Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A59215
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Rex theologus the preachers guard and guide in his double duty of prayer and preaching : deduced from scripture, reason, and the best examples : in three parts ...
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Seppens, Robert.
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1664
(1664)
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Wing S2560; ESTC R37366
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44,281
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75
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obligation upon the Apostles of preaching under the pain of incurring Gods heavy displeasure as Act. 4.19 20. 1 Cor. 9.16 are of Personal concernment to the Apostles and to be understood of the prime promulgation of the Gospel to unbelievers and concern not us Presbyters unless we think our selves obliged by the Commission Christ gave his Apostles to go preach to the Americans and Indians The words Bishop and Presbyter are words of relation relating to the several Provinces and Flocks under their charge Though they have a duty incumbent on them of instructing them in Christianity yet not of preaching the Gospel to every creature as the Apostles had they have not those extraordinary enablements of Tongues and Miracles and immediate Inspiration simply necessary unto that work and whereby their Doctrine became Authentick and Divine as that the Faith of the Hearers was without further inquiry to be resolved into it as into a divine Revelation In which sense alone St. Pauls words are verifiable Rom. 10.14 17. Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing by the Word How shall they hear without a Preacher c. I desire to know what man dares the Pope excepted to whom some of his vain Flatterers presume to attribute Infallibility assume to preach in such a notion as to make his Doctrine that whereinto Auditorum sides ultimo resolvitur which if not then there is not par ratio nor par obligatio nor par potestas between us and the Apostles as to the strict notion and office of a Preacher in Scripture language But whatsoever the importance of the word is in the Gospel notion yet now the word Preaching is become a word of Art and is used to signifie that act of the Ministerial Function which consists of instructing Christians in their duty and in that sense from henceforward I shall take it and for the more distinct understanding of the thing make some little enquiry into the kindes of Preaching mentioned in the Gospel And first there we find a Preaching by Inspiration and a Preaching by Pains and Industry A preaching by Inspiration such as I now intimated Of this sort was the preaching of Christ and his Apostles and those who were endued with extraordinary gifts of Prophecying in the Apostles times They all spake with Tongues as the spirit gave them utterance they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught of God It is not you that speake but the Spirit of my Father that speaketh in you And the Spirit speaking in them after their inauguration to their Apostleship and Ministry on the day of Pentecost gave St. Paul reason to call that their Ministry the Ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. Then there is a Scripture-preaching by Pains and Industry at least not without it altogether After this manner it seems Timothy preached and therefore is exhorted to give attendance to reading and to study to shew himself a workman c. Again there is a Preaching by Writing and a Preaching by Sermons one that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As Clem. Alexan. in lib. 1. stro The Apostles themselves did not Preach altogether by Sermons By writing of the Gospel they were Evangelists and did preach the Gospel to unbielevers by writing of their Epistles they did teach the Church and therefore Saint Paul doth call his Epistle to the Romanes his Gospel Rom. 2.16 Solomon was a famous Preacher yet we are not certain that he Preached otherwise then by writing The Prophets were Preachers too but they did not preach altogether by Sermons The Prophet Jeremy is commanded to write his Visions and Revelations imparted to him Chap. 30.2 Mr. Calvin saith in his Preface to Isaiah Prophet is mos fuit postquam justi sunt aliquid populo nunciare paucis summam rerum complecti valvis templi praefigere It was the manner of the Prophets when they were commanded to deelare any thing to the people to contract the summe of the matter in writing and fix it upon the doors of the Temple Lastly there is a Preaching in ones own person and a Preaching by Proxy A Preaching in ones own person Thus Christ himself Preached while he dwelt amongst us and thus the Apostles Preach'd where they came themselves Then there is a preaching by Proxy And thus Christ himself preach'd after his Ascension into Heaven Ephes 2.17 He came and preached peace unto you i. e. by his Apostles And thus the Apostles preached where they came not themselves by the Evangelists there substitutes From these kinds of preaching I shall deduce two or three Corollaries more and so conclude this part of my undertaking First That that frequency of preaching cannot be expected from us that was used by the Prophets and Apostles because they preach'd by inspiration we by pains and industry only Secondly That men may preach in a Gospel-notion and yet never make a Sermon in a vulgar Notion They may Preach by Writing and Preach by Proxy Preach by their Hand as well as by their Tongue See Dr. Holdsworth in praelect prima non procul ab Initio Thirdly That seeing our Preaching is not by immediate inspiration of the Spirit 't is infallible and subject to errour and therefore is ordinable by our Superiours and reducible to such directions and rules as most conduce to the promotion of Peace and Piety CHAP. II. To whom this Office of Preaching primarily belongs THe second thing I stand charged withal See Dr. Casaubon in his treatise of preaching pag. 1◠17. is to enquire and resolve to whom this office of preaching primarily belongs Forasmuch as 't is Gods will that nothing should be done in his service either rashly or disorderly Ubi etiam à quibus peragi vult ipse excelsissima sua voluntate definivit Clem. Rom. pag. 52. He hath defined by his most Heavenly will both in what place and by what persons he will have divine offices performed It stands us in hand then to know to whom this office belongs And the examination and resolution of this will open a fair way to the justification of many things in his Sacred Majesties late Directions But for the Indagation of this I must premise certain Principles and Maximes The first is that the foundation of all Authority is in Christ All Ecclesiasticall Authority or Authority to any Ecclesiasticall Office is in Christ originally in others but Derivately For as it was foretold That the Government should be upon his shoulders Isa 9.6 So that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him and anointed him to preach glad tidings Isa 62.1 And this trust which his Father committed to him he discharged in his own person while he was upon the Earth He Preached the Gospel converted Sinners made Disciples Hence he is styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doctor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Shepheard and Bishop of our souls
