A73023:244
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.
IN the five former Chapters are contained such Sermons, as the Prophet had made under Uzziah king of Judah: At this Chapter begin such as he preached in the reign of Jotham, ⟨p. 58⟩and so forward: But before he either 1preach or prophesy of any thing, in King Jotham's days, or his successors, the Lord in this Chapter gives a new commission to the Prophet, & a new 2confirmation to this Calling: the old king in whose days Esayah was first called being now dead, & another succeeding him, God with the new king, reneweth the calling & commission of the Prophet: wherein God doth not give him another calling, for one calling to the office of the ministry is sufficient: but he confirmeth the calling formerly given, by repeating & ratifying it. And this God did to Isaiah, not as he was an ordinary, but an extraordinary prophet: for ordinary Ministers need no renovation of their calling, nor any new signs of confirmation, but extraordinary prophets, who come in extraordinary manner, & to do many extraordinary works, God in his wisdom will have their calling confirmed, again, & again, & that by very extraordinary means. Out of which practise of the Lord, we learn, how great cause we 3have to doubt these men, to be either ⟨p. 59⟩fantastical or worse, who pretend extraordinary 4callings in these days, and yet scarce can show us any good signs of an ordinary, much less of an extraordinary motion: for if in those days, when such courses were more common, God will have his extraordinary Prophets calling to be renewed & confirmed, again, & again, then certainly in these days, we may justly require, more, & more wonderful signs of an extraordinary calling afore we believe it: and if God himself was so careful to satisfy his Church in those days of the vocation of his prophet, surely the church in these days hath much more cause to doubt in such cases, and to require many and extraordinary signs, afore it acknowledge any such extraordinary calling: These men therefore offer much wrong to the Church, & deserve both the censure thereof, and the sword of the Magistrate, who dare so boldly offer and obtrude to the Church their own fancies and dreams, as extraordinary motions of Gods spirit. This is the occasion and coherence.