Gospell as Starres in the right hand of Christ then B what ioyfull prayse should fill the hearts and mouthes of that people whose eyes are blessed with the light of these Starres when the morning light appeares it teares off that mourning garment of sorrow which the Sable night had cast upon the body of the Earth The time was when the darkest night might have shewed you som similitude but no equality unto that dismall spirituall darknesse which tyranniz'd over our whole Nation Alas what joy could the Aegyptians have in their pleasant Land what comfort could Pharaoh take on his stately throne when palpable darkenesse clouded their faces But since the Starres of CHRIST sent from Heaven which at the first found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Chrysostome speakes a Land full of the workes of hellish darkenes by the preaching of the Gospell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they have turned it into a lightsome Heaven How can their hearts bee voyd of joy which were once darke and are now light How should their mouthes be voyd of the sweetest tunes of prayse and thanksgiving which were once closed up with the silence of ignorance but are now opened with the beames of saving knowledge Hierâ—nym â— Vigil Hierome tells Vigilantius that the Christians in his time were wont to light up Candles at the reading of the Gospell ad ad laetitiae signum demonstrandum to hang forth a signe of their joy We little consider the darknes of our fore-Fathers in that night of former ignorance if we cannot rejoyce when the Starres of Christ cast upon us the rayes of his glorious Gospell It was the conceit of Aristotle that if the Angells should cease moving those Caelestiall Orbes men on Earth could not be able to moove a hand or foot How could we moove the least finger with any joy should the Angells of the Churches cease their spirituall motions whereby they convey that light of comfort to dispell the darkenesse of our greatest sorrowes Chrysostome in one of his Epistles reports of the Taurocilicians Chrysost in Epâ—st that they came about him in his banishment with weeping eyes and said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It had beene better that the Sunne should have withdrawne her beames then that the mouth of Chrysostome should have beene stopt with silence better it were B that the Sunne of all the earthly joyes should dissolve into nothing then that the light of these spirituall Starres should be withdrawne from you Micah thought there was cause enough to grieve when his God and his Priest were departed from him Iudges 18.24 Judges 18 24. Yee have taken away my gods and the priest and yee are gone away and what have I more What is this that yee say unto mee what ayleth thee We need not aske a people what ayleth them we need not demand a cause of their bitter lamentation when God shall depart from them by taking away those heavenly Starres which were wont to shine upon them with the splendor of saving truth What have they more to comfort them in the midst of such sorrowes The light of the Starres which in the nights darkenesse are our best comforts will quickly vanish at the arising Sunne In the night of this present world your chiefe happinesse flowes from the Starres in Christs Hand When indeed the Sunne of Righteousnesse shall appeare in the morning of the Resurrection there will be no more need of these lesser lights * Num. 27.21 Ephâ—d 1. Sam. 30. When once yee arrive at Canaan the clearer glasse of a more divine light the Deity better then the Priests Urim shall represent things to the view in bigger letters but whilst yee travayle thorough the Wildernesse of this world your eyes should be continually fixt on the Law of God in the mouth of his Ministers these pillars of fire to guide you in your rightest way Those which labour amongst you in word and doctrine account them worthy of double honour is the Apostles precept Honor subsidium is Hieromes interpretation The honour of your hearts the helpe of your maintenance is the reward due unto the labours of these Starres When we looke upon the manners of our dayes they give us cause to complaine with Nazianzen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Minister is now is now become a bare empty title Orat. 1. as if there were no honour due unto his function The greatest sort love indeed that language of that Grecians in Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To reverence the Priest Iliad 5 in tuit and receive his gifts Their fayre presents and large gifts may procure them some respect whereas otherwise Reverence should be no companion to their persons Bede informes us that the time was when the rarity of preaching