REX THEOLOGVS THE PREACHERS Guard and Guide In his double Duty of PRAYER and PREACHING Deduced from Scripture Reason and the best Examples In III. Parts 1. A Vindication of the Kings Letter to the late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury concerning the Regulation of Preachers 2. A Demonstration that Forms of Prayer do best suit with Publick Worship 3. An Antidote to the virulent Clamours of the Non-conformists LONDON Printed for R. Royston Bookseller to the King 's most Excellent Majesty 1664. To the Right Worshipful Sir RALPH HARE Knight and Baronet and Sir EDWARD WALPOOLE Knight of the Bath Two worthy Members of the Honourable House of Commons Honoured Gentlemen AS you were in your Capacities highly instrumental to the Restauration of His Sacred Majesty to His Crown so I know there is nothing you desire more than the happy settlement of His Majesty with the Church and State under His Dominion upon the foundations of Peace and Piety Amongst other things that hinders such a desired Establishment one is the Exorbitancy of the Pulpit though you have done great things already in the Parliament which we acknowledge to your everlasting Honour in order to the correcting of those Irregularities yet something you left undone as a work proper for an Intelligence of an higher Orb wherefore His Sacred Majesty hath made a further progress in His late DIRECTIONS recommended to the Reverend Fathers of the Church wherein at once He hath approved Himself Episcopum extra Ecclesiam a Bishop without the Church and Theologum intra Ecclesiam a Divine within the Church But forasmuch as His Majesty's DIRECTIONS meet not with that general Reception and Approbation they deserve but are traduced by some as contrary to the Doctrine of the Church my design is in this ensuing Treatise to defend Theologiam Regis the Kings Divinity shining in them I am conscious of my own Defects and therefore implore your Patronage I fear I have presumed too far in sheltering my self under your Names and therefore beg your Pardon and withall your Acceptance of this Testimony of my Observance promising what I fall short of in this Expression of my Gratitude I shall make up with my daily Prayers for you both and the Branches of your Honourable Families to whom I am A most devoted Servant in all Observance Robert Seppens DIEV ET MON DROIT To the Most Reverend Father in God WILLIAM Lord Archbishop of Canterbury CHARLES R. MOst Reverend Father in God We greet you well Whereas the hold abuses and extravagancies of Preachers in the Pulpit have not onely by the experience of former Ages béen found to tend to the dishonour of God the scandal of Religion and disturbance of the peace both of Church and State but have also through the licentiousness of the late times much increased to the inflaming fomenting and heightning of the sad distempers and confusions that were among us And whereas even at this present notwithstanding the merciful providence of God so signally manifested in restoring Vs to Our Crown and Our pious care and endeavours to govern Our Realms in peace and tranquillity the said Abuses do yet continue in a very high measure in sundry parts of this Realm through the busie diligence of some unquiet and factious Spirits who instead of preaching the pure Word of God and building up the People in Faith and Holiness have made it a great part of their business to beget in the minds of their Heaters an evil opinion of their Governours by insinuating fears and jealousies to dispose them to discontent and to season them with such unsound and dangerous Principles as may lead them into Disobedience Schism and Rebellion And whereas also sundry young Divines and Ministers either out of a spirit of contention and contradiction or in a vain ostentation of their Learning take upon them in their popular Sermons to handle the déep points of Gods Eternal Counsels and Decrées or to meddle with the affairs of State and Government or to wrangle about Forms and Gestures and other fruitless Disputes and Controversies serving rather to amuse than profit the Hearers which is done for the most part and with the greatest confidence by such persons as least understand them We out of Our Princely Care and Zele for the honour of God the advancement of Piety Peace and true Religion and for the preventing for the future as much as lieth in Vs the many and great Inconveniencies and Mischiefs that will unavoidably ensue if a timely stop be not given to these and the like growing Abuses Do according to the Examples of several of Our Predecessours of blessed memory by these Our special Letters straitly charge and command you to use your utmost care and diligence that these Directions which upon long and serious consideration We have thought good to give concerning Preachers and which We have caused to be Printed herewith sent unto you be from henceforth duly and strictly observed by all the Bishops within your Province And to this end Our Will and Pleasure is That you forthwith send them Copies of these Our Directions to be by them spéedily communicated to every Parson Vicar Curate Lecturer and Minister in every Cathedral Collegiate and Parish-Church within their several Dioceses And that you eaâ—nestly require them to imploy their utmost endeavour for the due observation of the â—ame whereof We shall expect a strict accompt both of you and every one of them And these Our Letters shall be your sufficient Warrant and Discharge in that behalf Given at Our Court at Whitehall the 14. day of October in the 14. year of Our Reign 1662. By His Majesties Command ED. NICHOLAS Directions concerning Preachers I. THat no Preachers in their Sermons presume to meddle with matters of State to model new Governments or take upon them to declare limit or bound out the Power and Authority of Soveraign Princes or to state and determine the differences betwéen Princes and the People but that upon all good occasions they faithfully instruct the People in their bounden duty of Subjection and Obedience to their Governours Superiour and Subordinate of all sorts and to the established Laws according to the Word of God and the Doctrine of the Church of England as it is contained in the Homilies of Obedience and the Articles of Religion set forth by publick Authority II. That they be admonished not to spend their time and study in the search of abstruse and speculative Notions especially in and about the déep points of Election and Reprobation together with the incomprehensible manner of the concurrence of Gods Frée Grace and Mans Frée Will and such other controversies as depend thereupon but howsoever that they presume not positively and doctrinally to determine any thing concerning the same III. That they forbear in their Sermons ordinarily and causlesly to enter upon the handling of any other controversies of less moment and difficulty but whensoever they are occasioned by invitation from the Text they preach