The Preacher Sent, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Wherein is given a deſcription of Office, and the ſeveral parts of it are proved from Scripture, and ſome Concluſions drawn from the whole precedent diſcourſe.
FRom all which hath been layd down, we may gather this deſcription of Office.
Office, is a ſpiritual Relation between a particular Church of Chriſt, and a perſon rightly what Office is.qualified, founded upon a ſpecial and regular call.
Or more particularly.
Office, is a ſpiritual Relation, ariſing upon a regular Election on the Churches part, and Acceptation on his part who is Elected, by which the Lord committeth a particular Church to his charge, or ſetteth him over it, for the work of the Goſpel, or imployment of the Miniſtry.
In theſe Deſcriptions there is,
1. The general Nature of Office: It is a Relation; and for its property, it is a ſpiritual Relation, to diſtinguiſh it from natural and civil Relations. The relative names by which the Goſpel expreſſeth office, as Paſtor and Teacher, doe prove it to be a Relation.
2. The terms of the Relation, the Relate and the Correlate. The Relate is a perſon rightly qualified, i. e. qualified according to Goſpel rules. 1 Tim. 3. v. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. A Biſhop muſt blameleſs, the husband of one wife, vigilant, ſober, of good behaviour, given to hoſpitallity, apt to teach, &c. Tit. 1. ver. 6, 7, 8, 9. The Correlate is a particular Church of Chriſt. Act. 20. 17. The Elders of the Church. Act. 14. 23. Rev. 2. 1. Unto the Angel [of the Church.] And ver. 8, 12, 18. Rev. 3. ver. 1, 7, 14. They are Officers to the Churches of Chriſt, not to the world, nor to civil Societies or Aſſemblies; and to particular Churches, as the diſtinguiſhing each from other ſheweth. Rev. 2. and 3.
3. The efficient cauſes. The principal efficient cauſe is the Lord, he inſtituted and appointed officers to be in the Churches: It is the Lord that giveth qualifications ſutable to office. It is the Lord that giveth in his word rules and directions to be obſerved in the conſtitution of officers. 1 Tim. 3. ver. 1, 2, 3. &c. Act. 6. And when there is a due obſervation of thoſe Divine rules, then the Lord maketh the officer. Act. 20. 28. The inſtrumental cauſes are [the flock or Church, and the perſon qualified:] It is by the intervention, that the relation is introduced. The Lord maketh uſe of them in the making officers, or the Lord doth make officers by ſome acts put forth by theſe. Act. 6. 5. Act. 14. 23. 1 Tim. 3. 1.
4. The formal cauſe of office, [a ſpecial and regular call; or, the Lords committing of a flock, or Church of Chriſt to a mans charge, and ſetting him over, by election on the Churches part, and acceptation on his part who is elected.] We term it [a ſpecial call] to difference it from the call which officers may have to lay out their gifts occaſionally amongſt thoſe that are no Church, or they no officers to; and to diſtinguiſh it from the call that gifted Brethren may have to preach; which cals are common, we term it [a regular call] becauſe it is to be made according to Goſpel-rules.
