put now in the end of the world to find out a new foundation for Prelacy supposing that it hath been amiss defended till now and all these Texts except by one or two amiss expounded it will occasion the shaking of the frame it self 3. But the best is we begin to be pretty well agreed at least about the whole Government that de facto was in being in Scripture-times For 1. It is now at last confessed that the word Presbyter is not certainly taken any where in the New Testament for one that is subject to a Bishop having not power of Ordination or Jurisdiction and that no such Presbyters were in being in Scripture-times And by what authority they are since erected let them prove that are concerned in it 2. We are agreed now that they were the same persons who in Scripture are called Bishops Presbyters 3. And that these persons had the power of Ordination Jurisdiction 4. And that these persons were not the Bishops of many particular Churches but one only They ruled not many Assemblies Ordinarily meeting for Church Communion for there could no such meetings be kept up without a Bishop or Presbyter to administer the Ordinances of Christ in each And if there were in a Diocess but one Bishop and no other Presbyters in Scripture times then it must needs be that a Diocess contained but one ordinary Church Assembly and that de facto no Biship in Scripture-times had under him any Presbyters nor more such Assemblies then one That is they Ruled the particular Churches just as our Parish Pastors do So that we are satisfied that we go that way that the Apostles established and was used de facto in Scripture-times And if any will prove the lawfulness of latter mutations or will prove that the Apostles gave power to these particular Pastors to degenerate into another sort of officers hereafter according to the Cogency of their Evidence we shall believe it In the mean time desiring to be guided by the word of God and to go upon sure ground and take only so much as is certain we hold where we are and are glad that we are so far agreed Yet not presuming to censure all superiour Episcopacy nor refusing to obey any man that commandeth us to do our duty but resolving to do our own work in faithfulness and peace For my own part I have ever thought it easier to be Governed then to Govern and I am ready as the Brittish told Austin to be obedient to any man in and for the Lord Nor can I think that any Government can be burdensom which Christ appointeth but all beneficial to us as making our burden lighter and not heavyer and helping and not hindering us in the way to heaven Were Christs work but throughly done I should be the backwardest in contending who should have the doing of it Let us agree but on this one thing which is plain here in my Text That the Churches or Flocks should be no greater then the Pastors can personally over-see so that they may Take heed to all the Flock and then let but able faithful men be the Over-seers that will make the word of God the Rule and lay out themselves for the saving of mens souls and I am resolved never to contend with such about the business of superiority but cheerfully to obey them in all things lawful if they require my obedience If the difference were not more about the matters commanded and the work it self to be done then Who should command it me thinks humble men should be easily agreed Would they but lay by all needless humane impositions and obtrusions and be contented with the sufficient word of God and not make new work to necessitate new Canons and Authorities to impose it but be content with the Gospel simplicity and let us take that for a sufficient way to heaven that Peter and Paul went thither in I think I should not disobey such a Bishop though I were not satisfied of his differing Order or Degree Yea if he were addicted to some encroaching usurpation of more power then is meet would he but forbear the Ecce duo gladii and come to us only with the sword of the spirit which will admit of fair debates and works only upon the conscience I know no reason much to fear such power though it were undue But enough of this SECT III. THE Observations which the Text affordeth us are so many that I may not now stay so much as to name them but shall only lay down that one which containeth the main scope of the Text and take in the rest as subordinate motives in the handling of that in the method which the Apostle doth here deliver them to us Doct. THE Pastors or Over-seers of the Churches of Christ must take great heed both to themselves and to all their Flocks in all the parts of their Pastoral work The method which we shall follow in handling this point shall be this 1. I shall briefly open to you the terms of the subject What is meant by Pastors and Churches 2. I shall shew you what it is to Take heed to our selves and wherein it must be done 3. I shall give some brief Reasons of that part of the point 4. I shall shew you What it is to Take heed to all the Flock in our Pastoral work and wherein it must be done 5. I shall make some Application of all SECT IV. 1. VVHat the words Pastor Bishop and Church do signifie I will not wast time to tell you they being so well known As for the things signified 1. By a Pastor or Bishop here is meant An Officer appointed by Christ for the ordinary Teaching and Guiding a particular Church and all its members in order to their salvation and the pleasing