The same Persons, and the same Argument, that induced me to preach this Sermon in your ears, have prevailed with me to present it, in this manner to your eyes; not to submit it to your judgements,1 as our masterly-censorious hearers expect, who make themselves ⟨image 3⟩Judges of that, which should teach them to judge themselves, and shall one day judge them: 2nor to crave your patronage or protection of it: for it is the Word of God, mighty in operation, and sharper then a two edged sword, to cut off all that gainsay it, and so, able to defend it self; yea, it is the truth of God, a shield and Buckler to those that receive the love of it, and so, able to defend them. For my self; who am I, that I should hope to be exempted from the common condition of Preachers and Writers, 3that is, to be smitten with the tongues of those, who account nothing worthy acceptance, but the fruit of their own brain? There are principally, three sorts of men,4 that (like Malchus, having his right ear cut off) hear all things sinisterly. First, Ambitious persons. Secondly,5 Malicious persons. Thirdly, Vicious persons: if this Sermon come into any of these persons hands, I must ⟨image 3⟩expect, that (as men looking upon any thing through a coloured glass, judge that thing to be of the same colour with the glass, through which they look so) their opinions of the Preacher, and of the Sermon, will be conformed to the inward distemper of their own hearts. First,6 the Ambitious person seeks to raise himself in the fall, and to honour himself in the disgrace of those who seem to outshine him in true worth. Thus Corah, out of a desire of esteem, resisted Moses; Diotrephes, out of a Love of Preeminence, withstood John the Divine; and those false Apostles, that they might exalt themselves, vilified, and traduced Saint Paul. Those we have more cause to pity (because God resisteth them) and to pray for them, that God would make them more humble, and lowly-minded, then to be disquieted at their insolencies, which is a sure sign of their folly, and ⟨image 4⟩emptiness. For we see, the boughs, the more laden with fruit, they are the more lowly, but in a fan, we see, the chaff is above the Corn, not because its better, but because its lighter. Secondly,7 the Malicious person, out of an inward hatred against the person of another, misjudgeth all his actions and intentions.
THe same Persons, and the same Argument, that induced me to preach this Sermon in your eares, haue preuailed with me to present it, in this manner to your eyes; not to submit it to your iudgements,1 as our masterly-censorious hearers expect, who make themselues ⟨image 3⟩Iudges of that, which should teach them to iudge themselues, and shall one day iudge them: 2nor to craue your patronage or protection of it: for it is the Word of God, mighty in operation, and sharper then a two edged sword, to cut off all that gainsay it, and so, able to defend it selfe; yea, it is the truth of God, a shield and Buckler to those that receiue the loue of it, and so, able to defend them. For my selfe; who am I, that I should hope to be exempted from the common condition of Preachers and Writers, 3that is, to bee smitten with the tongues of those, who account nothing worthy acceptance, but the fruite of their owne braine? There are principally, three sorts of men,4 that (like Malchus, hauing his right eare cut off) heare all things sinisterly. First, Ambitious persons. Secondly,5 Malicious persons. Thirdly, Vicious persons: if this Sermon come into any of these persons hands, I must ⟨image 3⟩expect, that (as men looking vpon any thing through a coloured glasse, iudge that thing to be of the same colour with the glasse, through which they looke so) their opinions of the Preacher, and of the Sermon, will be conformed to the inward distemper of their owne hearts. First,6 the Ambitious person seekes to raise himselfe in the fall, and to honour himselfe in the disgrace of those who seeme to outshine him in true worth. Thus Corah, out of a desire of esteeme, resisted Moses; Diotrephes, out of a Loue of Preeminence, withstood Iohn the Diuine; and those false Apostles, that they might exault themselues, vilified, and traduced Saint Paul. Those wee haue more cause to pitty (because God resisteth them) and to pray for them, that God would make them more humble, and lowly-minded, then to bee disquieted at their insolencies, which is a sure signe of their folly, and
- 1[Greek or Hebrew]. James 3.1. cap. 4.11.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Iames 3.1. cap. 4.11.
- 21. Cor. 11.31. Rom. 2.16. Heb. 4.12. Jude 11. Psal. 91.4. 2. Thes. 2 10.1. Cor. 11.31. Rom. 2.16. Heb. 4.12. Iude 11. Psal. 91.4. 2. Thes. 2 10.
- 3Jer. 18.18.Ier. 18.18.
- 4Luke 22.50.
- 53. sorts of persons injurious in their censur s of Preach s & Sermons.3. sorts of persons iniurious in their censur s of Preache s & Sermons.
- 6Malevoli, velut Momi aruedut nos magis animi morbo, quā judicio. Melanth. Gull. Epis. Hausmano. 4to. 1. Ambitious persons. Nihil est quod Ecclesiam ita divellere qucat atque ambitio dominandi. Christ. Hom 11. in cap. 4. ad
