the Schismaticks in their invective Pamphlets use the words of Isa 62. 1. For Sions sake I will not hold my tongue and for Jerusalems sake I will not rest and are not both our enemies the Papists for tyranny and the other labouring for Anarchy Are not mercenary Levites abounding with us the Devils dawbers preaching placentia and sowing pillowes under mens elbowes speaking good of evill and evill of good men-pleasures blinding Israels sinne and taking a reward for iniquity Doe not Prophets prophesie falsly and men love to have it so and are not the times such I feare not to speake giving God the glory that he that departs from such iniquity maketh himselfe a prey Do not prophanenesse hardheartednesse murmuring contumelies revilings envyings luke warmenesse dwell amongst us Are not these diseases catching Epidemicall Is it not to be feared they possesse the whole body of the land Are not fishers of men turn'd fishers of money fishers of women Did not the Devill tempt Eve first and then overcome Adam Is it not hence that silly women are led captive laden with sinfull lusts are not they first wrought upon by strange doctrines as meanes to trap their husbands what reason can you give for this save that their weaknesse makes way to receive false opinions and gives them more confident to broach them or because they seeke not God in the truth or because their wits are short and their tongues long Are there not a generation of men risen up which our Protestant forefathers never knew whose hearts as if they were hewne out of hard rocks or as if they had suckt the milke of Wolves as it is reported the first founder of Rome did relent not to see their native Country made nothing else but a shambles of butchers and blood Alexander when he saw the dead corps of Darius and Marcus Marcellus Syracusa burne and Titus Jerusalem laid even with the ground though enemies could not abstaine from teares these quite contrary mourne not with Jerusalem nor helpe it with prayers in this sad time of unnaturall calamity Are there not men pretending right to the Ambassadours calling who have none in justice to it men Canon mouth'd and yet living by no Ecclesiasticall rule no Logicians yet full of fallacies right Carters upon Seton whip and goe bellowing like Buls of Basan balls of wild fire downe with her downe with her to the ground Gunpowder arguments against Church and State who in their owne sense notwithstanding will be martyrs Saints Catharists but if those be martyrs who are murtherers if these be Saints who are Scythians and if these be Catharists who are Canibals Lastly this doctrine reflects upon the people and teaches them spirituall obedience Obey them that have rule over you and Saint Paul to the Thessalonians I beseech you know them that labour among you and are over you in the Lord and have them in estimation for their workes sake To this purpose is it that God so dearly accompts them in Scripture that the King is directed to aske counsell of God at the mouth of the Priest and King Salomon termes them the masters of Assemblies to this purpose there preaching is termed prophesiing the hearers are said to sit at their feet and not upon their skirts to teach them lessons of love and religious reverence But alas this kingdome cannot smother it The fathers have eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge In old time it was Ghostly Father but now Baals Priest Jesuits Canterbury whelps none of Gods Priests mans Priests not inspired nor called nor led by the Spirit nay the most Christian and judiciously godly Ambassadours in this City have in their charges and in their occasionall grave walkings beene derided and exploded But if nationall lawes and historicall testimonies produce such examples of cruelties and wrongs for the abuse blood of Ambassadours then I say the Lord cometh even within a little while behold the God of Angels and men cometh with thousands and ten thousands to take vengeance upon the men of this Nation for their barbarous entertainment of many of his Ambassadours coming meekly unto them with Christmas in their mouthes Evangelium gaudii a Gospell of joy Christ Jesus an eternall Saviour borne in the time of peace and for their redemption I will end my Sermon with the prayer of our forefathers in a part of the first English Lytany set out in the dayes of King Henry the eight From all sedition and privy conspiracy from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and all his detestable enormities from all false doctrine and heresie from hardnesse of heart from contempt of thy word and Commandements Unto which by the assistance of Gods Spirit I will adde From all Jesuits Brownists Anabaptists Socinians Arminians rebels traitors sectaries and turbulent spirits good Lord deliver us And that Gods glory may for ever shine upon us we pray That