The Government of the Churches of Christ, Book 3 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Some Objections answered.
Object. 1. THat Excommunication is a matter of so great weight, to give a Man up unto Satan, to throw him out of the Communion of Saints, as that for the weight and greatness of the Sentence, it should be advised upon, by a further Eldership, by a greater company, than those of a Man's own Congregation.
Answ. 1. You greaten the ordinance of Excommunication, as the Papists did that of the Lord's Supper, preferring it before Preaching, and so magnified the Clergy, and the Priests that Consecrated the Sacrament, and also drew the people to the Worshipping of the Bread. Thus you also advance an undue power of the Clergy, combined in an Association of particular Congregations; and to take their power away, under pretence of the greatness of the ordinance committed to them.
Answ. 2. And yet, it is not so great and dreadful a Sentence, according to your own opinion, making it only to be a cutting off of a Church, and not to import a formal delivering up unto Satan. And
Answ. 3. If the Congregation, and the Eldership thereof, be sufficient for power and skill, and faithfullness; why, for the greatness of the Sentence, should there be a going out to other Churches, when Christ hath proportioned his means to his end? And what is there in the Execution of a Brother, that these may not be supposed to be sufficient for, and to be betrusted with? They are betrusted to Preach the word, every particular person is (whether it prove Error or Truth) till he do miscarry. They are betrusted to admit Members, to Suspend from the Sacrament? why not to Excommunicate? Yea, the Sentence, and the proof it self, depends upon two or three Witnesses by God's appointment, and they cast it; and this, though the matter were brought before all the Judges in the World; then why not, when the matter is brought afore two or three Officers, faithful Men, and a Congregation of Saints; why should not they be esteemed as faithful Judges, as others? If you commit to a Jury, and one Judge, a Recorder or a Lawyer in an Incorporate Town, though decayed, the power of Life and Death, and cutting a Man off from this life, which when it is done, cannot be remedyed again; then why should you not betrust the power of cutting a Man off from the Church (if it be unto the Congregation, as being in this case the Judges and Jury) Especially, when as there may be a remedy? For he is not so cut off, but he may be restored.
Answ. 5. Wherein should the greatness of Excommunication lie, but in the matter for which a Man is Excommunicated? We Profess, it is not for niceties; but for sins against light, against the common principles of Nature, and Christianity; as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 5. 3. He that hath so done this Deed. There must be a Scelus in it, that, if he goes on in it, will Damn his Soul; and therefore the Apostle calls that Corinthian, That wicked Person ver. 13. And for these things, the Congregation is as well able to judge, as all the Elders in the World. In the matter of sact, (as was said afore) a Jury of Twelve men, do judge of the Fact, when a man's Life is concerned; and by a parity of reason, a Congregation may judge of the matter of fact, for which a man is to be thrown out of the Church.
Object. 2. But Excommunication is, Res communis, a common concern, which other Neighbour Churches have an interest in, and in that respect, they are to have a joynt concurrence in it aforehand.
Answ. 1. So it is likewise, to all the Churches in the World, more especially in the Nation, and the party may remove to any other part of the Kingdom; and so, then all the Kingdom should have a concurrence in the act aforehand as well, and then the whole Nation should be called.
Answ. 2. If the common interest of Churches should carry it, then it would follow, that because he is Excommunicated out of all the Churches of that Presbytery, all the Churches should be present at his Excommunication, as well as that particular Church he is a Member of.
Answ. 3. If Neighbourhood and common interest be insisted on, then the Churches of the next Presbytery (whereof many may be nearer to that Congregation, to which he is joyned, than this classical Presbytery) should be present also; for the Man may go thither to be received, and therefore it is fit that they should have an interest aforehand too. There is no Reason to be given, why it should be Res communis, A common affair, to that classical Presbytery, more than to other Neighbour Churches, as to the thing it self, it can only be said, they have associated voluntarily: But then the ground of that Association must be considered.
