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lord_n	day_n	holy_a	time_n	21,134	5	4.1976	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55001	A Platform of church discipline gathered out of the Word of God, and agreed upon by the elders, and messengers of the Churches, assembled in the Synod at Cambridge in New England, to be presented to the churches and Generall Court for their consideration and acceptance in the Lord, the eighth moneth, anno 1649.	Mather, Richard, 1596-1669.	1649 (1649)	Wing P2396; ESTC W2574	37,140	44

church IIX To feed the flock of God with a word of admonition IX And as they shall be sent for to visit to pray over their sick brethren X at other times as opportunity shall serve therunto 3 The office of a Deacon is Instituted in the church by the Lord Jesus somtime they are called Helps The Scripture telleth us how they should be qualified Grave not double tougued not given to much wine not given to filthy lucre they must first be proved then use the office of a Deacon being found Blameless The office and work of the Deacons is to receive the offrings of the church gifts given to the church to keep the treasury of the church therewith to serve the Tables which the church is to provide for as the Lords Table the table of the ministers of such as are in necessitie to whom they are to distribute in simplicity 4 The office therefore being limited unto the care of the temporall good things of the church it extends not unto the attendance upon administration of the spirituall things thereof as the word and Sacraments or the like 5 The ordinance of the Apostle practice of the church commends the Lords day as a fit time for the contributions of the Saints 6 The Instituting of all these officers in the Church is the work of God himselfe of the Lord Iesus Christ of the holy Ghost therefore such officers 〈◊〉 he hath not appointed are altogether unlawfull either to be placed in the church or to be retained therin are to be looked at as humane creatures meer Inventions appointments of man to the great dishonour of Christ Jesus the Lord of his house the King of his church whether Popes Patriarkes Cardinals Arch-bishops Lord 〈◊〉 Arch-●…eacons Officials Commissaries the like These the rest of that Hierarchy Retinue not being plants of the Lords planting shall all be certeinly be rooted out cast forth 7 The Lord hath appointed ancient widdows where they may be had to minister in the church in giving attendance to the sick to give succour unto them others in the like necessities CHAP IIX Of the Electon of Church-Officers NO man may take the honour of a Church-Officer unto himself but he that was called of God as was Aaron 2 Calling unto office is either Immediate by Christ himself such was the call of the Apostles Prophets this manner of calling ended with them as hath been said or Mediate by the church 3 It is meet that before any be ordained or chosen officers they should first be 〈◊〉 prove●… because hands are n●…t suddenly to be laid upon any both Elders Deacons must be of honest good repo●…t 4 The things in respect of which they are to be Tryed are those gif●…s virtues which the Scripture requireth in men that are to be elected into such places viz that Elders must be blameles●… sober apt to teach endued with such other qualifications as are layd downe 1 Tim: 3 2. T●…t 1. 6 to 9. Deacons to be fitted as is directed Acts. 6 3. 1 Tim: 3. 8 to 11. 5 Officers are to be called by such Churches whereunto they are to min●…ster of such moment is the preservation of this power that the churches excercised it in the presence of the Apostles 6 A Church being free cannot become subject to any but by a free election Yet when such a people do chuse any to be over them in the Lord then do they becom●… subject most willingly submit to their ministry in the Lord whom they have so chosen 7 And if the church have powr to chuse their officers ministers then in case of manifest unworthyness delinquency they have powr also to depose them For to open shut to chuse refuse to constitute in office remove from office are acts belonging unto the same powr 8 Wee judge it much conducing to the wel-being communion of churches that where it may conveniently be done neighbour-churches be adv●…sed withall their help made use of in the triall of church-officers in order to their choyce 9 The choyce of such Church-officers belongeth not to the civil-magistrates as such or diocesan-bishops or patrones for of these or any such like the Scripture is wholly silent as having any power therin CHAP IX Of Ordination Imposition of hands CHurch-officers are not only to be chosen by the Church but also to be ordeyned by Imposition of hands prayer with which at the ordination of Elders fasting also is to be joyned 2 This ordination wee account nothing else but the solemn putting of a man into his place office in the Church wher-unto he had right before by election being like the installing of a magistrat in the common wealth Ordination therefore is not to go before but to follow election the essence substance of the outward calling of an ordinary officer in the Church doth not consist in his ordination but in his voluntary free election by the Church in his accepting of that election wher-upon is founded the relation between Pastor flock between such a minister such a people Ordination doth not constitute an officer nor give him the essentials of his office The Apostles were elders without Imposition of hands by men Paul Barnabas were officers before that Imposition of hands Acts. 13. 