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truth_n	church_n	ground_n	infallible_a	1,901	5	9.8298	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96941	A modell of the government of the church under the gospel, by presbyters, proved out of the holy scriptures, to be that one, onely uniform government of the universall visible church, and of all nationall, provinciall, classicall and congregationall churches: which is according to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ. Which may serve to stay such as are doubting, with hope of full satisfaction, and clear demonstration of this truth, shortly to be made by the reverend Assembly of Divines. / Composed by a Presbyterian minister of the city of London, and approved by divers of his learned brethren, and at their request published.	Walker, George, 1581?-1651.	1646 (1646)	Wing W362; Thomason E342_3; ESTC R200927	24,926	36

Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour Also S. Paul left Titus in Creet and appointed him to ordain Presbyters in every City and such overseers as were fit to rule the Church Tit. 1. 5. Peter and Iohn were Presbyters and called themselves so as they with others governed severall Churches 1. Pet. 5. 1. John 2. 1. and John 3. 1. Wherefore ô London thou that hast chosen the best part rejoice in the Lord thy God who hath made his glory to rise upon thee and his light to shine upon thy grave Senatours thy religious Common-Councell and all thy true hearted Citizens and hath led them into those waies which be in Christ which Saint Paul taught every where and in every Church 1 Cor. 4. 17. For the encouraging of you worthy Citizens in your constancy and for the confirming of them that are weak and wavering I have framed out of the Scriptures this brief discourse concerning that one uniform Church-Government which Christ by his Apostles ordained and appointed to be set up in the whole universall Church and to be observed in all other Churches members of the universall Here you have the Heavenly patern shadowed out in a small compasse of that Government for the establishment whereof in this City and Kingdom you have stood up and appeared openly at severall times If the Lord be pleased to blesse you with courage for his truth and with constancy and perseverance till you obtain your desire which is the desire also of all Orthodox faithfull Ministers in the Land then shall London be called The City of the Lord the Zion of the holy one of Israel And they who despise her and stand up against her to hinder the work of God in her hands shall bow down at the soles of her feet and her enemies shall lick the dust even lick up the dust of her feet for they shall not be ashamed who wait for the Lord Isa. 49. 23. This is the praier of your servant in the work of the Lord and humble suppliant for your prosperity at the throne of grace G. W. A Modell of the Government of the Church under the Gospel by Presbyters proved out of the holy Scriptures to be that one onely uniform Government of the universall visible Church and of all Nationall Provinciall Classicall and Congregationall Churches which is according to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ THe holy Scriptures of the New Testament do speak most plainly of a Church Government and of ruling and rulers which the Lord Jesus Christ hath appointed to be in his Church visible on earth in the times under the Gospel the patern and platform of this Government together with a commission to govern the universall Church in all Nations according to it he gave to his Apostles by word of mouth in the time of his life as the Gospel in divers passages doth testifie and after his passion when he shewed himself alive unto them and was seen of them fourty daies speaking the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God Act. 1. 3. And that the Apostles by word and writing and by their example and practice might infallibly instruct all Churches by them gathered unto him in all Nations and might deliver unto them so as they had received from the mouth of him the supream Lord that one uniform Government He filled them with extraordinary gifts and sent unto them the holy Ghost the Comforter to lead them into all truth Joh. 16. 13. to teach them all things and to bring all things to their remembrance whatsoever he had said unto them Joh. 14. 26. And that Government which they partly by word and writing and partly by their example and practice did prescribe uniformly in all Churches is of divine instution and to it all Orthodox reformed Churches in all the Christian world at this day have submitted themselves acknowledging it to be the onely Government Ecclesiasticall which is Jure divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ And yet in this unstable and wavering age and generation and in this unsetled state and land full of confusion as the giddy-headed multitude which are like clouds without water carried about with every winde of Doctrine and dream of new lights beginning to appear do call into question the saving doctrines of aeternall truth and the chief Articles of the Christian faith firmly beleeved constantly professed and never doubted of by any true Christians So also many of the wisest Statesmen who are esteemed the pillars of the Kingdom and the stay of the State do doubt and make question whether there be any Church Government Jure Divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ What that Government is Who are the Governours And by what rules and laws they ought to govern And how farre and in what things matters and causes power is