had taught our fore-fathers such an esteem of Gods Ministers that when the Bishop of the Province did at any time send one of his Presbyters or Ministers amongst them they flocked about him with greatest joy Et ut Deum venerabantur and worshipped him as a god sent from Heaven Were the Sun-shine of the Gospell a little with holden from you ye would soon learne a higher account of the Ministers which like the light of the Sunne the more common the lesse esteemed And with the honour of your hearts you must adjoyne also the helpe of your Purses for the maintenance of these Starres It was the conceite of the ancient Naturalists that the coelestiall Starres are fed with exhalations arising from the Earth as a supply of Oyle unto those heavenly Lampes which shine for the good of this inferior world Sure we are these spirituall Starres must bee nourished with a supply of your maintenance for whose eternall well-fares they spend their best strength If we sowe unto you our spirituall light is it any great thing if wee reape your temporalls The blind Aegyptians were so devoute as not to suffer the bitter famine to compell their Priests to sell their Land 1 Cor. 9.11 And shall such pinching famine fall upon the Ministers of the Gospell in some places that they must be compelled to selâ— not their Lands of that they have none But their bookes and study-furniture to buy them food When the devotions of men in the dayes of Constantine had inriched the Church with large endowments there was a voyce heard from Heaven if we may believe Nauclerus Hodiè Venenum infusum in Ecclesiam This day is poyson dropt into the Church I am sure a farre worse poyson is spread in the hearts of many they can turne the Churches patrimony left by their Fathers devotion into a monopoly of their owne possessions Our age is full of such Dionysius's which are willing to robbe the Church of her golden Coate least it should make her proud they thinke a woollen garment will keepe her warme enough and make her humble Gods Ministers are fallen under the power of such cruell taskemasters that the tale of brick is expected without diminution and little or no Straw is left to worke with The woefull experience of many families hath made it a true observation that the Eagle seldome or never steales a piece of flesh from Gods Altar but shee carries a coale along with it which sets her nest on fire howsoever the glorious Sun-shine of their instant prosperity may make some ready to thinke that in earnest which Dionysius in Lactantius speakes in jest unto his companions Videtisne quà m prospera sacrilegis navigatio ab ipsis diis immortalib tribuatur You see how the Gods blesse sacrilegious persons with the pleasant wind of a prosperous navigation The sweetnesse of the Glebe distempers their palates that they cannot judge of the bitternesse of the sinne Their present felicity makes them thinke sacriledge a blessing and not a curse Yet sure we are Heaven and Earth shall sooner passe away then the least 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Gods Word shall faile It is a snare to the man that devoureth Holy things Prov. 20.25 Pro. 20.25 How many soules will cry out for vengeance against them when as God tells those extortioners Ieremy 2.38 in their skirts in their broad wings and golden lace is found the bloud of poore innocents Gen. 9.4 Levit. 17.12.13 14. The old Law thought it not fit that Gods people should eate the bloud of any beast Surely the Gospell will never judge it lawfull that Christians should feed and cloath themselves with the bloud of soules Therefore B it will be your best wisdome to walke worthy of the light of these Starres whilst yee doe injoy them Esay 22.1 least God in his just displeasure should remove them out of our golden Candlesticke We see that the Starres above keepe no one continuall place in our Hemispheare the evening shewes them in the West and the morning finds them in the East These spirituall Starres are in the right hand of Christ the hand fittest for motion He may quickly send them to enlighten those Eastern parts which were once light shining with a glorious light when we our selves sate in darknes â—nd in the shadow of death Esa 22.1 our valley of vision may be soone covered with the darknesse of our former ignorance if we begin to contemne the Starreâ— whence our light proceeds All your happinesse comes by the light of the Gospell therfore you may well bestow the honour and the maintenance upon these Starres in the Right hand of Christ And now if the time would give leave I should crave your attentions unto the Orbe where these Starres are scituate Dextrâ Christi that there you might behold their honour and their safety The right hand is the place of chiefest honour and of greatest strength to defend our friends It is no small honour to these spirituall Starres that they are with Bathsheba placed at the right hand of Salomon 1 Kings 2.19 And they shall ever finde sufficient strength in this hand to defend and protect them safe from the close-contrived projects of their wisest enemies But I must not be unmindefull of the other occasions therefore let us desire of God a blessing upon the word heard that after our daies in the Kingdome of grace we may be placed as Happy Starres on the right hand of Christ in glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS
THE SHEPHEARDS STARRE OR THE MINISTERS GVIDE By Richard Bayly late Minister of Crawley in Sussex Dan. 12.3 They that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the Firmament and they that turne many to righteousnesse as the Starres for ever and ever LONDON Printed by E. G. for Iohn Rothwell at the Sun in S. Pauls-Church-yard 1640. Concio ad Clerum THE SHEPHEARDS STARRE OR THE MINISTERS GUIDE Textus Apocalypsis Cap. 1. Vers 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And hee bad in his hand Seven Starres MOst of the parcells of the booke of God like the River whose waters issued out of the Sanctuary doe sometimes runne with a more shallow streame where the weakest eye may finde a bottome Sometimes againe they fall into deeper channells above the reach of the tallest heads Only this last love-token which Christ bequeathed unto his Church with some other parts of divine writ are as the maine Ocean full of nothing but deeper mysteries where the highest Elephant may Swimme they are not for Lambes to wade in S. Hierome no sooner viewes this Sea but he thinkes he may safely say Tot Sacramenta quot verba The Apocalypse containes as many mysteries as words But S. Austine somewhat mitigates the Apprehension of such difficulty In Apocalypsi multa obscurè dicuntur ut mentem legentis exerceant Many things are here involued in a cloud of obscurity that the minde of the Reader might be exercised with greater diligence The deeper search of a more industrious hand may find out those Gemmes and mines of Gold which the slothfull eye cannot discerne upon the surface of the ground The difficulty of these abstruser truthes made some in * Vide Don Ep. in Euse Et Hier. ep ad Cardâ—n those primitive times of the Church unjustly to thrust them out of the Canon of their Faith Nazianzene Catal. Slci Sure we are Christ never sent this orientall Pearle as Primasius calls it his last present unto his Spouse that she should keepe it under the key of silence and concealement In the beginning of the prophesie we are invited by a blessing pronounced to them that reade it and in the end a speciall command is layd upon Iohn seale not up the sayings of this booke Cap. 22.10 Cap 22.10 Search them then we may with the more deliberate judgements of sober minds but not with the rawer phansies of immature heades Iohn Christ would have his beloved Disciple to out-live the rest of the Apostles that in his older age he might reveale these darker secrets unto Gods Church It is for the gravest yeares and ripest heads to dive into the Sea of these hidden Revelations Yet when the Spirit of God himselfe shall please to be our Pilot we need not feare the Rockes of errours younger eyes may have light enough to see what these seven Starres are in the right hand of Christ when the spirit itselfe tells us C. 1. Ver. the last The seven Starres are the Angels of the seven Churches What these Angels are the whole body of expositors will speake out of the mouthes of Primasius and Rupertus The Bishops of the seven Churches of Asia Et eorum nomine praesules totius Ecclesiae Spirituales and in their name the spirituall Governours and Ministers of the whole Church these are the Starres in the right hand of Christ Ap. I could wish some Starre of greater magnitude then my selfe unworthy of the honour of this title were now confin'd within this Orbe to cast upon you the rayes of his more divine and deeper knowledge It were fitter for my selfe to be a hearer then a speaker in this grave assembly Only give me leave to make my apology for that which superiour power hath pleased to impose in those words of Saint Hierome unto Julian Epist ad Iulianum Athletae suis incitatorib fortiores sunt tamen monet debilior ut pugnet is qui fortior â—st The wisedome of your Candid well tempered judgements shall make me thinke that you will judge no Starre too meane to leade you unto Christ this Sonne of man in that Text Qui habebat in dextrâ suâ stellas septem who had in his right hand seven Starres Which words will yeeld themselves divided