A Model of the Government of the Church, Title page – Dedication
A MODELL OF THE Government of the Church under the Goſpel, by Presbyters, Proved out of the holy Scriptures, to be that one, onelyonly uniform Government of the univerſall viſible Church, and of all Nationall, Provinciall, Claſſicall and Congregationall Churches: which is according to the will and appointment of Jeſus Chriſt. Which may ſerve to ſtay ſuch as are doubting, with hope of full ſatisfaction, and clear demonſtration of this truth, ſhortly to be made by the Reverend Aſſembly of Divines.
Compoſed by a Presbyterian Miniſter of the City of London, and approved by divers of his learned Brethren, and at their requeſt Publiſhed.
LONDON, Printed for Tho. Ʋnderhill, and are to be ſold at his ſhop at the ſigne of the Bible in Woodſtreet. 1646.
To the Honourable City of London, and all the Inhabitants thereof, who ſincerely ſeek and deſire a true reformation of the Church, according to the Word of God.
GIve me leave, moſt famous and renowned City, and ye the Right Honourable Lord Major, the Right Worſhipfull Aldermen, and religious Common-Councell and Commoners, to congratulate and rejoice with you, for that honour which the Lord hath laid on you in theſe daies of great confuſion. You, under God, have been the guard of this preſent Parliament, by which ſo great things have been done for the ſafety and defence of three Kingdoms. Your free contributions of your wealth and ſubſtance, have been the ſinews of this warre, undertaken for the defence of our Religion, Laws and Liberties. Few Counties in this Kingdom have been able to defend themſelves, much leſſe to help others, except thoſe whom you have encouraged, and ſet on work by your example, and to whom you have been a bulwark againſt the enemies, who by you have been terrified from invading them. All the aſsociated Counties have cauſe to bleſſe God for the vicinity and neighbour-hood of London. And all the reſt of the Kingdom may ſay, If the Lord had not helped us by the Forces, Arms, and ſupplies of men and money from London, we had been utterly deſtroied and laid waſte. But the chief glory beſtowed on you by God, is your courage for the truth, and true Chriſtian Religion; your earneſt ſtudy, and conſtant endeavour for promoting an happy Reformation of the Church in Religion, Dostrine, Worſhip, and Diſcipline, according to the Word of God; your zeal against Sectaries, Schiſmaticks, Hereticks, and Blaſphemers, who labour cunningly to corrupt your ſervants, to ſteal away the hearts of your wives and children, to pull many fair feathers out of your wings, and to draw Diſciples after them, and your ſtanding steadfaſt in the old paths, and walking in that good way, Ier. 6. 16. which the Lord Chriſt by his Apoſtles hath praeſcribed to the Vniverſall Church; In which all the pure primitive Churches of old, and all the beſt reformed Churches have walked from the daies of your Fathers, untill this day. God hath inabled you wonderfully by his grace, to reſiſt the ſubtle temptations of the world and the Devil. I know when you were courted with offers of greateſt honours and priviledges, to withdraw you from your purpoſe and reſolution, of ſtanding for the common weal of State and Church, and of ſupporting and upholding of the props and pillars of this Land, when it trembled, and was ready to be diſsolved.
I cannot forget that ſad time, full of fears and dangers, when (the chief command of your City, being in the hand and power of Malignants, who had alſo a strong faction, by which they attempted to overthrow you) it was the opinion and profeſsion of ſome of the moſt faithfull Patriots, aud wiſe members of Parliament, that unleſſe God did put into your hearts a reſolution to ſtand up for them, they had ſmall hope of ſaving either the Church and Kingdom from ruine, or our Religion, Laws, Liberties, and their own lives from deſtruction; and in that juncture of time the Lord did put ſuch a ſpirit of courage, fortitude and holy zeal into you, who were the main body of the City, that you stood up, and appeared openly for the worthy Patrons of your Religion, Laws and Liberties, whereby they were animated to proceed vigorouſly in their wonted courſe of juſtice, to the terrour and aſtoniſhment of all the enemies and diſturbers of our peace. After this you have been strongly aſſaulted by ſpirituall wickedneſſes divers waies.
Firſt, by cunning ſeducers, who uſurping the name and outward ſhew of rare Saints, have ſtollen away the hearts of many, and with feigned ſanctity and large promiſes of a pure platform and modell of Church-Diſcipline and perfect Reformation, according to Chriſts own inſtitution, have drawn them into Schiſme, and ſeparation from their own Congregations. But you, by your wiſdom have quickly ſmelled out their fraud, and vain boaſting of great things, which they can never perform and bring to paſſe.
