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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23767	A sermon preached in St. Peter's Westminster on Sunday, Jan. 6, 1660 at the consecration of the Right Reverend Fathers in God, Gilbert, Lord Bishop of Bristoll, Edward, Lord Bishop of Norwich, Nicholas, Lord Bishop of Hereford, William, Lord Bishop of Glocester by Richard Allestry ...	Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.	1660 (1660)	Wing A1163; ESTC R8500	24,735	46

d'eslire for Barnabas Saul Timothy had his office 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by designation of the Spirit 1 Tim. 4. 14. yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with laying on of hands ibid. yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the laying on of my hands 2 Tim. 1. 6. And Timothy was plac'd at Ephesus as Titus also left at Creet to ordain others in the same manner St. Paul providing for the succession of the Rite and Ceremony as well as of the Office And in St. Clement's Testimony 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit try'd but the Apostles constituted And down as low as Trajan's time when St. John's date was almost out his life and his Commission expiring and the Churches of Asia to be provided with succession the Men were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signified by the Holy Ghost But the Chron. Alex. saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he went clean throughout Asia and the adjacent Regions constituting not only Bishops but others of inferiour Clergie and even in the lowest thus it was when the first Deacons were to be made Men full of the Holy Ghost and Wisedome were to be look'd out Act. 6. 3. But yet that did not autorize them the Holy Ghost and wisdome did not make a Deacon for besides that the Apostles will appoint them over their business ibid. and they are brought to them and they do lay their hands upon them verse 6. Thus it was in those times of full effusion of the Holy Ghost Men alwaies had to do in giving that Commission so that whoever pleads an Order of the Spirit for his Office although such a Commission of the Spirit if he had it would evidence it self and if it were it would appear for 't was the manifestation of the Spirit that was given to every man to profit withall yet if we yield him his pretensions and let his own incitations pass for inspirements and his strong fancie for the Holy Ghost if the Holy Ghost did call him who did separate him whom the Holy Ghost calls he sends to his officers to empower they both work He says do ye separate And here a Consideration offers it self unto those holy Fathers whom the Spirit makes his Associates in separating men to sacred offices that when they set apart even to the lowest stalls of the Church they labour to perform it so that the Holy Ghost may be engag'd and act along with them in the performance Separate such as they may presume the Spirit hath call'd and will own He does not call the ignorant or appoint blind eyes for the body of Christ or make men Seers to lead into the pit The Holy Spirit cals not the Unclean or the Intemperate we know it was another sort of spirit that went into the swine nor does he ever say Separate me those who separate themselves the Schismaticks the Spirit cals not such as break the unity of the Spirit nor sets into the rank of higher members in Christs body those who tear that body and themselves from it the factious those that will not be bound neither in bonds of peace nor of obedience but break all holy tyes that make commotions and rave and fome sure 't is the Legion that sends them and not the Holy Ghost He whom the Spirit will call must not be under the reputation of a Vice but should be of a good report lest he fall into reproach and so into the snare of the Devil 1 Tim. 3. 7. i. e. lest he fall into reproach and then his teaching doe so too and men learn to slight or not heed the doctrines of such a one as is under scandal for his life and so the Devil get advantage over them and do ensnare them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For to be to any an occasion of falling is to be the Devils snare Now Christ's Fishers of men those whom the Holy Ghost appoints to spred nets for the catching Souls to God their lives must not lay snares for the Devil and entangle Souls in the toyls of perdition Those also that come to you out of Ambition or of greediness of gain the Spirit calls not neither He calls we see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a work so that they who seek more then they can well attend the labour of or are qualified for the work of they are not of his sending But of all men the Holy Ghost will least deal with the Simoniacal that come not to a work but to a market that contract with Patrons for the Spirits call or worse then their master Simon would hire the Holy Spirit himself to say Separate me them The Successors of the Apostles have a Canonical return to these Your money perish with you They whom the Holy Ghost does call must have his gifts and temper Saint Paul hath set all down to Timothy and Titus and those who minister in this employment if they will be what he hath made them joynt Commissioners with him and his Co-workers they must order it so that he may work and act which he does not but where he calls