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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96932	Private-men no pulpit-men: or, A modest examination of lay-mens preaching. Discovering it to be neither warranted by the Word of God; nor allowed by the judgement, or practise, of the Churches of Christ in New-England. / Written by Giles Workman, M.A. and master of the Colledge School in Gloucester. In answer to a writing published by John Knowls.	Workman, Giles, 1604 or 5-1665.	1646 (1646)	Wing W3583; Thomason E354_9; ESTC R201096	26,327	32

have the gift of prophesie to use it Answ This is true but no proof of his Doctrine the truth is this Scripture concludes against him The A … le requires that they who have these gifts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. Prophesie and Ministery or Deaconship exercise them in humilitie and fidelitie He that hath the gift of Prophesie must prophesie and he that hath the gift of Ministery or Deaconship must do the duty of a Minister or Deacon Now who be they who have these gifts They that are by office Prophets and Ministers or Deacons or they that have abilities onely If you say the former the sense is they that are by office Preachers must preach which is most true but not to his purpose If you say the latter then the sense is Preach he that can and it will follow baptize he that can and rule he that can too Now to prove that the Apostle doth not take gifts here for abilities onely as you do these Reasons I propose to consideration 1. The word Gift is used in Scripture as I expound for the Office it self or gifted calling So Ephes 4. 8. He gave gifts unto men what were those gifts See ver 11. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers The office of an Apostle that is a gift the office of a Prophet that is a gift and so of the rest And so Mr. Cotton expounds The way of the Churches of Christ in New-England c. 2. Sect. 2. this place his words are That they were gifts we willingly acknowledge because all the Offices and Officers of the Church were given to the Church as well as the spirituall gifts and graces whereby they do execute those offices for so saith the Ap●stle when Christ ascended up on high he gave gifts to men What gifts Some to be Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists c. So ●e His Testimony I gladly use not onely as he is a learned and godly man but because in this and all other particulars wherin I shall use him as a witnesse he is not singularis testis but carries with him the voice of the Churches of Christ in New England and of many in Old-England too as we shall see anon So again Ephes 3. 8. Vnto me is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles c. q. d. God of his grace without any merit in me hath given me the gift to preach to the Gentiles And what was this gift See Rom. 11. 13. I am the Apostle of the Gentiles I magnifie mine office His office of Apostleship to the Gentiles with answerable abilities that 's implyed was his gift to preach to the Gentiles So you see Gift is taken in Scripture as well for the office as abilities And so Mr. Cotton doth expound this place Rom. 12. 6. which John Knowles urges his words are citing this Text Having then different gifts c. gifts Ibid. c. 2. S. 1. saith he comprehending both offices and grace Now John Knowles must prove 't is not so taken here or he proves nothing hence 2. If we take gift in his sense for abilities onely then these absurdities will follow 1. We may then proceed from abilities to the exercise of other callings for if ability to preach be sufficient to authorize one to preach without any more adoo then also ability to baptize and to rule and govern is sufficient to authorize any to baptize and to take on them to rule govern and judge as Rulers Magistrates and Judges do For there is the same reason for this in other Callings as in Preaching And the Apostle in this place speaks generally of other Callings as well as of Preaching Whether prophesie let us prophesie c. ver 6. He that ruleth let him do it with diligence v. 8. So then he that concludes hence That whosoever hath ability to preach may preach must conclude also that he that hath ability to rule may rule of which the former is usurpation the latter Sedition We say gifts are but the foundation of a Calling they do not warrant any to do the works of that Calling without any more ado To a Calling two things are required 1. Gifts or endowments 2. Authority This is plain in Joh. 20. 21. As my Father hath sent me so send I you There Christ gives his Apostles Authority v. 22. He breathed on them and saith unto them Receive ye the holy Ghost There he gives them their gifts as we commonly call them viz. abilities for their Calling So Jesus before his Ascension gives the Apostles their Authority Matth. 28 19 20. Go ye therefore c. But for the plenitude of Apostolicall gifts they must wait at Jerusalem till after his Ascension Act. 1. 4. Wait for the promise from the Father which ye have heard of me Where Luk. 24. 49. where this promise is expounded to be endued with power from on high And that was when they were all filled with the holy Ghost Act. 2. 