the Lord from henceforth and for ever But in all this they held the daily publique service pure and undefiled without rites or any other ceremonies but only the reading of the word and ministring the Sacraments and teaching on the Sabbath dayes And the Jewes for their Divine Services had their Synagogues in every Citie and Towne and Christ did by his owne practise and presence observe the same upon the Sabbath day as it is Luke the 4. 16. 17. as his custome was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read and there was delivered to him the book of Isaiah and Acts 13. 14. 15. Paul and Barnabas went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day The forme of service used in the Synagogues First they began their Service with a generall verball confession which they gathered out of the Prophets Levit. 26. 20. Numb. 5. 6. 7. Nehem. 9. 23. The forme of this confession is set forth in the Jewes Talmond We have sinned O Lord we have done wickedly we have dealt deceitfully in thy sight we thy people and all the house of Israel we repent our selves thereof and are ashamed for the same and therefore O Lord we beseech thee forgive us our sinnes our iniquities and our transgressions as it is written in the book of Moses thy servant Then followed the reading of the Law and the Prophets and then after followed the expounding and exhortation then the Service ended with a generall thanks for all things and as Paul saith for all persons 1 Tim. 2 1. 2. And thus their Service was concluded with blessings upon the people from the mouth of the Minister The same Service and Method observed by the Apostles Christ lest no other forme of Service in Gods worship but onely such as was used in the Church of the Jewes naked and simple prayer praise and thanks reading preaching and exhortation with the ministration of the Sacraments commanding his Disciples to goe teach all Nations baptising them in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Spirit The Apostles observed their Masters commandement in every circumstance proper for the ministration of those Divine mysteries To all that Christ ordained they neither added nor diminished any thing Springing from superstition of time and place and circumstances for they knew that Ordination was not tyed to a day an houre or any solemne time or season but was instituted for the benefit of the soule of man therefore they thought fit to minister the Lords Supper every Lords day Neither did they use any other order or gesture but after the same manner sitting as Christ did institute it fearing the curse of God to adde or diminish And held that manner of order most worthy and fit to be observed in Divine mysteries which their Lord had formerly observed knowing the power efficacie to be of his spirit and not to consist in Rites and Ceremonies or circumstances of time and place After the ascension of the Lord he Apostles and the whole Church consisting of 120 persons assembled at Ierusalem in an upper Chamber and abode together with the 11 Apostles and continued with one accord in prayer and supplication And then and there Peter taught and preached and in the publique assembly and with their whole consent they chose Matthias to supply Iudas his place Acts 1 13 14 15. also 2. 42. and they continued in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayer In which words is set forth the whole form of their Service and worship used in the Apostolique times which consisted in preaching the true Doctrine of Christ their unity of faith and love ministration of the Sacraments and Prayer The Testimony of the Fathers On the day saith he which is called Sonday that is the Lords day there is an assembling and comming together of all manner of people dwelling either in the Fields or in the Cities into one place and there are read the Acts or Records of the Apostles and the Writings of the Prophets so long as the time would suffer then when the Reader hath left off reading that is to say he which was President or Chiefe in the assembly the Bishop or Pastor delivered an admonition or exhortation by way of discourse tending to the stirring of them up to follow and practise those good things Afterwards wee rise all at once and send our prayers unto God And prayer being ended the bread and wine is brought and he that directeth the action delivereth with all the power and might he hath prayers and thanksgiving the people assenting say Amen Then followeth the distribution to every one present and the communicating of the things which were blessed by thanksgiving and they send of the same to those that were absent by the Deacons In the end they which are of ability and are moved therewithall give every one according as it pleaseth him and that which remaineth abideth with him that is president with which he makes provision for the fatherlesse widowes sicke persons captives and needy strangers The same Author in another place of the same Apologie After saith he that we have washed that is baptized him that hath received the faith and joyned himselfe with us wee bring him into the Assembly and Congregation of the brethren where they are come together to make their common prayers both for themselves and for him and for all manner of persons whatsoever When prayers are thus ended wee salute one another with an holy kisse and then there is brought to the Pastor