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lord_n	day_n	night_n	time_n	11,545	5	3.7585	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61215	The mutual duties of elders and people Delivered in a discourse at Beckles in Suffolk, Octob. 13. 1697. At the setting apart of Mr. John Killinghal, to the office of an elder, over a Church of Christ there. By John Stackhouse, elder of a Church of Christ in Norwich.	Stackhouse, John, dissenting minister.	1698 (1698)	Wing S5104; ESTC R220764	32,438	41

That it was better for him to be a Father to Judges 18. 12. a whole Tribe than to a private House Joram called Elisha my Father 2 Kings 6. 21. So also did Joash 2 Kings 13. 14. And especially such Ministers as Christ makes use of to be Instruments of the conversion of Sinners are their Fathers Therefore 1 Cor. 4. 12. they being Fathers must travail in birth that Christ may be formed in the Hearts of those to whom they minister as the Apostle tells the Galatians Gal. 4. 19. he did on their behalf and they must also be tenderly affectionate and solicitous for the good of their People As ye know saith the Apostle to the Thessalonians how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a Father doth his Children 1 Thess 2. 11. They are Fathers that must comfort and exhort and charge the People But withal they must not pretend to such an absolute Paternal Power as to require any to believe what they say or to do what they command without shewing from the Word of God that thus God reveals his Mind and that thus God commands us to do For any such Paternal Power is forbidden by Christ call no Man Father on Earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven Matth. 23. 9. 3. They are called Guides or Rulers or Leaders Heb. 13. 7 17 24. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Guides or Leaders and so you may find it in the Margin of your Bibles and it doth import guiding with some kind of Authority in the Name of Jesus Christ It is the same word that is attributed to Christ Matth. 2. 6. when it 's said that out of Bethlehem should come a Governor that shall rule my People Israel Christ is a Governour and a Guide Isaiah 55. 4. And being to guide they are to go in and out before their People It is true of the chief Shepherd and proportionably of under Shepherds each of them that their Sheep must hear his Voice and he leadeth them out and when he puts forth his own Sheep he goes before them and the Sheep follow him for they know his voice John 10 3 4. But being Guides they must not be blind Guides wo be to them if they be such They must direct the Church especially in all weighty Affairs that concern the common Good of the Church but they are to guide with Counsel with good Reason and with Scripture not with Self-will and with Rigour 4. They are Stewards 1 Titus 7. A Bishop must be blameless as the Steward of God 1 Cor. 4. 1. Let a Man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God therefore they must be faithful So it follows in the second Verse It is required of Stewards that a Man be found faithful and they must be diligent and careful to give every one their portion of Meat in due season Luke 12. 42 43. Who then is that faithful and wise Steward whom his Lord shall make Ruler over his Houshold to give them their portion of Meat in due season Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing And they must remember that they must give an account to their Lord when he cometh and if they shall not be able to give an account with Joy Oh how great will be the Terror of that Day 5. They are Watchmen Ezek. 3. 17. Son of Man I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel therefore hear the words of my mouth and give them warning from me Faithful Watchmen must receive the word from God and must give warning from God and let not any think that we are severe in our Warning for it is from God that we give Warning My Lord I stand continually upon the Watch-tower in the day time and I am set in my Ward whole nights so the Duty of a Watchman is described Isa 21. 