A Caveat for Archippus, Section 2 – Section 3
2. Painfully and diligently.
The Miniſterie is the worke of the Lord, and Curſed is eueryevery one that doth the worke of the Lord negligently. Ierem. 48. 10. A neceſsitie is laid vponupon me, and woe vntounto me if I preach not the Goſpell, 1. Cor. 9. 16. Be diligent therefore to know the eſtate of thy flocke, and take heed to the heards, Pro. 27. 23. Take heed to the heards, that is, take heed to the fulfilling of thy Miniſterie. But how may that be done? Be diligent to know the eſtate of thy flockes, and to let thy flocke know the ſtate of the truth.
This is that which euidences our louelove both to the ſhepheard, and the ſheep. To the ſhepheard. Therefore doth our Sauiour ſo vrge that vponupon Peter, Iohn 21. Peter, loueſt thou me? feede my ſheepe: Loueſt thou me, &c. Not onelyonly that his threefold confeſſion, might be equiualent to his threefold deniall, but that his threefold louelove might appeare by his threefold diligence in his Miniſtery, and to require diligence in feeding, as the moſt ſure euidence of louing. Who profeſſes not with Peter, Lord I louelove thee? Make we good then our louelove by our labour, Hebr. 6. the labour of your louelove. Euerie mans louelove is as his labour, litle and no labour argues the ſame meaſure of louelove. Therefore LoueLove and Diligence are of one roote in Latin, becauſe louelove is diligent.
Surely me thinks we hauehave cauſe to bluſh, and to hang downe our heads for ſhame in the conſcience of our negligence, when we ſhall conſider, not onelyonly Paules prayer, and teares night and day, Acts 20, but when we ſhall conſider Iaakobs diligence and pains in the attendance of Labans flockes: Geneſis 31. 40. In the day time I was conſumed with heate, in the night with froſt, and my ſleepe departed from mine mine eies. Alas, what compariſon betweene Christ and Laban? betweene a churliſh maiſter and a mercifull redeemer? What compariſon betweene the ſheepe of Chriſt and Laban? Ah vile ſhame then that Laban ſhould be better ſerued then Chriſt, and his ſheep better attended then Christs. Is Iaakob thus painefull and carefull in looking to Labans ſheepe? How can wee then excuſe our foreign; Chryſoſt ad Roman. 15. hom. 29ſupine negligence and groſſe ſluggiſhneſſe, to whom the care and cure of reaſonable ſoules is committed? If what Iaakob hath done for Labans ſheepe moue vsus not, pleaſe we turne our eies vponupon the Great ſhepheard himſelfe Chriſt Ieſus, and ſee what he hath done for his ſheep? Behold him not onelyonly in the Temple daily, and in the Synagogues teaching eueryevery Sabbath; but behold him in the Garden, ſweating droppes of bloud, and on the Croſſe ſhedding his heart bloud for theſe ſheepe. Ah inſufferable ſloath, and ingratitude both, that we ſhould make ſo dainty to ſhed alittle ſweate in louelove to him, who in louelove to vsus ſhed not ſweat, but ſweat groanes of bloud. Had he beene ſo dainty of his bloud, as a number are of their ſweat, poore ſheepe, poore flockes, what had become of them?
As to the Shepheard, ſo it no leſſe euidenceth our louelove to the Sheep. They may plead, Peter, loueſt thou vsus? feede vsus thy ſheepe. But vntounto many a Paſtour may the flocke ſpeake as Dalilah to Sampſon; How canſt thou ſay thou loueſt me, when thy heart is not with me? How is thy heart with me, when neither thy paines nor thy perſon is with me, but yee your ſelues ſet others to take the charge of my Sanctuarie, Ezek. 44. 8. May not that be ſpoken innocently to many which Eliab ſpake churliſhly to Dauid? 1. Sam. 17. 28. With whom haſt thou left theſe few ſheepe in the wilderneſſe? I know thy pride, and the naughtineſſe of thine heart, that thou art come downe to ſeethe battaile. So to many Miniſters, Where be thoſe Sheepe? &c. It may be they are wandering, if not ſtaruing in the wilderneſſe, while the Shepheard in the naughtineſſe of his heart is gone vp to ſee, and to liue in the City, and vnderunder the colour of a City Lecture, neglects his countrey paſtorall charge. A righteous man is mercifull to his beast. I will not ſay, what a beaſt then, but what an vnrighteous man is hee that is not mercifull to his poore flocke, to thoſe poor ſoules committed to his charge? Mee thinkes it was an heauy caſe, and well worth the lamenting which we find, Lament. 4. 4. The little ones asked bread, and no man brake it to them: Indeede it is not lawfull to caſt the childrens bread vntounto dogges: but what do they better, who though they giuegive it not to dogges, yet giuegive it not to the children, are they better then dogges in the maunger?
