Warrantableness of the Preaching of Unordained Persons, Religious tract · Response to chapter 5
CHAP. V.
THeir first Argument is this:
Election must go before Ordination: But a person must preach, yea preach frequently and ordinarily, before Election, for without this the people cannot discern his gifts, &c. Ergo Persons not Ordained may ordinarily preach.
Ans. 1. They know their major is not beyond exception, but I let that passe, because afterwards we shall handle it more fully.
2. For their minor, if it be true, then preaching frequently and ordinarily in that case is necessary, i. e. for the trial of their gifts, and that we dispute not about, but whether out of a case of necessity one may preach ordinarily without Ordination.
But this first Argument I suppose they intended only for Velitation: Their second Argument is the Achilles, which I must now come to grapple with. There are two pillars of their cause, Scripture precept, and Scripture example alledged; and indeed either of these shall serve turn: But we must not take them upon their bare word, but weigh what they have said in the ballance of the Sanctuary. It is Scripture precept which is here discussed.
Their second Argument then is this:
Such as are commanded to preach may preach: But some men not Ordained are commanded to preach; Ergo. The minor they prove thus; All that are apt to teach, are commanded to teach: This they attempt to prove from 1 Pet. 4. 10, 11. but by their favour let us adde v. 9. to it, for our Brethren represent the place imagint luscâ, with an half face. The whole foreign is this, v. 9. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. V. 10. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. V. 11. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth. Where any indifferent Reader will observe the words mainly insisted upon, to be like a little Isthmus of land between two seas, to either of which it may be related: Or like a tree standing in the confines of two Counties, it being hard to determine to which County it belongs. It may look backward and relate to hospitality; It may look forward and relate to speaking and ministring; and the words will bear either sense, but both senses it cannot bear, that being an undoubted truth, that Sensus unius loci literalis non est nisi unicus; and to demonstrate that it must relate to this, and cannot relate to the other, will be found very difficult, if not impossible: And yet upon this doubtfull place our Brethren hang the weight of their Cause.
I find a threefold sense given of these words: Some referre it to the gift of speaking by any, &c. Others, to the Office of speakers. Others, to the giving of Alms: Of these I shall speak in order, premising onelyonly one thing, (which is well suggested by Dr Collings) i. e. that whatever the sense of the place is if it be a command to preach, yet this Epistle being written to strangers, and in a scattered estate of the Church; that might be lawfull to them in that case of necessity, which otherwise is unlawfull: But I will not presse that too far.
First then, Their sense is this; That whatsoever gift a man hath he is required to exercise it; if he hath a gift to preach, and that publickly, he must preach, &c. And to prove this sense, I observe they use three Arguments, which I shall propound and consider.
1. It is a gift indefinitely, and therefore it may extend to all gifts. p. 32.
Ans. 1. And suppose it do extend to all gifts, it is a truth granted by us, that whatsoever gift a man hath, he ought to exercise it, but still, as he is called to it, and in his own sphear.
2. Nothing more usual then for an expression indefinite in words, to be definite in sense, and to be limited pro subjectâ materiâ, according to the matter in hand. It would be vanity to multiply instances in a case so known. If our Brethren were discoursing with an Arminian, about the extent of Christs death, who should urge the word world, and mankind, and infer as they do, that the word being indefinite, it is to be taken of all mankind, they would quickly find an answer, that such indefinite expressions are to be compared with, and explained by other places, where they are restrained; and the same Answer may stop the mouth of this Argument: So that to argue from the indefinitenesse of the phrase is but loose reasoning.
2. They say, This general expression must be interpreted and limited by that which follows, If any man speak, &c. pag. 33.
Ans. 1. It may every whit as well be limited and interpreted by the foregoing words, and if so, then all that our Brethren say from these words fals to the ground.
2. If it must be limited by the following words, so it may, without any prejudice to our cause, in this manner, v. 10. he laies this down in the general, that every man that hath a gift must use it; then in the 11th verse, he instanceth in two sorts of men that have received gifts, to wit, Ministers and Deacons, who must be carefull to use their gifts, and therefore in like manner all others are obliged to use the gifts that God hath given them: Or if they will not allow these to be Officers, it may be limited, according to their own apprehensions, that as every man in general is to use his gifts, so in particular every man that hath preaching gifts is to use them; but how? i. e. as far as God doth call him forth to the use of them, but no further; and to us there appears no ordinary way now of Gods calling forth men to this work, but by Ordination.
