Aarons Rod Blossoming, Book 2 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. The necessity of a distinct Church-Government under Christian as well as under Heathen Magistrates.
SOme when they could not denie but there was a Church-Government in the Primitive and Apostolick Churches, distinct from all civil Government, and Churchcensures distinct from all civil punishments; yet they have aledged (though no such thing was alledged of old, neither by Constantine and other Christian Emperors, nor by others in their behalf) that this was for want of Christian Magistrates, and that there is not the same reason for such a Church-Government or censures, where there is a Christian Magistracy. See Mr. Husseys plea, pag. 24. As likewise Mr. Prynne in his Diotrephes catechised. Master Colemans re-examination, pag. 16. calls for an instance where the State was Christian. For taking off this exception, I shall observe,
First of all nAnnot. in Luc. 6. 22. Reperti sunt & qui Judicia ista Ecclesiae putarent inhibenda; quoties Christiana… potestates Deus concederet saeculo &c. At Christi leges multo plus exigunt, quam in commune civibus impe…ii alicujus praescribi solet, aut etiam potest, semper enim magna pars hominum foreign. Quare civiles quidem leges suo funguntur officio, si graviora & societati maxime no…entia delicta coerceant: at quae contra dilectionis, contra mansuetudinis, contra patientiae leges pec…antur, extra communes leges sunt posita: non etiam extra eas leges▪quas se sectantibus Christus praescribit, & secundum quas▪ judicare debet ille selectus ex mundo coetus.Grotius (otherwise no good friend to Church-Government, being poisoned with the Arminian Principles, who have endeavoured to weaken extremely the authority of Classical and Synodical Assemblies, and to give a kind of Papal power to the Magistrate) yet in this particular he argueth strongly for us, and not against us.
Secondly, Where is that Christian Magistracy which hath suppressed or punished all such offences as did f…ll under Ecclesiastical cognizance and censure, in the Primitive and Apostolick Churches? Or where is that Christian Magistrate that will yet undertake to punish all those offences and scandals which were censured in the Apostolick Churches? Till some such instance be given, this exception against Church-discipline and censures under a Christian Magistrate hath not so much as colour enough. Aliae sunt leges Caesarum▪ ali…e Christi: aliud Papinianus, aliud Paulus noster praecipit saith Hierome in Epitaph. Fabi…lae. Caesars Lawes, and Christs Lawes are not the same, but different. Papinianus commands one thing, Paul another thing. Chrysostome Homil. 12. in 1. Epist. ad Cor. tells us that the best and wisest Law-givers had appointed no punishment for fornication, for consuming and trifling away of time with playing at dice, for gluttony and drunkennesse, for Stage-plaies and lascivious whorish gestures therein. Is there not some cause to apply all this (and much more of this kind) even to Christian Law givers and Magistrates? Put the case that he who is called a brother (as the Apostle speaks) that is a member of the visible Church, be found grossely ignorant of the Principles of Religion, and so far from growing in knowledge, that he loseth the knowledge of the Scriptures, and of the truth of God which he had (for this hath been diverse times observed) through neglect of the means: or if he be known to neglect ordina…lly prayer in and with his Family, and to continue in that offence after admonition: or if he live in known or scandalous malice and envie, and refuse to be reconciled with his neighbour, or if he be a known lyar and dissembler: or if by his words and actions he do scandalously and manifestly shew himself covetous, drowned in sensuality, ambitious, proud: or if he give a foul scandal by filthy and obscene speeches, by lascivious, obscene, whorish-like gestures or actions, where the act it self of adultery or fornication cannot be proved. I suppose that for these and such like scandals (which are causes deserving not onelyonly the Elderships enquiry and admonition, but suspension from the Lords Table) the Christian Magistrate neither doth, nor by the civil or municipal Laws is bound to arraign and punish all such as are guilty thereof.
