IN the context we have S. Paul upon his Viſitation at Miletus, verſ. 17. And the Viſitation, as this which is now holden with us, is Provincial, all the Clergy of the Province of Epheſus, being conven'd by this great Viſitor, and appear before him, verſ. 18.

The Text preſents you with a part, but 'tis the principal part of the Viſitation Sermon, or as I may rather call it, The Viſitors Charge to the Clergy of the Province. The firſt part of which charge is:

1. Take heed to your ſelves: To you my Brethren of the Clergy, is this Charge more ſtrictly given, then to the Laity: For to the people God hath appointed Paſtors who are commanded in the text to take heed to the charge committed to them: But who ſhall feed and Guide the Shepherds, who ſhall watch over the Watchmen, or Teach the Teachers? Ye are the ſalt of the earth, but if the ſalt have loſt his ſavour, wherewith ſhall it be ſalted, it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be caſt out, and troden under foot of men, Mat. 5.13.

2. Take heed to your ſelves, is the firſt part of the Charge, And ſecondly to your Flock: The order obſerved in this Double Charge, is the next thing obſervable, which is the ſame obſerved by our Lord himſelf, in his charge to S. Peter, and in him to all Paſtors of the Church, ſaying Luc. 22.32. When thou art converted, then afterward ſtringthen thy Brethren, and John 21.15. Simon ſon of Jonas; loveſt thou me, and if ſo, it then follows, Feed my Sheep: Implicitly commanding all Paſtors of his Flock: Firſt to be themſelves truly converted unto God, and their ſouls inflamed with the ſacred fire of Divine Love, and then they may hope that their pains will be ſuccesful for the feeding and ſtrengthening the Sheep of Chriſt: That rule of Righteouſneſs and Charity which is the ſum of the ſecond Table of the Law, Thou ſhalt love thy neighbor as thy ſelf, commands this order to be obſerved, To love thy ſelf aright in the firſt place, and then thy Neighbor as thy ſelf: St. Be • nard thus beſpeaks every Shepherd of fouls: Tu frater cui nondum eſt firma ſatis propria ſalus, cui Charitas adhuc nulla eſt, aut adeo tenera & arundinea, ut omni ſtatui cedat, omni credat ſpiritui, omni circumferatur vento doctrinae, quanam dementia quaeſo, aliena curare, aut ambis aut acquieſcis? And upon Cant. 1.6. They have made me the keeper of the Vineyards, but mine own viney ard have I not kept; he ſeverely checks and reproves himſelf, that he had taken on him the Cure of other mens ſouls, having not ſufficiently cared for and cured his own: Et miror—I do much wonder (ſaith he) at the Impudence of thoſe perſons, that thruſt themſelves to be Labourers in the Lords Vineyard, whilſt their own Vineyard is overgrown with Bryars and thornes: The Leper under the Law was commanded to have a covering upon his upper lip, Lev. 13.43. ut non docere alios praeſumat— ſaith Heſychius: that no man preſume to open his lips in the Congregation, for the inſtruction of others, who is himſelf infected with the Leproſie, either of ſinfulneſs or error: for non eſt cadentis alium erigere: Plutarch: It is not for a man that lies in the dirt, to raiſe up another thence; not for that a man that is a ſleep in his ſins, to awake others from that ſpiritual ſleep of death; That Proverb remembred by our Lord, Phyſician heal thy ſelf, Luc. 4.23.18. chiefly appliable to the Phyſician of ſouls, who muſt begin at home, if he will work any cure upon the Souls of others.

3. But this is not all, for thirdly the Cure of a Paſtors ſoul, is a more difficult task; as being to be perſected in a higher degree, then ordinarily can be expected from any of his Flock: For as our office of Prieſthood, is more high, more eminent, more holy, ſo ſhould our Converſation be, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 — St. Chryſoſtom, De ſacerdotio, As Angels above men, as Shepherds above their flock, as Maſters above their Scholars, ſo ſhould a Biſhop a Prieſt a Paſtor excell and tranſcend the people in wholſome doctrine and holineſs of life: ſo the great Gregory, Tantum debet actionem populi, actio tranſcendere praeſulis, quantum diſtare ſolet a grege actio tranſcendere praeſulis, quantum diſtare ſolet a grege vita Paſtoris,— with much more to the ſame purpoſe, De cura Paſtorali: A book which was once tranſlated by the wiſeſt and greateſt of our Saxon Princes; King Alfred, and by him commended to the Clergy of this Nation; and a happy Clergy ſhould we be, an holy Prieſthood, if the Inſtructions in that Golden Book, were well obſerved amongſt us.

