substantial parts of Church Government have a warrand in the word and are therein so fixed and established as they are unalterable by any State whatsoever And Secondly As to the Circumstantials that relate to this Government we say they are set down under general Rules sufficient for the ordering of them such as let all things be done in order and to edification Our Second Assertion is we are not to enter here to show what is the particular kind of Government that is appointed in the word and what things falls under the power of Church Governours and in what relation they are to handle them what are the nature of these Censures and how in all these things they differ from the Civil power It would take long time to clear these The thing we aim at is only this general That Jesus Christ the King of his Church and Lord of his House hath set down in his word a particular way for Governing of his house distinct from the Civil which is not in the power of any State to alter We proceed now to Arguments for comfirming this Truth II. The first Argument is this If so be that under the Old Testament there was a particular form of Church Government different from the Civil set down in the word then there must be also the like set down under the New but so it is that there was a particular way set down under the Old Testament for Governing the Church Therefore there must be the like set down under the new For making out this Argument there are two things we have to clear The First is That there was such a Government as this under the Old Testament warranted by the word The Second thing to be cleared is that therefore and upon the same Reason there must be also the like under the New For proving of the First that there was a particular Government of the Church different from the Gvernment of the state under the Old Testament We shall clear two things First That they had Church Judicatories different from the Civil Judicatories And to prove this we shall cite two places of Scripture The First is in 2 Chron 19. 8 9 10. Ye may read the place at leasure but there are these things in it proving that there was a Church Judicatory distinct from the Civil First We see that there is a Judicatory made up of the Church-men of the Levits and Priests in verse 8. Secondly We see that the things they judged of were spiritual matters distinguished from Civil things by calling the the first sort The matters of the Lord And the Second Matters of the King v. 11. Thirdly We see that in this Judicatory a Church-man was Moderator in the 11 verse And behold Amariah the chief Priest is over you And Fourthly We see that the sentence of the Court was Execute by Church-men in the end of the 11 vers Also the Levits shall be officers before you All which being laid together makes out clearly that under the Old Testament â—â—â—re was a Church Judicatory different from the Civil The Second place is in Jeremiah 26. 8. 9. 10 Where we have these things to make out the present point First We see that there were two Judicatories in the 8 v. There is a Judicatory of the Priests and Prophets condemning Jeremiah as a false Prophet again in the 10. and 1â— v. We see there is a Civil Judicatory made up of States-men When the Princes of Judah hard these things then they came up from the Kings house c. So it is plain they had a Church Judicatory for Church matters as well as a Civil Judicatory for Civil matters The Second thing that we are to speak to in order to the proving of the first point to wit That there was a Government of the Church different from that of the State among the Jews is this that as they had Church Judicatories different from the Civil so they had also Church Censures different from Civil punishments as we have amongst us And First publick confession of Scandalous sins was in use among them we shall clear it from one place of Scripture Ezra 10. 10. 11. And Ezra the Priest stood up and said unto them Ye have transgressed Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your Fathers c. There is confession of sin appointed for a fault that was Scandalous to wit their Marrying with strange Wives Now this confession was not only private to God nor on a Fast day but a personal publick acknowledgment after particular Examination of all one by one And we gather this from the 13. v. where it is said Neither is this a work of one day or two c. And in the 16. v. Three moneths was spent on the business so that this was a personal acknowledgment given by every one of them after the Examination of their guilt as we do in our Church Judicatories Secondly Besides this publick Confession they had the Censure of suspending Scandalous men from the Ordinances as we do suspend from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we will find this in David his appointing of the offices of the Priests Among the rest it is recorded of Jehoiadah 2 Chron. 