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A61215 The mutual duties of elders and people Delivered in a discourse at Beckles in Suffolk, Octob. 13. 1697. At the setting apart of Mr. John Killinghal, to the office of an elder, over a Church of Christ there. By John Stackhouse, elder of a Church of Christ in Norwich. Stackhouse, John, dissenting minister. 1698 (1698) Wing S5104; ESTC R220764 32,438 41

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the first thing they must labour II. This is labour to do this is labour Beloved even unto weariness As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Greek word signifieth The same word is translated being weary John 4. 16. Thus sate Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 weary on the Well We have toiled all night and caught nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 5. 5. The work of the Ministry my Beloved is a go●d work and it is a work that may be desired 1 Tim. 3. 1. But it may not be desired for Honours sake nor for Maintenance sake but for Works sake But as it is a good and desirable Work so it is a painful and laborious Work it is hard toilsom Labour so that they need to give themselves wholly to it 1. There is the labour of the Brain there is a giving attendance to Reading Meditation and Prayer which is commanded them that so they may faithfully discharge the Duty of their Office 1 Tim. 4. 13. Till I come give attendance to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrine And Verse 15. Meditate on these things give thy self wholly to them 2 Tim. 2. 15. Study to shew thy self approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of Truth There needs continual Study Reading and Meditation which is hard Labour and doth greatly exhaust the strength of their natural Spirits The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words and that which was written was upright even the words of truth Ecccles 12. 15. 2. Their Work is Heart labour in their Work they must labour hard with their own Hearts and with the Hearts of those that God hath set them over They labour with their own Hearts for in their Hearts are like Passions as other Men have they have many times unbelief vexing them despondency casting them down without are fightings and within are fears as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 7. 4. They are to serve God with their spirits in the Gospel of Christ sincerely and heartily Rom. 1. 9. But their Spirits are sometimes discomposed and disquieted and cast down and at other times their Spirit is willing and their Flesh is weak They labour with their own Hearts for they must be careful of their own Souls 1 Cor. 9. 27. If they be keepers of others Vineyard and do not keep their own Vineyard if they do not take heed to themselves that they may save themselves as well as others they shall be found Fools in the Issue of their Labours And as they have hard labour with their own Hearts so they have also hard labour with the Hearts of those whom they teach and if God doth not help them to work on the Hearts of them whom they teach they can do nothing Thus the Apostle expresseth his Labour Coloss 1. 28 29. Whom we preach warning every Man and teaching every Man in all Wisdom that we may present every Man perfect in Christ Jesus whereunto I also labour striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily If that the Spirit work with us mightily then our Labour is pleasant tho' 't is hard But if we be put to lament who hath believ'd our report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed It even breaks our hearts with grief 3. It is Labour for which they many times have little thanks given them Thus the Apostle tells the Corinthians 2 Cor. 12. 15. I will very gladly spend and be spent for you tho' the more abundantly I love you the less I be loved So great an Apostle met with so mean a requital from those whom he had by his preaching Converted and other Elders do many times meet with a discouraging requital the more abundantly they love them the less they are beloved by them they are many times counted enemies because they tell the people the truth as the Galatians did account Paul whereof he complains Gal. 4. 16. 4. It 's hard Labour wherein many times they have little success They are made Fishers of Men Mat. 4. 19. and they are put many times to complain unto the Lord as Luke 5. 