despise the balm of Gilead and reject all healing medicines It is in the number of those sins which go before us unto judgement when people put away the Ministry of the Word from them they are said by the holy Ghost before the day of Judgement come to judge themselves unworthy of eternall Life And thus we have done with the Arguments proving the perpetuity of the Ministry there remains one great Objection to be Answered CHAP. III. Wherein the grand Objection Asserting the Loss of the Ministry under Antichrist is Answered WE confesse that there was a Ministry Ordained of Christ and continued all the daies of the Apostles and some Centuries after yet the Mystery and Ministry of the Man of Sinne was then working which at length so farre prevailed that all the world wondered afâ—er the Beast and power was given him over all Kindreds and Tongues and Nations so that be causâ—d all both great and small rich and poor bond and free to receive his Mâ—rk in their Right hand or in their Foreheads In this Apostacy the Church which had been a chaste Virgin became the Mother of Harlots and Abominations and not only the Kings and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the Wine of her Fornications but especially the Priests in all Nations were the abominable Pandors to promote the filthinesse of her Whoredoms they were the Merchants made rich by her Fornications Now under this Reign of Antichrist Bethel was turned into Bethavâ—n the Ministry was wholly lost being only in pretence for Christ but in reality for Antichrist And therefore we look upon all Ministers now as Members of that notorious Strumpet as Locusts from the bottomlesse Pit as Priests of Baal and Limbs of Antichrist and so account it not a sinne but a duty to contemn their persons and abhorre their Ministry We acknowledge first that the Apostacy under Antichrist was exceeding dreadfull Secondly That not only the people and the Princes but the Priests also had a great hand and were chief agents in this defection Thirdly That its the duty of Gods people to come out of Babylon that they partake not of their sins nor receive of their plagues But yet we need the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in Christ that we may know the things that differ that we may not call good evil and evil good but according to the Word of truth judge righteous judgement And therefore we intreat the Reader or this Objector conscientiously to ponder these Considerations 1. Consider as there have been many false Christs so there are and have been many mistaken Antichrists and the holy Ghost bids us not to beleeve every Spirit but to try the spirits when many shall say Loe here is Christ and loe there is Christ And it s as true of Antichrist some say Lo here is Antichrist Some Lo there yet the Lord commands us saying beleeve them not The Truths Ordinances Servants and Ministers of Christ do not therefore cease to be of Christ because some either by mistake or by design shall say they are of Antichrist The Doctrine of the Deity of Christ who is God blessed for ever will not cease to be a most precious Truth because Michael Servetus Georgius Blandatra Franciscus David Laelius Socinus and his adherents condemn it as an Antichristian Errour Was Valentinus Gentilis therefore a friend and Martyr to God the Father because he died as an enemy to God the Son Were the Valdenses who appeared against the Romish errours the limbs of Satan because some of the Romanist affirm that Satan was let loose in Berengarius and his Disciples How luxuriant and confident are the fancies of many concerning the things contained in the Revelations wherein modest Christians would chuse rather to be humbly inquisitive then Dogmatically positive Was Innocent the third the lesse nocent or was Pope Calixtus the more holy because some of their followers make them to be the Angel coming down from heaven having the Key of the bottomlâ—sse pit to binde Satan as if the binding of Satan were nothing else but to Excommunicate Emperours and to depresse the Imperial power under the Papal Shall Dominicus or Franciscus those two great Founders of the Orders of the Friars Dominican and Franciscan the great upholders of Papacy shall they be lesse suspected because some of their disciples admired them and confidently averred them to be that Angel ascending from the East having the Seal of the living God Rev. 7.2 Men have no power to make Christian Unchristian or Antichristian either persons or things according to their pleasure The Word of God is established in the heavens and his Truths do not vary after the variety of mens mistaking fancies Therefore we have great need to be sober and humble and to beg of the Lord the spirit of love and of a sound minde that we may neither justifie the wicked nor condemn the Righteous 2. Consider concerning Antichrist Though we grant it that Antichrist is not an individual person as Bellarmine and the Papists generally affirm But the state and succession of men which with one and the self same spirit oppose Christ. 