The Temple Measured, Part 4
Concerning the Power of the Church.
THe body of members (women and ſuch as are unmeet to govern,Pro. 1. excepted) hath all power originally and eſſentially. The body of members is the immediate ſubject of the Keys. 1. Every being (be it never ſo ſubordinate) hath a defenſive power, and the Church or body of members is a ſeat and ſociety of Authority, and therefore hath power both offenſive and defenſive within it ſelf. Thoſe churches Acts 14.23. had no proper Officers when they were called churches; and there is no intimation that their Officers made them churches. Officers are not the like and ſoul of churches. 2. Elſe the church ſhall be left deſtitute of neceſſary ſupports for its ſubſiſtence: times may come in which no Elders are to be obtained for many particular churches. Such as are wholly ſubject, have a defenſive power according to the law of Nature: David and Eliſha thought it lawful to defend themſelves; Iſrael defended Jonuthan. 3.2 Kings 6.32. 3. It is natural that the Whole ſhould have Soveraignty over its parts, eſpecially when parts are equal or pares. If all members in the body had an eye, all ſhould give direction according to the order of nature. 4. The church hath relation of a Spouſe unto Chriſt; and it is meet that the Spouſe ſhould have power ſome way or other, in abſence of the Husband. 5. The church hath power to give the Keys, therefore it hath power to act the Keys. 6. Thoſe which have power in other Societies to elect their Governours, have power alſo to act themſelves; yea, to reſerve to themſelves what power they pleaſe in reſpect of thoſe that are elected. And if the church be a church in propriety, when it hath no Officers, then it hath an offenſive power over ſuch as are within, and a defenſive power towards thoſe without, as all Beings have which are ſui juris.
Object. The church may have the Keys to give, yet not to act. A meſſenger may carry a commiſſion, and yet have no power to open or execute the commiſſion.
Anſw. The Arguments from the conſtitution of the church, do prove that the church hath power to act as well as it can, until it be furniſhed with Officers. 2. The churches power of election is forcible of it ſelf, unleſſe there be ſomething againſt the proportion of the churches power, as compared with other Societies. 3. The church is not onelyonly the conduit, but the onelyonly ordinary fountain of power upon earth. 4. The members have all of them gifts for edification, 1 Cor. 12.5. In Iſrael the whole body did act as well as elect; though when they had Magiſtrates, they could onelyonly exerciſe a defenſive power in interpoſing with or againſt their Magiſtrates, and that onelyonly for demonſtrable cauſes, not ſcandalouſly circumſtantiated. The member… may act in the way of charity and of natural Office; the Elders onelyonly in way of Stewardſhip or inſtituted Office: the people by a natural law, the officers by a poſitive law. The members have gifts, and therefore may act, as a potentia ad actum valet argumentum. The people may give that which it hath onelyonly virtually, and act that which it hath formally, or in potentia proxima.
Object. There is not the ſame reaſon for ſupernatural Societies, as for natural; for the power of ſupernatural Societies, as for the power of natural Societies.
Anſw. Supernatural Societies are as perfect as natural Societies; and therefore if natural Societies have power within themſelves for their ſubſiſtence, the church muſt have the like.
Object. The church cannot adminiſter the Seals without Officers.
Anſw. The church hath power to act all Ordinances that are eſſential to its primary and natural integrality, that are neceſſary to its being or firſt being; though (without Officers) it cannot diſpenſe ſome Ordinances as are neceſſary to its well-being, or ſecondary being, and eſſential to its ſecondary integrality. The church hath not an organick integrity, but it hath an eſſential integrity, before it hath Officers.
