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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96941	A modell of the government of the church under the gospel, by presbyters, proved out of the holy scriptures, to be that one, onely uniform government of the universall visible church, and of all nationall, provinciall, classicall and congregationall churches: which is according to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ. Which may serve to stay such as are doubting, with hope of full satisfaction, and clear demonstration of this truth, shortly to be made by the reverend Assembly of Divines. / Composed by a Presbyterian minister of the city of London, and approved by divers of his learned brethren, and at their request published.	Walker, George, 1581?-1651.	1646 (1646)	Wing W362; Thomason E342_3; ESTC R200927	24,926	36

Christs institution unto the office of expounding the word and ministring in all holy things in the Church the house of God of which they are stewards officers and Ministers Proved Sect. 3. and 5. 12. Church Discipline without sound Doctrine is a body without a soule The key of Doctrine is the soul life guid and direction of Discipline and those two keys of the Kingdome of Heaven are inseparably tyed together and committed by Christ to the same hands Discipline hath no power nor authority over the conscience but from the word rightly applyed They who are bound and loosed on earth according to the infallible word are also bound and loosed in heaven And Censures erring from the word are void in heaven Sect. 9. 13. Civill Magistrates other grave godly wise and discreet men are not excluded but may be chosen assisting Church Elders and together with preaching Presbyters may rule and Govern in those Elderships whereof they are Elders and have power and authority by the word of God to judge and determine in the Presbytery together with the Pastours and not otherwise who are scandalous offenders unworthy for the present to be admitted to the Lords table For the word expounded by Ministers thereunto lawfully called is the law and perfect rule of all acts of Church Government and Censures 14. Provision of Commissioners who are no Church Elders and who are authorised onely by the Civill Magistracy to judge who are scandalous offenders not fit to receive the holy Sacrament is in the judgement of the best Divines of the reformed Churches and appeares by Scriptures before alledged to be a meere invention of humane policie which hath no example or warrant in Gods word and a manifest usurpation and giving of that power to others which Christ hath appropriated to the Apostles and Presbyters of his Church and so is contrary to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ Godly ministers generally are of this judgement that their approving and yeelding to the practice thereof is a breach of the Nationall league and Covenant King Vzziah was plagued by God with an incurable leprosie for medling in the administration of holy ordinances and in so doing his heart was lifted up to his destruction and he transgressed against the Lord his God 2 Chron. 26. 16. In many men who highly applaud extoll and vehemently urge this new device and practice it favours too much of scorne contempt envy and a most uncharitable opinion conceived against the godly learned faithfull Ministers of Christ and watchfull Pastours of his Church and brands both them and all those who are to be set up hereafter in all places of the land if the godly reformation desired be really intended and sincerely prosecuted with insufficiency and want of grace to do the worke unto which God hath called them It seemes to call in question the faithfullnesse of Christ who hath promised to be with them allwayes even unto the end of the world Math. 28. 20. Many wise and godly people hold it a perverse imagination and a thing unreasonable to thinke that wise discreet and godly men being chosen Elders of the Church and joyned in Elderships with learned and faithfull Ministers who can expound the word and give them the true sense of the law of Christ shall or will not be more able to judge of scandalls and what persons are fit or unfit to be admitted to the Lords Supper then the same persons being commissioners by themselves As if Christ were not able ready and willing to give grace and assistance to them which are his chosen servants and ministers of his Church in things spirituall all as the supreme magistracy is to give to his new formed Creatures who are never owned by Christ in all the new Testament Surely no rationall man will so much as dreame That Ministers of Christ who are able to teach the supreme Magistrate his duty how to be just and to rule over men in the feare of God are not able to rule their owne flock over which the holy Ghost made them overseers or that Church Government in their hands to whom Christ hath committed it will prove more arbitrary irregular unlimited and tyrannicall then the Government both of Commonwealth and Church in the hands of Civill Magistrates seeing Ministers and Church Elders have a certaine and infallible rule the word of God to which alone they are limited and by which the spirit of God is promised to direct them in all Censures and Church Government But civill Magistrates have no such speciall promise of assistance from Christ and they rule by the uncertain lawes of men and have an arbitrary power to make lawes which are sometimes found contrary to the word of God and therefore unjust and tyrannicall over the Consciences of Christians till they be repealed and declared to be void And there can be no just suspition or feare of tyranny in the Government of the Church left in the hands of Church Elders where Christ hath placed it seeing the supreme Magistracy as keeper of both tables in all Christian Kingdomes and states hath as much Civill power to curb and punish them for