lively f stones of the house of God f 1 Pet. 2. 4 5. To whom coming as unto a living stone c. ye also as lively stones are built up a spirituall house an holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ built upon g Christ and set in their proper places to offer up spirituall sacrifice unto him g 1 Cor. 3. 9. Ye are Gods building and Ephes 2. 21. In whom viz. in Christ all the building is fitly framed together 2. The stones of this building are either the Foundations of the Corners or the Walls 3. The chief and only foundation which is the head of the corner is Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 3. 11. Other foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Christ Jesus 1 Pet. 2. 7. Vnto you he is precious viz. Christ but unto the disobedient the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner Compared with Psal 118. 22. Isa 28. 16. Thus saith the Lord behold I lay in Sion for a foundation a stone a tried stone a precious corner-stone a sure foundation 4. The secondary foundations i next unto Christ are the Apostles and Prophets i Ephes 2. 20. Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone Revel 21. 14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lambe 5. The walls are the Body of common members which is the Congregation of believers joyned k together in one k Cant. 8. 8 9. We have a little sister c. What shall we do for our sister c. If she be a wall we shall build upon her a palace of silver 6. The corner-stones which joyn the walls together are Officers l in the house l Ephes 4. 11 12. Pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the making up And as m joynts in the members of the Body m Ibid. vers 16. From whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth Ergo the joyning and compacting of the Body together is by the office of the joynts 7. These officers are differenced n according to the grace and gifts given to them for the edification of the Body n Rom. 12. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us Ephes 4. 16. That which every joynt supplieth maketh increase of the Body unto the edifying of it self in love in their proper o offices o Rom. 12. 4. All members have not the same office 8. These offices are either for speaking p or for the doing of some service p 1 Pet. 4. 11. If any man speak if any man minister 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is doth service The office of him that speaketh is either to teach q or to exhort q Rom. 12. 7 8. He that teacheth on teaching he that exhorteth on exhortation The office of him that is imployed about some service is either to rule r or to impart and shew mercy r Rom. 12. 8. He that ruleth he that sheweth mercy 9. By these offices all things necessary and comfortable to the houshold of Faith in respect of the inward and outward man may be supplied In respect of the inward man it is necessary that the understanding of the houshold be supplied with knowledge and the will with sincerity of zeale to obedience The first belongeth to the Teacher the second to the Exhorter In respect of the outward man it is necessary that the life and conversation of the houshold be rightly ordered that is sutably s to the holy profession s Ephes 4. 1. Walke worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called And that their bodily necessities be supplied in case of want by the charity of their fellow members The first belongeth unto the Ruler the second unto the Deacon 10. More then this nothing is requisite in ordinary to build up the Body in t love within it self t Ephes 4. 16. The effectuall working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the Body unto the edifying of it self in love And therefore in ordinary none other offices are either usefull or mentioned in the Scriptures as appointed by Christ for the constitution of his Church The life u and action of these members is to observe all Gods ordinances u 1 Cor. 11. 2. I praise you brethren that you keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you Luk. 1. 6. They were Righteous before God walking in all the commandements and ordinances of the Lord blamelesse CHAP. III. Of the Ordinances of Worship and Government 1. THe ordinances of Gods worship are duties prescribed in the x Word x Isa 8. 20. To the law and to the testimony chap. 66. 1 2. The heaven is my throne but to this man will I look who trembleth at my word According to which God is to be served in spirit y and truth by every one y Joh. 4. 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth And the ordinances of Government are duties prescribed for ever unto the z Rulers z 1 Tim. 3. 15. That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the house of God chap. 5. 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect Angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality chap. 6. 13 14. I give thee charge in the sight of God c. that thou keep this commandement without spot unrebukeable untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ According to which the affairs of the houshold are to be a ordered a Tit. 1. 5. I left thee in Crete that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting as I had appointed thee 1 Cor. 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in order Coloss 2. 5. I am with you in the spirit joying and beholding your order both for the increase b of Grace b Ephes 4. 13. Vntill we all come unto a perfect man And v. 16. maketh increase and the taking away of c Scandals c 1 Cor. 5. 7. Purge out the old leaven v. 12. Do not ye judge them that are within v. 13. Therefore put away from among you that wicked person 2. The use of these Ordinances is to betroth d the consciences of men and bind them over unto God in the covenant of grace and to keep them faithfull to him d Ezech. 16. v. 8. till 15. 2 Cor. 11. 2. I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste Virgin to Christ or to reclaim them e when they are faulty therein e 1 Cor. 4. 21. Shall I come unto you with a rod c. 3. All the Ordinances then are Meanes which God doth use either to bring f men to his
