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1. Under these words Paul and Apollo, by a figure are comprehend∣ed all the Ministers of Christ, the weakest as well as the eminentest. Paul and Apollo are yours, viz. their labours are for edifying the Church. They are adminicula fi∣dei, the helpers of your faith. The
parts of a Minister are not given him for himself, they are the Chur∣ches . If the people have a taint of errour, the Ministers of Christ must season them with wholesome words; therefore they are called the salt of the earth. If any soul be fainting under the burden of sin, 'tis the work of a Minister to drop in comfort, therefore he is said to hold forth the brests as a nurse . Thus Paul and Apollo are yours: All the gifts of a Minister, all his graces, are not only for himself, they are the Churches. A Minister must not monopolize his gifts to him∣selfe, this is to hide his talents in a napkin; such an one makes an en∣closure, where God would have all common. Paul and Apollo are yours: The Ministers of Christ should be as musk among linnen, which casts a fragrancy; or like that box of spik∣nard, which being broken open, fill'd the house with its odour: So
should they do by the savour of their ointments. A Minister by sen∣ding out a sweet perfume in his do∣ctrine and life, makes the Church of God as a garden of spices. Paul and Apollo are yours: They are as a lamp or torch to light souls to hea∣ven. Chrysostome's hearers thought they had as good be without the Sun in the Firmament, as Chrysostome in the Pulpit. Paul and Apollo are springs that hold the water of life: as these springs must not be poisoned, so neither must they be shut up or sealed. A Minister of Christ is both a granary to hold the corn, and a Steward to give it out. 'Tis little better then theft, to withhold the bread of life. The lips of Apollo must be as an hony-comb, dropping in season and out of season. The graces of the Spirit are sacred flow∣ers, which though they cannot die, yet being apt to wither, Apollo must come with his water-pot. It is not
enough that there be Grace in the heart, but it must be poured into his lips. As Paul is a beleever, so all things are his; but as Paul is a Mi∣nister, so he is not his own, he is the Churches. There are three corro∣laries I shall draw from this.
Use 1. If Paul and Apollo are yours, Every Minister of Christ is gi∣ven for the edifying of the Church; take heed that you despise not the least of these; for all are for your profit. The least star gives light, the least drop moistens. There is some use to be made even of the lowest parts of men: There are gifts differing , but all are yours. The weakest Minister may help to strengthen your faith. In the law, all the Levites did not sacrifice, onely the Priests, as Aaron, and his sons; but all were serviceable in the worship of God; those that did not sacrifice, yet helped to bear the Arke. As in a building, some
bring stones, some timber, some perhaps bring only nailes; yet these are usefull, these serve to fasten the work in the building: The Church of God is a spiritual buil∣ding, some Ministers bring stones, are more eminent and useful; o∣thers timber, others lesse, they have but a nail in the work, yet all serve for the good of this building. The least nail in the Ministry serves for the fastning of souls to Christ, therefore let none be contemned. Though all are not Apostles, all are not Evangelists, all have not the same dexterous abilities in their work; yet remember, all are yours, all edifie. Oftentimes God crowns his labours, and sends most fish in∣to his net, who though he may be lesse skilful, is more faithful; and though he hath lesse of the brain, yet more of the heart. An Ambassador may deliver his Ambassage with a trembling lip, and a stammering
tongue, but he is honourable for his works sake, he represents the Kings person.
Use. 2. If Paul and Apollo are yours, all Christs Ministers have a subserviency to your good, they come to make up the match between Christ and you: then love Paul and Apollo. All the labours of a Mini∣ster, his prayers, his tears, the preg∣nancy of his parts, the torrent of his affections, all are yours; then by the law of equity, there must be some reflections of love from your hearts towards Paul and Apollo, such as are set over you in the Lord . If they seek your establish∣ment, you must seek their encourage∣ment; if they endeavour your sal∣vation, you must endeavour their safety; What an unnatural thing is it, that any should strive to bring them to death, whose very calling is to bring men to life▪ The Mini∣ster is a spiritual Father , it was a
brand of infamy on them, Hos. 4.4. For this people are as they that strive with their Priest. Was there none to fall out with but the Priest, even he that offered up their sacrifices for them? and what is it, think we, for men to quarrel with their spiritual Fathers? even those whom they once had a venerable opinion of, and acknowledged to be the means of their conversion? Either love your spiritual Fathers or there is ground of suspicion that yours was but a false birth.
Use 3. If Paul and Apollo are yours, they are for the building you up in your faith. Then endeavour to get good by the labours of Paul and Apollo, I mean such as labour in the word and doctrine. Let them not plow upon the rock: Answer Gods end in sending them among you. Oh labour to profit: you may get some knowledge by the word, such as is discursive and
polemicall, and yet not profit.