8. Let none say in mockery Watchman what of the Night Watchman what of the Night We tell you in the Name of the Lord Ver. 11 12. the Morning cometh a bright Morning of National Peace but if you repent not the Night also comes of some dismal trouble or thicker darkness than what ever yet you have felt if you will enquire then enquire seriously and if you will return return with unfeigned Repentance and come to Christ by a lively Faith if you do not it will be an uncomfortable reflection that Conscience will make in a day of Evil This Evil comes upon us because we did not hearken unto the Voice of our Watchmen warning us we obeyed not the Voice of our Teachers and despised Instruction 6. They are called Overseers or Bishops Feed the Church of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God whereof the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers Acts 20. 28. If a Man desireth the Office of a Bishop he desireth a good work 1 Tim. 2. 1. But hereby is not to be understood as some do groundlesly suppose any superior Order or Degree of Preheminency that some Men have in the Ministry over others No it imports no more than the common Work of all Elders to oversee the Flock that is committed to them and to take heed to them which requireth great Care and Diligence Titus 1. 5. The Apostle tells him he left him to ordain Elders and at the sixth Verse he gives the Character of an Elder If any be blameless c. and he proves it in the seventh Verse for a Bishop must be blameless They are to oversee the Flock with great Care and with great Diligence therefore they must take the oversight of them not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucres sake but of a ready mind 1 Pet. 5. 2. 7. They be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shepherds or Pastors and they must feed the People with Knowledge and Understanding Jer. 3. 15. It is true of Christ the chief Shepherd and proportionably of each under Shepherd that the People must hear his word and follow him a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him for they know not the Voice of strangers John 10. 4 5. They are to give them wholesom Food wholesom Doctrine and the People must distinguish between sound Doctrine and the Voice of Strangers But still it must be remembred that Christ is the chief Shepherd of our Souls 1 Pet. 2. 25. 5. 4. And all Men that he doth set over one or other of his Churches they are but under Shepherds all that they deliver truly and soundly they have it from Christ that one Shepherd Eccles 12. 11. And they must being under Shepherds imitate the Example of our Great Shepherd of whom it is prophesied in Isa 40. 11. He shall feed his Flock like a Shepherd he shall gather the Lambs with his Arm and carry them in his Bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young Thus must Shepherds in the Churches do they must

the first thing they must labour II. This is labour to do this is labour Beloved even unto weariness As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Greek word signifieth The same word is translated being weary John 4. 16. Thus sate Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 weary on the Well We have toiled all night and caught nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 5. 5. The work of the Ministry my Beloved is a go●d work and it is a work that may be desired 1 Tim. 3. 1. But it may not be desired for Honours sake nor for Maintenance sake but for Works sake But as it is a good and desirable Work so it is a painful and laborious Work it is hard toilsom Labour so that they need to give themselves wholly to it 1. There is the labour of the Brain there is a giving attendance to Reading Meditation and Prayer which is commanded them that so they may faithfully discharge the Duty of their Office 1 Tim. 4. 13. Till I come give attendance to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrine And Verse 15. Meditate on these things give thy self wholly to them 2 Tim. 2. 15. Study to shew thy self approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of Truth There needs continual Study Reading and Meditation which is hard Labour and doth greatly exhaust the strength of their natural Spirits The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words and that which was written was upright even the words of truth Ecccles 12. 15. 2. Their Work is Heart labour in their Work they must labour hard with their own Hearts and with the Hearts of those that God hath set them over They labour with their own Hearts for in their Hearts are like Passions as other Men have they have many times unbelief vexing them despondency casting them down without are fightings and within are fears as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 7. 4. They are to serve God with their spirits in the Gospel of Christ sincerely and heartily Rom. 1. 