be far from you so to do for then you do endeavour to quench the spirit for though you do permit some to Preach Iesus Christ yet if you do prohibit any from Preaching Jesus Christ you do quench the spirit and oppose the freeness of the spirit who is a free Agent And as the winde bloweth where it listeth though we see it not so doth the spirit and God hath not tyed himself to give out his spirit to such particular men and to no other but to whom he pleases He did not tie up the spirit of Prophesie in Law neither to the Priests and Levites nor the Prophets nor the sons of the Prophets but gave out of that spirit to Amos a Heards-man and to others much less hath he tied up the spirit of Prophesying now in the Gospel unto such and such degrees of humane learning for many learned godly Ministers have confessed that they have learned many spiriutall truths of Iesus Christ from such as have had no learning and we know that Christ passed by the learned men in that time chose illiterate men to be his Apostles Now for you to silence any that do preach Iesus Christ of what rank soever it is an endeavoring to quench the spirit which the Lord grant you may not do 3. Let it be far from you to hinder any because every tallent which the Lord Jesus hath given he requires an improvement of it to his use and it ought not to lie hid in a napkin and therefore the Apostle saies Every gift is given to profit withall 1 Cor. 12.7 Now we know what the Lord said to him that did not imploy his tallent Cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darkness there shall he weeping and gnashing of teeth Math. 25.30 So fearfull is the doom of him that imployeth not his tallent what then will become of those that shall forbid any to imploy their tallents But O be you wise and as you are Ordained of God to be as for the punishment of evill doers so for the praise of them that do well so manifest your selves to be 4. Do not you enact any law against any Saints exercising the gifts of the spirit that are given to them in Preaching or prophesying because the Lord hath promised in the latter dayes to power out his spirit more abundantly upon all flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions Joel 2.28 and the time of the accomplishing of this promise more fully is neer at hand for the totall overthrow of Antichrist and his finall ruin shall suddnely be And then the everlasting Gospel shall be preached unto all nations and kindreds and tongues and people and can any think that at that time the Lord will call forth none to this worke but those that have taken such and such degrees in the Schooles Now what a sad thing would it be if when God shall call forth some of his people to this great worke any humane power should stand in opposition to it and say such and such men shall not do such a work 5. Let it be far from you to forbid any man to preach the word of the Lord because his word doth good it is strong and powerfull in confirming and comforting those that are called convincing and converting those that are uncalled to make a people a holy and peculiar people to the Lord you may see the force of this argument in taking a view of a passage in the Prophet Micah Mic 2.6 7 8. In the 6. ver we finde the Lord complaining against the people in these words Prophesie ye not say they to them that prophesie In the 7. ver The Lord is speaking thus O thou that art named by the house of Iacob is the spirit of the Lord straitned are these his doing do not my words do good to them that walke uprightly As if the Lord had said art thou the people that art named by the house of Iacob and dost thou say unto my Prophets prophesie ye not Thou shouldest have delighted in the words of the Prophets for the house of Iacob have had experience that my words do good and yet is the spirit of the Lord straitned by you and silence you it in my Prophets Well what was the issue of this you shall see in the following verse and thus it was My people are risen up as an enemie ye put off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely When the Prophets are forbidden to prophesie and the word of the Lord is not preached among the people then iniquity abounds and the people perish for want of knowledge then every one doth that which his vaine heart leads him unto But the word of the Lord converts the soule Psa 19.7 And the truths of God sanctifie the unholy John 17.17 and the word of God does good to them that walke uprightly Mic. 2.6 Lastly though there be many precious men abroad that by your permission do preach the word yet they are few in respect of the multitudes of people in the kingdome that have none to preach unto them and that cry for bread but cannot have it O therefore let it be far from you to stop the mouthes of any godly men that have the gifts of speaking to edification exhortation and consolation and though they have not all taken degrees in the schooles of men yet if they have been good proficients in the schoole of Christ if they be experienced Christians let them be protected by your authoritie in discharging their dutie in improving their talents to their Masters use and the kingdomes good for the harvest is great but the labourers are few therefore let not the labourers that God hath sent forth be forbidden to worke in the Lords Vineyard least the blood of those that perish be charged upon those that hinder these labourers But it may be objected it is a truth indeed that all Saints ought to covet the gift of prophesie and secondly it is an evill to quench the spirit and 3 all ought to improve their talents and 4 the abundant pourings out of the spirit are promised and 5 the word of the Lord doth good and 6 the labourers are few and in these considerations it were a sad thing to silence those that are sent forth by Jesus Christ furnished with the gifts of the spirit for to preach the Gospel But if they should be permitted to preach without ordination who cannot submit unto it by reason of scruples though they are really Godly able men then many that are erroneous persons erre grosly even in fundamentalls would take libertie to goe and vent their errors among the people To this I answer erroneous persons are not here pleaded for but it is to be desired that their mouths were stopped but first if none should be permitted to preach but such as were ordained yet could not this hinder
