vants of his enemy to lead his armies in war against him? This is it that hath made so many preachers of the Gospel to be enemies to the work of the Gospel which they preach. No wonder if such be secretly girding at the holy obedience of the faithful; and while they take on them to preach for a holy life, if they cast reproaches on them that use it! O how many such traitors have been in the church of Christ in all ages, that have done more against him under his colours, than they could do in the open field; that have spoken well of Christ, and Scripture, and godliness in the general, and yet slily and closely do what they can to bring it into disgrace, and make men believe that those that set themselves to seek God with all their hearts, are but a company of hypocrites, or self-conceited fantastical fellows: and what they cannot for shame speak that way in the pulpit, they will do in secret amongst their companions. How many such wolves have been set over the sheep, because they had sheep's clothing; pretending to be Christians, and as good as others! If there were a traitor among the twelve in Christ's family, no marvel if there be many now. It cannot be expected that a slave of Satan, "whose God is his belly, and who mindeth earthly things," should be any better than an enemy to the cross of Christ." What though they live civilly, and preach plausibly, and have the outside of an easy, cheap religiousness? They may be as fast in the devil's snares by worldliness, pride, a secret distaste of diligent godliness, or by an unsound heart that is not rooted in the faith, nor unreservedly devoted to God in Christ, as any others are by drunkenness, uncleanness, and such disgraceful sins. Publicans and harlots do sooner come to heaven than Pharisees, because they are sooner convinced of their sin and misery.

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And though many of these men may seem excellent preachers, and cry down sin as loud as others, yet is it all but an affected fervency, and too commonly but a mere uneffectual bawling. For he that cherisheth it in his own heart, doth never fall upon it in good sadness in others. I know that a wicked man may be more willing of another's reformation than his own, and may thence have a kind of real earnestness in dissuading them from it; because he can preach against sin at easier rates than he can forsake it, and another man's reformation may stand with his own en

joyments of his lusts. And therefore a wicked minister, or parent, may be earnest with his people or family to mend, because they lose not their own sinful profits or pleasures by another's reformation, nor doth it call them to that selfdenial as their own doth. But yet for all this, there is none of that zeal, resolution and diligence, as is in all that are true to Christ. They set not against sin as the enemy of Christ, and as that which endangereth their people's souls. A traitorous commander, that shooteth nothing against the enemy but powder, may cause his guns to make as great a sound or report, as some that are laden with bullets; but he doth no hurt to the enemy by it. So one of these men may speak loud, and mouth it with an affected fervency; but he seldom doth any great execution against sin and Satan. No man can fight well, but where he hateth, or is very angry; much less against them whom he loveth, and loveth above all. Every unrenewed man is so far from hating sin to the purpose, that it is his dearest treasure; though not as sin, yet the matter of it is, as it affordeth delight to his sensual desires. So that you may see, that an unsanctified man is very unfit to be a leader in Christ's army, who loveth the enemy; and to draw others to renounce the world and the flesh, who cleaveth to them himself as his chief good.

(4.) And it is not a very likely thing that the people will regard much the doctrine of such men, when they see that they do not live as they preach. They will think that he doth not mean as he speaks, if he do not as he speaks. They will hardly believe a man that seemeth not to believe himself. If a man bid you run for your lives, because a bear, or an enemy is at your backs, and yet do not mend his pace himself in the same way, you will be tempted to think that he is but in jest, and there is really no such danger as he pretends. When preachers tell people of a necessity of holiness, and that without it no man shall see the Lord, and yet remain unholy themselves, the people will think they do but talk to pass away the hour, and because they must say somewhat for their money, and that all these are but words of course. Long enough may you lift up your voices against sin, before men will believe that there is any such harm or danger in it as you talk of, as long as they see the same man that reproacheth it, to put it in his bosom and make it his delight.

You rather tempt them to think that there is some special good in it, and that you dispraise it as gluttons do a dish which they love, that they may have it all to themselves. As long as men have eyes as well as ears, they will think they see your meaning as well as hear it; and they are more apt to believe their sight than their hearing, as being the more perfect sense. All that a preacher doth is a kind of preaching: and when you live a covetous or a careless life, you preach these sins to your people by your practice. When you drink, or game, or prate away your time in vain discourse, they take it as if you told them, Neighbours, this is that life that you should all live; you may venture on this course without any danger.' If you are ungodly, and teach not your families the fear of God, nor contradict the sins of the company you come into, nor turn the stream of their vain talking, nor deal with them plainly about the matters of their salvation, they will take it as if you preached to them that such things are needless, and they may boldly do so as well as you. Yea, and you do worse than all this; for you teach them to think ill of others that are better. How many a faithful minister and private man is hated and reproached for the sake of such as you! What say the people to them? 'You are so precise, and tell us so much of sin, and dangers, and duty, and make so much stir about these matters; when such or such a minister that is as great a scholar as you, and as good a preacher as you, will be merry and jest with us, and let us alone, and never trouble themselves or us with such discourse. These busy fellows can never be quiet, but make more ado than needs; and love to fright men with talk of damnation, when sober, learned, peaceable divines can be quiet, and live with us like other men.' This is the very thoughts and talk of people, which your negligence doth occasion. They will give you leave to preach against their sins as much as you will, and talk as much for godliness in the pulpit, so you will but let them alone afterwards, and be friendly and merry with them when you have done, and talk as they do, and live as they, and be indifferent with them in your conscience and your conversation. For they take the pulpit to be but as a stage; a place where preachers must shew themselves and play their parts; where you have liberty to say what you list for an hour: and what you say, they much regard not, if you shew them not by saying it personally to

