but authority and power onely to apply that power to him whom they chuse The power of the Imperiall dignity is not in the electours of the Emperours nor the power of that office and authority whereunto a minister is elected in the church who chuseth him to that office If we consider what men give or give not universally it must be denyed that any men can make ministers because they do not give the office gifts or authority which is from Christ alone And therefore as they receive their office and graces from God so they execute their office in the name of Christ and not of the church whereas if the church did virtually and out of power make an officer he should execute his office in her name as we see with those whom the king maketh in the common-wealth But the church dealeth in the election of ministers in a steward-like manner ministring to the sole Lord and Master of the house and receiveth them into the house not in her own but in the Lords name and to do their office not in her name but in the name of their Lord and Master who onely out of power did conferre that office upon them Whence it followeth that ordinary power of the keyes with the execution thereof is not given to the communitie of the faithfull or the whole multitude much lesse to two or three knit together in covenant The keyes of the kingdome of heaven were promised and given to Peter as to a faithfull man and so to all the faithfull or to the communitie of the faithfull By the keyes is meant the Gospel of Christ opening a way by him and his merits as the doore into the kingdome and we must take heed of this deep delusion of Antichrist in imagining that this power of binding or loosing sinnes is held to any office or order in the church Whereupon it followeth necessarily that one faithfull man yea or woman either may as truly and effectually loose or bind both in heaven and earth as all the ministers in the world Either this is not to the purpose or the power of the keyes and so all communicated power ecclesiasticall with the execution thereof is committed to every faithfull man and woman as truly as to the Apostles That private Christians yea women and children may exhort rebuke or comfort ex officio charitat is generali out of the generall office of charity we confesse that by such exhortations people have been brought to the faith we also believe But that power to preach per modum legationis by way of embassage or power of the keyes hath been committed to them we never find rather this power was proper to the ministers ex Divino instituto speciali by speciall Divine institution and established upon speciall promise Unto Peter making confession was the promise of the keyes made but not to him as a confessour but to him and the rest as they should be Apostles sent forth with authoritie and commission to preach the Gospel plant churches bind and loose c. Otherwise not onely the communitie of the faithfull but every faithfull man or woman might excercise those acts of feeding binding and loosing and ruling implyed in the power of the keyes In phrase of speech to deliver the keyes unto a man is to make him an officer steward or dispenser in the house under his lord and master to give him authority to open and shut bind and loose When our Saviour said to his Disciples Whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted As my Father sent me so send I you Go teach all nations Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven doth he not appoint them to chief offices in his house and what doth he give them more then the keyes of the kingdome A legate or messenger is not sent without authority power and jurisdiction nor the keyes of the house committed to his trust and care who is not in office The keyes of the kingdome import not onely authority and jurisdiction but power of exercising and for that reason some have thought Peter to be a sociall type of the whole church because the church doth exercise the keyes But the community of the faithfull are not officers in the house to exercise the power of the keyes to open and to shut And if Peter received the keyes from Christ as a faithfull man then the Apostles and their successours received their order and jurisdiction their authority and power of exercising from the faithfull and not from Christ immediately Thus Protestant Divines dispute against the Papists If Bishops receive their authority and power of exercising immediately from Christ by mandate mission and commission then they derive it not from the Pope And by the same reason if the power of the keyes be the immediate gift of God to the Apostles and their successours then they derive not their power and authority from the people or faithfull in covenant There is a key of supreme Authority proper to God alone a key of Excellency given to Christ and proper to him a key of Ministery given to the Apostles and their successours and if any be pleased so to call it a key of Charity given to all the faithfull who are able to exhort rebuke comfort and instruct For every Christian may admonish rebuke comfort exhort and so convert a sinner from the errour of his way and cover a multitude of sinnes but this is onely an act of love and charity an office or duty which by right of brotherhood every one oweth unto his neighbour without any speciall calling or authority Whereas the matter we speak of is the spirituall power which Christ hath given for the preservation and government of his church the exercise whereof consisteth in acts of order office ministery or function whereunto they are in speciall designed and called And so if the matter of the exhortation rebuke or admonition be one for substance the order function authority commission power of exercising and calling to exercise is not the same And therefore the power of the keyes promised to Peter which doth note power and authority of function was not promised nor given to the communitie of the faithfull much lesse to every faithfull man or woman The power of the keyes given to the Apostles was given to the church intuitu ejusdem tanquam finis totius The flux of ecclesiasticall authority from the church is two fold per intuitum as in them that be immediately called of Christ per interventum as in them that are called mediately It is true the Apostles were given to the church intuitu ejusdem tanquam finis and the power they received was for the good of the whole but this is not enough that power may be said to be received immediately by the church as the first receptacle of it and from it derived unto others but this power must be in the community as the
granted nothing is here alledged but what might be said against communicating with ministers who have their weaknesses or use a stinted form of their own devising ordinarily or be of different opinions either in prayer or sacrament and if we must hold communion with none who dissent from us in any jote or tittle we must never joyn or not long continue in any congregation The personall miscarriages of private persons are not so perillous as the evil acts of the minister whom I make my mouth to God in prayer Neither do the errours of individuall men tainted with corruptions voluntarily broched in prayer or sermon cast that defilement upon them who joyn together as do the unwarrantable opinions of the church and the ministration upon such publick commandment It is a good rule in Divinity oft to be thought upon That every distinction in matters of faith or religion not grounded upon or warranted by the scripture is an humane devise For is not this to adde to the word of God to lay down an opinion as from God which is not to be found in his word at all Now to apply this to the present matter in hand I desire to know from what scripture this distinction can be warranted That the personall errours of the minister in his voluntary administration of the sacraments or prayer do not defile though I do not publickly testifie dislike or absent my self but errour committed in the administration by publick commandment do pollute all that be present Reason why presence should pollute in one case more then the other none can be given Calling from God to testifie dislike it may be I have in neither but least in the latter It being more tolerable for private persons to rebuke the slips and errours of their minister in voluntary administration then for a man to controll the order established by publick authority and common consent when he is not in speciall called thereunto If this distinction be of weight it would go best with the church to have no settled order amongst them for so long as the faults and corruptions be onely personall they defile not them that be present at the ordinances but personall they are untill they be established by common consent or publick authority Moreover by this rule one member may sooner cast out the whole church then the whole church can cut off one member For the church must not cut off a member but upon weighty consideration and apparent just cause and that after conviction with much long-suffering and patience but if this objection hold true one member must openly rebuke the church or withdraw from communion with the church for a stinted Liturgie or for some slip or fault there committed perhaps questionable at least tolerable among brethren Is not my joyning with them that sinne to be reputed an appearance thereof when I professe not dislike thereof It is one thing to joyn with men in sin another to joyn with them necessarily in the worship of God though for the manner of administration something be done amisse If I professe not dislike of what I judge amisse having no calling thereunto my joyning in prayer is no appearance of evil to a right-discerning eye because I am necessarily called there to attend upon the Lord in his holy ordinances Necessary attendance upon his master excuseth the servants presence in many companies where he seeth and heareth much evil which he cannot amend nor reprove and shall not necessary attendance upon Jesus Christ justly and truly excuse the faithfull To say nothing that this exception is crosse to the former and if these exceptions be laid together we shall find nothing but going backward and forward one denying what the other affirmeth If the faithfull by the approbation of our Saviour Christ and his Apostles were present at Divine ordinances as much or more corrupted then they can be supposed to be with us then for such corruptions we are not voluntarily to withdraw our selves For defilement is feared without cause by simple presence where Christ requireth and approveth our presence and hath promised to be present with us by his grace But the faithfull by the commandment and approbation of Christ have been present at Divine ordinances as much or more corrupted then they can be supposed to be with us For the scribes and Pharisees sinned grievously in corrupting the law with false glosses in so much that they neither taught nor practiced what was necessary to salvation They taught many things directly contrary to the law as if a child had vowed not to relieve his parents he was bound to keep his vow and neglect them They defiled the worship of God with their vain inventions And it may well be thought their praying was answerable to their preaching cold fruitlesse corrupt and rotten many wayes Neverthelesse the faithfull held communion and fellowship with them in the worship of God not in their corruptions and that by the approbation and commandment of Christ himself Our Saviour doth not tell the faithfull they were to call upon the Pharisees to fulfill their ministery which they had received and as occasion should require proceed further to declare their dislike in such manner as is meet either absenting themselves or other wayes declaring their dislike so as the whole church may take notice of it But his commandment is they should heare them so long as they sit in Moses chair It is true our Saviour doth not approve their corrupt glosses and sinfull inventions but doth sharply reprove them himself and admonish others to let them alone and beware of their leaven but not to forsake the assembly or absent themselves from the ordinances of worship From which it followeth evidently that simple presence at Divine ordinances is not consent or approbation of the corruptions therein practiced and that we must leave and forsake some in respect of familiar conversation with whom we may hold outward communion in the exercises of religion The sinne of Eli's sonnes in prophaning the holy things of God was exceeding great but Elkanah Hannah and Samuel did not partake with the sinnes of the priests in that they did not abstein from the Lords sacrifices The behaviour of the Corinthians in their unreverent scandalous and almost prophane coming to the Lords table was foul and corrupt yet the faithfull did not forbear nor the Apostle charge them to absent themselves from the Lords table The famous church of Rome was so weak and feeble in the duties of government as they did not or could not separate from them such as preached Christ contentiously and with spitefull minds against the Apostle and the greater number of that church did corruptly demean and carry themselves therein and yet the Apostle never taught the rest to separate and have no communion with them in the ordinances of worship Knowledge before-hand that such corrupt administration will be used
other by all means lawfull yet they must bear one with another not for a time onely but continually For such are the ignorances and frailties of all men that if they bear not one with another of necessity they must break off all society one with another If all that dissent in opinion in any circumstances of religion if all that be judged too remisse or over-zealous or if every one that is waspish rash stiff in his own opinion or laboureth under such like infirmity must be cut off I know not where we shall find a church upon earth Besides it is one thing to bear with faults for a season when we have power in our hands to reform them another to hold communion with the church in the worship of God where such abuses are continued Such as have power in their hands to reform should tolerate abuses for a time onely sc untill there be opportunity of reformation But such as have not power in their hands to redresse abuses may and ought to hold communion with the church of God in the publick worship of God notwithstanding such abuses continued for the continuance of such corruptions is not the sin of him who hath used all good means for their removall but cannot obtein it The Lord never gave commandment to his people to depart from and forsake his ordinances because such as ought did not reform but maintein abuses in his sanctuary If they abode still in that corrupt society and joyned in the publick worship of God because they had not authority to redresse them then it followeth that communion in Gods ordinances is not sin to them who mislike the corruptions that are allowed and practiced pray desire and by all other good means seek reformation but break not off society because the Lord hath given them no authority so to do goeth not before them therein they should walk by their own light and not by Gods commandment nor the approved examples of the Saints recorded in scripture For one or a few private Christians to break off society with the church in prayer or participation of the sacraments because they are administred in a stinted Liturgie or the corruptions pretended therein is a greater disorder and corruption then any they can alledge in the Liturgie concerning prayer or administration of the sacraments because in so weighty businesse they challenge that authority which Christ never committed to them and go directly crosse to the order established by our Saviour Christ But of that more at large in the chapters following CHAP. X. It is lawfull to communicate in a mixt congregation where ignorant and prophane persons be admitted to the sacrament THis is made an exception against communicating in our assemblies that we are a mixt congregation and that ignorant and prophane persons are admitted unto the Lords table To trie the weight of this reason the better we must remember that sinners which may come into question are either secret that is not of publick note though one or other perhaps the minister himself may know them in their course scandalous or else notorious such as are commonly defamed and known for evil by evidence of fact and course if not juridicé The first sort sin in coming prophanely unto the Lords ordinances and they pollute the holy things of God unto their own destruction if they come without repentance and purpose of amendment But they are not to be repelled if they offer themselves because though one know them to have sinned thus and thus it is unknown to others and so the sin is private and not openly known Christ knew Judas his fetches yet he suffered him and though his treason was hidden and there were no witnesses of his intendment yet his theft was acted and not purposed onely De secretis non judicat ecclesia Et privata scelera non habent vindictam When it is not notorious and manifest that such a man hath lost his right to the sacrament it ought not to be denied unto him in the face of the congregation otherwise liberty should be granted to wicked ministers to punish with this punishment whomsoever they please The law of God in all ecclesiasticall and civil punishments requireth either confession by the party of the fault which is committed or else proof by witnesses Augustine tom 9. lib. De medicin poen cap. 3. is clear of this opinion Nos à communione quenquam prohibere non possumus nisi aut spontè confessum aut in aliquo judicio ecclesiastico vel seculari nominatum atque convictum as he is cited by the glosse ad 1. Cor. 5. and by Aquinas in the place above mentioned It is requisite for the common good and convenient order both of church and common-wealth that all common favours which are publickly to be disposed and distributed according to the dignity of private persons should be dispensed by publick ministers designed thereunto not according to the private knowledge of this or that man neither of that minister but according to a publick and notorious cogniscance And whosoever doth by his offense against God lose his right and interest to the holy things of God he must lose it in the face of the church before it can be denied him in the face of the congregation And he is to be judged as in all other cases not by any man 's nor by any ministers private knowledge but according to proofs and allegations For the common good necessarily requireth that such publick actions of this nature should be regulated by a kind of publick and not private knowledge which once admitted into judicature would soon fill up the church and state with a world of scandals injuries and inconveniences Grosse notorious scandalous sinners should be excluded from the sacrament but yet according to the order and appointment of the Lord. Cast not pearls before swine give not holy things to dogs Therefore the primitive church about to administer the Deacon cryed out against flagitious persons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with which the charge in our Liturgie well suteth Amongst the heathen some were accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who were admitted into the entrance but not into the temple Whence among the Latines they are called profane because they stood before but might not enter the temple Hence also was that question amongst the Heathen in their services 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Who is here to which it was answered of the assembly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Many and good Hence that of Callimachus in hymnis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Virgil expresseth thus Procul ô procul este profani Conclamat vates And amongst the Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are thought to have their name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is because they did restrain ar drive the profane from them And if the heathen had such care of their idolatrous services that they