3. They argue from the particle As; As he hath received, i. e. according to the nature of his gift, he that hath private gifts, must use them privately; he that hath publick gifts, i. e. gifts fit for publick use, must use them publickly, p. 33.
Ans. 1. The word foreign may well be understood causally, because he hath received it.
2. And if it be meant thus (which we say is a truth) that God expects an use of talents, proportionable to what he gives, yet every one must act in his order, and in his place and sphear, and as God cals him forth, as we shall see more fully by and by.
3. But what if this proportion be meant of Almes-giving? then all that they say fals to the ground.
Thus we have seen how our Brethren sense this place, and what are the reasons that prevail with them so to do, which whether they be of that consequence as to justifie them in the holding of an opinion so offensive to thousands of sincere Christians, and so introductory of all confusion, I leave to sober Readers to judge. And yet their own sense doth draw after it such grosse and manifest absurdities, that they dare not abide by it absolutely, but qualifie it with an exception sufficient to invalidate all their Argument.
They say, By this text all gifted persons are commanded to preach, unlesse there can be shewn some Scripture-prohibition to forbid their preaching. p. 35.
To which I reply two things; 1. Hereby the plea is removed to another Court, and the Question lies here, Whether elsewhere there be any prohibition? which must be judged afterwards, by comparing our Arguments and their Answers.
2. It lies not upon us to shew a prohibition to restrain them from preaching, but upon them to shew a warrant for preaching (seeing for instituted worship we must have a positive warrant) which this place we see affords not, and whether any other place affords, we shall see hereafter. But we must not yet part with our Brethrens Argument from this place. There are three or four difficulties with which it is gravel'd.
The first is that urged by Dr Collins, Here is not only a liberty granted, but a duty enjoined, so that by this Text, gifted persons not only may, but must preach, and that without election or calling, for the Churches neglect of their duty, must not make him neglect his.
The full vindication of this, I shall leave to that reverend Author, but I cannot wholly let it go untouched: I shall form the Argument thus, They who are by vertue of a divine precept to preach the Gospel, are to do it necessarily, Necessity is laid upon me, yea, wo is unto me if I preach not the Gospel, they are to do it in season and out of season, they are to give themselves wholly to these things, they are not to leave the Word of God to serve tables: But all that have preaching gifts are not under such obligations, our Brethren being Judges. Ergo, they are not obliged to preach the Gospel.
The major I prove, Ubi lex non distinguit, non est distinguendum. The Scripture takes no notice of two sorts of preachers, whereof the one may preach seldomer or oftner as they please, and as the Church desires; and the other must preach frequently, constantly; and even those upon whom the lest obligation lies in our Brethrens opinion, are commanded. It is true no preachers are in Scripture obliged to preach in such or such a place, nor to preach so often (the determination of these and other like circumstances, is left to the rules of prudence, and general direction of the word) yet all are obliged to be instant and diligent in the work: And as the service of the Church is unspeakably to be preferred before the best merchandize, and Gods glory before their own wordly interest; so when a man hath received gifts for the service of preaching, if these commands oblige him to preach, they oblige him to throw off all the impediments of that noble work, and to give himself wholly to these things: And the rather, because of our Brethrens own Argument; A man must exercise his gift as he hath received it. Now if a man have ability to preach ordinarily and constantly every Lords day, if he would use sufficient diligence, such a man dischargeth not his trust in preaching sparingly and occasionally only.
Obj. But they say, that the case of a Minister and a gifted brother are alike in this, A Minister sins not, if he be put out of employment, and cast into a place where his gifts are not desired, &c. And so it is with gifted men, &c.
