The Pulpits Patronage Against Unordained Usurpation, Part 1 · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII. The ſixteenth Argument.
THat ought to be in every ſetled, well-ordered Arg▪ 16 Church, without which a Church cannot be ſetled, nor ordered well; as that ought to be in every man, without which one is not, nor cannot be a man; for in every ſpecies, or kind of being, there muſt be ſomething that compounds it, and begets a difference from other beings; and therefore though there be, and ought to be in every man a Reaſonable faculty, yet that compounds him not eſſentially, and as a conſtituting principle, becauſe it doth not diſtinguiſh him from Angels; but to be a reaſonable animal doth, or beaſt, or wight, as thoſe are called (a)Rev. 6. 6, 7, 8.. When ſome of the Philoſophers had read unto their ſchollars, that Homo was animal bipes implume, 'tis ſaid, Diogenes pull'd all the feathers off a Cock, and turned him alive amongſt the Scholars, and told them that was their Maſters Homo, for thoſe two properties, being accidentall both of them, and forraign, could not eſſentially diſtinguiſh him: ſo that glorious founder of Wincheſter Schoole, & New-Colledge, was wont to ſay, that manners made a man; but he did not mean it naturally but morally, not eſſentially but accidentally, that they were the beauty, grace, and Ornament of man, but not the being of him.
But without ſome to attend and act in holy things, a Church cannot be ſetled nor ordered well; for Paſtors and Teachers were given by Chriſt for the perfecting of the Saints, the work of the Miniſtery, the edifying of the body of Chriſt (b)Eph. 4. 12.: an houſe cannot be ſetled and ordered well till it be built, ſettlement & order ſuppoſe being: nothing is ſetled that is not ſe, tuor ordered, that is not; bene eſſe, ſuppoſeth eſſe; ſo Solomon (c)1 King. 8. 13., I have ſurely built thee an houſe to dwel in, a ſetled place for thee to abide in for ever; an houſe muſt be built, and then ſetled: ſo in the Prophet (d)Ezek. 40., the building of the houſe is firſt ſhewed, then the beautifying and endowing of it: ſome rude unhewen materials may be comported and brought together, without this ſetled and orderly attendance, we do acknowledge, but cannot be framed into a building, without an architect, there muſt be a skilful Maſter-builder, (ſuch as Paul was), (e)1 Cor. 3. 10to lay the foundations of it, and others to build on that foundation. If we come into an unknown Country, and meet there with well-framed and compoſed ſtructures and edifices, we conclude, that workmen have been there, and ſo it is truly ſaid, (f)Heb 3. 4.every houſe is builded by ſome man; but ſetling ſuppoſeth much more then building and being barely; for it ſuppoſeth Officers, and acts, as Solomon not only built his houſe, but ordered it, with many other accomodations, before he could be ſaid to ſettle it (g)1 King. 10. 4, 5.: there was not only the houſe that he had built, but alſo the meat of his Table, and the ſitting of his Servants, and the attendance of his Miniſters, and their apparell: ſo in the Church, there is not only the building of it, but the order and beauty to be regarded, the meat of their Table, that wholſome food may be provided, paſtors wich ſhall feed them with knowledge and underſtanding (h)Jer. 3. 15.; ſo Timothy is left at Epheſus, that he might charge ſome, that they teach no other Doctrine, nor give heed to fables (i)1 Tim. 1. 3, 4.; he would not have Gods people poyſoned, nor fed with traſh and windy meats, which may be done by young unskilful Caterers, (if there be not ſome body to overſee and take care of it) as that ignorant novice did (k)2 King. 4. 39, 40, 41.. It is a dangerous thing to have mens bodies poyſoned, and great care ſhould be taken to prevent it, and provide men wholſome food; but there is greater danger in poyſoning of the ſouls of men, and greater care is to be taken for preventing that; and therefore Paul, when he was at Miletus, ſends for the Elders of the Church of Epheſus, and bids them take care of the flock, over whom the holy Ghoſt had made them overſeers, to feed the Church of God which he hath purchaſed with his own blood (l)Act. 20. 28.; As in a great houſe there are not only Cooks to dreſſe and ſeaſon meat, but Clarkes alſo of the Kitchin, to overſee and look that every one doth what belongs unto him.
