A treatise on the nature and constitution of the Christian Church : wherein are set forth the form of its government, the extent of its powers, and the limits of our obedience

f ■

cd

Q_

#

Q.

«

-a

*-*

IE

1

£?

hi

a.

:

•5*

&

o

fc*

^

$

fe

5

O

bfl

&H

<c

s

o

~a3

3

fe

E

.5

j

<*

M

(a

.«<>

s

►ft

y*

M

CO

.s

^

s

J5

-*-*

&

ki

«5

3

^

^

S

o

3*.

.a

&l

■a

^

>*

Q)

^

#>

CL

^^

scB

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2011 with funding from

Princeton Theological Seminary Library

http://www.archive.org/details/treatiseonnatureOOstev

A**~ /** f* *** A^ ^^"^

\

\
» i

%

» x*v

TREATISE

ON THE

NATURE AND CONSTITUTION

OF THE

CHRISTIAN CHURCH;

WHEREIN ARE SET FORTH

THE FORM OF ITS GOVERNMENT,

THE

EXTENT OF ITS POWERS,

AND THE

LIMITS OF OUR OBEDIENCE.

By WILLIAM STEVENS, Esc^
FIRST AMERICAN EDITION.

NEW-YORK :

PRINTED BY T. AND J. SVT0S.D!

No. 160 Pearl-street.

1803.

ADVERTISEMENT.

'jfrUE following Treatise, extracted chiefly from
* Archbishop Potter'.? excellent Discourse concern-
ing Church-Government, it is hoped, will not be
deemed a publication, at this time, either unnecessary

or useless. It was digested principally with a -view to

the instruction of a person desirous of information on
the Nature and Constitution of the Church; and, it
is hoped, that it may be of some benefit to others,
who require instruction on the same important sub-
ject: this, at least, may be said in its favour, that
it lies within a narrow compass, and is level to the
capacity of all.

How unnatural it is, that the members of any
sockty should be ignorant of its origin and establish-
ment, the principles on which it was instituted, and
the rules and orders by which its credit and dignity
have been supported! This ignorance, which, on
other occasions, is only extremely absurd, when ap-
plied to the principles of our ecclesiastical constitution,
is highly reprehensible in itself, and attended with,
the most dreadful consequences ; to this ignorance,
the adversary artfully applies himself, under the spe-
cious character of a candid inquirer after truth — an
advocate for liberty of conscience — and one who makes
very great allowunce for the scruples of his weak
brethren.

Be it our endeavour, by timely information, to
prepare ou^elves to give a reasonable answer to him
that inquireth concerning the faith which we pro-
fess, the doctrines which we maintain, and the dis-
cipline to which we submit ourselves, in all humility,
as (he semants of Christ,

( 4 )

This information, we flatter ourselves, may, hv
some respects, be gathered from the following Trea-
tise, which, without any further apology, is com-
mended to the serious- attention of every candid and
unprejudiced reader ; not without the most earnest
desire, that, through God's blessing,, it may pms-
per, to the edification of the ignorant, the conviction
of the erroneous, and the establishment of the faith-
ful; that the ever blessed Trinity may be worshipped
as such, in all sincerity and truth ; that Christians
may no longer dissemble with God, and with each
ether, in transactioiis of the most serious nature;
that their conduct may be directed by knowledge,
7ieither swerving towards an enthusiastic contempt
of all order and decency on the one hand, nor to-
wards a lukewarm indifference to every thing that is
sacred on the other; but " that all who profess and
" call themselves Christians, may be led into the way
" of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in
41 the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life "

ON THE CHURCH

AS the Holy Scriptures are the rule of our faith
and practice, it is from them we are to learn
the nature and constitution of the Christian Church,
the form of its government, the extent of its powers,
and limits of our obedience.

I. From the account which the Divine Records
have given us of the Christian Church, it appears to
be no confused multitude of men, independent one
on another, but a well-formed and regular society.
This is evident from the names and allusions by which
it is described. It is called a. family, whereof Christ
is the Master, of whom the whale family is named* (a)
It is said to be the city of the living God ; (b) whence
Christian people are fellow-citizens with the saints, fc )
And it is often mentioned as a kingdom, of which
Christ is the king. Thus, in our Lord's, words, Thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Hea-
ven; (d) where the Church and the Kingdom cf Hea-
ven mean the same thing. As a. family, a city, and a
kingdom, are societies, and the Christian Church is re-
presented by them, that must likewise be a society.