of God Christ appointeth the Office it self by his Laws The person he calleth to it by his qualifying Gifts Providential disposals secret impulses and ordinarily by the Ordination of his present Officers and the Acceptance of the Church Teaching and Guidance contain the main parts at least of the work to which they are designed The particulars we shall further stand upon anon A particular Church is the object of their work by which they are distinguished from Apostolical unfixed itinerant Ministers They are the stated Ordinary Teachers of such a Church by which they are differenced both from private men who do occasionally teach and from the foresaid Itinerant Ministers that do but in transitu or seldom teach a particular Church The subject is the matters of Salvation and Obedience to God and the end is salvation it self and the pleasing of God therein by which work and ends the office is distinguished from all other offices as Magistrates School-masters c. though they also have the same remote or ultimate ends By the Flock and Church is meant that particular society of Christians of which these Bishops or Elders have the charge associated for personal Communion in
Anglicanus was called stupor mundi before all those Ignorant and Scandalous ones were cast out what may we now call it Brethren let me deal freely with you The ungrateful contempt of a faithful Ministry is the shame of the faces of thousands in this Land and if through-Repentance prevent it not they shall better know in hell whether such Ministers were their friends or foes and what they would have done for them if their counsel had been heard When the Messengers of God were mocked and his words despised and his Prophets abused the wrath of the Lord arose on the Israelites themselves and there was no remedy 2 Chro. 36. 16. Shall Ministers study and preach and pray for you and shall they be despised When they have the God of Heaven and their own consciences to witness that they desire not yours but you and are willing to spend and be spent for your sakes and that all the wealth in the world would not be regarded by them in comparison of your salvation and that all their labours and sufferings is for your sakes if yet they shall be requited with your contempt or scorn or dicourageing unteachableness see who will prove the losers in the end When God himself shall Justifie and Condemn them with a Well done good and faithful servant let those that reproached despised and condemned them defend their faces from shame and their consciences from the accusations of their horrid ingratitude as well as they can Read the Scripture and see whether they that obeyed Gods Messengers or they that despised and disobeyed them sped best And if any of the Seducers will tell you that we are not the Ministers of Christ leave them not till they tell you which is his true Church and Ministry and where they are and by that time they have well answered you you may know more of their minds 3. My last advice to you is this See that you Obey your faithful Teachers and improve their help for your salvation while you have it and take heed that you refuse not to learn when they would teach you And in particular see that you refuse not to submit to them in this duty of Private Instruction which is mentioned in this Treatise Go to them when they desire you and be thankful for their help Yea and at other times when you need their advice go to them of your own accord and ask it Their office is to be your guides in the way to life If you seek not their Direction it seems you either despise salvation it self or else you are so Proud as to think your selves sufficient to be your own Directors Shall God in mercy send you Leaders to Teach you and Conduct you in the way to Glory and will you stoutly send them back or refuse their assistance and say We have no need of their Direction Is it for their own case or gain that they trouble you or is it for your own everlasting gain Remember that Christ hath said to his Messengers He that despiseth you despiseth me If your obstinate refusal of their Instruction do put them to bear witness against you in Judgement and to say Lord I would have taught these ignorant sinners and admonished these worldly impenitent wretches but they would not so much as come to me nor speak with me look you to it and answer it as you can For my part I would not be then in your case for all the world But I shall say no more to you on this point but only desire you to read and consider the exhortation which is published in our Agreement it self which speaks to you more fully And if you read this book remember that the Duty which you find to belong to the Ministers doth shew also what belongs to your selves For it cannot be our duty to Teach Catechize Advise c. if it be not yours to Hear and Learn and seek Advice If you have any temptation to question our office read the London Ministers Ius Divinum Minister Evang. and Mr. Tho. Balls book for the Ministry If you doubt of the duty of learning the Principles and being Catechized read the London Ministers late Exhortation to Catechizing and Mr. Zach. Croftons book for Catechizing now newly published April 16. 