A Still Voice, To the reader – Abstract
To the well-disposed Readers.
IN the worlds birth God spake to our first Parents by a still voyce in the coole of the day;Genesis 3. in the worlds middle age to Elyah after the winde,1 Reg. 19. earthquake, and fire, in a still small voyce, and in this last age of the world, by a didirecting voyce from Heauen,Matth. 17. concerning Christ Iesus his Sonne our Lord, saying, Heare him. In the beginning was the word, yet that word was before all beginning, but the world knew not that Word, but by the voice of men and Angels. And albeit the Word, be in itselfe before the Voyce, yet to the sonnes of men the Voyce goeth before the Word: Therefore is the Fore-runner Iohn Baptist called, The voyce of a Cryer in the Wildernesse.
That is most true: For Christ is the Cryer, Musc. & Maldonat. in Mat. 3the Baptist is the Voyce; and as in his Fore-runner, so also in his Apostles that followed, and in all other Preachers of his Gospell, Christ saith, and speaketh by the mouthes of all his holy seruants since the world beganne, euen to this day.Iansen Conco. 13. Voyce and Crying must goe together, the Voyce to feed with faith, the Cry to call to Repentance; the Voyce to com…ort, the Cry to controle; the Voyce to tune the musicke of Mercy, Diez: con. 1. Dom. 3. Aduen. Aquin. Caten. Matth. 3.and the Cry to sound the Trumpet to Iudgement. The word of God in writing is the Proclamation, and Gods Ministers are the Voyces of the Criers, to giuegive notice to all the People, that the Proclamation concernes them, and eueryevery one of them.
Church men then are crying Voyces; they shall neuer be shent in sober zeale for the cause of God, to cry out with Dauid in generall against all the wicked.Psal. 139. 21. Acts 8. Acts 13. Doe not I hate them that hate thee, and am not I grieued with them that rise vp gainst thee? That in particular cry against a Simon Magus: That he is in the gall of bitternesse, and in the bond of Iniquity. Against an Elimas: That he is full of mischiefe, the childe of the Diuell, and an enemy of all Righteousnesse. Against an hereticall Marcion, that he is the Diuells Darling. Iren. lib. 6 cap. 3For as to some meeke and modest spirits, Preachers must be Barnabasses, the sons of Consolation: So to others, whose sinnes are of a deeper dye, they must be like Iames and Iohn (Bonarges) sonnes of Thunder.
If wee will neither heare Voyce, nor Cry, nor the voyce of the Cryer; How doe wee thinke God should lend an eare to our voyce when we cry vntounto him? Is it not iust with God to say vntounto vsus, Prouerbs 1.Because I hauehave called, and yee hauehave refused; I hauehave stretched out mine hand, and none will regard: Therefore you shall call vponupon me, but I will not answer; you shall seeke me earely, but you shall not finde me. Thinke on this, ye that forget God, yee that suffer Christ to call and cry vntounto you, by his Preachers, and ye regard not. Consider this ye great ones, lest God lay your honour in the dust: yee mighty, lest the Almighty throw you downe, and there be none to helpe you vp, lest he tumble you from your seate, and set in your places the humble and meeke.
Doe yee refuse to heare the still voyce of the Cryer, take heede lest the shrill Cryer himselfe cry against you with his great Voyce, which is Powerfull,Psal. 29. full of Maiesty, breaking the Cedars, yea the Cedars of Lebanon, euen the great ones,4. diuiding the flames of fire,5. euen his Ministers whom he maketh flames of fire, shaking the wildernes,7. 8. 9. yea the wildernes of Kadesh, euen the vast, wilde, and wide wickednes of the People. Beware that the Multitude thinke not themselues too many, nor the Cleriques too classicall, nor the mighty too maiesticall to attend the voyce of the Lord. For if they doe so, and will not heare them cry, that wish them to take heede of future wee, then this wildernesse of the world, a Desert of Beasts, rauening Wolues, couetous Foxes, roaring Lyo…s, and the like, shall cast them out into the Land of Obliuion, where they themselues shall doe nothing but howle and crie in woe eternally.