2. That the seat of this great Whore is not as some intimate Constantinople nor Ierusalem as others affirm but Rome that great City that then reigned over the Kings of the earth spiritually called Sodom and Egypt And 3. that the Antichrist is not the Turk and Mahumetanism in the East But the Pope and Papism in the West yet there is no ground to condemn every thing in that Antichristian Synagogue for Antichristian for without all question the Books of the Old and New Testament were wonderfully preserved even in mystical Babylon As formerly when the Oracles of God were committed to Israel the Lord continued the holy Scripture in the Jewish Church notwithstanding their spiritual Apostacy and Babylonish Captivity The good Word of the Lord is no lesse the Word of Truth because the false Antichristian Synagogue do acknowledge it no more then the Scripture ceaseth to be the Scripture because Satan the father of lies did alledge it Gold is gold wherever you finde it Truth is truth however men either accept it or contradict it It 's a vast comprehensive Errour to reject all Tenents though never so true for errours because an erroneous Society doth confesse them For all is not false which the false Church asserteth Every errour is founded upon the mistake of some truth as every evil doth usually arise from the abuse of some good In this mixture of good and evil light and darknesse where there are many precious truths yet many abominable falshoods it 's our duty to sever between the righteous and the vile that we neither swallow down all for truth because there is a mixture of truth nor reject all for false because there is superadded a redundancy of falshood Antichrist sitteth in the Temple of God and his coming is
without it for they say in the same place that the outward Call of a Minister consisteth properly and essentially in election by the people and that this election is so necessary as that the Ministerâ— Câ—ll withouâ— it is â— nullity but not so without ordination The Brownistâ— and Anabaptists doe speake fâ—rre more slightingly and undervaluiâ—gly of Ordination and therefore we â—rave leave to use â—rgumentum ad hâ—minem Thus They that are lawfully elected by the people are lawfull Ministers But sucâ— are the Ministerâ— of Englâ—â—â— c. Ergo. Or thus If a Minister rightly chosen by the people be a true Minister though not at all ordained then a Minister rightly chosen by the people is a true Minister though â—orruptly ordained But according to these men a Miâ—ister rightly chosen by the people is a true Minister though not at all ordained Ergâ— But many Ministers during the prevalency of Episcopacy wâ—re not at all elâ—cted by the pâ—ople But mâ—ny were â—nd thiâ— argument serves to justifie their Ministry 2. Though there are some that were at first obtruded unjustly and unduely upon the people yet the pâ—opleâ— aftâ—r â—cceptance â—nd â—pprobâ—tio◠〈◊〉 supply thâ— want of elâ—ction â—t first 〈…〉 afâ—er â—onsent â—nd â—â—ceptance of Leah made her to be his wife though he chose her not at first And by thiâ— sâ—y oâ—r Brethren in New-England we hold the calling of many Ministers in England may be excused who at first came into their places without the consent of the people But the people that â—hose them were wicked and ungodly and therefore they were not rightly chosen This is not true of many placeâ— where Ministers were chosen by Congregations wherein there were many godly people 2. Visible Saints and unblameable livers are sufficient to to make up the matter of a true Church and who can deny but that there are such in many if not in most of the Congregations in England But what though we judge that the whole essence of the Ministeriall Call consisteth in popular election yet the Ministers whom we plead against look upon their Ordination as that which giveâ— them the essence of their Call and think they stand Ministers by that What is that to you what they â—hink their 〈◊〉 â—hinâ—ing in your opinion is their personal errour but it câ—nnot nullifie their Ministry for he that hath the essentials of a true Minister is a true Minister but he that is rightly elected hath the essentiâ—ls of â— true Minister â—ccordâ—ng â—o you and therefore whatsoever his judgement is about ordination he must stand a true Minister to you unlesse you will crosse your own position Suppose as one saith a Deacon thinks his Ordination gives him the essentials of his office the people think their election doth what then â— will you separate froâ— him and not go to him for reliefe in case of want he hath election and ordination so that to be sure a Deacon he is The case is the same with the present Ministry This instance is urged by Mr. Burroughs of which we shall have occasion afterwards to make further use We shall add another Argument of the same nature to prove that the Ministry of England is a true Ministrie If there were true Churches in England during the