573 The Dignity of Preeich;ng. A t Cor.t4. ;, tomen , to edifying , to exhortation , to comfort . It is even the very fame whichwe terme,Preaching. I could countenance this interpretation , by the names ofmen,which defuue refpeet,butTendsdefcription is warrant enough: whatfoeuerany fay , difcouering their opinion touchingthis words meaning here, theyground vpon the placeofPartl which I haue named. Plowing there- forewith thefame Heifer , wemay foone attain to the depthofthat , which maybe thought the Riddleof thisplace. Nownot to de/pfe, here isto benow : forthis care there canbe no third. Hen whodorh not defpile'rophecying,dotb honorit and he who doth nothomer it, dothd. ifrir, So that to come (as Toone as I can) to the principali matter of this verfe,you maypleafe to entertaine it aait is relentedyou in this forme: The generan T4.rt theexereife ofpreoching eight to recewe fromvs oileflseme. A °ftrme. Wouldefi thou that the Spirit of God, namely, the fauinggraces thereof, might be conueied into thee, and preferuedin thee? loe, Godbath giuengifts unto men, and lath furnifhed them with skill ofright dividinghis holy and fa- sted Word, Paftofs andTeachers for the gathering together ofhis Saints, and for the comfortable difconeryofthe fecret of the Gofpell : fee thou harken veto there,and let theirlabour in thewordbe fweet and precioustothy foule. This is theerred ofP.4alsconnfell here, which now that wehaue foundout,to the endit may bemorevfefull, Iam a little further to enlarge. My proofe of this do&rine flail bemade goodby the declaringoftwo things. a. That it is the exprefi'ewill and ordinanceofGod, that there fhould be in his Church a certainecallingofmen,fet apart to this worke and feruice,ofmaking theho. lyScriptures vfefull to the people by the a&of preaching. a. That this a& ofpreaching is Coordained by God, that wehaue no affurance in the world to5ttainefaluatión, butby it. Thefe two pointa well cleared, will takeaway all doubt touchingthis do&rines truth. Forifpreachingbe Gods ordinance, !hall it notbee honoured ? and ifwehauewithout it no hope of beingCaned, thall it notdeCerue efteeme? Ifthen I (hall be able to double there two points, I (hall hope toprocure an eerie pi: age for themaine do&rine, intothe heart androute ofeuery onethat heares me. So that you will nor crie when I have "a..2.;sa. done, .as theydidagainftToad, Aweywitbfuebafern'sfrom theetrthb; butra- ther breake out intofome lochnotc,as theirsthat followed Chrift Lordsaw- clubs 6.34. snore gme verbo prencbiag e. My firft taskemufl be this,tomake it to appeare, thatGodneuerpurpofedto lanehisholy Word to beno more but read, ei- ther privarelyinmens bottles, or publikely in our Churches; but appointed there mouldberne,, ordained, to expoundthe fameby voyce, and toapply it totheoccationsandneceflitiesof thepeoplefor their edifying. For this isthe foule öfprophecying, and the verylife ofpreaching. It openech the Scripture, to thewwhat itmeaneth, it fits it to the particular vfes and cafes of thehea. revs. Now thatthere bathbeen from the beginninga Callingofmen, todeals betwixt God and man in the things ofGod , the course of the holy fiory makesit plaine. In thedaics before the Flood (belides that, thefirlt borne of eueryFamily was an officerof thiskind) we read particularly ofEnochandof dlude,ver.4 Noeh; the onea Prophet by the teflimonyofS.Jaded, the othera Preacher of u nPer. a,t. righreoufneffe by thewitneffeofS. Peter e. In the following times, notwith. finding the fmalnesofGods Churchfor diners yeeres, yet that whichis faid fees re. rs. ofMelebieebeb. that he wasaPrießssfthe moll high God r, is anargument, of fome Ruch rankeand condition ofmen as Inow fpeake of.Asthe peopleofGod multiplied, andbegan to put onthe thapeof Bodypolitique; Co this courfe becamemoreeuident,and moreordinary. Thea the Tribeof Letei wasdeputed £Deut.33.rn. to a fpeciall attendance upon thisfun&ion£, andfrom thence there wasa con- tinuallfucceflionofinenfhttinginMofetchaire,vntillourSauioursrime.Chrill whenhe came, didnotouctihrow this courfe, but eftablifht it. Hce appoin- ted
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