The Government of the Churches of Christ, Book 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
That Congregational Churches, were designed in the Institution of Christ, proved from Instances of the Primitive Churches, planted by the Apostles. The first Instance Assigned from the States, and Order of the Church at Corinth.
NOW for the proof of all, or most of the particulars, of which I have Discoursed in the preceding Chapters, I shall bring as the conclusion of all the Instances of the Church of Corinth; which is the greatest and surest Pattern, and the most compleat of all other. It is the greatest Pattern, because it answers to the Institution, in Matth. 18. (as in the Directions given to that Church in the, 1 Cor. 5. and the Phrases, that about Excommunication, are put into it, being compared with that in Matth. 18. doth appear) As there, Christ in the promise that he makes to the Church, when it bindeth sin, useth that Phrase; Where two or three are joyned together, I am in the midst of them; Mat. 18. 20. So here likewise, in 1 Cor. 5. 4. the Apostles Direction runs in the same Phrase, when you are gathered together: As there Christ saith, gather together in my Name, so here the Apostle saith, when ye are gathered together in my Name, and with the power of the Lord Jesus. As Christ there in his promise, he saith, I will be in the midst of you, when ye are so gathered; so here speaking of their gathering together, and throwing him out of the Congregation, the Apostle useth the same Phrase, Take him from the midst of you: As thereupon his being cast out, he is to be reckoned as an Heathen and a Publican, with whom the Jews would not eat; so here, if a Brother be thus, they are not to accompany with him, no, not to eat with him. It is the surest Instance of the ordinary power left in a Church, because it was a Church that was formed up, in which there was that ordinary Government, which was to continue to the end of the World. The Instance of the Church of Jerusalem, is an Instance, though of the first Church, yet for the Government of it, hath this extraordinary in it, that it was then Governed by the Apostles; and therefore cannot make a Pattern of the Government of Churches, and the power of Elders therein, which should ordinarily, and for continuance be exercised. But this is an Instance of a Church, whom the Apostle Paul leaves to their own power, that is within them, (Do not ye judge, &c. 1 Cor. 5. 12.) which they had exercised and practised. The Church of Jerusalem also had many other things Extraordinary, as that about having their Goods common, &c. But the Rules, that he gives to this Church, are such as he gave to all Churches; so when he speaks about laying up, not making their Goods common, as at Jerusalem, but the ordinary way that was to be observed concerning Alms, Let every Man lay up, (saith he, 1 Cor. 16. 3. 2, 3, 4. 1 Cor. 7. 17.) as God hath Blessed him; and so I ordain in all the Churches: So as the Pattern hereof is held forth, as that which held correspondency with the Ordinances in all Churches in the Primitive Times. And therefore is an Argument against the Bishops, when they urged the Instances of Timothy and Titus, Presbyterian Divines used to answer, that the Instance of their Government, will not hold as a Pattern for Episcopal Government; because that their Government was Extraordinary, and for the present, but that we must take that which was the ordinary Government, that was left in the Church, and make that the Pattern. So we may say of the Church of Jerusalem, and the Government thereof at first by the Apostles, whilst they were there, comparatively to this of the Church-of Corinth, that it is not so great a standing pattern to us. And this of the Church of Corinth is the most compleat pattern of all other Churches, for he doth give direction almost about all sort of things concerning Worship and Government, and he utters more rules in his Epistles to this Church than any other. Thus he gives instructions concerning the Sacrament, 1 Cor. 11. about Minister's Maintenance, chap. 9. about matter of scandal and offence, chap. 8. about Collection for the Poor, chap. 16. How to order their Meetings, chap. 14. About covering and uncovering in their Assemblies, he saith he had left Traditions with them, and wherein they practised according to his Traditions he commendeth them, 1 Cor. 11. 2. He speaks also of the power amongst them to judge of Doctrine, Chap. 14. And that they were a Church that had power amongst them to order things for matter of Worship in a decency, Let all be done decently and according to order, 1 Cor. 14. 40. and many things of the like nature. And last of all it is the only instance and example of Excommunication, the highest censure, which the Apostle gives direction about, and tells them they had power to do it, 1 Cor. 5.