4. Take heed to your ſelves and to all the Flock] and both theſe joyntly and ſeverally. To your ſelves: As to the Innocence and Holineſs of your Lives, as becometh good Chriſtians: And to your Flock, as Shepherds & Guides of ſouls. Under the Law, the Prieſts and Prophets of the Lord are frequently called the Angels of the Lord of hoſts, Jud. 2.1. Mal. 2.7. And under the Goſpel, the Angels of the Church of Chriſt, 1 Cor. 11.10. Rev. 2.1.8.12.—And as we read of the Angels on Jacobs Ladder, aſcending and deſcending from heaven, Gen. 28.12. ſo the Prieſts of the Lord ſhould firſt take heed to themſelves by aſcending with the Angels into heaven, having their hearts and affections, their meditation and Converſation in heaven, Phil. 3.20. And withall take heed to the ſtock, by deſcending with the Angels from heaven enriched with the word of Life, breaking unto them that bread which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world, John 6.33.

But this joynt charge is ſadly disjoyn'd and perverted, by ſuch as take heed to themſelves indeed, but 'tis not with the Angels to aſcend, but deſcend, only groveling in the duſt, and wallowing in the mire of Luxury, Riot, and Exceſs, Pride and Covetouſneſs, the Pomps and vanities of the world, and the ſinful luſts of the fleſh, which every one, even the meaneſt of their Flock, hath ſolemnly abjured, when by holy Baptiſm admitted into the Fold of Chriſt. By ſuch as take heed to themſelves, but 'tis not in a ſpiritual but carnal ſenſe; who will look narrowly to themſelves, as to their worldly concerns, their Revenue and Income; but are too careleſs to the ſpiritual concerns both of themſelves and their Flock, Who ſeek their own, not the things which are Jeſus Chriſts, Phil. 2.21. Caring more for their Families at home, then for the Family of Chriſt, more for their bodily then for their ſpiritual relations, providing better for their natural heirs, then their ſpiritual ſucceſſors in their reſpective places: And in a word, by all ſuch as mind more the Benefice, then the office, more the Fleece then the Flock: All ſuch do falſly wreſt, and wickedly pervert, this double charge of the great Viſitor in the Text: Take heed to your ſelves and to your Flock: To your ſelves, by being examples of holineſs to your Flock; And to your Flock; as Shepherds, to feed and guide them, as Fathers to admoniſh and reprove them, and as Mothers to nouriſh and cheriſh them: For theſe are the four Eſſentials of a faithful Paſtor: Holineſs of life, ſoundneſs of Doctrine, Chriſtian courage, Chriſtian Charity.

5. To all the Flock] not to the flock at random, not to this, or that particular Sheep, that fawns upon the Shepherd, nor to this, or that Party or Sect, which agrees with his Humors and Opinions; but, To all the Flock impartially, and without Hypocriſie, and this firſt affirmatively, to inſtruct the Ignorant, to ſtrengthen the weak, to confirm the wavering, to reduce the erroneous, to viſit the ſick, to comfort the afflicted, to binde up the broken in heart, to reprove the ſinful, and to teſtifie againſt the ſtubborn and diſobedient: Secondly Negatively, not to break the bruiſed reed, and quench the ſmoaking flax, Mat. 12.20. not to ſow pillows under all Armholes, Ezek. 13.18. Not ſuffer them to ſettle with eaſe, and without reproof, upon the Lees of their ſins, and the errors of their waies: Not to claw the ſcabbed ſheep, and ſcratch the itching ears not to tickle and foment the petulant humors of the Factious, not to pleaſe thoſe ſqueazy Palates, who nauſeate the ſolid food of Gods Publick ſolemn ſtanding worſhip, under the prophane and ſcurrilous name of Porridge, and for no other cauſe, but becauſe it is like it ſelf, ever the ſame, conſtant to it ſelf: Like the Glorious Sun in the Firmament, which ſhines every day the ſame; which renders it a worſhip acceptable, as being herein moſt agreeable to the Immutable nature of God, the Father of lights, with whom is no variableneſs nor ſhadow of turning, Jam. 1.17. But the Itch after novelties in the Flock, and the Itch of popular applauſe or filthy Lucre in the Paſtor, whilſt the one ſcratches the Itch of the other: Hence the putrid Scabs of Schiſm and Hereſie in the Church, of Diſobedience and Rebellion in the Kingdom, are engendred.

