A MINISTERS DVTY To reprove Sin in the Pulpit, as God himself doth in His Scriptures.  
Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy heart: Thou shalt in any wise rebuk thy Neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him,  Lev. 19. 17. 
Open rebuk is better then secret love,  Prov. 27. 5. 
Lift up thy voice like a Trumpet, cry aloud, spare not, show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins, be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confounded thee before them,  Isa. 58. 1. Jer. 1. 17. 
Them that sin re buke before all, that others also may fear,  1 Tim. 5. 20 
Veritatem negat, qui eam non liberè predicat; He denies the Truth with holding it in unrighteousness, who doth not speak it out fully and truly.  
LONDON, Printed for Henry Cripps, and are sold at his Shop in Popes-head-alley, near Lombard street, 1656.   

The first Treatise and Query arising from the result of the Debate upon the former Queries, whether a Godly Minister settled in his heart, upon Scripture grounds, as to the negative in all the forementioned, may not deliver himself in these matters unto his people, clearly and plainly, as he himself is persuaded the truth is in Jesus? &c.  
It is resolved in the affirmative, that he may and ought, and stands charged by his God so to do.  

CHAP. I.  
SIR, you have occasioned the putting this question. And now as it is our duty, so is it our business to put this out of question, That a Godly Minister ought, as to declare the truth of Christ unto his hearers, that he may, through him that strengtheneth, establish them therein; so also to fence and guard them against all that which is as the remorest extremes are, cleave cross and contrary thereunto. And truly, Sir( to make bold with 
Answer to Mr. Bl. p. 394.  that learned mans words, in a matter somewhat different.) But that the interest of mens immortal Souls, is come to be concerned herein, we should think the time exceedingly lavished that will be spent in this enquiry. Let him that is ignorant( about this his duty) let him be ignorant still, were a sufficient answer thereunto. Yet considering that great interest aforesaid, we will give you our persuasion in this matter, and leave it to the Godly-wise to judge, how consonant it is with the holy Scriptures. Your judgement, as is too evident, bends the contrary way; you would have drunkenness, and such like prophanesses, and ranting doings, declaimed against in the Pulpit, as also abominable Idolatries, and damnable Heresies, not forgetting that cursed toleration— &c. Truly Sir, we can speak clearly, our Consciences bearing us witness in the Lord, that we hate, yea, loathe such doings, with those Idolatries and Heresies( not to make comparison) with our hearts and spirits: only for that Toleration so much Anathematized, we are not so clear about it as we ought to be, before we curse it 
a Clear light is needful for men who walk in paths which led directly to houses of blood, Dr. own of Tol. p. 40. : only this is clear unto us by the Spirit of God in his word, I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil.  
Now how far our Rulers are to be faulted herein, is not for us to judge. So let that pass without our curse, till we know more certainly of it; yet we hope we shal be found in the number of those that cannot bear with that which is evil in ourselves, or in others, so far as may lye within our compass to hinder. And this last said layeth( as we conceive) a charge upon us, to deal with you here, as we have done in those sacred matters hitherto, plainly and clearly; and this is it we would say first.  
That we cannot think that drunkenness, profaneness, those ranting doings there, and here, and every where, no nor those abominable idolatries, nor those damnable Heresies, do procure such mischief to the Church of Christ, as your doings do in the house of God( if we may call your meeting places by that name) Your free admission of all Infants to the Font, and of all Parents to the Lords Table, so be they were baptized into your National Church. It is our persuasion, that these your doings( you being in account, as we hope you are, a Godly man) do the Church of Christ the greatest mischief, together with the toleration of an Heathenish feast, you call the Feast of the Blessed Nativity; and the profanation also, you yourself helping it on, of the Lords Prayer, these are the doings which do mischief the Church of Christ very much, at the least have a unsteady that way; for we know, mischief it these cannot: Because, he that watereth 
Is. 27. 3.  it every moment, being his Vineyard of Red-wine, will see to it, lest any hurt it, keeping it night and day: On this very day, though a day of trouble and of rebuk, and of provocation; the onely wise God is working gloriously for his Church, and making a blessed method of all these confusions; he will give unto his people an expected end, Peace, Peace, to all those whose hearts are stayed upon him, because they trust in him. So 
Isa. 26. 3.  that we have concluded from Scripture promises, That the Church of Christ could not have wanted any of your doings, either at the Font, or at the Lords Table: He that spake light out of darkness, brought life out of the Grave, a most glorious Blessing, from a most cursed cross, will( his people can trust him) bring glory to his great name, and good to his Churches, by all the evil of your doings before mentioned, and yet not yours more then theirs who are Brethren in office with you, all over your National Church, doing the same things, rather the same provocations. But no thanks to you for all this, no more then we can give to them who have done, and to this day do their utmost to undo us; your doings have a tendency the other way, to set things back, or to turn them to the posture they were in; to hinder that imperious reformation, which will not leave an hoof behind in egypt; your doings are a mere provocation to God( we are plain with you Sir, and we must be so, but for your good, if you can see it) a mere provocation we said; ye provoke your God more then the Drunkards do, then hypocritical mockers do; more then profane persons, as was Esau, yea more then the Ranters do; or those abominable Idolaters, and damnable heretics, those they call Quakers; ye provoke your God more then do any of these, or all these. Sir, for love-sake, we would call somethings to your remembrance: The Lord God did not take it so ill, it was not full up to the height of such a provocation, that the Philistines carted his Ark, they did like Philistines that had no light nor rule to walk by, so up they hoisted the Ark, and no breach upon them for so doing: Israel doth so too, and we al know what 
1 Sam. 6. 19 Num. 45. 20.  followed, Uzzah is smitten dead, performing as he thought a service of love unto it, which speaks out plainly, and like Thunder in our ears, that the Lord God will take that from a Philistine, 
2 Sam. 6. 7. 1 Chr. 13.  which he will not take from an Israelite; from an Infidel, which he will not take from a 
A parvum minus & minimum est in civilibus in sacris nihil non maximum. Nuga sunt nuga in ore plebes, in ore sacerdotis blasphemae.  true believer; from a Drunkard, which he will not endure from his Disciple; from a Ranter, which he will not bear with from his Saint; from an Idolater, which he will not from him who professeth to fly from Idols; from an heretic, which he will not from him that hath received the truth in love. A Drunkard does like himself, you cannot liken him to any other, unless it be to a Swine; a Ranter like a Ranter, you cannot liken him to any other, unless to his father the devil, who had he flesh and bone, would act as you see a Ranter doth: Quakers will do like Quakers, like persons possessed with a devil; for as the Proverb says, they run whom the devil drives, and they quake whom the devil shakes. The Lord God may bear with these a long time after his manner, as he did with the Amo rites; yet when( take it by the way) he begins to strike, he will make an end, there shall not need a second below: But we find not he did ever bear so long with his own people in covenant with him. Therefore surely those words contain much, and teacheth us a great lesson. Beware of him and obey this voice, provoke him not, 
Exo. 23. 91.  for he will not pardon your transgressions. Not pardon( we must open this in passage.) Then that Lord who multiplieth pardons seems to deal more hardly with his peculiar people( for of them he speaks in that Scripture) then with the bulk of that people who had broken that covenant with him; for thus we red, he, full 
Psa, 78. 38.  of compassion forgave their iniquity. Surely, this cannot be meant of a true and proper pardon of sin; but onely thus, upon their feigned repentance and humiliation for sin, the Lord respited their judgement; he did not punish them at that time, so the following words are exegetical, they explain the former, He forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not, yea many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. But these words in Exodus, He will not pardon your transgressions, speaks forth this, as we conceive, and it is very observable, he will not wink at his Churches sins; no, Christ himself will not, and for many reasons, too long here to set down; yet, take this one amongst many, sith it is to our purpose, he so loved his people that he gave himself for them, and washed 
Ephe. 5. 25. Rev. 1. 5.  them from their sins in his own blood; now having so done, he will not bauk, nor bear with the sins of these people; he will be quick with them, whom ever he spareth, he will not spare them, if they will sin against him, nor look with a favourable eye upon them till they have repented hearty for that they have done; He will not pardon your transgressions for MY NAME IS HIM. The sum of that wee would say to that you have said, that you would have drunkenness and ranting sins, and such l●ke reproved in the Pulpit.  
The sum of what we would say thereunto is this, that the profaneness of you the Prophets and Stewards in Gods house, which from you is gone forth into all the land, is rather to be reproved in the Pulpit, then any of the forementioned, for the reason above said, because those sinners do not so much hurt without Gods house-( unless you admit them in) as your profaneness doth within Gods house, being more conragious then a Plague-sore there. And because the Lord doth not so narrowly observe a bastard people poor and foolish, what they do, they do 
Jerem. 5. 4. ( as was said) like themselves; as in the devil their father, doth what his sons and daughters do; nor doth he so much regard what is done at our own Tables, as what ye do or suffer to be done at his own Table, The Lord thy God is a 
Deut. 6. 15.  jealous God: Where? among you saith Moses, they sin to day and are punished to morrow, That holy man expected present judgement would 
Josh. 22. 18. Job 10. 14. Isaiah 31. 9.  fall upon Gods people sinning, Thou makest me, and wilt not acquit me, saith Job. His fire is in Zion, and Furnace in Jerusalem, they that sin there cannot escape long. God will endure ten times as much from another, a profane person him, or her, then he will from whom he loves, and hath taken into covenant with himself. And as the Lord is sooner provoked to anger by the sins of his own children, then of any other men, so his anger wont to be hotter, and his corrections sharper on them then on any other.  
When the Lord saw it, saith Moses( that his 
Deut. 32. 19  own people fell to Idolatry, and other gross sins) He abhorred them, because of the provoking of his Sons and of his Daughters. He will not take the contempts and indignities done against him by his own Children, and Stewards in his own house, the place of his glory, at his own Table, where he, in as visible a way as can be to the eye of faith, sits and communicates with his people there in the midst of it, as in a Chair of State. And this be spoken, for the vindication of them, who will never cease, till they cease to speak in the Pulpit, to declaim against those abominations that are committed in Gods house, and more especially at the Lords Table, more against these then against all the Swinish Drunkards and devilish Ranters in the Nation, or Church National. For to speak out once more, we cannot be inclined to think, that the Swinish Drunkard, that jeerer and scorner of all goodness, that abominable Idolater, who derideth the words of Christ, as once they did that covetous person, we cannot think that any one of these, or all these do so much mischief in the Town where you were born, as the Minister there doth, giving forth water to the Babes of those Parents, and at the day appointed as Mr. H. doth the Lords Supper to the Parents themselves, as abominable as Sin and Satan can make them. And now we have spoken plainly and proceed so to speak, that we may in the first place prevent if it may be, what is suggested, against this plain dealing in the Pulpit, wherein we have cause to fear our Minister hath not dealt so fully and plainly with his people( whatever is suggested or forced to the contrary, that he is too plain) as he is charged from his God, and hath his Warrant from his Scriptures so to be.  