given to them by Christ to rule and govern in the Church For the answering of all such questions and removing of all such doubts and scruples I will endeavour out of love to the truth and zeal to the honour of Christ and the advancement of his Kingly power in his Church to lay down some sure grounds of Doctrine gathered out of holy Scripture and proved by clear testimonies of Gods spirit speaking in the infallible written word And first I take this as an undeniable principle That whatsoever Christ hath with his own mouth commanded or by his spirit moved his Apostles to teach by writing and word or by example and practice concerning the well ordering and Government of his Church in any place which is as usefull in all places and the reason of it stands firm in all ages and it may be practised profitably by ordinary Pastours Also whatsoever is necessarily presupposed or included in any thing which Christ in the Gospel commandeth or of necessity must follow thereupon is Jure divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ Secondly because the main question which comes to be answered upon which all the rest do depend is Whether there be any proper and particular Church-Government distinct from Civill Government The answer is easy and such as may fully satisfie any reasonable Christian For first in every Nation Kingdom and state wherein Christian Religion is publikely and generally professed all the people are to be considered two waies First as men and members of a civill society or Common Wealth Secondly as Christian men and members of the Church the mysticall body of Christ As they are members of the Common-wealth they are to be ruled by the laws of men which are there in force and do binde them to obedience in temporall things to their Kings and Civill Magistrates and to good order and behaviour among themselves for the peace and safety of humane society and of the civill State And this Government may be among them who are Turks Heathens and nor Christians for it is common to all men of all Nations States

in the Scriptures before named Math. 28. 19. 20. Mark 16. 15. John 20. 23. and in other places where the exercise of the power of the Keyes of the kingdome of heaven which was given to Peter as the mouth of the rest Math. 16. 19. is also given in common to them all as they were the Church representative and stood in the place of all Pastours and Teachers to the end of the world In so much as if any two or three of them were gathered together in his Name he promised to be in the midst of them Mat. 18. 17. 18. 20. and Joh. 20. 23. And as the Lord Christ gave this power to the Apostles so they exercised it sometimes in common all together in the generall Assembly of the Disciples Brethren and Elders as Act. 1. 15. in the election of an Apostle in the place of Iudas and Act. 6. 2. about the election and Ordination of the seven Deacons and Act. 15 6. about the deciding of a great controversie concerning Circumcision and other legall rites not to be imposed on the believing Gentiles And sometimes two or three of them as Peter and Iohn when they were sent to Samaria to confirme the Church there Act. 8 14. And Barnabas and others who were sent to confirme the first Church called Christian at Antioch Act. 11. 22. 23. And Paul and Barnabas and Silas in ordaining Elders in every Church by them converted to Christ Act. 14. 23. But yet they altogether and everie one or two by themselves exercised and commended to the Evangelists and Presbyters by them ordained the same uniforme government and the same way in Christ both for Doctrine and Discipline So the great Apostle of the Gentiles plainly testifieth 1 Cor. 4 17. writing thus for this cause have I sent to you Timotheus who is my beloved sonne and faithfull in the Lord who shall bring you into remembrance of my waies which be in Christ as I teach every where in every Church and 1 Cor. 7. 17. So ordain I in all Churches And he who had the care of all the Churches as he saith 2 Cor. 11. 28. keeps them to the same custome as is implied 2 Cor. 11. 16. where speaking of new fashions for which some are ready to contend he saith If any man seem to be contentious we have no such custome nor the Churches of God 6. Now this ministeriall uniforme government setled by Christ and his Apostles in all Churches Nationall and Provinciall and Classicall in every Circuit as it was in the hands of the Pastours Presbyters and overseers so it was Aristocraticall But as the whole Church and multitude of believers had liberty in elections to nominate such as they found most fit to be overseers and officers and orderly to give their approbation of the Acts of the Elderships so it is in some part Democraticall As we see in the election of the seven Deacons Act. 6. The twelve Apostles appointed that seven men of honest report and full of the holy Ghost should be ordained The multitude chose them and set them before the Apostles who ordained them with prayer and imposition of hands So also Act. 15. The Apostles and Elders came together to consider of a matter and to decide a Controversie brought unto them from the Church of Antioch vers. 6. Peter and Iames debated the businesse and gave the sentence together with the Elders and all the brethren even the whole Church approved the sentence given by Iames and thereupon a decree was framed in the name of them all vers. 23. And in the ordaining of Presbyters in everie Church Act 14. 