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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A81282 The case of peoples duty in living under a scandalous minister, stated and resolved 1684 (1684) Wing C965; ESTC R229514 12,032 23

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scornful 3. But let it be granted that your Minister is indeed scandalous Yet this in my Opinion will not warrant you in your designed purpose of leaving his Ministry For 1. Since you are so much offended and grieved with the Errors of his sinful life there is the less danger of infection or getting any harm to your self by what you observe and censure in him Your Souls health I am perswaded will never be impaired by those sins which your Soul abhorreth Quibus mali placent in unione ipsi Communicant malis Quibus vero mali displacent eos emendare non possunt non factis eorum sed Altari Christi Communicant Augustin Epist 162. 2. Since you say that your Minister is nevertheless a very excellent Preacher which is not a thing impossible I conceive your Wisdom and Duty is to distinguish betwixt the good and the bad to put a difference betwixt his Doctrine and his Life for Gifts and Grace you know Sir are two different things and a Man may have Gifts for the edification of others and yet want Grace for himself St. Augustin I am sure makes a vast difference betwixt the visible Ministry of the Word and Sacraments and the invisible Grace of God in his Controversy with the Donatists in this very Argument as you shall see anon And on Matt. 23. Ideo audiuntur saith he utiliter qui etiam utiliter non agunt And St. Paul supposeth that a Man may be a Preacher unto others and yet become a Cast-away himself 1 Cor. 9.27 We read in the Gospel of an unfaithful and unjust Steward set over the Houshold of God It is further plain from Luk. 9. that Judas was sent forth and commissioned with the rest of Christs Disciples The holy Spirit chargeth the Bishops of several of the Churches of Asia with sundry heinous failings and sins and yet honoureth them with the glorious title of Angels of their respective Churches Rev. 2. and 3. Chap. Yea our Saviour himself tells us Mat. 7.22 23. that many will be disowned and condemned by him as workers of Iniquity who yet have prophesied cast out Devils and done many wonderful Works in his Name From which it is plain that a graceless Person may have extraordinary gifts for the Work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ Those holy persons such as Zachary and Simeon Anna Mary and Joseph continued all along in the Communion of the Church of the Jews whose Rulers were so vile as to flay the Prophets and to kill those that were sent unto them from God Yea we find our Saviour and his Apostles frequently in the Temple attending upon the Ministration of the High Priests on their Solemn Feasts though generally in those days they came into their places by bribery were very bad Men and not qualified as the Law of Moses required We read likewise that it was the manner of our Saviour Christ to enter into the Synagogue every Sabbath day to hear the Scribes and Pharisees read and expound the Law whose wicked lives he nevertheless most vehemently inveighs against upon all occasions You shall furthermore find our Blessed Lord besides his own Example and Practice to give Directions to his Disciples and the Multitude in the very Case which is before us Mat. 23.1 2 3. saying The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses's his Seat all therefore mark that whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do but do not ye after their Works for they say and do not What hear these whom thou hast denounced so many bitter woes against even woe upon woe in this very Chapter What the Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites those blind Guides whited Sepulchers Graves that appear not That bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born and lay them upon other Mens shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers that shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against Men that neither go in themselves nor suffer them that are entring to go in that devour Widows Houses and for a pretence make long Prayers c. What shall we that are thy Disciples and can hear such a Heavenly Preacher as thou art who speakest as never Man spake go to hear such wretches as these Yes saith Christ They sit in Moses's Chair have the stamp of publick Warrant and Authority therefore hear them St. Augustin brings this Text of our Saviour to prove the same Question I am about and to the same purpose Laicus enim qui vult●bene vivere cum attenderit Clericum malum quid dicit Dominus dixit Quae dicunt facite quae faciunt facere nolite Ambulabo viam Domini non sequar istius mores audiam ab illo non verba ipsius sed Dei. Sequar Deum sequatur ille cupiditatem suam Augustin in Johan c. 10. Modo ea quae ad Cathedram pertinent recta praecipiant saith St. Hierom. Vult autem Dominis hunc ordinem Divinitus esse constitutum ac proinde audiendam esse veritatem etiam ex ore mercenariorum hypocritarum doctorum so the Learned Mr. Beza upon the Text. Whereas the Priests were sometimes simple and sometimes wicked Men lest any should despise the Ordinance of God for their unworthiness the promise is made by God Numb 6.27 And they shall put my Name upon the Children of Israel and I will bless them saith Mr. Amsworth Expositors all all that ever I saw at least agree in this matter I might also to strengthen this add the Testimony of the Ancient and other Modern Churches but I shall content my self with transcribing the 26th Article of the Church of England saying Although in the visible Church the evil be ever mingled with the good and sometimes the evil have chief Authority in the Ministration of the Word and Sacraments Yet for as much as they do not the same in their own Name but in Christs and do Minister by his Commission and Authority we use their Ministry both in hearing the Word of God and in receiving the Sacraments Neither is the effect of Christs Ordinances taken away by their wickedness nor the grace of Gods gifts diminished from such as by faith and rightly do receive the Sacraments ministred unto them which are effectual because of Christs institution and promise although they be ministred by evil Men. To this Doctrine do all the best Reformed Churches agree witness the Harmony of their Confessions The contrary unto which is the Doctrine of the Papists and Anabaptists and Brownists and Family of Love with some others only of the most extravagant of the Dissenting Parties from the present establishment Our Lord Christ acknowledgeth the power even of Pilate over himself and saith It was given him from above If he be indeed your lawful Minister sent by them in Authority and so settled by the Laws of the Land as I know he is this is interpretatively the Will of God and your Duty seems to me to be plainly chalked out by