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
in many places contrary to the Testament in the Hebrew and the Greek and therefore though in the primitive times to speak with tongues more then wherein the Scriptures were written was not essentiall to the being of a Prophet yet notwithstanding now it is because our translation of the Bible is nought and the Hebrew and Greek are the originall in which the Scriptures were first written Answer 1. For my part I conceive that our English translation of the Bible is but little differing if any thing at all from the originall Copies for I doe beleeve that God that was good and carefull to commit unto his people as much of his will as was necessary for them to know and serve him by and to bring them through Jesus Christ to eternall glory John 20.30 31. would not be lesse carefull to preserve it to his people to the end Matth. 5.18 1 Pet. 1.25 And to these Scriptures I will adde one main Reason proving the Scriptures that we have and hold to be Canonicall and by divine inspiration and it is because godly men would not devise or indite and write a fiction for truth to delude and deceive men by 2. Wicked men Gods enemies to wit Antichrist and others did not devise or indite our Bible because it yeelds them no footing for their wayes but is altogether against their Tenents so farre as they are against Jesus Christ and it is wholly and onely for Jesus Christ whereas if it were the study and work of wicked men Antichrist and others of Christs enemies they would have made it so as to serve their own turns as we see they have alwayes and doe still labour with all their wits policie and power to wrench and rend the Scriptures to make them for Antichrist and against Jesus Christ Therefore our Bible is the word of God But now if in our Translation there be any corruption by the means of ignorance or malice of Antichrist through altering adding or diminishing of matters of smallest consequence fundamentals being alwayes so cleare to the eyes and so clearly eyed by the Saints of all ages that they could not be corrupted by the cunning of the enemy Neither doe I beleeve God would suffer it to be done nor hath he suffered it for not onely in our Bible but also in our translation of it Christ onely is exalted yet it is clear that the understanding Saints are able in due time to find it out and to discover it Read Psal 25.9 Ioh. 7.17 8.31 32. 10.4 5 14.21 1 Cor. 2.10 12 15 16. And for the Saints easier and surer proceeding in their preaching or expounding and discovering of the truths of the Scriptures let them alwayes observe this short Rule Consider the place of Scripture thou art upon thus 1. Who writ it 2. To whom it was written 3. When it was written 4. Why it was written and then expound it so and draw such conclusions from it as will most of all magnifie God in his severall Attributes and Merits by shewing man his own nothingnesse and misery by nature or fall in Adam with his happinesse in or by Christ onely and with the preservation of the analogy agreement harmony and onenesse of the Scriptures that there be no jarring nor discord but concord by the exposition Thus a godly man observing this briefe and plain rule in the opening of the Scriptures may be able to come to know and to preach the very mind of the holy Spirit in the Scriptures Answer 2. It is probable and as likely that the Bible in all languages and Tongues is as corrupt as in our Translation or Tongue it was as easie to corrupt the Testament in the Hebrew Greek as it was to corrupt thē in our English tongue or in any other language And it is as likely that Antichrist hath as much as in him lay poysoned the Scriptures as well in the Hebrew and Greek tongues as in ours or in any other tongue Wherefore the corruption of our or any other translation of the Bible makes not the speaking with tongues to be essentiall to the being of a Prophet For though we may have the originall tongues of the Bible yet we have not the originall Copies Answer 3. If the Testaments in the Hebrew and Greek are uncorrupted as we have them now then neither is the speaking with tongues essentiall to the being of a Prophet if our English translation be undoubtedly corrupt because we have all the Scriptures translated into English according to the Testaments now in the Hebrew and Greek some by one written and some another and therefore to speak with tongues is not essentiall to the being of a Prophet nor is divine prophesying restrained to humane learning Answer 4. Besides if the Testaments in their original tongues as is by the most conceived we have them are as true divine authentic as the originall copies were yet to speak with those tongues is not essential to the being of a Prophet because when men do preach to the illiterate and unlearned they haue no more ground to believe what is said from the originals then they haue ground from what others haue said from the originals before them who haue been as honest and as able as men are now and haue laboured faithfully to translate the Bible out of the original tongues And if any now amongst us are able to amend our translation if they be as honest and as able they will do it or at least labour to do it not only by parcels in the Pulpit but also wholly and also for the satisfaction and benefit of all whereby there will then be no need of tongues to the understanding of Scripture and if any can so do and account their paines too great to effect so great a good they are not to be accounted faithfull in that which is least to wit in what they in a Pulpit by parcels deliver as they say from the originall to the illiterate people if men may not believe what able and faithfull men afore-time have spoken and written from the originall tongues how shall they believe what any particular man sayes from them now in a Pulpit wherefore to speak with tongues is no more essentiall to the being of a Prophet then they are to the being of a Christian Answ 5. Again if to speak the originall tongues of the Scriptures be essentiall to the being of a Prophet then as well any one of those tongues as all of them is essentiall to the being of a Prophet whence it will follow that there is not a true Prophet or Preacher to be found in all the world much lesse in England for there is not one man in England nor in all the world that can speak all the originall tongues wherein all the Scriptures in the New Testament were spoken and written neither doe men now know those tongues probably they were those tongues which the Apostles spake by divine revelation specified Act. 2.