should not be prophaned what conscience should Christians make neither to prophane themselves nor suffer so farre as lyeth in them the supper of the Lord to be prophaned It was a worthy saying of Chrysostome Animam priùs tradam meam quà m Dominicum corpus alicui indigno sanguinémque meum effundi potiùs patiar quà m sacratissimum illum sanguinem praeterquam digno concedam Neverthelesse it perteineth not to every man to debarre the impenitent from the Lords table but it must be done by them and in such manner as the Lord hath appointed For private Christians may not usurp the authority of the church nor the church execute her authority in undue manner That is necessary to them that have received commission from God which is unlawfull to them that want authority In the common-wealth the execution of justice is necessary but private persons must not challenge the sword of the magistrate In a corporation no one must take that upon himself which belongeth to the common councel Holy things must not be given to prophane persons but every one at his pleasure must not deny holy things to unholy persons but unholy persons must be debarred from holy things in such order as God hath prescribed It is a thing illegall altogether and unreasonable that a Christian man laying open claim to his right in the sacrament should by the mere discretion of a minister or private Christian be debarred from it Men would be loth to put their lands nay their goods and cattels and shall we think the Lord hath put their interest in the body and bloud of Christ to a private discretion So should it fare ill with the deserving members of the church and such as most deserved should least feel the severity of this censure The precept then of debarring scandalous offenders bindeth them to whom God hath given this power and them onely so farre as God hath put it in their power But God regularly doth not leave that power in the hand of one singular steward or some few private Christians to discommon one from the Lords table by publick censure And therefore the steward may not by any means keep back the fat ones of the earth from his masters table but warn them fairly of the danger ensuing as Gratian noteth out of Augustine And if one or few private Christians cannot debarre the unworthy from the Lords table it is manifest the ordinance of God is not defiled to them by the presence of the wicked whom they desire to reform or expell but cannot because power is not in their hand to do it lawfully For if it be lawfull for the faithfull to hold spirituall communion together in the ordinances of worship where the wicked and ungodly are tolerated as outward members of that society and have externall society with them in those ordinances then the presence of scandalous men doth not defile the sacrament to the worthy receiver The consequence is evident from the reason given to disswade communion in the sacrament sc because they that partake are one body Now if the same communion for substance be in other ordinances and yet it is lawfull for the faithfull notwithstanding the wicked be permitted to hold communion in those ordinances then it is lawfull to partake at the Lords table though the scandalous and prophane be received But it is lawfull for the faithfull to hold spirituall communion and fellowship together in the ordinances of worship where the wicked and ungodly are suffered as outward members For Moses calleth Israel a chosen people an holy nation the peculiar people of God whom he calleth a stiff-necked people foolish and unwise The Lord protesteth that Israel did rebell against him that they did not understand but were a most sinfull nation yea as Sodom and Gomorrah and yet he calleth them his children and people yea passing Sodom in iniquity and yet the daughter of his people and daughter of Sion his pleasant plant and a noble vine Israel then was the true church of God and the people true members of that society and yet many of them not truly sanctified nor true Saints And if the priests and Levites were set over a people unconverted for the truth of sanctification though holy by externall covenant which they for their parts had broken by their iniquities but on Gods part was undissolved and the faithfull had spirituall communion together in the ordinances of worship when the unwise foolish perverse uncircumcised in heart and life sinfull and laden with iniquity were admitted as members of the same body or society then the faithfull are not defiled with the presence of the ungodly at the sacrament though they that communicate together make one body in externall communion As the common-wealth of Israel consisting of men uncircumcised in heart perverse rebellious obstinate as well as faithfull and obedient was separated into covenant and so one body in externall communion and might lawfully have fellowship together in the ordinances so the faithfull and scandalous received into covenant and living in society do partake in the same ordinances without tincture or infection to the better part As the rebellious and perverse in Judah so the scandalous in the church are separated into covenant and though in course of life they be dogs yet in publick esteem they are not to be reputed dogs nor used as dogs till the church have so pronounced of them Peter calleth the Jews that had crucified Christ Brethren not according to the flesh because his kinsmen but as children of the prophets and of the covenant And if the Apostles might hold spirituall brotherhood with them who were impenitent perverse rebellious yea murderers of the Lord of life why should it be unlawfull to hold externall communion in the participation of the sacraments with persons scandalous and offensive in course of life The common-wealth of Israel was a religious politie and God established them a people unto himself by covenant without exception and so long as the covenant stood undissolved on Gods part though broken on theirs by their iniquity they might hold communion one with another Religion ever since the fall of Adam is one and the same for substance though different in the manner of dispensation the church from the beginning one and the same in common nature and essence though different in the manner of government and measure of gifts fitted to severall ages thereof The mysteries are varied according to the times but the faith whereby we live is in every age invariable As God is unchangeable so is his covenant one and the same that excepted which was peculiar to the manner of dispensation the confederates or members of the church by Gods approbation one and the same and so the common nature and essentiall constitution of all true churches from the beginning of the world to the end thereof In all ages of the church the members of
in their meal lest they be sowred with their leaven The comparison of the leaven used by the Apostle is to be understood in likenesse of nature not in their equality of effecting For leaven sowreth naturally and cannot but sowre the meal the godly may be hurt by the wicked but it is not necessary Therefore every member must look warily to himself and do his endeavour to reclaim other or that he may be cast out if notorious and incorrigible but not withdraw himself from the ordinances of grace The doctrine of the Gospel is compared to leaven in respect of its efficacy but all that heare it are not seasoned by it though it be a good means of seasoning The corrupt doctrine of the Pharisees is compared to old leaven but every one that heard it was not necessarily tainted with it It is true if the whole church shall bear with scandalous notorious offenders and do not their endeavour to bring them to repentance or to have them cast out they are polluted and stained by their remissenesse indulgence and this is that which the Apostle presseth upon the Corinthians that they should give all diligence to clear themselves and prevent the danger which might come by their negligence But if the church be remisse or slack the private men who mourn for what they cannot amend and labour conscionably to discharge their duties may not separate from the communion or withdraw themselves from the Lords table For the Apostle who blameth the Corinthians because they suffered the incestuous person doth never blame the faithfull for communicating with him before he was cut off nor intimate unto them that unlesse he did amend they must absent themselves from their assemblies and holy exercises or depart away being come together They that have authority to debarre men from the sacrament sin if wittingly or negligently they allow such to approch as worthy guests to the Lords table who are known unto them notoriously to be unworthy but if authoritie be wanting if we have done the office of private Christians or publick ministers to communicate with the wicked outwardly in the worship of God is none offense And thus the minister may reach the sacrament to an unworthy communicant and yet be innocent For he doth not so much give it him as suffer his communion because he hath not power or authority to put him back He reacheth him the signes as that which he cannot withhold because he is held in by the most prevailing power without which he cannot be debarred In this case the minister is neither actour nor consenter in his admission because he doth it not in his own name but according to the order established by God who will not have any member of the congregation publickly denied his interest and right to the holy things of God by the knowledge will and pleasure of one singular minister If a minister know a man to be unworthy he must yet receive him because he cannot manifest it to the church And for the same reason if his unworthinesse be notorious if it be not so judged by them that have authority he must administer the sacramentall signes unto him not as unto one worthy or unworthy but as unto one as yet undivided from them A man is not onely bound in his place to do his best for the reclaiming of his brother but to see his place be such as wherein he may orderly discharge the duties of admonition otherwise both his practice and place are unlawfull This is not sufficient that we labour by the best means to have manifest evils amended except our places be such and we in such churches as wherein we may use the ordinary means Christ hath left for the amendment of things otherwise our places and standings themselves are unwarrantable and must be forsaken If all places and standings be unwarrantable wherein we may not use the ordinary means God hath left for the amendment of things then all places are unlawfull wherein the greatest part of the church at least do not conscionably discharge their duties and of them which have greatest authority Then the Levites might not abide in their standings when the priests neglected their office nor the prophets when the priests and Levites had corrupted their wayes Then the people might not sacrifice nor receive spirituall blessings by their hands when Eli's sons had notoriously corrupted their wayes nor the faithfull remain in society when the priest and people both had corcupted the law worship offices and manners To speak no more of abuses if this rule hold no place or standing in the church is lawfull wherein three or more private persons who can make Peters confession of faith have not power of the keyes to receive into and shut out of the church to censure and determine authoritatively And so it may well be questioned to say no more whether ever there was any lawfull standing in a constituted church Since the death of the Apostles if they be put unto it according to this position they must confesse there was never any And considering the ignorance infirmities diversities of opinions that be amongst the godly passions distempers and corruptions how is it possible but that the church must fall into as many schismes almost as there be men if each man must renounce others standing as unlawfull wherein he conceiteth he is restrained of some power or hindred of some ordinary means which Christ hath left for the amendment of things No church in the world now hath that absolute promise of the Lords visible presence which the church then had till the coming of Christ It was simply necessary that Messiah should be born in the true church wherein he might have communion and fulfill the law The Lord did afford the Jews even in their deepest apostasie some or other visible signes of his presence and those extraordinary when ordinary failed thereby still declaring himself to remember his promise There was that onely visible church upon the face of the earth tyed to one temple altar sacrifice priest hood in one place and no man could absolutely separate from that church but he must separate from the visible presence and from all solemn worship of God Moreover the Jewish church had not that distinct ecclesiasticall ordinance of excommunication which we now have but that the obstinate or presumptuous offender was by bodily death to be cut off from the Lords people the same persons namely the whole nation being both church and common-wealth according to that speciall dispensation These observations rightly applyed do manifestly overthrow what hath been and is by others objected against communion with us in the worship of God For if it was absolutely necessary that the Messias should be born in the true church wherein he might have communion then a church corrupted in officers and offices doctrine worship and manners may be a true
primitive church after the apostles the discipline of the church was in some cases very severe partly to prevent the abuse of Gods ordinances partly to maintein the dignitie and authority of the censures neverthelesse the godly were compelled to tolerate many disorders which they could not redresse not in doctrine and worship but in manners and conversation For as soon as Christians began a little to breathe from the fear of bloudy persecution they fell into dissolute idlenesse and began to nourish debate strife hatred emulation pride c. to heap sinne upon sinne as might be proved at large by the complaints of the Fathers made of the sinnes of the times in all sorts ministers and people men and women But it was and ever hath been the judgement of them who did so grievously complain of the sinnes of their times that the godly did not communicate with others in their sinnes although they did continue with them in the communion of the sacraments If a church depart from the Lord by any transgression and therein remain irrepentant after due conviction and will not be reclaimed it manifesteth unto us that God also hath left it and that as the church by her sinne hath separated from and broken covenant with God so God by leaving her in hardnesse of heart without repentance hath on his part broken and dissolved the covenant also The Lord Jesus threatneth the churches for leaving their first love and for their lukewarmnesse that he will come against them speedily and remove their candlestick that is dischurch them except they repent and spue them as lothsome out of his mouth It is true the Apostles mention corruptions in the churches with utter dislike severe reproof and strait charge of reformation and the Lord Jesus threatneth the churches for lukewarmnesse and leaving their first love But neither Christ nor his Apostles did ever blame the faithfull for holding communion in those churches in the ordinances of worship or give them charge to depart if disorders and abuses were not forthwith corrected and amended Not to enquire what is due conviction Not to enquire what is due conviction or when a church is to be deemed obstinately impenitent it is most untrue that the toleration of disorders or maintenance of corruptions of some kind by some yea by many in the church is to us a manifest token that God hath left it The history of the church from the very first plantation thereof unto this very day doth evidence that many and foul abuses disorders and corruptions have continued in the churches of God when yet the Lord did not utterly take from them all tokens of his visible presence This is confessed of the church of the Jews And if they continued the church of God when they had broken covenant for their part so long as the Lord continued the signes of his visible presence among them how dare any man think or say that God hath utterly left or forsaken that people amongst whom he dwelleth plentifully by the means of grace and unto whom he imparteth the graces of his Spirit though for their sinnes they deserve to be cast off The Lord is God and not man therefore the sonnes of Jacob are not confounded The Jews at first were chosen to be the people of God not for their righteousnesse but of the rich grace and mercy of God They continue to be his church not for their righteousnesse but according to his free and gracious promise And so long as Christ doth of his mere grace and love bear with the manners of his church and giveth her not a bill of divorce it is not for men to say or judge that he hath utterly left and forsaken her And seeing the faithfull must follow Christ dwell with Christ and abide with him so long as Christ doth dwell in the assembly by his presence and plentifull means of grace it is not lawfull for them voluntarily to depart and break off communion CHAP. XI Of holding communion with that assembly in the worship of God where we cannot perform all duties mentioned Matth. 18. 15 16 17. VVHosoever neglecteth Christs rule in proceeding with his minister or others of the church both partaketh in their sin and sinneth against Christs command Matth. 18. If he be ignorant of Christs rule and order yet he sinneth but if he know it and do it not then his sin remaineth Now the rule prescribed by Christ is That one brother offended should warn any member of the same church whereof he is a member if he offend him yea though it be his minister And if he reform not he must proceed to warn him more solemnly taking two or three with him doing it in the name of Christ If this admonition take not effect for reformation he must tell the church If the church then will not do their duty he must clear himself protesting against their neglect therein Hos 2. 12. The brief and plain meaning of this objection is That every Christian is bound to perform all those offices mentioned to every delinquent brother in society or communion and that it is not lawfull to abide in society or communion where a man cannot perform all those duties without defiling or undoing himself And therein is implyed that seeing the Jews had no such order for excommunication established amongst them therefore they might hold communion not withstanding the corruptions that were found amongst them To trie the strength of this argument let it be granted that our Saviour speaketh not of private managing of civil affairs and private injuries whereby we might recover what we lost by the injurie of our brother for that is an indulgence or benefit no commandment of rule and duty yea sometimes it is a fault not to suffer wrong but of church-admonitions and censures and that order which he hath set for the winning or punishment of offenders But then by a delinquent brother we must not understand onely one of the same particular society or fellowship but any one of what countrey or condition soever with whom we have religious fellowship If thy brother If any man that is called a brother thy brother that is a Christian For our Lord hath appointed no such course to be taken with them that are out of the church Suppose Christians of distinct societies living remote one from another do trespasse one against the other is not the innocent party bound to hold the course here prescribed with the delinquent brother The rule of our Saviour is not That one brother offended should admonish any member of the same church whereof he is a member that is an addition which the text will not acknowledge but If thy brother trespasse against thee Christ speaketh here unto his Apostles but not unto them simply as Apostles but as disciples Christians and followers of Christ because the things here commanded are common to all
