with all deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse therefore we must Watch and Pray for the spirit of discerning that we may distinguish between things that differ 3. Consider as the Lord had his truths so he had his Church in Babylon during the rise and growth and reign and continuance of Antichrist The Apostacy though generall over all tongues and kindreds and Nations yet it was not so universall in all individuall persons but that there were a remnant according to the Election of grace As in the Baalitish Apostacy the Lord reserved seven thousand who had not bowed their knees to Baal So in this Antichristian defection the Lamb upon Mount Sion had 1â— times 12. thousand that adhered to the doctrine of the 12. Apostles and these 144000 had their Fathers name written in their Forehead redeemed from among men bâ—ing the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb and in their mouth was found no guile and they were not defiled with those Antichristian whoredomes For they are Virgins they were the true seed of the woman which keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Iesus Christ against whom the Dragon raged And therefore when the Romanists ask where was the Church before Luthers time We answer it was in and among them though it was not of them The Waldenses Albingenses Berengarians Pauperes de Lugduno or Lionists Lollards in severall places having many other severall names and these in the severall ages of the Reign of Antichrist held the truth of Jesus and opposed the errours of the man of sin which severall Popes endeavoured to destroy but could never effect All the Kings and Potentates of the earth were stirred up against them and a Decree made that if any temporall Lord did neglect to expell them out of his Dominions that he should be excommunicated his subjects absolved from allegiance and all their Lands confiscate and given to others Hence some of the Princes of the earth made it Treason for any of their Subjects either to hear or harbour them or any waies to releeve them And the armies raised against the Saracens and Mahometans were converted against these poor Christians and plenary indulgence pardon of all sin promised to all that would fight against them And if in France alone as it s reported in the History of that War there were slain ten hundred thousand what shall we think the number of them to be who were slain in all other Nations Yet under all these pressures and persecutions though they were often dispersed yet they could not be extinguished but these afflicted people of the Lord being scattered fled into Provence and the Alpes some into Calabria Bohemia Polonia and into Britain as Thuanus in his Preface And though many Opinions were imputed to them to make them odious yet their accusers do wofully and wonderfully contradict themselves as some of our Learned men do prove and some of them ingenuously confesse yet their main tenents were that they renounced the Church of Rome as the mysticall Babylon contemned the Pope as the man of sin and rejected their severall Popish opinions as Antichristian They held the same truths for substance that the Protestants now professe Insomuch as some of the adversaries confesse that they who are now Calvinists were anciently called Berengarians and the New Protestants are the Old Waldenses This Sect some of the Papists complain to be of all most pernicious to the Church of Rome 1. Because it is most ancient and durable having continued from the time of Pope Sylvester Others say from the time of the Apostles 2. Because most generall no part of the earth scarce free from it 3. Because it hath the greatest appearance of godlinesse for they live justly towards men and believe all things well concerning God only they blaspheme and hate the Church of Rome As the Lord had his Saints during all the Reign of Antichrist so he raised up his Ministers who in their severall successive ages in severall places testified against the spirituall whoredomes idolatrous worships and deceiving frauds of Antichrist it 's true as the generality of the people so the generality of the Priests in those times did worship the Beast even all that dwelt upon earth whose names were not written in the Lambs Book of Life and some observe that it was the righteous judgement of the Lord upon the Church at that time that such an Apostate people should have such apostaticall Priests and the holy Ghost maketh this one expresse ground because men did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved therefore God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie that they all might be damned who beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse But in this generall defection both of people and of their Teachers The Lamb had a remnant with him who were called and chosen and faithfull even an afflicted poor remnant of Pastors as well as of people reserved in the midst of Babyltn who did trust in the Name of the Lord and those godly pious Priests were both obedient unto and bold in the faith of Jesus Now if there were such Ministers during the reign of Antichrist that followed the Lamb did not defile their garments but preached and prayed and lived and died in their constant and consciencious oppositions of the man of sinne then surely the Ministry was not totally lost under the reign of Antichrist But that there were such appears both by Holy Scripture-prophesie which foretels it and unquestionable History of the Church that confirms it In the one men may learn what God spoke with his mouth In the other what the Lord fullfilled with his own hand The holy Ghost expresseth that there should be some to prophesie in Sackcloth one thousand two hundred and sixty daies Now not to dispute but taking that for granted which the best Interpreters assert and by Arguments out of the Revelations prove 1. That