Some of the chief characters and properties of thin
society, as described in Holy Scripture, are,

First, That it is not a mere voluntary society ; but
one whereof men are obliged to be members, as they
value their everlasting happiness; for it is a society
appointed by God, with enforcements of rewards and
punishments. That it is of God's appointment is cer-
tain; for it is the Church of the living Gcd. (e) That
it is enforced with rewards and punishments is not

(a) Eph. iii. 14, 15. (b) Heb. xii. 22. fc) Eph. ii. 19.
(d) Mftt. xvi. 18, 19. (e) 1 Tim. iii. 15..

A2.

( 6 )

less certain : for remission' of sins, the grace of the-
Holy Spirit, and eternal life, are declared to be the
privileges of the Christian Church, and annexed to
baptism, the constant rite of initiation into the Church;
Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and_><? shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost, (f) And the consequence of neglecting
to hear Christ and his apostles may be understood
from Mai hew x. 14. Whosoever shall not receive you nor
hear jour words, when you depart out of that- house or
city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto
you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the
day of judgment than for that city. Now, as God, by
instituting this society, and annexing such rewards
and punishments, has sufficiently declared his will,
that men should enter into it, all men are obliged to
become members of it; and it can in no other sense
be called a voluntary society, than as it is left to every
man's choice, whether he will be for ever happy or
miserable.

Secondly, The Christian Church is a spiritual society.
It was founded in opposition to the kingdom of darknesj*
This is plainly implied in our blessed Saviour's words
to St, Peter: Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall never pre-
vail against it, (g) "Whence the members of the
Christian Church are said to be delivered out of tlie
power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of
Christ, (h) And the Christian people, as soldiers un-
der Christ, are said to fight, not against fiesh and bloody
but against principalities and powers, against the riders
£>fthe darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places, (i) Their armour is not such as will
guard them against carnal, but spiritual enemies ; it is
the armour of light, (k) the armour of God, the girdle
of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of
faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, (I)

(f) Acts ii. 38. (g) Mat. xvi. 18. ( h) Col. i. 13.

(i) Col. ii. 14, 15. (kj Rom. xiii. 12. (I) Eph. vi..l3.

( r )

And this Spiritual Society, or Kingdom of Christ, was,
by the design of its Great Founder, to be distinct from
all earthly kingdoms. My kingdom, says Christ, is not
of this world: (m} for as earthly kingdoms are design-
ed for men's temporal welfare, so the end of this hea-
venly kingdom is to promote our everlasting happiness.

Thirdly, It is an outward and visible society. The
name of Church is constantly applied in the Scrip-
tures to such a society. Thus we find it used by our
blessed Saviour himself : Tell it to the Church. If ha
neglect to hear the Church, (n) It is compared to a
marriage feast, to a sheepfold, to a net full of fishes, to
a field of corn, Sec. by which allusions the society of
Christians, which is the notion implied in the name of
Church, is evidently described, as a visible body of
men, taken out of and separated from the rest of the
world. Public rulers were appointed to govern the
Church, the faith was to be publicly confessed, the
public worship of God to be frequented, and visible
sacraments to be received by all the members of it;
and consequently the Christian Church is an outward
and visible society.

Fourthly, It is an universal society, both with regard
to place and with regard to time. With regard to
place ; for Christ's commission to his apostles was,
to preach the Gospel to every creature, (o) and to teach
and baptize all nations ; (p) and with regard to time ;
for it is prophesied concerning Christ's kingdom, that
it shall be established for ever, as the sun and moon
throughout all generations ; (q) and we are told by
St. Paul, that Christ must reign, till all his enemies, the
last of which is death, shall be put under his feet, (r)
which cannot be till the general resurrection ; and he
himself has promised to be with his apostles and their
successors always, even unto the end of the world, (s)

II. Now, since no well-regulated society ever did

(m) John xviii. 36. (n) Mat. xviii. 9.

(<>) Mark xvi. 15. (p) Mat. xxviii. 19. (q) Psal. lxxii. 5.

ft J 1 Cor. xv. 26, 26. (*.) Mat. xxvi. 30.

( « )

or can subsist without officers to govern it, and without
some subordination among these, and since it appears
that the Christian Church is a regular society, it must,
of necessity, have its officers. And as this society is
to be continued by a succession of believers to the
world's end, it follows, that there must be an unin-
terrupted succession of officers till that time. And as
it is a society of God's institution, the officers of it
must receive their commission from Him.

