A73023:218
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.
The use of this doctrine is, first for rulers 1and great men of this world, this may teach them to be nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers unto the Church, whose authority they see is so great over them, as that their decree stands ratified in heaven: Therefore though their place be great, 2and they be Gods upon earth, yet must ⟨p. 44⟩they withal acknowledge, that in justifying a sinner, in interpretation, in declaring unto man his righteousness; in binding and loosing, their power also is immediate from God, & above theirs, and they themselves, as they are men, must submit themselves to this powerful word of the ministers, to be taught by it, and to be reconciled by means of it, & highly must they respect it; for though a man speak it, yet is it the word of God: this is to lick the dust of Christs feet, which the Prophet speaketh 3of: not as the Pope would have it, to hold the stirrup, & lead the horse, & hold the water to the Pope, to kiss his toes, to hold their kingdoms of him, as tenants at will, or by courtesy, but reverently to acknowledge the ordinance to be Gods, the function & duty to be high & excellent, to acknowledge the power of their keys and censures (being rightly applied, their promises & their threatenings to be as from God, & to submit to them accordingly.
The vse of this doctrine is, first for rulers 1and great men of this worlde, this may teach them to be nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers vnto the Church, whose authority they see is so great ouer them, as that their decree stands ratified in heauen: Therefore though their place bee great, 2and they bee Gods vppon earth, yet must ⟨p. 44⟩they withall acknowledge, that in iustifying a sinner, in interpretation, in declaring vnto man his righteousnes; in binding and loosing, their power also is immediate from God, & aboue theirs, and they themselues, as they are men, must submit themselues to this powerfull word of the ministers, to be taught by it, and to be reconciled by meanes of it, & highly must they respect it; for though a man speake it, yet is it the word of God: this is to lick the dust of Christs feete, which the Prophet speaketh