those One thousand two hundred and sixty daies are not naturall daies but propheticall every day taken for a Year as Ezek. 4.6 Num. 14.14 2. That those two Witnesses prophesying were not two individuall persons as Enoch and Elias as Bellarmine and other Papists affirm but a succession of Holy men stirred up all that time to testifie the truth of Christ against Antichrist as our learned men prove 3. That the Reign of the Beast continuing for 42 moneths which moneths taken prophetically as before every day for a year and reckoning for every monâ—th 30 daies now multiply the 42 by the 30. and the reign of the Beast is 1260 years and though there be great difficulty when to begin the rise and reign and most Expositors herein much vary yet in the continuance there is a generall accord and none can rationally make any question about it 4. That these Sackcloth-prophecies though but very few comparatively to the Locusts out of
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
yet crucifie Christ again in his members Is not this to partake of Antichrists sin Howsoever when you have done your worst these holy Ministers and Martyrs are happy in heaven and their memorial shall be in all ages blessed upon earth when their enemies shall perish and leave their names for a curse unto Gods chosen If the Lord had his holy Ministers not onely in suffering times to be Martyrs but also in times of Reformation if the Lord stirr'd up his Ministers as his chiefest instruments to bring his people from the power of Antichrist as of old he led his people out of Egypt by the hands of Moses and Aaron then surely the Ministers are not Antichristian But the Lord did stirre up his Ministers in several places to detect the frauds of Antichrist and by their Ministry he did reduce his people from that Antichristian tyranny Before you heard of many Worthies as Wickliff Hus Hierom Prague c. But in the 16. Century how wonderfully did the Lord raise up for the rescue of his people the Ministry of Luther and with him what a troop of expert valiant Champions Philip Melancthon Conradus Pellican Fabricius Capito Osiander Bucer and many others in Germany Zuiâ—glius in Helvetia Iohn Calvin and Farellus that unwearied souldier of Christ as he is called These with multitudes of others in England France and othâ—r Countreys held their life in their hands hazarded all for the Gospel of Christ these smit spiritual Egypt in her first-born These even these bare the heat of the day and we are entred upon their labours And is this all the thank that ye render to God or them that when they delivered you from Antichristianisme you condemn them as Antichristian If ever since the beginnings of Reformation the pious painfull Ministers in the Reformed Churches have stood in the breach have prevented our spiritual relapsing into Aegypt if they have spent their time parts and studies night and day to fight the battels of Christ against Antichrist then it is not only a groundlesse mistake but an ungodly sinful scandall to censure them as Antichristian How is it that ye are not afraid to speak evil of the servants of the Lord set up by his Spirit for the defence of the Gospel Will any rational man versed in the writings of those Worthies believe that Zanchius Bullinger Beza Brentius Iunius Pareus Piscator Musculus Scultetus Chamier or of our Countreymen Iewel Reignold Whitaker Perkins with multitudes of others who were willing to spend and be spent in defending the truths professed in the Reformed Churches against the Romanists Will any sober Christian believe that these were members of the Roman Harlot The Popish party cannot so bely them but have found them to be their greatest adversaries Will any man be so senslesse and stupid as to account David who slew Goliah or Eleazar the son of Odo who slew the Philistims till his hand was weary or Shammah who when all Israel fled from the Philistims he stood in the midst of a ground full of Lentiles and defended it and slew the Philistims and the Lord wrought a great victory Will any man be so mad as to say that David and his worthies were the only friends of the Philistims and so bury them and cause them to go down to the grave among the uncircumcised Forget not the great appearances of Christ which have been gloriously seen and felt in the faithfull Ministers of this Land Have not they preached and pressed to the conscience the practical points of Christianity and hath not the Lord set a visible seal to their Ministry in the souls of thousands Dare you say that these practical Ministers Greenham Dod Dent Dyke Bains Rogers Hildersham with a world more of whom the world is not worthy that they were Antichristian Who art thou that givest thy mouth to evil and thy tongue frameth deceit Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother and slanderest thine own mothers son Hast thou considered their work of faith labour of love patience of hope If thou hast not why wilt thou speak evil of things and persons thou knowst not And if thou hast read and considered confesse and give glory to God and say God was in these Ministers of a truth Be not like those seduced Professours Who measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves with themselves were not wise These silly or rather proud Christians and their false teachers traduced the great Apostle as if he had not Christ to whom Paul answers and we with him If any man trust to himself that he is Christs let him of himself think this again that as he is Christs even so are we Christs These holy Ministers were the precious members of Christ and will you make them as much as is in you the members of an harlot God forbid The 9thConsideration is drawn from the sad consequences of this censorious groundles opinion For as touching our selves and the Ministers of this present Age We say nothing but We resolve in the strength