Againſt all ſuch ſinful Compliance, Take heed to your ſelves, my Brethren take heed to your ſelves, and to your vows and promiſes, Sacerdotal and Eccleſiaſtical, confirmed by your reſpective Subſcriptions to the Articles and Canons of the Church, to the Injunctions of your Metropolitan and Diaeceſan, to the Approbation and conſtant uſe of the Liturgy of the Church, and of that onely in publick: In which laſt particular, wherein the greateſt part of the Miniſterial Function conſiſts, I cannot but teſtifie in this Aſſembly, ſo much concern'd therein: That there is utterly a fault amongſt us; In that thoſe Divine and excellent Prayers, and heavenly inſpired Prayers of God, and that ancient and Conſtant way of Gods worſhip in Publick, is by many too much ſlighted and neglected, by many irreverently and indevoutly celebrated, by many mangled and maimed, curtail'd, abbreviated, and by the Additions of others implicitly vilified: And generally almoſt by all ſecretly undermin'd; enervated and ſubverted by each mans private prayer in publick: The which private prayer, whether before Sermon, or at any other time in the Congregation, doth not onely ſecretly imply a defect in the Publick Prayers of the Church, which muſt (forſooth) be ſupplyed by mens private conceived prayers: but alſo, 'tis a diſorder and confuſion in the ſervice of God; for thus publick and private prayer are confounded, which our Lord Chriſt hath diſtinguiſhed and commanded to be ſeparately obſerved, to avoid Hypocriſie and vain-glory limiting the private prayer to the private cloſet, Mat. 6.5, 6. and for avoiding Tautologies and impertinent bablings after the manner of the heathen, he preſcribes a ſet form to be us'd in publick, verſ. 8, 9. We are commanded when we call upon the Lord, to pay our vows to the moſt High, and then he will hear, Pſal. 50.14. But can any man think it probable, that God will hear their prayers, who ſacrilegiouſly break their vows when they pray, by praying otherwiſe then they have vowed and promiſed? thoſe promiſes alſo being agreeable to the Commands of Chriſt, and the orders of his Church?

And this undoubtedly amongſt many others, is not the leaſt cauſe, of ſo many ſtray and wandring Sheep in every Flock, of ſo many giddy headed and factious minded men in every Congregation, of ſo many ſeparate Congregations or Conventicles in every Pariſh: one great cauſe hereof is the falſhood and treachery of the Shepherds, who in compliance with the noxious humors of the diſeaſed part of their Flock, take no heed to themſelves, nor to the vows and promiſes they have made in order to the right and regular execution of their Function, in feeding of their Flock: ſo for the iniquity and irregular carriage of the Prieſts, the ſons of Eli in the ſacrifices of the Temple; Men abhorred the offering of the Lord, 1 Sam. 2.17.

6. But ſhould not the Flock take heed to the Shepherd, as well as the Shepherd to the Flock? The duty of the one to the other (undoubtedly) is reciprocal, and the mutual Relation reſpectively binding. Take heed to thy ſelf (ſaid the Lord to his people) that thou forſake not the Levite, as long as thou liveſt upon the earth, Deut. 12.19. and Chap. 14.27. Eccl. 7.30. There is nothing more plainly aſſerted and more punctually commanded in the book of God, then that the people ſhould take heed to their Prieſts, the Flock to their Shepherds, eſpecially ſuch as are orthodox and holy, that they ſhould hear and obey their voice, and make their Application and recourſe unto them, in all caſes of ignorance or doubting: For the Prieſts lips ſhould keep knowledge, and they (the people) ſhould ſeek the Law at his mouth, for he is the meſſenger (or the Angel) of the Lord of Hoſts, Mal. 2.7. Haec ſunt initia haereticorum, ut ſibi placeant, & praepoſitum ſuperbo tumore contemnant, Cypr. lib. 3. Epiſt. ad Florent. Hence the Riſe of Hereticks in the Church, when the people ſwelling with preſumption of their own knowledge, and pleaſing themſelves in their fancies and opinions, proudly neglect and ſcorn to ſubmit to their directions, whom the Lord hath appointed to be their Shepherds and Guides of their Souls: And thus even thus; the people of God fell into Idolatry, even that groſs and infamous Idolatry of the Golden Calf, when ſlighting Moſes, and overawing Aaron the high Prieſt, they commanded him, who ſhould have commanded them, ſaying, Make us Gods to go before us, for as for this man Moſes, we wot not what is become of him, Numb. 22.1.