1656. Rich. Baxter Dr. H. Hammond of the Power of the Keyes cap. 4. sect 104. pag. 113. NAY thirdly there will be little matter of doubt or controversie but that private frequent spiritual conference betwixt fellow-Christians but especially and in matters of high concernment and difficulty between the Presbyter and those of his charge even in the time of health and peculiarly that part of it which is spent in the discussion of every mans special sins and infirmities and inclinations may prove very useful and advantagious in order to spiritual directions reproof and comfort to the making the man of God perfect And to tell truth if the Pride and self conceit of some the wretchlesness of others the bashfulness of a third sort the nauseating and instant satiety of any good in a fourth the follies of men and artifices of Satan had not put this practice quite out of fashion among us there is no doubt but more good might be done by Ministers this way then is now done by any other means separated from the use of this particularly then by that of Publike Preaching which yet need not be neglected the more when this is used which hath now the fate to be cryed up and almost solely depended on it being the likelyer way as Quintilian saith comparing Publike and private teaching of youth to fill narrow mouth'd bottles and such are the most of us by taking them single in the hand and pouring in water into each then by setting them altogether and throwing never so many bottles of water on them Mr. William Gurnal in his excellent Book called The Christian in compleat Armour pag. 2 5. THE ignorant soul feels no such smart If the Minister stay till he sends for him to instruct him he may sooner hear the bell go for him than any Messenger come for him You must seek them out and not expect that they will come to you These are a sort of people that are afraid more of their Remedy than their disease and study more to hide their ignorance then how to have it cured which should make us pitty them the more because they can pitty themselves so little I confess it is no small unhappiness to some of us who have to do with a multitude that we have neither time nor strength to make our addresses to every particular person in our Congregations and attend on them as their needs require and yet cannot well satisfie our consciences otherwise But let us look to it that though we cannot do to the height of what we would we be not found wanting in what we may Let not the difficulty of our Province make us like some who when they see they have more work
shall be all ungoverned And the Physitian that will undertake the Guidance of all the sick people in a whole Nation or County when he is not able to visit or direct the hundreth man of them may as well say Let them perish Ob. But though they cannot Rule them by themselves they may do it by others Answ The nature of the Pastoral work is such as must be done by the Pastor himself He may not delegate a man that is no Pastor to Baptize or administer the Lords Supper or to be the Teacher of the Church No more may he commit the Government of it to another Otherwise by so doing he makes that man the Bishop if he make him the immediate Ruler and Guid of the Church And if a Bishop may make each Presbyter a Bishop so he do but derive the power from him then let it no more be held unlawful for them to Govern or to be Bishops And if a Prelate may do it it is like Christ or his Apostles might and have done it for as we are to preach in Christs name and no in any mans so it s likely that we must Rule in his name But of this somewhat more anon Yet still it must be acknowledged that in case of necessity where there are not more to be had one man may under take the charge of more souls then he is able well to over-see particularly But then he must only undertake to do what he can for them and not to do all that a Pastor ordinarily ought to do And this is the case of some of us that 〈◊〉 greater Parishes then we are able to take 〈…〉 â—eed to as their state requireth I must proteâ—â— or my own part I am so far from their boldness in 〈…〉 venture on the sole Government of a County that I would not for all England have undertaken to have been one of the two that should do all the Padoral work that God enjoyneth to that one Parish where I live had I not this to satisfie my conscience that through the Churches necessities more cannot be had and therefore I must rather do what I can than leave all undone because I cannot do all But cases of unavoidable necessity are not to be the standing condition of the Church or at least it is not desirable that it should so be O happy Church of Christ were the Labourers but Able and Faithful and proportioned in number to the number of souls So that the Pastors were so many or the particular Flocks or Churches so small that we might be able to Take heed to All the Flocks SECT II. HAving told you these two things that are here implyed I come next to the duty it self that is exprest And this Taking heed to All the Flock in general is A very great care of the whole and every part with great watchfulness and diligence in the use of all those holy actions and Ordinances which God hath required us to use for their salvation More particularly this work is to be considered 1. In respect to the subject matter of it 2. In respect to the object 3. In respect to the work it self or the Actions which we must do And 4. In respect to the End which we must intend Or it is not amiss if I begin first with this last as being first in our intention though last as to the attainment 1. The ultimate end of our Pastoral