of Christ to be faithfull to the death and not to fear the revilings of men and in the midst of all your undeserved reproaches to persist in the work of the Lord and to commit our selves to him that judgeth righteously Concerning these sad consequences we appeal to your serious and sober thoughts in these few Queries Q. 1. Doth not this Opinion in rejecting all the godly Ministers of the Reformed Churches as Antichristian much promote the Cause of Antichrist which you seem vehemently to oppose Now if any build that which he hath destroyed he makes himself a transgressor For 1. Is it not the great work of Antichrist to destroy our Ministers to smite the Shepherd that the Flock may be scattered Certainly if the Lord in his wrath should suffer you so far to prevail as to suppresse Learning trample upon the Universities and ruine the Ministers That there should be no Learned men to detect Popish Impostures and refell their errors That neither shield nor spear should be left among thousands in Israel you would in this more advance Antichrist then if you were his sworn Vassals even an Army of Friars and Jesuites deceiving and being deceived 2. Do not most of your Arguments symbolize with the Romanists as if they were arrows shot out of their quiver They renounce us upon this ground That we are no true Church have no true Ministry and do not you agree with them in this unchristian principle and are not we forced to prove the being of our Church and Ministry in all ages against you with the same Arguments we use against them and herein do not you gratifie the common Adversary and strengthen their hands 3 Have you not cause to enquire whether you be not acted by the same Spirit For you know the Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of meeknesse and that wisedom which comes from above is first
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
themselves as good successe as the best Minister Yea a tyrant robber or murtherer may justifie himself in his wickednesse as being sent by God providentially Then Zimri had as just a warrant to destroy the house of Baasha as Iehu had to destroy the house of Ahab and Iosephs brethren did well in selling him since they did it by special providence Gen. 45. 50.7 3. The Apostle speaks of such a sending as must be acknowledged by all to be of God an authoritative mission such as Embassadours have who are sent with publick Letters of Credence to negotiate the Affairs of those that imploy them For 1. They are called Preachers or Heralds the participle in the original Rom. 10.14 noting the Office as Rom. 12.7 8. 1 Thess. 5.12 Heb. 13.17 so in the parallel place Isa. 52.8 they are called Watchmen both which terms connote Authority 2. People are blamed for not hearing them Rom. 10.16 21. but the not hearing of such as are not sent is no fault but a vertue Iohn 10.5 8. Indeed divine truth is ever obligatory who ever brings it but a double tie lies upon people when truth is conveighed by a divine messenger Otherwise any private person had as much power of binding and losing as a Minister There is a wide difference between an arrest or pardon reported by a private person and the same applied under the Broad-Seal by a person delegated from the Supream Magistrate 3. The Socinians reply to the Text and say That a speciall Call was necessary in the Apostles daies because the doctrine by them delivered was new and unheard of but this mission is not necessary in our daies because we preach no new Doctrine but onely that which the Apostles have formerly taught and written Answ. But the Answer is easie For 1. We have already proved That there is a necessity in the Church of Christ of a constant perpetual and ordinary mission 2. It is false that the Apostles and Prophets taught any new Doctrine Act. 24.14 26.22 28.23 they believed and taught nothing but old truths formerly delivered by Moses and the Prophets 1 Iohn 1.7 New indeed they might be in respect of the manner of proposing Joh. 13.34 or the singular ratification thereof by miracles Mark 1.27 or the apprehension of the Auditors Acts 17.19 but not as to the substance of the Doctrine Compare Iohn 13.34 with 2 Epist. of Iohn vers 5. 1 Ioh. 2.7 3. As to the first and third Consideration the Gospel is alwayes new to children ignorant persons or Heathen c. And therefore if Socinians will be true to their own principles they cannot plead against a called Ministry 4. In the dayes of the Apostles the truths of the Gospel were owned by all the Churches and so not new as to their apprehensions yet then came none to the Ministry without a Call Witnesse the Epistles to Timothy and Titus Thus at last we have vindicated this Text from all those mists that are cast upon it to darken it and made it to appear That none ought to take upon them the Office of a Minister unlesse they be lawfully Called and Ordained thereunto Our second Argument is taken from Heb. 5.4 5. And no man taketh this honour unto himself but he that is called of God as Aaron so also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high-Priest but he that said unto him Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee No man taketh i. e. ought to take Verbs active as our English Annotators upon the place observe in the phrase of Scripture sometime import not the act it self but onely an Office as Gen. 20.9 Levit. 4.12 13. Psa. 32.8 This honour the Priestly Office is not only a bâ—rthen but an honour what ever the carnal world esteem of it The Apostle here makes a general Proposition No man ought to take the ministerial honour upon him unlesse called by God This Proposition is not limited but illustrated First By Aaron who undertook not this Office till called thereunto Exod. 28.1 no more did any other of the Priests in the Old Testament 2 Chron. 