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kingdom_n	act_n	king_n	lord_n	2,428	5	3.6568	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61215	The mutual duties of elders and people Delivered in a discourse at Beckles in Suffolk, Octob. 13. 1697. At the setting apart of Mr. John Killinghal, to the office of an elder, over a Church of Christ there. By John Stackhouse, elder of a Church of Christ in Norwich.	Stackhouse, John, dissenting minister.	1698 (1698)	Wing S5104; ESTC R220764	32,438	41

care for the tender Lambs they must care for those that are oppress'd with Infirmities they must not over-drive the Flock and they must diligently know the state of their Flock whether increasing or decaying in grace They must be very careful to avoid that reproof that God gives by Ezekiel against the Shepherds in that day Ezek. 34. 2 3 4. Woe be to the Shepherds of Israel that feed themselves should not the Shepherds feed the flock Ye eat the fat and clothe you with the wooll ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock The diseased have ye not strengthned nor healed that which was sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken neither have ye brought again that which was driven away neither have ye sought that which was lost but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them Oh this is a severe Reproof a dreadful Charge to be given in against any that are called to be Shepherds or Pastors it behoves us all to keep our selves unspotted and to be faithful 8. They are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Teachers or Doctors Isa 20. v. 30. Thine eyes shall see thy Teachers they shall no more be removed into corners 1 Cor. 12. 28. God hath set some in the Churches first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers Therefore they must be apt to teach Therefore that is inculcated as the qualification of a Bishop 1 Tim. 3. 2. He must be apt to teach And they must hold fast the faithful Word and be able by sound Doctrine to exhort and convince gain-sayers Titus 1. 8. They must exhort instruct and comfort the Church with all Authority these things command and teach 1 Tim. 4. 11. Charge them that are rich in this World cap. 6. 17. They must reprove publickly such as do sin publickly they must give an open reproof for open sins 1 Tim. 5. 20. Them that sin rebuke before all that others also may fear and they must take heed to themselves and to their Doctrine There must be great care and great solicitousness 1 Tim. 4. 16. in us that what we speak in the Name of the Lord be indeed the Mind of the Lord and cordially believed and submitted unto by our selves as such 9. And lastly They are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elders or Presbyters If any Man be sick let him send for the Elders of the Church James 5. 14. The Elders that are among you I exhort who am also an Elder 1 Pet. 5. 1. But with Elders there must be Wisdom and an Ability to give Counsel and Gravity they must not be Novices they must Rule well and be Examples to the People Thus in general from their Names and Titles I have shewed you that they are over you in the Lord. II. I shall shew you a little in Particular what you are to understand by this being over you in the Lord. 1. It is a Power communicated by Christ's Word of Command or Institution the Constitutions of the Gospel do prescribe it Matth. 28. 20. teaching them to do whatsoever things I have commanded you And if any do assume more than Christ doth grant and command in his Word such are Usurpers Thieves and Robbers vainly pretending to what they do not receive and derive from Christ by his Word 2. The Rule that Chrst hath entrusted and committed to them by his Word is the guidance of the Church in all things belonging to the Worship of God for the ordering and disposing of all things in the Church for Christ's Glory and the Churches Edification they are to care for all the Spiritual Concernments of the whole Society that is committed to them they are to care for the House of God 1 Tim. 3. 5. 3. They have their Power immediately by the Church but not from the Church Christ doth apply the Office tho' the Church designs the Person The Church chuseth them and the Holy Ghost makes them Overseers Acts 20. 28. They are sent by Christ John 13. 20. He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me They are Ambassadors for Christ they do act in his stead and by the Authority that he hath committed to them As a King in his absence may appoint Officers to wait upon his Queen and to manage the Affairs of his Kingdom and may also give Rules that upon the death of any of them she should Dr. Goodwin's Government of Churches chuse new ones yet still their Authority is such as the King hath vouchsafed in his Commission to them not what the Queen gives them by chusing them 4. The Obligation of the Members of the Church to a free and voluntary and uncompelled Obedience to them doth arise from the Authority of Jesus Christ which the Elders exercise according to his Laws Your Obedience I say must be free and voluntary yet you are obliged to obey them because they exercise the Authority of Christ according to his Laws They do not act by the Authority of the Church when they declare the consent and determination of the Church in the common Affairs of the Church The Church doth in consenting exercise their Liberty and their Privilege according to the order of the Gospel for the order of the Gospel is such that no act can take place in the Church without their own consent but whilst the Church doth thus exercise their Liberty and the Elders do declare the consent of the Church yet still they act by the Authority of Christ and in his Name Matth. 28. 3 last Verses All Power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you Note here That because all Power is given unto me therefore I do authorize you to disciple and baptize all Nations and to teach them to observe all the Institutions of Worship that I have commanded you All Gospel Ministrations are grounded upon the Power that is given to Christ and that not only with respect to the Apostles themselves but also with respect to ordinary Elders that are their Successors for so it follows Lo I am with you always to the end of the World So in Tit. 2. 15. These things teach and exhort and rebuke with all all authority let no Man despise thee They must not act Imperiously nor Precariously but they are to act in their Ministration with all Authority and this Authority is not their own Authority but Christ's and the Authority of Christ must be be freely owned no Man must despise them Thus I have spoken to their Dignity they are over you in the Lord. II. Consider their Work they labour among you and admonish you And here let me shew you Summarily First What their Work is And Secondly That it is a labour I. As for their Work the Apostle speaks Eph. 4.

