The works of Ephesus explained in a sermon before the honourable House of Commons…The workes of Ephesus explained in a sermon before the honovrable House of Commons…

TO THE HONOURABLE House of COMMONS now assembled in PARLIAMENT.

TO THE HONOVRABLE House of COMMONS now assembled in PARLIAMENT.

Two things mightily advance any Work. A true Pattern, and a due Encouragement. I conceive there is no one Text in Holy Scripture, in which both are more closely, or more clearly laid together then in that, handled in the following Sermon. There, you have a Pattern for your Degrees in Working: Most cases call you up to labour, and some to patience: There, you have a Pattern for the special kinds of your work: The removing of those, both Things and Persons, which you ⟨image 3⟩cannot but see are evil: The trying of those which say they are, or are said to be Good, and are not. There, you have a Pattern for the Acceptation of your Persons with God in those works: The spiriting of them with Sincerity, and the crowning of them with Constancy. There, you have an encouragement unto all such works: Jesus Christ observes, and highly approves them All. Your Constancy and Sincerity, your Trying of Hypocrisy and removing of Impiety, The sweat of your Labours and the exercise of your Patience are most pleasing unto Him. Work by these Rules (Worthy Senators) and Peace shall be upon you, and upon the English-Israel of our God. It were very incongruous to detain you long in the Suburbs of an Epistle, to whom (I fear) time can hardly be dispensed to look into the City. The unceasing importunity of the Kingdoms work took off some part of it, and obscured others in the Delivery. Work then presses the soul indeed, when it comes so fast, that it shortens communion with God: A day with whom Fasting is infinitely better then a thousand Feasting-days, though with an Ahasuerus. I have again repaired those breaches with ⟨image 3⟩