First, That there are officers in the Christian Church -
does not admit of doubt : our blessed Lord, the
head and founder of it, when on earth, chose twelve
that they should be with htm, and that he might send
them forth to preach, whom he named apostles, (t) and
gave them power and, authority over devils, and to cure
all manner of diseases ; (v) and besides these, he ap-
pointed other seventy, fuj After his resurrection,
when he declared, All power was given . unto him in
heaven and in earth, he commissioned his apostles, to
teach and baptize all nations, (w) and invested them
with the same authority which he had received from:
his Father; AS my lather hath sent me, EVEN SO send
I you: (x) as he had received authority to send
them, so he gave them authority to send others; and
accordingly, when they were further endued with power
from on high (y) by the descent of the Holy Spirit,
"whom Christ promised to send, we read, that they
ordained the seven deacons, (z) that Paul and Barna-
bas ordained elders in every Church, (d) and Paul or-
dained Timothy: so that from the beginning, there
were three distinct orders of ministers in the Church,
namely, that of deacons, another of presbyters, and over
them a superior order, in which were not only the
apostles, but also Timothy and Titus, who governed
the Churches in which they resided.

Secondly, And that there is a subordination among

(t) Luke vi. 12, 13. (*) Luke ix. 1. (u) Luke x. jL -

( ?uj Mat. xxviii. 19. (*) John xx. 21.

(y) Mat. xxviii. 19, 20- (z) Acts vi. (a) Acts xiv 3&

( ? )

the officers of this society, is evident from Scripture.
For the commission of the seventy was mere limited
and restrained than that of the twelve. And as the
apostles and disciples were subject to Christ, so were
the elders and deacons to the apostles* St. Paul sends
to Miletus, and calls thither the elders of Ephcsus, to
whom he gives a most solemn charge ; which is a
manifest sign, that they were under his government.
(b) And at Corinth, where several prophets and evan-
gelists were then present, the same apostle, being
absent, both excommunicates, and absolves, and en-
acts laws. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let
the rest judge, (c) If any man think himself to be a pro-
phet or spiritual, let him acknowledge, that the things
ivhich I write unto you, are the commandments of the
Lord, (d) And, in like manner, Timothy, by virtue
of the authority conferred on him by the imposition
of St. Paul's hands, ruled the whole Church of Ep/te-
sus, officers as well as private Christians. Whence it
is manifest, that as the Christian Church was go-
verned by the three orders of apostles or bishops, priests,
and deacons, so the supreme authority was lodged in
the superior order of the apostles or bishops, from whom
the priests and deacons derived their power, and with-
out whose consent they could not lawfully perform
any religious act.*

(b) Acts xx. 17, &c. fcj 1 Cor. xiv. 29. (d) 1 Cor. xiv. 36, 37.

* .Ehiring the lives of the Apostles, the three orders of the
ministry were distinguished by the names of Apostles, Bishops
Presbyters or Elders, and Deacons. After the death of the
Apostles, their successors in the first order of tha ministry, not
causing to retain the name, which, by way of eminence, had
been applied to the twelve, took the name of Bishops, which was
never afterwards applied to the second order of the ministry, but
was considered as the distinguished name of the first order.
Theodoret says expressly, *' that in process of time, those who
succeeded to the Apostolic office, left the name of Apostle to the
Apostles, strictly so called, and gave the name of Bishop to
those who succeeded to the Apostolic office." Thus the name
of Bishop, and that of Elder or Presbyter, which were promis-
cuously used for the same office in Scripture, came to be distinct

Thirdly, That there will be an uninterrupted suc-
cession of those officers in the Church to the world's
end, may be inferred from the nature of their func-
tions. Their constant office is to prescribe rules for
maintaining the outward peace and order of the
Church — to preach the Gospel — to admit members
into the Church by baptism (e) — to take care that
there be no schism in the. body (f) — to administer
the eucharist (g) — to oppose heresies ; (h) and there-
fore their continuance is as necessary as their first
institution, so long as the Church shall last : and as
that will be to the end of the world, there must be a
constant succession of officers till the same time*
And that it will be so, we have the assurance of our
Lord's promise to his apostles just before his ascen-
sion, Lo J I am with you always, even to the end of the
world: (i) the. meaning of which promise must be,
that they should always be succeeded by others in the
same office : for as the apostles all died within the
compass of fourscore years after this extensive pro-
mise was made, it could no other way be fulfilled,

