A90265:49
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.
Not to lose my self and Reader in this digression, the sum is, the unspeakable blessings which the Priesthood of Christ hath obtained for us, are a strong obligation for the duty of praise and thanksgiving, of which that in some measure we may discharge our selves, he hath furnished us with sacrifices of that kind, to be offered unto God: for our own parts, we are poor, and blind, and lame, and naked, neither in the field, nor in the fold, in our hearts, nor among our actions, can we find any thing worth the presenting unto him; wherefore he himself provides them for us, especially for that purpose, sanctifying and consecrating our souls and bodies, with the sprinkling of his blood, and the unction of the holy spirit. Further, he hath erected an Altar (to sanctify our gifts) in heaven, before the Throne of grace, which being spread over with his blood, is consecrated unto God, that the sacrifices of his servants may for ever appear thereon: add to this, what he also hath added, the eternal and never expiring fire, of the favour of God, which kindleth and consumes the sacrifices laid on that Altar: and to the end that all this may be rightly accomplished, he hath consecrated us with his blood, to be Kings and Priests to God for evermore. So that the close of this discourse ⟨p. 24⟩will be, that all true Believers, by virtue of their interest in Jesus Christ, are in the holy Scripture, by reason of divers allusions, called Priests, which name, in the sense before related, belonging unto them as such, cannot on this ground, be ascribed to any part of them, distinguished any ways from the rest, by virtue of such distinction.
Not to lose my self and Reader in this digression, the sum is, the unspeakable blessings which the Priesthood of Christ hath obtained for us, are a strong obligation for the duty of praise and thanksgiving, of which that in some measure we may discharge our selves, he hath furnished us with sacrifices of that kinde, to be offered unto God: for our own parts, we are poor, and blinde, and lame, and naked, neither in the field, nor in the fold, in our hearts, nor among our actions, can we finde any thing worth the presenting unto him; wherefore he himself provides them for us, especially for that purpose, sanctifying and consecrating our souls and bodies, with the sprinkling of his blood, and the unction of the holy spirit. Further, he hath erected an Altar (to sanctifie our gifts) in heaven, before the Throne of grace, which being spread over with his blood, is consecrated unto God, that the sacrifices of his servants may for ever appear thereon: adde to this, what he also hath added, the eternall and never expiring fire, of the favour of God, which kindleth and consumes the sacrifices laid on that Altar: and to the end that all this may be rightly accomplished, he hath consecrated us with his blood, to be Kings and Priests to God for evermore. So that the close of this discourse