in the minds of many if it were but for this one Reason that they who are intrusted with it do not Labour to beautify it It is looked on by many as a place of respect and not of Office If a man be Richer than his neighbour he thinks he is not respected if he be not an Elder and having goten the name he cares for no more Now is that the way either to make People respect thy Person or thy Office Let me obtest and charge all of you who have taken on this Heavenly Calling as ye will Answer on your hazard to Jesus Christ the chief sheepherd that ye would study by all means so to walk in it as to beautify it and that so much the more as the Devil is Labouring to disgrace it And this now for the First Head of Independency Head II. The highest Power of Church Government is not in Church-Sessions or Congregational Elderships WE come now to the Second Head And it is That for which mainly they are called Independents The point they affirm is this That every particular Church Session or Congregational Eldership is instructed with the highest power of Church Government on Earth so that there is no power in the Church above them to call them to an account when they go wrong to rescind any Act once concluded though it were never so unjust They grant that a Synod of Ministers and Elders may meet to consult about matters but withall affirm that they have no Ecclesiasticall power to command in the Lord any Congregation whatsoever So that if a man be wronged by a Session As for instance if he be unjustly censured as it may very readily fall out he must sit with his wrong there is no power to right it till Christ come in the Clouds Or if a particular Congregation divide turn Hereticks run wrong as many of the Independent Congregations doe there is no Church power to heal the breach unless it be by giving an advice which they may either follow or not follow as likes them best We again grant That particular Elderships have a power from Jesus Christ to Exercise Discipline in these things which concern the Congregation in particular But as for other things of more publick concernment that is to say Things that concern other Congregations as well as them these ought to be handled by a Superior Judicatory And that even in those things of particular concernment They are lyable to Appeals and the inspection of the Superior Judicatory So that wherein they shall be found wrong partial or Erronious They may be called to an account For shewing the fashood of this Error as also for the vindicating of the Government of the Church of Scotland that is now so much spoken against we shall labour to make out with the Lords assistance these Three Truths from the word of God The first it this That besides the power of Church Government that Christ hath given to particular Elderships There is also holden forth in his word A plat-form or a Copy of the Government of many Congregations by one Presbytry over them all in common The Second Truth that we shall make out is this That besides the Church Government that Christ hath established by Presbytries there is also holden out in the word greater Church Judicatories to wit Synods made up of Commissioners from several Presbytries instructed with power of Church Government from Christ also And Thirdly We shall labour to make out this Truth That the inferior Judicatories are to be Subject to the Superior as Sessions to Presbytries Presbytries to Synods Synods to General Assemblies So that the Superior judicatories have power over the Inferior in the Lord to receive Appeals from them and complaints 〈◊〉 them to Censure them for Miscarying in the matter of Discipline and to enact Church Canons or conclusions binding to them which Inferior Judicatories are bound to obey in the Lord. ¶ I. There is a Platform of the Government of many Congregations by one common Presbytery holden out in Scripture COncerning the State of this Question I only premit this That however we have the very name of this Presbytry whereabout we dispute holden out in 1 Tim 4. 14. Whereby I might easily show is meaned the Presbytry we plead for yet we shall not dispute about names Though the Name were not yet it is sufficient that the Thing be in it And this we shall make good to wit That in Scripture is holden out a pattern of the Government of many Congregations by one common Presbytry The proof of this point we might instance almost in all the Churches that were planted in the Apostles time As in the Church of Jerusalem The Church of Antioch Ephesus Thessalonica Corinth and of Rome We might easily make it appear that those Churches were not single Congregations but Presbyterial Churches under one common Government But in stead of spending of time in pointing out this in all these Churches we shall instance it only in the Church of Ierusalem That by this One ye may know what to judge of the rest And first concerning the Church of Jerusalem planted by the Apostles we shall labour to make out thir two things 1. That in that one Church there were many particular Congregations And 2. That all these particular Congregations made up but one Church and was guided by one common Presbytry and Judicatory set over them all in common Which two being made out the point we intend will appear evidently to wit That there was here a Government set over many Congregations in one common Judicatory such as our Presbytry is over all the particular Church-Sessions in the bounds The first thing we shall make out is this That there were moe Congregations in the Church of Jerusalem than one and this from four grounds First From the multitude of Church Members that were in Jerusalem Secondly From the multitude of Pastors Teachers and Elders that were there moe than could get work in one single Congregation Thirdly From the diversities of Languages that were among the People of that Church And Fourthly From the way of their meeting and the place they resorted to for Gods service And first For the multitude of Church Members that was at Jerusalem If we compare place with place we will find that they amounted to many thousands and so behooved to be moe than one single Congregation Take a view of some of these places Acts 1. 15. they are numbred to be about ane hundred and twenty And Act. 2. 41. there are added unto them about three thousand Souls and then in v. 47. There is daily Addition of moe and moe the Lord added unto the Church daily such as should be saved Act. 4. 4. We see yet a greater increase There are about five thousand and the nuâ—ber of the men was about five thousand concerning which five thousand it is necessarly to be understood that they were added presently excluding the rest of the numbers before
find in Act 15. 4. and Act 21. 15 18. And when they were come to Jerusalem they were received of the Church and of the Apostles and Elders c. Now they are not called the Elders of a particular flock at Jerusalem but the Elders of the Church and therefore did meet in one Common Judicatory The force of this Argument cannot be spoken against by our Opposits who prove their particular Elderships from the same ground as in Act 20. 28. mentioning of the Elders of the Church of Ephesus From whence they Reason thus Ephesus was a particular Congregation we read there were Elders in this Church therefore there was an Eldership who met together for Governing that Church in common They must give us liberty to Reason that same way thus We find at Jerusalem was a Church made up of many particular Churches we find Elders in this Church Therefore there was an Eldership who met together for Governing of this Church or these Churches in common But Thirdly to make this Argument yet stronger not only there are Elders in this Church but we find they meet together for Acts of Jurisdiction belonging to the whole Church in Common For proof of this see Act 11 30. The contribution that is gathered for supply of the Saints is sent to the Elders Now what the Elders should do with it may be gathered from a place like it Act 4. 35. 37. where it is said They sold their possessions and laid down the price at the Apostles feet And distribution was made unto every man according as he had need So doubtless the contribution was given to the Elders for this end that they might have distributed the same to the poor in the whole Church And so it was an Act of Government tending to the good of the Church Further we find this more clear Act 21. 18. They meet together and Judicially set down a way to Paul for removing of a Church Scandal by satisfying the offended and purifying himself after the manner of the Jews In v 23. Do therefore this c. So we see their Elderships meeting together for removing a Scandal We find a Third place to confirm this Act. 15. 2. 4 We shall afterward make use of the whole Chapter to prove the power of Synods only this much at present to the purpose in hand We find the Elders met and make binding Acts to the Churches under them So we have made out the first point That there is a Government of many Congregations under one Presbytry holden out in the Word The main thing our Opposits flee to at the last is this That granting it to be true That there were many Congregations in Jerusalem before the Persecution in Act 8. And that they had one Government above them yet that doth not infer a Government by Presbytry For they were Governed by the Apostles We read not of any Elders in that Church before the Dispersion at which time they were brought to so few a number that they might all meet in one place So that though there was one common Government then by Elders It inferrs not a Presbytry but a Congregational Eldership only This is the sum of all that is said to this For Answer They grant to us That after the Persecution there was a common Eldership over the Church of Jerusalem And Secondly We have proved that there were moe Congregations than One there even after the Dispersion And we have also proved that they had Elders over them in common so that whatever was before the Dispersion yet even from their own concession it followeth That there was a Presbyterial Government in Jerusalem after the Dispersion Secondly we answer They can hardly prove that there were no Elders in Jerusalem before the Dispersion It s true we read not of Elders until Act. 11. But when they were first instituted we read not Thirdly We answer That though there were not Elders to govern them in common yet it is enough for us that the Apostles did govern them in common for they were also Elders So they call themselves 2 John ver 1. 1 Peter 5. 1. But Secondly As they were Elders so what they did in these Acts of Government they did it as Elders For what they did as Apostles is not imitable now but what they did in Governing the Church is imitable such as Ordaining of Officers Distributing of Alms. Again What they did as Apostles one of them might do it alone But here they do it in Collegio Act. 6. And reserve the Peoples part of Election to them Now they never met together to write Scripture nor sought the Peoples concurrence for any Act meerly Apostolick so it is clear the Church was governed by them as Elders And so the Churches even then were under one common Eldership And this now for the first thing we promised to make out to wit That the Scripture holdeth out a pattern of the Government of many Congregations by one common Presbytery ¶ II. There is a Plat-form of Government by Synods over many particular Presbyteries holden forth in Scripture THe Second thing we promised to make out is this That as the Scripture holdeth forth the Power of Presbyteries so also the Power of a Synod by which we mean Church Judicatories above Presbyteries as they are above Sessions or Congregational Elderships I. For understanding the Question These Synods or greater Meetings of Church Officers are of three sorts Some made up of several Presbyteries and these are Provincial Synods such as commonly we have twice a year Or they are made up of several Synods within a Nation and these are General Assemblies Or Thirdly They are made up of several Churches of several Nations or Commissioners from them and these are called Universal Councils or General Synods of the Christian World Now all these differ from Presbyteries not only in this That they are more ample but also in this That the Government by Presbyteries is the common ordinary way of Government held out in Scripture But Synods for the most part are more rare and upon particular emergent as Act. 15. That Synod was called upon an occasion of Division in the Church of Antioch which troubled other Churches about Secondly All these kinds of greater Synods The Provincial Synod and the Synod of a Nation and the Universal Councils do not differ in Nature and kind but only in less and more Wherefore it is not needful that we hold out every one of them from Scripture It is sufficient that we hold out the Power of Synods in the general which is to be applyed to every kind in particular For so we find it in Scripture in other things Particulars are infinite and therefore in things of one and the same kind General Rules are sufficient Or a Rule for one particular which keeping the just proportion is to be applyed to other particulars of the same kind As Matth 18. Christ sets down the way of walking in private Scandals speaking
nothing of publick Scandals Not as if Jesus Christ did mean that publick Scandals should be passed over but that the same Rule may serve for these keeping the just proportion Even so is it here If the nature of Synods be held out in the Word that is enough though it speak nothing of the bounds to which they should extend whether of One Province or of All the Provinces of a Nation no more than it is particularly set down in Scripture what should be the number and bounds of a particular Congregation There is a Third thing for clearing of this Question The Independents and we agree in this That the word gives ground for meeting of Synods only we differ about their Power They grant that in case of Division or Scandal Synods may meet and give their Advice in Matters doubtful only they say that Synods have no Power of Jurisdiction to command others in the Lord to embrace their determinations We on the other hand maintain that they have this Power and that the Scripture holdeth out such a Power belonging to them II. We might instance this in Act 1 In the choice of Matthias which was done by no particular Church For here were the Apostles whose Paroch-Church was the whole world Here were the Brethren of Christ from Galilie v 14. Some from Jerusalem v. 15. This meeting did a Church business of common concernment to the whole Christian World and so behooved to be done by those who did represent them And therefore this behooved to be a General Council But to clear the point more fully we shall take Act 15. Where this Synod we plead for is held forth clearly The History is plain A difference ariseth in Antioch about Circumcision This cannot be composed in Antioch it self so they send up Commissioners to Jerusalem to determine this matter where there is a Synod of Apostles and Elders and they determine the Question Now that it may appear the Synod we plead for is here consider first That there was a Church meeting or Judicatory here None may doubt of this as is clear v 6. Secondly Consider That this Judicatory is made up of Commissioners from the several Presbyteries we see that Commissioners from the Presbytry of Jerusalem was there v 6. And Commissioners from the Presbytry of Antioch Act 15. 2 Paul and Barnabas and others Now that these were Commissioners and had voice appears from Act 16. 4. where the decree that was then made was ascrived to all the Elders who were present It is very likely that there were other Commissioners there also from Syria and Cilicia For they are joyned with Antioch in the Letter v. 23. For what other Reason cannot be imagined except that as they were alike troubled with the Heresy as Antioch was so they had their Commissioners there as Antioch had And therefore these Acts are binding to them in a special manner However it is clear that there were Commissioners from the Presbytry of Jerusalem and of Antioch so the meeting was made up of two Presbytries And by the same rule it may be made up of moe Thirdly We would consider that this meeting made up of Commissioners from several Presbytries makes binding Acts unto other absent Churches who were present only in their Commissioners And there are several things to clear this First They determine the Question in v 19. 