Secondly, you have been tried, (when Scriptures failed them, and favoured not their modell) with bold pretences of new lights, which you have ſcorned, as wiſe men are wont to ſcorn, and not vouchſafe to look after thoſe ignes fatuos, wandring lights and night fires, by which fools, who follow them in the dark, are lead into dangerous pits, boggs, ditches, and downfalls.
Thirdly, they have repreſented unto you Presbyterian Government as a Bugbear, and cruell monſter, worſe then Popery and Prelacy, unto which if you ſubmit, you and your children are made ſlaves for ever, to the lust of proud, peeviſh, tyrannicall Priests; And allthough many credulous fools, and unſtable ſouls, are hereby terrified and skared out of their wits, and run wilde after ſeverall dangerous ſects, and know not where to reſt: Yet you are no ſuch ſtrangers to the Goſpel, nor ſo little acquainted with the Scriptures of the New Teſtament, as to be moved with ſuch skarecrowes; but rather by ſuch rabid railing againſt Government of the Church by Claſsicall Presbyteries, you have been moved and ſtirred up (after ſerious conſideration, and conſultation had with your godly Paſtours, and Teachers, diligent ſearching of the Scriptures, and good aſſurance of underſtanding of divine truth gained to your ſelves) to be more earneſt and importunate in promoting that Presbyterian Government, beſides which there is no mention of any other in all the writing of the Apoſtles; nor any other acknowledged or received, in any well reformed Churches in all the Chriſtian world.
The Apoſtolicall Church at Jeruſalem, conſiſting of many thouſands and ten thouſands of beleevers, and ſo many particular Congregations, was altogether governed by the Apoſtles and Presbyters, Aſſemblies, Synods and Presbyteries, as appears, Act. 11. 30. and 15. 6. and 21. 18. The Chriſtian Church of the Gentiles gathered unto Chriſt in ſeverall Nations, Countries and Cities by Paul and Barnabas, had every one their Presbyters, ordained to have rule over them in the Lord, Acts 14. 23.
The Church of Epheſus, that great City of Aſia, had alſo divers Presbyters, whom the Holy Ghoſt had made overſeers to watch in common over it, Acts 20. 17, 28. And of them S. Paul ſpeaks, 1 Tim. 5. 17. ſaying, Let the Elders that rule well, be counted worthy of double honour. Alſo S. Paul left Titus in Creet, and appointed him to ordain Presbyters in every City, and ſuch overſeers as were fit to rule the Church, Tit. 1. 5. Peter and Iohn were Presbyters, and called themſelves ſo, as they with others governed ſeverall Churches, 1. Pet. 5. 1. John 2. 1. and John 3. 1. Wherefore, ô London, thou that haſt choſen the beſt part, rejoice in the Lord thy God, who hath made his glory to riſe upon thee, and his light to ſhine upon thy grave Senatours, thy religious Common-Councell, and all thy true hearted Citizens; and hath led them into thoſe waies which be in Chriſt, which Saint Paul taught every where, and in every Church, 1 Cor. 4. 17. For the encouraging of you, worthy Citizens, in your conſtancy, and for the confirming of them that are weak and wavering, I have framed out of the Scriptures this brief diſcourſe, concerning that one uniform Church-Government, which Chriſt by his Apoſtles ordained, and appointed to be ſet up in the whole univerſall Church, and to be obſerved in all other Churches, members of the univerſall. Here you have the Heavenly patern ſhadowed out in a ſmall compaſſe, of that Government, for the eſtabliſhment whereof in this City and Kingdom, you have ſtood up and appeared openly at ſeverall times. If the Lord be pleaſed to bleſſe you with courage for his truth, and with conſtancy and perſeverance till you obtain your deſire, which is the deſire alſo of all Orthodox faithfull Miniſters in the Land, then ſhall London be called, The City of the Lord, the Zion of the holy one of Iſrael; And they who deſpiſe her and ſtand up against her, to hinder the work of God in her hands, ſhall bow down at the ſoles of her feet, and her enemies ſhall lick the duſt, even lick up the duſt of her feet, for they ſhall not be aſhamed who wait for the Lord, Iſa. 49. 23.
This is the praier of your ſervant in the work of the Lord, and humble ſuppliant for your proſperity at the throne of grace. G. W.