A MODEL OF Church-Government OR The GROUNDS of the Spirituall Frame and Government of the House of GOD. Shewing What the holy Scriptures have therein delivered What the best Reformed Churches do practise What the Tender Consciences may rest in For the better Satisfaction of such as scruple at the Work of REFORMATION declared and appointed by severall Ordinances of PARLIAMENT BY JOHN DURY one of the Assembly of Divines Who hath travelled heretofore in the work of Peace among the CHURCHES PSAL. 2. 6. I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion ISA. 9. 6 7. The government shall be upon his shoulder c. LONDON Printed by T. R. and E. M. for John Bellamy and are to be sold at his shop at the three golden Lyons neer the Royall Exchange 1647. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE Sr. John Gayer Kt. Lord Major of the City of London And to the Right Worshipfull The ALDERMEN and SHERIFFS his Brethren Right Honourable These Scriptural Assertions at their first conception were not designed for the Publique they were only put to Paper at the desire of those who in this City gave me a call to the Cure of their soules and were willing to reform their wayes according to the will of God And because they did confesse their ignorance of the whole Frame and Government of the House of GOD my aime was to let them see it as briefly as I could in a Model taken from the patern which I have seen in the Mount which the Scriptures have revealed I would not be large of purpose to the end that I might stirre them up the more to Meditation to the searching of the Scriptures from which I have endeavoured to gather all and to conference with my self when they should be at a stand I intended nothing but according to their desire to give them private satisfaction yet they would not rest there but insisted to engage me to publish these Heads of thoughts for in effect they are no more Nor was it enough to make them publike but they would have me to owne them and to present you also with them To all which you may perceive that I have condescended although I confesse with much reluctancie Not that I am ashamed to owne any thing that is mine though so imperfect as this is and in a matter of so great consequence for I am very well conscious to mine own weaknesse and not unwilling that others should perceive it if it may be for their edification or that I was doubtfull of any Truth here delivered for I conceive that all may be made out to the full if God should give time and a call to do it but that I was loth to offer unto all whom I could not know that which I had designed only for a few whom in cases of mistake I would be able to rectifie I was unwilling to seem to intermeddle to so little purpose as these Tracts are like to be in matters of so high concernment in a season so full of distraction and in an Age so willing to censure so apt to mistake and so ready to misconstrue on all hands every thing that hath no character of partiality upon it though done never so harmlesly And then also I was afraid to be thought to stretch my selfe beyond my line in making this addresse unto You. But I hope that your favourable acceptance and the Relation which I have to a particular Congregation in the City will free me from this last apprehension and from the former I have been taken off partly by the consideration of greater inconveniences which might follow upon the not yeelding then upon the yeelding unto a publication partly by the importunity of the Call which I received to do what here is done So that I hope none other construction will be made of the publication of these Notions than ought in charity to be made which is to believe That I being earnestly desired to declare my knowledge of the truth of these matters thought my self bound to beare witnes thereunto and to suffer my testimony to come to the light that it might appeare that these works are done in God that they are free from humane respects and that my aim in putting them forth is to give occasion to men conscionably peaceable to consider whether yea or no an agreement in these Truths ought not to oblige Brethren to a neerer conjunction of spirits profession of unity then we as yet are come unto and whether yea or no the things wherein there is a difference of opinion deserve so much distance in affections as many are fallen into or ought to be debated in such a way of heat as most men follow whereby they rather disturbe then edifie one another It is a sad thing to see men that are called Christians and Brethren exercising their wits to the disparagement of one another in Religious matters and to deale with things concerning Conscience lightly passionately and without all serious and conscionable gravity These things are to be deplored but cannot be redressed without the acknowledgement of the Truth nor can the Truth be received without the spirit of Love and Peace which the Word of the Gospel doth administer only The Lord of truth and peace reveal the same unto us all more and more and direct