20 Secondly They impose Their determination on the Churches to be keeped by them So in the Letters They wrote to the Church of Syria and Cilicia v 28. The word that is turned there a Burthen signifies a Law or a Decree and so we find it in Act 16. 4. There their Conclusions are called Decrees which were ordained of the Apostles and Elâ—ers at Jerusalem And which were to be keeped From all which it is clear They did make Acts binding other Congregations Thirdly We find they put forth an Act of Censure on the false Prophets v 24. They called them Lyars A brand of Infamy It 's true They Censured them not with Excommunication For it was time enough to doe That when they knew they were become incorrigibly obstinate according to the common Rule An Heretick after the first and second Admonition reject By this I hope ye perceive clearly a pattern for greater Synods a Judicatory made up of Commissioners from several Presbytries and these making binding Laws to other Churches who were absent in their Persons and only present in their Commissioners III. Their main Objection against this is That the Apostles were here who were guided with an infallible Spirit to determine and so this can be no Rule for our Synods made up of men wanting that assistance To this we Answer that this if it prove any thing will make against our Opposits themselves as well as against us For they hold that here is a pattern of a Synod for advice so if their Argument hold against Us in the One It must hold also against Them in the Other Secondly We shew before that the Apostles were also Elders and sometimes Acted as Elders Now if it can be proven that they Acted as Elders here it breaks the strength of their Objection But this is clear First Paul and Barnabas are sent by the Church of Antioch They willingly submit Act 15. 4 Now in their Apostolick Office they were not directed by meâ— And so surely here they acted not as Apostles Secondly The Apostles all along go not on that way as when guided by an infallible Apostolick Spirit For they state the Question and debate it in v 7. Now when they write Scripture they do not use advice nor do they debate what they shall conclude but speake all as immediatly inspired But here they debate And â—aving found Truth By force of Reason they conclude as any other Assembly upon like assurance of Scripture warrand may do It seemeth good unto Vs being Assembled with one accord c. In v 25. Thirdly When the Apostles did determine any thing as Apostles and were guided by the immediatly inspiring Spirit of God then they did determine the Question fully that nothing needed to be added But so it was not here For Peter v 6th gives his Judgment That Believers were freed from the Ceremonial Law What he saith is true indeed Yet it speaketh not fully to the point untill James addeth somewhat to wit That however the Gentils were freed from the Ceremonial Law yet to eschew the Scandal of the weak Jews They were to abstain from things strangled c v 20. And therefore They Acted not as Apostles except we would say that Peter as an Apostle intending to determine a Controversie yet did not speak fully to the point which were an injury to that immediately inspiring Spirit by which they were acted in penning Scripture Fourthly Because the decrees of the Synod are put forth in the name and by the Authority not only of the Apostles but Elders also Act 15. 22. 23. Act. 16. 4. Act. 21. 25. Now
this is absurd For Christians are in an estate of greater liberty As appears from Galat. 4. 1. Therefore c. For clearing the first proposition We lay down these things First There was a Subordination of Judicatories in the Jewish Church As might be made out from several places We take one 2 Chron 19. 8. where there is a Supream Ecclesiastical Judicatory v 10. The matters they handle come to them from other Judicatories And Deut 17. 8. Sheweth the matters to be handled by the supream Judicatory are such as had been before the Inferior Court but found too hard to be judged there So that here was a Refuge for the party wronged by the Inferiour Court Now if there be no such Refuge left to Christians we may certainly say The state of Christiansis most hard being left under the Tyrannical sentence of the unjust Eldership And no power to right them When the oppressed Jew might appeal to the Superior Judicatory We might further argue from this Whatever was in the Jewish Government that was neither Ceremonial nor Judicial but Moral That is binding to us For the Moral Law bindeth all alike and is not abrogate But this That there was subordination of Judicatories for the relief of the grieved party among the Jews was Moral not Ceremonial nor Judicial It is true that all things were determined by an high Priest among the Jews who was typical of Christ and of his supremacy in Judgment So the Papists argue ill from the high Priest to the Pope But it is as true That the Subordination of Judicatories for things of harder knowledge and relief of the oppressed party was Typical of nothing But Moral and of the Law of Nature which forbids party to be judge which will naturally follow if there be not Subordination of Courts Yea further we shall not find that this Law is given to Moses in the pattern upon the mount but was taught by the light of nature to Jethro and by him given to Moses Exod. 18. 22. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring unto thee c III. We come now to Answer Their Objections many whereof we have taken off in the first two Heads As for the rest we shall not trouble you with those that are frivolous as indeed the most part are we shall only pitch on these that â—eem to carry some shew of Reason and whereof they boast most Their first Objection is from Matth 18. 17. This Church say they is a Parochial Church and Christs mind is that the business should be here ended without any Appeal from it Answer Christ means not only a particular singular Congregation but also if not mainly A Presbyterial Church For first The particular Church cannot sometimes heal the distemper as when it is divided or when the Church it self is Scandalous as oft may fall out by giving a wrong sentence So that if Christ had meaned only a particular Church should be compleaned to and in no case a Judicatory above them then his Remedy should have come short in curing the desease for which he intends it which to say were no small imputation to Jesus Christ. Secondly Christ here alludes to the Government of the Jewish Church as appears from the Censure of the Obstinate to be reputed as an Heathen the same which was among the Jews And from the plainness of the speach Tell the Church Which could not be otherwise understood if he had not alluded to the Jewish Judicatory besides which They knew no Judicatory for such offences as Christ spoke of to them There being as yet no particular Church which had given its name to Christ. Now as we cleared before the Judicatories among the Jews which were to be complained to for Scandals were not only these who were in their single Synagogues or Congregations But also Superior Courts to which it was Lawful to Appeal from the lesser Courts Thirdly Christ meaneth here of such a Church as were the Churches of Jerusalem Antioch c. But these as we have already cleared were Presbyterial Churches or Judicatories having the oversight of many Congregations Now sure these being the first Churches instituted by the Apostles must not be excluded from the power of Government given by Christ to his Church in that place Their Second Objection is this That the Dependency of Churches upon Presbytries layeth on a yoke of Tyranny and Subjection upon particular Congregations equal to the Tyranny of Bishops And if the Church must be in bondage it is better to be subject to one Lord Bishop than under a number of Ministers and Elders in Presbytry or Synod For Answer We make no other Subjection here than what the Independents themselves make For they make Ten in a Congregation subject to Five hundred and the Lawes of the Five hundred to be binding to the Ten So make we many Churches to be subject in the Lord to all their own Pastors and Elders conveened in a Presbytry What more Subjection is there in the one than in the other Secondly It is an unjust comparison to compare Bishops Tyranny with Presbytries For 1. The Government by Bishops was Humane This is Divine 2. The Bishop being but One Man did by himself alone Govern and that ad Arbitratum Nor had he Any to Answer to But here moe Pastors and Elders are joyned together who are by mutual advice to Rule Gods People according to the Word of God 3. The Government by the Bishop was altogether extrinsecal to or without the Particular Churches For the Bishop was none of their Members nor yet chosen by them But Presbyteries and Synods are not so They are wholly made up of Members and Commissioners from those same very Churches where They govern and so it is wholly intrinsecal 4. We say Government by Presbyteries is so far from being in its own nature Tyrannical as that it is the greatest remedy against Church Tyranny because it is a City of Refuge for all these who are oppressed in their particular Congregations For if in the Independent Government one be wronged he must sit with it till Christ come and right him Neighbour Churches may advise and request but the Congâ—egation advised is not bound to follow it But hâ—â—e when the Eldership doth wrong there is a refuge to a Presbytery and above them to a Synod c. Object 3. Government by Presbytery layeth upon Ministers and Elders the Charge of other Flocks than these of whom the Lord made them Overseâ—rs to wit The Charge of all the Churches in the bounds of the Presbytery They are Elders to all these Churches because they govern them Answer It followeth not that they have the Charge of all these Congregations in particular and in every thing that concerns the Duty of an Elder so that they are bound particularly to Catechize to Visit c. Only They are Elders to them in things common to all And as they are joyned in the Court with others And this is
the Lord's Table profess ye have done Your Duty now is with purpose of heart to cleave unto the Lord. I shall not run far back for finding out the Connexion of this Purpose with that which goeth before Only ye may observe that Luke the Penman of the Holy Ghost in this History of the Acts doth shew from Verse 19 of this same Chapter how that through occasion of that Persecution which the Church at Jerusalem met with after Steven's Death mentioned Chap. 8 the Gospel being preached by those who were forced to fly for their lives did wonderfully spread as far as Phanâ—ce Cyprus and Antioch And many in these Regions and Kingdoms were taken with it for Verse 21 The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord. Whereupon as is shown v. 22. when these tidings came to the Church at Jerusalem They sent forth Barnabas A Man of extraordinary Parts and Calling for he was an Apostle as is clear from Acts 14. 14. I say the Church sends him as far as Antioch for helping foreward the Work And in this Verse we have Barnabas his coming to them and what he does when he comes Who when he came and had seen the Grace of God was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. In which Words we have these things consideraable 1. Barnabas his coming to Antioch 2. We have what he saw when he came He saw the Grace of God to wit The wonderful effects of God's Grace in bringing so many to embrace the Doctrine of the Gospel 3. We have what this sight did work upon him 1. It made him Glad 2. It brought a pithy needful exhortation from him to these New Converts the sum whereof is here set down That with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. What Explication is needful I shall insist on as I go through the Particulars First It is mentioned he came to Antioch But we hear nothing of any great train he carried along with him Or any great solemnity at his Reception tho he was an Apostle the highest Office-bearer in the Church But only that he came doubtless in a sober way as became a Minister of Christ It was a thing then unknown in the World for Church-men to go accompanied with Trains like Princes and that whole Countrey sides and greatest Personages in them behooved to wait upon their Grandeurs It never was well with the Church of God since Church-men began to overtop Peers and Nobles But the thing I mark from this is That Barnabas tho an extraordinary Office-bearer in the Church and an Apostle doth nevertheless obey the Orders of the Church at Jerusalem For it 's mentioned v. 22. That the Church at Jerusalem sent him forth and here That he did come accordingly Now what this Church at Jerusalem was to whose Directions he subjected himself is clear from Act. 21. 18. It was the Church of Elders or Presbyters even a Presbytry as hath been made out convincingly these years by-past against the Independants To the direction of which Elders the Apostle Paul did submit himself there as Barnabas doth here From which it is clear that even the Apostles and extraordinary Office-bearers of the Church were very respective and tender of that Authority which Jesus Christ hath given to His Church and the Judicatories thereof This appears chiefly in Two things First When there were Churches constitute and Church Judicatories erected to manage the Discipline of the Church the Apostles did not exercise power of Jurisdiction over these Churches by themselves alone neither in the Ordination of Ministers nor in the Censuring or Excommunicating of Scandalous Offenders but tho they were without doubt universal Pastors of the whole Church yet they did remit the same to Ordinary Church Judicatories Thus Paul doth not Ordain Timothy to be a Minister alone but admits the Ordinary Presbytery to do it 1 Tim. 4. 14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophesy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery And 1 Cor. 5. he clearly speaks of the power of Excommunication as residing in the Church Judicatory at Corinth and reproves them for their not making use of that Power in Excommunicating the Incestuous Person and stirrs them up to their Duty V. 4 5. That In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. V. 5. To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the Flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus A Second thing wherein the Apostles did show their respect to Church Judicatories was this which is here mentioned in the Text That in many things they were ordered by and subject to their directions Thus in the place cited Acts 21. 20. The Church of Elders or Presbyters at Jerusalem give their Injunctions to Paul that for removal of an offence that many thousands of Jews had taken against him he should publictly practise some of the Jewish Ceremonies in purifying himself and shaving his head which were at that time things indifferent And accordingly it's mentioned v. 26. That Paul did follow their direction All which shews that the Authority of Church Judicatories was very much tendred even by the Apostles themselves The Bishops do indeed boast themselves to be the Apostles Successors and their only Successors I shall not stand upon this It being made very clear by Protestant writers against the Papists In the controversy about the Pope That the Apostles had no Successors as to what was extraordinary in their Office and as to that which was Ordinary in it as to Preach the Word Dispense the Sacraments and exercise Church Discipline over particular Churches That they have in these all Ministers for their Successors But passing that What I am now on is That the Bishops of these latter times have encroached more upon the Power and priviledge left by Christ unto his Church and Church Judicatories than ever the Apostles them-themselves whose Successors they give themselves out for did For as I have cleared from the present Doctrine The Apostles did leave the matters of Ordinary Jurisdiction to be managed by Ordinary Church Judicatories but so do not they The whole Body of Christ's Ministers within a Church though they were all gathered together may neither Ordain a Minister nor Excommunicate a Scandalous Offender but this must be done only by the Bishop and such as â—e doth Substitute under him for it Again the Apostles were in some things at least subject and ordered by the Directions of Church Judicatories but so are not They such a Condiscendance could not stand with their Honours and Dignities Secondly We have in the Text what Barnabas saw among them when he came and this is called The Grace of God The meaning whereof is not as if all of them
