single person for 1. It cannot be demonstrated that Paul alone did it but it is more then probable that he had the Advice and Assent of the Church which these two were of perhaps of the Church of Laodicea whence that Epistle was written for this was his practice 1 Cor. 3. When ye are Assembled and my Spirit with the power of the Lord J. ch 2. Neither must every one draw this Consequence Whatsoever Paul did I may do for his Calling was immediate from Christ and extraordinary in it self The Sentence of the Church in the Execution of this Discipline is passed by the Representative of it and in case the Nature of the thing be such as that because the power of the Party or of some other Consiedration it is not or cannot be decided in particular Congregations by the Pastor and his Elders it must be referred to a Classis from it to a SYNOD according to the Pattern Acts 15. So that It is a Sacrilegious usurpation of any particular one as POPE or any other that will do it alone without the Church or her Representatives in the chusing of which there ought to be such care as that they be not Idiots or Ignorant men but men of Piety understanding and of Credit as much as can be to meet in a certain place and alwayes they must remember that their Authority is not supream but Ministerial and therefore that they are bound onely to the Laws and Rules given by the Holy Ghost in the Word and therefore as in point of Doctrine so as to Discipline in all things they must follow the Word For it doth not belong to the Church now established to make any Lawes different from or contrary to the Rules of the Word The Right of the Church doth in the 4th place consist in the power of advising and voting in Synods Councels and Ecclesiastical Assemblies by their Elders Deputies and Representatives not only Arch Bishops and Bishops as Papists would have and not onely Pastors and those that are professed Divines as the Prelatical Party desireth but also other godly and knowing Persons chosen and sent by the Church afore called Elders Deputies and Representatives are to be admitted to vote in the decision of Controversies this I speak not of my own neither must it be called a new thing since for the confirmation of it I will bring 1. Scripture 2. Antiquity 3. Reason As to the 1. in the Councells Synods or Assemblies held by the Apostles not only the Apostles themselves but also the Elders and Deputies of the people who were not professed Divines were admitted so in the Councill of HYERUSALEM of which we read Acts the 15 out of which place these 2 things do appear 1. that the Church Deputies were admitted into the Assemblies v. 22. It pleased the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church which is interpreted the next Verse The Brethren representing the Church 2. it doth appear that they were admitted not to be simply and meer Spectators but also to be Judges and to decide with their Votes Affairs propounded in the Assembly for they are named among those whom the Letter came from who had not been named in the Letter except they had a Vote in the Decree Wherefore in these times except the Prelatical Party do think themselves wiser and greater than the Apostles they ought not to deprive the Church of this right as they do through Usurpation but rather to restore them to that share which they ought to have in the Government of the Church which to deny is to commit a heynous Sacriledg and to be guilty of as great a tyranny as can be usurped over the people of God And as the Apostles yielded to the Church her right so in the Primitive times the Church was not deprived of it for in the most famous and Oecumenical Councils this was granted to the Church 1. In the First Councel of Nice called by the Emperour Constantine the Great against Arius who denyed the Deity of Christ the Elders of the People and Representative of the Church had their Votes in it So in the First Council of Constantinople called by the Emperour Theodosius the first against Macedonius who denyed the Deity of the Holy Ghost in this also the Deputies of the Church voted in the ARTICLES therein debated as it doth appear by the Subscriptions of the Acts of these Two Synods For further confirmation of this Right of the Church to my judgement no better reason than this can be given These Synods and Assemblies do represent the Church If it be a Provincial Synod it representeth the Churches of a Province if National of a Nation so if universall it representeth the whole Christian Church Now If this Church either Provincial National c. represented by these Synods doth consist not only of Bishops or Pastors Doctors Teachers and Ministers but also of Lay or Secular Persons among whom sometimes there happen to be men no way inferiour in parts and Piety to many of the Clergy So it is of good consequence to say that some of the body of the Church consisting of Lay men are to be admitted to these Church-Assemblies for since they are interessed in the Transactions of such meetings they must send their Deputies to be present to the Conclusions taken there or else all these Assemblies shall be no better than a Councill of Trent called not to debate of but to confirm Errours where one of the Parties shall be excluded and the other shall be