and holy in all manner of Conversation God may bee honoured the Church edified and himself saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Then shall follow the sentence of Absolution in these or the like words Whereas thou N. hast for thy sinne been shut out from the Communion of the Faithfull and hast now manifested thy Repentance wherein the Church resteth satisfied In the Name of Jesus Christ before this Congregation I pronounce and declare thee absolved from the sentence of Excommunication formerly denounced against thee And do receive thee to the Communion of the Church and the free use of all the Ordinances of Christ that thou mayest be partaker of all his benefits to thy eternall salvation After this Sentence of Absolution the Minister speaketh to him as to a Brother exhorting him to watch and pray or comforting him if there be need the elders embrace him and the whole Congregation holdeth communion with him as one of their own Although it be the duety of Pastors and other ruling officers to use all diligence and vigilancy both by Doctrine and Discipline respectively for the preventing and purging out such Errors Heresies Schismes and scandals as tend to the detriment and disturbance of the Church Yet because it may fall out through the pride and stubbornnesse of offenders that these meanes alone will not be effectuall to that purpose It is therefore necessary after all this to implore the aide of the Civil Magistrate who ought to use his coercive power for the suppressing of all such offences and vindicating the discipline of the Church from contempt Of Ordination of Ministers BEcause no man ought to take upon him the office of a Minister of the Word without a lawfull Call therefore Ordination which is the solemne setting apart of a person unto some publick Church office is alwaies to be continued in the Church When he who is to be ordained Minister hath been first duely examined touching his fitnes both for life and Ministeriall abilities according to the rules of the Apostle by those who are to ordaine him and hath been by them approved Hee is then to bee ordained by imposition of hands and prayer with fasting But if any person be found unfit he is not to be ordanied It is agreeable to the word and very expedient that such as are to bee ordained Ministers be designed to some particular Church or other Ministeriall charge Ordination is the act of a Presbyterie unto which the power of ordering the whole worke belongs yet so as that the preaching Presbyters orderly associated either in Cities or in neighbouring villages are those to whom the imposition of hands doth appertain for those Congregations within their bounds respectively And therefore it is very requisite that no single Congregation which can conveniently associate doe assume to it selfe all and sole power in Ordination No Person or Persons may or ought to nominate appoint or choose any man to be a Minister for a Congregation who is not fit and able for that worke And if any unfit man be nominated to the Classicall Presbyterie they are to refuse to admit him When any Minister is to be ordained for a particular Congregation or translated from one place to another the people of that Congregation to which hee is to bee ordained or admitted shall have notice of it and if they shew just cause of exception against him hee is not to be ordained or admitted And in the meane time till one be admitted the Presbyterie shall provide for the supply of the Congregation The Congregation if they conceive themselves wronged by any act of the Presbyterie shall have libertie to appeal to the next Synode which upon hearing of the matter shall judge as the cause shall require The Directory for Ordination of Ministers IT being manifest by the word of God that no man ought to take upon him the office of a Minister of the Gospel untill he be lawfully called and ordained thereunto and that the work of Ordination is to be performed with all due care wisdome gravity and solemnity wee humbly tender these Directions as requisite to be observed He that is to be ordained being either nominated by the people or otherwise commended to the Presbytery for any place must addresse himself to the Presbyterie and bring with him a testimoniall of his taking the Covenant of the three Kingdomes of his diligence and proficiency in his Studies what degrees hee hath taken in the University and what hath been the time of his abode there and withall of his age which is to be four and twentie yeares but especially of his life and conversation Which being considered by the Presbyterie they are to proceed to enquire touching the Grace of God in him and whether he be of such holinesse of life as is requisite in a Minister of the Gospel And to examine him touching his learning and sufficiency and touching the evidences of his calling to the holy Ministery and in particular his fair and direct calling to that place The Rules for examination are these 1. That the party be dealt with in a Brotherly way with mildnesse of spirit and with speciall respect to the gravitie modesty and quality of every one 2. He shall be examined touching his skill in the Originall tongues and the tryall to be made