The Magistrate hath much power about Church matters but he hath no Church-power properly so called that belongeth only to Christs own officers Secondly For clearing of the question take this Assertion what we deny to the Christian Magistrate in the power of Governing the Church we deny it to him only as a Magistrate for so we laid it down in the conclusion to be proved A Magistrate as a Magistrate hath no power in Governing the Church otherwise if a Christian Magistrate be chosen an Elder he hath power of Church Government being joyned with the rest Only we say as a Magistrate he hath no power to Govern the Church II. We come to the Second thing which is our Arguments to confirm the Truth And the first Argument is this That Jesus Christ hath given no warrand to the Civil Magistrate for the Government of his Church and therefore he hath no right to it 1 We say that Christ in his word hath given no warrand to the Magistrate for Governing his Church And this will appear from all these places where mention is made of any warrand given to any of Church Government There is no word of the Christian Magistrate in any of them only mention is made of Apostles Ministers and Elders so in Matth 16. 19. The power of Governing the Church to bind and loose is given to Peter in the name of the rest of the Apostles but no word of the Civil Magistrate And Matth 18. 17. the power of Excommunication is given to the Church and if he shall neglect to hear them 〈…〉 be c. The Church of Ministers and Elders hath the power but no word of the Civil Magistrate And so in Timoth and Titus the scope of which Epistles is to instruct Ministers concerning the right way of Governing the Church what is spoken there is spoken to them and to Ministers succeeding to them but there is no mention of the Civil Magistrate And therefore we may conclude he hath no right from Jesus Christ for Governing the Church And what he would challenge of that kind is but an usurpation and intruding unto that to which he hath no right Our second Argument is If the power of the Church Government belong to a Magistrate as a Magistrate then it belongeth to every Magistrate but this were absurd We say if the power of Governing the Church did belong to a Magistrate as a Magistrate then it should belong to every Magistrate for whatever belongs to one as such belongs to all such Now this hath many absurdities following on it For by this Rule Heathen Magistrates might have power of Church Government and be Church Governours which were absurd For they are not Church Members Then Secondly Women might be Church Governours for they may be Magistrates in some cases and yet they may not speak in the Church Yea Thirdly By this it should follow that Children not come to age might have the power of Church Government for they may be Magistrates when Magistracy goeth by succession Now Children cannot have the power of Church Government for that power is not to be Exercised by deputies but by the persons themselves who are intrusted with it A Third Argument to confirm the Truth is this That Magistrates as Magistrates are not Church Officers And therefore they have no power to Govern the Church The consequence is clear for if Magistrates have power to Govern the Church then they must be Church Officers if any thing make a man a Church Officer then power to Govern the Church will do it for State Government and State Officers are Relata and have a mutual Relation one to another and so must Church Government and Church Officers have a mutual Relation one to another But in the next place it is evident That a Magistrate as a Magistrate is no Church Officer and that because among all that roll set down in the word of God wherein Christ reckons up his Officers there is no mention made of the Civil Magistrate Ephes 4. There is a roll verse 11. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers But no word of the Civil Magistrate and in Rom 12 6 7. There is an other roll of Church officers but no word of of the Civil Magistrate whether prophecy let us prophecy according to the proportion of Faith Or Ministery let us wait on our Ministering or he that teacheth on teaching c. But neither in this place or any other is there any mention of the Civil Magistrate Only some of our Adversaries mutter somewhat of 1 Cor 12. 28. That by Governments there mentioned is meaned the Christian Magistrate but it is easily refuted for the text speaketh evidently of such Governours as the Church had at that time And God hath set some in the Church c. Now the Church at that time had no Christian Magistrate nor for above 200 years after So by Governments cannot be meaned the Christian Magistrate but the Ruling Elder who is often spoken of in other places Our Fourth Argument to prove this point is That the Church did enjoy full power of Government within her self and accordingly did exercise it near 300 years before any Magistrate was a Christian and so the Church hath this power within her self yet For the first part of the Argument it is evident if we consider First That which is not controverted to wit that in the space of 300 years after Christ there was not a Magistrate a Christian If we consider Secondly That all this time the Church had full power of Church Government within her self and therefore Paul sayes to Timothy 1 Tim 4. 14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery So they had power of Ordination Power also to dispence Censures as Excommunication 1 Cor 5. 4 5 When ye are gathered together To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the Flesh c. And they had power to relax from Excommunication So 2 Cor 2 6. Where Paul commands to relax the Excommunicate man from that Sentence Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many v. 7. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him c. Fourthly They had Synods meeting together making binding Canons to guide the Church Act 15. The Synod of Apostles Elders and Brethren meet together determine a controversie and Censure those who had troubled the Church Thus the first part of the Argument is made out to wit That the Church did enjoy full power of Discipline within her self long before any Magistrate became Christian And therefore it followes that this power is yet in the Churches hand and not in the Magistrates And that because if the Church at that time had right to dispence this power as undoubtedly she had then they must make it appear how Christ took this right from her and
of God to commit the great affairs of his House to those whom he hath not qualified to that purpose Besides no instance can be given that ever he trusted any with those things but he promised them furniture and in some measure enabled them accordingly So when he sendeth forth Moses Jeremiah Isay c. he giveth them furniture and when he sendeth out the Apostles he furnishes them for that End So John 20. 21 Then said Jesus to them again peace be unto you as my Father sent me even so send I you There is the commission given them and upon the back of this in v. 22. And when he had said this he breathed on them c. There is the Furniture And so does he to Ministers whom he entrusts with this power He promises them Furniture Matth 28 20 and lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World There a promise made to the Apostles and in them to the Ministers as appears from these following words even unto the end of the World And so these promises could not be fully verified in the Apostles who were to die within a little but in Ministers their successors to the Worlds end Now it is very evident he hath neither made such promises to every particular believer for Governing the Church neither doth he perform them unto them What Is every believer furnished with that measure of knowledge prudence and wisdom that is required for the right managing of the affaires of Church Government Yea God doth not require it of them And so certainly it stands not with his wisdom to have committed the power of Church Government to all and every one of believers This for ouâ— third Argument Our Fourth Argument for the Truth is If so be that the power of Governing the Church belongeth to Church Members Then it belongeth to them either as they are gifted for it and chosen out for that purpose And if so then we have our intent For then all are not Church Governours but only those who are gifted and chosen And so Church Officers Or it belongs to them as believers or Church Members and if so then it Belongs to all for every one is a Church Member as well as another and every one that hath Faith is a believer as well as another and whatever priviledge floweth from Faith belongs to every believer the meanest as well as the greatest So if the right of Church Government be grounded on Faith and Grace then every believer and none but believers should have the right of it from whence shall follow many absurdities as that Children as well as Parents the simple as well as the wise Women as well as Men may Preach Administrate the Sacraments lay on hands in Ordaining the Ministers sit in Sessions inflict Censures Excommunicate and what not Secondly Then none but believers should have right to Church Government So none hath power to Baptise Censure c. But they that have Grace And upon this People should have Reason to doubt whether they be rightly Baptised or not because they know not if the Minister who Baptised them had Grace or not and if he wanted Grace he had no power of Church Government by this Doctrine And so no power to Baptise We bring a Fifth Argument for the Truth and it is this private Christians are in no place of Scripture acknowledged to be Church Governours There are no names nor titles given to them importing this power to be in them as is given to Church Officers 1 Tim 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour And 1 Corinth 12. 28. And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers c. But no title of that kind is given to private Christians Yea they are set down plainly under names in opposition to Governours As the flock to Overseers Acts 20. 28. Take heed tberefore unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers c. Yea and are commanded to honour obey submit to their Governours set over them and distinct from them Hebr 13. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves c. Now it is strange to imagine That Christ should have intrusted them with highest power of Government And yet in all the stiles he gives them there is nothing imported of that power but much of their Subjection Surely he hath not done so with Officers as we have shown And let any discover the Reason of the difference A Sixth Argument for the Truth is this If so be that the power of Governing the Church be given but only to some then it does not belong to all but so it is that the power of Governing the Church is only given to some therefore not to all Church Members The first part of the Argument cannot be denyed For the second That it is only given to some see those proofs that limit this power only to some as Ephes 4. 11. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets c. Some and therefore not all 1 Cor 12. 28. which we cited before and God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly teachers There are but some that he hath set for Governing his house and therefore not all and Heb 13 17. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves c. Tim 5. 17. as is likewise before cited There are some then that rule to whom the rest ought to submit And so all are not Rulers There is a Seventh Argument for clearing the Truth And it is this That power which Jesus Christ hath not set down rules and limits to order it by in his word is not of God but he hath set down no Rules how to direct the managing of Church Power in the hand of Church-Members therefore it is not of God The first part of our Argument That whatever Power is appointed of God he hath set down Rules how to order it is very clear As we may prove by the Enumeration of lawful Powers He hath set down Rules how to Regulate the Power of a King that he play not the Tyrant He hath set down Rules to Regulate the Power of Masters Parents by So the Power in the Hand of the Church Officers is regulated that they Rule with Diligence Rom. 12. 8. And so through the Epistles to Timothy and Titus But so it is that he hath set down no Rules to order Church Government by in the Hands particular Believers For in no place of the word will such Rules be found Ye that are the flock govern the Pastors and feed them watch over the People of God lay hands suddenly on no man I say there are no such directions given to private Christians and therefore this pretended Power is not of God Our last Argument for the Truth is If so be the Power of governing the Church doth belong to every
the difference which they like best and hence arise contests Janglings and matter of renting the Church Now there is no way in Independency left for preventing of this Fifthly The way of Independency leaves no remedy to a Congregation wanting a Minister for Tryal of the next that comes Whose tryal is left wholly to the People by this way of Theirs How slight that tryal would be any may judge How few Parishes can try a Minister in his Abilities If he be apt to Preach convince gainsayers watch against ravening wolves c. Now this is remeeded in the way of Presbytery according to Pauls Rule 1 Tim 4. 14. That Ministers be ordained with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery This for the first Argument from Five great defects in the Independent way Other defects also might be instanced but these may suffice Our Second Argument is taken from Matth. 18. 16. 17. 18. where Jesus Christ layes down a way for the removing of private Scandals or dealing with an offending brother From whence we argue thus If Christ hath laid down a way for gaining an offending brother how much more for gaining an offending Church It s above all doubt that a Church may offend walk inoderly wrest Justice Now surely Gods care must be no less of the whole Church than of One Member So that our consequence holds but we assume There is no way to heal the Scandal of an offending Congregation or particular Church but by compleaning to a Presbyterial Church above them This is evident For 1. our Opposites themselves will not censure them-themselves They cannot be both judge and party 2. It appears from the rule of proportion For by that same rule that private Christians are to be compleaned of to that Eldership whereof they are parts so the Eldership is to be compleaned of to that Presbytry whereof it is a part and if the Christian liberty of the private Christian be not taken away by the one so neither is the just power of the Eldership taken away by the other Our Third Argument is from that which we handled before That in Scripture is holden forth Government by Presbytries over single Congregations and by Synods over Presbytries From whence we argue thus That the way of Governing the Church in the Apostles times was by Presbyteries and Synods And therefore the Church should still be so Governed For the first part of our Argument That the way Then of Governing the Church was by Presbytries and Synods it was proved before So we have only to speak to the Second part of our Argument that therefore the Church should be Governed so now And to clear this consequence consider these things 1. That whatever is recorded of the practice of the Churches in the matter of Government in the Apostles times can be for no other end but to be a Pattern for imitation to the Churches in after times For whatsoever things were written afore times was for our learning and instruction Rom 15. 4. 2. Those primitive Churches were planted by the Apostles Now who can imagine but what the Apostles did of that kind was according to the directions given them by Christ A promise of whose presence they had with them in their Ministry and if so then their practice must be a Rule to Generations following 1 Cor 11. 