29.11 16.16 It cost Câ—rah and his Company dear for doing otherwise The Prophets also make mention of their Commissions in the beginning of their Prophecies The word of the Lord came to Isaiah Ieremiah Hosea c. And when Amaziah objected against Amos Amos did not plead any general liberty the Israelites had of prophesying but tels Amaziah I was no Prophet I was an Herdsman and a gatherer of Sycamore fruit and the Lord took me as I followed the flock c. If then the Priests and Prophets of the Old Testament could not take this honour upon them till call'd and appointed who can shew any just reason why any under the New Testament should do otherwise especially if we consider That the Gospel-Ministry is more weighty and glorious then the Legal was Secondly By Christ who though he be God blessed for ever the true God coequal and coeternal with the Father yet he glorified not himself to be made an high-Priest but was sealed and inaugurated by his Father into this great Office And therefore he saith expresly Iohn 8.54 If I honour my self my honour is nothing it is my Father that honoureth me of whom you say that he is your God Now we desire all Christians in the fear of God to consider That if the Lord Jesus would not honour himself to become our Mediator till he was anointed by his Father and designed to this Office it cannot but be great presumption for any man to glorifie himself and make himself a Minister before he be lawfully ordained thereunto we may truly say to such as Christ doth You that thus honour your selves your honour is nothing Thirdly We argue from the Titles that are gâ—ven to the Ministers of the Gospel They are called Embassadours 2 Cor. 5.20 Stewards Tit. 1.7 Meâ— of God Tim. 6 11. compared with 2. King 5.8 Watchmen Ezek. 3.7 Angels Revel 2.1 which are all names of Office and require a special designation from God Stewards do not use to officiate without warrant Luke 12.42 Embassadours do not go forth to treat with forain States without publick Commission As they must have Instructions for the matter of their Message so they must be enabled with publick Authority for the managing of their Work Adde further that Ministers are called Gods Mouth and how shall a man take upon him to be Gods mouth who is not sent from God They are called the Good souldiers of Iesus Christ souldiers in an eminent degree to fight against iniquity and heresie and therefore must be listed by Christ into that number and must have his warrant for the discharge of their duty They are Gods Servants and Ministers and therefore must be sent by him or else they are their own masters not Gods servants And that all these things concern our Ministry as well as theirs in the Primitive times
Call is alwaies joyned either with the gift of Miracles or the gift of Tongues or some other extraordinary thing by which men are enabled undoubtedly to demonstrate to others their immediate Call Thus the Prophets were all of them endued with the gift of fore-telling things to come and Iohn Baptist was enabled to make proof of his immediate Call by shewing the Prophecies both of Isaiah and Malachy that were concerning him which prophecies were applied to him by the Angel Luke 1.15 16 17. before he was born appropriated by himself Ioh. 1.23 and confirmed by Christs testimony of him Mat. 11.9 10 11. And therefore let all those that boast of their Revelations and say they are called by God to preach as the Apostles were shew the signs and tokens of their Apostleship as the Apostles did let them shew the gift of miracles or of Tongues or of foretelling things to come or some supernaturall prediction that such as they should be sent into the world or at least some rare and extraordinary work of God that so the world may beleeve that they are in truth sent by God and are not Impostors and Seducers as the false Prophets were Ier. 14.14 Secondly They that are immediatly called by God will preach no other doctrine but what is agreeable to the Word of God This is the distinguishing character brought by the Prophet Ieremy Jer. 23.16 Hearken not unto the words of the Prophets c. For they prophesie a lye unto you for I have not sent them saith the Lord yet they prophesiâ— a lie in my Name Thus Ier. 29.8 9. Let not your Prophets and your Diviners deceive you neither hearken to your Dreams c. for they prophesie falsly unto you in my Name He that boasteth of dreams visionâ— â—nd Revelations and holds forth any doctrine contrary to the written Word he is an Impostor and a Seducer And this is the chief Note of difference without which the former iâ— insufficient Prima ac praecipua probationis regula saith Gerhard est harmonia congruentia doctrinae cum doctrinâ a Deo revelarâ The first and chief rule of triall is the harmony and agreement of the doctriâ—e they preach with the doctrine of thâ— Scriptâ—res For our Saviour Christ telâ— us That false Christâ— should arise and false Prophets and should shew great signs and wonders insomuch if it were possible they should deâ—eive the very Elect. And the Apostle tels us that the coming of Antichrist shall be after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders These wonders are called lying wonders either because they should be false and counterfeit or if â—rue yet they may be called lying wonders miranda not miracula because wrought by Satan to confirm erroneous doctrines and lies Such are Popish miracles falsly so called which are as our Annotations upon the place say either lyiâ—g prodigies or prodigious lies This caution was given to the Children of Israel by Moses Deut. 13.1 If there arise among you a Prophet or a dreamer if dreams and giveth thee a sign or a wonder and the sign or the wonder come to passe whereof he spake unto thee saying Let us go after other Gods c. Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet or that dreamer of dreams for the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul c. From all which we gather That whosoever groundeth his authority of preaching upon an immediate call and braggeth of heavenly visions and divine revelations if he preach strange doctrine contrary to the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles although he should confirm it by signs and wonders and although he should undertake to foretell things to come and these predictions should come to passe yet notwithstanding we are not to hearken unto him but to reject him as a Seducer and his wonders as lying wonders and to say with the Apostle Paul Though we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Excellently to this purpose doth Austin answer to the Donatists boasting of their Revelations but departing from the sincerity of Evangelical doctrine Let them not therefore say it is a truth because Donatus or Pontius or any other did such and such miracles or because this Brother or that Sister saw such a vision or dreamed such a dream Let these fictions of deceitful men or wonders of lying spirits be laid aside c. And having laid them aside Let them demonstrate their Church not by such lying prodigies because against giving heed to such we are warned in the Word of God but by the prescript of the Law the predictions of the Prophets by the Book of Psalms by the voice of the great Shepherd by the Preachings and Writings of the Evangelists that is by â—…the Authority of Canonicall Books of Scripture So much for the first Question Quest. 2 Whether are we to expect any immediate and extraordinary Call to the Ministry in these daies Answ. Though we cannot nor ought not to set bounds to the infinite power of free-will of God nor will we dispute what God may do out of his free-grace in times of generall Apostacy yet we shall make bold to give in this answer to this great Question That we do not reade that we are commanded in Scripture to wait for and expect such a Call neither do we know of any promise that God hath made to encourage us to wait nor do we conceive that there is any absolute necessity of such an expectation For God as Chemnitius observes hath by his Apostles delivered and prescribed to his Church a certain form by which he would have men enter into the Ministry and that is a mediate Call neither is there now any need of an immediate For it is Gods will that the Ministry even to the end of the world should be tied to that doctrine which is delivered to the Church by the Apostles Adde to this That the Apostles though they themselves were called immediatly by God yet notwithstanding they did not wait till others that should succeed them in the work of the Ministry were chosen also immediatly by God But they themselveâ— ordained Ministers and gave order to Timothy and Titus about the way and method of electing and ordaining Elders which we are assured they would never have done if the immediate Call had not ceased together with their persons When Christ went up to heaven he gave two sorts of Officers to his Church some extraordinary as Apostles Evangelists Prophets and these were temporary some ordinary as Pastors and Teachers and these are perpetual Now as we are not to expect in our daies such extraordinary Officers as Apostles Evangelists and Prophets no more are we to expect such an extraordinary way of calling as they had but as our Officers are
reported But from whence had he thiâ— History Even from Clemens Fabuleus and Hegesippus not extant 2. It is no wonder that Timothy and Titus are called Bishops by Eâ—sebius and Theodoret because that the Apostles themselves are called Bishops by the writers of those times who spake of former times according to their own Thus Peter is said to be Bishop of Rome and Iames of Hiâ—rusalem Now it is evident as we shall hereafter prove That the Apostles were not Bishops properly and formally but onely eminently and vertually 3. As they are called Bishops so also they are called Apostles Theodoret calles Titus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Timothy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And yet we believe that there are few of our Episcopal Divines will undertake to prove them to be Veri Nominis Apostolos Some call them Archbishops Metropolitans Patriarches and yet will not be easie to perswade a person disengaged from Prelacy that there were Archbishops and Metropolitans in the Apostles dayes The truth is That which Thucydides saith of the ancient Greek Historians may as truly be said of Eusebius Irenaeus and others c. That those things which they received from their Fore-fathers they delivered to their posterity without strict examination and thereby in many things more deceived themselves and were the cause of deceiving others as we shall have occasion to shew afterwards For our parts we answer clearly That the Fathers and Councels speak of the Officers of former times according to the stile of their own times That Timothy had an Office above a Bishop as Wale Messalinus saith though afterwards from the custome of the Church and some acts that Bishops did like his but not solely he was allusively if not abusively and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called a Bishop And as another faith Timothy and Titus are called Bishops by the ancients because they did those acts that by humane custome were afterwards appropriated to Bishops in regard of Presidency but they did them not as Bishops which they are not called in Scripture hut as Evangelists which they were and so one of them is called 2 Tim. 4.5 2. The second argument to prove that Timothy and Titus were no Bishops relates especially to Timothy and it is this If Timothy was Bishop of Ephesus it must be when the first Epistle was written For it is in that Epistle in which he is said to receive his pretended charge of exercising his Episcopal power in Ordination and Jurisdiction But now this first Epistle was written when Paul was at