A90265:120
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.
That (under correction) I conceive,1 that the Law layeth hold of none, as peccant in such a kind, but only those, who have predeclared themselves to be opposers of the worship of God, in the public Assemblies of that Church wherein they live: Now the patronage of any such, I before re••cted; neither do I conceive, ⟨p. 52⟩that they ought at all to be allowed the benefit of private meetings, who wilfully abstain from the public Congregations, so long as the true worship of God is held forth in them: Yea, how averse I have ever been, from that kind of confused licentiousness in any Church, I have somewhile since declared, in an Answer (drawn up for my own, and some private friends satisfactions) to the arguments of the Remonstrants, in their Apology, and replies to Vedelius, with other Treatises, for such a liberty of prophesying, as they term it. If then the Law account only such assemblies to be conventicles, wherein the assemblers contemn and despise the service of God in public, I have not spoken one word in favour of them: and for that Canon which was mounted against them, whether intentionally, in the first institution of it, it was moulded, and framed against Anabaptists, or no, I cannot tell? but this I am sure, that in the discharge of it, it did execution oftentimes, upon such as had Christs precept and promise, to warrant their assembling, Mat. 18. 19, 20. Not to contend about words, would to God that which is good, might not be persecuted into odious appellations, and called evil, when it is otherwise; so to oppose it to the tyrannical oppression, of the enemies of the Gospel: The thing it self, rightly understood, can scarce be condemned of any, who envies not the salvation of souls. They that would banish the Gospel from our houses, would not much care, if it were gone from our hearts; from our houses I say, for it is all one whether these duties be performed in one family, or a collection of more; some one is bigger then ten other; shall their assembling to perform what is lawful for that one, be condemned for a Conventicle? Where is the law for that? or what is there in all this more then God required of his ancient people, as I showed before?
That (under correction) I conceive,