The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

A Second sort that are here justly to be reproved, are those that captivate their own opinions and conceits to the judgement of men. There are a poor kind of deluded creatures in the world, that have made themselves so far servants unto men, that they have pinned their conceits and judgements to ⟨p. 140⟩the opinions and commands of those upon whom they depend, and from whom they expect either profit or preferment; That look what their great masters say, whatsoever they speak, that they account as Gospel; and whatsoever these have devised, they must defend and maintain it, and their judgements must entertain nothing to the contrary. These are marvellously estranged from the Lord, and are contrary to this truth that hath been taught from the words of this Text. For doth not the Text say, Hearken unto me? Therefore it plainly reproveth those that can be content to have the word of men to carry weight with them, and the commands of men to cast the balance; that whatsoever they will have practised must be yielded unto, let the word of Christ say what it will; and they must be content to give up themselves to perform it, let it be agreeable to the Scriptures or not. This argueth clearly that these are the servants of men, and that they have mens persons in admiration for filthy lucre's sake, because they think that their profit, or pleasure, or preferment is gone, if their good will and pleasure be not observed upon whom they depend. This is an ordinary and gross fault: The wife she complaineth, and saith, Indeed it is true, the course is good that you wish me to, and I am persuaded that God requireth it, but my husband is against it, and I shall lose the love and respect, that I have always had from him, if now I enter upon such a course. The husband he complaineth, and saith, A holy conversation is good, and such duties as you call upon me to exercise in my family, cannot but be pleasing unto God, and such as he requires; but if I should take up such a practice, my wife would be continually besieging me with daily vexations, I should neglect my calling, and incur the censure of my neighbours and friends, and be counted too too precise. These and many others that I could instance in, are not hearkeners to Christ.

A Second sort that are here justly to be reproved, are those that captivate their own opinions and conceits to the judgement of men. There are a poor kind of deluded creatures in the world, that have made themselves so far servants unto men, that they have pinned their conceits and judgements to