The Pulpits Patronage Against Unordained Usurpation, Part 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. The ground of it.
THe godly Miniſters of England, have been for ſome years paſt, neglected and deſpiſed: their perſons many times expoſed to affronts and incivilities: their Doctrine ſcandalized and reproached, they have ſat ſtill, and not been over-haſty to make their own defence; they thought it proper, to let their enemies have ſcope and liberty to put all their exceptions in, and be heard out in all their calumnies: that as the Nation had had ſome experience and evidence of their integrity and innocency: ſo they might have ſome time to ponder and conſider what is ſaid againſt them: truth (they believed) was the Daughter of time, and loſt not, but gained by her gray hairs, ſcelera impetu, bona conſilia mora valeſcunt, a lie will do the work of truth, if it be preſently for to be done; but if it ſtay, it will catch cold, pellucet omne mendacium, nec per omnia quadrat, in time ſome circumſtance will be diſcovered, that will detect it; but now, that all is ſaid that can be, their adverſaries have been ſeen and known; and their exceptions ſcanned by the godly and well-meaning party of the Land, they think it proper for them to come unto their anſwer: and they think, ſome beams have lately ſhined in the matter of their dues and ſalaries, that do admoniſh and awaken them unto their own defence: yet were that all that were in queſtion, they hope they ſhould have held their peace: were it our garbs and Garments only that were indangered, we hope we ſhould have been content to be without them, or had it been our liberties alone that had been ſtruck at, we hope, with Eſther, we ſhould have held our tongues: (a)Eſth. 7. 4.nay, we will go yet a little farther, were it our lives alone, that had been ſought, we hope we ſhould not ſordidly, nor baſely have endeavoured for to ſave them; but have adventured them, (as many hundreds have already done) upon that promiſe, he that will ſave his life, ſhall loſe it; but whoſoever ſhall loſe his life for my ſake ſhall ſave it, (b)Luk. 9. 24.if we had been well aſſured, that our blood would have in riched and fattened the ſoile and ground of this our native Countrey, as the blood of the Martyrs did in former time the Churches: we hope we ſhould have been content to be the purchaſers of that, at any price, and to ſay with the Apoſtle, that none of thoſe things move us, neither count we our lives dear unto us, that we may fulfil our courſe with joy, and the Miniſtry we have received, to teſtific the Goſpel of the grace of God, (c)Act. 20. 24.though there ought to be no haſt, to hang true men: and its truly ſaid, nulla eſt de morte hominis cunctatio longa, and by gaining time, many have gained Life: when Arion in the Port was condemned to be drowned, by thoſe barbarous Pirates that had ſeized on his money, yet they gave him time, to play a while upon his harp; wherewith the Dolphins being allured and made his hearers, one of them bears him ſafe upon his back, unto his native Countrey, (if the Muthollogiſt may be believed) when Paul was going to be examined by ſcourging, which many times coſt men their lives,) he craves the benefit of his Clergy, that is, of his being a Citizen of Rome, and by that means, was delivered: (d)Act. 22. 25, 26.there was one Mooragena, (as Polybius writes) that was appointed by Agathocles, in Alexandria, to be tormented, and all the Inſtruments and Executioners were ready: yet the Officer being ſuddenly and unexpectedly by one whiſpered in the eare, and going out, the Executioner ſoon followed, and left him naked all alone, and ſo he eſcaped, accidit in puncto, quod non ſperatur in anno: yet had that been all, our defence ſhould not have been praepropera purgatio: we would have ſtayed, till we had been beckoned to, to ſpeak as Paul did; (e)Act. 24. 10but when we hear our Calling vilified, our Miniſtry decried, as Antichriſtian and unlawful, as uſeleſſe, heedleſſe, carnal and unprofitable: we cannot hold our peace, nay, when we hear it voiced, if not voted, null and void, not by the vulgar breath of common and unskilful perſons, but at Committees, and by ſome, in higheſt place, we cannot then be quiet and content: they that will not be awakened by ſuch a voice, (though we know it came not from the Temple) may have their grace, ad dormiendum Endymionis ſomnum, for ought we know.