Therefore in the second place we will grant unto you, that there are times and cases, when the Prudent shall keep silence, for it is an evil 
Amos 5. 13.  time. There are times for all things, and among these all, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 
Eccles. 3. 7.  and it is a great part of Prudence to know this time, to hit the Article or joint of it, and so well to time this season, when to speak, when to be silent. Truth itself hath its season, when to bee spoken out and made public, when to be kept in. We have thought hearty of excellent Tindals Letters, which speaks fully to this matter: But we made some mention of it before. That worthy man in his Exposition upon Job. 13. 5. speaks yet more fully to this, how to know our season for silence, and for speech, which concerns us very much to take notice of, because we know in some cases, it is our wisdom to be silent, and in some cases, it is our folly not to speak. Wee will onely borrow that learned mans general, It is our season to speak, when by speaking we may bring glory to God, and do good to our brethren. Then a Minister of Christ must speak, if there be a Must, to do his duty, come on it what will. Be the time never so perilous, hard and sierce, yet when he may bring glory to God, and good to his Brethren, then the Prudent man will not keep silence, though it is an evil time. Nay he cannot keep silence, though he would, for so would his flesh, it would be spared; but keep silence he cannot, His love to Christ constrains him, Christs love to him, his 
2 Cor. 5.  love to Christ, is like fire within him, it will flamme forth, together with his anger against all that, which is contrary to the mind and will of his Lord and Christ; so now in this case, wherein 
Luke 6. 15. Acts 1. 13.  the glory of Christ is concerned, you may surname him as one was the zealot; for of those two affections love and anger, Zeal is compounded. Anger is as much out of love, as hatred; 
Ira est tam ex amore, quam ex odio  a true rule though it may seem a Paradox; he that loves Christ dearly( else he loves him not) is carried out angrily, yea hatefully against that which his Lord hateth, whether in himself( this hatred begins within) or in other persons or things; for it hinders union and communion with the person he so dearly loves. This mans zeal is for Christ, who was so zealous for him, as that to accomplish his peace, he was content and choose rather to suffer the pangs of Hell, whence it is that the faithful of the Lord have appeared for him in the most perilous times, and have not been able to hold in and conceal themselves, though they might have saved their lives and escaped terrible tormentings, by withholding the truth in unrighteousness, would the Christians in the Primitive times, have offered a grain onely to the cursed Idol, or have suffered it to be said they had offered, when they had not? what dreadful sufferings had they prevented! But you have red the story of those times, and have we doubt not, walked over those fields of blood once, and again.  
We proceed to tell you our perswasion, that a Minister of Christ cannot keep silence, at this time, though it be an evil time, but the rather lift up his voice like a Trumpet; and against those things wherein you would persuade, if not command silence; surely the charge of God unto him, and the Word of his God within him, is like fire there, or like new Wine, it must have a vent. He hath the mind of Christ, as all the faithful before him; and as they have done in the cause of Christ, and matters of his service, so must he. Hear how Isaiah roared in the ears of an Idolatrous people, like a lion in the forest, calling the Princes of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, Rulers of Sodom, and people of Gomorrah. 
Isaiah 1. 10.  It cost him his life, though another thing was pretended and laid to his charge. Time would fail us should we speak of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and all the other Prophets; we pass all these, and come to them who come nearer to our case. John the Baptist observing the best men in the Country, upon common account, thrusting in upon him to take Sanctuary, after the manner against the wrath to come, at an Ordinance( the very case we had in hand) we mean sheltering themselves under that shadow, as great and large among us, as that three casteth we red of 
Matth. 3.  in Dan. 4. 21. he, if we observe well, chaseth them away, as we would do so many Vipers( which was hinted before) he was bold in his Lord and Masters cause, come on it what would. And we know how plainly he dealt with Herod, that great and notorious person, as well as we know how Herod dealt with him: what though? John must do his duty though it cost him his head, which Herod would have, that he might bee sure of his tongue, that wherewith he should reprove him no more.  
To go on here, Peter and John were bold in the like cause, to a wonder, and not onely they, 
Acts 4. 13.  but all the Apostles; truly said they, we cannot 
Acts 4. 20.  but speak the things which we have seen and heard; we cannot, as if they had said, ye must deal with us as Herod dealt with John, take off our heads before our tongues will bee silent, in our Lord and Masters cause; and Paul, wee know, was as resolute too in the same cause, putting his life into his hands, who knows how often? had he conferred with flesh 
Gal. 1. 16.  and blood( which through grace he did not) what need he have suffered persecution? which yet he met with in every place, and at every turn; 
2 Tim. 3. 11, 12.  and concludes upon it, yea, and bids every man to conclude so too, that is resolved to appear so his God, and to live Godly in Christ Jesus, he shall suffer persecution. I know a way says Paul, to live as quietly among my neighbors as others do, and to gain the love of all, and to make a gain of it; and truly, common nature is but a Bawd to this thing, but I could skill of the way though: Could I cease to preach up the cross of Christ, and Salvation by it, and by no other means under Heaven; and then forbear to preach down Circumcision, and observation of daies, and such like Idols: Could I do so, I should come fully up to as high a rate in the markets of the World, as others do; If I yet preach circumcision, 
Gal. 5. 11.  why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. It is a full Scripture, and Luther hath a full Exposition upon it; but we pass on, yet cannot we forbear to tell you: Sir, by the way, our Godly jealousy of you, that you are not so resolute in the cause of Christ, to say no more, as Paul was, and all the faithful of God ought to be, and assuredly are, if they are indeed what they profess to be; and the reason of our jealousy is, because you are so quiet among your neighbours, and they so quiet with you; it is much feared you never storm their Idols; for when you shall so do, past all peradventures they will storm you, though you carry your matters never so wisely. It is well you do, if so you do: The wisdom of the Serpent is allowed you, to be prudent and discreet 
Mat. 10. 16.  in the management of your affairs; but you do remember you must be as harmless as a Dove; Study to be quiet is the Apostles counsel, and it is to be followed by you, though ye should be as a Sheep in the midst of Wolves. And in the midst of them every faithful Minister is at this day, as the faithful before him were in former daies; and the more he shall declare his faithfulness, the more his people will declare their Wolvishness. And surely, Sir, you fare not better then your Brethren; you are in the midst of Wolves too, however they may look like Sheep, presenting their Infants to Baptism, and themselves a month after to the Lords Table; for then they are in Sheeps clothing, when inwardly they are ravening Wolves. Ye have by your so free admission dressed them up like sheep, and they have for a day changed their actions, but their natures are the same, and as very Wolves as they were before, and more grievous( which may be, and cannot possibly but be so) ever since they had admittance to that place, whereunto onely Sheep and Lambs should be allowed to come, we mean true Disciples. And now it is easily understood how it comes to pass, that you live so quietly in the midst of these( though Wolves they are, as sure as Nero was a Lion, and Herod a Fox, unless ye have made them sheep at the Lords Table; that is, have converted them there, for that is possible, say you) it is because you reckon all Sheep, and none Wolves, Dogs and Swine in your Parish, and continue such till by the Word and Spirit our nature bee changed as well as our actions: But yet this we were saying, this is the way to be taken, and it is an easy way to be found, being a beaten path, and the road of the National Church, to live quietly amid your people, and they quietly with you; account them all Sheep, and admit them all to the Lords Table, upon that account, because they can show for it, they were born and baptized within the Pale of a Church-National. We have  told you our jealousy and so will proceed, but we are clearly of your brother Humphrey's mind, and others of your Brethren of the same persuasion and practise with you, how that there will not be any difference betwixt you and your people. But when you shall fetch a full blow( it is Luther's expression) at your Disciples and Saints, who hold their Saint-ship by no other tenor, but that of Infant-Baptism, then you shall hear them rage and roar, as their Father will when he is pinched. There will not be any difference betwixt you and your people.  
In the next place we take in what you pled for yourself to justify your prudence in the management of your matters, as to Gospel administrations; you preach unto your people necessary truths, you call fundamental, which they must know or perish for ever.  
It is well you do, and yet to be plain with you, we make some doubt thereof. It is a necessary truth, and in the first place to be declared unto us, what creatures we are by our first birth, being born children of wrath, and bringing in with us a most fruitful root which puts forth( if by one member onely, then how much more by all) a world of iniquity. This must be declared unto us, and in some measure understood by us, before 
James 3. 6.  ever we will look after Christ, or attend the means whereby he is made known unto us, or can be received by us. 
a He that would make the way plain for Christ, must begin with the true sense of the depth, breadth, and length of original sin. We must be  told there is no more in us by nature then in Divels, why we should be justified, Mr. B. of Just. p. 183. To bee born lame, blind, or deformed, is judged an heavy calamity: But to come into the World an enemy to God, and God an enemy to us, is not at all regarded.  Now you, that teach your people to account so highly of their birth-priviledge, as that they are born Believers, Disciples, Saints, being baptized into your Church; ye cannot( as we conceive) hold our before them, as you ought, that horrid state of nature, as worthy shepherd calls it, wherein every mothers child is born.  
Truly Sir, we are more then jealous of you, 
sinful practices are but expositions upon our natures, Mr. W. J. upon judas 601.  and your brethren in your way, that ye make the people idolize their first birth, we mean the portion they have by Nature; though yet thereby we are instated in, and possessed of nothing but a Curse( which was hinted before) having brought into the world with us that sinning sin, which is virtually or seminally every sin, the horridst and most prodigious that can be thought on, being the root of all sins. Could one kill the devil,( worthy Capels words) yet you could not name the 
Temp. 38.  sin that original sin would not draw and entice a man unto, there being no sin that is committed, but 
p. 40.  might be committed if satan were dead and butted. Therefore( so the good man goes on) He is not truly acquainted with the depth of original sin, nor soundly humbled, who thinks he had never done these faults except the devil had tempted him. There is no abomination so prodigious, but our original sin would water at it: It is the goodness of God and his 
p. 68.  mere favour alone, who hath kept us and our families, from occasions of such sins, or such occasions from us. bless God then( worthy Capel speaks still, and did you ever hear words more pat to our purpose, and more full to give instruction and to call to remembrance as some Psalms are titled.) Bless God then that Cain hath not killed Abel in our houses; that Amnon hath not deslowred our Tamar; that our Absolom hath not been the death of his brother Amnon; ay, that our son Absolom hath not sought our lives also; that Reuben hath not gone up to his fathers Couch. What are we? what are our fathers houses, that we have been preserved in our houses from such scandalous sins? Are we better? are we so good as these fathers were? Should God sit still, and the Law of Nature look on, and let our original sin or lust within show itself? The next would be sin upon sin, against Scripture, against nature, no bonds, no bounds would hold us from growing worse and worse still, with greatest violence wee should long after the greatest sins, and the end would be a Reprobate sense; from the which, Good Lord deliver us. It may be of use to look over these words again, as we all, so you with your brethren, above many, have need of them. You cannot make us believe that you have preached to your people all necessary truths; ye have if not clean omitted, yet ye have slurred over this one so necessary a truth beforementioned, what cursed creatures we are in the state of nature? Give us leave to say, what you should say to your people, but they abhor to hear it, and then would abhor you for speaking it; what grievous Wolves, mad Doggs, filthy Swine they are by Nature; they are in every mire of sin, or would be there. Ye have slurred over this sure, what beasts we are? how stiff-necked? Iron-sinewed? self-willed( all laws in one) how wilful we are? All which might be proved to us, and fully argued from Jeremiah 6. ver. 16. and last words, but they said we will not walk therein; you, and we remember it Sir, the place where, and time when those words were passed over; we doubted lest they should be as goads in our sides to awaken us out of our dead sleep— But to go on, ye have to speak in the Lords own words, healed this our hurt slightly. Ye have bid your people glory in their birthpriviledge( as ye and they call it) for thereby they are instated in, and possessed of as soon as they are born all Church-administrations, the infants privilege for Baptism; the Parents themselves Dogs and Swine, though they are privileged for the Lords Table. Thus ye have healed the hurt of your people slightly, saying, Peace, 
Jer: 6. 11.  Peace, when there is no peace. The manner of those that hold for a National Church, all, and throughout holy, every one of them, being born and baptized there, a Garden enclosed, a Fountain sealed, a chosen generation a royal Priesthood, an holy Nation, a peculiar people, all and every one of them born in England and baptized there. And upon that account, bring ye all your Infants to Baptism, and your selves to the Lords Table, seeing all the Congregations are holy. every one of them. We will conclude, for the further we go, the more resolved we are; That you have not dealt roundly with your people, showing them the root of the matter, and so not preached unto them all necessary truths; nor have ye behaved yourselves comely, as Stewards ought to do in Gods-house.   