nor does he call but those whom he hath qualified And 't is of those onely whom he hath call'd that he sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Separate The third particular the thing enjoyn'd And the Holy Ghost said Separate The separateness of the Functions of the Clergy the incommunicableness of their Offices to persons not separated for them is so express a doctrine both of the letter of the Text and of the Holy Ghost that sure I need not to say more though several heads of Probation offer themselves As first the condition of the callings which does divide from the Community and sets them up above it And here I might tell you of bearing rule of thrones of stars and Angels and other words of as high sense and yet not go out of the Scripture bounds although the dignitie did not die with the Scripture age or expire with the Apostles The age as low as Photius words it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Apostolical and Divine Dignity which the chief Priests are acknowledged to be possest of by right of Succession Styles which I could derive yet lower and they are of a prouder sound then those the modest humble ears of this our age are so offended with But these heights it may be would give Ombrages although 't is strange that men should envy them to those who are onely exalted to them that they may with the more advantage take them by the hands to lift them up to Heaven Those neernesses to things above do but more qualifie them to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Theoph. and to draw neer to God on your behalf that those your Angels also may see the face of your father which is in heaven and those stars are therefore set in Christs right hand that they may shed a blessing influence

these diviner offices may be stil'd Angels well when they are call'd from all regards or notices of any body that belongs to them their gifts and graces set them above the consideration of flesh In the entertainment of these qualifications the Soul is swallowed up so that it cannot take cognizance whether it have a body of its own and is not sensible of that deer partner of it self it is so onely sensible of this Employment 'T is not for an Apostle or for his Successor to think of things below with much complacency When these have all their Uses all their glories on they but make pomp to dress the body which an Apostle does not designe for nor knowes whether he be concern'd at all in He becomes something without a body and above the Earth who for a preparative must be taken up to Paradise and call'd from all commerce and all intelligence with his own body Saint Paul was call'd from heaven to preach the Gospel but he was call'd to heaven to qualifie him for this higher separation to an Apostle and Church-Governour And now you see your calling Holy Fathers and to pass by such obvious unconcerning observations as at first sight follow that those who are not qualified are not call'd I shall onely take notice hence of the counter-part of this call the charge God takes upon him when he cals to this charge and that is he owns and will protect whom himself cals 'T was that he promised to the Founder and God of your Order I the Lord have call'd thee and I will hold thine hand and I will keep thee Isai. 42. 6. And when he said of Cyrus I have call'd him he said also he shall make his way prosperous Isai. 48. 15. And so he shall be the way what it will for thus he said to Jacob I have call'd thee when thou goest through the water I am with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee Isai. 43. 1 2. There was Experience of all this in one of the chief Princes of your Order when the Apostles were scarce safe within their ship they were so toss'd with waves and fears yet if our Lord will call him Peter is confident he shall be safe even in the sea Lord if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the Water saith he and the Lord did but call him and he went down and walked on the water safely as if the swelling billows did onely lift themselves to meet his steps and raise him up from sinking And when his own doubts which alone could were neer drowning him and he but call'd the Lord immediately he stretch'd out his hand and caught him He answers his call if we answer ours if we obey when he sayes come then will he come and save when we call to him And so Peter receiv'd no hurt but a rebuke O thou of little faith why didst thou doubt couldst thou imagine I would not sustein stein thee in the doing what I bid thee do in answering my call But why seek we experience of so old a date There is a more encouraging miracle in these late calls themselves Had God sustein'd the Order in its offices and dignities amidst those waves that wrack'd the Church of late it had been prodigy of undeserved Compassion to our Nation but whenas all was sunk to bid the sea give up what it had swallowed and consumed this is more then to catch a sinking Peter or to save a falling Church The work of Resurrection is emphatically call'd the working of God's mighty power and does out-sound that of his ordinary conservation And truely 't was almost as easie to imagination how the scattered Atomes of mens dust should order themselves and reunite and close into one flesh as that the parcels of our Discipline and Service that were lost in such a wild confusion and