Now concerning this Church, there are all these things appertaining to a Church, and the Institution, and Power, and Government thereof held forth here; As,
1. Here is a Church. So it is called.
2. Here is the qualifications of the Members, a Church of Saints, 1 Cor. 1. 2. conformable to which all other Churches were to be, as to the constitution of their Members also, chap. 14. 33. As in all the Churches of the Saints; All the Churches consisted of Saints then, that were visibly such, as this of Corinth also did.
3. It was a Church formed up into a Body, as all those phrases imply, that they are called a whole lump, chap. 5, 6. and a whole Church, chap. 14. 23. intire, compleat within it self, which whole lump would be leavened, not only by the way of infection by the Incestuous person, but by way of guilt if he were not cast out.
4. It was a Body which had power to judge them that are within; Do not ye judge them that are within? chap. 5. 13. that is, within your own Body and Society and Fellowship, therefore also he saith, Put away from among your selves, chap. 5. 13. therefore he useth those phrases, Fornication is committed among you; that he that did this deed may be taken from among you, chap. 1. 1, 2. It was a Church formed up that had a jurisdiction over them within, (and to them without it could not reach) and if they had power to cast out they had also power to take in, it was therefore a formed body.
5. It was a fixed Body in respect of the relation of the Members one unto another; why else doth he bid them to tarry one for another when they were to Eat the Lord's Supper? chap. 11. 33. And that they should not take the Sacrament alone, one Company by themselves, and another company by themselves, which, if such a promiscuous unfixt way was lawful, they might have done, but they were to tarry one for another, that all the Church might as one Body at once receive. Now if they had not been a fixed company, why should they have been obliged thus to have tarried, or who could have known who was absent and who present?
6. It was a Church also that had Elders over them, and those more than one, for speaking of the ordinary Teachers that were Ministers amongst them, some say (saith he) I am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I am of Christ, 1 Cor. 1. 12. which he in a figure transferred to himself and to Apollos, herein speaking in his own person, but it tendeth to represent the Persons of their Teachers, the Ministers to whom they did give Maintenance, and were therefore Officers, 1 Cor. 9. 12. If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather?
7. It was a Church having set bounds, by which they might know who were within, and who not, for when he saith, Do not ye judge them that are within? 1 Cor. 5. 13. he doth not mean all Saints in all Churches, but it must be those within themselves. The bounds set by this, that they might be as many as could meet in one Assembly, 1 Cor. 14 23. If the whole Church be come together in one place, &c.
8. It was a particular Congregation. 1. This is evident from their divisions and contentions which he findeth fault withal, as in a whole Church, a whole Body, That there be no Schism in the Body, as he himself expresseth, 1 Cor. 12. 25. applying it to them, now ye are the Body of Christ and Members in particular; he speaks of these divisions as being among those that did meet in one for Worship, 1 Cor. 11. 18. For first when ye come together in the Church, I hear there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it. And this Division was in their Meetings in the Church for Worship, 1 Cor. 11. 22. And have ye not Houses to Eat and Drink in, but despise ye the Church of God, the Assembly of the Saints, as he reproves their divisions and disorders in respect of the Sacrament? To remedy these divisions, he bids them tarry one for another, ver. 33. Thus these directions concern them that are one Congregation for Worship, that use to meet in one place; And chap. 12. 21. he saith they were Members of one another in particular, in a more special relation: Now that special particular near relation is that between those of the same Congregation, where they meet fixedly for Worship, by the consent, and before the People, of which a Man is therefore cast out, which he is not out of any other Church in the World. 2. In this respect he calleth them a Temple to God, speaking against them that caused Divisions in the Church, 1 Cor. 3. 16. The Temple of God are ye, and that he that went about to destroy it by Divisions, God would destroy him: He speaks not personally of each Member, as in chap. 6. but in respest of their Church state, as they were a Body, in opposition to Divisions: Now the Temple is for all the Ordinances of Worship, therefore called the House of God. 3. He gives directions to them as to a whole Church, chap. 14. 23. If the whole Church be come together in some place. 4. He speaks of it also as a Church, which was to receive edifying together by the Ordinances Administred, so chap. 14. ver. 5. I would that ye all spake with Tongues, but rather that ye Prophesied, for greater is he that Prophesieth than he that speaks with Tongues, that the Church may be Edified, so ver. 12. See that ye excell to the Edifying of the Church. And if the whole Congregation, &c. And v. 26. He speaks this in application to them all in respect of their meeting, How is it then Brethren when ye come together, &c.
