A73023:75
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.
And to conclude, Let not the Devil deceive thee, in making thee imagine or hope to please God, and yet to let thy corruptions lie unseen, and thy sins unsearched out, least thereby thou mar all: for thou usest not to lay up-wheat in thy garners, until it be purged from the Chaff: so think not to store up any saving knowledge, or any other grace of God in thy heart, until the chaff of vanity be first blown away, that so the holy graces of God, may be laid up in the garners of thy soul. And therefore questionless (to speak one word to touch our common professors, in the very sore of their soul) all knowledge that is stored up in these impure and unsearched hearts: is even as Wheat laid up in the Chaff, which ⟨p. 46⟩is (a thousand to one) sure to be eaten up by the chaff, so that, when the winnowing time of trial and persecution comes: I fear, that such men will (for all their knowledge) shrink aside, and betray the truth: there knowledge then proving no better then chaff, because it was laid up in an unholy heart: If therefore, thou wouldest stand and endure when Popery, or persecution, or temptations come, if thou wouldest abide the fury of the fan of temptations: now, then exercise thy heart with the fan of GODS law, Search and ransack it, purge out the chaff of corruption, and store up knowledge in an holy heart, and a good conscience, and that will abide the violence of all temptations: yea, when God suffers the Devil to do with us, as he did with Peter, to winnow us like Wheat, to sift and try us, as he did Job, with the furious wind of all his malice: this knowledge will prove Wheat, that will abide the wind, and gold that will abide ⟨p. 47⟩the fire: thus glorious will it be in the end, if we follow this holy Prophets counsel, and Search our hearts.
And to conclude, Let not the Diuell deceiue thee, in making thee imagine or hope to please God, and yet to let thy corruptions lie vnseene, and thy sins vnsearched out, least thereby thou marre all: for thou vsest not to lay vp-wheat in thy garners, vntil it be purged from the Chaffe: so thinke not to store vp any sauing knowledge, or any other grace of God in thy heart, vntill the chaffe of vanitie be first blowne away, that so the holy graces of God, may be layd vp in the garners of thy soule. And therefore questionlesse (to speake one word to touch our common professors, in the very sore of their soule) al knowledge that is stored vp in these impure and vnsearched hearts: is euen as Wheat layd vp in the Chaffe, which