A Vindication of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of the Subject of the Key of Authority.
THe Key of Authority or Rule is committed to the Elders of the Church, and ſo the Act of Rule is proper to their Office.] But, me thinks, you ſhould have done well, to diſtinguiſh both of Authority and Rule, and alſo of Elders, preaching from thoſe they call Ruling-Elders: For Authority and Rule may be diſtinguiſhed; becauſe there is Rule in thoſe that are called Ruling-Elders, but not Authority to preach and adminiſter Sacraments: I would not have noted it, but that you confuſedly reckon up the particulars of Authority and Rule, without diſtinction, what belongs to one ſort of Elders, what to another; As if they did equally belong to both.
1. The firſt is: [That which the Eld…rs, who labour in the Word and Doctrine, are to attend unto chiefly, that is, the preaching of the word, and the adminiſtration of the Sacrament….] For the firſt, [the preaching of the Word,] ſome of your Brethren ſay, that private gifted Brethren may prophecye, that is, preach, and others ſay they may baptize too; who yet are denyed power in ruling, as being not Elders, not Officers, to whom the Act of Ruling is proper: Indeed you ſeeme to deny gifted Brethren power to propheſie publickly; but your Prefacers write, Magiſter hic non tenetur. Yet their owne reſolution of the caſe, and their practiſe doth not well agree. They ſay, a gifted Brother may [occaſionally preach, not in an ordinary courſe.] But we ſee, they doe it ordinarily and conſtantly; witneſſe all their Lecturers, their double and treble beneficed Lecturers; and one who takes a Benefice, (but perhaps not the charge of ſoules, nor adminiſtration of Sacraments) where he conſtantly preaches. If you ſay, They are Elders or Paſtors: I anſwer, they are ſo, to their owne ſelect Congregations, but they are but as gifted Brethren to other Congregations; for their principle is, [Paſtor and flocke are relates:] which, if it be not a fine deluſion, let the world judge. We deny not, but gifted Brethren, of ſuch abilities as are fit for Office, for learning and judgement, &c. may for approbation, exerciſe their gifts. But we only note the difference of theſe Maſters; and that theſe of ours are nearer to Browniſme; who by their conſtant preaching as gifted Brethren, countenance and encourage private members, ſuppoſing themſelves gifted ſufficiently to preach ordinarily; yea, and to adminiſter the Seales, which as it is leſſe*Chriſt ſent me not to baptize, but to preach the Goſpell. than preaching, ſo alſo is annexed unto preaching, Mat. 28. as your ſelfe here ſpeakes, and complaine of this practiſe, page 6.
2. A ſecond Act of Authority common to the Elders, is, [They have power to call the Church together.] 1. You ſaid before, Rule was an Act proper to the Office of Elders: Now you ſay it is common, you meane perhaps common to both ſorts of Elders: But then you ſhould have explained the difference, or reſolved us, whether the Ruling-Elders have equall power with the preaching Elders in this Act. For your inſtance of the Apoſtles, calling the Church together, Acts 6.2. is but for one ſort of Elders, and you bring nothing for the other. 2. Beſides, to call the Church together, ſeemes rather a matter of Order, than of Authority: For one Elder of either ſort, may be deputed to this worke. But if this be proper to Elders, what if the Elders be all offenders, who ſhall call the Church together then? Truly, this power ſeemes firſt to be in the Church, in your way; who as they had power to gather themſelves into one Body, without Officers, ſo much more, to call an Aſſembly of themſelves. That of Ioel 2. for the Prieſts, is weakly alleadged: For it appeares not that they were called on, to call an Aſſembly, (but only to weep, v. 17.) it was rather the Magiſtrates Act to proclaime a Faſt.
3. [To examine all, members or Officers, before they be received of the Church.] But this, according to your principles, is ſpoken to the whole Church, and ſo no proper Act of Elders. And expreſſely above, you made this one part of the priviledge or liberty of the people, to propound juſt exceptions againſt ſuch as offer themſelves; and if ſo, then alſo to examine them, page 13.
4. A fourth Act of their Rule, is, [Ordination of Officers.] But 1. This is too confuſed: What Elders doe you meane? Preaching or Ruling? Have the Ruling-Elders power of Ordination of Paſtors and Teachers? This, as it is without all preſident of Scripture, ſo it is againſt a Rule: [The greater is bleſſed of the leſſer;] which cannot be by the Apoſtles Divinity. 2. This is no Act proper to the Elders, but common to the Brethren, by your owne judgement, if your minde be not altered ſince you writ, The Way, p. 50, 51. See it.
5. [To open the doores of ſpeech and ſilence in the Aſſembly.] But 1. one Elder doth this; ergo, one Elder hath power and authority, not over the Church only, but over his fellow Elders alſo. 2. You take it from them preſently in ſome caſes: [When the Elders themſelves lye under offence, the Brethren have liberty to require ſatisfaction, &c.] That is, the Brethren may open the doore, and begin to ſpeake. And ſtill you are confuſed, not declaring whether this power belongs to either ſort of Elders, or both alike; eſpecially your inſtance of the Rulers of the Synagogue, ſeeming to carry it to the Ruling Elders.