it may please him to be still with this Church and Nation that hee would say to the destroying Angell it is enough here and else where That the Gospell of his Sonne Jesus Christ the most holy and just Lord be soundly preached and obediently and purely practised That the true Protestant Religion I meane the whole body of Doctrine revealed in Gods written word absolutely necessary to salvation established in Queene Elizabeth and King James his dayes may yet and ever continue amongst us That such discipline may be used as Gods Saints may serve him in his places of worship in all comelinesse and decency That God would still continue the Kings heart in sincerity to his glory and the true Protestant Religion That God would cover his head in the day of battell and protect him from all his enemies and knit fast in one truth and peace him and his people That we may all keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace That we may enjoy peace supernall with God internall of conscience and fraternall one with another We beseech thee to heare us good Lord. Thus living Angellically in peace on earth we shall by Jesus Christ the Prince of peace pertake of peace with Angels in heaven here by participation there by consummation where is no place for sedition for their blesse is orderly and their happinesse everlasting where we shall sing this unanimous trisagion holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high God the Father and to Jesus Christ the everlasting soule-saving Sonne and the truly God and blessed and holy Spirit eternally proceeding from both To whom trinity in unity and unity in trinity be ascribed as is most due from the bottome of our hearts all honour glory power praise wisdome righteousnesse mercy and judgement the rest of this Lords day henceforward and for ever and let all that heare me this day say Amen Amen Amen Amen FINIS
Iehovah Iireh Merito Audiens praeco Evangelicus An Angell from Heaven OR An Ambassadour for CHRIST Descending from God Ascending unto God lawfully dignified compleately qualified HEARD VVith Religious devotion reporting his AMBASSAGE To the honourable Societies of the Inner and Middle TEMPLES On Sonday the Eleventh day of December 1642. The substance whereof is commended to publicke view By Edw. Tuke LUKE 2. 13. And suddenly there was with the Angell a multitude of the heavenly Hostes praising God and saying 14. Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth peace good will towards men London printed for T. W. 1642. To the Worshipfull well devoted his much Honoured friend M. Iohn Cave Councellor at Law and of the Inner-Temple Worthy Sir THE Rabbins to maintaine Tradition usually distinguish Gods Holy Law into the Law written Torah she baccathubh and Torah she begnah Peh and their Talmud or Doctrinall is no other then an elucidation or exposition on Gods Law written saith Elias Levila in Tisbi And to take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Traditioe as we use the word in the Church pro quavis Iustitutione quae ecclesiâ traditur it may as justly referre to Propheticall and Apostolicall Truths and by consequence not to be Abrogated 2 Thes 2. 15 1 Cor. 2. 15. 3 4 As to those things whose circumstances make them mutable and whose observations is therefore free and not of absolute necessity as Act. 15. 28 29. 1 Cor. 11. 2. Of this Sermon you had first an unwritten Tradition or as the Iews say the Law spoken The errors which may be found in it are with tolerable modesty better to be answered in that it was given me as they say their Tradition in the Night for I thinke there is no man that shall attempt and act matters of high and usefull consequence from houres stollen from his pillow but may now and then be taken napping But such as it was being given me to deliver it was more then Reasonable I should deliver to them for whom it was Given yea to do that was Causa sine quâ non besides Gods providence and spirituall permission Your Patience an particular Admission There was law to command me the law of necessity and necessity of preaching against which I know no law and I must aknowledge I had a conscionable Motion to it at that time It appertaines to all lawfully called and duly authorized to preach Gods word And though I am yet by Gods will Fortunes Dwarf 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Religiously be it spoken and so not commended to any proper Pastorall cure Yet in Saint Pauls first chapter to the Romanes verse 14. I can read my Duty To which the Syrian gives a word of such Important obligement as may supply others aswell as those of necessary invitation with a paraphrasticall Commentary upon this subject mehhaicbh euoleakrâ—z I am indebted to the pulpit or in Duty to the office of a Preacher From this Ground I spake and spake my Conscience God bearing me witnes and