prevalency of Episcopacy then there was a true Ministry For according to those men it is the true being of a Church that giveth being to the truth of Ministry and Ordinances and not the Ministry and Ordinances that give being to a Church But there were true Churches in England during the prevalency of Episcopacy Ergo c. That there were true Churches appears From what the New-England Ministers say in their Answer to the 32. Questions pag. 24.25.26.27 And in their Apologie for the Church-Covenant pag. 36 37 38 39 40. where they shew 1. That the Gospel was brought into England in the Apostles dayes or a little after and that Churches were by them constituted in England according to the Evangelicall pattern 2. That though Popish Apostacy did afterwards for many ages overspread all the Churches of England as in other Countries yet still God reserved a remnant according to the election of Grace amongst them for whose sake he preserved the holy Scriptures amongst them and baptisme in the name of the Trinity onely 3. That when God of his rich Grace was pleased to stir up the Spirit of King Edward the â—ixt and Queen Elizabeth to cast off the Pope and all fundamentall errors in doctrine worship and a great part of the tyranny of PopishChurch-government c. the people of the Nation generally reâ—â—ived the Articles of religion c. wherein is contained the marrow and summe of the Oracles of God c. 4. That wheresoever the people do with common and mutuall consent gather into settled Congregations ordinarily every Lords day as in England they do to teach and hear this Doctrine and do professe their subjection thereunto and do binde themselves and their Children as in baptisme they do to continue therein that such Congregations are true Churches notwithstanding sundry defects and corruptions found in them wherein say they we follow the judgement of Calvin Whitakers and many other Divines of chief note nor can we judge or speak harshly of the wombes that bare us nor of the paps that gave us suck This also appears 2. From that Mr. Phillips of Watertown in New-England saith in a Book of his written for the Justification of Infant-Baptisme and also concerning the form of a Church therein he proveth that there is a true Ministry in England because there are true Churches and that there are true Churches in England and in other Reformed Churches of the like consideration he Proveth 1. Because the true visible state of Christs Church is by Gods promise to continue unto the end of the World Luk. 1.33 Matth. 16.16 and 18.18.20 Mat. 28.19 20. 1 Cor. 11 26. Then he argueth If the visible Church-state be to continue then either it continued in England and other places of like consideration or in some other places of the World But not in other places of the world c. Ergo. Again If there be no other Churches in the World nor have bin for many hundred years but Popish or Reformed Then if the visible state of Christs Church must abide for ever either the Popish or the Reformed Churches must be the true Churches of Christ. But not the Popish Ergo the Reformed 2. He argueth If Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God and the Courts of the Temple be given unto the Antichristian Gentiles for a certain time to tread under foot then there was a true Church-state where he sate and whilest he sate there and it was the true measured Temple whose Courts he treads under foot nor can there be Antichrist unlesse there be the Temple and Courts thereof where he is And if Antichrist â—ver sate in England then
nourished in the wildernesse for a time times and half a time from the face of the Serpent verse 14. Note here 1. That by the 1260 daies and a time times and half a time is meant the whole time of Antichrists raign 2. That the Church during the whole raign of Antichrist should be in a sad lamentable and Wildernesse condition 3. That maugre all the fury of the ten-headed or two-headed beast yet notwithstanding the Church of Christ should be preserved and kept safe For there were two wings of a great Eagle given unto her to enable her to fly into the Wildernesse where she is fed and nourished 42. Moneths And all this is to be understood not onely of a Church entitative or a Church without Officers but of a Church instituted or Ministerial a Church administring Ordinances For this woman is not onely kept alive in the Wildernesse all the time of Antichrists raign but she is fed and nourished by Gospel-Administraâ—ions â—he is fed by the Two witnesses for the prophesying of the witnesses is contemporary with the womans flight into the Wildernesse Even aâ— Elias was nourished in the Wildernesse and kept safe from the fury and rage of Iezebel And as God reserved 7000. that had not bowed their knees to Baal c. and by good Obadiah preserved an hundred Prophets of the Lord alive all the time of Ahabs bitter opposition against them Even so was the Woman that is The Church of Christ reserved and nourished by the Ordinances Scriptures