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A02990
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A friendly triall of the grounds tending to separation in a plain and modest dispute touching the lawfulnesse of a stinted liturgie and set form of prayer, Communion in mixed assemblies, and the primitive subject and first receptacle of the power of the Keyes: tending to satisfie the doubtfull, recall the wandering, and to strengthen the weak: by John Ball.
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Ball, John, 1585-1640.
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1640
(1640)
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STC 1313; ESTC S122227
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213,948
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338
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and not to give that honour unto Jesus Christ or to give it unto any other is a breach of the first commandment It is true that inward and outward worship both when they are both of one nature or kind are required in the first precept as if I must pray unto God in the mediation of Jesus Christ or pray unto Jesus Christ mine onely Saviour I may kneel or prostrate my self or bow my body in the exercise of religion and these actions must be referred to the same commandment It is also true that the second commandment reacheth to the heart and requireth that we rightly conceive of allow approve and affect the ordinances of instituted worship appointed of God as well as exercise and maintein it but seeing the worship it self commanded is instituted it is also outward Besides there be some things of mere nstitution which pertein to the third and fourth commandments as the institution and observation of the seventh day from the creation in time of the Law and of the first day in the week in time of the Gospel M r Jacob himself saith The fourth commandment in the word Sabbath setteth down one particular even the ordinary seventh day of rest but understandeth all holy dayes instituted of God that they are likewise to be sanctified By his own confession then all instituted doctrines and ordinances are not referred to the second commandment The just and true generall matter of the second commandment is a free and voluntary institution or matter instituted onely or specially in the exercise of Gods worship wherein it hath no way any necessary use of it self This is the generall matter or full extent of the second commandment even in the mind and purpose of God himself the authour of it And it is likewise the just and full definition of Gods instituted worship in generall that is whether true or false This is obscure and doubtfull If the meaning be that all instituted or positive worship of God which carrieth the Lords stamp and approbation must be referred to this commandment and that all worship devised by men for nature use and end one with the worship instituted of God is a breach of the second commandment it will be granted freely and might have been delivered plainly But if the meaning be that all free and voluntary institutions whatsoever must be referred to the second commandment if of God as just and allowable if of men as sinfull it hath no ground of truth or probability For many free institutions cannot be referred to the second commandment and concerning the instituted worship of God God hath left many things undetermined wherein the church may take order and give direction without sinne unto what commandment soever in generall the things may be referred The Lord forbidding to bow down unto or serve an image doth therein forbid all approbation liking or reverence though never so small shewed towards any institutions and inventions of men set up in the room of or matched with the Lords own instituted worship But an invention for nature and use one with the true worship of God and an institution in the exercise of religion are not one and the same There ought to be very clear and plain proof in Gods word to warrant every visible church if the members thereof desire to have comfort to their own souls because this is even the first and weightiest matter in religion that can concern us viz. to be assured that we are in a true visible and ministeriall church of Christ For out of a true visible church ordinarily there is no salvation and by a true visible church and not otherwise ordinarily we come to learn the way of life Therefore above all things it is necessary that every Christian do rightly discern of the divers kinds of outward ordinances in this behalf chiefly of visible churches and withall to understand which kind or form thereof is the true visible church of Christ or kingdome of heaven upon earth which is the onely way and in it the onely truth ordinarily leading to eternall life hereafter For the true visible church of Christ is but onely one questionlesse in nature form and constitution There are expresse and pregnant texts of scripture which shew what is the true visible church of God whereunto Christians may and ought to joyn themselves in holy fellowship in the ordinances of worship As where the covenant of God is there is the people of God and the visible church For communication and receiving the tables of the covenant is a certain signe of a people in covenant For what is it to be the flock sheep or people of God but to be in covenant with God to be the church of God The word maketh disciples to Christ and the word given to a people is Gods covenanting with them and the peoples receiving this word and professing their faith unto God is their taking God to be their God Those assemblies which have Christ for their Head and the same also for their foundation are the true visible churches of Christ It is simply necessary that the assemblies be laid upon Christ the foundation by faith which being done the remaining of what is forbidden or the want of what is commanded cannot put the assembly from the title and right of a church For Christ is the foundation and head-corner-stone of the church The form is coming unto Christ and being builded upon him by faith the matter is the people united and knit unto Christ and so one unto another Now where the matter and form of a church is there is a church Every society or assembly professing the intâ—re and true faith of Christ and worshipping God with an holy worship joyning together in prayer and thanksgiving enjoying the right use of the sacraments and keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is the true church of Christ The Gospel may be preached to Infidels some supernaturall truths may be professed by hereticks the use of the sacraments may be in adulterate churches but the intire profession of all fundamentall articles of faith to be believed and main precepts and morall laws for practice to be acknowledged the dwelling of the truth amongst men and the right use of the sacraments which is ever joyned with true doctrine and to be esteemed by it is proper to them that be in covenant with God The laws and statutes which God gave to Israel was the honour and ornament of that nation a testimony that the Lord had separated them from all other people even the Gentiles themselves being judges This is your wisedome and your understanding in the sight of the people He gave his law unto Jacob his statutes and ordinances unto Israel Thou gavest them right judgements and true laws ordinances and good commandments Who received the lively oracles to give unto us They have Moses and the Prophets Sound doctrine
