Twenty-One Sermons on Amos 1, Title page 1 – Preface
A Commentary OR EXPOSITION VPONUPON THE FIRST Chapter of the Prophecie of AMOS.
Deliuered In XXI. Sermons in the Pariſh Church of MEYSEY-HAMPTON in the Dioceſſe of Gloceſter.
BY SEBASTIAN BENEFIELD Doctor of Diuinity, and fellow of Corpus Chriſti College in OXFORD.
EPHES. 5.16.
Redeeme the time, becauſe the daies are euill.
LONDON, ¶ Printed by John Hauiland, and are to be ſold by Hugh Perry at the Harrow in Britaines Burſe. 1629.
THE PREFACE TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
Gentle Reader,
THeſe Sermons were prouided for the Pulpit, not intended for the Preſſe. Yet, ſith I liue in a prodigall age of the world, wherein too many with their vnprofitable, if not obſcene Pamphlets, doe runneaAd prel…m tanquam pralium. to the Preſſe, as a horſe to the battell, and are entertained with applauſe; I hauehave the more willingly now publiſhed them to thy view. Thou wilt ſay: There is already great ſtore of Sermons abroad; more than we can well vſe. I deny it not. Yet to the fulneſſe of this Sea I adde more, and repent not. Is abundance a burthen to thee? If thy ſoule may be fed with variety, as well by the eye as by the eare, haſt thou any reaſon to finde fault? But weake ſtomacks may ſurfet at the ſight of too much. Let ſuch fauour their eye-ſight. They may eaſily looke off, and pleaſe themſelues with their old choice. There is no reaſon that their daintineſſe ſhould preiudice that profit, which others might reape from this abundance. Wee that are called to be labourers in the Lords Harueſt, muſt reſolue with the Lord of the Harueſt. His reſolution was,bIoh. 9.4. I muſt worke the workes of him that ſent me while it is day: the night commeth, when no man can worke. Our day is our life time; the only time for vsus to worke in. If now, in this our day time, we will in ſtead of working, only treaſure vp knowledge in our hearts, as that Hoarder in thecCap. 11.26. Prouerbs did his Corne in his ſtorehouſe; or will wrap vp the gifts, wherewith God hath bleſſed vsus, in waſte Papers, as the ſlothfull ſeruant in thedLuk. 19.20. Goſpell did his Talent in a Napkin; the night will come vponupon vsus and we ſhall not worke. Suffer vsus therefore, while it is our day, to worke. Our worke conſiſteth in the preaching of the Goſpell. The Goſpell is preached as welleAmbo verbum praedicant, hic quidem ſcripto, ille vero voce. Clem. Alexan. ſtromat. lib. 1. interprete Gentiano Herueto, p. 57. edit. Baſil. in fol. An. 1556. & paulò pòſt. Praedicandi ſci…tia eſt quodammodo Angelica, vtrouis modo inuans, ſeu per manum, ſ…u per linguam operetur. There is not any thing publikely notified but we may in that reſpect rightly and properly ſay it is preached, Luk. 8.39. and 12.3. Ho…k…r Eccl Pol…t. l. 5. §. 18 p. 28. Moſes and the Prophets, Chriſt and his Apoſtles were in their times all Preachers of Gods truth; ſome by Word, ſome by Writing, ſome by Both. Hooker ibid. §. 19. pag. 29. The Apoſtles in Writing, are not vntruly nor vnfitly ſaid to preach. Hooker lib. 5. §. 21. pag. 39. vide ibid. plura. Euangelizo Manu, & Scriptione, Rainold de Rom. Eccleſ. Ido…lat. Praef. ad Com. Eſſex. pag. 7. by writing as by ſpeaking; as well by p…n as by tongue. The word ſpoken, for the time is moſt piercing, but the letter written is of moſt continuance. I ſhall account it my happineſſe, if I may doe good both waies. My place in that worthy Foundation, whereof I am an vnworthy member, wearing me out in the reading of Humanity, now the fourteenth yeere, hath hindered mee from doing that good I wiſhed to hauehave done, the one way by my ſpeaking by my tongue. If the other way, by my writing by my pen, I may redeeme the time paſt, and by theſe my poore labours may doe ſome good, not only tofThe inhabitants of M…iſey Hampton, Marſton, and Dunfield, in the Dioceſſe of Gloceſter. them, among whom I firſt ſowed this ſeed, but alſo to other Congregations of my Country, I hauehave enough. If (deare Chriſtian) thou finde in theſe my Sermons the ſame things iterated, maruell not thereat; I hauehave my Prophets warrant for it. He in this firſt Chapter repeateth the ſame things fiue times ouer. May not I after his enſample doe it once or twiſe? I muſt profeſſe vntounto thee (good Chriſtian) that my chiefe intent in this Commentary is the deſtruction of ſinne. If to any of the learned, I ſeeme to hauehave failed of my purpoſe, my earneſt deſire is, that they will be pleaſed to take the paines to amend it. The reſt, who to this poore labour of mine ſhall afford their gracious and fauourable good liking, I heartily entreat to helpe me with their godly prayers, that this worke and whatſoeuer elſe of like kinde I ſhall hereafter attempt to publiſh to the cenſure of the world, may wholly redound to the glory of God, and good of his Church. Now the God of peace, that brought againe from the dead our Lord Ieſus, that great Shepherd of the ſheepe through the bloud of the euerlaſting couenant, ſanctifie thee thorowout, that enioying the peace of thy conſcience in this world, thou maiſt hereafter hauehave full fruition of that eternall peace of God in Hea…n.
Thine vnfeinedly in the Lord, for thy good, S. B.