the Party and Judg. These Assemblies cannot be said to be free and Lawfull when there is so much violence and corruption as that one shall be admitted as guilty and accused Persons when he should be equal to his Adversary in such a meeting wherefore I say in case a Synod was called in this Nation consisting of Episcopal men for the most if the businesse was to be decided by plurallity of Votes it would not be a right and competent Assembly except things were resolved by strength of Reason and by an equall number of the different Parties But to be brief This right of the Church in the 8th place doth consist in this That the Church is subject to no power but to the power of Christ The Church ownes no Authority but his and it ought to be free from any others Dominion Christ Jesus is the only Lord and Potentate of his Church which to signifie he is called sometimes the King other times the Lord Master Husband Head and Shepherd of his Church If any other Secular or Ecclesiastical Officer doth aspire to this Power He is a Thief and a Robber We must not think that Christ Jesus hath so dearly purchased his Church to submit her afterwards to the will and lust of men He hath Redeemed us saith the Apostle that we should be a peculiar people unto himself therefore not addicted to others One cannot lay any claim to the Church except he hath purchased it except he
THE Right of the Church ASSERTED Against the POWER Usurped over it By J. Gailhard A. M. D. August de Civit. Dei Philautia Dei contemptui insita satanae civitatem edificavit sed suimet contemptus Dei amori junctus Dei civitatem instauravit LONDON Printed for J. Rothwell at the Fountain in Goldsmiths-row in Cheapside 1660. The Right of Christ's Church asserted against the Power usurped over it IN this weighty undertaking of mine to vindicate the Right Liberty and Priviledge that Christ Jesus with his own bloud hath purchased unto his Church although we account it needless to insist upon Principles which our Adversaries and we are agreed upon yet that we may build upon some grounds we will lay the following foundations In the nature of things there is a Church really existing which was saved sanctified and purchased with Christs Bloud and Life and as this Church hath her Being from the Lord Jesus so the continuation and preservation of the same is from him to which effect he hath appointed food in the Word and Sacraments to be distributed to the Church by those who are Pastors and Ministers in it by way of Office in which sense our Blessed Saviour hath promised to be with his Spouse unto the end of the world And further as there is no Body either Natural Civil Political or oeconomical without some Laws and Order so Christ Jesus hath not left his Church without Law and in Confusion there is a certain Government properly belonging to it For our Saviour hath not left it to mens liberty to invent and forge what Government they please but he hath himself instituted one which must not be changed by men and which is strictly to be observed in the Church That there is and ought to be a Government it is clear from the Nature of the Church for it is the House of God wherefore as God is the God of order so his House must be an House of order so that in some respect order is essential to the Church in that it cannot be the House of God except in it there be some order Now since the voice of Christ alone is to be heard in the Church so the Rule of Christ alone is to be observed in it in the giving whereof he hath not been wanting for as soon as he had form'd his Church as soon he stablished some orderly constitution in it as the comparison of a natural body where there is an harmony between all the Members used by St Paul Rom. 12. 1 Cor. 12. where he speaks of the Gifts and Office of the Church do clearly declare it The Lord Jesus Christ therefore who is the only Lord and great Shepherd of his Church having instituted a Government in it did also appoint those that were to administer and execute it to the end that all intrusions and usurpations might be avoided For as the Authour of the Epistle to the Hebrews doth say Chap. 5. That Christ glorified not himself to be made an High Priest but he that said unto him Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Nay he doth not so much as send his Disciples without shewing his Commission As the Father hath sent me so do I send you Likewise none ought to feed the Church or rule the Church except he be called thereunto whence this must be concluded that as there is a Government in the Church so they that administer it ought to be named of Christ But to find out who these Rulers ought to be we must have our refuge to holy Scriptures where Christ hath clearly and fully revealed his will and mind unto us we must not scorn nor be ashamed to make that our Rule here which shall be our Judge hereafter Peace and Mercy will be to as many as walk according to this rule and upon the Israel of God Gal. 6. Contrary practises must be left to that Antichrist who exalteth himself above God and sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God 2 Thes 2. But it becometh Christian Kingdoms such as England Scotland and Ireland wherein the light of the Gospel hath so clearly appeared to be ruled by the