1. Be ye followers of me c. 3. We make the practice of the Apostles then to be a Rule for us in other things As from their practice in giving the People liberty in choising their own Deacons Act. 7. We argue That the People may choise their own officers yet And from their practice in having Ruling Elders in the Church 1 Tim 5. 15. We argue That we should have Ruling Elders yet So from their practice in having the office of Deacons we argue That we should have them yet And from their practice in Celebrating the Lords Supper on the Lord's day Act 27. We argue Therefore we should celebrate it on that day yet Now if so be that Their practice should be a Rule to us in other things why not also in Church Government by Presbytries and Synods especially seeing that we have made out that Their practice is as clear in this as in other matters A Fourth consideration to strengthen this Argument is this That the Churches now have these same Reasons to move them to submit to that Government which the Church in the Apostles times had and a Law or Practice is still binding so long as the Reason of the Law remains Now the Reasons that moved the Church in the Apostles time to submit to Presbyterial Government was first Because there were many things of common concernment to all the Congregations in Jerusalem and therefore they were Governed by one Presbytry as said is so there are many businesses of common concernment to many particular Congregations now and therefore it should be so yet Secondly In Act 15. There ariseth a controversie in Antioch and because the controversie cannot be composed in the Presbyterial Church of Antioch therefore it is referred unto a Synod made up of many Presbytries all concerned in it So there are businesses of common concernment to many Presbytries yet and some that cannot be ended in one Presbytry and therefore there should be Synods for composing of these things yet And seeing the Apostles extraordinarly assisted one whereof might have composed the Controversie would nevertheless have a Synodical Convention for ending Controversies Much more ought we to do it whose Gifts are far Inferior to Theirs By all which it remains clear that the practice of the Church then in that point is binding to us now Argument Fourth There is no Pattern of such an Independent Congregation by precept or Practice in the whole Scripture where one particular Congregation with one Pastor and Their Eldership did Exercise or may Exercise all Church Government in all its Acts and that Independently therefore c. The Antecedent is true First An instance cannot be given of Ordination of Ministers by One Congregation Secondly By precept and Practice Ordination is to be by moe Pastors than one as Act 1. 13. Act. 6. 2. Act 13. 13. 1 Tim 4. 14. So it is clear That it is by Pastors and many Pastors and so cannot be by a single Congregation where there is required and should be say they but one Pastor As to what they say of the Church of Corinths Excommunicating the Incestous man We Answer Corinth was a Presbyterial Church And Secondly It proves not that they might Excommunicate Independently For if a Controversie had arisen about it which they could not have ended among themselves they were to have their recourse to a Synod By the same Reason for which the Church of Antioch had Acts 15. Argument Fifth If so be that Congregations be Independent And no benefit of Appeals allowed to the party grieved Then the state of the Christian Churches were in greater Slavery than the Jewish But
are the surest Pillars of our Commonwealth but woe to and will be to that Common-wealth that is builded on such Pillars And if Scotland or any party in it joyn with them on these terms our woe is but coming He is a jealous God chiefly in the matter of his Service as is clear from the Second Command The Third use is If this be an Ordinance of God to put Power in the Magistrates hand to punish Error it should make you scar at Error and labour to be grounded in the Truth For we see Error is a sin that God hates and it is a sin that God will have the Magistrate to punish and so a sin that he himself will punish if the Magistrate do neglect it It is natural to men to think If they can live a good Life it is the less matter what be their Opinion but the Lord Judges not so for as he will have other sins punished by the Magistrate so he will have these punished also And such as he usually punisheth himself by fearful Plagues when the Magistrate neglecteth his Duty in punishing other sins so doth he in those We might speak much from History of fearful Judgements sent immediatly by God upon Hereticks but we shall here close SECT III. A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF Erastianism Head I. That there is a Church Government held forth in Scripture HAving thus show'n that the Doctrine of Tolleration is not of God I proceed to Demonstrate this also in some other of the most Dangerous Errors of the Times We shall begin first with these Errors which are about the Government of the Church and that because the Government of the Church is the hedge of the Doctrine for if once the Government be brangled or shaken the wild Boar of the Wilderness cometh in easily and corrupteth the Doctrine therefore it is that the Devils main design hath been against the Government of the Church to blast and storm this Wall on all Hands The summe of what we have to say in this is to make out these four points First That there is a Government appointed by Christ in his Church distinct from the Civil Government Secondly We shall show that this Government is not in the hands of the Civil Magistrate but in the hands of Christs own officers which he hath appointed for Governing his house By inflicting of Church Censures enacting of Church canons so as they are not to act by derived power from the Magistrate and Appeals are not to be made from them to the Magistrate Thirdly we shall endeavour to prove That this power of Church Government is not in the hands of private Christians or the community of the Faithful but in the hand of Christs own Officers Ministers and Elders And Lastly We shall endeavour to prove that this Authority and Government is not in the hand of particular Congregations or particular Elderships Independently from other Judicatories above them but that this power is given to them so as they must be subject to Superior Judicatories In which propositions we will meet with these Errors that are most dangerously opposite to Church Government at this time The First two propositions are contrary to the Doctrine of Erastians and the last two are contrary to the Doctrine of Independents as they are commonly designed First we shall engage with Erastianism and our Scope in this shall be as in the former to show that however it pretend to the Spirit yet when it is brought to the tryal it will be found not to be of God This Doctrine or Error hath its name from the prime Author of it called Erastus a Doctor of Medicine who upon some discontent did first vent it to wit That Ministers should only meddle with Preaching but should have no power to meet in Church Judicatories Sessions Presbyteries or such like nor should they punish Scandalous sins with Church Censures Such as Suspension or Excommunication But that all power whatsoever in a Nation both in Church and State should be in the hand of the Civil Magistrate This Doctrine so soon as it was vented did get and does yet get many followers chiefly among state Divines and Christians that know more of wordly policy than Christian simplicity so that in a short time if God prevent it not it is like to swallow up all other Controversies about Church Government so plausible and pleasing it is to the powers of the World who cannot well endure to have Christ Reigning besides them Psalm 2. 3. Let us break their bands assunder and cast away their cords from us Both Sectaries and Malignants do aggree in this Error to take the power of Discipline out of the Churches hand 's The spiritual power of Church Censures in the hands of Christs officers is an eye sore to both of them But to come nearer to the point There are two heads of this Erastian Doctrine which we shall labour to refute The First is most gross whereby they affirm That there is no particular Church Government set down in Scripture In a word that there is no Government in the Church by divine right but that this Government is left in the hands of the Civil Magistrate whether to erect any Government at all in the Church or not or if he please to erect one That he may establish That Government which suits best the well-being of the Civil state So that according to this Doctrine the Civil Magistrate may establish Episcopacy this year the next year he may establish Presbytry and the third year he may cast both and establish Independency And if he like He may find out a Government different from any of these and establish it The Second Erastian Error is this whereby they affirm whatever Government be in the Church whether grounded in Scripture or not that according to Scripture it is in the hands of the Civil Magistrate and that he is the chief fountain of Church Government In opposition to the first Error we lay down this Conclusion which God willing we shall make good That Jesus Christ the King and head of his Church hath established a particular form of Church Government in his word which to alter is not in the power of any State whatsoever He hath set down a way for punishing Scandals for inflicting Church Censures Enacting Church canons And hath not left this in the Arbitriment of Kings or Parliaments to set down any Government they please In prosecuting which point we shall follow that Method we keeped in refuting the Doctrine of Tolleration We shall First clear the State of the Question Secondly We shall bring Arguments to confirm the Truth Thirdly We shall Answer these Arguments the Adversary brings against the Truth And so we shall apply all to Use. I. And First for clearing the State of the Question take thir two assertions First we do not affirm that all the Circumstantials of Church Government is set down expresly in the word But only first That all the
suppress sin as well as then Is not Christ perfect in all his House as well as Moses Yea in a word there can nothing be alleadged for a necessity to have a Church Government under the Old Testament but the same may be brought to prove the necessity of it under the New The Second Argument we bring to prove this point is taken from the native end of Church Government which is spiritual to wit For the edifying of the Body of Christ Ephes 4. 12. To gain the Soul of our offended Brother to Repentence Matth 18. 15. It is that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Corinth 5 5. So the end of the Church Government is a spiritual end and therefore it must have a Divine Original Church Government whose end is spiritual can be no humane Ordinance for such produceth no supernatural effects therefore it must have a higher warrand for it than that of the Magistrate Our Third Argument is taken from this that all the substantials of Church Government are set down expresly in Scripture from which we make this Argument That Government whose substantial parts are all set down expresly in Scripture the Magistrate hath no power to alter it or put an other in its place but so it is that all the substantial parts of Church Government are set down expresly in Scripture Therefore the Magistrate hath no power to alter it The thing we have to make out in this Argument is this That all the substantials of Church Government are set down in Scripture And to clear this we shall reckon up five things First That Church officers have their warrand from Scripture Thess 5 12. 1 Tim 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and Doctrine There is a Ruler or an officer with power to rule established in Gods house What they say That by Ruling there is meaned Preaching because Ministers guide People by Preaching is a frivolous Exception and that because of what is in the end of the Verse especially they who labour in the word and Doctrine So labouring in the word and Doctrine is one thing and Ruling is another thing and not one and the same as their Exception affirmeth But we shall find a more clear place for it in Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves There are Officers established with power to Rule and the People are commanded to submit and give Obedience to them and so there are Rulers Officers established in Gods Church Secondly The Courts and Judicatories of the Church have a warrand in Gods word and for this see Matth 18. 17 18. And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven The Adversaries are so shamless that they say by the Church is here meaned the Civil Magistrate and that the complaint should be made to them But it is sure the Civil Magistrate is not here meaned And to prove it The Judicatory here meaned is that whereof the Apostles should be Members and therefore in v 16. It is said whatever ye to wit the Apostles shall bind on earth c. Now sure it is Jesus Christ gives no power to his Ministers to sit in Civil Courts and to judge of Civil business The third substantial of Church Government that hath warrand in the word is the subordination of lesser Judicatories to greater and this is warranted in Act 15 2. Where Paul and Barnabas come up from Antioch to a General Council at Jerusalem because the controversie in hand could not be ended at Antioch where there is a Court with power They determine the Question Censure the Schismaticks giving them the name of Lyars v. 24. The Fourth substantial of this Government set down in Scripture is the order of proceeding in relation to Censure 1. By private Admonition Then more pubâ—ick Matth 18. 15. The fifth thing is The nature and kind of thir Censures which are not bodily as takingâ— way the life but spiritual to wit Admonitions reproofs Casting out of the Church Matth 18 17 Let him he unto thee as an Heathen and a Publican Now from all this It evidently appears that Christ hath set down all the Substantials of Church Government in his word And seeing he hath done so what man dare alter it taking any prudential way for the good of the Church at his pleasure Yea there is a charge given to preserve all these inviolable till Christs coming 1 Tim 5. 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect Angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality So that which Christ hath set down concerning the Government of his house is unalterable by any person whatsomever till the coming of Jesus Christ. So much for the third Argument There is a Fourth and it shall be our last which is this If so be that Christ hath left his House without any particular Government only referring it to the Civil State to appoint what Government they please it would reflect much on the wisdome of Jesus Christ For the Church visible is his Kingdom his House his Vinyard his Garden And shall we say that he hath appointed no Laws to Govern no Courts to guide this Kingdom but left it to the Civil Magistrate to appoint by whom and how it pleaseth him best A King of Clay would not do so with his Kingdom much less he who is the King of Glory This for the Arguments to confirm the Truth we shall in the next place Answer their Objections III. The First is say they from 2 Tim 3 16. The word of God is able to make a man perfect and therefore there is no need of Government We Answer This same Argument may as well strick against Magistracy But Secondly We say which we made already appear That the Government of the Church is grounded on the Word Hence their Argument proveth not because the Government of the Church is a part of the Word and is commanded by it and so it is not an adding to it But if they say the bare Preaching of the word is enough We Answer Not to detract any thing from the word Preached which is the mean appointed by God to save Souls yet the Exercise of Dicipline is necessary also It is necessary we say for Three Reasons 1. To keep the Ordinances of God from being polluted by the rushing foreward of Dogs and Scandalous Persons All the Preaching that can be to bid Scandalous men keep back will not do Then 2. It is necessary for keeping the Church from being infected by the contagion of Scandalous men Hence sayeth the Apostle Paul a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Therefore put the incestous man from among you 3. It is necessary for the good of the Soul