the Bread and the Cup and hee giveth praise and glory to the Father of all things in the name of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost and maketh a great thankes-giving for that hee hath vouchsafed to make them worthy of these things which being ended the people joyne and put their blessing thereto saying Amen Afterward the Pastor blessing them those whom wee call Deacons gives to every one who are present and they carry to those that are absent And this food is called the Sacrament of thankes-giving which is not lawfull for any one to receive which hath not before received the truth of our Doctrine of Faith and hath not beene washed with Baptisme of regeneration for remission of sinnes Also Tertullian in his Apologie about few yeares after Now saith he I will declare unto you the practises of the Christian function to the end that when I have refuted the evill I may shew you the good We come together into one Congregation to have recourse unto God by prayer forcing him as it were by joyning together of all our prayers and this violent enforcement is very well pleasing to God Wee pray for Emperours for their Officers and Potentates and for the estate present for the quieting of matters wee come together for communicating of the holy Scriptures as the present times doe presse us or to prevent somewhat to come or to make acknowledgement of the
Rudiments of the world and not after Christ the outward shew of holinesse which puffes up mens hearts with selfe-conceit being burthened with traditions which having a glorious shew of holinesse of wisedome and voluntary religion wherein men are out of measure superstitious in zeale not sparing their bodily labour The manner of the publike worship of Gods Church from Adam till Moyses In this first age whilest the Church was domesticall in the family of Adam and Noah and Abram The first-borne and eldest of every family was ordained of God by creation to be a King for the common good A Priest to offer prayer to God for them and a Prophet to instruct them Of this royall dignitie we read that God gave dominion unto Adam over his posteritie and all sublunary creatures Gen. 1. 28. This is the fountaine of Soveraigntie succeeding in the birth-right of the dignitie of the first-borne untill Cain lost it by killing his brother Abel C ham lost it for scoffing his Father Noah Esau sold it for a mease of pottage and Reuben lost it for defiling his fathers bed Then God tooke it into his owne hands and reserved soveraigntie and the dignitie of preheminence of the first-borne for his owne onely begotten sonne the first begotten of every creature the Lyon of Judah who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords by whom Kings raigne and Princes decree Justice Also man in Creation was the Prophet of God for God breathed in his face the breath of life and made him a living soule even that word which in the beginning was with God and was God was the light and life of man Adam was taught of God before his fall as in the second Chapter of Genesis and also after his fall as in the third Chapter of Genesis the seed of the woman should break the serpents head which doctrine he received of God and taught his posterity His Priesthood was manifest in that hee taught his sonnes to offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to God the outward signes thereof they brought to their Father as their high Priest a figure of Christ Gen. 4. 3. also Hevah gave thanks to God for her issue The services used amongst the Patriarks Their practise and service in this age was plain and simple praise prayer and thanksgiving to God which consisted in confessing their sinfulnesse and acknowledging the mercie of God in his promise as after the birth of Seth and Enoch then it is said began men to call on the name of God Genes 4. 26. And in every family they taught and declared the promise of God to be the word of life as Lamech confessed at the birth of Noah Gen. 5. 29. and Noah and Enoch are witnessed to be Preachers of righteousnesse This manner of worship was more manifest after the flood in the life of Abraham by his obedience his familiar talking with God as in Chap. 15. 16 18 19 20. and Isaacks conversation who went out to meditate and pray in the evening so Jacob worshipped God leaning on his staffe and blessed his sonne Thus the pure and unspotted worship of God which was used both private and publique among his people was onely praise prayer and thanksgiving with teaching and Divine instruction And to this manner of worship none durst adde nor diminish only God himselfe did in the dayes of Abraham add unto this worship the signe of the everlasting covenant betwixt God and his faithfull servant Abraham and his faithfull seed to make a separation and visible distinction betwixt his people and the people of the world the seed of nature under which Covenant was promised the spirit of Regeneration or spiritual Circumcision in these words I wil be thy God and the God of thy seed the seed of regeneration Here we may observe that to the spirituall and Divine worship of God none can add any thing but God alone and God will add nothing but Divine Doctrine necessary to salvation And that figured under plaine and simple signes lest the naturall corruption of man prone to superstition and externall sanctity should leane and cleave to the signes