The Churchs Quarrel Espoused, Section 3
SECT. III. THat Advice be taken by the Aſſociated Paſtors, from time to time, ere they proceed to any Action in their particular Churches, which may be likely to Produce any Imbroylments.
Anſwer.
This is very Diſhonourable, and alſo a very Unreaſonable Incroachment upon the Officers and Government of the Churches.
It Diveſts the Officers of the free Exerciſe of that Office-Authority, which Gods Word and our Plat-form places in them; Read Platf. Chap. 10. Sect. 8, 9. Theſe are to feed and Rule the Churches, they are to receive the Accuſations, and prepare them for the Churches hearing. This Section of the Plat-form fixes both Proceſs and Judicature in particular Paſtors and Churches, without any Limitation? But the Propoſal allows no Proceſs to be Opened, till Letters of Lycence be obtained, from the Claſſes. But why may not all other Perſons in Office be thus Fettered, as well as the Paſtors of Churches? are theſe the only Studients of Wiſdom and Righteouſneſs, that are ſtrangers to the nature of Actions, to the Rule, and the application of it? All other Officers, in Truſt and Commiſſion, who are wiſe and Loyal, execute the hardeſt Articles in their Imploy; and who may ſay to them, why do you ſo? Our Judges never ſtick to hang a man, ſo long as their Commiſſion and the Law will bear them out, and they themſelves are left, to be Interpreters of Both. And that this Propoſal is a Sanctuary for Officers againſt a ſtorm; alas! the moſt that we can make of it, is a Covering of Figg-Leaves, and may ſerve for a Harbour to Cowards and Fools but not for men of ſpirit and Conduct. The Dream of an Imbroylment, can never Counter-Poize Duty; If men are Truſted with Duty, they muſt conſult that, and not Events. If men are plac'd at Helm, to ſteer in all weather which Blows, they muſt not be afraid of the Waves, or a wet Coat.
It is certain, it was no Dimunition for Timothy to carry St. Paul's Cloak and Parchments from Troas, 2 Tim. 4.13. Yet for Perticular Paſtors in the Mannagement of Church-Government to do little more then to carry the Copies and Parchments of Aſſociations about the Country, and hang up their Decrees on the Pillars of Churches, according to the Order of the Propoſal, can never entitle them to ſuch a Tribute of Love and Honour as the Scripture does aſſign them, as the purchaſe of their great Merits, 1. Tim. 3.5. 1. Theſſ. 5.12, 13. ſuch Bequeſtments as theſe from the fountain of Honour, muſt ſignifie more than ſome ſuch poor low ſervile Buſineſs (no ways too high for Jereboham's Prieſts to execute) as is laid out in the Propoſal, but eſpecially if they have but ſome one head man to Conduct and draw up the Concluſion.
Sect. That the Aſſociated Paſtors do carefully and lovingly treat each other with that Watchfulneſs which may be of Ʋniverſal advantage.
Anſwer.
1ſt. Whether Watchfulneſs is proper, or a Term applicable to Perſons ſo Quallified, ſo Sacred, and in ſo high a function as thoſe who are here intended?
2dly. Whether to Inſtitute Watchmen over Watchmen, be not the way to Diſtribute the Clergy into Inferiour and Superiour Degrees, and ſo ad Infinitum &c. or at leaſt till the Churches of this Country (for you muſt know this is one Propoſal made for their Support) be Supported and well Ordered by Suffragons, Metropolitans, and other great Pillars of thoſe Churches, where Clergy-men in higher Orbes, inſpect thoſe in the ſame Order, who are beneath them in truſt and Dignity?
3dly. But if you Intend honeſtly, only the Watch of one Brother over another, as is the Duty of all Chriſtian People, one towards another, then I cannot underſtand the ſence of the Word, as Applicable here, with the leaſt good meaning or Syntax imaginable.
1ſt. For tho' there is a Deſign of New Moddeling of men and bringing Clergy-men into another Form of Society, yet there is no Intent Divulged, that they ſhall Co-habit, Bed and Board together upon certain Charters, as the Fryars or Benedictines, in their Royal Monaſtaries. Indeed the Section might have been Ingroſt with the firſt Canons of the Dominicans or St. Bennets Laws, when firſt entring upon their Monaſtick Life, but it no ways agrees with this Conſtitution.
2dly. For, as for the Occaſional meeting of men eminently ſober and vertuous, what buſineſs can be ſuppoſed for a Watch, for about the ſpace of 24. or 48. hours, in ſuch Examples? Very bad men will hold out longer then ſo, in a good behaviour under the awe of but ſome one venerable Perſon.
3dly. And when theſe Eminent Perſons, Members of the Aſſociation, are diſperſed to their own proper Precincts, the Propoſal ſurely does not intend they ſhall follw the Chargeable Example of Princes, who uſually keep Spies in each others Courts, to inform themſelves, how things are managed there; for its plain, the Charge and Expence in mannaging ſuch a Watch as this, will Reduce all Clergy-men to this Dilemma, That they muſt either vote up the Sallary, or vote down the Method. But then the thing it ſelf is not fair; for it would ſeem as tho' they watched More for the halting then the help of each other. But as for the Propoſal, a Riddle I found it, and a Riddle I leave it.
Sect. And that if any Miniſter be accuſed to the Aſſociation where he belongs, of Scandal or Hereſy, the matter ſhall be there Examined, and if the Aſſociated Miniſters find juſt occaſion for it, they ſhall direct a Calling of the Council, by which ſuch an Offender is to be proceeded againſt.
Anſwer.