23. v 19. And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in They were suspended from the Ordinances because of their uncleaness And for the neglect of this the Priest's are reproved in Ezek. 22 v 26. Her Priests have violated my Law and have prophaned my Holy things they have put no difference between the unclean and clean neither between the Holy and prophane They let all come rushing together to the Ordinances And for this they are reproved Thirdly They had among them the sentence of Excommunication which is set down under the name of Cutting off from among the People And in the new Testament it is expressed by the name of casting out of the Synagogue which certainly was Excommunication It is a Ridiculous alledgence that they say by cutting off was meaned the inflicting of Temporal death by the sword of the Magistrate for the uncircumcised Man-child he that had touched a dead Body and did not wash after it were to be cut off now who would think that such were to be put to death The Second thing to be made out is That therefore there must be a Church Government under the New Testament seing it was so under the Old and the Reason is because no necessity can be alleadged for a â—hurch Government then but the same necessity is now Is not the Church a mixed multitude now as well as then is there not as great need to separate betwixt the precious and the vile now as then Is not the Church now a feild of Wheat and Tares as well as then Is there not need to keep the Ordinances pure now as then by the fence of Government Is there not need now to
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
themselves had the Power that was of it And Lastly the Jews at this time had not the Power of Civil Punishment in their Hands but the Romans and so it was not in their Power to punish There is a Second Objection which they bring from the Apostle Paul's words in the Epistle to the Philipp 3. 15. where speaking of Differences among Christians he sayes Let us therefore as many as be perfect â—e thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you Say they we see what was Paul's Judgement That notwithstanding of Differences there should be Heart Waling or Uniting and therefore the Magistrate should not be stired up to Censure those who Err. To this we Answer Paul speaks nothing there of State Tollâ—ration for then the Civil Powers were not for Christ but of Church Tollâ—ration in respect of that meekness and tenderness which Christs Servants should have in inflicting of Church Censures for fear of breaking Love Secondly He commandeth not all Errors to be thus Tollerated for so he should contradict himself in another place where he sayes An Heretick after the first and second admonition reject And Thirdly Paul limits that Tolleration that he would have here and that in two things First As to the time how long God shall reveal even this unto you And Secondly He supposes the persons differing from them should walk with them in things wherein they differ not according to the same rule and so make no separation Now it does not follow that those who remained Obstinate in their Error should be still Tollerated and that the Censure of the Church should not strick on them at all chiefly if it be such an Error as causes Rents and Schisms for he sayes Take heed to those that cause Divisions and Offences and avoid them Rom. 16. 17. Their Third Objection is That this is contrary to the way the Apostles took with those that Erred their way was to watch against them that Erred Acts 20. 29. For I know this that after my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in among you not sparing the Flock Verse 31. Therefore watch That which the Apostle commands is to watch against them And in Rom. 16. 17. Now I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause Divisions and Offences and avoid them And in the 2 Timoth 2. 24. it is said And the Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient Now say they this is a far other way than to stir up the Civil Magistrate against those who differ from us This Savors not of the meek Spirit of Christ. I answer It is the Duty of Ministers to watch against Error and that is one mean for suppressing of Error and Heresy but one mean destroyes not another it does not follow that this which is in controversy is not another mean also neither is it contrary to that meekness commanded to wait on them more than to deliver to Satan or to Curse and Excommunicate Apostates with that great Curse called Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16. 22. They may as well say It is contrary to Christs meek Spirit to establish the Sword in the Hands of the Christian Magistrate according to Rom 13. 4. For punishing Sins against the Second Table and so under this pretence Adulteters Murderers Seducers Thieves and all should go free unpunished But they do far mistake the Meekness of Jesus Christ Christs Meekness is not to let people live in their Sin to let vile Hereticks trample on Truth destroying Souls And in the mean time binding up the Hand of the Magistrate that he dare not hinder it this were a disrespect to Truth and cruelty to poor Souls in danger to be carried away which our Lord was very tender of There is a Fourth Objection from Matth. 13. 