Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

fo indeed? But fuppofe it to be fo; thou that art the teacher of the people, art not thou alfo thyfelf • made of the fame mould? Art not thou born in the fame age? Inasmuch as this ordinance principally was intended to keep paftors within the bounds of modefty, that they may understand that they are not 'the authors of the word of God, that they have not < alone received the fpirit; by how much the more ' mankind hath degenerated, by fo much the greater need is there thereof, for that there is now more rashness, arrogance, and pride, than of old: this is true, as well of the paftors and teachers, as of the reft of the people. Art thou a prophet? Haft thou any portion of the fpirit? If thou haft not, fo unfitting it is that thou alone fhouldeft fpeak in the congregation, that there will hardly be found any that deferves rather to be filenced, than thyfelf. But if thou art a prophet, if thou haft the fpirit, mark what the apostle fays, "Acknowledge, (quoth he) "that thofe things which I write, are the command"ments of the Lord." Go to, then: on the one fide we have the judgment of our Lord, willing that prophecy (for this is a word that we are obliged to use) hould be common to all, and that not for the de• ftruction, but the falvation of the church on the ' other fide we have thy judgment, who feareft left that may breed contention and confufion: whofe judg'ment now ought we rather to ftand to? If thou fhalt 'conceive we must stand to thine, confider what thou ' affumeft unto thyfelf, and what will become of thy modefty. Our Lord, it fhould feem, understood < not what a kind of creature man was; he wanted 'thy wisdom, belike, to admonish him of the danger; 'or haply he thought not upon that corruption which 'fhould befal mankind, whereby fuch a liberty might prove unprofitable. But Paul anfwers thee," That "God is not the author of contention, but of peace:" 'Who, well knowing what might move contentions, what begat peace, and not loving nor willing to ' have contention, but peace, willed that this liberty

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

• of

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

of prophecy should be in the church. What canft thou fay to the contrary? What haft thou to object against God himself, wilt thou accufe him of indif'cretion? No man hath fo wicked a tongue, as to dare to do it. Yet if thou fhalt diligently fearch thine heart, thou shalt find there a certain difpofition ready ⚫ to contend even with God himfelf: which motion of thy heart must by no means be hearkened unto, but fharply repreffed, and wholly fubjected to the spirit of God. It may feem, peradventure, an abfurd thing, that after fome very learned perfon hath spoken, fome contemptible perfon fhall be allowed to ⚫ contradict him. Can fuch a perfon fo do without great rafhness and temerity? Were I to speak according to the judgment of man, verily I could not deny it. But if we be really perfuaded, that the knowledge of matters divine ought not to be attributed to our watchings, ftudies, wits, but to God and to his fpirit, wherewith he can in a moment endue the fimpleft perfon in the world, and that with no ⚫ more labour or difficulty than if he were to give it to one that had spent Neftor's age in ftudy; what reafon is there for me to judge that this man does rafhly ' and unadvisedly, if he fhall arife and contradict? Is not the spirit able to reveal fomewhat to him, which • he hath hidden from thee? Now, if the fpirit have ' revealed somewhat to him, and to that end revealed it that he might contradict, that by his means the thing may be revealed to the church; fhall I fay that he hath done rafhly in obeying the Holy Ghost? And if thou think otherwife, verily thou art not perfuaded that the fpirit is the author and teacher of this knowledge, but that all the praife thereof is due to ftudies, watchings, and the wits of men. And if this be thy judgment, I tell thee again, that thou art not only unworthy to be fole speaker, but worthy rather to be the only person not permitted tọ fpeak, in the congregation.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

And that thou mayeft the better understand that the most unlearned ought to be allowed to speak, s confider,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