Understanding Will are called faculties or power Magistracy Principalities Governments we call powers or authorities which import not only might or power to an action but preeminence jurisdiction authority and government Ecclesiasticall power or administration of government is twofold proper to Christ and communicated to his church The proper government is that which Christ hath reserved onely to himself as not being shut up within any bounds of laws or orders revealed unto the creature but is executed according to his infinite wisdome by the secret hand of his Divine power and that both extraordinarily and ordinarily And this power is Lordly and Regall power absolute and of excellency which is called Power of right Communicated government is that which being limited within the compasse of certain laws and canons of his holy word he hath committed to be outwardly executed by the hand of his ministers and churches designed and appointed thereunto This power is ministeriall onely which consisteth in the outward using of the word sacraments c. and in the politicall guiding of the church concerning both the manners and necessities of all and every of them Though this latter part onely of the communicated government which is the politicall guiding of the church is that discipline which generally all ecclesiasticall writers speak of yet is not that all nor the principall of his authority And though Christ useth it many times as a chariot for his holy word to ride upon to subdue rebellious spirits yet it is neither the chief nor the most ordinary means but the simple preaching of the word is his continuall sword and sceptre whereby he saveth his people and conquereth his enemies beateth down strong holds and judgeth the very thoughts and conceits of the heart And this he doth by his word when it is not assisted by the discipline strictly taken for the word may stand without the discipline so cannot the discipline without the word But this ordinary power of the keyes or government with the execution thereof is not given to the community of the church or whole multitude of the faithfull much lesse to two or three separated from the world and gathered together by covenant so as they be the immediate and first receptacle thereof receiving it from Christ and virtually deriving it to others For no power agreeth to the multitude of the faithfull virtuall or formall but that which is given them of the Lord by his positive law The whole spirituall power for the gathering and government of his church is given to Christ as Mediatour and hath Christ our Lord the King of Saints Saviour of Sion the head of all principality and power the sole authour which he received not of the church but from the Father And if the power of the church be derived from and communicated by Christ unto his church of necessity it must draw its originall from Divine positive law and can agree to none but as it is communicated For although the light of nature teach that God is to be worshipped yet in substantiall things reason teacheth not how this worship of God is to be administred nor the house of God to be governed but in all this we must depend upon the mind and pleasure of Christ the King of his church and Saviour of his body The Apostles had none other authority but what was given them from Christ and the church is to derive all her authority from the same fountain from which the Apostles received theirs But the communicated power of the keyes with the execution thereof Christ hath not given immediately to the whole multitude but to some persons and officers designed and appointed thereunto Peruse the severall passages of scripture wherein the power and authority of preaching the Gospel administration of the sacraments binding and loosing is given unto the church and it is apparent distinct severall persons are spoken of and not the whole community Go teach all nations and baptize them Whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted and Feed my sheep Feed my lambs were these things spoken to the whole community or to speciall persons If Christ gave this power to the community or society I desire to know the date of this commission whether was it universall from the very beginning of the church or took it effect aftect churches were planted and established by the Apostles themselves Not the first for then the Apostles themselves should derive their power from the community and society of the faithfull which they did not but immediately from Christ and that both in respect of gifts and graces their calling it self and designation of their persons What Paul saith of himself That he was an Apostle not of man neither by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father that is true of all the Apostles who were sent of Christ as the Father sent him and are called Apostles of Jesus Christ not onely because they were to preach Christ but because they received their commission from him Not in after-times for then they must shew where Christ committed the power of government first to the Apostles and afterwards to the community of the faithfull for which they can bring no record out of holy scripture The ministers and guides of the church are immediately of Jesus Christ from whom immediately they derive their power and authority by whom they are set over their charge in whose name they must execute their office unto whom they must give an account and whose ministers they are Take heed to your selves and to the whole flock over which the holy Ghost hath made you overseers the Apostle speaketh unto the Presbyters of Ephesus and saith they were appointed overseers of the holy Ghost that they might govern the church of God They were chosen and ordained of men and so by immediety of person were not of God but their gifts office and authority was immediately of God In conferring those offices God useth the ministery of men but the office or authority it self is not from men but from God alone God onely in regard of authority doth ever apply all power ecclesiasticall unto every particular person his sole authority doth all in it though sometimes as in ordinary callings the ministery of others doth concurre When Christ ascended up on high he gave gifts unto men some to be Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastours and teachers The Pastourship is the gift of Christ no lesse then the Apostleship and that the more because it is perpetuall in the church Every Pastour is not immediately called but the office and order of Pastours is immediately from Christ and not from the church The person is not immediate but the calling or vocation and so the order and authority and all the jurisdiction But if the calling order and authority be immediately from Christ then it is not
derived from the community of the faithfull as the immediate receptacle Christ hath given some to be Apostles and some to be Doctours not all to be Apostles nor all to be Doctours But if the power of ordinary ministers be in the church and the power of ordinary teaching be given to every believer all should be made Doctours though not to continue so in excercising the power God hath set some in the church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after that miracles c. Teachers in respect of their function office and jurisdiction are immediately from God as well as the Apostles and God hath set some onely to be Teachers not all The steward is appointed of the master of the family alone and hath all his authority and jurisdiction from him but the ministers of the Gospel are the stewards whom he hath set over his house The harvest is the Lords and to him it belongeth to send forth labourers into the harvest There be differences of ministeries but the same Lord. But if they have their order office and authority from God immediately they derive it not from the community of the faithfull Every embassadour in the cause of his embassage doth immediately depend upon him from whom he is sent both with the incorrupt and indelible instrument of commandements or mandates But the ministers of the word are the embassadours not of men but of Christ they are the ministers of Christ as having received power office and gifts from him and not of the church as if they derived their power from the faithfull The Pastours may be called the ministers of the church as the Lords ministers or servants and the churches ministers or servants are taken indifferently but they are the Lords ministers as they receive their authority office and gifts from him which they are bound to exercise and imploy to the glory of his name the ministers or servants of the church because they minister to the church or in the church and are instituted by the head of the church for the use and profit of the body The people are sheep and not the ministers but the Lords and for the Lord and the ministers are servants for the church but the Lords and not the churches in the sense above named And so they are and ought rather to be called the ministers of Christ then of the church for all power spirituall and ecclesiasticall is a gift of God supernaturall given to the church because it is first given to certain persons in the church and by them agreeth to the church as faith prophesie c. is in the church not primò and immediately but agreeth to particular persons in the church The officers are part of the house and houshold and they are the Lords servants in his house also and the people are the Lords servants in his house and not onely his house or houshold but they give not authority to the officers neither be they servants peculiar to do the things which belong to servants in office by peculiar right Power ecclesiasticall both of Order and Jurisdiction as it is usually called is signified by the power of the keyes or the power of binding or loosing But the power of the keyes is immediately given to the ministers and guides of the church from God and not from the church or community of the faithfull For the keyes contein not onely order but power exercise and all ecclesiasticall jurisdiction which the guides of the church received immediately from Christ As Peter received the keyes of the kingdome of heaven so the rest of the Apostles and as the Apostles so all their successours received them from Christ The Apostles had extraordinary power and might in some cases exercise it singularly and personally without concurrence of others and their commission was of larger extent then the charge of ordinary Pastours or church-governours but the spirituall power to bind and loose remit and retein sinnes open and shut the kingdome of heaven is communicated to all officers from the hand and by the mandate of the same Lord and Master One ministeriall power may be in degree of dignity above another for the power of one may be about more noble acts then the power of another or in the same kind the power of one may be more extended and the power of another more contracted Thus the Deacons had for the object of their power and care not so excellent a thing as that of Pastours Evangelists and Apostles thus the power of ordinary Pastours was not so universall as the Apostles even as in the orders of servants domesticall some are imployed about lesser some about greater and more honourable subjects But all power of the servants must be derived from the same master of the family upon whom they depend and unto whom they ow service and the whole power of the Lords ministers is derived immediately from Christ and not from the faithfull knit together in covenant The church cannot convey what she never had But the church may chuse her ministers as the Papists say The church doth chuse the Pope for the Cardinals do not chuse the Pope by their authority but of the church Therefore the church conveyeth authority to her ministers The church cannot virtually or formally convey what she never had but ministerially she may sc as ministring to him who hath power and virtue of deriving it Nothing can give that which it had not formally or virtually unlesse it give it as an instrument to one who hath it but so it may give what it never had nor is capable of A man not having a penie of his own may give an hundred pounds if the King make him his almoner A steward may give all offices in his masters house as ministerially executing his masters pleasure Thus the church deriveth as taking the person whom Christ describeth and out of power will have placed in this or that office in the church The persons of the ministers are not immediately separated by Christ to that function as were the Apostles but their gifts calling and authority is immediately from him In respect of their graces and office there interveneth to midst betwixt Christ and them but the appointment or designation of them to this or that place is from the church The office is not given of men but of God onely although in conferring and speciall applying that power and exercise he use men as instruments or ministers The church is in setting out or ordaining this or that man as the colledge is in chusing when she taketh the man whom the statute of her Founder doth manifestly designe And therefore though the church have power to elect their minister it followeth not that the power of the keyes is immediately in the whole multitude or society of the faithfull For electours have not evermore authority over him whom they elect
first subject from whom it cometh to the officers As the power of seeing is not onely given intuitu hominis as the end of it and the totum to whom it agreeth but is in homine as the first subject from whom it cometh to the eye The Apostles and other governours were given of Christ for the church as for the end and all their authority was given unto them for the church as for the whole but the authority it self was immediately derived from Christ and is not in the church as the immediate subject thereof The authority of the Apostles and other guides was for the church given for the good of the whole society and so may be called the authority of the church but the authority is not immediately in the church as the subject nor derived from the church but from Christ the King of the church The authority of governours is given of Christ for a gift to the church but not for a gift absolute that it may reside in the power of the whole church to whom it is given but for a conditionall gift that it may be communicated to the governours themselves for the edification of the whole It is one thing then to ask for what end or whose use the keyes are given another to whom To every one is given the declaration of the spirit for profit that is the good of the church But was this gift given to the community of the faithfull first and immediately No by gift and possession it was given to some but for use and profit it was publick As the Saints are not priests onely for themselves but for their brethren for whom they offer up the spirituall sacrifices of prayer and thanksgiving so neither are they kings for themselves alone but for their brethren also having the power of Christ whereby to judge them 1. Cor. 5. 4 12. the keyes of the kingdome to bind and loose them Matth. 16. 19. in the order of him prescribed The order of kings is the highest order or estate in the church but the order of Saints is the order of kings and we are kings as we are Saints not as we are officers Exod. 19. 6. 1. Pet. 2. 9. Rev. 1. 6. Christ maketh every believer a king priest and prophet to teach exhort reprove comfort offer up spirituall sacrifices of prayer and praise and to guide and govern in the wayes of godlinesse But this belongeth not to the spirituall ministeriall power and authority which Christ hath given for the conservation and government of his church For every Christian man and woman is made a king priest and prophet unto God to perform all offices required in that relation but the spirituall power of government with the execution thereof is not committed to every believer in particular nor to any one The officers of Christ do neither feed and teach as prophets nor govern as kings nor offer sacrifices as priests The word it self teaching and feeding is one thing which floweth from Christ as Prophet the administration of the word whence also floweth the act of governing is from Christ as King It is from internall communion with Christ that the sound sincere faithfull and they onely are made spirituall kings and priests unto God but it is from Christ as King governing externally as be beareth the similitude of a politicall head that his servants do feed rule and censure in his name They onely are made true kings and priests unto God who have received from Christ the life of grace but they have received authority from Christ to do service in his church who have not received life of grace nor are made kings or priests unto God The Kingdome Priesthood or Prophesie of Christ doth make no man politically either priest or king or prophet for then all believers should exercise the office of politicall priests kings and prophets in the church which is opposite to the nature of Christs kingdome Christ according to his Person is neither externall King nor Pastour but doth govern his church externally by pastours and ministers yet not as by kings or priests politicall but as servants onely Pastours and teachers are but officers in the church and in no kingly authority by participation of Christs kingly office neither are they as civill governours though the Lords servants yet the peoples lords and masters But it is one thing to be a spirituall king or priest unto God another to be a pastour or teacher in Gods church for that is common to all Christians this peculiar unto them that have received authority of function from Christ The Saints therefore as spirituall kings have not received power from Christ by function or authority to censure their brethren or externally to rule or govern but this belongeth to them who are designed of Christ the King unto this office Every Christian woman may exhort or reprove without any designement of the church is every woman made a prophet externally in the church Is power to administer the sacraments and authoritatively to censure offenders se autoritate muneris not officii generalis or charitatis committed to every member of the society because every believer may exhort and admonish not onely his brother of the same or another society but even them that are without By the keyes of the kingdome power and jurisdiction is noted and not the bare duty of instruction or admonition The power of the keyes is given by Christ as the King of his church as is evident by the generall institution of ecclesiasticall politie and the particular narration of politie instituted but that every Christian was sent forth with authority and commission we never read And if this reason be of any force every believer man or woman is of equall authority to the Apostles in matters of ecclesiasticall government because the order of saints is the order of kings and that is the highest which is directly corsse to the holy scripture and the order appointed by Christ the King and Head of his church They that have received Christ have received the power of Christ and his whole power for Christ and his power are not divided nor one part of his power from another But every company or communion of faithfull people have received Christ John 1. 12. Rom. 8. 32. Isa 9. 6. and with him power and right to enjoy him though all the world be against it in all the means by which he doth communicate himself unto his church This objection is not to be understood of the essentially Divine power of Christ which is proper to him as the Sonne of God nor of the uncommunicated power of Christ given to him as Mediatour nor of that communion and fellowship which every sincere Christian and faithfull soul hath with him in his death and resurrection but of the communicated power of Christ which he hath given to his church or certain officers in the church for the