Were thoſe compaſſionate bowells in vsus, and that louelove to our flocks, which ſhould make vsus, with the Apoſtle, to deale our owne ſoules to them, would we then hunch at a litle bodily paines? What dreame we of eaſe, pleaſure, delicacie? Are theſe the things we propound to our ſelues in this holie ſeruice? Thou that art thus ſparing of thy ſweat, what wouldſt thou do if Chriſt ſhould call for thy bloud for his flocks ſake? for ſo hath Auguſline well noted, that immediatly vponupon the Tractat. in Ioha… 10.threefold iniunction of feeding, our Sauiour tells him of his martyrdome; thereby teaching Peter, that he muſt feede his people, not onelie by preaching of the Goſpell, but by the ſhedding of his bloud. Now wee that dreame of eaſe and delicacie, &c. what if Chriſt ſhould call vsus to fulfill our teſtimonie by the ſheding of our bloud? ſurely, ill would he ſhedde his bloud for him, that is ſo loath to ſhedde alittle ſweat for him. How would he go cheerfully to a ſtake for him, that goes ſo like a Beare to the ſtake when he goes to the Pulpit for him? He would ill abide frying, that ſo ill abides ſweating. He would ill abide the pains of burning, that ſo ill abides the paines of preaching.
How are the Fathers magnified among vsus, and iuſtly, and yet in the meane time this their practiſe of frequent, and diligent preaching vilified by vsus? Had they held their people to a monthly ſtint, & the poore pittance of a quarterly allowance, neuer had their works growne to ſo faire volumes, nor their names to ſo great renowne. Chryſoſtomes *Yeſterday.foreign. and Bernards *…Cras, which they hauehave in ſo many of their Sermons, argue, if not a daily, yet a diligent, & a frequent preaching; Why ſhould not this worke of the Fathers be in equall grace with the reſt of their workes with vsus? How is it that we grace them, and diſgrace their practiſe? It is true, it is laborious and painfull thus to attend the Miniſterie: But, the labour of your louelove, ſaith the Apoſtle, Hebr. 6. VVhere there is this labour of louelove, it will make vsus louelove the labour: louelove will make the burden light. Nullo enim modo oneroſi Auguſt. de …on… vid…it.ſunt labores amantium, ſed etiam ipſi delectant, ſicut venantium, piſcantium, &c. Nam in eo quod amatur, aut non laboratur, aut & labor amatur; & vide quàm pudendum & dolendum ſit, fi delectat labor vt fera capiatur; I will make bold a little to alter his words: Et non delectat labor vt anima capiatur.
Doth not the Scripture make the Miniſterie a calling of that paines, weight, and importance, as that Saint Pauls foreign would make a man dread the entrance? Now if ſo ſlighty & eaſie a performance will diſcharge it, as many put it off withall, who then may not eaſily be ſufficient for theſe things: who may not ſoone be ſufficient to reade prayers, and the Church-ſeruice, and once in a Moone to beſtow a mornings bleſſing vponupon his people? If this be all, how eaſily may the Miniſterie be fulfilled? what need ſuch a ſolemne charge to be giuen to Archippus?
If then we would fulfill our Miniſterie, we ſhould labour to hauehave that fulfilled of our Sabbaths which Origen ſpeakes of the Sabbaths of his times: In noſtro die dominico ſemper pluit Deus Manna de coelo. Indeed the lewes Manna neuer fell on their Sabbath. What Manna ſoeuer fall on the weeke day, neuer ſhould the Sabbath paſſe without theſe Manna-ſhoures; eueryevery Sabbath ſhould hauehave the firſt and the latter raine. GiueGive a portion of this Manna to ſeuen and to eight. And in the morning ſowe thy ſeed, and in the euening, let not thy hand reſt, Eccl. 11. 6.
Why ſtand ye heere idle all the day long? Matth. 20. 6. Heere, and all the day long. Heere, where? In the market place, where they could pleade, Nemo nos conduxit. Is it blame-worthie to be idle in the market place, were none had hired them? VVhat is it then to be idle in the Vineyard, where both hired, and paied wages? If a ſin to be idle in the market place all the day long, how much more to be idle all the day long, all the Sabbath day long in the Vineyard?