You in your station to walk therein as patterns of Righteousnes before all others Which with the wishes of prosperity unto the settlement of this whole State shall be towards the LORD who alone is able to save the constant Prayer of Your HONOURS most humble and affectionate servant in Christ JOHN DURY A PREFACE To the Christian and unpartiall Reader Christian Reader SEeing I am put upon the publishing of these brief Tracts I will endeavour by this Preface unto thee to make the best use thereof that I can both for mine own comfort and for the building up of others As for my self I shall be comforted in this whatsoever others may judge of the matter that I see cleerly a Providence in this publication without any purpose of mine And that I can conceive of the things which I judge therein to be imperfections that they may prove advantages unto Gods main work in his way of using them For the brevity of each Part may to an intelligent Reader make the whole so much the more commendable and to one that is of no quick understanding although it will be more obscure yet it will also be lesse tedious and may give to him that is ingenious occasion to make some further inquiry after the Truth that his rationall Doubts may be satisfied which as God shall enable me with grace I shall be willing to intend As concerning others seeing the spirits of most men are very sharp and full of jealousies I shall therefore offer my self unto them with the greater simplicity for being in my self without prejudice I hope to be found towards all without occasion of offence and as I shall be voyd of
perversnes of the counsels or the wickednes of the Instruments thereof It is no part of my calling to trace Polititians in the crooked serpentine wayes wherein they walk The Interest of States is a troubled Sea full of hideous Monsters and hidden Rocks whereupon the men of this world make shipwrack and therein all the Nations and great Families of the earth are tossed up and down according to the fancies of the Rulers whose aime though under other pretences is nothing else but greatnesse and command to be supported by riches and power My soule enter thou not into their counsel for there is no truth in their wayes there is no faithfulnesse in their mouth their inward part is very wickednesse And that our distractions proceed from this generation of men and from the Counsel which are taken up upon their Principles there is no question to be made But I shall leave them unto God to be judged in his own time And walking in mine own sphere shall speake unto thee that art a Christian indeed of things belonging to our Religious profession to discover at the root the causes of our disease which I conceive is nothing else but the corrupt Profession of the true Religion whereof we must all confesse our selves guilty every one of us more or lesse which how to Reform first in our selves and then in others will be a profitable enquiry If the Truth had not been manifested unto us we should have no sinne but now since we have known it and held the profession of it in unrighteousnesse we have no cloak for our sinne we ought then to confesse and deplore that our profession is corrupted two wayes First that most of us although we are not ignorant of the Truth yet we cannot deny but that we have lost the true aime of the holy profession thereof Secondly that although some aimes be rightly set and the profession of many commendable yet for the most part the means and wayes of prosecuting the same are either not answerable unto the Rules of Christianity or else directly destructive thereunto The true aime of the Holy profession is to shew forth unto What the aim of our profession is and how we fail of it this evill world the life and vertues of him who hath called us unto his Kingdome and glory The Truth which we know and which by the Gospel is revealed unto us is the testimony of Jesus that in him alone there is Redemption from all sinnes that by him alone there is all sufficiencie of Grace to be received through Faith that for his sake alone wee have free accesse by the Spirit unto the Father that the titles and names of King Captain and Forerunner of Apostle Prophet and High Priest of Author and Finisher of our salvation do belong to him alone and that he being alone the Way the Truth and the Life no man can come to the Father but by him this we do know and acknowledge this wee doe maintaine and professe as the Truth but who can say that the true aime of this profession is taken up and followed as it ought to be this aime is to follow him as deare children expressing him in his life that is in his lowly just holy and unblameable conversation amongst men and in his death that is in his mortified his self-denying his afflicted his meeke and humble condition in this world I say this aime is not taken up and maintained in this profession of the Truth yet we know that this should be our whole aime and because we know it and doe it not therefore our sinne is heavy upon us therefore these judgements doe overtake us and God doth revenge the quarrel of his Covenant against us The Covenant is that wee being in Christ Matth. 16. 24. Rom. 8. 17. 