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. /…

We will now add the second reason: And that is taken from the pride of mens hearts, from the haughtiness that harboureth in the heart of wicked men, that they are not able to bear the Commandment of the Lord: and therefore when the Word of God, in the ministry thereof, seemeth any way to over-power them, and to go beyond them, to master their hearts in any way, oh, they think it a matter of disgrace, and a great disparagement for them to be so base, and such silly simplicians, as to stoop to the lure of a poor Minister, to be at his beck, and to stand at his command. Alas, my brethren, do you think we preach our selves? Indeed in carnal reason, if a Minister should come in his own ⟨p. 232⟩name, and lay upon you his own commands, it were fitter for him to say nothing then to go about such a work, in regard of the great distance there is between the men of the world, and him, in outward respects. But we come in the name of the Lord of heaven, and it is his word that we preach, and the Word of God is powerful, and will make the sturdiest heart to bow or break under it, it is mighty in operation, like a two-edged sword, dividing asunder between the joints and the marrow, searching even into the very thoughts of the heart. Now because the heart of a natural man is not able, nor indeed willing to stoop to the authority and power of the word, loth to be at the beck of Gods command (such natural pride, and arrogancy of spirit there is in carnal men,) that in stead of submitting and yielding thereunto, they take up arms the more against it, by how much the more powerful the word it.

We will now adde the second reason: And that is taken from the pride of mens hearts, from the haughtinesse that harboureth in the heart of wicked men, that they are not able to bear the Commandement of the Lord: and therefore when the Word of God, in the ministry thereof, seemeth any way to over-power them, and to goe beyond them, to master their hearts in any way, oh, they think it a matter of disgrace, and a great disparagement for them to be so base, and such silly simplicians, as to stoop to the lure of a poor Minister, to be at his beck, and to stand at his command. Alas, my brethren, doe you think we preach our selves? Indeed in carnall reason, if a Minister should come in his own ⟨p. 232⟩name, and lay upon you his own commands, it were fitter for him to say nothing then to goe about such a work, in regard of the great distance there is between the men of the world, and him, in outward respects. But we come in the name of the Lord of heaven, and it is his word that we preach, and the Word of God is powerfull, and will make the sturdiest heart to bow or break under it, it is mighty in operation, like a two-edged sword, dividing asunder between the joints and the marrow, searching even into the very thoughts of the heart. Now because the heart of a naturall man is not able, nor indeed willing to stoop to the authority and power of the word, loth to be at the beck of Gods command (such naturall pride, and arrogancy of spirit there is in carnall men,) that in stead of submitting and yeelding thereunto, they take up arms the more against it, by how much the more powerfull the word it.