multitude they chose Stephen a man full of faith and of the H. Ghost Act. 10.44 47 48. While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word Then answered Peter can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Q. What Answer shall we give to those Scriptures Heb. 8.10 11. 1 Joh. 2.27 2 Pet. 1.1 9 A. To that place in the Hebrewes I say 1 That it must not be interpreted to forbid the use of all ordinances and teaching by men for the Apostles themselves did notwithstanding this promise go on teaching and ordaining teachers in the Churches 2 That if this text of Scripture should be taken as it seems to sound in the expresse words and letter of it it will make void and needlesse not only publick teaching and by ministers or Church-officers but also private instruction and by private friends neighbours brethren not ministers 3ly I say that the sense and meaning may be that they shall have not only the outward teaching of men but the inward teaching of the spirit and this teaching of God by his spirit they shall have in such a manner and measure that the other outward shall be nothing or needlesse in comparison or 4thly They shall in Gospell times from the least to the greatest know God the Lord to be the Lord and they shall not teach them as if they were to teach a heathenish unknowing people but the ministers shall then teach a more knowing people as t is said the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea i. e. there shall be abundance of knowledge beyond what there is now generally To that in 1 Epistle of John the meaning is either this You are sufficiently already instructed in this that Jesus is the Christ you need not a farther proof in that matter the seducers Anti-Christs or false Christs shall not be able to draw you away from this great truth Or else ye that are the children of God have the gifts and graces of Gods spirit in such a measure that ye shall not be carried away from the Christian Religion or the truth as t is in Jesus but this Spirit shall teach you in all necessary saving truths And that notwithstanding this place this Apostle writes this Epistle to informe them to edify thē To that in 2 Ep. of Peter the sense and scope of the words may be this that you may find the knowledge of God and of his Christ if you will read and consider and compare the prophesies of the old Testament for those Scriptures testify of him The meaning is not that when you have got the knowledge of Christ you need not further to take heed to the Scriptures when the godly Ps 123.2 professe to look or waite on God untill he have mercy on them doe you think that they meant to look or waite on him just so long and no longer Q. May ministers presse Saints who live and dwell in God and who are taught of God to hearken to a word or commandement without them A. Yes 1 Thes 4.9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you for ye your selves are taught of of God to love one another compared with the 2d. For ye know what commandements we gave you by the Lord Jesus Eph. 6.1 2. Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right Honour thy father mother which is the first commandement with promise compared with ch 1.1 Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the Saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithfull in Christ Jesus Jam. 2.8 11. If ye fulfill the royall Law according to the Scripture Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy selfe ye do well For he that said do not commit Adultery said also do not kill Now if thou commit no Adultery yet if thou kill thou art become a transgressor of the Law Q. May a believer that is in God come himselfe to any Church do we read of a church in God and the Lord Christ A. 2 Thes 1.1 Paul and Sylvanus and Timotheus unto the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Q. Is there a Catholick or Universall Church and may a man be said to be a teacher or ruler in that A. 1 Cor. 12.28 And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly teachers c. Q. Had God a Church ordinances and ministers in the daies of Antichrist A. Rev. 13.11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth and he had two hornes like a lamb and he spake as a dragon c. compared with ch 14.1 3. And I looked and loe a lamb stood on the mount Sion and with him an hundred forty and foure thousand having his fathers name written in their foreheads and they sung as it were a new song before the throne and before the four beasts and the Elders and no man could learne that song but the hundred forty and foure thousand which were redeemed from the earth Q. When the glorious times of the Church spoken of by Isaiah ch last come will there be use of Ministers and Ordinances A. Isa 66.21 23. And I will also take of them for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord. And it shall come to passe that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. Q. If a Minister intending to be short in a point say to conclude this in a word and after doth use more words then one or one or more sentences doth he lye A. Galat. 5.14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe Q. May Ministers be bred up in Colledges under Tutors in order to the Ministry or are Colledges to be Nurseries only for the Common-wealth and Schools and not for the Church A. 1 Sam. 19.19 20. And it was told Saul saying David is at Naioth in Ramah And Saul sent messengers to take David and when they saw the company of the Prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as appointed over them 1 Sam. 10.10 And when they came thither to the hill behold a company of Prophets met him the Spirit of God came upon him he prophesied among thē Q. Had the Apostle Paul Hebrew and Greek and did he ever make any use of it A. Acts 22.2 And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them they kept the more silence And Acts 21.37 And as Paul was to be led into the Castle he said unto the chiefe Captaine may I speak unto thee who said canst thou speak Greek Q. May we heare Ministers if they be as they are charged proud and