from Gods Bearing me witnes I writ and Here you have the Law written I must note unto you Sir that I do not with reall Freedome expose my self to the presse much lesse to the Torturing Rack of the worlds harsh Censure learning it self stands in White sheets and I think no publick penance is voluntary Mine is not such yet if it suffer such and look not too pale the matter is lesse White is a Symboll of Innocency and Purity and these is some comfortable mitigation to be perswaded It doth penance The Sinfull Censurers of the Times are as Locusts in Aegypt I speak not double when I say Arbeh is nor strained from Rabah Multitudes from Numbers Some for Paul some for Apollos some for Lephas From the increase of these Numbers are drawn many Heads which some call Divisions These like wormes live upon the Government and eat out the very Hart of the Tree or as Flies in summer putrify the sweetest sustenance Sir These send me to you for the Declension of an age from primitive vertue could not suffer me to come forth without Protection an hundred to one These are many you may please in this matter to be all one to me That one is that I wish for my singular esteem of you makes me account these Pluralists nullius numen nothing To be short Your Love next unto Gods Hand lead me to the Temple at that Time and your Approbatory Testimony compells me to prize my poor Fortunes dexterity that hath fitted a Dedication correspondent to my desires Direction at this Time The Almighty God of heaven and earth whose property in Divine Nature is to be mercifull above offences quicken you by his Spirit to an heavenly Emulacia to study the Principles and Desires of his Truth and as farr as concernes you the Churches safety inclose you in the volume of his Book and Gather you into the Bosome of his Son in whom is only True Blisse and of whom By Faith and Holines in this life you shall be assured at the Resurrection of the Just when God by his Spirit or soft and still voice in a lesse minute then any man dies here shall unite the Spirits and Bodyes of all When and Where God is All in All. And though his Church on Earth as at this time never so militant be sad round about and his Children under Clouds and pillars of fire yet Sursum Corda lift up your hart and eyes unto the Hils those mountaines of Deliverance above Take every day two or three Turnes up and down Iacobs ladder by humble Meditations and Faithfull Ejaculations Trusting unto your Redeemer with Godly perseverance And let the Troubles be what can be for Condition and Duration so long as there is Elijah an holy and devout soule God will be in the Cave It is my security in this Busines to have thought upon your Candour when you have kindly accepted this you free me not of all for in Gratitude I owe you service and in Duty prayer Whilest I am a lawfull Ambassadour for Christ EDVARD TVKE From my Study December 19. 1642. HOnoratissimis sagaciter per sapientibus literis mansuetioribus Disertissime locupletibus sacrosanctâ Doctrinarum veritate Anglicanae Ecclesia fideliter extruâ—tâ Accuratissimè Fundatis Roberto Berkley Roberto Foster Francisco Crawley Iurisprudentibus militibus Iudicibus omni observantiâ colendis venerandis Et claritate virtutis excellenti ingenuè Dapsili Arte legibus comptismè integerrimèque valenti Regales causas scientissime Oranti Radolpho Whitfield militi Necnon Generosi sanguinis utriusque Templi Iuris Candidatis culti oris facundiâ venustissimo Ciceronis lepôre Relucentibus Fragrantibus suaviloquentiâ Festivissimâ uberrimâque sententiarum supellectile aurei instar Fluminis exuberantibus Humanitatis laude urbanioris antecellentibus officiorum studiosioribus Iuvenibus Hunc suum Meritò Audientem Praeconem Evangelicum In Concione oratione impolitâ apud vos praelectâ Decembris undecimo Dominico habitâ Munusculum
commission Velut Deo vos precante per nos as though God did beseech you by us Secondly Conditionem the Condition Oramus nomine Christi wee pray in Christs stead in the third or three quarter wheele take notice of the subjects Vos yee be yee 2. The subject reconciliation Vos reconciliamini be ye reconciled in the last wheele as it turnes round see the object God whom I have read signified by a wheele which turnes ever and never ceaseth turning Vos reconcilumini Deo be ye reconciled unto God Thus reverently saving to my Text the Acclamation of Elisha unto Elijah in his rapture to a blessed translation my Father my Father the Charriot of Israel and the horse-men of Israel I shall now upon these particulars or some of them sometime sit and sometime stand and in this devided Order First of the first Wee are Embassadours various and as valuable are these high Titles of honour various which the great God of HEAVEN and Earth hath collated upon the Heralds of his Law and Gospel which are Bridles to command and curbe