A Just Defense of Hearing the Sermons, Chapter 10 · Section 7
Sect. 7. Pauls rejoycing at the preaching Christ, of contention, warrants hearing the present Ministers.
Object. 3. Paul rejoyceth at the preaching of the Gospel, though 'twas preached out of envy, Phil. 1.15 16. To which briefly;
1. There may be cause of rejoycing in respect of the issue and event of things, by the wise providence of God, though the means used for their production be evil; and not to be abetted or complyed with: In what have Christians greater cause of rejoycing than in the death of Christ? yet had it been utterly unlawfull to have joyn'd in counsel with, or any wayes abetted or encouraged those wicked persons that Crucified and slew him. Should the Pope send some Jesuits into any remote parts of Africa to preach the Gospel to the poor Indians there, here were upon some accounts ground of rejoycing yet no ground for Saints to attend upon a Jesuitical Ministry.
But, 2ly, It appears not, that these Paul speaks of, were not true Gospel Ministers, and so it reacheth not the case in hand: This being that, we have proved the Ministers of England guilty of, viz. and acting in the holy things of God without any commission from Christ, which when our dissenting brethren prove they have, we shall easily acknowledge the lawfullness of attending upon their Ministry.
3ly. It follows not in the least, that these the Apostle speaks of, were either not real Saints, or not true Ministers of Christ, because they are said to preach him out of envy; the object whereof was not Christ; (for had they envyed him, they would never have preached him) but Paul, (thinking, sayes he, to add afflictions to my bonds) which is consistent with grace, and a lawfull mission to the preaching of the Gospel.
Yet, 4ly, Here is not in this Scripture the least word requiring Christians to hear them. That because Paul rejoyces at their preaching, therefore 'tis the duty of Saints to attend upon their Ministry, is such a non-sequitur as will never be made good.
I reply, nor needs it, the lawfulness to hear the present Ministers of England, not the duty of the Saints to attend upon their Ministers being the thing in question, and therefore it is sufficient for my purpose if I prove hence the lawfulness of hearing them, though I should not prove it the Saints duty to attend on their Ministry. Which I conceive may be done by this argument. They, in whose preaching of Christ we may rejoyce, though they should not preach Christ sincerely, but in pretence out of envy, not good will, out of contention, thinking to add affliction to other Ministers bonds, may be heard by the Saints lawfully: But the Saints may rejoyce in the present Ministers of England their preaching of Christ, though they should not preach Christ sincerely, but in pretence, out of envy, not good will, out of contention, thinking to add affliction to other Ministers bonds. Therefore the Saints may hear the present Ministers of England lawfully. The major is grounded on this, that the thing we may rejoyce in is good, for which we may thank God, and consequently hear: which is agreeable to that of the Prophets, Esai. 52.7. Nahum. 1.15. applyed by the Apostle Rom. 10.15. to the preaching of the Gospel, who, he supposeth, are to be welcomed and heard. The minor is proved from the Apostles example, Phil. 1.15, 16, 17.18. That preaching of Christ that is no other then St. Paul rejoyced in, and professed he would rejoyce in, the Saints now may rejoyce in, though it be not sincerely, but in pretence, out of envy, not good will, out of contention, to add affliction to other Ministers bonds; But such is the preaching Christ by the present Ministers, ergo, the Saints may rejoyce in it. The major is not to be denyed, unless it be shewed that the Apostle did evil in so rejoycing. The minor is manifest, in that no other exception is taken against their preaching, then such as with as great reason might have nullified the joy of St. Paul in that, which moved him to rejoyce. In a word, though personal defects and miscarriages were in the preaching of Christ, yet the thing it self being good and occasioning the magnifying of Christ, it is, and should be, matter of joy to all that love Christ. To this Argument I find the Author of the Pamphlet intituled prelatical preachers none of Christs teachers, p. 45. answering thus, that preaching of Christ is not to be rejoyced in without limitation, because of these texts, Mark 1.24, 25. Luke 4.34, 35.41. Acts 16.18. Acts 15.1. Gal. 5.2, 4.12. Phil. 3.2, 3. Acts 20.29. Psal. 50.16.18. But he sets not down the limitation he would gather thence; only it may se…m by the texts, that we are not to rejoyce in the confession of Christ or his servants by the Devils, when the necessity of circumcision and keeping the law of Moses for justification is taught, when hypocrites take Gods law into their mouths by professing or declaring of it, but hate to be reformed. Which we grant, but say all these texts, and the limitation thence deducible, are impertinent to the present argument, for as much as these do not preach Christ. Nor, saith that Author, in propriety and strictness of speech can Christ be said to be preached by a prelatical Ministry: they justifie them that deny Christ to be the sole law-giver of his Church, and so make him an Idol. Which to be false is shewed in the answer to the 5th. chapter of this treatise. Yet saith that Author, p. 46. In case such a Minister as this that preacheth by the Bishops licence should in his Doctrine or Sermon affirm Jesus Christ to be the sole law-giver unto his Churches, yet in, and by his very act of preaching he should deny it: should the Apostle rejoyce in that preaching of Christ which is a denying him? An horrible speech of monstrous absurdity and impudent malice. I should not say so much of such preaching, though it were by the Popes licence, or the Devils instigation: For though I should not rejoyce in the motive or impulsive cause by which it is done, yet I would not so censure the thing it self as a denying of Christ. But how the receiving of a license from a Protestant Bishop to preach the Gospel within his Diocess, and preaching there by vertue of it according to the order established by the law of the land should be a denying of Christs legislative power, is to me incomprehensible, and to use that Authors phrasifying, the first born of absurdities. I should rejoyce, and bless God to obtain such power upon justifiable conditions.
But to our Author; His First answer is not to the purpose; For rejoycing in the Ministers preaching of Christ, or those that preached out of envy, is not a rejoycing in the good event by evil means, but in a good event by good means, the preaching Christ is a good thing, in which the Apostle, and we rejoyce, and the effect is good, although the motive and end of the preachers be evil. The putting of Christ to death was in it self evil, and not to be rejoyced in, though the effect of it be good, and to be rejoyced in, no way was the acting of Pilate, or Herod, or the Jewes, to be abetted, but to be abhorred, though the Counsel of God was to be justified and extolled, as was done, Acts 4.24. &c. Should the Pope send Jesuites to preach the Gospel, and they should continue to preach it, and no doctrine antievangelical, I know no reason, why the Saints might not attend on their Ministry.
To the 2d. 3d. and 4th. Answers I reply, That the preaching of Christ in opposition to Paul makes it probable, that they were not real Saints, nor true Ministers in his sence, such motives being contrary to that brotherly love, which is in every real Saint, 1 John 3.14. and that order of the Church by which is a lawfull mission, which me thinks he should not conceive to have been in them that acted in a way of contention against St. Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles. And for the Ministers of England, I like better the words of Mr. Iohn Robinson in his Justification of the Separation, p. 307. then these Authors words: In the general, I confess, there is a proportion, and so in that general and large sence, wherein Mr. Bernard pag. 313. expounds the word sent, or Apostle, I do acknowledge many Ministers in England sent of God: that is, that it comes not to pass without the special providence, and Ordination of God, that such and such men should rise up, and preach such and such truths for the furtherance of the Salvation of Gods elect, in the places where they come. They which preached Christ of envy and strife to add more afflictions to the Apostles bonds, were in this respect sent of God, and therefore it was, that the Apostle joyed at their preaching. How much more they that preach of a sincere mind, though through ignorance, or infirmity, both their place and enterance into it be most unwarrantable? And sure, if they may in this sense be said to be sent of God, it follows Saints may hear them, which was to be proved. It is added,