Page:Divine shepherd, or, The good minister's care over the flock of Jesus Christ.pdf/15

 bitter weeping, ſervent prayer, and frequent faſting? Hoſ. iv.I. Does not a ſtingy, ſordid and immoderate love of the word make thee to join houſe to houſe, and to lave field to field, and to heap up preferment upon preferment, till there be no place for the poor brethren, that thou mayeſt be placed alone in the midſt of the earth? Iſa v.8. And when thou haſt gotten and this together, does not there ſome ſecret curſe go along with it, and make it all to be bitter unto thee; yea, and make thee to be bitter and cruel to thine own fowels, and hinder thee from being charitable and hoſpitable unto others, and alſo from being juſt to thyſelf, whom thou in a manner ſtarveſt for want neceſſaries? Does not thy living overthrow thy preaching? And does not thy practice make all thy sermons of no effect?

Fourthly, If thou art neither ignorant, nor idle, nor covetous, nor voluptuous; yet, Art thou not proud? Doft thou not ſcorn to be ſo plain in thy ſermons, as be counted a fool for Chriſt's ſake? Doſt thou not scorn to quit thy human learning for the fooliſhneſs of teaching? Doſt thou not ſcorn to uſe a familiar and popular way of preaching when thou thinkeſt thou doſt ſpeak with the tongues of men and angels? Doſt thou not ſcorn to quote any texts of Scripture thy Sermons; and to uſe Scripture expreſſions, Scripture proofs, Scripture examples, and Scripture applictions, as if they were all too coarſe and homely for the itching ears of this adulterous Age? Doſt thou not ordain the very name of a Country Parſon, and entirely ſet up for a higher, a richer, and a better office? Leſt thou not diſdain to go and viſit poor people, 'to seek that which was loſt, to bring again that which was given away, and to bind up that which was broken, and ſtrengthen that which was ſick? Ezek. xxxiv.16. Doſt you not chooſe to be the author of a new action, o' it be falſe, rather than to preach and to preſs and known truth upon the Hearts of thy Hearers? Leſt thou not chooſe to introduce three Gods into the fold, rather than be content with the old and true way of expreſſing the trinity.