confider, God will have himself to be acknowledged the author of his own gifts: he will not have his praise attributed unto our ftudies or wits, but unto himself. But if the man that hath spent all his life in ftudy, fpeak wifely, it is not attributed to God, but to study: in word, perhaps, it may be attributed to God, yet not without a vehement reluctancy of our judgment; and this is that, which I fay God ⚫ will not abide. But if fo be thou shalt hear a wife word come out of the mouth of fome unlearned perfon, thou must needs, whether thou wilt or no, acknowledge God to be the author thereof. So when God was minded to give unto Ifrael a victory against the Midianites, under the conduct of Gideon, and Gideon had gathered together thirty thousand 'men; left the Ifraelites fhould boaft that they had gotten the victory by their own ftrength, and not by the affiftance of God, (which might have been <conceived, if Gideon had fought with fo numerous an army) he would not fuffer him to have above three hundred, that it might appear that be was the cause ' of the victory, and not the number or valour of those that fought. Now, befides the glory of God, hereby great profit does accrue to the church. For if the people fhall fee now one man, now another, endued with the fpirit, beyond all expectation, many will thereby be encouraged to hope for the fame gift, if they fhall afk it; many will learn and profit; and it will thereby come to pafs, that when occafion fhall be to choose a minifter, the church fhall not need to call strange and unknown perfons to that office, 'but she may have of her own fuch as are fit to be "chofen; men whofe converfation and manners are fufficiently known. And when the number of fuch as are able to prophefy fhall be great, the church will not be forced to ufe fuch paftors, as from their very childhood have propofed to themselves fuch < office as the reward of their ftudies; and addicted themselves to the ftudy of fcripture and religion, no otherwise than they would have done to fome trade,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

<

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

whereby

[ocr errors]

whereby they meant in time to get their living: fo that a man can expect but very few of them to prove ' other than mercenary or hireling paftors.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

"

a

'Now, that it was the custom of the Jewish church that all might thus prophefy, we may hence conjecture, in that it is upon record, how our Lord, • upon the fabbath-day, according to the custom, came * into the fynagogue, took a book and expounded a place of Efay; and how, being twelve years of age, he fate at Jerufalem in the temple among the doctors, and did difpute. For he could not fo do by virtue of any ordinary office, forafinuch as his age was uncapable, neither did the doctors know who he was. Yea, rather, our Lord in fo doing muft needs make ufe of the power which was granted to every one to fpeak. It remained in the Chriftians congregations until the times of Conftantine, at the leaft. Forafmuch as we have thefe words of Eufebius, the writer of church affairs, to that effect: "If any man, infpired by the grace of God, fhould fpeak unto the people, they all, with great filence, "fixing their eyes upon him, gave fuch attention, as "if he had brought them fome errand from heaven." So great was the reverence of the hearers, fuch order was feen among the minifters. One after another, ⚫ another after him. Neither were there only two or three that prophefied, according to what the apostle faid, but to all was given to fpeak; fo that the wish • of Mofes feems rather to have been fulfilled in them, < when he said, "Would God all the people might prophefy." There was no fpleen, no envy; the gifts of God were difpenfed; every one, according to his ability, contributing his affiftance for the confirmation of the church: and all was done with love, in fuch fort, that they ftrove mutually to honour each other, and every one to prefer another before himself. But to the end this common prophefying ⚫ may be profitable to the church, we muft diligently

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

<mark what the apostle advises. For a fure thing it is, that the pride of man is fo great, that whatever hath once fallen from him, he will by any means have it stand for a truth; neither can he suffer that any man should infringe the fame. So that if he might be permitted to judge, that last spake, it will be a miracle if a man in his life-time fhould fee any ' one give way to him that contradicts him: what is Paul's advice therefore in this cafe? "Let two or "three prophets speak, and let the reft judge." He will not therefore have the fame perfons to be parties and judges. And he adds a little after, "And the "fpirit of the prophets is fubject to the prophets; for "God is not the author of diffenfion, but of peace.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

So that as foon as any man hath spoken his own 'mind, he ought to reft himself satisfied with the judgment of the reft, and not obftinately to make no end of contending. If this be not done, a fure thing it is, there will be no end of ftrife. But what if any man will not be content to fubmit to the judgment of the reft: verily I would avouch, that being fharply admonished that he difturb not the congregation, and that he go not against the command of the apostle, or rather of our Lord, com'manding the spirits of the prophets to be fubject to the prophets, he ought to be caft out of the fociety, though he should hold the prime place in the con'gregation. The people likewife muft frequently be ' admonished, that liberty for any one to speak in the congregation, is not therefore granted by the apostle, to the end every one should fpeak what comes to his tongue's end, as if he were in a market; but whereas he gives liberty to him to fpeak to whom any thing is revealed, he would have all rashness and im'pudence to be laid afide. He that reverences not the church of God, let that man know he despiseth the fpirit of God, who is prefident there; and shall be fure not to escape unpunished. Before a man propounds any thing to the church, he ought to 'confider, again and again, how fure a manifestation

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

• he

« EdellinenJatka »