and Ministry of Christ though in a Wildernesse-condition all the time of Antichrist's prevalency The like to this we read of in the 11. of the Revelation where we have two things very observable for our purpose The one concerning the Temple measured and the outward Court unmeasured The other concerning the two Witnesses 1. Concerning the Temple measured and the outward Court unmeasured The outward Court was to be left out or cast out to wit as prophane and that which God will make no account of It was not to be measured but to be given unto the Gentiles that is the Antichristian party to be trod under foot forty and two Moneths that is all the time of Antichrists raign The meaning is as Mr. Mâ—de well observeth That the Antichristian Apostasie which he calls redivivus Ethnicismus shall prevail over the Christian Churâ—h and shall bring in a new kind of Idolatry into the places where the true Religion was professed But now the Temple and the Altar and they that worship therein are to be measured with a divine reed This measuring is an allusion to Ezek. 40.1 c. where the Temple with all in it was to be measured by Gods appointment to shew that that building was of God So must the true Church of Christ under Antichrist be measured that is kept pure from Antichrist's Idolatry walking exactly according to the Rule of the Word and also kept safe from Antichrist's rage and fury 1. Note here That though the outward Court was given to the Gentiles to be troden down yet the Temple with the worshippers therein was not given 2. That during the prevalency ofAntichrist the Temple and Altar and worshippers therein that is a true Church and a true Ministry and true Gospel-Ordinances are preserved and kept safe While the outward Court is worshipping the Beast the true Church is serving God according to his Word as in the inner Court of the Temple Our English Annotations say That by the measuring of the Temple and altar and the worshippers therein is signified 1. The fewnesse â—f the true Christians under Antichrist in comparison of the Idâ—latrous ones as the Priests and Levites that worshipped in the inner Court were few in comparison of the people that worshipped in the outward 2. That Gods people while Antichrist raged should have a place in the Wildernesse where they might serve God according to his will as the Jewes offered sacrifices on the altâ—r in the Temple and which should be for safety as a Sanctuary unto them Isai. 8.14 Ezek 11.16 Therefore Temple and altar and worshippers and all are measured So Jerusalem is measured after the captivity that it may be inhabited again Zech. 2.1 2 3 4. c. 2. The Second thing observable is concerning the two Witnesses who are said to Prophesie in sackcloth 1260. dayes that is all the time of the raign of Antichrist By the Two Witnesses in general are meant Omnes Veritatis divinae interpretes assertores saith Mr. Mede All the Interpreters and assertors of divine truth qui soedam illam lachrymabilem Ecclesi ae Christi contaminationem assiduis querelis deflereâ—t c. who should by their daily complaints bewaile the foul and lamentable pollution of Christ's Church These Witnesses are said to be two for the fewnesse of them and because two witnesses were sufficient to confirm any truth and also in alâ—usion to Mosâ—s and Aâ—ron in the Wildernesse To Elijah and Elisha when the Israelites worshipped the Calves and Baal To Zerubbabel and Iâ—hoshua in Babylon and after the return of the Israelites from captivity For our parts we conceive that by the Two witnesses in a more especial manner are meant the True Ministers of Jesus Christ who are called Witnesses of Christ Act. 1.8 and whose proper Office it is to bear witnesse to truth and holinesse against all the Heresies Blasphemies Idolatries and ungodlinesse of Antichrist Now these two witnesses are said to Prophesie though cloathed in Sackcloth all antichrists reign which is a clear and demonstrative argument to us That there hath been a true Ministry preserved by God from the beginning of the Christian Church even to this very day notwithstanding the great and universal Apostacy that hath been in it And our learned Protestants in divers Books have given us a Catalogue of the faithful Ministers of God and other godly men whom the Lord raised up in all ages of the Church to bear witnesse against the growing and spreading abominations of Antichristianisme in the Christian World 3. The third thing we offer to consideration is To beseech our people accurately to distinguish between the Church of Rome and the Antichristianisme of the Church of Rome as between a man and the Plague-sore that is upon him and between a Field that is full of tares and yet hath some Wheat in it It is certain that the Church of Rome was a true Church in the Apostles dayes when the faith of it was spread throughout the World and it is as certain that afterwards by little and litle it apostatized till at last Antichrist set up his throne in that Church And yet still we must distinguish between the Church and the Apostasie of it between the Corn and the Tares that are in it Thus the Apostle seems to do 2 Thess. 2.4 where he puts a difference between the Temple of God in which the man of sin shall sit as God and between the man of sin sitting