over-sight is that which is the ultimate end of our whole lives Even the Pleasing and Glorifying of God to which is connext the Glory of the humane nature also of Christ and the Glorification of his Church and of our selves in particular And the neerer ends of our office are the sanctification and holy obedience of the people of our charge their unity order beauty strength preservation and increase and the right worshipping of God especially in the solemn Assemblies By which it is manifest that before a man is capable of being a true Pastor of a Church according to the mind of Christ he must have so high an estimation of these things that they may be indeed his ends 1. That man therefore that is not himself taken-up with the predominant love of God and is not himself devoted to him and doth not devote to him all that he hath and can do that man that is not addicted to the pleasing of God and maketh him not the Center of all his actions and liveth not to him as his God and Happiness That is that man that is not a sincere Christian himself is utterly unfit to be a Pastor of a Church And if we be not in a case of desperate necessity the Church should not admit such so far as they can discover them Though to inferiour common works as to teach the Languages and some Philosophy to translate Scriptures c. they may be admitted A man that is not heartily devoted to God addicted to his service honour will never set heartily about the Pastoral work nor indeed can he possibly while he remaineth such do one part of that work no nor of any other nor speak one word in Christian sincerity For no man can be sincere in the means that is not so in his intentions of the end A man must heartily Love God above all before he can heartily serve him before all 2. No man is fit to be a Minister of Christ that is not of a publike spirit as to the Church and delighteth not in its beauty and longeth not for its felicity As the good of the Common-wealth must be the end of the Magistrate his neerer end so must the felicity of the Church be the end of the Pastors of it So that we must rejoyce in its welfare and be willing to spend and be spent for its sake 3. No man is fit to be a Pastor of a Church that doth not set his heart on the life to come and regard the matters of everlasting life above all the matters of this present life and that is not sensible in some measure how much the inestimable riches of glory are to be preferred to the trifles of this world For he will never set his heart on the work of mens salvation that doth not heartily believe and value that salvation 4. He that delighteth not in holiness hateth not iniquity loveth not the Unity and Purity of the Church and abhorreth not discord and divisions and taketh not pleasure in the Communion of Saints and the publike worship of God with his people is not fit to be a Pastor of a Church For none of all these can have the true ends of a Pastor and therefore cannot do the works For of what necessity the end is to the Means and in Relations is easily known SECT III. II. THE subject matter of the Ministerial work is in general spiritual things or matters that concern the Pleasing of God and the Salvation of our people It is not about temporal and transitory things It is
only much more then they have taken for that think it consisteth in making of new Laws or Canons to bind the Church As if God had not made us Laws sufficient and as if he had committed the proper Legislative power over his Church to Ministers or Bishops whose office is but to expound and apply and execute in their places the Laws of Christ Obj. But will you deny to Bishops the power of making Canons What are all those Articles that you have here agreed on among your selves about Catechizing and Discipline but such things Answ 1. I know Pastors may teach and expound Scripture and deliver that in writing to the people and apply the Scripture Generals to their own and the peoples particular cases if you wil cal this making Canons 2. And they may and ought to Agree among themselves for an unanimous performance of their duties when they have discovered it that so they may excite one another and be more strong and successful in their work 3. And they must determine of the Circumstances of worship in special which God hath only determined in General as what time and place they shall meet in what Chapter read what Text preacht on what shape the Table Cups c. shall be where the Pulpit when each person shall come to be catechized or instructed and whither c. But these are actions that are fitter to be ordered by them that are in the place then by distant Canon-makers And to Agree for unity in a necessary duty as we have done is not to make Laws or arrogate Authority over our Brethren Of this I refer you to Luther de Conciliis at large and to Grotius de Imper. sum pot That Canons are not properly Laws CHAP. III. SECT I. HAving spoken of the matter of our work we are next to speak a little of the manner not of each part distinctly least we be too tedious but of the whole in general But specially refering to the principal part 1. The Ministerial work must be managed Purely for God and the salvation of the people and not for any private ends of our own This is our sincerity in it A wrong end makes all the work bad as from us how good soever in it self It s not a serving God but our selves if we do it not for God but for