As their Assembly for Worship proves them to have been a particular Congregation for Worship. So also the directions given concerning Excommunication evince it, chap. 5. For if they had been many Congregations in respect of their Members, 1. He would have Written to that particular Congregation whereof the Man was, as that Congregation (at least the Elders thereof) which should (according to Presbyterial principles) be told first of an offending Member before he is brought to the classical. He would have named that Church he was thus a Member of, and written to it in a peculiar manner, whereas now he names none, but writes to the whole Church. 2. When his directions come to fall upon the execution of the act, he doth not mention the Sentence so much that was to be past (according to our Brethren) in the Presbytery, but the act of execution, the act of delivery to Satan was to be done when they were met together, which being to be done in that particular Church whereof he was a Member, if there had been many Congregations there, he would have named that Church as that in which it should have been done. Especially considering that the Apostle in his Writing pitcheth upon that solemn act of Excommunication, which compleateth the throwing of a Man out, which as all grant is done and performed in the gathering together of that particular Congregation, whereof a Man is a Member. 3. If there had been a classical Church over many Congregations where the Elders meet, and a Congregational Church too, where this person did meet with the Elders of his own Church and the Congregation, if there had been these two several sorts of Church Meetings, it would have been obscure and dark▪ unto which the Apostle's directions should refer him. So as there would have been need of new distinctions of Meetings as well as of Elders and Churcches, when the Apostle speaks but of one. Yea the Apostle saith, When met together, 1 Cor. 5. 4. namely for other Ordinances, upon the Lord's Day, that then they should give this Sentence of Excommunication. He doth not give directions that they should meet together on purpose for that, but as Discipline is to keep Worship pure and subserveth it, so also is it to be performed when the whole meet together for Worship, that the Person also may see out of what a Communion he is cast. 5. Saith he, Do not ye judge them that are within? If there had been Congregational Churches, one whereof he had been a Member of (for he could be but a Member of one) and another classical Church, here had been two Within, and which of these should the Apostle intend? Our Presbyterian Brethren say, That the Congregations have power to judge things within themselves, so that they must needs have one Within, and why should not their Within be the Within here intended for the ultimate throwing out of this Man?
9. This Church of Corinth also had an intire Judicature within it self, not depending upon the advice of any for Sentence, and the like; for he speaks of the whole act, Do not ye judge them that are within? He useth the same word that he useth of himself and his power, Do not ye judge (saith he) speaking of them, what have I to do to judge, speaking of himself. And (saith he) when ye are gathered together with my Spirit, and the Power of the Lord Jesus to deliver such an one to Satan; So that they were not dependent upon the Apostle, to come to him for the Sentence, only in their neglect the Apostle Writes to them as an Apostle, with this rule, to Excommunicate such an one if the be party found guilty, which the Apostle did never know but by hearsay, therefore could never pass a judicial sentence, but he finds fault with them, because they had not done it, for do not ye use to do it saith he? Have not ye power to do it? Do not ye judge them that are within? He doth not say, whom I have delivered unto Satan; but directs them as a Church of Christ having such power, to do it.
Object. But it is objected by some, that he did it for a trial of their obedience, and therefore their act was but an act of obedience in them, but the power was in him.
Answ. The answer is this, that the power might compleatly rest in them, and yet they obey the Apostle in the act, as an Apostle directing them, when they neglected it: As when a Prophet in the name of God bad the Magistrate to do his duty, though it is an act of Obedience in him to do it thus commanded, yet he hath power as a Magistrate in himself: And as in case a Minister had neglected to Baptize, and the Apostle had sent to him or commanded him to have done it, the power of Baptizing must be said to be in him that Baptizeth.
10. If this Church of Corinth had been a Church that might have associated, it would have done it, for it had a neighbour Church near it, the Church of Cenchrea, which was a Port Town to Corinth as Leeth is to Edenburgh; and Cenchrea was but a small Town, not a City; but he writeth to the Church of Corinth as an intire Church distinct of it self.
That the People have an interest in judging, we refer that to the proofs out of this place; only we name it here to shew the compleatness of this pattern, for the forming of Congregational Churches answerable to it.