23. As the Apostles Paul and Barnabas with Silas prayed and layd on their hands so the people holding up their hands approved the election and ordination These examples and these practices of Church government in Synods and greater Presbyteries performed by men who had received instructions from Christs owne mouth and were inspired and moved there unto by the holy Ghost and the reason of them still standing in force they do shew that such Synods and acts of Church-Government are according to the will and appointment of Christ and are usefull and necessary to the end of the world And all Churches ought to conforme unto this speciall Government Ob. But some do object that the Apostles were men of extraordinary gifts and calling and had an infallible assistance of the holy Ghost which did lead them into all truth and could do in their Synods and Assemblies things which ordinarie Pastours and teachers cannot do they could say It seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us and could take upon them the care and oversight of all Churches But now it is well if one or two of the wisest Ministers can teach or rule one particular Congregation It is too much for them to meddle with the common Government of many particular Churches And therefore the examples of the Apostolicall Churches do not binde the Churches of these times Ans. To this I answer First that it was necessary that the Apostles and Evangelists should be extraordinarily called inspired and assisted by the holy Ghost that he might lead them into all truth and call to their remembrance all things whatsoever Christ had taught them and commanded them to be observed in all Churches to the end of the world otherwise they could not have been the infallible penmen of the Scriptures which are the certain rule both of Doctrine and Discipline Neither could their example and practice have been an heavenly paterne of Divine Authority to all succeding ages But after the publishing of the Gospell by them to all the world and their writing of the holy Scriptures and leaving them recorded for a sure rule of teaching and ruling to all Christian Churches there is no more need of any such extraordinary calling and gifts in their Successours but ordinary Pastours and Teachers by the ordinary light and direction of the holy Ghost who hath made them Overseers over the Church may be as able to exercise Discipline and censures as to preach and propound sound and saving Doctrine in the Church out of the holy Scriptures of the Apostles which are as plain a rule and as certain a direction for ruling as they are for preaching And to confirm us in this assurance we have the promise of Christ that he will be with his Ministers in all ages to the end of the world as he was with his Apostles not only in teaching and Baptizing people but also making them observers of all things whatsoever he had commanded Matth. 28. 20. Secondly This objection is of no more force against the imitation of the Apostles in their practice and acts of Church Government in Synods and greater-Presbyteries then it is against preaching their doctrine contained in their writings For they were men of extraordinary calling and gifts in teaching as well as in ruling And if that be a good reason against ruling after their example It is so also against

A MODELL OF THE Government of the Church under the Gospel by Presbyters Proved out of the holy Scriptures to be that one onely uniform Government of the universall visible Church and of all Nationall Provinciall Classicall and Congregationall Churches which is according to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ Which may serve to stay such as are doubting with hope of full satisfaction and clear demonstration of this truth shortly to be made by the Reverend Assembly of Divines Composed by a Presbyterian Minister of the City of London and approved by divers of his learned Brethren and at their request Published LONDON Printed for Tho. Vnderhill and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Bible in Woodstreet 1646. To the Honourable City of London and all the Inhabitants thereof who sincerely seek and desire a true reformation of the Church according to the Word of God GIve me leave most famous and renowned City and ye the Right Honourable Lord Major the Right Worshipfull Aldermen and religious Common-Councell and Commoners to congratulate and rejoice with you for that honour which the Lord hath laid on you in these daies of great confusion You under God have been the guard of this present Parliament by which so great things have been done for the safety and defence of three Kingdoms Your free contributions of your wealth and substance have been the sinews of this warre undertaken for the defence of our Religion Laws and Liberties Few Counties in this Kingdom have been able to defend themselves much lesse to help others except those whom you have encouraged and set on work by your example and to whom you have been a bulwark against the enemies who by you have been terrified from invading them All the associated Counties have cause to blesse God for the vicinity and neighbour-hood of London And all the rest of the Kingdom may say If the Lord had not helped us by the Forces Arms and supplies of men and money from London we had been utterly destroied and laid waste But the chief glory bestowed on you by God is your courage for the truth and true Christian Religion your earnest study and constant endeavour for promoting an happy Reformation of the Church in Religion Dostrine Worship and Discipline according to the Word of God your zeal against Sectaries Schismaticks Hereticks and Blasphemers who labour cunningly to corrupt your servants to steal away the hearts of your wives and children to pull many fair feathers out of your wings and to draw Disciples after them and your standing steadfast in the old paths and walking in that good way Ier. 6. 