unto them Againe I say Christians must obey God rather than men the servants of God may serve the persons of men but must not serve mens lusts contrary to the Law of God Q. Must Mr and Servant sit down to meat together or may one sit and the other stand and serve A. Luk. 17.7 8. Which of you having a Servant will say to him goe and sit down to meat and not rather make ready wherewith I may sup and gird thy selfe and serve me c. Q. Doth not the scripture condemne Respect of persons Deut. 16.19 Jam. 2.1 3 9. Prov. 24.23 and 28.21 A. It is written also in the Scripture and the Scripture cannot be broken Render honour to whom honour is due Rom. 13.7 And againe Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man I am the Lord Lev. 19.32 We must not so expound one place of Scripture as to make it clash with another The holy spirit of truth doth not crosse and contradict himselfe We must necessarily therefore distinguish of Respect of Persons and shew what manner of honour or respect is sinfull and condemned and what is warrantable and allowed we acknowledge that the Scripture forbids to respect persons in judgment whether rich or poor Lev. 19.15 The Judge must not pervert judgment for feare of the rich man or out of pitty to the poor man but must judge righteous judgment every man's cause not according to the person that mannages it and whom it concernes but according to the merit of it Againe Christians must not as in the administration of justice so neither of Ordinances admit rich men because they are rich however unbelieving unworthy and altogether unqualified and exclude or refuse the poor how rich soever in Faith prepared and fitted merely because they are poor It seemes when James wrote his Epistle there were some in the Church who were to be blamed because they did preferre and honour rich men though unbelievers and oppressros and in the mean time did contemne and despise poor believing Christians for their poverty Though we may honour men for those outward excellencies which God hath bestowed or put upon them yet we must never so honour the rich as to slight and despise the poor especially the poor Believer Q. May we take these words Respect and Honour the one for the other A. Lev. 19.15 Ye shall doe no unrighteousnesse in judgment thou shalt not respect the person of the poor nor honour the person of the mighty but in Righteousnesse shalt thou judge thy Neighbour To conclude this matter that it is absolutely necessary to distinguish of respect of persons will appeare by comparing amongst others these two places of Scripture Eph. 6.9 knowing that your Mr also is in heaven neither is there respect of persons with him with Gen. 4.4 5. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect To reconcile thē these Scriptures that seem thus to crosse one another I say God doth not regard men more for their beauty place estate or such outward things nor will he for any such by-respect goe a haires breadth from justice and in this sence there is no respect of persons with God And yet God doth righteously and holily accept the faces of his people that feare and serve and call upon him Lev. 26.9 For I will have respect unto you and make you fruitfull and multiply you and establish my Covenant with you Q. May Christians when they are asked where they dwell give any other answer than this they dwell in God A. Yes Joh. 1.38 39. They said unto him Rabbi where dwellest thou he sayth to them come and see They came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that day Act. 28.30 And Paul dwelt two whole yeers in his own hired house and received all that came in unto him Q. May a Christian without sin call persons or things by the names which Heathens or Idolaters have given them especially if they have been the names of Idols A. Act. 28.11 we departed in a ship whose signe was Castor and Pollux Rom. 16.1 I commend unto you Phebe vers 14. Salute Hermas c. 1 Cor. 16.12 Brother Apollos Act. 17.1 When they had passed through Apollonia Q. Is it lawfull to call the dayes of the week and the months of the yeer by any other names then the 1st 2d 3d c. A. Est 9.17 On the 13th day of the moneth Adar c. Luk. 23.54 And that day was the preparation and the Sabbath drew on Rev. 1.10 I was in the spirit on the Lord's day Deut. 16.1 1 King 6.37 38. 1 King 8.2 Ezr. 6.15 Neh. 1.1 and 2.1 6.15 Q. May we interpret the word of God A. Math. 1.23 They shall call his name Emanuel which being interpreted is God with us Q. May we not only translate but also give the sence or meaning A. Joh. 7.37 38. If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water this spake he of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive c. Neh. 8.8 Q. May one man be helpfull to another towards the understanding of the Scriptures or must we depend upon and waite for the immediate teachings of the Holy Ghost A. Act. 8.30 31. And Philip ran thither to him and heard him read the Prophet Esaias and said Understandest thou what thou readest And he sayd How can I except some man should guide me And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him Q. Is that said to be in the Scripture which is no where word for word now to be found but only in the sence and scope A. Jam. 4.5 Doe ye think that the scripture sayth in vaine the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy Joh. 7.38 He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water Q. May that be said to be grounded on Scripture which is founded on Scripture consequences A. Mar. 12.26 27. And as touching the dead that they rise have ye not read in the book of Moses how in the bush God spake unto him saying I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaack and the God of Jacob He is not the God of the dead but the God of the living Q. May those who have the Spirit and are guided by the Spirit yet attend unto the Scripture or the outward writing A. 1 Chr. 28.11 12 19. Then David gave to Solomon the son his patterne of the porch And the patterne of all that he had by the Spirit of the courts of the house of the Lord All this said David the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me even all the workes of this patterne Q. Did our Lord Christ give the Apostles any