and forget the heavenly things signified and to seeke holinesse in the action The same worship and service practised in the Nationall Church When Israel of twelve tribes became a multitude and a great Nation whom God exercised and humbled under the bondage of Pharaoh that hee might shew forth his mighty power mercy and loving kindnesse to his people Israel hee sent them a deliverer even his servant Moses Moses added nothing to the service of the first age but God added also the Sacrament of the Passeover to declare unto them that as none was to be esteemed the people of God but those that were under the signe of the Covenant of God so none should be delivered from the destroying wrath of God but those that were redeemed reconciled and washed or sprinkled with the blood of the unspotted Lamb of God the promised seed of the woman the word of life made flesh in whose death and shedding of his blood they were saved and delivered from spirituall bondage and death and this was to be observed for a perpetuall ordinance among Gods people for ever And after the Israelites and people of God were congregated and gathered together and brought out of the bondage of Egypt the Lord by the ministration of Moses and Aaron writ divulged and ministred the Divine precepts of the law of God the knowledge and perfection whereof man had lost and forgot by transgression Out of which law Moses by the commandement of God extracted Ecclesiastical ordinances for Aaron and the legall Priesthood and Levites for serving of the Tabernacle to instruct the people by types and figures in the Divine and heavenly mysteries of God under the law as by a Schoolemaster till the mysterie of God should be manifested in the flesh and dwell with men And of this Doctrine all the Prophets testified and writ declaring and fore-telling the comming of that Messias All the glory of the Tabernacle and after that the Temple with the typicall Sacrifices was but to set forth that spirituall and Divine glory and power which was to come and to be manifested in the flesh and then the outward and earthly glory should be abolished and done away that the Divine and invisible power thereof might onely remaine and shine in the hearts and soules of the Elect as the Prophet Ioel 2. 28. And afterward will I poure out my spirit upon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophecie Ier. 31. 33. After those dayes saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I say this is the Covenant which I will make with them my spirit is upon thee my word which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed saith
his owne will but the will of his Father So likewise when he sent his Apostles and Disciples to teach all Nations he sent them as he was sent of his Father So send I you saith he which was not to doe their owne will nor to teach their owne doctrine but to do his will as he did his Fathers will and to teach his doctrine which he taught them as his Father taught him so by the Word they are to do and teach but nothing beside the Word or without the Word More at large of this in the Treatise of Discipline Thus we see the word of life is God in the person of the Father the unbegotten Word in the Sonne the begotten Word and the incarnate Word In the person of the Spirit it is the proceeding Word and the ministeriall Word and this ministeriall Word is the power and the authority committed to the Church So the Ministers cannot doe any thing but by the power of the Word and this Word is Christ who abideth with them and with the whole Church alwayes unto the end of the world So Christ is the chiefe and they are his servants and embassadours Of the third Subsistence of the Church Government and Discipline AS Divine worship cannot bee wiâ—hout the divine power of the ministeriall Word from whence it extracts both the nutriment and efficacie so neither worship nor the Divine Word can be without order government and discipline whereby the whole spirituall body the Church is preserved in spirituall health and blessednesse shining in spirituall decencie and divine beauty As Psal. 45. 13. 14. The Kings daughter is all glorious within And her heavenly glory is most excellently set forth in Canticles 6. 10. Who is shee that looketh forth as the morning faire as the Moone pure as the Sunne terrible as an army with banners Without externall pompe temporall confusion or humane policy for God hateth nothing more in the government of his Church and in his worship then pompe and policy and loveth nothing more then to have his Church excell in meeknesse holinesse and simplicity like himselfe as hee saith Bee ye holy for I am holy And learne of me for I am meeke and lowly And he exalteth the humble and meeke but the proud he sends empty away When we speake of the Church it is to bee considered in what sence we take the Church for the Church of God is in a twofold aspect to be apprehended one as she is in a mysticall union the body of Christ the Spouse of Christ the Lambe the Bride in this sence shee is spirituall pure and holy without spot without wrinkle his undefiled The other as she dwelleth in her naturall humanitie and abideth here on earth wherein shee is invironed with manifold temptations infirmities and afflictions fighting against the world the flesh and the divell and in this condition she is elementary naturall and visible Therefore