A Pearl in an Oyster Shell, Title page 1 – Dedication 1
foreign:
A PEARL IN AN Oyſter-ſhel: OR, Pretious Treaſure put in periſhing Veſſels.
The Sum or Subſtance of two Sermons Preached at Withall-Chappel in Worceſterſhire.
Wherein is ſet forth the Mightineſs of the Goſpel, the meanneſs of its miniſtration.
Together with a Character of Mr. Thomas Hall, His Holy LIFE and DEATH.
By Richard Moore, a willing, though a moſt unworthy Servant of God in the Goſpel of his Son Jeſus Chriſt.
London: Printed by A. M. for Tho. Parkhurſt at the Bible and three Crowns, near Mercers-Chappel in Cheapſide. 1675.
To my much-honoured Friend Thomas Jolly, Eſquire, High-Sheriff for the County of Stafford, Juſtice of the Peace for Worceſter-ſhire, and Captain of the Trainband in the ſame.
Worthy Sir,
THE Dedication of Books to Perſons of Integrity & Authority, hath been of antient account in the Church of Chriſt. Saint Luke had his Theophilus, a man of Luke 1. Acts 1.power and preheminence, whoſe Name he preſcribeth to his Books of the New Teſtament. Indeed few ſuch Stars have remained fixed in the Churches Firmament; Piety being often overborn by State-policy: too many are of Gallio's mind, they care not to intermeddle with theſe things; or as the King of Navar ſaid, They will go no further in this Sea than they can come ſafe to Land. Hence not many Wiſe, not 1 Cor. 1. 26. Mr. Bolton.many Noble are called; And ſome great by Birth, and Noble by Blood are a notorious blemiſh to an honourable Houſe. Like Sepulchers they are painted without, Tacitus, l. 1. c. 10.yet have putrefaction within; or like the Apothecaries Pills, are gilded Nobilitas Heroica eſt Eminentia quaedam notabilis, &c. per quam homo fit per adoptionem Filius Dei, Sponſa Chriſti, Templum Spiritus Sancti, Greſ. Tract. de Nobil. Joh. 1.33. Mr. Bolton in his Sermon of this Subject, p. 214on the outſide, but have poyſon within. Intus Nero, foris Cato, Loquitur hic ut Piſo, vivit ut Galonius.
That is ever the beſt in this kind, when God is the top of the kin, Religion the Root, the holy Scriptures the Rule: when the perſon is made by Adoption the Son of God, the Spouſe of Chriſt, the Temple of the Holy Ghoſt; this is that Heroica Nobilitas, without which all other is little worth. It is not of blood, nor of the will of the fleſh, nor of Man, but of God. Hence it was that Beatus Laudovicus, would be called Lodovicus de Piſciato, rather than to take greater Titles to himſelf; Why? there he became a Chriſtian; and for this cauſe the Bereans are ſaid to be more Noble than the Men of Theſſalonica, better born, more Gentlemen, more Noble by birth or blood: this was not by Act. 17.11. foreign generoſiores, Beza.reaſon of Naturals or Morals, but for their ſpiritual Regeneration, readineſs to receive the Goſpel, and their ſearchings into the Scriptures daily.
Now (Noble Sir) the Kings Majeſty hath conferred a double Honour upon you in making you his High Sheriff of his Counties of Worceſter & Stafford for two years together. It put me in mind of what was ſaid concerning Mordecai; What ſhall be done to the man that the King Heſth. 6.6.delighteth to honour? Since therefore Promotion comes not by Purchaſe, but by Pſal. 75.6.Providence; and all Dignity conferred by God, calls for Duty from Man; Go on, Sir, to do worthily in Euphratah, and be famous in Bethlehem; like a true plant of Renown growing in the Ruth 4.11.Churche's Garden, and gathering ſtrength by being incorporated into this Body, and by receiving nouriſhment from the true Root; walking in the fear of God, growing in favour with your Prince, and getting further friendſhip with his People, by your readineſs to do good, and by being rich in good works, willing to communicate; thereby, laying up for your ſelf a good 1 Tim. 6. 18.foundation for time to come; And in a word, improve your power againſt Impoſtors, who go about to impugn and oppoſe the Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures.
Antiſthenes the Philoſopher, was wont to ſay, that a man ſhould lay up ſuch proviſions as in a ſhipwrack might ſwim Plut.out with him, ſuch Treaſures as may paſs and be current in another world, and will follow a man thither: So treaſure up the Word of God containing precepts, promiſes and prohibitions in the table of your heart, that you may with that good Houſholder bring forth out of your treaſury things new and old.
And this was one end I propoſed to Mat. 13. 52my ſelf, in the Dedication of theſe my mean firſt-fruits to you; which come abroad, not ſo much by a voluntary choice, as by a kind of neceſſity to midwife (I may ſo ſpeak) a poor Embrion, that otherwiſe would have lien as dead in its Mothers womb; As alſo to ſtir up your pure mind, to a ſerious ſearch and enquiry into the Holy Scriptures. which are the invariable Canon of Truth, the Cubit of the Sanctuary, foreign, Irenaeus.the wiſe mans Star to lead to Chriſt.
Baſil ſaith, the Bible is a Phyſitians foreign. Athanaſius In the life of Baſil.Shop of Preſervatives againſt poyſonous Hereſies, a patern of profitable Laws againſt rebellious Spirits, a Treaſure of coſtly Jewels againſt beggarly Elements, and a Fountain of moſt pure water ſpringing up unto Everlaſting Life.
Men of Nobleſt Birth and Royal Blood, recorded in Hiſtory Sacred or Civil, have highly prized the Word, and preferred it before their outward Priviledges and Poſſeſſions.