that is censured So in the 2 Thess 3. 14 note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed And 1 Cor 5. 5. Excommunication serveth for the Destruction of the Flesh that is To tame and mortify its Lusts And so although the word be only the necessary mean for the converting of Souls yet it doth not follow that the Government of the Church should not be exercised to wit that the word may work the better The Second Objection is this That all the Arguments we have to establish a Church Government by Divine right are taken from the Churches practice in the Apostles time and commands given them but it does not follow that what was then should be a rule now and they give this as the Reason of the difference because the Magistrate was then a Pagan and so would not meddle with these things but the case is now otherwise when the Magistrate is turned Christian. We Answer First By this it is granted that Church Government was an institution of Christ at least in the primitive times Now sure it is that every thing instituted by Christ layeth on a perpetual obligation except Christ in his word hath set a period that it should be only so long So if this Argument of theirs have any force they must show from Scripture that Christ hath appointed this period for Church Government so as it should be only in force under an Idolatrous Pagan Magistrate And that the Power of it should cease under the Christian Magistrate But no place of Gods word can be given for the proof of tâ—is But on the contrary a Command is given That which Christ delivered to the Apostles 1 Timoth. 6. 14 Should be keeped to his second coming And therefore it remains a perpetual Ordinance Secondly We Answer That if this were true then the Case of the Church should be worse under the Christian than the Pagan Magistrate If so be that under the one they have an Intrinsecal Power to purge and keep his Church free from Scandals but not under the other would not this be hard Thirdly We Answer That the reasons for which the Church did exercise Government in the primitive times were taken from common Equity and so are binding to the Church at all times We find this 1 Cor. 5. 5. Where a command is given to exercise Discipline by Excommunicating of the Incestuous person The reasons given are First The good of the Mans Soul verse 5. Secondly The good of the Church to be keeped from Infection vers 6. Now the Church is bound to see to these at all times We come to the Fourth thing which is a word of Vse And it serves 1. To reprove those who think debates about the Government of the Church useless and of no value To what purpose is it say they what be the Government and who governs if sin be punished and the Word Preached I answer ' it is of much moment For from what is said it appears that Church Government is an Ordinance of God a part of his word and they who evert it or gives way to the everting of it give way to evert a part of the Word of God yea to the bringing down of the Government of Christs own House It is a point of Truth that concerns no less than the Royal Diadem of Christ and all who have got good of Truth are bound to stand for it yea it is more than an ordinary Truth The question is concerning Châ—ists Kingdom if he have a Kingdom of his own distinct from the Kingdoms of the World If he shall have â—is own Laws Office-bearers Courts Censures according to his will in his Word or if all he hath left to that purpose be to scraâ—ched out and the Civil Magistrate to appoint what Laws Rules Courts he pleaseth in Christs House So it is a point relating to his Kingdom a Doctrine to be avowed and a point of Truth worth the Sustering for and which some have suffered for and boasted in it yea it is a point of Truth that hath this advantage beyond other Truths That Christ hath suffered for it himself in his own person for it 's clear that this was the only point he was accused on by Pâ—late and he avowed it Luke 23. 3. That he had a Kingdom though not of the World yet in the World We shall find that this point was chiefly laid to Christs charge in John 18. 33. 34 35 36 37. And this was the pâ—int that was driven home by the Jews 〈◊〉 Christ John 19. It was his 〈◊〉 on the Cross Jesus Christ of Nazareth King of the Iews And this was the point that straitned Pilate most and put him to it to make Christ suffer Joh. 19. So this point hath this advantage that in a special manner Christ sâ—ffered as a Martyr for it Should any then think it a little thing to suffer for God forbid Yea we may think it an Honour The Second Use If so be that Church Government is an Ordinance of God then those intrusted with it such as Ministers and Elders would discharge it as Service to God so as to be countable to him tâ—ere should be an other frame of Spirit when Men are in Church Judicatories than when they are in Civil Judicatories These are Ordinances of Men thir of God and require more than a common frame of Spirit Alas we may say for the Unministerial like Carriage of Ministers and Elders may justly provoke God to thro us out altogâ—ther A Third Vse of this point is That seeing Church Government is an Ordinance of Jesus Christ then ye that are people should obey and submit to those that are over you in the Lord otherwise if it be not tâ—us looked on it may provoke the Lord to remove the Hedge from us and if this were God knoweth what we would be we are evil now but if people got leave to do every thing that seemeth good in their own eyes we could not but be much worse Ye see what ye are with it but know not what ye will be without it And so much for the first Head of Erastian Doctrine Head II. The Power of Church Government belongeth not to the Civil Magistrate THe Second Head of Erastian Doctrine which we are to prove not to be of God is That whereby they affirm That all the Power of Church Government is in the Hands of the Civil Magistrate And here there are some differences among themselves some giving him all Power to dispence all Church Ordinances and this as a Magistrate without a Call from the Church and so to Preach and to Administrate the Sacraments Others again content themselves to ascribe to him only a Power of Jurisdiction to make Church Laws to inflict Church Censures And herein they also differ some puting this Power wholly in the Hand of the Magistrate Others conjunctly with the Ministers a third placeth it in him as the fountain and in Church-men but as
his Deputes so that they are to act by vertue of a Commission from him and meddle only with these things that he gives them Warrand for and so to meddle with them as to be lyable to an Appeal to him as the supream Judge in all Church matters We contrary to all these shall make out this following Assertion To wit That the Civil Magistrate as a Magistrate hath no Power either to Preach or Administrate the Sacraments nor yet to make Church Laws or inflict Church Censures either by himself or others as his Deputes but all this power doth belong wholly to Church Officers Ministers and Elders Which power they are to execute without Dependency on the Civil Magistrate so that they are not lyable to Appeals to his Court neither hath he Power to rescind the Sentence pronounced by them In following out of this point we shall go on as in the former we shall First clear the state of the question Secondly We shall bring Arguments for the Truth Thirdly We shall bring their Arguments against the Truth and refute them Fourthly We shall apply the whole to some use 1. First For clearing the State of the Question take this assertion that however we do not give the Civil Magistrate Power of Church Discipline or the power of governing the Church yet we give him much Power about Church matters Our Divines following the word of God give the Christian Magistrate a threefold Power about Church matters 1. A defensive protecting Power 2 A ruling Power And 3. a Punishing Power First They give him a Defending Power and that is grounded on that Promise made to the Church in Isa. 49. 23. And Kings shall be thy Nursing Fathers c. By this Power the Christian Magistrate is to do three things 1. By his Power he is to encourage countenance and advance by his Authority and example the publick exercise of all Gods Ordinances and so defend the Church in her Liberties that are given to her by Christ This was the practice of those Godly Kings under the Old Testament So did Asa 2 Chron. 15. to verse â—8 and Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 1. 8 9. 10 11. And other Godly Kings They encouraged others in the Service of God they countenanced them and by their Authority and example allured others to the practice of Godliness which I ower Christian Magistrates have yet 2. By this Power they are to provide the Church with all external Necessaries as publick convenient Pâ—aces of meeting for Gods Worship and publick Mantainance for the Church Officers c This we see was Hezekiah's practice 2 Chron. 31. 4. Moreover he commanded the People that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the Priests and the Levites that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord. And it was Joâ—â—ah's practice 2 Chron. 34. He repaired the House of the Lord The publick place of Gods Worship 3. By this defending Power of the Christian Magistrate he is to remove all outward Impediments lying in the way of God's Worship such as Prophanity Idolatry Heresy and Blaspemy as we did prove at length in the former Controversy Secondly We give to the Christian Magistrate a Ruling Power about Church matters By this Power 1. He may convocate Church Judicatories command them to meet and to enact Canons and to make rules for Governing the Church although he cannot make Church Laws himself So pious Magistrates under the Old Testament did call Synods as David 1 Chron. 23 2. And he gathered together all the Princes of Israel with the Priests and Levites 2. By this Power the Christian Magistrate is to confirm the acts of the Church Judicatories and to give the force of a Civil Law Only herein we differ from the Papists They say the Magistrate should do this blindly he is only say they the Churches Echo to â—ay Amen to what they conclude But we say the Magistrate is not to do this blindly we allow to him a judgement of Discretion to try whether what they conclude be right or not and accordingly he is to add his Authority or not and yet this makes him not a Judge in Church matters but only a Judge of his own Actions 3. By this Power the Magistrate is to take Inspection of the Carriage of Church Judicatories so that all things be rightly managed by them so as if they should conclude a point of Injustice though he may not rescind their Act himself yet he may command them to resume the the matter take it to their second Thoughts give Reasons to the contrair exhort them to their Duties from time to time until the matter be rightly concluded Only it is still the Church Judicatory that must rescind their own Act. By this ruling Power the Magistrate may do much When the Church is corrupt he may reform it That is when Church Judicatories are all wrong that they will do nothing for his upstirring In this case the Magistrate may lay the Church Judicatory aside and do that himself which they should do His Power in this case is extraordinary he may reform by his own Power as Godly Josiah did 2 King 23. And as Asa and Jehoshaphat At such a time Magistrates may do much this way But extraordinary Cases are not to be made ordinary Rules Thirdly We give to the Magistrate a Coactive punishing power about Church-matters and by this power we affirm that all the persons of Church-men and their goods are lyable to the Civil Magistrate in things Civil According to that Let every soul be subject to the higher powers contrary to what the Papists teach so that if a Church-man should commit a Civil crime the Magistrate by his own power may punish him as Solomon did Abiathar 2. By this coactive punishing power he may see to the Observation of Divine and Church Laws and punish those that are contemners of them by Civil punishments There are several examples of this as that of Josiah He made all the People stand to the Covenant Now by all that is said ye may easily perceive that We give to Caesar that which is Caesars although we give him not what is Gods We give him much power about the Church but not the power of Governing the Church We shall clear this by a simile how the Magistrate may have much power about Church-matters although not power of Governing the Church Ye know the Civil Magistrate or Church Sessions have much power about matters belonging to husband and wife Parents and Children so as to censure and punish them for their unnatural carriage towards each other and to see every one do duty to another and yet neither the Civil Magistrate nor Church Session hath Marital or Husbandly power over the Wife or Parental power over the Children so as they might challenge the same duties from them to be done to themselves which the Wife oweth to her Husband or the Children to the Parents the Husband and Parents only have that power So it is here
ground your self in this Truth It may cost you much and though it should stand you never so much it is worth the avowing Christ himself suffered on this account as we have already shown and others of his servants have thought it their Glory to be called unto suffering for it Who am I saith Master Welsh That he hath not only called me to be a Preacher of glad things but also to be a sufferer for his cause and Kingdom To wittness that good confession That Jesus Christ is the King of Saints and that his Church is a most free Kingdom Yea as free as any Kingdom under Heaven That she is free in her Government from all other Jurisdiction on Earth except only Christs We are waiting saith he with joyfulness to leave the last Testimony of our blood for the confirmation of this Truth If it would please our God to be so favourable as to honour us with that dignity Thus He. And who knowes how soon he may honour some of us with that dignity A dignity indeed to suffer for the Royal Crown and Diadem of Our Lord Jesus SECT IV. A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF Independency Head I. The Power of Church Government is in the Church Officers and not in the Body of Church-Members THE dayes by-past we spake against the Doctrine of Erastianism And shew you that however it had many fair pretences yet it is to be reckoned among those Doctrines which are not of God We are now with the Lords assistance to speak against the Doctrine of Independency Ye Remember when we entered on these controversies about Church Government We shew you there were Four points of Truth which we should Labour to make good The first was That Jesus Christ the head of his Church had appointed in his word a way for the Governing and Ruling of his Church and that he had not left it to the power of the Civil Magistrate King or Parliament To establish what way of Government they please The second point was That this Government of the Church which Christ established in his word was not in the hands of the Civil Magistrate to be Executed by him Thir two points we have made good in our former Disputs against Erastianism The third point of Truth is this That Jesus Christ the head of the Church hath not committed the power of Governing his Church unto the Body of Believers To the community of Church Members but hath established it in the hands of his own officers Ministers and Elders The Fourth point of Truth which we promised to prove was this That Jesus Christ the head of the Church hath not given particular Elderships and Church Sessions the Supream power of Church Government in their hands so as that there should be none above them to call them to an account But that they are subject in the Lord to Superior Church Judicatories such as Presbytries Synods and General Assemblies These two last points we are to make out in Refuting this Doctrine of Independency This Error of Independency above all other we may call a fountain Error It is the Sluce whereby an entrance is made to all other Errors of what sort soever This is the Error whereby the most part of those that hath fallen from the way of Truth these years by past have been first hooked They first turned Independents yet rested not long there but proceeded from evil to worse Our