If the Voyce and Cri… be to exasp…rate (as you thinke) for the lowdnesse thereof: Know ye, it calleth to them that are gone as farre off from God, as the Prodigall was into a farre Countrey, and these hauehave need of a Trumpet to recall them. If it be too plaine for Clearenesse, know yee, it is the euidence of the spirit of God that you might distinctly discerne what is spoken, proclamed and sounded, that so you might prepare your selues vntounto the battell. A lamentable woe would it be vntounto you all, if the voyce of all such as cry vntounto you from the Lord, should be the vncertaine and hoarse voyces of Hereticall, Schysmaticall, Atheisticall, Papisticall, prophane, vaine deceiuers.
For you know, that if the sonnes of men, who are ordayned, and set apart for this businesse of the Lord, doe not lift vp their voyces like Trumpets, and tell Iacob their sinnes, and Israel their transgressions, God will open the mouth of an Asse to reproue them, yea God will cause things without life, the stone in the wall, and the beame in the house, to cry out against them. Farewell.
Yours in the Lord, William Loe.
A VOICE, RECORDED BY the Ministrie of the Prophet Hoshea, and made remarkeable to our times, both by Explication, and Application.
HOSHEA. 5. 1. 2.
verse 1 Heare yee this, O Priests, and hearken yee house of Israel; and giuegive yee eare, O house of the King, for iudgement is toward you, because yee hauehave been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread vponupon Tabor.
verse 2 And the Reuolters are profound to make Slaughter, although I hauehave beene a Rebuker of them all.
A view of the seuerall passages sounded by this Voyce.
The voyce contayneth a
1. Proclamation summoning all Estates.
1. Priests.
2. People.
3. Princes.
O yee Priests.
O yee house of Israel.
O House of the King.
2. An Iniunction commaunding.
1. Attention.
2. Intention.
3. Action.
Heare this.
Hearken.
GiueGive eare.
3. An Accusation, or Declaration, pourtraying the sins of that time, in foure straines.
1. The quality of them, by Nets and Snares spred, wher in is couched the
1. Subtilty
2. Irregularity
3. Vtility
4. Captiuity
of their sinnes.
2. The height of them, by mountaines.
Mizpah and Tabor.
3. The horror of them, by words of degrees.
1. Reuolting.
2. Profoundnesse.
3. Slaughter.
4. The insolencie of them, in that they were become incorrigible, albeit. God had beene a Rebuker of them all.
4. Commination, or Commonition in an arrest of Iudgement.
For Iudgement is towards you.
A Reuiew of the seuerall Collections resounded by this voyce to our time, in the particular passages thereof.
THE Spirit of God (by summoning all Estates, and exempting none) preuenteth that wretched preuarication of all rankes, and conditions of man-kind, now adayes, whereby they vse so frequently, and so foolishly to cast, translate, and bandy the sinnes of the time from one to another.
Iudgement begins at Gods owne House, and Church-men if they offend but as others, yet shall they be punished (euen because they are Church-men) more then others, vnlesse they repent.
In a religious Common-wealth, the common people are encompassed with blessings from God on eueryevery side, from the Church, and from the Court, both set vp by God for blessings to their soules, bodies, goods, and good names.
No dignity of person, nor preheminence of place, is exempted, or excepted from Gods iustice, but euen the mighty ones that offend, are often more euidently, more exemplarily, and more seuerely punished then others of inferiour ranke and condition.
It dearely and nearely concernes all degrees in Court, Church, and Common-wealth, that they attend as well to the ripping vp of their sinnes, and to the Denuntiation of Gods Iudgements for the same, as to the Promulgation of Gods mercies, that all Estates hauing a sence, and sight of their iniquities, may breake them off by repentance, and obtaine pardon by Iesus Christ our Lord.
No voyce, nor rebuke of God, or good men laying forth the hideousnesse, and horror of sinnes neuer so often to the view of the conscience, can preuaile with the mighty hunting Nimrods of this World, to restraine their rage, and furious madnesse, but still they make their greatnesse in Church, Court, and Common-wealth, baties, and guiles for their gaine and glory.
God of his endlesse, boundlesse, and bottomelesse pity, compassion, and mercy, for Christ his sake, doth fauourably and fatherly premonish before he punish.