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<DATE>2007-03-29</DATE>
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<NAME>Celeste Ng</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A TRIPLE
RECONCILER,
Stating the
CONTROVERSIES</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Whether <HI>Mini&s;ters have an Exclu&s;ive
power of Communicants
from the Sacrament.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Whether <HI>Any per&s;ons Unordained may
lawfully Preach.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Whether <HI>The Lords Prayer ought not
to be u&s;ed by all Chri&s;ti|ans.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>By THOMAS FULLER, <HI>B. D.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed by <HI>Will. Bently,</HI> for <HI>John Williams</HI>
at the Crown in S. <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard.</P>
<P><HI>Anno Dom.</HI> 1654.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE
Right Honorable, and truly
virtuous Lady, ANNE
Vicounte&s;s BALTIN|GLASS,
the ble&s;&s;ings
of this life and
a better.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THis my Book addre&s;|&s;eth
it &s;elf to you, as
once the Dove to
NOAH in the Ark, bringing
an Olive branch with three
&s;prigs in the mouth thereof.
<PB REF="3">
It is of a Peaceable nature, &amp;
de&s;ires to be a Peace-maker
betwixt the oppo&s;ite parties
in the three Controver&s;ies
handled therein. My humble
reque&s;t to you is, that with
NOAH you would be plea&s;ed
to put forth your hand and
receive it into the Ark of
your protection. I know what
&s;ucce&s;s commonly attends all
Umpiers &amp; Arbitrators, that
often they lo&s;e one, &amp; &s;ome|times
both of their friends be|twixt
whom they intercede.
Meek Mo&s;es could not e&s;cape
<PB REF="3">
in this kind, but when &s;eeking
to atone two &s;triving I&s;rael|ites,
the partie who did the
wrong, fell with foul language
upon him. I expect the like
fate from that &s;ide which
doth the mo&s;t injurie, and am
prepared to undergo their
Cen&s;ure, which I &s;hall do
with the greater alacritie, if
the&s;e my weak endeavors
may find your favourable
acceptance.</P>
<P>The Lord ble&s;s your Ho|nor
with your Noble Con|&s;ort,
and &s;anctifie your former
<PB REF="4">
&s;ufferings, which a National
calamitie hath ca&s;t upon you,
that your la&s;t days may be
your be&s;t days, both in tem|poral
and &s;piritual improve|ment,
is the dayly de&s;ire of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Honors
truly devoted
&s;ervant
THOMAS FULLER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="1" TYPE="reconciler">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>THE FIRST
RECONCILER.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>LEVITICUS 13. 3.</BIBL>
<Q>And the Prie&s;t &s;hall look on him, and pro|nounce
him unclean.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<HEAD TYPE="sub"><LIST>
<ITEM>The words contain an
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Examination,</HI> and the Priest
&s;hall, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Condemnation,</HI> and pronounce
him, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></HEAD>
<P>WHich words we will handle fir&s;t
<HI>Literally,</HI> of Corporal lepro&s;ie;
then <HI>Analogically,</HI> to &s;hew by
proportion how far Mini&s;ters under the
Go&s;pel are inpowered to pa&s;s cen&s;ure on
the goodne&s;s, or badne&s;s of men, &s;o to ad|mit,
or exclude them Gods ordinance.</P>
<P N="2">2. Be it here premi&s;ed that the lepro|&s;ie
<PB N="2" REF="5">
we &s;peak of, called the <HI>plague of lepro&s;ie,</HI>
is not what proceeded from natural cau&s;es
or di&s;tempers (in which ca&s;es the patient
might be more properly &s;ent to the Phy&s;i|tian)
but was immediately inflicted by
Gods hand, <HI>dedecus medicinae,</HI> and a prin|cipall
if not peculiar di&s;ea&s;e to the <HI>Jews,</HI>
not finding in the <HI>Acts,</HI> that the <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI>
when preaching to the <HI>Gentiles</HI> out of <HI>Pa|le&s;tine,</HI>
cured any of that di&s;ea&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. I will not &s;tir a &s;tep farther before I
rai&s;e one ob&s;ervation. <HI>Great is gods good|ne&s;s
that we Engli&s;h men generally, live now
in the happy ignorance of the heigth of le|pro&s;ie.</HI>
I &s;ay <HI>generally,</HI> a Leper is a rarity, &s;ome
few in <HI>Cornwell</HI> cau&s;ed, as Phy&s;itians con|ceive
from the frequent eating of fi&s;h new
taken out of the &s;ea, I &s;ay <HI>new:</HI> I confe&s;s
there is <HI>Lazars</HI> Bath, but though the Bath
be there, thanks be to God, but few Lepers.
Indeed &s;ome hundred years ago, when the
holy war was continued by the Engli&s;h,
our intercour&s;e with ea&s;tern people in <HI>Pa|le&s;tine</HI>
made the lepro&s;ie here epidemical,
and <HI>Hugh Orwell</HI> a Bi&s;hop of <HI>London</HI> dyed
thereof <HI>Anno</HI> 1085. But with the end of
<PB N="3" REF="5">
that War ended the lepro&s;ie of <HI>England,</HI>
as to the generallity and malignity there|of.
Every &s;cab, or &s;curf, or &s;cale, ob&s;erving
Tydes in the body, is not pre&s;ently the le|pro&s;ie,
but know, as the <HI>Jews</HI> had a di&s;|ea&s;e
we have not, &s;o we have a di&s;ea&s;e the
<HI>Jews</HI> had not: excu&s;e me for naming it,
you may ea&s;ily conceive what I would
willingly conceal, it is the la&s;t rod that
God made therewith to whip wantonne&s;s,
and which he hand&s;elled on the <HI>French</HI> at
<HI>Naples</HI> two thou&s;and miles from this place.
How came this malady to climb and clam|ber
over the high a&s;piring Alpes? when
got into <HI>France? England</HI> being an I&s;land
&s;ecured from the di&s;ea&s;es of the continent
how came it to &s;wim over into <HI>England,</HI>
did wicked Forreigners bring it hither, or
wanton Engli&s;h fetch it thence? how ever
it was &s;o, it is, and is a di&s;ea&s;e &s;o much
wor&s;e than lepro&s;ice, as &s;in is wor&s;e than
&s;uffering, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion wor&s;e than affliction.</P>
<P N="4">4. Now &s;hall we make a brief para|phra&s;e
on every word, the <HI>Priest,</HI> not eve|ry
ordinary <HI>Levite,</HI> but either <HI>Aaron</HI> or
one of his Sons.</P>
<P><PB N="4" REF="6">
<HI>Quest.</HI> Why was not this power rather
committed to a corporation of <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI> as
being too great a charge to be tru&s;ted in
one per&s;on? why were not a ve&s;try of Lay-Elders
admitted as A&s;&s;i&s;tants herein.</P>
<P>And the <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> herein was a Type of
<HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who was to be but one&punc; Individual
Per&s;on, and therefore a &s;ingle <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> alone
was employed therein.</P>
<P><HI>Shall look on him.</HI> But what if he were
blind as in the ca&s;e of <HI>Eli? 1 Sam.</HI> 4. 15.</P>
<P>And the <HI>Commis&s;ion of trying</HI> was grant|ed
to the High <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> or one of his Sons,
as it is <HI>ver&s;&punc;</HI> the 2. who in &s;uch a ca&s;e was
to officiate for his Father.</P>
<P><HI>Look.</HI> Herein 2. things conteined, the
in&s;pection of the eye, and the circum&s;pecti|on
of the judgement. For the latter the
<HI>Prie&s;t</HI> might not proceed on his own Arbi|trary
principles, but was confined to Gods
directions pre&s;cribed unto him; and prin|cipally
he di&s;covered it by 3. &s;ignes 1. De|pre&s;&s;ion,
by the &s;ub&s;idency or the &s;ink|ing
of the malady when it intrenched it
&s;elf in pits and holes made in the fle&s;h.
2. Diffu&s;ion, when the malignity thereof
<PB N="5" REF="6">
contained not it &s;elf to the fir&s;t place, but
dilated it &s;elf over the body. 3. Di&s;co|loration,
when the hair therein was turn|ed
white, arguing the debility of nature,
white commonly a colour of innocence,
now of infection; commonly the livery of
chearfulne&s;s, now of &s;adne&s;s; a black white,
&s;able and &s;orrowfull.</P>
<P>Now whereas the <HI>Priest</HI> was to look on
the Party tru&s;ting no other evidence than
his own eyes, we learn mens cen&s;ures mu&s;t
not go on <HI>heare-&s;ays</HI> but be grounded on
their own knowledge. <HI>I will go</HI> Gen. 18.
21 <HI>down and &s;ee whether they have done
altogether,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>And Pronounce, him</HI> the <HI>Priest</HI> mu&s;t not
be &s;ceptical and &s;u&s;pend his verdict, but
mu&s;t give &s;entence to condemn or ac|quit.</P>
<P><HI>Pronounce.</HI> That is po&s;itively and pub|lickly;
he was not to mutter his &s;entence,
as the Popi&s;h <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> in the ma&s;s the words
of con&s;ecration, no Clande&s;tine dealing
in matters of publick concernment.</P>
<P><HI>Unclean.</HI> Not as the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> &s;aith, no
unclean thing &s;hall enter into the Kingdom
<PB N="6" REF="7">
of heaven, but ceremoniou&s;ly unclean, &s;o as
to be expelled publick &s;ociety.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI> How came it to pa&s;s that the
<HI>Prie&s;t</HI> was not infected therewith, &s;eeing
&s;ometimes &s;uch was the pe&s;tilent maligni|ty
of the lepro&s;ie, as to taint the clothes,
yea the walls of the hou&s;e? Hard walls
&s;carce penetrable to a bullet, yielded to the
impre&s;&s;ion of lepro&s;ie. An&s;wer, he was &s;e|cured
by his calling and employment, o|beying
gods command in his vocation.</P>
<P><HI>Doctrine.</HI> A lawfull calling is the be&s;t
Armour again&s;t an infection. One in his
calling is armed, out of his calling is naked;
at lea&s;t la&s;ily following his calling, his Ar|mour,
like <HI>Ahabs,</HI> is not clo&s;e joynted, and
he left woundable in the internal chinks:
with what confidence do we &s;ee Brick-lay|ers,
Carpenters, Plummers <HI>&amp;c.</HI> clambering
up high pinnacles, and walking in narrow
places, where our feet cannot &s;tand theirs
will run; double the cau&s;e thereof, a lawfull
calling &amp; long cu&s;tome which hath inured
them thereunto. Thus &s;earchers are not
&s;o &s;oon infected with the plague. I confe&s;s
the plague is re&s;embled to fire, &s;ave that it
<PB N="7" REF="7">
burneth green wood &s;ooner than dry, and
young people more &s;ubject to be tainted
than old; however this is not the main
rea&s;on why &s;uch &s;earchers e&s;cape, but be|cau&s;e
in their vocation.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters under the go&s;pel have
not the like calling, and therefore not the
like warrant to approach infectious per|&s;ons.
And we may remember the &s;tory of
Mr. <HI>Stafford</HI> (Divinity Profe&s;&s;our in <HI>Cam|bridge</HI>)
who to convert Sir <HI>Henry</HI> the con|jurer
(the &s;tory in Mr. <HI>Fox</HI>) lo&s;t his own
life. Come we now to the &s;econd part, the
<HI>condemnation</HI> and pronounce him unclean,
<HI>him,</HI> be he friend or foe, high or low, with|out
partial re&s;pecting of per&s;ons.</P>
<P><HI>Doctrine.</HI> Gods mini&s;ters ought with|out
fear or favour to perform their office,
neither to be frighted nor flattered. It is
ob&s;erved that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> fir&s;t han&s;elled this
Law on his Si&s;ter <HI>Myriam, Numb.</HI> 12. 15.</P>
<P>Secondly, we finde it &s;erved by Sub|jects
on their Soveraign in the ca&s;e of <HI>King
Uzziah,</HI> 2 Chron. 26. 20.</P>
<P>Ob&s;erve herein the <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> thru&s;ted him out
(&s;ay not that this was uncivil and unman|nerly
<PB N="8" REF="8">
violence) touch not mine anointed,
&s;eeing the high <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> did it in obedience to
an higher <HI>Kings</HI> command, yea <HI>Uzziah</HI>
&s;en&s;ible of his &s;in, &s;aith the Text, ha&s;ted out
him&s;elf. Gods &s;ervants left to them&s;elves
may fall into &s;in, but when it is di&s;covered
unto them, as they run into it, if po&s;&s;ible
they would fly out of it.</P>
<P>Doctrine. <HI>Sad and &s;orrowfull the condi|tion
of a &s;eque&s;tred Leper.</HI> Indeed &s;ome of us
have been &s;eque&s;tred, and ble&s;&s;ed be God
we have born our yoke in our youth, hope|ing
that more freedom is re&s;erved for our
old age, but our &s;eque&s;tration is not to
be named with that of a leper, who&s;e &s;ad|ne&s;s
con&s;i&s;teth in four particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, they were debarred the acce&s;s to
the place of Gods publick wor&s;hip, and
might not approach the Temple, nor be
pre&s;ent at their &s;acrifices, nor partake of
the Pa&s;sover.</P>
<P>Secondly, they were debarred from the
embraces of their neare&s;t relations.</P>
<P>Thirdly, they could not expect cure
but by miracle. Heavens hand, which laid
it on, could onely take it off: nor was a le|per
<PB N="9" REF="8">
capable of the benefit of the pool of
<HI>Bethe&s;da,</HI> not but that undoubtedly cured
if ca&s;t fir&s;t into it, but becau&s;e tho&s;e por|ches
<HI>John</HI> 5. 3. Contained onely the im|potent,
blinde, halt, withered.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI> Whether lepers were admit|ted
into the &s;ociety.</P>
<P>Fourthly, dying lepers they were not
buried with other people. Thus <HI>&V;zziah,</HI>
2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 26. 23. <HI>Was buried with his Fathers
in the field belonging to the Kings, for they
&s;aid he was a Leper,</HI> in the &s;uburbs of
the place of &s;epulture.</P>
<P>This &s;erveth for a &s;ufficient warrant to
ju&s;tifie this City in a practi&s;e which &s;ome
do behold as over rigid and &s;evere, name|ly
the &s;hutting up of infected per&s;ons at
the beginning of the plague; &s;ome would
have the &s;ick and the &s;ound to go promi&s;|cuou&s;ly
together, as they do at <HI>Grand
Cairo</HI> in <HI>Egypt.</HI> Indeed if they be poor
to &s;hut them up in their hou&s;es and to
&s;hut up relief from them is murder, other|wi&s;e
if well con&s;idering, they have no cau&s;e
of ju&s;t offence who &s;o are &s;hut up from
publick &s;ociety.</P>
<P><PB N="10" REF="9">
Here give me leave to take an occa&s;ion
to rai&s;e the gratitude of this City to God.
He that with <HI>Je&s;s</HI> pa&s;&s;eth for an old man
in <HI>London,</HI> cannot remember it &s;o long
without the plague, this City was never
more populous, &s;urely there being more
hives there are as many Bees: dayly increa&s;e
of hou&s;es argues no decrea&s;e of Hou&s;e|holds.
Secondly, never more filth, the
kennels and &s;treets are not kept more clean
than before. Thirdly, never more &s;infull, as
much pride as ever though removed from
tho&s;e who&s;e births &s;till may, and who&s;e
&s;tate did once countenance gallantry to
&s;uch who growing great will grow gaudy
in an in&s;tant.</P>
<P>Gracious Gods goodne&s;s, who &s;ent <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>
in the fle&s;h to cure both our corporal and
&s;piritual lepro&s;ie: I &s;hall confine this dayes
Sermon according to promi&s;e, onely to
corporal lepro&s;ie: Herein ob&s;erve the fir&s;t
particularized miracle, having the circum|&s;tances
thereof related in the fir&s;t go&s;pel
which our Saviour did, was on a leper <HI>Mat.</HI>
8. 2. <HI>And he gave him in charge to &s;hew him|&s;elf
to the Prie&s;t, and to offer the gift which</HI>
<PB N="11" REF="9">
Mo&s;es <HI>cammanded for a te&s;timony unto
them.</HI> A te&s;timony not &s;o much to te&s;tifie
that the party was not palliately but per|fectly
cured, but for a te&s;timony to the
<HI>Prie&s;t</HI> to evidence to them, that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was
come in the fle&s;h, the expected <HI>Mes&s;ia,</HI> as
appeared by his miracles, and had they
not been willingly and willfully blind,
barring and bolting their eyes again&s;t the
beams of truth, they could not but be
&s;en&s;ible that the <HI>Saviour of mankind</HI> was
come. Surely the &s;acrifice for the clean&s;ing
the Lepers <HI>Levit.</HI> 14. 4. formerly &s;eldom
u&s;ed, when God, thrifty of his miracles, was
plea&s;ed now and then to drop down one
from <HI>Heaven,</HI> began now to be &s;o ordinary
with the <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI> that it could not but mind
them that the <HI>Mes&s;iah</HI> was come.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> cured more lepers at
once than of any other di&s;ea&s;e; <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> cu|red
two blinde men together, <HI>Math.</HI> 9. 27.
two men po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with Divels, <HI>Math.</HI> 8. 28.
whil&s;t he healed a whole &s;ociety of Lepers
(poor people being parted from all others,
it was &s;ome comfort to them to keep com|pany
together) <HI>Luke</HI> 17. 12. ten at a time,
<PB N="12" REF="10">
on that &s;ad token that nine of them proo|ved
unthankfull.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in the <HI>Commi&s;sion</HI> to the <HI>Di|&s;ciples,
Math.</HI> 20. 8. <HI>Heal the &s;ick,</HI> it follows,
<HI>clean&s;e the Lepers.</HI> The <HI>curing</HI> of that <HI>ma|lady</HI>
alone (with the <HI>ca&s;ting out of Divels</HI>)
are expre&s;&s;ed in <HI>particular words,</HI> all the
re&s;t in <HI>general terms.</HI> Either to &s;hew that
more than ordinary power was requi&s;ite
for the healing thereof, or that <HI>lepro&s;ie-cure|ing</HI>
was their proper and peculiar ma&s;ter|piece,
to evidence to all, that they were &s;ent
by him who&s;e calling was to cure the le|pro&s;ie
of our &s;ouls.</P>
<P N="1">1. COme we now to handle the&s;e
words <HI>Analogically</HI> conceiving
them of &s;ufficient latitude, to give us ju&s;t
occa&s;ion to enter on the enquiry, whether
<HI>Gods Mini&s;ters</HI> under the <HI>go&s;pel</HI> have a &s;uffi|cient
<HI>commi&s;sion</HI> to examin, and exclude
Per&s;ons from the <HI>Sacrament.</HI> But fir&s;t let
me acquaint the <HI>Audience</HI> with the integri|ty
of my intentions herein.</P>
<P N="2">2. There was a &s;ect of <HI>Philo&s;ophers</HI> call|ed
<GAP DESC="foreign">, which were none of the four
<PB N="13" REF="10">
<HI>Elemental &s;ects</HI> of <HI>&s;toicks, Peripateticks, Aca|demicks</HI>
&amp; <HI>Epicures.</HI> The&s;e would be bound
to no one opinion that any of the other
maintained; only they would be left at large
to <HI>pick</HI> &amp; <HI>cho&s;e</HI> what they conceived &s;ound
and &s;olid in any of their opinions, refu&s;ing
the re&s;t what they e&s;teemed otherwi&s;e. In a
word, the&s;e <HI>Eclectici</HI> were the <HI>Quint-e&s;&s;ence</HI>
of the former four <HI>Sects</HI> of <HI>Philo&s;ophers.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. I intend in like manner to be a
<HI>Choo&s;er</HI> in this point. (Grand the difference
betwixt a <HI>Choo&s;er,</HI> and a <HI>Seeker</HI> of our age,
the former is <HI>po&s;itive,</HI> the latter <HI>&s;ceptical,</HI>
hovering over all, &s;etling on nothing) I
know no rea&s;on that we are bound to take
one and all in any per&s;wa&s;ion. Three great
Intere&s;ts may be named in <HI>England,</HI> one
that was the <HI>Prelatical,</HI> one that is the
<HI>Presbyterian,</HI> one that would be the <HI>Inde|pendant.</HI>
I &s;hall embrace what I find in
any of their practi&s;es commendable, and
con&s;onant to <HI>Gods word,</HI> making u&s;e of my
<HI>Chri&s;tian liberty,</HI> to leave the re&s;t which in
my <HI>weak judgement</HI> may &s;eem &s;ubject to
ju&s;t exception.</P>
<P N="2">2. Propo&s;ition, <HI>there is no pregnant</HI>
<PB N="14" REF="11">
<HI>place of Scripture which expre&s;ly impower|eth
the Mini&s;ters of the go&s;pel with authori|ty
of Examination and Exclu&s;ion from the
Sacrament:</HI> I have looked for it in the
place where I was mo&s;t likely to finde it,
namely, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. where Saint <HI>Paul</HI> at
large condemneth the abu&s;es at the <HI>Sacra|ment</HI>
in their <HI>Church.</HI> Here I expected the
<HI>Corinthian Mini&s;ters</HI> &s;hould have been
checkt for keeping no <HI>&s;tricter guard</HI> about
<HI>Gods Table,</HI> and that the main fault of this
prophanene&s;s &s;hould be charged on their
negligence. What &s;aid <HI>David</HI> to <HI>Abner</HI>
1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 26. 16. When he fetcht the <HI>Spear</HI>
and <HI>Cru&s;e of water,</HI> from the head of <HI>&s;leep|ing
Saul? Ye are worthy to die, becau&s;e you
have not kept your ma&s;ter, the Lords anoint|ed;</HI>
&s;uch a &s;harp reproof I expected from
S. <HI>Paul</HI> to the <HI>mini&s;ters</HI> of <HI>Corinth</HI> for
being no more vigilant (as being Gods <HI>life|guard</HI>)
in &s;ecuring the <HI>Body</HI> and <HI>bloud</HI> of
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> from <HI>unworthy Communicants.</HI> But
not the lea&s;t check to them, onely a gene|ral
exhortation to others to examin
them&s;elves.</P>
<P N="2">2. Propo&s;ition <HI>there are &s;ome places of</HI>
<PB N="15" REF="11">
<HI>Scripture which by proportion and con&s;e|quence
do more than probably in&s;inuate &s;uch
a power in the Mini&s;ter.</HI> Fir&s;t for examining
<HI>Heb.</HI> 13. 17. <HI>Obey them that have the rule
over you, and &s;ubmit your &s;elves, for they
watch for your &s;ouls, as they that mu&s;t give
account that they may do it with joy, and not
with grief, for that is unprofitable for you.</HI>
God fore&s;eeing that in after-ages the <HI>Mi|ni&s;ter</HI>
in a <HI>Church</HI> might be but <HI>One,</HI> the
<HI>Pari&s;hioners</HI> many, <HI>he</HI> perchance <HI>poor, they
rich, he</HI> po&s;&s;ibly <HI>young, they grave,</HI> and <HI>an|cient,</HI>
&s;aw there would be an humour of
oppo&s;ition in them to &s;ubmit to their <HI>Pa|&s;tour,</HI>
and therefore thought it nece&s;&s;ary
to leave this command on record. Now the
be&s;t <HI>Auditour</HI> cannot give an account of
them who&s;e receipts and expences he hath
not examined, and therefore by con&s;e|quence
it may be collected that they may
and mu&s;t try the conditions and abilities
of their people, <HI>Prov.</HI> 27. 21. <HI>Be thou dili|gent
to know the &s;tate of thy Flocks, and look
well to thy heards.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. Secondly, for <HI>Excluding,</HI> where
be it premi&s;ed, that if an <HI>Examining power</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="12">
can be demon&s;trated in the <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> a
power of Exclu&s;ion doth by nece&s;&s;ary and
undeniable con&s;equence follow thereupon:
For the <HI>Mini&s;ters Examination</HI> would be
altogether u&s;ele&s;s, if &s;uch, who thereby &s;hall
be detected unfitting or unworthy may in
defiance of the <HI>Mini&s;ter,</HI> intrude them|&s;elves
<HI>Communicants</HI> to the <HI>Sacrament.</HI>
If therefore the <HI>Mini&s;ters Examination</HI> be
as a <HI>weapon</HI> without an edge, and be onely
to make a noi&s;e without any further power,
it would render him ridiculous to <HI>Prophane
per&s;ons,</HI> and expo&s;e his <HI>pains</HI> and <HI>profes&s;ion</HI>
to contempt. Surely therefore, his <HI>Exami|nation</HI>
is &s;econded and attended with au|thority
to <HI>admit</HI> and <HI>exclude</HI> from the <HI>Sa|crament,</HI>
as he findeth per&s;ons fit or unfit
for the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Of places importing an</HI> Excluding
power, <HI>many in&s;i&s;t on the</HI> 2 Chron. 23. 19.
And Jehojada &s;et the Porters at the gates
of the hou&s;e of the Lord, that none, which was
unclean in any thing &s;hould enter in.</P>
<P N="8">8. In the <HI>new Te&s;tament</HI> many alleadge,
<HI>Matth.</HI> 7. 6. <HI>Give not that which is holy unto
doggs. What more holy than the Body and</HI>
<PB N="17" REF="12">
Bloud of <HI>Christ</HI> in the <HI>Sacrament,</HI> who
more <HI>Dogs,</HI> more <HI>Swine</HI> than tho&s;e wilful|ly
wallow in wickedne&s;s?</P>
<P>To the&s;e add the words of my <HI>Text,
And the Prie&s;t &s;hall look on him;</HI> There is
<HI>Examination,</HI> and <HI>pronounce him unclean,</HI>
there is <HI>Exclu&s;ion.</HI> Yet let not too much
improvement be made of tho&s;e words, le&s;t
they &s;tretch &s;o far as to break. If the pro|portion
be applied in all particulars, the
<HI>High Prie&s;t</HI> alone, being impowered with
this authoritie, will advance the <HI>Hierarchi|chal
power</HI> farther than &s;uch as make u&s;e
of this place will well approve.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> You have out of ignorance or
envie, concealed one of the mo&s;t effectual
<HI>Scriptures</HI> in the <HI>New Te&s;tament,</HI> in&s;tructing
<HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> with an <HI>Examining power</HI> of all
in the <HI>Flock,</HI> namely, 1. Pet. 3. 15. <HI>Be rea|die
always to give an an&s;wer to every one
that asketh you a rea&s;on of the hope of that
is in you with meekne&s;s and fear.</HI> It &s;eems
you are <HI>willingly ignorant</HI> (to u&s;e the <HI>Apo|&s;tle's</HI>
phra&s;e) of this <HI>Text</HI> &s;o pertinent to
the purpo&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I know many behold it as the
<PB N="18" REF="13">
<HI>Champion of their cau&s;e,</HI> and have u&s;ed it to
order their <HI>refractorie Pari&s;hioners</HI> into <HI>Ex|amination.</HI>
For my own part I look on it
as nothing to the purpo&s;e. It is better to
fight naked, than with bad <HI>Armour.</HI> For
the rags of a bad <HI>Corcelet,</HI> make a deeper
wound, and wor&s;e to be healed than the
bullet it &s;elf. None &s;uch foes to a cau&s;e as
&s;uch friends who will defend it, <HI>Argu|mentis
non cogentibus,</HI> with rea&s;ons of &s;uch
&s;trength which <HI>compel not</HI> a rational man
into the free belief of them. The words, as
appears by the coherence, are principally
calculated for the Climate of per&s;ecu|tion,
<HI>when men &s;uffer for righteou&s;ne&s;s
&s;ake,</HI> and enjoyn all a free and fearle&s;s pro|fe&s;&s;ion
of the Faith, when called thereunto.