Ans. Will our Brethren then say, that others not desiring a man to exercise his gifts, will justifie him in the not exercising of it? Can any man dispence with anothers wrapping his Talent in a napkin? What if Paul had come to a place where he was not desired to preach, (which often was his case) was he then free from his necessity of preching? Or what if a Church grow weary of hearing and preaching, so that they desire not their Pastour to preach among them, Will this excuse him, if he throw off preaching? For my part I must professe, were I in that case, though I might think it more advantageous to the Church to dispose of my self in some other place. yet should I by no means look at it as a dispensation from the work of preaching, though no man should desire me, (were there but any that would hear me.) Nay more, where the Apostles were not only, not desired, but forbidden to preach, yet they accounted it their duty to continue in that work. Whether that hold in ordinary Ministers, I shall not now dispute; this only I shall say, (and that is fully sufficient for our purpose) that if a Minister be put out of employment, or be in a place where he is not desired to preach, yet if he may be permitted to preach, and the affairs of the Church require it, he ought to do it, or to employ himself in some other way, which may be equivalent for the Churches service.
I shall adde but one Argument to our Brethren, taken from their own words; Whatsoever duty a man may lawfully do, that he is bound to do: But one that is really gifted for preaching (for ought we know) may lawfully preach without approbation from a Church, or from others, say they; Therefore, one that is really gifted is bound to preach, although neither the Church nor others do approve it, much lesse desire it. The major is most clear, and it were a contradiction to say, that such a thing is a duty, which may in such a case be lawfully done, and yet that it is not his duty, or that he is not bound to it: The minor is their own words. And this is the first inconvenience their sense of this place runs upon.
A second is this, That hereby it will follow that women may, nay must preach.
A third is, That by the same rule, every one who hath a gift to be a General, Magistrate, &c. may undertake those places: To these our Brethren say something by way of Answer; but the Reply I must leave to him who is more concerned in them: they are so fully and largely discussed by divers already, that it is needlesse to say any thing more of them, and we may have occasion to speak of them hereafter.
But the fourth and principall thing is this: It is true, every one is to exercise his gift, but in his own sphear, publick persons publickly, private persons privately; and so did Aquila and Priscilla, Acts 18. and those women, Phil. 4. 3.
And because here the shoe pincheth, our Brethren make a strong attempt against this assertion, and endeavour to batter it down by divers Considerations.
For the examples of Aquila and Priscilla, they say, 1. It appears not whether they were apt to preach publickly or no. p. 42.
Ans. 1. It appears that they were excellently gifted, in such a measure that Paul cals them his co-workers, or fellow labourers (for so much the word foreign imports) in the work of the Gospel, Rom. 16. 3. Nor is it in the least intimated that they were not gifted to speak in publick; and therefore seeing the excellency of their gifts is mentioned, without any note of restraint or diminution, it is most ingenuous and reasonable, to conclude they were apt to speak publickly.
2. They instructed Apollo privately, for that was most expedient. p. 42.
Ans. It is true it was most fit to do it privately, yet not so, as that it was inconvenient to advise Apollo to be a diligent hearer publickly: They might have taught Apollo (with others) publickly, without any reflection upon him: Seeing therefore we reade of their doing it privately, not a word of their doing it publickly; it is a certain truth which we assert, that they instructed privately, and but a meer supposition that they did, or might do it publickly.
2. As to the main Objection they say many things: To take notice of all they say will be needlesse: The strength of what they have, lies in these things:
1. Private men may do the same work with preaching, i. e. they may open and apply Scriptures, exhort, rebuke, &c. p. 44.
And because they know we grant this, and say they may do the same work, but not in the same manner, not publickly, they adde
2. That every Church-member is obliged to teach and admonish every fellow member, as occasion requires, p 46.
Ans. If they mean that every member is bound to do this publickly (else it is nothing to the purpose, for to do it privately we allow) then not only gifted brethren, but all the brethren, yea and sisters to, not only may, but must turn publick preachers.
3. A publick gift cannot be fully improved, if it be not used publickly, but privately only, p. 47.
Ans. 1. If therefore any really have publick gifts, and desire to use them publickly, let them with the houshold of Stephanas, addict themselves wholly to the work of the Ministry, and not interlope betwixt two Callings.