the scorne of the contemptible world nor can any eye be so Dimme and fleshly covered though overspread with a Scirrhosis but may discerne those titular respects to be tutelar protects of such his Ambassadours and Messengers as the Apple of his owne eye They are silver keyes which lead the Coveteous Christian to the golden treasure hidden in the field be it only Titulus isis And it Quasi Titan illuminating the minds of the men or lesse Ignorant as the sunne doth the world but they are many and like Pilates superscription in Hebrew Greek Latin to point the Iew Gentile and Christian to Christ and his Crosse for which we are Ambassadours Ambassadours honourable men and of Gods Privy Councell fellow Commoners with God yea Angels too and this testimony we receave in either Testament Expositours meane the judging high Priest when Ecclesiastes the 5. 6. t is said say not before the Angell and the Jews propound that Angell which came up from Gilgal to be Phineas the high Priest Iudg. 2. 1. And so Beza renders those Angells before whom a woman must be covered in the Church to be the instructing Ministers The Angells of the seaven Churches we say Bishops whereas others that cannot speake out with Shibboleth call them superintendents And because we preach the Unity of one full Church Celestiall and Terrestriall under Iesus Christ we participate by the counterchange of names of the nature of Angells An Angell in Heaven is a Celestiall Priest and an Ambassadour in Earth is well stiled a Terrestriall Angell We are those Angells upon the ladder of Iacob Iesus Christ ascending by prayer for the people by and to his Divinity and descending by Doctrine upon the people by his Humanity though Coucht under the flatt stile of an Ambassadour in the text Nor is this relation of so late newes as to cause your eares to itch but rather tingle in dicbus illis even in the old time before us this Doctrine was preached the use discovered the abuse corrected the old world were Aurium tenus up to the eares in water and perished as by an heavenly Dropsy for not obeying esteeming Noah an Ambassadour froÌ„ God unto them the lustfull Sodomites were for wickednes almost matchlesse matched being consumed by flames and generally overthrown by one burning fever for that they hearkened not unto righteous Lot their Ambassadour Since ever there were a people God hath continued away of practise with that people either immediatly or mediatly extraordinarily or ordinarily sometime by inspiration sometime by dreames sometime by prophesy sometime by visions and sometime by revelation all which in their Order end considered were as so many Embassadours from God the great King and as so many testimonies of his mercy and love to the people even from Moses the great Prophet unto Malachi the lesser the line hath runne direct to point to the greatest of all Iesus Christ whom Saint John Baptist exactly aymed at with his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Not a word without an Article to leade us to the person and Actions of Christ for whom being come and ascended we are Ambassadours In this place I may without digression observe Gods holy and wise Oeconomicall Method untill the Law was published God revealed himself and his will by Apparitions and Inspirations of Prophets but Miracles and visions apparantly decreased as there was an augmentation of his holy Scripture so Vrim and Thummim at the captivity ended and nothing was assigned to the Priests dutie but to teach the Law when the Prophet Malachy finished the Prophets and Esaiah the 8. 20. the people are informed to what they must look and stand even to the Law and to the Testimony and are evidently admonished to remember the Law of Moses from which they might conclude no more expectation of Angells Prophets dreames or visions untill the comming of that great Prophet indeed Iesus Christ so lately pointed at by his forrunner Iohn the Baptist From this course we may gather the Complement of the Law the ceasing of further visions of â—â—oaching of dreames of faineing of Prophesyes of dreaming of new Revelations and Enthusiasticall inspirations and here is the Proclamation of the Gospell by Gods lawfull Ambassadours at whose mouth we are directed to know Christs will whose lipps in the Temple we are bound to preferre before the private Adoration of a God of our own setting up though we should see him moove by his itching in our garrets chambers We Ambassadours have Authority to preach remission of sins to all faithfull penitents assurance of Resurrection to Eternall life to faithfull soules by Iesus Christ who having sealed up all vision and prophesy revealed the whole will of his father directed us unto Gods wisdome commands us to lay aside all Popish traditions Anabaptisticall inspirations humane unnecessary inventions and to rest upon