good government of all and every memeber of that society And in this sense it is not true that Christ hath given his whole power first and immediately to every person or every company two or three gathered together who receive him Every believer man or woman hath received Christ as well as every company or communion of people hath every one received power to preach the word administer the sacraments feed rule bind and loose censure and absolve women and children as well as men two as well as two hundred private persons as well as guides with or without consent of the rest as well out of as in case of necessity Every sound believer is knit to Christ as a branch to the Vine as a live-member to the Head or a wife to the Husband and receiveth the sap of grace sense living and motion immediately from Christ the true Vine and Head of his church But every believer or company of believers must not challenge that power and authority immediately which Christ doth communicate to his ministers and guides for the right managing of all things in his church or to the church with the guides and officers for the edification of the body All power of the naturall body must be together but it is not so in the spirituall And if it was the society must grow up into a perfect body complete in all parts before it can have or exercise the power of the whole which two or three gathered together ordinarily cannot be in politicall order as may be shewed hereafter The church is a Queen a Mother a Lady a Spouse and to whom should Christ first commit his power but to his Queen we know well the church is the wife and spouse of Christ and the Ministers stewards Cant. 8. 9. Ephes 5. 29 30 32. 1. Cor. 4. 1. To let passe that this title of Spouse or Queen may be applyed to one believer as well as two or three and that the guides and officers are known by those titles and relations as well as believers not in office Considering this power is not a Lordly power but a power of doing service to the church for Christ his sake and his kingdome therefore it is fit it should be committed to some persons and not to the whole community which is the Queen of Christ For Christ the King of his church hath not committed power to his Church or Queen to serve her self properly but to have persons who in this relation should stand distinguished from her who are in his name to do her service The power of priesthood was not first in the church of Israel and so derived to the priests but immediately from Christ seated in Aaron and his sons The community of the faithfull have neither the power of government nor the use of that power Not the power for it is immediately from Christ seated in such officers or principall members as Christ himself the King of his church shall authorize and not in the body considered apart from the officers Nor the use of that power because that cannot be enjoyed without officers And if it may stand with the honour of the church to want the exercise or dispensation of that power or authority it derogateth nothing from the prerogative of the faithfull to want the power it self For it is as much for the welfare and good of the church that Christ out of respect to his Spouse hath given her commandment as his steward to elect and choose officers according to his appointment who should receive power and authority from him for such and such offices and services in the church as that he should seat the power it self in a few or many believers to be derived from them unto others according to pleasure For though their authority and power be from Christ and not from the church yet the service and authority is for the church in the name of Christ and in that sense they are subject to the church In the church the officers are the ministers of Christ to execute and administer the judgements and censures of God against the obstinate but for the church They are for the people but not ministers of the people as if they drew their authority from them and were to execute their judgements But though the community hath not power given unto them yet such estate is put upon them by Christ the King and Husband of his church that all power is to be executed in such manner as standeth with respect to their excellency If spirituall and ecclesiasticall power be in the church or community of the faithfull the church doth not onely call but make officers out of virtue and power received into herself and then should the church have a true lordlike power in regard of her ministers For as he that will derive authority to the church maketh himself Lord of the church so if the church derive authority to the ministers of Christ she maketh herself Lady or Mistresse over them in the exercise of that lordlike authority For as all men know it is the property of the Lord and Master to impart authority Did the church give power to the Pastours and Teachers she might make the sacrament and preaching which one doth in order no sacrament no preaching for it is the order instituted of God that giveth being and efficacy to these ordinances and if the power of ruling feeding and dispensing the holy things of God do reside in the faithfull the word and sacrament in respect of dispensation and efficacy shall depend upon the order and institution of the society If the power of the keyes be derived from the community of the faithfull then are all officers immediately and formally servants to the church and must do every thing in the name of the church rule feed bind loose remit and retein sinnes preach and administer the sacraments then they must perform their office according to the direction of the church more or lesse seldome or frequent remisse or diligent for from whom are they to receive direction how to carry themselves in their office but from him or them from whom they receive their office whose work they are to do and from whom they must expect reward If their office and power be of God immediately they must do the duties of their place according to his designement and unto him they must give account But if their power and function be from the church the church must give account to God and the officers unto the church whom she doth take to be her helpers If it be said that God will have the church to chuse officers to execute the power committed unto her the answer is Either God will have her elect officers of his designement to do his work according to that power he shall give them and by his direction and then they are Gods servants and not the churches and receive their charge and function
immediately from God and not from the people or he leaveth it to the arbitrement of the church to chuse according to pleasure such as must receive charge and authority from her and then they must execute their office in her name so as shall seem good unto the church and neither longer nor otherwise For if the ministers of the church be subject to God and Christ by the intervention of the faithfull onely that they preach or administer the sacraments rule or feed they have it from the people and not from God And if they depend immediately upon the faithfull to wit two or three gathered together in covenant they must derive and draw from them what in order they are to preach unto men in the name of the Lord For from him must the embassadour learn his errand from whom he receiveth his commission Moreover if the power of the keyes be given first and immediately unto the community of the faithfull what reason can be given why in defect of officers the church might not rule govern feed bind loose preach and administer the sacraments or if any fail in any office why she might not supply that want by her power For the power of the keyes doth contein both authority and exercise power being given to this end that it might be exercised as it is vouchsafed But the church when she is destitute of officers cannot execute those acts of rule nor by her power supply the want of any office onely she hath a ministery of calling one whom Christ hath described that from Christ he may have power of office given him in the vacant place In the church of Christ the officers are called servants and in that relation the church may be called a Lord And if Christ truly call the Sonne of man Lord of the Sabbath because the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath we may also call the church in a respect Lord of the officers for the officers are for the church and not the church for them The church-officers are the church-servants and it is strange men should have no command over their servants If the officers of Christ be both of and for the church or people and community the people may not onely in some respects be called their Lords but indeed they have a true lordlike power over them But the church hath no lordlike power over the ministers of Christ whom he hath set over his house to rule and guide it by authority received from him and according to his direction whose ministers properly they are who is the Prince of Pastours The object about which the ecclesiasticall ministery is exercised is the church and their function is for the good of the church but the principall cause and Lord of the ministers upon whom they depend is Christ and not the church When our Saviour saith The Sonne of man is Lord of the Sabbath he speaketh of himself alone rather then of man in generall For to be the Lord of the Sabbath that is to have the Sabbath in his power so as he might dispense or do contrary to the law is proper to the Law-giver But not to insist thereupon the ministers are appointed for the good of the flocks committed to their charge in the name of Christ but the flocks neither are nor ought to be called Lords or Masters of their Pastours or Teachers As in the naturall body all power is first in the community or totum and afterwards in a particular person or part so it is in the body ecclesiasticall All that is true in the body naturall or politick cannot be applyed to the mysticall body of Christ For analogum is not in omni simile for then it should be the same with the analogatum All the power of hearing seeing c. are in the whole man which doth produce them effectually though formally and instrumentally they are in the eare and eye and the reason is because these powers are naturall and whatever is naturall doth first agree to the community or totum and afterward to a particular person or part But all that is in these bodies cannot hold in Christs mysticall body In a naturall body the power is first in the community in a particular person from it but all ecclesiasticall power is first in our King before any in the church from him In naturall bodies the power of seeing is first immediately in the man and for the man in the eye In the mysticall body the faith of the believer is not first immediately in all then in the believer but first of all and immediately in the personall believer for whose good it serveth more properly then for the whole every man being to live by his own faith One man is capable of grace which cannot agree to the whole community immediately The power of Apostleship or of ordinary ministery was not first in the church and so derived to the Apostles and ministers but immediately from Christ seated in the Apostles and ordinary Pastours and Teachers For seeing power ecclesiasticall was first in Christ as in a prince not subject to the church or dependent upon her consequently it perteineth to him as prince to take order concerning his embassadours and substitutes whose power is derived from him not from the church who of her own nature is not a mistresse in spirituall things but the servant of Jesus Christ redeemed by him Christ is the first authour of this spirituall power upon whose will and institution all things depend as for the church she can give no spirituall power to few or many one or more as please herself for what time she will but must submit to that which Christ hath left for her spirituall good and comfort The words are as clear as the sun Tell the church that is the congregation or assembly whereof the offender is a member which rule concerneth all the visible churches in the world since the power of excommunication is an essentiall property one of the keys of the kingdome the onely solemn ordinance in the church for the humbling and saving of an obstinate offender and as necessary as the power to receive in members without which a church cannot be gathered or consist But what are we to understand by the church or assembly A company consisting though but of two or three separated from the world whether Unchristian or Antichristian and gathered into the name of Christ by a covenant made to walk in the wayes of God made known unto them though they be without any officers among them which company being a church hath interest in all the holy things of Christ within and amongst themselves immediately under him the head without any forrein aid or assistance For a set company of believers must needs be a constituted visible church Two or three or more people making Peters confession Matth. 16. are the church There were churches
before olders ordained and a company of faithfull people without officers may be in covenant with God and have him dwell amongst them and may have communion one with another and their children have right to baptisme And it must be considered that two or three gathered together have the same right with two or three hundred By two or three having this power of binding or loosing cannot be meant two or three ministers considered severally from the body which alone are not the church for any publick administration but the officers of the church but by two or three are meant the meanest communion or society of Saints whether with officers or without officers This then is that which he would clearly evince out of this text of scripture That spirituall power is essentially and primarily given to the society of the faithfull few or many though but two or three to the faithfull without their guides or officers who are added to the church and derive their authority from the church to whom it agreeth secondarily and by accident and so by the church understand any collection of the faithfull united in covenant great or small few or many with or without guides or officers The church is sometimes put for believers few or many But to the making up of a visible distinct society or congregation properly so called or body politicall furnished with the power of Christ for government and the exercise of all religious duties and ordinances of worship a competent number is requisite and necessary At first Adam and Eve were the church when there were none other persons in the world and might perform all the officers of a church at that time required of them But two or three are no sufficient number to make up that society which now we speak of There is a twofold church as the society of Christians is twofold publick or private The private society may be in one family though small The publick society is a convenient number of such as do in one uniform agreed course of outward joynt worship of God professe that righteousnesse which is by the faith of Jesus Christ The number of men worshipping God aright is a church be it few or many be it few or many but two or three cannot make up an intire society consisting of all its parts fitted to the execution of all substantiall offices perteining to the body or corporation A competent and fit number there must be to make up this body but no precise number is or can be determined it may be more or lesse according to the circumstances of time place and other occurrences Therefore for our direction in this case it is good to look at their pattern who first planted the churches of God according to the wisdome of God and by the direction of his Spirit And to begin with the Apostles because we speak of Christian churches first by comparing passages of holy scripture together we shall find that to ordain elders city by city and to ordain elders church by church are used as phrases adaequate and aequipollent not that the whole multitude of the one and locall bounds of the other should make but one congregation but because the Christians or believers within those bounds or limits were framed into one Christian society or church For Presbyters were not given but to Disciples and Christians now converted out of the multitude and locall limits wherewith cities were bounded Now though the Apostles framing the cities with their suburbs and territories into one church or society on the present occasion doth not exclude the constituting of any other society or congregation within the same locall bounds when the multitude of believers should be encreased yet it doth evidently confirm that the number of believers requisite to the making up of a perfect or complete church in all parts and offices must not be small The Apostles never comprehend the multitude of citizens unconverted to the profession of the faith under the name of the church neither can it be imagined that the whole multitude within those locall circuits united in civil society was linked by any spirituall bond or tie but the city had the reason of an ample continent the church of a thing conteined Neverthelesse the blessing of God considered which did extraordinarily accompany the labours of the Apostles according to the prophesies foregoing touching the calling of the Gentiles the number of believers we may well think within that circuit was very great But if we take a view of particular churches the matter will be more plain The Christian church at Jerusalem was one distinct society which did congregate upon occasion and held communion in the ordinances of worship But it grew and encreased first to three thousand then to five thousand afterward multitudes of men and women were added and then it came to millions It may be in this last number such believers are reckoned as had no fixed habitation in Jerusalem but came thither upon occasion and were there in transitu and not as fixed members of this church viz. such as came up by occasion of the Passeover or Pentecost or other like feast and were onely there for the present It may be the Apostles tolerated them though more then could fitly meet together ordinarily in one congregation because they foresaw such times to ensue wherein many of them should translate themselves and be dispersed hither and thither It may be also God let it grow more rank and abundant then ordinary churches because it was ecclesia surcularis many of whose branches were to be translated in their time But whatsoever might be the reason of this great number this is certain the multitude was great for after it was grown to five thousand and multitudes of men and women were added it encreased daily The number of disciples encreased greatly in Jerusalem and a great company of the Priests were obedient to the faith The Syriack Interpreter hath it of the Jews sc inhabiting Judea but the Greek Arabick Ethiopick Vulgar and Chrysostom approve the former And the number of Priests was not small as the scripture witnesseth And when all the Apostles or the greatest part of them remained at Jerusalem continuing in the ministery of the word and prayer and that they might do it the more earnestly and diligently left off the care of the poore to others how can we think that the whole church did not multiply and encrease It is most probable that the whole city of Samaria in a manner embraced the faith The people gave heed with one accord unto those things which Philip spake As the whole city from the least unto the greatest had given heed to Simon Magus before so to Philip now when he preached Christ It is said also that Samaria received the Gospel which argueth that it had universall enterteinment among them In