scope shall be in this as in the former points to show That however it hath many fair pretences yet when it is brought to the Tryal it will be found not to be of God There are two main heads of this Error of Independency opposit to the two last points of Truth which we promised to make out The first is That whereby they affirm That Jesus Christ has given the power of Governing the Church unto all those that are Members of the Church Although they be not Ministers or Elders To the community of believers as they call it The second Head of their Error is this They do affirm that Jesus Christ hath intrusted particular Congregations Elderships or Church Sessions with the highest power of Church Government on earth so that there is no Judicatory above them to call them to an account As for the first Head of their Error which we are to speak against at this time Therein they have different Opinions among themselves some affirming that the power of Governing the Church is given to the Body of Church Members the community of Believers without the Minister and Elders yea a power over them to ordain them Censure depose them and inflict all other Church Censures Others give them this power conjunctly with the Church Officers Ministers and Elders Secondly Some give only the power and Authority to Govern to the Church Members But for the Exercise of that power they allow it to the Elders Yet so as to the Peoples deputs to whom they must give an account Others give the People not only the power and Authority but also the Exercise of this Government So that the People may sit down in Church Judicatories themselves enact Church Canons inflict Church Censures c. Thirdly Some give them the Exercise of this power only in some things as the Excercise of the power of Jurisdiction to make Church Canons and inflict Church Censures But not to Preach Others give them a full Exercise of Authority to do all We in opposition to all these lay down this conclusion which we shall Labour to make good from the word of God and solid Reason to wit That Jesus Christ hath not given to the Body of Church Members or to private Christians either the power or Exercise of Church Government neither in whole nor in part but hath intrusted it wholly to his own Officers Ministers and Elders I prosecuting this point we shall follow forth the former Method First We shall clear the State of the Question Secondly Bring Arguments for the Truth And Thirdly We shall propone and answer their Arguments brought against the Truth And Fourthly We shall shall apply the whole to some use I. For clearing the state of the Question Thâ—a it may be known what we do grant to private Christians and what we deny several distinctions would be given First There is difference betwixt Church power or Authority and Christian priviledges We do grant several Christian priviledges to private Christians but these do not infer any Church power or Authority of Governing the Church As for Example We do grant to the People a Power of Electing their own Officers Ministers or Elders we grant to them a power to try the Spirits whether they be of God i e They are not to believe blindly what Ministers say but have a power to Try what they say in Relation to their practice To pass a Judgment of discretion upon it whether it be according to the word or not We grant these priviledges to the People but none of them doth
infer any Church power which we clear in both First The Peoples power in Electing their Minister doth not infer any power of Church Government in them and that because it is not the Peoples Election or their choise that makes the Minister to be a Minister or gives him Authority to Exercise the Ministerial calling but it is the Act of Ordination by imposition of the hands of those who are Church Officers that makes the man the Minister and gives him Authority We shall find this Acts 6 3. where the Peoples Election and Ordination by Church Officers is clearly distinguished Wherefore Brethren say the Apostles look ye out among you seven men of honest report full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom there is the Peoples Election whom we may appoint over this busines There is the Church Officers part Though the People look them out and choise them that gives them not the power of their calling untill the Church Officers appoint and ordain them Secondly The power of trying the Spirits doth not infer any such power or Authority of Government in the People otherwise it should follow that the People of Berea who did try Pauls Doctrine Act. 17. 11. And compared it with the word whetber those things were so had Authority over Paul which none will affirm A Second distinction to clear the state of the Question is this There is a great difference betwixt those to whom the Authority of Governing the Church is given and those for whom or for whose good it is given although we deny that the power of Governing the Church is given to private Believers yet we grant it is given for them So all Ordinances are given for the good of Believers As it is Ephes 4. 11. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets aud some Evangilists and some Pastors and Teachers For the perfecting of the Saints c. and in this respect 1 Cor 3. 21 22. all is said to be theirs For all things are yours whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or things present or things to come all are yours i. e. given for their good But hence it will not follow that because Church Discipline is given for them that therefore they have the power of it for in this respect Paul is given to every particular believing Woman and yet it does not follow that Women have Pauls Authority And so the Body of the particular Church hath not this power in their hands although the power be given for their good A Third thing for understanding the State of the Question We do willingly grant to private Christians power to admonish exhort in the Lord out of Charity and this they may extend even to Ministers say to Archippus take heed to thy Ministry But this Liberty to admonish by way of Charity doth not import any Church power in them over those whom they rebuke no more than Pauls rebuking of Peter Gal 2. 14. doth infer a power in Paul above Peter So ye see what we do grant to private Christians and what we deny The sum whereof is this That Jesus Christ hath not given them any power of Church Government or the Exercise of it either in whole or in part but has intrusted it wholly to his own Officers Ministers and Elders This for clearing the state of the Question II. We come now to Arguments for clearing the Truth And the First is this That Jesus Christ hath given no warrand to private Christians for Governing his House or for the Exercise of this Government and therefore they have no right to it The consequence must be clear For none has right to play the part of a Governour in Christs Church except those who have a warrand in his word for it Now that private Christians have no warrand in his word for Governing the Church either expresly or by good consequence either by precept or promise or any thing else it is clear from this that in several places of the Word this power is denyed unto them So Rom 10. they must not exercise the Power of Preaching for how shall they Preach except they â—e sent v. 15. Now the whole communiâ—y of Believers cannot be sent besides they have no ability to discharge this Office there is but one of a Thousand that can convince gainsayers Is apt to teach that is able to cut and divide the word aright and so they have no power to Preach And Secondly From this it will follow that they have no power to Administrate the Sacraments for Christ Jesus hath joyned both these powers in one Commission He gives no power to any to Aministrate the Sacraments but those to whom he gives power also to Preach Matth 28 19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations Baptizing them- c Power of Preaching and Administrating the Sacraments go together And so seeing the one power is denyed to them the other must be denyed also Thirdly They have no power to ordain Ministers or to execute any other act of Church Jurisdiction for they have no ability to try Ministers gifts there is no precept commanding them to do it there is no practice in the New Testament proving that ever they did it as shall be more fully cleared in answering the Arguments they bring for it And so they have no right to Govern the Church The Second Argument for the Truth is this That this Doctrine of theirs whereby they give the power of Governing the Church to private Christians doth overturn the order established by Jesus Christ in his House And therefore they have no right to it The consequence none may doubt of For nothing appointed by God doth evert the order established by himself Now that this Doctrine of theirs whereby they put the power of Governing the Church in the hands of the People doth evert the order appointed by Christ is clear Because his order is That some be watchmen some watched over some Rulers some to submit some Governours some to be Governed some Sheepherds some the flock But if so be that all the Members of the Church had the power of Governing in their hand then all should be overseers watchmen Rulers Governours and none more than another If so be that power to Govern should flow from this That they are Church Members For all are so alike The Third Argument we bring for the Truth is this That to whomsoever Christ Jesus hath given warrand for Governing the Church to those he gives promises of sutable abilities for discharging of that great Trust But so it is that Jesus Christ hath not gifted neither promise to gift every Christian nor yet requireth He answerable gifts for Government from them And therefore he hath given them no warrand for Governing the Church For the first part of the Argument that those to whom he gives the power of Church Government he doth also promise them sufficient abilities for their Trust is clear For how could it stand with the wisdom
Excommunicate the Incestous Person To deliver such a one unto Sathan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Now say they this command is given unto all the Church because there is no exception and therefore not to Elders only As also the command is as large as the reproof in v. 2. And ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned c. Now sure it is there were moe reproved than the Church Officers And therefore the command belongs to others than these In Answering this Argument we shall first retort it on themselves For if so be the Argument hold good it would follow that Women and Children had power of Excommunication for if the command be to all without exception then they are not excepted and if the command be given to all to whom the reproof is given then it is to them for doubtless Women and Children mourned no more than the men And so they should have power to Excommunicate also Now this were absurd and against themselves And so the two main pillars whereon they build their Argument fall to the ground to wit That the command is given to all without exception And that it is of a like latitude with the reproof But Secondly We Answer to the point That all who are acquaint with Scripture know that God useth to give commands indefinitly to the whole Church which he will not have applyed to every one in the Church but only to those persons to whom according to their respective callings interest or relations the command doth belong We shall make this clear from 1 Cor 14. 31. Where Paul speaketh generally to the Saints at Corinth ye may all Prophecy one by one c. The command is given indefinitly to all and yet sure it is not the Apostles mind that all to whom he writs should do this but only they who had abilities and a Call to it and therefore he sayes in the preceeding 12 chap. 29. Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers c. So in 1 Thess 5. 13. And to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake c. Now if this be a duty lying on all to whom the Epistle is directed then the Ministers had been to esteem highly to themselves for their own works sake For the Epistle is written to them among the rest now this were absurd and so it must be intended for the People So is it here the command is given indefinitly to all yet the matter is not to be done by all but only by some to wit the Church officers and this appeareth evidently from 2 Cor. 2. 6. He was speaking to them concerning the same case in hand to wit the relaxing of the incestous man from Excommunication and sayes he Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many Now he doth not say Inflicted of all as they would make the words bear but inflicted of many Yea as the learned observe the word many signifieth The chief ones It is the same word that is Matth 12. 41 a greater than Jonas So Paul explaines himself That it was not all but the chief Ones to wit the Rulers by whom the Censure was to be inflicted And this now for Answering their Objections IV. In the nixt place we shall come and apply the whole purpose to a threefold Use. And the first is Seeing this Error as we have now made evident it is not of God I would have you suspecting fair pretences that a Doctrine may be coloured over with There is no Error that hath a fairer pretence than This hath it is the liberty of the Saints say they should not they judge others A fair pretence And yet it is but the same that Korah Dathan and Abiram had and so we need to stumble the less at it Ye take too much upon you said they seing all the Congregation are Holy every one of them c. Numb-16 3. The Second Vse is to private Christians that ye would do your duty And Secondly Content your selves with your duty And first do your duty whereof many come short Doubtless many at the hearing of this Doctrine will cast off all care seeing the care of the Church is laid on the Officers thereof Ministers and Elders Nay but as we shew in the clearing of the State of the Question although power of Governing the Church be not in the hands of all believers yet there is a duty lying on them to admonish and exhort even their Ministers say to Archippus take heed to thy Ministry Yea it is a duty lying on private Christians that when your private Admonition doth not the business ye are bound to delate it to the Church We see this Matth 16. Where Christs institutes this order v 16. 1. To tell thy Brother privatly and if that will not do bring two or three moe Witnesses with thee then if that do it not tell it to the Church so it is a duty lying on every Church member to admonish and rebuke even their Ministers and Elders to stir them up when slack and when that will not do to tell it to others And we would charge you to make more conscience of this duty than usually ye do A second part of your duty we told you was to try the spirits in reference to your practice ye are not bound to take a Doctrine on trust from Ministers tho Apostles Nay not from Angels Though we or an Angel from Heaven Preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have Preached unto you let him be accursed Galat. 1. 8. And private Christians come short of this part of their duty also many seeking no other Reason of their Faith than what Ministers Preach it is a loose ground For ye are commanded to Try the Spirits But Secondly As ye would make Conscience of your duty so ye would content your selves with your duty ye would look on Church Officers and reverence them ye are not to say what is more in them than in our selves may we not be as fit as they they may erre as well as we Grant it be so yet they are Gods Ordinance appointed by the God of order and he who reproacheth them reproacheth his ordinance and breaketh down the hedge appointed by God The Third Vse is directed to Church Officers Those whom the Lord hath instructed with this power Ye would make use of it for Edification and not for destruction ye should so carry your selves in your places as not to tempt the People of God to despise your Office When the Lords People hear of an Elder to be a Tipler or a Swearer it is a temptation to them to despise both that Elder and his Office Many surely in this are stumbling blocks to People As Eli's Sons made the People abhorr the offering of the Lord. The Truth is it is no great wonder that the Government of the Church be losing weight
