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could fpeak little for themfelves: Thus by Mofes, Exod.4.10. O my Lord! I am not eloquent, neither beretofore, nor fince thou hast poken unto thy fervant, but I am of flow speech, and of a flow tongue: Thus by Jeremiah, Jer.1.6. Then faid I, Ah Lord God, bebold I cannot fpeak, for I am a child: Thus by S. Paul, 2 Gor.10.10. and

.11.6.

2. Will not this fatisfie? Is any voyce more welcome to thee then thy Minifters?do others fpeak to thy foul, while he is dumb? know and confider, God fometimes ftrikes his Minifters dumb, and makes their tongue cleave to the roof of their mouthes, as a teftimony against the rebellion and stubborness of their hearers, Ezek. 3.26.And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and halt not be to them areprover, for they are a rebellious bonfe:It feems Ezekiel had been their reprover, but God would not fuffer him to reprove them any longer, they were To rebellious: he faw it would be but a fpending of his fervants labour and ftrength in vain:The Lord hath an eye upon the pains of his Minifters, and when he intends to cut down, and caft unprofitable figtrees into the fire, he calls the Hasbandmen off from digging and dunging about their roots: Wherefore foul, whoever thou art, who haft heard truths at any time, with a convinced, or unconvinced confcience, from the mouth of thy Minifter; but now because thou pretendest thou canst not reap any benefit by him, thou refolveft to live under another Minifter Fear and tremble, left thy unanswerableness unto, and rebellion against former convictions, or means of conviction, ftrike thy Minifter dumb to thee, while he speaks to others, for what should binder his doctrine from diftilling as the dew and dropping, as the rain upon thy heart, as formerly it did,and ftill doth upon the hearts of others,bu: that God will fend him upon no more errands to thy foul,because the first were flighted.

3. Confider whence thy diftafte agamft thy Minifter proceeds, whether it be from a juft caufe (if there be any fuch) or from fomewhat for which thou oweft him reverence and refpect: Rebellious children generally take pet at their Parents chastizing of them for their good; and babifh Chriftians for the most part ftomach admonitions, rebukes, and exercife of Ecclefiaftical Difcipline: Mark S. Pauls council, 1 Theff.5.12,13. And we beseech you brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their works fake, and to be at peace among your felves: The word Sve, rendred know, imports as much as to acknowledge: Labourers, Prelates,and Admonifhers, must be not onely known to,

but

but acknowledged by their people: What they are, and whose they are; what they are to the Church, and what each member ought to be to them, in obedience, reverence, and maintenance. And doth it fignifie fo much? fome may fay, why is the word day, or, to esteem them, added? was not enough faid before, when knowledge and acknowledgement was required? I answer, if one word had been enough, the other fhould have been omitted; the Holy Ghoft, who prohibits our tautologizing,is not himfelf guilty of the fame crime: The duty is ingeminated, be-cause it must be done, and becaufe for the most part it meets with fo much unwillingness and ftubbornness in men, as it is feldom and difficultly done, efpecially when gisaress Prelates, or those that are over us, and a Reprovers, or Admonishers, expect it from us. The former, exacting fubjection; the latter, fuppofing a fault, and looking for our acknowledgement and amendment. Now is this the work, or that very work for so,

by their people (who de known, acknowledged, and esteemed

to be peace cap in Lar, Or, with more then a fuperlative and overflowing bonor: Let giddy and hair-brain'd perfons note it, and be afhamed, who for the most part have little elfe, but one or cther of these two things(would they candidly and ingenuously confefs the grounds of their diftafts) to alledge, in juftification of their fhunning fcorning, and undervaluing of their Minifters.

4. Confider, itching ears in a people, and their heaping up Teachers unto themselves, is a dreadful forerunner of their irrecoverable Apoftacy from truth,and a certaiu fymptome of their. being expofed unto errour; God fo ordering it in vengeance towards them,that as at firft they would have none of his appointed Manna, fo to leave them to fuch encreafing vicioufnels of appetite, as at laft they loath what themfelves had cooked. The many thoufard exemplary verifications of this truth in our days, might have feemed ftrange, had it not fo long ago been predicted, 2 Tim.4.3. For the time will come, that they will not endure fund Doctrine, but after their own lufts, shall beap unto themselves Teachers, baving itching ears: The phrase av ånóuv, or having itching ears, notes fuch importunity of luft, as they muft have heaps of Teachers; and having them, they must receive. prejudice by them, as an itchy body will be feratcht, and being fcratcht, it muft fefter, or the difeafe run farther, and fpread more upon it. This is elegantly made out in the following verse, ver. 4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and,

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3.Confider:

rantChriftians

comfort in their fuffer

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shall be turned unto fables: Suffice this both, for the second confideration for the Itinerant, and for the appendant confideration, for people liable to his feduction.

3. Confideration,when men profeffing Chriftianicy,are punishFor the Itine ed as bufie-bodies in other mens matters, or as the word properpunished as ly fignifies. as Bishops in another's Diocess,their fufferings are taxed bufie-bodies, to be,fufferings contrary to the name of Chrift, and confequentcan have no ly deferving a different reward, 1 Pet.4.14,15. If ye be reproached for the name of Chrift, happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory, and of God, refteth upon you, on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified: But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thiefs or as an evil doer, or as a bufic-body in other mens matters (as a mopiciaio xerR.) Let the pious Reader obferve diligently among what good company the Apoftle chaineth the bufie-Lody, as alfo Jer. 14.14,15. & 23.21. Fer. 27.15.& 29.9.& v. 31. We proceed to the laft confideration.

ings.

4. Confider.

4. Confideration, The Holy Ghoft never commends any, but Scripture con- plainly condemns all for deceivers and feducers, who creep into demns all for other mens folds, 2 Tim. 3. 6. and, who ftretch themselves beyond their line, and boaft of things made ready to their hand, 2 Cor.10.13. ad fin. 16.

feducers, who

creep into other mens folds.

Thus have I brought this Difcourfe of the Evangelift to a period, and do folemnly proteft before God, Men, and Angels, that I have folely defigned, in fingleness of heart, to bring glory to God, peace to the Church, and good will among men : My confcience bears me witness in the uprightness of my intentions, but the cenfure of the action is before the Lord, and his people, unto whofe merciful judgement and equity, I fubmit my felf, my paft, prefent, and future endeavors.

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Luke 2.14. Glory be to God in the highest, on earth peace, goodwill towards men.

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