other churches we shall not find the number of believers mentioned precisely but without question it was not samall in Antioch of which it is said a great number believing turned unto the Lord as that Barnabas by his preaching added a great multitude unto the Lord and that Paul and Barnabas continued there teaching and preaching with many others the word of the Lord. The like may be said of Corinth Philippi and the seven churches of Asia which are all spoken of as particular churches and societies They stretch the limits of the church of Corinth too farre that extend it to all the Saints in Achaia because the Apostle nameth the rest of Achaia with them as he doth all Saints in all places For he might speak of them as of divers churches in one province as he doth in other places And it is too grosse to think that all in Achaia came to Corinth to be instructed and make their contribution every church using the first day of the week when they assembled to make their collections within themselves Neither can it be well conceived how all Achaia should assemble together for the service of God and the execution of discipline as it is noted of the church of Corinth It will easily be credited that the number of believers was great in Ephesus if we call to mind that when Paul had been there but two yeares all they which dwelt in Asia had heard the word of the Lord both Jews and Graecians those that had used curious arts came and burned their books in the sight of all men which could not be done without great danger unto the church unlesse a great part of the city had believed the art of making shrines and Diana's temple was in danger to be set at nothing and that a great doore and effectuall was opened unto the Apostle at Ephesus And that the multitude of believers was great in all proper settled politicall societies appeareth in this that the Apostles appointed divers overseers elders and deacons to teach and govern the people and take care of the poore which they would not have done nor could the church have born the charge thereof if the number had not been large Two or three making Peters confession cannot be the church in this passage of scripture for the party complained of is one member and the complainant another and he is to take with him one or two if he be not heard before he bring the matter unto the church and how then shall any two or three separated from the world and consenting together in an holy covenant be the church in this place If any two or three consenting in an holy covenant serve to make up this community or church what hindreth but it may consist of women and children onely and so the spirituall authority of teaching exhorting binding loosing remitting reteining sins shall originally executivè agree unto a community of believing women whereof every member is regularly uncapable For the Apostle teacheth plainly that a woman may not speak in the congregation And though he speak particularly of prophesying and teaching yet layeth he down a more generall rule forbidding all such speaking as in which authority is used that is usurped over the man which is done specially in judgement And if a woman may not so much as move a question in the church for instruction how much lesse may she give a voice or rather a reproof for censure And if women be debarred by their sex as from ordinary prophesying so from any other dealing wherein they take authority over the man how can two or three believing women be the church with power ministeriall publickly to bind and loose remit and retein sinnes And if two or three gathered together have the same right and power with two or three hundred or two or three thousand let the society without officers be never so great it cannot be the church that is here meant For those Divines which hold power and authority of binding and loosing to be delivered by Christ to the whole church that is to every particular church collectively because it perteineth to them to deny Christian communion to such wicked persons as adde contumacy to their disobedience and to remit the punishment again upon repentance they generally with one consent maintein that the execution and judiciall exercising of this power perteineth to that company and assembly of officers or governours in every church which the Apostle calleth a presbytery But our Saviour in that text of Scripture speaketh of the execution and exercise of the power of binding and loosing which was never committed to the community of the faithfull without officers If the joynt consent of orthodox Divines move not let it be considered that the exercise of ecclesiasticall censures externall and authoritative was never committed to the community of the faithfull without officers never exercised by the faithfull in any age of the Christian church Let such as plead for this power bring forth either commission for it or precedent of it if they be able The externall and authoritative power of binding and loosing as the greatest power in the church doth comprehend under it all matters subordinate and of the same nature power to preach the word autoritatively and to admit unto or put from the sacraments but the exercise of this inferiour power was never committed to a Christian society or church without officers And if we will not make one text of scripture contrary to another we cannot think the exercise of that power is here given to the community of the faithfull few or many without officers which in all other places is given to the governours never to the faithfull without guides By the church the whole multitude of believers whether with officers or without cannot be understood For that power agreeth not to the whole body in actu primo or in esse as they speak whereof many particular members regularly are not capable as the faculty of speaking or seeing should not first belong to man as the principium Quod if the whole in all parts were not capable of that power But the power of binding or loosing cannot regularly agree to many particular members of that community sc women and children And if women and children though believers be here excluded the word church must not be taken in the largest and most ordinary signification in the new Testament for so it comprehendeth all believers disciples faithfull linked in society If the authority of binding or loosing pertein to the whole church in actu primo sive in esse and to the Presbytery alone in actu secundo sive in operari as the act of speaking perteineth to a man as the principium Quod but to the tongue alone as the principium Quo yet the church cannot be taken for the whole community for our Saviour
speaketh of the actuall execution of this power and not of the power it self which onely belongeth to the governours And if the church be the Christian Presbytery as it exerciseth discipline and not the multitude of the faithfull then is this text in vain alledged to proove all power Ecclesiasticall to be originally and by way of execution in the community of the faithfull then the power of hearing examining determining and censuring doth primarily belong unto the Presbytery and not unto the faithfull in common God is the God of order and not of confusion But if the hearing and determining of all causes which may fall out in a society consisting of three or four six or eight ten or twenty thousand persons for so many may be in one society must be referred to the whole community and that upon the Lords day to be joyned with the administration of the word sacraments almes and the rest yea in these cases to go before the other parts of worship lest the holy things of God be polluted by notorious obstinate offenders disorder and confusion cannot be avoyded When shall controversies be decided How shall the community have sufficient intelligence of the state and quality of matters Either businesses must be determined rashly or infinitely protracted before they can be heard of every man and they agreed together In so great a multitude it cannot be conceived how things should be done seasonably moderately in order without partiality and dissension where every one may walk according to his own rule and no man to be guided or directed by another but as pleaseth himself And if spirituall power originaliter executivè be given to every member of and to the whole community of the faithfull then is every member in some sort a ruler and governour And if we search into the records of the church we shall find none example either in the holy scriptures or the histories of the ancient church where the universall multitude of the faithfull none directing or governing the action did lawfully proceed in the determination of spirituall matters of this kind In the old testament not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when it is rendred Synagoga but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when it is translated Ecclesia signifieth an assembly of princes and elders of the people and so of prophets likewise for when the words are generall to note any assembly of men met together whether civil or sacred it is not strange if the congregation of princes nobles elders and prophets assembled be known by the same name In the new Testament the word church is sometimes an assembly or company howsoever gathered together but ordinarily it noteth a society of faithfull Christians as all and every siant are called saints But as the Apostle when he doth grievously reprehend the Corinthians that they had not brought the knowledge of their contentions to the saints he understandeth not the promiscuous multitude but some speciall or chief amongst them So by the church which noteth a multitude or society of believers we must understand some and the chief of the church a church in a church For when it commonly signifyeth a multitude with relation to religion the church-governours set over the flock by Christ assembled to heare and determine matters that may fall out amongst the faithfull is not unfitly nor obscurely called the church And those things are rightly said to be brought to the church which are brought to them that guide the church by the authority and appointment of Christ As the body is said to see when the eyes alone see so the church is said to heare that which they onely do heare who are the eares of the church Not that the guides are substitutes of the multitude in that respect for the eye is not the deputy of the hand or foot but that the power which they have received they have received it from Christ for the whole body and must execute it to the good and profit of the whole They are the stewards deputies ministers of Christ but for the whole body and every member thereof From all this it is apparent that the word church in this text of scripture cannot be taken as it is commonly in other passages of the new Testament For in other texts it noteth the multitude of believers without distinction of sex age or condition but here women and children are excluded as regularly uncapable of that power here spoken of In other places the church signifyeth a multitude of believers saints faithfull or disciples as they are distinguished from their officers and guides which are set as stewards in the Lords family and officers in his corporation but here the officers of the church are necessarily included If the word must be interpreted according to the circumstances of the text and the matter intreated of the matter here insisted upon is no where else touched in all the new Testament for here and no where else is a rule left by Christ how offenders are to be dealt withall and by whom the sentence is to be determined and if the matter be peculiar it is no marvell if the words be taken in a sense restrained The Syriack interpreter useth three words to expresse the greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synagogue or Assembly which is used for the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the old Testament and for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the new But Matth. 10. 17. he translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Tremellius rendreth in Concilia Boderian in domum judiciorum De Dieu in domum judicum For as among the Hebrewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so among the Syrians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James 2. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 25. 23. The second word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 congregatio Acts 19. 32 39 40. and is used in the old Testament for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when it signifieth the assembly of Judges Psal 82. 1. and in the new for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 5. 27. and 6. 12. and 23. 1 20 28. In other passages they translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 16. 18. 18. 17. Acts 2. 47. 5. 11. 8. 1 3. 9. 31. Rom. 16. 1 4 5 c. which they use for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 7. 8. 74. 2. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 22. 26 27. 35. 12. 40. 10. 89. 6. 149. 1. The Arabick Interpreter useth foure words in the new Testament First of all Gamhon Acts 19. 31 39. which in the old Testament they use for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 35. 18. 74. 2. Psal 1. 5. 82. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Psal 22. 26. 26. 5. 149. 1. in the new for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 10. 17. Jam. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 6. 12. The second Gamahaton Acts 7. 38. 11. 22. 15. 3. Rom. 16. 4 5 16. 1. Cor. 1. 2 c. which is used in the old Testament for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 22. 17. even when it signifieth an assembly of princes elders of judges Num. 35. 12 24 25. 27. 1 2. 36. 1. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 22. 23. 68. 27. and in the new Testament for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 5. 22. The third Kanisaton Rom. 16. 1. Acts 11. 26. 12. 1 5. 13. 1. 15. 4 22. 1. Cor. 14. 19 33. in the Revelation every where The fourth Bihaton Matth. 16. 18. 18. 17. Acts 2. 47. 5. 11. 8. 1. 14. 27. 18. 22. 20. 17. 1. Cor. 6. 4. 11. 16. Ephes 1. 22. 3. 10. which is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 40. 10. In the Arabick Pentateuch they put Gawkon for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deut. 23. 1 2 3. 31. 30. Lev. 4. 14. which word is not found in the new Testament The Ethiopick interpreter Matth. 18. 17. for Tell the church hath domui Christianorum and so Matth. 16. 18. domum Christianorum meorum as De Dieu observeth And if all these things be laid together it will appear the words used by the Syriack and Arabick Interpreters will easily admit the former interpretation And if we compare one text of scripture with another when the church spoken of in this passage of Matthew hath power to heare and determine controversies and censure offenders by publick authority which agreeth to no spirituall society which hath not received power ministeriall from Christ to preach the Gospel and receive unto and debarre from the sacraments by publick authority it cannot be that the community of the faithfull in any particular society should be understood by the church seeing Christ the Lord of the church hath not communicated power to them to do such things themselves nor to deliver it over to the governours to have such things done in their name but hath immediately given power to his officers and ministers to do such acts or service in his name for the good and benefit of the society and as it may stand with respect to the honour and estate which Christ hath put upon the society as his flock and people Two scriptures are so plain clear evident and perspicuous for excommunication the former Matth. 18. 15 16 17. for the order and degrees of proceeding the other 1. Cor. 5. 4. for the persons interessed in the businesse as that to bring in other scriptures for the expounding of them is in truth as needlesse and lost a labour as to light the sunne and moon a candle They among whom the fornication was out of the midst of whom he was to be put and which were puffed up when they had rather cause of sorrowing to them the Apostle writeth them he reproveth they were to be gathered together for the excommunicating purging out and judging of the offender vers 1 2 3 4 5. And therefore the duty here enjoyned as well concerneth the brethren as the officers except we will say the fornicatour was onely among and in the midst of the officers and to be put from among them and left among the people still and that the officers onely were puffed up when they should have sorrowed and not the brethren with them It concerned the people as well as the priests in the type and shadow to put away leaven out of their houses and to keep the passeover with unleavened bread and so in the truth and substance to purge and put out this leaven Paul speaketh of namely the incestuous person vers 6 7. The Apostle admonisheth them that they were not to be commingled with fornicatours nor to eat with them vers 9 10 11. and this duty as well concerned the people as the officers They with whom Paul dealeth are commanded to put the wicked man from among themselves vers 13. So that the same persons from among whom he is to be put are to put him away which are both officers and people They whom the Apostle by his letter made sory for their failing in the casting out of the incestuous man and that with sorrow to repentance manifested with great indignation and zeal they were to reprove and censure him and so did for his reformation and their own clearing which that it was not the case of the officers alone but of the brethren with them appeareth in these scriptures 1. Cor. 5. 1 2. with 2. Cor. 2. 5 6. 7. 8 9 10 11 12. Paul writeth not onely to the officers but to the brethren as well as to them to forgive or loose to comfort or confirm their love toward the same person upon his repentance 2. Cor. 2. 7 8. therein plainly witnessing that the brethren as well as the officers had bound rebuked and manifested their indignation against the sinne and the person for it The conclusion inferred is That the rule prescribed by Christ Matth. 18. and the practice of the same rule by Paul 1. Cor. 5. do severally and joyntly couple and combine together the elders and the people in the censuring of an offender the officers going before the brethren following in their order and the women lastly by silent consent wherein the scriptures distinguish them from the men 1. Cor. 14. 34. 1. Tim. 2. 12. But this conclusion fighteth with it self reacheth not to the point in hand followeth not from the premisses if understood according to the Authours meaning It is crosse to it self for if women may not authoritatively excommunicate then every one two or three amongst whom the fornicatour was whom the Apostle reproved because he was not cast out whom he admonisheth not to be commingled with fornicatours whom he made sory for their failing and to whom he writeth to loose forgive him c. had not equall power with the officers to cast him out or to forgive him For all these things were written to the church of Corinth to the women as well as the men unles we shall say the incestuous person must be left among them or they might company with fornicatours c. In scripture they are distinguished from men it is said therefore in some cases that which is said to the whole congregation doth not equally concern every one in the congregation but in their order And if women be not comprehended in those exhortations and rebukes as equall to the brethren we cannot say the brethren are comprehended as equal to the officers But each thing must be expounded according to the nature of the argument and conference of other scriptures In generall the whole society may be blamed when every particular member
