2.11 2 Iohn 5 abstaine from fleshly lusts c. And thus Saint Iohn I now beseech thee Lady So that wee see what meekenesse and mildnesse we ought to vse exhorting and intreating euen then when we may lawfully command And no maruel when God himselfe herein goeth before vs in his owne example Oh that Israel would haue hearkned Psal 81 13 Mat. 23. And our Sauiour Christ inuiting the Israelites in the same manner vnto himselfe that the Henne doth her chickens Let this serue then for our Imitation and Instruction Vse 1. that we endeauour to win our people with gentlenesse and loue And surely when ministers speake thus to sinfull men I beseech you by the mercies of God I beseech thee my Brother leaue thy whoredome forsake thy drunkennesse c. If the heart bee not sealed vp with hardnesse it must needes pearce it Wee see how in things of this life men are faine to sue for that which is their owne and are heart-glad if by fair intreaties they can gather vp their debts If then we can by earnest exhortations and effectuall perswasions get at our peoples hands this debt of obedience which they owe to God let it neuer grieue vs that wee come with Brethren I beseech you Caucaâ—s And yet withall great wisdom and circumspection must be vsed in this manner of proceeding for wee must beware that wee so lay downe our authority as that the word lose not any but abide still a word of power to command To this purpose these rules are to be obserued First so exhort and perswade as that the very coÌ„sciences of men that hear thee may conclude that euen there where thou intreatest thou hast power to command although in loue thou laiest downe that power for the present So the Apostle to Philemon Phil. 8.9 Wherefore though I might bee much bould in Christ to enioyn thee that which is conuenient yet for loues sake I rather beseech thee c. Secondly so to exercise lenity as that thou forget not seuerity when the case requireth it Compassion must be had on some Iud. 23 but not on all som must with fear be puld out of the fire When sinne waxeth bold then must Gods Ministers put on bouldnes as Moses did when the calfe stood before him When the Ministery is like to bee brought into contempt then must power and authority be put on 1 Kings 19.13 Sometimes must Gods Minister deliuer the word as it were in a soft and still voice and otherwhiles hee must change his note and lift vp his voice like a trumpet and shew them their sinnes Paul Esay 58.1 2 Cor. 10.2.8 Acts 13.10.11 1 Tim. 1.10 as occasion serueth can stand vpon his Apostleship and authority hee can censure Elymas hee can deliuer vnto Satan as well as intreat and beseech Thirdly Doct. The Minister ought tenderly to affect his people 2 Cor. 6.11 in that the Apostle calleth them Brethren obserue with what tendernesse of affection a Minister should be deuoted to his people O Corinthians our mouth is open vnto you our heart is made large saith this our Apostle to this people to whom he now wrot And Phil. 1.8 writing to the Philippians he doth vehemently protest his sincere feruent loue towards them God is my record saith hee how greatly I long after you all Rom. 1.11 in the bowelles of Iesus Christ Such was his loue also to the Romans as he witnesseth when he saith That he longed to see them that hee might bestowe some spirituall gift vpon them to strengthen them 1 Thes 2.7 Such was his loue also to the Thessalonians as appeares in that hee saith Wee were gentle amongst you euen as a Nurse cherisheth her children not as a Nurse mercenary but as a nursing-Mother whose affections are most tender And a little after he saith thus We exhorted you Verse 11 and comforted and besought euery one of you as a Father doth his children And writing vnto Timothie he chargeth him 1 Tim. 4.12 That he should bee an ensample of the beleeuers in word in conuersation and in loue Where hee notes the Pastors duty So to loue his people as that they might learne by him to loue one another If Ministers should examine what loue they Vse bear vnto their people I fear many would finde a great want of brotherly affection How empty are their hearts of this hearty and vnfained loue who seeke pretenses of long absence from their flocks whereby the duties of teaching and examples of life in their own persons are neglected Surely this loue ouerthroweth ordinary absence without just and conscionable causes Lawfull causes of a Ministers absence from his flock I deny not but there may be som occasions which may and that lawfully draw a Pastour for a time from his people as when the publike seruice of the Chur. shall require it Alterius Ecclesian eâ—ssitatibus euocatâ—â— â—â—mime vobis solituÌ„ studium dependâ—â—se vâ—dâ—or Amb. Ser. 28. for the settling and compounding variances and differences and such like profitable imploiments Thus when the necessity of other Churches calleth for help at a Pastors hands heer is a good occasion of absence And vpon this ground Ambrose excuseth himself vnto his flock And secondly when a Pastor personally is sought for and cannot remaine amongst his flock without peril of his life if the persecution be not publike both of the people and Minister but onely personal of the Minister alone heer is then good cause of his absence So Athanasius did