CHAP. II.  
BUt to let you have your saying, you preach unto your people necessary truths, that being granted, what follows? why? meddle not with any other matters before them, as with admission to Baptism, and the Lords Table, observation of daies; or saying of the Lords Prayer, for hereby you shall make them fall off from hearing those necessary truths; this is the drift of your words. Now we will grant you, that necessary truths, are mainly and chiefly to be insisted upon the people; ay, that but one necessary truth is to be preached, as the object of our faith, way, and means of Salvation, Christ Crucified and no other but what is reductive to it, meets in it, or flows from it; Jesus Christ is the sum and center of all Divine revealed truth, which was hinted before; he, and the unspeakable benefits his people have by him, and the weightiest matters to be treated on; and yet other things there are, which will hold weight too in the balance of the Sanctuary and must necessary have their consideration in their due time, place, and order, so as we may say in allusion to those words, Thus ought you to have done, Preach Christ crucified, and leave the other undone.  
We will observe here, and oh that we could withall observation, what our Lord and Masters manner was while he was here on earth; he is a sure pattern to be observed, to be followed, see his zeal for his fathers house, it even eat him up; his fiery indignation against all that which was a provocation to his father there; ay, or might cast the smallest veil, or least shadow over his fathers glory. See how he was carried out against false worship, and Worshippers, who were taught to worship the father by the precepts of men; giving him no other worship, but what was the Spawn of their own understanding, which is as abominable to God, as is the poison of Vipers unto us.  
See we how far he was from humouring the people in those things which we may call indifferent, and judging after the flesh, we might think had he yielded unto the people therein, he might have made way for his Doctrine to take place with them, as a Godly Minister may now, say you, if he shall forbear to anger the people, by preaching against free admission to the Sealing Ordinances; observation of( an Heathenish Feast, but we call) Christmas, or the day of Christs Nativity; and the saying( profaning) of the Lords Prayer. But observe we the carriage of our Lord and Master in these petty matters( for such they do pass in common account.)  
His healing day, was the Sabbath day, And this displeased the people very much, the chiefest 
Luke 6. 6. 13, 14. John 9. 14.  of them, wholly mistaken in the proper works thereof, and carried out to a superstitious observation of the day, according to their own understanding, which made them very rude and uncivil with our Lord, and set them in a rage against him, reproving their superstitions, and informing them touching the right observation of the day( as now it doth, in that and other matters against the faithful Ministers of Christ, reproving them for their profanations, and horrible abominations that way) Our Lord laid his hands on a woman which had a spirit of infirmity 18 years, bowed together with it, and could in no wise lift up her self, and immediately no sooner was his sacred hand on, but the infirmity was off, she was made streight and glorified God. And the 
Luke 13. 13, 14.  Ruler of the Synagogue answered with indignation( take it in passage, and see how wanting our Rulers are in their zeal for the Lords day) he could not see the people do that, which he thought to be a profanation of the Sabbath, without great indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, which he superstitiously thought was a breach of the day. There are six dayes in which men ought to work, in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. Did not the man speak reason? Certainly, carnal reason will judge so; for to speak after the manner of men, and to our case in hand; It was a high offence to the lookers on, as we have red, to observe the Lord Christ heal on the Sabbath day; might not he to remove this scandal, bid the people come to him on the six daies, rather then by healing on the Sabbath day, raise the Spirit of man against his sacred person, as here the spirit of the Ruler, even to an indignation? Surely carnal men would have reasoned the case if they durst, with the Lord Christ then, as you now with his servants against doing their duty, charged upon them by their Lord; you will by so doing anger the people, and raise up their Spirits, even to an indignation against you; nor will they hear you treating of most necessary truths, if you shall deal with them in these matters. We pray you Sir, for quietness sake, and that you may prevail with them in higher matters, forbear to heal on the Sabbath day; take any one, or all six it will do as well.  
This is to confer with flesh and blood, which Paul would not do, and to reason thereafter, as you now do against the Ministers of Christ, doing their duty, they shall but conjure up the peoples spirit, by speaking against their admission to the Sacraments, observation of Christmas, and praying( blaspheming) the Lords Prayer; meddle not with those matters( it is your Counsel) they engender strifes; well, the faithful of the Lord may thank you for your counsel; but accept it they cannot. They look up to him, whom they have trusted; and as they have seen him do through grace so do they; and this very example of Christ, in healing on the Sabbath day, teacheth them very much, what they are to do, as in other matters relating to his worship, so in relation to the Lords day; to beat of the people from a superstitious observation of that day; The foolishness of God is wiser then men; and the 
Job. 10. 22. 585.  weakness of God is stronger then men, 1 Cor. 1. 25. This relating to our purpose and instruction, we will give you the exposition thereof, as it is given us. God is onely wise, onely strong, how then speaks the Apostle of the foolishness or weakness of God? His meaning is, look what act soever of God appears to man as having foolishness or weakness in it, even that foolishness is wiser, and that weakness stronger then men. The foolishness of God is wisdom, the weakness of God is strength, the darkness of God is light; for as God is strength, and in him there is no weakness at all; light, and in him there is no darkness at all; so God is wisdom, and in him there is no foolishness at all; It is but mans foolish heart that thinks so.) But let him think this with it, the foolishness of God is wiser then men, and if the wisdom of men cannot match with the foolishness of God, how shall it contend with the wisdom of God? If you can receive this, receive it, and much use may you make of it, as the Godly Ministers do, doing their duty, though charged with foolishness for so doing, so was their Lord and Master before them.  
We cannot forbear to hold forth our Lords practise in one thing more, not yielding for quietness sake to the wisest and best learned of the people, no not in the poorest and most beggarly ceremony, that is well imaginable; washing of hands, which we have heard say is a point of manners to 
Matth. 15. 2 Mark 7. 4. Luke 11. 38.  do, though but newly made clean, yet for satisfaction to others; notwithstanding, i● this poor ceremony, as our reason conceiveth it, our Lord would not yield unto them; he would not wash his hands, nor should his Disciples neither, when they sate down to meat. We do not doubt but had you lived in those times, you could have argued with the Lord about this matter, as well and as learnedly as others could have done, and have shown him reason sufficient, why he might have been more yielding; wash your hands, Sir, a● others do, and let your Disciples do so too, and you may gain the peoples ears to attend you in higher matters, for after this Dialect speaks your good Counsel to the Godly Ministers now as was hinted before. And perhaps you may marvel why they do not take your counsel( take it they cannot, if indeed they be Godly) as much as the Pharisee did, who seeing the Lord sitting down to meat, marveled that he had not first washed before dinner, Luke 11. 38. And here not knowing who the Reader may be, we would inform him in one thing; That the Lord Christ did not, nor did his Disciples eat with defiled hands as the word is rendered, Mark 7. 2. that is with common or unclean hands. They did observe even in those matters, decency and order. They did not wash as the Pharisees and all the Jews washed, not so often as they did, for when they came from the Market, except they, wash they eat not; nor did they wash up to the elbow, as the Pharisees and all the Jews did; for such a manner of washing wee have heard the word importeth. Thus they did, and they put Religion in it, in washing the outside onely, and none in this, none at all( the manner of men in those days, and so up to our days, and will be their manner till the great day, when daies shall be no more, but all daies swallowed up in that eternal day or everlasting night) we were saying, no religion at all do they put; in cleansing their hands, and purifying their hearts, that so they may draw nigh God, and he draw nigh to them. But observe we with all observation, how the Lord contesteth against them in this thing. And let all the faithful of God learn their duty here from the example of their Lord, to contend against lying vanities, and superstitious observations till they die, Come on it what will, they have their warrant sealed unto them, even from their Lord and great Master himself, and his very practise here, from which we shall now come off and proceed.   

CHAP. III.  
HEre we find it urged to take off the Godly Minister from doing his duty in contending against the abominable doings of Ministers in Gods house, and the like practices of the people without the house: In so doing( so it is forced) they may Personate men in the Pulpit, at least deal too particularly with them, which serveth but to enrage and raise the spirits of men even to an indignation against the good things that may bee spoken and against him that speaks them. To this we reply, first  
We cannot see how this can be avoided by a Godly Minister; unless he shall deal with all his hearers, as many, yea the most do, but he would tremble so to do under the notion of Believers, Disciples and Saints. If he deal plainly with these and according to the truth as it is in Jesus, holding out before them, what they are instated in, and possessed of by their first birth( so much gloried in, we mean their supposed and imaginary privileges therefrom) and assure them from the Word of God, that before they can be admitted to the Lords Table, they must make some proof, that by the prevailing power of the blessed Spirit with the word, they are passed from that through Death, they were born in, unto life, being born again: At least that they have some discerning or insight into that state we are all in by nature, and some breathings to God the father through Christ his son in the use of means, whereby to be brought out of that estate: We were saying, if a Godly Minister shall deal with his people according to the tenor or import of the words fore-mentioned, then are his hearers, specially these nominal Believers, Disciples and 
1 King. 22. 8 Jerem. 26.  Saints, enraged against him, as Ahab was against Michaiah, or as the Princes were against Jeremiah; we cannot bare his words say they, no nor our Nation neither, he prophesieth no good concerning us but evil; for whereas our Ministers all over the National Church have a good esteem of us( we speak your Disciples words) ever since we were born and baptized there, accounting us Believers, Disciples and Saints,( at large, and that serves our turn in our wide, large and broad way) he now for ought we perceive, quiter overlooking our Saint-ship, the great privilege of our first birth, reckons little better of us, then of Wolves, Doggs, Swine, as if we were Turks, Pagans, Infidels, and worse, as worse they are, because they are not better, and had not been born and baptized in England. This is that which inrageth us, and will so do till the cursed 
Mr. Greenhil on Ezek. 13. pag. 547.  pride of our spirits be subdued in us; we flatter ourselves, and we love to be flattered; what is more pleasing to us?( we borrow anothers word) being content to be taught here to speak by those who we are assured, speak to us from God) then to have our own mind, do our own will, walk after the imaginations of our own hearts? And what softer words more suitable to us can be said( we vary a little here from that learned mans words, not from his sense) then are these, Though you ●o walk as aforesaid, yet sith a gracious Providence hath cast it so, that ye have been born and baptized in a Church, you may reckon yourselves as me reckon of you( and shall deal with you as to Church Administrators, to be believers) Disciples and Saints, and so you may conclude no evil shall come unto you. These are milky, oily words, such as please men, and battle their humours, and so have a great advantage with men, who love to be humoured. But the Godly Ministers speak verba veritatis, which have salt and fire in them, and so across, fret, provoke mens lusts, and stir up their hatred against them. But here is the comfort. As the other with their lies and flatteries find favour with men; so the faithful Ministers shall find favours with God for their truths, who loveth truth. We will put a close to this we had first to say, in the Lords own words, which he spake to us by his Prophet, Isa. 3. 12. They who l●●d thee, are they who call thee blessed; and calling thee so while thou art in a cursed way, and pursuing a curse all the day long, they cause thee to err out of the way, and in state the curse up on thee.  