6. [To prepare matters before hand for the Church, and to reject cauſeleſſe and diſorderly complaints, &c.] But doe not you hold, Mat. 18.17. to ſpeake of the Church of the Brethren, with the Elders? then that place is impertinently alleadged, to prove an Act proper to the Elders. 2. Have the Elders power to judge a complaint to be cauſeleſſe, and to reject it, without the cognizance of the people? why then have they not power to judge a complaint to be juſt, and to cenſure it, without their cognizance alſo? Doe you not intrench a little too much upon your peoples Liberty?
7. [The Elders have authority in handling an offence, before the Church, both jus dicere, and ſententiam ferre.] But all this, I thinke the Browniſts yeeld, who yet give the chiefe, if not the only power to the people; and give the Elders leave, ſententiam ferre, to pronounce the ſentence, as their mouth and Deputies. And you ſay: [They are firſt to informe the Church, what the Law of Chriſt is, which is, jus dicere; and then when the Church diſcerneth the ſame, and condiſcendeth to it, by conſent, to give ſentence.] But what if the people diſcerne it not, or condiſcend not, that the ſentence ſhall paſſe? Then they may have power, jus dicere, which every underſtanding brother hath, but not ſententiam ferre: A goodly Authority!
8. [They have power to diſmiſſe the Church, with a Bleſsing.] To this I ſay little; only I ſay, it is too confuſed, what Elders you meane, preaching or Ruling? and then, I ſay, this is but a matter of Order, one only does it, and yet I thinke you will not ſay, he hath Authority over his fellowes.
9. [The Elders have power to charge any of the people in private, that they live not inordinately, &c. 2 Theſ. 3.6. &c.] This is very weakly alleadged by a man of your ſtrength: The Apoſtle ſpeaks this to all the Brethren, the Theſſalonians, yea, it may concerne women ſometimes, to warne the unruly, eſpecially being to be done in private; and doe you bring this for the power of your Elders? which ſort of Elders doth it concerne to doe this, for neither are mentioned? Againe, the Apoſtle ſpeaks not of charging or warning at all; but peremptorily bids them withdraw, v. 6. and to [note him by a Letter, and have no company with him, v. 14.]
10. [If the Church fall away to blaſphemy againſt Chriſt, &c. and no Synod hoped for, or no help by it; The Elders have power to withdraw the Diſciples from them, and to carry away the Ordinances with them, &c.] But 1. the caſe is miſlaid; for Acts 19.9. the Jewes that there blaſphemed, were not of the Church; but only ſuch as came to heare Paul preach, which an Infidell might doe; but then this was no proper withdrawing, as a power of the Keyes: For what had Paul to doe, or the Elders with them that are without. 2. Suppoſe the whole Church fall away, what ſhall the Elders doe now? They may not excommunicate them, you ſaid above; and if they may withdraw, thats no more power than the Brethren have of the Elders Apoſtate. 3. How can the Elders carry away the Ordinances from them? For firſt the Elders ceaſe to be Elders, when the flocke is ſeparated, and ceaſes to be their flocke. Secondly, the Brethren may keep the Ordinances with them, and have power in your way, to chuſe new Officers, to exerciſe the Ordinances; and then what care they for their withdrawing, either themſelves or the Ordinances? 4. It ſeemes not juſtifiable, that Elders ſhould withdraw, and carry away the Ordinances from a company of erring Brethren. The Prophets of old did not ſo, but continued ſtill to preach, though the people were obſtinate: For this is the remedy to cure their obſtinacy, and ſo the Apoſtle directs, 2 Tim. 2.25, 26.
In the cloſe of this Chapter, you propound a queſtion: [If the Elders have this power of Rule, how are they then the ſervants of the Church?] You anſwer by a ſimilitude: [A Queen may call her ſervants her mariners, to conduct her over Sea; yet they being called by her to ſuch an Office, ſhe muſt not rule them in ſteering their courſe, &c.] If ſuch be the caſe between the Church and her Elders (as you ſay it is) I ſee little or no difference between you and the Browniſts; For they make the Church a Queen, and the Elders but her ſervants, called by her to ſuch an Office; to exerciſe the power of the Keyes in her name: You ſay here, [The Elders rule the Church from Chriſt, and ſo from their call; and above, ſect. 7. The Church condiſcending to the information of the Elders, what the Law of Chriſt is, it is a further act of the Elders power, to give ſentence againſt the offender.] Juſt as the Mariner, when the Queene, who hath called him to that Office, tels him ſhe is reſolved to goe to ſuch a place, puts her command in execution, by ſteering his courſe to that place.