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A49813
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A treatise relating to the call, work & wages of the ministers of Christ as also to the call, work & wages of the ministers of antichrist : wherein a testimony is born ... / Thomas Lawson.
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Lawson, Thomas, 1630-1691.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing L728; ESTC R34510
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85,782
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120
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Thus Israel was guilty of forsaking the Fountain of Life of Living Mercies and of having recourse to broken Cisterns The labour of the Apostles and their living concern was to bring People to Shilo the Store-house of heavenly Wisdom Knowledge and sound Understanding the Fountain of Life the Well-spring of pure Wisdom spiritual Treasures Virtue Peace Joy Consolation and Spiritual Refreshments in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwells Bodily of whose plenitude that is fulness his receive Grace for Grace Now after the Apostles dayes the Star being fallen Smoke arisen Sun and Air darkned the Purity of the Primitive Church spoiled in a word upon the encroachment of the Apostacy the golden Cup of Abomination and Fornication was received by Christendom which became as Waters in this smoke evaporating out of the bottomless Pit the pure Fountain of Life was lost the truly impowering Call of the Lord of the Harvest was lost then in the Apostatized Roman Church Schools and Colledges were erected into which were received Heathen Poems Comedies Tragedies Fables spoiling Philosophy Heathen Metaphysicks and in and through learning of these Youth was qualified for the Gospel Ministry as they say and these Universities were called by the Apostatized Roman Church Well-springs of Divinity Fountains of the Gospel Ministry Thus the Fountain of Life being turned from broken Cisterns were entertained Luther on 2 Pet. 2.1 spake freely of Apostatized Popish Universities The whole World saith he is of this Opinion that these are Fountains or Well springs from which proceed such as ought to teach the People This is a horrible Error saith he forasmuch as nothing so detestable proceeds from any thing or place as from Universities c. The Roman Popish Religion being brought into this Nation by Austin the Monk and others in process of time Cambridge and Oxford came to be founded and made Universities and were called Well-springs of Divinity c. And though Protestantism and a great share of Reformation be pretended and professed yet the divine Call into the Ministry is denyed and altogether or in a high measure ascribed to Schools of Humane Learning yea and Cambridge and Oxford are still termed Well-springs of Divinity the two Fountains and the two Eyes of the Nation The Almighty is opening an Eye to see the Living Fountain the Well-spring of Life and to press after the same and to deny the Idolatrous use and abuses of Man made Well-springs and Fountains though Schools teaching the knowledge of the Creation of useful and necessary Accomplishments are to be contended for but out of their place Idolatrous as in setting them in the room of the Lord of the Harvest William Tindall in his Parable of the wicked Mammon saith Many are not ashamed to rail and blaspheme saying How should he understand the Scripture seeing he is no Philosopher hath never seen his Metaphysicks and how can he be a Divine who knows not what is Subjectum in Theologia Nevertheless as a man without the Spirit of Aristotle or Philosophy may by the Spirit of God understand Scriptures even so by the Spirit of God understands he that God is to be sought c. and yet knows not what meaneth Subjectum in Theologia that is the Subject in Divinity because it is a term of their own making Drawing to a Conclusion let me say that to confine the Ministry to Natural Tongues Arts and Sciences is contrary to the Lords Call in the Patriarchal Mosaical and in the Morning of the Evangelical Dispensation yea and contrary to the Call promised after the Apostacy after the three dayes and an half wherein the Beast and the Locusts Anti-christ and his apostatized Ministry should be bred fitted and qualified in the Smoke of the Pit earthly and fallen Wisdom Rev. 11.11 Besides this my Testimony take the Testimony of our Country-man Gell who said I do not here confine the Gifts of God unto mans Approbation or Ordination Surely saith he the Lord may fill whose Hand he will speak by whom he will In all Ages saith this Gell God raised up Priests and Prophets without the Authority yea against the Authority of Men Amos 3.8 Acts 4.18 19 20. 