the Offices buried in the rubbish of the demolisht Churches should rise again in so much order and beauty Stantia non poterant tecta probare Deum This calling of the Spirit is like that when the Spirit moved upon the face of the abyss and call'd all things out of their no seeds there or like the call of the last Trump Thus by the miraculous mercies of these calls God hath provided for our hopes and warranted our faith of his protections yet he hath also sent us more security hath given us a Constantine if his own be not a greater Name and more deserving of the Church for which it is well known to some he did contrive and order when he could neither plot nor hope for his own Kingdome did with passion labour a succession in your Order when he did not know how to lay designes for the succession of himself or any of his Fathers house to his own Crown and dignity Nor is the Secular arme all your security God himself hath set yet more guards about his consecrated ones he hath severe things for the violaters of them Moses the meekest man upon the Earth that in his life was never angry but once at the rebellious seemes very passionate in calling Vengeance on those that stir against these holy Offices Smite through the loines of all that rise against them and of them that hate them that they rise not again the loines 〈◊〉 we know are the nest of posterity so that 〈◊〉 through the loines is stab the succession 〈◊〉 at once all the posterity of them that we ●●●ut off this Tribe and hinder its successior Nor was this Legal Spirit Gospel is as severe Those in 〈◊〉 Jude that despise these Governours tha● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corah and his Complices did who g●●●ered themselves against Moses and Aaron and said You take too much upon you ye sons of Levi since all the Congregation is holy every one of them and the Lord is among them wherefore then lift you up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord words these that we are well acquainted with and which it seems St. Jude looks on as sins under the Gospel these perish in the gainsaying of Core whom God would not prepare for punishment by death but he and his accomplices went quick into it He would not let them stay to dy but the Lord made a new thing to shew his detestation of this sin and the Earth swallow'd it in the Commission and all that were alli'd and appertain'd to them that had an hand in it And truely they may well expect strange recompences who do attempt so strange a Sacriledge as to pull stars out of Christ's own right hand from whence we have his word that no man shall be able to pluck any but if they shine thence on their Orbs below and convert many to Righteousness their light shall blaze out into glory and they shall ever dwell at his right hand To which right hand He that brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus that great Shepheard and

sure the consecrated Persons are the Temples of that City the separate places of it and then as they are most in sight the Church is ordinarily the most visible building so truly he that sees one of them it should be as if he saw an open Church where there is nothing else but holy duty as if his life were Liturgy publick Service and Worship of God Hath your zeal never rose at least your indignation at the profane fury of this age which never made a stop in violation of things sacred when to its heap of other Sacriledges it added most contemptuous defilements of God's Houses making the place that Angels met us in to worship and God dwelt in to bless us there the place appointed for the Divinest Mysteries of our Redemption for the Celebration of Christs Agonies for the Commemoration of the blessed Sacrifice the place for nothing but Christ's blood then to become the place of a most odious and insolent uncleanness If I had worded this more aggravatingly it had been onely to inferre that then to see a consecrated person to pollute himself with those black foulnesses that made Hell and made Fiends is sure a sadder and a more unhappy spectacle If an Apostle become wicked he is in our Saviours Character a Devil Have I not chosen Twelve and one of you is a Devil Yea if the good Saint Peter do become a scandal tempt to that which is not good Get thee behind me Satan Christ calls his neerest Officers Stars Emblems of a great separateness those that teach them how far their Conversation should be remov'd from Earth for they are of another Orbe Heaven is the Region of Stars But they are Emblems of a greater purity there 's nothing in the World so clean as light 't is not possible so much as to sully shine it may irradiate dung-hils but they do not defile it you may eclipse a star but cannot spot it you may put out the light you cannot stain it 'T is a word for God's purity onely his light is glory and as his holiness is so separate that it is incommunicable so his Light is inaccessible Yet sure they that are starres in Christs right hand they do come neer and mix their light with his and they of all men must be pure and holy whom the Spirit calls to that place as he does all whom he calls to that separation that he did Barnabas and Saul the Persons and the next Part Separate me Barnabas and Saul I intend not to make particular reflections upon these persons although the Character of Barnabas be registred the 11. Chap. ver 24. He