A Sober Word to a Serious People, Title page – Errata
A SOBER WORD To A SERIOUS PEOPLE: Or, A MODERATE DISCOURSE RESPECTING As well The SEEKERS, (ſo called) As The Preſent Churches. Wherein the Difference between them touching Viſible Adminiſtrations, is Diſcovered and Diſcuſſed: And may ſerve as A Plea for the Nations Miniſtery.
By a lover of Truth and Peace.
PSAL. 22.30. A ſeed ſhall ſerve him: it ſhall be counted to the Lord for a generation. 24. 6. This is the generation of them that ſeek him, that ſeek thy face, O Jacob. 14 7. Oh that the ſalvation of Iſrael were come out of Sion! When the Lord bringeth back the capivity of his people, Jacob ſhall rejoyce, and Iſrael ſhall be glad.
London, Printed by J. Cottrel, for James Noell, in Foſter-line; and are to be fold by Giles Calvert, at the black Spread-Eagle neer the Weſt-end of Pauls. 1651.
To the Reader.
COURTEOUS READER,
THou art here preſented with a brief Diſcourſe touching a Subject which hath not wherewith to commend it ſelf, and therefore ſubjects it ſelf to thy Ingenuity and Candor in its peruſal, (if it be thought by thee worthy thereof.) To invite or court thee thereunto, would be very unbeſeeming thee to whom it's directed, conſidering thee both ſober and ſerious; and to me it's no leſs unſutable, if thou kneweſt my Genius. Thou art therfore left free, either to entertain it, or paſs it by, as thou pleaſeſt; and it's as freely ſubmitted to thy Cenſure.
But conſidering it's poſſible that ſome may beſtow time upon it, for their ſakes I have been prevailed with to ſay a little by way of Preface, touching the nature and end thereof, both which when thou clearly underſtandeſt, thou wilt with the leſs prejudice attempt the reading and examining of it, when it ſhall be freed in thy judgement from ſuch aſperſions as ſome may raſhly (yet too plentifully) beſtow upon it.
Be thou therefore hereby aſſured, that thou art not troubled with this Diſcourſe out of any deſigne either to weaken thy preſent confidence which thou haſt in God, or to ſtartle thee touching thy preſent Practice in things pertaining to God, nor out of any Irreligious, Atheiſtical, or Self-ended intereſt, to tempt thee to caſt off all Ordinances of Worſhip and Service of God, which thou at preſent art perſwaded thou oughtſt to be found exerciſed in; but to give thee an account touching a Sort of people which ſome are pleaſed to call SEEKERS; of whom, ſeveral men, in ſeveral books, have ſpoken ſeveral things, ſhewing the dangerouſneſs of their Opinion, and the dreadfulneſs of its tendency; and under that term of Seekers, comprehend all thoſe which differ from themſelves touching the preſent exerciſe of Viſible Adminiſtrations. How great their miſtake hath been and is, thou mayſt finde herein; the rectifying whereof, is one End of this Work, by laying down ſomewhat poſitively touching what they believe and practiſe, and ſomewhat privatively touching ſuch things as they ſee not ground to practiſe. Theſe are reduced and abridged under two Heads, The
Preſent Churches,
and Preſent Miniſtery,
and compared with the Primitive Patterns of each, as they are laid down in the Scriptures, and accordingly applied, with ſome Conſiderations had touching certain Objections depending thereupon. Under which general Heads, thou haſt the ſum of what thou wilt here be troubled with, (and perhaps thou mayſt judge it worthy thy trouble.)
