PROPHESYING, XXVI. 419 upon such admonition they refuse to hearken to the CHAP. wholesome counsel of their brethren." And of this matter Mr. Robinson thus writeth in his book, Just. page 200, "The officers of one or many churches may meet together to discuss and consider of matters for the good of the church and churches, and so be called a Church Synod, or the like, so they infringe no order of Christ or liberty of the brethren;" not differing herein from Mr. Davenport and the principal of our ministers. YOUNG MEN. But they seem to differ about the exercise of prophecy, that is, that men out of office, having gifts, See the title of this book in note on page 40. John Davenport, born at Coventry in 1597, a graduate of Oxford, and vicar of St. Stephens, in London, came to New England in 1637, with Theophilus Eaton and Edward Hopkins, and with them laid the foundations of the colony of New Haven, in 1638. In 1668, in his 71st year, he removed to Boston, to become the pastor of the First Church, and there died in 1670. See Wood's Athen. Oxon. iii. 889, (ed. Bliss); Mather's Magnalia, i. 292 302; Winthrop's N. E. i. 227, 404; Hutchinson's Mass. i. 82, 115, 215; Emerson's History of the First Church in Boston, pp. 110—124. But the most ample and satisfactory account of Davenport will be found in Prof. Kingsley's Centennial Discourse at New Haven, and in Dr. Leonard Bacon's Historical Discourses. These works contain also a noble vindication of the principles and character of the Puritan fathers of New England. This religious exercise, in which laymen publicly taught and exhorted, was early practised in both the colonies of Plymouth and 420 PROPHESYING AN ANCIENT PRACTICE. XXVI. CHAP may upon occasion edify the church publicly and openly, and applying the Scriptures; which seems to be a new practice. ANCIENT MEN. It doth but seem so; as many things else do that have by usurpation grown out of use. But that it hath been an ancient practice of the people of God, besides the grounds of Scripture, we will give an instance or two. We find in the ancient Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius, lib. vi. cap. 19, how Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, being pricked with envy against Origen, complaineth in his letters that there was never such a practice heard of, nor no precedent to be found, that laymen in presence of bishops have taught in the church; but is thus answered by the bishop of Jerusalem and the bishop of Cesarea: "We know not," say they, "why he reporteth a manifest untruth, whenas there may be found such as in open assemblies have taught the people; yea, whenas there were present learned men that could profit the people, and moreover holy bishops, who at that time exhorted them to custom) propounded a question, to may learn, and all be comforted." It was for encouraging a similar exercising among his clergy, that archbishop Grindal incurred the displeasure of Queen Elizabeth, and was for a time suspended from his see. It should be remembered that this was the scriptural sense of the word prophesying; and that prediction is not its only signification, appears from the title of one of Jeremy Taylor's Works, 'The Liberty of Prophesying." See Savage's Winthrop, i. 50, 91; Mass. Hist. Coll. iv. 136; Prince's Annals, p. 407; Fuller's Ch. Hist. iii. 6-18; Pierce's Vindication, part i. pp. 92 — 96. 66 THE LIBERTY OF PROPHESYING. 421 XXVI. preach. For example, at Laranda Euelpis was re- CHAP. quested of Neon, at Iconium Paulinus was requested by Celsus, at Synada Theodorus was requested by Atticus, who were godly brethren, &c." 1 The second instance is out of Speed's Cloud of Witnesses, page 71. Saith he, "Rambam or Maymon records, that in the synagogues, first, only a Levite must offer sacrifice; secondly, but any in Israel might expound the law; thirdly, the expounder must be an eminent man, and must have leave from the master of the synagogue; and so contends that Christ, Luke iv. 16, taught as any of Israel might have done as well as the Levites; and the like did Paul and Barnabas, Acts xiii. 15." If any out of weakness have abused at any time their liberty, it is their personal faulting, as sometimes weak ministers may their office, and yet the ordinance good and lawful. And the chief of our ministers in New England agree therein. See Mr. Cotton's Answer to Baylie, page the 27th, 2d part. "Though neither all," saith he, "nor most of the brethren of a church have ordinarily received a gift of public prophesying, or preaching, yet in defect of public ministry, it is not an unheard of novelty that God should enlarge private men with public gifts, and to dispense them to edification; for we read that when the church at Jerusalem were all scattered abroad, except the Apostles, yet they that Acts were scattered went every where preaching the word." x. 29. viii. 4. 422 CHAP. THE INDEPENDENTS. Mr. Robinson also, in his Apology, page 45, chapter 8, to take off the aspersion charged on them, as if all the members of a church were to prophesy publicly, answers, "It comes within the compass but of a few of the multitude, haply two or three in a church, so to do; and touching prophecy," saith he, "we think the very same that the Synod held at Embden, 1571, hath decreed in these words: First, in all churches, whether but springing up, or grown to some ripeness, let the order of prophecy be observed, according to Paul's institution. Secondly, into the fellowship of this work are to be admitted not only the ministers, but the teachers too, as also of the elders and deacons, yea, even of the multitude, which are willing to confer their gift received of God to the common utility of the church; but so as they first be allowed by the judgment of the ministers and others.' So we believe and practise with the Belgic churches, &c." See more in 'the immediate following page. YOUNG MEN. We cannot but marvel that in so few years there should be so great a change, that they who were so hotly persecuted by the prelates, and also opposed by the better sort of ministers, not only Mr. Gifford, Mr. Bernard, and other such like, but many of the most eminent both for learning and godliness, and yet now not only these famous men and churches in New England so fully to close with them in practice, but all the godly party in the land to stand for the same way, under the new name of Independents, put upon them. THE GROWTH OF CONGREGATIONALISM. 423 ANCIENT MEN. It is the Lord's doing, and it ought to be marvellous in our eyes; and the rather, because Mr. Bernard, in his book, made their small increase in a few years one and the chief argument against the way itself. To which Mr. Robinson answered, that "Religion is not always sown and reaped in one age; and that John Huss and Jerome of Prague finished their testimony a hundred years before Luther, and Wickliff well nigh as long before them, and yet neither the one nor the other with the like success as Luther. And yet," saith he, "many are already gathered into the kingdom of Christ; and the nearness of many more throughout the whole land, (for the regions arc white unto the harvest,) doth promise within less than a hundred years, if our sins and theirs make not us and them unworthy of this mercy, a very plentcous harvest; " (Justif. folio 62); as if he had prophesied of these times. Yea, some of us have often heard him say that "even those ministers and other godly persons that did then most sharply oppose them, if they might come to be from under the bishops, and live in a place of rest and peace, where they might comfortably subsist, they would practise the same things which they now did." truly, many of us have seen this abundantly verified, not only in these latter times, but formerly. Doctor Ames was estranged from and opposed Mr. See page 45, and note 3 on page 398, and Prince's Annals, p. 305. William Ames, one of the most acute controversial writers of his age, was educated at Cambridge under the celebrated Perkins, and became fellow of Christ's College. And In 1609 he fled from the persecu- CHAP. XXVI. |