2 Cor. 6 17. shall beare his Crosse and follow him that we shall suffer together and be separate from the world with him and if wee touch not the uncleane things thereof we have a promise that the Father will receive us But who is it that doth truly aime at a full separation from the world and doth not intend to uphold the high things and full enjoyments thereof together with the profession of the Truth are we not content and have we not a desire to enjoy the fashion of things present although wee know that we are called to seeke and apprehend onely the things to come wee are called to be conformable unto the image of the Sonne of God that is to be no wayes conformable unto this world but if we mind no such thing how can we be said to maintaine the true aime of our holy profession The Socinians who have cast off the Truth which is in Christ Jesus concerning our Justification before God and have made the acknowledgement of his Person in the Truth void by their Heresies these uphold still the aime of the profession namely that wee must follow his foot-steps but wee who are convicted of the truth which they have denied seeme to deny at least in our practise that which they uphold and consequently make the truth it selfe which we acknowledge ineffectuall by our profession thereof because our aime is not in simplicity answerable but rather crosse in all appearance unto the tenour of the new Covenant and the end of our heavenly calling Now if the maine and principall aime be lost in our walking with God how can he be at peace with us or we with him can two walke together except they be agreed and are those agreed whose aimes are different doth not hee know the secrets of all hearts that he may reward every one according to his works what then can we expect from him other then to reap the fruit of the seed which we sowe for we sow to the flesh worldly aimes in the field of a religious profession and can we expect any other harvest frrom thence but trouble and confusion This then is the first and maine cause of all our distractions that the true aim of our Profession is for the most part lost amongst us The second cause of our publike distraction is this that although for the maine a worke of Reformation is truly aimed at by some and many particular matters tending thereunto are rightly designed by many for the advancement of Religion yet the meanes to bring this aime and these designes to passe are not at all proportionate to the effect intended thereby The work of Reformation no doubt heartily aimed at by some is a reall and thorough purging of the Church and State from the corruptions which have overgrowne the one and the other and a settlement of both in a way of Righteousnesse I say that What the Reformation aimed at is and why we come short of it some aime heartily at this and I truly doe beleeve it but how many there are God alone doth know Sure I am wee cannot discerne very many that have nothing else in their aime but
great corner stones of the Reformation are not as yet publikely professed and laid upon which every one should make an orderly superstructure of gold and silver and precious stones in the unity of the spirit towards his Brethren So the more such Designes are stood upon and advanced in a private course they accidentally become the greater hinderances to the generall work whiles men that are thereby stinted within themselves rest satisfied in their own private wayes and by leaving the thoughts of a publike Communion they prove opposites thereunto when they admit of nothing that is not every way agreeable unto their particular Contrivements I am perswaded that many able men throughout the Kingdome have many excellent things in readinesse which might be usefully applied to the edification of the Churches both for the advancement of Knowledge and of Godlinesse if the wayes of our Settlement were cleared But now as matters stand I cannot look otherwise upon their excellencies but as upon the scattered stones of a building not yet framed and as upon the furniture of a house whose model is neither apparent nor yet well understood by any Therefore although there be many men in these Churches of eminent abilities and Vessels of great honour fit for very good uses in the building of this Tabernacle yet because the Rule and way of their Brotherly communion and correspondencie is not determined as it ought to be they stand though in their private sphere profitable as to God yet as to the Church uselesse in the Communion of Saints For the Parts of the building not being set together their serviceable gifs are not imployed as Joints should be in the Body to make up and compact the whole And for want of this aime and endeavour by all that they do they bring nothing forth unto perfection I have briefly pointed at the Causes of our Disease that thou mayest consider thy self Christian Reader as in the presence of God how thou art led by what spirit thou art guided and how thou shouldest free thy self from the guilt of contributing further any cause or matter of continuance to our Distempers Now the Lord grant us all grace to do all things without murmurings disputings to his glory unblameably in Love Amen I am in the last place to speak of the Remedies of this corrupt Profession of the true Religion And if I should enter at large upon this task I should be obliged to write a Volume but my purpose is only to name the Heads of things necessary to be intended and set awork to advance our Reformation and redresse the Evils which threaten our finall ruine That if thou Christian Reader art convicted of the usefulnesse thereof thou mayest contribute in thy way what thou canst thereunto The remedies then of our distracted condition I conceive will bee found in a discovery of two things first of that which will helpe to rectifie the disease at the root by taking away the cause which doth origionally beget it Secondly of that which will helpe to prevent Of the remedies of our publick distractions the effects thereof which become causes of increasing the distempers to propagate and continue the disease I have shewed my opinion that the causes which beget our distempers are the want of the true aime in the holy profession and the disproportionatnes of the meanes used to prosecute the true and lawfull aimes of the Reformation which wee seeke to rectifie the inward Hypocrisie of the heart is only Gods worke but to discover it and convict mens consciences of it may be the worke of his servants by the right interpretation and The Remedie of the first cause of our disease application of the word as the Apostle testifieth 1 Cor. 14. 