As touching the End, to give thee ſome account as well what it is, as what it is not, be pleaſed to know, that having obſerved many perſons of an enquiring ſpirit unſatisfied with their preſent Practice, as not ſeeing ſufficient ground for it; yet impatient and reſtleſs in their ſpirits, have made out after this people (ſo diſtinguiſhed as before:) but finding them very inconſiderable both for quantity and quality, and nothing extant which in any meaſure might be a ſtay to them, by laying a ground for their dependance & further waiting upon God, have waxed weary, and almoſt fainted in their minds, and at the beſt have returned to that condition from whence at firſt they thought themſelves happie they were eſcaped, uſing ſuch expreſſions as theſe: Come, let us go back to Egypt for Bread: it's better take it at the mouth of Ravens, then ſtarve. Which expreſſions have been very ſadly uttered by ſome: mean while, the God which had led them by the hand out of Egypt, and brought them thorow the Red-ſea, cannot be truſted, nor depended on, nor waited for, while they are in the wilderneſs.
Theſe Conſiderations, on their part, have moved me to bethink me of my duty to my God, and whether I were not obliged, in thankfulneſs to him, who had betruſted me with the knowledge of his pleaſure in any meaſure touching this particular, to impart it to others, that they might alſo have the opportunity of conſidering what hath been a ſtay to my own ſpirit, and perhaps may prove forcible to prevent from further ſtraying ſuch who are upon rhe like enquiry.
I have likewiſe obſerved how much it hath offended and grieved divers good perſons who are themſelves under the practice and exerciſe of ſuch Adminiſtrations as this Diſcourſe treats of, becauſe the SEEKER'S (as they are called) do not joyn iſſue in the practiſe thereof; expreſſing this offence and trouble of theirs, by writing and otherwiſe; which I have great cauſe to hope will by this occaſion be abated, or at leaſt moderated, when they ſhall perceive that there is a reaſon to be rendered for that which they have judged unreaſonable.
In the conſideration of which, I cannot but think it's poſſible that Thou, Reader, mayſt finde thy ſelf to have drunk too deep of the cup of my former, and thy preſent Errour, in that both thou and I have taken up our Practices upon other mens Principles, or at leaſt upon too eaſie & too ſlight a ſearch; touching which, if they were to begin again, we ſhould judge it neceſſary to put a pauſe, and to make more diligent enquiry after the minde of God in the Scriptures. To which ſome perſons are reduced, (and that in mercy) ſearching and ſeeking after thoſe things now, which long ſince they preſumed they had attained. To the exerciſe whereof, thou art alſo invited, viz. to prove thy own works, that ſo thy rejoycing may be in thy ſelf, and not in another.
And if, in examining this Work, thou findeſt many things weak and amiſs, I ſhall not wonder at it (I pretend not to Perfection:) Put thy Character upon them, & let them paſs for droſs, and write them mine. But if thou findeſt Gold (I mean Truth) that will abide the fire of trial; ſay that's God's; 'tis none of mine; and let not that paſs. I expect thy Cenſure; I ſhall hearken for it: and I hope thy Reproofs ſhall be as welcome as the ſmiting of the righteous was to David, Pſal. 141.5: and for ought thou knoweſt, if thou ſendeſt me back to the ſearching of the Scriptures, which muſt be the Standard & Rule of trial, I may truly be enabled to ſay, It ſhall be a kindneſs to me, an excellent oil which ſhal not break my head. But if thou ſhalt be found reproaching in ſtead of reproving, and wounding in ſtead of ſmiting, I hope my God will teach me to ſay, as he did alſo, verſ. 3. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips.
Reader, thou art deſired to correct theſe Errata with thy Pen.
Pag. 2. lin. 37. for 26. 5, read 46. 5. p. ibid. l. 17. adde the. p. 5. l. 1. for theſe, read the. p. 7. l. 31. for certain numbers, read a certain number. p. 20. l. 12. for caſt, r. coſt. p. 25. l. 9. for 12. 8. r. 21. 8. p. ibid. l. 33. for Tranſlations, r. Tranſlators. p. 33. l. 2. for perſon, r. perſons. p. 36. l. 7. for had, r. was. p. 39. l. 12. adde of. p. 47. l. 24. for 2 Cor. 4.5. r. 1 Cor. 2.4, 5. p. 48. l. 15, for particular, r. peculiar. p. 57. l. 25. for 10. 25. r. 11. 25.