Be&s;ides, the command being general, Mi|ni&s;ters
are as much obliged thereby to give
an an&s;wer to their Pari&s;hioners, if asking
them as Pari&s;hioners, are bound to give an
account thereof to the Mini&s;ter: And
therefore I purpo&s;ly declined the mention
of this place.</P>
<P N="3">3. Propo&s;. <HI>Children, Mad-men, Idiots,</HI>
during their condition, are not to be ad|mitted
<PB N="19" REF="13">
to the <HI>Sacrament.</HI> The rea&s;on is
plain, becau&s;e they cannot perform an E&s;|&s;ential
requi&s;ite thereunto, namely, <HI>exa|min
them&s;elves.</HI> But when &s;uch <HI>Children</HI>
&s;hall arrive at years of di&s;cretion. <HI>Mad|men</HI>
&s;hall, by Gods ble&s;&s;ing on <HI>Phy&s;ick,</HI> or
otherwi&s;e, either return to their <HI>Lucide in|tervals,</HI>
or be totally cured of their <HI>distem|per.
Idiots,</HI> (which &s;eldom comes to pa&s;s)
be enlarged in their <HI>under&s;tandings,</HI> they
may be admitted <HI>Communicants.</HI> Till when,
the <HI>Church,</HI> as <HI>Guardian</HI> in their minoritie,
doth not finally withhold the Sacrament
from, but &s;ea&s;onably re&s;erveth it for them.</P>
<P N="4">4 Propo&s;. <HI>Young Per&s;ons utterly igno|rant
in the Principles of Religion, are not to
be admitted to the Sacrament till improved
in knowledge.</HI>&rsqb; Yet <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> ought to be
very tender in this particular, le&s;t they
mi&s;take <HI>&s;mall yet true knowledge</HI> for <HI>utter
ignorance.</HI> Know, that we have no certain
<HI>&s;tandard</HI> in <HI>Scripture</HI> to mea&s;ure peoples
knowledge by. There is not &s;et down the
<HI>minimum ut &s;ic,</HI> the lea&s;t and lowe&s;t degree
of knowledge which putteth one into a
communicating capacitie, which &s;hould
<PB N="20" REF="14">
make <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> the more favourable, e&s;pe|cially
to &s;uch who discover a de&s;ire of in|formation.
Le&s;t al&s;o the <HI>more heat</HI> plead
for the <HI>le&s;s light,</HI> &s;uch as are con&s;cientious
in their conver&s;ations.</P>
<P N="5">5 Propo&s;. <HI>Per&s;ons actually or virtually
excommunicated</HI> durante &s;tatu, <HI>are to be ex|cluded
the Sacrament.</HI> For we behold them
as no <HI>Members of the Church</HI> at all, but in
the language of the Apo&s;tle, 1. Tim. 1. 20.
<HI>delivered unto Satan.</HI> Now 1. Cor. 10. 21.
<HI>Ye cannot be partaker of the Lords table, and
of the table of devils.</HI> Surely &s;uch who are
<HI>delivered to him</HI> are <HI>Satans gue&s;ts,</HI> and in
<HI>commons with him,</HI> untill on the publick
confe&s;&s;ion of his fault in <HI>practical,</HI> or pro|fe&s;&s;ion
of his faith in <HI>dostrinal offences,</HI> they
be re&s;tored to the Congregation.</P>
<P>Secondly, Per&s;ons virtually <HI>excommu|nicated,</HI>
by whom I under&s;tand &s;uch who
wallow in a notorious &s;in <HI>excommunicable</HI>
in it &s;elf, though the <HI>&s;entence</HI> be not &s;o|lemnly
pa&s;&s;ed upon them. I &s;ay, <HI>notorious
&s;in.</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed be God, <HI>&s;urreptitious</HI> &s;ins of
infirmitie do not render us incapable of the
<HI>Sacrament;</HI> If they did, Gods table would
<PB N="21" REF="14">
&s;tand utterly unfurni&s;hed, without any ei|ther
to Admini&s;ter or Receive tho&s;e <HI>holy
My&s;teries.</HI></P>
<P>Now &s;ins mu&s;t be notorious two man|ner
of ways,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>Quoad naturam.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Quoad notitiam.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t <HI>quo ad naturam,</HI> the &s;in being <HI>hor|rible</HI>
and <HI>hainous</HI> in its own nature, &s;uch a
&s;in as is not onely mortal, as all &s;ins are,
but <HI>mortiferum,</HI> if Gods mercie doth not
interpo&s;e: an enumeration whereof is need|le&s;s
as generally known.</P>
<P>By the way there is a notorious &s;in in
the nature thereof, which notwith&s;tanding
in defiance of oppo&s;ition, forceth his acce&s;s
unto the <HI>Sacrament,</HI> namely the <HI>&s;in of op|pre&s;sion.</HI>
How great this is, doth appear by
the words of <HI>Solomon,</HI> Eccle&s;. 7. 7. <HI>Oppre&s;|&s;ion
maketh a wi&s;e man mad;</HI> that is, Wi&s;e
men being oppre&s;&s;ed above their &s;trength,
to comport therewith, oft-times break
forth into <HI>mad extravagancies.</HI> Now ha|ving
formerly &s;hewed how Mad-men are
to be prohibited the <HI>Communion,</HI> quod ef|ficit
tale magis e&s;t tale. <HI>What makes &s;o, is</HI>
<PB N="22" REF="15">
<HI>more &s;o. Oppre&s;&s;ors</HI> &s;ure ought not to re|ceive.
But alas! in all ages &s;uch their power,
that if plea&s;ed, they will command their
own pa&s;&s;age to the <HI>Communion</HI> in &s;pight of
the Mini&s;ters oppo&s;ition, God alone being
able to puni&s;h their <HI>pre&s;umption</HI> therein.</P>
<P>Secondly, the &s;in mu&s;t be notorious, <HI>quo|ad
notitiam,</HI> &s;o that general cogni&s;ance is
taken thereof, to the <HI>publick &s;candal</HI> of the
<HI>Congregation.</HI> If it be done in a corner
known to few, no pregnant proof nor pub|lick
appearance thereof, the admi&s;&s;ion of
&s;uch an offender, is &s;o far from being offen|&s;ive
to the Church, that the exclu&s;ion of
him, will rather be &s;candalous: But where
notice of the fault is arrived at many, and
the noy&s;e thereof at more, amounting to a
con&s;iderable part of the Congregation, ei|ther
in qualitie or number, there lyeth a
ju&s;t prohibition again&s;t the receiving of
&s;uch an offender.</P>
<P>When therefore the <HI>drunkard</HI> &s;hall hold
his <HI>quaffing-cup</HI> in the one hand, and yet
de&s;ire to take the <HI>Chalice</HI> in the other, when
he &s;hall maliciou&s;ly vow to &s;hed the bloud
of his <HI>Brother,</HI> and yet in the next moment
<PB N="23" REF="15">
de&s;ire the <HI>bloud of Chri&s;t</HI> to be tendered
unto him. When men &s;hall come <HI>reeking</HI>
from their <HI>lu&s;t,</HI> or <HI>reeling</HI> in their <HI>drunken|ne&s;s;</HI>
when any <HI>offender</HI> with the <HI>Adultere&s;s</HI>
John 8. 3. <GAP DESC="foreign">, and with <HI>Cosbie</HI> and
<HI>Zimri</HI> &s;hall boldly brave out a &s;in; the <HI>Mi|ni&s;ter</HI>
may and mu&s;t, with well tempered
zeal, forbid them partake of the Sacra|ment.</P>
<P><HI>This libertie was allowed the Mini&s;ters
under the Epi&s;copacie by the words of the</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">In the Or|der of the Admini&s;tra|tion of the <HI>Communion, or at the lea&s;t declare him|&s;elf to be in full purpo&s;e &s;o to do, as &s;oon as he conve|niently may.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Rubrick. And if any of tho&s;e be an open and
notorious evil liver, &s;o that the congregation
by him is offended, or have done any wrong
to his neighbour by word or deed, the Curate,
having knowledge thereof, &s;hall call him, and
adverti&s;e him in any wi&s;e not to pre&s;ume to
come to the Lords table, untill he have openly
declared him&s;elf to have truly repented and
amended his former naughtie life, that the
Congregation may thereby be &s;atisfied, which
afore were e&s;teemed,</HI> and he have recom|penced
the partie whom he hath done
wrong unto.</P>
<P>Now becau&s;e onely &s;ins notorious, <HI>quo
ad notitiam,</HI> disable a <HI>Communicant</HI> from
<PB N="24" REF="16">
the receiving of the <HI>&s;acrament.</HI> Hence it
is that <HI>Hypocrites</HI> in all ages will repair thi|ther
in de&s;pight of the greate&s;t caution. Let
the <HI>Lords board</HI> be raled about never &s;o
high, never &s;o low, never &s;o clo&s;e, yet <HI>Hy|pocri&s;ie</HI>
will either climb over it, or creep
under it, or wind it &s;elf through it. The
<HI>black devil</HI> may, the <HI>white devil</HI> never will
be kept out of <HI>Chri&s;tian Congregations.</HI></P>
<P>Propo&s;. 6. <HI>Young people,</HI> be they never
&s;o great or gracious, are at fir&s;t to be ex|amined
by the <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> before admitted to
the <HI>&s;acrament.</HI> Mo&s;t Noble <HI>Theophilus</HI> may
be an in&s;tance hereof, <HI>Luk.</HI> 1. 4. <HI>that thou
may&s;t know the certaintie of tho&s;e things
wherein thou ha&s;t been in&s;tructed;</HI> .i. <HI>catechi|&s;ed.</HI>
And although it apears not in the Text
that &s;uch <HI>catechi&s;ing</HI> of him was done by
the <HI>Mini&s;ter,</HI> yet it is ea&s;ie to prove out of
<HI>primitive antiquitie,</HI> that <HI>Catechumeni</HI> was
a degree of young <HI>Chri&s;tians Candidates</HI>
for the <HI>&s;acrament.</HI></P>
<P>Here it were to be wi&s;hed, that <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI>
que&s;tions in this ca&s;e might be confined, if
not to <HI>&s;acramental,</HI> yet to <HI>&s;oul-concernment.</HI>
They are not to come to the people as the
<PB N="25" REF="16">
<HI>Queen of Sheba</HI> did to <HI>Solomon,</HI> to urge
them with hard que&s;tions, 1. <HI>Chron.</HI> 9. 1.
nor to propound <HI>riddles</HI> to them as did
<HI>Samp&s;on</HI> to his thirtie <HI>Companions,</HI> Judges
14. 32. but onely to demand of them &s;uch
e&s;&s;ential points of <HI>Religion,</HI> the not know|ing,
or ill holding whereof, maimeth the
<HI>vitals</HI> of the <HI>&s;oul</HI> of a <HI>Chri&s;tian.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;peak it upon the complaint of tho&s;e
(who&s;e report with me is above exception)
how many difficult, yet frivolous que&s;tions
have been propounded unto them; as what
God did before he created the world?
Where the &s;oul of <HI>Lazarus</HI> was in the three
days interval, while&s;t his bodie lay in the
<HI>grave?</HI> A que&s;tion which he who pro|pounded
it, I believe was as ignorant of, as
the partie to whom it was propounded.</P>
<P>Others have been too <HI>&s;tern,</HI> and <HI>moro&s;e</HI>
in not accepting true and pertinent an&s;wers,
if not coming up to the very top of what
was demanded. Thus when one was ask|ed
what God was, the partie no le&s;s mo|de&s;tly
than truly replyed, <HI>God is a Spirit,</HI> to
whom the <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> returned, and &s;o is the
devil too; enough to da&s;h and daunt a <HI>&s;oft|ly</HI>
<PB N="26" REF="17">
<HI>&s;pirit</HI> which rather de&s;erved encourage|ment.
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Fox</HI> Act. &amp; Mon. pag. 1503.</NOTE> It is reported of <HI>Bi&s;hop
Hooper,</HI> that <HI>worthy Martyr,</HI> in the
days of <HI>Queen Mary</HI> (and a <HI>Cart|wright</HI>
before Mr. <HI>Cartwright,</HI> I mean the
<HI>great Patron of non-Conformi&s;ts</HI>) that when
an hone&s;t <HI>Citizen,</HI> in a conflict of con&s;ci|ence
came to his door for <HI>Coun&s;el,</HI> being a|ba&s;hed
at his <HI>au&s;tere behaviour,</HI> he dur&s;t not
come in, but departed, &s;eeking remedie for
his <HI>troubled mind</HI> at other mens hands. We
&s;ee good men may be faultie in this parti|cular,
and many mode&s;t people, examined
by <HI>rigorous Pa&s;tors</HI> may be frighted into
ignorance or forgetfulne&s;s, or &s;ilence of
tho&s;e very things which formerly they
knew, remembered, and could expre&s;s.</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 7. Such who once have been
admitted by the <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> to the <HI>Communi|on,</HI>
are not afterwards to be excluded the
&s;ame, except &s;ince their fir&s;t admi&s;&s;ion they
may be challenged of &s;ome notorious <HI>de|fection
from the Faith, or corruption in man|ners.</HI>
And if they can be challenged, they
fall under our former exception.</P>
<P>This la&s;t Propo&s;ition is grounded on
<PB N="27" REF="17">
that <HI>Foundation</HI> which few of the <HI>Presbyte|rian</HI>
partie u&s;e to denie, namely, that they,
who once have &s;aving knowledge, always
have it; and are rather finally improved
than impared therein, <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 92. 14. <HI>They
&s;hall &s;till bring forth fruit, they &s;hall be fat
and flouri&s;hing.</HI> A <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> therefore ought
charitably to pre&s;ume (nothing appearing
to the contrarie) that the &s;ouls of his peo|ple
move a progre&s;&s;ive, not a retrograde
motion in pietie: e&s;pecially if he con&s;tant|ly
and con&s;cionably prayeth for them and
preacheth among&s;t them.</P>
<P>I &s;ay &s;uch are not <HI>of nece&s;sitie</HI> to be re|examined
by the <HI>Mini&s;ter.</HI> Indeed, if out
of <HI>humilitie</HI> they will tender them&s;elves of
their own accord to their <HI>Mini&s;ter,</HI> and
&s;ubmit to a <HI>&s;econd examination,</HI> (or as oft|en
as they plea&s;e to receive) the <HI>&s;acrament,</HI>
I commend their <HI>meekne&s;s,</HI> and account it
an <HI>acceptable offering</HI> in the eyes of God.
However their act ought not to be <HI>obliga|torie</HI>
to all others, &s;o as to be pre&s;&s;ed to
that which &s;ome voluntarily did perform.</P>
<P><HI>U&s;e</HI> 1. To confute &s;uch who are over|remi&s;s
in admini&s;tering the <HI>&s;acrament,</HI> re|quiring
<PB N="28" REF="18">
no more than the general profe&s;&s;i|on
of Chri&s;tianitie, a reverend po&s;ture of
the bodie, &amp; a hand reached out to receive,
to qualifie one for a <HI>Communicant.</HI> The&s;e
make the <HI>Lords table</HI> a Pandocheon, an
<HI>Inne</HI> to entertain all, &amp; <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to keep <HI>open
hou&s;e</HI> at the <HI>Sacrament;</HI> and yet we may ob|&s;erve
a great difference between the places
of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> preaching, and admini&s;tering the
<HI>&s;acrament.</HI> He preached often <HI>&s;ub dio, in
the open air</HI> where nothing confined <HI>his
voice</HI> but <HI>his voice,</HI> as extending <HI>audible</HI> (at
lea&s;t <HI>intelligible</HI>) no farther. Thus <HI>Matth.</HI>
5. 1. <HI>He went up into a mountain and preach|ed.</HI>
Matth. 13. 2. <HI>He went into a Ship and
&s;ate, and the whole multitude stood on the
&s;hore.</HI> But when he admini&s;tered the <HI>Sacra|ment</HI>
to &s;ome &s;elect per&s;ons, then he made
choice <HI>Mar.</HI> 14. 15. <HI>of an upper chamber
trimmed and prepared, purpo&s;ely made readie
for them,</HI> of far le&s;s latitude, and receipt as
capable, onely of the company intended
pre&s;ent at that exerci&s;e. To &s;hew the ex|ten&s;ivene&s;s
of the <HI>Word</HI> to all that plea&s;e
to hear the &s;ame, the <HI>contractedne&s;s</HI> of the
<HI>Communion,</HI> confined onely to &s;uch as in
<PB N="29" REF="18">
&s;ome mea&s;ure are fitted for the receiving
thereof.</P>
<P>The maintainers of this Opinion of <HI>pro|mi&s;cuous
Communions,</HI> proceed upon a <HI>dou|ble
error.</HI> Fir&s;t, on the example of <HI>Judas,</HI>
one of the wor&s;t of men, yet not thought
bad enough by <HI>Christ</HI> him&s;elf to be exclu|ded
<HI>the &s;acrament.</HI> Here they take that for
decided which is di&s;puted, that for conclu|ded
which is controverted, <HI>adhuc &s;ub Ju|dice
lis e&s;t,</HI> it hangeth as yet on the file, and
the number and worth of ancient <HI>Writers</HI>
on the negative, are almo&s;t even with tho&s;e
which affirm his receiving. But &s;uppo&s;e he
did receive the <HI>&s;acrament,</HI> (which in my
particular opinion I do believe) it maketh
nothing for the advantage of tho&s;e which
urge it in this behalf.</P>
<P>For, Fir&s;t, <HI>Judas</HI> was compleatly quali|fied
for a <HI>Communicant,</HI> fir&s;t with <HI>know|ledge,</HI>
whereof he had too much, except he
had u&s;ed it better, who&s;e <HI>eminent parts</HI>
were like unto tho&s;e <HI>torches</HI> and <HI>lanthorns</HI>
abu&s;ed by him to apprehend and betray
our <HI>Saviour.</HI> Secondly, with &s;uch <HI>&s;eeming
holine&s;s,</HI> that none of his <HI>Fellow-di&s;ciples</HI>
<PB N="30" REF="19">
could dete&s;t, or did &s;u&s;pect him for un|faithfulne&s;s:
El&s;e needle&s;s had the que&s;ti|on
been of <HI>John</HI> to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> John 13. 25.
<HI>Lord who is it?</HI> had he not carried it &s;o
cunningly that no common jealou&s;ie cen|tred
on him as a <HI>Traitor in intention.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object. Chri&s;t</HI> as <HI>God</HI> knew <HI>Judas</HI> to be
an <HI>Hipocrite</HI> and a <HI>Devil,</HI> and yet he would
not denie him the <HI>&s;acrament,</HI> to &s;hew, that
the wor&s;t and wickede&s;t of men may be
admitted thereunto.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Indeed as God he knew it, but it
is que&s;tionable whether he communicated
this knowledge to his humanitie, and if &s;o,
yet might not be plea&s;ed to take notice
thereof at the in&s;tant of In&s;tituting the <HI>&s;a|crament.</HI>
Becau&s;e therein <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> would do
nothing but what &s;hould be precedential to
po&s;teritie to imitate: as intending that
meer men &s;hould afterwards follow him in
the <HI>Mini&s;terie.</HI></P>
<P>The Second fal&s;e principle that the <HI>Pa|trons</HI>
of <HI>Promi&s;cuous &s;acraments</HI> proceed
upon is this, that the <HI>Lords &s;upper</HI> is as well
a <HI>converting,</HI> as a <HI>confirming Ordinance,</HI>
from whom (till we be better informed) we
<PB N="31" REF="19">
mu&s;t be forced to di&s;&s;ent. Here, far be it
from us to minorate or le&s;&s;en the efficacie
and operativene&s;s of the meane&s;t of Gods
<HI>Ordinances,</HI> and on the other &s;ide, we mu&s;t
be wary, le&s;t we extend their power too far,
to the endangering of peoples &s;ouls.</P>
<P>The <HI>Word of God</HI> is the onely ordinarie
means of <HI>conver&s;ion</HI> known unto us. This
<HI>pearl,</HI> though ca&s;t before <HI>&s;wine,</HI> may turn
the &s;wine into the &s;heep, and by Gods ble&s;|&s;ing,
alter and better their propertie. Nor
is any other previous qualification requi|red
by an Auditor of Gods word, but meer
hearing the &s;ame, which may put life into
tho&s;e who were dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, in &s;ins.
But Food and Phy&s;ick (for &s;uch is the <HI>&s;a|crament</HI>)
if not given to &s;uch who have life
to take and dige&s;t them, is altogether u&s;e|le&s;s.
The fir&s;t mu&s;t have faith &amp; repentance
who expect to reap any benefit thereby.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> The <HI>&s;acrament</HI> is al&s;o a <HI>convert|ing
means,</HI> becau&s;e in the admini&s;tration
thereof, many excellent pa&s;&s;ages of Scrip|ture
are intermingled. Formerly, when the
<HI>Liturgie</HI> was in full practice, &s;everal Texts
of mo&s;t &s;ignal comfort were interwoven
<PB N="32" REF="20">
by the <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> in his <HI>preparative addre&s;&s;es</HI>
thereunto, <HI>Matth.</HI> 11. 28. <HI>Come unto me all
that travel,</HI> &amp;c. John 3. 16. <HI>So God loved
the world,</HI> &amp;c. 1. Tim. 1. 15. <HI>This is a true
&s;aying, and worthy,</HI> &amp;c. 1. John 2. 1, 2. <HI>If
any man &s;in, we have an advocate with the
Father,</HI> &amp;c. Now the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages of Gods
word (which ever hath a converting vigo|rous
virtue in it) may on a &s;udden &s;urpri&s;e
the &s;oul of a notorious &s;inner pre&s;ent at the
Sacrament, &amp; effectually work an amend|ment
in him. And although, &s;ince the abo|li&s;hing
of the <HI>Liturgie,</HI> the reading of tho&s;e
numerical places be disu&s;ed, yet one may
confidently pre&s;ume, that no <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> of
the <HI>Presbyterian per&s;wa&s;ion,</HI> doth or can &s;o|lemnly
admini&s;ter the Sacrament, but in
his prayers before and after the &s;ame he
in&s;erteth &s;elect Scriptures to that purpo&s;e.
wherefore the receiving of the Sacrament,
if not in it &s;elf, by nece&s;&s;arie con&s;equence,
as attended with Scripture (in the due cele|bration
thereof) is a converting Ordinance,
and therefore an u&s;urpation to forbid any,
the wor&s;t of men admittance thereunto.</P>
<P>An&s;w. <HI>The Word of God</HI> loo&s;eth the <HI>con|verting</HI>
<PB N="33" REF="20">
<HI>power</HI> thereof, when u&s;ed <HI>again&s;t
the word of God;</HI> I mean, when applyed
contrarie to tho&s;e directions, which the
<HI>Scripture</HI> commendeth unto us. For every
Communicant is commanded to examin
him&s;elf, and to di&s;cern the Lords bodie,
and to eat the &s;ame worthily. Duties
which meer unconverted per&s;ons, in the
&s;tate of nature, are utterly unable to per|form.
The&s;e things are not to be wrought
there, but brought thither. Indeed the <HI>Sa|crament</HI>
will multiplie, but not make in|crea&s;e,
but not create grace in the hearts
of <HI>Receivers.</HI> Such therefore, who come
not qualified for <HI>Communicants,</HI> cannot ex|pect
converting from the <HI>&s;acrament,</HI> be|cau&s;e
they break the Word of God in ap|pearing
there. As for tho&s;e excellent pa&s;|&s;ages
of Scripture, u&s;ed by <HI>Ministers</HI> offici|ating
in the <HI>&s;acrament,</HI> it is to be feared
they will rather turn the &s;avour of death
unto death, and give Satan a larger power
over tho&s;e unconverted per&s;ons which
pre&s;s to tho&s;e my&s;teries.</P>
<P><HI>U&s;e</HI> 2. It confutes tho&s;e who are too
rigid in admini&s;tering the <HI>Sacrament,</HI> deny|ing
<PB N="34" REF="21">
it to all tho&s;e who will not &s;ubmit
them&s;elves to their examination, though
formerly they have been examined and ad|mitted,
and &s;ince &s;tand charged with no
fault proved or &s;u&s;pected, &s;ave onely they
call it &s;tubbornne&s;s or re&s;olution, recu&s;an|cie
to be re-examined.</P>
<P>Here let none think, that out of the &s;pi|rit
of frowardne&s;s I will fully oppo&s;e their
Opinions, or that out of anger or discon|tent
I may favour &s;ome modern licencious
extravagancies I<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Fox</HI> Act. &amp; Mon. pag. 2079.</NOTE> remember a
&s;torie of the <HI>Ladie Katharine
Brandon, Dutche&s;s</HI> of <HI>Suffolk,</HI>
which may be applied to my occa&s;ions.
