A73023:73
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.
Thou wilt not suffer thy Wheat to lye too long in the chaff, for fear of hurting it: Is it then safe to suffer the chaff of thy sins and corruptions, to lie cankering and rotting in thy heart? Be sure that that little portion of grace, which thou attainest unto, by living in the Church, and under the Ministry of the Word of GOD, will be putrefied, and clean corrupted with the Chaff of thy sins: therefore again, and again, I exhort you to make conscience of this duty: Search into your selves, fan out this Chaff, this presumption of ours, and high esteeming of our own nature, and conceits of Gods favour before we have it: that so this Chaff being blown away, the Lord may then bestow upon us soundness of grace, & the foundation of all goodness, which is a holy & humbled heart.
Thou wilt not suffer thy Wheate to lye too long in the chaffe, for feare of hurting it: Is it then safe to suffer the chaffe of thy sinnes and corruptions, to lie cankering and rotting in thy heart? Bee sure that that little portion of grace, which thou attainest vnto, by liuing in the Church, and vnder the Ministrie of the Word of GOD, will bee putrifyed, and cleane corrupted with the Chaffe of thy sinnes: therefore againe, and againe, I exhort you to make conscience of this dutie: Search into your selues, fanne out this Chaffe, this presumption of ours, and high esteeming of our owne nature, and conceits of Gods fauour before wee haue it: that so this Chaffe being blowne away, the Lord may then bestow vpon vs foundnesse of grace, & the foundation of al goodnes, which is a holy & humbled heart.
Salvation is such a building, as the foundation thereof had need to be sure and strong: Ignorance, blindness, and presumption, are not sufficient foundations for such a building: therefore as no man will build a strong house upon any earth, but will first search it, least it prove Sandy, & so overthrow all: So a wise Christian will not build his salvation, upon fancies & conceits, and natural presumptions: but will Search, and look into his heart: and finding these to be sandy, and rotten, and therefore too weak for the foundation of so glorious a building, will refuse them all, and labour to furnish his heart with such sound grace, as whereupon he may trust so weighty a work, as is the Salvation of his soul. Again, if thou wilt stand in the day of trial, then Search thy heart betime, and discern betwixt Chaff & Wheat: thou seest, that chaff flieth away before the wind; but good corn endures the Fan, and the fury of the wind: so in the day of trial, temptation, sickness, or open