is not in fault as here we may well think some in Corinth mourned and endeavoured to have the incestuous person removed who else should inform the Apostle now far absent of this abuse and their grosse security but could not prevail and yet the Apostle rebuketh the whole society And the same may be observed in the Prophets they rebuke the common sinnes of many as if all had corrupted their wayes Again the Apostle might rebuke the whole society that he was not cast out when yet the authority to cast him out perteined to some onely Some he might rebuke because they were puffed up and did not sorrow nor admonish governours to do their office others because they did not cast him out or rebuke him earnestly to bring him to repentance Both the brethren and the officers might be remisse the one to stirre up by grief and just indignation the others to do the duties of their place and so both sorts worthily incurre rebuke So he might admonish them all not to be commingled with fornicatours but every one according to his place not the brethren by private familiarity and conversing not the guides by their remissenesse suffering him to abide in the society whom they ought to expell and cast out He might decree and command that when they were assembled together in the name of Christ they should deliver him to Satan some by their authority derived from Christ whereunto the rest must give free and willing consent It perteined unto them all to endeavour his casting forth but to every man in his order to the officers to cast him forth by their authority to the faithfull by admonition sorrow free consent and just indignation if upon rebuke he did not testifie repentance It concerned the people as well as the preists to put away leaven out of their houses and so every man was to put leaven out of his own house and every Christian man and woman is to purge sinne out of their hearts and do their endeavour to reform others But if this be applied to the purging and casting forth of the incestuous man then it must be remembred that similitudes hold not in every thing For otherwise every prticular man and woman in Corinth being a member of that society had authority of himself actually to thrust out the incestuous person which is directly contrary to the Apostles admonition For when they were assembled together in the name of Christ the Apostle willeth them to deliver up to Satan him that had done that wicked deed He designeth none other authour of this sentence but the Lord Jesus Christ in whose name that is by whose authority and commandment received from him he would have it to be administred For nothing can be done prosperously in the church unlesse all things we undertake be ordered according to the prescript of the chief and supreme Lawgiver But God never gave authority to every particular believer two or three to thrust every notorious offender out of the congregation as he charged every master of a family to put away leaven out of his house By the power of Christ is understood the incommunicable power or virtue of Christ whereby he worketh powerfully by his Spirit in the ministery of the word and confirmeth the sentence of the church rightly pronounced according to his promise That virtue or efficacious power by which he is with his church to the end of the world and promiseth to be in the midst of two or three that should be so gathered together in his name And Paul encourageth the Corinthians to minister the discipline of excommunication upon the incestuous man arming them thereunto by the mighty presence of Christ by which it should be made effectuall Or if by the power of Christ we understand both that which is proper to Christ and that which is communicated to his officers for the good and benefit of the church which is lesse probable yet there is no syllable that this power is given immediately to the whole community and from them derived to the officers much lesse that it is given originally and executivè both to a small company of believers without officers For the Apostle speaketh not of the power but of the execution of that power which God hath given and that by a church completely furnished with officers for that purpose The principall cause of that casting forth was the power that is the commandment and authority of Christ who is the authour of ecclesiasticall power the near cause the commandment of the Apostle Let him be delivered to Satan the next cause the authority of the governours to whom Christ hath committed the care of his flock But as the authority of Christ doth not take away the judgement of the Apostle nor the judgement of the Apostle the authority of the governours no more doth the authority of the governours the due regard and respect which must be had of the people in the execution of that dreadfull sentence To this purpose is the distinction of a twofold excommunication or power of the keyes used by Divines The first concionalis per modum doctrinae which is the first part of the power of the keyes and so the pastour alone may excommunicate the impenitent according to the commandment of Christ The second judicialis per modum sententiae which is not in the power of every pastour but of the church sc of the rulers or officers in respect of authority derived but to be exercised with due regard had to the communitie as the flock and sheep of Christ When the Apostle writeth to the Corinthians in behalf of the incestuous person to confirm their love towards him he saith it is sufficient that he had been rebuked of many thereby understanding not the whole society but the chief or governours to whom the care of ecclesiasticall discipline was committed And if the congregation was freely and deliberately to consent to his excommunication the authority of many was sufficient for his rebuke by whom it was performed to whom belonged the authority of binding and loosing ministerially It is true the word many is now and then put for all when the subject matter requireth it be so understood but there is no reason so to take it in this passage and if all had received authority immediately to rebuke by way of censure and ministerially we can give no reason why the Apostle should not rather have said of all then of many The question then is not whether all due regard should be had of the congregation or church in a matter of such weight and importance before the governours proceed to the sentence of excommunication but whether the power of excommunication and exercise thereof be primarily in the people and from them derived to the ministers which is not proved by this nor any other text of scripture Two or three met together in the name of Christ are the church that hath power to excommunicate But
that agreeth to the whole community and not to the officers alone Moreover the power of excommunication is an essentiall property one of the keyes of the kingdome and as necessary as the power to receive in members without which a church cannot be gathered or consist Every society consisting of two or three believers met together to pray is not that church which hath power to excommunicate for then in many Christian congregations and in divers families there should be many churches invested with this authority No one example can be alledged out of scripture or ecclesiasticall story of the ancient church in which the multitude of the faithfull no guides or officers moderating the action did lawfully excommunicate or judge as the Apostle speaketh any member of the society No promise can be shewed in holy writ wherein any such authority is bequeathed to two or three private believers disciples or brethren The sentence of excommunication is to be concluded and denounced by men met together in the name of Christ that is by the commandment and authority of Christ and with the power of Christ but it will never be proved that Christ hath authorized two or three Christian people without officers or guides to meet in his name and by his power to denounce that grave and fearfull sentence The church to whom this power perteineth is an assembly gathered in the name and by the power of Christ for such a purpose which agreeth to them onely who have received power from Christ to do that service and not to every society nor to every one in any complete society of believers And thus the words of our Saviour must be expounded if they have such reference to the precedent matter But they may contein a reason drawn from the lesse to the greater thus If Christ be present with two or three gathered together in his name to ask things agreeable to his will he will much more confirm in heaven whatsoever his officers and servants assembled in his name shall determine and conclude and what sentence they shall denounce upon mature deliberation according to his will If we speak of complete churches such as the Apostles planted it hath power of excommunication which is one part of the power of the keyes but the execution of that power is not essentiall to the church either constitutively or consecutively It is neither the matter nor form of the church nor that which doth necessarily flow from them as an inseparable property The moderate use of excommunication is necessary to the well-being of a church but there may be a true church where there is no discipline of excommunication and where that censure is not put in practice He may be a good physitian who never used section a good chirurgian who hath no saw and the body sound which never suffered the cutting off of a member The conclusion is That all spirituall power is immediately derived from Christ to be exercised by his direction and appointment for the good and benefit of the whole church The power of preaching the word authoritatively and administration of the sacraments perteineth to the Pastours and Teachers onely which power they have received from Christ must exercise for the edification of the flock The power of excommunication formaliter exsecutivè is proper to the company or assembly of guides and rulers in the church derived from Christ to be exercised as Christ shall go before them but with the notice of and due regard had unto the whole society CHAP. XIII An examination of sundry positions laid down by M r Jacob in his Exposition of the second commandement tending to Separation TO know the true sense and meaning the just scope and purpose of the second commandment is of continuall and necessary use and rightly conceived might be a means of unity and peace amongst brethren in matters of worship In this regard M r Jacob as he saith compiled a brief exposition of that commandment and with a mind desirous to maintein and keep the people of God within the bounds of truth and peace I purpose a brief plain and modest examination of his exposition in some particulars concerning the speciall object of the commandment and positions taken by some to be just grounds of Separation By the second commandment we stand bound to embrace all the instituted holy doctrines means and ordinances both inward and outward appointed of God to bring us life to believe that we have to bring us to eternall life a Mediatour and Saviour given us and that he is a Priest Prophet and King These things are not in the first but in the second commandment although they be inward actions of the mind and inward worship This is a private conceit affirmed without ground or reason to support it crosse to the commandment and M r Jacob himself Contrary to the commandment for the first commandment enjoyneth us to take the true Jehovah to be our God as in covenant he hath bound himself unto his Israel But God is not our God in covenant but in and through a Mediatour And therefore the first commandment bindeth us to take the true God in and through a Mediatour that is Jesus Christ to be our God M r Jacob holdeth the tables of the law to be the Lords testimony and convenant wherein all duties whatsoever even the Evangelicall as faith hope and repentance are commanded But in the covenant of grace in what commandment the Lord hath bound us to know believe hope or call upon him in the same he hath obliged us to know him in Christ to believe in him through Christ and to call upon him in and through a Mediatour For God in Christ or God and Christ is the object of Christian religion and since the fall of Adam there is no throne erected unto which man can come no way prepared no liberty granted for man to come no good successe to be expected but in the name of a Mediatour It is impossible to conceive how Christians should believe that God is or that he is a rewarder of them that seek him diligently but according to his covenant of mercy how they should believe in his free grace and mercy for the remission of sinnes but in and through Jesus Christ our onely Saviour The selfsame precept which bindeth Christians to take the true God to be their God King Father Judge and Saviour bindeth them also to take Jesus Christ to be their sole Mediatour Redeemer Saviour King and Priest and Prophet Not to believe in or worship Jesus Christ is a breach of the first commandment so the profession of Turcisme is against the first commandment To believe in or pray unto Angels or Saints departed as mediatours is a breach of the first commandment All honour and service whatsoever inward or outward which is due unto God by virtue of the first commandment it must be done unto God in and through Jesus Christ
uniting themselves in covenant should be reputed the onely visible and ministeriall church independent from whom the officers should as their servants derive their authority This kind or form of a visible church is so farre from being the onely lawfull and allowed form of a church in scripture as if we speak of a church complete in respect of the inward substance and externall order furnished for all duties and offices required of the church it is not so much as warranted in scripture To the constitution of a visible distinct society or church there is required First an intire profession of one and the same faith and holynesse intire in all fundamentall articles of faith to be believed as necessary to salvation and main precepts and morall laws for practice to be acknowledged A lively operative faith maketh a man a true member of the church invisible and the profession of faith and holynesse a member of the church visible Profession of Divine verities revealed in Christ whom onely the companies and societies of Christians acknowledge to be the Sonne of God and Saviour of the world doth distinguish Christians from Jews The intire profession of faith according to the rule left by Christ and his first disciples and scholars the holy apostles doth separate the multitude of night-believing Christians which is the sound part of the Christian church from all seduced hereticall combinations Secondly there is required an union and communion in the true worship of God and ordinances belonging thereunto appointed of God himself sc prayer administration of the sacraments and dispensation of the word But the time may fall out that the preaching of the word may be omitted and reading or meditation may possesse the place thereof nay mere desire conjoyned with manifold sighs So the administration of the sacraments may be left off as it was in the church of the Israelites for the space of fourty yeares in the wildernesse But though the being of a church is not absolutely destroyed by the want or omission of these exercises for a time yet they are actions necessary to the well-being of a church and such as flow from the very nature of a church if they be not hindred Thirdly there must be subjection to lawfull guides officers or pastours appointed authorized and sanctified to lead and direct the flock in the happy wayes of eternall life Companies of believers were gathered before elders were ordained amongst them and the church may continue when guides are wanting as in case they be taken away by death persecution banishment but it is not complete or perfect without them neither can it hold communion in many ordinances of worship nor execute many offices which belong to the church consisting of all its parts Fourthly to the making up of an intire visible distinct society orders laws and discipline is required for the perventing of abuses and scandals the preservation of the holy things of God from contempt the recovery of them that fall and suppression of prophanenesse Discipline is needfull in every society without which it cannot long continue but all things will run into confusion It is necessary the members of the church should live Christianly otherwise the profession of faith and administration of the holy things of God must needs be polluted Discipline put for the censures hath no practice but in an united body or church which must needs have a being before it can exercise its power But the excercise of that power in a body complete is necessary not simply to the being but to the well-being of the whole As a city so the church cannot be without those things which belong to the necessary being thereof but it may be without those that belong unto her safety alone though not so well Fifthly the members of a visible church must hold fellowship in faith and love not onely one with another but with all other visible churches and all others intirely professing the faith of Christ and walking in holynesse so farre as they hold communion with Jesus Christ For all visible churches though distinct societies be sisters one in profession fundamentall laws and ordinances and should be one in hearty love and affection And no particular church can be called or be the true church of Christ but as it holdeth union with the catholick From the relation whereby Christ is referred to his members these things flow sc That Christ doth expound to them his word for the food of eternall life and doth hang seals to his word whereby he doth confirm and ratifie it From the relation whereby the members of Christ are referred to him their Head these things flow That whosoever would be accounted for true members of Jesus Christ they must acknowledge and receive that food and those seals appointed by Divine institution If the faithfull must assemble to heare the word of God call upon his name and receive the sacraments then there must be some to preach the word administer the sacraments and blesse in the name of the Lord and that by authority from God If they must receive the word and avouch themselves to be the people of God then they must walk before him in holynesse and maintein the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace If the temple of God must be kept from pollution and the holy things of God from contempt then there must be authority communicated from Christ to censure such as offend to repell the notorious to comfort the afflicted and receive the penitent If all promiscuously may not meddle with the dispensation of the holy things of God to that purpose then there must be order for their election and admission into that office and for the execution thereof being admitted thereunto Where all these things are to be found purely the church is excellent for degree pure and famous Where any of these are wanting or impure the church is so much defective or impure though it may be pure in comparison of others Wheresoever we see the word of God truly taught and professed in points fundamentall and the sacraments for substance rightly administred there is the true church of Christ though the health and soundnesse of it may be crazed by many errours in doctrine corruptions in the worship of God and evils in the life and manners of men Profession of the true faith alone in matters fundamentall and holy prayer with exhortation to obedience is a mark of the true church though the sacraments upon occasion be not there administred so that they be not neglected upon any contempt or erroneous conceit of their not being necessary Where most of these notes are wanting or impure the church is of lesse account in dignity excellency and credit coming short of others according to the degrees of impurity in the marks the deficiency of some marks and the nature of the marks themselves in which the impurity is As impurity in doctrine or administration of the sacraments is worse then disorder in matter of
