The duty of pastors and people distingushed [sic]. Or A briefe discourse, touching the administration of things commanded in religion. Especially concerning the means to be used by the people of God (distinct from church-officers) for the increasing of divine knowledge in themselves and others. Wherein bounds are prescribed to their peformances, their liberty is enlarged to the utmost extent of the dictates of nature and rules of charity: their duty laid downe in directions, drawn from Scripture-precepts, and the practise of Gods people in all ages. Together with the severall wayes of extraordinary calling to the office of publike teaching, with what assurance such teachers may have of their calling, and what evidence they can give of it, unto others. / By John Ovven, M.A. of Q. Col. O.

CAP. VI.

What assurance men extraordinarily called, can give to others, that they are so called in the former way.

THe next thing to be considered, is, what assurance he can give to others, and by what means, that he is so called. Now the

matter, or subject of their imployment may give us some light, to this consideration: and this is either, the inchoation of some di∣vine work to be established amongst men, by vertue of a new, and before never heard of Revelation of Gods will; or a restauration of the same, when collapsed and corrupted by the sin of men. To the first of these, God never sendeth any, but whom he doth so extraordinarily and immediately call, and ordain for that pur∣pose, and that this may be manifested unto others, he alwayes accompanieth them with his own almighty power, in the working of such miracles, as may make them beleeved, for the very works sake which God by them doth effect. This we may see in Moses, and (after Iesus Christ anointed with the oyl of gladnesse above his fellows to preach the Gospel) the Apostles: but this may passe; for nothing in such a way, shall ever again take place, God having ultimately revealed his minde, concerning his wor∣ship, and our salvation; a curse being denounced to man or an∣gel, that shall pretend to Revelation, for the altering or chan∣ging one jot or title of the Gospel. For the other, the work of Reformation, there being, ever since the writing of his Word, an Infallible rule, for the performance of it, making it fall within the duty and ability of men, partakers of an ordinary vocation, and instructed with ordinary gifts; God doth not always immedi∣ately call men unto it: but yet because oftentimes he hath so done, we may enquire what assurance they could give, of this their calling, to that imployment. Our Saviour Christ informs us, that a Prophet is often without honour in his own country: The honour of a Prophet, is to have credence given to his Message; of which it should seem, Jonas was above measure zealous; yet such is the cursed Infidelity and hardnesse of mens hearts, that though they cryed, Thus saith the Lord, yet they would reply the Lord hath not spoken; hence are those pleadings betwixt the Prophet Ieremie, and his enemies the Prophet averring of a truth, the Lord hath sent me unto you, and they contesting, that the Lord had not sent him, but that he lyed in the Name of the Lord; now to leave them inexcusable, and whether they would heare or whether they would forbeare, to convince them, that there hath been a Prophet amongst them, as also to give the greater credibility

to their extraordinary message, to them that were to beleeve their report, it is necessary that the Arme of the Lord should be re∣vealed, working in and by them, in some extraordinary manner, it is certain enough, that God never sent any one extraordinarily, instructed onely with ordinary gifts, and for an ordinary end: the ayme of their imployment I shewed before was extraordi∣nary, even the reparation of something instituted by God, and collapsed by the sin of man; that it may be credible, or appeare of a truth, that God had sent them for this purpose, they were alwayes furnished, with such gifts and abilities, as the utmost reach of humane indeavours, with the assistance of common grace cannot possibly attaine. The generall opinion is, that God alwayes supplies such, with the gift of miracles. Take the Word in a large sence, for every supernaturall product, beyond the or∣dinary activity of that secondary cause whereby it is effected, and I easily grant it; but in the usuall restrained acceptation of it, for outward wonderfull workes, the power of whose production consists in operation, I something doubt the universall truth of the assertion. We do not read of any such miracles wrought by the Prophet Amos, and yet he stands upon his extraordinary imme∣diate vocation; I was neither Prophet nor the son of a Prophet, but the Lord called me, &c. it sufficeth then that they be furnished with a supernaturall power either in, 1. Discerning, 2. Speaking, 3. Wor∣king: the power of Discerning according to the things by it discernable, may be said to be of two sorts, for it is either of things present, beyond the power of humane investigation, as to know the thoughts of other mens hearts, or their words not or∣dinarily to be knowne, as Elisha discovered the bed-chamber-discourse of the King of Syria (not that by vertue of their calling they come to be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, knowers of the heart, which is Gods property alone, but that God doth sometimes reveale such things unto them, for otherwise no such power is included in the nature of the gift, which is perfective of their knowledge, not by the way of habit, but actuall motion in respect of some par∣ticulars, and when this was absent, the same Elisha affirmeth that he knew not why the Shunamitish woman was troubled) or secondly of things future and contingent in respect of their se∣cundary

causes, not precisely necessitated by their own internall principle of operation, for the effecting of the things so fore∣known: and therefore the truth of the fore-knowledge, con∣sists in a commensuration to Gods purpose. Now effects of this power, are all those predictions of such things which wee finde in the old and new Testament, and divers also since: secondly, the supernaturall gift in speaking I intimate, is that of Tongues, proper to the times of the Gospel, when the Wor∣ship of God was no longer to be confined to the people of one nation.

