A90265:91
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.
For a further light to this discourse, consider what desolate estate the Church of God, hath been, may be, and at this present, in divers places is reduced to: Her silver may become dross, and her wine be mixed with water, the faithful City becoming an Harlot, her Shepherds may be turned into dumb sleeping dogs, and devouring wolves, her watchmen may be turned smiters, her prophets to prophesy falsely, and her priests to bear rule by lies, the Commandments of God being made void by the traditions ⟨p. 40⟩of men, superstition, humane inventions, will-worship, may defile and contaminate the service of God;1 yea, and greater abominations may men possessing Moses Chair by succession do: Now that the Temple of God hath been thus made a den of thieves, that the abomination of desolation hath been set up in the holy place, is evident from the Jewish and Christian Church: for in the one it was clearly so, when the government of it was devolved to the Scribes and Pharisees, and in the other, when the man of sin had exalted himself in the midst thereof. Now suppose a man, living in the midst and height of such a sad Apostasy, when an universal darkness had spread it self over the face of the Church, if the Lord be pleased to reveal unto him out of his word some points of faith, then either not at all known, or generally disbelieved, yet a right belief whereof is necessary to salvation; and further out of the same word shall discover unto him the wickedness of that Apostasy, and the means to remove it, I demand, Whether that man without expecting any call from the fomenters and maintainers of those errors, with which the Church at that time, is only not destroyed, may not preach, publish, and publicly declare the said truths to others (the knowledge of them being so necessary for the good of their souls) and conclude himself thereunto called of God, by virtue of the forenamed, and other the like Rules? Truly for my part (under correction) I conceive he may, nay he ought, neither is any other outward call requisite to constitute him a Preacher of the Gospel, then the consent of Gods people to be instructed by him; for instance, suppose that God should reveal the truth of the Gospel, to a mere lay man (as they say) in Italy, so that he be fully convinced thereof; what shall he now do?
For a further light to this discourse, consider what desolate estate the Church of God, hath been, may be, and at this present, in divers places is reduced to: Her silver may become drosse, and her wine be mixt with water, the faithfull City becomming an Harlot, her Shepheards may be turned into dumb sleeping dogs, and devouring wolves, her watchmen may be turned smiters, her prophets to prophesie falsely, and her priests to beare rule by lies, the Commandements of God being made void by the traditions