3. The posterity of Levi were Priests the Church that had powr to receive him into their fellowship hath also the same powr to cast him out that they have concerning any other member 7 Church-government or Rule is placed by Christ in the officers of the church who are therefore called Rulers while they rule with God yet in case of mal-administration they are subject to the power of the church according as hath been said before the Holy Ghost frequently yea alwayes where it mentioneth Church-Rule church-government ascribeth it to Elders wheras the work duty of the people is expressed in the phrase of obeying their Elders submiting themselves unto them in the Lord so as it is manifest that an organick or compleat church is a body politick consisting of some that are Governors some that are governed in the Lord 8 The powr which Christ hath committed to the Elders is to feed rule the church of God accordingly to call the church together upon any weighty occasion when the members so called without just cause may not refuse to come nor when they are come depart before they are dismissed nor speak in the church before they have leave from the elders nor continue so doing when they require silence nor may they oppose nor contradict the judgment or sentence of the Elders without sufficient weighty cause becaus such practices are manifestly contrary unto

ordinance in their watch as Phoebe a servāt of the church at Cenc●…ea had letters writtē for her to the church of Rome that shee might be received as becō●…eth saints 9 Such letters of Recommendation 〈◊〉 were written for Apollos For Marcus to the Col●…siā for Phoebe to the Romāe●… for sūdry others to other churches the Apostle telleth u●… that some persons not sufficiently known otherwise have special need of such letter●… though he for his part had no need therof The u●…e of them ●…s to be a benefit help to the party for whom they are writtē for the furthering of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amongst the Saints in the pl●… whe●…to 〈◊〉 goeth the d●…e sat●…faction of them in their receiving of h●…m CHAP XIV Of excommunication other Censures THe Censures of the church are appointed by Christ for the prevent●…ng removing healing of offences in the Church for the reclayming gayning of offending brethren for the deterring of others from the like o●…eces for purging out the leaven which may infect the whole lump for vindicating the honour of Christ of his church the holy profession of the gospel for preventing of the wrath of God that may justly fall upon the church if they should suffer his covenant the s●…ales therof to be prophaned by notorious obstinate offenders 2 If an offence be priv●… one brother offending another the offender is to goe acknowledg his repentāce for it unto his offended brother who is then to forgive him but if the ●…ffender neglect or refu●…e to doe it the brother offēded is to goe cōvince admonish him of it between themselves privatly ●…f therupon the offender bee brought to repent of his offēce the admonisher hath won his brother but if the offender heare not his brother the brother offended is to take with him one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witneses every word may be established whether the word of admonition if the offender receive it or the word of complaint if he refuse it for if hè refuse it the offēded brother is by the mouth of the Elders to tell the church if he heare the church declare the same by pe●…tēt confession he is recovered gayned if the church discern him to be willing to hear yet not fully cōv●…ced of his offence as in case ●…f heresy They are to dispēce to him a publick admonition which declaring the offēder to ly under the publ●…ck offence of the church doth t●…e by with-hold or suspend him from the holy fellowsh●…p of the Lords s●…pper till his offence be removed by penitent cōfession If he ●…ll 〈◊〉 obstinate they are to call him out by excōn unic●…tion 3 But if the offēce be more 〈◊〉 at first of a more ●…ous 〈◊〉 to wit such as are condē●…ed by the light of nature then the church w●…thout such graduall proceeding is to cast out the offender from ther●… holy cōmunior for the further mortifying of his 〈◊〉 the healing of his soule in the day of the Lord Jesus 4 In dealing with an offēder great care is to be takē that wee be neither overstrict or rigorous nor too indulgent or remiss our proceeding here●… ou●…ht to be with a spirit of ●…ekness considering our selves l●…st wee also be tēpted that the best of us have need of much forg 〈◊〉 from the Lord Yet the winīg healīg of the offēders soul being the end of the●…e ēdeavours wee must not daub with ūtempered morter nor heal the wounds of our brethren sleightly