Review and Examination of the Doctrine, Part 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
The diocesian Prelats office, taks away the peoples right, to Call there Pastor. This right proved from Scriptur and divine Reason. It excludes the office of the Ruleing elder. Some Cheiff exceptions of the prelatick party to that 1. Tim. 5. 17. Ansuered.
IN the 9…. place. The Episcopal government is in this contrare unto the word; In that it cutts off Congtegations from all interest and right, in Calling there Pastor. For in this government, the Ministers mission, Call, Ordination, and Relation to such a people, over whom he is to officiat, flowes all from the Prelat. The Congregationall eldership have not the Least interestin it. Hence this power of calling Pastores was ranversed by our Parliament when prelacie was set up, and the old popish Custome of patronages was restored. The Prelat sends a man to the poor people as their Minister, whom possibly they never sawe in the face. Now, this is contrare both to Scriptur and reason, contrare, to the practice of the apostolick Church. For 1. Even the deacons were looked out, and chosen by the people. Act. 6. 3. That the Apostles might ordaine and lay their hands upon them, and install them in their office with a publick blessing: And if the people were to have so great ane Interest in choosing these men (though even the Apostles, who had infallible knouledge of qualifications, were present to ordaine them) that this trust of disburseing their Almes or charitie, might be committed to non but upon their consent & choyce. Ergo, a fortiori, People have a far greater Interest as to their Consent and choyce of the man, To whom they are to Intrust their Soules conduct unto another world, which is of infinit more worth then all the Earthes treasures, And while the are no such infalible discerners of fitt persons to officiat, as the Apostles were. If the Apostles would not set apart men for this meanest employment, without the Peoples-Consent & looking them out, How absurd is it, that the highest ordinary officer [the Pastor] should be sent to officiat in that eminent office with out ther knowledge or Consent.
2 Wee find the chooseing and sending out of Church officers in this hie ministeriall employment, To have been upon the peoples consent and choyce: for Act. 14. The Elders or Ministers who were ordained foreign or Church by Church, were thus ordained and sett apart to their office, Compared with Tit. I. 5. Berause (not to stand here upon the import of the greek word foreign, which imports a hand suffrage, and consent of the people, as shale be made good upon the Third Dialogue and the exceptions of this pamphleter, upon that passage, examined) this is clear, that this ordination was to be performed in the Church, Ergo, of necessity, with the peoples Consent and choice: And Nixt, If the Apostles would not ordaine the Deacons, but after this manner, much lesse Ministers unto such a weighty employment, since in ther faithfullnes the people are (as is said) infinitly more concerned. Besydes, the very Intimation, and litte, of the men out of whom a Successor to the Apostleshipe in the place of Judas, was by God immediatly to be chosen, was with the peoples Consent, Therfor much more ought this to be in the ordination and admission of ane ordinary officer whose call is mediat and ordinarie. 3. The Scripture doeth clearly hold forth a congregational Church & juridical eldership, representing that Church. Which (besyes many other reasons add…cible, and accordingly pleaded by our writ…ers) is evident in this, That as the Scripture makes mention of greater Churches, such as that of Corinth, Jerusalem &c, Who were certanly presbyterial, because, … they are found, thogh consisting of many officers and Rulers, and of lesser Societies, yet to be all poynted cut as one Church, which must needs Import a Classicall or presbiterial unitie of these lesseSocieties. So the Spirit of God doth also…all these lesser Societies Churches, in the plural. Let the Woman beep Silence foreign in the Churches 1. Cor. 14. 34. Which must needs Import the Single Congregations of that one Church of Corinth. And moreover, through thes Churches Rulers, Elders, & Gouvernours were sett and established foreign Church by Church, that is, throw all particular Churches Act. 14. 23. With Tit. I. 5. For if the Church is found to have had both ruleing and teaching Elders, Rom. 12. 8. 1. Cor 12. 28. 1. Tim. 5. 17. And upon the other hand, if these lesser Societies are called [Churches] It certanly followes that they had ane eldership & rule in them. If ane eldership, and rulers, be allowed to rule and represent the Congregation in matters Ecclesiasticall, then by necessary consequence it followes, that the Call of the Pastor and Chieff elder and his choice, as most suteable to their condition, must fall within the compasse ofther Spiritual authority.
