SERMON LIX. OF OBEDIENCE TO OUR SPIRITUAL GUIDES HEB. xiii. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you. SERM. BUT farther, LIX. The more to engage and incline us to the performing this part of our duty, (the regarding, prizing, confiding in the judgment of our guides,) we may confider the great advantages, both natural and fupernatural, which they have to qualify them in order to such purposes. 1. They may reasonably be prefumed more intelligent and skilful in divine matters than others; for as they have the fame natural capacities and endowments with others, (or rather commonly fomewhat better than others, as being defigned and selected to this fort of employment,) fo their natural abilities are by all poffible means improved: it is their trade and faculty, unto which their education is directed; in acquiring ability toward which they spend their time, their care, their pains; in which Heb. v. 14. they are continually versed and exercised, (having, as the Apostle speaketh, by reason of use their fenfes exercised to difcern both good and evil;) for which also they employ their fupplications and devotions to God. Many special advantages they hence procure, needful or very conducible to a more perfect knowledge of fuch matters, and to fecurity from errors; fuch as are con verfing with ftudies, which enlarge a man's mind, and SERM. improve his judgment; a skill of disquisition about things; LIX. of fifting and canvaffing points coming under debate; of weighing the force of arguments, and distinguishing the colours of things; the knowledge of languages, in which the divine oracles are expreffed; of fciences, of histories, of practices ferving to the difcovery and illuftration of the truth; exercise in meditation, reading, writing, speaking, disputing, and conference, whereby the mind is greatly enlightened, and the reason strengthened; acquaintance with variety of learned authors, who with great diligence have expounded the holy Scriptures, and with most accuracy difcuffed points of doctrine; efpecially with ancient writers, who, living near the apoftolical times and being immediately (or within few degrees mediately) their disciples, may juftly be fuppofed most helpful toward informing us what was their genuine doctrine, what the true sense of their writings: by fuch means as in other faculties, fo in this of theology, a competent skill may be obtained; there is no other ordinary or probable way; and no extraordinary way can be trufted, now that men appear not to grow learned or wife by special inspiration or miracle; after that all pretences to fuch by-ways have been detected of impofture, and do smell too rank of hypocrify. Since then our guides are fo advantageously qualified to direct us, it is in matters difficult and doubtful (the which require good measure of skill and judgment to determine about them) most reasonable that we should rely upon their authority, preferring it in fuch cafes to our private discretion; taking it for more probable that they should comprehend the truth than we (unaffisted by them, and judging merely by our own glimmering light) can do; deeming it good odds on the fide of their doctrine against our opinion or conjecture. They have also another peculiar advantage toward judging fincerely of things, by their greater retirement from the world and difengagement from fecular interests; the which ordinarily do deprave the understandings and 2 Tim. ii. 4. SERM. pervert the judgments of men, difpofing them to accomLIX. modate their conceits to the maxims of worldly policy, or to the vulgar apprehenfions of men, many of which are falfe and bafe: by fuch abftraction of mind from worldly affairs, together with fastening their meditation on the best things (which their calling neceffarily doth put them upon) more than is usual to other men, they commonly get principles and habits of fimplicity and integrity, which qualify men both to difcern truth better, and more faithfully to declare it. Seeing then in every faculty the advice of the fkilful is to be regarded, and is usually relied upon; and in other affairs of greatest importance we fcruple not to proceed fo; seeing we commit our life and health (which are most precious to us) to the phyfician, obferving his prescriptions commonly without any reason, sometimes against our own fenfe; we intruft our estate, which is fo dear, with the lawyer, not contefting his advice; we put our goods and fafety into the hands of a pilot, fleeping fecurely whilft he steereth us as he thinketh fit; feeing in many fuch occafions of common life we advisedly do renounce or wave our own opinions, abfolutely yielding to the direction of others, taking their authority for a better argument or ground of action than any which our conceit or a bare confideration of the matter can suggest to us; admitting this maxim for good, that it is a more advisable and safe courfe in matters of confequence to follow the judgment of wifer men than to adhere to our own apprehenfions a: feeing it is not wisdom (as every man