The Pulpits Patronage Against Unordained Usurpation, Part 1 · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIV. Containing the ſecond Objection, and Anſwer.
ITs true, God uſeth Inſtruments, but is not limited Obj. 2 and tied up to any one kind of them; imployes an Angel on his errand, when he pleaſeth (a)Judg. 2. 1, 2, 3, 4., and when he pleaſeth men (b)1 Sam. 2. 27.; but any man will ſerve; for if he findes not fit men, he can make them, (c)Mat. 4. 19.follow me, and I will make you fiſhers of men; if God ſets any man on work, to do good, to call upon his friends and Neighbours, and exhort them to leave their evil wayes, and turn unto the Lord, why ſhould we doubt but he may do it? for converſion of a ſinner unto God, is a ſervice, that (with Gods aſſiſtance) any man may do, that hath Gods Spirit in him, and is himſelf converted, as Chriſt ſayes unto Peter, (d)Luk. 12. 3….when thou art converted, ſtrengthen thy Brethren; and ſo we finde they did, for Joh… the Baptiſt begets Andrew, and he begets Peter, Jeſus begets Philip, and Philip begets Nathaniel, and ſo they begat one another, unto the end of the Chapter (e)Joh. 1. 36, 37. &c.; and therefore the Commiſſion and Command is univerſal (f)1 Pet. 4. 10., as any man hath received the gift, ſo let him miniſter the ſame unto another, as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God; for if the work of turning men to God, were tied and confined to ſome kind of men, and without an Officer and ſuch a kind of man, could not be done, how many precious opportunities of doing good, would be unfruitful? therefore the Apoſtle makes it the buſineſſe of any one, to turn another from his error, and ſave his ſoul (g)Jam. 5. 19, …0,, and accordingly they have not only allowance and authority to do it, but are commanded and enjoyned (h)1 Theſ. 5. 1., wherefore, comfort your ſelves together, and edifie one another, as you do: and again, (i)Heb. 3. 13.exhort one another daily, whilſt it is called to day, leſt any of you be hardened through the deceitfulneſs of ſin; for it were a ſad thing, if a man durſt not tell his Neighbour of his fault, or teach him truths of God, or move him unto duty, meerly and only, becauſe he was not made a Miniſter; as if that work were a monopoly, and in the power and poſſeſſion of ſome few ordered ordained p…rſons; whereas God doth great things by the ſmalleſt, and moſt unworthy Inſtruments, muſters the frogs and flies to fight with Pharaoh, chuſeth the fooliſh things of the world to confound the wiſe, and the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty (k)1 Cor. 1. 27, 28, 29.: the more ignorant and unlearned John and Peter were, the more their hearers were aſtoniſhed (l)Act. 4. 13., nam fortius videntur dicere indocti, the leſſe art, the more authority; when one is eloquent, that hath been educated and trained up to nothing elſe, its no great wonder, but if a Cobler or a Carpenter come up, and ſpeak men into holineſſe and goodneſſe, i…s more remarkable; they were aſtoniſhed at Chriſt, becauſe his Father was a Carpenter, and had not bred him in the Ʋniverſity (m)Mat. 13. 54, 55, 56., major reverentia è longinquo. When ſuch have eloquence and utterance, God is more viſible, and more apparent in it; (n)1 Cor. 14. 24, 25.if all propheſie, and there come one in that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is rebuked of all, he is judged of all: and thus are the ſecrets of his hearts made manifeſt, and ſo falling down on his face, he will worſhip God, and ſay, God is in you, of a truth.
Sol. 1. There is no doubt, but God may uſe what Inſtruments he will, and take them out of any kind of men. When Moſes pleaded his inabilities, Gods mighty power was oppoſed, wherein he acquieſced (o)Exod. 4: 10, 11, 12.. Paul was the moſt unlikely peece of wood, to make, what he was after called, that is, a Mercury (p)Act. 14. 12.: yet Ananias is commanded to ordain him, and inroll him in the number of thoſe Inſtruments that God reſolved for to uſe (q)Act. 9. 13, 14, 15, 16.. In old time the ſervice ran in a blood, if they were not of the Sons of Aaron, they were polluted and put out; but now this barre is taken quite away, and God may call unto this honour and Office of the Miniſtry, whom he ſhall pleaſe, without conſidering what kind of men they were before, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh (r)Gal. 2. 6., and if he findes them not prepared and qualified, he can effect that preparation, either extraordinarily, as then he uſed, or by ordinary wayes of education and inſtruction, as now.