prohibitions which were but ny thing only for a time temporary or did he prohibite them a A. Mat. 10.5 These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying Goe not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not Compared with Acts 8.14 When the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God they sent unto him Peter and John Math. 10.9 10. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brasse in your purses nor scrip for your journey neither two coates neither shooes nor yet staves compared with Luk. 22.36 Then said he unto them But now he that hath a purse let him take it and likewise his scrip and he that hath no sword let him sell his garment and buy one Q. May we without sinuse the singular number when we speak to or of many and the plurall when we speak to or of but one A. See Mat. 21.2 7. Go into the village over against you straight way ye shall find an Asse tyed a Colt with her loose them and bring them unto me And they brought the Asse and the Colt c. compared with Mar. 11.2 7. Goe your way into the village over against you and assoon as ye be entred into it ye shall find a Colt tyed whereon never man sate loose him and bring him And they brought the Colt to Jesus c. Tit. 2.7 8. In all things shewing thy selfe a patterne of good works that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed having no evill thing to say of you See Luk. 22.31 32. Jud. 12.7 'T is said of Jephthah he was buried in the cities of Gilead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for in one of the cities of Gilead Med. Opusc Annot. in Apocal. p. 66. Q. May there be Land-Lords and those that hire houses or Lands A. Cant. 8.11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon he let out the vineyard unto keepers every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a 1000 pieces of silver Q. May there be buying and selling of houses and lands and conveyances and writings or evidences written and witnesses of purchases A. Gen. 23.15 16. The land is worth 400 shekels of silver what is that betwixt me and thee And Abraham weighed unto Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth. Act. 4.34 For as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold Jer. 32.44 Men shall buy fields for money and subscribe evidences and seale them and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin and in the places about Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah c. Q. Are wicked men true owners of their estates Or are all things so the Saints by a title founded in grace that they may without sin before God out mere naturall men of their possessions at pleasure if they had the power A. Psal 115.16 The heaven even the heavens are the Lords but the earth hath he given to the children of men Acts 20.33 I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparrell Josh 24.4 Q. May we now call any man Good because it is said Mark 10.18 There is no man good but one that is God A. Act. 11.24 For he was a good man and full of the holy Ghost and of Faith Rom. 5.7 yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to dye Q. May we call the master of the house the Good-man of the House A. Mar. 14.13 14. Goe ye into the city and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water follow him And wheresoever he shall goe in say ye to the good man of the house The master sayth c. Q. May we say we will doe such and such things if God will A. Heb. 6.3 And this will we doe if God permit Act. 18.21 I must by all means keep this Feast that cometh in Jerusalem but I will returne againe unto you if God will Q. What if Christians who in the maine bent purpose and designe of their soules resigne and submit themselves and wayes wholly to the will of God doe sometimes omit those expressions doe they sin A. Rom. 15.24 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain I will come to you for I trust to see you in my journey c. 3 Joh. 10. Wherefore if I come I will remember his deeds which he doth prating against us with malitious words c. Q. What if Christians not through lightnesse or vanity but upon new emergencies accidents or occurrences and other weighty considerations happen to change their purpose and not to doe as they sayd doe they sinne A. 2 Cor. 1.15 17 23. And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before c. When I therefore was thus minded did I use lightnesse or the thing that I purpose doe I purpose according to the flesh that with me there should be yea yea and nay nay I call God for a record upon my soule that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth Gen. 19.2 3. Behold now my Lords turne in I pray you into your servants house and tarry all night And they said Nay but we will abide in the street all night And he pressed upon them greatly and they turned in unto him and entred into his house Q. Is there any mere man that liveth who is perfectly holy without the least sinne A. 1 Joh. 1.8 If we say that we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Math. 6.11 12. Give us this day our dayly bread and forgive us our trespasses Q. Doth not the Scripture speak of some that are perfect 1 Cor. 2.6 A. Some are said to be perfect in Scripture who are sincere whose hearts are right to follow God fully who take heed to observe and doe God's will though in some thing they are wanting for instance Noah Gen. 6.9 't is said was a just man and perfect or upright in his generation and yet we find in the 9th chap. that he was drunken And as for this place cited in the Question it must either be understood that they were sincere or else 't is spoken comparatively they were as strong men in Christ as old Disciples when others were but Babes in knowledge and had not their senses exercised to discerne 'twixt good and evill Q. VVhat shall I say to that which is written 1 Joh. 3.6 9 A. I answer with our Saviour it is written again and that too by a man after God's own heart Ps 19.12 Who can understand his Errors cleanse thou me from my secret faults A true child of God doth not dares not allow himselfe to goe on in a constant course or trade of any knowne sin he doth endeavour to keep himselfe from his iniquity he hates every false way you may hear the language of his soule in the complaint of Paul Rom. 7.15 For that which I doe I allow