The Duty of Pastors and People Distinguished, Preface · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Of the Adminiſtration of holy things among the Patriarks before the Law.
1. COncerning the ancient Patriachs; from theſe, ſome who would have Judaiſme, Euſeb. Eccleſ. Hiſt. lib. 1. cap. Ambr. de Sacra. lib. 4. Epheſ 2. 35.to be but an interciſion of chriſtiauity derive the pedigree of chriſtians, affirming the diference between us & them, to be ſolely in the name & not the thing it ſelf: Of this thus much at leaſt is true, that the Law of Commandements, contained in Ordinances did much more diverſifie the Adminiſtration of the Covenant, before, and after Chriſt, then thoſe plaine moralities, wherewith in their dayes it was cloathed: where the aſſertion is dificient, Antiquity hath given its authors ſanctuary from farther purſuit. their practice then, were it cleer, can be no preſident for Chriſtians; All light brought to the Goſpel, in compariſon of thoſe full and glorious beames, that ſhine in it ſelfe, is but a Candle ſet up in the ſunne: Yet for their ſakes, who found out the former Unity, I will, (not following the conceit of any, nor the comments of many) give you ſuch a bare naration, as the ſcripture will ſupply me withall, of their adminiſtration of the holy things and practiſe of their Religion: (as it ſeemes Chriſtianity, though not ſo called) and doubt you not of divine approbation, and inſtitution: For all prelacy, at leaſt, untill Nimrod hunted for preferment, was dejure divino: I finde then, that before the giving of the Law, the chief men among the ſervants of the true God, did every one in their owne families with their neighbors adjoyning, of the ſame perſwaſion, performe thoſe things which they knew to be required, by the Law of nature, tradition, or ſpeciall revelation (the unwritten word of thoſe times) in the ſervice of God, inſtructing their childeren and ſervants in the knowledge of their creed concerning the nature and goodneſſe of God, the fall and ſin of man, the uſe of ſacrifices, and the promiſed ſeede, (the ſumme of their religion) and moreover performing foreign things appertaining unto God.Gen. 4. 26. cap. 5. 22. cap. 6. 8, 9. &c. 8. 20. cap. 9. 25, 26, 27. cap. 18 18, 19 cap. 19 9. cap. 28. 1, 2. cap. 34. 26. cap. 35. 3, 4, 5. Exo. cap. 3. 1. Job cap. 1. 5. cap. 42. 8, 9, 10. Tho: 22. ae q. 87. ad 3. This we have delivered concerning Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Iſaack, Iacob, Iethro, Iob, others: Now whither they did this, as any way peculiarly deſigned unto it as an Office, or rather in obedient duty to the prime Law of Nature, in which, and to whoſe performance, many of them were inſtructed, and incouraged, by divine revelation, (as ſeemes moſt probable) is not neceſſary to be inſiſted on: To me truely it ſeemes evident, that thert were no determiuate Miniſters of Divine worſhip before the Law, For, where finde we any ſuch Office inſtituted, where the duties of thoſe Officers preſcribed? or were they of human invention? God would never allow, that in any regard, the wil of the creature ſhould be the meaſure of his honour & worſhip; but the right and exerciſe of the Prieſthood, ſay ſome was in the firſt borne; but a proofe of this will be for ever wanting. Abel was not Adams eldeſt ſonne, yet if any thing were peculiar to ſuch an Office, Jacob Armin. de ſacerd. Ch. orat.it was by him performed, that both the Brothers carried their ſacrifices to their father, is a vaine ſurmize: Who was Prieſt then, when Adam dyed? neither can any order of deſcent be handſomely contrived: Noah had three ſonnes, grant the eldeſt onelyonly a Prieſt; Were the eldeſt ſonnes of his other ſons Prieſts or no? If not, how many men, feareing God, were ſcattered over the face of the earth, utterly deprived of the means of right worſhip; if ſo, there muſt be a new rule produced, beyond the preſcript of nature, whereby a man may be enabled by generation to convey that to others, which he hath not in himſelfe: I ſpeake not of Melchiſedeck, and his extraordinary Prieſthood; why ſhould any ſpeak where the holy ghoſt is ſilent? if we pretend to know him, we overthrow the whole myſtery, and run croſſe to the apoſtle, afirming him to be foreign without father, mother, or genealogie; for ſo long time then, as the greateſt combination of men, was in diſtinct families (which ſometimes were very great)Gen. 14. 14. Politickes and Oeconomicks being of the ſame extent, all the way of inſtruction in the ſervice and knowledge of God, was by the way of paternall admonition: For the diſcharge of which duty, Abraham is commended Gen. 18. 19. whereunto the inſtructers had no particular ingagement, but only the generall obligation of the law of nature; what rule they had, for their performances towards God, doth not appeare; all poſitive law, in every kinde is ordained for the good of community: that then being not, no ſuch rule was aſſigned, untill God gathered a people, and lifted up the ſtandard of circumciſion for his ſubjects to repaire unto: the world in the dayes of Abraham, beginning generally to incline to Idolatry and polutheiſme, Eccleſ. malignantum. Auguſt. con. Fauſt. lib. 19. cap. 11.the firſt evident inreconcileable diviſion was made betweene his people and the malignants, which before lay hid in his decree, viſible ſignes and preſcript rules, were neceſſary for ſuch a gathered Church: This before I conceive to have been ſupplyed by ſpeciall revelation.
