Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A05952
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The shepheards starre, or The ministers guide. By Richard Bayly late minister of Crawley in Sussex
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Bayly, Richard, fl. 1640.
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1640
(1640)
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STC 1625; ESTC S112124
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23,798
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66
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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
and by their Charity He is a Prophet and he shall pray for thee was the language of elder times Gen. 20.7 Gen. 20.7 And it should be the dialect of our dayes God forbid that Samuel should ever sinne against the Lord in ceasing to pray for * 1 Sam. 12 23. Luâ—her of Prayer Israel Prayer is one of Luthers three things which concurre to the making up of a good Divine and am sure it is the best conduite-pipe to convey every good and perfect gift from above into the Church beneath How would Amalek fall before the face of Israel did the firme stone of constant devotion keepe up the hands of faithfull Moses in continuall prayer Exodus 17.11 12. When good Alexander spends the whole night in Prayer Arrius that blazing Starre shall sooner goe out with an ill smell then come to be enthron'd in a chayre of expected honour Vide Socratis Hist lib. 1. We know not B what wonder working efficacy there is in the fervent Prayer of a righteous heart James 5.16 Memorable is that story mention'd by Xiphilinus the contracter of Dion X philinus de Marc. Anton. and we finde it also in that Epistle of Marcus the Emperour in that worke of Iustine Martyr When that Emperours Army not overcome by their enemies sword was like to perish for want of water The prayers of a band of Christians in the army brought down thunderbolts on the heads of their enemies and a cooling showre to refresh their own wants Were the prayers of Gods faithfull Ministers the Charriots and Horse-men of Israel shot forth with all their strength they might be able to crosse the Seas and like that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fall with the sweete influence of a refreshing showre upon the Tents of Gods Israel and as hote thunderbolts upon the heads of their Aegyptian Enemies Influence by charity But our Prayers also must be wing'd with Charity or else they will scarce bring the true Olive branch of comfort in their mouthes unto poore distressed Christans Sic mens per compassionem doleat ut larga manus affectum doloris Ostendat is Gregories rule The mind must so grieve over the miseries of others by compassion that the affection of the heart be shewed in the largenes of the hand Good wishes are the breaths of Charity they may bring some cooling blasts of lesser comforts but they are the hands of action must affoord the truest helpe The Starres above enjoy not their influence to themselves but cast it forth into the bowells of the Earth where they produce pretious mineralls and heapes of gold in those earthen Coffers These spirituall Starres in Christs Hand should not please themselves in a self fruitioÌ„ of their goodnes they should by some secret influence of their Charity produce golden mines of comforts in those fleshy cabbinets the bowells of poore dejected Christians Aurum habet Ecclesia Ambrose non ut servet sed ut eroget is the judgement of S. Ambrose God gives the Church her wealth not to imprison within iron barres but to helpe the distresses of the poore The stomack receives not the meate to keepe it to her selfe but sends it abroad into the other parts Stomachus Eccles Auth â—p imperf in Matthaeum The Ministers are as the stomack of the Church they receive not the mercies of God to be lock't up within the narrow confines of their own sole injoyement but to transfuse them thorough the veines of Charity amongst all the members of Christs body Luke 10.32 It should not be sayd in our dayes Levites passe by on the other side when Samaritans stand still to powre the oyle of Mercy into wounded travailers This will be ever expected from the Starres of Christ that they should have some good influence into the hearts of others by their prayers and by their Charity Ratio 4. Fourthly the Starres of Heaven are ever restlesse in their motion and yet never wearyed These Starres in Christs hand must imitate the diligence of their pattern by the practise of an unwearyed patience in the motion of their restlesse function The office of a Minister did never yet consist in idlenesse 1 Tim. 3.1 He that desireth the office of a Bishop desireth a good worke Laborem non delicias ut intermissâ Rachelis decorâ facie intret ad Leam oculis lippam as Hierome speakes A worke it is and not a play 1 Tim. 4.15 a leaving of Rachels fayre face to enter into bleare-eyed Lea. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our whole selves may be well imployed in the service of this work 1 Tim. 6.12 Timothy wil never find it a matter of ease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Many bitter agonies attend the calling of a Minister Those indeed which have learned the art of casting their whole burden upon the backes of others reserving nothing to themselves Bernard sic Châ—ysost vocâ—t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 3. 〈◊〉 Sacerd. know not whether S. Bernard speakes sence when he calls the Ministery Onus ipsis angelis formidandum a burden under which the Angells may well tremble The Poets fained of Pallas that shee left off her Trumpets when shee saw her cheekes began to swell with blowing It must not bee true of Christs Ministers that they cease to sound the Trumpets of the Sanctuary when their faces begin to swell with the fatnesse of the Earth We shall bee then most enemies to our own graces when wee doe least good unto the people Clemens Alex. Clemens Alexandrinus compares the graces of Gods Spirit unto wells of living waters Those wells which are continually drawn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 send forth their water more cleare and resplendent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But those turne to corruption of whom no man partakes We are all as lesser Cisternes partaking of the fullnes of Christ Simile the Fountaine of all Grace The water standing continually in the Cisterne may quickly corrupt and putrifie but the oftner wee turne the cock to powre out of those waters upon the parched ground of the peoples hearts John 4.16 v. a new supply of grace for grace will flow from Christ our Fountain It may seeme not without a mystery that God would have the Sheepfold the first Schoole of instruction unto his kingly Prophet and the fish-nets the first academy unto his blessed Apostles Amongst all the callings of men where more bitter labours then in the Shepheards hooke and the Fishers net Luke 5.5 Peter could passe the whole night in patient watching of his nets and catch nothing Iacob was content to be consumed with drought by day with frost by night least Labans sheepe should be stollen and his Lambes miscarry Gen. 31.40 What then must be the patience of Gods Ministers in their sharpest labours least the soules of Men more worth theÌ„ Lambes should miscary fall into the hands of that devouring Lyon If a shepeard loose a