4. Now gifts and abilities are not enough without Authority Christ we see gives these distinctly and the Apostles went not with one without the other If gifts without Authority or Calling were sufficient Vzzah might have carried the Ark as well as the Priests he and others had as able bodies and as good shoulders as the Priests if abilities were enough And there had been more Apostles then ever Christ made there were Preachers at Corinth who thought themselves and others thought them too in abilities before Paul whom they looked on and bade others look on him as one in respect of them base in presence and in speech contemptible And have not private persons Gifts to baptize as well as to Preach since Scripture and Reason shew that Baptisme is also in respect of Gifts a businesse inferiour to Preaching And have not Lawyers and some other private men Gifts to do those things that belong to the Judges and Magistrates office And by this Doctrine every such one may ay and must step up into the Judges and Magistrates seats of Justice Must I say because they teach that Gifts are their warrant sufficient and that ●od requires the exercise of them All then who have gifts to be Judges and Magistrates are sent of God to the Bench and Sword What bloodie confusions would this breed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a confusion as is inconsistent with and would soon subvert the Offices And will it not be the same in Ecclesiasticall Offices Yes 't is of Church matters Paul there speaks 1 Cor. 14. and saith God is not the Author of confusion but of peace as in all the Churches of the Saints Yet extraordinary gifts that is miraculous we will grant bring authority with them therefore as these men take on them to prophesie which was an extraordinary and Temporary office of which anon as appears Ephes 4. 11. so could they speak with Tongues too we

diseases of the body by which it comes to passe that there are more Phisitians then Patients So every one is wont to think himself fitter to teach then to learn So he 3. Where be gifts indeed fit for the Ministery such must desire the office and the exercise thereof Hear the Apostle to all such This is a true saying if a man desire the office of a Bishop he desireth 1 Tim. 3. 1. a good work God doth and the Church must encourage and receive such into the Ministery as are fit for it and encourage them to desire and undertake it For the charge is so great as the great Apostle felt that some sensible of it need incouragement and drawing a spurre as much as some others do a bit a barre What means e●se that phrase of our Saviour Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest that he will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thrust Matth 9. or cast out Labourers into his Vineyard We in our dayes may with compassion look upon as great a Harvest in the three Kingdoms as our Lord Jesus did in Judea As He commands we must pray the Lord of the Harvest to Gift and send more out where they are wanting The Church and such as are intrusted in this businesse must call and they must enter into office and then be Preachers This is Christs order to be called to the office of the Ministery then preach they that do not this do for ought I know crosse Christs order preach unwarrantably and walk disorderly in this particular We come to the second place alledged for Lay-mens preaching and that is Act. 8. 1. At that time there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem and they were all scattered abroad thorowout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the Apostles 4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word Here he supposes that these who preached here were private persons in the same condition as Lay-men with us And therefore our Lay-men may preach so as they do even as these Primitive Christians did 1. We will examine his proof that these Preachers were private men and if he makes not this good he proves nothing 2. We will shew that if it could be proved that these were private men this example will no way help to prove the lawfulnesse of that practise which our Lay-preachers use and plead for 1. How doth he prove them private men this is all this proof which is nothing satisfactory Kno. They were not the Apostles as it is apparent v. 1. and at this time there were no Offi●ers in the Church save the Apostles and Deacons as we read of Answ We grant they were not the Apostles for they stayed at Jerusalem v. 1. and he grants there were Deacons and they were more then Lay-men for he cals them Officers and the Scripture shews that they had imposition of hands Act. 6. 6. so they were not all private persons But grant it was not a Deacons office to preach how doth he prove there were no other officers at this time He must prove out of Gods Word that before this persecution there were no other Officers and if these were all private persons at Jerusalem he must prove that the Apostles gave them no Commission to preach when they went thence and supposing this then that God did not give them commission by immediate Revelation till he prove this there is nothing hence to satisfie them that seek Scripture-warrant but onely to beguil inconfiderate people All that is said for this is there were none as we read of He may read of them if he will as others do But by this time doth he mean before this scattering by this persecution or after If before I answer two things 1. A very learned man saith that the seventy Disciples Rutherf Due Right of Presbyt c. 5. S. 1. p. 292. Id. ibid. p. 293. were Pastors in office v. 1. The Lord appointed other seventy also and sent them not onely to preach but to work miracles and this makes them more then private persons And the same man tels us that learned Divines think that these of the scattered Church who preached were the seventy Disciples 2. Grant that the first commission of these seventy Disciples was but temporary and that all these before this dispersion were at Jerusalem but private persons No need of other Preachers at Jerusalem whilest all the Apostles were there and Deacons were not made till need required them Act. 6. But after this dispersion he may read of others if he will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prophets and Evangelists the Apostles fellow-labourers in the work of the Ministery That there were such see Act. 13. 