Thirdly, whereas Arch-bishop Whitgift Answ. to the Admon. pag. 114. did alledge that the Church may not be governed under a Christian Magistrate as it may under a Tyrant, which he brings as an exception against ruling Elders and Elderships, while he could not denie but such there were in the Primitive Church. Mr. Cartwrigh▪ in his Reply pag. 140. answereth, that if these Elders under a Tyrant had medled with any office of a Magistrate, then there had been some cause why a godly Magistrate being in the Church, that office should cease: but since they did onelyonly assist the Pastor in matters Ecclesiastical, there is no distinction between times of persecution, and times of peace, as touching the office of Elders. The like say I of Church-censures and discipline. If the Government of the Church by Presbyteries and Synods, if suspension and excommunication in the Apostles times had been an usurping of any thing belonging to the Magistrate, then there had been some reason to lay aside all Church-censures and Ecclesiastical Government, when the Magistrate turned Christian, and willing to do his duty. But if not, then the civil and Church-government may still remain distinct, even where the State is Christian.
Fourthly, Every Institution or Ordinance of Christ, must continue as a perpetual obligation, unlesse we can find in the Word that Christ hath given us a dispensation or taken off the obligation, and set a period to the Ordinance, that it shall continue so long and no longer. I mean every Ordinance of Christ must be perpetual, which we cannot prove from the Word to be but temporal or extraordinary. Now in the Word Christ hath not appointed the governing the Church, and correcting scandals, to be onelyonly under a Tyrant, and to cease under a Christian Magistrate: neither is there any such thing held forth in Scripture (which yet our opposites must shew, if they will make good what they say) But contrariwise, what Christ delivered to the Apostles, and they to the Churches, is to be kept and continued, till our Lord come again 1 Cor. 11. 23. 26. 1 Tim. 6. 14. and he himself saith, Rev. 2. 24. 25. That which ye have already, hold fast till I come. These things were not spoken to the Apostles, to Timothy, to the Churches of that time personally (for they were not to live till Christs comming again) but the charge was given to them in name of and with respect unto all the Ministery and Churches of Christ.
Fifthly, This exception made against Church-censures under a Christian Magistrate, supposeth that such censures will make an interfering and clashing between the civil and Ecclesiastical power. But there is no cause for that fear, these powers being so hugely differenced in their efficient causes, matters, formes, ends, effects, objects, adjuncts, correlations, and ultimate terminations, as I have made it to appear in the particulars, Chap. 4.
Sixthly, The Churches liberty and power is not to be infringed, diminished, nor taken away; but preserved, maintained, enlarged, and augmented under a Christian Magistrate. Were it not a sad case, if there should be cause to say that the Churches of Christ have not so much liberty under a Christian Magistrate to keep themselves and the Ordinances from pollution, as they had under Pagan and Infidel Magistrates?
Seventhly, Why may not Christian Church-government consist with Christian Magistracy, as well as the Jewish Church government did consist with the Jewish Magistracy, being of the same Religion? Or if we please to look to later Presidents, who can be ignorant that civil government and Church-discipline have rather strengthened then destroyed each other, not onelyonly in France where the Magistracy is not Protestant, but in Scotland, in the Low-Countries, in Geneva, and else-where?
Eightly, We have covenanted to endeavour a Reformation of Church-Government and discipline according to the word of God and the example of the best Reformed Churches. Now both the Word of God, and the example of the best Reformed Churches, leadeth us to a Church-government distinct from civil Government: and the example of the best Reformed Churches doth undeniably lead us to a Church-discipline, even where he Magistrate is Christian, neither doth the word make any exception of Christian States, but contrariwise chargeth us to keep the commandement and Ordinances till Christ come again.
Ninthly, The Magistrate hath other work to do, and such as will take up the whole man: and if he should take upon him the whole burthen of Church-Government, the enquiring into, examining and correcting of all scandals in the Church, surely it is more then he can discharge, or give a good account to God of. It will be hard enough to Church-officers to do it, though they are set apart to that service, and ex officio do watch over peoples souls, as they that must give an account. But for the Christian Magistrate to discharge the whole corrective part of Church-Government, and to watch over the soules of all the people; so as to take care of the purging of the Church from scandals, and for that end to observe, examine, and judge all offences in the Church, and to determine that this man ought to be admitted to the Sacrament, and that man ought not to be admitted (for that there must be a suspension of scandalous and unworthy persons, I now take it for granted because of the Ordinance of Parliament) as it is impossible for the Magistrate to do all this, so I beleeve it will be to him durus sermo, a hard saying, to hear that he must give account to God of all these things; and that Ministers have no more to answer for but preaching, ministring the Sacraments to those to whom they are appointed to give them, catechizing, visiting the sick, exhorting, admonishing, reproving, comforting. It was a good argument against the Prelat; he assumed the Ecclesiastical government of a whole Diocesse, and could not give account to God for so many thousands, and sometime hundreths of thousand souls. Yet Mr. Coleman would have had the Parliament to be Church-Officers to the whole Kingdom in point of corrective Government, and the Ministery to have no part of that government. But then I ask, How shall they answer for that Ecclesiastical Government and administration of theirs, more then the Prelat could answer for the Ecclesiastical Government of a whole Diocesse? If it be said that the Parliament is onelyonly to settle a rule, and to give order what is to be done, and to commit the execution and the managing of particular cases to subordinate Courts and inferiour Officers, then no more is said then the Prelats did plead for themselves, that they did per alium what they could not do per se. So that such principles do tend directly to involve the Parliament in the Prelatical guiltinesse, which our Principles do avoid. Was it not another Argument used against the Prelats, that they could not manage both Civil and Church-government, and that an Ecclesiastical Administration could not consist with civil power and places in the Parliament or with offices of State, any one of these administrations (either the civil or the Ecclesiastical) requiring the whole man.
