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A45336 The pulpit guarded with XVII arguments proving the unlawfulness, sinfulness and danger of suffering private persons to take upon them publike preaching, and expounding the Scriptures without a call ... : occasioned by a dispute at Henly in Arden in Warwick-shire, Aug. 20, 1650 ... : in the close are added six arguments, to prove our ministers free from antichristianism / composed and compiled by a friend to truth and peace. Hall, Thomas, 1610-1665. 1651 (1651) Wing H437; ESTC R11676 84,387 104

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because they have no promise of a blessang from God He may justly say to them Let him that sent you protect you let him that called you blesse your labours To this agrees that of the learned Bucan. A Call saith he to the Ministery is very necessary 1. In respect of Gods glory 2. The honour of the Ministery 3. for the peace and comfort of the conscience of the Ministers themselves 4. That the people may know they have lawful Ministers and so may obey their Ministery c. 4 God wil have all things done according to that Rule and Order which himselfe hath prescribed Now Gods Method and Order is this 1. To call and separate men for the Ministery 2. And then Preach The principal Call is from God the manifestation and declaration of it is from the Church and such are said to be made by the Holy Ghost though men ordaine them Acts 20. 28. and if upon trial they approve of thee and bid thee Go t is as effectual a Call as if God from heaven should call thee As one of your owne sayes of the Ministery He that pretends to be taught without the Word is not taught of God but of the Devil So he that pretends he is called of God without and against the Rule of the Word is not called of God but of the Devil True many in our dayes boast of the Spirit it moves them it cals them Iude 19. You have two notes of such as have not the Spirit They are 1. Separatists dividing and separating themselves from the true Church of Christ renouncing their Communion forsaking their Assemblies like Apostates and so cast off publick Ordinances 2 Sensualists following the dictates of corrupt nature and carnal reason forsaking their Callings and giving themselves up to idlenesse ease and carnal delights c. These have not the Spirit unlesse it be the spirit of delusion The fifth Argument From the Absurdities which would follow if this were once granted though I should be loath to dispute with these men from such a Topick for they are men of large swallows and surpasse the man I have read of Qui toto devorato Bove defecit in cauda who having swallowed an Ox could not get down the tail but these men wil swallow head horns and tail skin and bones and yet make no bones on 't Arminianism Socinianism Anabaptism c. all goes down be it never so rotten Yet I shal take a little pains if it may be to convince them 1 Absurdity If bare gifts be a sufficient Call to an Office this would confound all Callings and Societies For then Samuel who had a Physical and natural power to kil Agag had a sufficient call to authorize him to kil him Then an ability to discharge the Office of the high Priest in a man of the Tribe of Iudah were a good Call for one so gifted to thrust himselfe into Aarons chair which God tyed only to Levies Tribe Then every Souldier that hath a Commanders gift may be a Commander and a General without a Call Then he that hath gifts for Magistracy may be a Magistrate and execute justice on malefactors without a Call Then a Lawyer having a Judges gift may step up into the Judges feat and sentence men without a Call And he that hath gifts to be a Parliament-man may be a Parliament-man without a Call c. Et sic in infinitum Then farewel Magistrates Ministers Judges Parliaments c. If every man may execute these Offices without a Call what need we any of them Austin writing upon Iohn tels a story of a certaine man that was of an opinion that the Devil did make the Fly and not God saith one to him If the Devil made Flyes then the Devil made Worms and God did not make them for they are living creatures as wel as Worms True said he the Devil did make Worms But said the other If the Devil did make Worms then he made Birds Beasts Man He granted all Thus saith Austin by denying God in the Fly he came to deny God in Man and to deny the whole Creation 2 Then every Gifted Boy and every Gifted Woman should be Preachers 3 Then all that have Gifts to Baptize and deliver the Lords Supper may Baptize and deliver the Lords Supper 4 This would open a flood-gate to all Errors Heresies and Blasphemies For in the Scriptures are many things ●ard to be understood which many wrest for want of judgement to their owne destruction We have had woful experience of this since Artificers Souldiers Women c. have turned Preachers I never heard but one of this New Tribe of Gad and that was a Souldier Lieutenant Phelps as I remember he call'd himselfe a Dipper c. for I never yet knew the man that had but one Error His Sermon was as ful of errors as a Dogge is ful of Fleas Universal Redemption Free-wil Dipping against Baptizing c. 5 Then all vain-glorious Hypocrites who think they have gifts beyond all others would turne Preachers the emptiest barrels make the lowdest sound the worst metal the greatest noise and the lightest ears of Corn hold their heads highest 6 Then the Church which is Christs mystical Body would be monstruous all Eye all Ear all Head contrary to that of the Apostle who tels us the Church is not one member but many 1 Cor. 12. 14. 15. c. And v. 28 29. Christ hath set some not all in the Church Apostles And then asketh the Question Are all Apostles Are all Prophets c. The Interrogation is a strong Negation 7 If this be tolerated it wil make both Ministers and Ministery contemptible both the Preaching and the Preachers vile 'T was Ieroboams sin 1 King 13. 33. He made of the lowest of the people Priests of the High-places whosoever would be consecrated him and ●e became a Priest But marke what followes v. 34. This thing became sinne to the house of Jeroboam even to destroy it and cut it off from the face of the earth The toleration of such Irregularities is not so smal an Errour as some imagine The sixth Argument Every Preacher must be able in some good measure above ordinary Christians not only to divide the Word aright 2 Tim. 12. 15 soundly to interpret and give the true sence and meaning applying the same to edification But he must be able also to convince gain-sayers as Tit. 1. 9. But every Gifted Tradesman Naylor Taylor c. is not able to divide the Word aright nor to convince a learned adversary and gainsayer Ergo The Major is clear of it selfe The Minor I prove thus Those that want learning both Humaine and Divine cannot be sound Interpreters nor solid Disputants But most of our Gifted Artificers want Learning both Humaine and Divine Ergo Obj. We have the Translations say they and by them we can help our selves A. Translations are excellent helpes c yet in regard of