A90265:117
The duty of pastors and people distinguished [sic]. Or A brief discourse, touching the…The duty of pastors and people distingushed [sic]. Or A briefe discourse, touching the…
The duty of pastors and people distinguished [sic]. Or A brief discourse, touching the administration of things commanded in religion. Especially concerning the means to be used by the people of God (distinct from church-officers) for the increasing of divine knowledge in themselves and others. Wherein bounds are prescribed to their performances, their liberty is enlarged to the utmost extent of the dictates of nature and rules of charity: their duty laid down in directions, drawn from Scripture-precepts, and the practise of Gods people in all ages. Together with the several ways of extraordinary calling to the office of public teaching, with what assurance such teachers may have of their calling, and what evidence they can give of it, unto others. / By John Owen, M.A. of Q. Col. O.The duty of pastors and people distingushed [sic]. Or A briefe discourse, touching the administration of things commanded in religion. Especially concerning the means to be used by the people of God (distinct from church-officers) for the increasing of divine knowledge in themselves and others. Wherein bounds are prescribed to their peformances, their liberty is enlarged to the utmost extent of the dictates of nature and rules of charity: their duty laid downe in directions, drawn from Scripture-precepts, and the practise of Gods people in all ages. Together with the severall wayes of extraordinary calling to the office of publike teaching, with what assurance such teachers may have of their calling, and what evidence they can give of it, unto others. / By John Ovven, M.A. of Q. Col. O.
London: printed by L. N. for Philemon Stephens, 1644
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thirdly, they may make use of the tongue of the learned (if given unto them) to speak a word in season to him that is weary, Isa. 50. 4. for being commanded to confess their faults one to another, James 5. 16. they have power also to apply to them that are penitent, the promises of mercy: We should never be commanded to open our wounds, to them who have no balm, to pour into them: he shall have cold comfort, who seeks for Counsel from a dumb man, so that in this, & the like cases, they may apply unto, and instruct one another in the word of God, doing it as a charitable duty, and not as out of necessary function, even as Aquila, and Priscilla, expounded unto Apollos the word of God more perfectly ⟨p. 15⟩then he knew it before, Act. 18. 23. in sum, and not to enlarge this discourse with any more particulars, the people of God are allowed all quiet, and peaceable means, whereby they may help each other forward, in the knowledge of godliness, and the way towards heaven; now for the close of this discourse, I will remove some objections, that I have heard godly men, and men not unlearned lay against it, out of a zeal not unlike that of Joshua, for Moses sake, the constitute Pastors sake, to whom, though I might briefly answer, with Moses, I would to God all the Lords people were prophets; I heartily wish that every one of them, had such a plentiful measure of spiritual endowments, that they might become wise unto salvation, above many of their Teachers, in which vote, I make no doubt but every one will concur with me, who have the least experimental knowledge, what a burden upon the shoulders, what a grief unto the soul of a Minister, knowing, and desiring to discharge his duty, is an ignorant congregation, of which, thanks to our Prelates, Pluralists, non-Residents, Homilies, Service-Book, and Ceremonies, we have too too many in this Kingdom, the many also of our ministers in this Church, taking for their directory, the laws and penalties of men, informing what they should not do, if they would avoid their punishment, and not the precepts of God, what they should as their duty do, if they meant to please him, and knowing there was no Stature, whereon they might be sued, for (pardon the expression) the dilapidation of souls, so their own houses were ceiled, they cared not at all though the Church of God lay wast: