to drewfig S A I N T S. deep, and they have under the Letter, .much admirable ipi- ritual]. patter encouched,, and many things are hard in them as Peter layes, And a Minifter is to open them , and to give out the fence , as it is laid of the Priefts, They read the Law difhnFtly,andgave out the fenfe, and wade the people to under - ftand the Reading, Nehem. 8.8. Now if a Minifter have not gifts from Jeflis Çhrn`t what madde work will hee make ? the Scripture will be a clafped Book unto him, and a Foun- tain lealed up. Like the Mt /tines, that in three dayes could yiot expound Sampfons Riddle. It is laid ofChrift, that hee opened the Scriptures, Luke z 4.3 z. The Scriptures are fhut, and contain Myfteries folded and lapped up, now the Mini- fter had need of abilities to open them. Secondly, to Teach ; as a Minifter is to open the Scrip- tures, which requireth great gifts : fo, he is to teach the peo- ple out ofthcm, to draw Dodtrines out of the lame, and this requireth great gifts too, to informe the judgement, to let out the light of the Word, to ].tatter the beames of the Sun of righteoufneffe abroad, to difpell the darkneffe of mens minds, to fhine round about them in fpirituall knowledge. This is a work of much ability, as the Apoftle ].peaks to Timothy, the things which thou haft heard of mee, thefame commit thou to faithfulI men, who fhall be able tçteacb others, 2 Tim. s,z,and therefore it is called Prophecying. Defpife not Prophesying, that is, defpile not Teaching, a man had need of a 1peciall gift, to bee able to prophecy , lo; if a man would be a Tea- cher; when Nicodemws would expreffe what an able Teacher Chrift was, layes hee, Thou art a teacher come from God. A man had need to be one that hath been -with God; that would teach aright. There is a gift of fitneffe and aptneffe , with- out which a man cannot doe it. The fervant of the Lord muff bee apt to teach, Tim. 2. z¢. The Apoftle tells us , there bee heapes of naughty Teachers in the world a good teacher is a rare man it cannot bee without all wifdome , as he layes, Teaching every man ix all wifdaiae,Col. t .z8. \Ve are to teach people the learning of the holy , how to know God, how to R feare ÊzI
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=