A Word in Season TO THE KINGDOM OF ENGLAND OR A precious CORDIALL for a distempered KINGDOM Wherein are laid down things profitable and usefull for all and offensive to none that love the Truth and Peace By the meanest of the Servants of Jesus Christ M. Cary. ISAIAH 48.17 18 19. Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer the Holy one of Israel I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee by the way which thou shouldest go O that thou hadst hearkened unto my commandments then had thy peace been as a river and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea Thy seed also had been as the sand and the off-spring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me LONDON Printed by R. W. for Giles Calvert and are to be sold at the Black-spred Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1647. To the READER WHoever thou art that readest the insuing discourse know that if thou art one that art active in helping on of that which I call the positive part then thou doest what lies in thee to bring happiness and tranquility to thy native Kingdom and however it go with others thou shalt surely reap the benefit of it either internally or externally or both But if thou art one that drivest on the negative part thou art one that endeavourest to drive on thine own ruine and this I hope thou wilt plainly see in the perusing of it wherein I should have been far more Copious but knowing that generally brevity is affected I have endeavoured to say as little as could be spoken if I said any thing in the things that are most generally acknowledged and to be as compendious as I could in the things that are though clear in themselves more stumbled at by some Now therefore if thou wouldst not be the contriver of thine own ruine but desirest thine own and the Kingdomes prosperity then desire strength from above to overcome all the temptations under which thou art and lay aside all the designes which thou hast on foot in which it may be thou aimest at thine own outward advantage wherein thou crossest all or any of the particulars laid down in the positive part of this discourse so shalt thou have thy desires satisfied which that thou mayest obtain is the aim and fervent desire of Thine in any Christian office of Love however thou dealest with me that lies in my Power M. C. A word in season to the Kingdom OF ENGLAND THe great God having wrought by his owne arme great deliverances for this Kingdome of England doth doubtless now expect that England should bring forth answerable fruit when he had hedged and fenced his vineyard Isa 5. and bestowed choyce favours upon it he looked saith the text ver 4 that it should bring forth grapes and it brought forth wilde grapes It were well for England if he had not just cause so to complaine of it But that it may not be so let all the people from the highest to the lowest from the King that sits upon the Throne to him that sits upon the Dunghill let Parliament and Synod Citie and Country attend to the insuing discourse and let it sinke deep into their spirits which doth contain a Narration wholly drawne from the Scriptures of those paths which a nation walking in them will be the readiest way and shortest cut to a happie and flourishing estate But though this discourse concerne all and therfore in generall I call upon all to atend unto it yet in a more peculiar manner I shall direct it to you Chaire-men that is to say you that sit at the Sterne you that are the heads and rulers of the people and are in places of authoritie for you are to act for the whole kingdome and what is done by you is done by them and either the benefit or the evill of it will reflect upon the whole therefore to you in particular I shall direct my discourse and let all others observe so much of it as concerns them in their severall places and stations But before I come to the positive part of my discourse to lay downe what those paths are which are the paths of happiness c. I shall first brieefly lay it downe negatively what it is not but what is the way to ruine because the Scripture so lay e it downe also and shall then more largely lay downe the positive part for the making of it most cleere and perspicuous to every eye if posible and shall answer those objections which possibly some may make against it As for the negative part 1. Oppression of the poor suffering the violent man to afflict the needy and the neglect of doing justice in their behalfe is not the way to happiness but the way to ruine Psa 12.5 for the oppressing of the poor and for the sighing of the needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him in safety c. Isa 5.7 9. He looked for judgment but behold oppression for righteousnesse but behold acry and what 's the effect In mine eares said the Lord of hosts of a truth many houses shall be desolate even great and faire without inhabitant when by unjust and unreasonable wayes men shall pluck away the lands or estates or detaine the wages of the poor and needy or those that in comparison of themselves are in a meane condition on purpose to feather their own nests and to build them great and faire houses it is the ready paths to destruction and to leave their houses without inhabitant 2. The abounding of such vices as these in a kingdome without the due execution of justice upon them is the way to bring in destruction upon a kingdome as drunkenness adultery fornication swearing c. Isa 5.12 Woe to them that rise up in the morning that they may follow strong drinke that continue untill night till wine inflame them c. Rom. 10.8 They committed fornication and fell in one day 23. thousand and because of oaths the land mourns saies the Prophet Jeremiah 3. To refuse to stoope to the Scepter of Jesus Christ and not to admit of him as King and consequently to receive all rules for worship from him and to be governed by him in all spirituall respects but to follow the precepts and commandments of men therein is the way to ruine As for those mine enemies that will not have me to raigne over them bring them hither and slay them before me 4. The troubling wronging and oppressing the Saints of Iesus Christ is the way to ruine a kingdome For he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of Gods eye and they are the props and pillars of a kingdome and that kingdome that shall turne those Lots out of it whether it be by death or by banishment takes the way to set it selfe on fire and to open a gap for a devouring enemie to come into it 5. And lastly That kingdome that