male-administration of Church Government abuse of their power and manifest corruption of Christs ordinances and to depose and cast them out of their office when they are scandallous and incorrigible as they have to reprove him by Gods word for any notorious scandallous sinnes to admonish him of his duty to threaten him from God and to lay his judgements close to him when he goeth on in his sins of injustice profanenes licentiousnes and the like And now I will conclude all with some breif answers to the grievous accusations and loud clamours raised against the Ministery in generall as if the staine and guilt of all those errours and scandallous vices of pride covetousnes ambition and ignorance envy and cruelty which were found heretofore in the corrupt Popish and Prelaticall Clergy did still cleave to all Presbyters and Pastours of Christs Church and were hereditary to them We meet with this accusation and calumnie now adayes allmost in every company and at every rich mans table and in every libellous Printed pamphlet set forth weekly by Newes Mongers That Presbyterians are as proud as Prelates and if Ministes get into their hands Church Discipline they will tyrannize and Lord is over their flocks and the same spirit of pride envy covetousnes errour and cruelty will worke in them which ruled in the Prelates and in popish Bishops formerly To these I answer first That if we search all histories of the Church in all ages we shall never finde in any Church or Kingdom so many godly learned faithfull and sincere Ministers holding so fast their integrity of life and purity of doctrine under so great corruption of Government both in Church and State and after so great tyranny raging in both together with so many temptations hatred and persecution of godly and zealous Preachers and so open countenancing of prophanenes errour and heresie as we have had of late years and have at this day whom neither persecution losse of goods and estates nor bonds nor imprisonment no nor hopes and offers of preferment honour or riches could move from their stedfastnes And yet all this cannot stop the mouths of the sons of Belial whose hearts are hardened and their tongues set on fire of hell to revile the Ministers of Jesus Christ whose blamelesse lives convince them of malicious slander lying and impudency Secondly It is manifest to all equall and judicious men that the supreme Magistracy hath been the cheif cause of such an ungodly and scandallous Ministery pestring this Kingdome of late yeares For who like Jeroboam did preferre the basest of the people to be Priests of the high places namely Court flatterrers ambitious bribers importunate beggers Simoniacks and slaves to great mens lusts but the suprem Magistracy licentious Nobility profane gentry and covetous patrons of benefices Who but the supreme Magistracy hindred the lawfull ordination of Ministers by Presbyteries after strict examination and tryall had of their learning and gifts and upon testimony and experience of their honest life and conversation and gave the sole power thereof into the hands of those who commonly hated true godlines and either carelessely or corruptly and of purpose admitted vile unworthy persons into the holy calling of the Ministry who were either unlearned and not gifted or if learned and men of parts were vicious men of corrupt minde prone and strong to do mischeif Thirdly the supreme Magistracy by robbing the greatest part of parish Churches and selling away all impropriat Benefices to the Nobility and Gentrie and they covetously retaining them in their possession have made the Churches and Ministery base contemptible and beggerly And Lastly it seemes to reflect upon the supreme Magistracy in these dayes That there is such a scarcity of profitable pr●●●chers and that many Congregations are wholly unprovided and others are out of necessity forced to content themselves with soule-starving shepherds and many young men of learning and of hopefull gifts finding no lawfull way of entering into the Ministery and terrified with the intolerable taxes and other great grievances and discouragments under which many Ministers of great worth do lye groaning are moved to withdraw their mindes from the study of Divinity and betake themselves to other callings This certainly is not the fault of the learned Presbyters of this time who earnestly desire and have petitioned for liberty by the civill sanction to joyne together in Classicall Presbyteries and to ordaine Ministers according to the advice of the Reverend Assembly and the rules by them gathered out of Gods holy word It remaines therefore that they and all the godly in the land do cry mightily unto God in dayly prayer that he would pour out his spirit upon the high Court of Parliament and incline the heart of the supreme Magistracy to yeeld to the petitions and importunity of the City of the Assembly and of the Ministers of the Countrey and to be intreated in so necessary pious profitable and religious a request so easily granted to satisfie the longing desires and hungring and thirsting soules of all godly people that they and we may rejoyce together in the Lord and may blesse his holy name for the abundance of peace extended to us like a river and the Lord Christ may be our King and his Name one in all the three Kingdomes FINIS