The external or outward call (which is to be ſo regulated) conſiſteth in election with acceptation. A Church is to chuſe its officers. Act. 6. ver. 5. They choſe Stephen. An inferior officer, a Deacon, muſt be choſen; much more is a free choyce neceſſary to a higher officer, who is to take care of Souls. Act. 14. 23. In every Church they choſe them Elders. Let any prove that the Goſpel alloweth any man to take the charge of a Church by compulſion, or whether the people will or no. And a Church cannot compel or force a man to be over it, or to be a Paſtor to it, without his free conſent; and therefore acceptation on his part is neceſſary to the introduction of the Relation. 1 Tim. 3. 1. If a man [deſire] the Office of a Biſhop. An inclination or diſpoſition to the office, is to accompany an entrance upon it. The doing the work of office would be by conſtraint, and not willingly; contrary to 1 Pet. 5. 2. if the undertaking that work were not with free conſent. By election the Church offereth to commit it ſelf unto his charge who is elected: By his acceptation, he actually taketh the charge of that Church. I Goſpel-rules be obſerved in both, then the Lord doth ſet him over it. The Lords committing of a flock or Church to a mans charge, or ſetting him over it for the work of the Miniſtry, is the formal cauſe of office, or that which giveth being to it: this is the ſpecificating diſtinguiſhing thing of an officer from no officer. For duty is commanded from a man upon ſuch a ſetting over a flock, as from an officer, he is to feed and take heed to all the flock or Church that he is over. Act. 20. 28. Take heed—to all the flock over the which the Holy-Ghoſt hath made you Overſeers, to feed the Church of God, &c. And that Church is commanded duty towards him that is over it, as towards an officer. Hebr. 13 ver. 7, 17. Obey them that have the rule over you, and ſubmit your ſelves, for they watch for your Souls, as they that muſt give account, &c. That which is not committed to a mans charge, he is not to give an account for; and therefore it is here intimated, that he which is over a flock, hath the charge of it committed to him; the flock ought to obey and ſubmit to him as an officer: which could not be, if ſetting over or giving the charge of a flock, did not give being to the Relation or office. That the ſetting over is by Election with acceptation, we ſhall afterwards demonſtrate more fully.
5. The final cauſe, or the end of office, [the work of the Goſpel, or imployment of the Miniſtry] i. e. in that Church he is ſet over, for he doth not act as an officer to any other. The Apoſtle giveth this as the end of office-gifts, Epheſ. 4. ver. 11. He gave ſome Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, and ſome Evangeliſts, and ſome Paſtors and Teachers; for what end? ver. 12. For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Miniſtry, for the ediſying of the body of Chriſt, &c. And thus we have ſhewn what office is.
From what hath been already cleared, we might draw many concluſions; take two.
Concluſ. 1. Hence it followeth, That there is no difference between that which maketh a man [a Miniſter, a Paſtor, a Shepheard] and that which makes a man [their Miniſter, their Paſtor, their Shepherd;] and ſo that diſtinction ſo often repeated by our Brethren, and ſo often called in for their relief, will lend them no help at all, being a diſtinction without a difference. For we have proved, that a man is an officer to a particular Church only, and therefore that which maketh him an officer, a Paſtor, maketh him their Officer, their Paſtor, as the ſame that maketh a man an husband, or a woman a wife, doth make him her husband, and make her his wife. We would not overſtretch the ſimilitude, to ſay that the Relation between an officer and a Church, doth in all things agree to that between man and wife; but in this it may agree, and doth illuſtrate very fitly.
Concluſ. 2. Hence it followeth undenyably, That the diſtinction between preaching and office, and ex dono, by office and by gift, is Scriptural, or founded on Scripture: for if a man be a Paſtor or officer only to a particular Church, then if he preacheth to any other Church but that he is an officer to, or to any other perſons but of that Church, he preacheth to them but ex dono, by gift, not as an officer to them. Now our Brethren cannot deny the lawfulneſs of preaching to thoſe that are not of a mans particular Church; preaching is a ſpecial means for the converſion of Heathens, and Indians, &c. 1 Corin. 14. 24. If all Propheſie, and there come in one that beleeveth not.—So that unbeleevers, and ſuch as are no Church-Members may be permitted to come into Church-meetings, to hear the Goſpel preached. And it is lawful in ſome caſes, to go and Preach to unbeleevers, when they do not come to Church-meetings. Act 16. 13, 16. & 11. ver. 19, 20, 21. Yet they are no officers to ſuch unbeleevers, they have not the charge of ſuch unbeleevers ſouls committed to them, they are not over them in the Lord; they cannot as officers exerciſe Church-Government towards unbeleevers, that are no Church-Members: they are not their flock, for then they might do it: and therefore in preaching to Heathens, Indians,—they do not act as officers, but meerly as in the capacity of gifted brethren; and this leadeth us unto that great queſtion, about the preaching of gifted Brethren.