government onely Therefore to the full complete constitution of a visible church many things are required and that of divers kinds in themselves and of divers degrees of necessity all which cannot be referred to the second commandment but many and they most necessary to the first some to the third some to all And though in things essentiall and unchangeable belonging to the being of the church and matters positive determined by God nothing must be done besides the rule yet in things not determined concerning externall order and the better exercise of that authority which Christ hath committed to his servants some things are permitted to the wisdome of the church according to the generall rules of scripture And if the church holding the true faith as it hath formerly been said shall exceed or fall short in some particulars for such superfluity or defect she is not to be rejected as no true visible church of Christ Every church-ministery made and devised by the policy of men and not instituted of God is against the second commandment c. And all offices and ministeries in the church which are found in the scripture as instituted by God are in the affirmative part of this second commandment The church-ministery in respect of the main and substantiall duties belonging thereunto doth pertein to the second commandment in part not wholly or onely but in respect of things circumstantiall annexed to the ministery it belongeth not to the second commandment And if we consult scripture that is a new or devised ministery which for substance of the office is not of God be the outward calling never so orderly or legall and that ministery is not new or devised which for the substance of the office is of God though the entrance was disordered in the person admininistring many things be amisse and in the execution many defects or superfluities If a minister orderly chosen and ordained shall preach false and corrupt doctrine in points fundamentall or administer false sacraments his ministery is new devised false notwithstanding his lawfull entrance If a minister enter unlawfully either by the tumult of the people partiality of the overseers or corruption of patrones if he preach Christ crucified soundly and rightly administer the sacraments his ministery is true and of God though his entrance be of men If a minister preach sound doctrine in the main though mixed with some errours and administer the holy sacraments though with some superstitious rites his ministery is not to be esteemed new or devised for these weaknesses If some things humane be mixed with Divine a sound Christian must separate the one from the other and not cast away what is of God as a nullity fruitlesse unprofitable defiled because somewhat of men is annexed unto them In the body we can distinguish betwixt the substance and the sicknesse which cleaveth unto it betwixt the substance of a part and member and some bunch or swelling which is a deformity but destroyeth not the nature of that part or member Which of the prophets doth not cry out against the pride oppression covetousnesse tyranny of the priests in the time of the law Their offices were bought and sold they themselves despised knowledge opposed the prophets of the Lord strengthened the hands of the wicked and were enemies to all piety and yet their ministery was not false and devised for the main substance of it It is objected by the rigidest Separatists with great confidence That to communicate in a false ministery is certainly a breach of the second commandment For what do they else but set up an idole yea and bow down unto it which serve God in and by a devised ministery But if first they would consider what a false or devised ministery is and then what it is to communicate in the worship of God with them they would soon forsake this fort wherein they trust For the ministery may be true and of God when the election is disordered and the person unmeet and the execution maimed If this be not granted there was neither church nor sacrament nor ministery in the world for many hundred yeares yea if every superfluity or defect make a nullity of the ministery they that think themselves the onely ministers will be found none at all because they derive their authority from the community of the faithfull it may be two or three onely united in covenant which hath none authority to communicate it as hath been proved before For so we may reason as they do That is no ministery which is derived from them and executed in their name who have none authority to give it What is it to communicate in a false ministery Is it to communicate in the worship of God with them whose calling is not in every respect appointed and approved of God I might entreat them to look to their own standing before they accuse others and justifie their own calling before they seek to draw others from the communion of the church upon such pretenses But if that be their meaning the proposition is weak it can neither stand alone nor be underset with any props For when the prophets prophesied lies and the priests bare rule by their means was their ministery true or false When the priests were dumb dogs that could not bark and greedy dogs that could never have enough was their ministery true or false When the priests bought and sold doves in the temple or took upon them to provide doves and such like things for them that were to offer was their ministery true or false When the scribes and Pharisees corrupted the law by false glosses taught for doctrine mens precepts made the commandment of God of none effect by their traditions and set themselves against Jesus Christ was their ministery true or false If true then an ignorant idole prophane idle ministery which despiseth knowledge opposeth godlinesse prophaneth the holy things of God corrupteth the law polluteth his worship strengtheneth the hands of the wicked leadeth the blind out of the way may be a true and lawfull ministery If false then to communicate in a false ministery is not a breach of the second commandment For the true prophets forbad not the people to heare the priests nor our Saviour his followers to communicate with the scribes and Pharisees in the worship of God He charged them to beware of their leaven to let them alone because they were the blind leaders of the blind but he never laid his commandment upon the faithfull not to communicate with them in the worship of God And therefore to communicate with ministers no better then Pharisees in the true worship of God is neither a vain worship nor an abetting of the party in his sin nor to rebell against the Lord nor to commit spirituall whoredome but on the contrary it is to worship God aright to reverence his ordinances to relie upon his grace to hearken unto his voice and submit unto
his good pleasure If their ministery was true in some respects and false in others then the ministery is not absolutely false which in some respect is not pure as it ought and is to be desired then also it is no sin to communicate in a false ministery in some respect so farre to wit as it hath truth in it and doth carry the stamp of God The priests scribes and Pharisees were of the tribe of Levi which was set apart for the ministery yet might they be strangers thieves robbers murderers which the sheep of Christ will not heare that is follow or be led by them For the ministers whom our Saviour chargeth as thieves and murderers were of continuall succession of Levi and Aaron especially and it is to be understood of them who teach false doctrine and not of them who enter without a lawfull outward calling And to enter by Christ the doore teaching him alone to be the onely Saviour and Mediatour is the note of a good shepherd To heare them is not simply to communicate with them in the ordinances of God which the godly and faithfull among the Jews might not refuse to do with the Scribes and Pharisees who were thieves and robbers but to receive their doctrine and embrace their errours which was evermore unlawfull The thieves and murderers in the church of the Jews sprung up with them and continued amongst them and neither departed themselves nor were cast out by others that had authority In the Christian church divers false teachers ravening wolves Antichrists rose up not from among the Heathen or Jews but in and from themselves whereof some went out from the church and separated themselves others were cast out by excommunication and delivered up unto Satan that they might learn not to blaspheme others were tolerated in the church either because their heresies were not so pernicious at the first or the better side had not power to cast them out or they preached fundamentall truths but of evil minds These in respect of outward order were lawfully chosen or called and yet false prophets discovered by their doctrine not by their calling and some of them continuing in the church the faithfull are warned to beware of their errours that they be not infected by them but not forbidden to partake at the ordinances of worship because they are present And if we look into the Scriptures of the old and new Testament we shall never find the prophets called true or false in respect of their outward calling but in respect of their doctrine A man may have a lawfull outward calling to the ministery and yet be a false prophet because he preacheth the lying visions of his own heart But we shall never find him called a false prophet who teacheth the truth as he hath received it of God because in some particular his calling might be excepted against And seeing he that speaketh the truth to edification exhortation rebuke and comfort of Gods people according to the command of God is a true prophet he that speaketh the dreams of his own heart is a false prophet It were good if they in whose mouthes the chalenge of false prophets is rifest would better weigh how they themselves expound and apply the scriptures in their writings or prophesyings lest notwithstanding any outward church-state or calling as they pretend they be deeper wounded by the rebound of their accusations this way then their adversaries For whosoever will be pleased to trie and examine the matter unpartially shall find their quotations of scripture to be many impertinent forced wrested miserably abused without all fear or reverence Let no man therefore be dismayed at their great confidence big words multitude of scripture-proofs or pretended grounds from others whose principles they put in practice for if they be particularly examined they will either disclaim the cause or put weapons into thy hands truly to fight against and put them to flight But for the present I forbear to enter into particulars because I desire the satisfaction of the more moderate sort who though they scruple communion in some particulars above handled do yet dislike that totall Separation which others make and that bitternesse of spirit wherewith they prosecute their cause The Lord in tender mercy look down upon his church make up the breaches which sinne hath made remove the stumbling-blocks and occasions of offense recall such as are gone astray cause his truth to shine more and more in our hearts and teach them that fear his name to walk in love and by an holy unblamable conversation in all things to approve the soundnesse of their faith and sincerity of their religion before all men for the comfort of their souls the edification of others and the glory of his great name through Jesus Christ our Lord. FINIS The generall heads conteined in this Book CHAP. I. OF a stinted form of prayer pag. 1. CHAP. II. All things essentiall to prayer may be observed in a prescript form pag. 12. CHAP. III. A stinted Liturgie or publick form of prayer is no breach of the second commandment pag. 23. CHAP. IIII. It is as lawfull to pray unto God in a form of words devised by others as to sing psalmes to the praise of God in a stinted form of words prescribed by others pag. 54. CHAP. V. A stinted form of prayer doth not quench the Spirit pag. 83. CHAP. VI. In scripture there be prescript forms of blessing prayers salutations c. which may lawfully be used pag. 97. CHAP. VII The churches of God have both used and approved a stinted Liturgie pag. 106. CHAP. VIII The people may lawfully be present at those prayers which are put up unto God in a stinted form of words and partake in Divine ordinances administred in a stinted Liturgie pag. 122. CHAP. IX It is lawfull for a Christian to be present at that service which is read out of a book in some things faultie both for form and matter pag. 157. CHAP. X. It is lawfull to communicate in a mixt congregation where ignorant and prophane persons be admitted to the sacrament pag. 187. CHAP. XI Of holding communion with that assembly in the worship of God where we cannot perform all duties mentioned Matth. 18. 15 16 17. pag. 216. CHAP. XII The community of the faithfull much lesse two or three separated from the world and gathered together into the name of Christ by a covenant are not the proper and immediate subject of power ecclesiasticall pag. 231. CHAP. XIII An examination of sundry positions laid down by M r Jacob in his Exposition of the second commandment tending to Separation pag. 282. FINIS Octob. 9. 1639. Imprimatur Cantabrigiae Ra. Brownrigg Procan Psal 50. 15. 1. Tim. 2. 5. John 10. 23. Ephes 2. 18. Rom. 8. 26. 1 Cor. 14. 16 28. Orig. contra Celsum lib. 8. Ambr. in 1 Cor. 14. Hieron ad Heliodor Epitaph Nepotian August De Magist lib. 1 Idem De
â—tentes cautelâ praecepti Dominici c. August lib. De fide oper Perniciosa est audacia stultáque praesumtio se ab Ecclesia separate ob exempla quorundam malè moratorum c. And lib. 3. Contr. Par. cap. 2. Si contagio peccandi multitudinem invaserit non est illa excommunicanda sed Dei correctio exspectati debet Nam separationis consilia sunt inania perniciosa sacrilega impia superba plùs pertûrbant infirmos bonos quà m corrigunt animosos malâ—s See whitâ—k De Eccl. qu. 1. cap. 10 11. See August Brevicul Collat. And Aug. lib. 3. Cont. lit Parmen cap. 1. AUFERTE inquit MALUM EX VOBIS ut si fortè non possent auferre malos à congregatione sua auferendo malum ex seipsis id est non cum ipsis peccando nec iis ad peccandum consentiendo aut favendo integerrimi inter eos incorruptissimi versarentur Object 1. Robins Against Bern. pag. 248. Answ Rom. 16. 17. 1. Cor. 5. 1 4 5. 1. Thess 5. 14. 2. Thess 3. 6. 1. Tim. 6. 5. Rev. 2. 14 16 20. Object 1. Answ 1. Cor. 6. 1 7. Theophylact. ad Matth. 18. Chrysost in Matth. Hom. 62. Jansen Harm Evang. cap. 72. John 6. 59 60. Talmidim linguâ— Hebraeâ iidem sunt qui linguâ Graecâ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 auditores Gratian. Decret part 2. c. 2. qu. 1. c. 1 2 3 4 19. Beza Annot. in Matth. 18. 16. Matth. 3. 6. 9. 2. 12. 31. 26. 28. Robins Against Bern. pag. 180. 1. Sam. 19. 4. Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 42. 22. Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arâ—b Erpen Nè peccetis Gen. 37. 21 22. 1. Kings 8. 31. Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jer. 37. 18 Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 17. 3 4. Matth. 18 21. Rivet Orthodox tract 1. qu. 8. pag. 126. Eccl. 7. 20 21 22. Pol. Lyser Harm Evang. cap. 92. Beza De presbyt pag. 46. Gal. 6. 1. Lev. 19. 17. Bellarm. De verbo Dei l. 3. cap. 5. Robins Treat pag. 189. Lev. 19. 17. Deut. 17. 12. Numb 15. 30 32 34 36. Isa 57. 2. Ezek. 34. 3. Zech. 11. 17. John 10. 10 21. Matth. 15. 5. 16. 6. 26. 65. 1. Cor. 3. 10. 2. Cor. 11. 13. Gal. 1. 6. Apoc. 2. 20. 3. 15. 2. 14. 3. 1. 1. Cor. 1. 11. 1. Cor. 5. 1 2. Lev. 7. 20. 22. 2 3. Num. 19. 13 20. 2. Chron. 23. 19 Lev. 4. 2 13 22 27. 5. 4 17. Num. 15. 22 23 24. Psal 50. 13 14 15 16. Isa 1. 15 21 22 23. Psal 51. 18 19. Hos 6. 6. Amos 5. 22. Gen. 17 14. Num. 15. 30. 19. 13. Object 2. Robins Against Bern. pag. 247 248. Answ If my brother sin a scandalous sin and I by just order make complaint thereof to the church I have done my duty It apperteineth to the church to excommunicate him if he repent not but not to me except Pope-like I would make my self the church I am guilty of the evil in the common-wealth and family for the redressing whereof I do not my duty in my place which if I do in the church as I can I am free from the sinnes done and suffered thee which sinnes and evils I can no more be said to suffer wanting power to reform them they to suffer it to blow or rain because I hinder it not Robins Treat pag. 18. Object 3. Hos 2. 1 2. Answ We are sure they called the people out of the church of Israel when it was idolatrous and forbad them to come at their assemblies Hos 2. 2. 314. and 4. 15 17. Amos 5. 5. Ainsw Consid exam pag. 8. Power authority differ as potentia potestas In Christo fuit potestâ—s excellentiae quam tamen non tel quit in ecclesia Harm Cons Helvet cap. 18. Nunc est potestas absoluta quae Juris dicitur Joan. de Paris cap. 10. De potest Act. 1. 17. 1. Tim. 3. 1. Matth. 20. 26 27 28. Acts 20. 24. Papa non est Dominus spiritualium sed minister tantum Joan. de Paris De potest cap. 20. 2. Cor. 1. 21. 2. Cor. 10. 4. Isa 11. 4. John 3. 5 6. Acts 2. 38. 24. 25. 26. 28. Argum. 1. John 3. 23. Hebr. 5. 4. Matth. 28. 19 20. Rev. 13. 13. Isa 62. 11. Col. 2. 10. Ephes 4. 7. Psal 2. 6. Hebr. 5. 5. Revel 1. 1. Psal 45. 1. Ephes 4. 11 12. Matth. 28. 19 20. John 20. 21 22 and 21. 15 16. Matth. 28. 19 20 and 18. 17 18. John 20. 21 22. Gal. 1. 1. Bellarm. De Pontis Rem l. 4. cap. 23. Act. 20. 28. Ames tom 1. Bellarm. enervat cap. 3. cap. 8. §. 14. Th. Aquin. 1. dist 12. qu. 1. a. 3. Contra Gentes l. 3. cap. 70. Bellarm. De Pont. Rom. lib. 2. cap. 17. §. Observandum est Ephes 4. 8 11. 1. Cor. 12. 28. verse 29. Tit. 1. 7. Matth. 24 41. Matth. 9. 38. 1. Cor. 12. 5. 2. Cor. 5. 20. 1. Thess 5. 12. Phil. 1. 1. 2. Cor. 6. 4. Rom. 1. 1. 2. Cor. 4. 5. Col. 1. 24 25. Ezek. 34 6 8 31. 1 Cor. 4. 1. Heb. 3. 5 6. Gal. 6. 10. 1. Pet. 2. 5. All the faithfull are the Lords servants but ministers are his servants in office afâ—er a speciall manner Object 1. Gratiam Docret dist 79. can 8. Quem universitatis consensus â—legerit â—r de Zabar Carâ— Florent tract De schism Nomine universitatis debet intelligi universitas totius Christianitatis Answ Chamier tom 2. lib. 11. cap. 19. §. 11. Object 2. Matth. 16. 17. Robins Against Bern. pag. 149 150. Idem pag. 150. Answ Isa 22. 23 24. The office of teaching is laid upon some few chosen and ordained thereunto Into this office may no man intrude nor usurp it without a lawfull calling Ainsw M r Bern. reas dispr 176. Object 3. Answ 1. Cor. 3. 22. 4. 1. 1. Tim. 3. 15. 1. Cor. 12. 7. 1. Cor. 3. 12. 1. Tim. 3. 15. 1. Cor. 4. 1. Object 4. Robins Against Bern. Pag. 226 133. Idem pag. 217. Answ Matth 28. 19. Ephes 4. 11. Object 5. Robins Against Bern. pag. 131. Answ John 1 12. Rom. 8 32. Isa 9. 6. John 15. 1 5. Ephes 1. 22 23. 4. 15 16. 5. 2 3. Ephes 5. 25 29 30. Revel 21. 2. Matth. 28. 19 20. Object 6. Robins Against Bern. Pag. â—23 133. Answ 2. Cor. 4. 5. Argum. 2. Object 1. 2. Cor. 4. 5. Robins Against Bern. pag. 215. Idem pag. 214. Answ 1. Pet. 5. 4. Matth. 12. 8. Mark 2. 27 28. Chemn Harm cap. 48. Pisc in Matth. 12. 8. Schol. Beza Annot. in Marc. 2. 2â— Object 2. Answ Parabola analogia non oportâ—t nec potest per omnia esse similis alias non jam parabola sed ipsa eadem res esset Th. Aquin. 3. part qu. 8. Object 3. Robins Against Bern. pag. 170. Idem pag. 227. Idem
