conceived that a second oâ— third especially seeming provided to speake by seating themselues in the same place with him migâ—â— have something revealed further or otherwise theâ— he had Which Revelation the Apostle doth not oppoâ—â— to fore-going study as M. Yates thinketh but unto emulation and study of contradiction teaching thaâ— the spirit alone must be heard in the Church speaking by whose mouth soever And that there is iâ— the Church an ordinary spirit of revelation besideâ— comfortable experience these places amongst many other do clearly prove Mat. 11. 28. 16. 17 Eph. 1. 17. Pâ—il 3. 17. M. Yates ARG. 9. FRom vocation ver. 29. 32. 37. these spirituall men are called Prophets and to imagine a Prophet without a calling that which the Scripture will not endure therefore all these â—rophets either had immediate calling from God or mediate â—om men or else they took it up themselves the two first weâ—â—ant lawfull callings but this intollerable Numb 11. 28. the servant of Moses sayâ—s Forbid Eldad and Medad to prâ—â—esie his reason was because he thought they had no calling â—hich had bin true if they had taken it up without immediate â—â—piration But Moses knowing that it was from God wishâ— that the like gift might be upon all Gods people so that â—ose were true Prophets for the instant by an immediate call â—m God and the text sayes They added no further â—â—â—wing â—at as the gift ceased so did they I. Rob. ASWER â—T is true that spirituall men are called Prophets â— or rather Prophets Spirituall men what is it theâ—â— that makes a spirituall man but the gift of the â—â—irit and what a prophet ordinary or extraordinaâ—â— but the gift of prophesie ordinary or extraordiâ—â—ry Whereupon it followeth undeniable that so â—any with us or elsewhere as haue the ordinary gift â— ability to prophesie are Prophets though out of â—â—fice In this Argument he hath made a snare wherwith himselfe iâ— taken unavoidably Secondly â—â— affirme that our Prophets haue a calling which haâ—e declared formerly not to make them Prophâ— by condition or estate for that they are by the gifts but for the use or exercise of the same gift bâ—fore bestowed upon them by the Lord through the labour and industry Of Eldads and Medads prâ—phesying we shall speak hereafter onely note wâ— in the meane While how M Yates and rightly proportioneth their prophesying to their gift as wâ— doe also ours according to that of the Apostle Haâ—ing then gifts differing according to the grace that is â—â—ven to us whether prophesie let us prophesie according â— the proportion of faith or a ministery let us waite on â—â— ministery Rom. 12. 6. 7. They then that haue a gifâ— must prophesie according to their proportion M. Yates ARG. 10. FRom distinction v. 37. the Apostle from the whole Châ—â—turnes himself to their Prophets and spirituall men sheâ—ing plainely that these had some particular place aboâ— the rest and he gives them speciall charge to obserue the thing he writes to the Church therefore those were in some callâ—â— aboue others and to imagine the contrary is to run wide of tâ— current of the whole Scripture to set men in publick place wiâ—out calling is the same with confusion and disorder I. Rob. ANSW THis Argument is founded upon the groundlesse presumption with the former viz. that there is in the Church no lawfull calling for men able to â—rophesie but by officing them And for Pauls turâ—ing his speach to the Prophets ver 37. it shewes inâ—eed that they were aboue the rest after a sort and so â—hey are with us rightly preferred before others which want that endowment of the spirit by which â—hey are enabled to speake to the edification of the Church The Confirmation of the Scriptvres and reasons brought in my booke to proue publick prophesying out of office by an ordinary gift AND before wee come to examine M. Yates his Answers to the Scriptures by me produced I â—esire the Reader to obserue with mee these two â—hinges first that I doe not affirme in my book â—hat al the there alledged Scriptures are meant of orâ—inary but prophesie that the same is proued by them Neither will he I persume deny but that many â—hinges are sufficiently proued from a scripture by â—ecessary consiquence and iust proportion besides the particular properly intended in it 2. That M. â—ates so puts the questian as that it is hard to say say whether he doe mee or himsefe the moâ— iniury namely whether the places prove an ordâ—nary gift of prophesie out of office For as I do not saâ— that they proue the gift but the vse and excerciâ— of the gift bestowed by God whether ordinary â— extraordinary so neither would he haue dinied haâ— he not leaped before he had lookt but that otheâ— besides ministers haue an ordinary gift of prophesyâ— Where the Apostle requires of him that desires an office of a Bishop that he be apt to teach 1. Tim. 3. 1. 2â—and able to exhort with sound doctrine Tit. 1. 