leaue the Church of Alexandria and hidde himself for the space of six years in a dry cisterne Quis aâ—â—hi mira â—â—â—ter diuinitus â—râ—pto vt tio vâ—rtat quod non â—t manaâ— me quaereâ—tâ—n râ—ccâ—â—m Tripa hist l. 6. c 22. and 4 moneths in his Fathers Tomb and made this Apology for himself Who can blame me beeing miraculously deliuered that I did not cast myself into their hands that is the Arrians who sought mee Thirdly when health of body shall require discontinuance for a time Phil 2.25.28 it is lawfull This cause staied Epaphroditus from the Church of the Philippians whom assoon as he was recouered Paul sent vnto them Fourthly a Minister may vpon his necessary priuate occasions lawfully for a time bee absent as in following necessary sutes of law for defending of his right which requires his personall attendaÌ„ce or in attending som Courts of Iustice whither he is cited and the like heer are just and lawful causes And yet in these cases Aug. Ep. 188 Augustines rule must be obserued There must bee a care had that the Church be not left destitute but the Pastors absence be by others for that time suppli'd and that by such as are sufficient to guide their people making no such bad choice of their Curates 1 Kings 11.31 as Ieroboam did of his Priests of the lowest of the people who were not Leuites that
Christian Curtesie OR St. PAVLS Vltimum Vale Deliuered in two Sermons on 2. Cor. 13.11 at St. MARGARETS on Fish-street-hill in London By N. ROGERS sometimes Preacher there at his Farewel vpon his remoueal thence to a Pastoral charge else-where As many as walk according to this rule peace shall be vpon them and mercy and vpon the Israel of God Gal. 6.16 LONDON Printed by H. L. for Edward Brewster and are to bee sould at his shop at the west end of Pauls at the Signe of the Bear 16â—â— TO THE RIGHT Vertuous and truely Religious Lady the Lady Margaret Chiborne late wife to that worthy and Worshipfull Gentleman Sir Charles Chiborne Serieant at the Lawe deceased long life and good daies with increase of Grace here and eternall Glorie hereafter GOOD MADAME I Was no sooner purposed to let this Copie passe the Presse but I was as soone resolued to send it foorth vnder shelter of your Ladiships name prefixed on the front I knowe Gods word can countenance it selfe and needes no shelter of any humane arme Yet I finde not onely the writings of the most and best but euen some of those holy books inspired from Heauen bearing in their fore-heads as from the pen-men a dedication To your ladiships name I then inscribe this these reasons especially mee thereunto inducing First your Ladiship had a speciall hand in the first being birth of it for it was by your means and furtherance that I was remooued from the place where then I was to that where now I am vpon which occasion these Sermons were there preached Which great loue and vndeserued fauour caused mee a good while since to register in my heart a grateful acknowledgement and wanting means in real requitance to express the same I haue now presum'd in this dedicatioÌ„ to manifest Secondly in respect of your own worth wherof if I should make a due report they which know you not would judge I flatter and if lesse the which knowe you and your affection towards me would say I were vnthankfull This I will onely say That whereas the most of your place and rank Luke 10.40 Verse 4â— like Martha incumber themselues about many needlesse things you like Mary haue chosen the better part Your loue to GOD zeal to his house testified by your frequent repairing thereunto your daily performane of religious exercises yea priuately in your closet were God onely seeth and regardeth your conuersation lead in fear the fruit of all the former testifie of you 2 Pet. 1.17 as did the piety godlinesse of that Lady to whom that blessed Apostle S. Iohn wrote 3 Iohn 11 that you are Elect whereof you haue more cause to boast then of any outward honour whatsoeuer For what is greatnesse without goodnesse but like the Spartans nightingale a meer sound and nothing else Go on good Madam in your godly course and whiles others striue to settle their lands secure their monies confirm their estates leauing their saluation vnwrought vp let it be your principal endeauour To conform your life still more and more to the rule of Gods most holy word and to make sure your election vnto your self For 2 Pet. 1.10 when men haue beat their brains broke their sleep wasted their marrow to bee wealthy mighty yet at last they shall be enforced to confesse that To be saued was simply the best plot Neither will any study yeeld true solid comfort but what was spent about it Let not this my presumption bee offensiue to your Ladiship It is more I owe vnto you than I can perform Let my confession testifie my obligednes and this bee a witnes of my thankfull remembrance of my duety wherein I desire to please at least God not to offend at least you The Lord make you to encrease and abound yet more and more in grace and goodnes 1 Thes 3.12.13 and make your hart stable and vnblameable in all holiness against the coming of our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ And so I rest and still will rest A Petitioner to the Lord for your Ladiships best welfare NEHEMIAH ROGERS Messing in Essex Aug. 1. 