Quest. LXXX. May or must a minister silenced, or forbid to preach the gospel, go on still to preach it, against the law?

Answ. Distinguish between, 1. Just silencing, and unjust. 2. Necessary preaching, and unnecessary.

1. Some men are justly forbidden to preach the gospel: as, 1. Those that are utterly unable, and do worse than nothing when they do it. 2. Those that are heretics and subvert the essentials of christianity or godliness. 3. Those that are so impious and malignant, that they turn all against the practice of that religion which they profess; in a word, all that do (directly) more hurt than good.

2. In some places there are so many able preachers, that some tolerable men may be spared, if not accounted supernumeraries; and the church will not suffer by their silence. But in other countries either the preachers are so few, or so bad, or the people so very ignorant, and hardened, and ungodly, or so great a number that are in deep necessity, that the need of preaching is undeniable. And so I conclude,

1. That he that is justly silenced, and is unfit to preach, is bound to forbear.

2. He that is silenced by just power, though unjustly, in a country that needeth not his preaching, must forbear there, and if he can must go into another country where he may be more serviceable.

3. Magistrates may not ecclesiastically ordain ministers or degrade them, but only either give them liberty, or deny it them as there is cause.

4. Magistrates are not the fountain of the ministerial office, as the sovereign is of all the civil power of inferior magistrates; but both offices are immediately from God.

5. Magistrates have not power from God to forbid men to preach in all cases, nor as they please, but justly only and according to God’s laws.

6. Men be not made ministers of Christ only pro tempore or on trial, to go off again if they dislike it; but are absolutely dedicated to God, and take their lot for better and for worse; which maketh the Romanists say, that ordination is a sacrament (and so it may be aptly called); and that we receive an indelible character, that is, an obligation during life, unless God himself disable us.

7. As we are nearlier devoted and related to God, than church lands, goods, and temples are, so the sacrilege of alienating a consecrated person unjustly, is greater and more unquestionable than the sacrilege of alienating consecrated houses, lands, or things. And therefore no minister may sacrilegiously alienate himself from God and his undertaken office and work.

8. We must do any lawful thing to procure the magistrate’s licence to preach in his dominions.

9. All men silenced or forbidden by magistrates to preach, are not thereby obliged or warranted to forbear. For, 1. The apostles expressly determine it, Acts iv. 19, “Whether it be better to hearken to God rather than to you, judge ye.” 2. Christ oft foretold his servants, that they must preach against the will of rulers, and suffer by them. 3. The apostles and ordinary ministers also for 300 years after Christ did generally preach against the magistrate’s will, throughout the Roman empire and the world. 4. The orthodox bishops commonly took themselves bound to preach when Arian or other heretical emperors forbad them. 5. A moral duty of stated necessity to the church and men’s salvation is not subjected to the will of men for order’s sake: for order is for the thing ordered and for the end. Magistrates cannot dispense with us, for not loving our neighbours, or not showing mercy to the poor, or saving the lives of the needy in famine and distress. Else they that at last shall hear, “I was hungry and ye fed me not, I was naked and ye clothed me not, I was in prison and ye visited me not,” might oft say, Our parents, masters, or magistrates forbad us. Yet a lesser moral duty may be forbidden by the magistrate for the sake of a greater, because then it is no duty indeed, and may be forborne if he forbid it not; as to save one man’s life, if it would prove the death of a multitude; or to save one man’s house on fire, if so doing would fire many. Therefore,

10. It is lawful and a duty to forbear some certain time or number of sermons, prayers, or sacraments, &c. when either the present use of them would apparently procure more hurt than good, or when the forbearance were like to procure more good than the doing of them; for they are all for our edification, and are made for man, and not man for them (though for God). As if forbearing this day would procure me liberty for many days’ service afterward, &c.

11. It is not lawful at the command of man to forsake or forbear our calling and duty, when it is to be judged necessary to the honour of God, to the good of the church, and of men’s souls; that is, when as in Daniel’s case, Dan. vi. our religion itself and our owning the true God, doth seem suspended by the suspense of our duty; or when the multitude of ignorant, hardened, ungodly souls, and the want of fit men for number and quality, doth put it past controversy, that our work is greatly necessary.

12. Those that are not immediately called by Christ as were the apostles, but by men, being yet statedly obliged to the death when they are called, may truly say as Paul, “Necessity is laid upon me, and woe be to me if I preach not the gospel.”

13. Papists and protestants concur in this judgment. Papists will preach when the law forbids them; and the judgment of protestants is, among others, by Bishop Bilson of Subjection, and Bishop Andrews, Tortur. Tort. plainly so asserted.

14. But all that are bound to preach, are not bound to do it to the same number, nor in the same manner; as they have not the same opportunity and call. Whether it shall be, in this place or that, to more or fewer, at this hour or that, are not determined in Scripture, nor alike to all.

15. The temples, tithes, and such adjuncts of worship and ministry, are at the magistrate’s disposal, and must not be invaded against his laws.

16. Where any are obliged to preach in a forbidden, discountenanced state, they must study to do it with such prudence, caution, peaceableness, and obedience in all the lawful circumstantials, as may tend to maintain peace and the honour of magistracy, and to avoid temptations to sedition, and unruly passions.

Matt, xxviii. 20; Rom. x. 14; 1 Cor. ix. 16; Acts v. 42; x. 42; 2 Tim. iv. 1, 2; Acts viii. 4, 12; xv. 35.