24. Taken from the Parable of the Tares where the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man that sowed Wheat and the wicked one comes and sowes his Tares among it and both is bidden let grow till the Harvest Now say they by these Tares is meaned Hereticks therefore they should not be plucked up by the Sword of the Civil Magistrate We Answer If they astrict the Word Tares to Hereticks in this sense That the Sword of the Civil Magistrate should not be used against them by the same reason they may say that they should not be disputed against for that is a plucking up of them also Secondly We answer That by the Tares that are commanded here to be suffered let grow up to the Harvest is no more meaned Hereticks than other Scandalous Livers And this we shall make out from Christs exponding the Parable Verse 41 And they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend Now Hereticks are not all things that offend other scandalous Livers offend also Thirdly By the Tares is meaned Them that do Iniquity vers 41. Now others besides Hereticks are such And Fourthly If by the Tares were here meaned Hereticks then by the Wheat are meaned only the Orthodox and so every man that is Orthodox should Shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of Heaven vers 43 But there are many who are Orthodox who yet are evil Livers and so will never go to Heaven And therefore by the Wheat must only be meaned the truly Regenerate and so by the Tares must not only be meaned Hereticks but all other Evil-doers And further By this it would follow that Hereticks should not be Excommunicate for that is a rooting out But what can be meaned by the Tares then for whatever be meaned by them it will follow that by this Parable Verse 30 they should be tollerated and to say that all vile scandalous Persons should be tollerated is more absurd than that only Hereticks should be tollerated Answer If we narrowly observe Christs exposition of the Parable we will find that part where he bids Let both grow together until the Harvest is not exponed although he expone the rest which doubtless he would not have omitted if it had been his mind that we should have built any Doctrine of this kind on it therefore we say this is not Christs meaning that he would have all men how Godless and Scandalous soever let alone for that were contrary to other places of Scripture But that Christ is to show that when all pains are taken by Christs Officers for purging the Church yet there will be alwayes some Hypocrites in it and it is Christs mind though he hath given order to Censure scandalous Offenders yet that his Servants should not press after such a separation of the precious from the vile as to have all the Weeds and wicked in heart to be cast out lest when they gather out the Graceless Tares they should root out also the Gracious Wheat with them Object 5. There is a Fifth Objection from Luk 9. 54 Where Christ reproves James and John for seeking fire to come down from
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
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
the Communion and not only so but to quite That Church and set up a new Church of Their own We shall begin first with that Doctrine that concerns the Constitution of Visible Churches And therein we shall follow our usual Order First Clear the Question Secondly Bring Arguments for the Truth Thirdly Answer those they bring against the Truth And Fourthly Apply the whole to some Use. I. First For clearing of the Question ye would know what Church it is concerning which the Controversy is First It is not that place where Gods people meet to go about Gods publick Worship such as this House we now are in which is called the Church by a Figure improperly But it is the People gathered together in it which People are really and properly the Church although the House be so called because it contains them by an usual Figure The Church that we are to dispute of is made up of Men and Women And not that which is built of Timber and Stone Secondly The Controversy betwixt Us and Them is not concerning the Invisible Church that is called the Church of the First-born Those who by vertue of their Effectual Calling are united to Jesus Christ the Head are living Members of His Mystical Body and draw Spiritual Influence from him Concerning the Church taken in this Sense There is no Controversy betwixt Us and the Separatists but that the Members of this Church are only made up of Believers are all gracious because this Church is Christs Mystical Body a Royal Priest-hood the Lambs Wife all fair undefiled c. Thirdly The Question Then is concerning the Church Visible which is a Company of Men and Women who have according to the Tenor of Gods Covenant with the Visible Church an Outward Ecclesiastical which is in its kind a real Right to enjoy the Outward Priviledges of the Children of God This being the Church about which the Controversy betwixt Us and the Separatists is We shall speak a litle to clear what is meaned by it And First The Church is called Visible not because the Members of it may be seen For in that respect the Church Invisible the Church of Believers may be called Visible For the Members of it being believing Men and Women may be seen also But the difference betwixt the Churches in those two Senses is taken from that which makes one to be a Member of the one Church as it differs from that which makes one a Member of the other That which makes One man a Member of the Invisible Church is True Grace sincere Faith