God in his wisedome and goodnesse to man hath ordained externall dispensation thereby to communicate the holy and invisible mysteries of his Word to man through visible instruments elementary and naturall proper for mans capacity and nature lest naturall infirmities should become an excuse that God should not speake unto man For this cause God doth minister the mighty power of his Word by the weake and simple voyce of man Teaching man by letters syllables words and sentences divine truth and making evident to the mind and sences of man by elementary signes tropes and allegories and so demonstrating inscrutable mysteries and divine secrets of grace power and glory The first beames of the glorious gospell of Christ which Paul calls the Image of the living God that shines unto man is the publike and visible ministration whose glory compared with the glorious ministration of the law 2 Cor. 3. 7 which none was able to behold and live which made mountaines tremble and the Israelites excuse themselves is farre more exceeding glorious which we all are able to behold with open face shining through the vaile of Christs humanitie wherein as in a glasse or Crystall wee see the glory of God in the love of the Father and are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord And the thing that is ministred is the glorious gospell of Christ which is the doctrine of Christ or the mystery of the Father and it carrieth alwayes this Character with it to know it to be the true doctrine of God It giveth all glory to God the Father by Christ and it glorifies Christ through the Spirit for Christ saith that which is the Fathers is mine therefore the Spirit shall take of mine and give it you Outward ministration is called the face and countenance of God Therefore the Prophet David saith O Lord God of hoasts turne us againe and make thy face to shine upon us and wee shall be saved It was Davids delight and his whole hearts desire Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I require that I may dwell in the temple of the Lord all my dayes to behold the beauty of the Lord and to visit his temple The first ordination of this ministration was instituted and practised by God himselfe in Paradise preaching unto Adam in a created voyce in the coole of the day and by that meeke voyce Gods presence was knowne unto man I heard thy voyce and was afraid The voyce or word of God for it is a significant voyce making it selfe to be understood howsoever God useth weake and despised instruments to expresse himselfe to mans capacity yet his voyce is mighty as in the 29. Psal Reade the whole Psalme For the voyce of the Lord is powerfull the voyce of the Lord is full of Majesty And as Paul describes it it is mighty in operation and sharper then any two edged sword piercing through even to the dividing of the soule and the spirit and of the joynts and the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart For this cause preaching is called the power of God unto salvation But if the glorious beauty and power of Gods ministration seeme weake and foolish unto some men because it is ministred by the voyce of man and the weake sigâ—es of the Sacraments being of no strength not beauty in themselves It is because the glorious Gospell is hid unto them that perish and becomes the savour of death unto death because the God of this world hath blinded the eyes of them that beleeve not lest the light of the glorious Gospell of Jesus Christ should shine unto them These riches are sent unto us of God from the Father of lights by the Sonne of the fulnesse of all rich gracâ— through the spirit the over-flowing waters of life and blessednesse and we have it in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may appeare to be of God and not of man and those that are 〈◊〉 of God are
enlighten his mind and mollifie his heart Which if it prevaile with him hee falleth upon his knees and desireth the Congregation to pray for him which done the Pastor pronounceth unto him the remission of sinnes if the Church judge him penitent if they find him still obstinate and of an unrelenting heart then they pronounce him debaâ—red from the holy Communion of the Supper of the Lord and continue him upon the stoole of repentance with much exhortation patience and long forbearing till they convince him or otherwise separate him from the Congregation for a time if after hee continue in his foulenesse of sinne then hee is againe called to the Congregation and admonished which if then it take no effect hee is excommunicated by laying on of the hands of all the Elders after that hee is accounted as an enemie or as Paul saith Anathema to the Church and wholly and finally given over to Satan according to the words of our Saviour the 18. Matth. 18. Whomsoever yee bind on earth shall bee bound in heaven and whom yee shall loose on earth shall bee loosed in heaven Judge I pray you if all the politicke wits in the world could ever have devised such a pure and subtile discipline as should spie into the inward secrets of the thoughts and intentions of the heart and should purge the conscience and should cut off the consuming cankers and rotten members from the body of the Church What Romish Apothecary could ever have composed such a soule-saving medicine Observe how the holy Spirit hath commanded this discipline to bee alwayes practized in the Church When Achans covetousnesse troubled the Congregation by moving Gods wrath against them a diligent search was commanded to bee made and being found out Achan and his house were cut off Josh. 7. And also if there bee a scorner or contentious person saith Solomon cast out the scorner and so strife will goe out and so contention shall cease Also Rom. 16. 