were no more left than might meet in a single Congregation for the Text faith They were all scattered abroad throughout the region of Judea and Samaria except the Apostles To this we answer That if it be granted that there were moe Congregations before this Persecution then it makes out the point we are to prove But Secondly Neither do we yeild that which they affirm That by the persecution mentioned Act. 8. 1. The multitude was brought to such a few number as they could make up but one Congregation It is said indeed They were all scattered except the Apostles But by this all is not meaned all the Professors but all the Preachers and there are several reasons to prove it For it is said Saul made havock of the Church verse 3. Now if he had meaned that all the Professors were scattered where should Saul have gotten Men and Women to hail to Prison and that this was done in Jerusalem Paul himself acknowledges Act. 26. 10. A second thing to prove that this all that was scattered was the all of the Preachers and not of the Professors is that in verse 4. where it is said They were scatered abroad every where Preaching the Word So that it astricts the scattering mainly to those who were Preachers For certainly the whole multitude could not have gone to Preach the Word And Thirdly The Apostles remain still at Jerusalem as appears from the first verse Now to what end and purpose should the Apostles have stayed there behind the rest except there had been several Flocks there with whom they stayed with the hazard of their Lives to confort them against the Persecution which had driven their Preachers from them But a second answer is That however they had been so scattered in the beginning of the Persecution that there was no more of them than made up a single Congregation yet in process of time they so multiplyed that they behooved to make up many Congregations And for this ye may find out several places as Act. 9. 31. They were multiplied and Act. 12. 24. speaking of Jerusalem The word of God grew and multiplied But we shall take one place for all In Act. 21. 20. where the Elders relate to Paul the exception that the People had taken at him for his going to the Gentiles Thou seest Brother how many thousands of Jews there are which believe c. Now the word rendered thousands in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Ten Thousands so there were not only Thousands but Ten Thousands yea and many ten thousands there And so moe than could be Edified in one single Congregation And that these were of Jerusalem is clear from verse 21. They are informed of thee c. And from verse 22. the multitude must needs come together c. Now this is from the first ground of our Proof 2. The second ground from whence we are to prove That there were moe Congregations in the Church of Jerusalem than one is taken from the multitude of Christs Officers That there were so many that it had been a shame for them all to wait upon one flock We find the Apostles were there as in Act. 6. 15. about the choosing of the Deacons We find they were also there in Acts 15. v. 6. Now besides the Apostles we find there were other Church-Officers in Jerusalem as in Acts 11. verse last There were Elders there where he is speaking of Jerusalem as it appears in verse 27. Besides there were Prophets in it as in verse 27. of the same Chapter And in these aayes came Prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch And it is the Judgement of several Interpreters that the seventy Disciples whom Christ sent out to Preach were still at Jerusalem And that they were of the number of these hundred and twenty mentioned Act. 1. 15. Now let any man consider if it was likely especially when the Harvest was so great That so many of the Apostles should be ordinary Hearers of the Word and only one but to speak especially when we consider That when Christ sent out the twelve Disciples only he sent them not out all together but two by two and so certainly a wise man may well conclude That there behooved to be moe Congregations there than one yea many Congregations This is for the second ground of our proof The third ground is taken from the multitude of Languages that were in Jerusalem Act. 2. 5 8 9. 10. 11. and Act. 6. Which diversity did necessitate them to enjoy the Ordinances in divers distinct Congregations in their own Language And that it might be so the Spirit furnished the Apostles with diversity of Languages The fourth ground to prove this point is taken from the way of their Meeting which was not in void capacious Rooms built for the purpose as we now have for they had not then the Civil Magistrate for them to allow places of meeting for the purpose but only in private Houses upper Chambers Houses allowed to them by private Christians as Act 2. 46. And surely it cannot be conceived that their Houses could contain so many thousands and therefore of necessity they could not meet all in one Congregation Thus we have made out the first point That there were moe Congregations than one in Jerusalem We might prove the like in the other Churches of Ephesus Antioch Corinth Rome Thessalonica that there were moe Congregations than one there also And that from the multitude of Believers the Scripture speaks of the multitude of Preachers diversities of Languages But for brevities cause we pass to the other point which is the second thing we have to make out and it is this II. That all these Congregations in Jerusalem were under one Government there was one common Judicatory that Ruled them all in common As our Presbytry is over all the Congregations within its bounds And for clearing of this we lay down three things The First is that although there were many particular Congregations at Jerusalem yet they are called but one Church so in several places they are called the Church Act 8. 1. 15. 4. c. And by the way this refutes one of the Independent tenets whereby they affirm That the name of Church is never given under the New Testament but to those who meet ordinarly in one place for the discharging of all parts of Gods Worship But to the Argument For what reason could they be called one Church Not because they met together in one place for the Ministration of the word Sacraments and Prayer For those were dispensed to them in their singular Congregations severally and so certainly they are called one Church because they were under one Government one Eldership above them to Govern them As the Church of Scotland is called one Church because all her Congregations are Governed by one General Assembly Secondly We add to the former In this one Church made up of many Churches we find there are Ruling Elders so we
surely ordinary Elders did never concurr with the Apostles in Acts of their Apostolick office As penning Scripture c. From all that is said it is most clear that the Apostles here acted as Elders leaving a Pattern for such like Judicatories upon the like occasions to the end of the World Which is the Second Point ¶ III. Inferior Church Judicatories are Subject to Superiour THE Third point we have to make out is this That Inferior Church Judicatories are subordinate to the Superior as Sessions or Congregational Elderships to Presbytries Presbytries to Synods c. So that the greater have power of Government over the lesser For receiving Appeals from them Complaints of them Enacting of Church Canons unto which the Inferior ought to be subject in the Lord. The point in short is That particular Elderships are not Independent so as to do what they please without being accountable to any Judicatory above them But Presbyteries are over them in the Lord. We shall follow the former Order First To clear the Question Secondly To bring Arguments for the Truth Thirdly To answer Arguments against the Truth Fourthly To apply it to Use. I. For the First We allow unto particular Congregations an Eldership and Power of Discipline within themselves to judge of these things that are of their particular concernment But as for things wherein other Congregations are concerned with them We hold that such do belong to Superiour Judicatories according to the Rule What belongs unto all should be handled by all Secondly We do not give Power to any one single Congregation above another We say That all Congregations the least as well as the greatest is equal in Power This way was the Bishops Tyranny that made all the Congregations of the Diocess subject to the Cathedral Church the Parish where the Bishop lived So that all others were to subject themselves to it and the great Lord Bishops Laws which he gave out in it We do only say That all particular Congregations should be subject to a Presbytery made up of Elders taken from among themselves wherein no Congregation can challenge Power more than another The meanest hath as great Power in them as the greatest Thirdly We do not say that the Power of Presbyteries or Synods are absolute so that whatever they conclude should stand for a Law or that they ought to be obeyed in every thing We affirme Their Power is a limited and Ministerial Power It is a Power in the Lord So that put the case If a Presbytery or Synod should conclude a thing that is wrong They are not to be followed blindly We allow to every particular Christian a Judgement of Discretion whereby they should compare the Acts of Church Judicatories with the Rule of the Word and accordingly either to choice or refuse Only herein we say First That particular Christians should have a kind of loathness to differ from the Judicatories of the Church arising from a secret kind of diffidence and distrust of their own Light and understanding so that although they are not to follow others blindly yet they are to suspect themselves rather than them we mean when the matter is dubious Secondly We say That when the case comes that it is evidently seen that Superiour Judicatories have gone wrong private Christians are to differ from them indeed yet so as to give great Reverence and Respect to the Judicatory even when they are necessitate to dissent from their Acts least by their furious zeal they cast all loose and into confusion But to come to the point The Question is Whether all the Power of Church Government be in the Hands of particular Elderships And so if particular Elderships be Independent Or if Jesus Christ hath warranted Presbyteries to be above them in the Lord. We maintain the last And we clear our part the Controversy from several Arguments II. The First Argument is taken from the many defects that are in this way of Independency where the whole Power is put in one Congregation so as to be countable to none We shall reckon four or five of these Defects and indeed very great Defects First According to this way of Theirs there is no Authoritative way in Christs Church to right a man that is wronged by a particular Congregation As put the Case that an Eldership should wrong a man by Censuring him unjustly According to Their way He must sit with the wrong there is no remedy to him till Christ come in the Clouds There is a second defect according to this Independent way of Theirs There is no Authority in the Church to heal Breaches in a Congregation Put the case that a People should divide from the Elders or the Elders among themselves or that one Congregation may have a contest with another Now in these cases suppose both these Parties to be wilful as too usually it falls out so as They will not yeild to any Advice without Authority to back it Now what remedy is left in such Cases without the assistance of a Presbytery that hath Power over both Parties to command them in the Lord to do what is right And can we think that Christ hath left no remedy in his House for such evils as may so frequently fall out Thirdly The Independent way leaveth no Authoritative mean for holding down Pluralities of Religion For if so then let a particular Congregation set up what Religion they please suppose it be Popery There is no Authoritative mean to hinder it But in the Way of Presbytery it is otherwise Presbytery is Christs Weeding-hook to weed out Heresies so we observe wherever it is set up it bears Heresy down And no wonder For Judicatories are so subordinate one to another that what is overseen in the one is taken notice of in the other Fourthly By this way of theirs there is no Authoritative mean for unity and uniformity in the publick service of God among Congregations But every one being left to themselves will take a way of Their Own This Congregation one way and that Congregation another way which doubtless would prove a great stumbling block to the weak not knowing unto what Congregation to joyn because of the great diversity among all Put the case to clear it in some things whereby ye may guess at others that in one Congregation they would both read and expound In another they would only Read In others the line were not read for singing And in another it were read In some Congregations Children were not Baptized but in time of Sermon In others That Baptism were Administrate at other times also In some Congregations Two Prayers before a Sermon In another but one In another the Conclusion Sung In another not Now though the Strong would not stumble at these things knowing that such in their own nature are for the most part at least indifferent Yet to the weak Christian they might prove a ground of stumbling For usually such presently stamp Conscience on that part of
or where prophane or wicked men are suffered to be in it The Godly are bound to abstain from the Lords Table and not to communicate with the mixed multitude And because they hold it is not Lawful for any to live in any Church where they cannot enjoy the whole Ordinances of God Therefore they maintain that the Godly are bound to Separate from That Church and to make up a Church of their Own by gathering out so many of the Godly that are in it as they can get and make a little Congregation of their own choosing any of them to be a Minister and some one or two to be Elders And so they set up a Church against a Church a Church in the Bosome of a Church This is not a new Error It troubled the Church of Christ long since in the Fourth Century or somthing more than Three hundred years after Christ The Donatists a kind of Hereticks arose and troubled the Church for a long time and did teach the same very thing Against whom the Godly Fathers of the Church in that time did write Yet because this Error was carried on with a shew of Holiness and Strictness more than ordinary It took such deep rooting in the mindes of some well minding People some of them at least that it could not be driven out by force of Argument till the Lord did leave the mantainers of this Error to fall into other vile abominations for all their pretence of Strictness Which made all others to loath them And before it could be gotten rooted out of the minds of men It troubled the Church almost 100. years together The same is the Errour which we have now to Refute That ye may know what is the Doctrine of Our Church that we are sworn to And which is grounded on the Word in this particular Take it up thus First We hold that the Church should be reformed from all corruptions And that wicked Scandalous men should be casten out of the Church at least debarred from the Lords Table This we hold and herein there is no difference betwixt Us and the Separatists But the Question is When the Church Officers do not their duty as often it falls out what through negligence and what through other corruptions and what through a base want of courage so that sometimes the Rule is not put in practice By which means all wicked men are not kept back from the Ordinance of the Lords Table And some corruptions are tollerated The Question I say is what the Godly should do in that Case And concerning this we hold First That in such a Case it is lawful for a Godly Person to remove his dwelling and go dwell in another Congregation where he may have the Ordinances more purely Administrated There is no tye laid on him for binding him to remain constantly where he is if he may conveniently remove Secondly We hold that if he cannot conveniently remove from that Congregation he may remain a Member of it without sin although he know there be several things which God is angry with in it providing he keep his own hands clean of these Thirdly We hold that as long as the Godly man stayeth in that Congregation where there are abuses of that kind tollerated he is