him in his written holy word who is the beginning and the ending Alpha and Omega the first and the last And for this we are Ambassadours Hence the people are taught that it must needs be an high arrogancy to add new Doctrines because the whole will of God the Father is in these last times fully declared and manifestly published by Iesus Christ his only sonne and our only Saviour in his Word And since Christ hath compleatly finished the whole Law of God and mans everlasting Redemption and that this Doctrine these Divine Embassadors are commanded with substantiall knowledg to preach to the people the people are hence directed with all humble holinesse immediatly to take drift and living directions from us as the textuaries and Apostolicall Embassadours that so Gods written word may have evident and sound Explication all Schismes and heresies utter exerpation pure Devotion high augmentation significant discipline in all comelinesse and decency practicall commendation the people
to whom the Embassadour comes may receave sincere edification the Embassadour religious estimation Gods Ambassage deserved exaltation and God himself an uniforme Glorification and for this we are Ambassadours Here is Officium Beneficium Ambassadour 't is nomen oneris aswell as honoris a name of Office aswell as benefice of sedulity aswell as utility of service aswell as ceremony We exercise an Eldership and discharge the work as truely as legatione fungimur we are charged with the Embassage by the authority of Christ we are invested and inducted into one and by the same vertue in nomine Christi in the name of Christ we effect the other Dignitas honoris the worthinesse of this honour falls out according to the power of this Gift and the Gift had not been sufficient except God had indued it with power Whence our Deputation first issued and what it may understand Saint Paul as cōmenting else where upon this text unfolds by the word of Eternall truth He that descended is the same also who ascended up farre above all heavens that he might fullfill all things 1. Ephes 4. 10. and v. 11. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ But this deputation is no lesse then a work of the sacred Trinity for the blessed Trinity which by one consultation in word created man do now in the word by one work recreate him in this last quotation you read Donum Filij the gift of the Sonne and 1. Cor. 3. 6. you may read Donum Patris the gift of the Father I have planted Apollo watered but God gave the increase and 1. Cor. 12. 28. And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly teachers after that Miracles then Gifts of Healings Helps Government diversities of tongues And Act. 20. 28. see Donum Spiritus sancti the Gift of the holy Ghost Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God Learned Calvin particularly interpreting Saint Pauls order of Apostles Prophets Evangelists shepheards and teachers doth summarily concorporate them into the office and honour of an Apostolicall Pastour such as this Embassadour himself was By shepheards and teachers some understand those whose charge extended to the care of a particular Nation and such fell somewhat short of that accompt which they receaved who spared no paines to preach every where By Evangelists some intimate those who walked not abroad and yet preached as Priscilla Act. 18. 26. or those who wrot the Gospell By Prophets some meane certaine which were not Apostles and yet were Prophets as Agabus Act. 11. 28. By Apostles there are who understand such as had all things for an Apostle is a vessell of the body more principall and lively receaving all things from Christ himself so saith Saint Chrysostome in Ephes 5. And the before cited judicious Calvin puts betwixt the orders some difference but that in very modest discretion By teachers he will signifie such as applied their whole diligence to the sound interpretations of Divine writ and whose care it was to preserve the purity of Doctrine amongst the faithfull and t is his observation that such teachers intermedled not with any Discipline or Ministrations of Sacraments to the people By Evangelists he meanes an order in Dignity somewhat inferiour to the Apostles yet not without some relations to them in office such as Saint Luke and Timothy and perhapps those 70. Disciples appointed by Christ By Prophets he intends not all interpreters of the Divine will but such as by singular Revelation excelled others of which kind we have now none Extant for so he argues quales nunc vel nulli extant vel minus sunt conspicui But the power Apostolicall he confines not to any other bounds then the whole Vniverse alluding to their Commission granted from the Lord Governer and Commander of the whole world Saint Mark 15 16. Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospell to every Creature And the Pastorall and Apostolicall charge not admitting the least difference betwixt them in substance or service He concludes comprehends all these for thus he resolves Pastorale autem mumus haec omnia in se continet and now by consequence it is manifest but what relation is or could be in honour and office betwixt our teachers and the old Prophets the same more fully authorized and exemplified have our Pastours with the Apostles and so in the duties of preaching praying praising baptizing breaking of bread administring of the Cup and in all other holy actions grounded on Gods word as apperteining to the Ministery our succession is Apostolicall for Saint Paul ingrosseth not the office to himself but verifieth an equality of execution to all such succeeding Ministers and Ambassadours Let a man so esteeme of us as of the Ministers of Christ and stewards of the Mysteries of God 1. Cor. 4. 1. that hence we be esteemed as Ambassadours for Christ sent by Christ and that the people to whom we are sent may as from our hand receave the rich treasure of Salvation gathered for them and distributed unto them from the holy Scriptures and Mysteries of God And in this sense is my thesis in the text we are Embassadours Here is honour indelible dignity indamnable reward interminable dignatio magna here if I could build Tabernacles the glory of the Lord would suddainly fill them We are Embassadours here is or should be our Unity and we are all Embassadours here is or should be our holy Community Legatione fungimur we are all Embassadours but all are not we he mistaks the place qui tibi hūc assumit honorem who takes this honourable Office upon him not being called of God as was Aaron there are which runne whom God hath not commanded to go but interpreting Saint Pauls marke sett before them to be a pulpit presse forward in their sencelesse performances without authenticall Ordinations O monstrum horrendum Informe ingens cui lumen ademptum O head and body without eyes unparalleld wonder here let Admiration seale up every lipp that any people should conceave that way best profitable to mend their aberrations and steppings awry by hearing and seeing a Cobler who perhaps would delight more to be Solus cum sola wax a Preacher nay t is causa capitis and head Busines which moves my more then ordinary invectives against such prophanation and profaners when a dresser of Hatts will seeme a redresser of hearts what can such polluted hands work save gum into mens Heads and gall into there minds they may presume to make Sermons as good as ever was felt though never so true as to be understood such take not a book in hand without some coulour and though there utterance exceed there entrance their going out there
may he adde or diminish from Gods word he must not create unto himselfe a fools paradise and walke up and downe there set up a throne and judge there he must fish in Gods Sea and World not lanch into another of his owne making nor saile with pleasure in old wives fables or issues of his owne braines if he have an itch within him to long for that which neither the place nor season affords some unheard of unparalleld perfection in Utopia it must be carefully adverted unto and cured before it spread or the people smell it Gods true Ambassadour must content himselfe with the wonders of God discovered in the depth of his word and the height of his works for the blessed Spirit reveales nothing but that which is the will of the Father and Sonne John 16. 14. and Gods Angells we may imagine in old time spake neither more nor lesse then what they had declared unto them in heaven and an Ambassadour on earth must not dare to transgresse that celestiall proportion 3. The fanaticall Zelots of our times judge all learning but Scripture the language of the Beast and that there is no use of Latin except ordinary or as much as will keepe the necke from an halter and there can bee no pure preaching of the word with them except Universities downe and they come up not directed by the letter but Spirit they object the Apostles were illiterate men and yet by the Spirit they understood all mysteries and knowledge and I would have them without education to their tongues in Apostolicall manner speake to the Jewes and Indians and other like with us and it should be to me a probable inducement sooner to confide in their abilities to direct us in that truth in our owne tongue which they fondly pretend Academicks misse of and I dare safely question whether such by their presumptuous spirit can effect more without artificiall instructions then such as with the knowledge of Arts have the assistance of the true Spirit of God Thence I conclude though Gods sacred Word should especially have precedency in all learning and all Gods Ambassadours yet how shall this word be safely interpreted the sense truly rendred