Do not the Erastians endeavour to draw the Parliament into the very same absurdity with which the Prelats were pressed? For if any of these two administrations require the whole man, how can the civil Magistrate (though Christian) take upon him the burthen of Church-Government, more then Church-Officers can take upon them the burthen of civil-government? Philo the Jew gives this reason why Moses did make a partition of the charge between Ioshua and Aaron, committing to the one the civil, to the other the Ecclesiastical administration. He considered that it was impossible rightly to take care both of the supreme civil power, and of the Priesthood, since the one professeth to care for things pertaining to God, the other for men. Philo de charitate.
Tenthly, Ratio immutabilis facit praeceptum immutabil…. If the Apostle had required the Corinthians to excommunicate the incestuous man, upon such grounds and reasons as were proper to that time, and are not applicable to after times, so as to prove the necessity of excommunication for, the like offence, then there were some reason why excommunication should not be esteemed a perpetual ordinance in the Church: but it is manifest that the reasons given by the Apostle were not proper to that time, but do concern this time as well as that. The reasons are taken 1. From the glory of God, vers… 1. 2. He that had done such wickednesse as was not so much as named among the Gentiles, was not to be suffered among Gods people, but to be taken away from among them; If evil be not put away from Israel, it is a great dishonour to the God of Israel. This first argument used by the Apostle, is like that Ezek. 36. 22, 23. They had prophaned the holy name of God among the Heathen, therefore God would sanctifie his great name, and make the Heathen to know that he is the Lord, when he should be sanctified in his people before their eyes. 2. From the commission, power, and authority which the Church of Corinth that is their Presbytery (compare 2 Cor. 2. 6.) had to excommunicate such a…one. vers. 4, 5. In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together. &c. 3. From the good and benefit of the sinner himself, that he might be ashamed, humbled, reclaimed, mortified and saved: vers. 5. For the destruction of the Flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 4. From the Churches good, that the Church might be preserved from the contagion of such sinful examples vers. 6. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 5. From that which was signified and typified by the purging out of leaven from Israel in the time of the Passeover. vers. 7, Purge out therefore the old leaven &c. 6. From the end of Christs death, which was to purifie and sanctifie, as well as to reconcile and justifie his people, vers. 7. 8. For Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us, Therefore let us keep the Feast, &c. 7. From the difference which ought to be made between the foul sins of Church-members, and others that are not Church-members: a blacker mark is to be put upon the former, then upon the latter: and more withdrawing there must be from a scandalous brother or professor of Christian Religion, then from a prophane Heathen, vers. 9. 10. 11.
From all which it doth appear, that it is not without good reason that Martyr and Pareus upon 1 Cor. 5. do maintain the necessity of Excommunication, under a Christian and pious Magistrate, as well as under an Infidel and prophane Magistrate.