erroneous persons from spreading their errors for those that hold the grossest errors are the most notorious vile persons may by making a faire compliance for the present be admitted to Ordination when afterward they may preach erroneous doctrine and prove scandalous in their lives and this is very evident and though it be a trouble to those that ordaine them yet all the wisdome of man cannot prevent it And secondly it is a frequent thing for truth to be counted error by learned men even by those that have continually studied the letter of truth it was so in our Saviours and his Apostles times The high Preists and all the Preists and Levits whose lips should preserve knowledge as the Prophet hath it and all the learned Doctors of the Law who studied it continually yet they counted the truths of Christ and his Aposties which they made evident by Moses and the Prophets to be errors Nay 3. Not only learned men but those that are learned and really Godly men may account some circumstantiall truths though not fundamentall to be errors and some errors to be truths for though all that are reall Saints are built upon one foundation have one God and father and one Lord Jesus and one faith and one spirit and one joy in that one spirit yet those that thus in the foundation agree in one may yet exceedingly differ in circumstances They did so in the Apostles time one is of Paul another of Apollo another of Cephas One eatheth flesh another who is weake eateth hearbs 1 Cor. 3.4 one observeth a day another observeth it not Rom. 14.2 and the Apostle in the 1 Cor. 3.11 12. Implies that it was possible for many errors to be built upon the true foundation which he expresses by wood hay stubble yet saies he the person shall be saved yet so as by fire and every worke which is not of Christ shall be burnt the fire of the spirit shall pass upon it and as wood hay and stubble is before the fire all combustible so shall all error be when it comes to indure the triall of the spirit but truth only shall abide the triall of the fire of the spirit Now if it were so in the Apostles times that through imperfection in knowledge there were circumstantiall errors amongst the Saints then it is no wonder if there be many more now there having been such an universall darknes spread over the world by the midnight of Poperie that hath been in the world many of the clouds where of being yet remaining over the faces of Saints Now if it be so as it is cleere that circumstantiall errors may be in men built upon the true foundation then those men that are or shall be Ordainers if they may be so called may have errours and so may account that Truth which is contrary to their errors to be error when it is the truth it self 4. I answer we all expect the breakings forth of truth more more no man can say they have yet attained to perfection Now this truth may appeare to some before it doth to others In some Circumstances it may appear to those that are commonly called Presbyterians before it doth to those that are commonly call Independents and in other Circumstances it may appear to those that are commonly called Independents before it doth to Presbyterians And shall the Presbyterians despise the Independents because God who doth what he pleases hath not given them that light which they have obtained and have the comfort of Or shall the Independents despise the Presbyterians because God hath not given them that light which he hath conferred upon them and they have the comfort of Oh no! let it be far from either of them seeing they are all built upon one foundation but let them rather seriously consider that passage of the Apostle If any man be otherwise minded God shall reveal it to such a one if one man be otherwise minded and have not received that truth that appears to thee It is not in his power of himself to receive it nor in thy power to communicate it But it is the Lord that must reveal it to him or else he shall never receive it And therefore if thou excellest thy brother in the knowledge of the truths of the Lord Jesus in Doctrine or Discipline consider who it is that hath made thee to differ What hast thou that thou hast not received and know that that God that hath communicated so graciously to thee may in his own time communicate more abundantly to thy brother and thou thy self mayest also see more hereafter then now thou doest as thou now seest more then thou hast seen and this Age sees more then the former Age. 5. We all condemn that Antichristian principle in Popery to injoyn all to beleeve as the Church beleeves that is as the Pope and his Clergie as their Lawes and Decrees and Canons required them not suffering them to search the Scriptures and to ground their faith upon it And we had indeed just cause to condemn it and to detest it for though men should teach nothing but the truth of Christ and people should receive it yet if they receive it but from men and have not the word of God and the spirit of God witnessing the truth of that which is preached unto them though they might receive the Letter of truth they yet could not receive the truth in truth and so might perish notwithstanding therefore whatsoever appears to another to be a truth yet if it doth not appear from the word to thee to be a truth thou art not to practise it And 6. I answer as for erroneous persons we ought to use no other weapons against them then what the Apostles did they preached against them held forth the truth for the conviction of them but used no other way nor did Christ nor his Apostles speak of any other way but say they the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty for if it were required that the Civill Magistrate by any power or force besides that which the Gospel allows of should go about to suppress them then might they suppress truth instead of errour The civil Magistrates being but men may judge a truth to be an errour through their imperfection in knowledge and so may commend errour instead of truth and condemn truth instead of errour 7. If there be a spirit of errour upon any and they erre in fundamentals not knowing Jesus Christ nor having received his spirit and they go forth and vent their errours after all Gospel-means used we are to leave them to the just judgement of God who hath revealed that he will inflict his Judgements upon them As Micah 3.5 6 7. Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my people erre that bite with their teeth and cry peace and he that putteth not into their mouths they even prepare war against them Therefore night shall be upon them