The Preacher Sent, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Wherein is ſhewn, that Office is not a Relation to the work or employment of the Miniſtery, but a Relation to a Church.
AMongſt the many Books lately publiſhed againſt the preaching of Gifted men, and for Ordiantion as that which gives the Call unto that work of the Miniſtery, there are two, which (we ſuppoſe) have the ſtrength of all the reſt in them; the title of the one is, Jus Divinum Miniſterii Enangelici or, The Divine Right of the Goſpel-Miniſtery: publiſhed by the Provincial Aſſembly of London. The title of the other is, Vindiciae Miniſterii Enangelici; by Mr. Collings of Norwich.
In theſe we finde ſome poſitions which we can freely ſubſcribe unto; but there are other aſſertions, wherein we profeſs our diſſent. And though we intend not to reply to every particular, yet we ſhall give ſuch Animadverſions upon the moſt conſiderable things, as will leave it unneceſſary to ſpeak to the reſt.
We freely acknowledge, That Officers are neceſſary in the Churches of Chriſt by Divine Inſtitution; and alſo, that they are to continue untill the ſecond coming of Jeſus Chriſt.
And therefore we ſhall not put in exceptions againſt the Arguments brought by our Brethren in their Jus Divinum, for the proof of theſe Propoſitions.
Only we ſhall except againſt part of their explication of their firſt Propoſition.
The Propoſition is, That the Office of the Miniſtery of the Word and Sacraments is neceſſary in the Church by Divine Inſtitution. For the underſtanding of this, they undertake to ſhew,
1. What is meant by Miniſtery.
2. What by Office.
Queſt. What is meant by Miniſtery?
Anſw. Miniſtery (as our Brethren well obſerve) ſtandeth in oppoſition to Lordly Domination or Principality; as Matth. 20. v. 25, 26, 27. The Princes of the Gentiles exerciſe Dominion over them, and they that are great, exerciſe Authority upon them; but it ſhall not be ſo among you: but whoſoever will be great among you, let him be your Miniſter; and whoſoever will be chief among you, let him be your ſervant.
Miniſtery is not Dominion, but ſervice. Officers in a ſpeciall ſence are called Miniſters, yet (we conceive) that others may properly be called Miniſters alſo, according to the ſervice they do for Chriſt. Both the words in the Original which our Brethren here mention to expreſs the Office of the Miniſtery, viz. foreign and foreign, are frequently in Scripture applyed to Saints that are no officers; as 2 Cor. 9. 1. For as touching the Miniſtring to the Saints. Act. 24. 23. Forbid none of his acquaintance [to Miniſter] or come unto him. In theſe and other places, Chriſtians who are no officers are ſaid to Miniſter, in giving Alms, &c. and therefore let none thinke that the name Miniſter is appropriated only to officers. It is the office of Deacons to Miniſter about carnal things, and yet other Chriſtians doe Miniſter about ſuch things alſo; as the forecited Scriptures ſhew. So Officers, Paſtors or Teachers doe Miniſter in the Goſpel, and yet gifted men may be ſaid to Miniſter in the Goſpel alſo: for there is miniſtration or ſervice in their preaching; and therefore gifted brethren, whoſe ordinary work or calling it is to Preach, may properly be called Miniſters of the Goſpel, as well as thoſe who are officers; for ordinary Miniſtration denominates the perſon a Miniſter. Occaſional acts of preaching may be called Miniſtring, and the perſons therein do Miniſter in the Goſpel; but becauſe they do not addict and give up themſelves to that as their work, hence they cannot properly be called Miniſters of the Goſpel: for ſuch a denomination followeth an ordinary, and nor an occaſional acting in any work.
A general courſe of acting is neceſſary to the making a general title proper to any perſon. As a man is not denominated a Brewer or a Baker, that doth but occaſionally brew or bake; but he that doth it ordinarily or conſtantly, and maketh it his work to do it. So here. This we have added the rather, becauſe ſome call gifted men Speakers, and their preaching, ſpeaking, and that to diſtinguiſh them and their actings from officers and their acts: they are afraid to call gifted men preachers or Miniſters; or their actings preaching or Miniſtring.
Queſt. 2. What is meant by the word Office?
Our Brethren give us a deſcription of Office, and it is this: The Office of the Miniſtery, is a ſpiritual relation to the whole employment of the Miniſtry in a perſon qualified, founded upon a ſpecial and regular call. This deſcription we apprehend to be very faulty: and becauſe a right underſtanding of this, What Office is, doth much conduce to the clearing this whole controverſie, we ſhall declare wherein we do diſſent in this matter, and upon what grounds.
Anſw. That Office is a Relation which reſpects employment as its end, we grant: that it is a Relation to the employment, or whole employment of the Miniſtry, as its correlate, we deny. Unto all Relations, there is a Relate and a Correlate abſolutely neceſſary, ſo as no Relation can have a being without theſe two. Now office is a Relation, and ſo muſt be between two: and there is,
1. The Relate, viz. the Officer, as is undenyable.
2. The Correlate, viz. the Church. Our Brethren in their definition of Office, ſeem to make [the whole employment of the Miniſtry] the Correlate; and in the ſame page they aſſert, That Office is better defined by Relation to the work, then by relation to a particular people, who may eaſily out him of his work, but (they ſay) not of his Office.
Afterward in their Jus Divinum (pag. 151.) ſay they, That every Miniſter hath a double Relation, one to the particular Church of which he is a Miniſter; the other to the Church Univerſal.
In their definition they would have [the whole employment of the Miniſtry] the Correlate; and elſewhere they grant a Church to be the Correlate, both a particular and the Univerſal. So that there will ariſe two queſtions.
Queſt. 1. Whether Office be a Relation to the worke and imployment of the Miniſtry, or to a Church?
