Exposition of Zephaniah 2, Title page – Dedication
A FAITHFVLL AND plaine exposition vponupon the 2. chapter of Zephaniah: By that Reuerend and Iudicious Diuine, M. W. Perkins.
CONTAINING A powerful exhortation to Repentance: As also the manner howe men in Repentance are to search themselues.
Published by a Preacher of the word.
With a Preface prefixed, touching the publishing of M. Perkins his works. And a Catalogue of all such particulars thereof, as are to be expected.
The fift Impression.
Prou. 28. 13.
He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper. But hee that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall finde merciemercy.
¶At London, printed by T. C. for William Welby. 1609.
TO THE RIGHT worshipfull, my very worthy and Christian friend, Sir Williā Gee, knight, one of his Maiesties honorable Counsel in the North. Recorder of the Townes of Beuerley and Hull, and one of his Maiesties Iustices of Peace in the East-riding of the Countie of Yorke, a true friend of learning, and pietie: & to the vertuous, and religious Lady his wife, Grace and peace from God, &c.
AMongst the many reasons (Worshipfull Sir) which hauehave perswaded me that Poperie cannot be the true Religion, this is not the least: the insufficiencie of their doctrine of faith and repē tance: which two things, though they be the chiefe and principall points in religion, and so necessarie, that he, who doth not but know, and practise them aright, can neuer bee saued: yet I dare auouch,Canitius in Cate…hismo. Costerus in Enchiridio. that the faith and Repentance of the Romish church, as they are taught by many of the best approoued Papists, are no better thē such a faith, and such a repētance as an hypocrite, and a very reprobate may attaine vntounto. Indeede, to insist vponupon repentance only (they make many faire florishes, they call it penance, they make it a Sacrament,Corradus, Nauarrus, Loper Sairus, Grasffius, Hallus, and many other. and say it is a boord that saues a man after shipwracke, and write great volumes of it, and of confession, and of Cases of Conscience, (as you good Syr in your owne reading knowe better then I) and yet alas, when all is done, it is but a shadowe of repentance; and indeede how can they teach aright the doctrine of repentance: which erre so fowly in setting downe the iustice of God, and the vilenesse of sinne: Which two points a man must know, else hee will neuer repent: but Poperie misconceiuing the iustice of God, teaching it not to bee infinite, in as much as it needes not an infinite satisfaction, and misconceiuing the nature of sinne, teaching eueryevery sinne not to be damnable, nor to offend Gods infinite iustice, erring (I say) in these two, how is it possible they should conceiue aright the nature of repentance? by which a man seeing his sinnes, their foulenesse, their punishment, and his owne miserie by them, confesseth them, bewailes them, fearing Gods iustice, flieth from it, and craues forgiuenesse of his mercy: and lastly purposeth, and indeuoureth to leaue thē all, and to leade a new life. The serious consideration heereof, hath often made mee wonder, why many popish treatises, being in some sort exhortations to repētance, should be so accounted of as they are by some: for though I confesse, there are in some of them, good and wholesome meditations, and manye motiues to mortification, & good life, yet woulde I gladly learne of any man but this one thing, howe those exhortations can bee pithie, or powerfull, sound, or any way sufficient to moue a man to repentance, whē as, not those bookes, not all Poperie is able to teach a man sufficiently what true repentance is.
If any man reply: I will therefore learne the doctrine out of the Protestants bookes: and vse the Papists for exhortation onelyonly: I then answere; Is it not a more compendious, and conuenient, and a lesse scandalous course, to seeke exhortations out of such writers, as do teach the doctrine aright? nay I doubt howe it is possible to finde a powerfull exhortation to repentance in any Papist, who erres in the Doctrine: the reason is manifest, because Doctrine is the ground of exhortation: and if the doctrine bee vnsound, how can the exhortation bee any better? Let vsus therefore leaue these muddie puddles, and fette our water at the Fountaine: the water of life, at the fountaine of life: I meane the doctrine of faith, and repentance, at the written worde of God, and at such mens writings as are grounded thereupon, and agreeable thereunto.