Yet, were it we alone, that were concerned in our Miniſtry, we ſhould not ſtruggle over-much, were our good only, and reputation, obſcured and bedewed with the Cloud, that is, upon our Calling, we ſhould not be ſo ſenſible; but we think Religion and the precious truths of Chriſt are ſtruck at in us, that we are ſet for the defence of the Goſpel, as Paul was, (f)Ph. 1. 17.that if the Shepheards be ſmitten, the ſheep of the flock will be ſcattered abroad: (g)Mat. 26. 31.the Miniſters in Scripture, (h)Act. 26. 16 1 Cor. 4. 1.are called foreign, a name derived from a word, that ſignifies to rowe, and ſit at Oars, as Seamen do, validis incumbite remis, perhaps incumbents ſprang from this Original, and the Church is compared to a Boat or Ship: *1 p. 3. 20. 21.now how a Boat or Ship ſhould come in ſafe unto the Port or Haven, without her Marriners and Sailers, we do not know. Paul had a promiſe, that no mans life ſhould periſh, but the Ship or Veſſel only, (i)Act. 27. 22▪yet when the Marriners did think to ſteal away, Paul tells them, that without thoſe abode, they could not poſſibly be ſaved, (k)v. 31.its truly ſaid, in tranquillo quilibet poteſt eſſe gubernator, in calm and quiet Seas, and in obvious and open harbours, an ordinary perſon may make a ſhift to ſteere; but when the Seas are rough, and the Ports and Channels dubious and uncertain, there needeth skill.
The word of God, in the mouth of one, that is, an Officer, is by Gods ſpirit, called the word of ſalvation, (l)Act. 13. 26.for whoſoever ſhall call upon the name of the Lord ſhall be ſaved; but how ſhall they call upon him, in whom they have not believed? and how ſhall they believe on him, of whom they have not heard? and how ſhall they hear without a Preacher? and how ſhall they preach except they be ſent? (m)Rom. 10. 13. 14, 15.ſo it is ſaid of Peter to Cornelius, (n)Act. 11. 14He ſhall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy houſe ſhall be ſaved; and ſo the Apoſtle unto Timothy, (o)1 Tim. 4. 16.take heed to thy ſelf and to the Doctrine, continue in them; for in ſo doing, thou ſhalt both ſave thy ſelf, and them that hear thee: therefore we think, ſalvation and an ordered Miniſtery, are ſo in ſeparable, that the one is not without the other: neither do we finde in all our reading and experience, that the Miniſters were taken away from any people, and yet the Goſpel and ſalvation ſtayed behinde, that the lights or Candles were removed, as they are called, (p)Mat. 5. 14. 15.and yet the Candleſticks continued and let alone, when as we finde a threatning to remove the Candleſtick, becauſe the light burnt ſome what dimmer: (q)Rev. 2, 5.we finde ſalvation and damnation, intituled to, and intailed upon an ordered and lawful Miniſtry, (r)Mark. 16. 15, 16.preach the Goſpel to every Creature, he that believeth and is baptized ſhall be ſaved, he that believeth not ſhall be damned: damnation is by our Saviour, ſaid to be the loſing of our ſouls, (s)Mat. 16. 26.and we dare not undervalue peoples ſouls: we think mens ſouls are capable of joy and ſorrow, of pain and pleaſure, of comfort and torment, as Lazarus and Dives are ſaid to be: (t)Luk. 16. 25thoſe poyſoned pens that have attempted to aſſert the contrary, have not convinced us; for then we think our Saviour Chriſt could in no ſenſe have ſaid unto the Thief upon the Croſſe, to day thou ſhalt be with me in Paradice: (u)Luk. 23. 43.we think the Devil, (who is himſelf a ſpirit,) would not ſo ſeriouſly endeavour, and intend the ruine of them, as he doth; (w)1 Pet. 5. 8.for he is kind and friendly many times unto their bodies, upon condition, he may indanger and inſnare their ſouls, feeds often, and refreſheth that, that he may famiſh and devoure the other.