by reading the Hebrew and Greek Testaments and rendring some portion of them into Latine And if he be defective in them enquiry shall bee made the more strictly after his other learning And whether he hath skill in Logick and Phylosophie 3. What Authors in Divinity he hath read and is best acquainted with And tryall shall be made of his knowledge in the chief grounds of Religion and of his ability to defend the Orthodox Doctrine contained in them against all unsound and erronious opinions especially those of the present age of his skill in the sense and meaning of such places of Scripture as shall be proposed to him in cases of Conscience in the Chronologie of Scripture and the Ecclesiasticall History 4. If he hath not preached in publick with approbation of such as are able to judge he shall at a competent time assigned him expound before the Presbytery such a place of Scripture as shall be given him 5. He shall also within a competent time frame a discourse in Latine upon such a Common place or Controversie in Divinity as shall be assigned him and exhibite to the Presbyterie such Theses as expresse the summe thereof and maintaine a Dispute upon them 6. He shall Preach before the People the Presbyterie or some of the Ministers of the Word appointed by them being present 7. The proportion of his gifts in relation to the place unto which he is called shall be considered 8. Beside the triall of his gifts in Preaching he shall undergoe an examination in the premisses two severall dayes or more if the Presbyterie shall judge it necessary 9. And as for him that hath beene formerly ordained a Minister
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
of the whole Classis It belongeth unto Classicall Presbyteries To consider of to debate and to resolve according to Gods Word such cases of conscience or other difficulties in Doctrine as are brought unto them out of their association according as they shall finde needfull for the good of the Churches To examine and censure according to the Word any erronious Doctrines which have been either publikely or privatly vented within their association to the corrupting of the judgements of men and to endeavour the converting and reducing of Recusants or any others in Errour or Schisme To order all Ecclesiasticall matters of common concernment within the bounds of their association To take cognizance of causes omitted or neglected in particular Congregations and to receive appeals from them To dispence censures in cases within their cognizance by Admonition Suspension or Excommunication To admonish or further to censure scandalous Ministers whether in Life or Doctrine according to the nature of the offence and that not only for such offences for which any other Member of the Congregation shall incurre any censure of the Church in which case he is to be censured by the Classis with the like censure for the like offence but likewise particularly for Simony entering into any Ministeriall charge without allowance of authority false Doctrine affected lightnesse and vanity in Preaching willfull neglect of Preaching or slight performance of it wilfull Non-residence from his Charge without call or cause approved by the Classis neglect of administration of the Sacraments or other Ministeriall dueties required of him in the Directory of Worship depraving and speaking reproachfully against the wholesome orders by authority setled in the Church casting reproach upon the power of Godlinesse which he by his office ought cheifly to promote Yet so as that no Minister be deposed but by the resolution of a Synode To examine ordain and admit Ministers for the Congregations respectively therein associated according to the advice formerly sent up to the honourable Houses of Parliament Of Synodicall Assemblies SYnodicall Assemblies do consist of Pastors Teachers Church-Governours and other fit Persons when it shall be deemed expedient where they have a lawfull calling thereunto These Assemblies have Ecclesiasticall power and authority to judge and determine controversies of Faith and cases of Conscience according to the Word They may also lawfully excommunicate and dispence other Church censures Synodicall Assemblies are of severall sorts viz. Provinciall Nationall Oecumenicall Of Provinciall Assemblies LEt Provinciall Assemblies generally be bounded according to the civill division of the Kingdome into Counties and where any very great Counties are divided within themselves let the Provinciall Assemblies follow these divisions as in the Ridings of Yorkshire Provinciall Assemblies consist of Delegats sent from Severall Classes within that Province whose number shall exceed the number of any one Classicall Presbytery within that Province And to that end there shall bee at the least two Ministers and two ruling Elders out of every Classis and where it shall appear necessary to encrease the number let it not exceed six of each from any one Classis Let these Assemblies meet twice every year And for enabling them unto any act of Government let there be a major part at least of the Ministers delegated from the severall Classes Of the Nationall Assembly THe Nationall Assembly consists of Ministers and