Nowe,Deering, Greenha, Bradford, and many. amongst those many instrumentes of God, who hauehave laboured with profite in this great point of Religion: namely repentance, drawing their doctrine out of the breasts, of the two Testamens of Gods booke, I may well say, (to say no more) that this man of GOD, Maister Perkings, deserues to hauehave his place: whose labours, whilest he liued, and his yet liuing labours, what they deserue, I had rather others should proclaime, then I once name: who professe my selfe to be one of those many, who many truly say, that by the grace of God, and his good meanes principally, I am that I am: But leauing him in that glorious mansion, which Christ the Lord of the Haruest hath prepared for him: and now giuen him: I returne to my selfe, and doe humbly praise the Lord of heauen, who gaue mee my time in the Vniuersitie, in those happie daies, wherein) beside many worthy men of God, whereof some are falne a sleepe, and some remaine aliue vntounto this day) this holy man did spend himselfe like a candle, to giuegive light vntounto others.
The scope of all his godly endeuours was to teach Christ Iesus, and him crucified, and much laboured to moue all men to repentance, that as our knowledge hath made Poperie ashamed of their ignorance: so our holy liues might honour our holy profession. And as repentance was one of the principall endes, both of his continuall preaching and writing: so especially and purposely hath hee twise dealte in that Argument.
First, in his Treatise of Repentance: published, 1592. wherein briefly (as his manner was▪) but soundly, pithily, and feelingly, he laieth down the Doctrine, and the very nature of Repentance: and after the positiue Doctrine, hee toucheth some of the principall controuersies and difficulties in that doctrine, but afterwards thinking with himselfe, that hee had not seriously and forcibly enough, vrged so great and necessarie a lesson as Repentance is, therefore shortly after, being desired and called to the dutie of Preaching, in that great, and generall assembly at Stirbridge Faire, hee thought it a fit time, for this necessarie and generall exhortation to Repentance: to the intent, that as wee were taught the Doctrine of Repentance, in the former treatise: so in these Sermons wee might be stirred vp to the practise of it. And certainly, (good Sir:) I iudge there coulde hauehave beene no matter, more fitte for that assembly, then an exhortation to repentance: for as the audience was great and generall, of all sorts, sexes, ages and callings of men, and assembled out of many corners of this kingdome, so is this doctrine generall for all: some doctrines are for parents, some for children, some for schollers, some for trades-men, some for men, some for women, but repentance is for all: without which, it may bee saide of all, and eueryevery one of age, not one excepted: No Repentance, no saluation.
These Sermons being in my hands, and not deliuered to mee from hand to hand, but takē with this hand of mine, from his own mouth, were thought worthy for the excellēcie, and fit for the generalitie of the matter, to bee offered to the publique view: I hauehave also other works of his in my hands: of which (being many,) I confesse my selfe to be but the keeper for the time, taking my selfe bound to keepe thē safely, to the benefite of Gods church, of whose treasure vponupon earth I make no question, but they are a part: and I hartily desire you (my good friendes) and all other faithful Christians, to solicite the Lord in praier for me, that I may faithfully discharge my selfe of that great charge which in this respect lieth vpō me: & that his grace & blessing may be on me and all others, who are to bee imployed in this seruice, wherein (had the Lord so pleased) wee coulde heartily hauehave wished neuer to hauehave bene imployed: but that his life might hauehave eased vsus of the labour: and that as I begin with this, so I, or some other better able (which I rather desire) may goe forward, vndertaking the weight of this great burthen, and not faint, till he hauehave made a faithfull account to the Church of God, of all the Iewels deliuered to our trust.
And nowe these first fruites of my labours, in another mans vine yard, as also all that hereafter do or may follow, I humbly consecrate to the blessed spouse of Christ Iesus, the holy Church of God on earth, and namely to the Church of England, our beloued mother, who may reioyce, that shee was the mother of such a son,Maister Perkings, but fortie yeares olde at his death. who in fewe yeares did so much good to the publique cause of religion, as the wickednesse of many yeares shall not bee able to weare out. But first of all, and especially, I present the same vntounto you (my very worshipfull and Christian friendes) who (I must needes say) are very worthy of it in many respects.