We can grant you that there is an holy craft, and an harmless guile, which a Godly Minister may use, and doth use whereby to catch souls; but he is careful with all his care, that be useth 
2 Cor, 12 1●  so much craft and guile, and no more then what his God alloweth him, just as much of the Dove, as he takes of the serpent, he must see to it, that as he sheweth himself to be Prudent and Wise, so also that he is holy and harmless. And now how to behave himself in your large and spacious house, your National Church, and give no offence either to God or men, hic labour, hoc opus est; nay let him use all care and all diligence that way, it is not possible to do it, he must displease this glorious God, or this wretched man, as possible to please both, as it is to serve two Masters; if he please God he displeaseth man; if he pleaseth 
Isa. 30. 10;  man( take him as he is, and not renewed, he can be taken, that is pleased with nothing but lies, and so) he displeaseth God. A resolved case 
Gal. 1. 10.  long ago. If I yet pleased men I should not be the Servant of Christ; He hath learnt his duty, and in the strength of God will do thereafter, divide the word of truth rightly, give to men as their several 
2 Tim. 2. 15.  states and conditions are; words of instruction one for sort, of reproof for another, of comfort for a third: A Godly Minister hath not as they in Mr. Hs, way, one and the same word shall serve for every soul, for the Sinner, and for the Saint; or if they do vary a little, and strike the sinner down at the Pulpit, they will raise him up at the Lords-Table, and stroke him there; & if they deal smartly with the sinner in the body of the Church, as if he were a devil incarnate, they will deal swee●ly with him in the Chancel, though as if he were a Saint. Indeed upon the matter they have bu● one word, which they make to serve every soul, and that is a word of comfort; for though the men be not more like men then Divels, yet they speak to them, and deal with them as Believers, Disciples, Saints, words of comfort; And truly, why should not the same word serve all comers, as well as the same Table, like the Tyrants bed, made to serve all guests; If the guest was too short for the bed he wrecked him out longer; if too long he cut the man shorter. This was acted at the highest rate of Tyranny, you will say, to make one bed serve all; what shall we call this; To make on Table serve all comers? say you, or the sacred Scripture will speak for you. But the Godly Minister not so, he makes a difference betwixt those whose hearts are broken under the weight and sense of sin; and those that are hardened in their sin; and the same difference he makes at the Lords-Table, else that which is one mans meat there, would be anothers poison; so then he is resolved upon the case, he will please God, preach the preaching, that God hath spoken to him, come on it what will; he dareth not for his life, speak smooth things, or prophesy deceits, to your 
Isa. 30. 10.  Believers in name, your Disciples at large, your Saints, not so much as in show; he abhorreth( as he doth the devil and Hell) to daub with untempered Mortar, to see Visions of Peace for them, who have no Peace, truly so called, still making war with God and fighting against him. A Godly Minister for a World would not be found in the number of these, who sow Pillows to all arm-holes, and slay the Souls that should not die, and save the 
Ez. 13. 16.  Souls alive that should not live: Before we proceed, take the Exposition on these words, which that excellent man gives, the Souls that should not die, are said to be slain, when we threaten where we should promise; and we save the Souls alive that should not live, when we promise, when we should threaten. Though the unskilfullness of man cannot make the faithfulness and the councils of God of none effect, either by slaying one Soul of whom he hath said live, or by saving one Soul of whom he hath said die, yet their words that run knowingly cross to the Word and Will of God are justly charged with slaying those, whom God will save; and of saving those whom God will slay. We were saying a Godly Minister dares not do thus, he dares not call him a Believer that hath no faith, or not so much as the devil hath; nor him, nor her, a Disciple, that hath not learnt Christ, nor careth to learn him, nor him, nor her a Saint, that are such enemies to peace and holinesse, that they would pursue both out of the World; yet in the mean time cleave fast to a form of godliness, neglecting, yea despising, yea opposing, yea crucifying the power thereof; it is a dreadful thing for a Godly Minister so to do, for he dreads that woe, a little word, as he saith, but very comprehensive, all evils are contained in it, woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. A Godly Minister abhorreth such doings, for he dreadeth the woe; he will speak the truth as it is in Jesus; give every one a portion as becometh a good Steward, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, falls much of it besides his consideration, and causeth him no trouble at all but upon their own score and reckoning now and hereafter; because the good Minister knows, nor can he conceal his knowledge, That he who bardneth his heart( under all the means of softening) shall fall into mischief 
Prov. 28. 14. 29. 1. Rom. 2. 5.  he shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy; he is still treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath; for as an hard heart( hardened by being often reproved) is Satans treasury for sin, so is it Gods treasury for wrath; upon this account the good Minister is sad and grieved; yet having done his duty, freed his own Soul, as we say, and through grace acquitted himself of blood-guiltiness, he rejoiceth.  
In the third place we cannot but tell you our observation; that we find our Ministers, some of them, if not the best, yet worthy to be numbered amongst the best, too apt to hold their peace in Gods matters, and the concernments of Souls, too open and ready to speak in their own, we mean they are too much, though others much more in complying with the people, too loathe to offend flesh and blood( sinful man) as must needs be while they confer with their own. They find it 
Neh. 4. 14. Isa. 51. 7, 8.  hard sure to bear up with open face against wind, tide, and storm. These, even the best of men. do not remember God always, and then forgetting him, they fear man; these look back sometimes upon wife and children, and so, if not take off, yet slacken their hand from the Plough, so said our excellent Jewel. It is not always fresh in the best mans mind, God is my shepherd 
Psalm 23.  I shall want nothing; nor doth he always ponder upon that question his Lord put to his Disciples, whom he sent forth to preach, and their answer thereunto, When I sent you without purse, and 
Luke 22. 35.  scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said nothing was lacking. O for faith to rely upon him, for provision, protection, all things needful, for so he hath said: Trust me, and do 
Is. 33. Heb. 13. 5.  thy duty, Bread shall be given thee, thy water shall be sure, Ile never leave thee nor forsake thee; our English cannot reach the Emphasis or force of those Negatives we translate by one Never; something hinders now, the Lord help the Godly Ministers to search out what it is, that they do not search our hurt to the bottom, they do not speak home to us, we are horn-skinned all over, and a deadly core at the bottom, and they for fear of they know not what, will not cut and lance us; we are rough and rugged pieces, and they won't hue us, perhaps they will wound us or sacrifice us at least in the Pulpit; but then, before we feel ourselves at hurt, they will heal us at the Lords-Table; where is that man that is carried out with that zeal, as God requires against the abominations committed in his house? the profanation of the Lords day? the observation of mans days, and other cursed usages frequent amongst us? Indeed as good Latimer said of old de est ignis, men speak in the Pulpit, as if they had no fire in them, no love to Christ, nor hatred against sin; yet they that are as could as frost in these matters, may think a little heat in another to be as hot as a fiery Furnace.  
But to take off what is suggested here; you like not the personating of men in the Pulpit; nor we neither, unless it be so done that a Minister hath a sure word from his God so to do, and so orders the matter, that his fin shal personate or point out the guilty man, and not his name; though why his name should be concealed, when his sin is public and notorious, we know not, and are yet to seek. But this we know, the faithful servants of Christ in al ages of the World, have, according to the word and example of Christ, reproved sinners to their faces, dealing particularly with them, thou art the man, ye are the men: And indeed, when men are ascended some degrees above hypocrisy, to impudence and shamelessness in sinning, why should the servant of Christ be shame-faced in reproving? If wickedness will appear with open face; Godliness must not keep within doors, if wickedness dares trade openly; godliness must not dare to keep in as a Bankrupt that dare not be seen; so said an excellent Preacher in his time.  
1. Let us observe the manner of John Baptist; first, and how roundly he deals with the best and choicest men in the Country in common account which was said before.  
2. Our Lords example is to be observed too, what a Volley of Woes he dischargeth, Mat. 23. and would have all the World to know those persons against whom he dischargeth them, and then subjoins: Ye Serpents, ye generation of Vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Hell? Verse 33. Surely the servants of Christ, and Paul for one to mention no more; he would not give place to false Brethren, no not for an hour, and he withstood Peter to the face, and blamed him boldly and smartly, because he was so to be blamed nor did he take him aside, and whisper him in the ear; nor did he tell his Brethren he had done amiss, but comes to Peter himself, tells him so, dealing roundly with him, and before them all, Gal. 2. 5. 11. 14. Indeed Paul deals very particularly and as smartly every where. If any 
2 Thes. 3. 14. 2 John 11.  man obey not our word by this Epistle, note that man excellent Fennor opens that word, Note him with a brand of infamy; Note him as a Rebel against Jesus Christ, look upon him as a wretched miserable creature take heed of him, avoid him, with-draw yourself from him, point at him; yonder goes a wretch that will not obey the voice of his Teacher; excommunicate him from your company, certainly there is a great wrath hangeth over him. So( he directs his words to Ministers) if any obey not your word, note such persons, such Parishes, such Families, the wrath of Heaven hangeth over them: Notorious Towns, notorious People, notorious Families, notorious Persons; they reject Christ in the Preaching of the Gospel, they obey not his Word, they press on to this Table to receive him there; Note those men, and note their Minister also, who hears and sees all this, and yet sees Visions of Peace for them; whereas there is no Peace( saith the Lord) but woe, woe unto them Minister and People. These words of Paul implies all this, said that worthy man, who did not heal the hurt, the breach of the people, as the manner of some is, slightly saying, Peace, Peace, when there is no peace.  
We would observe Paul's particular dealing with sinners from two or three Scriptures more: There are some, saith he, that have put away a good conscience, and concerning faith( an Hypocritical profession of the true Doctrine of faith,( as that learned man hath it) have made shipwreck. And he points unto two of them, and names them, of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander; and he tells you what you ought to do a little after, 
1 Tim. 1. 20.  them that sin( that is, who sin openly and scandalously) 
1 Tim. 5. 20  rebuk before al; rebuk them to the faces of all men, who are such bold and shameless sinners, that they dare do presumptuously in the face of every man: One Scripture more, their word doth eat, saith he, as doth a Cancer; he stays not there, but notes two of those corrupt and pestilent Teachers of whom is Hymeneus and Phyletus.  
Thus Sir, we have taken off, as we conceive, the edge of your Arguments, Why a Godly Minister ought not to deal with his people, about the forementioned admission to the Sealing Ordinances, and so forth, which shall be particularly, but briefly, set down anon after; and in special, why he may not deal particularly with them, as their case may require.   