Ruling Elders delegated from each Provinciall Assembly The number of which delegats shall bee three Ministers and three Ruling Elders out of every Province and five Learned and Godly Persons from each University Let this Assembly meet once every year and oftner if there shall be cause The first time to bee appointed by the Honourable Houses of Parliament Of the subordination of these Assemblies IT is lawfull and agreeable to the Word of God that there be a subordination of Congregationall Classicall Provinciall and Nationall Assemblies for the Government of the Church that so appeals may bee made from the inferiour to the superiour respectively The Provinciall and Nationall Assemblies are to have the same power in all points of Government and censures brought before them within their severall bounds respectively as is before expressed to belong to Classicall Presbyteries within their severall associations The DIRECTORY for Church censures CHurch censures and Discipline for judging and removing of offences being of great use and necessity in the Church that the Name of God by reason of ungodly and wicked persons living in the Church be not blasphemed nor his wrath provoked against his people that the Godly be not leavened with but preserved from the contagion and stricken with fear and that the sinners who are to be censured may be ashamed to the destruction of the flesh and saving of the Spirit in the day of the Lord Jesus We judge this course of proceeding therein to be requisite The order of proceeding with offenders who before excommunication manifest Repentance WHen the offence is private the order of admonition prescribed by our Lord Mat. 18.15 is in all wisdome and love to bee observed that the offender may either be recovered by Repentance Or if he adde obstinacie or contempt to his fault he may be cut off by Excommunication If the sinne bee publikely scandalous and the sinner being examined bee judged to have the signes of unfeigned Repentance and nothing justly objected against it when made known to the people let him be admitted to publike confession of his sinne and manifestation of his Repentance before the Congregation When the penitent is brought before the Congregation the Minister is to declare his sinne whereby hee hath provoked Gods wrath and offended his People his confession of it and profession of unfeigned Repentance for it and of his resolution through the strength of Christ to sinne no more and his desire of their Prayers for mercy and grace to bee kept from falling againe into that or any the like sinne Of all which the penitent also is to make a full and free expression according to his ability Which being done the Minister after prayer to God for the penitent is to admonish him to walk circumspectly and the people to make a right use of his fall and rising again And so to declare that the Congregation resteth satisfied The order of proceeding to Excommunication EXcommunication being a shutting out of a Person from the Communion of the Church and therefore the greatest and last censure of the Church ought not to be inflicted without great and mature deliberation nor till all other good meanes have been assayed Such errors as subvert the Faith or any other errors which overthrow the power of Godlinesse if the party who holds them spread them seeking to draw others after him and such sinnes in practise as cause the Name and Trueth of God to bee blasphemed and cannot stand with the power of Godlinesse and such practises as in their own nature manifestly subvert that Order Unity and Peace which Christ hath
established in his Church Those being publikely known to the just scandall of the Church the sentence of Excommunication shall proceed according to the Directory But the Persons who hold other errours in judgement about points wherein Learned and Godly men possibly may or do differ and which subvert not the Faith nor are destructive to Godlinesse Or that bee guilty of such sinnes of infirmity as are commonly found in the Children of God Or being otherwise sound in the Faith and holy in Life and so not falling under censure by the former Rules endeavour to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace and do yet out of Conscience not come up to the observation of all those Rules which are or shall be established by Authority for regulating the outward Worship of God and Government of his Church wee doe not decerne to be such against whom the sentence of Excommunication for these causes should be denounced When the sinne becomes publike and justly scandalous the offender is to bee dealt with by the Eldership to bring him to Repentance and to such a manifestation thereof as that his Repentance may bee publike as the scandall But if he remaine obstinate he is at last to be Excommunicated and in the meane time to bee suspended from the Lords Supper And whereas there bee divers and various judgements touching the power of Excommunication and the proper subject thereof we conceive that for clearing of difficulties avoiding of offences preservation of Peace and such like these following Directions are fit to bee observed In the great and difficult cases of Excommunication whether concerning