Assertion of the Government of the Church of Scotland, Part 1 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI Doctor Fields five Arguments against ruling ….
HIS fi…st Reason that shewed … to think… there were … any … Church, is because Bishops, Presbyters, that preach and minister the Sacraments, and Deacons, howsoever they much degenerated in later times, yet all still remained in all Christian Churches throughout the World, both Greeke and Latine, in their names and offices also in some sort. But of these ruling Elders, there are no foot-steps to bee found in any Christian Church in the World, nor were not for many hundred yeares; whereas there would have beene some remaines of these as well as the other, had they ever had any institution from Christ or his Apostles, as the other had. To this wee answer. 1. If the Christian Churches throughout the World had wanted ruling Elders longer then they did, yet prescription can be no prejudice to the ordinance of God. 2. After that the golden age of the Apostles was spent and gone, exact diligence was not taken, to have the Church provided with well qualified Ministers, but many unfit men, yea, sundry heretickes entred into that sacred vocation, whereby it came to passe that corruption and errour overflowed the Churches,Eccles. hist. lib. 3. c. 32.35. Col. 103. as both Eusebius proveth from Aegesippus and catalogus testium veritatis from Irenaus. Might not this be the cause of changing the office-bearers and government of the Church. 3. In the Roman, yea in Prelaticall Churches there are scarce any foot-steps at all of the offices of preaching Presbyters, and Deacons, as they were instituted by the Apostles. The Apostles ordained Presbyters to preach the Word, to minister the Sacraments, to governe the Church, and to make use of the keyes. But the Popish and Prelaticall Presbyters have not the power of the keyes, nor the power of Church government, for it is proper to their Prelates; as for the other two they are common to their Deacons, for they also doe preach and baptise. The office of the Popish Priest standeth in two things, to consecrate and offer up the body of Christ, and to absolve the faithfull from their sinnes: See Conci. Triden. de sacr. Ordin. cap. 1. Hier. Savanarola. Triumph. cruc. lib. 3. cap. 16. And the same two make up the proper office of the Priest by the order of the English Service Booke. As touching Deacons, they were ordained by the Apostles for collecting receiving, keeping, and distributing of Ecclesiasticall goods, for maintaining of Ministers, schooles, Churches, the sicke, stranger, and poore. The Popish and Prelaticall Deacons have no such office, but an office which the Apostles never appointed to them; for they had no preaching nor baptising Deacons. Philip preached and baptised, not as a Deacon, but as an Evangelist, Acts 21.8. Besides at the time of his preaching and baptising, hee could not have exercised the office of his Deaconship, by reason of the persecution, which scattered rich and poore and all, Acts 8.1. that which Steven did, Acts 7. was no more then every believer was bound to doe, when he is called to give a testimony to the truth, and to give a reason of his faith and practice. 4. Others of the faithfull, besides the Ministers of the Word, have beene admitted unto Councells and Synods by many Christian Churches throughout the World, as is well knowne; and this is a manifest foot-step of the government of ruling Elders. 5. Nay in the Church of England it selfe, at this day, there are foot-steps of ruling Elders, else what meaneth the joyning of Lay-men with the Clergy in the high Commission to judge of matters Ecclesiasticall? S…ravia saith,… the Churchwardens which are in every Parish of England, have some resemblance of ruling Elders, whose change appointed by law, he saith, is to collect, keepe, and deburse the goods and revenues of the Church, to preserve the fabricke of the Church▪ and all things pertaining thereto sure and safe, to keep account of baptismes, mariages, and burials, to admonish delinquents & other inordinate livers, to delate to the Bishop or his substitutes, such as are incorrigible, & scandalous, being sworn thereto: also to observe who are absent frō the praiers in the Church upon the Lords dayes, & upon the holy dayes, & to exact from them the penalty appointed by law, and finally to see to quietnes & decency in time of divine service.