was a good man full of Faith and of the Holy Ghost and the good influence that that had upon the people follows and much people was added to the Church And as for Saul though he began the Christian persecution and was baptiz'd in the first Martyr-blood and breath'd out threatnings so that nothing but thunder could out-voice him and at last was born as an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as an untimely birth aborting through those wounds which his own hands had made in the Church and making himself a birth with ripping up her bowels yet this Abortive prov'd the strongest birth and 't was a Miscarriage into the chiefest Apostle As he began the after-sufferings of Christ in Stephen so he fulfill'd the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and made up all that was behind in himself being in deaths more then those he inflicted The sound of his preaching was louder then that at his Conversion out-voic'd the thunder for this went out into all lands as if himself alone meant to execute the whole Commission preach the Gospel to every creature which he did almost not onely preaching to those places where Christ was not named without the other Apostles line but even where the rest imploy'd themselves he wrought as much as they in Asia as Saint John at Antioch as Peter yea and at Rome too having as much to doe in their foundation If I had said more I could have brought the Popes own Seal for evidence where not onely both are but Saint Paul hath the right hand And truly if they had had the luck to think at first of founding all their pretensions on Saint Paul his care of all the Churches would have born them out as well as feed my Lambs does now But these considerations I pass though they would give a Man that hath done mischief in the Church a pattern for the measures of his future Service to the Church The thing I shall concern my self in is the solemne separation here of those who were before separated to the work of the Gospel Barnabas sent by the Church of Jerusalem to Antioch Act. 11. 22. and Paul not onely separated from his Mothers womb Gal. 1. 15. but chosen by express Revelation and by the laying on of Ananias hands to go preach the Gospel to the Gentiles and to Kings and qualified for it by receiving of the Holy Ghost Act. 9. from 15. In which work both of them had for some years exercised themselves Yet here is a new consecration and they are taken up to a condition more separate and distinct from what they were before And all those vast advantages in which these persons did excell the one of faith and fulness of the Holy Ghost the other besides those of express and immediate mission from Heaven and the most strange success their labours had been blest with all these I say did not qualifie them to assume these powers which the Holy Ghost commands another Separation to enstall them in and 't was this Call that call'd Paul to be an Apostle Rom. 1. 1. as from this time he is alwayes call'd Paul not sooner Nor do we find any least footsteps of their being Apostles before though Barnabas were sent to Antioch yet he does not undertake what Peter and John did at Samaria in the very same case for they confirm and give the Holy Ghost Act. 8. 15 17. but Barnabas does nothing but Exhort Act. 11. 23. and he and Paul together preacht the Word abroad but we find nothing else they enterpriz'd but from this time they exercise Jurisdiction settle Churches and ordain them Elders in the Churches Ch. 14. 22 23. and as it does appear singly deriv'd these powers to others to be exercised by them singly To Titus most expressly Tit. 1. 5. the like also to Timothy with all the other acts of Jurisdiction of which their Epistles are the Records particularly that of Censures which Paul himself had inflicted on offenders in the Churches he had planted Powers these which by such steps and by degrees of separation an Apostle himself receives and does not execute till he ascend the highest that which they have a new solemnity ordain'd from Heaven to enstate them in by a new laying on of hands and the Holy

Ghost himself commanding Separate The separateness of this highest order in the Church is a doctrine handed down to us both by the writings of all ages and the practices two things which as they scarcely do concurre in such a visible degree in any other things in our Religion so also when they do concurre they make and secure tradition beyond all contradiction give it sufficient infallibility and truely he that does refuse the evidence which such tradition gives to all the motives of believing Christianity if he be not a Socinian he must be an Enthusiast and can receive his Religion onely from Revelation Now the matter of fact of this tradition is a subject for Volumes not for a discourse and it hath filled so many that there is nothing left unsaid or to be said against as to the main And they that pick some little sayings seeming against this order out of those Ancients which were themselves of it and wrote much expressly for it and think by those means to confute it do the same thing with that Romanist who tore some little shreds that look as if they favoured some opinions of the Romanists out of the books of Protestants most of which were directly writ against the Church of Rome and putting those together went about by them to convince the world there never were any such things as Protestants but they that did profess to be so were all Papists But I will say no more then my Text hath done which evidences it not a separation onely of degree but Order by a new Ceremony and commissionating to new powers If I would stay on words 't is expressed here by one that speaks very great distances 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate which does in Scripture word the distances that the Censures of the Church do make Luk. 6. 