1621. TO THE CHRISTIAN Reader especially to his louing Friends and late auditours the Parishioners of S. Margarets Fish-street with all truely-Religious in or about London by whose fauour or bounty my Ministery there hath been countenanced or any way furthered all blessings which earth affords or heauen contains be multiplied AS a good husbandman deals with his plants pruning some remouing others for their better growth so dealeth that most wise and carefull husbandman of the Church Iohn 15.1 with the members of it Some hee purgeth that they may growe more fruitfull Others hee takes away that are not fruitfull Oftentimes he translateth others from off that soil whereon they grewe Psal 80.9 and plants them on som other grouÌ„d and that either because of the barrenness of the soyl or vnfruitfulnes of the plant or for some other cause best known vnto himselfe It hath pleased him in mercie not to supplant as iustly hee might haue done and that for euer but onely to remoue me into another corner of his Vineyard Blessed bee his name it is any where within that pale The soyle wheron I grewe was fat and goodly neuer plant could growe on better no fault in it of this translation The Plant it self was badde and barren and that as safest it is for me to iudge occasions it I haue but loytered when I should haue laboured in gods haruest Now Lord forgiue it mee 1 Cor. 16.24 Seeing now I must leaue you my loue my Brethren I leaue with you and this as a testimonie of my loue When I am out of sight I would not bee forgotten Read and practise what here you finde and what formerly you haue beard and I dare say I shall not bee These are the last Sermons that I preached amongst you let them not bee least esteemed take them as the last Farewell of a hearty friend When they were preached to the eare passion hindered many of your attentions I now present them to your eye Luke 1.4 that you may bee more fully enformed of those things wherein you were then instructed Let it suffice my Affection is so great towards you that I cannot express it God workes my heart to loue those that loue him The Lord imprint in your minds this seale of that my Affection vnfeyned and enable you by his grace to doe his will Acts 20.32 that so at last you may bee made partakers of a glorious inheritance amongst all them which are sanctified which shall be faithfully prayed for by him That vnfainedly desires your saluation NEHEMIAH ROGERS Messing Aug. 1. 1621. Christian Curtesie OR St. PAVLS Vltimum Vale. 2. COR. 13.11 Finally Brethren Farewell Bee perfect be of good comfort be of one mind liue in peace and the God of loue and peace shall be with you OVr blessed Apostle Saint Paul
6.4.6 Wee lye vpon beds of Iuorie and stretch our selues vpon our couches and eat the Lambes out of the flocke and the calues out of the midst of the stall we drinke wine in bowles and anoint our selues with the chiefe ointments but we are not grieued for the afflictions of Ioseph Are not the bowels of the Saints wrung with grief and the Church pinched with the persecutions of her aduersaries Doo not the mighty Nimrods of the world hunt her And are not furrowes made vpon her backe with their ploughs Look into the world consider the miseries of the Churches in forrain parts in France and Germany and if thou hast in thee any spark of brotherly affection nay if thou hast not put off the very nature of a man thou must needs abate of thy pleasures Psal 137.2 with the captiue Iewes hang vp thy Harp vpon the willowes The Ark and Israel and Iudah abide intents 2 Sam. 11.11 and my Lord Ioab and the seruants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields shall I then go into my house said Vriah to Dauid to eat and to drink and to ly with my wife As thou liuest and as thy soule liues I will not do this thing See hee would not affoord to himselfe any more then necessary contentment vnto nature till hee saw the issue of that business Esay 22.11.13 14 Shall we then feast and sport and reuell Shall joy and gladnes slaying oxen and killing sheep eating flesh and drinking wine be found amongst vs in this day when the Lord of Hoasts cals to weeping and to mourning to baldnesse and to girding with sackcloth Surely it will be reuealed in the ears of the Lord of Hoasts and this iniquity shall not bee purged from vs till we dy Let vs not my Beloued think we haue the affections of children when wee can see our mother sick and sorrowfull without remorse Let vs not think we haue the affections of brethren when we can hear or see the maims and miseries of Gods people without laying them to heart And therefore as when the Church of God flourisheth and houlds vp her head we must lift vp ours though otherwise it goeth not so wel with vs in our owne priuate estate and condition so when the Church mournes and hangs downe the head wee must cast downe ours though our owne condition bee neuer so good For as the peace and prosperity of Ierusalem should sweeten our priuate grieuances so her afflictions and dangers should sowre and make distastefull to vs all priuate comforts whatsoeuer And thus wee haue seen the qualities and properties of Brethren which if wee finde in our selues it is no matter for the worlds mocking and