1. chap. 15. 32. and often And Act. 21. 8. we shall finde that Philip one of the seven Deacons and one of these that were scattered abroad is now an Evangelist And that these Prophets and Evangelists were Officers is plain Ephes 4. 11. Now can this Writer finde the time when they were put into office He will have Philip and all the rest of the scattered Christians to go from Jerusalem private persons Philip but a Deacon at most afterwards we finde some of them Prophets some Evangelists can it be proved they were not appointed to these Functions when they left Jerusalem It will be hard to prove it yet that and more then that must be proved as we shall see anon or his Argument and Cause fals for any help it can have from this place Wherefore I oppose these three considerations against what is said to prove that these Preachers were private persons 1. The Apostles had a charge from the Lord Jesus to preach the Gospel to every creature and herewith they had power as to preach themselves so to authorize and send forth other men to that work And this they did practise every where as opportunity offered and necessity required witnesse the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles sending forth Prophets and Evangelists the Apostles Assistants in their extraordinary work to plant and gather Churches or to confirm them that were planted and to ordain Pastors and Teachers in setled Churches And how will it be proved that the Apostles did not give Authority to these men to preach the Gospel as they went Was there not need when the Apostles themselves must stay at Jerusalem v. 1. and the Gospel must be preached abroad at the sametime And is it probable nay is it not to question the Apostles care that they being trusted with the spreading of the Gospel should let these men go and give them no order to preach it which if they did it's enough especially since this persecution came by Gods Providence for this very end that they whom peace held together in comfortable fellowship at Jerusalem being dispersed might spread the Gospel as they went Is there any Scripture Reason or sense to the contrary And if the Apostles gave them order to preach then

would not question their Authority but hear and defend their Preaching 2. If all that can may and must preach the Ministers office were needlesse What need of Authority by office to do that which every one may and must do without it For Jo Knowls saith 't is Gods ordinance and the Apostle commands it and then I hope every one must do it In this City what use was there of Justices of Peace if every one here that hath any knowledge in such things and who would be found ignorant might do the Justices work in determining Causes and punishing offendors Preaching is the chief part of the Ministers office 't is the first and principall act of the Key of Authority or Cotton Keys of the Kingd c. 5. Rule And if it were the will of the Lord Jesus that this first and principall part of the Ministers office should be done promiscuously by any as well as by officers why then may not other lesse principall Acts be done by them too and what need then any office for this purpose To conclude about this place Doth St. Paul here speak of * This was one of the extraordinary degrees of the Ecclesiasticall Ministery in those dayes in which some persons by especiall inspiration of the holy Ghost were enlightned in the knowledge of Gods mysteries to expound them in the Church to which was often times ioyned the Revelation of secret and future things Diodat in loc prophesying by the Spirit i. by Revelation as some do interpret his meaning or of ordinary Preaching as others If of the former then Revelation is the gift and the sense is he that hath Revelations must prophesie which we grant If he speaketh of ordinary preaching as I think he doth then we say either prophesying here is a generall word containing under it the two Offices or Faculties immediately following viz. Teaching and Exhortation which answer to Pastors and Doctons Ephes 4. 11. And then the meaning is He that hath received the Gift i. the Office of Pastor or Doctor must wait on Exhortation or Teaching Or if with others we make not Appellat Prophetiam non solum eorum quae futura praescientiam sed eorum etiam quae sint occulta cognitionem Theodoret so many offices in this place as Pastors and Teachers to be two severall officers but say Exhortation and Teaching to be but two severall gifts in the same office yet none of them say that Paul speaks here of any other Exhorters and Teachers but such as are by office Ministers Nor that St. Paul speaks here of any other Prophets but such as were by office Prophets Prophets were set in the Church 1 Cor. 12. 