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A75417 An answer to an impertinent pamphlet lately set forth by Iohn Spencer. Wherein is refuted the arguments brought for the justification of the lawfulnesse, and universall exercise of every mans gift, publike and private. By a Well-wisher to the reformation. Well-wisher to the reformation. 1642 (1642) Wing A3352; Thomason E135_29; ESTC R12234 28,632 35

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the Lord would if hee so pleased poure upon these people who before did murmure a spirit of government Paraphrased that so they might know how to carry themselves towards their God and his servant Moses their governour and these 70. Elders whom hee had extraordinarily and specially designed for that purpose To that other objection of Saul in 1 Sam. 10.6 and you have it 1 Sam. 6.10 but it is no great matter wee will passe that by because the whole booke almost is full fraught with ill applications and misconstructions to the place of Samuel then I answer that the meaning of Sauls prophesying is as was sayd before to sound forth Gods praises by the instinct of that Spirit he now had with those Prophets in the fifth verse Or changed his spirit the whole story is this Foure things Samuel had prophesied concerning Saul after his annointing and departing from him and that when these things came to passe Saul might be assured of Gods calling of him to be King the signes were these 1. That when he was departed he should sinde two men by Rachels Sepulchre vers 3. 2. That after that hee should meets three men going to Bethel to the house of God vers 3. 3. After that he should meete a company of Prophets with Harpe Tabret Pipes c. 4. When he came thus farre and saw these Prophers then the Spirit of the Lord should come upon him and he should prophesie with them Now when all these came upon 〈◊〉 he might be assured in the accomplishment of these prophesies that God had called him to be the ruler of the people and that he should doe them is nocasion served for the hand verse 7. of th● Lord was with hime so that it seemes undeninbly that Sauls prophesying amongst these Prophets was such prophesying as theirs was for so the words with them doe clearely intimate the spirit it selfe was poured upon him for the consirmation of his calling and the effect of that Spirit filling of him with strength and valour and also to sound out Gods praises and besides the holy Ghost hath thought sit to expresse the manner thereof the Spirit of the Lord came upon him now God gives his spirit either visibly or else invisibly the one is extraordinary the other ordinary Now the holy Glibst came upon Saub in a visible manner not by any locall appearance (n) The holy Ghost comes visibly not by any locall motion but by the signes he workes onely the signes is taken for the thing it selfe Vrsin Cau but by those signes which were produced to the eyes senses of the by standers his operations not by any locall or visible sight of himselfe but by those effects which he wrought The holy Ghost is given invisibly when hee bestowes his gifts not so much with infallible outward externall restimonies as by an inward operation on the faculties of the soule in measures and so is given to wicked men and the elect to wicked men at the best speculatively regenerating them to the elect both speculatively and practically The spirit then was given to Saul in an extraordinary manner visibly by those effects he did produce The gifts of the Holy Ghost as Mir●cles and Tongues Prophesies were given in the Apostles times in an extraordinary manner ibid. so that it appeares that his example serves your turne not one whit for if the holy Ghost came upon Saul in an extraordinary manner and that this his prophesying consisted in praysing God with Tabret Pipe as the Prophets did in the sift verse and hee with them then what can this prove to your purpose as the holy Ghost was given to the Apostles in the primitive Church extraordinarily immediatly because of those effects they did produce why not upon Saul who had this spirit given him immediatly as appeares by the effects they wrought in him as making him another man and by his prophesying all which were confirmations extraordinary to confirme his calling of being King which was extraordinary also the like we see in David 1 Sam. 16.13 who had the Spirit poured upon him in the same manner as it was on Saul and all to fit him for those weightie duties of his kingly office and although David had not such visible conspiouous signes at his annointing as Saul had yet wee reade in 1 Sam. 16.18 that he was strong valiant a man of warre in so much that it is said 1 Sam. 18.14 15. that Saul was afraid of him all which things being laid together will evince this truth to wit that these were extraordinary Spirits in their manner of being given to certaine persons again if Saul were a Preacher as this allegation seemes to insinuate then a question would be asked to vvhom did he preach It is said indeed he prophesied but there is divers kinds of prophesie in Scripture onely the Text saith he prophesied with the rest of the Prophets but not that he preached to any for hee neither did as the Samaritan woman did nor as the man in whom the devils vvere and truly their actions and performance of them doe manifest a disparitie the woman went onely and told what things had passed betweene her selfe and Christ The man preached it but as for King Saul he prophesied by the instinct of that spirit he now had in praysing and singing with instruments of musicke to God which did confirme him in his extraordinary call of being King all which you could not chuse but know onely it seemes you are disposed to make the world merry To the next 1 Sam. 19.20 where Saul is said to send messengers to David and that they prophesied that is all one with the other 1 Sam. 10.6 and Sauls messengers here prophesied with the rest of the Prophets as Saul himselfe did there and their prophesying must needs have reference to the prophesying of the Prophets for so the words imply that when these messengers came and said the colledge or company of the Prophets then saith the Text they also prophesied and so also in the same manner did Saul himselfe prophesie Now what this prophesie was is expressed in 1 Sam. 10.6 as before was declared it consisted in sounding forth Gods praises with Tabret Pipe Harpe and as Jeduthun did 1 Chron. 25.3 and this was to declare the infinite power and mercy of God towards David whom Saul now had an intent to have slaine as appeares by the whole Chapter Saul sending his messengers and going himselfe yet all could not doe nor bring to a full period his wicked designes against David the like example wee have in 2 King 1. of those two Captaines and their fifties that came to apprehend the Prophet Eliah these men thinking to bring the Prophet to King Ahaziah their ends were frustrated and they themselves were consumed with fire from heaven wherein the power mercy of God was also manifested towards Eliah So that it appeares here it was the wonderful mercy of