5 Master we have toiled all Night and have caught nothing Many times they see no fruit of their labours before they are called home and they that come after them reap the harvest of the seed which they did sow So our Lord told his Disciples Jo. 4. v. 38. Other Men laboured and ye are entred into their labours 5. It is a toilsome Work which is usually attended with great Sufferings whilst they do faithfully discharge their Ministry Wicked Men hate them because they cannot speak good to them in a way of sin and the frowardness of their Brethren doth many times occasion great trouble to them The Apostle frequently makes mention of his Sufferings 2 Tim. 1. 12. For the which cause I also suffer these things nevertheless I am not ashamed for I know in whom I have believed So also 2 Tim. 2. v. 9 10. and 2 Cor. 11. 23. 27 v. They that are called to this Work must endure hardness as good Soldiers of Jesus Christ So we are commanded 2 Tim. 2. 3. And we must not be moved by any sufferings and troubles whatsoever so as to leave our Ministry because of Sufferings Acts 20. 24. None of these things move me neither count I my life dear to me so I may finish my course with joy and fulfil my Ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus It is then you see hard Labour labour of the Brains labour with the Heart labour that they have little thanks for labour that they have often little success in labour in which they many times suffer great and hard things Yet thus we must Work and thus we must Labour a necessity is laid upon us 1 Cor. 4. 9. and woe to us if we preach not the Gospel Thus must we take heed to save our own Souls and those that hear 1 Tim. 4. 16. us and we must take heed that we be faithful that the blood of none be required at our hands I call you saith the Apostle to witness that I am free from the blood of all Men Acts 20. 26. If the blood of any to whom we preach should be required at our Hands how shall we answer it to our Lord By way of Application 1. The good Lord pardon all the Failings and Miscarriages of us who minister the Word and Doctrine all our coming short in so great a Work It was a great thing the Apostle said I know nothing by myself I know nothing wherein I have failed in the work of my Ministry to you yet am I not hereby justified for Christ knoweth my Work more perfectly than Man doth 1 Cor. 4. 4. But as for us poor sinners we dare not say that we know no thing by our selves we have many Miscarriages that we are guilty of but we hope and believe that we shall be saved by the Blood of Christ even as ye 2.
the Truth for where envy and strife is there is confusion and every evil work Verse 16. If ye bite and devour one another take heed lest ye be consumed one of another Gal. 5. 15. I have shewed you shortly the Truth of the Doctrine And I would only repeat the Exhortation be you then exhorted I beseech you Brethren to undissembled love and unfeigned Peace let Love be the Principle and let Holiness be the Bond of Peace among you Hear how pathetically the Apostle presseth the Exhortation Eph. 4. 1 2. 3. I therefore the Prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in love endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace So in 2 Philip. 1. 4. If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves look not every Man on his own things but every Man also on the things of others Are you Christians Do you believe this to be the Word of God that doth contain the Evidences of your Salvation And can you easily forget such pathetical Exhortations Let not the Elders nor let I beseech you any of the Brethren have cause to complain As Psalm 120. 6 7. I have long dwelt with them that hate Peace I am for Peace but when I speak they are for War By way of Direction 1. Avoid Pride and an over-weening esteem of your own Wisdom and Worth Prov. 13. 10. Only by Pride cometh Contention i. e. Chiefly and eminently by Pride cometh Contention and if there is any thing of another cause that causeth Contention yet Pride mingleth therewith and blows up the Flame more vehemently Therefore avoid Pride yea do you count your selves to be nothing Consider that Parable Ecclesiast 9. 15 16. 2. Seek not your own Interest and Advantage prefer the publick good of the Church before your own private conveniency 1 Cor. 10. 24. Let no Man seek his own but every one anothers Wealth do not insist stifly upon your Right do not continually resolve that you will not abate a Pin but be of a yielding Spirit The Promise of the Land was made to Abraham but saith he to Lot Let there be no strife my Brother between me and thee Gen. 13. 8 9. do thou take thy choice if thou goest to the right-hand I will go to the left c. Therefore if you stifly insist upon any thing of your own Will and Interest consider that your Father Abraham did not so 3. Be not busie Bodies 1 Thess 4. 