into these two parts First Divis that appellation or title given seven Starres Secondly the scituation or orbe wherein they move the right Hand of Christ First of that first the Appellation Seven Starres To descant on the number Seven is more fit for Pythagoras his schoole then a divine Pulpit It was ever held the number of perfection and surely noe small part of the worlds perfection lies in these Starres It may be sufficient for us to know that under that finite number here expressed is included the whole company of the Preachers and Ministers of the Gospell These are the Starres in the right Hand of Christ Quare Stellae If you please to lend me your attentions in the drawing of eight lines you may behold your selves running parallell with that caelestiall Starre Quare Stellae Octo ratio ves Prima as your compleatest patterne First the Starres are ordained to give light unto the world in the nights darkenesse The Ministers of Christ also are appointed to dispell the darknes of this present night of ignorance by the splendour of their Heavenly doctrine which must resemble the light of the Starres in these two respects Primum Membrum primae Rationis First the Starres shine with no other borrowed light then that which comes from the Sunne their fountaine and all the light of the Ministers doctrine must be such as is derived from the Sunne of righteousnesse Aretas observes that the Holy Ghost hath called the Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Apocalypsc 1.12 v. Candlestickes and not Candles they have noe proper light in themselves but are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Charriots only to convey the light which is derived from above Wee know the Candlesticke is the proper seate of Candles and not of Starres And yet the Ministers of Christ which shine in these golden Candlestickes must be called Starres and not Candles For the light of a Candle is drossie and impute borrowed from this inferior Earth But the Ministers doctrine must be like the more pure and heavenly splendour of the Starres such as is derived from the Sunne of righteousnes When Moses and Aron are joyned Commissioners in Gods Embassadge unto Pharaoh they must speake no other words then God shall put into their mouthes Exod. 4.15 Balaams first speech smelt of the condition of a true Prophet had he kept himselfe to his own words If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold I cannot goe beyond the Word of the Lord my God to doe lesse or more Numb 22.18 Num. 22.18 The people may desier good Micaias mouth to learne the language to utter words like the words of one of the false Prophets and to speake that
Sheep 1 Peter 5.8 though his Mr. should not grant him pardon yet saith Chrys it s but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his purse may redeem the losse Chrys de Sacerd. lib. 2 Only those which are entrusted with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reasonable flocke of Christ if the Sheepe perish through their default the punishment extends beyond the purses reach to the losse of their dearest soules If a maÌ„ had the bloud of Christ in a Violl coÌ„mitted to his charge how chary would he be in the keeping of so rich a Pearle We have saith Bernard the soules of men committed to our charge Ezek. 3.18 more deare unto Christ then his own soule and shall we be carelesse keepers of such pretious Jewells Surely B the danger cannot be small which hangs over the neglect of those which watch over soules as they that must give account as the Apostle speakes Heb. 13.17 Heb. 13.17 Such was Chrysostomes apprehension of this danger that he professeth of himselfe in his sixth booke de Sacerdotio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He could never reade or thinke of that giving account but it fill'd his heart with feare and his joynts with trembling The bitter judgements of God upon some have made them feele the smart of this truth Euseb lib. 8. cap. 22. Eusebius observes in his eighth booke That it fell as a part of divine Justice upon some Ministers in the persequution of Dioclesian that for their not taking heed to the flock of Christ whereof the Holy Ghost had made them overseers Acts 20.28 they were made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 keepers of Camells instead of pastors of Christs sheepe Lutherus de Canonico Erphordiensi And Luther speakes of one whose unfaithfulnesse in his Ministeriall function made his dying tongue to tast the Gall of that bitter wish O utinam fuissem omni vitâ meâ subulci famulus I shall never wish that any in this assembly may ever have cause to give the English of this harsh Latine What sudden shame will cover the faces of some at the last day when Christ shall demand of them as Iohn the Evangelist did of that Bishop in Eusebius whose remisse care had been the ruine of the young man committed to his custody Age depositum nobis redde where are those many soules deposed into your hands and lost under your carelesse soule-starving education If the warmest bloud in our hearts were dissolved into droppes of sweate it were not too much to gaine soules Aron was to weare the names of the Children of Israel on the breast-plate of judgment upon his heart Exodus 18.29 The care of his peoples soules can never sit too neare the heart of a good Minister He must be willing to learne Pauls language to the Galathians 4.19 Gal. 4.