in the ecclesiastical use of words. With respect to the ministers
of Christ, there was a distinction of office from the beginning.
St. Ignatius, who lived in the days of the Apostles, thus expressly
designates the three offices. " What is the Bishop, but he that
hath all authority and power ? What is the Presbytery, but a sa-
cred constitution of Counsellors and Assessors to the Bishop ?
What are the Deacons, but imitators of Christ, and Ministers to
the Bishop, as Christ was to the Father." And again, " Fol-
low, as Jesus Christ the Father, your Bishcp. Let no man do
any thing of what belongs to tha Church, without the Bishop,
Let that sacrament be looked upon to be firm and effectual which
is administered by the Bishop, or by him to whom the Bishop
has committed it. Wherever the Bishop is, there let the people
be." Bishops, as they are distinct from Presbyters, do not de-
rive their succession from those who are promiscuously called in
the New Testament, Bishops or Elders, but from the Apostles
themselves and their successors, such as Timothy, Titus, Syl-
ft-anus, Epaphroditus, &c.

( ej Acts ii. 38, 39. (J) 1 Cor. xii. 4, 12, 18, 24, 28.

(iJ 1 Cor. xi. 23, 26. (h) 2 Tim. ii. 2. fij Mat. xxviii. 20.

( " )

but by our Lord's being with their successors in the
Gospel ministry till the world's end.

Fourthly, That the officers of this society must re-
ceive their commission from God, is manifest from
Hebrews v. 4. No man taketh this honour to himself,
but he that is called of God as was Aaron. Now, be-
sides the plain meaning of the words, which shows,
that he who officiates in divine matters is to be set
apart, and to have a distinct commission from the
rest of mankind, and that this commission must be
derived from Divine institution, the necessity of such
a Divine commission to qualify a person for any sa-
cred office may be proved by three invincible argu-
ments.

First, From the dignity of the office. It is called
an honour. The ministers of religion are the repre-
sentatives of God Almighty: they are the stewards of
the mysteries of God, the dispensers of his holy word and
sacraments, the messengers and embassadors of Hea-
ven. These characters ascribed to them in Holy
Scripture sufficiently demonstrate the dignity of their
function, and are a plain argument, that none but God
himself can give them their commission.

Secondly, From the constant practice among the
Jews. The apostle makes the calling of Aaron the
pattern of all other ministers in the Jewish and Chris-
tian Church. Aaron and his sons, and the Levites
were consecrated by the express command of God to
Moses, and they had all of them their distinct commis-
sion from Heaven, and no less than death was the pe-
nalty of invading their office, (k) What Aaron and
his sons, and the Levites were in the temple, such are
the Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons, in the Chris-
tian Church.

These are appointed by God as those were, and
therefore it can be no less sacrilege to usurp their
office.

Thirdly, From the example of our Saviour, who (a»

(h) Nun*, iii. 10.

( " )

lite apostle speaks) glorified not himself to he made an
high priest^ but he that said unto him. Thou art try Son,
to-day have I begotten thee. (I) Though our Saviour
Tvanted no gift to qualify him for this office, as having
the Divine nature inseparably united to his human, yet
he would not enter upon his office till he was exter-
nally commissioned thereunto by the visible descent
of the Koly Ghost upon him, and an audible voice from
Heaven, proclaiming him to be the Messiah. From
all which it is evident, that no one ought to exercise
the office of a minister in the Church of God without
a Divine commission ; and that as the officers of the
Christian Church, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons,
were appointed by God, this, like every other Divine
institution, must remain in the same state till it shall
please God to change or wholly lay it aside ; for men
may with the same reason abolish the sacraments of
the Church, and all other Christian institutions, as
pretend that the functions of Church officers are mu-
table and temporary.

III. As no society can subsist without officers, so
neither can it with out power to do all things which are
necessary to its own preservation and good govern-
ment ; and as it appears, that the Church is a society
instituted by God, and designed to last to the world's
end, there can be no doubt but that he has invested
it with all the powers which the nature of such a so-
ciety requires.

First, As the Church is a spiritual society, all the
powers which belong to it are of the same nature, and
such as wholly relate to the next world; consequently
they are distinct from those of civil magistrates, which
concern the affairs of this life, and are designed for
the present welfare of human societies. Our Lord
himself wholly disclaimed all civil power, and left the
civil rights of mankind in the same state wherein he
found them. And when the apostle exhorts the He-
brews to yield obedience to their pastors, he restrains

(I) Heb. y. 5.