Eleventhly, The end and use for which Church-censures are necessary, is not intended and endeavoured, much lesse attained, by the government of the Christian Magistrate. For though the Christian Magistrate punisheth many (I cannot say all) grosse and scandalous sins with corporal or civil punishments: yet to punish sin is one thing; to seek the salvation of the sinner is another thing: so the offender his suffering of punishment and satisfying the Law of the Land is one thing; his declaring of his repentance, and publike confession of his sin, for taking away the scandal which he hath given to the Church, is another thing. Suppose a deli…quent (whose fault is not capitall by the law of the land, for instance a Fornicator, a drunkard, a common swearer, a Sabbath-breaker, or the like) to have suffered in his person or estate, all the punishment which he ought to suffer, so that he hath now made a civil atonement (as I may call it) for his offence, and the Christian Magistrate hath no further to charge him with. Suppose also that he is by such corporal or civil punishments as by a bit and bridle overawed and restrained from committing again the like ext…rnal acts: Notwithstanding he hath not the least signe of true repentance and godly sorrow for his former foul and scandalous sins, and he is known to be not an accuser, but an excuser of himself for those faults and scandals. Such a one comes and desires to receive the Sacrament. Must his poenal satisfaction to the Christian Magistrate be a sufficient poenitential satisfaction to the Church? Here is a rock which the Er…stians dash upon, unlesse they admit of a distinct Ecclesiastical Judgement, concerning the signes of repentance in a scandalous sinner, according to which, as these signes shall appear or not appear, he is to be admitted or not admitted to the Sacrament.
Twelfthly, the power of binding and loosing, is not a temporary but a perpetual power, that is, appointed by Christ to continue in his Church alwaies unto the end. Now this power is given onelyonly to Church-officers, and Christ hath not given the keyes of discipline and the power of binding and loosing (of which else-where) to the Magistrate, nay not to the Christian Magistrate, more then to the Infidel Magistrate. Let the least hint be found in Scripture, where Christ hath given any such power to the Christian Magistrate, and I yeeld the cause.
Thirteenthly, The new Testament holdeth out as little of the Ministery of the Word and Sacraments under a Chrīstian Magistrate, as it doth of a Church-government under a Christian Magistrate. Shall this therefore strengthen the Socinian Tenent, That Baptisme is not a perpetual Ordinance in the Church, and that we are not obliged by that commission which the Apostles had to baptize? God forbid.
Fourteenthly, The German Anabaptists required an expresse warrant or example in the New Testament of a Christian Magistrate, or of the sword and wars in a Christian State, yet this hath been thought no good Argument against Magistracy and wars among Christians.
I cannot pretermit a passage of Gualther, who may seem to be opposite to me in this present Question. Even he in his Homily upon Iohn 9. 22. after he hath spoken of Excommunication in the Jewish Church, and in the Apostolick Churches, he addeth oEt hodie e…iam disciplina Ecclesiastica opus est, quae in reforma…is Eccles…is instituta diligenter servari debet, ne Magistratum indulgentia quae ubique sere regnat, Evangelii doctrinam exteris suspectam reddat, & ut ipsi quoque in officio contineantur, nec sibi quidvis in Ecclesia licere putentt.And this day also there is need of Ecclesiastical discipline, which being instituted in the Reformed Churches, ought to be diligently kept, lest the indulgence of Magistrates, which reignes almost every where, should render the Doctrine of the Gospel suspected among those that are without, and that themselves also may be contained in their office, and may not think that any thing they will is lawful to them in the Church.
But after all this, let me put Mr. Hussey and other Erastians in mind, that if they do acknowledge that Jesus Christ hath instituted or commanded that there be a Church Government and power of censures distinct from the Civil Government, when the Magistrate is Heathenish or Idolatrous, let them speak it out, and let us agree so far. Otherwise if they do not agree in this, it is but a blind for them to make use of this distinction, that where the Magistrate is Christian, there is no necessity of a distinct Church-Government.
I conclude with a passage of Mr. Prynne in his twelve considerable serious Questions touching Church-Government. The ninth of those Questions runs thus. Whether the Independents challenge of the Presbyterians to shew them any National Church, professing Christ in our Saviours or the Apostles daies, before any one Nation totally converted to the Christian Faith, or any general open profession made of it by the Princes, Magistrates, and major part of any Nation, Kingdom, Republick, who were then all generally Pagans and Persecutors of the Gospel, not then universally imbraced, be not a most irrational unjust demand? Sure if this hold against the Independents, it will hold as strongly, yea more strongly against the Erastians, to prove their demand to be most irrational and unjust, while they challenge us to shew them in the New-Testament a distinct Church-Government under a Christian Magistrate, or where the State was Christian, though themselves know Magistrates and States were then generally Pagan and not Christian: Yea there was in those daies much more of a national Church then of a Christian Magistrate.