The Preacher Sent, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Wherein is proved, that Officers ſtand in Relation to a particular Church only, and that they are no Officers to a Church univerſal.
Queſt. 2. WHat Church hath Office Relation to? or whether Officers ſtand in Relation to a Particular Church only, or whether they be Officers of an univerſal Church?
Anſw. We affirm, That Officers ſtand in relation (as Officers) to a particular Church onelyonly: and we deny that they are Officers to a Church Univerſal. Our Brethren at laſt grant a Relation between Officers and a particular Church, page 143. and 151. and it's proved from Act. 20. 28. We ſhall here hint a few words, chiefly to ſhew, that they are not Officers to an Univerſal Church; and then it will neceſſarily follow, that the Relation is between the Officer and a particular Church only. We deny Paſtors or Teachers to be Officers to an Univerſal Church.
Argum. 1. Becauſe we can finde no Scripturewarrant, for any Univerſal-viſible-Political-Church. The Goſpel knoweth no ſuch Catholick or Univerſal Church, that we can any where finde.
Argum. 2. Becauſe the Titles given unto Officers, doe ſpeak their office to be limited unto a particular Church, and do forbid or deny their bearing any officerelation to a Church Univerſal. In thoſe Scriptures where (our Brethren ſay) there is an enumeration of Officers, and ſo where it is moſt needful that their propereſt Names and Titles ſhould be given them; yet there thoſe Officers which are ſtill continuing, are called Paſtors and Teachers. 1. Cor. 12. ver. 28. God hath ſet ſome in the Church, firſt Apoſtles, ſecondarily Prophets thirdly [Teachers.] And Epheſ. 4. ver. 11. He gave ſome Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, and ſome Evangelists and ſome [Paſtors and Teachers.] And alſo where the qualifications of ſuch Officers are layd down, and ſo the propereſt Titles are neceſſary, that it might ever be known, what Officer ought to be ſo qualified; there they are called [Biſhops] which is no more but [Overſeers] as Act. 20. 28. Take heed therefore unto your ſelves, and to all the flock. over which the Holy-Ghoſt hath made you foreign Biſhops or, Overſeers. 1 Tim. 3. 1, 2. [A Biſhop] muſt be blameleſs, the husband of one wife, vigilant, ſober. Tit. 1. v. 7. For [a Biſhop] muſt be blameleſs, &c. Theſe Titles being given upon ſuch ſpecial occaſions unto Officers, they muſt undenyably be ſuch Names and Titles as are proper to them ſo long as they are Officers. It were an impeachment to the wiſdome of the Holy-Spirit, to ſay, that then it did impoſe ſuch names upon them, as they might loſe before they loſt their Office. We ſuppoſe our Brethren will not ſay, that any are Preaching-Officers, who are neither Paſtors, Teachers, nor Biſhops, or Overſeers.
Now we argue thus:
Major Propoſit. That Church only that is a mans flock, doth or can he bear the Relation or Office of a Paſtor to. That Church only that is committed to ones charge for teaching, doth or can he bear the Relation or Office of a teacher to. That Church only that is committed to a mans overſight, doth or can he bear the Relation or Office of a Biſhop or Overſeer to. All this appeareth from thoſe Relative names. You may as well ſay, a man is a father to that which is none of his childe, or a maſter to him who is none of his ſervant, as you may ſay, a man is a Paſtor to any that are not of his flock, or a Teacher to thoſe that are not committed to him to be taught, or a Biſhop and Overſeer to thoſe that are not under his overſight. So that if a man ceaſeth to have a flock, then he muſt needs ceaſe to be a Paſtor: if he ceaſeth to have a Church to be taught by him, then he ceaſeth to be a reacher by office: if he ceaſeth to have any to be overſeen by him, then he ceaſeth to be a Biſhop or Overſeer.
Minor propoſ. But only a particular Church is a mans flock, or is committed to a man for teaching and overſight, and not the Univerſal Church.
Concl. Ergo, A man beareth the relation or office of a Paſtor, a Teacher, or a Biſhop or Overſeer, only to a particular, and not to an Univerſal Church.
That only a particular Church is a mans flock, or is committed to a man for teaching and overſight, and not the Univerſal Church; We ſuppoſe our Brethren cannot deny: for in their Jus Divinum, page 143. they have theſe words. Though we beleeve that every Miniſter is a Miniſter of the Univerſal Church, yet we are far from thinking, that he is actually an Univerſal Miniſter. The Apoſtles had the actual care of the Church Univerſal committed unto them, and they were not fixed to any particular charge, but were Miniſters alike of all the Churches of Chriſt. But it is far otherwiſe with ordinary Miniſters, they are fixed to their particular congregations, where they are bound by Divine right to reſide, &c. So that according to the judgment of our Brethren, ordinary officers, ſuch as Paſtors and Teachers are, have onelyonly the care of particular Churches committed to them; their actual power is limited by Divine right to theſe, and not extended to the Univerſal Church: they have no actual power to perform Miniſterial offices, or adminiſter the Ordinances of Chriſt in any Churches without a ſpecial call, but only in thoſe particular Churches, where they are fixed.