our selves They that set upon this as a common work to make a trade of it for their worldly livelyhood will find that they have chosen a bad trade though a good imployment Self-denyal is of Absolute necessity in every Christian but of a double necessity in a Minister as he hath a double Sanctification or Dedication to God And without self-denyal he cannot do God an hours faithful service Hard studies much knowledge and excellent preaching is but a more glorious hypocritical sinning if the ends be not right The saying of Bernard Serm. in Cant. 26. is commonly known Sunt qui scire volunt co sine tantum ut sciant turpis curiositas est sunt qui scire volunt ut scientiam suam vendant turpis quaest us est sunt qui scire volunt ut sciantur ipsi turpis vanitas est Sed sunt quoque qui scire volunt ut adificent Charitas est sunt qui scire volunt ut aedificentur prudentia est 2. This work must be managed Laboriously and Diligently as being of such unspeakable consequence to others and our selves We are seeking to uphold the world to save it from the curse of God to perfect the Creation to attain the ends of Christs Redemption to save our selves and others from Damnation to overcome the Devil and demolish his Kingdom and to set up the Kingdom of Christ and attain and help others to the Kingdom of Glory And are these works to be done with a careless mind or a lazy hand O see then that this work be done with all your might Study hard for the well is deep and our brains are shallow and as Cassiod Decorum hic est terminum non habere hic honesta probatur ambitio Omne fi quidem scientificum quanto profundius quaeritur tanto gloriosius invenitur But especially be laborious in Practice and exercise of your knowledge Let Pauls words ring in your ears continually Necessity is laid upon me and woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel Still think with your selves what lyeth upon your hands If I do not bestir me Satan may prevail and the people everlastingly perish and their blood be required at my hand And by avoiding Labour and Suffering I shall draw on me a thousand times more then I avoid for as Bernard saith Qui in labore hominum non sunt in labore profecto Daemonum erunt Whereas by present Diligence you prepare for future blessedness For as Gregor in Mor. saith Quot labores veritati nunc exhibes tot etiam remunerationis pignora intra spei tuae cubiculum clausum tenes No man was ever a loser by God 3. This work must be carried on Prudent'y Orderly and by Degrees Milk must go before strong meat The foundation must be first laid before we build upon it Children must not be dealt with as men at age Men must be brought into a state of Grace before we can expect from them the works of Grace The work of Conversion and Repentance from dead works and faith in Christ must be first and frequently and throughly taught The Stewards of Gods houshold must give to each their portion in due season We must not go beyond the capacities of our people ordinarily nor teach them the perfection that have not learned the principles As August saith li. 12. de Civit. Si pro viribus suis alatur infans fiet ut crescendo plus capiat si modum suae capacitatis excedat desicit antequam crescat And as Gregor Nysen saith Orat de Pauper amand As we teach not insants the deep precepts of science but first letters and then syllables c. So also the Guides of the Church do first propound to their hearers certain documents which are as the elements and so by degrees do open to them the more perfect and mysterious matters Therefore did the Church take so much pains with their Catechumeni before they baptized them and would not lay unpolished stones into the building as Chrysost saith Hom. 40. Imperfect operis or who ever else it be p. mihi 318. Aedificatores sunt Sacerdotes qui domum Dei compon unt sicut enim adificatores nodosos lapides habentes torturas ferro dolant postea vero ponunt eos in aedificio alioqui non dolati lapides lapidibus non cohaerent Sic Ecclesiae doctores vitia hominum quasi nodos acutis increpationibus primum circumcidere debent sic in Ecclesiae aedificatione collocare alioquin vitiis manentibus Christiani Christianis concordare non possunt 4. Through the whole course of our Ministery we must insist most upon the Greatest
that they would speedily and faithfully put in execution at least all the unquestionable part of the Discipline that they have so much contended for When we were so offended with the Parliament for their enumeration of scandals as too defective and a Protestation was published that we acted only on supposition that it was defective sure we little thought then that we that were so earnest to have had more power would use none and we that must needs have authority to reject more then the Parliament did enumerate would censure so few even of them as we have done since we have had more liberty to do it But one objection is common which I forgot They say We are but single Pastors and therefore cannot excommunicate men alone unless we should make every Pastor a Pope in his Parish or a Bishop at least Answ For my part I have no mind to obtrude my own opinion on such for the power of a single person to excommunicate I have sufficiently already proved my self a Novelist and singular with some by asserting antient and most common Truths But yet 1. I could with these men so much moderation as to be sure that they are in