Word In the daies of Ignorance God winked at mens waies but now he will not have mens Traditions to make void his Commands neither will he have will-worship preferred to that which he hath instituted Since Christ Jesus his Ascention never a Nation had such knowledge of Heavenly Mysteries neither did a Land so abound in godly and powerful Preaching as we have enjoyed within these Twenty years last past We may then justly desire that to be setled which is according to the Will of God revaled in his Word and that Traditions be not preferred above Scriptures namely in the point of Church-Government So that though there may be some Government good of it self as some would plead for Monarchy and Hierarchy in the Church yet none is to take the place of that which is set down in the Word for of all Rules in the Church that is the best and the only to be kept which Christ hath instituted And this I press the more when I consider the abuse in this and other Church-Offices as it hath provoked God to wrath so it hath procured Gods judgments Observe the case of Ely's Children and their Fathers remisseness to administer the Natural and Ecclesiastical power which he had over them yea the neglect of administring this Discipline in not restraining his Children was so great a sin that God did swear that the iniquity of Elies House should not be purged with Sacrifice nor Offering for ever 1 Sam. 3.14 And the end is known to all And under the Law it was ordinarily one of the greatest complaints of God to express the corruption of Church-men in the neglect of their duty either in giving instruction or bearing rule when they prophesied falsly corrupted the Law and when they did not administer judgment in the House of God So under the Gospel this is one of the few things Christ hath against the Angel of the Church in Thiatira that he suffered Jezebel to seduce Gods Servants and to commit fornication And so it was the blemish of the Angel of Pergamus that he had them that held the Doctrine of Balaam when on the other side it is the great commendation of the Angel of Ephesus that he could not bear them which were evil Rev. 2. And indeed remisseness in Church-government hath ordinarily been followed with licentiousness prophaneness depravation in doctrine and at last with the removing of the Candlestick and overthrow of the Churches This some observe to have been the case of those seven famous Churches of Asia An Army without Discipline will soon be destroyed and an House without Order will quickly be undone Hence I may observe how unjustly Presbyterians are condemned for their strictness in Church-Discipline and how undeservedly the Episcopal Party is commended for their remisseness in it So
debate about Ordination whereby the Adversaries go about to make the Reformed Churches beyond Seas to have no true Ministers because they are not ordained by Bishops if we finde some of that Party to be Arminians if surther we take notice that they refuse to be ruled by the Word of God in point of Discipline not willing to admit to the Government of the Church those whom Christ hath appointed to that end then we will finde that the controversie is about high and mighty things It is an amazement to me to behold how in their practice they are incorrigible under Judgments and unthankfull under Mercies they are not wiser for the chastisement of 20 years they have been smitten yet they return not to him that hath smitten them neither do they repent of their evil deeds Rev. 16. as pride Ambition Prophaneness and Superstition they do not hearken to the voice of the rod and who is it that sent it and for what Now after that God hath raised them up again from the dust and even from the dead they will not forsake their former practices for the which wrath was poured upon them but like the Dog they will return to their vomit and like the Sow to her wallowing in the mire We do desire the Settlement of the Church nor in outward glory and pomp which are the expressions of an Adresse from Surrey presented August last but in the purity expressed in the Word of God It was a pious conclusion in the Council of Laodicea That nothing should be done in the Church even as to Discipline except it were warrantable from the Word of God yet Hooker in his History doth say That though there were many more such Articles he would not be conformable to them Cyprian speaking of the Apostles and so applicable to all Ministers he saith in his Book de Vnitate Ecclesiae They were all equal in honour and dignity But the Episcopal Party so pertinaciously maintaining their pretended Superiority do shew how much they differ from him As to the right of the people in Church-Affairs it is observable that Bonifacius he who obtained the supremacy from Phocas and who thereby became usurper over the Church yet he was so knowing as to the Right of the Church that in a Synod of above 200 Bishops by him called it was decreed that nothing should be done without the Votes and consents of the people I know the Adversaries do bring Examples of their Church-Government from the Churches in Sweden Danmark Saxony and some few parts of Poland why to dazle the eyes of a Reader in making such an enumeration they had sooner done to have said the Lutheran Church which