16. which the Lord Christ by his Apostles hath praescribed to the Vniversall Church In which all the pure primitive Churches of old and all the best reformed Churches have walked from the daies of your Fathers untill this day God hath inabled you wonderfully by his grace to resist the subtle temptations of the world and the Devil I know when you were courted with offers of greatest honours and priviledges to withdraw you from your purpose and resolution of standing for the common weal of State and Church and of supporting and upholding of the props and pillars of this Land when it trembled and was ready to be dissolved I cannot forget that sad time full of fears and dangers when the chief command of your City being in the hand and power of Malignants who had also a strong faction by which they attempted to overthrow you it was the opinion and profession of some of the most faithfull Patriots and wise members of Parliament that unlesse God did put into your hearts a resolution to stand up for them they had small hope of saving either the Church and Kingdom from ruine or our Religion Laws Liberties and their own lives from destruction and in that juncture of time the Lord did put such a spirit of courage fortitude and holy zeal into you who were the main body of the City that you stood up and appeared openly for the worthy Patrons of your Religion Laws and Liberties whereby they were animated to proceed vigorously in their wonted course of justice to the terrour and astonishment of all the enemies and disturbers of our peace After this you have been strongly assaulted by spirituall wickednesses divers waies First by cunning seducers who usurping the name and outward shew of rare Saints have stollen away the hearts of many and with feigned sanctity and large promises of a pure platform and modell of Church-Discipline and perfect Reformation according to Christs own institution have drawn them into Schisme and separation from their own Congregations But you by your wisdom have quickly smelled out their fraud and vain boasting of great things which they can never perform and bring to passe Secondly you have been tried when Scriptures failed them and favoured not their modell with bold pretences of new lights which you have scorned as wise men are wont to scorn and not vouchsafe to look after those ignes fatuos wandring lights and night fires by which fools who follow them in the dark are lead into dangerous pits boggs ditches and downfalls Thirdly they have represented unto you Presbyterian Government as a Bugbear and cruell monster worse then Popery and Prelacy unto which if you submit you and your children are made slaves for ever to the lust of proud peevish tyrannicall Priests And allthough many credulous fools and unstable souls are hereby terrified and skared out of their wits and run wilde after severall dangerous sects and know not where to rest Yet you are no such strangers to the Gospel nor so little acquainted with the Scriptures of the New Testament as to be moved with such skarecrowes but rather by such rabid railing against Government of the Church by Classicall Presbyteries you have been moved and stirred up after serious consideration and consultation had with your godly Pastours and Teachers diligent searching of the Scriptures and good assurance of understanding of divine truth gained to your selves to be more earnest and importunate in promoting that Presbyterian Government besides which there is no mention of any other in all the writing of the Apostles nor any other acknowledged or received in any well reformed Churches in all the Christian world The Apostolicall Church at Jerusalem consisting of many thousands and ten thousands of beleevers and so many particular Congregations was altogether governed by the Apostles and Presbyters Assemblies Synods and Presbyteries as appears Act. 11. 30. and 15. 6. and 21. 18. The Christian Church of the Gentiles gathered unto Christ in severall Nations Countries and Cities by Paul and Barnabas had every one their Presbyters ordained to have rule over them in the Lord Acts 14. 23. The Church of Ephesus that great City of Asia had also divers Presbyters whom the Holy Ghost had made overseers to watch in common over it Acts 20. 17 28. And of them S. Paul speaks 1 Tim. 5. 17. saying

and to diliver him unto Satan 1 Cor. 5 5 13. And he himself delivered unto Satan Hymenaeus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. 20. And these acts of discipline are not punishments of revenge not execution of justice in a rigid sense but Medicinall corrections of mercy and fatherly chastisements laid on the person censured not in hatred to hurt him nor in rigour to satisfie the law But in love hope desire and godly zeal for a three-fold end and use First For the mortification humiliation and repentance of the obstinate sinner that he may be made sensible of his danger and ashamed of his sin and heartily sorrowfull for it and full of contrition this is intimated by the Apostle where he saith that delivering unto Satan is for the destruction of the flesh that is fleshly corruption by mortification that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 5. 5. 1 Tim. 1. 20. he saith that he delivered unto Satan Hymeneus and Alexander that they might learn not to blaspheme and 2 Thes. 3. 14. Secondly For the preserving of the body and the rest of the members from infection for obstinate scandalous sinners will infect others this the Apostle sheweth 1 Cor. 5. 