bound according to his place to endeavour the remedy of them he is bound according to Christs Rule to admonish these who are Wicked and Scandalous and if his admonition do no good he is bound to delate them to the Eldership that they may be Censured If they be Censured It is well he hath gained his point But if they be not Censured Or not so fully as he would he is to regrate the matter to God and mourn for it But Fourthly We hold that so long as he stayes in that Congregation he is not bound to keep back from Gods Worship As from the Lords Table or from any part of service in it self lawful because there are wicked men joyning with him in it Far less is he to make a Rent in the Congregation or to draw away a number with him to set up a little Church for themselves And this is now the Question we are to debate about The Separatists say He is bound to keep back from the Communion If any be admitted to it who is prophane or wicked And that lest he be defiled with them We say if the Worship and service be lawful and pure in it self He sins in keeping back from it notwithstanding that others joyn with him in it whom the Church Officers should keep back We grant indeed when the service is not pure and lawful in its self As for example when Communion cannot be had except the People Kneel And so worship the Bread In that case every man is bound to keep back that would keep himself free of sin Not because there are wicked men going to the Table But because the Ordinance is gone about in a sinful way But our Question is Concerning Worship in it self lawful That is to say when a Communion is Administrated by a Minister Lawfully Called When that Table Gesture which Christ himself used is keeped at it When in all other things done according to his command What Godly Persons should do in that case when Scandalous Persons one or moe are suffered to come to the Table We hold That notwithstanding of their being there he is bound to come foreward And the wicked man's being there defiles only the Worship to himself and not to those who come in honesty This much for the state of the Question II. Having cleared the Question we come to Our Arguments for the Truth viz. That the presence of wicked men does not defile the Worship of those that are Godly And that the Godly should not keep back from lawful Commanded Duties because wicked men have their hands at them Arg I. Our First Argument is taken from the Church of the Jews in Christs time Any who know the History of the Gospel know that it was a very corrupt Church in Christ time in Doctrine and manners Their Preachers the Scribes and Pharisees were debauched Persons They perverted the Law the blind led the blind And when the Preachers were such ye may judge what the People were And yet we find that Christ and his Apostles did joyn with them in the lawful Worship For First Christ himself came yearly up to the Feast at Jerusalem Secondly He is so far from commanding his Apostles and those who believed in him to keep back from the Ordinary Worship because of wicked men among them That upon the contrair he forbids them to stumble at any thing of that kind And commands them to come to the lawful Worship as Matth 23. 1. 2. Then spake Jesus to the multitude and to his disciples Saying The scribes c. Which is as if he had said do not keep back from the lawful Worship because they are but Godless men that go about it What they Preach according
that the Apostle John is there speaking of whoorish Rome and is commanding all Gods People to Separate from the Antichristian Church Now let any judge if that be not loose Reasoning We are commanded to Separate from Rome who hath overturned the foundation of Religion Worships the Creature instead of the Creator therefore we are to Separate from Christs true and Purest Churches and Gods Worship in them If so be prophane men be keeped in them It is a senseless Consequence Obj. III. Their Third Objection against the Truth is taken from 1 Cor â— 11. But now I have written unto you not to keep company c. Say they We are forbidden to eat our ordinary meat with wicked men and far more we are forbidden to eat at the Lords Table with them To this we Answer That indeed it is the shame of Christian Churches and our sin that Scandalous and Ignorant Persons are admitted to the Lords Table But when they are admitted partly through the neglect of Ministers and partly through abounding corruptions It doth not follow that every private Christian is to cast himself out of the Church because wicked men are admitted As to this place here spoken of It s true every tender Christian is forbidden to use Familiar Society with Fornicators But it is not simply forbidden as if it were unlawful at all times to eat with them For even Paul himself eats with Heathens Act 27. 35. So the thing here forbidden is That the Lords People should not use intimat Society with wicked men yet so as when they cannot get it eschewed It is lawful both to eat and drink with them As put the case we could not get it otherwise it were lawfuâ— for us to eat with them following Pauls practice And so it follows in the matter of the Lords Table If it be in Ministers power to hold them back if they do it it is well If not it doth not follow that private Christians who have no power to debarr them and so cannot get eating with them eschewed without neglecting of a duty are bound to Separate Obj. IV. Their Fourth Objection is from 1 Cor 5. 6 Know ye not that a litle leaven leaveneth the whole lump Scandalous men infect the Church And the Church being infected infects the Worship and so if I come to the Worship it is infected to me and I do sin Now this is a Consequence far from Pauls words a litle leaven sayes he leaveneth c. Therefore cast out the Incestous man But he doth not say If he be not put out cast out your selves As for that they say that prophane men infect the Worship It is without ground It s true prophane men oftimes infect these among whom they live But they do not infect the worship For the way that prophane men infect these among whom they live is not Physical As the Pest infects every thing it toucheth but they infect by their evil example And so a prophane man may infect another man but by his evil example cannot infect the Worship because the Worship is not carried away with evil example as a man is And so if I can keep my self from following their example the worship is pure and clean to me Obj. V. Their last Objection is say they My coming to the Table with them is a countenancing of them in their profanation of the holy things So I partake with them in their sins say Amen to what they do And therefore better for me to withdraw We Answer this is a plausible Argument to deter People that are tender but when tryed it will be found weak For if so be this Argument do hold for Separating from the Lords Table it will conclude also that we should not hear Preaching with them for our hearing Preaching with them is a countenancing of them as well as our coming to the Sacrament with them And the wicked man profaneth the holy things in the one as well as in the other And by this it should follow that Jesus Christ should have been polluted which were Blasphemy to speak by His Preaching to Prophane multitudes For in That He countenanced them Therefore Secondly For a more full Answer we say Worshipping with them is not a consenting to their sin except it were in our power to hold them out but not otherwise Thou doest say Amen to what they do profess that They are serving God doing the commanded Duty But not to Their Hypocritical Way in doing of It Did Christ say Amen to the Pharisees way of Hearing although He Preached to Them So neither doest thou But as is already said Thou approves of Them in so far as They do the Commanded Duty But that it is done Impenitently Thou by Thy joyning in the Worship approves it not This for their Objections IV. For Use Our first is this To regrate that there is so much occasion given to this Error in the Churches of Christ We may regrate that there are so many of the Members of the Church Prophane and Wicked And that People walk not like Their Holy Calling We may regrate that the Officers of the Church Ministers and Elders do not Purge out Scandalous Persons Do not Labour to find Them and Censure Them and debarr Them from Communions But most of all it is to be regrated That many of those who should Purge out others Their Life is such that They deserve to be Purged out as Scandalous Themselves For this cause it is that the Lord threatens to Rent the Church And if He should let men arise among our selves under pretence of Pious strictness to cast at Our Worship We behoved to say Just is the Lord Although on the other hand it is no excuse but a fearful sin to Them who by Their carriage Rent and undoe the Church because of some Corruptions that are in it Use II. The Second Use is That ye would not think all alike Guilty that may encline to this Error of Separating from Lawful Worship because of wicked Men's being admitted to it It 's true there may be some Piously strict that upon the one hand loath at that which is Good when they cannot get it but in wicked Mens company And upon the other hand because they cannot live without the Ordinances therefore They encline to make up a Litle Church of Good Men of Their Own choise By which means the Devil takes advantage of Their zeal to make them dishonour God by runing to the other extreme Now although the Humour of such should not be given way to yet those who encline this way from a desire of strictness are much to be Pitied But on the other hand we are not to think so of the Ring-leaders of this Error It hath been found by experience that such have been more carried on by a conceit of their Own Holiness than any true Love to Holiness it self It hath been usually found in Heady men who had a mind to make a Rupture in tâ—e Church that
had been converted and indued with saving Grace neither doth Grace here signify Gods Grace inherent in them but Gods Grace and free Favour which he saw in the effects of it in that it wrought so Powerfully in bringing a great many to embrace the Doctrine of the Gospel among whom there doubtless were many sincere and real Converts though all of them were not so However the thing he saw was The mighty progress and success of the Gospel and this occasioned by a strong and cruel Persecution mentioned verse 19 the Ministers are forced to flee from their Flocks wherever they go they Preach Gods Grace and mighty Hand accompanies their Labour to the Conversion of many thousand Souls this is the Grace which Barnabas saw Hence take this Doctrine That sadest Persecutions for Truth do frequently prove an occasion of the Gospels spreading Thus it was Act 8. 3. Saul made havock of the Church entring into every House and haling Men and Women committed them to Prison v. 4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where Preaching the Word Even as far as Phâ—nice Cyprus and Antioch as it is ver 19 of this Chapter The making havock of the Church occasioned the enlargement of the Church which hath frequently fallen out since which gave ground to that true and ancient saying The Blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Church The Reasons why the Work and Grace of God thrives best at such times may be many As 1. Peoples Ears are then bored and readiest to drink in the Word with greediness because then they have little other comfort left them Affliction and Persecution is a Tasty Sawce to make the Word Relish Psal. 141. v. 6. When their Judges are overthrown in stony places they shall hear my words for they are sweet 2. At such times the Servants of Christ are more diligent in their Work as they can have access to it and more fervent in dealing with God by Prayer for a Blessing to their Work because the thriving of their Work is all the reward which they can then expect And 3. The Lord doth then usually countenance the Labours of his Servants most because they are most despised few do then care for them or takes any notice of them And therefore the Lord takes this way both to hearten them and to put respect upon them And 4. The Couragious Constant and Cheerful enduring of Hardships and Sufferings for Truth doth commend that Truth for which they suffer unto others even to indifferent Spectators and makes them enquire after it and desirous to know what so much worth there can be in it I shall not insist for Application hasting forward to the latter part of the Text Only if it be so Then People are not to lookupon Persecution and a suffering time for Truth whenever it comes as so sad so dismal and dreadful a thing For this at least may be expected to be lovely in it The same Truth which men labour to bear down shall spread the faster and the further And that this is so the following Doctrine will shew Another Doctrine ariseth from the first effect this sight did work on Barnabas It made him Glad for so saith the Text Who when he came and had seen the Grace of God was glad The Doctrine is this That the Gospel and Truth do spread and gain ground among People is matter of Joy and gladness to a Godly heart though the times were otherwise never so sad For there were many things to make Barnabas sad at this time If we consider 1. How they had stoned the first Martyr Stephen to death a man full of the Holy Ghost and used him so as if he had been the most notorious Malefactor that ever the Earth carried And 2. The prosperous state of the Churches Enemies the Scribes Pharisees High-Priests a company of degenerate corrupt Church-men who at that time did sit at Jerusalem guiding all things at their pleasure That if any did but mutter against their State and Dignity though in the furthest part of all the Realm their hand could easily reach them They needed no more but hound out a Saul with a Commission if it were to Damascâ—s to take them and bring them bound to Jerusalem As is clear from Acts 9. 1 2. And 3. if ye consider his own poor condition and that of others the Servants of Christ at that time who were hunted from corner to corner yea from Kingdom to Kingdom These and many such things as these were at that time to make Barnabas sad and yet this makes him take all in the better part and in a manner digest all That when he came he saw the Grace of God had accompanied the Labours of his despised Servants and a rich Income of Souls to the knowledge of Christ and the Gospel And when he saw this he was glad He is in some sort so transported with it That in a manner he forgets Stephen's death he envyeth not the prosperous state of the Churches Enemies noâ— doth much resent his Own hard lot or that of others who were Christs Faithful Saints and Servants All which cleareth the Doctrine That the spreading of Truth will make a Godly Heart Glad though the times otherwise were never so sad Thus was it with the Apostle Paul Philip 1. 12. The things which happened unto me saith he meaning his Bonds Imprisonment and other harsh usage have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel Whereupon v. 18. he breaks out What then notwithstanding every way whether in pretence or in Truth Christ is Preached and I therein do rejoyce yea and will rejoyce For Vse 1. Try your selves by this What it is that makes you Glad Is it the thriving of Gods work in Souls The down-bearing of Sin The growth of Piety If so It speaks thee to be a man of Barnabas temper and upon the other hand If things of that kind do rather make the sad and if the back-going of Gods Work The destroying what he hath built The plucking up of what he hath planted The thriving of sin and Wickedness The general Loosness of the times If I say these things make thee Glad It speaks thee to be a man of a woful temper a very Godless Heart But 2. If this be a thing that will make a Godly Heart Glaâ— in the saddest of times then Pray to God for it that it may be so That the Work of God may thrive in Hearts That those woful Spiritual Plagues of Security Deadness and Hardness of Heart may be removed and the Gospel may take many by the Heart who never hitherto knew the Power of it It 's easie for God to bless his Truth in the Mouth of his despised and persecuted Servants and to make a gracious Change tho Wickedness were at the greatest hight And if he do it whatever may be the other sadness of the Times thou who art a Godly Heart shall have reason to be Glad yea and thou shall