9. dotâ— he not therein most evidently teach that the gift and ability to teach preach and prophesie not onely may but must both be and appeare to be in the person to be called to the office of ministery Heâ— that is not a prophet or hath not the gift of prophesying or preaching for by his gift he is a prophet and by the use of it he occupies the place of a prophet before he be apointed a Pastor is an Idol shepherd set up in the temple of God neither doth the office giue on â—o much indeed as encrease the gift but onely giues solemn commission and charge to use it The first Scripture by me brought is Numb. 11â— 29. Where Moses the man of God wisheth that the whole people of the Lord were Prophets the Lord putting his spirit upon them This place saith M. Yates in his Answer speakes of the powring of the Spirit in an extraordinary manner may appeare by the occasion of the speach verse â—4 c. Where he also in a tedious manner as his â—â—nner is he proueth the gift of prophesying giâ—n to the 70. Elders to haue been extraordinary â—hich as I deny not so neither needed he to haue â—oved But this I affirme that hence is proued the â—wfullnesse of ordinary prophesying out of office â— men inabled thereunto And first as Moyses wiâ—ed that all the Lords people were Prophets the Lord â—ving his spirit unto them so the minister may and â—ght to wish that the Lord would so blesse the orâ—â—nary endeauours of his people now by his spirit as â—at they all might be Prophets that is able for gifts â— speak to edification The minister which desireth â—t this enuieth for his owne and the Clergies sake â—hich Moses would not that Ioshua should doe for â—s Secondly Moses makes it all one to bee a â—rophet and to have the Lord putting his spirit vpâ—â— a man Now if the Lord so giving his spirit unâ—â— a
with the rest Iohn 20. 22 23. 1 Now if the commission Apostolike were but tâ—â— giuen they were but then not before actually â—postles except he will say they were Apostles beâ—â— they had commission that is calling from Christ to bee I would now see how hee can salue â— wound which he hath given himselfe 2 After that the Lord Iesus had Mat. 11. 11. pâ—ferred Iohn Baptist aboue all the Prophets whiâ— were before him he yet adds in the same place thâ—the least in the Kingdom of heauen is greater then â—â— The least that is the least Minister In the kingdom â— heauen that is in the church of the new testameÌ„t prâ—porly called which began not till after the death â— Christ who liuâ—d and dyed a member of the Iewiâ—â—urch the Apostles then being officers of the â—urch of the new testament and Kingdom of heaâ—â— and not of the old or Iewish Church it cannot â—â— that they were Apostles in act before Christ â—ath except an adiunct can be before the subject â—d an officer before the corporation in of which is an officer â— Considering the ignorance of these disciples at â—â— time in the maine misteries of Christ of the naâ—e of his kingdom his death and â—eâ—urâ—ection â—at 20. 21. Luk. 24. 20. 21. c. â—ohâ— 20. 9. Mar. â— 14. as also how utterly 〈…〉 they were gifts befitting Apostâ—lâ—cal teaching for which â—eing an extraordâ—nary dispensotion and that in â— highest degree extraordâ—nary infallible revela direction of the spirit was â—equisit wher with â—â—y were but first â—s it seemetâ— â—pâ—inckled John â— and afterwards more plentifully filled at the day Pentecost they were as fit for an Apostleship as â—â—vid was for Sauls armour which he could not â—eild nor goe wiâ—h 4. Besides if they had the office of Apostleship â—mmitted to them Mat. 10. how was it that they â—ntinued not their ministration in that office but â—â—rning after a few dayes to their master continuâ— with him as his disciples till his death Christ Ieâ— did not keepe a company of none-residents about â—m for his Chaplins as M. Yates insinuates against â—â— Lastly we are expresly taught Eph. 4. 8. 11. â— Christ â—sâ—ended on high he gaue gifts unto men Apoâ— Prophets c. The Apostles then were first giuen â—tually at the Lords ascension and Were before oâ— designed to become Apostles or Apostles â—lect â— not ordained nor possessed of any office and therfore preached and that with warrant from Chrâ— without office The next Scripture is Luk. 8. 39. by M. Yâ— thus opened Christ hauing deliuered the man possessâ—â—ids him go and shew what great things God had â— for him and it is sayd he went and Preached that is â— be to their purpose by ordinary paines and study he prâ—â—ched the Gosple And with pitty upon us poore soâ— that cannot distinguish the publishing of amiracle â— the gift he should say the work if he distinguish as he ought of preaching he addeth that if â—â—â— had minded to haue made him a publike preacher he â— first have taken him with him and instructed him â— then haue sent him abroad 1. Let it be obserued that the word used by Mâ— for his preaching {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} is the same word which commonly used for the most solemne preachiâ— that is by the Apostles and Euangelists Secondâ— Christ bids him Mar. 5. 