The law of nature a long time prevailed for the worſhip of the one true God. The manner of this worſhip, the generalty had at firſt (as may be conceived) from the vocall inſtruction of Adam, ful of the knowledge of divine things; this afterwards their children had from them by tradition; helped forward by ſuch who received particular revelations in their generation;Per incrementa temporum crevit divinae cognitionis incrementum Eſ. Regno. Hom. 16. in Ezek. a med. ſuch as Noah, thence called a preacher of righteouſneſſe: ſo knowledge of Gods will increaſed, untill ſinne quite prevailed, and all fleſh corrupted their wayes; all Apoſtacy for the moſt part beginnes in the will, which is more bruiſed by the fall, then the underſtanding. Nature is more corrupted, in reſpect of the deſire of good, then the knowledge of truth; the knowledge of God would have flouriſhed longer in mens mindes, had not ſinne baniſhed the love of God out of their hearts. The ſumme is, that before the giving of the Law, every one in his owne perſon, ſerved God according to that knowledge he had of his Will. Publike performances were aſſigned to none, further then the obligation of the law of Nature, to their duty in their owne familyes. I have purpoſely omitted to ſpeake of Melchiſedocke as I ſaid before, having ſpoken all that I can, or dare concerning him, on another occaſion, OnelyOnly this I will adde, they who ſo confidently affirme him to be Shem, the ſonne of Noah, and to have his Prieſthood in an ordinary way, by vertue of his Primogeniture, might have done well to aske leave of the Holy Ghoſt, for the revealing of that which he purpoſely concealed, to ſetforth no ſmall myſtery, by them quite overthrowne. And he who of late makes him looke upon Abraham and the four Kings, all of his Poſterity, fighting for the Inheritance of Canaan; (of which cauſe of their quarrell the Scripture is ſilent) robs him at leaſt of one of his titles, a King of peace; making him neither, King nor peaceable, but a bloody Grandſire, that either could not, or would not part his fighting children, contending for that whoſe right was in him, to beſtow on whom he would. And thus was it with them in the adminiſtration of ſacred things: There was no divine determination of the Prieſtly office on any order of men: when things appertaining unto God, were to be performed in the name of a whole family (as afterwards 1 Sam. 20. 6.) Perhaps the honour of the performance was by conſent given to the firſt borne: Further, the way of teaching others, was by petarnall admonition: (ſo Gen. 18. 19) motives thereunto, and rules of their proceeding therein, being the law of nature, and ſpeciall revelation. Preſcription of poſitive law, ordained for the good of community, could have no place,, when all ſociety was domeſticall. To inſtruct others (upon occaſion) wanting inſtruction for their good, is an undeniable dictate of the firſt principles of nature; obedience to which, was all the ordinary warrant they had, for preaching to any beyond their owne families, obſerved by Lot Gen. 19. 7. though his ſermon contained a little falſe doctrine, ver. 81. Againe, ſpeciall revelation leaves as a great impreſſion on the minde of him to whom it is made, ſo an effectuall obligation for the performance of what it directeth unto, the Lyon hath roared, who will not fear; the Lord God hath ſpoken who can but propheſ…e, Amos 3. 8. And this was Noahs warrant for thoſe performances, from whence he was called a preacher of righteouſnes, 2 Pet. 2. 5. Thus although I doe not finde any determinate order of Prieſthood by divine inſtitution, yet do I not thence conclude with Aquin. 12. ae queſt. 3. a 1 (if I noted right at the reading of it) that all the worſhip of God, I meane for the manner of it was of humane invention, yea ſacrifices themſelves: for this Will worſhip as I ſhewed before God alwayes rejected, no doubt but ſacrifices and the manner of them were of divine inſtitution, albeit their particular originall, in regard of precept though not of practice be to us unknowne; for what in all this concernes us, we may obſerve that a ſuperinſtitution of a new ordinance, doth not overthrow any thing that went before in the ſame kinde, univerſally morrall, or extraordinary; nor at all change it, unleſſe by expreſſe exception, as by the introduction of the ceremoniall law, the offering of ſacrafices, which before was common to all, was reſtrained to the poſterity of Levi: looke then what performances in the ſervice of God, that primitive houſhold of faith was in the generall directed unto, by the law of nature, the ſame regulated by Goſpel light (not particularly excepted) ought the generallity of chriſtians to performe, which what they were may be collected from what was fore ſpoken.