Queſt. 2. What Church hath Office Relation to? Or, Whether Officers ſtand in Relation to, or be Officers of an Univerſal Church, or of a particular Church only?
Queſt. 1. Whether Office be a Relation to the worke and imployment of the Miniſtry, or to a Church?
Anſw. We affirme Office to be a Relation to a Church, and we deny it to be a Relation to the work and imployment of the Miniſtry, as its Correlate; and that upon theſe grounds.
Argum. 1. From that certain rule of Relations, Relatum & Correlatum quâ talia, ſunt ſimul natura, adeo que ſe mutuò ponunt & tollunt. The Relate and Correlate as ſuch, are together in nature, and ſo do mutually put and take away themſelves. One Relate giveth being to the other; one cannot be in act, or actually, without the other. Relatorum uno poſi to, ponitur & alterum. If one be in being, the other is in being alſo: If there be a father, then there is a childe; if there be a Maſter, then there is a ſervant; and ſo in all real Relations. The Relation is deſtroyed or denyed, if both be not in being. It is no Relate, unleſs there be ſomthing that it is related to: Now our Brethren grant, page 2. [the work] of the Miniſtry is ſeparable from the Office, by ſickneſs, impriſonment, baniſhment, rejection of the people. And they ſay, page 3. That the people may eaſily out him of his work, &c. By all which it is evident, that according to the own principles, Office doth continue and remain, when the work and imployment of the Miniſtry doth ceaſe, and is at an end: And thence we infer, that it is impoſſible, that Office ſhould be a Relation to the imployment of the Miniſtry; for Office muſt ceaſe, as often as the work or imployment of the Miniſtry ceaſeth; if imployment be the Correlate: for Relatorum uno ſublato, tollitur & alterum; Take away one of the Relatives, and the other is taken away alſo. Take away the imployment of the Miniſtry, and Office muſt ceaſe, if the imployment and Office be Relatives. As well you may affirm a man to be a father who hath no childe, or a maſter, who hath no ſervant, or a husband, who hath no wife; as you may affirm a man to be an officer, who hath no imployment, if Office and imployment be Relatives.
So that inſtead of avoyding that ſuppoſed inconveniency of a mans being outed of his Office, by a peoples outing him of his work, they doe unavoydably bring themſelves into it, by aſſerting Office to be a Relation unto the imployment of the Miniſtery.
Argum. 2. From the neceſſity of a praeexiſtence of the means unto the end, of the cauſe unto the effect; the means muſt have a being in order, before the execution of the end; the cauſe muſt have exiſtence, before the production of the effect. The Relation muſt be antecedent unto that action which is peculiar to that Relation. Now (according to our Brethrens principles) the imployment of the Miniſtery, is the end of Office. page 39. They interpret Epheſ. 4. 12. of the ends for which thoſe gifts were given, which are mentioned ver. 11. He gave ſome Apoſtles and ſome Prophets, &c. and the work of the Miniſtry is mentioned ver. 11. and ſo that is one end of thoſe Offices. Yea, our Brethren ſay, (Jus Divin. Miniſt. pag. 81.) God hath deſigned ſpecial Officers of his own for the preaching of the word; therefore none ought, or may preach the word, but ſuch as are deſigned unto this Office.
They make Preaching an act peculiar to Office, & ſay, a man muſt be an Officer, before he may do the work, and ſo (according to their principles) there muſt be the Relation (which cannot be without a Correlate) before the imployment of the Miniſtry; and therefore the imployment cannot be the Correlate, becauſe that cometh after the Relation is compleated. This muſt be an argument to them, whether it be ſutable to our principles or not. And thus far we aſſert it, That men muſt be Officers, Paſtors or Teachers, before the imployment of the Miniſtry, Office-wiſe; and therefore of neceſſity there muſt be a Correlate in being, before that which is the work of the relation is performed, and therefore work cannot be the Correlate. We ſay [Office-wiſe] for we ſhall ſhew afterward, that ſome part of the ſame work which Officers perform, may be done by ſuch as are no Officers; the matter is alike, but the manner is different.
Argum. 3. From the Goſpels owning a Church as the Correlate. Act. 20. 17. The Elders of the Church. Here the Holy-Ghoſt declareth, that Church and Elder are the Relatives: and ver. 28. Take heed therefore unto your ſelves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy-Ghoſt hath made you Overſeers, to feed the Church of God. The Flock, the Church of God, and Elders, or Overſeers, are declared to be thoſe between whom the Relation is. Officers are related to Churches, not to the imployment of the Miniſtry. The Relation layeth obligations upon Officers to doe the work of the Miniſtry, but the Relation muſt be before imployment Office-wiſe, and is between Officers and Churches.
Argum. 4. From the Titles given in Scripture to Officers: It is obſerved by Logicians, that Relatorum uno cognito, cognoſcitur alterum. Of Relations, if one be known, the other is known alſo. We call no man a father or maſter, unleſs we know he hath a childe or a ſervant. The very names of Relatives doe decalre between whom the Relation is. The name of a father intimateth a child to be the other Relative, & è contra; the name of a ſon doth imply a father to be the other Relative: and ſo for other Relations.
Now the names and titles which the Goſpel giveth unto Officers, have ſuch reference unto a Church, as they do aloud proclaim that Officer and Church are the Relatives, and not Officer and imployment. If the queſtion be asked, To whom are they Officers? the anſwer muſt be, To a Church. Officers are called Paſtors; and that intimateth, that they are related to ſome flocks. They are called Teachers, and that ſpeaketh them to be related to ſome who are Learners. Therefore we conclude, that Office is not a Relation to the imployment of the Miniſtry, but to a Church; one ſpecial end of which Relation is, the work of the Miniſtry therein.