A73023:125
M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in…
M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in Stourbridge Fair. Together with two treatises of the duties and dignity of the ministry: delivered publicly in the University of Cambridge. With a preface prefixed touching the publishing of all such works of his as are to be expected: with a catalogue of all the particulars [sic] of them, diligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word.M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in Sturbridge Faire. Together with two treatises of the duties and dignitie of the ministrie: deliuered publiquely in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. With a preface præfixed touching the publishing of all such workes of his as are to be expected: with a catalogue of all the perticulers [sic] of them, diligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word.
London: printed by T. Creede for William Welby, 1605
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Now of these three winnowing times, the holy Ghost speaketh here properly of the second: namely the fan of Gods judgements: so that, the meaning of the Metaphor is this: search your selves and repent betimes, least God come upon you with some fearful judgements: because you have so long contemned the fan of the word, and finding you too light to abide the try all, do take you away in the judgement, and cast you into hell: for as sure as the fan of the word hath made difference of you, which are chaff, and which are wheat, so sure shall the fan of his judgements blow away the chaff to hell and damnation.
Now of these three winnowing times, the holy Ghost speaketh here properly of the second: namely the fan of Gods iudgements: so that, the meaning of the Metaphor is this: search your selues and repent betimes, least God come vpon you with some fearefull iudgements: because you haue so long contemned the fan of the word, and finding you too light to abide the try all, doe take you away in the iudgement, and cast you into hell: for as sure as the fan of the word hath made difference of you, which are chaffe, and which are wheate, so sure shall the fanne of his iudgements blow away the chaffe to hell and damnation.
Thus much for the meaning.
Now for the use, for us in England, the case stands thus: Our church doubtless is Gods corn field, & we are the corn heap of God: and those Brownisles and Sectaries are blind and besotted, who cannot see that the church of England is a godly heap of Gods corn: but withal, we must confess, we are full of chaff: that is, of profane, & wicked Hypocrites, whose hearts and minds abound in sins and rebellions: and many of our best professors are also too full of chaff (that is) of corruptions, and do give themselves too much liberty in many sins: but alas, the pure wheat, how thin is it scattered? how hard to find a man (at least a family) which dedicate themselves to the Lord in holy and sincere obedience, and labour to make conscience of all sins: now therefore, seeing we are Gods corn field, and we have some pure wheat amongst much chaff, therefore God will winnow us, to find out the corn, if he have but one corn of wheat in a handful of chaff, but one good man