Reason 2 Ministers preach not the Gospel so purely and perfectly as John did, Mark 1. 1. John preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Verse 3. He preached repentance and remission of sins. Although John did bring in the Gospel, yet withal he preached up duties, and not cried down duties; he pressed on duties, and did not cast them off; he did earnestly press on the duties of the moral law, he preached repentance, whereas many Ministers now a days account this but a legal and servile work not fit for Christians under the Gospel to be employed about, not fit for Ministers to preach, or people to hear. And this is one great reason why men take up such sinful liberty to follow their own ways and lusts, and by which means the ⟨p. 11⟩Gospel comes to be the less successful. But this you see was far from Johns mind and temper; for, said he, Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, Matth. 3. 2. Oh generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? was our Saviours language, Matth 22. 33. Jerem. 23. 22. But if 1they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings: and 32. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith 2the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them, therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord. 2 Cor. 4. But we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in 3craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God. It doth enervate and emasculate the power of the Word to have it mixed with falsehoods. Much truth is preached in the Church of Rome, yet conversion is not ordinarily amongst them, because they adulterate the truth by many errors.
Reson 2 Ministers preach not the Gospel so purely and perfectly as John did, Mark 1. 1. John preached the Gaspel of Jesus Christ. Verse 3. He preached repentance and remission of sins. Although John did bring in the Gospel, yet withall he preached up duties, and not cried down duties; he pressed on duties, and did not cast them off; he did earnestly presse on the duties of the morall law, he preached repentance, whereas many Ministers now a dayes account this but a legall and servile work not fit for Christians under the Gospel to be employed about, not fit for Ministers to preach, or people to hear. And this is one great reason why men take up such sinfull liberty to follow their own wayes and lusts, and by which meanes the ⟨p. 11⟩Gospel comes to be the lesse successefull. But this you see was far from Johns minde and temper; for, said he, Repent, for the Kingdome of heaven is at hand, Matth. 3. 2. Oh generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? was our Saviours language, Matth 22. 33. Jerem. 23. 22. But if 1they had stood in my counsell, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evill way, and from the evill of their doings: and 32. Behold, I am against them that prophesie false dreams, saith 2the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to erre by their lies, and by their lightnesse; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them, therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord. 2 Cor. 4. But we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in 3crastinesse, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God. It doth enervate and emasculate the power of the Word to have it mixed with falshoods. Much truth is preached in the Church of Rome, yet conversion is not ordinarily amongst them, because they adulterate the truth by many errours.
- 1Jerem. 23. 22.
- 232.
- 32 Cor. 4 2