17. 18. Now saith Paul I beseech you brethren marke them diligently which cause division and offences contrary to the dâ—ctrine which yee have learned and avoid them And more plainly in the 2 Thess. 3 6. 10. Wee command you brethren in the Name of Christ that yee withdraw your selves from every brother that walkes inordinately and not after the instructions which yee received of us And in the foureteenth verse he saith If any man obey not your saying note him by a letter and have no company with him that hee may bee ashamed yet account him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother But if he come to the last degree Excommunion then saith our Lord Christ let him be anathema But if you would see the Apostles practice in this discipline See 1 Cor. 5. chap. 4 and 5. verses Paul having certaine intelligence that there was odious fornication among them hee writ thus unto them When yee are gathered together and my spirit in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that such a one I say by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ bee delivered unto Sathan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may bee saved in the day of the Lord Jesus And out of this text make a profitable observation that Paul will not have Excommunication though but in the second degree executed in any private manner but by the publicke assembly gathered together neither doth hee allow it to be done in any name but in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ Neither doth hee attribute the power either to himselfe or the Church but onely to the Lord Jesus Now and lastly I must conclude with the last part of Discipline that is Synodicall assemblies which are of three degrees The first is particular to every Congregation which consists of the Pastors the Deacons and the Elders of that Church whose customes is the best reformed Churches to meet once a wâ—eke or as need requires to take an account of all things that concerne the duties of the Elders and the Church-revenues the Pastor being their chiefe guide Those things about which they chiefly busie themselves are first to catalogue the Professors of their Congregation their Catechâ—â—inists distinguished from those that are thought fit to be admitted to the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ their Baptized their Penitents their Excommunicates their number of Elders and Deacons Pastors and Teachers one or two as the place requires In this their assembly they consider the spirituall estate and condition of the flocke examine the revenues of the Church and the necessities of the poore and what things soever they â—ind meet to edification The Pastor exhorting the Elders to diligence care and zeale in the worke of the Lord the Deacons to honesty compassion and a good conscience The second order of Synodes is in the reformeâ— Churches called the assemblies of the Presbyteries held monethly or quarterly under which they comprehend the Pastors and Church Elders for every Pastor brings with him two or three Elders after the quantity of the Congregation and this Synode is a company of Pastors and Elders of a shire or wapontake In these Assemblies they examine the spirituall condition of every parish take view of their order diligence doctrine and manners as well the doctrine and manners of the Pastors and Elders as of the younger people And there they proceed to such further order and censure as by the holy Scriptures they are taught And in these Synodeâ— all errours in opinion heresies and Schismes that are found noysome to the Congregation are reproved and the parties exhorted and admonished In these their Synodes they alwayes from time to time choose one President to guide the affaires and thus they avoyd that preheminence which Episcopacie greedily hunts after The third degree is the superlative assembly of Presbyteries which is either Nationall or Provinciall which in some Churches are held yearely or otherwise as occasions fit over which the prince and Soveraigne is the Principall Elder and the Presbyters and Elders appoint one Pastor for the time President of the assembly who moderates and guides the affaires The matters handled in this Synode are a generall review of both the former Synods and specially to take care of the preservation of the puritie of Doctrine and suppressing of Heretickes and errours and all misdemeanours and Schismes in the Church And whatsoever is done in any of these Synods is certified from one to another and through the Nationall Church of all their most materiall censures which may concerne them in generall wherby the Church is preserved in a sweet and pleasant decorum unitie puritie and peace The unerrable patterne of these Synods is taken from the practise of the Apostles Acts 15. shewing by what rules of temperance and wisedome they ought to judge and give sentence taking the Scripture for their rule the holy Ghost for their guide not laying any burden on the Church by Lawes Decrees or Canons as I have before