A90265:72
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.
the power of Discerning according to the things by it discernible, may be said to be of two sorts, for it is either of things present, beyond the power of humane investigation, as to know the thoughts of other mens hearts, or their words not ordinarily to be known, as Elisha discovered the bed-chamber-discourse of the King of Syria (not that by virtue of their calling they come to be [Greek or Hebrew], knowers of the heart, which is Gods property alone, but that God doth sometimes reveal such things unto them, for otherwise no such power is included in the nature of the gift, which is perfective of their knowledge, not by the way of habit, but actual motion in respect of some particulars, and when this was absent, the same Elisha affirmeth that he knew not why the Shunamitish woman was troubled) or secondly of things future and contingent in respect of their secondary ⟨p. 35⟩causes, not precisely necessitated by their own internal principle of operation, for the effecting of the things so foreknown: and therefore the truth of the fore-knowledge, consists in a commensuration to Gods purpose. Now effects of this power, are all those predictions of such things which we find in the old and new Testament, and divers also since: secondly, the supernatural gift in speaking I intimate, is that of Tongues, proper to the times of the Gospel, when the Worship of God was no longer to be confined to the people of one nation.
the power of Discerning according to the things by it discernable, may be said to be of two sorts, for it is either of things present, beyond the power of humane investigation, as to know the thoughts of other mens hearts, or their words not ordinarily to be knowne, as Elisha discovered the bed-chamber-discourse of the King of Syria (not that by vertue of their calling they come to be 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, knowers of the heart, which is Gods property alone, but that God doth sometimes reveale such things unto them, for otherwise no such power is included in the nature of the gift, which is perfective of their knowledge, not by the way of habit, but actuall motion in respect of some particulars, and when this was absent, the same Elisha affirmeth that he knew not why the Shunamitish woman was troubled) or secondly of things future and contingent in respect of their secundary ⟨p. 35⟩