Macedonia as the learned both new and old Papists and Protestants agree And it was after this when Paul came to Miletum accompanied with Timothy and sends for the Elders of the Church of Ephesus unto him and commends the government of the Church unto these Elders whom he calls Bishops Now surely if Timothy had been constituted their Bishop in the sence of our Adversaries the Apostle would not have called the Elders Bishops before their Bishops face and in stead of giving a charge to the Elders to feed the flock of Christ he would have given that charge to Timothy and not to them And no doubt he would have given some directions to the Elders how to carry themselves toward their Bishop And because none of these things were done it is a clear demonstration to us that Timothy was not at that time Bishop of Ephesus To avoid the force of this argument there are some that say That Timothy was not made Bishop of Ephesus till after Pauls first being a prisoner at Rome which was after his being at Miletum But these men while they seek to avoid the Scylla of one inconvenience fall into the Carybdis of another as great For if Timothy was not made Bishop till Pauls first being at Rome then he was not Bishop when the first Epistle was written to him which all agree to be written before that time And then it will also follow That all that charge that was laid upon him both of Ordination and jurisdiction and that intreating of him to abide at Ephesus was given to him not as to the Bishop of Ephesus which he was not but as to an extraordinary Officer sent thither upon special occasion with a purpose of returning when his work imposed was finished From both these considerations we may safely conclude That if Timothy were neither constituted Bishop of Ephâ—sus before Pauls first being prisoner at Rome nor after Then he was not constituted Bishop at all But he was neither constituted Bishop before nor after c. Ergo not at all 3. To prove that Timothy and Titus were not Bishops in a Prelatical sence we argue from the matter contained in these Epistles In the first Epistle wherein all that is alledged for Episcopacy is contained for in the 2 Epistle there is nothing at all said about it Chap. 1. Vers. 3. He beseecheth Timothy to abide at Ephesus when he went into Macedonia which had been a needless importunity as Smecttymnuus well observes if Timothy had had the Episcopal charge of Ephesus committed to him by the Apostles for then he might have laid as dreadful a charge upon him to abide at Ephesus as he doth afterwards to Preach the Gospel 2 Tim. 4.1 2. And in his Epistle to Titus Chap. 1.5 he saith For this cause left I thee in Creete that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting c. In which words the Apostle specifieth the occasional imployment for which he was desired to stay in that place Now as the Reverend Presbyters in their conference at the Isle of Wight have well noted These expressions I besought thâ—e to abide still at Ephesus I left thee in Creete do not sound like words of instalment of a man into a Bishoprick but of an intendment to call him away again And if we consider his actual revocation of them both of which we shall afterwards speake and the intimation in these texts of his intention that they should not stay there for continuance and the reason of his beseeching the one to stay and of his leaving the other behind him which was some present defects and distempers in those Churches they will put fair to prove That the Apostle intended not to establish them Bishops of those places and therfore did not Add to this That when Paul undertook in 1 Tim. 3. to set out the Office of a Bishop he mentioneth nothing in that Office which is not competent to a Presbyter and therefore omits the Office of a Presbyter as we have formerly said including it in the Office of a Bishop which certainly he would never have done if he had at the same time made Timothy an HierachicalBishop with a power to do that formally which was unlawful for a Presbyter to do And in his Epistle to Titus he directly confounds the names and offices of Presbyters and Bishops and makes them one and the same Titus 1.5.6 which he certainly would not have
all opposition especially upon this ground that they had their commission from God and his immutable promise for protection Isa. 49.1 2 3 4 5. Isa. 51.16 Ier. 26.14 15. But no where hath God made any such promise to those that intrude themselves into this work but threatens to be against them as hath been declared The Angels of God have a charge to keep us in our waies Psal. 91. but they that go out of them may fear the portion â—f the sonnes of Sceva the Jew Act. 19.15 that they be beaten by the evil spirit they undertake to cast out 3. Success in respect of the weighty ends of the Ministry the principall the glory of God the secondary the conversion and salvation of souls How is it possible that he who intrudes himself into the work of the Ministry should glorifie God in the work since God is honoured only in his own waies and means and therefore cannot be glorified when his waies are not observed To obey is better then sacrifice saith the Prophet and to hearken then the fat of Rams Christ glorified not himself to be made an High-priest such therefore as assume the Ministry glorifie themselves and not God Neither is there any promise made neither is it to be expected that he who assumes this work of the Ministry without a Call should ever become the instrument of the conversion and edification of souls Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the preaching of such as are sent Rom. 10.14 17. but unsent Preachers have the curse of God upon their labours that they shall not profit the people at all Ier. 23.32 Luther hath a good saying to this purpose Deus non fortunat labores corum qui non sunt vocati quamvis salutaria quaedam afferant