Farre be it from vsus aboue all others, to eate the bread of Idleneſſe; VponUpon none more then Miniſters muſt that be verified, In the ſweate of thy browes ſhalt thou eate thy bread. In the ſweate of their browes, and their braines too muſt they eate their bread. But certainely many do ſo idlely and negligently liue in the miniſtery, that they may very wel do as that prieſt did of whom the Waldenſes make mention Ex Vſsier. de Chr. eccleſ. ſtat.in an Apologie of theirs, Qui ex ſacerdote factus eſt agricola; and his reaſon was, becauſe he found it written, In the ſweate of thy browes ſhalt thou eate thy bread. Had he ſo diligently diſcharged his calling as he ought, hee neuer ſhould hauehave needed to hauehave turned husbandman, to hauehave found ſweat, and ſawce to his bread. But as happely he, ſo a number there are, that liue with ſuch drie browes in the Miniſtery, that drie bread in another calling would yeelde them more comfort and content, then all their fulneſſe in the Miniſterie, becauſe they make no conſcience to fulfill their Miniſtery.
3. Plainely.
As the word muſt be diſpenſed frequently and diligently with reſpect vntounto Peoples Neceſsities, ſo alſo Plainely with reſpect vntounto peoples Capacities; ſo as our plaine people may be able to vnderſtand vsus for matter, and maner of deliuerie. Thus did our Sauiour teach the people, not as he was able to ſpeake, but as they were able to heare, Marke 4. 33. and Iohn 16. 12. as they could heare. So the Paſtours after Gods owne heart ſhould feede with knowledge and vnderſtanding, Ier. 3. How with knowledge vnleſſe with vnderſtanding? & how with vnderſtanding vnles they could be vnderſtood? Heere commonly a double errour is committed.
1. Some affect ſuch craggie ſcholaſticall diſquiſitions, as are fitter for the Chaire then for the Pulpit, as not coming within the ſhort and ſhallow reach of a popular capacitie.
2. Others, though their matter be lowe enough, yet affect ſuch a ſoaring ſublimitie of phraſe, & ſuch a Roman-Engliſh, as plaine Engliſh men cannot vnderſtand. Except yee vtter words which hauehave ſignification, how ſhall it be vnderſtood what is ſpoken? for ye ſhall ſpeake in the ayre, 1. Cor. 14. 9. And 19, I had rather in the Church to ſpeake fiue words with mine vnderſtanding, that I might alſo inſtruct others, then tenne thouſand words in a ſtrange tongue. Our language is now growne ſo learned, that a man may Clerum in Engliſh, and may ſo ſpeake his owne language, that he may be a barbarian to the men of his own language. It were good therefore that Miniſters would all follow that good counſel that Auſtin took from ſome learned men in his time, who hauing read ouer his Bookes againſt the Manichees, Beneuolentiſsime me monuerunt, vt communem loquendi ſermonem non deſ… …e…. H…nc enim ſermon…m vſitatum & ſimplicē etiam d… in…e… ligunt, illum autem ind…cti non in…lligunt. De G…n …. Manich.and perceiuing them to be written in ſo learned a phraſe, as the common people could not vnderſtand; They kindly (ſaith he) admoniſhed me, that I would not forſake the common and ordinarie kinde of ſpeech. And he giues a reaſon why he likes their counſel well. For the common and vſuall phraſe of ſpeech learned men vnderſtand, but the other vnlearned men vnderſtand not. And yet a man may take farre more libertie in writing then in preaching.
Therefore it was that elſe-where he choſe rather to ſpeake barbarouſly then finely, and to vſe the barbarous word oſſum, rather then Habeo in abſcondito quo …m oſſ…m. Sic …ni…. p…t…us loquantur. Mel…us eſt vt…re p…dant nos G…mma…ici, … i…tel…ant populi. in p…l 138. …. Sect. 12.the word Os, becauſe he deſired his peoples profit aboue his owne credite. He allowes Os in the Text, and ſo reades it; but in his Expoſition vſeth oſſum, as the more intelligible word. His intention was not Rhemiſh, and Ieſuiticall to darken the Text with abſolute barbariſmes, but to helpe their vnderſtandings with a familiar and plain, though not ſo grammaticall a word.
Miniſters muſt be Nurces, 1. Theſſ. 2. Nurces are not aſhamed, nay they delight in it, to condeſcend to the balbutient infancie of their nurcelings. Euen in this fence ſhould we become all vntounto all, Barbarians vntounto Barbarians. Indeed when a man is not to ſpeake to Barbarians, but to learned and intelligent Auditors, I would not then debarre him the libertie of his liberall education. But certainly, when the Iewes ſhall heare Paul, Acts 22. 2, to ſpeake in the Hebrew tongue, they will both keepe the more ſilence, and giuegive the better audience. It was in iudgement that Chriſt taught the Phariſes in Parables. What difference betweene a darke conueyance, and a darke phraſe? So then preach as that wee may rather make our people ſchollers, then ſhew our ſelues ſchollers to our people.