28. Eph. 4.11 12. Supposing therefore at present what hath been already proved that there is such an Office in the Church to last by Divine Institution to the end of the world The present Discourse enquires about the Subjectum recipiens of this high and weighty Office and the work of it whether it lie in common or be appropriated by Divine Ordinance to some peculiar and speciall persons who are not only favoured to be Christs Sheep but honoured also to be Shepherds under him This Question is not de lanâ caprinâ nor needlesse For 1. It is manifest that there be some who constantly supply the room of Preachers and arrogate to themselves the reverence and maintenance due to none but Ministers and yet they themselves were never ordained to this Office By this means many Congregations are deprived of Government and of the Sacraments and such as would willingly take care of their souls in a regular and ordinary way are excluded by such intruders as will neither be solemnly set apart for the Ministry by imposition of hands with fasting and prayer nor give way to them that would 2. Others there be that plead for a liberty of preaching or as they phrase it for the exercise of gifts in publick even in these Congregations where there are ordained Ministers and this to be by those who pretend not to be Preachers and Ministers strictly and properly so called when and as often as such persons please and that this liberty ought to be given to every Christian who desires it and may probably be presumed to be fitted for it We therefore that we may as much as in us lies take away the stumbling block which by these practices is laid before blinde Papists and remove the scandal given to Reformed Churches and hinder the progresse of this sinne in our own shall 1. Bear witnesse to these truths 1. That none may assume the Office of the Ministry unlesse he be solemnly set apart thereunto i n this Chapter 2. That none may undertake the work of the Ministry except he be a Minister in the next Chapter 2. Answer all the considerable Arguments we could meet with used in defence of the fore-named errours in the Chapter following and this we shall do with clearnesse and brevity as the matter shall permit and in sincerity and with a spirit of meeknesse as becomes the Ministers of the Gospel Thes. 1. That none may assume the Office of the Ministry unlesse lesse he be solemnly set apart thereunto appears by these Arguments First We argue from that known Text Rom. 10.15 And how shall they preach except they be sent This is set down by way of Interrogation Vt oratio sit penetrantior saith Pareu◠The Prohibition is made more emphatical by the interrogation and the form of expression makes it morally impossible to preach without mission The Apostle useth a four-fold gradation How shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard How shall they hear without a preacher How shall they preach except they be sent The last link of the chain is of equal truth with the former As no man can call rightly on him in whom he believes not and no man can believe in him of whom he never heard and no man can hear without a Preacher so also no man can preach except he be sent and therefore he that breaks this last link breaks this golden chain of the Apostle and sins against God Besides this last link is an eternal truth As no man to the end of the world can call upon him in whom he believes not or believe in him of whom he hears not or hear without a Preacher so it is and will be true to the end of the world that no man can preach except he be sent The Apostle scrueth up the necessity of mission as high as the necessity of preaching and if one be perpetual the other must be so also Now from all this we gather 1. That mission is essential to the constitution of a Minister The Apostle doth not say How shall they preach except they be gifted though this be true but how shall they preach except they be sent Implying that gifting without sending doth not constitute a Minister 2. That this mission is not only of extraordinary but of ordinary teachers because faith is as much annexed to their teaching as teaching to their mission and faith is not the fruit of humane invention such is preaching without mission but of Divine Ordinance And therefore since we have no extraordinary Preachers we must either conclude there is no faith in the world or that there is an ordinary way of sending Ministers by whom as Gods instruments faith is wrought and if so their persons must enter that way and not runne before they be sent 3. That there is a necessity of a constant and perpetual as well as of an ordinary mission If faith depends upon hearing hearing upon preaching