24 25. Yet the bare discovery of vice or error and the conviction of a naturall man that hee is guilty of it is not enough to remedie the evill disposition of his spirit or to beget a true aime in him to answer the heavenly call nothing can doe this but God by the discovery of the truth in the lovelinesse thereof When hee giveth faith to the elect by the engrafted word wherein they receive the love of the truth which purifieth their soules and maketh them obedient thereunto through the spirit unto this worke of God the faithfull Ministers of the Word are subservient when they hold forth the Truth in sincerity and manifest the knowledge of the glory and life of God in the face of Jesus Christ The first remedy then will bee to stirre up Ministers who understand this Mystery of Godlinesse ordinarily to presse and preach the maine things which discover the life and spirituall estate of Christ as the Truth is in him that their hearers may know first positively what that life is whereunto they are called and then negatively what that life and state is wherein men are by nature from which they are called and this should bee done not so much by an inlargement of themselves upon many particular branches and twigges of duties as upon the manifestation of the Principles and essentiall properties of the spirituall and carnall man from whence the knowledge of duties will of it selfe flow I doe not meane that the preaching of particular duties is unprofitable or ought to bee omitted but I conceive that the fundamentals which discover the hidden man of the heart both in respect of the Righteousnesse of the spirituall and of the unrighteousnesse of the fleshly nature should be mainly and ordinarily so proposed as from the discovery of that which is conformable or inconformable unto the image of Gods life in Christ all particular duties should bee derived and pressed upon the conscience and I beleeve that because godly and zealous men commonly spend more of their strength in matters of particular concernment then in such a fundamentall course that two evils arise from thence unto the hearers and one in the Ministers themselves First that the naturall corruptions of the hearts of all men remaine in some altogether in others in a great measure undiscovered at the root by which means they still conceiving well of themselves or better than they ought are not truly humbled before God and mortified unto the world but live still as men in the world and take up the profession of Religion in the performance of certain duties rather than in the pursuit of a heavenly call to come unto Christ Jesus Secondly that such as are ingenuous and have tasted the Kingdome of God and thereupon are gotten into a hatred of the world being fervent in spirit to serve the Lord are driven by the much pressing of particular duties to an over acting zeale either against or for some persons or actions which zeale having no temperament of love meeknesse and lenity to heale and beare with the infirmities of the weake or to bring their owne proceeding with them home to the true aime of the holy profession which is to discover Christ unto those that
of spirituall proportion and prudency for edification which are the lawes of Love and Holinesse but in stead of these are carried sometimes even in their best actions by a Rule of humane Jealousie which begets nothing but Passion and Policie And this once being discovered doth wholly blast their proceeding and maketh all the means though otherwise in themselves never so powerfull wholly disproportionate unto the effect The second Remedy then is this That godly Ministers whom I look upon as the chiefe Actors of our Reformation and such as must put life into the Meanes thereof must first set their own hearts aright in this frame of Love and Holinesse and then stirre up one another to the Counsels and Deliberations which these Principles according to the Word of GOD will suggest And because in the framing of Designes which tend unto a publike good it is apparent that on all sides a Concurrence is sought for by those that act in the affaires of State with those that are set in the Church to act for Christs kingdome and that as Moses could not be without Aaron at first when he came to the people So Aaron could not be without Moses at last when the people was to march through the Wildernesse and that neither the one nor the other durst go a step forward without a direction from God in their wayes therefore in the concurrence of States-men and Ministers towards a Reformation by the use of the meanes both Moses and Aaron must walke by one Rule of Christianity whereof the end is brotherly love and holinesse and not by two different rules as the custome of most men is and if the Ministers suffer themselves to be taken off from this aime by any pretence whatsoever or doe not labour to sway the Resolutions of the