2. I would know of our Brethren, whether this general rule (upon which their Argument hangs) be true or false, to wit, That the bare having of a gift fit for publick use, is of it self a sufficient ground for that publick use of it, without any other call. If they say that it is not true in the general, but only true in this particular case, then they discover to all the world, that it is but an hypothesis of their own, meerly taken up for the defence of a prae-conceived opinion: If they say it is true in the general, then, what if a woman is gifted to teach? or a man gifted to rule? The Argument is every whit as strong. I will return their own Argument upon them thus. Every man ought fully to improve the gift he hath, and if he have a publick gift, he ought to improve it publickly: But many private men have the gift of Ruling, Judging, Leading an Army, &c. and this gift cannot be fully improved, but by the publick exercise of it: Therefore such private men ought publickly to exercise such gifts. There is no way to avoid this conclusion, but by saying that besides these gifts a call is required, which till a man hath, he is not obliged to exercise his gifts publickly. And the same Answer (if our Brethren will be candid) may satisfie them, That besides preaching gifts, there is a call required (whatever that call be) and till a man hath that call he is not to exercise his preaching gifts publickly, nor do his gifts oblige him or warrant him thereunto.
4. They say, Publicknesse in acting is not so material a thing, it doth not make an act to be an act of Office, the publickness of the act doth not make it preaching; private men spake publickly, Acts 15. 12. Any private men may give Almes publickly in the Assembly, which is the Deacons Office. p. 49.
Ans. 1. Though bare publicknesse of speaking makes it not preaching, yet that is one main ingredient of that preaching which is now in Question, and (as we judge) a property of Authoritative preaching: And so material is the difference between publick and private teaching or preaching (call it what you will, for I hate logomachies) that although this latter is allowed to women, and was performed by Priscilla, yet publick teaching, or teaching in the Church-Assembly is forbidden to women upon this account, because it is an authoritative act, as is most evident from 1 Cor. 14. 34. & 1 Tim. 2. 11, 12. where the very reason given why they must not teach in publick, is because they must not usurp authority; concluding beyond contradiction, that to preach publickly is an act of authority, and inconsistent with a state of subjection, and therefore not to be performed by any who are in a state of subjection, and under obedience to Officers, whether men or women. Yea further, whereas some of our Brethren contend, that although preaching constantly in publick be unlawfull to gifted men, yet preaching occasionally may be lawfull. I offer it to their consideration, that it is not only preaching constantly, which is here forbidden to women, but also preaching occasionally, though but once in publick, seeing even such preaching is accounted an act of authority: And therefore by a parity of reason gifted men are forbidden to preach, not only constantly, but also occasionally (further then necessity requires, &c)
2. For Acts 15. we allow private men, though not to preach, yet to speak publickly in divers cases, as at Vestries, Synods, &c. sometimes propounding questions, desiring to be further satisfied, &c.
3. For the last clause it is a meer fallacy; for though in that case a private man give his alms publickly, yet indeed he doth not give the Publick Alms (which is the Deacons office) but only his own private alms he gives in a publick way.
5. They say, It is usuall for a man being requested, to do the work of another mans calling; one that is no Schoolmaster may tend a School occasionally for a few daies, and yet he doth not go out of his sphear. p. 50.
Ans. The parallel no way holds, for, though for other reasons the gift of some Schoolmasters places is limited, yet indeed in it self, neither the Office nor Work of a Schoolmaster is restrained, either by Divine or Humane Law; any man that is fit, may manage it, and we see ordinarily persons uncalled set up Schools without any authority, and yet without any blame. If they would have a fit parallel, take that of a Magistrate; What if a Justice of the peace request another man to sit for him upon the bench? may he do it? I trow not.
6 They say, A man may chuse it as his calling to preach, and fit himself for it, &c. (though he do not own Ordination as that which gives him a call) now in this case, he doth not go out of his calling to preach. Men who have other callings, may leave them and become teachers, Heb. 5. 12. Nor doth the 1 Cor. 7. 20. forbid a change of callings, but only command a man in his calling to abide with God, v. 24. p. 51.
Ans. I. Designation of a mans self to a calling, is one thing, and a solemn inauguration into that calling is another thing: Suppose a man design himself for the service of a state, &c. untill he be by authority installed into some Office of State, he is but a private person (notwithstanding all his intentions and preparations for that work) and if he should undertake to do the acts of an Officer of State, before he receive a civil Ordination (as I may call it) he should go out of his sphear. In like manner, whosoever designes himself for the Ministry, and intends that calling, yet, if he undertake to do the acts of the Office before he be called to it, he goes out of his place.