I muſt Boldly and freely enquire, Whether this is an honeſt Anſwer to the Queſtion propounded in the head of the Propoſals? or whether in Reality this is the Supporting, Preſerving and well Ordering the Intereſt of the Churches there Meant? If you, mean as you Speak, I am ſure there is either ſome Dishoneſty or ſome Miſunderſtanding between the Queſtion and the Anſwer; for it can't poſſibly be otherwiſe, unleſs the parts of ſpeech are lately become a Chaos, and all words are not only of the doubtful Gender, but ſuch unreaſonable Epiceens, that not only both kinds, but both Contraries are ſignified in them; or thus, that to build, Plant, Repair, Pluck up, pull Down and Demoliſh, are all now become Convertible Terms; for take away theſe high Prerogatives from the Churches, and you take away their Being. Theſe and ſuch like Royalties, are their Formalis Ratio, or the formal Cauſe (per Quam Res eſt id quod eſt) by which they are, what they are; and this will be very evident, if we do but Read a ſhort Lecture on the Churches Eſſence Anatomiz'd, or let their Eſſential and Conſtituent parts and Powers be Viewed in the Hiſtory, and Philoſophy of their own Beings, and we ſhall quickly diſcern your Miſtake; for that end read Plat-form. Chap. 5. Sect. 2. Ordinary Church Power, viz. of Priviledge belongs to the Brother-hood, and may be Acted or exerciſed immediately by Themſelves. And More Directly to the Caſe in hand, Look into Chap. 10. Sect. 6. where there we read If an Elder offend Incorrigibly, the Matter ſo Requiring, as the Church, had Power to call him to Office, ſo they have Power, according to Order (the Council of other Churches, where it may be had, directing thereto) to Remove him from his Office; and being now but a Member, in caſe he add Contumacy to his ſin, the Church that had Power to receive him in to their Fellowſhip, hath alſo the ſame Power to caſt him out, that they have concerning any other Members.
Now herein we find an Eſſential Article in the Government and being of theſe Churches, That they have and hold ſuch Juriſdiction over their own Members; That the Higheſt Tribunal Eccleſiaſtical on Earth, is There; and that their own Delinquent private Members, and Publick Officers are Tryable only there, and there they muſt Receive the Definitive Sentence, and abide the Execution of it.
And if ſo, then I ſhall make bold to Revive my Query again, viz. Whether the Propoſal is either Honourable, Civil or honeſt, thus to Tumble down at one Blow, this High Seat of Authority? and to break open our Priſon Doors, and Looſe the Fetters of our great Offenders? and at the beſt, to take them out of our hands, and make their Mittimus to Forreign Paſtors to do Juſtice upon them, and yet in the mean time, to Profeſs, they are doing us no other Injuries but only Repairing and Mending our Churches? Again, Whether this is fair, and work-man-like amongſt honeſt men?
But to make a ſmall Stop here, I muſt remind you, That this head is not to be paſſed over Slightly; for this is the One Thing in the Eſſence of our Churches, It is their Peculiar Infranchizement and Birth-Right, and we may not ſell it with Eſau at a Cheap Market; If we Do, we undo our ſelves; for Indeed you muſt know, here lies the Marring or Making of our Churches; here is laid up their ſtrength, and here hangs the Pick-Lock of their Treaſure; for by this Key ſtolen or wrinched out of their Hands, the Churches of Chriſt in the World, have been Expoſed and Plundred, for more then a Thouſand Years, and many of them have nothing at this day left them, comparitively, but a poor, ſtarved, ſhabbid, Implicit Faith, and a dull, ſaturnal, blunt and blind Obedience, that a man would ſcarcely give a Groat for both of them. In a word, the Uſurpations of the Paſtors, ſince the great Revolt, having unſhackled one another, and broke looſe from the Reſtrictions they are juſtly ſubjected to, under the Churches Power of Priviledge, has utterly undone the Chriſtian World, from This Root of Bitterneſs, and Pride, from this Seed ſprung up, the Man of Sin, as we have it in an Anomulus Author, viz. the Eletherians, pag. 4. In words to this purpoſe, Then a little Preiſt had an Opportunity to Eſtabliſh himſelf, Then there Appeared in the Temple of God that Antichriſt, who calls himſelf the Vicar of Chriſt. And then the ſame Author going on to diſcover the Original of this Monſtrous Birth, he ſays thus, Antichriſt was Conceived in, by, and from certain Affectations of Eccleſiaſtical Prehemincies. As tho' he ſhould ſay, the firſt Spawn or Embryo of that Inſolent Hector, or Aſpiring Nimord, (who firſt Robbed the Laity of their Chriſtian Liberties, and then Hunted down the Potentates of the World, and Brought them as a Rich ſpoil into his Habitation of Violence) took its Commencement from this Principle, viz. from the Clergies aſſuming to themſelves this Eccleſiaſtical Pre-heminence, viz. firſt their obtaining an Exemption from the Cognizance of the Churches, for their Crimes, and then in poſſeſſing themſelves of the ſole and abſolute Juriſdiction (by a diſpotick Government) over the Churches themſelves.
But however things have been hitherto, I ſhall no longer uphold the Debate, by reviſing the Abuſes that have been done to the Chriſtian Churches by an Ambitious Clergy, in the Ages paſt, which might more amply be diſcovered, by tracing the Foot-ſteps of the great Apoſtacy; But I ſhall end the whole Diſpute on this head, by drawing up a Proteſt, and denying the Juriſdiction of the Court, erected and opened by the Propoſals, as being perfectly Diſagreeing and Repugnant to our former Settlements and preſent Conſtitution.