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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A36060 A Directory for church-government and ordination of ministers to be examined against the next Generall Assemblie. Church of Scotland. 1647 (1647) Wing D1542; ESTC R34740 14,967 36

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A DIRECTORY FOR CHURCH-GOVERNMENT AND ORDINATION OF MINISTERS To be examined against the next Generall Assemblie EDINBURGH Printed by Evan Tyler Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty 1647. A DIRECTORY FOR CHURCH-GOVERNMENT AND ORDINATION OF MINISTERS To be examined against the next GENERALL ASSEMBLY The Preface JEsus Christ upon whose shoulder the Government is whose Name is called Wonderfull Counseller the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace of the encrease of whose Government and Peace there shall bee no end who sits upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom to order it and establish it with Judgement and Justice from henceforth even for ever Having all power given unto him in Heaven and Earth by the Father who raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand far above all Principalitie and Power and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and put all things under his feet and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church which is his Body the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all He being ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things received gifts for his Church and gave all Officers necessary for the edification of his Church and perfecting of his Saints Of the Church THere is one Generall Church visible held forth in the New Testament unto which Generall Church visible the Ministery Oracles and Ordinances of the New Testament are given by Jesus Christ for the gathering and perfecting of the Saints in this life untill his second coming Particular visible Churches members of the Generall Church are also held forth in the New Testament which particular Churches in the primitive times were made up of visible Saints viz. of such as being of age professed Faith in Christ and obedience unto Christ according to the rules of Faith and Life taught by him and his Apostles and of their Children Of the Officers of the Church APostles Prophets and Evangelists were extraordinary Officers in the Church and are ceased The Pastor is an ordinary and perpetuall Officer in the Church To whose Office it belongeth to pray for and with his Flock To read the Scripture publikely in the Congregation which is an holy Ordinance in Gods Church although there follow no immediate explication of what is read To preach the Word to be instant in season out of season To reprove correct instruct rebuke exhort convince and comfort One especiall way of discharging which work of Preaching is by a plain laying down the first principles of the Oracles of God which is commonly called Catechising to administer the Sacraments In the Name of God to blesse the people To take care for the poor And he hath also a ruling power over the Flock as a Pastor In the Scripture we also finde the name and title of Teacher who is a Minister of the Word and hath power of administration of the Sacraments and Discipline as well as the Pastor The Lord having given different gifts and divers exercises according to those gifts in the Ministers of the Word though these different gifts may meet in and accordingly be exercised by one and the same Minister yet where there be severall Ministers in the same Congregation they may be designed to severall imployments according to the different gifts wherein each of them doth excell And he who doth more excell in exposition of Scripture in Teaching sound Doctrine and in convincing gainsayers then he doth in application and is accordingly imployed therein may be called a Teacher or Doctor Neverthelesse where there is but one Minister in a particular Congregation he is to perform so far as he is able the whole work of the Ministery A Teacher or Doctor is of most excellent use in Schooles and Universities as of old in the Schooles of the Prophets and at Jerusalem where Gamaliel and others taught as Doctors It is likewise agreeable to and warranted by the Word of God that some others beside the Ministers of the Word be Church Governours to joyne with the Ministers in the Government of the Church which Officers Reformed Churches commonly call Elders These Elders ought to be such as are men of good understanding in matters of Religion sound in the faith prudent discreet grave and of unblameable conversation Deacons also are distinct Officers in the Church To whose Office it belongeth not to preach the Word or administer the Sacraments but to take speciall care for the necessities of the poor by collecting for and distributing to them with direction of the Eldership that none amongst the people of God be constrained to bee beggers The Deacons must be wise sober grave of honest report and not greedy of filthy lucre Of Church Government and the severall sorts of Assemblies for the same CHrist hath instituted a Government and Governours Ecclesiasticall in the Church And to that purpose the Apostles did immediatly receive the keyes from the hand of Jesus Christ and did use and exercise them in all the Churches of the World upon all occasions And Christ hath from time to time furnished some in his Church with gifts for Government and with Commission to exercise the same when called thereunto It is agreeable to and warranted by the Word of God that some others besides the Ministers of the Word be Church Governours as was mentioned before It is lawfull and agreeable to the Word of God that the Church be governed by severall sorts of Assemblies Which are Presbyteries and Synods or Assemblies Congregationall Classicall and Synodicall The Scripture doth hold out a Presbytery in a Church which Presbytery consisteth of Ministers of the Word and those other Church Officers who are to joyne with the Ministers in the Government of the Church The Scripture doth hold out another sort of Assemblies for the Government of the Church besides Classicall and Congregationall which wee call Synodicall Of the power in Common of all these Assemblies and the order to be observed in them IT is lawfull and agreeable to the Word of God that the severall Assemblies before mentioned do convent and call before them any person within their severall bounds whom the Ecclesiasticall businesse which is before them shall concerne either as a party or a witnesse or otherwise and to examine them according to the nature of the businesse And that they do hear and determine such causes and differences as shall orderly come before them and accordingly dispence Church censures It is most expedient that in these meetings one whose Office is to labour in the Word and Doctrine do moderate in their proceedings who is to vote as well as the rest of the members To begin and end every meeting with prayer To propose questions gather the votes pronounce the Resolves But not to do any act of Government unlesse in and joyntly with the Assembly whereof he is Moderator All the members of these