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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96865	Church-members set in joynt. Or, A discovery of the unwarrantable and disorderly practice of private Christians, in usurping the peculiar office and work of Christs own pastours, namely publike preaching. In way of answer to a book printed under the name of Lieutenant Edmund Chillenden (but indeed none of his) entituled Preaching without ordination. Wherein all the arguments by him produced, are fully answered and disproved, the truth of the contrary evidenced, and the office forementioned, thereby returned into the hands of the right owners. / By Filodexter Transilvanus.	Woodbridge, Benjamin, 1622-1684.	1648 (1648)	Wing W3423; Thomason E422_3; ESTC R204785	29,729	41

A Candle is lighted to be set in a Candlestick The Candlestick in the Reddition must be the Church as Rev. 1. 12 13. They that are set in a Candlestick proportionably are the Ministers of the Gospel who shine forth more eminently as Lights in the Church They must therefore first be set in the Candlestick before they can give light to them that are round about And how is that done By being gifted and doubtlesse not so onely Act. 13. 47. So hath the Lord commanded us saying I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles c. Cor. 12. 28. God hath sent in his Church not gifted men but Officers Apostles c. And our Saviour speaking the same parable Luke 11. does put an accurate distinction between the light of his Ministers and the light of eminent gifted Christians of the former he sayes that they are set in the Church or Candlestick that they may give light unto others ver 33. And of them that receive this light he saith they are thereby enlightned not so much to enlighten others though that also they ought to do in their place as to make themselves lightsome and glorious in the Church ver 36. Chill Talents must not be hid in a Napkin Answ What then Therefore every man may improve his Talent in a disorderly way This is fine reasoning peradventure a subject in some kingdome may be every way better qualified for the well managing of the Scepter then the King himselfe may he therefore take upon him to dethrone his lawfull King and set up himself in his place A woman may possibly have more wisdom then her husband in the family or more knowledge grace then a Minister in the Church may she therfore usurp authority over her husband in the family or over her Pastor in the Church the truth is this excellent principle miserably perverted hath been the darke Cellar wherin that powder hath been hid which hath almost blown up all Government both in the State and Church and Army and hurld all things into black confusion And I am sorry that any of my Country-men especially such as pretend to Religion and the feare of God should border so neere upon the Spirit of Corah as to be of the same mind and to speak the same language Numb 16. 3. They gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron saying you take too much upon you seeing all the Congregation are Holy every one of them and the Lord is amongst them wherefore then lift you up your selves against the Congregation of the Lord The same answer therefore which Moses gives to them may I returne to Chillenden and all others that make use of this Argument ver 9 10. Seemeth it but a small thing to you that the God of Israel hath separated you And hath brought you neere to him and seeke you the Priesthood also Surely he that hath a Talent and employes it not shall be esteemed an unprofitable servant Every gift hath its 〈◊〉 yet every Christian must remember that he hath his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12 4. his own proper work in the performance of which he ought to abide with God 1 Cor. 7. 24. Can the hand do no service in the body because it is not the head In Fine if there be any man in the Church that hath the spirit of Grace government wisdome and utterance whereby he is fitted to preach the Gospel though he hath not that measure of knowledge in languages and other Arts as were desireable yet if he be sound in Faith in Doctrine and in manners he shall do a work acceptable to God and the whole Church will thank him if he shall desire the Office of a Bishop 1 Tim. 3. 1. suffer himselfe to be proved ver 10. and being approved to be ordained by the laying on of hands chap. 5. 22. And I am apt to think that no man who doth sincerely intend to preach the word of truth as it is in Jesus and affects not an unwarrantable liberty of preaching when he list and desisting when he list which being ordained he may not doe I say I am apt to think hee cannot really stick at that order of admission and entrance into the Ministery to which the Scripture gives such a cleere and abundant Testimony And thus much for the first Argument and for all the pieces of Arguments which are here and there immethodically scattered up and down which are neither sufficient to prove the whole scope of the Author nor yet have any dependance on any proposition of the grand Arguments As for the two objections which Chillenden proposeth to himselfe and answereth let him that ownes them make them good for my part I would be loath to defend a truth of GOD with such objections though in the latter of the two I conceive there is more strength then Chillenden is aware of if it be well pointed I shall say nothing to it now because I shall have occasion to make it good anon onely this I cannot but observe once for all that this Lieutenant is very good at making Jack a Lents and then insulting over them with drawn sword here I could have thee and there I could have thee I presume no judicious man could ever have it in his mind to make such slender objections as I often meet with in this little Pamphlet and therefore I suppose they are egges of his own hatching But let us passe them over and come on to the next Argument Chillend 2 Chron. 