9. But their Spirits are sometimes discomposed and disquieted and cast down and at other times their Spirit is willing and their Flesh is weak They labour with their own Hearts for they must be careful of their own Souls 1 Cor. 9. 27. If they be keepers of others Vineyard and do not keep their own Vineyard if they do not take heed to themselves that they may save themselves as well as others they shall be found Fools in the Issue of their Labours And as they have hard labour with their own Hearts so they have also hard labour with the Hearts of those whom they teach and if God doth not help them to work on the Hearts of them whom they teach they can do nothing Thus the Apostle expresseth his Labour Coloss 1. 28 29. Whom we preach warning every Man and teaching every Man in all Wisdom that we may present every Man perfect in Christ Jesus whereunto I also labour striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily If that the Spirit work with us mightily then our Labour is pleasant tho' 't is hard But if we be put to lament who hath believ'd our report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed It even breaks our hearts with grief 3. It is Labour for which they many times have little thanks given them Thus the Apostle tells the Corinthians 2 Cor. 12. 15. I will very gladly spend and be spent for you tho' the more abundantly I love you the less I be loved So great an Apostle met with so mean a requital from those whom he had by his preaching Converted and other Elders do many times meet with a discouraging requital the more abundantly they love them the less they are beloved by them they are many times counted enemies because they tell the people the truth as the Galatians did account Paul whereof he complains Gal. 4. 16. 4. It 's hard Labour wherein many times they have little success They are made Fishers of Men Mat. 4. 19. and they are put many times to complain unto the Lord as Luke 5. 5 Master we have toiled all Night and have caught nothing Many times they see no fruit of their labours before they are called home and they that come after them reap the harvest of the seed which they did sow So our Lord told his Disciples Jo. 4. v. 38. Other Men laboured and ye are entred into their labours 5. It is a toilsome Work which is usually attended with great Sufferings whilst they do faithfully discharge their Ministry Wicked Men hate them because they cannot speak good to them in a way of sin and the frowardness of their Brethren doth many times occasion great trouble to them The Apostle frequently makes mention of his Sufferings 2 Tim. 1. 12. For the which cause I also suffer these things nevertheless I am not ashamed for I know in whom I have believed So also 2 Tim. 2. v. 9 10. and 2 Cor. 11. 23. 27 v. They that are called to this Work must endure hardness as good Soldiers of Jesus Christ So we are commanded 2 Tim. 2. 3. And we must not be moved by any sufferings and troubles whatsoever so as to leave our Ministry because of Sufferings Acts 20. 24. None of these things move me neither count I my life dear to me so I may finish my course with joy and fulfil my Ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus It is then you see hard Labour labour of the Brains labour with the Heart labour that they have little thanks for labour that they have often little success in labour in which they many times suffer great and hard things Yet thus we must Work and thus we must Labour a necessity is laid upon us 1 Cor. 4. 9. and woe to us if we preach not the Gospel Thus must we take heed to save our own Souls and those that hear 1 Tim. 4. 16. us and we must take heed that we be faithful that the blood of none be required at our hands I call you saith the Apostle to witness that I am free from the blood of all Men Acts 20. 26. If the blood of any to whom we preach should be required at our Hands how shall we answer it to our Lord By way of Application 1. The good Lord pardon all the Failings and Miscarriages of us who minister the Word and Doctrine all our coming short in so great a Work It was a great thing the Apostle said I know nothing by myself I know nothing wherein I have failed in the work of my Ministry to you yet am I not hereby justified for Christ knoweth my Work more perfectly than Man doth 1 Cor. 4. 4. But as for us poor sinners we dare not say that we know no thing by our selves we have many Miscarriages that we are guilty of but we hope and believe that we shall be saved by the Blood of Christ even as ye 2.

