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A66449
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The hirelings ministry none of Christs, or, A discourse touching the propagating the Gospel of Christ Jesus humbly presented to such pious and honourable hands whom the present debate thereof concerns by Roger Williams.
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Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing W2765; ESTC R27074
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29,728
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46
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the downefall of the Papacy Revel. 18. and so the mounting of the Lord Iesus and his white Troopers againe Revel. 19. c. For the going out of any to preach upon hire for the going out to convert sinners and yet to hold communion with them as Saints in prayer For the going out without such a powerfull Call from Christ as the twelve and the seventy had or without such suitable gifts as the first Ministry was furnished with and this especially without a due knowledge of the Period of the Prophecies to be fulfilled I have no Faith to act nor in the Actings and Ministrings of others for There is but one God Lord and Spirit from whom those Gifts Administrations and Operations proceed 1 Cor. 12. without whose holy heavenly concurrence in all those three both Gifts and Administrations and operations instead of Glorifying the name of Christ and saving Souls we may Blaspheame his Name and grieve his spirit and hinder and harden poor souls against Repentance when by fellowship in prayer with them as with Saints we perswade them of their already blessed state of Christianity and that they are New-born the saints and sons and daughters of the living God therefore Lastly If it shall please our most Noble Governours to search into the institution and constitution as they have done of the Diocesan so also of the National and Parish Churches concerning which I shal humbly subjoyn some Queries in the close of all If they please to take off the Yoaks the Soul Yoaks of binding all persons to such parochiall or parish formes permitting them to injoy their own belief whether within or without such Parish worships Parish maintenance Parish maryings Parish Buryings by which the souls and consciences of so many have been inbondaged in life and death and their bodies in respect of buryings after death If they shall please so far if not to countenance yet to permit impartially All consciences and especially the consciences the meetings and assemblings of faithfull and conscionable people the Voluntiers in preaching Christ Iesus so as that what people and persons please may peaceably frequent and repaire to such spirituall meetings and assemblies as they doe the Parish Churches I am humbly confident that as to the point of converting souls to God so far as the present state of Christianity can be so promoted the souls of thousands will blesse God more then if Millions of Hirelings were sent abroad from all the Vniversities both of Popish and Protestant Countries Fourthly 4 Upon the grounds first laid I observe the great and wonderfull mistake both our owne and our Fathers as to the civill powers of this world acting in spirituall matters I have read as blessed Latimer once said the last Will and Testament of the Lord Iesus over many times and yet I cannot finde by one tittle of that Testament that if he had been pleased to have accepted of a temporall Crowne and Government that ever he would have put forth the least finger of temporall 〈◊〉 civill power in the matters of his spirituall affairs anâ—Kingdome Hence must it lamentably be against the Testimonâ— of Christ Iesus for the Civill state to impose upon the Soules of the People a Religion a Worship a Ministry Oaths in Religious and Civil affairs Tithes Times Days Marryings and Buryings in holy ground yet in force as I have I hope by the helpe of God fully debated that great Question with Master Cotton and washt off all his late washings of that bloody Tenent of Persecution c. What is then the expresse duty of the Civill Magistrate as to Christ Iesus his Gospell and Kingdome I answer I know how wofully that Scripture Kings shall be thy nursing Fathers c. hath been abused and elswhere I have at large discussed that and other such Objections At present I humbly conceive that the great Duty of the Magistrate as to spirituals will turne upon these two Hinges First In removing the Civill Bars Obstructions Hinderances in taking of those Yoaks that pinch the very Soules and consciences of men such as yet are the payments of Tithes and the Maintenance of Ministers they have no faith in Such are the inforced Oaths and some ceremonies therein in all the Courts of Iustice such are the holy Marryings holy buryings c. Secondly In a free and absolute permission of the consciences of all men in what is meerly spirituall not the very consciences of the Iews nor the consciences of the Turkes or Papists or Pagans themselves excepted But how will this Propagate the Gospell of Christ Iesus I answer thus The first grand Design of Christ Iesus is to destroy and consume his Mortal enemy Antichrist This must be done by the breath of his Mouth in his Prophets and Witnesses Now the Nations of the World have impiously stopt this heavenly breath and stifled the Lord Iesus in his Servants Now if it shall please the civill State to remove the state bars set up to resist the holy Spirit of God in his servants whom yet finally to resist is not in all the powers of the world I humbly conceive that the civill state hath made a fair progresse in promoting the Gospel of Iesus Christ This Mercy and freedome is due to the meerly religious consciences of all men in the world Is there no more due from the Magistrate to Christ Iesus his saints and Kingdome I answer While I pleade the Conscience of