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A29130 An husbandmans harrow to pull down the ridges of the presbyteriall government and to smooth, a little, the independent ... containing divers new and unanswerable arguments ... / written by Ellis Bradshavv ... Bradshaw, Ellis. 1649 (1649) Wing B4144; ESTC R1233 82,907 112

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and that as briefly as may be And shall cast in also even this poor mite into the Churches Treasury and that by way of proposal as ayming chiefely at the proper end which is the end of the Commandement as hath been said For without all controversie That which is the end of all the Commandements should be all our ends in all our endeavours and undertakings But the undoubted end of all the Commandements is doubtless Love out of a pure heart and good Conscience and Faith unfeigned This therefore being the proper end I shall hold it forth in all the means that I shall propose from the Law of God and shall carry it along in my own intention and also make it manifest as much as possible how such meanes properly tendeth to atchieve that end and how useful and necessary such means is to attain there unto the Lord assisting who is able to do it and to make it clear 1. And first then because it do appeare to be against Love To God above all and our Neighbours as our selves It is worthy to be rejected for even the whole Law is contained in this Yea what ever it be that is against Love is against God for God is Love and Love cometh of God and is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost and if we be partakers of this divine love which is shed in our hearts by the Holy Ghost We are made partakers of the godly nature and it is of all others the first and chiefest of those fruits of the Spirit and the most essentiall 1 Joh. 4. 7 8 12 13 16 17. And so is a clear evidence That God dwelleth in us and we in him for the love of God is essentially of God such love I meane as cometh of God 2. And secondly If it do appear to be against this love out of a pure heart it is also worthy to be rejected for what ever Law Doctrine or argument shall be proposed to oblige men to in purity either in heart or life It is without all controversie against the Law of God for Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and men ought to keep themselves pure Mat. 5. 8. 1 Tim. 5. 22. Especially in heart for thereout cometh the issues of life 3. Thirdly if it be propos'd against a good Conscience it is worthy to be rejected as not included in the Law of God For all Laws Doctrines or Arguments whatsoever they are that would ingage us against a good Conscience manifestly grounded on the Word of God and of sound Doctrine that cannot be reproved we ought to reject them and yeeld no obedience nor approbation thereunto either in obedience unto men or to please them c. For we must not be men pleasers nor servants of men but obey God rather then men and ought to love and therefore serve and honor and please him rather then men For all the men in the whole Universe cannot by any meanes give men liberty of Conscience to commit sinne if their Conscience tell them and be convinced from the Law of God that they ought not to do it as Rom. 2. 11 12 13 14 15. But their Consciences will accuse and condemne them also and that in the day of Judgement when God shall Judge the secrets of men by JESUS CHRIST according to the Gospel Therefore as they cannot properly give men liberty of Conscince no more then save and exempt men from punishment due for their sinnes against Conscience they ought not to binde or engage men to obedience unto any Law against a good Conscience rightly grounded on the Law of God as hath been said But should give men libertie to be as strict and severe and as carefull and watchful and as inquisitive is they please how to keep a good Conscience voyd of offence both to God and men 4. Fourthly if any Law or argument or motion whatsoever shall be made against Faith to wit unfaigned Faith As that we should not beleeve or trust in God but in something else or that we should beleeve or put hope and confidence in any thing else or that we should not beleeve whatsoever he saith or proposeth to us in his sacred Word or biddeth us beleeve c. We ought to reject it yea though all the men and Churches in the World would ingage us to beleeve what they assert and resolve upon as being most able because wise and learned and because a multitude of Counsellors to determine and resolve what ought to be beleeved in such a case Yet if we certainly know that the Word of God affirmeth the contrary we ought to beleeve it and to reject their resolves and counsels and assertions be they what they will and must not conform nor comply with them nor approve the same But if an Angel from heaven or the whole world being become an Arrian should decree or teach us the Arrian heresie we should let him be accursed and so also for any other Doctrine then may be made manifest as it ought to be from sacred Scripture There is a time spoken of Zach. 13. when men shall be so zealous against false Prophets and false Prophesying that a mans father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him thou shalt not live for thou speakest lyes in the name of the Lord and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesie Zach. 13. 1 2 3 4 5 6. We must therefore resolve to let God be true and every man a lyar and therefore rather to beleeve him then all and every or any man in the whole world And also we must and ought to draw neer unto God in full assurance of Faith not casting away our confidence in God which hath great recompence of reward for faith in God is of all other graces Love excepted the most chief and principal and the most essential for it is said of Faith and Love that they are in Christ Jesus yea though now in heaven It is not said that they were in Christ to wit when he was on earth but that they are in Christ Jesus for when the Apostle writ so of him he was ascended already into heaven yea and though he be in heaven yet he is said to dwel in mens hearts by Faith And therefore such faith may well be called a precious faith being so properly essential to the spirit of Christ as that where Faith dwelleth Christ also dwelleth properly and essentially even by his holy spirit for faith and love which are in Christ Jesus are not onely fruits but they are essentiall witnesses of his holy Spirit abiding in us He that beleeveth saith the Apostle hath the witnesse in himself 1 Joh. 5. 10. And so he that loveth it is also a witness that he is born of God and knoweth God Chap. 4. 7. and that he also dwelleth in us vers 12. and that he hath given us of his spirit vers 13. And so