Finally, the denying of this unto Congregations, & the Episcopal arbitrarie obtruding of Ministers upon them without their call and consent, is in two great points, contrare unto divine Reason. 1. Unto that spiritual and near relation, which is betwixt a Minister and his flock, (which we will find this pamphleter after plead) which is certainly marriage like and very straite. And there being many peculiarduties, which they owe unto him beside others Ministers, all flowing from this relation, particularly a special reverence, obedience, and subjection; These must certanely suppose a voluntarie consent and call, and cannot be bottomed upon the meer will and pleasure of another, which cannot make up this relation 2, This denying of the peoples right to call their Pastor, is contrare unto that Iudgment of discretion, that spiritual discerning, and trying of the Spirits, which is allowed, yea & enjoyned to the people of God; If in any thing a spiritual discerning must take place, surely in this especially, to whom a people doe intrust their soules direction and guidance; If in any thing a Christian must Act in Faith, and not give up his perswasion to ane implicit conduct, and thus become a servant of men, sure it must be, in a mater ofso great weight as this is? If Christs sheep have this for their Character, that they knowe the voice of the trew Shepherd from the voice of the hyreling and stranger, from whom they will flie, Joh. 10: 4, 5. Sure their knowlege and consent must interveen, in order to their acceptance of, and subjecton to their Shepherd? If they must not belive every Spirit, buttry the Spirits, sure this caution and tryal must be especially allowed in this case, that they admitt not a false Prophet instead of a trew? So then the Episcopal Government, is in this, as in other pointes, chargeable with antichristian and anti-scriptural tyrannie over Christs flockes.
10. The Episcopal Government is in this contrare unto the Word of God (viz.) In denying, and cutting off from his administration, and the totall laying asyde of a singularely usefull Church officer appointed by Christ in his House (viz) the ruleing elder. That Government which denies and layes aside, any of the great Master of the vine yeard, his servants and officers whom he hath authorized and appointed, must needs be highly derogatorie to his glory and contrare to his word; But such is Prelacie. The Prelats are like that sloathfull wicked servant who smites and beats away there fellowservants, while they eat and drink with the drunken. That Prelats disoun and exclude this officer, is evident both from their principles and practise. They all deny the divine warrand of this Church officer: And where Prelacy is established, he is excluded from Presbyteries and Synodes, and upon the mater also, from the congregation: For they deny and exclude all decisive suffrage there, and take away all Authority of congregational elderships, as we seen. Now that this ruleing elder, distinct from both the preaching Presbyter, and Deacon, Is appointed by God, our Divines have made good from severall Scriptur grounds. Such as 1. From Rom. 12: 6, 7. Where among severall other Church officers which the Apostle doth enumerat, there is a foreign, or he that ruleth. Here is ane ordinary Ruler, distinct from all other Rulers, and Church officers, the word foreign signifies Rule and authoritative power. Againe, he is ranked among ordinarie Officers, and so must needs be ane ordinary standing officer, yet stands distinguished from other ordinary officers, haveing both a distinct name from all the rest, likewayes a distinct worke, as being diversified from the teacher, the exhorter, and the giver. And moreover, a peculiar direction, as have likewise all the rest. So that from the circumstances of this place, the divine right of this officer, is clearly demonstrate. Nixt, That passage is pertinently improven for this purpose, 1 Cor. 12: 28. Where we read of helps, Governments, under distinct paragraphes, clearly pointing out ordinary Governing Church officers, distinct from the elders that preach, and the Deacon, and all other Church Governoures whatsoever. They cannot be Governoures in the General, for what doth this among a particula enumeration of officers▪ These are distinct from helps, distinct from the teaching elder, for he is already mentioned in this same vers. So here is a Rule, and Government, distinct from all governoures either civil or ecclesiastick, except this ruleing elder, yet set by God in the Church under the new Testament. But the third and most pregnant passage from which our divines doe demonstrat the divine right of this Church officer is that of the 1▪ Tim. 5: 17. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and Doctrine. Here is a ruleing Church officer, distinct from the preaching elder: For here is a general, elders, Nixt, we have two distinct branches of these elders (viz) the ruleing elder, and the elder that both rules and laboures in the word and Doctrine, in the word as the Pastor, In the Doctrine as the teacher. Again they are diversified in two distinct participles and epithets, [ruling] is made the marke and characterick of the one (viz) Ruling only: And [both Ruleing and teaching] is made the marke of the other, whereby they are distinguished in their nature and office. But in the 3d. place, the forementioned distinction eminently appears in the discretive [foreign especially] which is set betwixt these two kynds of elders, intimating that as there were some of these ruling elders who did labour in the word and Doctrin, so there were others who did Rule and not labour in the Word: Both were worthy of double honour, but especially the labourer in the word, over and above this ruling. And to this purpose it is well observed, that the word foreign especially, is allwayes in the new Testament made use of to distinguish one thing from another. As when it is said Gal. 6: 10. Let us doe good to all men, but foreign expecially, to these of the houshold of faith, hereby distinguishing soom that were of the houshold of faith, and some that were not. In which sense it is also used Phil. 4: 22. and 1 Tim. 5: 8, This precept, saith P…scator (Anal: in Locum) he first illustrats by a