Doctor Fields second reason is for that Paul, 1 Tim. 3. shewing who should be Bishops and Ministers, who Deacons, yea, who Widowes; passeth immediatly from describing the qualitie of such as were to be Bishops and Ministers of the Word and Sacraments, to the Deacons, omitting these ruling Elders that are supposed to lye in the midst betweene them, which he neither might nor would have omitted, if there had beene any such. To this the answer is easie. 1. As we collect the actions and sufferings of Jesus Christ, and the institution of the last supper, not from any one of the Evangelists, but from all of them compared together, for that one toucheth what another omitteth; so doe we judge of the office-bearers of the Church not from 2 Tim. 3. only, but from the collation of that and other places of Scripture of that kind. Ruling Elders are found in other places, and in the fifth Chapter of that same Epistle, though not in the third. 2 Neither were there any absurdity to hold, that the Apostle in that third Chapter comprehendeth all the ordinary office-bearers in the Church under these two Bishops and Deacons, and that under the name of Bishops, he comprehendeth both Pastors, Doctors, & ruling Elders: for as al these three are overseers, so to them all agree the qualities of a Bishop here mentioned, whereof there is only one, which seemeth not to agree to the ruling Elder, viz. that he should be apt to teach,De div. gra. minist. cap. 9. vers. 2. Yet Beza maintaineth against Saravia, that the ruling Elder teacheth as wel as the Pastor, only the Pastor doth it publickly to the whole congregation; the ruling Elder doth it privately, as he findeth every one to have need. And we have shewed before that as a private Christian is bound in charity to teach the ignorant, so the ruling Elder is bound to doe it ex off…cio.
The third reason, which Doctor Field bringeth against us, is, for that neither Scripture nor practice of the Church, bounding the government of such governours, nor giving any direction how farre they may goe in the same, and where they must stay, lest they meddle with that they have nothing to doe with, men should bee left to a most dangerous uncertainety in an office of so great consequence. Our answer to this is: 1. Wee have shewed already the certaine bounds of the power and vocation of ruling Elders. 2. It was not necessary that the Apostle should severally set downe Canons and directions: first, touching Pastors, then Doctors; lastly, ruling Elders, since they are all Elders, and all members of the Eldership or Presbytery; it was enough to deliver canons and directions common to them all, especially since the duties of ruling Elders are the same which are the duties of Pastors, only the Pastors power is cumulative to theirs, and over reacheth the same in the publicke ministery of the Word and Sacraments, and so doth Paul difference them, 1 Tim. 5.17.
His fourth reason is, because we fetch the paterne of the government of ruling Elders, from the Sanedrim of the Jewes, the platforme whereof wee suppose Christ meant to bring into his Church, when he said, Tell the Church; whereas, saith he, it is most cleere that the court was a civill court, and had a power to banish, to imprison, yea and to take away life, till by the Romans the Jewes were restrained. Wee answer that Beza de Presbyteri…. I. B. A. C. De polit. civil. & Eccl. lib. 2.De poli. Eccl. lib. 3 cap. 7. I…. Deut. 17. ibid. In a. Reg. 23. Moses and Aaron. lib. 5. cap. 1. De gu…er. Ec. pag. 62. Harm. de pass. cap. 8. Also Zepperus, Iunius, Piscator, Wolphius, Godwin, Bucerus, Gerard, And sundry others have rightly observed that the Ecclesiasticall Sanedrim among the Jewes was distinct from the civill, yet both called by the name of Sanedrim. Wee grant with Beza that sometimes civill causes were debated and determined in the Ecclesiasticall Sanedrim, but this was done foreign, non foreign, as he saith, the fact which was meerely civill was judged in the …ivill Sanedrim, but when the civil… Judges could not agree de jure, even in civill causes, in that case resolution was given by the other Sanedrim; as in like cases by the juris-consults among the Romans, for the conservation and interpretation of the law did belong to the Leviticall Tribe. Hence it is that we read 2 Chron. 19.8.11. Iehosaphat set in Ierusalem of the Levits, and of the chiefe Priests, and of the chiefe of the Fathers of Israel, some for the Lords matters, among whom presided Amariah the chiefe Priest, and some for the Kings matters, among whom presided Z…badiah the Ruler of the house of Judah.…bi sup. ca. 1…. pag. 119. Saravia saith this place proveth not that there were two distinct consistories, one for civill, another for Ecclesiasticall things; because, saith he, by the Kings matters are meant matters of peace, and warre by the Lords matters, the matters of law and judgement which are called the Lords matters, because the Lord was the author of their civill lawes;Deut. 20. and 21. and 24. what a crazie device is this? did not matters of peace and warre come under the civill lawes, which God had delivered to the Jewes, as well as any matter of judgement betwixt man and man? and what can bee more plaine then that the Lords matters or things pertaining to God,Heb. 5.1. when they are differenced from other matters, are ever understood to bee matters spirituall and Ecclesiasticall?In Deut. 17. Quapropter, wherefore saith Iunius, the Readers are to be warned whosoever they bee that consult the histories of ancient times, that where they read the name Syned…tum, they wisely observe whether the civill Assembly or the Ecclesiastical be meant of, because that name was confused, and indistinct, after the times of Antiochus.