When every Ladie at an entertainment
was to choo&s;e whom &s;he loved be&s;t, and &s;o
place them&s;elves, the <HI>Dutches,</HI> becau&s;e not
allowed to choo&s;e her own <HI>Husband</HI> (as
again&s;t the laws of the fea&s;t) took <HI>Steven
Gardiner</HI> by the hand, whom &s;he perfectly
hated; with the&s;e words, <HI>If I may not &s;it
down with him whom I love be&s;t, I have cho|&s;en
him whom I love wor&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Not to di&s;&s;emble in the &s;ight of God
and man. I do ingenuou&s;ly prote&s;t, that I
<PB N="35" REF="21">
affect the <HI>Epi&s;copal Government</HI> (as it was
con&s;tituted in its &s;elf, abating &s;ome corrup|tions
which time hath contracted) be&s;t of
any other, as conceiving it mo&s;t con&s;onant
to the word of God, and practice of the
<HI>Primitive Church.</HI> But &s;eeing it hath plea|&s;ed
God to &s;et by <HI>Epi&s;copacie</HI> for the pre|&s;ent,
(whether or no <HI>animo re&s;umendi</HI> to
him alone is known) Far be it from me
to clo&s;e with &s;uch, whom I confe&s;s I love
the wor&s;e; tho&s;e <HI>Practicers</HI> of &s;o much li|bertie
in the <HI>Church,</HI> that it tendeth direct|ly
to <HI>confu&s;ion,</HI> and who&s;e disorderly Or|der
de&s;erves not the name of any <HI>Di&s;ci|pline.</HI></P>
<P>But I know that <HI>Religion</HI> and <HI>learning</HI>
hath flouri&s;hed under the <HI>Presbyterian Go|vernment</HI>
in <HI>France, Germanie,</HI> the <HI>Low|countreys.</HI>
I know many <HI>worthy Champions</HI>
of the <HI>Truth,</HI> bred and brought up under
the &s;ame. I know the <HI>most Learned and
moderate Engli&s;h Divines</HI> (though <HI>Epi&s;co|pal</HI>
in their <HI>callings</HI> and <HI>judgements</HI>) have
allowed the <HI>Reformed Churches</HI> under the
<HI>di&s;cipline</HI> for found and perfect in all e&s;&s;en|tials
nece&s;&s;arie to &s;alvation. If therefore
<PB N="36" REF="22">
denied my fir&s;t de&s;ire to live under that
<HI>Church-Government</HI> I be&s;t affected, I will
contentedly conform to the <HI>Presbyterian
Government,</HI> and endeavour to deport my
&s;elf quietly and comfortably under the
&s;ame.</P>
<P>This premi&s;ed (to prevent per&s;onal ex|ceptions
again&s;t my judgement) I am bold
to &s;ay, That the excluding per&s;ons from
the <HI>&s;acrament</HI> on this &s;core alone, for <HI>Re|cu&s;ancies</HI>
in point of <HI>re-examination,</HI> hath
been the mother of much mi&s;chief in the
<HI>Church.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it hath brought an <HI>undervaluing
opinion</HI> on the <HI>&s;acrament</HI> it &s;elf, as if it were
not &s;o nece&s;&s;arie for the <HI>growth of grace</HI> as
heretofore was generally <HI>preached</HI> and <HI>be|lieved.
Lay-people</HI> (which <HI>phra&s;e</HI> I u&s;e not
for any fondne&s;s I have thereunto, but be|cau&s;e
generally u&s;ed and under&s;tood) &s;eeing
<HI>Con&s;cientious Mini&s;ters</HI> debar their people
tho&s;e <HI>holy My&s;teries,</HI> meerly for a ceremo|nious
matter, begin to thin, that <HI>receiving</HI>
is but a matter of indifferencie, which may
or may not be u&s;ed without great gain or
lo&s;s to the &s;oul.</P>
<P><PB N="37" REF="22">
Secondly, it hath made <HI>&s;acraments</HI> to be
long disu&s;ed in &s;ome places, to the great
grief of many <HI>godly perons.</HI> I could never
read that pa&s;&s;age <HI>Acts</HI> 27. 33. but with ad|miration.
<HI>This day,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul, is the four|teenth
day which ye have tarried and conti|nued
fa&s;ting, having taken nothing.</HI> Strange
that life could con&s;i&s;t with &s;o long ab&s;ti|nencie.
I confe&s;s, men in the <HI>Southern
parts</HI> have not &s;o <HI>active &s;tomachs,</HI> as ex|tended
&amp; extenuated with heat. I confe&s;s
al&s;o, that having, as one may &s;ay, a <HI>&s;urfet of
&s;orrow,</HI> they had no mind to meat; as little
joying to feed them&s;elves as to feed <HI>fi&s;hes;</HI>
expecting dayly to be drowned. Yet all
things put together, we cannot under&s;tand
their <HI>fourteen days fa&s;ting</HI> otherwi&s;e, but
that in &s;uch a term they made no <HI>&s;et and
&s;tanding meals.</HI> They did not comfortably
enjoy them&s;elves at any <HI>ju&s;t refection;</HI> but
fed <HI>privately</HI> and cur&s;orily as their occa&s;i|ons
would give them leave, without any
delight, meerly for the maintenance of na|ture.</P>
<P>But behold a <HI>greater wonder,</HI> for ten
years, I dare bodly &s;ay, &s;ome <HI>Pari&s;hes</HI> in
<PB N="38" REF="23">
this <HI>Citie</HI> have fa&s;ted from the <HI>Sacrament.</HI>
I will not excu&s;e the peevi&s;hne&s;s of &s;uch
people, who on the <HI>punctilio</HI> of <HI>reexamina|tion</HI>
deprive them&s;elves of &s;o great a bene|fit.
But that the guilt may fall the lighter
on either, let it even be parted betwixt
both <HI>Pastor</HI> and <HI>People</HI> as faultie herein. I
know not what hard &s;hift &s;uch people have
made (perchance privately in their hou&s;es,
ro el&s;e in other Pari&s;hes) to be <HI>clande&s;tine
comunicants,</HI> as I may term them, what <HI>run|ing-meals</HI>
they have made I know not, &s;ure
I am they have not &s;at down at Gods
board in their own <HI>Pari&s;h</HI> for many years, a
wonder indeed if well co~&s;idered. However,
this is mo&s;t injurious, if the <HI>Drones</HI> will not
feed, that the <HI>Bees</HI> &s;hould be fami&s;hed.
<HI>That be far from you my Brethren to do af|ter
this manner, to starve the righteous with
the wicked, and that the righteous &s;hould be
as the wicked, that be far from you.</HI> What
if &s;uch the <HI>fault worthy &s;tubbornne&s;s</HI> of
&s;ome as not to &s;ubmit them&s;elves to re|examination,
mu&s;t Communions be wholy
neglected? and humble people, who on any
terms are willing to receive the Sacrament,
be debarred the benefit thereof?</P>
<P><PB N="39" REF="23">
<HI>Object.</HI> Should <HI>&s;acraments</HI> be admini|&s;tred,
and any <HI>profane per&s;on</HI> pre&s;s in there|unto,
there pre&s;ence would infect all the
re&s;t how good &s;oever, contracting <HI>guilt</HI> to
them&s;elves from the companie of tho&s;e
unworthy <HI>per&s;ons</HI> with whom they com|municate?
Better therefore is a <HI>total ab|&s;ence</HI>
in &s;uch a ca&s;e, than a <HI>&s;infull receiving.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The Po&s;ition is mo&s;t fal&s;e, that
<HI>mixt Communions</HI> do infect. For when fir&s;t
our afore&s;aid cautions have been ob&s;erved,
if in defiance of the <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> care and o|ther
<HI>Officers</HI> of the <HI>Church,</HI> an unworthy
per&s;on &s;hall chance, either cunningly to in|&s;inuate,
or violently to intrude him&s;elf, his
guilt is on his own head, and he alone an|&s;werable
for the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Surely the man at the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI>
Matth. 22. 12. <HI>wanting the Wedding-gar|ment,</HI>
had many in the &s;ame <HI>me&s;s</HI> (for
<GAP DESC="foreign">, the Table was <HI>furni&s;hed</HI> with
<HI>gue&s;ts</HI>) &s;ome &s;itting above him, beneath
him, before him, be&s;ides him, again&s;t him,
probably putting their hand into the &s;ame
<HI>di&s;h,</HI> drinking out of the &s;ame <HI>cup</HI> with him;
yet none of the&s;e were taken to task, or
<PB N="40" REF="24">
called to account, but he alone who came
thither unqualified, as wanting a habit ne|ce&s;&s;arie
at &s;uch entertainments.</P>
<P>And here let me be your <HI>Remembrancer</HI>
of an <HI>humble meditation,</HI> &s;ea&s;onable for &s;uch
who maitain that <HI>mixt communions</HI> convey
contagion to all <HI>receivers.</HI> It were no le&s;s
<HI>pious</HI> than <HI>profitable</HI> for the be&s;t of them to
be <HI>jealous</HI> over them&s;elves with a <HI>godly
jealou&s;ie,</HI> and to fear le&s;t their own badne&s;s
&s;hould derive infection to their <HI>Fellow-com|municants.</HI>
Surely S. <HI>Paul</HI> in holy humble|ne&s;s,
&s;aid of him&s;elf, 1. <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 15. <HI>Christ
came to &s;ave &s;inners, of whom I am chief.</HI>
Contrarie to which, there thoughts are
wholy taken up with &s;u&s;picions of being in|fected
from others.</P>
<P>The third mi&s;chief which the <HI>disu&s;ing of
&s;acraments</HI> hath done, is that thereby our
<HI>Adver&s;aries</HI> of the <HI>Romi&s;h Church</HI> have got|ten
a great advantage. This is a true <HI>Ma|xime,
A lean Communion maketh a fat
Ma&s;s;</HI> and many are fallen off to <HI>Papi&s;trie</HI>
on this occa&s;ion. Let none &s;ay, we will
ea&s;ily convert them with <HI>penal &s;tatutes,</HI> or
el&s;e the more <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> the more <HI>payments</HI> to
<PB N="41" REF="24">
the pre&s;ent nece&s;&s;ities of the <HI>Common|wealth.</HI>
Surely &s;uch a thought never en|tered
into the brea&s;t of any <HI>Godly Govern|our:</HI>
and the <HI>Go&s;pel</HI> teacheth us other <HI>Divi|nitie,</HI>
to prevent all occa&s;ions of <HI>Christi|ans</HI>
falling from the <HI>True Faith,</HI> and run|ing
into <HI>erroneous opinions.</HI></P>
<P>To draw to a conclu&s;ion, My humble
motion to the <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> is, that for a time
they would be plea&s;ed to forbear the ur|ging
any &s;o far to re-examination, as upon
refu&s;al thereof, to prohibit them the recei|ving
of the <HI>Sacrament.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> It is hard to &s;ay whether your
<HI>coun&s;el</HI> &s;avoureth more of <HI>carnallitie,</HI> or
<HI>cowardi&s;e.</HI> Surely <HI>St. Paul</HI> was of a more
<HI>zealous temper,</HI> who <HI>Gal.</HI> 2. 5. <HI>gave place
by &s;ubjection, no not an hour to &s;uch</HI> who
would have brought their <HI>Chri&s;tian liber|tie</HI>
into <HI>bondage.</HI> Such <HI>time-&s;erving</HI> as you
commend unto us, what is it but the <HI>pro|&s;trating
of the &s;cepter of Chri&s;t to the plea|&s;ure
of man?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> No evil may be done that the
greate&s;t good may come from it. But
&s;ome good may be forborn to be done
<PB N="42" REF="25">
when, in all <HI>Chri&s;tian prudence,</HI> thereby a
<HI>greater good</HI> is probable to be promoted.
It had been ab&s;olutely evil in <HI>St. Paul</HI> to
tolerate &s;uch <HI>betrayers of the Chri&s;tian pri|viledges</HI>
a minute or moment, &s;o far forth
as in convenient time and place, not to
oppo&s;e their machinations. But it is <HI>Chri|&s;tian
wi&s;dom</HI> for a time to &s;u&s;pend the pro|&s;ecution
of &s;uch <HI>practices,</HI> which may be
<HI>lawfull</HI> and <HI>laudable</HI> in them&s;elves, when
fore&s;eeing they will nece&s;&s;arily attract a
greater danger. This was done even by our
Saviour him&s;elf, who perceiving the parti|al
carnallitie in his <HI>Di&s;ciples,</HI> re&s;pited the
delivering of &s;ome difficult <HI>Doctrines,</HI> and
the pre&s;&s;ing of &s;ome hard precepts untill
they were arrived at more perfection; <HI>John</HI>
16. 12. <HI>I have yet many things to &s;ay unto
you, but you cannot bear them now.</HI> Where
the people cannot bear, there the Mini&s;ters
mu&s;t forbear, and patiently wait a fitter
opportunitie.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Let us of the <HI>Presbyterie</HI> begin
as we will hold. It is given to all autho|ritie
to le&s;&s;en by the continuance of time:
If we abate ought of our power at fir&s;t,
<PB N="43" REF="25">
the encroaching of people upon us will
quickly reduce it to nothing.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> This Objection &s;avoureth of the
&s;pirit of the Young men who were <HI>Rehobo|ham</HI>
his <HI>Councellors,</HI> 1. <HI>Kings</HI> 12. 10. and
&s;urely if followed will meet with the &s;ame
&s;ucce&s;s. It will be more honor for the <HI>Pres|byte<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ian
Government</HI> hereafter, to be call|ed
to by our <HI>State, Come up hither,</HI> Prov.
25. 7. and to be improved in Power, and
advanced in Honor, than to be degraded
afterwards in general e&s;teem, for over-acti|vitie
in the beginning.</P>
<P>I re&s;ume therefore my former motion,
and re-inforce it to the con&s;ideration of
&s;uch concerned therein, with the following
motives. Fir&s;t, Men ought not to be bu&s;ie
to enjoyn the&s;e things as nece&s;&s;arie duties,
though fitting and convenient, for which
they have no expre&s;s <HI>commi&s;sion</HI> in <HI>Scrip|ture.</HI>
What <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> will denie the ex|pediencie
of <HI>confe&s;sion,</HI> in &s;ome ca&s;es, to a
<HI>Mini&s;ter?</HI> But when the &s;ame was impo&s;ed
by the <HI>Church of Rome,</HI> as ab&s;olutely <HI>nece&s;|&s;arie
to &s;alvation,</HI> &s;o <HI>&s;overeigne a practice</HI>
became <HI>carnificina,</HI> the <HI>rack and torture of</HI>
<PB N="44" REF="26">
<HI>mens con&s;ciences.</HI> Will any <HI>ingenious per|&s;on</HI>
gain-&s;ay, but that &s;ome <HI>Ceremonies</HI> u|&s;ed
under the <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> were <HI>decent</HI> and <HI>come|ly?</HI>
but when the &s;ame was urged with
much violence, what clamours were rai&s;ed
again&s;t &s;uch <HI>practices,</HI> under the norion of
<HI>per&s;ecution?</HI> Take heed that the reproof of
the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> fall not heavie upon you; <HI>Rom.</HI>
2. 1. <HI>Therefore thou art inexcu&s;able, O man,
who&s;oever thou art that judge&s;t, for wherein
thou judge&s;t another, thou condemne&s;t thy
&s;elf; for thou that judge&s;t doe&s;t the &s;ame
things.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> As much may be alleadged for
<HI>re-examination</HI> of <HI>communicants,</HI> as for <HI>ba|ptizing</HI>
of Infants, which by your own
confe&s;&s;ion. You will not denie your own
words;<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Infants Ad|vocate <HI>Ca.</HI> 8. <HI>pag.</HI> 71.</NOTE> <HI>We do freely confe&s;s, that there is
neither expre&s;s precept nor precedent in the
New Te&s;tament for the baptizing of Infants,
and yet are confident by nece&s;&s;arie and unde|niable
con&s;equence from Scripture, it will be
made appear to be founded thereon.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t Analogie from <HI>Circumci&s;ion.</HI>
Secondly, the <HI>Birth-holine&s;s</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;tian
Infants.</HI> Thirdly the <HI>Holy Spirit</HI> given un|to
<PB N="45" REF="26">
them. Fourthly, &s;ome degrees of <HI>faith</HI>
conferred on them. Fifthly, the nece&s;&s;arie
removing of the maladie of <HI>Original cor|ruption,</HI>
with the con&s;tant practice of the
<HI>Church</HI> in allayes are alleadged for bapti|zing
of Infants, whereas little or nothing
in compari&s;on is produced for <HI>re-examina|tion.</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;ides, <HI>Bapti&s;m</HI> hath the primitive pra|ctice,
and the con&s;tant u&s;e of the ages.
Whereas the enjoyning of &s;uch, who once
have received, to be re-examined, is a <HI>&s;tran|ger
of ye&s;terday</HI> in mo&s;t <HI>Prote&s;tant Churches.</HI>
Herein I appeal to the <HI>French</HI> and <HI>Dutch
Congregations</HI> in <HI>London</HI> (branches con|formable
to their <HI>re&s;pective roots</HI> in <HI>forreign
parts</HI>) whether &s;trangers coming unto them
with a <HI>Te&s;timonial,</HI> that once they have
been admitted, are not received for <HI>Recei|vers,</HI>
without any further inquirie or exa|mination.</P>
<P>Indeed, if every particular Member, and
&s;o by con&s;equence every <HI>Pari&s;h</HI> of <HI>England</HI>
&s;hould be &s;ubject to a new examination on
every removeal of an <HI>old,</HI> and election of
a new <HI>Mini&s;ter,</HI> &s;ome <HI>Pari&s;hes</HI> would never
<PB N="46" REF="27">
be out of examination. What &s;aith <HI>Solo|mon,</HI>
Prov. 28. 2. <HI>For the tran&s;gre&s;sions of
a land, many are the Princes thereof.</HI> Not
meaning <HI>all abrea&s;t</HI> at once (which not|with&s;tanding,
is both true in it &s;elf, and a
trouble to the people) but many &s;ucce&s;&s;ive|ly,
&s;infull people make <HI>&s;hort-liv'd</HI> Princes.
Many, not in <HI>ranck</HI> but in <HI>file,</HI> one after an|other.
I will not &s;ay the <HI>bad Pari&s;hioners</HI>
make many <HI>Pa&s;tours</HI> in the place, but be
the reproof parted betwixt both (that &s;o
it may fall the lighter and be the better
born.) What betwixt the faults of the one
and the other, many have been the <HI>Avoid|ances</HI>
of <HI>Incumbents,</HI> and &s;ub&s;tituting of
new ones in their room in a &s;hort time, &s;o
that if communicants were of nece&s;&s;itie re|examinable
on every alteration, &s;ome Pa|ri&s;hes
would be in a perpetual <HI>Proba&s;hion|er&s;hip,</HI>
and con&s;tant <HI>Candidate-&s;hip</HI> for re|ceiving.</P>
<P>Not to &s;ay but that in &s;ome <HI>Pari&s;hes</HI>
(large in extent and numerous in people)
were <HI>monthly communions</HI> ob&s;erved (which
formerly was the commendable practice,
and &s;till is the ju&s;t de&s;ire of many Mini|&s;ters)
<PB N="47" REF="27">
it would be the con&s;tant work of the
Mini&s;ter, to do nothing el&s;e but examin
his people, the which would engro&s;s &amp; take
up his whole time. And then, if all his care
be examining, where is his praying, his
preaching, his &s;tudying, his vi&s;iting the
&s;ick, and his other performances?</P>
<P>Secondly, Excluding the Communion
for refu&s;ing re-examination, is a &s;everitie
unrea&s;onable at this time. We read of King
<HI>Amaziah,</HI> 2. Chron. 25. 3. <HI>Now it came
to pa&s;s, when the kingdom was e&s;tabli&s;hed to
him, that he &s;lew his &s;ervants that had kil|led
the King his Father.</HI> Why did <HI>Amazi|ah</HI>
&s;o long connive at <HI>murther</HI> the wor&s;t of
&s;ins? <HI>Trea&s;on</HI> the wor&s;t of <HI>Murders,</HI> and
<HI>Trea&s;on</HI> again&s;t his <HI>own Father,</HI> the wor&s;t of
<HI>Trea&s;ons,</HI> as to &s;uffer the <HI>Actors</HI> thereof &s;o
long to enjoy their lives? A &s;atisfactorie
rea&s;on is rendered; he was not as yet fa&s;t|ened
on his <HI>Throne.</HI> To &s;trike fiercely with
ones hands before he &s;tandeth firmly on
his feet, is the readie way for one to over|turn
him&s;elf. People mu&s;t, till they are
well &s;ettled them&s;elves, and well rooted &amp;
riveted in their power, be cautious of pro|voking
<PB N="48" REF="28">
any, and may ju&s;tly &s;u&s;pend the
puni&s;hing of what is faultie till a fitter
oportunitie.</P>
<P>And now to commend unto you a dou|ble
<HI>expedient,</HI> which may in &s;ome &s;ort mi|tigate
the rigor of proceedings. Fir&s;t know
it is one thing <HI>Magi&s;terially</HI> and <HI>Imperiou&s;|ly</HI>
to thru&s;t people from the <HI>&s;acrament,</HI> and
another thing to reque&s;t and intreat them
as they tender their own good, to ab&s;tain
from the receiving thereof. Both meet to|gether
in the &s;ame end, effect the &s;ame
thing, though embracing &s;everal ways in
order thereunto. The fir&s;t way being
rough, rugged, full of displea&s;ure and di|&s;ta&s;te;
the &s;econd &s;oft, &s;mooth, more ea&s;ie
both for <HI>Pa&s;tor</HI> and <HI>People,</HI> and mo&s;t pro|portionable
to the meekne&s;s of the <HI>Mini|sters</HI>
in the <HI>Go&s;pel.</HI> Let this later way there|fore
be u&s;ed by you, when you &s;ee ju&s;t
cau&s;e to &s;eclude a <HI>Pari&s;hioner</HI> from recei|ving
of the <HI>&s;acrament</HI> for &s;u&s;pected or de|tected
in&s;ufficiencie, when <HI>ingenuitie</HI> and
hope of amendment is legible in him. As</P>
<P>It is &s;aid of <HI>Titus Ve&s;pa&s;ian</HI> (for the
&s;weetne&s;s of his nature, &s;tiled the <HI>delight of
<PB N="49" REF="28">
mankind</HI>) the <HI>neminem demi&s;it tri&s;tem,</HI> he
never &s;ent any <HI>&s;uitors</HI> &s;ad away from him.
Yet it mu&s;t certainly be pre&s;umed, that he
denied many their de&s;ires, it being u&s;ual at
<HI>Court,</HI> that there be &s;everal <HI>Petitioners</HI> for
the &s;ame <HI>Office,</HI> which onely one can re|ceive,
but then that <HI>Emperour</HI> had the hap|pine&s;s
&s;o to qualifie his denials with good
language, that he made them but one de|gree
from a <HI>grant.</HI> Sometimes he would
convince &s;uch Suitors in their judgements,
that they reque&s;ted that which was not in
his pre&s;ent power to grant. Sometimes he
&s;hewed them, that their de&s;ires were de|&s;tructive
unto them&s;elves, at lea&s;twi&s;e, that
they were unfit and improper to receive
them. Sometimes he would promi&s;e them
the next preferment far better and fitter
for them. In a word, without any fal&s;hood
or flatterie (as beneath the <HI>Maje&s;tie</HI> of a
<HI>Prince</HI>) his &s;oft, &s;upple, and complying
nature &s;o applied it &s;elf to all dispo&s;itions,
that people contentedly, yea, thankfully &amp;
chearfully departed from him with de|nials.</P>
<P>God hath given you &s;uch <HI>&s;inews</HI> of <HI>Lo|gick,</HI>
<PB N="50" REF="29">
and &s;uch <HI>colours</HI> of <HI>Rhetorick,</HI> &amp; &s;uch
per&s;wa&s;ive tongues, if plea&s;ed to improve
them, that except you meet with <HI>unrea&s;on|able
men,</HI> 2. The&s;&s; 3. 20. (<HI>from whom God
delivere you</HI> (<GAP DESC="foreign">) from tho&s;e
that have no <HI>Topicks,</HI> no &s;ence of rea&s;on or
arguments; you may convince &s;uch whom
you account unfitting to receive, for their
own good, to ab&s;tain from the &s;ame.</P>
<P><HI>Neighbour, with</HI> Jo&s;eph, <HI>I would be a
ju&s;t man, that is in Go&s;pel acception, an equal
man,</HI> Matth. 1. 19. <HI>I am not willing to make
you a publick example that others &s;hould take
any occa&s;ion to &s;light any neglect you. I am
tender of your credit, conceiving it to be
wrapped up in my own; &s;uch the near relati|on
betwixt the Shepherd and his Sheep.</HI> I
will not in a disgracefull way forbid you
the Lords table, but with <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> I am
minded <HI>to put you away privily,</HI> or rather do
entreat you willingly to put away your &s;elf.
I am jealous over you with a godlie jea|lou&s;ie,
that you have not as yet &s;uch a mea|&s;ure
of knowledge as may fit you for the&s;e
my&s;teries. I &s;ay, <HI>as yet;</HI> for I doubt not
but on your prayers to God for your &s;elf,
<PB N="51" REF="29">
and mine for you hereafter, you may &s;ea|&s;onably
be admitted to the <HI>Sacrament:</HI> but
it is better to &s;tay a year too long, than
come a day too &s;oon. Know, I could inter|po&s;e
my power, if &s;o di&s;po&s;ed, and com|mand
you forbearance, but what &s;aith <HI>St.
Paul,</HI> Philemon 8. Wherefore though I
might be &s;o much bold in Chri&s;t to enjoyn
thee, the which is convenient, yet for loves
&s;ake I rather be&s;eech thee, and know the
&s;trength of my affection to thee inditeth
this coun&s;el, and no other by-re&s;pect.</P>
<P><HI>A &s;oft tongue,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Solomon,</HI> Prov. 25.