29. set as officers even as Apostles and Governors and Teachers who are officers And you have as good warrant to say there were Lay-Apostles Lay-Teachers Lay-Governors who were gifted men Ruthers Right of Presbyt c. 5. S. 1 p. 300. not in office as you have to say there were Lay-Prophets or Prophets not in office Thus Divines expound this place either sense serves our turn and crosseth our Writers If this Exposition be not liked let this Writer or any other for him prove that there are in Scripture any other ordinary Prophets besides Pastors and Teachers or if he cannot prove that which will be hard to do let that be proved which he afterwards affirms that prophesie is here di●●inguished from offices as one particular differs from another else he saith nothing to the purpose nor can he conclude any thing certain or probable hence For we say Pastors and Teachers are the ordinary Prophets and none besides them Kno. It is the businesse of a Servant of God to use those Gifts for the edifying of the Church which God doth bestow on them for that same end Answ This is true but not as he applyes it That private persons gifts are bestowed on them for this end that they should be preachers of Gods Word we deny it must be proved And to what end then are womens gifts given them who must not preach He can no more hence conclude that private persons may preach then that every Lawyer gifted in the Law may step into the Judges Seats at Westminster and do their work For a Lawyer is bound to use those gifts God hath given him in the Law for the good of his brothers estate as well as a Christian is bound to use his gifts of grace for the good of his brothers soul Must every Lawyer therefore say 't is his businesse to do the Judges and Magistrates functions He would soon be taught to his cost that it was his usurpation if any should be so mad to enterprise it For satisfaction we answer 1. There are other wayes of using gifts for the edifying of the Church besides preaching Family-governors and Parents must edifie their children and family and God gives them gifts in prayer and knowledge and for that purpose And Christians must exhort and comfort and so edifie one another in Christian Conference and discourse and God gives them gifts for it ay to women many times no mean gifts this way as Scripture shews us in Priscilla and others and experience in many and yet no woman must preach yet hath she a large field to exercise her edifying gifts in 2. Sometimes Gifts are onely pretended In St. Paul's time some desired to be teachers or would be teachers who were 1 Tim. 1. 7. not qualified for such a businesse Wherefore the Apostle in that Epistle gives Timothy order that a Novice should not be admitted Cap. 3. 6. into the Ministery such having an eye to the honos credit but weigh not the onus burden of the work And as his perswasion of his own gifts will make him aspire so the tickling of applause in the exercise of his gifts would swell him with pride and endanger him And St. James hath an eye to this I think when he saith speaking of censures My bretbren be not many masters 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teachers indeed a Iam. 3. 1. Teacher hath a mastership and therefore a woman is forbidden to teach for that were to usurp authority over the man 1 Tim. 2. 12. 1 Cor. 14. 34. * Reprehendit eos qui cum ad docendum vocati non sint tamen munus illud privato ausu affectant ac proindè ex ambitione jus rigidae censurae sibi ●n proximos arrogant Pisca in loc Let there not be many amongst you that attribute to themselves the authority of teaching reproving and censuring of others as thinking themselves more wise more holy and more sufficient Diodat in loc Beza's note on this place is Agit de eo morbo qui pervulgatus est in corporis etiam morbis quo fit ut plures sint medici quam aegroti Sic solet quivis existimare se ad docendum quàm ad discendum aptiorem i. St. James treats of that disease which is common also in the

one as well as the other that is neither And saith he that the administration of the Seals is annexed to the preaching of the Word is plain from Matth. 28. 19 20. Go make Disciples and baptize them Reys of the King cap. 5. p. 20. Obj. If you distinguish between Pastorall preaching and preaching by vertue of a Gift and say Lay-men may not administer the Sacraments because they do not preach Pastorally Sol. A learned Divine hath shaped a good Answer to this Rutherf Due Right of Presbyt c. 5. S. 1. p. 277. The same distinction saith he may as well hold that there is a pastorall administration of the Sacraments and a common administration of them by vertue of a gift The former way Pastors and Teachers onely may baptize the latter way Lay-men may baptize too And why may we not lead on the distinction farther and say there is a ruling by office and so Rulers and Magistrates do lay censures taxes and punishments on offenders and there is a ruling by Gift and so private men may lay censures taxes and punishments on others Apage●●…gas away with such fooleries But let us suppose that these of the scatrered Church who preached were private persons this will nothing at all help our Writer to justifie that practise of preaching which he defends unlesse he could prove that these private men did preach at Jerusalem too where all the Apostles were For this his proof these private men being scattered among those who had no Ministery nor ever heard of Christ did preach therefore there a private man may preach and that ordinarily for that is the practise where a Ministery a faithfull Ministery is or may be had Doth this follow Yet A positive law may yeild in case of necessitie Matth. 