The people have power to elect and authorize their own Officers.Pro. 2. 1. The people did ſomething in the election of Matthias, Act. 1. the members elected Deacons, Acts 6. 2. The Officers have no conſtant and ordinary mean of calling, but from the church and body of members; they do not receive their Office immediately from Chriſt, and they cannot receive it immediately always from other Elders. The power of Officers is dependent on the church, not the power of the church on the Officers. The church is greater then its Officers in reſpect of priority, fontality, finality, ſtability and dignity. Maſter Parker hath abundantly demonſtrated this aſſertion in his Eccleſiaſtical Policie, and that from principles maintained by Gerſon a Papiſt. 3. It was a continued cuſtome from the Apoſtles days, that the people did elect their Officers, & conſuetudo est bona juris interpres. Calvin hath demonſtrated this point from Cyprian. Calvin is for ſome conſent,Cal. Inſtit. l. 4. c. 3. Sect. 5. Beza Epiſt. 83. p. 365. Beza for an implicite conſent. The election of the people gives the Keys (at leaſt incompleatly) when they have Elders, becauſe their conſent is neceſſary together with the conſent of the Elders. The Elders have naturally a negative voice in point of election; but they cannot compleatly elect any Officer without the conſent of the people. That act which doth give authority, is an act of authority: the peoples conſent in election doth give authority. The aſſumption is thus proved: That which doth compleat the authoritative act of the Elders, or which doth adde authority to the Elders act, that act doth give authority: but the conſent of the people doth (at leaſt) compleat the act, or adde authority to the act of the Elders in election. 5. Either Election or Ordination alone, or both together, do give the Keys, not Ordination alone; therefore Election doth give the Keys, either in toto or ex parte. In Rome it was wont to be ſaid that authoritas was in Magiſtratu, Poteſtas in plebe, Majeſtas in populo. 6. Ordination doth not give the Keys eſſentially, therefore Election doth give the Keys. 1. It appears from the nature of Ordination. Ordination is but a ſolemn declaration and confirmation of a perſon in Office. Ordinatio est teſtificatio & complementum electionis. 2. The body of members gave the Keys eſſentially to their proper Officers in the reſurrection and reſtitution of the church out of Antichriſtianiſm. There is no ſufficient teſtimony of their immediate call; and the church of Rome had loſt its power. 3. Election is not onelyonly a ſigne of Office; then an officer ſhould be an officer before he be elected, and before he be ordained alſo, becauſe Ordination was wont to follow Election. 4. The Prieſts and Levites were eſſentially Officers before they were ordained: Ordination was but a circumſtance to the hereditary right of the Levitical tribe. 5. The fathers and maſters of families were Prieſts before the Law eſſentially and abſolutely, without any Ordination. The ceremonial Ordination under the Law is abrogated, and Ordination under the Goſpel is onelyonly moral, and a complement of Election. Doctor Ames compareth Ordination to the coronation of Princes and inauguration of Magiſtrates, in his Bellar. Ener. 6. Election in other Societies doth give the authority. The gift of edification, faculty or aptitude is preſuppoſed to Election, the authority or Office is conferred by Election; by Election ſufficienter, by Ordination abundanter. Reformed churches have attributed liberty to the people in point of Election, for the general. Polanus ſaith that an Elder is ordained in the name of the church.
Object. Election is but an act of ſubjection.
Anſw. Such an act of ſubjection tranſmitteth that power which the church had formerly within it ſelf, unto the Officers, and therefore giveth authority unto the Officers. Every one that is ſui juris, or ſo far as any one is ſui juri, he is ſo far indued with authority within himſelf, and therefore a ſervant giveth authority to his maſter; a ſervant (I ſay) giveth a maſter authority over himſelf, by putting himſelf under his maſters authority, and by giving over to his maſter that authority which he had over himſelf while he was free.
Object. The members have not ſole power of Election where there are Officers.
Anſw. The power of Election is primitively in the body of members, though ſecondarily there be a negative and an authoritative voice in the Elders as Elders.