2. There's no man barred or excluded from doing all the good he can; though he be not called into the order and Office of the Miniſtry, he may work out his own ſalvation (s)Phil. 2. 12.; build up himſelf▪ on his moſt holy faith, and keep himſelf in the love of God (t)Jud. 20, 21▪; and when that's done, he may exhort and quicken others to their duty, not only equals, friends, and Neighbours, but now and then ſuperiours and guides: not only exhort one another; but alſo, and ſay to Archippm, take heed to the Miniſtery, which thou haſt received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it (u)Col. 4. 17.. For as in building, beſides the skilful Maſter-builder, as the Apoſtle calls himſelf (w)1 Cor. 3. 10., there are many Labourers imployed; ſo in this ſpiritual houſe of God, beſides the guides and overſeers of the work, there may be good uſe of any ſuch as have abilities, and will do it: So though the Theſſalonians are commanded to edifie and comfort one another, yet they are preſently enjoyned to know them that labour among them, and are over them in the Lord, and admoniſh them, and to eſteem them very highly in love, for their works ſake (x)1 Theſ. 5. 12, 13.: would not have thoſe that ſerve the Maſons, throw them down, and put themſelves into their rooms, that's a confuſion, God is not the Authour of (y)1 Cor. 14. 33..
3. It doth not follow, God hath commanded us to exerciſe our gifts in teaching, admoniſhing, exhorting one another, therefore we are authoriz'd, authentick and Commiſſioned Officers, and may preach the Goſpel, and adminiſter the Sacraments without controll; for women were imployed; (z)Phil. 4. 3.help thoſe women that laboured with me in the Goſpel (a)Tit. 2, 3, 4.the aged women likewiſe, that they be in behaviour as becometh holineſſe, not falſe accuſers, not given to much wine; teachers of good things, that they may teach the younger women to be ſober, &c. And this modeſt teaching of this ſex of women, is ſo far incouraged, that they are aſſured, that the effect is not above their reach (b)1 Pet. 3. 1, 2.; and we know how efficacious Timothies inſtruction, by his Grandmother and Mother was (c)2 Tim. 1. 5. 2 Tim. 3. 15.: nay, the wiſeſt man that ever was, was trained up and tutored by a woman (d)Prov. 31. 1, 2.; yet they might not be Miniſters, may ſpeak at home, but muſt be ſilenced in the Church (e)1 Cor. 14 34, 35.; and leſt this barre ſhould be removed or broken, by the partiality and willingneſs of ſome to have their Company, the Apoſtle hath rivetted and lockt it in by Arguments (f)1 Tim. 2. 12, 13, 14..
4. There are ſome things in the work, that private men cannot afford. 1. Breaking the Ice, and planting the Goſpel where it never was before; for that an Officer muſt do, that's ſent on purpoſe on the errand (g)Rom. 10. 14, 15.: they that do this work, do gather Churches, as the Prophet calls it (h)Iſa. 49. 5., now the gatherer muſt be before the gathered, ſheep wil not finde the way unto the fold, till ſome man bring them (i)Joh. 10. 16.. 2. Laying foundations, ſetling of fundamentals in Religion, that muſt be done by one that is a skilful Maſter-builder (k)1 Cor. 3. 10, 11.; others may build, but they muſt breach, and give out patterns, as David did to Solomon for the Temple (l)1 Cor. 28. 11, 12, 13.. 3. Aſſerting fundamentals when they are ſtruck at, or undermined: thus Timothy was left at Epheſus, to charge them that they did not foreign, preach no other Doctrine; for upon that God layes a curſe, by the Apoſtle (m)Gal. 1. 8, 9; and Titus in Creet, that he might ſtop the mouthes of them that were unruly (n)Tit. 1. 11.. 4. Attend upon the work continually, & give himſelf wholly to it (o)1 Tim. 4. 15., and that as a Watchman, that is accountable to thoſe that do imploy him (p)Heb. 13. 17: theſe private perſons that have Trades and buſineſſe cannot do.