17. 7 8 9. The Princes of Judah who were no ordained Ministers Preached the Law to the people Answ I cannot beleive our Lieutenant read this Scripture over twice The text saies expressely that the Priests and Levites preached For thus runs the words v. 8 9. with them he sent Levites even Shemaiah c. and with them Elisham and Iehoram Priests And they taught in Iudah and had the book of the Law of the Lord with them Here is not one word of the Princes preaching It is said indeed ver 7. that the King sent to his Princes to teach in the Cityes of Iudah The Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in pyhell ad faciendumdiscere to make them to learne or to see them taught to wit by others as Ashpenaz is commanded togather some of the children of Israel together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to teach them the Language of Caldea Is it imaginable that Ashpenaz the chiefe of all the Noble men in the kingdom did teach them himselfe doubtlesse he did it by others as these Princes also did and so Rabbi Solomon Iarchi expounds it It was proper saith he to the Priests and Levites to teach and instruct but the Princes went with them least they should have rebelled against their words that they might compell them to obey c. what a monstrous abuse of Scripture is this to interpret it against the very Letter of the text Chill It is evident by the

Church-Members SET IN JOYNT OR A Discovery of the unwarrantable and disorderly practice of private christians in usurping the peculiar Office and work of Christs own Pastours namely PUBLIKE PREACHING In way of Answer to a Book printed under the name of Lieutenant Edmund Chillenden but indeed none of his entituled Preaching without Ordination Wherein all the Arguments by him produced are fully Answered and disproved the truth of the contrary evidenced and the Office forementioned thereby returned into the hands of the right owners By Filodexter Transilvanus Heb. 5. 4. No man taketh this honour to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Jer. 23. 21. I have not sent these Prophets yet they ran I have not spoken to them yet they prophesied Matth. 7. 15. Beware of false Prophets which come to you in Sheeps clothing but inwardly they are ravening Wolves London Printed for EDMUND PAXTON and are to be sold at his Shop in Pauls chain over against the Castle Tavern neer to the Doctors Commons 1648. To all the faithfull in Christ Jesus and all other my Country-men who may chance at any time to be Readers of this Book BRETHREN MY hearts desire and prayer to God for you all is that you may be saved and that you may bee rooted and established in the faith of that Christ and Gospel which you have received and by which also you are saved if you continue stedfast unto the end be not removed from him that hath called you into the grace of Christ to give ear to seducers and false prophets who pervert the Gospel of Christ and subvert the faith of many Questionlesse the dayes are come upon us of which our Saviour hath foretold us long ago that many false prophets shall arise and deceive many yea if it were possible the very elect themseles who may therefore the more abundantly rejoyce in this confidence that God will keep them by his owne power through faith unto salvation when they shall perceive themselves planted upon a rock that is higher then the gates of hell stronger then the raine and tempests that assault them by the power of which they are enabled to stand even in such times as these which are the worst of times when so many hundreds fall on the right hand and on the left Amongst many other meanes which God J doubt not will teach you to make use of for your continuance in the faith the matter of this ensuing Treatise gives me occasion to speak of one which is a high prising of and diligent attendance upon the ministry ●he word that word I meane which is preached by those who are sent of God and this Church for the same purpose In my short experience I have observed that the Divells grand designe for the raising of his own Kingdome hath beene in all ages to hinder the efficacie and authority of the publik Ministry In the daies of Antichristian darknesse there was either no preaching at all or none but that which was delivered in a strange language by which the people received no benefit In latter dayes under the Prelates tyranny here in England what stone was left unrolled to discourage and undermine the most saithsull holy and learned ministers either by withholding from them a competent maintenance whiles many a prophane superstitious dotard and dumbe dogge had more then enough or by injoyning an ungodly compliance to humane and antichristian inventions Ceremonies Oathes Subscriptions c. which their consciences could not away with Hence many professors made it the greatest part of their religion and made this their rest even to goe up and downe to heare Sermons and speak against those persons or things that were the occasion of muzling the mouthes of so many of Gods messengers In these dayes the doore is opened so wide that who so will may now take upon him that high and holy calling and under pretence