this as much wiser then the contrary-minded as their confidence doth import before they proceed in calling them Popes Least as the cunning of the times is by making many Antichrists to make none so these men should contrary to their intention credit the Pope by making so many Popes and the Prelates too by making such kind of Prelates 2. A Pope is the pretended head of the Catholike Church and an universal Bishop to govern it Are single ruling Pastors such A Diocesan Bishop is the Ruler of all the Pastors and Churches in a Diocess Is such a Pastor one of these 3. Why do you in your disputes against the Prelates maintain that every Minister is a Bishop of his own Church and do you now abhor it 4. What if you might not excommunicate may you not therefore do the rest may you not personally and publikely reprove them pray for them c. 5. Must not the people avoid a Notorious drunkard c. whether you bid them or not If not why hath God commanded it If yea why may you not bid them do that which is their duty 6. Have you none in your Parish not one or two to make Ruling Elders of that by their conjunction you may be authorised to do more then now you do I mean according to your own principles for I confess it s not according to mine 7. And what hindereth but you may joyn together if you will If it must needs be many Pastors conjunct that must exercise any act of Discipline why is it not so done Doth any forbid them or threaten them if they do it If you say I am alone because no neighbour Minister will joyn with me You speak hardly of all the Ministers about you What! are they all so negligent Blame us not then to reprove them But it s an incredible thing that they should be all so bad that are of your judgement that no one or two will be perswaded to assist you And I think you will confess that two or three may do it authoritatively though no one else in the County do it I could wish that the Prelates had not such an argument given them as this No one Presbyter hath the Power of the Keyes by their own Confession therefore two or three have not least they go further in proving the consequence then you expect But if it must be so I could yet wish that no single Pastor for the excusing of himself would lay such a reproachful charge upon all the Ministers in the Country that be of his own Judgement as to say that Discipline is cast aside because they can get none to joyn with them in the execution at least till they have throughly tryed whether it be so indeed or not SECT VIII 5. ANother sad discovery that we have not so devoted our selves and all we have to the service of God as we ought is The Prevalency of worldly fleshly interests too much against the Interest and work of Christ And this I shall further manifest in these three instances following 1. Our temporizing 2. Our too much minding worldly things and shrinking from duties that will hinder our commodity 3. Our barrenness in works of Charity and in the improving of all that we have to our Masters use 1. I would not have any to be thwart and contentious with those that govern them nor to be disobedient to any of their lawful commands But it is not the least reproach upon the Ministery that the most of them for worldly advantage do still suit themselves with the party that is most likely to suit to their ends If they look for secular advantages they suit themselves to the secular Power if for the air of Ecclesiastick applause then do they suit themselves to the party of Ecclesiasticks that is most in credit This is not a private but an Epidemical malady In Constantines daies how prevalent were the Orthodox In Constantius daies they almost all turned Arrians so that there were very few Bishops at all that did not apostatize or betray the truth even of the same men that had been in the Council of Nice And when not only Liberius but great O sius himself fell who had been the President or chief in so many Orthodox Councils what better could be expected from weaker men Were it not for secular advantage or Ecclesiastick faction and applause how could it come to pass that Ministers in all the Countries in the world are either all or almost all of that Religion and way that is most in credit and most consistent with their worldly interest Among the Greeks they are all of the Greek profession and among the Abassines the Nestorians the Maronites the Iacobites the Ministers generally go one way And among the Papists they are almost all Papists And in Saxony Sweden Denmark c. almost all Lutherans In Holland France Scotland almost all Calvinists It s strange that they should be all in the right in one Countrey and all in the wrong in another if carnal advantages and reputation did not sway much When men fal upon a conscientious search the variety of Intellectual capacities causeth unavoidably a great variety of conceits about some hard lower things But let the Prince and the stream of men in credit go one way and you shall have the generality of Ministers agree to a hair and that without any extraordinary search How generally did the common sort of Ministers too often change their Religion with the Prince at several times in this land Not all as our Martyrologie can witness but the most I will purposely forbare the mention of any later change If the Rulers of an University should but be corrupt who have the disposal of preferments how much might they do with the most of the