they call the Reformed Church I confesse it is so in some respect but if we consider their having Images in the Churches which to defend they take off the 2 Precept if we take notice that most of their Service in the Church as singing of Psalmes is done in an unknown Tongue how they confound the property of both Natures in the person of Christ as to say that the Deity it self suffered so their Administering the Sacrament not with Bread according to the constitution but with Wafers and there their Consubstantiation as absurd as the Popish Transubstantiation all this being considered we will finde that the Lutheran Church is none of the best reformed and therefore to answer the Adversaries in their way we say That Transylvania part of Hungaria most of Bohemia the Palatinate under the Paâ—lsgrave the Landgrave of Hessen and other parts in Germany the evangelical Cantons of Switzerland France the United Provinces and the Italian Churches wheresoever they be the Waldenses and Scotland All these have their Church Government different from that which the Episcopal Party is here so much for However we do not ground our Discipline upon such Examples as we do upon the Word of God But Because now there are endeavours used by Learned and Godly Persons to finde out a way of Reconciliation I pray to the Lord to open the Eyes of the Adversaries that they may see the truth and yield to it and cease to prefer their own wayes and interest to the wayes and interest of God not refusing to be taught by his Word Whence will proceed a well grounded Peace Or else What peace as long as they shall admit of no Moderation For I heard some say They knew not what I mean'd by it What Moderation as long as they will maintain their Primacy wherein if they persist we may answer them in a way not much different from that of Jehu to Joram 2 Kings 9.22 only changing the word Whoredomes and Witchcrafts into Pride and Ambition of Superiority But if they are still resolved to go on I will say in the Words of S. John in the last Chap. of his Revelation Let him that is filthy be filthy still Howsoever I make no doubt but that God will in his due time assert the Right of his Church and vindicate it from all humane Inventions and tyrannical usurpations by those means that shall be the more sutable to the work and most conformable to his Holy Will For the Stone cut without hands shall grinde and crush all other Interests contrary to that of Christ wherefore we be confident that maugre all humane designes Force and Policy and in spight of all Hellish Conspiracies the Council of the Lord shall stand FINIS
that I hope it will not seem to be impertinent if from the Governours of the Church I have passed to the necessity of the Government it self for hereby I do convince of the necessity of having Governors and these to be chosen according to Gods heart and will The Prelatical Party will or must hitherto agree with us and then our work is more than half done for they will be hard put to it when we shall desire them to shew out of Scripture their Hierarchical way Let them prove Arch-bishops Deans Arch-Deacons Prebends Canons Chapters c. as we will prove Pastors Teachers Rulers and Deacons But perhaps they will have refuge to their humane right and say that many things were left to the judgment of the Church It is true of circumstantial and accidental things and cases as to the Censures which ought to be proportionable to the sins and offences whether such a man doth deserve to be suspended from the Sacrament for such a Fact and whether to be excommunicated about which yet we have certain several Rules as that of Charity Decency and Edification which we must not trangress But I do account it is a necessary thing and not indifferent who it is that must administer Church-Discipline For it is not an accidental thing as that it may be executed or not executed without any prejudice to the Church neither is it indifferent as that any one may indifferently administer it but it is thus far necessary as that every one that doth administer it must be called thereunto and every one that is called thereunto must execute it But now we must proceed and shew how they that are to govern the Church must be chosen out of the Church here by Church I understand a Body or Assembly distinct and different from the civil or political Body although somtimes one may be chosen a Ruler in the Church and be a Civil Magistrate yet he is elected not because he is a Member of the Civil but of the Ecclesiastical Body And to speak the truth every member of the Church is a member of the Civil body yet in a different respect and here from the whole and universal Church we must come to particular Congregations who must have in themselves all the right which belongs to them as parts and members of the whole For when we say that Christ hath instituted a Government in his Church we must not conclude it not to be instituted and necessary in particular Congregations because it is not said he hath instituted it in his Churches for the word Church being collective doth include all the parts and if you will Parishes or Congregations belonging to it For I say that every particular Church hath all that which is essential and necessary to a Church as it is a Church