such as during public prayer, singing, or preaching, or
and violates Christian rules. Those who have the office of teacher or exhorter, have it for their calling, and should make it their business, as a business proper to their office. And none but them should make it their business.
Rom 12.3-8, "For I say, through the grace given to me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, as God has dealt to every man a proportion of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members do not have the same office, so we being many, are one body in Christ... He who teaches, let him wait on teaching, or he who exhorts, on exhortation."
1Cor 12.29, "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?" 1Cor 7.20, "Let every man abide in the same calling in which he was called." 1The 4.11, "And that you study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you."
It would be a very dangerous thing for laymen, in either of these respects, to invade the office of a minister. If this is common among us, we will be in danger of having a stop put to the word of God; of the ark's turning aside from us before it comes to mount Zion; and of God's making a breach upon us. For of old there was an unhappy stop put to the joy of the congregation of Israel in bringing up the ark of God, because others carried it, besides the Levites. And therefore David, when the error was discovered, says in 1Chr 15.2, "None should carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God, and to minister to Him forever." And because one presumed to touch the ark, who was not of the sons of Aaron, the Lord therefore made a breach upon them, and covered their day of rejoicing with a cloud in His anger.
Before I dismiss this topic of lay exhorting, I would take notice of three things relating to it, on which there ought to be a restraint.
1. Speaking out (i.e., interrupting) during the solemn worship of God, such as during public prayer, singing, or preaching, or administration of the sacrament of the holy supper; or any duty of