The Due Right of Presbyteries, Chapter 10 · Section 15 · Objection 19
Object. 19. You teach that the government of consociated Churches is warranted by the light of nature, which if it bee true, surely this light of nature being common to us, in civill, as in ecclesiasticall ca… ses, then by natures light every citie governed with rulers within it selfe, is suberdinate to a Classe of many cities, and that Classe to a nationall meeting of all the cities, and the nation must in its government bee subordinate to a Catholick or …ecumenick civill court, and Mr. Mather and Mr. Thomson, answ. to Mr. Herle, c. 2. p. 16 and p. 20.this same way may appeales ascend in civill courts; and because by the same light of nature (saith Mr. Mather, and Mr. Thomson) there must bee some finall and supreme judgement of controversies le…t …ppeaks should bee spun out in infinitum, it must bee proved that this sup…em … lyeth not in a Congregation.
Answ. 1. Appeales being warranted by the morall counsell which Je…hro gave to Moses, in which there is nothing typicall or …remoniall, but a patterne that all Common-wealths on earth, without any danger of Judaizing may fellow, cannot but bee (as Whittaker hath observed) naturall, and supposing that God hath given warrant in his word, for Monarchies, which are knowne by Gods appointment to bee independent, as also the government of all free and unconquered States are, it doth follow by the light of nature, that appeales in all states are naturall, and that God hath appointed that the supremacie should lie within the bounds of every free Monarchie or State, so that there can bee no appeale to any oecumenicall or Catholick civill Court, for that is against the independent power that God hath given to States; but in the Church it is farre otherwise, for God hath appointed no visible Monarchie in his Church, nor no such independencie of policie within an congregation classicall, provinciall or nationall Church and therefore though appeales bee warranted both in Church and State, by the light of nature, yet appeales to exotick and forraine judicatures is not warranted by any such light, but rather contrary thereunto.
2. Church-appeales, though warranted by the light of nature, yet it is supposed they bee rationall, and grounded on good reason, as that either the matter belong not to the congregation, or then it bee certaine or morally presumed the Congregation will bee partiall and unjust, or the businesse bee difficill and intricate, and if appeales bee grcundlesse and unjust, neither Christ, nor natures light doth warrant them, yea in such a case the supremacie, from which no man can lawfully appeale, lyeth sometime in the Congregation, sometime in the classicall presbytery, so as it is unlawfull to appeale, for illud tantumpossumus quod jure possumus, and neither Christ nor natures light doth warrant us to unjust appeales, or to any thing against equitie and reason: but that supremacy of power should bee in a Congregation without any power of appealing, I thinke our brethren cannot teach; for when the Church of Antioch cannot judge a matter concerning the necessitie of keeping Moses his Law, or any difficill dogmaticall point, they by natures direction, Act. 15. 2. decree to send Pau', Barnabas and others to Jerusalem to the Apostles and Elders, as to a higher judicature, that their truth may bee determined, and this they did without any positive law that wee can imagine: for aMr. Mather and Mr. Thomson Answer to Mr. Herle c. 4 p. 42.Mr. Mather and Mr. Thomson, as also bChurch-government and Church-covenant of New England, Answ. to quest. 14. p. 44.the Author of the Church government of New England teach that the Church of Antioch had, jus, power to judge and determine the controversie, but because of the difficultie had not light …o judge thereof; Ergo they must acknowledge appeales by natures light warrantable as well as wee, for suppose wee, that a Congregation inclineth to this (that Arminianisme is the sound doctrine of grace opposite to Stoicisme) one man is cited before the Congregation for holding the contrary, hee knoweth all the Congregation in those points to be Pelagians, would not our brethren say, that this man so unjustly accused for holding the truth against the enemies of grace may appeale to a Synod? I thinke they must teach this by their grounds, though by the way I thinke the brethren erre in this to teach that Antioch had power to determine the controversie, Act. 15. in this case; 1. when the Churches of Syria and Cilicia, to their knowledge, were troubled with the like question, as v. 24. may cleare; 2. when as the partie against the truth was so prevalent within the Church of Antioch, Act. 15. 2. as that they opposed the Apostle Pau', and Barnabas, also in this case I doubt much if they had power to determine a question, that so much concerned all the Churches, for that was proper to a Synod of many Churches. 2. When the greatest part of a Church, as Antioch, is against the truth, as is cleare, Act. 15. 2. I beleeve in that they lose their jus, their right to determine ea…enus, in so farre, for Christ hath given no ecclesiasticall right and power to determine against the truth, but onelyonly for the truth, and therefore in this, appeales must bee necessary. Mr. Mather and Mr. Thomson against Herle, c. 2. p. 17. 18. say we do much Judaizein that we multiply appeales upon appeales, from the Congregation to a Classe, then to a Synod, then to a nationall assembly, then to an …eckmenick councell, and this way, while the world indureth, causes are never determined, and Synods cannot alwayes bee had, even as in Jerusalem the supreme judicature was farre remote from all proselytes, as from the Eunuch of Aethiopia, Act. 8. and from the remotest parts of the holy Land; But God hath provided better for us, in the New Testament, where every Congregation, which is at hand, may decide the controversie.
Answ. 1. The speedinesse of ending controversies in a congregation, is badly compensed with the suddainnesse and temerity of delivering men to Satan, upon the decision of three Elders, without so much as asking advise of any classes of Elders, and with deciding questions deepe and grave, that concerneth many Churches, which is a putting a private sickle in a common and publick harvest. 2. All appeales without just warrant from Christs will, wee condemne, as the abuse of appeales to a court, which is knowne shall never bee. 3. Antiochs appeale to a Synod two hundreth miles distant (as our brethren say) in so weighty a question, was no Judaizing, but that which Paul and the Apostles was guiltie of, as well as wee. 4. Matters concerning many Churches must bee handled by many.