tamen non aedificant that is God doth not prosper their labours who are not called and though they preach some profitable truths yet do they not profit the people Hence it comes to pass that they that hear uncalled Preachers fall i nto so many errours as a just punishment of God upon them according to that the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 4.3 4. For the time will come that they will not indure sound doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves Teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables Gods blessing of conversion is promised only to his own Ordinance which they cannot expect who either by preaching without a Call or hearing such as so preach do overthrow Thirdly There is no one approved example recorded in Scripture of any one not being Sent and Called either immediatly or mediatly by God especially in a constituted Church that undertook this work of preaching or any other work appropriated by God to the Ministry And thus we have also finished this second Chapter and sufficiently and clearly proved as we suppose That it is unlawfull for any man not lawfully called and set apart to the Office of a Minister to undertake and intrude upon the work of Preaching appropriated by God to that Office CHAP. VI. Answering the Arguments brought for the Preaching of men out of Office IN this Chapter we shall give Answers to the chief and main Arguments produced by such as maintain this unwarrantable practice of Preaching by men out of Office for though a Christian ought not to depart from the plain rule of the Word of God though he be not able to satisfie all the Sophistical cavils of gain-saying adversaries yet that we may remove all stumbling blocks and occasions to fall out of the way that if it be possible some may be reclaimed from their â—rrour others may be more firmly established in the truth when they see discovered the vanity and invalidity of pretenders Arguments for the preaching of gifted men out of Office we shall likewise undertake this task The first and principal Argument is drawn from 1 Cor. 14.31 Ye may all prophesie one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted Whence is thus inferred That the Apostle giving liberty to the gifted Brethren of the Church of Corinth out of Office to Prophesie you may All Prophesie warrants this practice of Preaching in all men that have gifts though they be not set apart to this Office In Answer to this Argument we first lay down this Rule which is also of excellent use for the understanding of many other places of Scripture viz. That this universal All is to be restrained and limited according to the subject or matter treated of As when the Apostle saith All things are lawfull for me he means not simply All things but restrainedly All indifferent things of which he was there treating 1. Cor 6.12 and 10.23 In like manner when the same Apostle 2 Cor. 5.17 saith All things are made new This Proposition is to be restrained from the subject and matter of which he was speaking unto Beleevers The like may be observed in many other places Luk. 13.15 1 Cor. 12.7 Isa. 9.17 c. These things thus premised We say First In this place of the Apostle Ye may all prophesie the word All is to be restrained according to the subject of which the Apostle speaks He saith not of the Body or People of the Church of Corinth that they might All Prophesie but of the Prophets in that Church that they might All Prophesie This is evident both from the antecedent and subsequent words In the 29th verse the Apostle saith Let the Prophets speak two or three c. then he subjoyns For ye may All prophesie and then it follows immediatly And the spirit of the Prophets shall be subject to the Prophets By this discourse of the Apostle it evidently appears that the liberty of prophecying was not given to every member of the Church of Corinth but only to the Prophets that were in that Church Now it is clear they were not all Prophets c. 12.29 Are all Prophets i. All are not Prophets and therefore all had not granted them this liberty of prophecying And thus far we have the consent not only of Beza and others upon the place but even of the most sober of our adversaries who will not assert a promiscuous liberty of prophecying to every member of the Church but only to such as are gifted and qualified for the work and desired by the Church to exercise that Gift Secondly The Prophets both in this place and where ever else in the Scriptures mentioned were an order of Ministry not only gifted Brethren but constituted Officers in the Church Thus 1 Cor. 12.28 God hath set in his Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers c. As the Apostles and Teachers were Officers set by God in his Church so also were the Prophets Reade also Eph. 4.11 12. When Christ gave 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gifts Officers for the good of the Church he gave amongst these Officers Prophets And we do not beleeve that there can
an instance be given of any Text either in the Old or New Testament in which the word Prophet doth not signifie one in Office peculiarly called and sent Now if this be an irrefragable truth as indeed it is then the Apostles permitting all Prophets i. men in Office to prophesie is no warrant for gifted brethren if out of Office to do that work Thirdly Though what hath been already said be sufficient to infringe the Argument drawn from this place to warrant the preaching of men out of Office yet we adde for the more full Vindication of this Scripture that the Prophets here mentioned yea and throughout the New Testament seem not to be only Officers in the Church but extraordinary Officers immediatly inspired and sent by the holy Ghost which appears in that First They are not only mentioned and preferred before Pastors and Teachers the ordinary Officers of the Church Act. 13.1 