12. 4. thus our whole Discourse is to be understood Whether a private person coming into such a Countrey among such a people who never had the sound of the Gospel among them may preach is quite without the bounds of our Question Let our Writer therefore prove that these Christians did preach at Jerusalem where the Apostles were and then there is some consequence that private men may preach where Preachers by Office are else not Now of the last place alledged by John Knowls to prove Lay-men may preach it is 1 Cor. 14. the onely place and yet he slips over it with slender proof and as slight answer to that which was laid in his way in the Ministers Reasons the sound of the words being more for him than the sense This whole Chapter runs upon extraordinary gifts And I take prophesying here to be prophesying by the Spirit by Revelation and good Reasons may be produced I think to prove it if John Knowls will deny it See his proof Kno. It is Gods Ordinance viz. that Lay-men do preach this doth appear in that the Apostle commands the Church to desire it and he exhorts all to desire to prophesie and tels them that they may all prophesie Answ To this he shall have my Answer after Mr. Cottons who makes this Objection Obj. If saith he it be objected Private members may all Keys of the Kingd of heaven c. 5. of them prophesie publickly 1 Cor. 14. 31. and therefore also baptize and so this act of authority viz. to preach and baptize is not peculiar to Preaching Elders To this objection he returns this Answer Answ The place in the Corinths doth not speak of ordinary private members but of men furnished with extraordinary That you may receive the miraculous gift of Gods Spirit Diodat in 1 Cor. 14. gifts Kings at the time of their Coronation give many extraordinary large gifts which they do not daily poure out in like sort in their ordinary government Christ soon after his Ascension poured out a larger measure of his Spirit then in times succeeding The members of the Church of Corinth as of many other in those primitive times were inriched with all knowledge and in all utterance 1 Cor. 1. 5. and the same persons that had the gift of prophesie in the Church of Corinth had also the gift of Tongues which put upon the Apostle a necessity to take them off from their frequent speaking with tongues by preferring prophesie before it 1 Cor. 14. 2. to 24. so that though all they might prophesie as having extraordinary gifts for it yet the like liberty is not allowed to them that want the like gifts In the Church of Israel none besides the Priests and Levites did ordinarily prophesie either in the Temple or in the Synagogues unlesse they were either furnished with extraordinary gifts of prophesie as the Prophets of Israel or were set apart and trained to prepare for such a calling as the sons of the Prophets When Amos was forbidden by the high Priest of Bethel to prohesie at Bethel Amos doth not alledge nor plead the liberty of any Israelite to prophesie in the holy assemblies but alledgeth onely his extraordinarie calling Amos 7. 14 15. It appeareth also that the sons of the Prophets that is men set apart and trained up to prepare for that calling were allowed the like liberty 1 Sam. 19. 20. This is Mr. Cottons Answer and 't is so full that for brevities sake I will spare mine here which I gave to the same purpose formerly He tels us these were not ordinary private men but such as had extraordinary gifts the gift of Tongues and the like liberty of Preaching is not allowed them that want the like gifts c. Therefore it is not Gods ordinance but crosseth Gods ordinance that private men should preach the Word if Mr. Cottons judgement be right who tels us that the preaching of Keys of the Kingd of heav c. 5. the Word is the first and principall part of the Key of Authority or Rule which Christ hath given to the Officers of the Church and not to all Officers neither but t is peculiar to preaching Elders Who are they then that the Apostle commands and exhorts to prophesie Those that were desirers of spirituall gifts What gifts did they desire and what gifts did they most use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 12. Tongues as it is evident for the Apostles scope is in this chap. to take them off from their frequent speaking with Tongues as Mr. Cotton And the Apostle exhorts and commands these to desire and use these gifts Tongues but rather to prophesie Loc. cit Well then our Lay-men are exhorted and commanded by the Apostle in this place to preach so are they then exhorted and commanded to speak with Tongues for beside v. 1. 12. see what he saith v. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will that ye all speak with Tongues So I read it as it is in the originall Hence then we will argue as he doth as we must argue thus that it is Gods ordinance and the Apostles will that all Lay-men or all private persons do speak with Tongues And what is the gift