of preaching the Gospel vent privately and publikely all manner of untruths and because they cannot raise themselves to that high pitch of preferment which they aime at as long as godly Ministers beare witnesse against them both in Pulpits and Presses therefore they possesse their Proselites with all the prejudice they can against their Ministers either their calling is Antichristian or they are men of an Old Testament spirit or at best they are Black-coats Hence many who have acknowledged often with much comfort that God had made their Minister instrumental not onely to turne them first unto God but to build them up in faith and knowledge and all grace and have formeriy loved them so dearly that they could even have pulled out their eyes to have done them good yet now they disfrequent their company and their Ministry and lay themselves open thereby to all manner of Temptations and delusions and the farther they fall away the higher they raise up themselves in their owne esteeme giving forth that they are all taught of God and hence they take upon them desperatly to broach all manner of proud Atheistical conceits one questions whether there be any Heaven or Hell or any Resurrection from the dead another thinks himselfe to be as good a Christ as Christ the Lord and doth not fear to say that the God-head is as much in him as it was in Christ c. whose distemper is the more despreate because the nature of it is to admit of no remedy In the middest of this confusion whether shall we fly The Land is become like some deepe pit in a wildernesse into which are fallen Toades Mice Frogs Serpents and all manner of vermin and there they bite and devoure one another Religion is turned into a very gallimafra of errours and heresies and each heresy brands all other doctrines with the name of Heresie besides it selfe The wise and eternall God which made the world out of a Chaos and brought light out of darknesse in his rich mercy bring light and order out of this dismall hellish confusion and let all that love the Truth say Amen In order to which end I have under-taken in this ensuing Treatise according to the ability I have received to make forth this truth against Chillenden and all his followers that there is no ground either in reason or Scripture for private persons though never so well gifted to preach publickly unlesse they be thereto caled by the Church intending shortly if God permit to prove positively from the Scriptures that preaching is a work peculiar to Church-officers And before the Reader peruse the Treatise it selfe I shall desire him to take notice of these two particulars 1. That al the arguments which I have here undertaken to answer are stolen out of a Booke of Robinsons the famous Separatist entituled The peoples plea for prophesying I believe Chillenden would be content that the child should be divided for if it be wholly given to the right father upon my credit Chillenden must have no part in it 2. I have not taken

notice of many places of Scripture written in the margin but of those onely to which he doth expressely referre his Reader partly because they are very unequally ascribed not paralell to the line to which they refer and partly because most of them are places from which he borrows words or phrases occasionally mentioned nothing at all pertaining to the maine scope many other things of lesse consequence I have passed over but nothing of moment as I know of Farewell F. T. Imprimatur Edm. Calamy An Answer to a Book entituled Preaching without Ordination THe Lieutenant before he comes to speak a word to the Question by himselfe propounded in the fore-front of his Book viz. Whether men may Preach except they be Ordained premiseth many things to consideration which are neither of any necessary dependance upon each other nor of any use imaginable either to the cleering and well stating of the Question or to the confirmation of his own opinion touching the Question For which reason I shall not now retreat so farre from the businesse in hand as to make an incursion upon his praecognita things which neither of us are concerned in as to this present controversie but shall there begin to answer where hee begins to make good his undertaking after hee hath brought about the Question as it were by countermarch into its former place and applyes himselfe to the proofe of the affirmative namely that it is lawfull for a person not ordained to Preach Thus farre onely I shall follow him as to make use of his method in premising some few Positions for the better stating of the Question between him and mee First then I cannot but take notice that every one of his stolen Arguments whereby hee labours to evince the lawfulnesse of preaching without Ordination are of equall force to prove the lawfulnesse of preaching without the Churches choyce and approbation the thing wherein himselfe and others of his way doe place the very essentials and vitals of a minister as to any outward call as may be seen in his positions Pag. 2 and 3. and then to what purpose is a Liberty of Choosing their Minister given to every particular congregationall Church as the thing whereby he is made a minister seeing every private gifted Christian eo ipso because gifted may take upon him to preach publikely though neither ordained nor yet Chosen by the Chruch for such an intrinsicall connexion doth this Author make between gifts and preaching that if his Arguments be sound there neede not intervene so much as the Chruches Election nay farther not so much as a tryall of those ministeriall gifts qualifications which himself acknowledgeth to be requisites before a person be ordained Thes 6. 