The third in Working, is that which strictly and properly, is cal∣led the gift of Miracles: which are hard, rare, and strange effects exceeding the whole order of created nature: for whose producti∣on God sometimes useth his servants instrumentally, moving and inabling them thereunto, by a transient impression, of his power∣full grace; of which sort the holy Scripture hath innumerable relations. Now with one of those extraordinary gifts at the least, sometimes with all, doth the Lord furnish those his messengers of whom we treat: which makes their message a sufficient revelati∣on of Gods Will, and gives it credibility enough, to stir up faith in some, and leave others inexcusable. All the difficulty is, that there have been Simon Magusses, and are Antichrists, falsely pre∣tending to have in themselves, this mighty power of God, in one or other of the forenamed kinds.* 1.1 Hence were those many false Pro∣phets, Dreamers, and Wizards mentioned in the old Testament, which the Lord himselfe forewarnes us of, as also those Agents of that man of sin, whose comming is after the working of Satan with povver and signes, and lying vvonders, 2 Thes. 2. 9. I meane the jugling Priests and Iesuits, pretending falsely by their impostures to the power of miracle vvorking; though their imployment be not to reforme, but professedly to corrupt the wor∣ship of God: now in such a case as this, we have: 1. The mercy of God to relye upon, whereby he will guide his into the vvay of truth, and the purpose or decree of God, making it impossible that his elect should be deceived by them. Secondly, humane diligence accompanied with Gods blessing, may helpe us wonderfully in a discovery, whither the pretended miracles be of God, or no;

for there is nothing more certaine, then that a true and reall mi∣racle, is beyond the activity of all created povver, (for if it be not, it is not a miracle) so that the Divell and all his Emissaries are not able to effect any one act truely miraculous: but in all their pretences there is a defect discernable, either in respect of the thing it selfe pretended to be done, or of the manner of its doing, not truely exceeding the power of art or nature, though the apprehension of it, by reason of some Hell-conceived circum∣stances, be above our capacity. Briefely, either the thing is a lye, and so it is easie to faigne miracles, or the performance of it, is pure jugling, and so it is easie to delude poore mortalls. Innume∣rable of this sort at the beginning of the Reformation, were dis∣covered among the Agents, of that Wonder-vvorking man of sin, by the blessing of God upon humane endeavours; now from such discoveries, a good conclusion may be drawne, against the doctrine they desire by such meanes to confirme: for as God never worketh true miracles, but for the confirmation of the truth, so will not men pretend such as are false, but to persvvade that to others for a truth, which themselves have just reason to be persvvaded is a lye; now if this meanes faile, Thirdly, God himselfe hath set downe a rule of direction for us, in the time of such difficulty, Deut. 13. 1, 2, 3. If there arise among you a Prophet or Dreamer of Dreames, and giveth thee a signe or a vvonder, and the signe, or the vvonder come to passe, vvherefore he spake unto thee, saying, let us goe after other Gods to serve them, thou shalt not hearken to the vvords of that Prophet, or dreamer of dreames, for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether yee love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and all your soul. Ye shall vvalk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his Commandements, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cleave unto him, and that Prophet or Dreamer of dreams shall be put to death. The sum is, that seeing such men pretend that their Revelations and Mira∣cles are from Heaven, let us search, whither the Doctrine they seeke to confirme by them, bee from heaven, or no; if it bee not, let them bee stoned, or accursed, for they seeke to dravv us from our GOD, if it bee, let not the curse of a stony heart, to refuse them, be upon us. Where

the miracles are true, the doctrine cannot be false; and if the do∣ctrine be true, in all probability the miracles confirming it, are not false; and so much of them, who are immediatly called of God from heaven, what assurance they may have in themselves, of such a call, and what assurance they can make of it to others; now such are not to expect any ordinary vocation; from men below, God calling them aside to his worke, from the middest of their Brethren: The Lord of the harvest may send labourers into his field, without asking his Stewards consent, and they shall speake what ever he saith unto them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The discovery of Pretenders.