for their works sake And 1 Tim. 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and doctrine And Heb. 13. 7. Remember them who have the rule over you who have spoken to you the Word of God and vers. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account These and divers other Scriptures do clearly shew what that Government is which Christ hath appointed in his Church 8. The next part to be considered is to whom Christ Jesus first committed this Government and where he first setled it and in what Church from whence it is derived propagated and communicated to all other Churches which shall be in all ages And in this the Gospell is very clear For it tells us that he first and immediately committed it to his Apostles as they were to teach all Nations and to be the Pastours of the universall visible Church In their hands and in that Church he first setled it for the use of all the members thereof even all Nationall Provinciall Classicall and particular Churches gathered by the Gospell preached in every Nation Countrey State City and Circuit That the Lord Christ having all power in Heaven and earth given unto him did give Authority to the Apostles to preach the Gospell to all Nations to baptize them and to teach them to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded them I have before shewed out of the Gospell Math. 28. 19. 20. That he gave to them the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven and power to open and shut to binde and lose to remit and retaine sins it is manifest Math. 16. 19. Where he said to Peter when he answered in the name and as the mouth of all the rest Thou art Christ the Son of the living God I will give to thee the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven and whatsoever thou bindest one earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt lose on earth shall be losed in heaven and Math. 18. 18. where he gave the same power to them all againe and Iohn 20. 23. Whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted to them and whosesoever sins ye retaine they are retained And that they ordained Presbyters Bishops Pastours and Teachers in the name of Christ and by the Authority which he gave them it appeares Act. 14. 23. where it is written that Paul and Barnabas ordained Presbyters in every Church of the converted Gentiles and Act. 20. 28. where Paul admonisheth the Presbyters whom he had ordained in the Church of Ephesus to take heed to the flock over which the holy Ghost had made them Bishops that is overseers And they appointed the same order and forme of Government in all Nationall and Provinciall Churches and in every Classis and particular Congregation as in Iudea and Ierusalem so in Corinth Ephesus Asia Galatia Macedonia Creet and the rest as divers Scriptures besides those before named 1 Cor. 4. 17. and 2 Cor. 10. 8. and 13. 10. do abundantly testifie as Ephes. 4. 12. where Pastours and Teachers as well as Apostles are said to be given by Christ for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery and for the edifying of the body of Christ and 1 Thess. 5. 12. where he mentioneth some who laboured among them and were over them in the Lord and Act. 15. 6. where we read of a generall assemblie of Apostles and Presbyters gathered to consider a great matter and to decide a controversie and send out their decree to all Churches and 1 Tim. 3. 1. 2. c. where the office of a Bishop that is a Pastour or overseer is commended for a good worke and the qualification and ordination of such after triall and examination is described as also of Deacons and 1 Tim. 5. 17. where mention is made of ruling by Elders and by them who labour in the Word and Doctrine and vers. 22. of ordaining by laying on of hands and also Chap. 4. 14. And Tit. 1. 5. and 1 Pet. 5. 1. 2. and Iames 5. 14. where Elders of the Church and their worke and behaviour is prescribed In all these places we have Church Government set forth in Presbyteries and in the hands of Presbyters and Presbyteriall Bishops Pastours and Teachers lawfully called and upon due triall ordained by imposition of hands as being that Government appointed by Christ and observed in all Churches But of no other forme of Government do we read in any writings of the Apostles and Evangelists in the New Testament For as there is but one God and Father of all and one Lord Jesus Christ and one faith one Baptisme and one whole universall Church which is but one body moved and informed by one Spirit 1 Cor. 8. 5. and Ephes. 4. 4. 5. So every member of this one body in every Nation City and Countrey and every Congregation of Christians whether Jewes or Gentiles is informed moved and guided by that one spirit as the Apostle testifieth Rom. 12. 5. and 1 Cor. 12. 12. 13. as Pastours and Teachers so also governments are set in the Church by God and the spirit distributeth gifts to them as he himselfe will 1 Cor. 12. 11. and 28. And there is but one law to all which is the word of God which is called the law of Christ Gal. 6. 2. and the law of the spirit of life Rom. 8. 2. because the spirit speakes to none neither doth move or guide any Christian but by this word and law of Christ Iohn 16. 13. 14. as was before shewed What Church soever doth swerve or decline in any materiall or substantiall point of Doctrine or Discipline from that one law and rule of Christ which is the heavenly paterne shewed to us in the Scriptures as the Paterne of the Tabernacle was shewed to Moses in the mount Exod. 25. 40. That Church comes so much short of Apostolicall perfection and hath in it too much mixture of humane policy and infirmity Whatsoever new light proud vaine foolish and fanaticall persons may pretend all sound and stable Christians both ought and will looke to the law and to the testimony of Christ and if any speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Isa. 8. 20. In respect of this our uniforme Government by one law the word of Christ and one spirit the soule and life of the whole visible Church it is a body uniforme homogeneall and similar And as in all naturall uniforme bodies every part hath the same name with the whole as every particular part of aire is called aire and every river fountaine and drop of water is water and is so called as well as the whole element Even so every Nationall Provinciall Classicall and particular congregation in every Nation City and circuit is a Church and is so called as the Church of Judea Act. 11. 22. 26. the Church