1. For the matter it selfe, which is repentance, my selfe being able to testifie, that you are not hearers, but dooers, rise in knowledge, and rise in the practice of Repentance: insomuch as I dare from the testimonie of my conscience, and in the word of a Minister, pronoūce of you that as you hauehave heard and knowne this doctrine of repentance, so blessed are you, for you doe it.
And 2. for him who was the author hereof (whose mouth spake it from the feeling of his soule, and whose soule is now bound vp in the bundle of life: I know, & cannot in good conscience conceale the great delight you hauehave alwaies had in the reading of his books, the reuerend opinion, you had of him liuing, & how heauily and passionately, you took his death & departure: therefore to cheare you vp in want of him, I send you here this little booke, his own child, begotten in his life time, but borne after his death: obserue it well, and you shall finde it, not vnlike the father, yea, you shall discerne in it the fathers spirit, and it doubts not, but to finde entertainment with them, of whom the father was so well respected.
And for my selfe, I spare to rehearse what interest you hauehave in me, and all my labours, it is no more then you worthily deserue, and shall hauehave in me for euer: you are the fairest flowers in this garden, which in this place, I after others hauehave planted for the Lord (or rather God by vsus): And two principall pearls in that Crowne, which I hope for, at the last day from the Lord my God, whose word at my mouth you hauehave receiued with much reuerence, and with such profit, as if I had the like successe of my labours in others, I should then neuer hauehave cause to say with the Prophet, I hauehave laboured in vaine, & spent my strength in vaine, but my iudgement is with the Lord, and my worke with my God.
And if I knew you not, to bee such as take more delight in doing well, then in hearing of it, I would prooue at large, what I hauehave spoken of you: yet giuegive me leaue to say that, which without open wrong, I may not conceale, that beside your care, knowledge, and godly zeale to religion, and other duties of the first table to God himselfe, your charitie and pietie to the needie distressed Christians, at home and abroad: your mercifull dealing with them, who are in your power; your beneuolence to learning, and namely to some in the Vniuersitie, do all proclaime to the worlde those your due prayses: which I (well knowing your modesties) doe spare once to name: neither would I hauehave saide thus much, were it not for this cold and barren age, wherein we liue, that so, when our preaching cannot moue, yet your godly examples might stirre vp. Pardon me therfore I pray you, & thinke it no wrong to you,Ps. 11. 16. which is a benefit to Gods Church:Apoc. 2. 10. But goe forward in the strength of the Lord your God,1. Thes. 5. 24. & hold on in that happie course you hauehave begun, be faithfull vntounto the ende, the Lord will giuegive you the Crowne of life: faithfull is hee, which hath promised, who will also doe it: proceede (good Sir) to honour learning in your selfe and others, and religion especially, which is the principallearning, and proceede both of you, to practise religion in your owne persons; and in your family, hold on to shine before your familie, and amongst the people, where you dwel, in zeale and holines: holde on hereby, still to shame poperie, to stoppe your enemies mouthes, and to honour that holy religion, which you professe, to gaine comfort of good conscience to your selues, & assurance of eternall reward: and lastly, to encourage mee in those painefull duties which lye vponupon mee: for I openly professe that your religious zeale and louelove of the truth, with many other good helpes, are principall encouragementes in my ministerie, and especiall motiues vntounto mee, to vndertake the charge of publication, of so many of the workes of this holy man deceased, as may not in better manner be done by others. But I keepe you too long from this holy exhortation following; I therefore send you it, and it to you, and from you, to the Churche of God: for I dare not make it priuately yours and mine, wherein the whole church hath interest, as well as we: It was Preached in the field, but it is worthy to be admitted into our hearts: I found it in the opē field, but vponupon diligent viewe, finding it to bee Gods corne, and a parcell of his holy and immortall seede, therefore I brought it home, as good corne deserues: And as it is Gods corne, so in you, I desire all holy Christians to lay it vp in Gods garners, that is, in their hearts and soules.
And thus committing this little volume to your reading, the matter to your practise: you and yours, to the blessed fauour of that God, whome you serue: and my selfe and my endeuours, to your hartie louelove, and holy prayers, I take leaue: From my studie; August. 7. 1607.
Yours in Christ Iesus, euer assured, William Crashawe.