UPON THE MEETING Of the Sons of the CLERGY, At a Sermon Preached before them in Saint Pauls Church the eighth of November, 1655.
SPECIFYING Their several Capacities, as they stood in the time of the LAW, AND NOW UNDER THE GOSPEL.
By E. G.
LONDON, Printed by T. R. 1655.
Vpon the meeting of the Sonnes of the Clergy, At a Sermon in Pauls Church, Preached on the eighth day of November, 1655.
O For a new
Elisha now your'r met,
2 Reg c. 6.
And in that unrepaired Temple set,
Who would commission you for stone and wood,
To build it as wise
Salomons stood,
Ezra 3. 2.
Or if such glory mayn't be hop'd for well,
To make it such, as did
Zerubbabel,
Though while the much unequall ground-work rears
Your joyes are more,
Ezra c. 20
but more your Fathers Tears.Where are the Trumpets now? the Cymbals where?
All is dumb Musick,
1 Chr. 6.
none of
Davids there,Priests to your office yet, and sons of Priests,
(The meaner Levites were the Organists,
And Musick part) keep up th'
alternate song.
Ezra 11.
The office of the place in th'
holy Tongue,
Though 't be not musicall, yet
praise the Lord,
Since 't cann't be had in tune, in honest Word.
It is a great Indulgence that you meet
In your own place yet and your Brethren greet.
[Page 4]How know you whether the Power that is,
Ezra
[...]3.
May not restore you your
Metropolis.
'When some more envious (then was lik'd of late)
'Of six score odd, thought yours too much of eight.
Complain not with the Sons o'th Prophets,
2 Reg. 6. 10.
thatThe place wherein you pray or preach is streight.
'Tis not the many Churches nor the Coaches,
Are God-sent Prophets Triumphs or Reproaches.
A little
Zoar[?] is enough:
Gen. 19. 23.
when FireIs round obout the ears, no more Desire,
Nor yet with fled and sad
Elijah grieve,
Or of Gods Providence so mean believe,
Because you see but few are Orthodoxe,
Therefore the Shepheard's worried and the flocks.
Alas fond Augurer! yet just condoles,
Upon a thousand hills in thousand holes.
David in Psal. 10
God doth preserve whom he doth forthwith call,
[...]. Reg. 19 18.
That never yet did bow the knee to
Baal.
Complain not with the scanted sons of
Levi,
When hunger and the
Syrian host lay heavy
About besieg'd
Samaria, that your pot
Hath death int, 'cause of some bitterer lot,
Or
herb of Rue faln in, Wormwood is good
For mornings draughts, and brown bread is good food.
And purld estates are best which keep us fixt
Unto the hands by which our drink is mixt.
[Page 5]That he would temper it, so 't might not be
All Wormwood▪ But
[...] for me.
Should it be bitter unto death indeed,
Avert
[...]t Deus.
Send you
Eisha's (children) and with speed
That may unbitter all your Pottage, and
Give you the antient service of the Land,
Pottage and Meat, That you may meet, and pray,
And praise your God, as is done on this day.
To the Sons of the Prophets as they are under the Gospel of Peace.
SOns of the Prophets still, for still you are,
Either in Ark, or else in Altar care.
Sons of the Prophets, so be alwayes stild,
But he who knows his Father's a wise child,
Not then a lineall order, as the Jews,
Nor do's a Priest with us a Priest traduce,
No Tribe of Levi now distinct, as that
Which was the third, which Prophet
Iacob gat,
Yet from a Father still else how can ye
Derive till now a legal Progeny.
[Page 6]Spirituall Fathers yours, yet cal'd as was,
From the Jews high Priest, and so you passe
By
Ordination, not by birth, though they
That were so
born, were
called in that
way,
A Priest
ex traduce, but sanctifid,
And put in
Robes, this world would not abide
Ointm
[...]nts and
Mitres, Bells and
Ephods, Breeches,
More then our this day slighted
Rubrick Teaches,
No Priest (though their inheritance) unless
They did accept th' Installment, and the Dresse,
So
Aaron was, so
Hur initiate
So was it alwayes, (until now of late)
Onely the Order is not now confin'd,
Simeon may be a Prophet, all the kind,
And
Zebulun and
Naphtali and
Dan
And
Issachar and
Gad and every man,
Here is indeed a thorough Prophesie,
Beyond my
Doctour Tailours Liberty.
Ioel did say it (before
Ieremy)
His Spirit upon all the World shall fly.
And let us now the
Prophets meaning know,
And not in
Prophesie too much oreflow.
No more shall
Israel, or a tribe of them.
No more
Iudea, or
Ierusalem
Shall be the Church, but that shall spread,
As farre as is the World inhabited.
You knowing Sons of
every Trade shall be
Apted and call'd to his high Prophesie:[?]
[Page 7]So Prophesie is Catholike and we
See Butchers sons in Episcopacy.
So Christ did call, but
from the net and trade,
And of Fish-Fishers, Fisher-men he made,
Those he instructed, bless'd, ordain'd: no more
Then Fishers, in the sense they were before.
Nor was it an Inlightening onely, that
But real
Orders, Presbyterian Plat.
Disciples, that is, Deacons, first were sent,
And made by him, in whom was resident,
The Bishops power, nor did Apostleship,
Flow into seventy, but in Twelve did keep,
And when that one by Providence did fall,
Iudas.
Not every one was fit but onely one had call
Yet all were Presbyters,
Acts
[...]. 25.
but none could beApostle made, but out of that Degree.
New hands impos'd upon a Presbyter,
Quid potest Episcopus supra Presbyterum praeter ordinationem.
Learned S.
Ierome is our friend thus farre.
Then I have found you Fathers (more than one)
And your Fam'd Preacher is a double Son,
Born of a Presbyter, and a Priests Father,
(But for the Times, I'd call him Bishop rather.)
Thus from the Shop by learning and the Schools,
Apted for Doctrine (not remaining fools)
By lawfull imposition, all Trades heire
May be a Priest and Doctor of the Chair.
Nay and sometimes we may be retrograde,
Gradus Simeonis.
Do as old
Simeon, fall into a Trade.
[Page 8]As did Saint
Paul, when powerfull schismes and Rents,
And Poverties extreme, live by our Tents
Labour for victualls (in a common weal
That won't allow you) rather then to steal,
Now sons of the black coat, or cloath, that's all,
Now left to you of habit Clericall,
Honour your Parents, double honour give,
To those by whom you all do doubly live,
And from the banquet of the Ear, the quaint
Spiritual food now preach't and soul provant,
Go to your Feast, more than
Elisha made
The sons o'th Prophets, and when Grace is said,
Remember
Ioseph, sonnes of
Levi, be
Not like
Iobs sonnes in gallant jollity,
While that your Father prayes and perchance fasts,
And on his watry eyes no feeling casts.
Take heed unto the House then, though it be
The Merchant Taylors, and my Company,
But I do know you sonnes of
Temperance[?],
Who will your Feast to Charity advance.
Sic vovet totius Cleri, in Radice, Palmite, Flore, Autumno. Servus & Ephestion,
E. Gayton.
FINIS.