because the children of Jews in covenant were circumcised For let the particular differences be never so many in this they agree That they are both sacraments of initiation and so belong to them that be in covenant sc the faithfull and their seed The Papists put many differences betwixt circumcision and the sacraments of the new Testament and yet this is a good strong argument Circumcision is a seal of the righteousnesse of faith therefore the sacraments are seals of the covenant of grace For however circumcision and baptisme and the Lords supper differ in their particular natures in the common authour nature and end of sacraments they agree This is a sound and good reason that lay-men and midwives ought not to baptize Because God hath coupled together the authoritative preaching of the word and administration of the sacraments and yet it is no hard matter to assigne many particular differences betwixt the word and sacraments A caviller might easily have found out many particular differences betwixt the sin of the angels and the Sodomites and those against whom the Apostle writeth but that had not infringed his argument from those examples It is a superfluous thing to heap up differences which are nothing to the point in hand And if we compare this answer with the reasons marshalled to fight against a stinted form of prayer it doth plainly overthrow and put them to slight For thus they must needs run Means of Divine worship not ordained of God are unlawfull to wit in stinted prayer but not in forms of praising God All strange worship is unlawfull But a stinted form of prayer is strange worship sc when the minister speaketh alone to God but not when the congregation pronounceth every word with the minister for then either a devised form is not strange worship or all strange worship is not unlawfull Mens inventions in Gods worship are unlawfull what all inventions or devised forms No but devised forms in prose not in verse when we pray not when we praise God when we speak to God not when we admonish one another Because this answer cometh often I desire our brethren to consider whether any other construction can possibly be made of it then this and whether ought can be spoken more grosse and contradictory to their positions The discourses that I have seen against stinted forms of prayer in generall need no other confutation but an understanding reader to observe how in this answer they turn the edge of their own weapons against themselves The penmen of the psalmes were prophets extraordinarily assisted and immediately by God designed to that work so are not the authours of the Liturgie This is not to the purpose For the psalmes penned by the prophets are paterns and forms of spirituall songs but not set forms prescribed to us as psalmes to be sung in those very words and forms Though the psalmes be parts of the canonicall scripture our brethren must esteem the use of them as a prescript form to be the devise of man because God hath not given them to that end nor by his commandment tied us and all churches to them and none others in the precise form of words When in the new Testament we are exhorted to sing psalmes they will not say that we are tied to Davids psalmes or other songs given by immediate Divine inspiration If therefore a prescript form of psalmes be lawfull it must be of such as are devised by men and not immediately inspired by the holy Ghost Besides we cannot say that the psalmes as they are sung in metre in our churches or for ought I know in any churches in the Christian world are the immediate and infallible truth of God given by inspiration of God any more then we can say of an holy paraphrase upon the scripture that it is the scripture it self In the new Testament since Christ we have no precedent of any stinted form of singing recorded in scripture and if we look to the practice of the times after the Apostles we shall find the church used other hymnes and not scripture-psalmes onely There is a necessity of having forms of psalmes set down in words not so of prayers In psalmes there is of necessitie required a certain known form of words that two or more may sing together according to the nature of the ordinance wherein many joyning vocally do make concent or harmony By which it appeareth how unadvisedly these ministers and others do thus again and again urge set forms of psalmes to prove set forms of prayers In the new Testament we have no precedent for the manner of singing recorded in scripture and in the primitive churches following the Apostles times it was various according to the custome of severall nations sometimes by one the rest hearing sometimes by course or quire-wise as the women answered the men Exod. 15. See Jun. Exod. 15. and sometimes by the whole multitude and sometimes it was but like fair long reading with modulation of the voyce The primitive Fathers therefore did not judge it necessary that the psalmes should be sung by the whole multitude that were present And if it be necessary yet is not a prescribed form in that respect necessary In preaching and prayer both before that people can joyn with the minister a stinted form of words is necessary and this is all can be said of singing This or that form prescribed is necessarie in neither a stinted form is necessary in both The people cannot sing with the minister unlesse what is to be sung be represented unto them in a set form of words nor can they joyn in prayer or attend to the word preached unlesse the matter of prayer or preaching be conveyed to their understanding in a set form of words Is a minister able to expresse the necessities of the people or the doctrine of salvation in a form of words devised and studied by himself and is he not able by meditation and study to dictate or compose a psalme to be sung by the people as occasion requireth And if he be able to compose a psalme in respect of the form of words and method is not a stinted form of singing a devised help an arbitrary help to him and so forbidden as it was said of prayer Christ hath given gifts unto his ministers for preaching and prayer hath he not for singing of psalmes also And if it be a dishonour to Christ as some affirm that they should use a form of prayer devised by others is it not a dishonour likewise that they should use a form of singing devised by others as not enabled with gifts of themselves to furnish the necessities of the church When prescribed and set forms of psalmes were necessary in the church of the Jews did the Lord commit this office to the priests Levites or ordinary officers of the church or to the prophets extraordinarily inspired and called of God to this purpose To
whom hath the Lord committed that charge and given ordinary authoritie to prescribe forms of singing in the churches in the new Testament If thee be such difference as is pretended betwixt the devised forms of praying and singing it is necessary that he that denieth the one to be lawfull and challengeth liberty in the other should shew his commission Christ fitteth his servants with gifts for the whole work of the ministery to pray as well as to preach by their own gifts for prayer is an ordinance of the new Testament as well as preaching and they are made able thereunto not by shewing the sufficiency of other men whose prayer they reade but their sufficiency is of God enabling them Thus our brethren reason against read or prescribed prayer and doth not the same hold as truly against the use of a prescribed psalme To sing psalmes is an ordinance of the new Testament and the minister of God is enabled to sing as well as to pray by his own gifts otherwise he is not enabled for the whole work of his ministery and if he reade or sing a psalme whose gifts doth he exercise therein This necessitie being presupposed I would know whether that particular form of singing devised by man and prescribed by others be an humane invention or no If it be the devise of man then it is forbidden in the second commandment as they say If it be not of man then it must be of God by speciall institution and immediate inspiration then the self-same form of words issuing from the same cause or authour should be humane if delivered in form of prayer and Divine in form of a psalme Whereas this necessitie is onely an adjunct to the thing and doth not so change the nature of it as to make that which is of man by common gifts to be from God by speciall institution as it must in this case according to their tenent I would know further whether this devised or prescribed form of singing be an acceptable worship and service of God or no If it be then some worship devised by men is acceptable to God in case of necessitie which cannot be admitted If it be not worship then a devised form of prayer cannot be condemned as a devised worship And therefore if there be any such necessity as is pretended it should rather exempt from the practice of singing then give liberty to a devised form which God hath not warranted nor approved For it is a rule in Divinity That against a generall negative precept no particular affirmative can be lawfull unlesse that particular be warranted in scripture For the scripture should not be perfect to furnish the man of God completely to every good work if a particular affirmative not warranted in speciall might be lawfull against a generall negative seeing in that case a man can have no sure ground to rest on But against this supposed generall negative precept forbidding all humane inventions in Gods worship all devised helps and furtherances all strange worship there is no particular warrant allowing it in singing psalmes When all devised worship is condeÌ„ned how shall the conscience be assured that this particular devised worship shall be accepted No necessity excuseth in the doing of a thing otherwise unlawful but that which exempteth from the coÌ„mandment in that case Now whether that pretended necessity of a set form should exempt from the generall negative precept forbidding all devised forms as will-worship as they expound it or froÌ„ the affirmative precept of singing of psalmes let them judge who put the exception Necessitie which hath no law in some particular case presupposeth some free time wherein that pressing necessitie hath no place then what necessity hath found out for remedy that must cease the necessity ceasing But that any necessity which lieth continually upon all churches as doth the singing in a prescript form if they sing at all should warrant them to do that which is coÌ„trary to a general negative precept is a tradition in Divinity never heard of before The reason therefore standeth still in force If it be lawfull to praise God in a form of words devised by man it is lawfull also to pray to God in a stinted form and an arbitrary form is altogether as lawfull as a devised form And if Christians shall not withdraw themselves from the stinted prayers of the congregation before a materiall difference be shewed in these particulars and that destinction of Arbitrary and Necessary devised forms be proved by scripture or solid reason the world shall end I am confident before they separate And thus some other objections made against a stinted Liturgie are answered It is Gods ordinance that the churches should be edified by their gifts who minister unto them and that in prayer as well as in preaching and Christ â—itteth all his servants with gifts for the whole work of the ministery But in reading a stinted Liturgie a minister doth not edifie the church with his own gifts This reason concludeth not against a publick stinted Liturgie as a breach of the second commandment or a devised worship nor as unlawfull in it self but by accident onely as it hindreth the edification of the church by the ministers own gifts But I desire to know whether it be not lawfull for the minister at all in the publick execution of his office or any part thereof to make use of other mens gifts or that he must not make use of other mens onely and not of his own at all If the former it is not proved by any text of scripture If the later it maketh nothing against the use of stinted prayer In every part of his publick function preaching prayer blessing singing administration of the sacraments reading of the scriptures a minister may and ought to make use of the gifts of others In exposition of scripture he may make use of the divers readings marginall notes interlineary glosses marginall references he may make use of the gifts of linguists translatours paraphrasts and commentatours to explain hard phrases find out the coherence and meaning of the text c. In matters of controversie of the labours and gifts of them that have travelled most painfully therein In application of doctrine he may make use of such as have handled that matter more soundly fully pithily then he is able and in the act of preaching of all these joyntly or severally as he doth utter what he hath gathered out of his notes or memory Calvine a man of great learning admirable dexteritie of wit singular skill in the Hebrew tongue was yet pleased in his commentaries upon the psalmes to make great use of Vatablus annotations Mercer in his exquisite Commentary upon Job was not a little holpen by the sermons of Calvine upon the same book Mollerus is pleased for the most part to gather his observations upon the psalmes word for word professedly out of Calvine How many sermons and tractates be extant
grievous persecutions the churches of God could not assemble in any great numbers in publick places but have been compelled to meet in dens and caves and woods one and the same society in divers places yet so as the society was not broken though their meeting together in one place was interrupted To meet together therefore in one place is not so essentiall to the church but it may continue one in laws ordinances government and communion though in respect of multitude distance of places and many other occurrences they be constrained to assemble and hold their meeting severally And that it was thus in the churches planted by the apostles it is most probable May we not well think that the Christian church at Jerusalem for whom Christ had prayed particularly to which some attribute the first miraculous conversion by Peters preaching and amongst whom being now ascended into glory he did more abundantly display his power and more conspicuously swallow up the scandal of his Crosse which had the labour of all or many of the apostles for a time in it whose care and industry we may guesse at by their ordination of Deacons that they might not be distracted whereunto much people did resort dayly who though explicitely they did not believe in Christ yet had they in them the faith of the Messias and so were nearer to the kingdome of God then the common heathen which was to send out light to all other churches and be a common nursery to the world May we not well think that this church did quickly rise to such bignesse that they could not well assemble in one congregation as we call them And the same may be said of other churches before mentioned For at that time the regions were white even unto the harvest the time was come when that heavenly kingdome was to be planted amongst all nations and at the beginning God did reveal his arm more extraordinarily and things which have their set period of growing do in their beginnings come on the fastest And seeing the apostles were extraordinarlly furnished for the work and had a great and wide doore set open unto them of God seeing they were diligent and industrious in their work and God was pleased mightily to accompany their endeavours is it not more then conjecturall that within short time the number of believers in those great and populous cities with their suburbs and circumjacent villages did exceed the capacity of one congregation The officers also which the Apostles ordained for the use of those churches were in number more then one ordinary congregation could bear or were necessary for the service thereof unlesse it were exceeding great and could not long continue together with edification but of necessity must assemble in severall places It was not the apostles practice to ordain pastours in those places where as yet no sheep were to be seen or very few and it had been inconvenient to tie the faithfull to one congregation when by reason of multitude they could not meet in one place to their edification What then remaineth but that they might assemble in divers places and yet hold communion in laws ordinances government and officers When presbyters were first assigned to their particular cures it is not certain Eusebius reporteth that many churches were gathered in Alexandria by Mark But what he alledgeth out of Philo as if it was to be understood of Christians is misapplied by him The first as it is commonly received that divided churches into parishes and assigned presbyters distinctly to take care of them was Euaristus Bishop of Rome But Platina reporteth this upon the credit of Damasus and that supposititious for the authour of the book carrying the title of Damasus was Anastasius Bibliothecarius an Abbot of Rome who lived about the yeare DCCCLVIII And what probability is there that under the reigne of Trajan who moved the third persecution from Nero against the church and that most violent there should be place to divide parishes and place singular presbyters over their peculiar charges Some think with more probability that Dionysius who was bishop of Rome in the yeare of Christ 267. did ordain parishes and commit them so ordained to Presbyters For in his dayes the church had peace Galienus by publick edict granting liberty But if it be yielded that there were some parochiall divisions about those times they were not many and within the city and were but as chapells of ease the church holding and continuing the same communion And whensoever Presbyters were assigned to their speciall cures we may conceive the multitude of believers though within the cities onely necessarily required their assembling in divers places before For though the number of Christians was sometimes greatly wasted with hot and fierie persecutions as Platina in vita Xisti 1. who followed Alexander the successour of Euaristus about the yeare of Christ 120. writeth by reason of the frequent slaughters there were few found at Rome which durst professe the name of Christ And Onuphrius Annot. in vit Hig. saith Although all Popes in those times suffered not martyrdome yet they endured many things for the confession of Christ of the raging common people and wicked magistrates who reteined perpetuall hatred against Christians neverthelesse at other times the number of Christians did greatly increase as the Ecclestasticall story noteth a most remarkable growth of the faith in the time of Fabian before Cornelius Neither must we think that an Emperour as Philippus favouring the faith did not bring on multitudes to the like profession Cornelius reporteth that in the church of Rome there were seaven Deacons seaven Subdeacons two and forty Acolyths two and fifty Lectours Porters Exorcists six and forty Presbyters a thousand and five hundred widows poore and sick And from hence he doth amplifie Novatus his pertinacy that none of the numerous clergy nor yet of the people very great and innumerable could turn him or recall him This was one visible ministeriall church wherein all the members had union and communion together for the mutuall edifying and restoring one of another but it was too great and abundant ordinarily to assemble in one place So that the church might remain one when the multitude was too great to meet in one place ordinarily and when particular Presbyters were assigned to particular cures For that was not a division of the society into societies distinct but an assignement of some particular officer to the oversight of one part or branch of the society for the more fit and commodious government of the whole as it was conceived and they so attended that branch of the society or church that their care and oversight reached to the whole And out of doubt this form or kind of a visible and ministeriall church is much nearer to the patterns and precedents set by the apostles in the first plantation of Christian churches then that two three or few believers