6 7. Saying Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump purge out therefore the old leaven Thirdly For vindicating the Church and Christian Religion from reproach and scandall and all shew and appearance of countenancing and cherishing vile sin and wickednes which will raise an ill report commonly that Christian Religion is worse then Gentilisme and tolerats sins the names of which are loathed among civill heathen This the Apostle implies 1 Cor. 5. 1. saying It is commonly reported that there is fornication among you such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles And certainly the Jews who were according to their law so strict in keeping from the Passeover all such as had any uncleannes on them might justly reproach Christians if they should admit scandalous sinners spiritually leprous and unclean to the Lords Supper and into holy communion with them and not cast them out There is besides those censures before named another most dreadfull censure mentioned in Scripture and called by the name of Anathema Maranatha that is the cursed untill the Lord cometh 1 Cor. 16. 22. This is a curse which the Church denounceth against desperate back-sliders and Apostates who after illumination profession of love to Christ and a taste of the good Word of God and of the power of the world do come do sin against the holy Ghost and fall away into hatred and despight against the truth of which the spirit hath convinced their consciences into malignant persecution of all true godlines and into an impossibility of being renewed by repentance Heb 6. 4. This censure to speak no more of it is a sentence and judgement of the Church declaring and pronouncing that such persons are reprobates and desperate enemies of God finally accursed past hope of recovery given up to the judgement of the last day when the Lord shall come to render vengeance in flaming fire to all them that hate him and that they are to be shunned and abhorred as fire brands of hell Of this curse we have divers examples in Scripture as that which God laid upon Cain Gen. 4. That which Enoch denounced against the old world of which Jude in his Epistle makes mention vers. 14. That of David against Doeg and other enemies and against the traitour Judas Psal. 109. and that wherewith the Lord cursed the reprobate Jews when he forbad the Prophet Jeremy to pray for them Jer. 7. 16. 11. 14. 14. 11. For there is a sin unto death namely the sin of Apostasy and rebellion against the light not to be prayed for as S. Iohn saith 1 Ioh. 5. 16. Besides these acts of Government before named we read of three others The first is Ordination of Ministers which properly belongs to the preaching Presbyters who are to examine them try their gifts and inquire into their lives first and after proof made of their abilities and godly conversation to ordain them with praier and imposition of hands of this we read Act. 13. 2 3. 1 Tim. 3. 2 3 4 c. 1 Tim. 4. 14. 5. 22. Tit. 1. 5. The second is Choosing and appointing of Church Officers this is the common act of the whole Eldership together with the people as appears Act. 6. 3 5. Act. 14. 23. The third is Setting of things in good order and appointing that all things be done decently and in order in the Church this Paul injoined the Elders of Corinth to do 1 Cor. 14 40. and he promised to assist them therein 1 Cor. 11. 34. and laid this charge on Titus Tit. 1. 5. From this discourse framed out of the infallible Word of God and expresse testimonies of holy Scriptures divers Corollaries and necessary conclusions do issue which remove the doubts and answer the questions which doubting scrupulous persons shall propound concerning Church-Government whether it be in whole or part Jure divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ 1. Conclus That there is one uniform Government in the whole universall Church and in every part thereof Jure divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ which ought to be observed in all National Provinciall Classicall and Congregationall Churches as they are parts and members of the Church universall which is the mysticall body of Christ Proved Section 3. and 5. and 6. and 8. 2. As there is but one law to all Christians even the Word of God which is the perfect rule of Government in all Orthodox and well constituted Churches So ought the Government to be one and the same in them all among themselves and in every particular Congregation Proved Sect. 8. 3. The supream Magistracy in every Nation Countrey and State being Christians is in duty bound to be as a nursing father to the Church of Christ to set up and maintain Preachers who may by preaching the Gospel gather their people and subjects into Congregations and set up Elders in every one according to the Word of God And parochiall or particular Congregations so gathered and Elderships set up in them by the dictate and direction of Christ are Iure divino The appointment of the Civill Magistrate is onely a civill sanction it doth not make them to be Iure divino Proved Sect. 3. and 4. 4. Though all Nationall Churches rightly constituted and formed according to the Scriptures are of equall authority not any one superiour to another and likewise all Provinciall Classicall and Parochiall Churches alike well formed are equall No Provinciall superiour to another Provinciall Nor any Classicall Eldership to another Classicall Yet the deciding of a controversy in point of Doctrine or any sentence or censure issuing out and published from a greater Assembly or Eldership as from a Nationall