2. I desire the Reader to take notice that when we preach for Ordination as a thing requisite to a Preacher we are to be understood according to the Analogy of these following advertisemntes 1. That by Ordination we mean an act of the Church whereby a person is solemnly set apart for the dispensation of the word Seales and Censures by way of peculiar office we doe therefore at this time wave all disputes about the persons ordaining and all other rites and circumstances pertaining to Ordination 2 Preaching we take in the strictest sense for an explication and application of the Word of God with all authority to the information exhortation reproof or comfort of them that hear 3 We acknowledge it a duty incombent upon all Christians whether eminently gifted or no even the least and meanest to reprove exhort in struct and comfort one another as occasion shall be offered in away of love and of equall and mutuall interest as members spiritually of one another and heyres together of the kingdome of life 4 In a Church that hath not its compleat constitution and organization which Chillenden Calls a Church not perfectly brought under Gospel order or in other Cases of absolute necessity we admit in reason of a liberty for private gifted Christians to preach the word though the Scripture hath neither any particular precept for it nor clear patterne of it as I know of Yet in no case can it be allowed that any private Christian though never so well gifted shall take upon him to preach to any Church unlesse he have at least the election and approbation of that Church which we suppose to be a sufficient outward call when the Churches condition is as it may be such as that it is morally impossible to have a better Jus divinum positivum cedit juri divino naturali when they are inconsistent each with other 5 If any Christian hath others in subjection under him he hath thereby authority to instruct reprove and exhort them out of the word of God Men were made immediatly for God immediatly for one another or for one another in the Lord. Religion hath the command of all mens faculties conditions and actions to referre and order them immediatly to Gods glory that the whole man may live wholly unto God He must therfore live unto God in respect of his power over others that is his power over others must be ordered and improved to Gods glory else he lives not wholly to God Hence we grant that a father or master in his family may instruct exhort and command his children and his household to doe justice and judgment A King or Magistrate in the Common-wealth may exhort and command his subjects to the generall dutyes of Religion For Religion refers all power to a Spirituall end But some power is immediatly Spirituall as the power of the Ministers of the Gospel the immediate end or object whereof is the Spitituall good of their people Other power is more remotely Spirituall which though it ames at Spirituall good yet it attaines it not but by the intervention of that power which is immediately Spirituall v. 8. The Magistrate ought to looke to the spirituall good of his people therefore he may command them to give diligent attendance to the Word preached and to practise according to what is taught and may make use of many perswasives and dissuasives as he thinks fit which is as much as any of the Kings of Israel ever did in any of their instructions or publique exhortations to their people The like may bee said of all other power domestique or military These things being premised the truth I shall undertake to defend against Mr. Chillenden is this That it is utterly unlawfull for any Christian whatsoever gifted or not gifted to take upon him ordinarily to Preach the Word in the name of the Lord with all authority before the Church publiquely assembled unlesse he be called and set apart thereto by the Church Hereof I might bring proofe sufficient but my warre is at this time defensive not offensive Let us therefore try what strength our adversary is of Having therefore first supposed that Churches have power to choose yea and to Ordain which is false their own Officers he inferres thus

therefore Chillendens inference from that to ours is most notoriously inconsequent Put it briefly in some forme Eldad and Medad having the Spirit did prophesy Therefore they that have the Spirit now may forthwith prophesy No more but up and ride Because they prophesyed de facto for they could not choose does it follow that every spirituall man may now doe it de jure They spake by the impulsion of the Spirit which impulsion was an authoritative sending or calling doth it therefore follow that they who are onely gifted and have no such extraordinary impulsion may prophesy though not called thereto by the Church They spake spirituall mysteries immediately inspired and therefore could not erre doth it therefore follow that any private gifted Christian may undertake publiquely and with all authority to expound and apply the Word which in these dayes Prophesyes and Visions being ceased cannot bee done as may bee most for edifying without some insight into the Logick Grammar and Rhetorique which are none of them any part of those gifts that Chillenden acknowledgeth to bee requisite to make a man able for the worke of the Ministery If the Apostles and Prophets in writing the Scriptures have laid Arguments and words together it is requisite for the better understanding of the Scriptures that a man