The Peoples Plea for the Exercise of Prophecy, Part 2 – Part 3
Mr. Yates. ARG. 2.
FROM the execution of a publick function in the Church. Prophecy ordinary is by preaching to bring the glad tydings of peace and good things to Gods people: and this the Apoſtle ſayes is not warrantable without ſending. Rom: 10.15. We muſt feed the flock becauſe we are ſet over it. Act. 20.20. to propheſy to Gods people is an honorable caling & none ought to take it upō him, but he that is called of God as was Aaron. Heb. 5.4. The place of Iudas is called a Charge. Act. 1.20. the Miniſters are the light of the world. Mat. 5.14. Starres in the right hand of Chriſt. Rev. 1.20. Iohn was a man ſent from God. Iohn. 1.6. Chriſt ſent his Apoſtles in the midſt of Wolues. Math. 10.16. I hauehave not ſent theſe Prophets, ſaith the Lord, and yet they ran. Ier. 23.2. as many as found not their Genealogy to be from Levi (from Aaron he ſhould ſay) were put from the Prieſthood. Neh: 7.64. All theſe places keep us to an ordinary rule, and for all ordinary prophecying there can be no exception from it, without an open breach thereof: as for all your places of prophecying out of office, they are all of them to bee underſtood of the extraordinary: which cannot bee tied to ordinary rules. For ſo we ſhould abridge God of his liberty: but we muſt beware of imitation, leſt we become licentious.
ANSWER.
HERE is a long harveſt for a ſmall croppe. All that can bee gathered hence either by reaping or gleaning is no more, then that no man may exerciſe a publick function, or office of miniſtery in the Church without a lawfull ſending or calling from the Lord, by the means vvhichwhich he hath ſanctified. VVhichWhich as it concerneth M. Yates well to conſider of eſpecially, reckoning (as hee profeſſedly doth) his Genealogy from the Pope of Rome: ſo doth it not impeach our Prophets at all, who hauehave a lawfull calling for the uſe of their gift, though not ſo ſolemne (neither need they) as they who are to exerciſe and fulfill a conſtant miniſtery, and charge. But for the word Sending, which he ſo much urgeth, it muſt be known, that, as all that teach lawfully whether in office or not, are ſent by Chriſt in reſpect of their perſonall gifts and graces: ſo ordinary officers are not ſent by thoſe who appoint them to miniſter as were the extraordinary Apoſtles ſent by Chriſt, who appoynted them. Sending importeth a paſſing of the ſent from the ſender to another, and ſo the Apoſtles were ſent by Chriſt to preach the goſpell to the Iewes and Gentiles: but ſo are not Paſtors ſent by the Church (which calleth them) vntounto others, but by her appoynted to miniſter to her ſelfe. They vvho vvere in their time Apoſtles, vvere firſt called in their perſons by Chriſt to bee diſciples, that as Apoſtles afterwards they might be ſent to miniſter: they vvho are Paſtors, are ſent by Chriſt, firſt as members, or in their perſons and perſonal gifts, that as Paſtors they may afterwards be called to miniſter. And that M. Yates may hauehave for the caling of our prophets, wheron to inſiſt, thus we practiſe. After the exeerciſe of the publick Miniſtery ended, the rulers in the Chur. do publikly exhort, and require that ſuch of their own or other Church, as hauehave a gift to ſpeake to the edificatiō of the hearers, ſhould uſe the ſame: & this according to that which is written, Act. 13.14. &c. where Paul and Barnabas comming into the Synagogue, the Rulers, after the work of the ordinary miniſtery, was ended (conſidering them not as Apoſtles which they acknowledged not, but onelyonly as men having gifts) ſent unto them, that if they had any word of exhortation to the people, they ſhould ſay on:
M. Yates. ARG. 3.
FRom the true cauſes of propheſy in the new teſtament, which are two, either immediate revelatiō, or impoſition of hands: the firſt is Act. 2.17. & 10.44. the ſecond Act. 8.17. & 19.6. third cauſe of publick propheſy cannot be giuen: therefore ordinary propheſy in publick out of office being neyther by immediate revelation, nor impoſition of hands, is vnlawfull. You may ſay the contrary, but it will be without all warrant of the word.
ANSWER.
IN this Arg. are ſundry errors Logicall & Theologicall And firſt, why doth he not make Chriſts breathing vponupon the Apoſtles Ioh. 20. and the deſcending and ſitting of the cloven fiery tongues vponupon them Act. …. cauſes of propheſy as well as impoſition of hands? Secondly impoſition of hands is no cauſe at all of propheſy, to ſpeake properly, as M. yates ſhould doe, (affecting the name of a Logitian) It is no naturall cauſe, for to imagine that men tooke the holy Ghoſt in their hands, and reached it to others were ridiculous: neyther is it a morall cauſe, as in which there are propounded no Arguments, and motiues of perſwaſion. It is ineeed no more then a ſigne denoteing the perſon; not a cauſe effecting the thing. Thirdly, if it were a cauſe, yet ſhould it not be made the member of a diviſion oppoſed to revelation, but a cauſe or means ſubordinate vntounto it as vntounto the end: ſince it ſerued to the conveing of the ſpirit, by which ſpirit all reuelation is, and by revelation all propheſy: extraordinary by immediate revelation, ordinary by mediate: both which thē were in the Church, as is the latter now euen in men out of office, by meanes of their ſtudy, and Gods bleſſing upon the ſame: elſe could there never be lawfull office, Paſtor or Teacher choſen in the Church to the worlds end. The gift of propheſy comes not by the office, but being found in perſons before, makes them capable of the office by due means.