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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A42763 CXI propositions concerning the ministerie and government of the Church Gillespie, George, 1613-1648. 1647 (1647) Wing G752; ESTC R21587 30,033 52

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touching the outward man or the outward disposing of divine things in this or that Dominion as was said not as they are Spirituall and Evangelicall Ordinances piercing into the conscience it self But the object of the power Ecclesiasticall is a thing meerly and purely spirituall and in so far as it is spirituall for even that jurisdiction Ecclesiasticall which is exercised in an outward court or judicatory and which inflicteth publike censures forbiddeth from the use of the holy Supper and excludeth from the society of the Church doth properly concerne the inward man or the repentance and salvation of the soul 56. Surely the Faithfull and Godly Ministers although they could doe it unchallenged and uncontrolled and were therein allowed by the Magistrate as in the Prelaticall times it was yet would not usurpe the power of life and death or judge and determine concerning mens honours goods inheritance division of Families or other civill businesses seeing they well know these things to bee heterogeneous to their office But as they ought not to entangle themselves with the judgeing of civill causes so if they should bee negligent and slothfull in their owne office they shall in that bee no lesse culpable 57. To the object also of Ecclesiasticall power belongeth the assembling of Synodes so far as they are spirituall Assemblies proper to the Church and assembled in the holy Ghost for being so considered the governours of Churches after the example of the Apostles and Presbyters Acts 1 5. in a manifest danger of the Church ought to use their owne right of meeting together and conveening that the Churches endangered may be relieved and supported 58. Thirdly Those powers are differenced in respect of their formes and that three wayes For first the Civill power although in respect of God it bee Ministeriall yet in respect of the Subjects it is Lordly and Magisteriall Ecclesiasticall power is indeed furnished with authority yet that authority is liker the Fatherly then the Kingly authority Yea also t is purely Ministeriall much lesse can it bee lawfull to Ministers of the Church to bear dominion over the flock 59. Emperours Kings and other Magistrates are indeed appointed fathers of the Countrey but they are withall Lords of their People and Subjects Not as if it were permitted to them to bear rule and command at their own will and as they list for they are the Ministers of God for the good and profit of the Subjects yet it belongs to their power truely and properly to exercise dominion to hold principality to proceed imperiously It is indeed the duety of Ministers and Rulers of the Church to oversee to feed as shepherds to correct and rectifie to bear the keyes to bee Stewards in the house of Christ but in no wise to bee Lords over the house or to governe as Lords or Lordlike to rule yea in brief this is the difference between the civill Magistrate and the Ecclesiasticall Ministery in respect of those which are committed to their trust that the lot of the former is to bee served or ministred unto the lot of the latter to minister or serve 60. Now we have one onely Lord which governes our souls neither is it competent to man but to God alone to have power and authori●y over consciences But the Lord hath appointed his owne Stewards over his own Family that according to his commandment they may give to every one their allowance or portion and to dispense his mysteries faithfully and to them hee hath delivered the keyes or power of letting in into his house or excluding out of his house those whom hee himself will have let in or shut out Matth. 16. 19. and 18. 18. Luk. 12. 42. 1 Cor. 4. 1. Tit. 1. 7. 61. Next the civill power is indued with authority of compelling But it belongs not to the Ministery to compell the disobedient If any compulsion bee in or about Ecclesiasticall matters t is adventitious from without to wit from the help and assistance of the Magistrate not from the nature of Ecclesiasticall power from which it is very heterogeneous and therefore if any Suspended or Excommunicate person should be found who shall be so stiffe-necked and so impudent that at once he cast off all shame and make no account at all of those censures but scorne and contemne the same or peradventure shall insolently or proudly engyre and obtrude himself upon the Sacrament or being also filled with devillish malice do more and more contradict and blaspheme the Ecclesiasticall Ministery in such cases hath nothing more to do by way of jurisdiction But the Magistrate hath in readinesse a compelling jurisdiction and externall force whereby such stubborne rebellious and undaunted pride may bee externally repressed 62. Last of all the power of the Magistrate worketh onely politically or civilly according to the nature of the Scepter or Sword maketh and guardeth civill Lawes which sometimes also he changeth or repealeth and other things of that kinde hee effecteth with a secular power But the Ecclesiasticall power dealeth spiritually and onely in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by authority entrusted or received from him alone neither is it exercised without Prayer or calling on the Name of God nor lastly doth it use any other then spirituall weapons 63. The same sinne therefore in the same man may be punished one way by the civill another way by the Ecclesiasticall power by the civill power under the formality of a crime with corporall or pecuniary punishment By the Ecclesiasticall power under the notion and nature of scandall with a spirituall censure even as also the same civill