Master-Builders in the common wealth according to these Rules that all publick constitutions and the wayes of acting them upon the spirits of men may savour of nothing but of love of holinesse and of meeknesse in Authority by the directions of the word and the way of Christs walking I say if Ministers do not exactly keep themselves to this Rule and draw others to walk thereby they will be by their owne weaknesse and the craft of others drawn over to serve state ends and be made use of to divide others and to be divided from others and from one another amongst themselvs according to the wicked maxim of Machiavilian Government Divide Impera and who doth not see that the enimies of our Reformation leave nothing unattempted to put this maxime in execution and that they find opportunity enough and more then enough so to doe in every thing which is attempted in publick by reason of the unchristian frame of our Spirit and our walking by a two-fold Rule or without the Rules of charity and holinesse For Satan which worketh in them and is the Prince of this world finding us who pretend to bee Ministers of Christ out of the Sphere of Christs walking and in the Sphere of his owne Kingdome medling with worldly interests which concerne us not hath power over us to make us that are called Ministers more then all other men in the world to serve his ends of disturbing the Peace of mankind and tearing the Church of God in Peices and only because wee are not in the way wherein God hath set us but if on the otherside wee stand in the simplicity of our Christian way and walking to deliberate and doe all things both in private and publick by love and for holinesse according to Christs example then wee are in our full strength armed with light and Satan in the power of darknesse cannot come neer us or comprehend us And if it is not possible through our own default to put this Counsell in practise amongst us who are convicted of the truth thereof whether we are Independents or Presbyterians we are all alike guilty before God of our own ruine and of the generall disturbance of this Church and State I have spoken as briefly as I could contract my thoughts concerning The Remedy of the evil effects of our disease the Remedies which will worke a cure upon the Causes of our disease now I must speake also a word of that which I conceive will bee of use to prevent the dangerous effects thereof whereby our distempers are daily increased The disease in my conception is a distractednesse of spirit in a divided minde which hath wrought a dis-joynting of our affections so that we stand as a tall man distracted in his thoughts and divided in all his resolutions who hath no command or little use of any of his members because they are all out of joynt and hang as it were loose one from another Thus this Church the tallest of any Reformed in Europe and fit to bee a leader of the rest in the spirituall Conquest of Canaan doth stand within it selfe and to others uselesse The effects of this our distraction and division which increase our disease and make it grow upon us are chiefely three Frst jealousies fears and evill surmises of every thing that is designed by any party which is not our own Secondly censures reproaches disputes accusations and revilings against the persons and the actions of a different party Thirdly oppositions and crosse proceedings in counsells and attempts against all that are not exactly in the way wherein that party doth walke of which we are These three effects beget each other reciprocally not only in every man within himselfe and in every party within it selfe but in every man and party in relation to another as hee stands at a distance from the same and all of these make our distempers almost past remedy nor can the one well bee cured without the other and therefore the Remedies must needs bee such as can have an influence upon all at once to stop the current thereof upon our own and other mens spirits if they should prove succesfull towards a cure The field of this discourse is so large that I shall at this time but name only the heads of things which must become the ingredients of this Physick leaving the particular composition and application thereof unto some other time wherein God perhaps may give a call and grace to elaborate the same and this I shall do to give unto thee Christian Reader an object of prayer and meditation that thou mayest be moved to goe to God and to stirre up thy selfe and others daily till these Remedies be applyed unto our diseases as they ought to be If then the forenamed effects of our diseased Church should bee cured by this worke of Reformation wee must consider not only what is requisite to allay our present fits of distemper but also that which both in our age and in time to come will build us up unto a habitation of God through the spirit and propagate the blessings of the Gospel unto Posterity To cure then our present distempers it is
