The Government of the Churches of Christ, Book 5 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Arguments against Subordination of Synods, to rxercise Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction or Government. The first Argument, that there is no Warrant or Designment of such a Subordination in all the Scriptures.
THough we judge Synods to be of great use for the finding out, and declaring of Truth in Difficult cases, and encouragement to walk in the Truth, for the healing offences; and to give Advice unto the Magistrate, in matters of Religion: And though we give great Honour, and conscientious Respect unto their Determinations: Yet since not only an occasional, but a standing use of them be asserted and maintained; and that in Subordination of one unto another, as Juridical, Ecclesiastical Courts; and this in all cases: We Humbly present these Reasons against it:
All Subordinations of these Spiritual Courts, having greater and lesser Degrees of power, to which in their order causes are to be brought, must have the greatest and most express Warrant and Designment in the word for them. Whence it is argued thus.
Argu. 1. Those Courts that must have the most Express Warrant and Designment for them in the Word; and yet have not the least, their power is to be Suspected; and not Erected in the Church of God; But these have not the least: Therefore, &c.
There ought to be the greatest and most express Warrant, and that for two things belonging to them. 1. For their Subordination and Number. 2. For their Bounds and Limits of Power. And because this principle is made use of both in the point in hand, and other of like nature; Namely, to argue à pari ratione, from like and Parallel Reason, the Argument to Establish this Proposition, shall proceed accordingly, from the strength of like Reason, in other cases and instances, that there ought to be, that there ought to be a Warrant and Designment in the Word for them.
1. From the like Reason, in the case of Subordination of Officers in the Church, one over another, there was a special Institution, and it is required; or we own them not; and that for intensive power, and extensive power; and therefore for the Subordination of such Courts also. The Rule of proportion holds; for a Government of, and by special Subordinations, whether of one Church-Officer or Person over an, other, and of him over others; or of a many in the like Degree of Subordination are but several Forms of Government, of which there is the like reason in common. As of Subordinations in a Monarchical way, wherein but some one Person is Superior to another downwards, or in an Aristocratical way throughout, in this they come all to one; that if there be to be an Institution or Warrant for the one, there is to be for the other, whether God or Men be to be the Institutors of them. Now in the Government of the Church, for the Subordination of Officers, there was an express Institution, or Men ought not to have assumed it, 1 Cor. 12. 18. God hath set in his Church; First Apostles, Secondarily Prophets and Evangelists (who were of a Parallel Order) Thirdly Teachers; and the difference of power in Apostles and Evangelist's, is by Subordination; but Christ hath not set the like Subordination of Courts.
2. It is proved from what the Presbyterial Principles themselves Reject: An Institution is required by them in the case of Subordination of Bishops, Archbishops, Popes in their arguing against them and their power: Yea, and by the Episcopal Writers themselves, who when it is objected, that if there may be a Bishop, and an Archbishop over him, why not a Patriarch over Archbishops, and a Pope over all? They deny this, and Reject a Patriarch or Pope (although these Popes should Renounce Infallibility) as not warranted by the Word. They say, an higher and more Universal Subordination, alters the case. And the usual exception against this Subordination of such Church-Governours, is that in Scripture, we read neither of the Name of an Archbishop, nor of the thing, and therefore not of a Subordination. The like may be said of those; where read we of Councils Provincial, National, Names or Things? Yea, and in this way of arguing (in this Respect) the Disadvantage is on this side rather; for we are sure that once there was in the Church, such a Subordination in Church-Officers, Evangelists over Pastors, Apostles over Evangelists (only they were extraordinary, and so no Patterns.) But of such Subordinations of Councils in an Aristocratical way, there is nothing to be found.
3. It is argued from like and just reason, in other Societies and Bodies politick. In all Kingdoms and Commonwealths, well ordered and constituted, there is, and ought to be a set and express Order by the Laws, both of the number and bounds of Courts of Judicatory, from whom, and to whom Appeals are made, and in what cases, &c. And if this Subordination should be set forth, and fixed by the Law, is as necessary as the Laws and Rules by which Men in a Kingdom are to be Governed. The Wisdom of the Law doth Judge it not enough to appoint several kind of Officers, as to say, Councellors, Serjeants, Judges; but designeth also, and appoints several Courts, with their power and bounds, the Designment of which (especially standing Courts being made up of these) is a matter of much more Moment, than the other. Yea, and still the greater and higher such Courts and Assemblies are having amplitude of power over others, the more express Evidence and Warrant for their power, there is and ought to be; as for Parliamentary power, and the priviledges thereof. And this is evident, as from the Example of all Kingdoms, so from what the Scripture speaks of the constitution of them. Each part of the Subordination of such power in all Government, both was and is called a Creation of Men in things Humane, whether it be in a Monarchical or Aristocratical way, 1 Pet. 2. Submit your selves to every Humane Creation.
And he speaks there evidently of (and therefore thus stileth) the Subordination of powers in a Common-wealth, whether Officers or Courts, for it follows, whether unto the King as Supream, or unto Governours, as those that are sent by him, &c: and so have Subordinations of power under him, now Parallel, Spiritual and Ecclesiastical Government with this. As in the rearing of an Humane fabrick and contignation of power, there must be an Ordinance or Creation from Man, when God hath left the framing of it (as in this case he hath) so this Subordination being in Divine power, there must be a Divine Institution of it, besides that of the Distinction of the Officers themselves.
