A90265:78
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.
Secondly, a man may be extraordinarily called to the preaching and publishing of Gods word by a concurrence of Scripture rules, directory for such occasions, occurrences, and opportunities of time, place, and persons, as he liveth in, and under. Rules in this kind, may be drawn either from express precept, or approved practise: Some of these I shall intimate, and leave it to the indifferent Reader, to judge, whether or no they hold in the application; and all that in this kind I shall propose, I did with submission to better judgements.
SEcondly, a man may be extraordinarily called to the preaching and publishing of Gods word by a concurrence of Scripture rules, directory for such occasions, occurrences, and opportunities of time, place, and persons, as he liveth in, and under. Rules in this kinde, may be drawn either from expresse precept, or approved practise: Some of these I shall intimate, and leave it to the indifferent Reader, to judge, whether or no they hold in the application; and all that in this kinde I shall propose, I did with submission to better judgements.
Consider then,
1. That of our Saviour to Saint Peter, Luke 22. 32. When thou art converted, strengthen the Brethren, which containing nothing but an application of one of the prime dictates of the Law of nature, cannot, ought not to be restrained unto men of any peculiar calling as such: not to multiply many of this kind, (whereof in the Scripture is plenty) add only that of Saint James, Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, &c. from these and the like places it appears to me, that