Church Government and Church Covenant, Treatise 1 · Questions
THE XXXII QUESTIONS STATED.
_1. WHether the greateſt part of the Engliſh there (by eſtimation) be not as yet unadmitted to any Congregation among you, and the Reaſons thereof?
2. What things doe you hold to be Eſſentiall and abſolutely neceſſary to the being of a true Viſible Church of Chriſt?
3. Whether doe you not hold all Ʋiſible Believers to bee within the Ʋiſible Church as Members thereof, and not without in the Apoſtles ſence; 1 Cor. 5. and therefore ought ſo to be acknowledged, and accepted in all Congregations whereſoever they ſhall come, and are ſo knowne: and ought (if they deſire and be not otherwiſe unfit) of right to be permitted to partake in all Gods ordinances and Church priviledges there, ſo farre as they perſonally concerne themſelves, although they be not as yet fixed Members in particul…r Covenant, either with that Congregation where for the preſent they reſide, nor with any other?
4. Whether you doe not hold that Baptiſme rightly (for ſubſtance) partaked doth make them that are ſo Baptized, Members of the Viſible Church: and ſo to have right (at leaſt quoad nos) to all the priviledges thereof (ſo farre as they are otherwiſe fit) untill they be caſt out (if they ſo deſerve) by Excommunication.
5. Whether doe you not admit Children under age as Members of the Church, together with, and in the Admiſſion of their Parent or Parents: So as thenceforth they may partake of all Church priviledges being otherwiſe fit) without any other perſonall profeſſion of Faith, or entring into Church Covenant, when they ſhall come to yeares? and how long doe you count them under age?
6. Whether do not you admit Orphants under age, with and in their Guardians?
7. Whether doe you admit or refuſe Children under age only acco…ding to the preſent eſtate of their neareſt Parents? Or doe you not admit them if any of their next Anceſtors before their parents were believers?
8. Whether doe you require of all perſons of age, whom you admit Members of any Church?
1. A publike vocall declaration of the manner and ſoundneſſe of their converſion?
2. A publike profeſſion of their faith concerning the Articles of Religion.
3. An expreſſe verball covenanting to walke with the ſaid Church in particular, in Church fellowſhip.
4. And not to depart from the ſaid Church afterward without the conſent thereof: or how doe you hold and practiſe in theſe things?
9. Whether doe you hold all, or the moſt of our Pariſh aſſemblies in Old-England to be true Ʋiſible Churches of Chriſt; with which you may lawfully joyne in every part of Gods true worſhip (if occaſion ſerved thereto:) or if not all or the moſt, then what ones are thoſe of which you ſo account, and with which you durſt ſo partake or joyne; and in what reſpects? And why be not the reſt ſuch as well as they?
10. If you hold that any of our pariſhionall Aſſemblies are true Ʋiſible Churches, and that the Members thereof are all, or ſome of them (at leaſt) members of true viſible Churches, then whether will you permit ſuch members (at leaſt) as are either famouſly knowne to your ſelves to be godly, or doe bring ſufficient Teſtimoniall thereof from others that are ſo knowne, or from the Congregation it ſelfe whereof they were members here, to partake with you in all the ſame Ordinances, and parts of Gods true worſhip in any of your Congregations (as by occaſion they may be there) in the ſame manner, and with the like liberty, as you would permit any that might happily come unto you from any of the Churches of Geneva, France, the Low-Countreyes, or yet from any one Church to another among your ſelves: Suppoſe from ſome Church about Connecticut, or that of Plimouth, &c. VntoUnto the Church at Boſton, New-Towne, Dorcheſter, &c. Or if not, what may be the Reaſon thereof?
11. Whether doe you hold our preſent ſtanding in our Pariſh Aſſemblies here in Old ENGLAND, to bee lawfull and ſafe to be continued in, or how f…rre it may be ſo?
12. Whether doe you hold that every Believer is alwayes bound to joyne himſelfe as a fixed Member to ſome one particular Congregation, ſo as if he doe not, and ſo oft and ſo long as he doth it not, ſo oft and ſo long he is without the Church in the Apoſtles ſence, 1 Cor. 5. as an Heathen or Publican, out of the Kingdome of Chriſt, and poſſibility of ſalvation, according to that maxime in divinity, Extra Eccleſiam non eſt ſalus.
13. VVhether doe you thinke it lawfull and convenient that a company of private and illitterate perſons (into a Church body combined) ſhould themſelves ordinarily examine, elect, ordaine, and depoſe their owne Miniſters of the word, without the aſiſtance of any other Miniſters of other Churches, where the ſame may be had?
14. Whether doe you hold that every ſmall Company of ſeaven, or nine, or twenty, or fourty perſons, combined into a Church body, be ſuch a Church (as by the ordinance of Chriſt) hath, and ought to have all power, and exerciſe of Church Government: So as they may tranſact all Eccleſiaſticall buſineſſes independently amongſt themſelves?
15. Whether do you give the exerciſe of all Church power of Government to the whole Church, or to the Preſbiters thereof alone? and if to thoſe, then we deſire to know what act of Government, and Superior authority (properly ſo called) may the Presbiters doe, more then any other member may doe, or without the particular conſent of the reſt, wee crave to have thoſe particular Acts mentioned: and how, and over whom in thoſe Acts the Presbiters doe rule (in propriety of ſpeaking) more then the reſt of the Congregation doe?
16. Whether doe you not permit Women to Vote in Church matters?
17. Whether in Voting doe the Major part alwayes, or at any time, carry Eccliſiaſticall matters with you, or in what things doth it, in what not?
18. What meanes have you to preſerve your Churches in Vnity and Verity, or to correct or reduce any Church erring in Doctrine or practice. As,
1. Whether you have any plat-form of Doctrine and Diſcipline agreed upon; or if you have not, whether meane you to have one, and when; and thinke you it lawfull and expedient ſo to have?
2. Whether have you combined your ſelves together into Claſſes, or purpoſe ſo to doe, ſo as to doe no weighty matter without their counſell and conſent?
3. Or give you any power to Synods and Councells to determine and order things that cannot otherwiſe be ended, ſo as that their determination ſhall bind the particular Churches ſo aſſembled to due obedience, in caſe they decree nothing but according to Truth and right, and to peaceable ſuffering, in caſe they ſhould doe otherwiſe? Or what other courſe you have, or intend to have for that end aforeſaid?
19. Whether hold you, that each particular Church may lawfully make ſuch Laws or Orders Eccleſiaſticall, for the Government of it ſelfe, and the Members thereof; for decency, order, and Edification, as ſhall oblige all her Members, and may not be omitted without ſinne?
20. Wherein hold you that the whole Eſſence of a Miniſters calling doth conſiſt: As 1, whether is Election by the People it, yea or no? Or 2. is it ſo Eſſentiall, as that without it, the Miniſters calling is a meere nullity? Or 3. is Ordination as Eſſentiall a part thereof, as the Peoples Election? Or 4. is it but a meer formality and ſolemnity of their calling?
21. Whether doe you hold it lawfull for meer lay or private men to ordaine Miniſters in any caſe?
22. What Eſſentiall difference put you between the Office of Paſtor and Teacher, and doe you obſer…e the ſame difference inviolably; and do not your Teachers by vertue of that Office give themſelves uſually to application of doctrine as, well as your Paſtours? and do they not alſo uſually apply the Seales?
23. What authority or Eminency have your Preaching Elders, above your ſole Ruling Elders, or are they both equalls?
24. VVhether may a Miniſter of one congregation (being thereto requeſted) do as a Miniſter any act of his Miniſtery (as Preach, Baptize, Adminiſter the Lords Supper, Ordain, &c. in and unto other Congregations beſides his owne?
25. Whether hold you that a Miniſter of a Congregation, leaving or looſing his place (ſuppoſe without his fault) doe withall loſe both Nomen and Eſſe of his miniſtery, and do become a meere Lay, or private man, untill he be a new elected, and ordained?
26. Whether doe you allow, or thinke it lawfull to allow and ſettle any certain & ſtinted maintenance upon your Miniſters?
27. Whether doe you permit and call upon meer Lay and private men (neither being in the miniſterie nor intended to it) ordinarily to preach or Prophecie publiquely, in, and before the Congregation? and whether thinke you that prophecying mentioned, 1 Cor. 14. be to be underſtood of ſuch, and be an ordinary and ſtanding order of God in the Church?
28. Whether doe you allow and call upon your people publiquely before all the Congregation to propound Queſtions, move doubts, & argue with their miniſters of matters delivered either by them or others, either at the ſame, or ſome other time?
29. Whether hold you that the converſion of ſinners to God is ordinarily the proper fruit and effect of the word Preached, by a Miniſter alone, and that by vertue of his Office alone, or that it is alike common to miniſters, and Lay perſons, ſo they be gifted to preach?
30. Whether all and every of your Churches (including Plimouth, &c.) do preciſely obſerve the ſame courſe both in Conſtitution and Government of themſelves?
31. VVhether would you permit any Companie of Miniſters and People (being otherwiſe in ſome meaſure approvable) to ſit downe by you, and ſet up and practiſe another forme of Diſcipline, enioying like libertie with your ſelves in the Commonwealth, and accepted as a ſiſter Church by the reſt of your Churches?
32. VVhether hold you it lawfull to uſe any ſet forms of Prayer in publique or private, as the Lords prayer and others, either made by himſelfe that uſeth the ſame, or elſe by ſome other man?