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to carry his people in the secret wombe of dearest affections and feele no lesse then the throes of a woman in travayle till Christ be formed in the hearts of his hearers Such was the care of good Luther Lutherus If waiting on my Ministery all my dayes saith he I could gaine but one soule Eo contentus Deo gratias agerem content with that as a sufficient reward of all my paines I would give God the thankes For were a man able to see the beauty of a soule as Catharina Senensis a religious woman once spake Centies in die pro illius salute subiret mortem Siquis videre posset pulchritudinem unius animae Catharina Senensis Hee would not thinke a hundred deathes in one day too much to save one soule Howsoever B this be our portion in the short night of this present world to be in continuall motion like the Starres or herein rather like the Candle Alciats emblem of a minister to wast and consume our selves in giving light unto others yet there will bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Theodorete calls it elegantly Orat. â—rima de provid A day without an evening that shall never end in the darknesse of any sorrow this shall sufficiently recompence our greatest paines when as the silke Worme having spent and work't out our selves we shall end in the soft silke of eternall happinesse Mat. 5.12 Our Master bids us rejoyce in this great shall be our reward in Heaven Dan. 12.1 when those which turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the Starres in glory Si labor terret merces invitet saith Bernard Bernard If the labour of our Ministeriall duty affright us yet let the greatnesse of reward encourage us to be like the Starres in the restlesse and unwearyed motion of our spirituall function Fifthly Ratio 5. the caelestiall Starres keepe their continuall motion within the circuit of their Heavenly Orbes The Starres in Christs Hand should have their conversation in Heaven farre remote from these earthly vanities Their lifes should flourish like the Palme-Tree Psa 92.12 as the Psalmist speakes of which Tree S. Gregory observes that shee growes least in the body or truncke neare the Earth and biggest in her boughes which are nearer Heaven Our affections should be like the fashion of the heart as nature hath layd it in that body narrow and close shut in that part which is to the Earth more broad and open towards Heaven Timothy will never please him that hath chosen him to be his spirituall Souldier if he doe suffer himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be intangled in the affayres of this life 2. Tim. 2.4 2 Tim. 2.4 The birdlime of earthly thoughts will keepe down the wing of the soule from mounting upwards by heavenly contemplations The cloggy body of the Earth interposed between our hearts and Christ will soon eclipse the beauty of our Starrie-lights It were well for the Church if the generation of those were quite extinct of whom Erasmus Erasmus speakes Decimatores potiùs quam praedicatores their tything tables are oftner in their hands then Gods Booke before their eyes But Clemangis thinkes it no wonder if some such be more greedy after the gaine of wealth then soules Clemang de corrupto ecclesiae statu Quib. pastores fieri tam charo constitit When they bought their shepheards hooke at such deare rates We see B nature hath so framed the eyes of our body that wee cannot looke up to Heaven and down upon the Earth at the same time Surely the eye of our Ministeriall function will seldome looke up by heavenly Meditations when the eyes of our mind are continually fixt upon the Earth Therefore Cyprian makes this the cause Cyprian Epist why the Levites had no lot of inheritance with the other tribes Vt in nulla re avocarentur nec cogitare aut agere sacularia cogerentur And Sulpitius Severus in his first booke of his sacred History Sulpit. Severus li. 1. de Histo thought good to commend the same example as a looking-glasse to the Clergy in his time which saith he