question is one way deliberate upon and handled by the Magistrate in the Senate or place of Judgement another way by the Minister of the Church in the Presbytery or Synode by the Magistrate so farre as it pertaineth to the Government of the Common-wealth by the Minister so far as it respects the conscience for the Ecclesiasticall Ministery also is exercised about civill things spiritually in so far as it teacheth and admonisheth the Magistrate out of the Word of God what is best and most acceptable unto Gods or as it reproveth freely unjust judgements unjust warres and the like and out of the Scripture threatneth the wrath of God to be revealed against all unrighteousnesse of men So also is the Magistrate said to bee occupied civilly about spirituall things 64. Therefore all the actions of the civill Magistrate even when hee is imployed about Ecclesiasticall matters are of their own nature and essentially civill he punisheth externally Idolaters Blasphemers Sacrilegious persons Hereticks Prophaners of holy things and according to the nature and measure of the sinne hee condemneth to death or banishment forfeiture of goods or imprisonment he guardeth and underproppeth Ecclesiasticall Cannons with civill authority giveth a place of habitation to the Church in his territorie restraineth or expelleth the insolent and untamed disturbers of the Church 65. Hee taketh care also for maintaining the
the age following will peradventure yeeld more tractable spirits more milde hearts then our times have See also Lavater agreeing in this Homil. 52. on Nehem. Because the Popes of Rome have abused Excommunication for the establishing of their owne tyrannie it cometh to passe that almost no just Discipline can be any more settled in the Church but unlesse the wicked bee restrained all things must of necessitie runne into the worst condition See besides the opinion of Fabritius upon Psal. 149 6 7 8 9. of spirituall corrections which hee groundeth upon that Text compared with Matthew 16. 19. and 18. 18. John 20. 23. 108. It can hardly bee doubted or called in question but besides these other learned and Godly Divines of those Churches were and are of the same minde herein with those now cited and indeed the very Confession of Faith of the Churches of Helvetia Chap. 18. may bee an evidence hereof But there ought to bee in the mean time a just Discipline amongst Ministers for the doctrine and life of Ministers is diligently to be enquired of in Synodes Those that sinne are to be rebuked of the Elders and to be brought againe into the way if they bee curable or to be deposed and like wolves driven away from the flock of the Lord if they bee incurable That this manner of Synodicall censure namely of deposing Ministers from their office for some great scandall is used in the republike of Zurick Lavater is witnesse in his book of the Rites and Ordinances of the Church of Zurick Chap. 23. Surely they could not be of that minde that Ecclesiasticall Discipline ought to bee exercised upon Delinquent Ministers onely and not also upon other rotten Members of the Church 109. Yea the Helvetian Confession in the place now cited doth so taxe the inordinate zeal of the Donatists and Anabaptists which are so bent upon the rooting out of the tares out of the Lords field that they take not heed of the danger of plucking up the wheat that withall it doth not obscurely commend the Ecclesiasticall forensicall Discipline as distinct from the civill Power and seeing say they t is altogether necessary that there bee in the Church a Discipline and among the Ancients in times past Excommunication hath been usuall and Ecclesiasticall courts have been among the People of God among whom this Discipline was exercised by prudent and Godly men It belongeth also to Ministers according to the case of the times the publike estate and necessitie to moderate this Discipline Where this rule is ever to be held that all ought to be done to edification decently honestly without tyrannie and sedition The Apostle also witnesseth 2 Cor. 13. that to himself was given of God a Power unto edification and not unto destruction 110. And now what resteth but that God bee intreated with continuall and ardent Prayers both that hee would put into the hearts of all Magistrates zeal and care to cherish defend and guard the Ecclesiastick Discipline together with the rest of Christs Ordinances and to stop their eares against the importunate suites of whatsoever claw-backs which would stirre them up against the Church and that also all Governours and Rulers of Churches being every where furnished and helped with the strength of the holy Spirit may diligently and faithfully execute this part also of their function as it becometh the trustie servants of Christ which study to please their owne Lord and Master more then men 111. Finally all those who are more averse from Ecclesiastick Discipline or ill affected against it are to be admonished and intreated through our Lord Jesus Christ that they bee no longer entangled and enveagled with carnall prejudice to give place in this thing to humane affections and to measure by their owne corrupt reason spirituall Discipline but that they doe seriously think with themselves and consider in their mindes how much better it were that the lusts of the flesh were as with a bridle tamed and that the repentance amendment and gaining of vicious men unto salvation may be sought then that sinners bee left to their own disposition and bee permitted to follow their owne lusts without controllment and by their evill example to draw others headlong into ruine with themselves and seeing either the keyes of Discipline must take no ruste or the manners of Christians will certainly contract much ruste what is here to be chosen and what is to bee shunned let the Wise and Godly who alone take to heart the safety of the Church judge FINIS