scorning at this Brotherhood it is our glory If we consider Paul as a Minister or an Apostle so tearming them then we thence note First his great Humility For though many of them to whom hee wrote were poor and meane 1 Cor. 1.26 and such as laboured with their hands and few of them wise men after the flesh or mighty or noble and hee himselfe a Minister of the word yea an Apostle 1 Cor. 12.28 and so in the highest degree of the Ministery and a planter of many Churches yet he maketh himself equall to them of the lower sort in calling them Brethren Rom. 12 which is a word of equality Secondly his great Mildeness and gentlenesse of spirit in that hee doth thus gently exhort them when he had authority to command and insinuates himself into them by such a cōpellation the better to prouoke them to doo that they stood bound to doo Thirdly his great Affection and Loue in vsing such a kinde and louing tearm wherby he shewed that hee did dearly and tenderly affect them in the Lord and respect them as those who were conjoined with him by the bond of one truth one faith and one hope of saluation From the first wee inferre Doct. 1 Ministers must be humble Luke 21.25.26 Ministers ought to behaue themselues humbly in their places and callings The Kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship ouer them and they that exercise authority vpon them are called Benefactours But you shall not bee so but hee that is greatest amongst you let him be as the youngest and he that is chief as though he did serue The meaning of our Sauiour in which words is not to take away order but to take away arrogancy and ambition Saint Peter giueth the like precept 1 Pet. 5.2.3 Feed the flocke of God which is amongst you neither as being lords ouer Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flock Vse How then doth that same Antichristian spirit vsurping authority with tyrannous vsage of Gods people sort with the Apostles precept and practice And that not onely of that Arch-prelate of Rome 1 Thes 2.4 who vnder that title of Seruant of the seruants of God aduanceth himselfe aboue all that is called God but also of others who are puft vp for their place and gifts 3 Iohn 9.10 and with Diotrephes loue to haue the preheminence and will neither receiue Iohn nor his Brethren Paul an Apostle equalles himself with them of the lower sort But now behould a change Ordinary pastors and they of the lower sort doo not onely equall themselues with but euen aduance themselues aboue Apostles taking more vpon them than euer they did Plinius giues this report of Vespasian C. Plinius Epis ad Vespas Nec quicquam in te mutauit fortunae amplitudo nisi vt prodesse tantundem posses v lles That greatnes and majesty changed nothing in him but this that his power to doo good should bee answerable to his will And I would this also might bee truely said of such who either in respect of office in the Church degrees in Schoole riches in the world or any such-like outward prerogatiue are aduanced aboue their Brethren Sure I am if God aduance Hester Hest 4.14 Doct. 2 Courteous 〈◊〉 to be vsed rather than 〈◊〉 it is that shee may bee a means to relieue the Distressed of the Church of Cod. Secondly wee learne that Courteous and gentle means are rather to be vsed by Gods Ministers than rigour or seuerity to perswade men to obedience The seruants of the Lord must not striue 2 Tim. 2.24.25 but be gentle towards all men in meekenesse instructing those that oppose themselues sayth Paul to Timothy And you shall finde him the same in practice that he was in doctrine vsually comming to his hearers with I beseech you Brethren by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 2 Cor. 10.1 2 Cor. 5.20 6.1 I Paul my selfe beseech you by the meekenesse and gentlenesse of Christ Wee Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you through vs we pray you in Christs stead that you be reconciled to God How sweetly doth he practice his owne precept And so Saint Peter Dearely beloued I beseech you as Pilgrims Strangers 1 Pet
sixteenth chapter to the Romans in a manner he spends in this kinde But when the Prophet Elisha sent his seruant Gehazi to the Shunamites house he charged him Ob. 2 Kings 4.29 if he met any man Salute him not and Luke 10.4 if any man saluted him not to answer him again The same charge did our Sauiour giue to his Disciples when hee sent them out to preach Salute saith hee no man by the way The intent and meaning of the Prophet and of our Sauiour in those places Râ—sp is not simply and absolutely to forbid greeting and salutation but only to enjoyn an omission of the practice of those duties of common curtesie and ciuility so farre forth as they are a hinderance of the performance of waightier affairs and other far more necessary duties This then is their meaning Rather then you should any way hinder the quick dispatch of the business laid vpon you speak to no man that you meet withall by the way So then this makes nothing against this truth Now for the vse Vse 1 Heer wee see Religion and Christianity doth not make men rude and rusticall as men of the world think and speake God hath his Ethicks a doctrine of behauiour in his word whereby hee teacheth vs how to carry our selues wisely and ciuilly towards