A Defense of Sundry Positions of the Congregational Way, Position 12
POSITION XII.If that need ſo require, ſhe may admoniſh her Officers, and excomunicate. &c. T. W. to W. R. p. 39.
The Church hath power to cenſure her Officers if ſhe ſee juſt occaſion, Col. 4.17.
The Church at Coloſs had other Elders beſides Archippus, Anſwer. which might joyn with the people in admonition.
1. Reply. What Officers there were in that Church, or with that Church at that time, appeares not.
2. The command is directed to the Church without expreſſe conſideration of any Officers amongſt them, and though there ſhould be Officers, yet the Brethren are not thereby excluded from joyning with the Officers in that which is commanded, Col. 4.17.
Paul bids Timothy fulfill his Miniſtery, Anſwer. 2 Tim. 4.5. this doth not ſuppoſe Timothy to be faulty, or to be under cenſure: And it may be Archippus, Pauls fellow-labourer, (Philemon, verſ. 2.) was not faulty, and then this admonition was no cenſure; and therefore it is alledged to no purpoſe.
1. Reply. Expoſitors do judge him faulty; ſee Zanchy upon that place.
2. The Apoſtle ſaith to Timothy, make full proof of thy miniſtery, but bids them ſay to Archippus, fulfill it. Now there is difference betwixt theſe two; the former reſpects perſons, himſelf and others, whom he ſhould aſſure of it; the latter reſpects the work it ſelf in duties of it; and the one of theſe may alſo be without the other.
3. It is one thing when the Apoſtle a ſuperior, writing to a perſo and inferiour, and one who did depend upon him, gives him much good counſell, and amongſt other things, injoynes him to make full proof of his miniſtery, and another thing, when the Apoſtle writing to a people, without any occaſion of ſuch an exhortation, and without mingling the injunction of this duty with other exhortations of like nature, doth excite them in an abrupt manner, to ſay to Archippus, ſee to the Miniſtery, &c. For the former we have many patterns, which yet imply not faultineſſe, 1 Pet. 5.1, 2, 3. Tit. 2. ult. For the latter, where is there any parallel place? Though therefore Timothy, whom the Apoſtle exhorts, may be without fault; yet there is ſtrong preſumption that Archippus (whom the people ordinarily muſt heare in ſilence, but now are put upon it to admoniſh him) was not.
Neither doth admonition alwayes ſuppoſe authority, Anſwer. for this may be an act of charity as well as of authority.
Church-admonition is ſome degree of cenſure; Reply. for it is a leading ſtep to higher cenſure, till at laſt it come to excommunication; call it what you will, liberty, power, or authority, yet cenſure it is, and that is all the Poſition doth aſſert.
Private members cannot cenſure judiciouſly, Anſwer. or unchurch the Congregation, though they be hidden; Plead with their mother, plead, Hoſea 2.2.
If they may plead, then they may withdraw when the Congregation is obſtinate; and ſo from their Officers, Reply. when they will no be reclaimed; which though it be not judiciall and poſitive cenſure, yet muſt be granted to be negative.
The Coloſſians were as well to cauſe that Epiſtle to be read in the Church of Laodicea, as to ſay to Archippus, &c. yea, Anſwer. the word cauſe ſeems more authoritative, then ſay ye, yet our Brethren hold not that one Church hath power to cauſe any thing to be done in another Church; if it had been ſaid, Cauſe Archippus, &c. and ſay to Laodicea, you could have made notable uſe of it.
Cauſe, in the originall is, foreign, not command yee, but work yee; Reply. effect yee, indeavour yee, that it be read; and ſo interpreted, it is not ſo authoritative as ſay yee; for ſay ye, take heed, ſeems to be more imperative: if it had been ſaid, Say yee to Laodicea, ſee that you read this Epiſtle, and of Archippus, indeavour yee, that Archippus fulfill his miniſtery (for the Greek word tranſlated cauſe, imports no more) we could have made leſſe uſe of it.
Finally, Anſwer. the Church cannot excommunicate their whole Presbyterie, no more then the Presbytery excommunicate the whole Church,Cottons Keys, pag. 16. only ſhe may withdraw from them, &c.
This withdrawing is a negative excommunication, Reply. which is ſome kinde of cenſure, though not ſo authoritative as the poſitive; and more then this we plead not for.