thinks) in a doubtful cafe to act upon difadvantage, or to venture upon odds against himself, and it is plainly doing thus to act upon our own opinion against the judgment of those who are more improved in the way, or better studied in the point than ourselves; seeing in other • Ὃν ἂν ἡγήσωνται περὶ τὰ συμφέροντα ἑαυτοῖς φρονιμώτερον ἑαυτῶν εἶναι, τούτῳ ἄνθρωποι ὑπερηδέως πείθονται, Xen. Paed. 1. Ἐν μὲν τῷ πλεῖν πείθεσθαι δεῖ τῷ κυβερνήτῃ, ἐν δὲ τῷ ζῆν τῷ λογίζεσθαι δυναμένῳ Biarios. Ariftonymus apud Stob. tom. ii. tit. 3. cafes these are the common approved apprehenfions and SERM. practices; and seeing in this cafe there is plainly the fame LIX. reafon, for that there are difficulties and intricacies in this no less than in other faculties, which need good skill to refolve them; for that in these matters we may easily flip, and by error may incur huge danger and damage: why then should we not here take the fame course, following (when no other clearer light, or prevalent reason occurreth) the conduct and advice of our more skilful guides? especially confidering, that, beside ordinary, natural, and acquired advantages, they have other supernatural both obligations to the well discharging this duty, and affiftances toward it: For, Eph. iv. 11, 1 Cor. xii. 2. We may confider, that they are by God appointed and empowered to instruct and guide us: it is their special office, not affumed by themselves, or conftituted by human prudence, but ordained and fettled by divine wisdom for our edification in knowledge, and direction in practice b: they are God's meffengers, purposely sent by him, felected and separated by his inftinct for this work: they Rom. x. 15. are by him given for the perfecting of the faints, and edi- Acts xiii. 2. fying the body of Chrift: it is by God's warrant, and in 12. his name that they speak; which giveth especial weight to 28. their words, and no mean ground of affurance to us in re- 1 Tim. i. lying upon them: for who is more likely to know God's mind and will, who may be prefumed more faithful in declaring them, than God's own officers and agents? those whofe great duty, whose main concernment it is to speak not their own fenfe, but the word of God? They are God's mouth, by whom alone ordinarily he expreffeth his mind and pleasure; by whom he entreateth us to be 2 Cor. v. reconciled in heart and practice to him: what they fay 20 therefore is to be received as God's word, except plain reafon upon due examination do forbid. If they by office are teachers, or mafters in doctrine, then we answerably must in obligation be disciples, which b Jer. iii. 15. I will give you paftors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. Cypr. Ep. 55. 11, 12. ii. 7. Tit. i. 3. 4. 20. Theff. ii. SERM. implies admitting their doctrine and proficiency in knowLIX. ledge thereby: if they are appointed fhepherds, then must we be their sheep, to be led and fed by them; if they are God's meffengers, we muft yield fome credence, and embrace the meffage uttered by them; fo the Prophet Mal. ii. 7. telleth us: The priest's lips fhould keep knowledge, and they should feek the law at his mouth, for he is the meffenger of the Lord of hofts: fo the Law of old enjoined; Deut. xvii. —According to the fentence of the law which they shall 11. teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not decline from the fentence which they shall fhew thee, to the right hand nor to the left fo our Lord alfo, in regard to the Scribes and Matt. xxiii. Pharisees, faith, The Scribes and Pharifees fit in Mofes's 2, 3. (Ezek. chair: all therefore whatsoever they bid you obferve, that obferve and do; upon account of their office, whatever they direct to (not repugnant to the divine law) was to xxxiv. 16.) be obferved by the people; and furely in doubtful cafes, when upon competent inquiry no clear light offereth itself, it cannot be very dangerous to follow their guidance whom God hath appointed and authorized to lead us; if we err doing fo, we err wifely in the way of our duty, and so no great blame will attend our error. 1 Pet. iv. 10. 3. We may confider that our guides as fuch have fpecial affiftance from God; to every vocation God's aid is congruously afforded; but to this (the principal of all others, the most important, most nearly related to God, and moft peculiarly tending to his fervice) it is in a fpecial manner most affuredly and plentifully imparted. They are Stewards of God's various grace; and they who difpenfe grace to others cannot want it themselves: 1 Cor. iii. 9. they are cooperators with God, and God confequently doth cooperate with them; it is God who doth ixavour, 2 Cor. iii. 5. render them fufficient to be minifters of the New Teftament; and they minifter of the ability which God fupplieth; every 1 Cor. xv. fpiritual labourer is obliged to fay with St. Paul, By the grace of God I am what I am—I have laboured, yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me. Phil. ii. 13. 1 Pet. iv. 11. 10. Eph. iv. 11, God's having given them, as St. Paul faith, to the |