4. It is argued from like Reason with Christ's Institution, Matth. 18. If in a particular Church, Christ hath prescribed the several Subordinations of proceedings, and set forth the Degrees, Bounds, and Order of them; then much more it is required in these, by how much a larger extent of power is committed to them. The First Rule in Matth. 18. for proceeding, is, If thy Brother offend thee, tell him thy self: Then 2. Take two or three, and if he hear not them, then 3. Tell the Church. If there were a Thousand Brethren in a Congregation, a Man were not bound, nor were it orderly in an ordinary and set way, to take, as the Church shall please, first two or three, and then ten, and then twenty, and still the like proportion of a greater and greater number, ere he comes to the Church it self: But Christ hath set the Order, and his Wisdom saw it meet thus to design, and limit the proceedings in a particular Church: And it had been much more necessary, to have appointed the like about these more general and greater Assemblies; because every one of these Courts (intended) have the power of a Sentence and Judgment, whereas those two or three, proceed but in a way of Admonition, in order to a Superior Court. Shall he take care of Congregations (which are esteemed the meanest) and not for these, of which if he should not have set the bounds of power, and the Subordination thereof? None would know what belongs to them, who is in fault, if offences be not corrected; now would any know whom first to Appeal unto, I will appeal to the National Assembly first, says one, and am not bound to the Classical or Provincial: Another would say, I will appeal to a general Council, which can best judge, and will be sure to make an end of it. Why should any be hindred from going, per saltem, if Christ hath not set forth, and obliged us to these Subordinations in their Order?
5. In the Churches of the Jews, the Subordinations that were, …re set forth and Determined, by Institution or Example, how many Courts there should be, and where to rest. There were the Courts of the Cities and the Towns; and then their Synhedrim, to which the cause was to be carryed, if it were too hard for their particular Courts, Deut. 17. In the New Testament, we have for removing Scandals, a Congregational standing Court and Government (or be it a Classical standing Presbytery, over many Congregations, as our Brethren say) and we have an example also, of going out from a particular standing Church, whether the one or the other electively to another Church or Churches, when Divisions are therein (which Acts 15. holds forth) but still for such standing Subordinations and Courts, as these out of this Church nothing at all. If there had been any National Synhedrim, a set and constant Judicatory; then Christ would have appointed it as he had done before, but he hath not, no example, no constitution holds it forth, which is the second. And
I come now to prove, that these Subordinations of Synods, have not the least Warrant and Designments of them in the Word of God.
1. The New Testament is silent in it. And if it be said, that all Nations were not then converted, when the Apostles Wrote: It is answered, that God in the Old Testament, took care aforehand to set the Order when they had no Cities, nor were setled in the Land. And accordingly, if the Apostles had not lived to see that which might occasion such an Institution or Precept; yet they would some way have left order for time to come▪
2. But, Secondly, Though the Apostles lived to see many Famous particular Churches Erected in a Province, as well as in Cities; in a Nation, as in Judea, in Asia, in Creete, there were many Cities and Churches in each: And although all the People in those Countries, were not Christians nor Members of Churches; yet there was matter for the moulding and casting them into these Subordinations, as well as now in France, where not the third part are Protestants; or in the low Countries, where not the Tenth part of the Inhabitants are Members of their Churches. It had been as necessary to have appointed them. They set up, and appointed all needful Remedies, for ordering the Churches after them, when they should be gone: And 'tis more strange, that in the case of the spreading of Errors, they should not Write to Churches as gathered into Synods, and as having the standing power to prevent and suppress them (if such Ordinary standing Assemblies Armed with coercive power, had been then in that existence as now.) That upon no occasion, this should be done, when yet they had occasions.
Take the Seven Churches in Asia, Ephesus, Thyatira, Smyrna, &c. with the rest of the Churches therein, a Province, called therefore Proconsular Asiae, and though therein we find many great Disorders, and some in Doctrine (the more proper Work of these standing Synods) yet we see that Christ Writes only to each of these Churches apart; and Reproves each, for the Disorder in Each: Whereas had they been one Church, in such a standing Association for Government, and had had ordinary Provincial and National Assemblies extant, as now, the Reproofs would have been especially directed thereunto. As if Errors and Disorders were in the classical Churches (as those all are pretended to be) of Scotland, the chief Rebuke would now more justly fall upon the National and Provincial Assemblies as their constitution is.
3. Yea Thirdly, The Holy Ghost would have at least vouchsafed to these or some other Churches that were in like manner in a Nation or Province, as Galatia, &c. in Respect of such a Combination, the Name of a Church, who must have had according to the Principles of this Government, so much of the power of a Church. But no where are the Churches in a Province called a Church, but Churches in the plural: And if the lesser Churches, then these; yea, rather these, having most of the power, should therefore rather have had most of the name. Yea, and by how much the Church-power thereof, should have been most independent (as a Nation is) and so come most eminently within that Rule, Tell the Church (from which words, these pretend their power; and yet cannot shew so much Title thereto, as to have the Name Church given them) let a Rational account be given of this.