Gildas Salvianus: The Reformed Pastor

Answ. 1. Of what use and weight the duty is, I have showed before land how plainly it is commanded. And do you think God doth not require you to do all the good you can? Will you stand by and see sinners gasping under the pangs of death, and say, God doth not require me to make my self a drudge to save them? Is this the voice of Ministerial or Christian Compassion? or rather of sensual Lazarus, and diabolical cruelty I Doth God set you work to do, and will you not believe that he would have you do it? Is that the voice of obedience, or of rebellion? It is all one whether your flesh do prevail with you to deny obedience to acknowledge duty, and say plainly I will obey no further then it pleaseth me. Or whether it may make you wilfully reject the evidence that should convince you that it is a duty, and say I will not believe it to be my duty unless it please me. Its the true Character ⟨p. 399⟩of an hypocrite, to make a Religion to himself of the cheapest part of Gods service, which will stand with his fleshly ends and felicity; and to reject the rest, which is inconsistent therewith. And to the words of Hypocrisy, this objection superaddeth the words of gross impiety. For what a wretched Calumny is this against the most high God, to call his service a slavery and drudgery! what thoughts have these men of their Master, their work and their wages? the thoughts of a believer or of an Infidel; Are these men like to honour God, and promote his service that have such base thoughts of it themselves? Do these men delight in Holiness, that account it a slavish work? Do the believe indeed the Misery of sinners, that account it such a slavery to be diligent for to save them. Christ saith that he that denieth not himself and forsaketh not all and taketh not up his cross and followeth him, cannot be his Disciple. And these men count it a slavery to labour hard in his vineyard, and deny their ease, in a time when they have all accommodations and Encouragements? How far is this from forsaking all? and how can these men be fit for the Ministry that are such enemies to self-denial, and so to true Christianity? Still therefore I am forced to say, that all these Objections are so prevalent, and all these carnal reasonings hinder the Reformation, and in a word, hence is the chief misery of the Church, that so many are made Ministers before they are Christians.

Answ. 1. Of what use and weight the duty is, I have shewed before land how plainly it is commanded. And do you think God doth not require you to do all the good you can? Will you stand by and see sinners gasping under the pangs of death, and say, God doth not require me to make my self a drudge to save them? Is this the voice of Ministerial or Christian Compassion? or rather of sensual Lazarus, and diabolical cruelty I Doth God set you work to do, and will you not believe that he would have you do it? Is that the voice of obedience, or of rebellion? It is all one whether your flesh do prevail with you to deny obedience to acknowledge duty, and say plainly I wil obey no further then it pleaseth me. Or whether it may make you wilfully reject the evidence that should convince you that it is a duty, and say I will not believe it to be my duty unless it please me. Its the true Character