their faces, that you were in good earnest, and indeed did mean them. Is that man therefore likely to do much good, or fit to be a minister of Christ, that will speak for him an hour, and by his life will preach against him all the week besides; yea, and give his public words the lie?

And if any of the people be wiser than to follow the examples of such men, yet the loathsomeness of their lives will make their doctrine the less effectual. Though you know the meat to be good and wholesome, yet it may make a weak stomach rise against it, if the cook or the servant that carrieth it have leprous or dingy hands. Take heed therefore to yourselves, if ever you mean to do good to others.

(5.) Lastly consider, whether the success of your labours depend not on the grace and blessing of the Lord: and where hath he made any promise of his assistance and blessing to ungodly men? If he do promise his church a

blessing even by such, yet doth he not promise them any blessing. To his faithful servants he hath promised that he will be with them, that he will put his Spirit upon them, and his word into their mouths, and that Satan shall fall before them as lightning from heaven. But where is there any such promise to the ungodly, that are not the children of the promise? Nay, do you not rather by your abuse of God, provoke him to forsake and blast your endeavours? at least, as to yourselves, though he may bless them to his chosen. For I do not all this while deny, but that God may often do good to his church by wicked men, but not so ordinarily nor eminently as by his own.

And what I have said of the wicked themselves, doth hold in part of the godly while they are scandalous and backsliding, proportionably according to the measure of their sin. So much for the reasons.

CHAPTER II.

IV. Having shewed you, what it is to take heed to ourselves, and why it must be done; I am next to shew you, what it is to "Take heed to all the flock," and wherein it doth consist, and must be exercised. It was first necessary to take into consideration, What we must be, and what we must do for our own souls, before we come to that which must

be done for others: Ne quis aliorum vulnera medendo ad salutem, ipse per negligentiam suæ salutis intumescat, ne proximos juvando, se deserat; ne alios erigens, cadat,' saith Gregor. M. de cur. past. 1. 4. Yea, lest all his labours come to nought, because his heart and life is nought that do perform them. Nonnulli enim sunt qui solerti curâ spiritualia præcepta perscrutantur, sed quæ intelligendo penetrant, vivendo conculcant: repente docent quæ non opere, sed meditatione didicerunt: et quod verbis prædicant, moribus impugnant; unde fit ut cum pastor per abrupta graditur, ad præcipitium grex sequatur.' Idem ib. li. 1. cap. 2. When we have led them to the living waters, if we muddy it by our filthy lives, we may lose our labour, and yet they be never the better. 'Aquam pedibus perturbare, est sancta meditationis studia male vivendo corrumpere, inquit.' Idem. Ibid. Before we speak of the work itself, we must begin with somewhat that is implied and presupposed.

And 1. It is here implied, that every flock should have their own pastor (one or more) and every pastor his own flock. As every troop or company in a regiment of soldiers must have their own captain and other officers, and every soldier know his own commanders and colours: so is it the will of God, that every church have their own pastors, and that all Christ's disciples "do know their teachers that are over them in the Lord." (1 Thess. v. 12, 13.) The Universal Church of Christ must consist of particular churches guided by their own overseers; and every Christian must be a member of one of these churches; except those that upon embassages, travels, or other like cases of necessity, are deprived of this advantage. They ordained them elders in every church.” (Acts xiv. 23; so Tit. i. 5.) And in many places this is clear. Though a minister be an officer in the Universal Church, yet is he in a special manner the overseer of that particular church which is committed to his charge. As he that is a physician in the Commonwealth, may yet be the 'Medicus vel Archiater cujusdam civitatis,' and be obliged to take care of that city, and not so of any other: so that though he may and ought occasionally to do any good he can elsewhere, that may consist with his fidelity to his special charge (when an unlicensed person may not); yet is he first obliged to that city, and must allow no help to others that must occasion a neglect of them, except in extraordinary cases,