15. <HI>breaketh the bones.</HI> It is impo&s;&s;ible but
that an ingenious nature will be affected
therewith, and cannot take ju&s;t exception
thereat.</P>
<P>The &s;econd <HI>expedient</HI> I recommend is
this, even to practice our <HI>Saviour</HI> his pre|cept,
<HI>Matth.</HI> 9. 17. <HI>Neither do men put new
wine into old bottles, el&s;e the bottles break &amp;
the wine runneth out, and the bottles peri&s;h:
but they put new wine into new bottles, and
both are pre&s;erved.</HI></P>
<P>I apply it thus, put <HI>old wine into old bot|tles,</HI>
your <HI>ancient Communicants</HI> which for|merly
<PB N="52" REF="30">
have frequently received of your
&s;elves, or your <HI>Predece&s;&s;ors,</HI> and are habit|ed
to the ancient cu&s;tom of receiving, ad|mit
them without any &s;cruple (except ex|cludible
according to the premi&s;es, for
&s;ome notorious &s;in) charitably pre&s;uming
(nothing appearing to the contrary) that
they are improved in &s;ufficiencie for the
&s;ame.</P>
<P>Now <HI>put new wine into new bottles.</HI> Such
<HI>novices,</HI> which never before received, and
remember not the <HI>old Temple.</HI> I mean
the former <HI>di&s;cipline</HI> of the <HI>Church</HI> under
<HI>Epi&s;copacie,</HI> who&s;e maturitie to receive
bears date onely from the beginning of our
differences. Let them on Gods ble&s;&s;ing be
&s;olemnly tried and examined before they
be admitted unto the receiving of the <HI>&s;a|crament.</HI></P>
<P>And here by your leave and favour, I
humbly conceive, that the<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Anno Dom 1645. die lu|nae Oct. 20.</NOTE> <HI>Ordinance</HI> of
<HI>Lords</HI> and <HI>Commons,</HI> (if &s;eriou&s;ly peru&s;ed
according to the genuine and natural &s;ence
of the words, &s;peaks onely <HI>de admittendis,</HI>
and not <HI>de admi&s;sis,</HI> and impowereth <HI>Mi|nisters</HI>
onely to the Examination of &s;uch
<PB N="53" REF="30">
who received it not before, who ought
now more &s;trictly to be examined in <HI>Eng|land</HI>
than ever before: for the <HI>Church of
Rome</HI> erroneou&s;ly advanced Confirmation
to &s;uch a height, as to make it a <HI>&s;acrament.</HI>
The <HI>Church of England</HI> under Epi&s;copacie
retained it &s;o far as an ancient and u&s;efull
cu&s;tom, appropriating the exerci&s;e thereof
to <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> alone. The <HI>pre&s;ent di&s;cipline</HI> hath
utterly aboli&s;hed both <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> and the u&s;e
of Confirmation. However, &s;omething
analogical thereunto may and mu&s;t be con|tinued.
The Primitive Chri&s;tians being
wi&s;e in the appointing, though after-ages
were &s;uper&s;titious in the abu&s;ing thereof,
and the more <HI>confirmation</HI> is neglected, the
more ought a &s;erious examination of youth
in this kind be continued and practi&s;ed.</P>
<P>In a word, there is a way to examin
people, committed to the care of the <HI>Mi|nisters,</HI>
which may be done without any
dangerous noy&s;e, and without the lea&s;t &s;u&s;|pition
of pragmaticalne&s;s, and yet to the
great glorie of God, quiet of the Mini&s;ter,
and edification of the Church. This exa|mining
con&s;i&s;teth not in &s;ummoning peo|ple
<PB N="54" REF="31">
before them, and &s;ounding them with
Que&s;tion and An&s;wer, but in the &s;olid and
faithfull preaching the &s;incere Word of
God, which carrieth a <HI>&s;ecret &s;earching power</HI>
along therein, <HI>Heb.</HI> 4. 12. <HI>For the word of
God is quick, and powerfull, and &s;harper than
any two-edged &s;word, piercing even to the
dividing a&s;under of &s;oul and &s;pirit, and of
the joynts and marrow, and is a di&s;cerner of
the thoughts, and intents of the heart.</HI> Thus
by <HI>prophecying</HI> (that is by preaching of
Gods Word) 1. <HI>Cor.</HI> 14. 23. <HI>If there come
in one that believeth not, or one unlearned,
he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: &amp;
thus are the &s;ecrets of his heart made mani|fest,
and &s;o falling down on his face, he will
wor&s;hip God, and report that God is in you of
a truth.</HI> I &s;ay, let us take off for a time
from the other, and more practice this ex|amination
as lea&s;t &s;ubject to exception.
Trie it but for a time, and you &s;hall &s;ee
what &s;ucce&s;s it will find, and fright unwor|thy
per&s;ons from the Sacrament, with a
more awfull reverence than your actual &s;e|cluding
them for not &s;ubmitting them|&s;elves
to re-examination.</P>
<P><PB N="55" REF="31">
To conclude, I may compare the fir&s;t
high acting of <HI>Presbyterians</HI> to men running
in a race. It is impo&s;&s;ible for a <HI>Racer</HI> to
&s;top ju&s;t at the <HI>mark:</HI> he mu&s;t either over|run
it, or el&s;e can never come at it. But
when pa&s;t the <HI>mark,</HI> (nece&s;&s;arily transport|ed
with his own fiercene&s;s beyond the
&s;ame) he will return to it again, to &s;hew
that that place and no further was the in|tended
end of his endeavours.</P>
<P>While&s;t you conte&s;ted with <HI>Epi&s;copacie,</HI>
your <HI>Corrival,</HI> and were &s;even years &s;ince
in the height and heat of your contention,
therewith much may be pleaded for your
<HI>pa&s;sion,</HI> if it transported you in &s;ome acti|ons
beyond the ju&s;t <HI>&s;tandard</HI> and <HI>proportion</HI>
of your judgements.</P>
<P>But &s;eeing now it hath plea&s;ed God that
you have run your Adver&s;arie quite out of
di&s;tance, and have attained that you &s;trove
for, it will be no &s;hame, nay it will be your
honor to abate and remit of your former
eagerne&s;s, and coolly and calmly to return
to the place which you over-&s;hot in the
Paroxci&s;m of that conte&s;t. This is the
humble advi&s;e and de&s;ire of him who hath
<PB N="56" REF="32">
no private ends therein; but the advance|ment
of Gods glorie, and the good of his
Church. Amen.</P>
<P><FIGURE>
<HEAD>Dum Spiro Spero</HEAD>
</FIGURE></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="reconciler">
<PB N="57" REF="32">
<HEAD>THE SECOND
RECONCILER.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>ACTS 13. 15.</BIBL>
<Q>And after the reading of the Law and the
Prophets, the Rulers of the Synagogue &s;ent
unto them, &s;aying, Ye men and Brethren,
if ye have any word of exhortation for the
people, &s;ay on.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THis Chapter pre&s;ents us with four
principal remarkables.</P>
<P>The &s;olemn &s;eparation of <HI>Paul</HI>
and <HI>Barnabas</HI> for the <HI>Ministerie,</HI> five pious
per&s;ons are mentioned, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 2. all in hu|mane
likelihood, equally probable for the
employment. <HI>Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius,
Mahanaem,</HI> and <HI>Saul;</HI> of the&s;e God leaves
the three middlemo&s;t, takes the fir&s;t and
<PB N="58" REF="33">
the la&s;t; <HI>even &s;o Father becau&s;e it plea&s;eth
thee.</HI></P>
<P>Then have we the three fir&s;t adventures
of <HI>Barnabas</HI> and <HI>Saul</HI> in there <HI>Mini&s;terie,</HI>
whereof the fir&s;t proved pro&s;perous, the
&s;econd with the <HI>Jews</HI> at <HI>Antioch</HI> had &s;ad
&s;ucce&s;s, the third with the <HI>Gentiles</HI> in the
&s;ame place came off with comfort. We <HI>Mi|ni&s;ters</HI>
mu&s;t not be elated with good &s;uc|ce&s;s,
but fear the wor&s;t, nor dejected with
bad, but hope the better.</P>
<P>In their fir&s;t adventure they confound|ed
<HI>Elimas</HI> the <HI>Sorcerer,</HI> and <HI>Saul</HI> converted
<HI>Sergius Paulus</HI> the <HI>wi&s;e Deputie</HI> of <HI>Cyprus.</HI>
By the Laws of <HI>Herauldry,</HI> who&s;oever fair|ly
in the <HI>Field</HI> conquered his <HI>Adver&s;ary,</HI>
may ju&s;tifie the wearing and bearing of his
<HI>Arms</HI> whom he overcame. Here <HI>Saul</HI> had
conquered <HI>Sergius Paulus,</HI> overcome his
<HI>ignorance,</HI> vanqui&s;hed his <HI>infidelitie;</HI> no
wonder then if he a&s;&s;umeth his name, and
henceforward is called <HI>Paul</HI> in all the <HI>hi&s;to|rie,</HI>
his next voyage ends &s;adly, and &s;or|rowfully
with <HI>Bla&s;phemie</HI> and <HI>Per&s;ecution</HI>
from the <HI>Jews</HI> at <HI>Antioch,</HI> though it began
<HI>Comically</HI> and courteou&s;ly with this fair in|vitation
<PB N="59" REF="33">
in my Text; <HI>and after the reading
of the Law and the Prophets,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The words contain a principal part of
the <HI>Jewi&s;h Liturgie,</HI> or if that displea&s;e,
their <HI>Directorie,</HI> wherein their &s;olemn <HI>Sab|bath-&s;ervice</HI>
is plainly pre&s;ented unto us. I
confe&s;s, there is no mentio~ of prayer an e&s;|&s;ential
part of Gods wor&s;hip among them,
(my hou&s;e &s;hall be called the hou&s;e of
prayer) which is omitted in the <HI>Text,</HI> not
as if it were omitted by the <HI>Jews,</HI> but be|cau&s;e
<HI>St. Luke</HI> ha&s;teneth with all conveni|ent
&s;peed to the <HI>Doctrinal</HI> part, as leading
the neare&s;t way to the matter in hand.
Some per&s;ons account this ver&s;e their <HI>Ma|&s;ter-piece,</HI>
hoping hence by their cunning
<HI>Chymi&s;trie,</HI> to extract a <HI>Licence general</HI> for
all men to preach; though the words well
under&s;tood, are &s;o far from their building
any advantage thereon, that they batter
down both their <HI>opinions</HI> and <HI>practice.</HI></P>
<P>We will fir&s;t clear the &s;ame from the
incumbrances of all difficulties, and then
extract natural and profitable ob&s;ervations
from them.</P>
<P><HI>Law and the Prophets</HI>] Law taken large|ly,
<PB N="60" REF="34">
conteineth all the <HI>Prophets,</HI> &amp; <HI>Prophets</HI>
taken largely, compri&s;e all the <HI>Law,</HI> 2. Pet.
1. 20. <HI>No Prophe&s;ie of Scripture is of private
interpretation.</HI></P>
<P>Yea <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the <HI>Prophet Paramount</HI> was
the <HI>penner</HI> of the <HI>Law,</HI> Deut. 34. 10. And
there <HI>aro&s;e not a Prophet &s;ince in I&s;rael like
unto Mo&s;es whom the Lord knew face to face.</HI>
But when the <HI>Law</HI> and the <HI>Prophets</HI> are di|&s;tingui&s;hed,
&s;o as to devide the <HI>old Te&s;ta|ment</HI>
betwixt them, as <HI>Luke</HI> 16. 20. <HI>they
have Mo&s;es and the Prophets:</HI> then by <HI>Law</HI>
is meant the <HI>Pentateuch,</HI> or <HI>five books of Mo|&s;es,</HI>
by <HI>Prophets</HI> all the re&s;t of the <HI>old Te&s;ta|ment,</HI>
not onely &s;uch parts as foretel what
was to come, but al&s;o which <HI>hi&s;torically</HI> re|late
what was pa&s;t.</P>
<P>The <HI>Rabbins</HI> tell us, that the <HI>five books
of Mo&s;es</HI> were divided into fiftie three <HI>Pe|ra&s;oth</HI>
or <HI>Divi&s;ions</HI> (each whereof contein|ed
one hundred thirtie &s;ix ver&s;es) and one
of them was read every Sabbath-day, be|ginning
at the fir&s;t <HI>Sabbath</HI> after the fea&s;t
of <HI>Tabernacles,</HI> if any &s;ay, there being but
fiftie two <HI>Sabbaths</HI> in the year, what did
they with the odd <HI>Pera&s;oth,</HI> or <HI>Divi&s;ion?</HI> I
<PB N="61" REF="34">
can give no certain account, &s;ave that it is
probable they doubled their <HI>office</HI> the la&s;t
<HI>Sabbath,</HI> hemming it, as I may &s;ay, at the
clo&s;e and conclu&s;ion thereof.</P>
<P><HI>The Masters of the Synagogue.</HI>] why plu|ral?
what &s;aith <HI>St. James, be not many Ma|sters.
An&s;w.</HI> By <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> are meant the &s;e|veral
<HI>Rulers</HI> thereof, which as the <HI>Rabbins</HI>
do teach, were &s;ubordinate one to another.</P>
<P>Here it will be worth our pains to make
enquirie into the <HI>name, fir&s;t founding,</HI> and
u&s;e of the <HI>Synagogues.</HI></P>
<P>Synagogue, &s;ignifieth a Meeting-place
where many are a&s;&s;embled together. The
fir&s;t and la&s;t mention of them in the <HI>old
Te&s;tament,</HI> is <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 74. 8. <HI>they have burnt up
all the &s;ynagogues of God in the land.</HI> Now
if this P&s;alm had had any large Title, we
might have conjectured at the time when
<HI>&s;ynagogues</HI> were fir&s;t founded. But nothing
appears in the front thereof more than, <HI>Ma|&s;chil</HI>
to <HI>A&s;aph.</HI></P>
<P>Again, if this <HI>A&s;aph</HI> was the &s;ame with
him who was contemporarie with <HI>David,</HI>
1. <HI>Chron.</HI> 25. 2. who&s;e &s;ons were de&s;igned
for <HI>&s;olemn &s;ingers,</HI> this would advance the
<PB N="62" REF="35">
&s;enioritie of <HI>&s;ynagogues</HI> as extant in <HI>Davids</HI>
time: But much weight mu&s;t not be laid
on &s;o &s;lender a proof for fear of failing.
Seeing <HI>A&s;aph</HI> there may be taken, not for
his per&s;on, but for his po&s;teritie, &s;ome
hundred years after; the re&s;ult of all is this,
uncertain but ancient is the <HI>Original</HI> of <HI>&s;y|nagogues,</HI>
as before the <HI>Captivitie of Baby|lon.</HI>
No po&s;itive place of <HI>Scripture</HI> direct|ly
enjoyneth their <HI>foundation,</HI> onely for
the nece&s;&s;arie ea&s;e of <HI>People</HI> who could not
repair to the <HI>Temple</HI> and return back to
their own homes on a <HI>Sabbath-day.</HI> The&s;e
may be &s;aid to be <HI>jure Divino &s;ecundario,</HI>
by <HI>Divine right</HI> once removed, namely
collected from the Scriptures by nece&s;&s;arie
con&s;equence, and were con&s;tantly graced
with our Saviours companie therein. The&s;e
<HI>&s;ynagogues</HI> &s;erved for a double intent, as our
<HI>Churches</HI> for <HI>Devotion,</HI> and as <HI>Schools</HI> or
<HI>Academies</HI> for <HI>Di&s;putation.</HI> Act. 17. 17.
<HI>Therefore di&s;puted he in the &s;ynagogues with
the Jews.</HI> So that the <HI>&s;ynagogue</HI> may be
pre&s;ented in its <HI>lively Pourtracture,</HI> like to
the <HI>Builders of the walls of Jeru&s;alem,</HI> Ne|hem.
4. 17. <HI>holding a Trowel, to build it, in</HI>
<PB N="63" REF="35">
<HI>one hand, and a Weapon, to defend it, in the
other.</HI> Semblablie the <HI>&s;ynagogues</HI> were both
for <HI>edification</HI> of <HI>people</HI> in <HI>knowledge,</HI> and
for <HI>controver&s;ial defending</HI> of the <HI>Truth</HI>
therein by <HI>Polemical Learning.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sent unto them, &s;aying,</HI>]</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> It &s;eems it was fa&s;hionable in
that age, that any who would might preach
in the <HI>&s;ynagogues,</HI> onely with a courteous
call of the <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> thereof; &s;o that the <HI>Pul|pit</HI>
lay open to all <HI>comers</HI> and <HI>goers,</HI> &amp; not
(as &s;ome now endeavour) enclo&s;ed by, yea
engro&s;ed a <HI>particular profe&s;sion.</HI></P>
<P>In an&s;wer hereunto we will fir&s;t clear the
Title which both <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas</HI> had
to preach the Word.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t for <HI>Barnabas,</HI> his fir&s;t title was, by
his <HI>extraction,</HI> being a <HI>Levite,</HI> Act. 14. 36.
to whom it belonged by their Profe&s;&s;ion to
teach the <HI>people.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, he had an <HI>extraordinarie call</HI>
from God in the &s;econd ver&s;e of this Cha|pter:
be&s;ides, at this time a <HI>civil invitati|on</HI>
from the <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> of the <HI>&s;ynagogue.</HI> Thus
his three-fold cable cannot be broken, nor
any unlawfull invading of the <HI>Mini&s;terial
office</HI> be charged upon him.</P>
<P><PB N="64" REF="36">
Thirdly, St. <HI>Pauls Commi&s;sion</HI> to preach,
doth appear both by his <HI>abilitie</HI> and <HI>au|thoritie</HI>
for the &s;ame. His <HI>abilitie,</HI> Act. 22.
3. <HI>Brought up at the feet of Gamaliel.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> We confe&s;s his <HI>abilitie,</HI> but denie
his <HI>authoritie;</HI> for fir&s;t he was no <HI>Levite,</HI>
but of the <HI>Tribe of Benjamin,</HI> to whom the
expounding of the <HI>Law</HI> was never com|mitted.
Secondly, he was one of a <HI>manual</HI>
and <HI>Mechanical trade,</HI> Act. 18. 3. <HI>A Tent|maker.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> All is confe&s;t, but let the <HI>unpar|tial
Reader</HI> con&s;ider fir&s;t, that <HI>Paul</HI> was a
<HI>Phari&s;ee,</HI> the &s;on of a <HI>Phari&s;ee,</HI> Act. 23. 6.
Sea&s;onably let him al&s;o weigh the words
of our <HI>Saviour,</HI> Matth. 23. 2, 3. <HI>The &s;cribes
and Phari&s;ees &s;it in Mo&s;es chair: all there|fore
what&s;oever they bid you ob&s;erve, that
ob&s;erve and do: but do not after their works,
for they &s;ay and do not.</HI></P>
<P>Indeed, the <HI>Lay-phari&s;ees,</HI> as I may term
them, &s;it not in <HI>Mo&s;es chair</HI> in one capacity,
becau&s;e being of other <HI>Tribes,</HI> they might
not <HI>offer &s;acrifice, officiate at the Altar, and
attend at the Temple,</HI> but onely as <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI>
of the <HI>Law</HI> and <HI>Doctors,</HI> they might read
<PB N="65" REF="36">
publick Lectures to their Auditors.
Thirdly, let them con&s;ider that Syna|gogues,
as afore&s;aid, were of double u&s;e,
and &s;erved for an Academie as well as a
Congregation. All which laid together, it
will plainly appear, that <HI>Paul</HI> in his <HI>Phari|&s;aical
capacitie,</HI> had &s;ufficient authoritie to
teach in the <HI>&s;ynagogue.</HI> Not to &s;peak of his
<HI>calling</HI> of <HI>Callings,</HI> his extraordinarie and
immediate Commi&s;&s;ion from God, autho|rizing
him to the &s;ame.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Grant the <HI>abilitie</HI> and <HI>autho|ritie</HI>
of <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas</HI> to preach, yet
both were utterly unknown to the <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI>
of the <HI>Jewi&s;h &s;ynagogue</HI> in <HI>Antioch,</HI> who
beheld them as neither more nor le&s;s than
meer &s;trangers, ca&s;ually coming thi|ther.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t we will premi&s;e the an&s;wer
of <HI>Carthu&s;ianus a learned Papist,</HI> and ju&s;tly
di&s;&s;ent from the former part thereof. <HI>Ex
habitu cen&s;uerunt e&s;&s;e pios</HI> &amp; <HI>Religio&s;os.</HI> They
e&s;teemed them, &s;aith he, to be pious and
religious men by their habit.</P>
<P>To this I agree negatively thus far, that
nothing of vanitie or lightne&s;s appeared in
<PB N="66" REF="37">
there clothes to &s;peak them idle or fooli&s;h
per&s;ons, but otherwi&s;e I di&s;&s;ent, that the
form or fa&s;hion of their clothes differed
from other <HI>people.</HI> Surely what would hide
and heat, cover and keep warm, &s;erved
their turns. The Cloak, no doubt, which
<HI>Paul</HI> left at <HI>Troas,</HI> 2. <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 13. differed
not in &s;hape from other mens. For then in
the time of per&s;ecution to be di&s;tingui&s;hed
by their habit from others, what was it but
to give a mark of discoverie to their ene|mies
malice, yea, to give them aim to level
the more &s;teadily at them. And yet I de|nie
not, but that it is fitting, that in times of
Peace <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> &s;hould be di&s;tingui&s;hed
from ordinarie men by the gravitie of their
garments. And the <HI>Ancient Church-Canons</HI>
on that kind, were grounded on ju&s;t con&s;i|derations.</P>
<P>We an&s;wer, It is more than probable,
that the fame of <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas</HI> came
to <HI>Antioch</HI> before their per&s;ons came thi|ther.
There being dayly intercour&s;e by Sea
betwixt <HI>Paphos,</HI> a <HI>famous Port</HI> in <HI>Cyprus,</HI>
and this <HI>Antioch.</HI> The &s;miting <HI>Elimas the
Sorcerer</HI> blind, and converting of <HI>Sergius
<PB N="67" REF="37">
Paulus,</HI> could not but make a &s;trange and
&s;udden impre&s;&s;ion on the neighbouring
places.</P>
<P>Secondly, their grave demeanour and re|verend
behaviour in the Synagogues atta|ched
the eyes of all people to behold them
and beholding, to read in them more than
common and ordinarie per&s;ons. They be|haved
not them&s;elves in <HI>Gods hou&s;e</HI> during
the exerci&s;e of Gods ordinance, like &s;ome
<HI>&s;piritual Clowns</HI> now adays, who&s;e unreve|rent
deportment bewrays their ignorance;
but &s;o decently they demeaned them|&s;elves,
that they &s;truck the <HI>beholders</HI> into a
reverent opinion of their per&s;ons, and con|jecture
at their profe&s;&s;ions to be <HI>Preachers
of Gods Word.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, had the <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> of the <HI>Syna|gogue</HI>
been mi&s;taken herein, had <HI>Paul</HI> and
<HI>Barnabas</HI> been otherwi&s;e than they appear|ed
and were apprehended to be [<HI>viz.</HI> no
more than common men unimpowered
with a <HI>Commi&s;sion</HI>] to preach. Surely the
<HI>Rulers</HI> pre&s;umed on their <HI>modestie</HI> and <HI>hu|militie,</HI>
that they would decline the proffer,
&s;eeing in that Age, none adventured to
<PB N="68" REF="38">
teach without lawfull authoritie, as largely,
God willing, &s;hall be proved hereafter.
Mean time let us proceed to the Collecti|on
of &s;ome natural ob&s;ervations from the
words, <HI>After the reading of the Law and the
Prophets.</HI></P>
<P>Doct. 1. <HI>It is good rea&s;on, that Gods word
in the Church &s;hould have precedency of mens
meditations.</HI> For Gods word is all gold,
(and prized above it by <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 19.
10.) the be&s;t mens meditations but &s;ilver
and guilt, and that &s;ilver having much al|lay
therein, which deba&s;eth the metal,
though it maketh it to work the better to
mens under&s;tandings, rendering the &s;ub|lime
puritie of Gods word more ea&s;ie and
intelligible when expounded, explained,
and applied by the pains and endeavours
of <HI>Mini&s;ters.</HI> Wherefore as the <HI>Ma&s;ter of
the Fea&s;t,</HI> John 2. would have the be&s;t wine
brought fir&s;t, and then what was wor&s;e. So
fit it is that the <HI>virgin attentions</HI> of the
people in the Church, &s;hould fir&s;t be fed
with the pure and &s;incere word of God, as
it is in the Text, and afterwards their appe|tites
may be entertained with le&s;s daintie
<PB N="69" REF="38">
diet, the &s;ermons and &s;tudies of their <HI>Mi|ni&s;ters.</HI></P>
<P>Doct. 2. <HI>It was an ancient cu&s;tome in the
Church, that Gods word was publickly read
therein.</HI> And here let us endeavour to
rai&s;e the ju&s;t reputation of the word pub|lickly
read; &s;ome conceive, that the <HI>Word
preached,</HI> is as much holyer than the <HI>Word
read,</HI> as the <HI>Pulpit</HI> is higher than the <HI>Desk.</HI>
Yea &s;uch will &s;ay, <HI>my &s;elf,</HI> or <HI>&s;on,</HI> or <HI>&s;ervant</HI>
can read a Chapter as well at home, as any
the mo&s;t <HI>accompli&s;hed Mini&s;ter</HI> in <HI>England.</HI>
But let &s;uch know, that he which doth not
honor all, doth not honor any of <HI>Gods or|dinances,</HI>
&amp; it is ju&s;t with God, that preach|ing
of the Word &s;hould prove uneffectual
to &s;uch as &s;light and neglect the reading
thereof.</P>
<P>Doct. 3. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the goodne&s;s of God,
who hath bettered the Bill of fare of Chri&s;ti|ans,
by allowing our &s;ouls a &s;econd Cour&s;e of
the New Te&s;tament.</HI> And properly may the
<HI>New Te&s;tament</HI> be termed a <HI>&s;econd cour&s;e,</HI>
which commonly hath di&s;hes fewer than
the fir&s;t, for there quantitie, finer for the
qualitie of the meat; and here far be it from
<PB N="70" REF="39">
me to make compari&s;ons (which are odious
in them&s;elves, and &s;o much the more odi|ous,
the more eminent the per&s;ons or
things are that be compared) betwixt the
<HI>Old</HI> and <HI>New Te&s;tament.</HI> As <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in holy
zeal, by cla&s;hing the fir&s;t Table again&s;t the
&s;econd, brake both: &s;o &s;ome prophanely
&amp; de&s;pightfully abu&s;e <HI>Old</HI> and <HI>New Te&s;ta|ment,</HI>
about preeminence betwixt them.