19. Go home and declare â— great things the Lord had done for him and had had câ— passion on him and ver. 20. he is sayd to haue publishâ— in Decapolis Luke hath it 〈…〉 â—great things Iesus had done for him Which he doâ— what else did hee but preach publish and deâ—e the great loue and mercy of God in and by Ieâ— Christ towards miserable sinners for the curing of â—ir bodily and spirituall maladies 3. Where he â—es the pyblishing of this miracle and the preaching of â— Gospel diuers things and pitties us pooâ—e soules that cannot distinguish between them as Christ bade the â—en of Jerusalem not to weep for him but for themâ—s so surely had he need tâ— pitty not us herein â— himselfe in his so great mistaking Are not the â—acles of Christ storied in the Scripture a maine â— of the Gospel and the publishing of them a â— of the preaching of the Gospel And when M. â—s opens publisheth a miracle of Christs as this â— did doth he not as well and as truly preach the â—spel as at any other time Let the wise iudge â— is to be pittied To shut up this point it is sayd â— 20. 30. that Iesus did many other signes c. and â— 21. But these are writen that yee might beleeue that â—s is the Christ the sonne of God and that beleeuing â— might haue lefe through his name The publishing â— of the signes miracles which Christ did is the â—ching of faith in his name to salvation which â— man therefore did espetially amongst them â—ch were not ignorant of the Law of Moses and â—mise of the Messiah to come which by his glorious miracles done by his owne power and in his oâ— name he both declared and proued himselfe to â—Joh 5 36 10. 37. 38. And where he adds that Câ— gaue this man commission to do that which he diâ— but â— mirs who gaue ours such authority I answer euen â— same Christ as then immediately so now mediaâ— by those unto whome he hath giuen authority uâ— himselfe for the ordering of the gifts of his spirit his Church And sufficient it is for the question â—â—tween him and me if it appeare as in this peâ— that Christ hath giuen commission to men oâ— office by an ordinary gift to publish and preacâ— publick the Gospel of saluation I doe quote next in my booke Luk. 10. â— which for that W. E. omitteth and leaues out â—Yates thanketh God but in truth he hath more â— to thanke him for sparing him a place which so pâ—nantly proueth the preaching of the kingdom ofâ— by men out of office except he can assigne some â— found office and the same but of two or three â— lasting as ver. 17. to those 70 there sent We are in the next place to come unto Joh. 4â— 29. 39. which he openeth and answereth with aâ—ration as the foâ—meâ— place witâ— pitty and comâ—sion on this manner â— simplicitie with contrâ—tion to his owne writing simplicity that cannot see bâ— preaching of the Gospel and carrying tydings of aâ— that told her to wit the woman of Samaria â— things that euer she did is not this saith she the Christ â—t besides simplicity here is contradiction for sayes M â—binson and that truly a woman is not suffered to exâ—ise an ordinary gift of prophesie in the Church and â—ll the women of samaria serue your turne that it is lawâ—â—ll for men to exercise such a gift It is indeed my simplicity to thinke that the Gosâ— as the word importeth is nothing else But glad â—dings and
gather from the Scriptures by discourse of reason and so may erre they on the contrary every one of them dâ—livered doctrine by immediate inspiration of the spirit in which by reason of the divine impression which it made in their hearts differencing it from all both humain collection and Diabolicall suggestion they could not erre or mistaken but know infallibly when and wherein they â—ere moued by the holy Ghost Besides there is not alike â—ason of strange tongues and prophesie for the consideâ—tion in hand since the Church is not built upon the â—â—undation of strange tongues as upon the foundation of â—ophesie neither was the matter of the speach inspired â—t the language onely except the same persons were â—rophets also Lastly if there were the like reason of tongues and â—â—ophesie yet except men might erre in a tongue and â—eâ—m themselues inspired extraordinarily when they â—ere not which were absurd to affirme it could not eâ—nce any posibility of erring in doctrine by extraordiâ—ary Prophets The last Argument in my booke I take from ver. .37 â—8 If any man think himselfe to be a prophet or spirituall let â—im acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the â—ommandements of the Lord But if any be ignorant let him be â—gnorant M. Yates taxeth mee for making a Prophet and spirituâ—ll man all one since by a spirituall man is meant such as excelâ—ed in any spirituall gift prophesie or other But without cause since I neither mean more nor need more for my purpose then that a Prophet bee included in the general of a spirituall man But wherefore doth he not answer the Argument or minde where the force thereof lieth which is in the words following let him acknowledge that the things that I write are the commandements of the Lord But if any man be ignorant let him be ignorant The extraordinary