All men to be at Liberty doubtlesse I must plead the Liberty of the Magistrates conscience also and therefore were his bounties and donations to his Bishops and Ministers as large as those of Constantine who but the holy Spirit of God in the mouths of his Prophets can restrain him Onely let not Caesar as Constantine in his setled prosperity did rob the God of Heaven of his Rights the consciences of his subjects their heavenly Rights and Liberties But under the pretence of propagating the Gospell of Christ Iesus it may be said what horrible opinions and Spirits will be vented as woefull experience hath manifested I answer Opinions offensive are of two sorts some savouring of Impiety and some of Incivility Against the first Christ Iesus never cald for the Sword of Steel to helpe the Sword of the Spirit that two-edged Sword that comes out of the mouth of the Lord Iesus And therefore if a world of Arrians deny the Deity of Christ Iesus If a Maniche his humane nature If the Jews deny both and blasphemously call our Christ a Deceiver Nay if the Mahumetans the Turkes the greater number by far of one Religion in the World if they I say pefer their cheating Mahomet before him What now must we raile revile c. and cry ou Blasphemers Hereticks Must we run to the Cutlers shop the Armories and Magazines of the Cities and Nations Must we run to the Cities or Nations and Senates and
The two Prophets in Sack-cloath A glance on Revel. 11. The Apostacy the Witnesse the slaughter the after rising all universall Quest Gifts Pretences to Mat. 28. examined Calâ—ing Worke A stupendious Mâ—stery of Preaching to convert the converted Wages Object Christ Iesus never made Bargaine with his Messengers or Pastors Quâ—st The Lands Countries divided for gain as Daniel speaks and men know in a way of Hire what to be sure of expresly An implicit Bargaine like an Onion is a Bargaine infolded and wrapt up with more subtle peelings c. The first patterne of Ministers Maintenance Objection Objection Gods infinite patience in bearing with his peoples Failings The most voluntary preaching ever most fruitfull Excellent Prophets of God who never knew the pretended School of the Prophets An honourable remembrance of a despised Witnesse of Christ Iesus Samuel How No Successe in Preaching now comparable to the first and why 3. Consectarie No remarkable Conversion of the Nations as yet to be expected Quest The bodies of Protestant Nations yet unconverted The present Designes and purposes of Christ Iesus 3. Consectary Universities as to the Ministry of Christ Iesus none of his Institutions The title Schollar appropriated to the Ministers a sacrilegious title Universities in order to Christs Ministery but refined Monasteries Pharisaicall and Popish Titles and Ceremonies in their Creatings and Commensings Spirituall exercises proper only to the Churches and Assemblies of Saints the true Schools of the Prophets The Hirelings wofull Trade and Merchandize Object Answ. Excellent holy men in the bondage of sinfull Institutions Superstitions Quest The counterfeit of the Apostolical Ministry Institution of Youth in humane learning withall instructing them with the knowledge feare of the Lord most christian and honourable The Civill State never made good work in spiritualls The body of a civill State or Nation and the elect or chosen of God out of each Nation must be rightly distinguished Absolutes fâ—â—â—â—dome in â—â—â—â—ters meerâ—â— spirituall 〈◊〉 all the consciences iâ— the world The people ought not to be forced to nor from the paying of Tenths or Fifths according to their Conscience Objection The Apostolicall Ministry to the lost Nations interrupted Yet of the Prophets and Witnesses mourning in sackcloth continued The Ministry of Prophets more opened Gods Prophets of high or low condition must not keep silence and hide their Talents c. The Apostolicall ministry to the Nations and Peoples The Apostolicall Ministry to the Nations and peoples The Lords worke only in the Lords way The grand oppression of the whole Nation is the Parish inforced constitution Freedom for the people to frequent the word in other Assemblies beside the Parish a great and hopefull means of blessed and Soul-saving fruit to the Nation 4 Consectary Christ Iesus no Founder of Covill power in spirituall causes Quest The Civill Magistrates duty as to spirituals turning upon two hinges Quest The breath of Christ Iesus by which he consumes Antichrist stopt by the Nations Quest The Magistrates and all men ought to excell in fruits of Piety and Mercy according to conscience Object No sword to be used against the most horrid Blasphemies Heresies but the two edged sword of the Word the sword of the Spirit of God Quest Tithes ought not to be injoyned or forbidden The people of this Nation according to their severall Consciences distinguished Objection The Sun of Righteousnesse is able to shine more light upon the wisest and the highest Some prophanesse better then inforced Hipocrisie Severall consciences sometimes emulate each other Gain Godlinesse and God belly The wonderfull burning of Hay and Stubble in this Nation Soul-Liberty ought to be impartially restored to the three Nations All Christs true Followers and especially the Leaders among them are a willing people and Voluntiers Dan. 11. Queries as touching the Parochiall Division of the whole land The Inforcing of a nationall way a national oppression The Parish Churches Idol Temples There is a strange Prophecy extant Henry the 8th Abbeys and Cels Henry the Ninth Churches and Bells Traditionall Religion the Nurse of Hypocrisie and Destruction Dangerous State-policy The want of Civill Officers in this Nation as to birth of Children Marriages and Burials being all but naturall Civill things Singular mercies call for singular Acts of Exemplary and singular Gratitude The Holy name of Gâ—d highly dishonoured by the Legall Oaths of this Nation