Answ. 4. When a Man is cast out of one Church, he is cast out of all Churches; but not formally, but only consequently, and by vertue of communion of Churches, this common Law being among them, that no other Church should receive him, till he have given satisfaction to his own; and therefore answerably, it is not an antecedent cognisance afore, and by other Churches, that it is necessary, but only a consequent, as was the manner of the Primitive times, to send to Churches after, and to tell them, from such an one let us abstain, this being the Law among Churches; that if a Man be cast out of one Church, he is cast out of all; either all Churches must be called, one as well as another, or else some particular Church must be betrusted, and betrusted by Christ; and if so, why not his own Congregation, having a sufficient Eldership for Excommunication.
Answ. 5. In admission (as was urged afore) every particular Church is betrusted to admit Members; and, by vertue of the admission of Members into it, they are admitted to have communion in all Churches; and therefore, why should it not be intrusted for Excommunication also. It is no obstacle, that it is Res communis, A common Business; for the other is equally such, to all other Churches. We ask also, if that Suspension be not Res communis, A common concern also, insomuch, that untill such time as he is Excommunicated, all Churches are to Suspend him from the Sacrament, after his own Church hath Suspended him? And if so, upon that ground, why should not all Churches be acquainted with his Suspension aforehand?
Answ. 6. The fifth Canon of the Council of Nice tells us, that Synods were therefore In Tom. 2. Collect. Concil. Labbei, pag. 46.appointed amongst other ends, that all the Churches might know, who had been Excommunicated by a particular Bishop (as the manner was then) that all the rest might account him so, until he had given satisfaction. They were not therefore to be called aforehand, afore he was Excommunicated, on the pretence of a common interest.
Object. 3. But in the multitude of Councellours, there is strength.
Answ. 1. Let them have the use of Councellours only, and we deny it not. A Man will not go for Counsel, unless there be need; and in cases of need, we do acknowledge it.
Answ. 2. That Rule is the Rule of Nature; but we have a Rule for the sufficiency of the Eldership of a Congregation, with an Institution, and with a promise of Christ's presence, where two or three are gathered together. If this were founded upon meer Nature; then we would yield, that this Axiom might have place, and they might still take in more Councellours to them. But a Rule of Nature, will not set up an ordinance, though it may help to manage it; and it should not be set to weaken it, and disparage it, as this doth. Let us rest in God's ordinance, and rest in God's number, what he hath thought sufficient; and the conscience will rather be quieted, and wrought upon by subjection to an ordinance, than to a multitude. The promise is not to a company of more persons, as such; but the promise is made to the relation, to the constitution, and the blessing depends upon the promise; and to this purpose, God will be with two or three, as well as with three Thousand in an ordinary way. The Laws of England sets not up a multitude of Counsellours, that is, of Lawyers, for the Judging of Life and Death; but it sets up a few Judges, who sometimes alone, sometimes two or three together, do Judge all Causes, when yet there are multitudes of Lawyers, and as good Lawyers as they, and as able to Counsel. If we all do rest satisfied in this Law, as the ordinance of the Kingdom, why should we not rest in the other, as the ordinance of Christ?
Answ. 3. If this alledged rule held, then classical Presbyteries should go to greater Synods; for there is a multitude of more Councellours. And then all the Churches should continually have had recourse to the Apostles, while they were alive, in all such Acts of Discipline; for any Apostle might have said, am not I Wiser? Send them unto me; yea, cannot I more effectually perswade? Therefore both take my advice, and come to me for my Sentence; bring them afore me, to be admonished. The Apostles indeed, when they were present in Churches, did joyn with the Elders and Officers of the Churches, in their Acts of Government; but they did not require (if absent) that the Churches should come to advise with them.
Object. 4. But may not this be done for peace sake, whenas this will compound all, and accommodate the differences amongst us?