on some have comp●…ō others save with fear 5 While the offender remayns excōmunicate the Church is to refrayn from all member-like communion with him in spirituall things also from all familiar cōmuniō with him in civil things farther then the necessity of natural or domestical or civil relatiōs doe require are therfore to for bear to eat drike with him that he may be 〈◊〉 6 Excōmunication being a spirituall punishment it doth not prejudice the excōmunicate in nor deprive him of his civil rights therfore toucheth not princes or other magistrates in point of their civil dignity or authority And the excōmunicate being but as a publican a heathen heathens being lawfully permitted to come to hear the word in church assemblyes wee acknowledg therfore the like liberty of hearing the word may be permitted to persons excommunicate that is permitted unto heathen And because wee are not without hope of his recovery wee are not to account him as an enemy but to admonish him as a brother 7 If the Lord sanctifie the censure to the offender so as by the grace of Christ he doth testifie his repentance with humble cōfession of his sinn judging of himselfe giving glory unto God the Church is then to forgive him to comfort him to restore him to the wonted brotherly communion which formerly he injoyed with them 8 The suffring of prophane or scandalous livers to continue in fellowship partake in the sacraments is doubtless a great sinn in those that have power in their hands to redress it doe it not Nevertheless inasmuch as Christ his Apostles in their times the Prophets other godly in theirs did lawfully partake of the Lords commanded ordinances in the Jewish church neyther taught nor practised seperation from the same though unworthy ones were permitted therin inasmuch as the faithfull in the church of Corinth wherin were many unworthy persons practises are never commanded to absent themselves from the Sacramēts because of the same therfore the godly in like cases are not presently to seperate 9 As seperation from such a Church wherin pr●…phāe scandalous livers are tolerated is not presently necessary so for the members therof otherwise worthy hereupon to absta●…n from communicating with such a church in the participation of the Sacraments is unlawfull For as it were unreasonable for an in̄ocent person to be punished for the faults of other wherin he hath no hand wherunto he gave no consent soe is it more unreasonable that a godly man should neglect duty punish himselfe in not cōming for his portion in the blessing of the seales as he ought because others are suffered to come that ought not especially considering that himselfe doth neyther consent to their sinn nor to their approching to the ordinance in their sinn nor to the neglect of others who should put them away doe not but on the contrary doth heartily mourn for these things modestly seasonably stirr up others to doe their duty If the Church c●…nnot be reformed they may use their liberty as is specified chap 13. sect 4. But this all the godly are bound unto even every one to do his indeavour according to his powr

A PLATFORM OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE GATHERED OUT OF THE WORD OF GOD AND AGREED UPON BY THE ELDERS AND MESSENGERS OF THE CHURCHES ASSEMBLED IN THE SYNOD OF CAMBRIDGE IN NEW ENGLAND To be presented to the Churches and Generall Court for their consideration and acceptance in the Lord The Eight Moneth Anno 1649 Psal 84 1. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts Psal 26. 8. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house the place where th●…ne honour dwelleth Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after ●…hat I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the Beauty of the Lord to inquire in his Temple Printed by S G at Cambridge in New England and are to be sold at Cambridge and Boston Anno Dom 1649. THE PREFACE THE setting forth of the Publick Conf●…ssion of the Faith of Church●… at●… a 〈◊〉 ●…d 〈◊〉 b●…h ten●…ing to puplic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of the fa●…h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 se●…f secondly th●… holding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Un●…ty Harm●… both amongst with other Churches Our Chu●…es h●…e as ●…y the grace of Chr●…st wee beleive profess the sam●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…e 〈◊〉 ●…f ●…he Gospell which generally is received in ●…ll the reformed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…st in ●…rope so 〈◊〉 wee desire not to vary f●…om the ●…octrine of f●… 〈◊〉 ●…eld fo●… by ●…he churches of our nat●…ve country For though it be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that can breed vs 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 min●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 w●…e for to hav●… the glor●…ous fa●…h of our Lord Iesus w●…th respect of persons yet as P●…ul who wa●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…rofessed to hold forth the doctrine of just●…fication by faith of th●… 〈◊〉 of the de●… 〈◊〉 as he know his godly countrymen did who were ●…wes by nature Gala●… 2. 