'T is unreasonable saith he to confine the Spirit of God unto certain Theses Articles Confessions and Opinions of mens making they seem to dare and provoke the wise God in that they cannot say that their Dictates proceed from an infallable Spirit yet would they limit and bound the infallable Spirit of the God of Truth by their presumtuous humane Spirit which as themselves confess is Fallable and subject to Error We stay so long saith Bishop Hall upon the Shell of Tongues that we can hardly have time to chew the sweet Kernel of Knowledge So may I say Natural Tongues Arts Sciences and Endowments are so doted upon and concluded to be the enabling qualification for the Gospel Ministry as that the heavenly Anointing the real ability for the Gospel Ministry is not waited for but by most of the Worldly wise Linguists and Sophisters derided CAP. III. Of the Original of Bishops in Gospel dayes and of the Identity that is Oneness and Sameness of Bishops and Elders in the Primitive Age. THe Apostles in the Power of the Lord laboured and were livingly concerned to turn the Jew from Judaism and the Gentile from Gentilism to Christ in whom Oneness and the new Creature is witnessed After visiting the Churches before gathered and in the Spirit of discerning observing a Care begot in some particular Members for the good prosperity growth and decent order of their fellow Members the oversight care and charge of particular Assemblies were commended to such and they were called Elders because chosen for the most part of the elder sort of People and the same were also called Bishops that is Overseers or Superintendents because of their Office of overseeing and taking care of the rest They were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Presbyters or Elders for that they were so in Age the Law having so provided that no man should be promoted to that Dignity till he was thirty five Years old or else because they ought to be such in Manners and circumspect Carriage saith Sr. Thomas Ridley in his view of the Civil and Eccleslastical Law Pope Boniface the First thought good that not any under thirty Years of Age should be ordained a Presbyter that is an Elder Afterward it was decreed by the Authority of the Lateran Council that one might be made an Elder at twenty five Years old Polydor. de Invent. lib. 4. But this limiting to a certain Year savours of the Will of Man not of the Spirit Now 't is my Judgment that the same Individuals particular Persons that in the Purity of the Primitive Age were sometimes called Elders they were also called Bishops that is Overseers as the same Person may be sometime called a Minister sometime a Teacher this Doctrine in the Beauty of the Primitive Church was not called Heretical but
tempora Mutantur Times are changed and in reference to the Identity that is oneness and sameness of Elders and Bishops in Primitive times Scripture record is not altogether silent Though in Scripture 't is not in terminis that is express words that an Elder and a Bishop were one and the same Order and Office yet the circumstantial Expressions are so strong and pregnant that they are Equivalent to a clear Expression in terminis that is Express Words saith the Author of the Book called The naked Truth Paul being at Miletus sent to Ephesus and called the Elders of the Church and said unto them Take heed to your selves and to all the Flock over the which the holy Ghost hath made you Overseers that is Bishops Acts 20.17 28. Paul with the same Breath as I may say first calls them Elders then Bishops this evidently proves them one both in respect of Name and in respect of Office saith Durham Paul writing to Titus said For this cause I left thee in Crete that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting and ordain Elders in every City c. For a Bishop must be blameless c. Titus 1.5 6 7. So the very same that he calls Elders he presently calls Bishops Further Peter said The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder feed the Flock of God taking the oversight thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may thus be rendred Overseeing the same as Bishops saith Darham 1 Pet. 5.1 2. So the very same Individuals whom he first calls Elders he presently calls Bishops proving the Identity Oneness Sameness of Elders and Bishops in the Primitive Church these Titles were Synonyma Synonymous both attributed to one and the self-same Person if they were not distinguished then who can justly distinguish them since The Jesuit Lorinus on this Scripture acknowledges this Identity You see that Peter and Paul who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inspired of God were clear and pregnant for the confirmation of this Truth Further Jerom in his Epistle to Evagrius as in other places and upon other accounts Theoderet Occumenus Clarius Valla Hammond Bilson the