The third thing which I humbly Crave, is, that you will 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. 1 Thes.5.12, 13. And that you will instead of grieving or rejecting your Guides, Obey them that have the Rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and ⟨image 8⟩not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. Heb. 13.17.7. Encourage your Teachers, for their work is great, their spirits are weak they are but frail men; the enemy is more industrious against them then any men; & their discouragements are very many, and the difficulties which they must encounter are very great. Especially, Obey, Submit and Encourage them in the work of Government and Exercise of Christs Discipline, and managing the Keys of the Kingdom which he hath put into their hands. Do you not perceive what a strait your Teachers are in! The Lord Jesus requireth them to exercise his Discipline faithfully and impartially: ⟨image 8⟩He giveth them not empty Titles of Rule, but lays upon them the burden of ruling: It is his work, more then their Honour that he intends: and if they will have the Honour, it must be by the work. The work is, as to Teach the ignorant, and convince the unbelieving and gainsaying, so to admonish the disorderly and scandalous, and to reject and cast out of the Communion of the Church the Obstinate and Impenitent; and to set by the Leprous, that they infect not the rest; and to separate thus the precious from the vile, by Christs Discipline, that dividing separations, and soul-destroying Transgressions may be prevented or cured. This ⟨image 9⟩work Christ hath charged upon them, and will have it done whoever is against it. If they obey him and do it, what a tumult, what clamours and discontents will they raise! How many will be ready to rise up against them with hatred and scorn! though it be the undoubted work of Christ, which even under persecution was performed by the Church-Guides. When they do but keep a scandalous untractable sinner from the Communion of the Church in the Lords Supper, what repinings doth it raise! But, alas, this is a small part of the Discipline: If all the apparently obstinate and impenitent were cast out, what a stir would they ⟨image 9⟩make!
The third thing which I humbly Crave, is, that you will 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. 1 Thes.5.12, 13. And that you will instead of grieving or rejecting your Guides, Obey them that have the Rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and ⟨image 8⟩not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. Heb. 13.17.7. Encourage your Teachers, for their work is great, their spirits are weak they are but frail men; the enemy is more industrious against them then any men; & their discouragements are very many, and the difficulties which they must encounter are very great. Especially, Obey, Submit and Encourage them in the work of Government and Exercise of Christs Discipline, and managing the Keyes of the Kingdom which he hath put into their hands. Do you not perceive what a strait your Teachers are in! The Lord Iesus requireth them to exercise his Discipline faithfully and impartially: ⟨image 8⟩He giveth them not empty Titles of Rule, but layes upon them the burden of ruling: It is his work, more then their Honor that he intends: and if they will have the Honor, it must be by the work. The work is, as to Teach the ignorant, and convince the unbelieving and gainsaying, so to admonish the disorderly and scandalous, and to reject and cast out of the Communion of the Church the Obstinate and Impenitent; and to set by the Leprous, that they infect not the rest; and to separate thus the pretious from the vile, by Christs Discipline, that dividing separations, and soul-destroying Transgressions may be prevented or cured. This ⟨image 9⟩work Christ hath charged upon them, and will have it done whoever is against it. If they obey him and do it, what a tumult, what clamours and discontents will they raise! How many will be ready to rise up against them with hatred and scorn! though it be the undoubted work of Christ, which even under persecution was performed by the Church-Guides. When they do but keep a scandalous untractable sinner from the Communion of the Church in the Lords Supper, what repinings doth it raise! But, alas, this is a small part of the Discipline: If all the apparently obstinate and impenitent were cast out, what a stir would they ⟨image 9⟩