But notwithstanding that in these latter times all good order had much degenerate and growne to confusion, yet it seemeth to me, that even in the dayes of our Saviour Christ, the Civill and Ecclesiasticall courts remained distinct, let me say my opinion with all mens leave, and under correction of the more learned, that night that our Lord was betrayed, he was led to the Hall of Cajaphas, where there was holden an Ecclesiasticall Sanedrim, which asked Jesus of his Disciples, and of his doctrine, received witnesse against him, and pronounced him guilty of blasphemy, Mat. 27.57. Mark 14.53.55. Ioh. 18.19. Nothing I finde in this Councell why we should think it civill: for as touching the smiting and buffeting of Christ, Mat. 26.67. Luk 22.63. some think it was by the servants of the high Priests and Elders after that they themselves had gone home, & left the Councell; howsoever, it was done tumultuously, not judicially, and tumults may fall forth in any Judicatory whether civill or Ecclesiastical As for the sentence which they gave, Mat. 26.66. He is guilty of death, it proveth not that this was a civill Court: for just so, if an incestuous person should bee convict before an Assembly of our Church, the Moderator might ask the Assembly, what thinke ye? and they might well answer, He is guilty of death, away with him to the Magistrate. Shortly then the matter debated in this nocturnall Councell, was meerly Ecclesiasticall, and the accusation of sedition and making himselfe a King, were not spoken of till he was brought before P…at But there was another Sanedrim convocat in the morning▪ Mat 27 1. Mark 15.1 Luk 22 66. and this seemes to have been not Ecclesiasticall but Civill, 1. because they meddle not with the triall of his doctrine, nor any examination of witnesses thereanent: only they desire to heare out of his own mouth, that which hee had confessed in the other Councell, viz. that he was the Christ the Son of God; whereupon they take counsell how they might deliver him to Pilate, which was the end of their meeting 2. M…k saith, They bound him, and carried him aw…y to Pilate. 3. The Ecclesiasticall Councell had already done that which they thought pertained to them: for what should they have convened again? Some say, that a…l the high Priests, Scribes and Elders, were not present at that nocturnall councell, and that therefore they convened more fully in the morning. But that the nocturnall Councell was fully convened, it is manifest from Mat. 26.59. Mark 14.53.55. 4. This last Councell led Jesus away to Pil…te, and went themselves with him to accuse him before Pilate of sedition, and of making himselfe a King, Luk. 23.1.2. Mat. 27.12. 5. They complain that the power of capitall punishment was taken from them by the Romans, importing that otherwise they might have put him to death by their law, Ioh. 18.31.
Now D. Fields last reason is, For that all Fathers or Councels mentioning Elders, place them betwixt Bishops and Deacons, and make them to be Clergy men, and that in the Acts where the Apostles are said to have constitute Elders in every Church, Pastors are meant, is strongly confirmed from Act. 20.17.28. where the Elders of the Church of Ephesus are commanded to feed the flocke of Christ over which they were appointed over-seers, whence it followeth inevitably, that they were Pastors.Cont. Sarav. Ubi sup. c. 12. Com. in act. 14 We answer, 1. Ambrose speaketh of Elders which were not Pastors. 2. Beza & Gualther expound the place Act. 14.23. where the Apostles are said to have ordained Elders through every Church, of ruling as well as preaching Elders. 3. As for that which he alledgeth from Act. 20. Beza, Ubi sup. cap. 9. Eccles. lib. 2. cap. 1. Cens. in confess. cap. 21. pag. 275.Iunius, and the Professors of Leyden, hold, that the names of Bishops and Pastors are common both to ruling and preaching Elders, and that the Scripture giveth these names to both, howsoever in Ecclesiastical use for distinctiōs cause, they are appropriate to teaching Elders. Surely the ruling Elder both overseeth the flocke and feedeth the same, both by discipline, and by private admonition; and for these respects may bee truly called both Bishop and Pastor. 4. How small reason hee hath to boast of the Fathers, we have already made it to appeare. 5. It is a begging of the question to reason from the appropriation of the name of Elders to the Pastors.