CHAP. IIII.  
ANd now we take leave, after our manner, to set down our Arguments, whereby to prove, that it is the duty of every Godly Minister, to treat with his people, about those matters forementioned, Admission of all to the Sealing Ordinances, observation of Christmas, for we speak as we may be understood, and the saying the Lords Prayer; and to make clear proof unto them: That these things ought not to be done, as commonly they are done all over the National Church, being a mere provocation of wrath, a fire that burneth all the day.  
First, then we argue it thus, that which the Lord God hateth, all the Godly Ministers and people do hate also, else they are not Godly; do I not hate them, O Lord, that hate thee, them that professedly, openly, and in some eminent way of opposition set themselves against God and godliness, do I not hate them Lord, that hate thee? certainly, the Godly throughout the World, are made so like their God now, having received his spirit with the word, holy, as he is holy, that what their God hates, they hate, and with a perfect hatred they hate it, and what he loves they love. God hath placed affections in the soul, that we may embrace good things and welcome them, with love, joy, and delight, and avoid evil things with indignation, hatred, and soul-loathing. Now sit we down and bethink ourselves what doth the Lord hate more, then he doth those presumptuous doings at the place, where the Font, as commonly we call it, standeth, and that other place, where is the Lords-Table?  
First, We shall need to add but little to this, in the first place having spoken so much to it before. Surely, you will grant, that that high and mighty person( such he was by his place) you red of in the Church Chronicles, dealt hatefully, rather depitefully with God and good men, when he did at the Communion-Table, what he should have done without doors, and before the wall. * Sir, look to it now whether 
Julian Uncle to Julian the Apostate, but memorable was the revenging hand of God upon him; for nature vented itself not by the accustoned passages, but through his mouth, and so he died.  you( of Mr. Hs. persuasion and practise) may not do as hatefully with your Lord Christ, whom you profess to know, to love, and to fear, in admitting his enemies and adversaries to his Table? taking no other account from them, but because they were baptized in that large and wide Church, the Nation there? These were hateful doings sure( we will remember you once more of Calvins words) To take the sacred body of Christ, and cast it to Dogs by them to be rent and torn in pieces; but so hatefully do these Ministers deal with his sacred body, that give the Signs and Seals of it to Dogs and Swine. We pass from that, onely remember the point we are making out, the Godly Minister hateth what his heavenly father hateth, therefore cannot but contend against such hateful doings.  
Think you, Sir, which of the two abominations rise highest: the horrible profanation of the Lords day, or the celebration of Christmas day? And judge yourself about it whether you can give the least countenance to it; or do not withall your might and main contest against it: Surely so you must do, else you do not as the Godly do, hate that which their Lord hateth. You will find it an hard work to take off your people from that annual observation, as it is, to take of a Turk, a Jew, or a Papist from his Religion; yet if you will approve yourself a Godly man, and so to hate what God hates, you must set about it; for until they shall draw off their observation from that day, they can never be drawn on to the observation of the Lords day; the one or the other will be an abomination to them, we pass that also.  
In the next place think you here also whether the dreadful Name of God is not fearfully profaned 
† 3.  every day by the wicked man? saying the Lords Prayer; we know not how often in the week daies( for commonly he can say no other Prayer) but so often as he comes to the meeting place, there he says it, but how doth he blaspheme his God in so saying it? Truly we could hope, that if you would speak to your hearers in Isidorus words, about their saying this Prayer and not call them what they are not, Believers, Disciples, and Saints, but what they are, till renewed in the spirit of their minds, Wolves, Swine, Dogs, which is said of all ungodly men at once, without are Dogs, Revel. 22. 15. we were saying, it might be hoped they would as soon let Wildfire into their mouth, as let this prayer go out of their lips. Though yet we remember a wicked man is a very bold man and presumptuous; specially at this point of praying the Lords Prayer: A fool rageth( that is sinneth outrageously) yet is 
Prov. 14. 16.  he confident. Isidorus words are these, as we have heard them Englished unto us, and as you 
Isid. Pelusi. l. 4. Ep. 24.  may English them unto your people fully out, for we will give you but a line one or two. That person is ascended above hypocrisy to impudence; he is bolder then boldness itself; who dares call, God father, while he knows he gives him neither fear nor honour: And saith Hallowed be thy Name, all that [ whereby to us he is known, all his attributes, his 
Dr. own Saints persev p. 134.  whole will, all his glory, the cause and end of what he doth, or the principle from whence, with the motive wherefore he doth it] this name, saith he, be Hallowed? But how doth he blaspheme it, being the first born of Satans children, the chiefest of the black guard belonging to the King of the bottonles pit? That worthy man goes on, showing the blasphemy of this wicked man going on in the Lords Prayer, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, whereas his father the wicked one himself is not a more deadly enemy to the coming of the one, and doing of the other, then this wicked person is, he or her. There is much more which is commended to your private reading, and as was said, please you, to your translating, that so your people may understand it, so you may do them good, whereas he saying the Lords Prayer before them, which they will repeat after you, You do them infinite hurt, for you make them hlaspheme, which every Godly Minister hateth to do, because his heavenly father hateth it, that is first.  
In the next place, we argue it from the dreadfullness of Gods vengeance executed upon Ministers, that have by their more then connivance, suffered the Throne of his glory to be profaned in those places by free admission to all comers; My flesh trembleth because of thee, and I fear for thy 
Ps. 119. 120.  judgements. It is evident and clear to a discerning eye, as is the Sun-beam, that the Lord hath made these Ministers vile before all his people, who have countenanced, and more, those cursed mixtures at his Table, together with the observation of that Idol day, and the saying the Lords Prayer; so blaspheming this Name Father, and calling Christ accursed; the Sun shall go down over the Prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. 
Micah 3. 6.  God would inflict a greater darkness upon them the Prophets in his just judgement, then upon the people, Those that abuse most light, they come into most gross darkness: The Seers especially, they should be blind, who would see visions of peace for them against whom the Lord threatens War: The night shall be upon the Prophets, their 
Zach. 11. 17.  Arm shall be clean dried up, and their right eye utterly darkened. They are smitten in the Crown of a man, the understanding they abused it, they perverted it, therefore the Lord cursed his blessings. And behold them now, they are besotted in their very parts and abilities. It was excellent Burroughs observation, There is more darkness upon wicked Ministers this day amongst us then upon ordinary people.  
What should be the reason of this, the procuring or meritorious cause of it? Surely, the abominations they have committed, or suffered to be committed in Gods-house, where they profess themselves to be set as Watch-men, and as Stewards, having the charge of the Lord committed unto them, to give every one their portion in due season, and they have been more slight and careless here in admitting filty and noisome ones into his house, which they durst not do being Stewards to an earthly Lord; nay, which they would do in their own house, which you know was Calvin's complaint long ago, whereof anon after, which made him foretell what he did fore-see, terrible wrath coming upon the Christian world, and behold it is come.  
And great is the wrath that is powred down upon the people too, they were permitted to communicate at the Lords-Table, before they were prepared for it by the word Preached to discern of the Lords-body, and now they are given up to their own lusts, and being past feeling commit sin with greediness, and sitting under the dropping of the word, they are stirred no more then a Mill-post; Now the Lords Day is slighted by them, and Mans day honoured. The Lords Prayer as ordinarily blasphemed as his Name; O the terrible wrath that hath pursued, and hath overtaken Ministers and people, people presuming to come, whether they had no more call to come, then a Swine hath to come to your Closet, and Ministers consenting that they should come, having no more warrant from their Lord for it, then they have to suffer a man to stab himself, with the sword they could take out of his hands; knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, and that because of these things the wrath of God is come upon the children of disobedience. A godly Minister cannot but persuade Ministers and people by the terror of the Lord, and entreat them by the mercies of Christ to consider well what is done, or what they suffer to be done in Gods house, as to these sacred administrations there, and other horrible profanations, which always follow the profaning of these sacred things, as the thread followeth the needle.  
And if there be such a destruction to the wicked ( the wicked Minister especially) so strange a punishment to the workers of iniquity, as is the sword upon their arm( of Ministers and people) and upon their right eye then how can it be, but the destruction from God, as Job speaks, must be a terror to a godly Minister, that he may not by connivance or silence, which is a consenting be an occasion to draw down this destruction upon the people. The destruction upon another, which yet he hath drawn upon himself, with both hands and as with cart-ropes, is terrible to the beholder or slander by, how much more terrible to a Minister, when he shall consider, that he hath( to speak in a word) by his daubing occasioned that destruction? he never  told his people, and fore-warned them of the destruction, which would follow their profaning of holy things, as to our ear the Thunder clap, the lightning, they were suffered to do it, and they did it, and their Minister restrained them not, he wrinkled not his 
1 Sam. 3.  fore-head upon them, he frowned not. Surely, this is the manner of a godly Minister, while his people are doing him hurt, he will be keeping them what he can from hurt; while they trouble him, he will discover his tenderness towards them; that if possible, he may prevent their trouble, which certainly will follow their profanation of holy things. Deliver me from blood( saith David) blood-guiltiness 
Ps. 51 14.  we will render it, to allude to it; there is the blood of Christ, which being sprinkled on us by the spirit, with the word working faith in us, whereby we lay hold of it, is our righteousness: And there is the blood of souls, which is a perishing for ever in their blood, that is in their wickedness, being never discovered unto them; from the contemning, slighting, spilling, profaning of the one, and from being a cause or an occasion of the others perishing for ever; the Lord will deliver every Godly Minister. These are two Scriptures( we think these are excellent Bolton's words) which every Minister should bind for a sign upon his hand, they should be as frontlets between his eyes, he should writ them upon the Posts of his house, or upon his gates, or please him upon his study door; or which may do as well( yet nothing will do till they be written upon the heart) upon the Chancel door( if that order be observed as once it was by as abhommable Idolaters as they, who worshipped towards the Last) and the Lords Supper celebrated 
Ezek 8. 16.  in the upper-most parts of the World, as high Eastward as we can go, we will but name the Scriptures, the first is, Ez●k. 3. 18. 19. When I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked man from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand: Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity but thou hast delivered thy soul. The other Scripture, 1 Cor. 11. 27. Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, as guilty as all they were, or any one of them all, who  shed his blood of malicious wickedness.  
And now, Sir, for we must take it in by the way, we know here you and your brethren put by the stroke of these Scriptures, not suffering them, if we may so express it, to make any dint upon you: Ye do warn the people, ye do thunder out against them in these or the like words, and they regard your thunder as much as they do the rumbling of the Cart in the street, or the sound of Thorns under the pot. Alas, Sir, this your warning is vanity and worse, it will not bear you out before men, Godly men, how much less before your God, to whom you must give an account of( we should tremble to speak it, as you should to hear it) your bloody doings; you warn them, you threaten them, you lay the judgements of God before them, bibunt & comedunt tamen, notwithstanding ye suffer them to eat and drink their own damnation, what becomes of your warning now? O Sir, we pray for you, and your brethren, that you may repent of these doings, and correct them, else you and your warnings must perish together. And this much in the third place to assure you, that a godly Minister cannot be silent in these matters, the destruction from God is a terror to him, as sure as the consolations from God are not small unto him.  