as well as the Universal Church or else it will not be a Church and therefore as Doctrine and Discipline are necessary to the Church in general so it is to every Church in particular According to this Maxim of Philosophy he that saith the whole doth also say the parts in the whole hence therefore I do by way of inference conclude that they who are to administer Church-Government in particular places ought to be chosen out of the Church in particular places and the proof of this will also confirm my former universal indefinite Proposition how the Rulers of the Church are to be chosen out of the Church My first reason to prove this is drawn from the sufficiency of the Church whereby the Church hath all things necessary to it having no need to borrow from others any thing conducing to it Herein doth the perfection of the Church appear for as it is a body distinct from other bodies so it hath within it self from Christ alone her dependency for being and well-being Nay it would not be a Church if it had not within her self all things necessary to it as it is a Church If therefore the Church be perfect in it self then she doth receive no perfection from without this perfection consists in the being and well-being of the same that is Doctrine and Discipline so that if the Church had not her Discipline within her self it would be very defective and unperfect by perfection I mean all things necessary And who could think that Christ Jesus after all that which he had done and suffered for his Church would have left somthing yet which it needs to borrow from others What his end was when he gave himself for his Church the Apostle tels Eph. 5.26 27. And in 1 Tim. 2.15 It is called the House of God the Pillar and Ground of truth And elsewhere the Spouse of Christ with whom Christ hath a conjugal communion and from him she receiveth Grace for Grace But I need not to insist upon this perfection and sufficiency of the Church within her self I will wrap it all in Davids words Glorious things are spoken of thee O City of God so that I conceive that Government being so necessary to the Church the Church hath it within her self and they that are to be Rulers must be chosen out of it The second Proof is from the Right of the Church I call the Right of the Church that which Christ hath given to the Church that which the Apostles and others after have yielded to the Church this right is the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven as it is Mat. 16. Where Christ saith that he would build his Church upon Peters confession and give the Keys to the same it is then the Churches Priviledge to chuse her Governours out of her self but because the right of the Church hath several Branches and Particulars I will name some of them It doth consist I. In chusing their Ministers when they are ordained Teachers must not be forced upon a Church as that notwithstanding the dissent of the People they should be maintained in it no Patron or other may lawfully present a Minister in a Parish or maintain him in it against the mind of the Congregation This Right of the Church in this is proved by Three Reasons 1. Christ who is the Authour of Ministry hath given this right to the Church alone as we have shewed afore 2. Because Ministers were given by Christ to the Church that by an ordinary and certain manner they might be procured by the whole Church 3. If it were not so then the Church could not voluntarily submit her self to her Pastors which is as necessary in Ministers as it is in Marriage where the consent of both parties is required And truly this right hath been continued to the Church for the space almost of a thousand years after Christ as we have proved by some Instances in our Letters to a person of quality But here when we say that the people of a Church have a right to call a Minister to themselves we mean not to ordain him for Ordination is not made by every Member of the Church though
it belongs to the Church as it is proved Acts 1.23 24 c. 16.22 And witnessed by Cyprian in his Epistles Book 1. Epist 4. But we say that the calling to a certain place those that are ordained is of the Church II. This Right of the Church doth consist in this that the Church hath power to chuse her Rulers from within her self this is evident in the case of Deacons Acts 6. The Twelve called the Multitude and said to them look ye out amongst you seven men of honest report So it is in the case of Elders which Paul and Barnabas did ordain not without the votes of the people Acts 14.23 And indeed since the fundamental right of Government dothly in the whole Congregation it must be their Prerogative to elect whom they think fit for the Administration of it It is an Article of the Waldences written 500 years ago that amongst other Priviledges which Christ hath granted to his Church this is one they must chuse their Rulers from among themselves yet alwayes provided they chuse them according to the will of Christ revealed in his word and if it be according to his appointment he will fit them with gifts to rule and so he will prosper their weak endeavour besides that as after the Election the Congregation must obey their Rulers so afore their Election they must give their vote and consent to that effect or else that Obedience which is due to Rulers Heb. 13.17 will not be very free and voluntary as it ought to be for as we have said afore of Pastors so we say of this it is a kinde of Marriage where consent of both Parties is required And as we have said That the Church so called in distinction of any Civil body hath right to chuse her Rulers from among herself so here by this amongst her self we speak of the Laity of it from the Flock distinguished from the Pastor or Teacher In the 2 Chron. 