The Shepherds Wanderings Discovered, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Wherein Mr. Sheppards 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 p. are examined, and his Anſwers to our third, fourth and fifth Arguments are proved very weak and inſufficient.
OUr Argument is this, who ſo preacheth or prophecyeth muſt be a Prophet or a Preacher.
But all are not prophets nor preachers, 1 Cor. 12.30. 1 Cor. 12.9. Ergo. all muſt not preach and prophecy.
To this you make a tedious reply, p. 59 60. Had you been a little more skill'd in humane learning, you might have ſaid in very few words what you ſay in many lines; This is all.
You thinke that it is that fallacy which Logicians call Fallacia aequivocationis.
That there is a preaching as an act of office, and an ordinary preaching of others, ſo though it be true that whoſoever preacheth or prophecieth is a preacher or prophet, that is one that doth the act of a preacher and of a prophet, yet it doth not follow, in the ſenſe we underſtand it, that he muſt be by office a preacher or a prophet, this is the ſubſtance of all you ſay, your ſimilitudes from Taylors, Bakers, Watchmen, Schoolmaſters, Iudges, Lawyers, amount to no more then this poore notion; and if I ſhould run after them, they would all halt and lye downe, and confeſſe they came for nothing but a ſhew. But (Sir) you are not like to eſcape us thus. Give us a Scripture command for, or example of any that had not the extraordinary gifts of the holy Ghoſt, or were not in office, that ordinarily preached & expounded Scriptures in a ſettled conſtituted Church. If the law of God doth not mention theſe ſame out of office preachers, your diſtinction is worth little, the Scripture knowes no preaching by ordinary perſons, ordinarily gifted and out of office, except in caſes of neceſſity, perſecution or the like, they are Apocryphall preachers (Sir.) But you tell us againe, that all have the gift of prophecy ſpoken of by the Apoſtle; but in regard you ſay no more to prove it then we had again and again before, I ſhall refer you to my former anſwer.
In your 61 page you come to another objection of ours, but indeed it is the ſame.
In my Vindiciae, p. 33. I charged you with this argument.
For any being officers to take upon them acts of office is ſinfull.
But for private perſons how well gifted and qualified ſoever to take upon them in publike aſſemblies where a Church is conſtituted to preach, interpret, & apply Scripture, is for them that are no officers to take upon them Acts of Office, Ergo. The Major I proved, 1 Cor. 7.20. 1 Cor. 12 14. Rom. 12.4. My Brother Hall hits upon the ſame thing in ſeverall places, and makes uſe of the inſtances you quote, I ſhall meddle with your anſwer onelyonly ſo farre as it concernes me: for although I thinke an argument might be brought and managed from thoſe inſtances of Ʋzzab, Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, Saul, &c. yet I deſire to make no further uſe of them then this, to prove that proper Acts of office may not be done by perſons out of office, which I ſuppoſe you grant, yet let me tell you not one of your Scriptures proves plainely.
1. That the burning of Incenſe upon the altar was forbidden, all the Iewes except the Prieſts, though indeed the thing be true, it was forbidden becauſe the worke was aſſigned to others; and the like we ſay for preaching. In one or two of the places, ſtrangers are forbidden, but the Jewes are no where in thoſe places in ſo many words forbidden to offer incenſe; if you ſay by conſequence they are, we grant it: ſo are you forbidden publike preaching by as good rationall conſequence.
But Sir if we could not ſhew it were forbidden to warrant your practice, you muſt ſhew it us allowed and commanded, if it be a piece of worſhip.
But in the next place you will undertake to ſet out our office, telling us.
1. What it is to be in office.
2. Wherein our office lies.
3. What it is to be in the Preachers office.
4. What is an uſurpation upon the office.
All this is towards the proving that preaching is not a proper act of office.
1. You tell us what it is to be in office, and in this deſcription I agree with you, and ſo ſhall not repeat your words having nothing againſt them.
2. You tell us what are the parts of the preachers office.
"1. Publike praying for the people.
"2. Publike reading of the word.
"3. Writing of Bookes and Epiſtles.
"4. Publike Preachings.
