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Show Preshyters of uther {'hurcber Chap. 2. pcereleffi paJIIle'f in Otdin.Jtimt and !fHrifdil1icll co themfelves alone, have no foot-hold. in' the Scripture, then let them neither hive name, nor place, portion, right, nor mcmoriall in the ChrifHan Churches of the nt:WTcllamcnt. 'But yet nevertheleffe, the Apoflle is clearc ror a Pmbytcry,and acknowledgeth impofttian afh.md~<. ( even upon 'Timor by, huw much more upon other Eldm l) by the Presbytery, 1 Tim. 4· 14. All[w. Wee willingly alfo acknowledge the Ctme, where God hath Jiu·nifhed any Church with a P·rubyttry, to thcm'itpertaineth to ar4aine by impnfttian of h.mds, arty Elders or Deacons that (hall be chofen by office, by the Church committed to then1 • But if theChurc~ "'""!a Ptetbjli!rj, for want of Elders;, they wan; a warram to repatre to the P,.,nbymy of a.JOI!JC>' Cbm·ch , to impofe hands upon their eld1: E!rlcr.r. Our Re.tfons bc; · 1 Rt<l{olt. Firfr, Ordination by impofit.ion ofhands, is a work ofCimrcll. Power, as all men a.ckno~lcdj;c: Now as no Cl~1<rch hath Power oveP andther, but all ot them !land. in Erotherly eqll;llitie one ~ow~rds a~ other~ fo the Ilre[byrery afane Cburcl~, hath no Power o~~r the E/r!<rs of another. As the dJ.'dflles having·all of them re~ cet.vecl the lame Cofl:l!niffion(Job. 20. 23.) had none of them prmm DVer another; fo the CburcbeJ having receivcq'all of them the fa:nte port~er nf tbe key, ( as.ha th been lhewed above J they none of them have power nz·~>· ullotlnr,and EhercJbrc no power of ordm.Jtia1z of one anothers Officers. · · 2 11:<a[011. . ·As every Chttrch. hat.h equ.lllj rceeivtd fh.c fomrp_=·of ihe k'·J'> fo ougl!t rhey to ruamtame and fl'(lfld·fafr mrhc lai)Jc· The power rfft!JO keys as it is a priviletjge and libcr~ie pnrchaf.d·ro ;he Church ·i~y the blo'!r:J'ofthe Lord']efm; Co at a lrfli relit it- may11ot be alienuted fi;>m the Clurrch. Ch~ft by hls-d~t.ft and rettirreltioo hath obtawed all power, both m heavenand'in•canh, M.-:1f.28. 18. Phil.z. 'll~ 9, 10. Ahd:l~oke :Vh~re he hach eomn.Jitnicated the fame by h!s 'fefiament, raofied m h!S·blo?d, there tt ought to remaine and not to be.removed out of.their hands, by; the hand' ofman ot: Pmge!. Whenc.:k appearec~ nnlawfull for any Church of Chrifi tP put over th;tt. power which thty have received· of Chrift out of their own hands, intp the hand~·of the. Rtabyt,..r ofothe~ Chur• ches. Th~'hpofllus having rcc~ivedlall·df them equa'll power from Chrifl, Se6l.9 •. may help hy CouJJje.U,Rot Gy .Authoritie. Chrift, it was nQc I~;~ for them by comJllQn cop(eqt, to !}ave; conferred upon f ~~~rand, P aul,Jamu and ]ol!n, a tranfcep~ent govc~ m~nt over t\lem all. If fome of t~e Apofiles feeme to· be piUau, .as IS faid ofP<tl!r, 1amer and John, Gal. 2. 9· and fo more eminent in gif~~ then all cli~ir bretl~rcn, it may puc upon their brethren ~ .e~edu,cy, and fometilfles a neu.flitie to call 11pon them for "!qre coltRftU, ~tiC no~ ~Q cal! them to IIJI!re Authori(i~. Jqlike fort, if,. .Chllfi:h Ill '1- C11u, and the Officer~ t~er~of, be of more eminent gifts and grtiCeJ, then a Chllrcl1 in~ 'lJiUage, it \sa jqft occafion for .thcCbu~ch in th.c~i/J;gr, to lifren the more afw the: cou{lftU of the Chur~l'\m the C~tle, but not to fi1bmit the more unto their Au. tkori(itin ~he way pfjitbjd1ion. And fo it is true, a Claffis ~fthe . Pre1byterr of »Z<ZZ!J Clmrchu may excell (in more varietie of a!l <!~llicies) then the Presbytery o~ atJY one Church, yet that onely reacheth to wake t\leir co~qifc/1 the more weigh tie and acceptable, l>ut not to inveft them wi~h nwre rule ar mrrre tnttbaritie. Thirdly, If a Church !h'lll fend to the Presbyters of anvthcr Cb~trc{J for qrdin{Jtian oftbeir .Eid<rr,they may as well repajre andjitbf'lit tQ them for ce11- furing .~ftheir ajfe11dtrJ; And wou,ld npt th:Jt be a manifefi tranfgrcffion of the rpyalllaw ofChur!;!l-Government, Jl{,mb.x8. 1 ), 16, 17, 18. Jf 'I Brother fee hi~krother falne into a fcandall, and after dealing with him firfl himfalfe alone, and thrn widt the cpnYiaion of q.vo or three witnclft$,find pim to give no latisfaaion at all, whither fhall the offended broth~r repaire? If to th~ Church ~her~of the bro~her offending ill a member, that is ind~d accordiog ,to the: rule, bqt what need is there: thel), or what ground of . r~p~ping ~o the: fmbyters of pther Churc!).es? by. what Authori. ue ~11 they prr,ceed to ccnfl!rl! we o~nckr that .is a memb~r of ,another Church? . Isdeed if a Brother offended !hall complainc to the Churdt wheteof the of!endi~g brother is a ~em).>er, and the Church neglea .to ~o.e.tllCir duue, throng? preJudice, or .P.;'n:ialiti~, or other 1'cllUfl\e!Je,tc l]lay ,tJJelj ~ Ia wtul~ ro make ufe Of~he br.ot.herly love and brotherly commumon, wh;c}1 one <;:burch oweth and bcareth to another. The brother offended, and not fatistied with the: ~~n~ of hi§ ,own ClllJ!th ~~ainit ~he.Offimce, mayJ~p;i:c- , p;.jfF ~ file .Jt~m of P~er Cht»:cht~, and cia¥e t~ir 'l\4g,e~t , and~oi}Q~ell ~n th~ "~ JJl M.JJii;i!l)d if thw doc not approw JJIX>n ,,,.' ·' H 2 good 51 |