The Due Right of Presbyteries, Chapter 10 · Section 15 · Objection 5
Object. 5. These decrees, Act. 16. 4. are called the decrees of the Apostles and Elders, but if the Apostles in giving out these decrees gave … as ordinary Elders, not as Apostles, then the sense of the words, Act. 16. 4. should bee, that they were the decrees of the Elders and of the Elders, which is absued.
Answ. It followeth onelyonly that they are the decrees of the Apostles who in that give them out as Elders, and as a part of the ordinary established Elders of Jerusalem.
Whence if Christ promise the holy Spirit to lead his Apostles in all truth, hee promiseth also the holy Spirit to all their successors, Pastors, Teachers and Elders, not onelyonly conveened in a Congregationall-Church, but also in a Synod, as hee maketh good his promise here, Act. 15. 28. and whereas the holy Ghost commandeth in a Synod of Apostles and Elders who are lawfully conveened, by our brethrens confession, and speaketh authoritatively Gods Word by the holy Ghost, Act. 15. 28. they cannot speake it as a counsell and brotherly advise onelyonly, for that a brother may doe to another, a woman to a woman, Abigail to David, a maide to Naaman: wee desire a warrant from Gods Word, where an instituted societie of Pastors and Elders conveened from sundry Churches, and in that Court formally consociated and decreeing by the holy Ghost, as Act. 15. 28. against such and such heresies, shall bee no other then a counsell and advise, and no Church-commandement, nor binding decree backed with this power: Hee that despiseth you, speaking by the holy Ghost, the Word of God, despiseth mee, and whether doctrines, or canons concerning doctrine, comming from a lawfull Court, conveened in Christs name, have no ecclesiasticall power of spirituall jurisdiction to get obedience to their lawfull decrees; for if every one of the suffrages of Elders bee but a private counsell having onelyonly authoritie objective from the intrinsecall lawfulnesse of the thing, and no authoritie officiall from the Pastors, because Pastors, then the whole conclusion of the Synod shall amount to no higher rate and summe then to a meere advise and counsell. If it bee said, that when they are all united in a Synod, and speaking as assembled, Act. 15. 25. and speaking thus Assembled by the holy Ghost, v. 28. the authoritie is more then a counsell, yet not a power of Church-jurisdiction. Then 1. give us a warrant in Gods Word, for this distinction. 2. Wee aske whether this authoritie being contemned, the persons or Churches contemnibg it, bee under any Church-censure, or not; if they bee under a Church-censure, what is this but that the Synod hath power of censure, and so power of jurisdiction? if you say non-communion is a sufficient censure. But I pray you spare mee to examine this; 1. If the sentence of non-Communion bee a sentence of …. it must proceed from a judicature that hath a … of jurisdiction, but give mee leave to say as all Church-… have and must have warrant in Gods Word, so must …, such as non-communion, for the ordinary Church punishments, such as publike rebu…ing have warrant in the Word, as in 1 Tim. 5. 20. and excommunication, 1 Cor. 5. 4. … 1…. and the great Anathema Maranatha, 1 Cor. 16. 22. and forbearing to eate and drinke with scandalous persons, 1 Cor. 5. 10, 11. withdrawing from his company, 2 Th…s. 3. 14. and I pray you where hath the Word taught us of such a bastard …-ensure, or if you will not allow it that name, a censure indicted by the Church or Churches, as is non-communion. May our brethren without Christs warrant shape any punishment equivalent to excommunication without Gods Word? … they may as well without the Word mould us such a censure as excommunication: if they say, separation warrenth this censure of non-communion. But 2. By what Law of God can an equall give out a sentence of non-communion a… an equall, an equall cannot as an equall punish, when a Christian denieth followship to another because hee is excommunicated, hee doth not punish as an equall, for the punisher in this case denying fellowship to the excommunicated doth … an equall, but as having authoritie from the Church, who hath given this commandement in the very sentence of communication. 1 Cor. 5. 4. compared with v. 10, 11. Separation under a great controversie, and denyed in many cases … the way of those who are more rigid therein, even by our ….
2. Christ, Matth. 18. 15, 16. will not have any brother, who … but private authoritie and no Church-authoritie over a bro… … non habet potestatem) to presently renounce … give up all communion with his brother, though hee bee … before two or three witnesses, and inflict on him the sentence of non-communion, while hee first tell the Church, and non-communion is inflicted on no man as if hee were a heathen
… (to speak no thing of delivering to Satan) while hee … conveened and judicially sentenced before the Church; … our brethrens sentence of non-communion is in inflicted by an equall Church upon a …ster Church in a meere p… way, and by no Church-proces.
4. Non-communion, if it bee warranted by the law of … ture, as communion of equalls is, yet should wee not bee refused of the like favour, when wee plead that the Law of nature pleadeth for combination and communion of joynt authorities of s…s…er-Churches, in one presbytery: for if non-communion of Churches bee of the law of nature, so must communion of Churches, and authoritative communion, and authoritative and judiciall non-communion, by natures law must be as warrantable upon the same grounds.