Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A77253
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The preachers plea. By David Bramley, a preacher of the Gospel.
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Bramley, David.
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1647
(1647)
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Wing B4240; Thomason E374_2
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16,799
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26
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THE PREACHERS PLEA BY DAVJD BRAMLEY a Preacher of the Gospel 1 Cor. 14.36 What came the Word of God out from you or came it unto you only 2 Cor. 4.2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftinesse nor handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God Col. 2.8 Beware least any man spoyle you through Philosophie and vain deceit after the tradition of men after the rudiments of the World and not after Christ 1 Tim. 6.20 O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy trust avoiding prophane and vain bablings and oppositions of science falsty so called Printed Anno Dom. 1647. The Epistle to the READER Courteous Friend and Reader THou knowest or mayest know how this truth I here present thee with hath been and yet is disapproved of by the most yet is most true and approved by God in his own Word by which I have proved it and also by sound natural reason with which two invincible Weapons of the Holy Ghost I have put to flight all Objections that may be made against this Truth So that I conceive hee must needs declare himself an Enemy to Christs Kingdome voyd of both grace and good reason that is against it And whereas men in our dayes are divers and different touching the Preachers of the Gospel some being of opinion that some of the Saints only may preach it that is to say such only as are Vniversity-Scholers others that none at all may or can preach it Wheras I according to my small talent do hold have declared in this tract that all every of the Saints are called to preach the Gospel according to what they have received and do conceive of Jesus Christ And for the better resolving and satisfying of my disscenting Brethren of each side I will declare first the nature of the promising I here mean and that in the Treatise following I do speak of Secondly I will shew the necessity that there is of such preaching and both of them by the Word of God 1 The nature of the promising or preaching of the Gospel I here mean is no other thing then a holding out to others by the Word that light or knowledge that any one apprehends from the Word to be of Christ according to that Exhortation 1 Pet. 4.10 II. As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold graces of God If any man speake let him speak as the Oracles of God If any man minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever Amen But there is an ordinary but an unmercinary objection made by many against this Doctrine and it is this The Gospel is preached by such as were sent to preach it And therfore as there are none sent so by Christ now so there is no need nor no ability in men to preach now Rom. 10.15 Now that I may answer this the clearer I will shew 1 what preaching meaneth 2 how manifold the preaching of the Gospel is and both of them by the Word of God 1. Preaching is as much as to say publishing to others what they know not according to that of our Saviour Mat. 10.27 What I tell you in darknesse that speak ye in light and what ye hear in the ear that preach ye on the house tops or publish ye abroad So that to declare to others what they know not is in the Gospels account preaching 2 There is a two-fold preaching of the Gospel 1. There was a preaching of the Gospel by inspiration from God 2 Tim. 3.16 which preaching is now ceased Ro 10.15 2. There is a preaching of that which is preached already Acts 15.21 Moses of old time hath in every City them that preach him that is to say that preach his works or what he from God had preached before Luk. 16.29 They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them that is they have the Prophesies of Moses the Prophets For Moses and the Prophets were dead before Christ spake this and before he was born Therefore it was Moses his Prophesies that of old time had in every City them that preach them being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day So that to read the Scriptures and to expound them to others is preaching in the phrase of Scripture and thus they preached Neh. 8.8 So they read in the book of the Law of God distinctly gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading thus our Saviour preached Luke 4.16 21. and 24.7 32. And thus the Gospel that hath been preached by inspiration from God is to be preached still by the Saints till all be perfected Ephes 4.11 12 13. and he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers what to do for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ for how long til we all come in the Vnity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man no member wanting in the body unto the measure of the stature or age of the fulnesse of Christ every member being perfected in grace for glory Now 2. the necessity that there is of the preaching of this Gospel appeares to be great as by what hath been said already So likewise by this that followes they that live now did not hear the Apostles Prophets c. when they preached the Gospel Neither canall that are now alive read what they have preached and written some having never learned Letters others being born blind and could not learn to read a third sort could read but now cannot visited with blindnesse all which shewes the necessity of preaching the Gospel now to be great either by reading it or by speaking from it by comparing spiritual things with spirituall things to wit the Scripture with it self text with text 1 Cor. 2.13 Ro 7.14 Joh. 6.63 Thus you have seen both the nature and the necessity of the prophesying or preaching of which I speak and mean in the tract ensuing Wherein I have both by Scripture and Argument cleared up this truth that to speak with tongues is not essential to the being of a Prophet or that divine prophesying is not restrained to humane learning and so consequently that all the Saints are Prophets to preach the Gospel one to another for which cause I call my book The Preachers Plea which I have written according to the measure of my talent to informe the Reader And I do advise thee also to declare it and thy selfe for it for the information of others with whom thou hast to doe which being performed by any though by illiterate or unlearned men be you so far from despising