22. and still in the Greek Liturgies when absolution is given 't is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to free them from all curse and separation as if to pass into the bounds of this uncall'd were such a thing as to leap over the Censures of the Church over the Line of Excommunication and to break through this wall of separation were to break through Anathema's and Curses Yea 't is used to express the distance betwixt the Lord's two hands his right hand and his left at the day of Doom Mat. 25. 32. betwixt which hands there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a most insuperable gulfe But these I shall not urge Indeed the Fathers of the Church have been in these last dayes counted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separate in the severest sense cast out as the dung of the Earth and the calling it self was under reprobation as if it separated onely to the left hand of God but so it was with their Predecessours in the Text. Saint Paul sayes of himself and the rest of his Order that they were counted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4. 13. and as if they were called onely to ruine and consecrated for a sacrifice he says the Lord hath set us forth as men appointed to death vers 9. Indeed God hath pleased to own you as his Churches Angels we are not troubled if some have counted you as the off-scouring of the Earth while we know Angels do relate to Heaven and let them consider how they will reprobate those to the left hand of God whom Christ calls stars in his right hand and he is at the right hand of his Father and while you were accounted so you did but follow them that went before in sufferings as well as office and to doe so was part of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the work that they were separated to which is the next part For the work I shall but run this over and reflect upon it as I pass according as it is of present Concernment and First Saint Paul's work was to preach the Gospel and we finde him doing it from this time forward to his End The high Priest of the Jews was called the Angel of the Lord of Hoasts of which name an Heathen does give this account that he was call'd so because he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Angel or the Messenger of Gods commands so Diodorus Siculus And Malachy gives the same reason Mal. 2. 7. he was the Substitute to him upon Mount Sinai and gave the Law also only without the thunder Our Governours succeed into the Name they are the Churches Angels and when we hear the word from them we have it as it were from heaven again and we receive our Law too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the disposition of Angels Indeed the Case now is not like Saint Paul's the Gospel then was to be first revealed to all the World and by continual inculcating secur'd against the depravations which all the malice of the Devil and the world sought to infuse and the unskilfulness of infant Christians did make them apt to entertain But now we are all confirm'd Christians Yet truely the time is now such as did give occasion for Saint Paul's charge to Timothy 2 Tim. 4. 1 2 3. a time wherein they will not indure sound doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers He therefore that is in Timothie's place must heap up Reproofs and Exhortations or he must heap good sound dispensers of them Such as will feed the Lambs with sincere milk not chaf'd and heated with commotion and busie restless faction not embitter'd with the overflowings of a too-ful gall not sour'd with eager sharpnesses of a malicious or a dissatisfied mind not impoisoned with the soul tinctures of a scandalous life nor the Corrosive infusions of Schismatical and turbulent opinions He that caters thus for his flock and provides such as by doctrine and by practice do instruct them to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty He like the Angel on Mount Sinai gives the Law to a Nation together preaches to his whole Diocess at once Continually The second work was praying for and blessing them This does begin and close every Epistle that he asserts of himself constantly and 't is well known the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gifts of those times inspir'd for this Work Now thus our Angels also are Angels of Incense The High Priests Office in especial Those that did daily minister perform'd a service of Incense too that did accompany the prayers of the people and sent them up in perfume but the High Priests Incense was part of the Expiation and was the Cloud that cover'd the transgressions of the people when he came with them all about him before the Mercy-seat And they who shall consider that the prayer of Moses Now Moses Aaron were among the Priests Psal. 99. 6. and He was the chief Priest did withhold the arm of God when it was stretcht