inward Marks thereof Now Grace is a thing that cannot be seen by another certainly It s true there are outward effects of it but they are such that a Hypocrite may have the counterfeit of them so as the one cannot be discerned from the other by a Beholder The nature of Grace is only known Infallibly and certainly to God And therefore This Church is called Invisible Again that which makes a Man or Woman a Member of the Visible Church is something that may be seen something that may be judged of by those who have Power to receive Members into the Church and cast them out from it Secondly We said that this Visible Church is a Company or Society of Men and Women that have an Ecclesiastical Right to enjoy the Outward Priviledges of the Sons of God For understanding what is meaned by enjoying of Outward Priviledges we shall show you That there are Outward Priviledges and Inward Priviledges of those who are the Sons of God Inward Priviledges are Jesus Christ himself a Right to him a saving Right to the Covenant of Grace and Life Eternal These are the Inward Priviledges of the Sons of God And only Believers have right to those Painted Hypocrites have no right to them But Secondly There are Outward Priviledges of the Sons of God such as these To be ordinary Hearers of the Word Preached To be taken a care of by Jesus Christ his Servants To have liberty to come to the Sacraments These are Outward Priviledges And these are Priviledges that a Member of the Visible Church hath a right to We said they had an Ecclesiastical Right or a Church Right to them That is such a Right as gives Warrand to the Church for receiving them to enjoy these Priviledges and yet possibly they have not a Right to them before God As for Example when there is a painted Hypocrite in a Congregation who makes Conscience seemingly to use the Means That man hath an Ecclesiastical Right to come to a Communion such a Right as may Warrand the Minister for admitting of him although he have not a Right to come before God God will challenge the Hypocrite for coming and not the Minister for suffering him to come Yet we are still to consider that tho' this Ecclesiestical Right be not Saving yet it is Real in its kind being founded upon Gods Covenant with the Visible Church and his Ordinance of admitting such therein Now ye may know somewhat by this what we mean by an Ecclesiastical Right it 's That which gives warrand to Church Officers to admit a man to enjoy these Outward Priviledges And so ye may know what we mean by the Visible Church whereof we Dispute There are several differences betwixt Us and the Separatists Concerning the Visible Church First They affirm That there is no Visible Church on Earth But a single Congregation As many as may meet in one place This we refuted in the former Controversie by shewing That in the Church of Jerusalem there were far moe than could meet in one single Congregation yea many particular Congregations And yet are called but One Church Secondly They differ much from us as also from the Truth concerning the power They give to this Visible Church They give them the full power of Church Government and that Independently from any Chuch power on earth This difference also we spoke of in the preceeding Debate And so we shall stand now no longer upon it Thirdly We differ concerning That which gives a Being to the Church Visible They say To make a Society of People a Visible Church so as to have right to partake of the Priviledges there of It is requisite that all the Members of that Society Swear a Covenant one to another wherein they bind themselves to submit one to another in the Lord to walk in all the Ordinances of God and not to leave that Society till liberty be given them by the rest So that tho a man should be never so truely Godly and Gracious yet if he take not such a Covenant and if he Swear not such an Oath He is without the Visible Church He is in the state of a â—agan to live and to die without any Church Ordinance The Judgement of our Church and that of Truth herein is this That wherever a man comes out of one Particular Congregation which we call a Paroch to another By his so doing he comes
this has been the Method they used to walke in To cry up Holiness in themselves and to cry down all who differed from them as untender That so they might carry all with them at last At least to Rent and divide the Church To such we will say nothing but Christs Curse and the Churches for Renting her bowels will fall on Them But unto the other we will speak something that is To those who are piously Strict and really loath at the good Service of God because such Persons are at it who should not be there To those I shall say First Know what it your Duty And Secondly What is not your Duty in reference to Prophane Men Oft-times we mistake our Duty and leap over it to what is not our Duty Now your Duty in reference to prophane Men Is not to take your hands from the Ordinance because Their hands are at it To turn your backs on your Duty because Prophane Men join with you in it It will be but a small excuse to pretend when God reckons with you when the Lord will say What made you neglect such a Duty to say Lord I grant it was my Duty but I could not because such