15. Acts 26. 6 7. soe wee who are by nature Eng●…sh m●…n d●… d●…sire to hold forth the s●…me 〈◊〉 of religion especially 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wh●… wee see kn●…w to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by th●… churches of England accor●…g to the truth of the Gospell The more wee 〈◊〉 that which wee doe have cause to doe with incessant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he 〈◊〉 unbr●…therly unchristian contentions of our godly brethr●…n countrymen ●…n matters of church-government he more ern●…stly do●… wee desire to see th●…m joyned together in one common faith our selves w●… 〈◊〉 For th●…s ●…nd h●…ng perused the publ●…k confession of faith agreed uponly the Reverend assembly of D●…ines at 〈◊〉 find●…ng the sum●… su●…stance therof in matters of doctrine to express not th●… own judgements o●…ly 〈◊〉 o●…rs also and being likewise called upon by our godly Mag●…strates to d●…w up a publick 〈◊〉 of that f●…ith which is constan●…ly taught genera●…y 〈◊〉 amongst us wee thought good to p●…esent ●…nto them with them to our 〈◊〉 w●…h them to all the church●…s of Christ abroad our prof●…ssed hearty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to th●… whole 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith f●…r 〈◊〉 of d●…ctrine which 〈◊〉 Reverend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 H●…nourable 〈◊〉 of Engl●… Excep●…ing only some 〈◊〉 in the 25 30 31. C●…apters of their conf●…ssion whic●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of con●…roversie in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whi●… wee ref●…re our selves to the draught of church-discpline in the ensueing treatise The truth of what we here declare may appear by the unanimous vo●…e of the Synod of the Elders messengers of our churches assembled at Cambridg the last of the sixth month 1648 wo●…ch ioyntly passed in these words This Synod having perused considered with much gladness of heart thankfullness to God the cōfession of faith published ●…f late by the Reverend Assembly in England doe judge it to be very holy orthodox judicious in all matters of faith doe therfore freely fully consent therunto for the substance therof Only in those things which have respect to church government discipline wee refer our selves to the platform of church-discipline agreed upon by this present assē●…ly doe therfore think it meet that this confession of faith should be cōmended to the churces of Christ amongst us to the Honoured Court as worthy of their due consideration acceptance Howbe●… wee may not conceal that the doctrine of vocation expressed in Chap 10. S 1. summarily repeated Chap 13. 1. passed not without some debate Yet considering that the term of vocation others by which it is described are capable of a larg or more strict sense use and that it is not intended to bind apprehensions precisely in po●…t of order or method there hath been a generall condescendency therunto Now by this our professed consent free concurrence with them in all the doctrinalls of religion wee hope it may appear to the world that as wee are a remnant of the people of the same nation with them so wee are professors of the same common faith fellow heyres of the same common salvation Yea moreover as this our profession of the same faith with them will exempt us even in their judgmēts from suspicion of heresy so wee trust it may exempt us in the like sort from suspicion of schism that though wee are forced to dissent from them in matters of church-discipline Yet our dissent is not taken up out of arrogancy of spirit in our selves whom they see willingly condescend to learn of them neither is it carryed with uncharitable censoriousness towards them both which are the proper essentiall charracters of schism but in meekness of w●…sdom as wee walk along w●…th them follow them as they follow Christ so where wee 〈◊〉 a ●…fferent apprehention of the mind of Christ as it faileth out in some few points 〈◊〉 church-order wee still reserve due reverence to them whom wee judge to be th●…ough Chr●…st the glorious l●…ghts of both nations only crave leave as in spirit wee are bound to follow the Lamb w●…thersoever he goeth after the Apostles example as wee bele●…ve so wee speak And if the example of such poor outcasts as our selves might prevaile if not with all for that were too great a blessing to hope fo●… yet with some or other of our brethren in England so farr as they are come to ●…ind speake the same thing with such as dissent from them wee hope in Christ it would not onely moderate the harsh judging and condemning of one another in such differences of judgment as may be found in 〈◊〉 ch●…ysest sa●…nts but also preven ●…y the mercy of 〈◊〉 the perill of the distraction 〈◊〉 of all the churches 〈◊〉 both k●…ngdoms Otherwise if brethren shall goe on to bite devoure one another the Apo●… feare●… as wee als●… ●…th s●…dness of 〈◊〉 a●… 〈◊〉 will tend to the 〈◊〉 of them 〈◊〉 wh●…ch t●…e Lo●…d prevent Wee are not ignorant that besides these 〈◊〉 of Heresy Schis●… other exceptions also are tak●…n at our w●…y of church govern●… 〈◊〉 as wee conce●… u●…