The prophecy of Haggai, interpreted and applied in sundry sermonsThe prophesie of Haggai, interpreted and applyed in sundry sermons

119 was well skilled therein, so that this knowledge could serve him to conclude; That he who had committed murder and adultery, as sure as God liveth was the child of death, and yet he had need to have Nathan, to apply this unto him and to tell him he was the man, so that we see how needful the pastor is to the people (as Aristotle in his Politics, that they were wont to bring in strange Physicians into the sick, and yet thought them not fit to heal themselves) least they be accounted in Christs judgement, as sheep without a shepherd. And of this modest acknowledgement of what was wanting, we have Paul for an example, who Titus the first gives a ⟨p. 105⟩reason why he set Titus in Crete, because there were many dis obedient, whose mouths must be stopped, where the Apostle acknowledgeth that his pains had not profited all, but until that were brought to pass, that they were convinced, reproved or converted, there must needs be something acknowledged to be wanting, and so must we ingeniously until this be brought to pass something to be wanting. I may not go further herein, and from the general come to the particular Temple of each mans soul, whereof this Temple as Paul to the Corinthians showeth was a type; but I leave it to the godly in particular to consider of, howbeit I do not doubt but if we examine our selves upon ¹our beds the best of us, and those who were long since called and built as Temples of the Lord, may soon find some want if we compare the present building with the former. It was said to the Church of Ephesus that she had lost her first love, and would it not appear if we were well tried, that some of us had lost our first love, our first sincerity, our first sobriety, our first zeal and godly virtues, acknowledge therefore your first buildings not to be comparable to that before, but consider that all this acknowledgement must be to this end, that notwithstanding these defects which we must modestly acknowledge, we must still go forward ²and strive to repair our ruins as followeth in the third place, yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel saith the Lord.

119 was well skilled therein, so that this knowledge could serve him to conclude; That he who had committed murther and adultry, as sure as God liveth was the childe of death, and yet he had need to have Nathan, to apply this unto him and to tell him he was the man, so that we see how needfull the pastour is to the people (as Aristotle in his Politicks, that they were wont to bring in strange Phisitians into the sicke, and yet thought them not fit to heale themselves) least they be accounted in Christs judgement, as sheepe without a sheepheard. And of this modest acknowledgment of what was wanting, we have Paul for an example, who Titus the first gives a