Doctrine or conversation the Classicall Presbytery upon the knowledge thereof may examine the person consider the nature of the offence with the aggravations thereof and as they shall see just cause may declare and decerne that he is to be excommunicated which shall be done by the Eldership of that Congregation whereof hee is a member with the consent of the Congregation in this or the like manner As there shall bee cause severall publick admonitions shall bee given to the offender if hee appear and prayers made for him When the offence is so hainous that it cryes to Heaven for vengeance wasteth the conscience and is generally scandalous the censures of the Church may proceed with more expedition In the admonitons let the fact bee charged upon the offender with the cleare evidence of his guilt thereof Then let the nature of his sinne the particular aggravations of it the punishments and curses threatned against it the danger of impenitency especially after such meanes used the wofull condition of them cast out from the favour of God and communion of the Saints the great mercy of God in Christ to the penitent how ready and willing Christ is to forgive and the Church to accept him upon his serious repentance Let these or the like particulars be urged upon him out of some sutable places of the holy Scriptures The same particulars may be mentioned in Prayer wherein the Lord is to be intreated to blesse this admonition to him and to affect his heart with the consideration of these things thereby to bring him unto true Repentance If upon the last admonition and Prayer there be no evidence nor signe of his Repentance let the dreadfull sentence of Excommunication be pronounced with calling upon the name of God in these or the like expressions Speak this in the third Person if the party bee absent Whereas thou N. hast been by sufficient proofe convicted of here mention the Sin and after due admonition and prayer remainest obstinate without any evidence or signe of true Repentance Therefore in the Name of the Lord Iesus Christ and before this Congregation I pronounce and declare thee N. Excommunicated and shut out from communion of the Faithfull Let the prayer accompanying Sentence to be this effect That God who hath appointed this terrible Sentence for removing offences and reducing of obstinate sinners would be present with this his ordinance to make it effectuall to all these holy ends for which he hath appointed it that this retaining of the offenders sinne and shutting him out of the Church may fill him with feare and shame breake his obstinate heart and be a meanes to destroy the flesh and to recover him from the power of the divell that his Spirit may yet be saved that others also may be stricken with feare and not dare to sinne so presumptuously and that all such corrupt leaven being purged out of the Church which is the house of God Jesus Christ may delight to dwell in the midst of them After the denunciation of this Sentence the people are to be warned that they hold him to be cast out of the communion of the Church and to shun all communion with him Neverthelesse Excomunication dissolveth not the bonds of civil or naturall relations nor exempt from the duties belonging to them This Sentence is likewise to be made knowne Not only to that but to any other Classis or Congregation as occasion shall require by reason of his abode or conversing with them The order of proceeding to Absolution IF after excommunication the signes of Repentance appear in the Excommunicated Person such as godly sorrow for sin as having thereby incurred Gods heavy displeasure occasioned griefe to his brethren and justly provoked them to cast him out of their communion together with a full purpose of heart to turne from his sin unto God and to reforme what hath been amisse in him with an humble desire of recovering his peace with God and his People and to be restored to the light of Gods countenance the communion of the Church He is to be brought before the Congregation and there also to make free confession of his sinne with sorrow for it to call upon God for mercy in Christ to seek to be restored to the communion of the Church promising to God new obedience and to them more holy and circumspect walking as becometh the Gospel He is to be pronounced in the name of Christ absolved and free from the censures of the Church and declared to have right to all the ordinances of Christ with praising of God for his Grace and Prayer that he may be fully accepted to his favour and heare joy and gladues to this effect To Praise God who delighteth not in the death of a sinner but that hee may repent and live for blessing the ordinance of Excommunication and making it effectuall by his Spirit to the recovering of this offender To magnifie the mercy of God through Jesus Christ in pardoning and receiving to his favour the most grievous offenders whensoever they unsainedly repent and forsake their sinnes To pray for assurance of mercy and forgivenesse to this Penitent and so to blesse his Ordinance of Absolution that he may finde himself loosed thereby and that the Lord would henceforth so uphold and strengthen him by his Spirit that being sound in the Faith