Men were at it Therefore ye should know your Duty in reference to those and it is this In the place where ye live when ye see a fault committed ye should tell the guilty persons of it If the Fault be open and a Fault ye can get proven ye ought to delate it to those who have power to Censure them If so be they may be gained by this mean Or if not ye have done your Duty Or if the Church do their Duty in casting out the Obstinate then ye have your intent But if so be that notwithstanding ye have done your Duty yet the Church do not Theirs in purging the House of God In this case ye are to regrate the matter to God to mourn for it ye are to testify that ye do not approve their way and in so doing ye have done your Duty and may have peace For the presence of the wicked Man makes not the work sinful in it self to you He eats and drinks Damnation to himself And not to you His presence doth not make the Worship sinful to thee And so it looses thee not from they obligation to join in the Worship For if that were true That the presence of wicked Men did defile the Worship to Thee then Christians would be in a very hard condition For there was never a Church so pure but there were some admitted to it whom a Man truly tender would think should not be there There was never a Church so pure but a tender Man zealously strict would find some to challenge And so according to that Doctrine there should be no Church that a tender Christian could joyn with And so he should be forced to serve God apart and by himself alone And this hath been the Separatists way They have Separated from one Church to another till at last they could get none to join with And so turned Seekers that is A Sect who think there are None they can join with And therefore they cast off all Publick Duties and serve God by themselves alone Because they can see none so Holy as themselves And therefore ye would suspect Zeal when joyned with Error And fear Error most when it is covered over with Zeal For Error is never so dangerous as when it gets on the mask of Zeal It being then most cruel and most impudent People then have no will to medle with it lest they should seem to be Enemies to True Piety And therefore because it is suffered and born with it turns impudent until it undo all I only give One word to guard this and so I shall end There is not one Error that we refute but if not guarded Prophane Men may abuse it and so may they This to cast at those who are piously strict though in an orderly way And therefore We say it is every Christians Duty to walk tenderly and to be so strict towards others as God requires of him The thing we have Refuted as an Error is only this That because a Man cannot get all Duties gone about by All so strictly as God commands That therefore he will Separate from altogether But withal we did show That not only a Man should be strict on himself where right strictness will alwayes begin but also do what in him lyes according to his Duty and Calling That the Ordinances of God may be keeped pure by others FINIS A SERMON Preached before the SYNOD AT GLASGOW APRIL 5th 1653. The first SERMON 1 Corinth 1. 10. Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly join'd together in the same Mind and in the same Judgement THIS Text begins a new Purpose so it is not necessary to speak much for clearing of the Dependance and Cohesion Only ye would know somewhat of the State of this Church at the time when this Epistle was written which will help us not a little to take up the Occasion and Scope of the Words read Paul having planted a Church at Corinth was after driven from thence by the sury of the Jews as appears from Acts 18. 12. In whose absence partly through the malice of Satan partly through the subtilty of false Apostles the Church was rent in Factions some taking part with one Pastor and some with another according to the diverse estimation they held them in for their Humane Eloquence great Knowledge and other parts The Church being thus rent the Apostle addresseth himself timously to the Cure of this so Great an Evil But because he was almost out of request with the most part of that People tho as he himself Chap. 4. v. 15. declares he had begotten them in Christ Jesus through the Gospel Therefore as a skill'd Physician being to administer a bitter Potion he suggereth the brim of the Cup by shewing That whatever was Their respect to him yet his Affection did remain the same towards them And this he insisteth on from the beginning to the tenth Verse wherein he falls upon the Sore he intends to Cure to wit Their Factions and Schism's Obtesting them gravly in the Name of Jesus Christ That they would set about the Healing of these woeful Rents before they should turn to worse In the Words there are two things 1 A Duty to which they are exhorted 2. Some Arguments moving them to set about this Duty The Duty is last in order of the Words and propounded in three Sentences 1. That ye all speak the same thing 2. That there be no Divisions among you 3. That ye be perfectly joined together in the same Mind and in the same Judgement The Duty pressed in all these may be taken up in two 1. An Evil they were to Eschew 2.
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