preaching upon mission then if faith be necessary in all ages of the world mission is also necessary yea ordinary mission because extraordinary is ceased A person may be praedo but he cannot be praco without mission and whatsoever may be done in some few extraordinary cases where regular mission cannot be had yet to run without sending and to leap over the wall where God hath opened a door is as high presumption in Divinity as it is in the civil state to break open an house without humane authority To all this it is replied 1. Some say That this sending is meant of sending by the election of the people but not by the Ordination of Ministers Answ. This cannot be for the people are the parties to whom the Preachers are sent Ministers are sent to the people not by the people The same party cannot be the person sending and the persons sent unto An Embassadour is not sent by the State to whom he brings his Embassie but by the States which gave him his Commission 2. Others say That this sending is to be understood of a providential not of an ecclesiastical and ministerial sending Answ. This is confuted by the next words in the Text How shall they preach except they be sent as it is written How beautifull are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things These words are taken out of Isa. 52. and must needs be understood of a ministerial sending The Ministers he speaks of are called Watchmen Isa. 52.8 and the Prophet himself is mentioned as one of them Rom. 10.10 They are a Prophecy of the acceptation that the Ministers sent by God should have amongst the people of God in the times of the Gospel And that this Text is to be understood of more then a bare providential sending appears further Because 2. If providential sending were sufficient then women-Preachers are as much sent of God and may promise
to preach without a lawfull call The Apostles in the Synod of Ierusalem speak of certain men that went out from them and troubled the Gentiles with words subverting their souls They went out They were not sent out but they went out of theiâ— own accord this is spoken of them by way of reproof And then it followes they troubled you with words subverting your souls He that preacheth unsent is not a comforter but a troubler of the people of God not a builder but a subverter of souls There be many in our daies like Ahimaaz they will be running without either call or message and haply they may out-run Gods Cushi's we wish they meet with no worse successe then he in a spirituall sense to prove uselesse Messengers We argue from the practice of the Ministers of Christ If they have been as carefull to make proof of their mission as of their doctrine then is mission required in him thâ—t will Preach the Word But they have been thus carefull Therefore If any gifted man may preach without a Call why doth the Apostle so often make mention of his Call Rom. 1.1 Gal. 1.15 16. 1 Cor. 1.1 when the Disciples of Iohn murmured against Christ for baptizing Ioh. 3.27 28. Iohn answers A man can receive nothing unlesse it be given him from heaven ye your selves bear witnesse of me that I said I am not the Christ but that I am sent before him Here Christs undertaking to baptize is justified by his Mission When the chief Priests and the Scribes with the Elders asked Christ Luk. 20.2 Tell us by what authority doest thou these things or who gave thee this authority Christ makes answer by demanding another question The Baptisme of Iohn was it from heaven or of men Which teacheth us these two truths First That none ought to preach without being authorized and sent Secondly That this Call and Sending is not only from men but from heaven True it is such as is the Ministry such ought the Call to be if the Ministry extraordinary the Call extraordinary if the Ministry ordinary the Call must be ordinary but we reade of no Ministry allowed in Scripture without a Divine Call There is a threefold Call to the Ministry mentioned Gal. 1.1 The first is of or from man only when any is designed to this work errante clave that hath no inward qualification or Call from God This though it authorizeth to outward administrations in the Church yet will not satisfie the conscience of him that so administers The second is by man as the instrument when any is designed to the Ministry by those whom God hath intrusted with the work of Ordination according to the rule of the Word these God cals by man Act. 20. This is the Call of ordinary Pastors The third by Jesus Christ immediatly and by this it is that Paul proves himself an Apostle an extraordinary Minister Lastly we argue thus That work may not be performed by any which cannot by him be performed in faith But preaching by a Brother Gifted but not Called nor Ordained cannot be done in faith Therefore A Gifted unordained brother may not Preach Concerning the major we shall say little the Apostles general Canon Rom. 14. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin doth evidently demonstrate it The truth of the minor appears in that there is no warrant in Scripture which is the ground of faith for such a practice For first there is no 1. Precept that such should preach if there were a precept it was then a necessary duty that every gifted person ought to perform it was a sin if any gifted person should not preach though he could preach but one Sermon only in all his life Where is the necessity laid upon them as the Apostle speaks of himself that they preach the Gospel 2. There is no Precept that any should hear them or obey them in the Lord or maintain them these duties of the people areappropriated to those that are Preachers by Office Mal. 2. The Priests lips should preserve knowledge and the people should enquire the Law at their lips Luk. 10.16 The hearing of them is the hearing of Christ and the refusing of them is the refusing of Christ It is not so said of any that preach without mission but contrarily there is a strict charge not to hearken to such Ier. 17.14 and a complaint of them that heap to themselves teachers 2 Tim. 4. Thus the Apostle Heb. 13 7 17. Remember them obey them submit your selves to them that have the rule over you and have spoken to you the Word of God So 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that rule well be accounted worthy of double honour c. Nothing of this is spoken of gifted Brethren yet if they may lawfully preach all this may they challenge and all that hear and plead for them are bound in conscience to yield because all this is due for the works sake 1 Thess. 5.12 Secondly There is no promise in Scripture made unto any that Preach and are not thereunto lawfully Ordained We say no promise either of 1. Assistance A Minister must depend upon God for his inabling unto the great work which he undertakes for all our sufficiency is of God and we have no sufficiency of our selves so much as to think any thing 2 Cor. 3.5 and God hath promised this assistance only to those whom himself sends Thus Exo. 4.10 Go saith the Lord to Moses and I will be with thy mouth Isa. 6.7 8 God touches the mouth of Isaiah and sends him Ioh. 20.21 22. Christ sends and gives the holy Ghost to the Apostles and to them is the promise Ioh. 13. The Spirit of truth shall lead you into all truth Doth God do thus to those that run and are not sent O let the great errours broached of old by Origen and others that presumed the the undertaking of this work without a Call and in our daies by Anabaptists Socinians and others that despise a regular lawfull Call bear witness Surely we may say that if any amongst us Preach without a Call and yet Preach the truth they have not their assistance by vertue of any promise from the hand of God 2. Protection Thus God hath promised to those whom he sends on his message Thus the Lord encourageth Ieremiah ch 1.18 19. I have made thee this day a defenced City and an iron pillar and a brazen wall against this whole Land and they shall fight against thee but shall not prevail against thee for I am with thee saith the Lord to deliver thee Thus also Act. 18.9 the Lord incourageth Paul Be not afraid but speak and hold not thy peace for I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee So also Act. 23.11 Be of good chear Paul c. And as we finde that God hath promised protection to those he sends so also the Ministers of God have incouraged themselves to a faithfull discharge of their duty against
ordinary so the calling we are to expect is ordinary Adde That God hath promised to preserve an ordinary Ministry in the world till the coming of Christ 1 Cor. 11.26 Eph. 4.12 13. Mat. 28.20 Isa. 59.21 And therefore there is no need of waiting for and expecting an extraordinary and immediate Call As it is necessary saith Learned Zanchy that there shall be alwaies a Church upon earth because Christ hath promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it So also it is every way as necessary that a lawfull Ministry be preserved Vnum enim ab altero separari non potest nec Ecclesia a Ministerio nec Ministerium ab Ecclesiâ For the one cannot be separated from the other neither the Church from the Ministry nor the Ministry from the Church And from hence it appears saith the same Authour That even in the Church of Rome though the worship of God be most corrupt in it yet God hath preserved in it so much of the substance of Religion as was necessary to salvation so that as the Church is not wholly extinct therein so neither was the Ministry We deny not but that there are some Learned Divines that pleade much for an immediate and extraordinary call in times of publique and generall defection from the Truth For our parts we will not espouse this quarrell We cannot we ought not to set bounds to the infinite power and free-will of God We dispute not what God may do at such times only we say with Gerhard Destituimur promissione quòd debeamus hoc tempore post confirmatum Novi Testamenti canonem immediatam vocationem expectare We have no promise