Christs Counsel to His Languishing Church of Sardis, Title page – To the reader
CHRISTS Counſell to his languiſhing Church of SARDIS. OR, The dying or decaying Chriſtian, with the meanes and helpes of his recovery and ſtrengthening.
BY OBADIAH SEDGWICKE, B. of D. late Preacher to the Inhabitants of S. Mildreds Bredſtreet, London
foreign,
2 Tim. 1. 6.
Frustra velociter currit, qui prius quam ad metas venerit deficit,
Greg. mor. l. 2. c. 40.
LONDON, Printed by T. B. for L. FAWNE, and S. GELLIBRAND, at the braſen Serpent in S. Pauls Church-yard, 1640.
To the right Worſhipfull, Captaine Nicholas Criſpe Eſquire, and Miſtreſſe Anne Criſpe his pious conſort, To Maſter Samuel Criſpe, and Miſtreſſe Katharine his vertuous wife, with all the reſt of the Pariſhioners, my loving friends, the Inhabitants in Saint Mildreds, Bredſtreet.
My deare and worthy friends,
SAint Bernard with a very apt phraſe, anſwered a ſpeciall friend of his, challenging of him in the ſtreines of affection, thus, O ſcrutans renes et corda Deus, &c. quòd diligam illum ex dono tuo & ſuo merito, tu ſcis & ego ſentio, quatenus autem diligam, tu ſcis, ego neſcio, (that is) Oh Lord, thou who knoweſt and ſearcheſt the inmoſt cloſets of the heart, that I love my friend, thou knoweſt it, and I know it: how much I love him thou doeſt know, but I doe not know. The ſame I apply to my ſelfe and all of you; if ſuſpecting my affection to you, becauſe of my departing from you, Lord, thou who knoweſt all things, thou knoweſt that I love them, and I know it, how much thou onelyonly knoweſt, but I cannot expreſſe.
You were a people (of all that hitherto I have lived with, and of all that ever I preached unto) of the moſt generall union with your ſelves, and of the moſt liberal and unwearied affection to your Miniſter; the maine ſcruple many times to mee, was, leſt divers of you ſhould out-ſtretch your meaſures.
All the reſpects which you owed and ſhewed to my Miniſtery, and all the encouragements which you heaped on my ſelfe, I doe now the ſecond time publikely acknowledge: and as my thankfulneſſe preſents it ſelf to you all, ſo in ſpeciall manner to you, much honoured Captaine, and your worthy wife, by whoſe good opinion and affection I was (through Gods mercy) brought unto that place: you have ſo advanced your favours both to my ſelfe and ſome friends of mine, that I doe moſt gladly embrace this preſent occaſion of publike testimony and acknowledgement; not that it is ſufficient to cleare all accounts, but onelyonly that you may know, kindeneſſes long ſince given, are never loſt in a thankefull breaſt.
My deſire for you all is, that ye may be ſaved, and my deſire to you all is, that yee would ſeriouſly anſwer the many precious and heavenly opportunities of Gods grace; it is not onelyonly a vanity, but a danger, a danger both extreame and ſure, to dally with our ſoules: God hath ſowne much ſeed by many of his ſervants among you, and beleeve me, he expects an harveſt, wee cannot anſwer great meanes with great ſinfulneſſe or little goodneſſe. To whom any thing is given, of them ſomething is required, (even the man of one talent was made accountable) but to whom much is given, of them much ſhall be required. My deare friends if ye be wiſe, be wiſe for your ſelves, be good indeed. You honour our miniſtery, and provide well for your owne eternall good; when you goe into an holy way, and goe on in that way, the ſight is incongruous, and the account will be ſad, when Miniſters doctrines are very heavenly, and peoples converſation are very earthly and ſinfull; a melting heaven and a hardned earth meet ill. At length let us ſee our ſermons and pains in your lives; we preach and dye, and men heare and dye; we preach out our health, our ſtrength, our lives; Oh that our hearers would take pitty on us, and mend their hearts and waies. If we boaſt that our meanes are greater then others, wee muſt tremble alſo to thinke if our accounts, before God ſhould prove worſe then others.
Therefore for your parts, as you have begun, ſo with all alacrity and industry, continue and perſevere. Our life is ſhort, duties many, worke daily, and reward ſure and enough. An eternity with God ſhould make us good, and keepe us doing, and hold us faithfull, and make us fruitfull. To the everlasting arms of his protection, and to the perpetuall influences of his grace and mercy in Chriſt, he commends you all, who is, to you all,
Your much obliged and affectionate friend, OBADIAH SEDGWICKE.
To the Reader.
IF thou expecteſt in this Treatiſe what is curious and branched over with art, ſpare thine eye any further travell, it is not here▪ divine doctrines ſerve rather for the ſtomacke then the palate. In preaching theſe Sermons, I followed Saint Cyprians directions to Donatus, to make choiſe not of Diſerta, but Fortia, I looked very little at harmony which might take the eare, but moſt of all at energy, which might reach the conſcience.
I know well that there is a lawfull and ſeaſonable uſe of learning, I am not of his minde who would have Preachers ſtudy no booke but the Bible; onelyonly this, Miniſters (if I miſtake not) muſt conſider their auditors, and then and there, uſe their choiſer learning, when and where it may not amaze, but profit; when all is ſummed up, this will be found the moſt comfortable truth, no Preacher is ſo learned, as he who can ſaue ſoules.
And now if thou pleaſeſt, reade the worke, and receiue this counſell from me; aboue all, ſtriue for ſpirituall life (it is thy greateſt honour to be good) and when thou haſt obtained it, take heed of dying, the dead man and the dying Chriſtian, are two ſad ſights; it is wofull either to be a brand falling into hell, or to be a ſtar falling downe from heauen: the riſing ſunne is more and more beautifull, but the waining moone is more full of ſpots and darkeneſse: though all may not be loſt, yet his ſhipwrackes are high who hath loſt much in his jewels, and almoſt all in his comforts: no more but this, keepe heauenly things as thou wouldeſt keepe heauen it ſelfe.
Thine in any ſpirituall furtherance, OBADIAH SEDGWICKE.