will fill ourselves with strong drink, and to morrow shall be as this day. Isa. lvi. 10-12. The priests said not, Where is the Lord and they that handled the law, knew me not; the pastors also transgressed against me, &c. Wherefore I will yet plead with you, &c.--Ezek. xxxiv. 2-4. 8. 10. Jer. ii. 8, 9. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?-Jer. v. 30, 31. From the prophet unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely: thus they have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, &c. when, &c.-Jer. vi. 13, 14. viii. 10, 11. The pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.-Jer. x. 21. Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, &c.-Jer. xii. 10,11. Woe be unto the pastors that destroy, and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord: therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people, Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, &c. The prophets, &c. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none doth return from his wickedness. Jer. xxiii. 1, 2. 14. the shepherds feed the flocks? ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, &c. but ye feed not the flock: the diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, &c. but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. The priests and the prophets advise to put Jeremiah to death, because he told them what God spake.-Jer. xxvi. 10, 11. 16. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean.-Ezek. xxii. 26. Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that do feed themselves: should not The priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the Lord, &c. therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed, &c.-Micah iii. 11, 12. Her priests polluted the sanctuary, and have done violence to the law. Zeph. iii. 4. Woe to the idol shepherd, that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, &c.-Zech. xi. 17. O priests, that despise my name, &c. ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar, &c. If ye offer the blind, and the lame, is it not evil? &c. Mal. i. 6—8. The priests' lips should keep knowledge, &c. but ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupte ed the covenant of Levi, &c. therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before the people.Mal. ii. 7-9. He that is an hireling, &c. seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. John x. 12, 13. --- SECT. III. PROVIDE neither gold nor silver, &c. for the workman is worthy of his meat.-Matt. x. 9, 10. They all wept sore, &c. sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more.-Acts xx. 37, 38. If the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.-Rom. xv. 27. Have we not power to eat and to driuk? &c. or to forbear working? Who goeth a warfare at any time at his own charges? &c. Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? or saith he it not altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, &c. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? &c. Nevertheless, we have not used this power, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know, that they which minister about holy things, live (or feed) of the things of the temple? &c. Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.1 Cor. ix. 4-15. Know the house of Stephanus, &c. that you submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth. - 1 Cor. xvi. 15, 16. Ye received me as an angel of God, &c. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I told you the truth? -Gal. iv. 14—16. ceptable, well pleasing to God.Philip. iv. 16—19. We beseech you brethren, to know. them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you: and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake.— 1 Thess. v. 12, 13. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour; especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and the labourer is worthy of his hire. Against an elder receive not an accusation but before two or three witnesses.— 1 Tim. v. 17—19. Remember them which have the rule over you; who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, &c. Obey them that have the rule over you (or guide you), and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, &c. Pray for such, &c. Salute all them that have the rule over you.-Heb. xiii. 7. 17, 18. 24. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him.-James v. 14. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.-1 Pet. v. 5. IV. Of the Appointment and Ordination of Officers in Churches. AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, &c. and gather thou all the congregation together, &c. And Moses. did as the Lord commanded him, &c. and said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.-Levit. viii. 1, &c. Thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation, and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: and thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites.-Numb. viii. 9. 11. A A him a charge. Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said (the number of the names together, were about an hundred and twenty), &c. Wherefore, of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, &c. must one be ordained, to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, &c. And they prayed, and said, Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, &c. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. — Acts i. 15. 21. 27. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, &c. Brethren, look ye out among you seven men, of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost, and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business, &c. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, &c.-Acts vi. 2, 3. 5, 6. And when they had ordained them elders by suffrage in every church, and had prayed, with fasting, they commended them to the Lord.-Acts xiv. 22, 23. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.-Titus i. 5. Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom: for Moses had laid his hands upon him. Deut. xxxiv. 9. TWELFTHLY. Of laying on of Hands upon the several occasions, and to the several ends in Scripture mentioned. They chose Stephen, &c. whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.-Acts vi. 5, 6. Bring forth him that hath cursed, without the camp, and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head.-Levit. xxiv. 14. Numb. xxvii. 18, 19. Thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord; and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites.-Numb. viii. 10. Peter and John prayed, and laid their hands on the disciples, and they received the Holy Ghost.-Acts viii. 14, 15. 17. Moses set Joshua before Eleazar, and before all the congregation, and he laid his hands upon him, and gave The prophets and teachers at Antioch, by the command of the Holy Ghost, to separate Paul and Barnabas, &c. did pray, and fast, and lay their hands upon them. Acts xiii. 1-3. one accord in the temple, &c.-Acts ii. 41, 42. 46. And now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.-1 Cor. xi. 2. ORDINANCE I. Prayers. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, &c.-Acts i. 14. And they continued, &c. and in prayers. Acts ii. 42. II. Reading, teaching, preaching of the Word of God; Prophesying. THOU shalt set him king over thee, whom, &c. He shall write him a copy of this law in a book, &c. he shall read therein all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord.— Deut. xvii. 15. 18-20. 2 Kings xxii. 11. When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel, in their hearing. Gather the people together; men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates; that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law; and that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear and learn to fear the Lord, &c. -Deut. xxxi. 11-13. Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according unto all that is written in the book of the law; there was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.Josh. viii. 34, 35. Jehoshaphat sent to his princes, even to Ben-hail, &c. to teach in the cities of Judah, and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests; and they taught in Judah, and had the : book of the law of the Lord with them and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.-2 Chron. xvii. 7-9. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, &c. and he read therein, &c. from the morning until midday, &c. Also Joshua and Bani, &c. and the Levites caused the people to understand the law, and the people stood in their place: so they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.-Neh. viii. 1—9. xiii. 1. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children, &c. that they might set their hope in God, &c.-Ps. lxxvii, 5-7. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors: for whoso findeth me, findeth life.-Prov. viii. 34, 35. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, &c. that publisheth salvation, &c.—Isa. lii. 7. Neh. i. 15. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully; what is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord? Jer. xxiii. 28, 29. Thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.-Ezek. ii. 7. They shall wander from sea to sea, &c. to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.—Amos viii. 12. - And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, and then shall the end, &c.—Matt. xxiv. 14. ye, therefore, and teach all nations, &c. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.-Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. The parable of the sower opened unto him Jesus; he believed, &c.Acts viii. 27-38. by Christ to be the word preached.Mark iv. 14, &c. Luke viii. 11. Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.-Mark vi. 11. Luke x. 16. Matt. x. 11-13. Jesus, as his custom was, went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read; and there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaias; and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it is written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, &c. and he closed the book, and gave it again to the minister, and sat down, &c. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears, &c. and all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.-Luke iv. 16-22. |