1 Cor. 12.28 but also before the Evangelists themselves Eph. 4.11 12. who are acknowledged by all to have been Officers extraordinarily sent Secondly The gift of prophecy is reckoned amongst the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit and put in the midst of them 1 Cor. 12.9 10 11. and contra-distinguished from ordinary gifts vers 7 8. the word of wisedom the word of knowledge The word of wisedom denotes the Pastors work the word of knowledge the Teachers work but prophesying is different from both these câ—â—sisting partly in the fore-telling of future events as Act. 11.27 28. In those daies came Prophets frâ—m Ierusalem unto Antiâ—â—h and there stood up one of them named Agabus and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great dearth throughout the wâ—rld 2. Partly in an infallible explication and application of the mâ—st difficult places of Scripture not by industry and labour but by the immediate illumination and teaching of the holy Ghost by whom the Scriptures were inspired Thirdly It is evident by the series of this Chapter that the Prophets herein spoken of and their prophesying was extraordinary ver 26. When you are come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Tongue hath a Revelation hath an Interpretation Tongues Interpretation Revelation are joyned together ver 30. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace by which it appears that the Prophets here spoken of were inspired by the holy Ghost and that this gift of prophecy was an extraordinary dispensation of God given to the Primitive Church but now ceased and therefore this Text cannot justifie our Lay-Preachers who cannot without impudency pretend to such extraordinary Revelations as these had We might fill many Pages with Quotations of Authours that consent with us in this last Calv. Inst. l. 4. c. 3. sec. 10. c. Pet. Mart. loc com clas 4. c. 1. p. 558. Aret. prob lo. 61. de Prophetia Gerh. com loc tom 6. de Minist Ecc. Diodat in 1 Cor. 14. 1 6 23. Gomarus on Rom. 12.6 Synops. purioris Theolog. disp 42. thes 22. Our English Annotat. in 1 Cor. 14. Against this third Position asserting the Prophesying in this Chapter mentioned to be extraordinary there be many things objected which we shall answer for the further manifestation of the truth Object 1. The Apostle exhorteth the faithfull to desire this gift vers 1. and to seek to excell therein and therefore it is not likely that it was a miraculous and extraordinary gift Answ. It doth not follow that because it was to be desired therefore it was not extraordinary Other spiritual gifts were extraordinary yet saith the Apostle Desire spirituall gifts as much as he saith of prophesying Elysaeus desires a double measure of Elias spirit 2 King 2.9 was not that extraordinary The faithfull might in those daies in which such extraordinary gifts were usually given in the Church lawfully seek after them especially by praying to God for them which is the way prescribed vers 13. Let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret And it is apparent that in the Schools of the Prophets many did study and prepare that they might be fitted for this extraordinary gift of Prophecy 1 Sam. 19.20 2 Kin. 2.3 4. and 2 Kin. 3.15 and out of them God usually made choice of such as he emploied as his speciall Embassadors to his Church Object 2. The Apostle speaketh of such prophesying as is to the edification exhortation and comfort of the Church therefore of ordinary prophesying Answ. It follows not because extraordinary prophesying as well as ordinary was given for the edification of the Church 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every one to profit withall Eph. 4.11 12 13. All the extraordinary as well as ordinary Officers were given by Christ for the gathering and edification of the Church And all gifts are to be emploied to this end 1 Cor. 14.26 Whether you have a Psalm or Doctrine or Tongue or Revelation or Interpretation Let all things be done to edifying Object 3. The Apostle in this Chapter speaks not of any thing extraordinary but laies down a generall liberty for all the members of the Church of Corinth to prophesie And this appears because he presâ—ribes Rules 1. For men how they should order their liberty for edification and then 2. for Women forbidding them altogether the liberty of prophesying Let your women keep silence in the Churches Women say they are here named in opposition to men and they only being prohibited all men may and ought to be allowed to prophesie in publique Answ. 1. It is absolutely false to say that the Apostle speaks of nothing extraordinary in this Chapter for he speaks of the gift of tongues vers 6 14 2â— 26. and of extraordinary Psalms and Revelations Answ. 2. It is also as false to say that the Apostle gives a generall liberty of prophesying to all to all the members of the Church of Corinth It hath been already proved that the liberty was given to such only as were Prophets v. 29 30 31. and these Prophets were persons in Office as hath been demonstrated and that they were exâ—raordinary Officers Superiour to Evangelists Pastors and Teachers Now all the members of the Church of Corinth were not Pâ—ophets 1 Cor. 12.29 nor had the gift of Propheâ—y as appears by the Apostles prayer for them 1 Cor. 14.6 I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied c. Answ. 3. Women are not mentioned in opposition to the men in Corinth simply But in opposition to such as had extraordinary gifts whether of Tongues or of Prophecy or any such like And the scope of the Apostle is not to give liberty to all but to lay down rules to those that were Prophets and men in Office how they should regulate their prophesying for the edification exhortation and consolation of the people and then he wholly excludes the women from this work Answ. 4. We may further answer that by women here