. 7; Thoſe that by thoſe terms, &ſ:>.2Y9 quyatry underſtand , no . (as we tranſlate it) a ſiſter, a wife, but a woman , that ſhould out
Gal. 1.19 * Matt $
I 4.
” =Cor.1o.
4. "CD, 3-6,
6,8.
Pe > , : ' PEL. 5.2. that Age, was ſo in a more eminent manner, as the oppoſition
*r Tim.s5.
38.
- rreadeth our the. corn q: Doth God take care for
. eateth not of the milk of theflock ? 0.
ELZLOUORIN
5 Have we not power to lead about a ſiſter, a (| wife | as well asother apoſtles, and as* the brethren of the Lord,
of her eſtate have contributed to the Apoſtles maintenance (as Jo- anna the wife of Chiz.a, Hered's Steward, and Suſama, and many o- thers followed Chriſt, miniſtering to him of their ſubſtance, Luke 8. 3.) ſeem not to conſider: 1, That ſuch women would have been no burden, but an he!p to the Church ( which is quite contrary to the Apoſtles fenſz ) 2. That the term /eading about , imports a conjugal relation to the woman. 3. That if this had been the ſenſe, it had been enough to have ſaid; to [cad abour a woman, he ſhould not need. have faid, a {ter, a woman. 4. That ſuch I-ading about a woman , not their wife, had been ſcandalous. 5. Thar the very phraſe,a /ifcr, a wif-,anſwersthe phraſe, 4s 23.1. Arn, brcthren, which ſignifies no more than, O ye Chriſtian Men, as a ſifter, a wife ſignifies here a Chriſt:;an Wife. 6. That we no where ead, that Percr, James, John, Judas, (here called the Brethren of our Lord) or any ofthe other Apoſtles, ever in their Travels car- ried about with them any ſuch rich Matrons, nor their wives, who ( as thoſe, Lnke 8. 3.) miniſtred to them of their ſubſtance. Our Interpreters bave therefore juſtly tranſlated it, a ſiſter, a wife ; and the ſenſe is, Have I not power to marry ? Yet the phraſe teaches us two things: 1. That Chriſtians have no power, that is, no lawful power to marry ſuch asare no Chriſtians, their wives muſt be their Siſters alſo in Chriſt. 2. That husbanas and wives ought to be undivided companions one to another. k He inſtancerh in ſeveral Apoſtles that were married, Peter ( called Cephas) Fames , on and Trudas, the Sor of Alphens, Chriſt's kinſfman. Whence we may obſerve, That Miniſters may lawfully marry, no Law of God hath reſtrained them more than others : The Popiſh DoEtrine forbidding to marry, is by the Apoſtle determined to be a Dottrine
of Devils. 6 OrT only, and Barnabas, * have not we power to
forbear working ? /.
! Are T and Barnabas the alone Apoſtles, who are obliged for our livelihood to work with our hands? As Paul did, 48s 18.3. ma- King Tits, We certainly, as well as the reft of the Apoſtles, if we would run- out to the utmoſt end of the line of our liberty in things, without having any regard to thecircumſtances of our bre- thren, might forbear working ' with our hands, and expect thar thoſe amongſt whom we labour, ſhould maintain us.
7 Who * goeth a warfare at any time at his own charges m2 ? who * planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof » ? or who * teedeth a flock , and
» The work ofthe Miniſtry is a warfare, -the Miniſters work in
which thoſe firſt Miniſters of the Goſpel , both from the Jewsand from the Heathens, was greater than what Miniſters have in latter Apes met with. Now, faith the Apoſtle, none that liſts an Army, expe&sthat his Soldiers ſhould maintain themſelves withour any pay. » It is like the planting ofa Yineyard. The Church in Scripture 3s called a"Vineyard, ſz. 5. 1, 2. The plants are the Lord's, but he uſeth Minifters hands in the planting of them : none planteth a Vineyard, but in expeCtation of ſome fruit ; none employeth ſer- vants to plant a Vineyard but he reſolveth to uphold them with food and raiment, while they are in his work, o The Church is compared to aflock (ſaith the Apoſtle) no man feeds a flock either
THIANS. Chip,
s Not that the ' Law, Dexzt. 25.4. did primar:
Will for the maintenance of Miniſters, for aadoubeotte on Gol marily oblige them according to the lertec of ir, nor K+. Opel ly and unmercifully with the beaſt they made ufc of "Ag en they took them off from getting their food, by het irs thae to tread out corn for them ; ſo while they did it, they h = "P ſtarve them; bur give them leave moderately to eat of _ (faith the Apoſtle ) rhe reaſon of ic doth much more oblige wr reſpe& to men, eſpecially ſuch means are employed in a M: col for your Souls. : That as he who ploweth for another —_—_ hope to get bread for himſelf, from the wages for which be nanteth, # And ſo alſo doth the threſher threſh in hope ; "Is that are the Lord's Plow-men, working together with himſchooss in a far inferiour degree of cauſation ) in the plowing up "Is. low grounds of mens hearts, and ſowing the ſe2d of righre ; neſs in mens Souls and the Lord's Threſhers, by our Foes hortations, arguments, 2c. beating the fruicsof good works tg he glory of God, out of thoſe amongſt whom we labour might Fr labour in ſome hope of a livelihood for-our ſelves A while Fx doing the Lord's work and his peoples.
"-= It we hare ſown unto you ſpiritual things z it a great thing if we ſhould reap your cany | things ? 2, oh
w By ſpiritual things the Apoſtle meaneth the Do&rine and$ ; craments of the Goſpe], which are called ſpiritual thins; b—_ they come from Heaven, they affe& che ſoul and | Pirir of a ag they tend to make men ſpiritual, they prepare the Soul for Ha. ven. By carnal things he means things which only ſeryeour "= dies, which are our carnal fleſhly part. From the inequality of theſe things , and the excellency of the former above the latter, the A poſtle argueth the reaſonableneſs of Miniſters maintenance ou their people, they giving them quidpro quo, a juſt compenſation tor ſuch allowance, yea what was of much more value ; for there 1s a great diſproportion between things ſpizirual and thinscz.. nal, the former much exceeding the latter, fo as che Minitter gf the Goſpel had the odds of them, giving people thingsof amuch greater ant more excellent value, for things of a much leſſer and infertour value.
12 It others be partakers of 7h power over you, 4r!, not we rather x? * Nevertheleſs, we have notuſedths, power: but ſufferall things, * leſt we ſhould hinder the goſpel of Chriſt y. |