without knowledge in the Originalls Translations ancient Commentaries therefore to use humane learning as Hagar to attend Sarah and Arts and expositors assistance the monuments of learned men as Joshua the Gibeonites who upon the grounds and landmarkes of antiquity old bootes old shooes moulded bread were admitted to carry water for the Israel of God is lawfull and for ought I read not in any age before gainsayed in such vulgar impudencies and frequent insolencies as in this 4. But how ashamed is a learned and wise King of a foolish and ignorant Ambassadour and how God suffers in his glory when Ministers want knowledge to instruct the people Because thou hast rejected knowledge I will also reject thee thou shalt bee no Priest to mee saith the Lord by the Prophet Hosea these are the dumbe Dogs spoken of by another of his Prophets unto whom if the booke be tendred may be answered non legit ut clericus he dreams and sees visions bookes sealed and his profitablest document is the peoples nocument his best doctrine is the peoples scandall wherein he must acknowledge that he is no Prophet nor Prophets sonne he never saw the Schooles of the Prophets he is some husbandman herdman or at best a cobler hatter horserubber leatherseller or tailor and so skipping up to reforme the magnificat in the City or Country before he had his nunc dimittis in the University his doctrine is ignorance his use error the Pulpit the true seat of spirituall judgement and divine oratory is stuffed with old saddles empty pictures brainsicke and railing superfluities and hence it is that the hearers Camelion like live upon aire and winde But considering the weight of this spirituall Ambassage in all actions and circumstances thereto pertinent The Tables of the Law in the discussing whereof large Volumes will not containe the Cases of Conscience thence still emergent considering the Ambassadours skill required in Ethickes Oeconomiques Politiques Histories Chronology Geography Philosophy Tongues Rhetorique Logique holy Scripture mysteries of Prophesie Fathers Schoolemen Polemicall Divinity and Controversie The Arguments of Papists Atheists Turkes and Sectaries to bee resolv'd and refell'd Misprisions in History Prophesie Tongues Cases of Conscience which arise to the great disturbance and unhinging of Christian truth to be confuted Many divine sentences and other passages without conference inexplicable Considering these and infinite more of this nature individuals to his function what use should the true Church make of arrogant ideots and peremptory illiterates whose zeale without knowledge like mettle in blinde horses destroy the riders stumbling upon they care not know not whom Why doe we put children to remove great timber blinde men to conduct us in unknowne paths Doth a mans curiosity restraine his wearing Apparrell from a Botcher and his distrust preserve his dying body from a Mountebank and shall not true zeale to his soules eternall life warrant his speciall care to what doctrine and whose spirituall oversight he submits himselfe If wee make no conscience of this we make conscience of nothing and conscience nothing And by this meanes the Ambassadours ignorance and the peoples prophanenesse sedition and heresie takes place of religion and piety and as well sound doctrine as ancient discipline is transformed into a fable and scoffe and the people having cast off all true obedience to Gods law benummed conscience and rejected right judgement and true holinesse make nothing true doctrine but what pleaseth them But if antiquity for doctrine and discipline shall beare no authority with them if they will not follow Moses advice inquire of the dayes before them even from one end of heaven to the other if they account not the Doctors and Histories of the Church unpartiall which lived before such ignorance in the one and licentiousnesse in the other were so open and impudent such blasphemies questions were moved as are now too frequent to the dishonour of God Jesus Christ and his Word and the offence of good men and if they will circumcise the Church to themselves onely and not to the rules of the ancient Scriptures Apostles and Teachers damning all but themselves I hope you cannot be offended if I deliberate whether I would be of such a Church whereof for ought I know never any were before themselves wee may gird on our swords of knowledge to help us in these perillous journies but the best accessory for protection and direction is Gods providence and wisdome to his servants which is timely and needful Having in the last use left lawlesse Ignorance in the Pulpit of godly knowledge what ungodly and improbable deductions wil thence be compelled is easie though dismall io conceive For doth not the Papist preach hence infallibility and with Campian cry Templum Templum the Church the Church and