But acknowledging them both be&s;t in this
re&s;pect, as to us, the <HI>New Te&s;tament</HI> excels
as far as a ble&s;&s;ing performed is better
than a ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed, and a <HI>Saviour</HI>
tendered in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, more comfort than
in rever&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>The Rulers of the Synagogue.</HI>]</P>
<P><HI>Doct.</HI> 4. <HI>No con&s;iderable &s;ocietie can long
comfortably &s;ub&s;i&s;t without &s;ome government
to order the &s;ame.</HI> Ten are but a few men,
yet <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> by the <HI>Coun&s;el</HI> of <HI>wi&s;e Jethro</HI> his
<HI>Father in Law,</HI> Exod. 18. 25. <HI>made Rulers
of tens.</HI> Better is a <HI>Tyranny</HI> than an <HI>Anarchie:</HI>
for where every man doth what is good in
his own eyes, where there is equalitie a|mong&s;t
all, there will be equitie but a|mong&s;t
few men.</P>
<P><PB N="71" REF="39">
Doct. 5. <HI>It is lawfull for Mini&s;ters to
make u&s;e of the help of others, not onely in
their &s;ickne&s;s and nece&s;&s;arie ab&s;ence, but al&s;o
when their own per&s;ons are pre&s;ent.</HI> Fir&s;t,
becau&s;e we mu&s;t as well <HI>mend our nets,</HI> as
always <HI>catch fi&s;hes;</HI> as well &s;tudie for new
&s;upply, as always <HI>preach.</HI> And &s;eeing na|ture
hath given us as well two ears as a
tongue, we mu&s;t as attentively li&s;ten to the
parts and pains of others, as contentedly
utter our own <HI>meditations.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, &s;uch varietie will not onely be
plea&s;ant but profitable to our <HI>people In the
mouth of two or three witne&s;&s;es let every truth
be e&s;tabli&s;hed.</HI> When the People &s;hall hear
the &s;ame matter in a different manner, one
truth [<HI>Salvation by Gods mercies alone and
Chri&s;ts merits</HI>] dre&s;&s;ed in &s;everal motives
and methods, and expre&s;&s;ions. <HI>The nails
will be driven the faster by many Ma&s;ters of
the A&s;&s;embly;</HI> and though it be faultie for
itching ears to heap up <HI>Teachers</HI> to them|&s;elves,
yet &s;ometimes &s;uch <HI>exchange of
Preachers,</HI> increa&s;e the <HI>edification of an Au|ditorie.</HI></P>
<P>Doct. 6. <HI>They may have courte&s;ie and ci|vilitie</HI>
<PB N="72" REF="40">
<HI>in them, who notwith&s;tanding may be
devoid of grace and true &s;inceritie.</HI> The&s;e
<HI>Ma&s;ters of the Synagogue</HI> began very man|nerly,
proffer <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas</HI> the cour|te&s;ie
of the place, but all ended at la&s;t in
<HI>bla&s;phemie</HI> and <HI>per&s;ecution.</HI></P>
<P>Doct. 7. <HI>None are to preach but &s;uch who
are lawfully called thereunto.</HI> The <HI>Rulers</HI> of
the <HI>Synagogue</HI> gave a licence to <HI>Paul</HI> and
<HI>Barnabas,</HI> who intrude not without their
leave and de&s;ire. How many now a days
in de&s;pight of the <HI>Rulers</HI> of the <HI>Synagogues,</HI>
the undoubted <HI>Patron,</HI> the <HI>lawfull Incum|bent,</HI>
the <HI>Guardians</HI> of the <HI>Church</HI> publick|ly
cho&s;en, &s;torm the <HI>Pulpit</HI> by their meer
violence, without any other <HI>Call</HI> or <HI>Com|mi&s;sion</HI>
thereunto.</P>
<P>Be it fir&s;t premi&s;ed, that we prote&s;t our
<HI>Integritie</HI> not to invade the due <HI>Right</HI> of
any <HI>Chri&s;tian,</HI> with <HI>Abraham,</HI> Gen. 14. 23.
<HI>We will not take a &s;hoo-latchet which is none
of our own.</HI> To which purpo&s;e we lay down
the following Rules, allowing as much li|bertie
as may be to all <HI>Gods &s;ervants.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Parents</HI> &amp; <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> of <HI>Families,</HI> may
and mu&s;t privately teach their own <HI>Chil|dren</HI>
<PB N="73" REF="40">
and <HI>Servants.</HI> Teach them, and thou
&s;halt be taught; In&s;truct them, and God
will in&s;truct thee; never had <HI>Abram,</HI> in all
probabilitie, &s;o &s;oon known Gods intenti|ons
to de&s;troy <HI>Sodom;</HI> but becau&s;e <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.
19. <HI>he would command his children to keep
the Law of God.</HI> Even <HI>Mothers</HI> ought to do
this, who have a legi&s;lative power over
their <HI>Sons,</HI> Prov. 1. 8. <HI>For&s;ake not the law
of thy Mother.</HI> It is remarkable, that great
grace which God did to a <HI>Mother,</HI> that her
private precepts, (namely <HI>Bath&s;heba</HI> to her
<HI>Son Lemuel</HI>) Prov. 31. were afterward
made <HI>Canonical Scripture</HI> for Gods whole
<HI>Church.</HI></P>
<P>Yet let me advi&s;e <HI>Parents,</HI> when mode&s;t|ly
undertaking in their own hou&s;es to ex|plain
Scripture, not to make <HI>fountain,</HI> but
<HI>Ci&s;tern expo&s;itions</HI> thereof. <HI>viz.</HI> not to be
the <HI>inventers,</HI> but the <HI>declarers;</HI> not the <HI>de|vi&s;ers,</HI>
but the <HI>remembrancers</HI> of <HI>inter preta|tions.
Children and &s;ervants, I have heard
&s;uch a godly Preacher, or have read in &s;uch
a learned comment thus to expound this pa&s;|&s;age
of Scripture.</HI> But if he &s;hould adven|ture
of him&s;elf to tender unto them an ex|plication,
<PB N="74" REF="41">
let it be done with an humble re|&s;ervation
and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to the better
judgements of tho&s;e, who&s;e proper profe&s;|&s;ion
it is to expound the &s;ame. Hoever, he
may more &s;afely deal in <HI>Application</HI> than
in <HI>Explication</HI> of <HI>Gods word,</HI> the general
<HI>precepts, promi&s;es,</HI> and <HI>threatenings,</HI> whereof,
he may effectually applly to him&s;elf and
tho&s;e of his <HI>familie</HI> under his in&s;pection.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Judges</HI> on the <HI>Bench</HI> may and
mu&s;t in their charges teach the Countie
there a&s;&s;embled, in&s;erting Scripture in their
di&s;cour&s;es, &s;uch the corre&s;pondencie, and
mutual good intelligence between the
Laws of God and Man, that they return
and receive &s;trength and lu&s;tre each to o|ther.
This made <HI>Jeho&s;haphat</HI> to couple
Judges and Prie&s;ts together in the vi&s;itati|on
of his people, 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 17. ver&s;. 7. <HI>al&s;o
in the third of his reigne he &s;ent to his Prin|ces,
even to Benhail, and to Obadiah.</HI> ver&s;. 8.
<HI>And with them he &s;ent Levites, even She|maiah,</HI>
&amp;c. ver&s;. 9. <HI>And they taught in Ju|da,</HI>
&amp;c. The one the Law of the Land, the
other the Law of the Lord; which excel|lent
Medley made a cordial compo&s;ition
thus put together.</P>
<P><PB N="75" REF="41">
Thirdly, <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> in the <HI>Univer&s;itie,</HI> as
the <HI>Doctors of the Chair,</HI> may, in a <HI>contro|ver&s;ial
way,</HI> preach to young <HI>Students</HI> un|der
them. Such <HI>Doctors in Divinitie</HI> are
generally in <HI>Holy Orders,</HI> but if (which is
rare) one unordained be preferred to the
place, he may u&s;e <HI>Polemical preaching,</HI> con|fining
him&s;elf to the <HI>Schools,</HI> the proper
centre thereof.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>Generals</HI> in the <HI>Field,</HI> before
and after the <HI>fight,</HI> may make <HI>Orations</HI> or
Sermons if you plea&s;e, to encourage the
<HI>&s;ouldiers.</HI> I confe&s;s, as cu&s;tom hath con|fined
the word <HI>Bible,</HI> (&s;ignifying in it &s;elf
any Book) to the Word of God, &s;o hath
it appropriated <HI>&s;ermons</HI> (which importeth
any &s;peech) to tho&s;e made by a <HI>Preacher</HI>
in the <HI>Pulpit:</HI> Otherwi&s;e tho&s;e may pa&s;s
for <HI>&s;ermons</HI> which <HI>Generals</HI> utter in the <HI>field</HI>
as <HI>Joab, Abiah, Jeho&s;aphat.</HI> And becau&s;e
all true valour is founded in the know|ledge
of God in <HI>Christ,</HI> &s;uch <HI>Generals</HI> may
and mu&s;t, to rai&s;e the re&s;olution of their
&s;ouldiers: by in&s;erting and interpo&s;ing pa&s;|&s;ages
of Scripture, animating them to de|pend
on God the ju&s;t maintainer of a right
<PB N="76" REF="42">
cau&s;e. Thus Queen <HI>Eli&s;abeth</HI> in 88. at <HI>Til|bury
Camp,</HI> in&s;pirited her &s;ouldiers with her
Chri&s;tian exhortation.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, all Chri&s;tians ought mutually
to teach and in&s;truct one another. In this
ca&s;e every <HI>place</HI> is a <HI>Church, day</HI> a <HI>Sabbath,
occa&s;ion</HI> a <HI>Text, per&s;on</HI> a <HI>Preacher.</HI> Rom. 15.
14. <HI>Admoni&s;h one another,</HI> Col. 3. 16. <HI>Tea|ching
one another in P&s;alms and Hymns,</HI>
The&s;&s;. 4. 18. <HI>Comfort one another with the&s;e
words,</HI> Jude 11. <HI>Edifie one another even as
al&s;o ye do,</HI> Heb. 3. 13. <HI>Exhorting one ano|ther.</HI>
To this end are <HI>talents</HI> be&s;towed on
men that they &s;hould &s;tirr up the <HI>gifts of
grace</HI> which are in them. Thus <HI>Pri&s;cilla,</HI>
though a woman, in&s;tructed <HI>Apollos.</HI> But
here we mu&s;t di&s;tingui&s;h betwixt <HI>mutuall</HI>
and <HI>Mini&s;terial teaching.</HI> In the former
the <HI>Romans</HI> may be &s;aid to teach <HI>St. Paul,</HI>
as well as <HI>St. Paul</HI> the <HI>Romans. I am com|forted
with you by the mutual faith both of
you and me,</HI> Rom. 1. 12. whil&s;t <HI>Mini&s;teri|al
teaching</HI> belongeth onely to &s;uch, who
are &s;olemnely called thereunto.</P>
<P>Take two <HI>Criteria</HI> or di&s;tingui&s;hing
marks, betwixt <HI>mutual</HI> and <HI>Mini&s;terial</HI>
<PB N="77" REF="42">
teaching. The former is compatible with
another <HI>vocation,</HI> either <HI>liberal</HI> or <HI>mechani|cal</HI>
according to the condition of the Per|&s;on.
Yea which is more, not onely it is law|full
to have another calling, but in &s;ome
ca&s;es for &s;ome men, &s;infull to be without it;
S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 3. 10. If any would
not work, neither &s;hould he eate. This
<HI>mutual teaching</HI> of others will not excu&s;e
peoples idlene&s;s, nor can they plead for
them&s;elves, this <HI>mutual labour in love</HI> &s;hall
exempt them from other <HI>manual work;</HI>
becau&s;e by it &s;elf it amounts not to a di|&s;tinct
profe&s;&s;ion, as being the entire body
of a calling, which is onely a part and ne|ce&s;&s;ary
member of all mens duty, as they
are <HI>Chri&s;tians.</HI> But <HI>publick preaching</HI> is to
po&s;&s;e&s;s the whole man as the highe&s;t of
employments, wherein he may u&s;e all his
pains and endeavours.</P>
<P>Secondly, no <HI>Salary</HI> or <HI>reward</HI> is due to
<HI>mutual teaching</HI> (&s;ave the inward ble&s;&s;ing
which God bountifully will be&s;tow on
&s;uch as labour therein) &s;o that the <HI>Teacher</HI>
may demand it of due, it being an injury
in the party taught to detain the &s;ame.
<PB N="78" REF="43">
Such <HI>Teachers</HI> mu&s;t know them&s;elves &s;uf|ficiently
&s;atisfied by the good, which is re|turned
unto them by reflection, having
their graces heightned and intended by
their in&s;truction: Be&s;ides the party taught
re&s;toreth oft times in&s;truction unto him;
and &s;o there is nothing due in the recipro|cation
of courte&s;ies, but the obligation
cancelled on both &s;ide. But <HI>to mini&s;terial
preaching</HI> wages is due by Gods appoint|ment,
<HI>The labourer is worthy of his hire,</HI>
becau&s;e &s;eque&s;tring his &s;oul from other
works to attend that bu&s;ine&s;s alone, God
hath ordered it, 1 Cor. <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">. 14. <HI>that tho&s;e
that preach the Go&s;pel &s;hall live of the
Go&s;pel.</HI></P>
<P>Thus have we given, or rather God hath
given, and we have declared, how Chri|&s;tians
un-ordained may teach Gods word
in a <HI>Dome&s;tical,</HI> in a <HI>mutual,</HI> in a <HI>military,</HI>
in a <HI>Judicial,</HI> in an <HI>Academical</HI> capacity,
&s;hame light on that <HI>&s;teward</HI> who is nig|gardly
where his <HI>ma&s;ter</HI> commands him
to be bountifull, had we denyed <HI>Christi|ans</HI>
this liberty, we had wronged them
much, our &s;elves more, God mo&s;t. But
<PB N="79" REF="43">
now let me &s;ay unto them in the words of
the <HI>ma&s;ter of the Hou&s;hould,</HI> Matth. 20 the
14. <HI>Tolle quod tuum e&s;t, &amp; abi, Take what
is thine and go thy way.</HI> Be contented with
what hath been allotted unto you, which
hath been fairly mea&s;ured out and with
all po&s;&s;ible advantage. Gripe and gra&s;pe
not after more, lea&s;t you loo&s;e the ble&s;&s;ing
and benefit of what you have, which hath
now brought us to the following Doctrine
as chiefly intended in this di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>Come we now to the main Doctrine
which is this, <HI>none may ordinarily execute
the office of Preacher, except lawfully call|ed
thereunto, I &s;ay ordinarily.</HI></P>
<P>For much may and mu&s;t be indulged to
<HI>Lay-men</HI> in <HI>ab&s;olute nece&s;sity,</HI> if they adven|ture
to exerci&s;e the <HI>mini&s;terial function.</HI> I
&s;ay <HI>ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity;</HI> Here fir&s;t I exclude
all <HI>conditional nece&s;sity</HI> which is but ne|ce&s;&s;ity
of conveniency. Such <HI>Saul</HI> might
have pleaded for him&s;elf, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 13. 9.
<HI>When pre&s;uming to &s;acrifice to prevent the
peoples &s;cattering.</HI> But when the nece&s;&s;ity
is invincible and unavoydable, God may
&s;eem to di&s;pen&s;e as in <HI>Davids</HI> eating the
<PB N="80" REF="44">
<HI>&s;hew-bread</HI> properly belonging to <HI>Priests</HI>
alone. Otherwi&s;e men mu&s;t not fir&s;t make
<HI>nece&s;sities,</HI> and then make u&s;e of tho&s;e <HI>ne|ce&s;sities</HI>
to excu&s;e their <HI>extraordinary
practices.</HI> For in&s;tance, &s;uppo&s;e &s;ome out
of fullenne&s;s and pride, conceiving them|&s;elves
too good to conver&s;e with <HI>conmmon
Chri&s;tians,</HI> &s;hould &s;eparate them&s;elves (be|ing
none of them <HI>mini&s;ters</HI>) into a &s;olita|ry
place from all <HI>&s;ociety.</HI> It were pre&s;ump|tion
for one of them to adventure on the
<HI>Office</HI> of the <HI>ministery.</HI> But put ca&s;e &s;ome
number of people (none of them ever or|dained
bani&s;hed by <HI>Tyrants, carried cap|tive</HI>
by <HI>violence,</HI> or ca&s;ually ca&s;t by <HI>&s;hip|wrack,</HI>
or <HI>Tempest</HI> into a <HI>Wilderne&s;s,</HI> or
among&s;t <HI>Pagans,</HI> where no po&s;&s;ibility of
recovering a <HI>mini&s;ter,</HI> if the grave&s;t and
able&s;t among&s;t them &s;hould by general
con&s;ent be cho&s;en to officiate in their
Congregation, God no doubt would hold
him guiltle&s;s in &s;uch a ca&s;e of extremity.</P>
<P><HI>Except they be lawfully called thereunto.</HI></P>
<P>A lawfull calling is partly internal,
partly external, the Internal part thereof
con&s;i&s;teth in two things.</P>
<P><PB N="81" REF="44">
Fir&s;t, in having a de&s;ire and delight to
undertake the <HI>mini&s;tery.</HI></P>
<P>By de&s;ire I under&s;tand, not every fond
fancy, light or &s;light affection, but a &s;eri|ous
and reduced tendency of the &s;oul to
that calling. E&s;pecially, when &s;uch per&s;ons,
if con&s;ulting &s;ini&s;ter re&s;pects, might have
provided more plentifully both for them|&s;elves,
and their po&s;terity; yet pa&s;&s;ing by
more gainfull profe&s;&s;ions, whereof they
were equally capable with others, their
re&s;tle&s;s &s;ouls cannot be centred with &s;atis|faction
on any profe&s;&s;ion, &s;ave that of the
mini&s;tery, Thus <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 1. <HI>If a man de&s;ire
the Office of a Bi&s;hop he de&s;ireth a good
thing,</HI> not the <HI>honour,</HI> but the <HI>Office,</HI> not the
<HI>profit,</HI> but the <HI>pain:</HI> whence <GAP DESC="foreign"> mans na|tural
appetite, if he have as great a de|&s;ire
thereunto as to his natural food.</P>
<P>Secondly, in having &s;ome competent
ability to di&s;charge that <HI>Office,</HI> I &s;ay com|petent:
For for the&s;e things who are &s;uf|ficient?
It is a Burthen too heavy for the
back of an Angel; Some skill in <HI>Greek,</HI> and
<HI>Hebrew</HI> that he may competently recover
the Scripture in the <HI>Original.</HI> Some skill
<PB N="82" REF="45">
in Logick to analize the Scripture aright.
For although the words of the Apo&s;tle,
2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 15. <HI>Rightly dividing the word of
truth,</HI> be principally intended, <HI>Theological</HI>
divi&s;ions (giving comfort to whom com|fort
terrour to whom terrour belongs) yet
even <HI>Logicall</HI> dividing is nece&s;&s;ary for the
clear parcelling and expounding the word.
Some skill not in <HI>vain</HI> but <HI>full Philo&s;ophy</HI>
to under&s;tand the <HI>Metaphors</HI> of <HI>Scripture.</HI></P>
<P>Know here, great the difference of abili|ties
in &s;everal ages. In <HI>time of general ig|norance
a le&s;&s;er degree of knowledge</HI> mu&s;t
be admitted: Sad the times in the begin|ning
of Queen <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> when by her <HI>Ma|je&s;ties</HI>
injunctions, the <HI>Clergy</HI> were com|manded
to read the <HI>Chapters</HI> over once
or twice by them&s;elves; that &s;o they might
be the better enabled to read them di&s;tinct|ly
in the <HI>Congregation.</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed be God,
we have an alteration to the better, and
lately there hath been plenty of able men,
were their parts but &s;ufficiently &s;anctified;
which hath brought me to the third part
of the <HI>Internal Call</HI> viz. <HI>Inward Holine&s;s</HI></P>
<P>This is mainly material as rendred for
<PB N="83" REF="45">
a rea&s;on of the extraordinary &s;ucce&s;s of
the <HI>ministery</HI> of <HI>Barnabas,</HI> Acts 11. <HI>Why
much people were added to the Lord,</HI> by his
preaching. <HI>For he was a good man, and
full of the Holy Christ and of faith,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>I deny not but it may be po&s;&s;ible
even for a wicked mini&s;ter, <HI>virtute officij</HI>
by virtue of his office to convert others
to God. But far betterit is when done
<HI>officio virtutis,</HI> by the office and efficacy
of his virtues, as the In&s;trumental cau&s;e
thereof. True it is <HI>Daniel</HI> 12. 3. <HI>They that
turn many to righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall be as the
&s;tars for ever and ever,</HI> but what went be|fore
in the &s;ame ver&s;e; <HI>and they that be
wi&s;e &s;hall &s;hine as the brightne&s;s of the Fir|mament.</HI>
And what &s;aith <HI>Solomon</HI> Prov. 9.
22. <HI>If thou be wi&s;e thou &s;halt be wi&s;e for
thy &s;elf, chiefly</HI> labouring to make <HI>his own
calling and election &s;ure.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>External call</HI> con&s;i&s;ts, fir&s;t, in the
approbation of &s;uch in the Church, which
have power and place to examine them.
For know, all men by nature have <HI>Lao|dicean
humour</HI> in their &s;ouls, ready to &s;ay,
<HI>I am rich, and have need of nothing, when</HI>
<PB N="84" REF="46">
<HI>indeed they are poor and have need of all
things.</HI> I have <HI>gifts,</HI> I have <HI>graces</HI> fit to
make a <HI>mini&s;ter,</HI> will <HI>&s;welling emptine&s;s</HI>
&s;ay, when <HI>mode&s;t abilility</HI> is often &s;ilent.</P>
<P><HI>Now let another prai&s;e thee, and not thy
own mouth.</HI> Let guilty dro&s;s decline the
<HI>Touch-&s;tone;</HI> good gold rejoyceth when
brought thereunto, <HI>But let the&s;e al&s;o fir&s;t
be proved.</HI> A great Empha&s;is is couched
in <HI>al&s;o,</HI> how good &s;oever they may be re|ported:
let their <HI>hone&s;ty</HI> and <HI>ability</HI> both
of them be fir&s;t examined, wherein eminent
holine&s;s may make the le&s;s knowledge to
pa&s;s currant, but no knowledge how great
&s;oever can qualifie profane&s;s for the <HI>Office.</HI></P>
<P>But all the&s;e will not do the deed to
make a <HI>Lawfull mini&s;ter,</HI> &s;till <HI>one thing,</HI>
and but <HI>one thing</HI> is wanting, and that is
<HI>ordination,</HI> Acts 14. B. <HI>Titus</HI> 1. 5. the <HI>&s;o|lemnity</HI>
whereof with the <HI>Ceremony</HI> u&s;ed
thereat are &s;et forth in <HI>&s;cripture.</HI> This done
after the <HI>Internal,</HI> and <HI>External call</HI> com|pleated
by <HI>Approbation</HI> and, <HI>Ordination,</HI>
let one &s;o qualified preach the word, be
in&s;tant in &s;ea&s;on, out of &s;ea&s;on, reprove,
rebuke, exhort, with all long-&s;uffering and
<PB N="85" REF="46">
<HI>Doctrine, The Lord pro&s;per the work of his
hands, yea, the Lord pro&s;per his handy work,
we have wi&s;hed him good &s;ucce&s;s in the name
of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Come we now to re&s;ume our main <HI>Do|ctrine,</HI>
which is this. <HI>None may ordinarily
execute the Office of a Preacher, except law|fully
called thereunto.</HI> This fir&s;t, appears
by the <HI>Legall Prie&s;thood</HI> appropriated to
the <HI>Sons of Levi,</HI> and two <HI>eminent judge|ments</HI>
one to <HI>Forraigners</HI> u&s;urping the
&s;ame, <HI>&V;zzah</HI> a private man, <HI>&V;zziah</HI> a <HI>King,</HI>
to &s;hew, that neither high nor low may
be excu&s;ed therein. <HI>Uzzah</HI> to the <HI>Taber|nacle,
Uzziah</HI> to the <HI>Temple.</HI> To &s;hew that
whether the <HI>Church</HI> be in motion, in a|fluctuating
and tottering condition, or
<HI>Temple-like</HI> in a &s;tanding and &s;etled e&s;tate,
none can be defended: <HI>Uzzah</HI> out of cha|rity
mi&s;taking meaning well: <HI>Uzziah</HI> out
of mere pride of heart lifting up him&s;elf,
to &s;hew, that God will not hold them guilt|le&s;s,
be their intentions good or bad, <HI>Uz|zah</HI>
favoured, (at lea&s;twi&s;e not oppo&s;ed)
by the beholders, and pitied by <HI>David</HI>
him&s;elf. <HI>Uzziah</HI> re&s;i&s;ted by the <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI>
<PB N="86" REF="47">
to &s;hew, that whether men do or do not
mi&s;like &s;uch intru&s;ion, it is unlawfull in
it &s;elf. <HI>Uzzah</HI> in&s;tanly &s;mitten with death,
<HI>Uzziah</HI> with a long and lingering &s;ickne&s;s
parted from publick &s;ociety, to &s;hew that
divine ju&s;tice goeth not always the &s;ame
path; and the &s;ame place in puni&s;hing <HI>of|fenders.</HI></P>
<P>And here it is not unworthy our notice,
that though <HI>Jeroboam</HI> made <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> of
the meane&s;t of the people (without any re|&s;pect
to the <HI>Tribe of Levi</HI> 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 12. 31.
never giving his negative voice for any
mans worthine&s;s, but who&s;oever would
might be a <HI>Prie&s;t.</HI> Yet even tho&s;e <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI>
did not officiate till the Ceremony of a
mock-con&s;ecration was pa&s;&s;ed upon them,
2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 23. 9. <HI>With the &s;acrifice of a Bul|lock
and &s;even Rams:</HI> Well did that wick|ed
<HI>Politician</HI> know, that except &s;ome &s;olem|nity
was u&s;ed to &s;eparate his <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI> as
mean as they were, from common people,
his prophane Religion would quickly be
contemned and confounded.</P>
<P>Secondly, This may be proved by the
<HI>&s;olemn calling</HI> and <HI>Commi&s;sion</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;ts
Apo&s;tles.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="87" REF="47">
Their <HI>Calling</HI> con&s;i&s;ted in, <HI>Come hither.</HI></P>
<P>Their <HI>Commi&s;sion</HI> con&s;i&s;ted in, <HI>Go therefore.</HI></P>
<P>Their <HI>Calling,</HI> Mark 3. 13. <HI>And he go|eth
up into a mountain and calleth unto him
whom he would, and they came unto him.</HI>
<GAP DESC="foreign"> (whence our <HI>Engli&s;h Call</HI>) it
was not <HI>who would come,</HI> but <HI>whom he
called, Chri&s;t</HI> invites all to <HI>&s;alvation. Come
unto me all ye that are heavy laden,</HI> onely
&s;ome to the <HI>mini&s;terial Function.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> It was <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his wi&s;h <HI>Num.</HI> 11.
