Page:Divine shepherd, or, The good minister's care over the flock of Jesus Christ.pdf/17

 ing? Dont thou not refuſe to be good thyſelf, and ordering others to be ſo: refuſing to preach thyſelf, and ordering others to do ſo, if thou thinkest they will are to preach againſt thy great and crying, and reigning, and damning ſins? Thy pluralities, thy non-aſſiſtence, thy Armenianniſm, and thy ſhameful neglect catechiſing and daily prayers in thy church and only: Dost thou not get is many church, preferents, as thou poſſibly canst? and envy and hate and orthodox minister, in thy very heart and ſoul; ſay of him, as the Scribes and Phariſees did of Christ, He hath a devil and is mad, why hear ye him? m x.20. Yea, and to complete thy character, dost u not reckon it a greater fault, for a man to tell ye of theſe thy faults, than it is for thee and others be guilty of them?

And thus I have endeavoured to examine every miniſter here preſent, out of God's own word, whether be guilty of thoſe ſins, which the ministers of former ages are recorded in ſcripture to have been guilty.

I neither accuſe you of, nor condemn you for any of all the ſins. But I wiſh with all my heart and ſoul, that both God and your own conſciences may acquit and abſolve you from them all. For, I ſay heaven and earth to record, that I do not ſay theſe thing to ſhame you; but as my beloved brethren, I in you, 1.Cor.iv.14. I warn you all in God's name, and in Christ's name, that you do not think yourſelves altogether free from all, or from any one of theſe ſins. For original ſin, which has in itſelf a feed of every ſin whatever is not wholly mortified in the best of you all; and therefore, it may make you fall into the very worst of all theſe ſins; as it come St Peter to deny Christ with curſing and ſwearing; and Hazeel to do ſuch barbarous things, as he fight none but a dog could ever have done, 2 Kings.3. Oh my beloved brethren, do not think that I am too earnest or too much concerned for your people's immortal ſouls: For I know, I know that ſouls have cost Christ very dear; they have cost