God to David to deliver him from the hands of Saul his messengers the opportunitie being so that notwithstanding Saul sent time after time yet God so ordered the matter that these messengers being sent from Saul who was enraged against him vers 10. could not have accesse much lesse to doe him any wrong so gracious is the Lord that to vindicate his peoples innocency or else his owne in them that the strongest assaults of wicked men though attended with never so much policie shall challenge no successe but by his over-ruling power not that God had a speciall ayme that these men should be Preachers much lesse to be example therein to posteritie but onely that God might deliver David from the hands of Saul nay Saul himself who like Herod after he had sent forth the wise men to discover Christ but came not againe was now as much in his bedlam moods as Saul was at this time who went himselfe to Ramah and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied and rent his cloathes as an infallible testimony of a convicted conscience for pursuing so innocent a man as David was an excellent example wee have to this purpose in the 7. of John 46. of the Pharisees who sent their messengers to fetch Christ before them but contrary to their expectation that in stead of these mens intended fact of taking Christ Christ tooke them and as they came to apprehend Christ as Sauls messengers did David they were so wrought upon by his powerfull speeches that in the 46. verse they cry out That never man spake like this man and you may better conclude that these servants of the Pharisees were Preachers then Sauls messengers and the reason is stronger in them then in the other for Sauls messengers prophesied among the Prophets when there was not such neede but onely here that the workes of God might be made manifest turning that into good which these men intended for evill and never returned againe to give Saul account of his message But here these men that came to Christ had their eyes opened and had some smatterings of illumination that he was Christ and did also returne to the Pharisees againe declaring Christs saying Never man spake like this man these men had beene better presidents for you to have proved the point all the marrow of the businesse I see lies in this one word Prophesie which if you were at a dead lift as here you are can never helpe you considering its divers acceptations As for that you say afterwards that these men were no way extraordinary for so your words imply they had no extraordinary spirit Ergo were not extraordinary Here you shew your selfe either very ignorant in the Scriptures or else your writing at this time was very rash and inconsiderate and because I have here just occasion to speake of that I mentioned before let me aske you this question If nothing were extraordinary but the penning of Scripture and the workes of Miracles Qyest how shall we dispute against the Hierarchie to prove that Timothy and Titus were extraordinary Officers by those offices and acts which they did if nothing were extraordinary but what you say for you affirme when it was objected that these men had extraordinary spirits that none had extraordinary spirits but they that pen'd the Scriptures or wrought Miracles implying that because they had not extraordinary spirits in penning Scriptures or working Miracles therefore they were not extraordinary and so you have with one puffe taken away all the strength of the Antiepiscopall partie and given occasion to them to triumph in the discord which they maliciously attribute to our Divines for my part I leave you either to cleare your selfe or else to acknowledge your errour for it is manifest abroad in the world that by reason of the ill unadvised rash inconsiderate impertinent Pamphlets that are now extant setting some aside the adversaries of a through reformation do not sticke to say in their Bedlam fits that all dissentions about the Church are set on foot by the occasion of our best and sincerest Divines To the next you say that such a spirit as this was promised to all Gods people It is most true that God hath promised to his people a spirit of Prophesie but now all the question is what this kinde of Prophesying is because it serves much for the illustration of this point and the opening of this Text there are then divers acceptations of the word Prophesie in Scripture 1. It is taken in the strictest sence for foretelling things to come thus the Prophets as Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel were Prophets 2. For publike preaching the Word by Sermons to the Church so it is taken and attributed to the Shepherds of Israel men in a publike office in the Church Ezek. 34.2 Isa 56.10 3. For private interpretation yet not being contrariant to publike doctrines that are true for the use and benefit of the Church so it is taken in 1 Cor. 14. now although these men here of Corinth did according to their gifts given them Wee doe not read in all these two Epistles to the Corinthians that there were any setled Pastors and therefore these mens prophesying in the publike meetings was without all doubt extraordinary exercise publikely yet they did not doe it as publike Church Officers but as men private not in what they did but as they were for there were now as is thought no publike Church Officers and the Apostles with their fellow Labourers did continually visit them both by personall presence and Epistles 4. For sounding forth Gods praises by musicall instruments as Harps Pipes c. so it is taken in 1 Sam. 10.5 1 Chron. 25.3 5. For professing and celebrating God so all Gods people doe prophesie and are likewise Prophets Gen. 20.7 Matth. 10.32 Now in what sence you take this speech in the 2. Acts 18. is presently proved for you take it to be meant of a Spirit of prophesie to consist not only to interpret Scriptures privately but publikely too and it so appeares because you bring this Text to prove a promise made to some nay to all Gods people to enable them publikely to dispence the heavenly Misteries of Salvation but now what reason can you bring to prove this Text is to be so expounded I see not if you can produce none but your own fancy then you will give me leave to dissent from you for this reason you know the Scriptures call Gods people Prophets as before was instanced and if they are Prophets then they have a propheticall office which consists according to your description in publike Preaching of the Word of God as well as professing it only you are deficient in your proving it unlesse your bare affirmations bee proofes but Sir one word with you let me tell you as a friend you have done wonderfull wrong to the sacred Scriptures thus to abuse them by such wretched and extorted Expositions the true meaning