27. <HI>Would God that all the Lords people
were Prophets;</HI> what he de&s;ired is now
done, what then wi&s;hed is now wrought:
then prayed for, now performed. The
<HI>Pulpit</HI> (or <HI>Prophecying</HI>) according to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>
his wi&s;h is now open to all, and &s;uch di&s;|cover
the <HI>envious &s;pirit</HI> of <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> who re|pine
thereat.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> It followeth not that tho&s;e things
either <HI>&s;hould be,</HI> or which every good man
in holy zeal doth de&s;ire. I will not in&s;tance
in the wi&s;h of <HI>Daniel, O King live for ever,</HI>
lea&s;t any &s;ay, that was but a <HI>Court-comple|ment,</HI>
St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith <HI>Romans</HI> 10. <HI>Brethren
my hearts de&s;ire for I&s;rael is, that they may</HI>
<PB N="88" REF="48">
<HI>be &s;aved.</HI> I&s;rael indefinitely, that is <HI>I&s;rael</HI>
univer&s;ally, though it neither could nor
would be &s;o, as contrary to the will and
plea&s;ure of God in that particular: Thus
The Expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was the com|mendable
extravagancie of his pious af|fection;
but not the exact Standard by
adaequation, whereunto the lawfullne&s;s of
all mens Prophe&s;ying &s;hould be propor|tioned.</P>
<P>The &s;econd part of their Commi&s;&s;ion
con&s;i&s;ts in <HI>Go therefore.</HI> I confe&s;s the
<HI>Apostles,</HI> when fir&s;t &s;ent to preach, <HI>Matth.</HI>
10. 5. Had but a limited or confined <HI>Go,
ago,</HI> which began with, go not, <HI>go not in
the way of the Gentiles, but go rather to the
lost &s;heep of</HI> I&s;rael. But after <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> his re|&s;urrection,
their Commi&s;&s;ion was gene|ral,
<HI>go ye therefore and teach all nations&mdash;and
lo I am with you always even to the
end of the world.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Men and Brethren let me freely &s;peak un|to
you af the Apo&s;tles, that they are both dead
and buried, and their &s;epulchers</HI> (though
uuknown, are among&s;t us unto this day,
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> therefore promi&s;ing to be with
<PB N="89" REF="48">
them to the end of the world, therein al|&s;o
intendeth their po&s;terity and lawfull
&s;ucce&s;&s;ours. And this is the Chartar from
whence we <HI>mini&s;ters,</HI> lawfully ordained,
ju&s;tly derive our Commi&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>A Third argument might be fetched
from the practice of the primitive Church,
wherein preaching was onely practi&s;ed
by &s;uch as were lawfully ordained there|unto,
which may be cleared by authority
out of the <HI>Fathers.</HI> But I purpo&s;ely de|cline
this rea&s;on remembring how <HI>Sam|&s;on</HI>
&s;erved the <HI>Phili&s;tines,</HI> when fa&s;tened
<HI>Judges</HI> 16. 14. <HI>by his locks with a pin:</HI> For
<HI>he went away with the pin of the beam;</HI>
Thus when we think to have our <HI>Adver|&s;aries</HI>
in this point &s;afe and fa&s;t, when by
an argument fetcht from <HI>Church-practi&s;e</HI>
we &s;take them down to the <HI>Primitive times,</HI>
away they carry pin and all by &s;lighting
and contemning &s;uch ancient practi&s;es, as
no ways concluding them to conform
thereunto.</P>
<P>Fourthly, this appeareth by &s;everal pla|ces
of Scripture, as <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 15. <HI>How &s;hall</HI>
they preach except they be &s;ent. <HI>Now &s;hall</HI>
<PB N="90" REF="49">
<HI>they preach.</HI> That is profitably to others,
comfortably to them&s;elves, with an a&s;|&s;urance
of <HI>Divine Direction, Protection,
Benediction.</HI> It is &s;aid in the fore-going
words, <HI>how &s;hall they hear without a preach|er,</HI>
to &s;hew that it is equally impo&s;&s;ible
for men <HI>to hear without a preacher,</HI> as to
<HI>preach lawfully</HI> without <HI>&s;ending.</HI> Let &s;uch,
who pretend to preach without a <HI>call,</HI> try
if they can <HI>hear without a preacher.</HI> This
they will never pre&s;ume to do, as knowing
that they &s;hall quickly be confuted by the
re&s;t in the room, which can hear nothing
where nothing is &s;poken, though they
have as quick ears as any others.</P>
<P>Secondly, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. 17. <HI>If the whole
body were an eye, where were the hear|ing?
Prophets</HI> we know are termed <HI>Seers,</HI>
2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 9. 9. Now where all the body is
<HI>&s;ight,</HI> that may be truly termed not a <HI>bo|dy
mi&s;tical</HI> but <HI>monstrous.</HI></P>
<P>And here I lay this down for a po&s;ition
of undoubted truth, that although &s;ome
not called to be <HI>mini&s;ters</HI> are often &s;aid
in Scripture to <HI>teach</HI> and <HI>in&s;truct;</HI> yet none
are &s;aid to <HI>preach,</HI> but &s;uch who have a
<PB N="91" REF="49">
<HI>publick calling</HI> thereunto, take it in the
verbe <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>to preach,</HI> or in the partici|ple
<GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>preaching,</HI> or in the verbe de|noting
the Act <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>preaching,</HI> or in
the noune <GAP DESC="foreign">, expre&s;&s;ing the <HI>Agent</HI> a
<HI>preacher,</HI> in all the&s;e the word is onely predi|cated
of &s;uch, who had a <HI>&s;olemne vocation,</HI>
and were entered into the <HI>mini&s;tery;</HI> I &s;ay
again the afore&s;aid word <HI>preaching</HI> with
its <HI>derivatives,</HI> being u&s;ed more than &s;e|ventie
times in the <HI>new Te&s;tament</HI> is con|&s;tantly
confined either to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> or to his
<HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> or to his <HI>Di&s;ciples,</HI> or to the <HI>Dea|cons,</HI>
or to &s;ome publick per&s;ons, making
the &s;ame their <HI>proper functions.</HI></P>
<P>Abate me onely two places, one <HI>Mark</HI>
1. 45. Whereof the man clean&s;ed of the
<HI>Lepro&s;ie</HI> it is &s;aid, <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<P>The other <HI>Mark</HI> 7. 36. of the dumb
and deaf man who <GAP DESC="foreign">.
But here the di&s;tinction of our
<HI>Tran&s;latours</HI> is commendable; who no
doubt ob&s;erving the con&s;tant tenour of
<HI>Scripture</HI> (the be&s;t way to expound words
therein) and finding the word <GAP DESC="foreign">, re|&s;trained
generally to men of the mini&s;te|rial
<PB N="92" REF="50">
profe&s;&s;ion have rendered the word
here not to <HI>preach</HI> but to <HI>publi&s;h,</HI> Mark
1. 45. <HI>But he went out and began to pub|li&s;h
it much;</HI> Mark 7. 36. <HI>So much the
more a great deal they publi&s;h it.</HI> So that
without any exception at all the rule notes
univer&s;ally true in our tran&s;lation through
the <HI>New Te&s;tament,</HI> that <HI>preaching</HI> is one|ly
attributed to publick per&s;ons appoint|ed
for the &s;ame.</P>
<P>U&s;e. <HI>To confute &s;uch who maintain, that
men gifted, though not called, may preach.</HI>
But let us examine what manner of gifts
they pretend.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;ome gifts are &s;uch as may be
&s;aid eminently to contain a <HI>calling</HI> in them
namely &s;uch, which&mdash;pre&s;ently and
perfectly are be&s;towed upon men, If a
mean man utterly unlettered &s;hall in an in|&s;tant
be furni&s;hed with <HI>Arts</HI> and <HI>Langua|ges,</HI>
as the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> were (not gaining them
by degrees with <HI>&s;tudy</HI> and <HI>indu&s;try</HI>) &s;uch
a one would &s;tartle, us if challenging <HI>ip&s;o
facto</HI> to be a <HI>mini&s;ter,</HI> becau&s;e miracu|lou&s;ly
enabled for the &s;ame. And yet we
may ob&s;erve, that God to keep order and
<PB N="93" REF="50">
regulariry in his <HI>Church</HI> &s;olemnly &s;ent &s;uch,
who were thus immediately qualified to
the <HI>Churches</HI> approbation. <HI>Witne&s;s Paul</HI>
and <HI>Barnabas;</HI> who notwith&s;tanding their
rich endowments were in this Chapter &s;o|lemnly
&s;eparated ver&s;e 3 with the fa&s;ting
and prayer of the Church, with their hands
layed on them.</P>
<P>Wherefore I &s;ay again &s;hould &s;uch a
per&s;on appear, <HI>commencing per &s;altum,</HI>
compleate in all <HI>&s;ciences,</HI> and <HI>languages,</HI> &s;o
that all the tongues, which departed from
<HI>Babel</HI> in a <HI>confu&s;ion,</HI> &s;hould meet in his
mouth in a <HI>method,</HI> it would give a&s;&s;u|rance
to others, that the&s;e his gifts <HI>came
down from the Father</HI> of lights, if willing|ly
&s;ubmitting him&s;elf to the <HI>examination,</HI>
and <HI>ordination</HI> of &s;uch to whom it pro|perly
doth belong. Otherwi&s;e if among&s;t
all other gifts; the e&s;&s;ential grace of hu|mility
be wanting, it will render the re&s;t
&s;u&s;pected from what fountain they do
proceed.</P>
<P>But let us &s;urvey what gifts tho&s;e are,
which generally are mo&s;t boa&s;ted of by
<HI>oppo&s;ers</HI> in this point. God is my witne&s;s,
<PB N="94" REF="51">
I &s;peak it without bitterne&s;s or any Saty|ricall
reflection. Are they not for the mo&s;t
part &s;uch as may be reduced to boldne&s;s,
confidence, memory, and volubility of
tongue. Might they not truely &s;ay of many
of their Sermons what the <HI>Son</HI> of the <HI>Pro|phets</HI>
&s;aid of their <HI>Axe</HI> 2 Kings 6. 5. <HI>Alas
its borrowed,</HI> venting chiefly the notes and
endeavours of others.</P>
<P>But grant their <HI>gifts</HI> never &s;o <HI>great, gra|ces</HI>
&s;o <HI>good, parts</HI> &s;o <HI>perfect, endowments</HI>
&s;o <HI>excellent,</HI> yet meer <HI>gifting</HI> without <HI>call|ing</HI>
makes not a <HI>lawfull Preacher.</HI> This
appears by <HI>Chri&s;ts practice,</HI> Luke 4. 26.
where we read it was his cu&s;tom to go in|to
the <HI>Synagogues</HI> every <HI>Sabbath day.</HI> All
this time <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was <HI>admirably gifted,</HI> and
<HI>endowed</HI> with <HI>Gods &s;pirit.</HI> The <HI>mini&s;ter</HI> of
<HI>Nazareth</HI> might &s;ay to our <HI>Saviour</HI> more
truly than <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t: I have need
to come to thee, and come&s;t thou to me.</HI> He
was able to teach his <HI>Teachers,</HI> yet all this
while he was &s;ilent, tooke not on him the
<HI>Office of a Preacher,</HI> and why, becau&s;e as
yet he had not received his <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI>
from God for that <HI>Office,</HI> and there|fore
<PB N="65" REF="51">
till he was pa&s;t thirty years of age, he
was contented probably to follow his <HI>Fa|thers
calling</HI> of a <HI>Carpenter, Mark</HI> 6. 3. Cer|tainly)
to conceal him&s;elf in a private
condition, For it is &s;aid, <HI>Matth.</HI> 4. 27.
<HI>From that time Je&s;us began to preach, and
to &s;ay, repent, for the Kingdom of heaven
is at hand,</HI> that is, from the time that <HI>John</HI>
the <HI>Bapti&s;t</HI> was &s;hut up in <HI>Pri&s;on.</HI> For fit
it was that the <HI>day-&s;tar</HI> &s;hould &s;et before
the <HI>Sun</HI> did ari&s;e; Abating therefore one|ly
that E&s;&s;ay which he made <HI>Luke</HI> 2. When
he <HI>Di&s;puted with the D^r^<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">^. in the Temple,</HI> he
adventured not on any publick perfor|mance
of preaching, as well knowing, that
his exqui&s;ite accompli&s;hments would not
bear him out therein, except &s;olemnly
called thereunto.</P>
<P>Remarkeable al&s;o is his an&s;wer to
the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> que&s;tion, demanding of
him, <HI>Matth.</HI> 21. 23. as he was teaching,
<HI>by what authority do&s;t thou the&s;e things,
and who gave thee this authority;</HI> which
plainly &s;heweth, that the <HI>Pulpit</HI> in that age
did not lye open in common, to any who
would &s;tock the &s;ame, but was &s;eque&s;tred
<PB N="96" REF="52">
to &s;elect per&s;ons approved for the place&punc;
Yea, our <HI>Saviour,</HI> doth not deny he had
authority, but denies to tell them what au|thority
he had tacitely; confe&s;&s;ing him|&s;elf
obnoxious to ju&s;t cen&s;ure, if being a
mere private man without <HI>Commi&s;sion</HI>
either <HI>ordinary,</HI> or <HI>extraordinary</HI> (&s;uch his
licen&s;e <HI>ad praedicandum</HI>) he had wounded
that <HI>profe&s;sion.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> If a <HI>ma&s;ter</HI> may teach his <HI>Fami|ly,</HI>
he may preach in the <HI>Church.</HI> For what
is a <HI>Family</HI> but a <HI>&s;mall Church,</HI> or a <HI>Church</HI>
but a <HI>great Family.</HI> The place makes no,
difference in the <HI>Duty,</HI> nor doth the num|ber
of people alter the nature of the <HI>exer|ci&s;e.</HI>
Be&s;ides it is po&s;&s;ible that &s;ome <HI>nume|rous
Family,</HI> may have more people in it
than &s;ome <HI>narrow Pari&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>An&s;wer. The latter is confe&s;t, but the
main is this; His <HI>calling</HI> extends onely to
his <HI>Family,</HI> exceeding which compa&s;s his
voice (how &s;tentorious &s;oever) is affectual|ly
dumb, as to any <HI>converting operation,</HI>
be cau&s;e de&s;erting his <HI>vocation.</HI></P>
<P>Yet of &s;uch gifted men, who without or|dination
pre&s;ume to preach, we may ob|ob&s;erve
<PB N="97" REF="52">
two ranks or kinds, fir&s;t tho&s;e who
hold another calling (as I may &s;ay) in
<HI>commendum</HI> with preaching, and di&s;charge
both employments. Secondly, &s;uch who
quit &amp; for&s;ake their former calling, and be|take
them&s;elves wholy to preach the Word:</P>
<P>To the former of the&s;e, I commend the
words of the Di&s;ciples, <HI>Acts</HI> 6. 2. <HI>It is
not rea&s;on that we &s;hould leave the word of
God and &s;erve Tables.</HI> which tendereth two
remarkeables to our con&s;iderations.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> would not be <HI>Plu|ralli&s;ts
in profe&s;&s;ions,</HI> nor retain two <HI>callings</HI>
at the &s;ame time, and yet <HI>&s;erving of Tables</HI>
in that &s;ence [that is, over&s;eeing the poor]
was more compatible with <HI>preaching</HI> than
any other employment, as being in its own
nature of a <HI>charitable constitution,</HI> and an
<HI>office</HI> afterwards u&s;ed in the <HI>Church</HI> as an
entrance of <HI>Probationers</HI> into the <HI>mini&s;tery.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> refu&s;al to be
double-called at once proceeded from one
or both of the&s;e rea&s;ons. Either becau&s;e
they accounted it too heavy a taske for
one per&s;on, though they were mo&s;t mira|culou&s;ly
accompli&s;hed, in which re&s;pect
<PB N="98" REF="53">
the ability, and activity of their parts
might have as much <HI>ubiquitarine&s;s,</HI> as mor|tall
man can pretend to, to be pre&s;ent at
once in di&s;tant employments. Or el&s;e their
recu&s;ancy was cau&s;ed from an apprehen&s;i|on,
that it was di&s;gracefull <HI>unequally to yoke</HI>
the preaching of <HI>Gods word</HI> with any other
vocation, and beneath the dignity thereof
to couple it with a <HI>&s;erving of Tables.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly we &s;ee they were re&s;olved, as to
let go the meaner, &s;o to retain the mo&s;t
noble and nece&s;&s;ary function of preaching,
whence mo&s;t glory redoundeth to God,
and profit to his people.</P>
<P><HI>How then can men now adays of mean|er
parts and endowments di&s;charge that,
which the</HI> Apo&s;tles <HI>did decline</HI> Preach; the
Word, <HI>&amp;</HI> &s;erve a Ship, Preach the Word, <HI>and</HI>
&s;erve a Shop, Preach the Word, <HI>and</HI> &s;erve
the Loomes, Preach the Word, <HI>and</HI> &s;erve the
La&s;t, <HI>retaining either</HI> manual <HI>or</HI> military
employment <HI>with the &s;ame?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> It is lawfull for men to practice
a <HI>mechanick calling</HI> in conjunction with
their preaching, warranted by the exam|ple
of St. <HI>Paul</HI> him&s;elf, building at the
<PB N="99" REF="53">
&s;ame time the <HI>Tents of men,</HI> and the <HI>Temple
of God.</HI> Yea, he &s;aith him&s;elf, <HI>Acts</HI> 20. 34.
<HI>yea, you your &s;elves know; that the&s;e hands
have mini&s;tred unto my nece&s;sities, and again</HI>
1 Corinth. 4. 12. <HI>and labour working with
our own hands.</HI></P>
<P>An&s;w. <HI>Extraordinary accidents</HI> are not
to be drawn into <HI>ordinary practice.</HI> The
Apo&s;tle did not this commonly and con|&s;tantly,
but for a &s;hort time, at a very pinch,
out of a holy de&s;ign, namely to &s;tarve the
<HI>fal&s;e Prophets</HI> among&s;t the <HI>Corinthians,</HI>
and therefore this his act ought not to be
precedential to others, who are to apply
them&s;elves totally to the <HI>ministery.</HI></P>
<P>Others there are which wholly de&s;ert
their former <HI>vocation,</HI> and betake them|&s;elves
totally to the <HI>preaching of the
word.</HI> To the &s;erious thoughts of &s;uch I
offer the words of St. <HI>Peter</HI> 14. 15. <HI>But
let none of you &s;uffer as a Murderer, or as a
Thief, or as an evil Doer, or as a bu&s;ie body
in other mens matters.</HI> See what a <HI>crew</HI>
the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> hath cho&s;en out, as onely fit
to keep company with <HI>bu&s;ie bodies;</HI> Sure|ly
<HI>bu&s;ie-bodyne&s;s</HI> is an hainous offence of
<PB N="100" REF="54">
greater guilt than men generally do know,
or will acknowledge. <HI>No&s;citur &egrave; &s;ocio,</HI> dark
men are expounded by their companions.
The great offence therein appeareth by
&s;uch with whom the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> doth a&s;&s;ociate
them; And what greater <HI>bu&s;ie-body,</HI> than he
who invadeth the <HI>Harde&s;t,</HI> and <HI>Highe&s;t,</HI> and
<HI>Holie&s;t</HI> of profe&s;&s;ions, never ordained there|unto
contrary to the <HI>Councel</HI> of the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI>
of Chorinth. 7. 24. <HI>Brethren let every one
wherein he is called, therein abide with God.</HI></P>
<P>And here with all re&s;ervation of due re|&s;pect,
and de&s;erved honour to men of
<HI>military profe&s;sion;</HI> I humbly conceive that
it may be plainly proved out of Scripture,
that <HI>Souldiery</HI> and <HI>Mini&s;tery</HI> were &s;uch di|&s;tinct
callings, that they met not in one
and the &s;ame profe&s;&s;ion. For the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI>
being to prove the equity and right of <HI>Mi|ni&s;ters</HI>
maintenance, fetcheth an argument,
of <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. 7. From the wages ju&s;tly due
unto <HI>Souldiers. Who goeth to Warfare at
any time on his own charges,</HI> and thence
concludeth <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 14. <HI>Even &s;o hath the Lord
ordained, that they which preach the Go&s;pel,
&s;hould live of the Go&s;pel.</HI> Which words, if
peru&s;ed with unpartial eyes, they &s;et up
<PB N="101" REF="54">
a partition betwixt the two <HI>callings</HI> as not
then concurring in the &s;ame per&s;ons.</P>
<P>And here take notice of a &s;trange and
incredible alteration within this la&s;t ten
years in <HI>England,</HI> that either men are
&s;uddenly grown more able than before
or el&s;e the <HI>Mini&s;try</HI> is become more ea&s;ie
than in former ages. Some ten years
&s;ince when tho&s;e of the <HI>Clergy</HI> were ex|cluded
the <HI>Commi&s;sion of the peace,</HI> this
principall rea&s;on is rendered in the Act,
why <HI>mini&s;ters</HI> &s;hould not be admitted <HI>Ju|&s;tices
of the Peace,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>preaching of the
word</HI> is enough <HI>to take up the</HI> whole man,
&s;o that they mu&s;t be wanting to the calling
of their <HI>mini&s;teriall function,</HI> if attending
at the &s;ame time another employment.</P>
<P>And yet &s;ee now on a &s;uddain, &s;ome con|ceive
them&s;elves able &s;ufficiently to fol|low
a <HI>manual trade</HI> all the <HI>weeke,</HI> and al&s;o
qualified for preaching on the <HI>Lords
day</HI> after. I &s;ay again, either men in our
age are mounted on a &s;uddain to be more
dextrous and knowing, or the mini&s;tery is
&s;tooped to be more facile and obvious, or
(which I fear is the true&s;t) men are grown
<PB N="102" REF="55">
more daring impudent and prophane than
in the days of our <HI>Fathers.</HI></P>
<P>Oh let &s;uch remember what is written
in the <HI>Prophetical Epi&s;tle</HI> of St. <HI>Jude</HI> pla|ced
la&s;t and next to the <HI>Revelation,</HI> as
containing the prediction of &s;uch things
as &s;hould happen in the <HI>Church</HI> towards
the end of the world <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 11. <HI>and peri&s;h|ed
in the gain-&s;aying of Korah.</HI> What
<HI>gain-&s;aying</HI> this was we all know, <HI>Num.</HI>
16. 4. partly con&s;i&s;ting in challenging
<HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron</HI> to take too much upon
them, partly in pre&s;uming to perform the
<HI>High Priests office.</HI> Their <HI>peri&s;hing</HI> al&s;o is
notoriou&s;ly known, <HI>the earth &s;wallowing
them up,</HI> and this excellent note de&s;erveth
our be&s;t heed in it (becau&s;e &s;tragling out
of the body of that Hi&s;tory) <HI>Num.</HI> 26. 11.
<HI>notwith&s;tanding the Children of</HI> Korah
<HI>dyed not.</HI></P>
<P>God in like manner, no doubt, may and
will out of pity pre&s;erve the <HI>Children of
Korah,</HI> &s;uch &s;educed per&s;ons, who&s;e &s;im|plicity
is practi&s;ed on by the &s;ubtility of
others; but oh let tho&s;e look to it who are
<HI>Ringleaders</HI> herein, that Gods ju&s;tice may
<PB N="103" REF="55">
be no loo&s;er in the main, he will take off
from the children and lay load on the Fa|thers.
Pardon well meaning per&s;ons impo|&s;ed
on by others, and &s;everely cen&s;ure their
Conductours, if not &s;ea&s;onably compound|ed
with him by &s;erious repentance.</P>
<P>And here I reque&s;t the unpartial Rea|der
&s;eriou&s;ly to peru&s;e the following pa&s;|&s;age,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Fox</HI> 2 Tom pag. 278</NOTE>
being the words of Mr. <HI>Bilney</HI> at the
&s;take, as he &s;tood ready to &s;eal the truth
with his blood. Having made a brief repe|tition
of the <HI>Articles of his faith,</HI> coming to
the&s;e words; <HI>I believe</HI> the Catholick
Church, pau&s;ed awhile &amp; then proceeded.</P>
<P><HI>Good people, I mu&s;t here confe&s;s to have
offended the Church, in preaching once a|gainst
the prohibition of the &s;ame, at a poor
Cure belonging to Trinity Hall in Cambridge,
where I was Fellow, earnestly intreated
thereunto by the Curate, and other good peo|ple
of the Pari&s;h; &s;hewing, that they had no
&s;ermon there of long time before, and &s;o in
my con&s;cience moved,</HI> I <HI>did make a poor col|lation
to them, and thereby ran into the di&s;|obedience
of certain authority in the Church,
by whom I was prohibited: Howbeit I tru&s;t</HI>
<PB N="104" REF="56">
<HI>at the general day, charity that moved me
to this Act, &s;hall bear me out at the Judge|ment-&s;eat
of God.</HI></P>
<P>Many things herein are con&s;iderable.
Fir&s;t, <HI>Bilney</HI> at this time was a <HI>Ma&s;ter of
Arts</HI> at lea&s;t, and able to di&s;charge the
place. Secondly, being <HI>Fellow</HI> of that <HI>Col|ledge</HI>
which was <HI>Patron</HI> to the <HI>Church;</HI> he
had &s;ome obligation in con&s;cience to &s;ee
the place provided for: Thirdly, invited
by the <HI>Curate</HI> and the <HI>Pari&s;h,</HI> it &s;eemeth
to amount to a &s;ufficient calling; La&s;tly, the
long want of the Word in that place, might
make him compa&s;&s;ionate their condition.</P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding this <HI>four-fold-cable</HI> to
<HI>draw on Bilney</HI> to this <HI>performance,</HI> he &s;aith,
he did it but once, he made not a common
and con&s;tant practice thereof, Secondly,
he did not plea&s;e or delight him&s;elf in the
memory of what he had done, nor maketh
he mention thereof in a <HI>rejoycing,</HI> much
le&s;s in a <HI>bragging manner;</HI> but onely by
way of nece&s;&s;ary excu&s;e, as &s;omewhat
troubled at the deed done, but hoping (as
well he might) that God beholding the
act, as qualified with the afore&s;aid circum|&s;tances,
<PB N="105" REF="56">
and proceeding from a pious in|tention,
would acquit him from any guilt
therein.</P>
<P>Let &s;uch lay this to their hearts, who want|ing
the tithe of <HI>Bilney</HI> his ability, unde&s;ired
by the <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> of the <HI>place,</HI> (yea &s;ome|times
again&s;t his will) do not with <HI>Bilney
but once,</HI> but make an u&s;ual practice and
common cu&s;tom to preach again&s;t the
<HI>prohibition of the Church,</HI> who&s;e <HI>ancient
Canons</HI> have ordered it, that none except
<HI>Probationers</HI> by way of <HI>Trial,</HI> may preach
the word. It is to be feared that many
who run before <HI>Bilney</HI> into the <HI>Pulpit,</HI> will
&s;carce halt after him to follow him to the
<HI>&s;take.</HI></P>
<P>However let us Mini&s;ters, make a &s;cru|tiny
in our own &s;ouls, what may be the
rea&s;on that we are fallen into &s;uch di&s;grace.
