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which dictates to them the matter, and sometimes even the very words; so that they are nothing but the instruments of the Holy Spirit, and serve for its mouth and tongue: whilst those who possess the former are the first cause of their declarations, the Holy Spirit being only the second and assisting cause. Hence it follows that the authority of the one gift can by no means be equal to that of the other. But as the one gift was not bestowed upon all men, as the apostle plainly intimates, in explaining the diversity of gifts existing in the Church (1 Cor. xii. 10—29), so also, in respect to the other, although all men, if they earnestly strive for it, may perhaps obtain, yet all do not acquire it, because all do not seek it with equal diligence and application. And as the one was given in an unequal measure, both as to quality and quantity, so it is certain that the other also is, in like manner, conferred upon some in a greater, and upon others in a less quantity, or, so to speak, in a less dose. On this account besides, no one who has not this gift ought to arrogate it to himself; nor should he who has a little attribute to himself more than he possesses; as the apostle also admonishes in reference to all divine gifts in general (Rom. xii. 3, 4, 5) "I say through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in the same body, and all the members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." That is to say, just as the whole human body is not the tongue only, or the eye, -for, as the same apostle writes (1 Cor. xii. 17), "If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? if the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?"— so the body of the Church of Christ is not made up of

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teachers and prophets alone. And as again in the human body, the eyes do not usurp the office of hearing, which pertains to the ears, nor the ears the office of seeing, which belongs to the eyes, nor the feet the office of speaking, which belongs to the tongue, nor the hands the office of walking, which pertains to the feet; but every member rests satisfied with the peculiar faculty with which it has been invested, and does not encroach upon the offices of the other members; so also in the Church of God, there are divers faculties, divers gifts of God, and divers offices; and therefore every one ought to rate himself according to his measure, and keep within his proper bounds, lest he should trench upon districts he ought not to touch,. and put his sickle into what may be called the harvest of another. Occasion will otherwise be given for a complaint similar to that of Horace (Lib. ii.. Epist. 1.)

Navem agere ignarus navis timet: abrotonum ægro·

Non audet, nisi qui didicit, dare: quod medicorum est,,
Promittunt medici: tractant fabrilia fabri:

Scribimus indocti doctique poemata passim..

A pilot only dares a vessel steer;

A doubtful drug unlicens'd doctors fear;
Musicians are to sounds alone confin'd,
And each mechanic hath his trade assign'd:
But every desperate blockhead dares to write;
Verse is the trade of every living wight.

FRANCIS.

For in this manner did Jerome justly complain of old, in his Epistle to Paulinus, that all men claimed for themselves the art of publicly interpreting the Scriptures. "This," he observes," the prating old woman, the silly dotard, the wordy sophist, and all universally, assume, abuse, and teach, before they have learnt it. Some, led by pride, and studying lofty expressions, philosophize concerning the Holy Scriptures, among weak women: Others-oh shame! learn from women, what they should teach to men ;-and lest this

should be too little, publish to others, with a certain facility, nay, audacity of speech, what they do not themselves understand." This writer of sainted name does not reprove this practice, because women, and old persons generally, read, and endeavoured to understand, the sacred writings;-in which sense the popish writers are wont commonly to adduce his words, and to draw off the laity from the perusal and study of the Scriptures; but he censures it, and indeed justly, because most of them arrogated to themselves what they did not possess; because persons who were not endowed with gifts proper for teaching wished to be the instructors and masters of others, and who therefore ought to have remembered the maxim Ne sutor ultra crepidam, "Cobler, stick to your last." For he well shows before that integrity of life, joined with diligence in prayer, is not alone sufficient for the office of a teacher or prophet in the Church. cause," he states, "a holy simplicity alone availed himself; and in the proportion in which he edified by the merit of his life, he did injury if he did not resist the destroyers." Hence also, the apostle (1 Tim. iii. 2; Titus i. 9,) would have a bishop elected, who, besides possessing a good life, was "apt to teach." But who would deny that he who is expert in speech, who is familiar with the liberal arts, who has a clear and cultivated judgment, who also has a flowing style of teaching, teeming with a rich store of ideas and words,-is commonly and ordinarily more apt to teach," than he who is destitute of all these things? We say that he is ORDINARILY more apt ;for we speak not now of what can and may be done by God in an extraordinary case.

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Thus, therefore, courteous reader, thou perceivest, that although we contend for the liberty of prophesying, and would not have the mouth of any person in the Church closed by force and violence, we neverthe

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less claim it for those alone who have the gift of prophecy. We do not for prophesying require at this time a divine mission, either direct or indirect ; nor a succession continued from the days of the apostles; nor an indelible character; nor the other qualifications which the human imagination has dreamed of in the darkness of ignorance; but with sufficient reason we require for prophesying, the gift of prophesying. For this, indeed, is as it were the soul of prophecy :— and as the body without the soul is dead, so prophecy without this gift is vain, senseless, and dead. We wish, indeed, that all the people would prophesy :—but at the same time would not have the person prophesy who knows not how. The apostle would have him alone speak in the Church (1 Cor. xiv. 30) to whom something has been revealed; that is, who is able to advance something for the edification of the Church. But he who cannot do this should hold his peace. "Every one of you," saith the apostle, (ver. 26,) hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation," (for the thing itself shows that these are to be understood thus disjunctively,) "let all things be done unto edifying.' But how ridiculous, may we not ask, and how absurd would it be, if any one ignorant of the art of music, and unskilled in the modulation of his voice, were yet to desire, with a discordant and rude noise, to sing, or rather to bray, in the church? Or if any one in Poland, ignorant of the Polish language, or in Belgium, ignorant of the Belgic language, were to wish to speak to the people in public, would not he excite laughter, rather than promote the edification of the Church ?—But not less absurd is it, that he who is uninstructed for its duties should wish to execute the office of a teacher.

The liberty, therefore, for which we plead, is that which lies in the middle way, between licentiousness

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and usurpation and in order that it may not dege-nerate into licentiousness, we would have it fenced in by the bounds of equity and right reason. And first, we conceive that in religious matters, a distinction ought to be observed, so that the things necessary to salvation, and those which are most nearly connected with them, and are of the highest utility, should be: accurately discriminated from those which are not necessary, nor so useful. Those things that are necessary it is unlawful for any one to remove from their place, or to impugn ;- nor can any person dissent from them without the loss of salvation ;—and where there is not an agreement in these points, there can be no brotherly affection. But these necessary things are very few, and written in the Holy Scriptures so clearly and! explicitly, and as it were with a sun-beam, that they cannot fail of being easily discerned by those who have a sane mind in a sound body. As to those things which are not so clear, we deny that they are to be regarded as necessary. And here we also say with Hilary, that they are happy who in things neces-sary to salvation, at least as far as respects belief,. confine themselves within the limits of that most simple creed called the Apostles'. But in other matters,, which are not absolutely necessary, we require that this liberty of prophesying should be conceded.

But neither do we ask for this without limitation and restriction; but wish it to be restrained by the reins of Piety, Charity and Prudence. Piety demands. that nothing should be said or done against conscience; that nothing be uttered reproachful to God and Christ, or contrary to his glory and commands. Charity teaches us that no one should be injured, that scandal, calumnies, railing accusations against our neighbour, invidious and unfair representations of the opinions of others, should be avoided :-and on the other hand, that our equity, gentleness, and modesty

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