Yea, unto ſettlement, there is required Officers of all ſorts; as in the firſt eſtabliſhment, being there was much to do, there were many hands imployed, (m)Eph. 4. 11ſome Apoſtles, and ſome …rophets, and ſome Evangeliſts, and ſome Paſtors and teachers; when Paul was conſtrained to go from Creet, before it could be ſetled and ordered well, he leaves behinde him Titus, a confiding perſon, that he might ſet in order the things that were wanting, and ordain them Elders in every City (n)Tit. 1. 5.. Upon the ſettlement and Coronation of a King in this Nation, there was wont to be a Champion compleatly armed, that ſhould make an open challenge unto any one that would oppoſe: there ought to be ſuch in every ſetled, well-ordered Church and Congregation, that may be able, by ſound Doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the gain-ſayer (o)Tit. 1. 9.; and this is needful and eſſential; for non minor eſt virtus, quam quaerere, parta tueri, one is not ſetled, till he be able to have and to hold whats neceſſary for him; ſo Paul to Timothy, hold faſt the form of ſound words, which thou haſt heard of me (p)2 Tim. 1. 13.; for it is wont to be in this caſe, as it is with an Heire, that is newly come unto a fair eſtate, who will be ſure to have thoſe come unto him, that will ſift him, and trie what metall he is made of, whether he can hold, as well as have a fortune and Eſtate; and there is ſome weaker place then other, in every ſettlement, which they will batter and attempt; as now in Creet the point of Circumciſion was not ſo clear, a Law and Ordinance of God, no where repealed, and therefore urged as unavoidable, and neceſſary to ſalvation (q)Act. 15. 1., and after much debate it was evinced, and ſetled by conſequences & probabilities (r)Act. 15. 28; their mouthes muſt be ſtopped, ſayes he to Titus, not by ſuſpenſions and deprivations, immediately and out of hand, but in debates and Arguments, and therefore in every ſetled, wel-ordered Church, there ſhould be ſome that are able to mannage and hold an Argument, to finde out fallacies, and to diſcover them to innocent well-meaning perſons, which none could do, but ſuch as have their ſenſes exerciſed, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks (s)Heb. 5. 14., that are uſed to debates, and trained up in Schools and Ʋniverſities; for innovators and diſturbers, will provide for common Arguments and Anſwers, ſo that if there be not ſomething more then ordinary, ſome hole picked in their propoſition they provided not for, they will be ready to triumph, and be applauded by the ignorant and partial auditory. It is accounted a civility, when the ſtanding Poſers in the Univerſity, will aske the Candidates of the queſtions that they have kept Acts on in the Schools, becauſe it ſuppoſeth they have ſtudied ſuch: the Sectaries are dexterous in what they labour to obtrude, and will be able to puſle and affront an abler man, that hath a more diffuſed univerſal inſight into Divinity, although in that particular, which is the others ſtudied and Maſter-piece, he may not be ſo ready.
So for interpreting hard Scriptures, one muſt be verſed in a way of knowing the original Language, conceiving of the ſcope and project of the Text, diſcerning by what thred it is to be divided; (t)2 Tim. 2. 15.ſtudy to ſhew thy ſelfe approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be aſhamed, rightly dividing the word of God; for the Scriptures are compoſed of much variety of ſtuffe, and lie expoſed unto all, as the Apothecaries Shop, where there are drugs of all ſorts; but the Miniſter is the Phyſician to order and preſcribe what's proper unto every ones condition and eſtate: I could not ſpeak unto you (ſayes Paul) (u)1 Cor. 3. 1, 2.as unto ſpiritual men, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Chriſt, I fed you with milk, and not with meat; great judgement is required, and great experience in giving every one their portion, and ſuiting the lettice unto the lips.
And for compoſing and making Sermons, the Miniſter is compared to a Muſician, that both ſets, and playes, and ſings his part well (w)Ezek. 33. 32., which a novice, never trained up unto it, will hardly do. They ſhould be therefore exerciſed in making Theames, and ſpeeches upon other ſubjects, before they be admitted Paſtors, and allowed for to order mens eternal intereſts and concernments; and till there be ſuch in a Church, it is not ſetled nor ordered well; as in a quire, or muſick meeting, they act not, that are not experienced or verſed in the art; and though ſinging was uſed commonly by all the Jews, yet in the holy ſong, ſome were appointed and ſet apart, as Chenaniah was (x)1 Chron. 15. 22., who is expreſly ſaid, to inſtruct about the ſong, becauſe he was skilful, that is, had not only a raiſed and well-tempered fancy, fit for that imployment, but education anſwerable, to inable him unto the practiſe and performance of it.
So thoſe that do attend and act in holy things, ought to be Orators; for we hold our hearers only by the eares, and cannot work upon their eyes, by glorious and magnificent ſtructures and ſtatues, and beautifying of our meeting-places and Aſſemblies, as the Jeſuites and other Papiſts do: plain dealing is indeed our Jewel, and that had need be well ſet, that ſo it may allure, and be the more illuſtrious: our hearers have delicate and queaſie ſtomacks, and muſt not be offended with the ſluttiſhneſſe of the diſh, or unhandſomeneſſe of the garniſh that is upon it.