Necessity of Reforming Our Churches, Assertion 3
The 3. Aſſertion.
The Scriptures of the New Testament do containe & ſet forth vntounto vsus (beſides the governement by Extraordinarie Offices, Apostles Prophets Evangelistes) an ordinarie forme of Church-governement vſed then.
IF in the New Teſtament one kinde of a Viſible Church vſing governement and no other is to be found,1. Reaſon alſo if ſpeciall diſtinct ordinarie Offices for Church-governement, and ſpeciall Actions therevnto belonging, be ſett downe therein; then the Scripture contayneth a ſpeciall forme of Church-government which was ordinary then.
But in the New TeſtamentaSee before 1. Aſſe… tion 2. Reaſon. One kinde of a Viſible Church vſing governement (namely a particular ordinarie Congregation) and no other is found: alſo ſpeciall diſtinct ordinarie Offices for Church-governement are ſet downe therein, as PariſhionallbTit 1.5, 7 1 Tim. 3.1, 2. Ephe. 4.11. Phil. 1.1. Act. 20.28 1 Pet. 5.2. Act. 14.23 Biſhops or Pastors, and an other ſort of (not Lay but Eccleſiaſticall)c1. Tim. 5.17. compared with Gal. 6.10. & 1 Tim. 4.10. Rom. 12.… 1 Cor. 12.28. Iam. 5.14 Adde the ancient Writers: Ignat. Epiſt. ad Trall. Tarſ, & Smyr. Tertull. Apol. c. 39. & d Baptiſme. Ambr. in 1. Tim. 5, & in 1. Cor. 12.28, Ierom. in Iſa. 3. Auguſt. Epiſt, 137. Elders, who by their Ordinary office were only to aſſiſt in governement. Third: the ſpecial Actions belonging to Church-government are alſo ſet downe in the Scripture; as Election of Miniſters, Excommunication of ſpirituall offendors, &c.
Therfore the Scripture of the New Teſtament cōtayneth a ſpeciall forme of Church-governement ordinary then.
Where it is to be noted, that in thoſe firſt times there were alſo thoſe other Officers in the Churches:Note. Apostles Evangelistes and Prophetes. But they had Calling and giftes immediatly from God; the others Calling was alwayes by men. They abode not in one Church, as the other did. Their government and vſe was not perpetuall but temporary and extraordinarie. They therefore hindered not the other, neither can they now hinder: The rather ſith they do not now remaine, but are ceaſed.
Alſo, thoſe Pariſhionall Biſhops and thoſe other Elders aſſiſting in government,Note. did differ in their Ordinary office. Yea though they both did ſomtimes Preach, &c: yet thus they differed notwithſtanding. But a Pariſhionall Biſhop or Paſtor cannot differ in his ordinary office of Preaching, &c. from an Elder who is alſo by ordinary office a Preacher, &c. Therefore he is heere an other Church Elder, viz. by ordinary office no Preacher, but only a helper in governement, who in thoſe forenoted places is ſpoken of, and differeth in his ordinary office plainly from every Biſhop or Paſtor.
Yet ſom obiect vehemently, that all Elders in the Primitive Churches who aſſiſted the Biſhop in government▪ were very Paſtors: ſeeing they had power to preach the word, &c. And that thoſe mentioned namely in Ignatius and Tertullian. before alleaged, were only ſuch. And therefore then there were none ſuch only governing Elders at all, as we conceave.
I anſwer, That they differed even then in their ordinarie office from Paſtors it is cleere and queſtionles (not only in thoſe fore-alleaged places of Scripture, but alſo) in the foreſaid ancient writers Ignatius, and Tertullian, &c. Yet for more evidence to this point which ſom labour mightily to obſcure and darken, I affirme that Preaching and Interpreting Gods word is of 3. ſortes in the Scripture,Preaching of 3. ſortes. and ſo it was vſed in the firſt Churches after.11. We read of Preaching which was by*Rom. 10.14, 15. ordinary office. This, we ſay, the Paſtors & Teachers only did perform.22. That which was for exerciſe and for trayning vp, for the making of ſom apt and able for the Miniſterie of the word, yea and for a further increaſe of giftes even in the Miniſterie themſelves. This was the exerciſe of Propheſie or Interpretatiō, as the“1 Cor. 14 29. 1 Cor. 12.30. Scripture calleth it. Wherein were receaved ſom*1 Cor. 14 1.24, 31. Lay men, namely by the Churches order. And then ſo likewiſe might the Deacons, & Elders alſo ſomtimes Preach, though they were no Preachers by office. Nevertheleſſe yet we acknowledge the Preachers were and ought to be the chiefe heerein. But the33. ſort of Preaching is moſt of all heere to be marked. Third. vponupon occaſion (in Churches without order and ſcattered, and alſo vntounto perſons who were not yet gathered to any Church) there was Preaching which was generall and common for*Acts 11.19. all true Chriſtians lively Members of Chriſt, indued with giftes of knowledge & ſound iudgement in Religion. In which ſenſe Ambroſe is to be vnderſtood,Ambro. in Ephe. 4. where he ſaith that in the firſt times every Chriſtian preached the worde. Neither is it now a fault but a ſingular vertue for godly Houſeholders to inſtruct in the word of God their owne children and ſervantes. Howbeit in Churches orderly governed and ſetled, no privat Chriſtian may preſume, neither did any then preſume publikely to preach or interpret the word, except for ſom ſpeciall reaſon he were ſpecially appointed ſo to do by the lawful Governors of the Church. And ſo did ſom preach publikely, yea in the very Churches after the Apoſtles, being even but Lay men as Ignatius and Tertullian do witnes in the foreſaid places. Where they ſhew, that alſo the Deacons did and might preach after this maner. And alſo that the Elders which were ordinarie Aſſiſtantes in governement, did and might preach thus likewiſe. I ſay ſtill, after this 3. manner; that is like as the very Lay men did, and as the Deacons did; that is not by their ordinary office, but by the Paſtors and Biſhops ſpeciall appointment to them all. Wherefore this proveth not the Elders there ſpoken of to be Preachers by Office: nay it proveth plainly the contrarie, that by their ordinary office they were not Preachers, but only governing Elders. And this is the purpoſe that we alleage them for.
Finally we may obſerve that ſom ſhadow of them ſeemeth ſtill to remayne, though greatly corrupted, in the Church Wardens of our Pariſhes. Yea ſom ſuch depravatiō and degencration in them was begun (we doubt not) in Ambroſe, Ierome, and Austines time: although yet the ancient trueth appeareth well enough thereby notwithſtanding.