The common members are not meet Organs to ordain their Officers.Pro. 3. 1. Common members have not co-ordinate power to act with their Officers; but Officers elected are eſſentially Officers, in reſpect of them at leaſt. An Elder elect is ſuppoſed fitteſt to preach and pray for preparation unto his own ordination. 2. Ordination includes prayer as a part thereof, and the Elder elect is fitter to pray then the common members. 3. Ordination includes a bleſſing, and this bleſſing ſuppoſeth a meliority in order: Heb. 7. The Officers are to bleſſe the people, and not the people the Officers in way of churchorder. 4. Ordination is an act of conſecration, Numb. 8. but the Officers are to conſecrate the people, not the people the Officers. Such as have been ſent in way of ſpecial office, have been onelyonly found to ſend others in point of Ordination, both in the old and new Teſtament. The Fathers have obſerved it ſo Religiouſly, as to appropriate Ordination to the Biſhop. The church is greater then its officers in point of priority, and finality, and dignity; but the Officer: are greater in authority and power of execution. Chriſtiani ſumus propter nos, Auguſtine.Paſtores ſumus propter vos. 5. The Apoſtles and extraordinary Elders would never have taken ordination out of the peoples hands, if it had belonged to them, becauſe they did not deprive them of the power of election.
Object. In caſe of general Apoſtacies there can be no ordinary way of ordination.
Anſw. In caſe no Elders can be acquired, election doth ſuffice. The members do give power immediately of acting ſome Ordinances, The members have formally ſome power to teach, and the commiſſion of Chriſt giveth them power to baptize, which have the power of office to teach, Matth. 28.19. The church of common members have not formally and actually power to adminiſter the Seals, but it hath power efficiently and virtually. The Sun giveth life, though it hath no potentia proxima of life; the foul hath power to ſee virtually, becauſe it hath power to frame its organs, and convey power to them; ſo the members have power to ſet up Officers, and to convey power to them for the adminiſtration of the Seals; and thus qui poſſidet, diſpenſat. 2. God in extraordinary paſſages of providence, did ordain the Apoſtles; Moſes ordained Aaron, but who ordained Moſes? Ordination is not eſſential; we may not make ordination with Scotus and Franciſcus, a Sacrament. Ordination is not ſo neceſſary to a Miniſter, as the Sacrament to a chriſtian; and yet a chriſtian is a chriſtian, though he never partake of a Sacrament. The Papiſts themſelves hold it ſufficient to be baptized in voto.
Object. The people of Iſrael are ſaid to anoint Solomon, 1 Chron. 20.22.
Anſw. Its evident that they anointed him by ſome ſacred perſon, even as they did Zadoc the Prieſt: not immediatly, but by ſome Nathan, &c.
Object. Members may elect, which is the greater; therefore, they may ordain, which is the leſſer.
Anſw. Ordination is an act of order as well as of juriſdiction. Some Papiſts place the eſſence of Ordination in that form of words, (Be thou a Prieſt.) Where ſhall we finde the very form of Ordination in the Scriptures? We conceive that it conſiſteth in Solemnities connatural to the confirmation of Election: and prayer, and bleſſing (which are acts of order) are acts of Ordination. Thoſe that can do the greater, may not do the leſſer, unleſſe it be of the ſame kinde.
Object. The Levites were ordained by the hands of the congregation.
Anſw. 1. Upon the ſame ground the members ſhould now ordain, and their proper Elders ſtand by. 2. The Levites were ordained by Aaron and the Prieſts, Numb. 8.3. Impoſition of hands by the congregation was proper to the ceremonial offering of the Levites as a Sacrifice to God, Exod. 29.13. not to our moral ſeparating of Officers under the Goſpel. That act of Impoſition doth rather import ſomthing of Election then of Ordination, as we may ſhew in another queſtion. Calvins opinion is, that Ordination ought to be adminiſtred by Elders, praeſſe etium electioni debere alios paſtores. Doctor Ames granteth to Bellar. Inſtit. lib. 4. cap. 3.that it is the doctrine of the reformed church that Ordination is an act of the Elders, except in caſe of a general Apoſtacie, Bellar. Ener. de vocations Clericorum. Election is an eſſential application of authority in the way of Juriſdiction; Ordination is a circumſtantial application of authority, ſutable to the power of Order and Office. Election is an act of eſſential Juriſdiction; Ordination is proper to official power and juriſdiction. The leaſt Ordinances in point of exemption, are proper to the Officers as the greateſt perſons, in reſpect of executive power. The Keys of natural power of of general Office, are in the members; the Keys of inſtituted power, or of Office in ſpecial, in the Elders. I might diſtinguiſh thus: The Keys of natural power are in the body of members; the Keys of Office in the Elders.