Answ. 4. It is in the case of Peace, as in the case of Scandal. If a Brother be offended, and the thing be indifferent, and in my liberty; then indeed I may forbear, and I ought to forbear, because of an offence; but I am not to forbear, if it be a Duty which he is offended at; neither am I to give away a liberty: So for peace, Men may forbear things that are indifferent to them, and so they ought to do: Yea, they may conceal their own Judgments, and forbear to practice some things, which otherwise they might do; as the Apostle says, Rom. 14. 22. Hast thou Faith? Have it to thy self. But a Man is to do nothing positive, that shall acknowledge a seeming power, and bring Congregations into Bondage, when Christ hath set them free; for Peace must be so kept in Churches, as that withal their priviledges must be kept. There is no yielding from that right, which Christ hath given. The case of peace holdeth not in the acknowledgment of a false power, for that will breed Destruction.
Answ. 2. It is the keeping of the true bounds of power, as Christ hath seated them, that will preserve the peace of Churches; but to yield unto a false power, will always be occasion of quarrels.
Object. 5. But because that these Churches may be perhaps offended, with what you do, and with that Sentence you shall give, and so be ingaged to question you for that Act, after you have done it; is it not therefore better to advise aforehand, and so to prevent that offence?
Answ. 1. It was the preventing offences, and the avoiding of Schisms, that did set up Episcopal Power, as Jerome saith; for because a multitude of Presbyters could not agree in their Presbyteries, they devolved it into one Man; but the Remedy was worse than the Disease; for it Degenerated into Tyranny.
Answ. 2. Simply to prevent an offence, the liberty of Churches, nor the rights that is in Churches, is not to be taken away. An actual offence arising is a ground indeed for the Neighbouring Churches, to call upon that Church, to give them satisfaction; and there doth hereupon a Duty lie upon this Church, if it have miscarryed, to give them satisfaction. But then they must be actually offended.
Answ. 3. The ground, why they would have us advise with the classical Presbytery, is not meerly to prevent offences; but it is because they claim an Authority.
Answ. 4. The case must be supposed so to fall out, that either the classical Presbytery will be of the same mind with the Congregational, or not. If it be supposed, that they shall be of the same mind, then there needs not to be advice to prevent offence; and this will ordinarily be the case, when the Rulers for Excommunication are fixt, and by some common Agreement, concluded upon between Churches. Or if it be supposed, they may not agree, in that case the Congregational Presbytery is put into a greater strait, and will run into an higher contempt and offence of the Presbytery classical, when they shall think themselves bound to Excommunicate the Man, against the Advice and Sentence of the classical Presbytery given them.
Answ. 5. There is no Inferior Court, which hath a Power and Ability to Judge, that, upon a Supposition of miscarriage, and of offending of an Higher Court, hath an obligation laid upon it, upon all occasions, therefore to advise with that Higher Court, to prevent these Appeals, and these Offences.
Answ. 6. If, for avoiding of offences, there should be such advising always afore Sentence with other, or more or greater Churches; then the classical Churches should never give Sentence; for they may incur the offence of the Provincial, and this latter likewise of the National. And therefore, supposing that these Courts were one above another, and that the inferior had a full Right and Power to finish the Sentence of Excommunication, it were much better, to leave it to the cognisance of the higher Courts, by way of Appeals, than under the presupposition and pretence, that offences may arise to weaken the Right of the particular Congregation, by an obligation to advise, and to have the Sentence of the higher Court antecedent.
The Government OF THE Churches of Christ.
BOOK IV.
The claims of the Presbyterian Government considered, and refuted. That the Church Universal, is not a Church Political, and the Seat of Government. That the Institution for Worship and Government, falleth not upon the Saints in a Nation, as a Nation or Kingdom, to be the Seat of it. That an Argument cannot be urged, for a National Church-Government, from the Instance of the Jewish Pattern. That a standing Presbytery is not to be set up, to Exercise Power and Jurisdiction, over particular Congregations.