So that God in his ju&s;tice hath permitted
our function (formerly fenced about from
common feet with an awfull reverence)
now for any to enter upon it, P&s;al. 80. 12.
<HI>Why ha&s;t thou broken down our hedges:</HI> ha&s;t
broken them, that is, ha&s;t permitted others
to break them. Sure &s;omething is in it
<PB N="106" REF="57">
more than we mini&s;ters generally take no|tice
of, that God hath expo&s;ed us and our
calling to contempt.</P>
<P><HI>Tully</HI> in his fir&s;t <HI>Oration</HI> again&s;t <HI>Catilin,</HI>
being him&s;elf then <HI>Con&s;ul</HI> of <HI>Rome,</HI> inqui|ring
into the cau&s;es of the many di&s;tem|pers
and di&s;tractions of the &s;tate, and the
pre&s;umption of bold per&s;ons to di&s;turbe
the &s;ame, ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;eth, <HI>nos, nos,
dico aperte, con&s;ules de&s;umus.</HI> We, we,
(&s;peaking of <HI>Mark Anthony</HI> and him&s;elf)
we Generals are wanting in our places.</P>
<P>In like manner we may &s;ay, <HI>nos &s;acerdo|tes,
Presbiteri, Mini&s;tri</HI> (how would we be
tearmed) <HI>nos, dico aperte, de&s;umus.</HI> We
<HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> are wanting to God,
or to our &s;elves, or to our Congregation,
or to all, that God in his ju&s;t judgement
deals with us as with <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> 2 Kings 10.
32. <HI>begins to cut us &s;hort,</HI> pareth us in our
Profe&s;&s;ion, abateth us in our honour, di|mini&s;heth
us in our dignity. Let us &s;earch
out the cau&s;e diligently, and having found
it, zealou&s;ly endeavour to remove it, other|wi&s;e
if we honour God, he will honour us,
but if we proceed in our &s;ins, he will
<PB N="107" REF="57">
proceed to pour more &s;hame and di&s;|grace
upon us, till our calling, who&s;e repu|tation
begins daily to le&s;&s;en, become at la&s;t
(though to the confu&s;ion of &s;uch as con|temn
it) a very &s;hame and reproach.</P>
<P>And now I tru&s;t that none can take ju&s;t
exception at what I have freely, but with|out
&s;pleen or malice &s;poken of the blame worthy
practices of &s;uch, who intrude
them&s;elves into our Profe&s;&s;ion, having un|partially
reproved even my &s;elf and tho&s;e
of my own function: and thus my &s;word
having equally cut on both &s;ides; I now
put it up into the &s;heath, never to be drawn
in this place or quarrel again.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="reconciler">
<PB REF="58">
<PB N="109" REF="58">
<HEAD>THE THIRD
RECONCILER.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>LUKE 11. 2.</BIBL>
<Q>When ye pray, &s;ay, Our Father, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the foregoing <HI>ver&s;e</HI> the <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> pre|&s;ent
our <HI>Saviour</HI> with a Petition, qua|lified
with, <HI>Equity, Brevity,</HI> and <HI>Per&s;pe|cuity;</HI>
Such a Petition need never doubt of
&s;ucce&s;s when brought to a ju&s;t Judge. It
con&s;i&s;teth of two parts.</P>
<P>1. The body of the Petition, <HI>Ma&s;ter
teach us to pray.</HI></P>
<P>2. A rea&s;on to edge and enforce the
&s;ame, drawn from the precedent of <HI>John</HI>
the <HI>Baptist, as</HI> John <HI>al&s;o taught his Di&s;ci|ples.</HI></P>
<P>As if they had, &s;aid <HI>Ma&s;ter, we have ta|ken
&s;pecial notice of that high opinion, you</HI>
<PB N="110" REF="59">
<HI>ever had of</HI> John <HI>the</HI> Bapti&s;t, <HI>whom you al|ways
e&s;teemed a Per&s;on of &s;ignal &s;anctity and
exemplary devotion. We have heard you &s;ay
of him, that he was more than a Prophet;
that he was the &s;econd</HI> Elias, <HI>and none great|er
among&s;t them, who were born of Women.
Now he had Di&s;ciples as you have, and it
was his con&s;tant cu&s;tom to teach them how to
pray, as it is now our humble &s;uit and request,
that in Imitation of his practice, you would
be plea&s;ed to in&s;truct us likewi&s;e how to pray.</HI></P>
<P>Take notice in the mean time of the ad|mirable
<HI>humilitie</HI> and condi&s;cention in our
<HI>Saviour,</HI> no whit angry and offended with
his <HI>Di&s;ciples,</HI> although they in a manner
pre&s;cribed <HI>John the Bapti&s;t</HI> as a pattern for
him to imitate. Had we been in <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI>
place, I mean had we had his parts and
power with our own pride; how &s;hould
we have tooke this in di&s;dain and di&s;ta&s;t,
that one &s;o far our inferiour was pro|pounded
to us to follow his example. We
&s;hould have returned,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 3. 9.</NOTE> <HI>John the Bapti&s;t</HI> is
not worthy by his own confe&s;&s;ion, <HI>to ber
my &s;hoes,</HI> or as he &s;aith el&s;ewhere, to un|loo&s;e
the latchet of my &s;hoes, and again
<PB N="111" REF="59">
he plainly confe&s;&s;eth, He who cometh af|ter
me is preferred before me;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 3. 16. John 1. 27.</NOTE> let <HI>John</HI>
order his <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> as he plea&s;e, and I will
Di&s;cipline mine according to mine own
will. I will not be concluded by his pra|ctice,
I am to give not to receive directi|ons.</P>
<P>Not &s;o our <HI>Saviour</HI> he, manife&s;teth not
the lea&s;t degree of di&s;gu&s;t, but willingly
and cheerfully granteth their reque&s;t, <HI>when
ye pray, &s;ay, our Father.</HI></P>
<P>Learn we from hence, when we behold a
commendable <HI>precedent</HI> &s;et before us in
&s;uch, who either are, or el&s;e in our proud &s;elf
admiring opinion are e&s;teemed our <HI>Inferi|ours,</HI>
not to di&s;dain to follow and imitate
the &s;ame, let not the <HI>ma&s;ter</HI> think much to
write after a good copy of his &s;ervants &s;et|ing.</P>
<P>Ob&s;erve in the words, the time, When;
the per&s;ons, Ye; the practice or duty, Pray,
the direction of the duty, <HI>&s;ay our Father,</HI>
&amp;c. We begin with the time When.</P>
<P>From which we collect this <HI>Doctrine.
Men ought to finde out a When, wherein they
are to pour forth their hearts in prayer un|to
God.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="112" REF="60">
<HI>Que&s;t.</HI> How often is this When to re|turn,
and what rules can you give us by
what number we &s;hould regulate our quo|tidian
Devotions.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Fir&s;t, I will tell you how often I
finde a <HI>Saint</HI> and <HI>&s;ervant of God</HI> in <HI>Scrip|ture</HI>
to pray; but on this condition, that
you will promi&s;e not to be frighted with
the prodigious number of his dayly devo|tions.
The <HI>party</HI> is <HI>David,</HI> who &s;aith thus
of him&s;elf, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 164. <HI>Seven times a
day do I prai&s;e thee.</HI> Admirable, how could
<HI>David</HI> &s;pare &s;o much time from his <HI>pri|vate</HI>
and <HI>publick employments;</HI> not to &s;peak
of his <HI>Family affairs,</HI> having <HI>&s;ix Wives,</HI>
2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 3. 5. ten <HI>Concubines</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15. 26.
and more Children by them, which mu&s;t
needs perplex him with much Dome&s;tical
bu&s;ine&s;s. <HI>David</HI> was a <HI>mortal King,</HI> and
needs mu&s;t be employed in multiplicity
of matters. Now to &s;end di&s;patches to
that <HI>Foreign Agent,</HI> read the received In|telligence
from him, give audience to this
Emba&s;&s;adour, &s;end Orders to that General,
In&s;tructions to that Commander, be pre|&s;ent
at the Council, hear Petitions, judge
<PB N="113" REF="60">
cau&s;es, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> mu&s;t needs engro&s;s much time,
yet <HI>David</HI> in all this term of bu&s;ine&s;s
found a con&s;tant vacation, wherein he
might perform &s;even times his dayly De|votions.
And though &s;even may here &s;eem
a certain for an uncertain number, yet
probable it is, <HI>David</HI> rather exceeded, than
fell &s;hort of the &s;ame.</P>
<P>One asked a <HI>Phylo&s;opher,</HI> what was the
be&s;t time for a man to eat in, to whom he
ingeniou&s;ly replyed, <HI>A rich man may eat
when he plea&s;e, a poor man when he can,</HI> his
witty an&s;wer may afford us this grave ap|plication;
Be thou poor, or be thou rich,
pray thou both when thou wilt and when
thou can&s;t, as often as thou ha&s;t either ne|ce&s;&s;ity,
or conveniency; I will not &s;tint
thee to Canonicall hours, but embrace all
opportunities that are rendered unto thee,
to expre&s;s thy &s;ervice to God in thy pray|ers.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But it &s;eems we are obliged to
con&s;tant praying, as the <HI>Euchites</HI> did in the
<HI>Primitive Church,</HI> &s;eeing the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> &s;aith,
1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. 17. <HI>pray continually, or pray with|out
cea&s;ing,</HI> and if &s;o, if all our performance
<PB N="114" REF="61">
be praying, how &s;hall we attend our callings
and concionably di&s;charge our other re|lations.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t in Scripture-language, that
is &s;aid to be done continually which is done
every morning, and every night, <HI>Exodus</HI>
29. 38. <HI>Now this is that which thou &s;halt
offer upon the Altar, two Lambs of the fir&s;t
year day by day continually;</HI> and this was
con&s;tantly called <HI>Juge-&s;arificium</HI> or the
continual &s;acrifice, <HI>Numbers</HI> 28. 3. and
the 6. 10. <HI>Ezra</HI> 3. 5. In proportion where|unto
who&s;oever con&s;tantly prayeth morn|ing,
and evening, though following his
calling, and attending his own occa&s;ions
all the intermediate time, may be &s;aid ac|cording
to the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> precept, to <HI>pray
continually or without cea&s;ing.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, by <HI>praying continually or with|out
cea&s;ing,</HI> is meant, <HI>Endeavours &s;o to tem|per
thy &s;oul, as always to be in a praying ca|pacitie,
though not actually praying, yet be not
put pa&s;t an abilitie to di&s;charge that Duty.</HI>
Such therefore who are &s;o di&s;compo&s;ed
with &s;in or &s;infull pa&s;&s;ion, that they are
rendered thereby utterly impotent to pray,
<PB N="115" REF="61">
&s;in again&s;t the command of the <HI>Apo&s;tle.</HI>
Otherwi&s;e it is no breach thereof to inter|mit
their prayers and cea&s;e &s;ometimes
from the &s;ame, it being &s;aid of our <HI>Savi|our</HI>
him&s;elf in the <HI>ver&s;e</HI> before our Text,
<HI>As he was praying in a certain place when
he cea&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P><HI>U&s;e.</HI> Mu&s;t we finde a &s;et time to pray?
&s;erveth this to confute &s;uch who can afford
a <HI>When</HI> to <HI>Eat,</HI> and a <HI>When</HI> to <HI>Drink,</HI> a
<HI>When</HI> to <HI>Sleep,</HI> a <HI>When</HI> to <HI>Talk,</HI> and a <HI>When</HI>
to <HI>Walke;</HI> and a <HI>When</HI> to <HI>Work,</HI> and a <HI>When</HI>
to <HI>Play:</HI> but cannot finde out a <HI>When</HI> to
<HI>Pray</HI> according to our <HI>Saviour</HI> his <HI>com|mand,
When ye pray.</HI> Yet God, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 3. 1.
hath made a time for all things, &s;ave that
which man doth at all times, I mean &s;in.
How many are there <HI>that pinch on Gods
&s;ide,</HI> and as the croud of People, <HI>Luke</HI> 8. 45.
<GAP DESC="foreign">, the multi|tude
throng thee, and pre&s;s thee; &s;o world|ly
men, to make room for their temporal
affairs, thru&s;t, throng, contract, yea &s;ome|times,
do wholy ju&s;tle out and omit their
dayly Devotions.</P>
<P>Come we now to the per&s;on, <HI>ye.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="116" REF="62">
<HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Were not <HI>Chri&s;ts Di&s;ciples</HI> able
to pray before this time? Sure I am, they
were able to ca&s;t out Devils. For it is &s;aid
in the foregoing Chapter <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 17. <HI>And
the &s;eventy returned again with joy, &s;aying,
Lord, even the Devils are &s;ubject unto us
through thy name.</HI> Now to ca&s;t out Devils
is a harder thing than to pray, becau&s;e
&s;ome Devils are of &s;o &s;ullen and &s;urly a na|ture,
<HI>Matth.</HI> 17. 21. That they go not out
<HI>but by prayer and fa&s;ting;</HI> Being thus there|fore
impowered with ability to ca&s;t out
Divels, &s;urely the greater did include the
le&s;&s;er, and it is wonder they &s;hould now
de&s;ire a Direction to pray. Say not that
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> made a re&s;umption of that power
which once he be&s;towed upon them, and
after their return from preaching depri|ved
them of them; &s;eeing, <HI>Romans</HI> 11. 29.
<HI>the gifts of God are without repentance.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Some an&s;wer this by pleading a
Metathe&s;is or transpo&s;ition in the Hi&s;tory
of St. <HI>Luke,</HI> &s;etting down that fir&s;t which
was la&s;t done, a figure very frequent in the
Old Te&s;tament. But this is, though the
be&s;t of &s;hifts yet the wor&s;t of an&s;wers, la&s;t
<PB N="117" REF="62">
to be tried, and lea&s;t to be tru&s;ted, &s;aving
in &s;uch ca&s;es as &s;eem to be capable of no
other &s;olution. No need of this refuge at
this time, and therefore we decline the
&s;ame.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is an&s;wered, that it is a
greater argument of Gods favour to us,
and our &s;incerity to him, if we can power
forth unto him an acceptable prayer, then
if enabled to di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;s Devils. This ap|peareth
by the <HI>Plea</HI> of the Reprobate to
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> at the la&s;t judgement, <HI>Matth.</HI> 7. 22.
<HI>Many will &s;ay unto me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophe&s;ied in thy Name,
and in thy Name have ca&s;t out Devils, and
in thy Name have done many wonderfull
works?</HI> Nor doth <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> confute what they
alleadge as fal&s;e, but reject it as in &s;uffici|ent;
<HI>Verily I &s;ay unto you, I know you not.</HI>
Thus &s;uch miraculous endowments are
compatible with damnation: while&s;t the
<HI>Spirit of &s;upplication</HI> (enabling us to pray
acceptably to God) is none of tho&s;e gifts
be&s;towed upon the <HI>Sons of Ketura,</HI> but &s;uch
as are conferred on <HI>I&s;aacs</HI> alone, given one|ly
to us Sons, Saints, and &s;ervants of God.</P>
<P><PB N="118" REF="63">
Thirdly, and chiefly I an&s;wer, certainly
the &s;everal <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> and <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> had for|merly
their particular prayers; and as I
may term them, <HI>per&s;onal Devotions.</HI> Peter
<HI>no doubt</HI> had his, <HI>and Andrew</HI> his, <HI>James</HI>
and <HI>John</HI> their particular forms of <HI>Invo|cations.</HI>
But now they de&s;ired that <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI>
would gratifie them with &s;uch a general
prayer, unto which they might all joyntly
concur with their <HI>Amen</HI> thereunto, and all
their &s;everal Devotions unite, and center
them&s;elves therein.</P>
<P>They al&s;o de&s;ired &s;uch a prayer, as they
might tran&s;mit as an <HI>Heir-Loom</HI> to all
po&s;terity, and intail it on the <HI>Church</HI> to be
u&s;ed &s;ucce&s;&s;ively by all generations. Here|in
I hearken to the <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> reque&s;ting
our <HI>Saviour,</HI> as to the mouth of all <HI>Chri|&s;tians:</HI>
For they &s;peak as the <HI>Speakers</HI> or <HI>Pro|locutours,</HI>
for the <HI>Church</HI> in all ages de&s;iring
this boon to be be&s;towed upon them.</P>
<P>Here is worthy our ob&s;ervation, that
our <HI>Saviour</HI> had once formerly delivered
the &s;ame prayer both for the manner and
matter thereof, and yet how again at his
<HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> reque&s;t, recommendeth the &s;ame
<PB N="119" REF="63">
(&s;ome incon&s;iderable differences abated)
unto the practice of his <HI>Di&s;ciples.</HI></P>
<P>For who&s;oever &s;hall compare this <HI>prayer</HI>
delivered by <HI>our Saviour,</HI> Matth. 6. 9. with
this made by him, <HI>Luke</HI> 11. 2. Will finde
them not to be paralell places (as many
in the Go&s;pels) pre&s;enting one and the &s;elf
&s;ame matter, but two different &s;tories
as will appear by the following circum|&s;tances.</P>
<P>1. That was made on a mountain when
multitudes of people were gathered toge|ther
to hear it; This compo&s;ed in a pri|vate
place when <HI>Christ</HI> was &s;olitary with
his <HI>Di&s;ciples.</HI></P>
<P>2. That was freely tendered by our <HI>Sa|viour</HI>
un&s;ought, un&s;ued to, to all his Au|ditory;
This granted at the in&s;tance and
reque&s;t of his <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> to them alone.</P>
<P>3. That was in&s;erted, &amp; incorporated in
the very body &amp; bowels of a mo&s;t heaven|ly
&s;ermon. This not in preaching, but after
praying when <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> cea&s;ed from the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Now might not the <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> have mur|mured
hereat, might they not have &s;aid,
Ma&s;ter, we expected you would have fa|voured
<PB N="120" REF="64">
us &s;o far (as being your <HI>&s;ervants in
Ordinary</HI>) as for your &s;akes to have compo|&s;ed
&amp; compiled a &s;pick and &s;pan new pray|er,
which we your <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> might have
u&s;ed as a <HI>memorial</HI> of our <HI>Master.</HI> Whereas
this prayer is an old one, we heard the &s;ame
for all the e&s;&s;entials thereof, a twelve
month &s;ince in that &s;ermon you made on
the expo&s;ition of the law, hence we ob&s;erve;</P>
<P><HI>One good prayer well compo&s;ed, the more
u&s;ed the more acceptable to heaven;</HI> think
not, like <HI>lavi&s;h Courtiers,</HI> our prayers &s;hall
be more welcome, if always appearing in
a new &s;uite, a new dre&s;s of language and
expre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>But as the good Hou&s;e-holder, brought
out of his Trea&s;ury <HI>things new &amp; old</HI> (onely
<HI>new,</HI> had been too <HI>prodigal,</HI> onely <HI>old</HI> had
been too <HI>penurious</HI>) &s;o pre&s;ent thou to
God, new affections with thy old expre&s;|&s;ions,
a new degree of faith, repentance,
charity, and never fear the entertainment
of thy prayer in heaven, though it be an
old one, and the &s;elf-&s;ame which formerly
and frequently hath been offered up.</P>
<P><HI>Say,</HI> Doctrine; <HI>It is not enough for men</HI>
<PB N="121" REF="64">
<HI>to make mentall prayers but &s;ometimes they
ought orally to expre&s;s the &s;ame.</HI> Fir&s;t, be|cau&s;e
the very &s;peaking of the words doth
rai&s;e and rouze people from drou&s;ine&s;s,
which otherwi&s;e may a&s;&s;ault them. I con|fe&s;s
no Chri&s;tian ought Hypocritically to
delight in hearing the <HI>Eccho</HI> or reverbera|tion
of his own voice, yet &s;ometimes the
&s;ame may &s;erve to give him the watch|word,
and to &s;hake off that lazine&s;s which
too often attendeth our Devotions. Se|condly,
prayers &s;poken are good for exam|ple
to others, to &s;hew that we are not a|&s;hamed
of Gods &s;ervice, but that our
tongue dare openly avouch what our heart
doth inwardly onceive. Thirdly, it is good
for the edification of others, who may &s;o
far be partakers of our prayers, as to joyn
with us in them, and to be comforted by
them. A prayer concealed may have as
much heat, but a prayer expre&s;&s;ed hath
more light therein, it doth &s;hine before
men, and make them glorifie our Father
which is in heaven.</P>
<P><HI>Obj.</HI> But <HI>Hannah,</HI> 1 Samuel. 1. 13. <HI>Onely
moved her lips, and her voice was not heard;</HI>
<PB N="122" REF="65">
embracing a middle way betwixt <HI>Mental</HI>
and <HI>Oral prayer,</HI> which can &s;eem be&s;t of all
as participating of the perfections of both.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;. Hannah</HI> herein &s;tands &s;ole and
&s;ingle by her &s;elf. It is &s;ufficient that &s;he
confe&s;&s;eth her &s;elf to be of a troubled and
&s;orrowfull &s;pirit, an excu&s;e for all her acti|ons
if one &s;erious &s;crutiny appearing not
&s;o compo&s;ed, and therefore not to be
drawn into Precedent for others imitation.</P>
<P>Come we now to an&s;wer tho&s;e <HI>Cavils,</HI>
which this age hath devi&s;ed again&s;t the
<HI>Lords prayer;</HI> a &s;ubject not unnece&s;&s;ary in
our days. Indeed when one had made a
large di&s;cour&s;e in the prai&s;e of <HI>Hercules,</HI>
and expected great commendation for the
&s;ame, his <HI>Audience</HI> onely an&s;wered his ex|pectation:
with this que&s;tion, <HI>quis unquam
vituperavit Herculem, who&s;oever &s;pake in
the di&s;paragement of Hercules.</HI> Intimating
thus much, that his pains might very well
be &s;pared in a needle&s;s &s;ubject, all the world
acknowledging the worth and valour of
<HI>Hercules.</HI> The &s;ame will be &s;aid of the en|&s;uing
part of my <HI>&s;ermon, ut quid haec per|ditios,
what needeth this wast</HI> of words and
<PB N="123" REF="65">
time, were ever any &s;o impious, &s;o pro|phane
as to doubt, much le&s;s deny the
divine in&s;piration and dayly nece&s;&s;ary and
profitable u&s;e of the <HI>Lords prayer?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Thirdly, I believe it is almo&s;t
<HI>unprecedented</HI> in former ages, which main|tained
a con&s;tant reverence and e&s;teem
thereof, as the <HI>Lords prayer,</HI> and <HI>Lord of
prayers;</HI> But alas! we are fallen into &s;uch
an impudent age, wherein many begin to
&s;light it, of whom I will &s;ay no more than
this, <HI>If they begin to think meanly of Gods
prayer, what cau&s;e hath God to think ba&s;ely
of theirs?</HI></P>
<P>And now I remember what <HI>John the
Bapti&s;t</HI> &s;aid to our <HI>Saviour,</HI> Matth. 3. 14.
<HI>I have need to be baptized of thee, and com|est
thou to me.</HI> In humble allu&s;ion where|unto
I may &s;ay, my prayers have need to
come to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> to mediate and intercede
to God for them, and to pre&s;ent them with
his merits to the <HI>Throne of grace:</HI> And now
<HI>his prayer comes to me,</HI> &s;o the <HI>all di&s;po&s;ing
providence</HI> of God hath ordered the mat|ter,
that in the pro&s;ecution of my <HI>Text,</HI> I
mu&s;t be a weak <HI>Advocate</HI> in the defence
<PB N="124" REF="66">
thereof. The be&s;t is, it mattereth not who
is the <HI>Pleader</HI> when God is the <HI>Clyent,</HI> and
what is wanting in my weakne&s;s and
worthle&s;ne&s;s, will be abundantly &s;upply|ed
in the might and merit of the &s;ubject
which I undertake.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is objected that it is a <HI>&s;et form of
prayer,</HI> and therefore doth <HI>pinnion</HI> and con|fine
the wings of the <HI>Dove,</HI> which ought
to be at liberty and freedom, to make
choice of his own expre&s;&s;ion of it &s;elf. It
is &s;aid, Rom. 8. 26. <HI>The &s;pirit it &s;elf maketh
interce&s;sion for us with groans which can|not
be uttered.</HI> It is therefore pre&s;umption
in man to make him&s;elf <HI>Gods Interpreter,</HI>
and to dictate tho&s;e words whereby his
<HI>Spirit</HI> is to impart and communicate it &s;elf
to the <HI>Throne of grace;</HI> It was charged on
the <HI>Rebellious I&s;raelites,</HI> P&s;al. 8. 41. That
<HI>they limited the holy one of I&s;rael;</HI> no bet|ter
is their practice, who offer to &s;core
out both the path &amp; pace to Gods Spirit
in prayer by pre-de&s;igning the <HI>Numericall
words,</HI> which are to be u&s;ed thereby. Gods
&s;ervants are &s;aid to be <HI>led by the &s;pirit,</HI> Ro.
8. 14. And &s;o al&s;o if ye be <HI>led by the &s;pirit,</HI>
<PB N="125" REF="66">
Galatians 5. 18. But this is <HI>leading the
&s;pirit,</HI> when men will guide their <HI>Conduct-our</HI>
and draw up a <HI>&s;et form</HI> whereby the
&s;ame &s;hall be directed.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> That &s;et forms are no re&s;trainings of
the <HI>holy Gho&s;t</HI> in us, appeareth by the pra|ctice
of our <HI>Saviour</HI> him&s;elf, Matth. 26. 44.