'Tis the great ambition of his soul, to gain souls over unto Christ, to profit those his Lord hath set him over; he would further conversion what is possible, but he would not be a stumbling block, or bar in the way of conversion for a World. In a word, he would profit his hearers: why then he must take Gods way, he must take counsel at Gods mouth, he must Preach the preaching that God commands him, he must do all things as they of old, according to the pattern or as they were commanded( how often repeated in the last Chapters of Exodus?) according to the mind, will, rule of God, prescribed him in Gods word, else they shall not profit his people at all saith the Lord; he must be a good man, he 
Jer. 23. 32.  must stand in Gods way, he must take counsel at Gods mouth, who looks for good success; we dare not say absolutely that a carnal Minister shal never have good success in his Ministry; it is the word that converts, and not the person of the speaker, we tie not God to the goodness of any mans person: He, as one saith, can writ well with a bad pen, and cut well with a blunt and naughty knife: He is infinitely above his Ordinances, and we as much below them; he can sanctify an unsanctified means, for the turning the heart unto himself, as the ghastly looks of a dead man, or the sight of a man falling down suddenly before him, as we red one Waldus was converted. He can bless the words of a poor country-man,( but rich in faith, so speaking glorious things of the Kingdom of heaven) for the conversion of a sinner, as he did to Junius, together with a very looking into the Bible, which his good father had laid in every room Junius his son came into. But it is not what the Lord can do, but what he will do, which he hath declared unto us in his word, who they are that shall profit his people, and who shal not; they who stand in his counsel, and cause his people to hear his words, these shall profit the people. They who do not so shall not profit the people at all, Jerem. 23. 22. 32. we shall set down Calvin's words upon that Scripture, as we have heard them opened unto us, having such a tendency to our scope: It was not the purpose of the Prophet to set down the counsel of God in the several parts and pieces of sound, wholesome, and saving Doctrine; for we have in the Prophets but a breviate or abstract of their Sermons, as much as the holy God saw needful for us, but it sufficed the good Prophet to refel or reprove the false Teachers, who yet would be accounted the onely men, though they stood not in Gods counsel, nor caused the people to hear his word, though they had no regard at all to build up the people, but themselves, and to make themselves fat by the sins of the people, that was indeed all their care: So though they saw all things, like the counsel of the froward, carried head-long in a direct way or tendency to utter ruin; yet what cared they? They saw wickedness in its Throne, and impetuously running as righteousness should do, through the land like a Flood, or mighty stream: They saw, and they heard horrible contempts and affronts to God, and which must needs issue from it, as a filthy stream from a more corrupt Fountain, the filthy conve●sition of the wicked. Yet their unrighteous soul hearing and seeing all these unlawful deeds, were rather cheered then vexed, Caecutibant ad haec omnia, they were more then Pur-blind, they saw none of all this, nor did they hear it( to reprove it, but rather to allow of it) for who so blind and deaf as my servant( saith the Lord) that will neither see nor hear. So far we have red Calvin, giving us an Epitome or Abstract of our times, and what false Teachers do, even as they have done, suffered the people to make themselves vile, and restrained them not, and so could not profit the people at all; and what true and right Ministers ought to do, do their office, stand in Gods counsel, cause their people to hear his words, which is the way of Gods prescribing, to turn their people from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings which is to profit them indeed. So we have concluded that it is not, what is the custom of men to do, but what is the mind of God that they should do. Sith then the Lord in this Scripture hath shown his Ministers the way they must take to profit the people, if they have any mind that way, we take leave to proceed a little further in it, and inquire whether Godly Ministers all over the National Church( in common account, such with yourself) are not far out of this way, to profit their people at all? and so are to be reproved from that Scripture before opened to your ears? we appeal to you in this, do they lift up their voice like a Trumpet? do they open their mouths and speak against those horrible abominations, they are eye and ear-witnesses of? They hear the name of their God pierced, to say no more, his day profaned, presumptuously, openly before all Israel, and before the Sun, at noon day, rather all the day long; ay and sometimes in the place and time of hearing ( & ad huc lex stertis?) And the day( for we will put it together, because where the Lords day goes down, mans day goes up, and where the Lords day hath its due elevation in the soul, as is proper for that day) there mans day, that hath the stamp or ordination of man for it, is cast out, for it hath its exaltation onely in that heart where Satans Throne hath his; we were saying, they see the Lords day profaned, Mans day honoured; they see and hear the word of his grace; the onely means of Salvation reproached, contemned, vilified; Christ and his glorious Gospel made as light of, as we of that, we cast behind our backs, or tread under our feet? Notwithstanding 
Mat. 10. 13. Acts 13. 46  these despisers, deriders, scorners of Christ and Salvation by him; these unworthy ones, that put the word of life from them, judging themselves unworthy of eternal life, these, we were saying, are invited to come to the Lords Table, and are taught to hold out their right thereunto, as to Gospel-fellowship, and to all Church-administrations, by privilege of their first birth, and upon account of their Infant-Baptism.  
How can he that is wholly voided of a lively faith and true repentance, that hath nothing of the spirit of Christ, how can he receive Christ? Nay, he that is wholly possessed of sin and satan, how, is it possible he can be capable of Christ? What a filthy mixture is here, when without any choice the veriest Varlets openly flagitious are admitted to the Lords-Table, whom no honest or ingenious man would admit to his own? And can we wonder now whence are Wars, Plagues, Droughts, Dearths? &c. Calv. 1 Cor. 11, 27. 30. v.  
Sirs, You cannot think yourselves too deeply charged in this matter, for you do, if you do as Mr. Hs. your fore-man and leader doth( which you profess to do) you make the Lords-Table the very ubi, or Randezvouz of all the Doggs, and Swine in the Parish, he admits all thither, come, who will come( and such will come, and will have no nay) howfilthy soever, yet clean enough, and guests well enough becoming the Lords-Table, though too nasty, and ill becoming ours, which was Calvin's 
a p. 252. I think Calvin incomparably the wisest man that ever the French Church did enjoy, Mr. Hooker Preface p. 3. &c. See Mr. Bolton Case of Consc. 252.  complaint long ago, whereor you may have red, but we doubt you have not red it, at least not observed it, for had you so done, you could not do as Mr. Hs. doth, he doth not only admit these worst sort of beasts( for beasts in the shape of men, as you must grant, are the worst of all beasts) to the Lords-Table; but he tells us, That the sacred things dispensed there, do more properly belong to such beasts, than to the sheep of his Pasture, his beloved, chosen, and faithful people. Hear his words, To speak sincerely, if we should propose two men, one that is not in Covenant with Christ, and one tbat is, this Sacrament doth more ingeniously belong to the first.  
Ingeniously spoken, for so may we mock the mocker, and speak by contraries, for how could he speak more sinfully? But that worthy man, replieth unto him after this manner very well, Come ye Drunkards, jesters, Murderers, 
Dr. Drake  and all the rabble of Hell, here is( ingenuous) sincere and comfortable Doctrine for you indeed. The Sacrament doth more( ingeniously) belong to you, than to any that are in Covenant with Christ. But it is not our work to make answer now, this we have done before as we could, and as matters under debate did require; here we are to show our dislike of these Doctrines, and our Ministers charge from the Lord to rise up in their might against them. Yet this we would speak here, that he groundeth this his ingenious position( for we may speak contraries, in this case, as he to the truth) upon this supposition, that actual receiving is a converting Ordinance: Or thus, The Sacrament is not onely food to nourish, but it is, as the word is, an immortal seed to beget to Christ. It is in vain, say our Godly Ministers, to put bread and wine into a dead mans mouth. Therefore an unregenerate man dead in sin( namely the guilt of his sins, and the Circumcision of the flesh,( that is in 
Col. 2. 13.  respect of the power of corrupt nature) is not to be admitted to the Lords Table.  
Let him be admitted to that Table, for it is not vain, saith Mr. H. to put bread and wine into a dead mans mouth; if it can quicken the dead, and recover life, as he believes it doth, and upon that presumption admitteth all to that Table, the wicked and ungodly, rather then holy and precious ones; for they need quickening, being dead and voided of the first grace, more then the other weak ones( as the strongest feels themselves in their own strength, very weakness) need strengthening: And Sir, is not this your conceit also.  
Now we would refer the Reader for his satisfaction at this point, to that, which the Lords four Worthies one after another, have replied to this— We had almost said monstrous conceit, being, as we conceive, as abhorrent to grace, as Monsters are to nature. That actual receiving is converting; and crave leave humbly to give our opinion or persuasion in reference to those holy exhortations, and prayers are given forth there, before and after the action of receiving, which may be through the spirit, as effectual for conversion( say some of the godly) as those that are delivered from the Pulpit.  
We humbly conceive, no, and so we give our persuasion, That those concomitant duties, performed at the Lords Table, in the time of receiving, have not the stamp or Seal of God upon them for conversion work. These shall effect that for which they were appointed, the strengthening the weak in faith, and increasing of grace already begun, not for the working, or begetting of grace, where it is not. It is true, many speak glorious things, what quickenings they have felt by the exhortations and prayers, they have heard at the burial of the dead, and amongst the living at the Lords Table. But we believe they have erred in their hearts, and have been wholly deluded in that matter; for most apparent it is, to those that can observe their walk: That whatever they say, there is no change wrought upon them thereby; but for the worse, being rendered more obdurate and seared; more, if more can be, earthly seasual, and devilish, as they must needs be whose wisdom is not from above, and therefore do Idolize the word spoken at those times and places, which they contemn and reproach, spoken to them on the stated day from the Pulpit. And hence it 
Mat. 8. 22. Luke 9. 60. p. 425.  was, as we conceive. That excellent Cartwright would have neither Prayers, nor Sermons at Funerals, his reason is, There the dead will be strangers from the life of God, and stubborn opposers 
Bez. 56.  of the word of life, the Gospel of the grace of God; Ishmael will be as studiously obsequious 
Gen. 25. 9. 35. ω. Gen. 50.  about the burial of the dead, as Isaac was, and Esau, as Jacob; the Egyptians, as the Israelites; or to speak after our manner now adays. They that never regarded a Sermon all their life long, will have one if they may have their will at the burial of their dead, and they that cast the Pearl of Exhortation at their heel, or under foot, and rent them that bring it, will seem to make an high account of it at other times and places; Therefore said that worthy man, ob eamque causam preces, & consciones non esse, in funere adhibendas, quoniam exequiae, & funus ita procurari debent, ut tam infidels, quam fideles, illi inter esse possunt.  
But holy things are not to be given to Dogs, neither are Pearls to be cast before Swine, such as are known profane persons, enemies to the cross of Christ, deriders of the Word of his grace.  
Hence we would infer for our information, and the Readers if he need any, and to ratify our persuasion.  
1. That Believers and Infidels( if any such there be in a National Church, where all are holy) who ought to come together for the burial of the dead, ought not to come together in one place, where the signs and seals of Christs body and blood are given forth.  