17. 19. The cares belonging to the preservation and defence of the Flock are these First to pray constantly for the flock as the Apostle doth Rom. 1. 9. 1. Cor. 1. 4. Ephes 1. 16. Phil. 1. 3 4. Col. 1. 3 4 9. 1 Thess 1. 2 3. Secondly to warne them of dangers as the Apostle did the Ephesians Act. 20. 31. and God doth charge watchmen to do Ezek. 3 17. 33 3. Thirdly to be helpfull to them in all their infirmities that is to beare the sheep that standeth still Zach. 11. 16. to heale and strengthen the sick and bind up the broken Ezek. 34. 4. to comfort the feeble and support the weake 1 Thess 5. 14. to restore those that are takâ—n in a fault Gal. 6. 1. 4. To bring back that which is driven away and seek out that which is lost Ezek. 34. 4. Fifthly to resist the ravenous wolves and men speaking perverse things Act. 20. 29 30. to convince gainsayers and stop the mouths of unruly and vain talkers Tit. 1. 9 10 11. To reject hereticks Tit. 2. 10. Sixthly to lay down his life for the sheep to defend them and not as a hireling to run away from them Joh. 10. 10 1â— And thus much of the Duties now followeth to consider of III. The spirituall way how these Duties should be performed 20. The manner and way of performing these Duties is not arbitrary depending upon the wit or will and contrivance of mans wisdome but spiritually to be regulated either by the Word which is expressed or by the undoubted Principles of Edification 1 Cor. 2. 1. I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdome v. 4. My speech was not with enticing words of mans wisdome but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power 2 Cor. 1. 12. Not with worldly wisdome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you-wards chap. 4. 12. Not walking in craftinesse or handling the word of God deceitfully 21. The way then to regulate and order these Duties hath three Spirituall paths The first is that which setteth the Pastors spirit upon his proper imployment The second that whereby his endeavours are fitted towards the Flock and the Flock fitted to receive them at his hand The third is that wherein his imployment is made edifying and usefull towards all In the first path he will be accepted of God in the second and third approved of men Of the first Path. 22. The Pastors spirit will be directed towards the work of his imployment if he beare in minde What his relation is to God in his office What the end and use of his work is And what the frame of his Affections and Rules of performance should be to make his way answerable unto these 23. His relation unto God is that God doth intrust him with his Mysteries and with the soules of his children As a steward to dispense the mysteries unto Gods children to have inspection over them and to keep the Keyes of the House of GOD. 24. As a steward thus intrusted the frame of his Affection must be Faithfulnesse a towards his Master and the rule of his Performance must be to study to approve his conscience to God not regarding the judgement of men but that of God alone a 1 Cor. 4. 1. Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God v. 2. It is required in stewards that a man be found Faithfull v. 3. With mrit is a small thing that I should be judged by you or of mans judgement v. 4. I know nothing by my self yet am I not hereby justified but he that justifieth me is the Lord. 25. The mysteries wherewith he is intrusted are the Word and the Ordinances 26. As a Steward intrusted with the Word the frame of his Affection must be Sincerity b not to mixe any self-ends with the Word b 2 Cor. 2. 17. We corrupt not the Word but as of sincerity as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ And the rule of Performance in reference to God is to speak as in his sight and presence and in reference to men to renounce the hidden c things of dishonesty and by the manifestation of the truth to approve himself to the conscience of every one c 2 Cor. 4. 2. We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty but by the manifestation of the Truth commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God 27. Then also as a steward intrusted with the Ordinances the frame of his spirit and affections must be free from prejudice not preferring one Ordinance before another And the rules of Performance are to dispence the Ordinances d impartially d 1 Tim. 5. 21. I charge thee that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality and to keep himself and the holy things pure Himself by not e partaking of other mens sinnes e 1 Tim. 5. 22. Neither be partaker of other mens sinnes keep thy self pure the Holy things by not giving them unto dogs f and swine f Mat. 7. 6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs neither cast ye your pearls before swine 28. To discharge the truth committed unto him concerning the soules of Gods children the frame of his Affections must be Faithfulnesse unto them for Gods sake and watchfulnesse over them as one that must g give an account g Heb. 13. 17. They watch for your soules as they that must give an account And accordingly the rule of his Performance unto them must be in dispensing the Word to with-hold nothing from them which is profitable touching the whole h counsel of God h Act. 20. 20. I have kept back nothing that was profitable unto you v. 27. I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God And in dispensing the Ordinances to be jealous over them with a godly jealousie lest they should be corrupted from the simplicity which is in Christ 2 Cor. 11. 2 3. 29. The end and use of the work is that Gods glory through Jesus Christ and the common edification i of every one by another through the right use of Gods graces may be advanced i 1 Pet. 4. 10 11. As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ 30. And the frame of the Affection whereby the spirit of the Pastor will be enabled to reach this end is k Love k 1 Cor. 8. 1. Charity edifyeth 1 Cor. 13. 1 2 3. Though I speak with the tongue of men and angels and have no charity I am as sounding brasse and a tinkling cymball And though I have the gift of Prophecie and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have no charity I am nothing And