue coppies of these or any of them not to offer that wrong to that worthy man of God as to publish any of their owne seeing the coppies heereof which are to bee printed are of his owne correcting but rather if they can helpe to make any of them more perfect by their coppies they may therein doe a good worke to the benefit of many and much comfort to themselues And further I doe heereby make knowne that I haue in my hands at this present of his workes taken from his mouth with my owne hand heereafter if God will to bee published with the allowance of our Church and for the benefit of his children these particulars 1 His Expositions or readings on the 110 Psalme 2 On the 32 Psalme 3 On the 11 Chapter to the Hebrewes 4 on the 1 2 3 Chapters of the Reuelation 5 on the 5 6 and 7 Chapters of Saint Mathew 2 His Confutation of Camsius his little Popish Catechisme 3 His Treatises 1 of Imaginations out of Genes 8 2. 2 of Temptations out of Mathew 4. 3 of Christian Equity out of Phillip 4 3. 4 of the Callings of the Ministerie out of 2 places of Scripture 5 of Repentance out of Zephaniah 2 1. Besides many other particular Sermons and short discourses made vpon seuerall and speciall occasions of all which seme are alreadie published by others and some by my selfe and all the rest that remaine as they be the Iewels of Gods Church so doe I willingly dedicate them to the publicke and generall good Iudging it were a foule sinne in me or any other to impropriate to our selues or our owne priuate vse the labours of This or any other learned man which are in my opinion parts of the Treasurie of the militant Church And as it were wrong to the Church if I should conceale them so doubtlesse were it to him and his children if I should publish them for my owne alone and not for their benefit If I doe I thinke it may bee iustly sayd vnto me or whosoeuer doth so Thy monie perish with thee And what heerein I haue sayd for my selfe I knowe I may boldly and safely say for those his Executors or assignes which haue or had in their hands any of those which were found in his study In the publishing of all which as we doe intend to deale truly with the Christian Reader and not to commit any thing to the presse which hath not either beene written or corrected by the Author himselfe or faithfully penned according to the truest coppies taken from his owne mouth and since by others of sufficiency integritie diligently perused so we purpose to referre them to the benefit of the Authors wife and children as much as may be wishing that vpon this caueat man would not be so hastie as some haue beene to commend to the world their vnperfect notes vppon a base desire of a little gaine both to hinder the common good of the Church and to defraude the sayd parties of their

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 al Gods seruants to doe the like and to imitate them in this excellent obedience And the rather because wee pray dayly to God Thy will bee 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 cheerefully and without all lingring therefore so ought we Magistrates in their places and Ministers in theirs and euery man is his functiō is to apply this to himselfe and to be stirred vp thereby to a cheerfulnesse and quicknesse in their duties for therein they resemble the blessed angels then their deeds accord with their prayer but contrarywise he that doth his dutie vnwillingly and vnreadily is like the Diuel which indeed doth Gods will and yet against his will and surely vnto such obedience there belongeth no reward But as God loueth a cheerfull giuer so doubtlesse loues he 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 readinesse 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 and Ministers must learne to be farre from contempt of their inferiours and to doe their duties of ruling and teaching carefully though the people be farre their inferior● it is the nature of loue to make any man do seruice most willingly to him that he loues though he bee 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 be like the angels who are as 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 vpō and will make themselues euen seruants to all that they may winne some And seeing angles do 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 angel● flye to doe them seruice so shall Gods angels thinke their diligence and carefull seruice well bestowed vpon them Lastly this diligence of the angels and their willingnesse proceeding frō loue must stirre vp al Christians to performe all duties of godlinesse to God and 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 be like the angels in diligence loue faithfulnesse in this world The Wiseman saith He that is slouthfull in his businesse is good for nothing but the diligent man shall stand before the King And surely he that is willing and 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 Angell vsed A coale fr●m 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 worke 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 means but he wil vse meanes And what a weake meanes nay a meanes that seemes contrary A coale of fire must touch his lippes that which in all reason would haue made him speake worse by Gods appointment and the power of his word shall make him speake better Out of which practise of God we learn many points First see how God magnifieth meanes hee can worke without them and so he did in the Creation giuing light to the world diuers dayes before there was Sunne but since the order of nature was established hee generally vseth meanes not onely in his ordinarie but euen in his miraculous actions and though hee vse not alwayes the ordinarie and direct meanes yet meanes hee generally vseth though they seeme contrary as heere in this place and the same will bee found true in almost all the miracles both of the Old and New Testament This therefore commends vnto all men the vse of such good meanes as Gods prouidence hath ordained of any duties or effecting of any thing that doth belong vnto vs to doe and not to depend vppon immediate helpes from Heauen as many fonde and fantasticall men doe who are therefore oftentimes iustly forsaken of GOD and left destitute of all helpe and so exposed to shame and reproach Secondly see here the mightie power of Gods ordinance how it appeareth in weakenesse such are all his great workes In the Creation hee brought light out of darknesse In our Redemption hee brought vs life out of death In our Conuersions hee workes vpon vs by his Worde and by it hee drawes vs to him which in all reason would driue vs from him and by it confounds the wisedome of the worlde which is starke foolishnesse to the wisedome of the Lord. And so heere hee cleanseth the Prophet by a Coale of fire which would rather defile him and seasoneth his mouth with it which in reason should haue burnd him so great so admirable and so powerfull are the ordinances of GOD though they seeme neuer so contrarie or so weake in themselues or in their meanes Let this teach al men not to contemne the Sacraments though the outward Elements Bread Wine and Water bee weake and common and dead creatures in themselues nor the Ministerie of the Word though it bee exercised by a weake man mortall and miserable as others are for that God which can season the Prophets mouth and clense his heart by a coale of fire no maruell though hee worke vppon the consciences of men by his word and Sacraments And againe when we see Grace and Holinesse conueyed into mens hearts by the Word and Sacraments let vs learne not to ascribe it to the dignitie either of the Minister or the Elements but to the supreme power of the mighty God who can purge the Prophet by a coale from the Altar Neither is it altogether without Misterie that God here sanctifieth the Prophet by touching his lippes with a fierie coale for it signifieth that the apt and sufficient teacher must haue a fierie