Page:Divine shepherd, or, The good minister's care over the flock of Jesus Christ.pdf/7

 for it. For, ſays the Prophet, Iſa. lvi. 10. 'They ſleep, they lie down, they love to ſlumber.' And this character did not only belong to ſome few of them; for it is there ſaid, they All did ſo; that is, the Generality and the greateſt part of them did ſo. And if poor ignorant people have ſuch an idle man for their miniſter, muſt they not, without miracle, neceſſarily periſh for want of knowledge? For what matter is it, whether a man ſtarve for want of money to buy him meat, for for want of a heart to uſe his money for his neceſſary ſupport? And what matter is it, whether a man's guide be ignorant and cannot, or whether he be learned and will not ſhew him the way to heaven.

Fourthly, The Scripture tells us of others, who, tho' they are neither ignorant nor idle, but very, learned, and very laborious: yet they are covetous and voluptuous They uſe neither their learning nor their labour in preaching to thier people, but in ſeeking what they have, and in getting away from them. They ſeek not them but theirs; not their ſouls but their riches. Their whole buſineſs is only, to devour widows houſes, and to turn the houſe of God into a den of thieves.' For, ſays the Prophet, Iſa lvi. II. They are greedy dogs, which can never have enough; they all look to their own way, every one for his gain from his quarter,' And that you may know, what they do with all that they thus covetouſly ſcrape together, their voluptuouſneſs follows in the next words; beſtow it all upon their Luſts, upon their filthy pleaſure: For it is there ſaid to there, ver. 12 'Come ye, ſay they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourſelves with ſtrong drink, and to-morrow ſhall be as this day, and much more abundant' And that you may not think that this one Prophet only met with bad miniſters, hear what is written Ezek. xxxiv 2. 3. 4. 'Woe be to the Shepherds of Iſrael; that feed themſelves, and eat the fat, and clothe them with the wool, and kill hem that are fed, but feed not the flock, but rule then with force and cruelty. And that you may not think that this was only the Character of ſome few of them, it is there added