all and amongst all And therfore it is a slander cast vpon religion by the father of lies that it makes men clownish for Gods schollers are taught better manners than to neglect so much as salutations either in writing or speaking Vse 2 And secondly seeing it is a duty and that so antient and so commendable let vs conscionably learn to perform it both by word writing Whatsoeuer things are true whatsoeuer things are honest Phil. 4.8 whatsoeuer things are iust whatsoeuer things are pure whatsoeuer things are louely whatsoeuer things are of good report saith the Apostle of which nature as wee haue seen this is think on these things to doo them And let no man say These are small slender matters to be spoken of and stood vpon for it is a duty we are all bound vnto and our obedience is to bee shewed as well in the least as in the greatest matters And therefore let euery Christian make conscience of it and of the manner of performing it and let him look First to the Form of salutation Salutations must be first Holy Doct. Boys post that it bee first holy and not idle profane and vnsauory as the salutations of swearers swaggerers and rude ruffians for the most part are not a pox in stead of peace nor The diuell take you for The Lord be with you not swearing to stead of praying But our Salutations are to be holy heauenly wherein we are to craue the greatest blessings that are at at the hands of God and beg the chiefest good for the persons we salute Secondly hearty and therfore not hollow Hearty nor formal and customary Som there are that speak friendly to their neighbours but imagine mischief in their hearts as we see in Ioab 2 Sam 3.27 who cloaked his inward malice with sweet and sugred salutations and most treacherously murdered valiant Abner euen in the act of saluting him The like was his dealing with Amasa for Cap. 20.9 while hee said vnto him Art thou in health my Brother and took him by the beard with the right hand to kiss him with the other hand he smote him with the sword and shed out his bowels to the ground And so Iudas can come with Hail Maister Mat. 26.49 as well as Gabriel with Hail Mary Many such wee haue whom a man would judge to bee the flowre of curtesie and to haue all complements of humanity in them and yet notwithstanding all is but a mask and vizard to colour their hypocrisie Others there are who according to the worlds fashion rest themselues onely in a company of idle ceremonies and childish complements ducking and imbracing and the like wherein consists all the grace of their greetings It is well and truely said by one that A handfull of old friendship is worth an arm full of this new curtesie for that which is the pith and marrow of Christian salutation viz. the lifting vp of the heart in desiring the welfare of those that wee salute is growne out of fashion But let vs renew it and not content our selues in vsing good and holy forms as God be with you God saue you The Lord blesse you or the like vnless we vse them in a holy maner feeling our harts affected with reuereÌ„ce towards God and inlarg'd in loue towards our Brethren still remembring Salutations are praiers to God and therefore our hearts must be lifted vp vnto him and his Name on whom wee call must with all reuerence bee thought vpon For if we onely speak of custome not minding what wee say wee take Gods holie Name in vain Exod. 20.7 for which hee will not hould vs guiltlesse Such a fault this is as ought to be matter of humiliation vnto all yea to the very best Vse 3 And yet I cannot passe ouer this point without a third vse which is Reprehension of such as neglect this either in whole or part through wilfulnesse or weakenesse Some there are who are so strongly possessed and rankly ouer-growne with malice and reuenge that they will neither salute such as they meet nor answer such as salute them These are possessed with a dumb diuell which had need to bee cast out by fasting and by praier Others there are and they of the better sort who take occasion to neglect this duety because they are praiers and therefore think it vnlawfull to salute passengers ordinarily with God bee with you or The Lord bless you For say they wee knowe not who they are we meet withall neither knowe we whither they go or about what or if wee do yet suddenly so to say is a taking of Gods Name in vain and so a sinne most fearfull To answer these thus much 1 Cor. 13.5 Charity biddeth vs to thinke and hope the best in matters of vncertainty But admit that he thou meetest with bee an vnbeleeuer and an alien from the common-wealth of Israel yet greetings and common salutations are due to such Our Sauiour as wee heard before commanded his Disciples whensoeuer they entred into any house they should salute the same Mat. 10.12 and gaue them a form of salutation which they must vse whether the Son of peace were there or no saying Peace bee to this house Luke 10.5 And if the Sonne of peace be in the house your peace shall com vpon it saith our Sauiour if not your peace shall return vpon you So then wee see there is no hurt done whomsoeuer wee salute If they be the children of GOD whom we salute then wee doo good vnto them if not we do good vnto our selues for that good we desire may befall them shall fall on our