distribution and comparison of things different and unlike; for he distinguishes elders into those who were sett over Ecclesiastick Disciplin, yet so asthey did not publickly teach, & those who did teach also: Wherein he clearly gives sentence for us against the Prelatick partie, in this point. Wee may hence Collect, that ther were two sortes of elders at that time (saith Calvin, on 1 Tim. 5: 17.) For all were not ordained to teach; for the words doc manifestly hold forth that some had governed well and faithfully, to whom notwithstanding, the office of teaching was not committed. And trewly from among the people their were grave and good men chosen and approved, who did together with Pastores, by commune Councell & authority administer Church Government, and were in some sort, censors for correcting of manners, which oustome Ambrose compleans to have worme out of use, by the negligence, or rather the pryde of teachers while they covet to rule alone. The pregnancy of this Scripture tramples into the dust the pitiful evasiones of all the Prelatists in denying the divine right of this officer: Some of which we shall here take notice of, and the confutation of the same, offered by our divines upon this point. Some, by Ruleing well will have living well, to be understood: But the Apostle is speaking of the office of ruling in a Church officer, ruling over others, not of ruling over a mans …eif in a privat capacitie. Neither is the Churches Honorarium. double honour, double maintinance, due to living well, as here it is allowed to [ruling well] And this will say that the Minister that preaches not, is worthy of double honour for living well, which will make very harsh sense. Some understand this ruleing elder, of the [Deacon,] but the Deacon is no where called foreign or elder, his work being to help, to distribut, not to rule. 1 Cor. 12, 28. Rom. 12, 8 Some would being in under this [Ruler,] The ancient Superannuat Bishop; But this gloss will in honour preferr unto him, the diligent preaching Minister, which will wound their cause to death. Some, by the [Ruler] will have such understood as did administer Sacraments, but preached not: But Paul knew non of these non preaching or seldom-preaching Ministers, far less would he allow them a double honoure, who rather deserved the contrary. Paul will have all Ministers apt to teach, and able to convince. Some by the [ruling elder,] would have Inferior Magistrats understood, who were appointed for ending civil Striffes; but the Apostle is here prescrybing rules to Church office bearers, not civile rulers, and teaching Timothy how to cary in the Church. Againe, they had then no Christian civil Magistrats, as all doe grant, and for their going to Heathens to compose their civil differences, Paul himself dissallowes it 1 Cor 6. Some againe will have the laboring in the word & doctrine to be nothing else but ane explanation of rulcing well; but this inadvertant gloss will set asyde My Lord Bishop as no good ruler. Againe, as is said, the foreign here, or the word [especially] is discriminating, and discretive, distinguishing one thing from another, not explaining one thing by another. If foreign were thus sensed, what odd work would it make in other places. 1 Tim. 4: 10. Who is the Saviour of all men, especially [foreign] of them that believe. This gloss will sense it thus, the Saviour of all men greatly believing Others yet, by [labouring in the word and doctrine] will have a higher degree of labouring as to diligence, understood, yet so as both branches speak of labouring in the word and doctrin; But (as the Leyden Professoures doe well answer) this will allow double honour to the less-labouring or lazie elder, who deserves rather a double rebuke, the Lord requiring the the utmost faithful diligence, of all labourers in his vineyarde. Besides that this gloss justles out, and makes Superfluous, that clause of the verse viz in the word and doctrine, which according to this exposition, should either have been totally omitted, or added unto both the branches of this sentence. Some, to escape the dint of this text, invent yet another Shift [all Sort of Rulers; whither civil, ecclesiastick, or domestical, are worthy of double honour; so they sense the first branch, and say they, this General proposition the Apostle might premise to enforce the honour he enjoyns to the labourer in the word, &c.] But the context fully rejects this gloss, since the Apostle speaks not generally of Rulers, but of elders that rule well, and of such elders and rulers to all which he allowes double honour. So that this gloss will mak pitiful work, both in allowing the Churches honorarium, double honour, or honourable maintinance, to domestick Rulers; and likewayes will allow more honourable maintinance to Ministers then Magistrats. Some woulde, by the labourer in word and Doctrine, as distinct from the ruling elder, take in transient visiting Presbyters, distinct from fixed preaches; but where will they shew us any such who were not Evangelists? Wee find that meer ordinary Presbyters, were ordained for several cities and places as there peculiar charges, whom they were fixedly to feed, Act. 14: 23. Tit. 1: 5. Act. 20: 28. But where find they such Presbyters as had no fixed charge. Neither can Evangelists be meaned (as Dr Burnet would gladely shift it in his first Dialogues) the Apostle all along speaking of ordinary preaching Presbyters. These, and several such like exceptions, the evidence of this text hath long since refuted; So that we may conclude solidely from what is said the divine right of this Church officer, and by consequence the horride Sacriledge and usurpation of Prelacie, in robbing Christs Church of the same: And likewise the Babilonish confusion, which this Antichristian Hierarchie hath introduced into our Church: both in divyding and maiming the Pastoral office, in bringing in offices which the Great Shepherd hath not allowed, and in excluding and thursting our offices and officers which the hath ordained; upon which grounds, and upon all the preceeding, wee hope we may now safely conclude the Diocesian Prelat, existing among us, to be a plant which the father never planted, and consequently as a poisonus weed, to be rooted up.