again Luk. 10. 16. Christ is concerned in all your carriages in all your kindness or unkindness that you shew to his Messengers whom he sends unto you As Moses answered in the behalf of Aaron Thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord and what is Aaron that ye murmur against him Numb 16. 11. All your quarrels all your contendings all your murmurings are against the Lord and what are your poor Elders that ye murmure against them if you cast off your Elders you cast off Christ if you discourage your Elders you displease Christ 2. You must thus carry it to them for your own sake it 's for your good it is profitable for you to know them that are over you in the Lord but if you break Christ's Cords and will not know them that are over you in the Lord this is not liberty but licentiousness It is for your Edification for the Edification of the whole Church that you should love your Elders The Church the body edifies it self in love Eph. 4. 12 16. It is foolish for any to think that the Church can be encreased by lessening of the Elders your Elders are the Instruments by which the Lord doth usually dispence spiritual blessings to you things that accompany Salvation if you despise and vex the Instruments you may thereby obstruct the communication of those graces to your Souls your Elders are persons on whose welfare the common good of the Church depends and therefore ought to be preferred in all kinds and degrees of love they are given for this end that Christ may dwell among you by his Spirit and Faith Psalm 68. 18. That he might fill all things Eph. 6. 10. That he might fill the Members with more Graces and the Church with more Members You may be tempted to think that you shall get by neglecting your Elders but 't is unprofitable for you both here and hereafter Your Elders may perhaps have the present Burthen and trouble of your weakning their Hands in their Work but the sad consequence will be to your selves it will be to your own disadvantage Heb. 13. 17. They must give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you It is unprofitable for you if you grieve their Spirits 3. For your Elders sake because it is for their good that they may go on cheerfully in their laborious Work and that they may be strengthned against those Temptation wherewith their Work is attended If you do not shew a Gospel Spirit in all your carriage to them you sadden their Hearts and make them to do their Work feebly Consider I beseech you they are frail Men like your selves and that the Wicked do daily vex their righteous Souls that they have much difficulty in keeping their own Spirits that they be not overcome by Temptation and if you add further unto this their Brethrens dealing roughly with them Oh how will this pierce and grieve them Consider I beseech you they are daily giving an account to the Lord Jesus of the Flock committed to them if their Flock be a thriving Flock a growing Flock if they see the Graces of the Spirit abounding in them then they with Joy praise Christ for his Spirit and Grace bestowed on them As the Apostle in the behalf of the Philippians Chap. 2. 16 17. Chap. 1. 3 4 5. That I may rejoyce in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain yea and if I be offered up upon the sacrifice and service of your Faith I joy and rejoyce with you all So likewise to the Thessalonians 1 Thess 3. 8 9. Therefore Brethren we are comforted over you all in all our afflictions and distresses by your Faith for now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord for what thanks can we render to God again for you for all the joy wherewith we joy before God for your sakes But if the Flock be diseased and weak and unthriving and if the fat ones of the Flock do thrust with the Side and push with the Horn then your poor Elders give their Account with sorrow and mourn before the Lord and make known their complaints to him who will hear them Was it not a sad thing that Elijah should make intercession to God against Israel Rom. 11. 2. And is it not a sad thing that you should stop the Mouths and straiten the Spirits of your Elders when they pray for you But the Apostle saith We were comforted in your comforts and exceedingly the more we joyed for the joy of Titus because his spirit was refreshed by you all 2 Cor. 7. 13. Let your Elders be comforted in your Comforts let them be refreshed by you all That is the second Doctrine That it is the Duty of the Church and every particular Member highly to esteem and love and honour them that are set over them in the Lord. By way of Application 1. If any faithful Elders do meet with a contrary carriage from any that are in the Church let them not despond They have the Example of their Lord and Master who suffered the like Isaiah 49. 4. Then said I I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength for nought and in vain yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God God is Witness of your Faithfulness and Diligence in your Work and tho' you meet with nothing but contempt and hard usage God will give Judgment for you God will reward you in due time Let us consider the Hand of Satan is in it who is the great Enemy to the Gospel and to those that are commissionated to dispense it and the Ordinances of it Should we expect Peace with Satan Can we expect any otherwise but that so far as his Devices can prevail he will do us all the mischief and cause us all the trouble he can I would have come unto you once and again saith Paul 1 Thess 2. 18. but Satan hindred me he will hinder so far as God permits Let us also consider the hand of God in it it is to humble us to stir us up to Prayer they have rewarded me evil for good but I give my self to Prayer Psalm 109. 4. and to stir us up to greater diligence in our Work and consider that he takes notice of all your Labour and all those Difficulties that you are under Thou hast born and hast patience and for my Name 's sake hast laboured and hast not fainted Rev. 2. 3. Remember the eye of God is upon you observing how you behave your self and that he takes gracious cognizance of your going on couragiously under such discouragements 2. Let me apply this by way of Exhortation We beseech you Brethren to know them that are over you in the Lord and that you esteem them highly in love for their Works sake Let me beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ to do so