II. For Heb. 5. 12. I must needs declare that I am sorry to see good men take such liberty to wrest the Scripture to serve their conceits: O how great is the power of prejudice! But I Answer,
1. Do our Brethren indeed believe that it was the duty (duty I say, for Paul speaks not what they may do, but what they ought to do) of all the Hebrews, men and women (for to both he writes promiscuously) to be publick teachers?
2. Say that all must endeavour to be teachers, what then? must they needs be publick teachers? A genere ad speciem non valet illatio affirmativa. They ought to be able to teach their families, to teach Heathens, to teach babes in Christ, and this will run smoothly and take in all. It is the duty of all men and women to grow in knowledge, and to be able to teach others, according as their place and opportunity inables them.
Obj. But he speaks of such teaching as babes in Christ do not attain to, and such as is attained by long time, and such as belongs to grown Christians, v. 12, 13, 14. whereas all believers and babes in Christ are teachers in that private brotherly way, and therefore this cannot be meant of private, but of publick teaching, p. 52.
Ans. It follows not: The teaching here spoken of, though private, yet was not attained unto by the Hebrews, by babes in Christ, they were (according to the Apostl's description) unable to teach their families, or to instruct an Heathen privately, if he had desired information from them, for he tels us, they had need that one should teach them again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God. Our Brethren perplex themselves by confounding two things much differing, to wit, the duty and the ability: For babes in Christ it is their duty to teach, i. e. privately, yet they may want ability to teach.
3. Teachers are here taken for such as are apt to teach, foreign for foreign, not that the Apostle injoyns it upon all the Hebrews, as their duty actually to turn publick teachers (If the whole body were the eye, where were the hearing?) but only to be fit to teach, id est, in the sense explained: As Gal. 2. 11. he was foreign, id est, word for word, condemned, blamed, that is, he was to be blamed. So Tully, Quis te damnatior? that is, who is more to be blamed than thou.
III. For 1 Cor. 7. 20. Although I conceive not that every man is so obliged to continue in his calling, that he may not upon weighty reasons change it for another; yet surely that text forbids a rash and groundlesse removing from one calling to another: As it is true, whether a man keeps his old calling or enters upon a new one, he ought to do it with God (which is all that can be collected from the 24th verse) yet v. 20. servants, and so others a pari, are plainly commanded not to change their callings, i. e. rashly and causelesly.
7. They cite a command, Heb. 10. 25. But exhorting one another, i. e. in those Church-Assemblies, to which the opposition clearly referres it: Not only Officers, but all Christians are to do it, p. 54. And whereas they know it will and may justly be replied, that by this rule all Christians are commanded to exhort publickly, they endeavour to take that off by saying, only those that were able to do it are intended, as if a father bid all his children go to work, he doth not include the child in the cradle: But here is a manifest halt; for all the grown Christians were able to teach, though not all alike, (as of the grown children some could work better, some worse, yet by their supposition all that can work quovis modo, are commanded to work.) Some had better, some had meaner gifts, but the very meanest could provoke to good works, and might say something to admonish, to counsel and comfort others, to perswade them to persevere, &c. nay to that purpose a sincere hearted man, though of very mean abilities, might speak more effectually then some able Teachers: So that if this place prove any thing to our Brethrens purpose, it will prove that it was the duty of every one, gifted or not gifted, to preach in the publick Assembly, which is not only false, but contrary to their own opinion.
But I Answer further; Their assembling together is not the modification of the exhortation (as if they were to do it in the publick Assembly) but the matter of the exhortation, they were (every one according to his place privately or publickly) to exhort one another, to what? even to this, that they would not forsake the assembling of themselves together, i. e. that they would not apostatize from the Christian Religion, and Christian Worship, and Christian Assemblies, nor relapse to Judaism, but that they would persevere to the end, that they would hold fast the profession of their faith without wavering, v. 23. And this concerns the first sense put upon the place, as if it obliged all gifted men to preach.