THE Mutual Duties OF Elders and People Delivered in a DISCOURSE AT Beckles in Suffolk Octob. 13. 1697. At the setting apart of Mr. John Killinghal to the Office of an Elder over a Church of Christ there By John Stackhouse Elder of a Church of Christ in NORWICH LONDON Printed by Tho. Snowden for Edward Giles Bookseller in Norwich near the Market-Place 1698. To the READDR THis Sermon was preached upon a special occasion at the setting apart of an Elder over a Church of Christ the Elders of the Churches and the People there present did earnestly desire our Reverend Brother to print his Sermon they were so affected with it and so they might well be The Sermon is so Judicious so Quick and Powerful that I hope the Lord will make it of great Use to many Here you have the Duties of Ministers and People set forth so excellently and fully that those that read this Sermon will see That this Servant of Christ is mightily in the Scriptures an able Minister of the New Testament and full of the Knowledge of the Lord. When I read over this Sermon as it was written by one that took it in Short-Hand I encouraged the Author all that I could to satisfie the Desires of those that were so earnest for the printing of it I have often in publick and in private praised God for the Grace and Gifts bestowed upon this Reverend Brother and now that I am old and under such great Pains walking in the Valley of the Shadow of Death it is a great satisfaction to me to leave this Church of Christ with one so able and faithful to take Care of them The Lord continue his Life and Strength pour out of his Spirit upon him more and more and grant that the Congregation may esteem him highly for his Works sake and be at Peace amongst themselves which is my hearts Desire and Prayer of Martin Fynch Decemb. 27. 1697. To my Dear and Reverend Brethren in the Work of the Gospel who desired the Printing of this Sermon WHether you may like this Sermon in reading it as well as you did in hearing it I who am conscious of the meanness of it should greatly doubt if I were not well satisfied concerning your Love and Candour My design and desire was therein as it is in all my weak Labours to profit more than to please and the profit of many was I believe your aim and hope in pressing me to the Publication thereof I have therefore yielded that your Request should over-rule my own Aversness to the Press The Text discours'd on led me to speak of so many several Particulars that they could not be fully discussed by me in one Discourse tho' long enough for the Occasion What I have briefly hinted to explain how Elders are over the Church I have read more largely declared in the Writings of Dr. Owen Dr. Goodwin and others as I suppose you also have where such as desire more full satisfaction concerning that or other Points may find it I follow them so far as I understand they follow the Word of God the only infallible Rule Now that the Father of Lights and the God of all Grace would teach Us and the several Churches of Christ over which he hath set us so to walk as is here plainly declared and much more abundantly according to his Holy Word and that he would strengthen our Hands in his great Work against all Discouragements and that the Word of the Gospel may greatly prevail and that this mean Discourse may be somewhat subservient thereunto is the earnest Prayer of Dear and Reverend Brethren Your Brother and Companion in the Kingdom and Patience of Jesus Christ though most unworthy J. STACKHOUSE Norwich Dec. 17. 1697. The Mutual Duties of Elders and People 1 Thessal V. 12 13. And we beseech you Brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in Love for their Works sake And be at Peace among your selves THE Exhortation is very suitable and seasonable for you now and Oh! that the Spirit of God would set it home upon your Hearts the Light of the Spirit is a more powerful Teaching than the Words of a poor Worm Above other places it pleased God that the Gospel preached had a very sudden and great success at Thessalonica a chief City in Macedonia You read in Acts 17. That Paul Preaching to them three Sabbath days some Jewes and many Greeks and devout Women not a few were converted And a Church was gathered for so he directs both these Epistles Vnto the Church of the Thessalonians and Officers were set over them as appears from the Text. And because they received the Word of God with much affliction the Apostle was very solicitous for Chap. 1. v. 6● them and he sent Timothy from Athens that he might establish them and comfort them that they might not be moved by their afflictions Chap. 3. ver 2 3. And upon Timothy's return he wrote from Corinth this first Epistle and afterwards the second Epistle and all within the compass of the first Year of his Preaching to them Having in this Epistle declared the Truths of the Gospel to them and variously instructed them he comes to exhort them to those Duties that might make their Communion comfortable and edifying Chap. 5. v. 11. Wherefore comfort your selves together and edifie one another even as also ye do He would have them to consider those comfortable Truths and to observe those holy Precepts which he had laid down in this Epistle and so to comfort and edifie one another and he urgeth it and encourageth them thereunto by commending them that already they did so practise and that therefore they ought to abound yet more and more All Exhortation doth not imply a Reproof as if People did not do what they are exhorted to but that they should yet abound more and more Hereunto he adds in the Text an Exhortation to these necessary Duties that they owed to them that were over them their Pastors or Teachers for howsoever careful they might be in the discharge of those Christian Duties of mutual Exhortation and Comfort yet they must not think their Ministers needless Brethren are to watch over one another and exhort and comfort one another in a way of Love but Elders do it in the Authority of Christ as sent by him and as you may expect God's gracious Blessing upon your admonishing and comforting one another so much more may you expect it from the Ministry of them that are set over you Heb. 10. 24 25. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works this is the Duty of every particular Member of the Church but then it follows not forsaking the assembling of your selves together Every Servant must watch over one another that nothing be done contrary to the Master's Will and Interest but the chief Steward does it with