"5. Adminiſtring Sacraments.
"6. Church government.
Some of thoſe you ſay are incommunicable, and to be done by none elſe: ſome communicable.
To all this I anſwer, we onelyonly ſpeake of Proper acts of office, and thoſe are ſuch as belong to him and none elſe, and ſo Prayer, Reading, Writing, and Church governement are not, Chriſt never ſaid, go Read and Baptize, or Write and Baptize, or Rule and Baptize, though we grant all thoſe to belong to him, yet they are not proper Acts of his office quà a Goſpell Preacher, ſo he hath but two proper Acts that I know, viz 1. Publike preaching. 2. Adminiſtring the Seales, thoſe that are for Epiſcopacy adde a third, but we conceive that belongs not to him alone (except other officers be wanting.)
Thirdly, you come to tell us what it is to be in office as a Preacher: ſo you ſay.
"1. He muſt be lawfully called and authorized thereto.
2. He muſt be over ſome people being duly called to them, for if Miniſter and people be Correlatives, then can there be no Miniſter in office untill he be engaged to ſome people. And till then he ſeemes to be onelyonly in the Nature of a gifted man.
To this I anſwer, that it is true that Miniſter and people are correlates, but to what people is a Miniſter a Correlate? what to this or that Church onelyonly? I deny that: he is in office as a Goſpell preacher, to any people in the world; paſtors and teachers are in office, for the whole body of Chriſt, Eph. 4.11.12. when he is engaged to a particular people, he is but appropriated, not by that conſtituted a Miniſter, for if a miniſter be onelyonly in office to his own Church,
1: He can adminiſter the Sacrament to no ſingle perſon that is not a fixt member of his Church.
2. He can Baptize none but ſuch.
3. He can preach by authority to none but ſuch.
See Mr. Firmins and Mr. Hudſons arguments for this novell fancy.See Mr. Firmin againſt ſeparation, p. 61, 62, 63. Mr. Hudſons vindication. 138, 139, &c. Baronius t. 4. l. 26. D. Hieron. ep. 61: It is true there is thus much ſaid for it from antiquity, that Biſhops were not uſually ordained fine titulo, but,
1. This was not to ſhew, that they were onelyonly in office to this or that Church, but to prevent vagrant itinerary preachers.
2. St. Hierom conteſted with Paulinus the Biſhop of Antioch when he was ordained, and would not be ordained to any particular Church: if we may either believe Baronius or Hierom himſelfe in his 61 Epiſtle ad Pammachium.
But to make haſt, p. 63. you tell us five things which you conceive uſurpations of the Goſpell preachers office. I agree with you in all of them, onelyonly I muſt ſtill maintaine:
That preaching is the proper Act of a Preachers office, and ſo incommunicable, and if I make good what I have ſaid to this purpoſe, you are condemned out of your own mouth.
To this purpoſe, in my Vindiciae I produced three Arguments, p. 34 35, 36, 37. you have anſwered not one of them; onelyonly you ſay,
We ſay that it is as much his proper act as Baptiſme; Truth, I did ſo, and proved it, becauſe the ſame commiſſion authorizeth to both. 2. Saint Paul ſeemeth to lay more upon it then upon Baptizing, 1 Cor. 1.17. to neither of theſe doe you ſay a word.
A ſecond argument I urged you with was this, The proper acts of Elders, Biſhops, Stewards of the myſteries of God, Heralds, Embaſſadours, Watchmen, extraordinary Deacons, Paſtors, Teachers, are acts of office,
But this is their proper act, ſee Scriptures, p. 24.
Third Argument, Either this is their proper act, or they have no proper act. But God did not ordaine an office with no act proper.
You have nothing to ſay againſt this, unleſſe you ſay Baptizing and giving the Supper is their proper act, and then I require one Scripture to prove either of theſe a more proper act then preaching, ſee Vindiciae, p. 37. To none of theſe you anſwer.
So that for all that you have ſaid, our argument ſtands ſtrong, and will do ſo till you bring us a plaine Scripture, or a good argument from Scripture to prove that God hath appointed Goſpell preachers, ſome acts that are more proper to them then preaching.