that we ought after the confirmation of the Canon of the New Testament to expect an immediate call And afterwards he saith Nulla apparet immediatae vocationis necessitas There appears no necessity of this immediate Call And besides even those that are for an immediate Call do lay down divers limitations which are very worthy to be considered by the people of our age lest they should suck poison from such a doctrine One that pleads much for it gives these Rules 1. That this extraordinary and immediate Call then only takes place when a mediate and ordinary cannot be had and that such a Call ought not to be pretended unto in contempt of the ordinary way 2. That whosoever shall pretend to this immediate Call ought first to be tried before he be admitted That his doctrine ought to be examined by the Word That his life and conversation ought to be diligently lookt into lest he prove one of those concerning whom the Apostle speaketh That serve not our Lord Iesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple After this he puts this Question Anne cessante ordinaria vocatione c. Whether when the ordinary Call ceaseth it be then lawful for every private Christian verst in the Scriptures to go up into the Pulpit and preach against false Doctrines and assert the Truth and answers God forbid for this would open a door euivis ubivis qui se sapientem existimaret c. to every one every where who thinks himself wise under a pretence whether true or false of confuting false doctrine to have clandestine meetings as the Anabaptists and Libertines of our daies are wont to do following the evil example of those that first at Antioch afterwards in Galatia and elsewhere creeping in privately brought great tumults and confusions into the Church Of whom the Apostle speaks Forasmuch as we have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your souls saying Ye must be circumcised and keep the Law to whom we gave no such commandment Thus farre Bucanus and much more to this purpose in the same Chapter By this it appears That even they that justifie an immediate Call in some cases do notwithstanding flatly condemn the disorderly practices of our times So much in answer to the second Question The third Question is Whether the Call of Luther and the rest of the best Reformers of Religion from the errors of Popery was an immediate and extraordinary Call or no Answ. He that would be satisfied about the Call of Luther to the Ministry let him reade Gerhard de Ministerio where he shall finde proved That Luther though he did alwaies pleade his doctrine to be of God yet he did never so much as pretend to an immediate and extraordinary Call but that he was called after a mediate and ordinary way That he was ordained Presbyter in the Year of our Lord 1507. at 24 years of Age That when he was ordained Presbyter he did receive power to preach the Word of God That the next Year after he was called by Iohn Staupitius with the consent of Elector Frederick to be Divinity Professor of the Church and University of Wittenberg By the Statutes of which University he was bound to this sc. Vestrum est legem divinam interpretari librum vitae docere It is your Office to interpret the Divine Law and to teach the Book of Life Object If it be objected That Luther received his Ordination from the Church of Rome and therefore it is null and void Answ. To this Gerhard answereth That although the rite of Ordination in the Church of Rome was corrupted with many Superstitious and Vnprofitable Ceremonies yet Ordination it self was not nullified We must distinguish between the impurity of the Bishop Ordaining and the Ordination which is done in the Name of the whole Church And in the Ordination we must distinguish that which is divine from that which is humane that which is essential from that which is accidentall that which is godly and Christian from that which was Antichristian As in the Israelitish Church they were to use the Ministry Sacrifices and Ordination of the Scribes and Pharisees who sate in Moses chair yet the people were warned to take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees Mat. 16.12 So also is the Church of Rome We use the Ministry Sacraments and Ordination of those that were in ordinary succession but we reject the leaven of their Superstition But to this Objection we shall speak more fully in our fifth Proposition The like to that is said of Luther may be said of Zuinglius Oecolampadius Bucer Peter Martyr c Zanchy saith That Luther was a lawful Teacher and a Minister created in the Church of Rome with Imposition of hands and with authority to create others The like he saith of Zuinglius Bucer c. and of himself Qui in Papatu fuimus creati Doctores cum authoritate alios creandi We were made Teachers under the Papacy with authority to make others We confesse that Zanchy Bucanus and divers others speak much if not too much of an extraordinary Call that these blessed Reformers had But yet we desire it may be considered