2. We infer, that the admission of profane ones, deriders and scorners, to hear and see what is spoken, and done at the Lords-Table, serveth to harden them more, and to build them up in their superstitious conceits, as do the Prayers and Sermons at the burial of the dead: We are for the most part, as Idolatrous, as were the Jews, and as now the Heathen are, they worshipped with their faces Eastward, so do we now; witness the building our Chancels, our coming into the Church, the honour we give with our razes Eastward, the more Eastward, the more honourable though at the back of the Preacher; the placing the body in the grave witnesseth our superstition also, as doth the placing of the L. Table if it be where it was wont to be, as we believe it is not among Believers; for  
3. We infer in the third place, That what Idolaters did, and now do, we must not do: But the contrary, as the Lord taught his people Idolaters worshipped towards the East, his people should worship toward the West; for so he commanded his Temple to be built, the worshippers there should look towards the West, Ezek. 8. 16.  
The sum is this, and so we will contract, if we expect Gods blessing, keep we close to the way and means of his own prescribing, Good ends have strait ways, as holy and pure aims, carrying level thereunto. Look we not as that worthy man saith, That God will go out of his ordinary rode-way, to meet 
Mr. F. of 〈◇〉. p. 175.  us in our by-paths. God deals with us by means suitable to us, as reasonable creatures having reason, though we have not grace: And because this reason, not sanctified, is a dreadful enemy to the power of Godliness; he deals with us as such sinners, that are not onely indisposed to come to Christ that we may live, which makes our coming to him impossible, as to ordinary means, working in their own strength; Therefore doth he by his word and spirit put forth towards the people of his choice, the efficacy of his power, for the immediate and especial working of those things in them, and by them, 
red Dr. own p. 285  & which as rational creatures bound unto an orderly obedience, they are pressed & exhorted unto. Whence it is, That he who truly glorieth, glorieth in the Lord. For man doth nothing when he doth his best, but God doth it in him, and with him; God layeth his work before him, gives it him to do, & strength to do it. What a Master do his servants serve! He shows them their work, enableth them to do it, then pays them for doing it, working so in them, as if they did nothing( as indeed of themselves they do nothing but sin) and then rewards them, as if they had done al: O unspeakable grace!  
To shut up this Paragraph, and to give the reason in brief why wee have been so long in it.  
1. That we might through Gods blessing with it, beat off ourselves and others from a fleshly carnal confidence in empty Titles and bare Forms, neglecting the while the power of Godliness.  
2. That beholding the judgement that is written, and now executed upon that mother Church, the Jews, we may hear and fear, and do no more presumptuously. What Circumcision and Sacrifices, and the Temple were to the Jews, the same Baptism, the L. Supper, & frequenting our religious Assemblies are to us; And as the Jews, in the midst of all their dut●es, had wholly laid aside Christ and Sanctification, so have generally christians now. They resting in Circumcision, and in the Law, are fallen from Christ, and are ignorant of the spirit; the very same may be said of us formal Pr●testants, we have turned al Gospel dispensations into externals merely( which is M. burgess his charge against us) and so are become Christians of the flesh and not of the spirit: O take heed, saith that excellent man of this Epidemical disease, be not damned or trodden down in this crowd.  
Surely Mr. Hs. with the men of his way, and fleshly mind, have by their sayings and doings, greatly encouraged a carnal confidence in these externals. For what other use can there be made of their Popish Doctrines, whereof before, but that the Sacraments do confer grace ex opere operato from the very work done, and application of them to their mouths( you did red his Tenet before) Which made Melancthon wish, the very word Sacrament were removed out of the Church, because as people then were informed( and now are by men of Mr. H. way and judgement, persuasion and practise) they thought in the Elements of a Sacrament some inward super-natural force lay couched to save them: And therefore they took these Sacraments, as men would medicinal potions, that by an inward Physical power, produce their effects; by this means all visible Ordinances were turned into mere Idols: They attributed that to Baptism which belonged onely to Christs blood: They would give that glory to a Sacrament, which belonged only to Christ, and made as much of the linen wherein Christs body lay, as of the body itself, mutato nomine de.  
We conclude, a godly Minister whose zeal is for God, and the good of his people, will keep close to Gods way, and stand fast in his counsel; he will not expect God should work by means: He never commanded, or ever came it into his heart, not by Prayers and Exhortations at his own Table; He hath not said to our best remembrance, that he will convert any thereby. These shall serve for the forerunning and strengthening of grace already given, we may call the first grace, not for the begetting of it; Grace must be used put forth and exercised there, it is not gained there, being neither the time nor place for it. And so much for our fourth Argument, and why we were so large upon it; a godly Minister cannot but be much grieved, and stirred, hearing and seeing that, which obstructeth the way to our heavenly Canaan, Jerusalem, which is above.  
5. A Godly Minister, he must speak out in these cases, he must lift up his voice like a Trumpet, he must open his mouth, and speak against such doings as these are, and are done in Gods house too, and before his Lords face, sitting as in a Chair of State there; he must speak against such horrible doings, si natura negat facit indignatio, as you know one did that was dumb, seeing a man offering to kill his father, he spake, who never spake before, what? will you kill my father? So it is with a Godly Minister, though tongue-tied before, or as Moses, though he be not a man of words, but slow of speech, and of a slow tongue, yet hearing the name of his heavenly father blasphemed, his Lord called accursed, those matters profaned, or worse dealt with then if trampled under foot, si natura negat facit indignatio, he hath a zeal for his God, a compound of love and anger both; O how he loves his God who loved him first, and gave him to his Son! and his son so loved him, that he gave himself for him, and washed him in his blood; O how he loves his God, his Lord, and Christ! and now with what a fiery indignation, is he carried out against those abominable doings in his fathers house? truly with the very same anger, in his measure, as his Lord and Master was carried out with, when he whipped the buyers and sellers out of the Temple, making it, as now it is all over the Nation, a Den of thieves. It is his zeal for his fathers house, &c.  
6. A godly Minister must do it, because of the charge of the Lord unto him; If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my 
Jer. 15. 19. Ezek. 44. 23  mouth. They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause men to discern between the clean, and the unclean: cause men to discern; if they will not see, they must be made to see what is as clear to be seen as the Sun-beam. See! there is a superstitious person, an observer of times, according to his own understanding: See! he cleaves to a bare form of religion, opposeth the power with all his might; yet see, how he presseth us to partake of holy things; cause him and her to see this, that these belong not to them; Surely a Minister of Christ defiles the Pulpit, and profanes the holy things of God, if he doth not so do; her Priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things: H●w so? They have put no difference between the holy and profane neither have they shewed difference between the unclean 
Ezek 22. 26.  and the clean.  
It is a token of sore wrath powring down upon a people, Thy Watchmen are blind, they have no discerning, they see no difference, and they can make none betwixt the precious and the vile; and so as to Gospel-administrations, they deal with all alike, as was said, but with the wicked more kindly. This is a sign of the sorest wrath, that can be inflicted on this side hell; The giving of the people Pastors after their own hearts, brutish ones, who seek not the Lord; a sign the people are given 
Jer. 10. 21.  up into a reprobate mind, an obstinate spirit, having cast the word of the Lord behind them, now they have Teachers suitable to their hearts lusts; like Ahab they are, and now they shall have four hundred false Prophets to teach falsehood and please their lusts; and but one, that speaks the truth, and with him they shall deal as Ahab with Micaiah. But it is Gods mercy to the good, whom he hath made good, they shall have such Teachers as shall speak to them for their good; as David had a Nathan; Asa an Hanani; Jehosaphat a Jehu, the son of that godly Father. O it is a great mercy from God the Lord of the Harvest, to have Pastors given us after his own heart, and not after ours, till our hearts be changed; who can according to the 
Jer. 3. 15.  charge of the Lord, put a difference between the precious and the vile, and cause men to discern between the clean and the unclean.  
It may be said here, If a Minister shall so do, he may show his godliness in so doing, but no point of discretion.  
He cannot well show himself a truly godly man, and not a truly discreet man; and yet, if he have less of the Serpent, and more of the Dove, there will be no lack. But why doth he not show himself discreet? It will be answered, because he will stir up the peoples anger and indignation against him; for they cannot endure how bad soever they be, to have any difference put betwixt them and the good, specially in point of Church-administrations; for they were baptized, and are all holy every one of them.  
To this the answer is easy; he is the discreet man, that manageth all his matters full up, in desire and endeavours, to the charge and command of his God; doth his duty and feareth not, knowing whom he hath trusted, whose he is, and 
Sin and Grace act most like themselves when they act against all opposition. Mr. Caryl on sib. 9 ver. 4.  whom he serveth; he remembers his Lords promise, as sure to him now, as when it was first made to Jeremiah; I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen Wall, they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: For I am with thee to save thee, & to deliver thee, saith the Lord: This is a point of sound discretion, to do 
Jer. 15. 20. Ezek. 3. 8.  what the Lord commands us to do, come on it what will.  
The conclusion is peremptory, we ought to obey God rather then men; and fearing God as we ought, we cannot but be fearless of men: And even of these men now set apart, and severed from others, as the Lepers were because of their filthiness, wherein they wallow like Swine: Shall this Godly Minister be honoured so doing his duty, and full up to his charge, if ever by the glorious work of the spirit and word upon their hearts, they be brought to themselves, and to see their own nastiness; for you know a Godly mans design is the same in these matters with his Lords; He commands this difference to be made, that we may have a discerning into our state and condition, and bethink ourselves what is to be done to get out of it; for it will not be safe sure for us to remain among the uncircumcised and vile ones, with whom we must be numbered while such we are; so this making a difference serveth as to the end, and intendment of it, as delivering up to satan, did for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus; And this we thought fit to add, thereby to take off if it could be, that heavy charge of uncharitableness, and rash judging every godly Minister stands under, while he is doing his duty, according to the charge and command of his God; He can say and take God to record upon his Soul, as to the truth of that he says; That he knows no possible way to make them precious, who are now vile, as we all were while we were in the state of nature; but by speaking and doing full up in desire to all that his Lord hath charged upon him. They are corrupt men in their Doctrine or practices, or both, who corrupt their hearers, and so destroy themselves; It is daubing putting light for darkness, and darkness for light; It is the seeing Visions of Peace for us while we walk contrary to God, are resisting of him and fighting with him, all this destroys. But while a Minister, as every Godly Minister doth, stands in Gods counsel, and causeth his people to hear Gods words, he shall profit the people, turning them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings, for so saith the Lord. Your worthy brothers words shall put a close to this, believe it, no Soul receiveth good by the word but that soul that thinks every word of the Lord good and labours as it is proper to his condition, to apply it, he is willing to hear all Thunder and canonshot, 
Mr. Ford of adop. p. 265.  from the word as his case may require; but this is the cursed pride of our hearts, when we please ourselves in our sins, we will hear no Minister, except he will sing a cursed requiem to our spirits, not yet made tender by that Thunder and canonshot from the word.   

CHAP. V.  
WE have two words more, both relating to this charge of the Lord, that every man in his place may do his duty, and live up to it, having spoken these, we shall close this Treatise.  
