ru1 Commentarie "Fpon -Chap.I. And thus our mrmllersfucceed rheApoUlcs. A And this is lufhcient. For this Ru·le mull bee remcmbrcu,that rhepower ofrheKeyes,rhat is,ot·order&iurifdrClion,rs tycdbyGod,•nd annexed Ill the newTdl:arncnt to doClrme. It 111Turkte, or America, or cl(ewhcre, the Gorpell Owuld bco rcccrued of men, by the couniCH and pNfwalion of priuarc pc:rfons, tbeylhall not needc to fend rnro Europe for Conf~crated Mtl1iUers, but they hauc power t0 chooiC their owne Minillers from within rhemfclue.: : becaufc, where God giues the wo.rcj,he giues the power alfo.- Touching the Succelfoursofthe fir(! prea– chers, theircaHing \Vas alrogerherordinarie, ·&·they were ordamed of their predcceilours. Iris obied:ed, that theircallingsarecorrupl. B lanfwcr rhus: AllaClions Ecdcfiafficall,that rcna ro bindmg or looGng. appertain< pro– perly to the perfon of Chril!, and men arc buc mJniClers,and1nfiruR1Cnts thereof. And therefore ro.caiJ men ro the minifienc and ;lripenfarronofrhe Gofpol,bdongs ro Chrr!l, wbo alone giueth the power,rhi: wil,rhe deed. And thccChurch can do no more butte!lrfie,. -publiTI>, and declare whorne God callerh, by .Examin:uion of 1 partiesfor life and doChine, -by:Eie&ion,and by Ordination, This is for fubtlance, all that the Church can doe: and · al this is •Ill owed, and prdcribcd by thelawcs .ofthli Church and land. And therefore our caihngs for their (ubHancearediuinc, what- [Qcucr defi:Cls rhere beotl >crwife. C 1 This allUrance-rhttr ourcaJiings are of God, is ot great vfc.Irmakes the Minil!erro make a con!Cienceofbisdury: ai.,hls comfort in rroublc,Ha.49·'· >. Corin. 1.!5. And to the hearers 1r is a meanes of great reuerence and 1 obedicr.ce. r ... Fornrithfrrecchud I i:ofman,nrithn-wM I Mllghr ir,but by theRmelarionof Irfm Chrs/f; , The·meaningis this: P~tlllherc faith,herr– i cciuednot the Go,'pelof m11n: becaufe hee recei– ' ucd nor the office to teach& preath the Gof1.pol from any rMere man. For here hefp·eakes . of ,himfelfc as li• wa• an Apo(!Jc: an'd'then •n Apof!le propc'rly is(aid to receiucthe Go– fpel, when llc recemcs not ondy to know and b.elccue ir,burolfoto preach it. And hcaddes D fuuhcr,rhat hec was not taughl it, that is,tbat hcl<arned rheGofpdl 1 nor by the reaching I <>f any man, as forme'tly hcc learned the law atthdeet of Gamaliel. The laH words [bur by thereuelati<mofJcfus Chrif/Jcarric this fenCe; hut I learned and receiued ir ofChriil, who taught mce by rcuclat1on. Further, Rcuefa· tion is t.wo-foldc:O»e ordman'e, the orher t'X· traordinane. Q,dinar/e is, wheq Chrilf rca– cherh men by rhcwNd preached, and by his SpJtir. In tbis fen(< theholy Ghoa is called !ht~p:ritif.Rmr!afl.m, Eph.1.17: Extraordi– nanc is, .\~ nhout rbc~·on1 ptt"2chcd, and that four('wa1cs. F1rll,by vokc. Thus God raughr AJam and rhe Patnarkcs. The fecond, by I Jrearncs,l.\·hcn rhrngs rruealedwererepre(en- \ ted to the minde in fleepe. The third is vifion when things reuealed are rcprefcnted to th~ outward fcnfCs of man beeing awake, The fourth rs rn£lrnCl, when God rcachcth by in– ward motron &infpirario.Thus drd God vfu– ally teach the Prophers,z.hr.r.zr. Now rhc rcuclation which Paul had, was not ordina– r.ic,but extraordinarie; and thatpartlybyvi– Iron, partly by voice, and partly by in!lrnt!, ACl. 9· and u, It may here bee demaundcd when: CbrtU was,whe'ther on canh, or in hea~ uen,becaufc P.tul heard his voicc,and f:lw him v1HtiJy~ I an!\~·er, hee was not on carrh but m heaucn: and rhat r••, borh fawcand1 hcard him, it was by miracle· whc:reas Srcphen in like manner fawChnfi,·hee faw htm n6r oh earth, bur UandiQgat the right hand of God rn hcaoen: for othcrw>fe rhe opening of the he.uens had beeneanecdlelfer~ing. T hefc\oo·ords rhen ar~ aconfirmation of the former t.•cr(e,on th1s manner: The aurhonry whereby I reach, and the doctrine which I reach, I ri1lt rccemed and learned ir, not of man,bur JmmedJarcJy ofChriff: rherforc the Gofpcl which I preach is not humanc,but dr· U>ne,and preached not by lrumane,but bydi– uwc.authoriry• In thcicopc and fenCe of the weeds, many points ot doCtrine are contained, The fir£!, rhatChrrll il rhcgreatProphct andDo&or of rhc Church, Matth. r].<i. H<are him: and L J:8. One"yor<rD,a.,<r,namdy, Chr.(l. And hte·IS called the grM ShflphtArd 'f the f!mpc, Hcbr.I•J. Lb. Hrs office is rn three rhing1.Thc firff is, to manifefl and rcuealerhewill of rhe Father,touching the redemption ofmankind !oh. r.r8. & 8.1<1. This hebath done from the begrnning cf the world (the Father neucr fptakingand appearing11hmediately, but in theBapufmc and transfiguration of Chril!) and this hecdorh toPaul in rhis ploce. The · fccond rs', to 'inll>tute rhe Mrnrtlerie of the · wo<d, a;id to call and fend Minifius. Ar tr'} hiihrr(enJ m~.Jo i jtnd J••;loh. 1o.zr. H<it is chat gi'Ucs {om~tohr PafloHrs,fom~ ro b~Ttao-heri, Eph.4.i r, •And ihrlsappomrsPau/'to bean Apo{lle.Therhirdis,ro reach rho heart wirhrn,by rllurninating the n:md,and by wor– kinga fa>th of the doctrine which istaughr. He op<berh the vnder!landrng of b'isD•!ci– plcsthat rhcy rnayvnder!land the Scrrprures, Luk.14.45. Thus here lree rnhghr<ncrh and reachethPllul. Furtl>erowrc, ir mu£1 bee obferued,'that this officcofteachrng,rs i11feparably annexed to the perfon of Clrrrll,ar;d IS by him accor– drnglycxecutcd cuen afrer hisafcenfion,a.ap– peares mthe conuerlion of Paul. And there. fore lfay fairh,Th<J p,./1beAIIta•ght ofGod, I– (aY54·'l· As for theMini£lerso!rhe Gof. pcl, they in teachingare no morebut in£lru. mcnrs of Chrit! tovtrerand pronounce the word to rhe tare: this is ;H d1ey can doe. ThereforePnu! faith, h~tb4t plat;tsorrr4ttrJi4 not~tr') thing. 611t qod that guuth rh~ incrta[t. ---· _:!:1_1~ ---
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=