In the second place the Assembly take notice, that by gift, may be understood the Office, he that speaketh, i. e. the publick Office-preacher, let him do it, &c. and he that ministreth, i. e. the Deacon: And thus also others unconcerned in this quarrell, understand the words. But against this our Brethren offer divers exceptions.
1. They say, Neither the context nor subsequent verses referre to Officers, but to Christians in general, therefore this doth not, p. 57.
Ans. Nothing is more common in Scriputre, than for general and special exhortations to be joyned together, and for the Apostles to make a transition from a general to a special exhortation, and from a special to a general, as almost every interpreter of Scripture observeth.
2. They say, foreign are far more usually taken for gifts, than for an Office, p. 59.
Ans. 1. It sufficeth that sometimes it is taken for an Office, and therefore so it may be taken here.
2. And if it be granted that gift is taken in their sense in this place, it availeth them not, for the 10 verse may be a general rule, wherein every man is commanded to exercise whatsoever gifts he hath received, and to exercise them in a right manner; and in the 11 verse he comes to instance in two particulars; the Publick teacher, saith he, as he hath received gifts for teaching, and the gift of the Office, so let him speak, &c. and so the Deacon, &c. And this shall suffice to speak of the second sense.
A word now of the third, which is this, That this gift is meant of estates, &c. which a man is to use for Gods glory and the good of others, for so the dependance upon the foregoing words carries it; Use hospitality, &c. and then he addes a reason, because they have received it, and so may and ought to lay it out; or (if you will) as a rule to guide persons in the management of it, that they should lay out according to what they receive in. To this there are but two things objected:
1. They are here called stewards, not of this worlds goods, but of the grace of God, and not of one grace only, to wit, charity, but of the manifold grace of God, p. 35.
Ans. The grace of God which properly signifies an attribute of God, is commonly in Scripture taken for the gracious effects and actings of that grace towards men. And whereas these effects and actings of grace are of two sorts, some concerning this life, and some concerning the other life, either of these, or any effects of grace may be called the grace of God Metonymically, and in respect of such temporal effects (as well as spiritual.) God is frequently said to be gracious, Exod. 22.—It is his raiment —and when he crieth unto me, then I will hear, for I am gracious: So also Amos 5. 15. 1 Sam. 12. 22. 2 Kings 13. 23.
And indeed, although this may possibly seem strange to him that is praepossessed with the common use and acception of the word Grace in the English tongue; yet can it not seem improbable to him who knows the use of the Greek word foreign (and that is the language which the holy Ghost used) which is indeed nothing else but a favour or blessing, so that, all that we are here exhorted unto, is to be good stewards of the manifold favour of God, or of the manifold blessings which come from the grace and favour of God. And thus far our Brethren agree with us, that by the grace of God we are to understand the effects thereof towards us; only here lies the difference between us, that they will needs expound it of the spiritual and internal acts of this grace (because that seems to favour their cause most) when, as we say, it may be understood of the external and temporal effects of that grace, for of such things he spake in the foregoing verse: And in that sense the word grace is taken in relation to men, viz. for the temporal effects of their grace or favour towards others, 2 Cor. 8. 19. Who was chosen to travel with us, with this grace which is administred unto us, i. e. with this charitable contribution, as all Interpreters agree. So that no man can justly stumble at that sense of the word here. And for the addition of the word, the manifold grace of God, who knows not that Gods temporal favours (of all which we are to be good stewards) are manifold? There is as great multiplicity and variety in temporall as in spirituall blessings.
2. They say, This will destroy the connexion of this verse with the rest.
Ans. 1. What more common then for exhortations of divers sorts, in Pauls Epistles, to be joyned together without any coherence.
2. This doth not dissolve the connexion, but only varies the connexion, for whereas they annex it to the following verse, this sense joynes it to the foregoing verse.
And this may fully serve for the Vindication of this place of Scripture; wherein, though I have not taken notice of every word said by our Brethren, yet any ingenuous Reader that compares theirs and mine together, will discern that I have not omitted any thing which is either considerable or plausible, and for other things I have not so much spare time as to throw it away upon them.
And thus much for their second Argument.