Quest. What is it to profit?
Resp. The Apostle tells us, Heb. 4.2. When we mingle the word with faith, that is, when we so heare, that we believe, and so believe, that we are transformed into the image of the word; Ye have o∣beyed from the heart that forme of doctrine, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, into which ye were delivered▪ It is one thing for the truth to be delivered to us, and another thing for us to be de∣livered into the truth: the words are a Metaphor taken from lead and silver cast into a mould. This is to profit, when our hearts are cast into the mould of the word preached: As the seed is spiritu∣al, so the heart is spiritual. We should do as the Bee, when she hath sucked sweetnesse from the flower, she works it in her owne hive, and so turns it to honey: Thus when we have sucked any precious
truth, we should by holy Medita∣tion work it in the hive of our hearts, and then it would turn to hony: we should profit by it. Oh let the la∣bours of Paul and Apollo have an in∣fluence upon us. A good hearer should labour to go out from the Ministery of the Word, as Naaman out of Iordan, his leprous flesh was healed and became as the other: So though we came to the word proud, we should go home humble; though we came to the word earthly, we should go home heavenly: Our Le∣prosie should be healed. Ambrose ob∣serves of the woman of Samaria, that came to Iacobs Well: She came peccatrix, she went away praedica∣trix; She came a sinner, she went away a Prophetesse. Such a meta∣morphosis should the Word of God make. Let not the Ministers of Christ say upon their death-beds; the bellowes are burnt, and the lead consumed; they have spent their
lungs, and exhausted their strength; but know not whether they have done any thing, unlesse preached men to hell. Oh labour to grow: some grow not at all, others grow worse for hearing; Evil men shall wax worse and worse, as Pliny speaks of some fish that swim backward: they grow dead-hearted in Religi∣on, they grow covetous, they grow Apostates: It were far easier to write a book of Apostates in this age, then a book of Martyrs; men grow riper for hell every day. Oh labour to thrive under the spirituall dew that falls upon you. Let not the Ministers of Christ, be as those which beat the air. Is it not sad, when the Spiritual clouds shall drop their rain upon a barren heath? When the Ministers tongue is as the pen of a ready Writer, and the peoples heart is like paper when it is oiled▪ that will take no impression. Oh im∣prove in grace: If you have a bar∣ren
piece of ground, you do all you can to improve it, and will you not improve a barren heart? It is a great Encomium and honour to the Ministery, when people thrive under it; Need we, as some others▪ Epistles of commendation ? Paul esteemed the Corinthians his glory and his crown; hence, saith he, though other Ministers have need of letters of commendation, yet he needed none; for when men should heare of the faith of these Corinthians, which was wrought in them by Pauls preach∣ing, this was sufficient certificate for him that God had blessed his labours, there should need no other Epistle, they themselves were walking certi∣ficates, they were his letters testimo∣nial. This was an high Elogium; what an honor is it to a Minister, when it shall be said of him as once of Octavius, when he came into Rome he found the walls of brick, but he left them walls of marble;
So when the Minister came among the people, he found hearts of stone, but he left hearts of flesh. On the other side, it is a dishonour to a Mi∣nister when his people are like La∣bans lambs, or Pharaoh's kine. There are some diseases which they call, opprobria Medicorum, the reproaches of Physicians; and there are some people who may becalled opprobria Ministrorum, the reproaches of Mi∣nisters: what greater dishonour to a Minister, then when it shall be said of him, he hath lived so many years in a Parish, he found them an ignorant people, and they are so still; he found them a dull, sloth∣full people, (as if they went to the Temple, as some use to go to the Apothecaries shop, to take a Re∣cipe to make them sleep) and they are so still; he found them a pro∣fane people, and so they are still▪ Surely there is some fault, or God doth not go forth with his labours;
such a people are not a Ministers crown, but his heart-breaking Oh let your profiting appear to all. God sends Paul and Apollo as blessings a∣mong a people, they are to be help∣ers of your faith▪ if they toile all night, and take nothing , 'tis to be feared that Satan caught the fish ere they came at their net.
1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Summi & in••imi. Pareus.
Vo••is ad bonum in∣serviunt. Aretius.
Beza.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Oecume∣nius in lo∣cum.
Mat. 5.13.
1 Thes. 2.7.
Eph. 4.8.
Joh. 12.3.
Rev. 1.20.
1 Cor. 3.6.
Vse 1.
Rom. 12.6.
1 Cor. 3.9
Vse. 2.
Phil. 2.29.
1 Cor. 4.16.
Vse. 3.
Rom. 6.17.
Joh. 4.7.
2 Tim. 3.13.
2 Cor. 3.1.
1 Tim. 4▪15.
Luk. 5.5.