19.8 there were chosen as Priests and Levites so also of the chief of the Fathers of Israel for the Judgment of the Lord and since it is well known that the Synagogue had a Councell of Secular men chosen out of the Congregation to rule it which was continued in the dayes of our Saviour for we read often of the Rulers of the Synagogue which Jewish Church we know to have been as well govern'd as any that ever was and since our Saviour although he much condemned their corruption in Doctrine and Conversation yet he never had a word against this Form of Government the continuation of which the Lord Jesus foretold his Disciples when he said they should be brought and beaten in the Synagogues in the Christian Church these also are appointed to be Rulers as in our Letters to a Person of Quality we have demonstrated out of several Texts of Scripture This only I add as the Church did chuse their Messengers of whow we read 2 Cor. 8.19 23. as they chose their Representatives Acts 15.23 So also they elected their Rulers called Elders 1 Tim. 5.17 to whom the relief for the brethren was to be delivered Acts 11.30 III. The Right of the Church doth consist in the Administration of Discipline the power whereof is in the Church or her Representatives by vertue of which they may suspend erroneous and scandalons Persons from the publick hearing of the Word receiving of the Lords Supper and exclude them from communion with Gods people 2 Thessal 3.6.14 untill they repent and give a publick Testimony of it In the Primitive Church there were several degrees of these Church Censures according to the Nature of their Offences some were only censured in private others in a more publick way others were not permitted to come into the Church to hear the Word although they were permitted to stand just at the door some were suffered to go in untill Sermon was done and then they went forth some were permitted to stay till after Prayers but they were to go out before the blessing was pronounced and others might tarry till after the Blessing but not to be admitted to the Lords Supper when it was to be administred All those things may be accounted circumstantial because left to the prudence of the Church for now adayes we do not follow it altogether although we know thus much to be necessary to use Censures against Offenders but the manner is left to the Discretion of the Church however they must not be so absurd and ridiculous as to give a white sheet as the Episcopal Custome was I cannot but admire at some who fearing to disoblige men rather than to displease God do connive at the licentiousnesse and prophanenesse of others as if in imitation of these unruly persons they were resolved not to performe their duty and this upon this account that such and such men are of such a temper as that if they were censured they would altogether forsake the Church but I must tell them that they will be wiser than God as if to prevent an evil not in being but only feared they were to suffer and comply with a real and actual evil they to whom Discipline is commited must be carefull to execute it for saith the Apostle Rom. 12. He that ruleth let him do it with diligence as for the success they must commit it to the hand of God however let the event be what it will they have that comfort to have discharged their duty The case of the French Church is notable in this where the Offenders have liberty to forsake the Reformed Religion and be welcome amongst Papists the King being that way yet notwithstanding this Consideration they strictly administer Discipline and such is the Blessing of God that he overrules mens hearts for instead of a postatising they submit to the power and Censures of the Church and although upon this they would depart from the Church of which I cannot bring so much as an Instance although I have reason to be aquainted with their Affairs yet they may say They went from among us because they were none of us Rotten Members if obstinate must-be cut off lest they corrupt others as S. Paul saith of Hymeneus and Philetes 2 Tim. 2.17 That this Right is belonging to the Church is clear out of our Blessed Saviours saying Matth. 15. v. 17 If he will not hear thee tell it the Church wherein is implyed That the Church had Power to procure some satisfaction for the Offence received which power if a man will not submit unto he must be unto us as an Heathen and a Publican This Right the Church of Corinth made use of according to S Paul's Exhortation 1 Cor. 5. which was not committed to a single Person but to the whole church to which the Apostle writeth this Epistle and S. Paul by vertue of this Right delivered up that is excommunicated Hymeneus and Philetes 1 Tim. 1.20 Yet from hence one must not infer That this Right is administred by a