OCR Text |
Show ' '"'f ( ·~ .' l"" "\. ,.. - Chap.z. ordet· amongfl: thcmiel ves. Wh.tt order is due to the~,, is not ex· pre!Tedin this Scripture, thou!\h it be in rome ocher, (at lelfl: for rome of them) bnt cleare it i<, all thele ]aft foure forts,J.re reckoned in order after the 11dt ioure fortS· "' ObjeCt. 4· Bm it m~ t be th~ Church, in which the Apo!He "iaith all thcfc members .trc fci, is not meant cvet'Y parucubr "l,hurch,but the Cathnl•ck Church;for every p.trticular Church "h.td not Apoftles and ProphetS· ;1nfrv. It is tme,cvery p.miwhr Church had not fcve ;-.t!l Apo· files, ap~rt by thc·nrelves, nor was it needful! they .fhould, after that Chu;·ch<s were once planted, but every p1rc:cuLtr Church had need uf his own Govemom·s within it fe!fc, or elfe' wtc (hall m•ke one Church fubocdinate to the Government of another, which is incomptible to the Chmch ofthenewTdtamenr. The Lord having inftitmed J.nd ordained no particular Church, but the Church of a Congregation forth~ admini!tration ofhis Ordinance, untowhich Gongreg,ltiomn Chttrch he nath al[o appoiil· ted the fame fort of o .fficers, with om preferment of one before another. " ObjeEi. '). For humane wirdomeis pregnant and full of obje- « £th,ns and ('Xceptions againfr the ways and Ordinances of God. ." may be, fay K•me, thefe GovernO',u·s.are no other but Arbirra· "tors, which the Apofl:le bkldcth the Carinthian.l fee up in the "Church for the dcci,lin~ofdiffcrencesamonglt brethren, 1 Cor. " 6. 4· But now fincc GoJ hath. fcc np Chrifl:ian Magifl:rates,therc " is no more need ofli1ch Arbiters to be chofen by each Church, cc w compound their .Jitfacncc. , . A,(>v. Thc!"e Arbiters in the Church had not pEtceor office of Government, but of Counfell m1ely ,. to ~ircct brethren in the judgement of right and wron;e, cqnitie andinequitie; nor was fi1ch a power of fiJCh Arbitration any fpcciall g\ft ; for the Apof~ le thinket\1 every member of th'e Church, even the leafl: capable enough ofit, and fufficient for it. Nor is it well faid, fince God hath fer up Chri11ian Magifl:rates, there need· no Arbiter to be fet up in the Church, nor Church Governours ; For it is plaine, t)le Apoil:le, maketh it a fault or de feEl: h1 the Church of Corinth, ···.thllta1iy oft~eirnu1;llbers went to law at all for {[Jch fuites, as the l~afl: member of :lle Chu.rch, (if he were called to he01rc the caf~) might '/ ·. ~ .... :. ·. ·- Chap. 2· ly Dzvine Infiitution. might arbitrate and dctcnninc; and he makcth it a further fault, that they gae tol~w 1mder J,.ftde/s. Now therefore, faith he, there;., utterly a jJrtlt among)'olt, tbJt brotber goeth to law with brothtr,and that smder Infidels, ver. 6,7. The former is a defeB: ofbrotbedy love; the latter is a negle£1: of the honour of Chrifl:, and ofhisChnrch: and befote Inft deis.Ifbrother goes to law with brother befor~ Chri! Han Magifl:rates, the latter of thefe faults is avoydcd, but not the former. Neither may it be thought, as fome have done, that the benefit of Chrifl:ian Magifl:racy taketh off the neceffitie ofChmchGovemment : For the govemment of the Church, is as the Kingdome of Chrifl:is, not of this world, but fpirituall and heavenly. The power of the keys is f.tr difl:ant from the power of the iivord, and though one of them m.1y need the helpe of the other, when they goe altray, yet when they are rightly ordered, and adminiftred, the on~ of them doth not intercept, but elhtblifh the execu· tion of the other. A third wicnelfe to the office ofmling Elders in the Churchl is . that well knowne and much agitated Textin 'timothy5 1 Tim. 5· 17· '[h, Eldm who r~tle weU, are worthy of tumble hollOitr; efPeciaLj they w'?o IJb,;:lr in Word and DoElrirn:. This text, though it have been m.uch vcxt and rackt to looke and fpeakc another way; yet when all is done, it frill tY.veth a ckare and fl:edfall: evidence to this office. The moll: learned Adverfalies of this Ordinance would fafl:en foure oth~r interpretations of the place, and each of them (as they pretend)more pertinent to the fcope and fenfe of the Apefiles words, then this of mlin'g Elders. " 1· Say they, by ruling Elders may be meant Deacons ; for the " Apoltle giving 'limo thy to underftand, what manner of perfons "they be, with whofe maintenance the Church is to be charged, "having before informed him of widowes, now tcllcth him the "Deacons a!fo are to be maintained, yea, and with a double por" don above them; and either the Deacons are not to be maintai" ned at all at the Churches charge, or clfe the Apofl:le provid~th "for their maintenance in this place, or no where. · Anfv. 1. There is no man to be maintained at the Churchei chargcs,but either in rcfpeB: of his prefent pov~rty and tieceflity ,or in refpcfr of his office, which calleth him off tmm the attendmcc to the ma intcnance ofhis private family unto the pub like forvicc of D 2 the 19 |