<HI>And went away again, and prayed the third
time &s;aying the &s;ame words,</HI> namely the &s;ame
words which he uttered the &s;econd time,
viz. <HI>O my Father, if this cup may not pa&s;s a|way
from me except I drink it, thy will be
done.</HI> See we here, he who made the tongue
to &s;peak, who was the <HI>frauder,</HI> and <HI>confoun|der</HI>
of all languages, who needed not by
premeditation to <HI>pre&s;s words</HI> for his &s;ervice
&s;eeing millions of <HI>volunteeres</HI> proffered
them&s;elves to be u&s;ed by him. See I &s;ay,
him plea&s;ed notwith&s;tanding to re&s;ume the
&s;ame individual terms which he had utter|ed
before.</P>
<P>Secondly, next to our <HI>Saviour,</HI> who may
be pre&s;umed mo&s;t able to pray then, the
<HI>High Prie&s;t Aaron,</HI> and his two <HI>in&s;pired
Sons Eleazer</HI> and <HI>Phineas?</HI> Yet God in their
publick ble&s;&s;ings, left them not to the li|berty
<PB N="126" REF="67">
of their own expre&s;&s;ions, <HI>Num.</HI> 6. 23.
<HI>Speak unto Aaron and unto his Sons, &s;aying,
on this wi&s;e ye &s;hall ble&s;s the children of I&s;|rael,
&s;aying unto them, the Lord ble&s;s thee,
and keep thee, the Lord make his face &s;hine
upon thee, and be gracious unto thee, the
Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and
give thee peace.</HI></P>
<P>I confe&s;s they were not confined to the&s;e
words on all ennergencies and occa&s;ions,
having the latitude allowed them, that in
the <HI>Temple</HI> they might varie from this form
according to their own di&s;cretions. Wit|ne&s;s
the ble&s;&s;ing of <HI>Eli</HI> to <HI>Hannah,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI>
1. 17. <HI>Go in peace, and the God of I&s;rael
grant thee thy Petition, which thou ha&s;t
asked of him;</HI> But otherwi&s;e God had or|dered
them not to decede from this form:
and as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was to make all things ac|cording
to the pattern in the <HI>Mount, Heb.</HI> 8.
5. So no doubt the Prie&s;ts conformed
them&s;elves in their prayer to every <HI>word,
&s;yllable,</HI> and <HI>etter,</HI> of Gods pre&s;cription,
neither detracting thence, nor adding
thereunto.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the <HI>Mini&s;ters conceived prayer</HI>
<PB N="127" REF="67">
under the <HI>Go&s;pel,</HI> is a &s;tinted and preme|ditated
one, to &s;uch people, his <HI>Auditours,</HI>
who ay <HI>Amen</HI> thereunto: Their fancies,
and which is more, their <HI>hearts</HI> do or &s;hould
go along with the <HI>Ministers</HI> words, &s;o
that he boundeth their meditations, <HI>Hi|ther
&s;hall they come, and no further.</HI> If any
&s;ay, that notwith&s;tanding this Obligation
to the words of the <HI>Mini&s;ter,</HI> they may
make their own <HI>Salleys</HI> and <HI>excur&s;ions</HI> by
Gods &s;pirit in their hearts, to enlarge
them&s;elves, and as it were to <HI>comment</HI> in
their <HI>&s;ighs</HI> and <HI>groans</HI> on the Text of the
prayers of their <HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> it is &s;aid, that no
le&s;s liberty is allowed them in all preme|ditate
forms of prayer, where on the plain
&s;ong of the &s;et words, the devotion of their
hearts may de&s;cant to their own &s;piritual
contentment.</P>
<P>Fourthly, none will deny, but <HI>Songs</HI> and
<HI>Hymns</HI> are prayers of thanksgiving, both
tho&s;e which <HI>David</HI> made in the <HI>Old Te&s;ta|ment,</HI>
and tho&s;e that were u&s;ed by <HI>Chri|&s;tians</HI>
in the <HI>Primitive times,</HI> Ephe&s;. 5. 19.
<HI>Speaking to your &s;elves in Hymns and &s;pi|ritual
&s;ongs,</HI> Colo&s;. 3. 26. <HI>Admoni&s;hing one</HI>
<PB N="128" REF="68">
<HI>another in P&s;alms, and Hymns, and &s;piritual
&s;ongs;</HI> Now &s;urely &s;uch <HI>Ditties</HI> would be
bad, and <HI>Notes</HI> wor&s;e, and the Harmonie
rather ridiculous to move laughter than
melodious to rai&s;e Devotions, if the &s;ing|ers
thereof were not predirected to the ve|ry
words and &s;yllables of what they &s;ung
and chanted in the Church.</P>
<P>Excellent was the expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Doctor
Pre&s;ton</HI> in point of preaching, and is apply|able
equally to prayer. <HI>He would have a
Minister take &s;uch pains in &s;tudying his &s;er|mon,
as if he relyed not only on Gods as&s;i&s;tance;
but when he cometh to preach the &s;ame, &s;o
wholly to ca&s;t him&s;elf on divine a&s;is&s;tance, as
if he relyed not at all on his own &s;tudies.</HI> Pro|portionable
whereto, a Chri&s;tian &s;oul may
compile and compo&s;e his prayer, as tru&s;ting
nothing to the Spirit, and yet in the minute
of the utterance thereof to God, &s;o quit
and renounce all efficacie of premeditati|on,
as con&s;i&s;ting onely in the concurrence
of Gods Spirit helping his infirmities.</P>
<P>Yea, allow the <HI>Minister</HI> able &s;trongly to
<HI>go alone</HI> by him&s;elf without leaning on the
<HI>Leage</HI> of any premeditate prayer to &s;up|port
<PB N="129" REF="68">
him, yet &s;urely he may not onely law|fully,
but laudably degrade him&s;elf for
the edification of others to u&s;e a <HI>&s;et form of
prayer.</HI> We know how <HI>Jacob,</HI> able to walk
fa&s;t him&s;elf, confined his feet to the pace
of the <HI>Children and Ewes big with young,
Gen.</HI> 33. 13. he would not over-drive them.
Semblably, a <HI>Mini&s;ter,</HI> endowed by God
with the gift of extempore prayer, may
without any &s;hame to him&s;elf, and great
profit to others, go on <HI>pedetentim</HI> in a
<HI>&s;et form,</HI> &s;o to bring up the rear of his mo&s;t
lagging <HI>Auditours</HI> to go along with him,
the more knowingly from the beginning,
and clo&s;e their <HI>Amen</HI> with him the more
chearfully in the end of his prayer.</P>
<P>2. Cavil. It is not a prayer of it &s;elf, but
onely a pattern, or draught by which other
prayers are to be made, &amp; therfore S. <HI>Mat.</HI>
&s;aith; <HI>After this manner therefore pray ye.</HI></P>
<P>It is both a pattern for prayer, and a
prayer in it &s;elf to all purpo&s;es and in|tents.
The <HI>Standard-Bu&s;hel,</HI> which com|monly
is chained up in the Market place, is
not onely a <HI>Bu&s;hel</HI> to mea&s;ure <HI>Bu&s;hels</HI> by,
(all which ought to be adequate to the con|tent
thereof) but al&s;o a <HI>Bu&s;hel</HI> to mea&s;ure
<PB N="130" REF="69">
grain by, <HI>it may chance of Wheat, or of &s;ome
other grain:</HI> &s;o this of our Saviour his pre|&s;cribing,
is neverthele&s;s a compleat and per|fect
prayer in it &s;elf, although al&s;o it be a
Model, Type, or Copy, according to which
for the e&s;&s;entials we ought to conform all
our &s;upplications.</P>
<P>Third Cavil. I &s;hould be a&s;hamed to
&s;et down as &s;o weak and &s;imple, &s;ave that
&s;ome in our dayes, who pretend to judge|ment,
put it in not onely to &s;well a number;
but lay much &s;tre&s;s on the &s;trength there|of;
namely, that <HI>Chri&s;t made it in his mi|nority,</HI>
before he was arrived at his full
perfection.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, as the folly of God is ob&s;erved
by the Apo&s;tle wi&s;er than the wi&s;dom of
man, and the weakne&s;s of God &s;tronger
then the &s;trength of man: &s;o may I &s;ay,
that the <HI>minority</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was more than
the <HI>majority,</HI> his <HI>nonage</HI> than the <HI>full age,</HI>
his <HI>youth</HI> than the <HI>maturity</HI> of mankind. Be|&s;ides,
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was, <HI>Luke</HI> 3. 21. <HI>about thirty
years of age</HI> when he was bapti&s;ed, the prime
conceived of mans life, after which gene|rally
they impair rather than improve.
<PB N="131" REF="69">
Yea, be&s;ides the Original &s;tock of perfe|ction
brought into the World at his birth,
he had already received a grand acce&s;&s;ion
of the holy Spirit at his bapti&s;m.</P>
<P>Fourth Cavil. There is nothing <HI>of a
Saviour</HI> in this prayer. It is but a <HI>legal Old
Te&s;tament prayer,</HI> whereas we are to ask all
things <HI>in the name of Je&s;us,</HI> no mention
thereof herein. As therefore &s;ome <HI>Jews</HI>
have a diminitive opinion of the <HI>book of
E&s;ther,</HI> becau&s;e the word <HI>Jehova</HI> is not to
be found in all the extent thereof, on the
&s;ame account we may ju&s;tly ground an un|dervaluation
of this prayer, wherein the
name of Je&s;us doth not appear, which alone
is &s;o of the <HI>Quorum</HI> in all &s;upplications,
that without it they cannot be pre&s;umed
acceptable in the <HI>Court of Heaven.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> The <HI>name of Je&s;us,</HI> though not li|terally,
yet virtually and effectually is to
be found in this prayer. One cannot &s;tir a
&s;tep therein, but in the very Porch of this
prayer, and at the very Thre&s;hold of this
Porch he meets with <HI>Je&s;us a Saviour,</HI> in
tho&s;e words <HI>our Father.</HI> For fain would I
know who wrought, and brought this great
<PB N="132" REF="70">
and good alteration that God is beheld by
us under &s;o comfortable a notion. How
came in the <HI>Kindred,</HI> whence &s;prang this
our filial relation. Man at his la&s;t parting
with God, when expul&s;ed <HI>Paradi&s;e,</HI> left him
his <HI>adver&s;ary,</HI> his <HI>enemy,</HI> his <HI>enraged Judge,</HI>
while&s;t he him&s;elf was looked on as an <HI>Of|fendor</HI>
and <HI>Malefactour.</HI> Whereas now all
things are become new. Such who parted
in anger, meet in love, of <HI>Foes</HI> are become
<HI>Friends;</HI> Yea, <HI>Father</HI> and <HI>Sons. Our Fa|ther.</HI></P>
<P>Now none effected this change &s;ave <HI>Je|&s;us
Chri&s;t</HI> by his mercifull Mediation. Is
not the hand of our Savour clean through
this prayer? Wherefore as &s;ome <HI>Phy&s;icians</HI>
give not in their receipts the bulk and ma&s;s
of Herbs and Drugs, but onely their Spi|rits,
or their infu&s;ions, which, though not &s;o
great in quantity, are ea&s;ier in the taking,
and &s;tronger in the working: &s;o in this
prayer, though neither the name of <HI>Je&s;us,</HI>
Me&s;&s;iah, or Chri&s;t, is therein u&s;ed, yet the
powerfull influence of both, and &s;overaign
effect is obvious to every judicious eye,
cau&s;ing our confident and familiar addre&s;|&s;es
<PB N="133" REF="70">
to God, under the relation of a Fa|ther.</P>
<P>Fifth Cavil. The prayer is too &s;hort, it
is not comprehen&s;ive enough of all mens
nece&s;&s;ities, which ought to be repre&s;ented
therein. It is too narrow as not adequate
to the emergencies of all occa&s;ions. The
<HI>Merchant</HI> wanteth a clau&s;e therein for pro|&s;perous
Gales to drive his Ship to a &s;afe
Haven and gainfull market. The <HI>Souldier</HI>
wants a clau&s;e to cover his head from dan|ger,
and crown it with victory in the <HI>day of
battel.</HI> The <HI>Husband man</HI> di&s;covereth a de|fect,
becau&s;e no expre&s;s therein for &s;ea&s;on|able
weather. The <HI>unmarried</HI> want a Peti|tion
for loving <HI>Husbands</HI> &amp; dutifull <HI>Wives,</HI>
and the <HI>married</HI> for the continuance of the
goodne&s;s, or amendment of the badne&s;s of
tho&s;e to whom they are coupled.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Fir&s;t in general. Whereas &s;ome
finde fault with the &s;hortne&s;s of the pray|er,
know, length of prayer is made a crime
in Scripture, but never the brevity thereof
charged on any as a guilt, <HI>Matth.</HI> 23. 14.
<HI>Woe unto you Scribes and Phari&s;ees Hypo|crites,
for you devour Widows hou&s;es, and for</HI>
<PB N="134" REF="71">
<HI>a pretence make long prayers.</HI> Neither <HI>length</HI>
nor &s;hortne&s;s is any whit con&s;iderable to
the acceptablene&s;s thereof, but the <HI>thick|ne&s;s</HI>
of a prayer, when it is not empty and
hollow within, but well filled with Faith in
the heart and middle thereof.</P>
<P>One bought a <HI>Map</HI> of the whole world,
and being him&s;elf an <HI>Athenian,</HI> Cavilled at
the <HI>Map</HI> as imperfect and defective, meerly
becau&s;e his own hou&s;e in <HI>Athens</HI> was not
pre&s;ented therein. Whereas the whole
draught being not above a yard &s;quare, it
fell to the proportion of all <HI>Europe</HI> not to
be a full foot. All <HI>Greece</HI> not to be a full
&s;pan, <HI>Attica</HI> to be but a little &s;pot, and
<HI>Athens</HI> to be a very &s;peck therein, &s;o im|po&s;&s;ible
was it that his invi&s;ible hou&s;e
&s;hould appear. As his cau&s;ele&s;s Cavil be|trayed
him ignorant in Geography, &s;o
their exception di&s;covereth their weakne&s;s
in Divinity, who expect a prayer to parti|cularize
every mans nece&s;&s;ities. What was
&s;aid by the way of Hyperbole of our Sa|viour,
that if all things which he did and
&s;pake were written, the World were not
able to contain them, may it not be literal|ly
<PB N="135" REF="71">
&s;poken here, <HI>the World,</HI> that is, none of
the men therein could contain &s;o volumi|nous
a prayer, de&s;cending to the <HI>minutes</HI>
of all mens wi&s;hes and wants. No memo|ry
&s;o tenacious as to retain it, no voice &s;o
&s;trong as to pronounce it.</P>
<P>Now although the particulars of every
mans wants, neither are nor can be expre&s;|&s;ed
in this, or any other prayer; Yet here
we find their total &s;um ca&s;t up and couched
under general terms. For when it is &s;aid,
<HI>give us this day our daily bread.</HI></P>
<P>Herein the <HI>Souldier</HI> is remembred, who
prayeth for all things nece&s;&s;ary for his
condition, when, &s;aying, <HI>give us this day
our daily bread.</HI> Except it be &s;o, that be|ing
guilty to him&s;elf that he is rather a
<HI>plunderer</HI> than a <HI>fighter,</HI> more maintaining
his livelyhood by violence than valour, ra|pine
than conque&s;t, he conceiveth him&s;elf
excluded, who cannot truly call it <HI>our daily
bread,</HI> as con&s;cious it is none of <HI>his,</HI> but
&s;natch'd from the true owners thereof.</P>
<P>The <HI>Husband-man</HI> in this Petition pray|eth
for all things, which may tend and con|duce
to the &s;ea&s;onable fruits of the earth:</P>
<P><PB N="136" REF="72">
A &s;nowy <HI>January,</HI> fro&s;ty <HI>February,</HI> dry
<HI>March,</HI> &s;howry <HI>April,</HI> cold and windy <HI>May,</HI>
moi&s;t and fair <HI>June,</HI> hot and dry <HI>July,</HI> fair
and &s;unny <HI>Augu&s;t,</HI> &amp;c. For how ea&s;ily can
God de&s;troy in one un&s;ea&s;onable <HI>Moneth</HI> in
<HI>Harve&s;t,</HI> what the concurrence of many
foregoing Moneths hath hopefully ad|vanced.</P>
<P>In a word, let not the &s;hortne&s;s of this
prayer (which being con&s;i&s;tent with &s;o
much clearne&s;s is a principal honour there|of)
be charged upon it for a defect. Con|&s;ider
how it was intended for old folk who
were <HI>pa&s;t their memories,</HI> for young Chil|dren
who as yet are not come to their me|mories,
for &s;imple folk who never had, nor
will have memories.</P>
<P>La&s;t Cavil. This Prayer hath notori|ou&s;ly
been abu&s;ed by the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> to <HI>Super|&s;tition,</HI>
and therefore the more &s;urely to
avoid offence, the u&s;e thereof may &s;afely
be waved and declined.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is confe&s;&s;ed, that this mo&s;t ex|cellent
Prayer hath been unworthily abu|&s;ed
by the <HI>Romi&s;h Church.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by locking it up in the Latine
<PB N="137" REF="72">
tongue, whereof the generalitie of their
<HI>Layetie</HI> is ignorant, praying, as S. <HI>Peter</HI>
&s;pake at <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> his <HI>transfiguration,</HI> Luke 9.
33. <HI>Not knowing what they &s;aid.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Becau&s;e it hath been abu&s;ed
in <HI>Spels</HI> and <HI>Exorci&s;ms,</HI> to the great disho|nor
of God, and advantage of <HI>Satan.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Becau&s;e wronged with need|le&s;s
and impertinent repetitions of their
<HI>Beads,</HI> till their tenth <HI>bead</HI> become a <HI>Decu|rion,</HI>
and the &s;ame ten times told over, a
<HI>Centurion</HI> in their mumbled and multipli|ed
<HI>Devotions.</HI></P>
<P>Here is it worth our ob&s;ervation, that
the <HI>Lords prayer</HI> is abu&s;ed by that very &s;in,
for the rectifying and reforming whereof,
it was originally by our Saviour in&s;tituted
and intended. <HI>Matth.</HI> 6. 7. <HI>But when you
pray, u&s;e not vain repetitions as the Heathen
do, for they think they &s;hall be heard for
their much &s;peaking.</HI> Now to repre&s;s for|mer,
and prevent future <HI>tautologies,</HI> was
one principal end for which this prayer
was appointed. <HI>Matth.</HI> 6. 9. <HI>After this man|ner
therefore pray.</HI> Therefore, that is that
you may not run on the rock of frivolous
<PB N="138" REF="73">
repetitions, u&s;e this prayer &s;o free from
<HI>Battologies,</HI> that excepting &s;ome nece&s;&s;arie
Pronouns of <HI>Our</HI> and <HI>Us,</HI> the &s;ame word
recurreth not twice in the whole extent
thereof.</P>
<P>Yet &s;ee, I &s;ay, how the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> abu&s;e the
&s;ame by repetitions. Doth it not argue a
very foul &s;tomack, when the <HI>Phy&s;ick</HI> intend|ed
to correct and remove the <HI>vicious hu|mours,</HI>
is turned again&s;t the true nature
thereof to increa&s;e the disea&s;e of the <HI>Pa|tient,</HI>
and how doth it &s;peak the maligni|tie
of the Popi&s;h practice, abu&s;ing this
prayer to end with repetitions, de&s;igned o|riginally
to prevent that ill cu&s;tome.</P>
<P>However, though it cannot be denyed,
that the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> have &s;hamefully abu&s;ed
this prayer, it followeth not, but that
Chri&s;tians may retain the true u&s;e there|of.
They mu&s;t <GAP DESC="foreign"> purge away Popi&s;h
&s;uper&s;titions from the &s;ame, but may not
on that pretence <GAP DESC="foreign"> utterly take it away
and expel it out of their publick or private
devotions.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t <HI>U&s;e.</HI> It &s;erveth to confute tho&s;e,
who over-e&s;teem the <HI>Lords prayer.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="139" REF="73">
<HI>Que&s;t.</HI> Is this po&s;&s;ible, are men capable
of exce&s;s in this kinde of giving too much
reverence or re&s;pect to this prayer, or any
other part and portion of Gods word.
Surely if it be an errrour, it is one on the
right hand, rather to be pitied and pardon|ed,
than publickly reproved.</P>
<P>I confe&s;s an utter impo&s;&s;ibility of over|pri&s;ing
any part if Gods word, but men
may be immoderate &amp; unadvi&s;ed in their
undi&s;creet manife&s;ting &amp; declaring of their
e&s;teem of the <HI>Lords prayer,</HI> who in &s;ome
&s;en&s;e may be &s;aid to over-value it, though
in fine, and effect it doth prove an under|valuation
thereof.</P>
<P>Such therefore are faultie in undi&s;creet
expre&s;&s;ion of their re&s;pect to the Lords
Prayer, who confine all per&s;ons, at all
times to that alone, not allowing them li|bertie
to make u&s;e of other forms, as occa|&s;ion
&s;hall require. Where we may ob&s;erve,
That the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t in the <HI>Acts,</HI>
and el&s;ewhere, on the emergencies of &s;un|drie
matters which called for their prayers,
expre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves in other language,
accommodated to the occa&s;ion, and waved
<PB N="140" REF="74">
the&s;e very words of our Saviours pre&s;cri|ption,
as too general, and not coming up
clo&s;e enough to their urgent nece&s;&s;ities.
Wherefore, though we will not &s;ay of the
Lords Prayer, <HI>none but it,</HI> I may &s;ay as
<HI>David</HI> did of <HI>Goliah's</HI> &s;word, <HI>None is like
unto it.</HI> Though it be not to be u&s;ed <HI>Ex|clu&s;ively</HI>
to &s;hut out all other, yet is it <HI>E|minently</HI>
to be preferred before the re&s;t.</P>
<P>I will add one thing more, What me|tals
&s;oever the ring of thy devotions be
made of, the Lords Prayer is a good <HI>Dia|mond</HI>
to clo&s;e and conclude with, of what
wood &s;oever the <HI>&s;haft of the darts</HI> of thy
prayers doth con&s;i&s;t, the Lords Prayer is
the be&s;t <HI>&s;harp Pile to pierce heaven,</HI> and to
be put on at the end of thy own devoti|ons.</P>
<P>Greater is the folly of &s;uch people, who
in a manner Idolatrize to the very words
and &s;yllables of the Lords Prayer, as if
men were &s;o &s;trictly tied up thereunto, as
not to recede one tittle from the &s;ame.
Whereas we may perceive &s;ome &s;mall dif|ference
in the two forms pre&s;ented in
S. <HI>Matthew</HI> and S. <HI>Luke</HI>'s Go&s;pel. The va|riation
<PB N="141" REF="74">
of one, and tran&s;po&s;ition of two or
three words, not to add, that the Doxolo|gie
in&s;erted in the one is omitted in the
other, as if purpo&s;ely done to confute and
di&s;compo&s;e the &s;uper&s;tition of &s;uch who
&s;tick in &s;uch &s;yllabical curio&s;ities.</P>
<P>Truly I am afraid, if &s;ome might have
had their wills, Chri&s;tian libertie might
have been much prejudiced by the obtru&s;i|on
of this prayer alone upon their practice,
and dare boldly &s;ay, that &s;ome mens too
much crying up of the nece&s;&s;itie of this
prayer at all times hath occa&s;ioned others
out of their <HI>&s;pirit of oppo&s;ition,</HI> a mi|&s;chief
which mortal frailtie is much &s;ub|ject
(e&s;pecially in <HI>controvertial days,</HI> and
in the frowardne&s;s of the aged world) too
much to &s;light, neglect, and under-value
the &s;ame.</P>
<P>For where the former humour of over|pri&s;ing
this prayer hath infected their
<HI>hundreds,</HI> the latter of under-e&s;teeming the
&s;ame hath infected their <HI>thou&s;ands;</HI> who in
their uncivil, not to &s;ay profane expre&s;&s;i|ons,
have vented much contempt of this
holy &amp; heavenly prayer &amp; pattern thereof.</P>
<P><PB N="142" REF="75">
And here let me &s;afely expre&s;s what I
fear may be the true cau&s;e thereof, and let
&s;uch, who are faulty therein make a &s;cruti|ny
in their own con&s;ciences, whether I &s;peak
not too much truth in this point. Are they
not out of charity with the Lords Prayer,
becau&s;e there is &s;o much charity in the
Lords Prayer? There is one Petition there|in,
which if they leave out <HI>they make the
Prayer lame, and if they put it in they make
them&s;elves liars.</HI> Namely, <HI>and forgive us
our tre&s;pa&s;&s;es as we forgive them that tre&s;pa&s;s
again&s;t us;</HI> doth not their revengefull and
vindicative hearts harbour &s;o much ma|lice
again&s;t their adver&s;aries, that they are
loath to forgive them, and de&s;ire forgive|ne&s;s
from God, on the condition that they
forgive others? now, though I will not po|&s;itively
affirm the &s;ame, yet becau&s;e it car|rieth
with it a great probability, Mini&s;ters
may be jealous of their people with a god|ly
jealou&s;ie, as they may be jealous over
their own hearts; and if their con&s;cience ac|quit
them on this enquiry, happy are they,
and no hurt is done by this cau&s;ele&s;s &s;u&s;pi|tion.</P>
<P><PB N="143" REF="75">
To conclude, Parents of Children, and
e&s;pecially Mothers, may take notice, that
their little ones in &s;aying the Lords Prayer
are generally out at this Petition. And
forgive us our Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es as we forgive
them that Tre&s;pa&s;s again&s;t us. Not one
little Child of ten &s;ayeth it a right, and in
the right place; &s;ome pa&s;s over and wholy
omit it, &s;ome tran&s;po&s;e it, very few truly
pronounce it, whereof this the rea&s;on, Tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es
once and again in this Petition, is as
bad as a <HI>Shiboleth</HI> to try the li&s;ping tongue
of a Child, there being a conflux of &s;eve|ral
Con&s;onants, &amp; &s;ome <HI>hard &s;ounded</HI> there|in,
&s;o that it po&s;eth all the <HI>offices of &s;peech</HI>
in a Childs mouth di&s;tinctly to utter the
&s;ame.</P>
<P>Let not Parents be angry with their
Children for not &s;peaking it, but with
them&s;elves for not practicing it, they beat
their Children for not &s;aying it, God may
ju&s;tly beat them for not doing it. I confe&s;s
&s;uch forgivene&s;s <HI>goeth again&s;t fle&s;h and
bloud,</HI> but fle&s;h and bloud &s;hall never en|ter
into the Kingdom of Heaven, we mu&s;t
be acted with higher principles, if we
<PB N="144" REF="76">
hope to come thither, whither the mercie
of God bring us through the merits of
<HI>Je&s;us Christ.</HI> Amen.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