Is it not speaking unto men to Edification and Exhortation and comfort 1 Cor. 14. 1 3. Is is not preferred before the gift of tongues How much more then is it to be prefer'd before Learnedness in the tongues which is onely taught by humane Document and is not given as a manifestation of the Spirit but is that which a carnal man that knoweth nothing neither can know any thing concerning spiritual things may attain unto 1 Cor. 2. 14. Therefore learnedness in the tongues being no manifestation of the Spirit at all is therefore no signe that men are called of God and sent to preach But he that hath prophesie let him prophesie according to the proportion of faith But who is this He that hath prophesie in the Apostles sence in this place But he that speaketh unto men to Edification and Exhortation and Comfort And yet further by way of Directory he giveth forth a most exact Rule to wit Quest But how and what order must be used Answ Let the Prophets speak two or three and let the rest judge And if any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace Quest But why so Answ For ye may all speake one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted vers 29 30 31. Quest But where and when and in what company must this be that the Prophets may all speak one by one Answ When the whole Church of the Corinthians was come together as vers 23 24 25 26 27. And therefore also when any whole Church rightly constituted as the Corinthians was are come together they may do the like Quest But were not this immodesty in these dayes when the whole Church is come together in some place and every one hath a Psalme hath Doctrine hath a Tongue hath Revelation hath an Interpretation That all these one by one should be communicated for the good of the whole as vers 26 27 31 32. all that are Prophets I meane for so is the Directory vers 29. 24. Answ Was this the practise of the Churches in the Primitive times by the Apostles direction Might all that were zealous of spiritual gifts seek that they might excell to the Edifying of the Church as vers 12. And must it therefore now be accounted immodesty because it is not the custome in our Churches before these times Yea must it be accounted immodesty to use the same liberty in those Churches which are of purpose so constituted that the gifts of al that are so qualified may be most useful and profitable unto all that all might learne and all might be comforted and all might be edified as vers 30. 31. And might grow in grace from faith to faith and from strength to strength till they come to be tall men and women in Jesus Christ as Psal 84. 7. Yea that holding the Head from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together might the more increase with the increase of God as Coloss 2. 19. and Chap. 3. 12 13. to 18. And why should any member of the mystical body of Jesus Christ be therefore despised as uselesse and unprofitable because unlearned in the tongues Hath not God himself on purpose so provided and tempered the body together and given more honour to that part which lacked that there might be no Schisme in the body but that the members might learn to have the same care one of another Seeing the heat cannot say to the feet I have no need of you as Chap. 12. 13. c. to the end Proposing the usefulnesse and propriety and necessity of every member of our natural bodies to be as patterns unto bodies spiritual that all the members in their several places might be accounted of incouraged honoured comforted edified and esteemed of as they ought to be necessary and useful for the good of the whole shewing that the most feeble members ought not to be despised but as much as in us lieth honored and clothed with more abundant comeliness And every one called forth employed desired and deputed by such who can discern their proper gifts or fitness and abilities for the necessary use and good of the whole or of any other parts or members of the body to such employments as they are fittest for And this calling and deputation would take away all appearance or suspition of immodesty in any such members to what ever employment they are called unto But while it is otherwise and that the very constitution of our Presbyterian Churches require that none be admitted but that is so and so learned and that enters in by the learned's door It were immodesty to observe the Apostles rules in such Presbyterian Churches And it is no marvel if such who do it yea though in other Churches be accounted silly fellows and tubpreachers by the rude people who it may be account them as they did paul and others no better then mad as Vers 23. For they are so accounted and spoken of too and that by our grave Divines so reverendly they esteem of the gifts of God and of the graces of his Spirit which are the more perspicuous by how much more they are unlearned in the Tongues And therefore it is no marvel if it be so unto them all as is spoken in these Scriptures Isa 29. from the 9 to the end Micab 3. 5 6 7 8. Hosea 8. 12. Let them look to it that despise prophecying that resist and Spirit yea that like Jannes and Jambres resist the Truth and that despise but the least of those little ones that beleeve in Christ for they do despise and resist him and his sacred Truth And it is to be feared that many are guilty even of speaking words against the holy Ghost A dangerous sin as it needs must be that shall never be forgiven either in this life or in the life to come as Mat. 12 30 31 32. It is no marvel if such Ministers yea though the chiefest of all on the face of the earth have no manifest Vision as once it was in the days of Eli when they caused the people to despise the offering of the Lord even so I mean they cause the people to despise such service and offerings and sacrifice as God now requires as Rom 12. 1● Rev. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 7 8 9 10. For they that despise these things despise not men but God It is no marvel if they must be content either to learn it at babes or to be without and dye without knowledg as 1 Sam. 3. 1 17 18. Hos 4 5 6. Object But it will be objected That the like ways for edifying of the Church in these days that were practised in the Apostles times are not suitable now because that those extraordinary gifts are ceased Ans 1. I answer That the chief and most profitable of all those gifts for edifying of the Church is still on foot to wit Prophecying speaking unto men to edification and