And that it is only a particular Church, that is a mans flock, or is committed to him, for teaching and overſight, and not the Univerſal Church, we prove thus:
Becauſe every Paſtor, Teacher, or Overſeer, is expreſly commanded by Chriſt, actually to feed, teach, and overſee [all] the flock that is committed to him or them. Act. 20. verſ. 28. Take heed therefore unto your ſelves and to (not only ſome, but) all the flock over the which the Holy-Spirit hath made you Overſeers, to feed the Church of God. All that flock or Church, over which the Holy-Spirit hath made any man a Biſhop or Overſeer, he is commanded actually to feed and take heed to all the Univerſal Church, ſo as he ſinneth if he doth not. Ergo, The Univerſal Church is not that flock or Church, over which the Holy-Spirit hath made any man a Biſhop or Overſeer. If they were to feed and take care of all the Univerſal Church, then their power were as extenſive and large as the Apoſtles; and then they muſt not fix and abide with any particular Church, for that would hinder the feeding all the Univerſal Church; but they muſt travel all the world over, that they may feed all the flock. And it's impoſſible that any particular Officer ſhould feed his particular Church, and all the reſt of the Univerſal Church alſo; and therefore all were under a neceſſity of ſinning againſt this command, if that were the flock intended.
The ſame Argument holdeth as well for Paſtors and Teachers, for they are the ſame Officers under different names. The Paſtors work is to feed all the flock, and he is plainly intended in that Text. And all that Church which is committed to any man for Teaching, he is commanded to Teach, and he is unfaithful in his truſt, if he doth it not. And ſeeing it cannot be the Univerſal Church, hence undenyably, its only a particular Church that is a mans flock, or that is committed to him for Teaching and overſight.
The Argument may run thus: That Church onelyonly that a man is a Paſtor, or Teacher, a Biſhop or Overſeer to, doth he ſtand in the relation of an officer to: the Names and Titles of Officers do evidence this.
But it is only a particular Church that a man is a Paſtor or Teacher, a Biſhop or Overſeer to. Act. 20. 28. and not an Univerſal Church:
Ergo, It is only a particular Church that a man doth ſtand in the relation of an officer to, und not an Univerſal Church.
Object. If any ſhould object and ſay, If a man for a time be deſtitute of a place, or be fixed to no particular Church, yet preacheth conſtantly in one place or other, may not that name of office [a Teacher] be properly applyed to him, ſeeing he doth reach, and ſome are taught by him?
Anſ. 1. In a general ſenſe he may be called a Teacher, if any be taught by him; but if the word Teacher be taken in a ſpecial ſenſe, to expreſs Office, in that ſenſe we deny he may be called a Teacher. Men are not Teachers by Office, to all that are taught by them. As for example, Our Brethren often urge it, that ordinary teachers by office muſt be [ſent] Rom. 10. 15. How ſhall they preach except they be [ſont?] & the word for ſent, is foreign. and therefore in a general ſenſe they muſt ſay, that ordinary Officers, as Paſtors and Teachers, are [Apoſtles] becauſe Apoſtle ſignifieth one ſent. Yet Paſtors and Teachers are not Apoſtles by office; the Office of the Apoſtles, is diſtinct from the office of Paſtors and Teachers; and in this ſpecial ſenſe the name of Apoſtles is to be denyed them.
So they are not Teachers by Office to all that they may preach to, and may be taught by them. If a man preacheth to Heathens and Indians, though they retain heatheniſh principles ſtill, and will not receive inſtruction, yet in reſpect of his teaching, they are ſaid to be taught; and ſuch as ſtumble at the word are ſaid to be taught, Matth. 13. ver. 54. He (i. e. Jeſus) taught them: and yet ver. 57. They were offended in him. But a man is not a teacher by office unto ſuch Hearhens, Indians, and oppoſers: for without ſome knowledge or profeſſion of Chriſt, our Brethren will not account them members of the Univerſal Church; and if they will ſay they ſtand in the relation of officers to ſuch, then they muſt aſſert that they have a treble relation as officers; one to a particular Church, another to an Univerſal Church, and a third to the World, or to Heathens and Indians, who are of no Church of Chriſt; or elſe they muſt ſay, that they preach as officers to thoſe they are no officers to: and it will hardly be proved, that they are officers to the world, or to any out of the Church.
2. OnelyOnly that Church which a man is ſet over, hath taken the charge of, is committed to him for teaching, is he a teacher by office unto: if he preacheth in an hundred places, and thouſands receive inſtruction, and in that ſenſe are taught by him, yet we deny that he ſtandeth in relation to any of theſe as a teacher by office, unleſs as a Church they be committed to him for teaching.
For it is [ſetting over, taking the charge of, and the committing a Church to the care of ſuch a perſon, for ſuch and ſuch ends] which giveth being to office, or maketh one an officer. It's the committing of a flock to ſuch a perſon for feeding, or his taking charge of it, that onelyonly maketh him a [Paſtor.] It is the ſetting one over a flock, or Church for overſight, that onelyonly maketh him [a Biſhop or Overſeer:] and hence Act. 20. ver. 28. The flock [over which] the Holy-Ghoſt hath made you Overſeers. They are limited in their overſight unto the particular flock, and the nature of their of their office is expreſſed, by their being over the flock for that end.
For this, ſee more in our deſcription of office, in the formal cauſe of it; and in our Arguments to prove that election giveth the Eſſence to the call to Office.