A73023:176
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.
First, if every true Minister must be 1Gods Interpreter to the people, and the peoples to God, then hence we learn that every one, who either is or intends to be a Minister, must have that tongue of the learned, whereof is spoken in Isaiah 50. 4. where the prophet saith (first in the name of Christ, as he that is the great Prophet and teacher of his Church; and secondarily in the name of himself, and all true Prophets while the world endureth.) The Lord God hath given me a tongue of the learned, that I should know to speak a word in season to him that is weary: where note the ⟨p. 12⟩weary souls, or troubled conscience, must have a word in season spoken to him for his comfort, and that cannot be spoken without the tongue of the learned, and lastly that tongue of the learned must be given 2of God. Now to have this tongue of the learned, which Isaiah speaks of, what is it but to be this Interpreter, which the holy Ghost here saith a Minister must be: But to be able to speak with this tongue is, first to be furnished with humane learning. Secondly, with Divine knowledge, as far as it may by outward means be taught from man to man: but besides these, he that will speak this tongue aright, must be inwardly learned, and taught by the spirit 3of God: the two first he must learn from men, but the third from God: a true Minister must be inwardly taught by the spiritual school-master the holy Ghost. Saint John in the Revelation must take the book, 4that is the Scripture, and eat it, and when he hath eaten it: then (saith the Angel) he must go preach to Nations, tongues, people, and to Kings: which was done, not that Saint John had not eaten that book, in ⟨p. 13⟩the coming down of the holy Ghost, the 5very end of whose coming was to teach them spiritually: but that in him Christ might teach his Church for ever, that no Minister is fit to preach, to nations and to Kings, until they have eaten the book of