Prophets were guided as immediately and infallibly by the reuelation of Gods spirit as Paul himself and might as wel haue required of him to acknowlede that the things which they speake were the commandemenâ— the Lord as hee of them neither was it possible that the or any of them should bee ignorant that the thiâ— which he spake were the commandements of the Loâ— Which Argument is also much strengthned and madâ— in my iudgment unanswerable by that which we finâ— ver. 36 Came the word of God out from you or came it unto â— onely which words the Apostle doth not direct unto â— women as M Yates misconceaueth with great erroâ— and contrary both unto reason and to the expresse Greâ—â— text which will not beare it but to the Prophets wâ— whome hee dealeth and that by way of comparison wâ— himself from whome to wit by immediate revelatioâ— the word of God came after a sort to the Corinthiaâ— Which plainly proues that they could not be extraordâ—nary prophets from whom the word of God came uâ— the Church as well as from himselfe they being inspirâ— immediately by the Holy Ghost as well as he The Christian Reader may finde besides these otheâ— reasons from this Scripture laid-downe by our worthâ— countryman M. Cartwright in his Confutation of the Rhâ—mists Sect. 5. for the iustification of this exercise as ordinary and continuall The other Arguments in the same place of my bookâ— to the same purpose though M. Yates could noâ— but take knowledge of yet he not thought good to meddle with One of them onely I will annex in this place word for word as there I haue set it down It is the commandement of the Lord by the Apostle that a Bishop be apt to teach and that such Elders or Bishops he called as are able to exhort with sound doctrine to conuinâ— the gain-sayers 1. Tim 3. 2. Tit. 1. 9. now except men before they be in office may be permitted to manifest â—â—eir gifts in dâ—ctrine so in prayer which are the two main â—â—rks requiring speciall qualifications in the teaching â—â—ders Acts. 6 4. how shal the Church which is to choose â—â—em take knowledge of their sufficiency that with â—â—th and good conscience they may call them and subâ—it unto them for their guides If it be sayd that upon â—ch occasion triall may be taken of mens gifts he that so â—ith grants the question but must know besides first that â—ens gifts abilities should be known in Some measure â—efore they be once thought on for officers and secondly â—at there is none other use or triall of gifts to wit in and â—y the Church but in prophesying for every thing in the â—ords house is to be performed in some ordinance there â— nothing thrown about the house or out of order in it â—nd other ordinance in the Church saue this of prophesie â— there none where in men out of office are to pray and â—each c Lastly M. Yates in denying this liberty beâ—â—des other euils reproueth the practise of all reformed â—hurches and of the the Church of England with them â— is not onely permitted as lawfull but required as neâ—essary where I line that such as haue bent their thoughts â—owards the ministery should before hand use their gifts â—ublickly in the Church and intollerable bondage it â—ould bee thought by them to have pastors ordained for â—hem as all there are vnto the places in which they are to minister of whose ability in teaching they had not taken former experience And not onely so but it hath been further decreed in a solemne Synod that in all Churches â—he â—â—her springing up or growing to perfection the order of propheâ—ie should be obserued according to Pauls institution and that â—nto that fellowship to wit of Prophets should be admitted â—ot onely the ministers but also the Teachers and of the Elderâ— and Deacons and euen of the uery common people ex ipsa plebe if there were any which would confer their giftâ—â—eived of the Lord to the common benifit of the Church â— Harmon Synod Belg de proâ—hetica Ex Synodo Embdâ— Can 1. 2. And for England it selfe what will M. Yatesâ— to the Common places as they are called or Sermons as â— deed they are in the Colledges not onely permitted uâ— but imposed upon diuers who neuer receiued order priesthood What to such as preach by the Bishopsâ— cence without any such order yea to all such as are â—dained and called ministers but haue not actuall charâ— so are theas Popish accidents in the Sacrament wiâ— out a subiect Lastly it might be shewed if need we that greater liberty then he alloweth is used by diuers the Romish Church the Spirituall Egipt and house bondage for Gods people so as the bondage of the vâ—Hager of Rome is not so great in this case as he woâ— bring upon Sarah her selfe The Lord giue unto his people courage to stand â— this liberty amongst the rest wherewith Christ haâ— made them free and unto us who enioy it grace to â— the same unto his glory in our mutuall edification â—men FINIS Reader be pleased to take notice â—ow that in the â— page of the preface and in the 18. line after the word answered there must follow this and thing in it know I nonâ— not Answered