King David counted it more to be deſired than refined Gold, and Honey Pſal. 19. 10 Pſal. 119. 72. Job 23. 12from the Honey-Comb. Job the greateſt man of the Eaſt, eſteemed it more than his daily Bread and bodily Food. Our King Edward the Sixth, when he was Crowned, they put three Swords into his Hand; he ſaid, there was one yet wanting, the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit.
Charles the Great, was ſaid, to ſet his Crown upon the Bible. Theodoſius the Elder, to write the New Teſtament with his own hand, which he counted a choice Jewel. Theodoſius the Younger, learned much of the Scripture by heart; as alſo the Lord Thomas Cromwel did. Queen Elizabeth of bleſſed Memory, kiſſed the Bible preſented to her, and laid Speeds Chron. c. 24. p. 838.it to her breaſts, and ſaid, it had ever been her delight, ſhew would frame her Government according to it. The Lady Jane Grey in her Letter that ſhe left her Siſter Katharine, ſaith of the Greek Teſtament, this is a Book which though it be not garniſhed with Gold, yet it was See her Letter. Acts and Monum.in wardly more pretious than Rubies; It is the Law of the Lord, the Teſtament left to us wretches, which will lead you in the paths of eternal Life, &c.
Time would fail me, if I ſhould go about to ſhew you what account the Fathers, Confeſſors and Martyrs of Jeſus Sacrae Scripturae tui ſunt ſanctae deliciae mei, Auguſtin.Chriſt made of the Scriptures; As alſo our famous Orthodox, Modern Divines; Dr. Prideaux left theſe Verſes behind him, written upon his Bible.
This ſacred Volume in whoſe precious leaves
The Myſteries of Heaven in treaſures lie;
The Object and the Subject of each Chriſtian eye,
Who lives by this, by death ſhall never die.
Here ſhines the Sun of grace diffuſing wide,
His quickning rays on all from ſide to ſide.
Here God and Man do both embrace each other,
Met in one Perſon, Heaven and Earth do kiſs.
Here a pure Virgin doth become a Mother,
Who bore that Son, who the worlds Father is.
Here true bliſs cometh flying from on high,
To hawl Man out of Hells dark Empiry.
John a Wigord.
Take one taſte of thoſe few among the many famous verſes written by Mr. Clark.See his Divine Poem or Poetical Meditation, p. 622. In his Mirror.
This Book, theſe Sentences, theſe Lines,
Each Word and Letter,
To me is better,
Than Chains of Pearl and golden Mines.
'Tis Heaven tranſcrib'd and glory pen'd,
Gods Truth no doubt
Was copied out,
When he this Gift to man did ſend,
J. C.
You ſee, Sir, with what a Cloud of Witneſſes you are compaſſed about, for your conduct & incouragement in your way towards Canaan your heavenly Country, that you may taſte of the hidden Mannah, and read and rumina… upon this Bread of Life, and Food … your Faith: And as by much porin… and pondering upon the Statute-Law… of the Land you may become a wiſe an… able Juſticiary; ſo hereby a true an… intelligent Chriſtian, and the better acquainted with your own heart: For th… Scriptures are ſo penned (as Athanaſiu… ſaith) that every man may think the… ſpeak, de ſe in re ſua, of him in hi… Affairs. Indeed there is little good … be got by reading the Scriptures curſorily and careleſly, but if you do it duel… and diligently with attention, affectio… and ſupplication, they will have ſuch a… influence upon the Soul, and ſuch a… Eraſmus in his Preface upon Luke.efficacy, as is to be received from no other Book that can be named: hereb… how hath the proud heart been humbled the hard heart ſoftned, thoſe boiſterou… and predominant paſſions and affection ſubdued, and every thought captivate… into the Obedience of Chriſt; ſo tha… the Man hath become of a Lion a Lamb… of a Leopard a Lamb, of a Swine … Sheep.
Who ſees not at this day, that th… nauſeating of this Bread of Life hath brought many men to ſpiritual leanneſs, ſet them upon dangerous precipices of pride, till they have fallen into the dead ſea of practical Atheiſm; whereas a ſerious ſearching out of the Will of God revealed in his Word, is an effectual Dr. Stillingfleet in his Epiſt. to Origin. Sacrae.means for the maintaining a powerful ſenſe of Religion in the ſouls of men. Be ſure therefore to make a diligent ſearch into the mind of God, as it is here manifeſted; For the dignity of the Scriptures, and the Majeſty of Chriſt, who is the Author and the matter of them, mutually look one upon another as the Sun doth on the Stars, and the Stars on the Sun: for as the excellency of the Sun appears by the glory of the Stars, to which it giveth light; ſo the Majeſty of Chriſt is manifeſt in the Scriptures, to which he giveth credit: And as the Pearl by the often beating of the Sun-beams upon it, becomes glorious; ſo we by beholding, as in this Glaſs, the Glory of the Lord, are changed into the ſame Image from Glory to Glory.2 Cor. 3. 18.
It happily may be expected from ſome, according to the Cuſtom of ſuch 2 Cor. 9. 10, 11, 13.Dedications, that I ſhould ſpeak of your perſonal worth; but I well know your modeſty would by this means be … …o the bluſh, and ſome disaffected perſons might count me a paraſite: I ſhall therefore turn ſuch Praiſes into Prayers, that he who is able to make all grace abound in every good Work, would multiply your Seed, and increaſe the Fruits of your Righteouſneſs, that others may glorifie God for your profeſſed ſubjection to the Goſpel of Chriſt; this is, Sir, and ſhall be the hearty Prayer of
Your Servant in the ſame Saviour, Richard Moore. Wetherock-hill Novemb. 4th 1674.