bee able to take their Arguments and words a sunder which how it can bee done without some insight into Logick and Grammar I have neither Logick enough to conceive nor Grammar to utter though above all I acknowledge a necessity of a spirituall illumination and opening of the understanding by the Holy Ghost that a man may discerne of the spirituall meaning of that which lyeth hid under the Letter By all which besides that which is already spoken it may appeare how invalid that inference is which Chillenden makes by way of interrogation thus Why then should not men now to whom God Chill hath given of his Spirit with gifts of utterance and knowledge bee Prophets and Preachers Answ Because their gifts upon whose practise this Doctrine is grounded were extraordinary and therefore whether they expressed them with or without Ordination it maketh nothing pro or con as to our present question which is to be understood of ordinary preaching But besides those gifts carryed a Commission in their hand to every man that received them that he might lawfully and must necessarily make use of them to his praise that gave them The extraordinary powring out of the Spirit in such an immediate suddaine plentifull and powerfull manner was equivalent to a voice or Call from heaven and gave sufficient authority for the actuall exercises of those gifts But as for ordinary functions in the execution of which gifts were necessary as well as in Prophesy there did ever concurre a Call from God either immediately or mediately by his Church without which Call whosoever should intrude into the doing of the work pertaining to that function was a false Priest false Apostle false-Prophet false-Teacher In the Ministers of the New-Testament it is perpetually required that there be not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ability in respect of gifts but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power or liberty in respect of Call in all the Ministeriall actions they performe And if the gifting of men did enable them with pleny-potency for preaching in a publique Ministeriall way I see no reason why Paul or any other being put upon it to shew their authority by which they preached should alwayes plead their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or lawfull Call and not their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or ability in respect of gifts which they perpetually doe and not they onely but the Scriptures themselves put an expresse difference between gifting and sending the two essentials in a Ministen the one materializing him the other formalizing him as I may so speak as Joh. 20. 21 22. First he sends them As my Father hath sent me so send I you then he gifts them Receive you the Holy Ghost Ier. 1. 5. I have separated thee c. There 's his sending and ver 9. The Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth there 's his gifting Isayah is gifted Isa 6. 6 7. but withall he is sent v. 8 9. so Ezekiel chap. 2. 2. cum ver 3. So every Preacher of the Gospel must be gifted 1 Tim. 3. 2. Apt to teach And yet withall he must be sent Rom. 10. 15. How shall they Preach unlesse they be sent which sending though the Lieutenant will have it to be by infusion of gifts and that without any reason alleadged or any thing like it as may be seene in his Book Pag 23. must needs import an authoritative mission 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the cleere etymology of the Greek word which manifestly alludes to the name of an Apostle a name given by Christ himself to them who were first sent by his command to preach the Gospel Luke 6. 13. And it signifies one that is sent not any way but as the Ambassadours of Princes use to be sent with their masters mandates This is also cleer by the very letter of the Text. For they that are sent are they that bring the glad tydings of Salvation And who are they The watchmen saith Isaiah in the place from whence these words are borrowed Isa 52. 8. who in Hebrew are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the very simple word by which the Apostle Cals the Elders of Ephesus who were ordained Officers and in them all the Ministers of the Gospel to the worlds end Act. 20. 28. Over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers or Watch-men as they are called in Jsaiah To say nothing at this time that it is a manifest abuse of the word sending to interpret it of sending by gifts infused in which sense if Chillenden will undertake to shew where it is taken but once in all the whole Scripture I will undertake to shew that it is taken above a hundred times in that sense which I now contend for But of this place more hereafter In the meane time I suppose this last consequence is sufficiently battered partly because the Spirit of Prophesy spoken of Numb 15. carryed along with it an impulsive command or immediate Call from God and partly because the Prophesy it selfe was extraordinary and therefore cannot be compared in any due proportion with our Preaching that from the requisites or non-requisites into the one we may inferre the requisites or non-requisites to the other no more then we may argue thus Mr. Chillenden being unordained doth fight therefore being unordained he may Preach Chill But let us see what followes The gifts of God are not given to be hid under a Bushell Anws From hence our Saviour infers that the Ministers of the Gospel whom he then sent into the world to Preach should cause their light to shine forth before men Matth 5. 16. What is this to privat gifted Christians