A Minister is bound to speak home in particular, and say as the case may be, Thou art the man, the vile person and must be separated, and not 
Omnis actio fit per co●… tum aiu 〈…〉 in sacri 〈…〉 actione vel maxi●e lo●um habet. D●ctrina omnis pr●posita in genere versatur adhuc quasi in to●o remoto, nec potest ad ipsam animam pertingero said cum speciatim accomodatur quasi in domum ipsius mentem venit, & illam contingit & penetrat, Dr. Dav. in col. cap. 1. 21. pag. 108. Dolus versatur in generalibus.  dealt with as if he were precious, you have a saying, as we have heard, that Medicina non curat hominem, said Socratem, physic doth not cure men under that general notion, but this or that man in particular; so the word like a plaster to the wounded man, and a potion to the sick man, must be put home, else it profits not, and this a Minister stands charged to do, to the very utmost he can do; It is not fire in general that burns, but this or that fire, so it is not sin in general that humbles me, or damneth me, but it is my sin, which if not repented of, and humbled for, will certainly do it; it is not repentance in general, but my repentance for my particular sins, that is a means sanctified of God for my turning; the like we may say of faith, it is not faith in general that will save me; but my faith laying hold on Christ, as with my own hand, emptied of all that which filled it before, it is that which saveth. The devil opposeth not a general faith, but a particular faith, because this brings Christ home. Actions are of singulars, an universal man cannot reason, nor see nor hear; it is that man and this man that sees and hears, and reasons; particulars are operative, speaking to men in particular, that his words may look every one in the face; as the eyes of a Picture seems to do, this being according to the mind of God, may by his blessing prevail with us; be that preacheth otherwise, that is, preacheth in general, he works in us but a confused knowledge of sin in general; so of repentance, of humiliation of faith, all in the general. And so perhaps a man may account himself a sinner in the general, and as yours, a believer in the general, and a Disciple at large: but if ever he be saved, and a believer indeed, he must be a sinner in particular, and in his own eyes the vilest of many, the chief, or first of sinners, and he must renounce that vain conceit, through your 
1 John 1. 1●.  means, he had of himself, counting himself according to the rates had of men in the Market of the National Church, a believer without Faith, a Disciple with-out Discipline, a Saint without Holinesse: It is particular preaching that will do good, faithful dealing with mens souls: you have heard and perhaps found it so by experience, pray you see you make use of it: If a man be fast asleep( as your Nominal believers are fast asleep in sin) and you would awaken him, you must call him by his name, Richard, John, or Thomas, you must speak particularly to him, and see whether that will not awaken him, which a greater noise will not do. Verily your Disciples and Saints must be particularly dealt with, else they will never prove Disciples indeed, till a thistle proves a sigtree. Let a godly Minister do what he can, yet we will put it off from us, as they did, for we have the same naughty hearts as they had, When 
Mat. 21. 40.  the Lord of the Vine-yard cometh, what will he do to those Husbandmen? that have so villainously dealt with him? They say unto him, He will miserable destroy those wicked men; not thinking the Lord spake of them; we can bear any thing till it be put home to ourselves, it is the burden laid upon my back that presseth me; but when these Husbandmen understood the Lord spake it of them, that they should be miserable destroyed, 
Luke 20 16.  then they said, God forbid, and the very same hour they sought to lay hands on him, for they perceived, that he had spoken this Parable against them; and this brings us to our other words, so brief we would be, and then an end.  
I a Minister shall resolve in the strength of his God, to act according to his Commission and full upto his charge, let him look to find his people all that are haters of God, and of the word of his grace, haters of him, and dealing despitefully with him; for the wicked cannot endure to be dealt withall after the rate of wicked men, but as they are ranted and reputed, being baptized in a Church, for Believers, Disciples, and Saints, under that notion you must deal with them; if you mean to please them; if a Minister shall tell them, as he must needs do, if he be godly, that they are merely abused, and made to believe a loud lye being made to believe, that they are Believers, Disciples, and Saints, for they might as well, and as truly have been  told, that a Thorn, is a Vine; and a Thistle, a Fig-tree; a Wolf, a Sheep; and a lion, a Lamb; we were saying, if a Minister deal plainly and as the truth is, else he shall not profit them at all, then let him look for all the hard usage that is imaginable, and to be accounted a troublesone man; or to speak in Jeremiah's words, and as he found it to be, a man 
Job 21. 31. pag. 816.  of contention to the whole earth, Jer. 15 10. we must take in that learned mans exposition of those words, Why was Jeremiah a man of strife and contention? What? Because of his proneness to contention, or because he was of a quarrelsome spirit? No his contentiousnesse was not from his disposition, but from his Commission, not from the temper of his spirit, but from his calling, he was a quiet and a peaceable Prophet, but he was commissioned to prophesy terrors and troubles, he was sent forth to declare the way of that people to their faces; and he was faithful in doing it, he spared none, he put a difference betwixt the precious and the vile, and therefore though he meddled not in buying or selling, in giving or taking upon Usury, though he had no worldly negotiations, nor mingled himself with those affairs, which usually cause strife and contention among men yet he was a man of contention. O this is a grievous work to tel those Believers, Disciples, and Saints, being instated to, and possessed of their Saintship by privilege of their first birth onely to tell these; if this be all they have to show for their Saint-ship, that they are Wolves, Dogs, and Swine indeed. And truly, as this is a Ministers duty to tell them thus, come on it what will; so is it their misery not to be  told it, their misery we say it again, and their curse too; for by this means this flattering of them into a Fools Paradise, making them believe what they are not, to be Believers, Disciples or Saints, as if their Minister should make them believe they are Kings and Emperours, whereas they are the basest slaves and oneliest beggars: by this means they hear nothing of their own ways and practices, and so are deprived of the greatest benefit of friendship, and human society, faithful admonition. The 
Job 21. 18.  Lord threatens it as one of the sorest judgments, Hos. 4. 4. Let no man strive, he doth not mean it of corporal strife, or of striving with blows, but of strife by convictions and arguments, so itis expounded in the next words. Let no man strive or reprove another, to reprove another is to strive with him for his good, and it is one of the saddest reproofs( so speaketh that excellent man) and greatest evils that can fall upon a man, when God saith, Let no man reprove another, when God saith of a sinner he shall not be reproved: Its more then probable, that he hath said of his sin, it shall not be pardonned. To be reproved hath so much good in it, that to be reproved, is better then to be loved. Open rebuk is better then secret love, faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an 
Prov. 27. 5.  enemy are deceitful: By the wounds of a friend, he means not sword-wounds, but word-wounds, as those blows that a friend giveth by rebuking. But yet the kisses of an enemy, that is, his flatteries and soothings are as delightful to the flesh as they are deceitful and destructive. It is a Princelike thing to do well, and yet to hear ill for so dolng; but it is a slave-like thing to do ill, and yet to be desirous to hear well. To be a professor or Protestant( such the Orthodox were called at first, as you red in holy Fox his Martyr, p. 989. making a solemn protestation against these Articles of Popish Religion, which were to be established) to be a Protestant in tongue therwith to protest for God and his truth; and worse then an Infidel, protesting against God and his truth in their life, as all they do, and cannot possibly do otherwise, who can give no other evidence of their Christianity, but that they were baptized: this is their Anchor-hold, and onely lean-to, and do they never so foolishly( as you know who did, yet they could not endure to be called fools) so these, do they never so wickedly, yet they must not be numbered amongst the wicked, but be dealt with according to the work of the righteous. An infallible note how to know a wicked and unreasonable man, a washed Christian, but indeed hath renounced his Christianity.  
We draw to a close, a godly Minister if he shows himself such a one, will with the same liberty( as he said) rebuk sinners, as they take in sinning, openly, and not in a parable, or in the clouds, by remote intimations, but directly and to their faces, for they sin in the face of every man. He will follow St. Paul, I please all men in all things 
1 Cor. 15. 33 Rom. 14 2.  not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many that they may be saved, he will please his neighbour for his good to his edification, and not with lies for his hurt to his destruction, making him believe, he is a Believer, a Disciple, or Saint, when he is no more such an one, then gull is Honey, a Bramble a Vine, a Thistle a Fig-tree, an Ape a man. He knows full well this plain dealing cannot be pleasing, and therefore cannot be profitable; may be, he knows he shal be persecuted as an enemy for speaking the truth; he looks for it, it must needs be so, so they dealt with his Lord and Master before him, and so they will deal with all them that follow their Lord, treading in his steps. They are well assured, if their Lord Christ were now amongst us in the fashion of a servant, and in a low condition, as once he was, and should convince men of their wickedness, as searchingly as once he did, he would doubtless be the most hated man upon the earth; so must they be who in desire and endeavours do as he did, as to that matter of sharp and cutting reproof. Men may ask what is truth, as Pilate did, but as he could not, no more can they stay their answer, or 
John 18. 38.  endure to hear it. But a godly man is at a point for that, he seeks not his own profit, but the profit of many that they may be saved, and rejoiceth to go through dishonour and evil report for righteousness sake, and doing his duty, and comforts himself in the assurance of approbation from God, and protection from him. The words of the Lord to Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are very observable, where he not onely cheereth up the fainting Prophet to his duty, but threatens, if he do it not. Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, speak unto them all that I command thee, be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confounded thee before them, Chap. 1. 17. Lest danger should deter him from speaking to their faces, the Lord sets a greater danger before his face; if he did not speak what he had in commition from his God to speak, lest I confounded thee before them. And so to Ezekiel, I sand thee to a Rebellious Nation that hath rebelled against me, be not afraid of them nor of their words though briars and Thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell amongst Scorpions, yet be not afraid of them; but speak my words, and be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house. The Lord God will 
Ezek. 2. 4, 5, 6, 3. 7, 8.  account that man rebellious, that will not reprove, and that cuttingly, whom he bids reprove. Surely God will account no better of those Ministers, but as of rebellious ones, whom he sends out in his name, and Authority to fight against the corruptions of the World; and in the mean time, they shall hang down the head, and be tongue-tied. How ill will God take it when we shall have more boldness to destroy ourselves, and to do Sathans work, then a Minister of Christ shall have to save us, and to serve his God. We will leave these words upon your thoughts, repeating them once more, Son of man be not thou rebellious. The Almighty God accounts it Rebellion in his Ministers not to do as he commands them to do. Reprove sinners to their faces, and look well to it, speak what I bid you, speak, lest I confounded thee before them.  
Sir, We have been the longer here in evincing a Ministers duty to cry aloud against the abominations committed in Gods-house; That we might evidence also our tenderest respects to you and your godly brethren in your way. We are very tender over you, because of the judgement that is written, and is hastening upon you; if repentance of what is past, and amendment of matters clean out of course for present prevent not: Surely, if we understand any thing of the Lords mind revealed to us in the Scriptures, he will ere long be very severe with you, with you I say Stewards in his house, and in common account faithful and godly; yea, and so reputed by the godly. He will not endure you long conniving at, yea suffering such abominable doings in his house.  
The Lord doth not so narrowly observe, what the filth and scummy and sink of the Nation do; we mean what the foolish brutish people do, nor 
Jer. 5. 4, 5.  what the garbidge or sink of corrupt Ministers do: No, he observes what you do that pass for godly and faithful Stewards. He observes what ye do, and be well ware of it. He will either mend you, or end you, as the saying is. Ye shal not be long Stewards in his house, unless ye walk more like Stewards there: Think on it we beseech you, and remember the judgements of God, begin at his Sanctuary, for there Reformation must begin also. And bear with them at the least, who feel the weight or their charge, and must do thereafter, these words of the Lord being a terror to them: Lest I confounded thee before them.  
FINIS.