did any thing in the ministery by or of himselfe he addes yet not I but the grace of God which was with me wherefore to speak with tongues or humane learning is not essentiall to the being of a Prophet Reas 5. Our own blessed experience in the times wherein wee live in which the Lord is pleased in a very large measure to make good his promise this very way even to us as to his Church in former time as was prophesied by Joel in his second chapter v. 16 17. which was accomplished and fulfilled upon the Apostles as appeares Acts 2.16 17 18. All which I say is made good unto us in our time For doe we not or at least may we not heare even illiterate men speak in our own tongue the wonderfull works of God Acts 2.11 Of whose prophesying in respect of what Prophets were heretofore we may say as it was said of Christ by the Scribes Matth. 7. â—9 That as Christ so his people now teach as having authority and not as the Scribes Wherefore divine prophesying is not restrained to humane learning Object We read in 2 Pet. 1.20 that no prophesie of Scripture is of any private interpretation wherefore privat men which are unskilled in the Languages and Sciences are not to preach or prophesie Ans 1. If this be so expounded then of necessity you must conclude that Peter hath sealed up the little book which is no other but the Gospel which Peters Master and our Lord Jesus the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah hath opened to all the illiterate people as well as to the greatest Clerkes if not more fully For if illiterate men may not adventure the expounding of what they read to gain the sense and true meaning thereof as they read they were better not read at all And whosoever dares maintain this opinion is not onely guilty of slandring the truth of Christ but doth also submit to the Pope whose subtilty it is as much as in him lieth to seale up by his Chaplaines and Ministers what Christ hath unsealed and opened to the very end that all his people great and small bond and free may freely read expound and edifie thereby Secondly that this exposition of the words of Peter is false and they how profound in learning soever doe hereby discover themselves to be but private persons unable to interpret the prophesies of Scripture will thus appeare because by private interpretation of Scripture is meant first that we are not to limit or restrain the end aim or purpose of any scripture to any particular privat man onely but that it concernes and speaks as well to all and every one as any one as our Saviour seems to hold forth in that one expression Mark 13.37 And what I say unto you I say unto all Secondly because by private interpretation is meant also that the Spirit of God hath no one particular meaning onely in any one prophesie of Scripture but hath many meanings and all truths linked as a golden chain one in and with another as is cleare by 2 Tim. 3.16 where the Apostle saith All Scripture is given by divine inspiration of God and is profitable For what for one thing onely Surely no but for every thing for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in righteousnesse Thirdly because by private interpretation of Scripture is meant the Interpretation thereof without the Spirit of God For all interpretation of Scripture though it be by great ones publicke persons in a Common-wealth or by learned ones by Councels or by multitudes of them yet if they be but meere naturall men void of the Spirit of God their own interpretation of Scripture is but private and for the most part false 1 Cor. 2.11 For what man knoweth the things of a man save the Spirit of a man that is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God So that no man that hath not the Spirit of God can know the things of God contained in the Scripture any more then one man can know what is the heart or mind of another Now as a man may by chance conjecture or guesse what is the minde or thought of another man as oftentimes men doe even so by chance a naturall man or men may know or decern the mind of God in the Scripture and many times they doe yet it is by chance and although carnall men that have nothing of God in them at all have preached many truths yet it hath not been by themselves but onely by the light of gracious men that have interpreted the Scriptures by the Spirit of God unto them So that the interpretation of Scripture by men publick or private learned or unlearned without the Spirit of God is privat interpretation and all interpretation of Scripture by men publick or private high or low rich or poore young or old one or many with and by the Spirit of God is publick and warrantable interpretation for that Spirit is truth in whom it is it neither deceiveth nor is deceived Both of these are true and cleare as is made cleare by the same Apostle in the following words verse the last which are a reason of the former and runs thus For saith he the Prophesies came not in old time by the will of man but by the will of God For holy men spoke as they were moved by the holy Spirit which holy Spirit onely knowes its owne mind in the prophesies of Scripture and holy men of God onely can constantly and truly interpret the prophesies as they are moved by the holy Spirit wherefore to speak with tongues is not essentiall to the being of a Prophet nor is divine prophesying restrained to humane learning Object 2. We rean in 2 Pet 3.16 where the Apostle speaking about Pauls Epistles saith In which are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they doe also the other Scriptures to their owne destruction Therefore to speak with tongues is essentiall to the being of a Prophet and divine prophesying is restrained to humane learning Answer The Apostle there speaks of some of the Church which doubted and questioned the truth of Gods promise as is plain verse 15. and he in this 16. verse reproves them for it and shewes them the ground of their doubting which was their weaknesse in grace or faith and then labouring to beat them off from impatience and to confirme them in the promise of God by faith he sets before them a president of their doubting condition to wit Those that are unlearned c. that is unsanctified and untaught of Christ Now that it is so the next word Vnstable shews Now who are unstable wrenching the Scriptures to their own destruction but onely those that are unsanctified that had never learned Christ Jam 1.8 A double-minded man is unstable in all his wayes therefore it is not the want of humane learning but the want of grace that is