Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 49
CHAP. 49. The Second Doctrin (propounded in the 45, chapter) further proſecuted.
I Have made ſome enterance into this ſecond point. Doct. That God and Chriſt doth speake in the miniſters of his word. What the mineſters of God do (acrding to their rule and Word) it is to be looked upon as if God and Chriſt did it. This is Cleere in the text. As though God did beſeech you, we pray you in Chriſts ſteed (ſaith the Apoſtle).
For this I gave you divers ſcriptures; & I might ad many more, ct thought to have added ſome more cleer ſcriptures to ſhew you that what the miniſters do, it is as if God & Chriſt did it, I might name forty places that are cleer in this point but ſhal not that I may proceed. What the miniſter; of God ſpeak according to the ruls (I ſay) it is as if God and Chriſt ſpake, and it muſt needs be ſure, if we conſider of the power that there is of Chriſt in the miniſtry: we have had experience of it, that there is ſuch a power of the miniſtry of the word that it co…ld not be but only by the ſpeaking of God, God and Chriſt in It: the which hath power to inlighten, to awaken conſcience, to terrefie the conſcience, to humble, to bring down the ſtouteſt proud heart in the world, yea, and to convert ſouls, in John. 5.25. the text ſaith of the word of the ſon of God that brings life, Verily I ſay unto you, that the houre is comming, and now is when the dead ſhal hear the voice of the ſon of God and they that hear ſhal live. … certainly this is ſpoken not only of the voice of the ſon of God at the general reſurrection, but (ſaith he) it is now; the hower is comming, and now is when the dead ſhal hear the voice of the ſon of God and they that hear ſhal live. It was at the time, and is continually in the miniſtry of the word; There is the voice of the ſon of God that makes the dead to hear and to live.
And further the word of the Miniſtery, muſt be looked upon as Gods in this regard; becauſe otherwiſe there could not be any ground or bottom for faith by any thing that is delivered in the Miniſtery of the word. Now we know that the miniſtery of the word is the ſpecial ordinance that is appointed for the begetting of faith. faith comes by hearing, & hearing by the word preached. It doth not come ſo much by reading; no, not by reading of the book of God; by reading of the ſcripture: but by hearing, and hearing the word preached. Now then you wil ſay, indeed, The word in the Bible, that is the word of God; God ſpeaks there, and Chriſt ſpeaks, and we may bottom our faith upon what we read there, but we muſt have ſomthing to bottom our faith upon when we hear it preacht by man, as wel as when we read it, and it is cleer by ſcripture; that God doth rather work by the hearing of it preacht, than by the reading of it. Except we look upon it as the word of God and Chriſt, we have nothing to bottom our Faith upon, (for nothing that is humane can be the bottom, and ground of any ones faith.) It is not, what is the judgment of ſuch a man, though he be never ſo learned, never ſo holy a man) that can bottom or ground my faith. But when I come to heare him, (ſo as I can heare God, and Chriſt ſpeaking in him) then have I ſomthing, to ground my faith upon what he ſaith, therefore, here is the reaſon why ſo many go away, and are only taken at the preſent hearing, but their hearts are not grounded, and bottomed in the truth, becauſe they hear man only, and do not heare God: But when people can ſay as thoſe men that came forth from Samaria to the woman, in John 4. about the middle of the Chap. ſayd, that when the woman came and told them; Here is a man that hath tould me al that ever I did; is not he Chyiſt? And they went out to him: But at length ſay they to her, (when they had ſpoken to him) Now we do beleeve; (not becauſe thou haſt told us, but becauſe we have heard him our ſelves.) So may many a ſoul ſay, I have been often hearing of ſermons, and I have been taken with the preaching of ſuch a man, and I did beleeve what he ſaid, and it went into my heart in ſome meaſure: Oh! but now ſaith a ſoul, I do not beleeve becauſe he tells me this, but I have heard in his preaching, God and Chriſt himſelf, it hath not been he; but it hath been Jeſus Chriſt that hath ſpoken to my heart. There could be no grounding of our faith (except that which is delivered in the Miniſtery of the word) be looked upon as God and Chriſt ſpeaking in them.
Object. You wil ſay, muſt we bleeve every thing that the Preacher ſpeaks, as if God and Chriſt ſpake it? men may err.
Therefore you muſt compare what you hear with what you read, and as thoſe noble men of Berea did ſearch the Scripture to ſee what Paul himſelf preacht; they were not to take Pauls preaching, but to compare it with other Scriptures, and they were commended for it, and God forbid that we ſhould think it much that people ſhould examine any thing we ſpeak. Try all things, and then keep that which is good; ſearch the Scriptures, and compare what is delivered by Scripture, and then ſo far as that is according to the rule of Scripture that is ſpoken, (though it be not directly the words of the Scripture, yet when it is ſpoken in the name of God according to Scripture) it ſhould be received as if God and Chriſt ſpoke it. We challenge no ſuch infallibility as the Papiſts ſay the Pope hath: but we give unto al people liberty to examine our Doctrine by Scripture, and then God expects, and Chriſt expects that it ſhould be received as if God and Chriſt ſpake.