11. That ye study to be quiet and to do your own business 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love this Honour It is your honour to be quiet you cannot so easily do your own Business well don't you think it belongs to you to do the Business of others and that nothing is well done but what you have the ordering of don't you think that you must be the doers of all I shall conclude with these two Scriptures the first in the two Verses following the Text. We exhort you Brethren warn them that are unruly comfort the feeble-minded support the weak be patient towards all Men. See that none render evil for evil unto any Man But ever follow that which is good both among your selves and to all Men. And I shall add the other thereunto and conclude 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally my Brethren farewell Be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you The Lord impress this upon all our Hearts FINIS A Catalogue of Books Printed for and are to be sold by Edward Giles Bookseller in Norwich near the Market-place SEveral Discourses concering Actual Providence A Word in Season Defensive Armour against four of Satans most Fiery Darts Sermons upon the whole first and second Chapters of the Canticles Thirteen Sermons upon several Useful Subjects The Happiness of Brethren dwelling together in Unity All published by John Collings D. D. of Norwich The Way of the Spirit in bringing Souls to Christ The Glory of Christ set forth with the Necessity of Faith in several Sermons both by Mr. Tho. Allen late Pastor of a Church of Christ at Norwich Enoch's Walk with God and Christ a Christian's Gain By Mr. Timothy Armitage late Pastor of a Church of Christ at Norwich Precious Promises the Portion of Overcomers By Mr. John Lougher Minister in Norfolk The Saints Ebenezer By Mr. Francis English late Minister in Norwich Directions to Spell English right The History of the Protestant Reformation as it was begun by Luther The Dead Saints Speaking being a Sermon Preached upon the Death of Mr. Newcomb in Essex By Mr. Fairfax The Ordinary Matter of Prayer drawn into Questions and Answers Two Treatises the first of Rejoycing in the Lord Jesus in all Conditions The second Of a Christian's Hope in Heaven and Freedom from Condemnation by Christ Both by Mr. Robert Asty late Minister of Jesus Christ in Norwich Obedience to Magistrates recommended in a Sermon Preached Sept. 9. 1683. By Jonathan Clapham Rector of VVarplingham in Norfolk Two Discourses one of Spiritual Blessings the other that God hath an high account of the least Grace in the Saints By Mr. John Cromwell late Pastor of a Church of Christ in Norwich In●ant Baptism of Christ's Appointment By Mr. Samuel Petto Pastor of a Church in Sudbury in Suffolk Of the Conversion of Sinners of God in Christ ●●e Necessity Nature Means and Signs of it with a Concluding Speech to the Unconverted An Answer to Tho. Grantham's Book called A Dialogue between the Baptist and Presbyterian A Sermon Preached upon the death of that Pious and Learned Divine John Collinges D. D. All by Mr. Martin Finch Pastor of a Church of Christ in Norwich Sincerity or the Upright Mans walk to Heaven delivered in several Sermons in the Parish Church of St. Michael in Long Stratton in Norfolk by Mr. James Olfield late Minister there Alexipharmacon Spirituale Being a Defensive against the poyson and sting of death or the great expedient how to make the Bed of the Grave so easie that we may lay down in peace and take our rest A Plea for Abatements in Matters of Conformity A Sermon preached upon the 30th day of Jan. 1695. All by Mr. Sam. Snowden Minister of the Gospel in Newton in Norfolk Christ set forth in several Sermons upon the 7th Chapter to the Hebrews by Mr. Rob. Ottee late Pastor of a Church of Christ in Beccles in Suffolk Sacramental Discourses on several Subjects To which is added A Discourse of the Life of Faith by Christopher Ammarant Pastor of a Church in Southripps in Norfolk A Discovery of Audacious Insolence against the Doctrine of the Church of England vented in a Malicious Pamphlet by Thomas Grantham A Practical Discourse upon the 8th of the Romans A Brief and Plain Discourse upon the Decrees of God both by Nath. VViles The right way of seeking God in a Sermon preached at Great Yarmouth by Mr. James Hannot Pastor of a Church of Christ there The History of the Birth Life Sufferings and Death of our blessed Saviour by Mr. Henry Brett of Pulham in Norfolk The exceeding abundant Grace of God displayed in the Conversion of William Gymer a Penitent Malefactor and Murderer who was executed on the Castle-Hill of Norwich September 4. 1696. Written by John Lucas FINIS