speaketh of the actuall execution of this power and not of the power it self which onely belongeth to the governours And if the church be the Christian Presbytery as it exerciseth discipline and not the multitude of the faithfull then is this text in vain alledged to proove all power Ecclesiasticall to be originally and by way of execution in the community of the faithfull then the power of hearing examining determining and censuring doth primarily belong unto the Presbytery and not unto the faithfull in common God is the God of order and not of confusion But if the hearing and determining of all causes which may fall out in a society consisting of three or four six or eight ten or twenty thousand persons for so many may be in one society must be referred to the whole community and that upon the Lords day to be joyned with the administration of the word sacraments almes and the rest yea in these cases to go before the other parts of worship lest the holy things of God be polluted by notorious obstinate offenders disorder and confusion cannot be avoyded When shall controversies be decided How shall the community have sufficient intelligence of the state and quality of matters Either businesses must be determined rashly or infinitely protracted before they can be heard of every man and they agreed together In so great a multitude it cannot be conceived how things should be done seasonably moderately in order without partiality and dissension where every one may walk according to his own rule and no man to be guided or directed by another but as pleaseth himself And if spirituall power originaliter executivè be given to every member of and to the whole community of the faithfull then is every member in some sort a ruler and governour And if we search into the records of the church we shall find none example either in the holy scriptures or the histories of the ancient church where the universall multitude of the faithfull none directing or governing the action did lawfully proceed in the determination of spirituall matters of this kind In the old testament not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when it is rendred Synagoga but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when it is translated Ecclesia signifieth an assembly of princes and elders of the people and so of prophets likewise for when the words are generall to note any assembly of men met together whether civil or sacred it is not strange if the congregation of princes nobles elders and prophets assembled be known by the same name In the new Testament the word church is sometimes an assembly or company howsoever gathered together but ordinarily it noteth a society of faithfull Christians as all and every siant are called saints But as the Apostle when he doth grievously reprehend the Corinthians that they had not brought the knowledge of their contentions to the saints he understandeth not the promiscuous multitude but some speciall or chief amongst them So by the church which noteth a multitude or society of believers we must understand some and the chief of the church a church in a church For when it commonly signifyeth a multitude with relation to religion the church-governours set over the flock by Christ assembled to heare and determine matters that may fall out amongst the faithfull is not unfitly nor obscurely called the church And those things are rightly said to be brought to the church which are brought to them that guide the church by the authority and appointment of Christ As the body is said to see when the eyes alone see so the church is said to heare that which they onely do heare who are the eares of the church Not that the guides are substitutes of the multitude in that respect for the eye is not the deputy of the hand or foot but that the power which they have received they have received it from Christ for the whole body and must execute it to the good and profit of the whole They are the stewards deputies ministers of Christ but for the whole body and every member thereof From all this it is apparent that the word church in this text of scripture cannot be taken as it is commonly in other passages of the new Testament For in other texts it noteth the multitude of believers without distinction of sex age or condition but here women and children are excluded as regularly uncapable of that power here spoken of In other places the church signifyeth a multitude of believers saints faithfull or disciples as they are distinguished from their officers and guides which are set as stewards in the Lords family and officers in his corporation but here the officers of the church are necessarily included If the word must be interpreted according to the circumstances of the text and the matter intreated of the matter here insisted upon is no where else touched in all the new Testament for here and no where else is a rule left by Christ how offenders are to be dealt withall and by whom the sentence is to be determined and if the matter be peculiar it is no marvell if the words be taken in a sense restrained The Syriack interpreter useth three words to expresse the greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synagogue or Assembly which is used for the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the old Testament and for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the new But Matth. 10. 17. he translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Tremellius rendreth in Concilia Boderian in domum judiciorum De Dieu in domum judicum For as among the Hebrewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so among the Syrians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James 2. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 25. 23. The second word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 congregatio Acts 19. 32 39 40. and is used in the old Testament for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when it signifieth the assembly of Judges Psal 82. 1. and in the new for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 5. 27. and 6. 12. and 23. 1 20 28. In other passages they translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 16. 18. 18. 17. Acts 2. 47. 5. 11. 8. 1 3. 9. 31. Rom. 16. 1 4 5 c. which they use for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 7. 8. 74. 2. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 22. 26 27. 35. 12. 40. 10. 89. 6. 149. 1. The Arabick Interpreter useth foure words in the new Testament First of all Gamhon Acts 19. 31 39. which in the old Testament they use for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 35. 18. 74. 2. Psal 1. 5. 82. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