Author of the Book called The naked Truth men eminent in the Church since the Apostles dayes with many others such like have born Testimony that an Elder and a Bishop in the Apostles Language were one and the same and that they were Names indifferent and used to the same Persons Michael de Medina cited by Bellarmine Lib. 1. Cap. 15. de Clericis doth affirm that not only Jerom and Aerius but also Ambrosius Augustinus Sedulius Primasius Chrysostomus Theoderetus Oecumenus and Theophilactus held out this Identity the Waldenses and Wickliffians were of this Judgment Hence it follows that there was no difference betwixt the Names and Offices of Bishops and Elders in the Apostles dayes the difference was not begun by any Apostolick Constitution but upon Church-Custom Decrees of Councils and such other Grounds These things we have spoken saith Jerom to shew that Elders and Bishops were the same in the Primitive times and that Bishops may know that they are greater then Presbyters that is Elders rather through Custom than by the Lords appointment This I own As the Smoke of the Pit arose the Apostatical Leprosie overspred Discord and Contention arose about Religion Men drew into Parties one crying up this man another that man as in the Apostles dayes one cryed he was for Paul another for Apollo another for Cephas and every one accounted those his own not Christ's whom he Baptized Then for the Eradicating the Seeds of Divisions and for the Restraining of Disorderly Pastors it was decreed That one should be chosen out of the Presbyters that is Elders and have Authority over them and by way of Emineney be called Bishop Thus the Bishop shoulder'd out the Elders got Superiority over them Polydor de Invent. rer Nations being converted Bishops increased Differences arose For the restraining or preventing of which one was set over the Bishops so called Arch-Bishop Arch-Bishops increasing to restrain or prevent Heresies and Differences among them one was set over them called a Patriarch Patriarchs increasing to restrain or prevent Differences and Disorders among them one was set up above them called Catexochen by way of Eminency Papa that is Pope though Papa that is Pope before was a Name attributed to other Bishops Jerom on Titus Naked Truth Thus Elders and Bishops which were one Office in the pure Primitive Times through the Ground of Apostacy became divided Thus Bishop got Superiority over Elders Arch-Bishops over Bishops Patriarchs over Arch-Bishops Pope over the Patriarchs For the maintaining of Uniformity in the Church of Rome every Province was to be governed by one Priest or more who for Reverence sake should be called Bishops Then by permission of Christian Princes Kingdoms were divided into Diocesses Diocesses into Shires or Counties Shires into Parishes It was decreed That every Parish should yield Obedience to their Parish Priest the Parish Priest to the Dean the Dean to the Bishop the Bishop to the Arch-Bishop the Arch-Bishop to the Primate or Patriarch the Patriarch to the Legate the Legate to the Pope the Pope to General Councils and General Councils only unto God as they said The Title of Bishop is of divine Institution the other of Arch-Bishop Primate Patriarch Metropolitan Sub-Deacon Arch-Deacon Pope are not mention'd by the Apostles so of latter Institution by Man These things being consider'd 't is my Judgment with the abovesaid and others that might be mentioned that the same Individuals who were in the Primitive Dayes called Elders they were also called Bishops that they were one and the same Leigh also in his Critica Sacra saith the same That the same Persons who were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Elders ab at ate from their Age were also called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishops Over seers ab Officio from their Office CAP. IV. Of the Work of the Ministry of Christ and of Antichrist CHrist Jesus the Branch of Righteousness having called Disciples he influenced them with Salutiferous heavenly Wisdom and armed them with heavenly Armour that they might War under his Banner against Abaddon Apolyon the old Serpent and his Kingdom and be concerned as Instruments in the hand of she Lord for the rescuing of many out of his Captivity and Tyranny As the Disciples the Worthies and Warriers of the Lord were called of Christ so he appointed them their Work they were to do his Work grow up in like-mindedness with him heavenly-mindedness So he said to his Disciples Go therefore and teach all Nations c. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you Mat. 28. Consider this here was a divine Limit they were to minister that and nothing but that which they received from Christ the Well-spring of Life and Living Mercies Here the Smoke of the Bottomless Pit Anti-christians Doctrines