( a i

it to the affairs of their souls, for which their jxistors
were accountable to God : Obey them that have the rule
over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give an account, (m)

Secondly, As God has appointed officers to govern
his Church, the powers which he has committed to
his Church for its good government must ordinarily
be executed by them. For every office implies power,
and to say that the officers of the Church have no power
but what all private Christians may lawfully exercise,
is just the same as to say there are no such officers at
all. And as there are distinct offices, so there must
be distinct powers appropriated to every one of them ;.
for as the notion of an office implies power, so distinct
offices do necessarily imply distinct powers: and there-
fore, though the Scriptures had been silent in this
matter, it might safely have been concluded, from
the different kinds of officers whom Christ hath in-
trusted with the care and government of his Church,
not only that private Christians are excluded from the
ordinary execution of any ecclesiastical power; but
that some powers are appropriated in such a manner
to the chief officers, that they cannot lawfully be exer-
cised by those of lower orders. The officers of the
Church are called God's stewards, who are intrusted
with the care and government of his household, that is,
his Church ; and whose business and duty it is to dis-
pense their constant food, u e. the word and sacra-
ments to all the members of it ; whence it is plain,
that private Christians have no power to dispense the
ordinances of the Gospel to others, but must them-
selves expect them from the hands of God's ministers.
And the names of apostles and angels, whereby the
officers of the Church were distinguished from other
Christians in the apostolic age, manifestly imply, that
they acted by a commission from God, to which the
rest had no title. And however great the gifts and
abilities of private Christians mignt be, none had

(m) Heb. xiii. 17,
B

( ** )

power to exercise any function or office in the Church,
who had not been first approved and commissioned by
those whom God had invested with authority to
that end; for through the whole New Testament the
gifts or abilities of Church-officers are every where
distinguished from their commission^ and described as
previous qualifications to it.

Thirdly, What these powers of the Church are,
and to whom each of them belongs in particular, the
Scripture will inform us. They may be reduced un-
der the following heads, viz. The power, 1 . Of preach-
ing. 2. Of prayer. 3. Of baptism. 4. Of celebrat-
ing the Lord's Supper. 5. Of confirming persons bap-
tized. 6. Of ordaining ministers. 7. Of making ca-
nons. 8. Of jurisdiction. 9.. Of demanding mainte-
nance.

First, The first of these powers is that of preaching
the Gospel, which naturally precedes all the rest, be-
cause it is the means which God has been pleased to
appoint for converting men to the Christian faith, in
order to bring them into his Church, w herein the
other powers are exercised. None have a right to
preach without a commission ; for how shall they preach
except they be sent ? (n) Our Lord himself was sent and
commissioned by the Father to preach the Gospel, (o)
and this was one of the functions to which he was
anointed by the Holy Spirit. In like manner he so-
lemnly called and set apart his apostles to this office, (p)
and gave them commission to teach all nations, (q)
And this branch of the apostolic office, viz. preaching
the Gospel, was derived to their successors the
Bishops. Hence St. Paul charges Timothy to preach
the word, (r) and one previous qualification required
of such as were to be ordained Bishops, is, that they be
apt to teach; (s) but this power was net confined to
the Bishops, or superior order of ministers in the
Church, for the apostle calls the FresYters hhfellow-

(n ) Koi-i. ::. 14, 1 5. (o) Luke iv. 18. (p) Matk iii. 14. vi. *f*
(a) Mat. xxviii. 19. (r) 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2. fsJ * Tim- »»• 2*

( 15 )

fttbourers, that Og his associates in preaching the Gos-
pel ; and Philip,Who was only a Deacon, preached the
word »i Samaria. ^11 the different orders exercised
this function; the -shops, as invested with the pleni-
tude of power, the Priests and Deacons by an autho-
rity derived from them.

Secondly, Another religious act, which has always
been appropriated to the Clergy, is offering to God
the prayers of the Church. In secret, every man is
his own orator ; and in private families, performance
of divine worship is incumbent on them, to whom the
care and government of the family belong ; but in the
public congregations of Christians, divine worship
must be celebrated only by those to whom it Las
pleased God to commit this office. The presenting of
the people 'sprayers to God, and interceding with him?
to bless thenl* has always been reckoned an essential
part of the sacerdotal office. The apostles join the

offices of \pn '• .-. -.■■-. "together: We, say they,

will give ourselves continually to ;. d to the mi-

nistry of the word, (t) St. James directs sick persons
to send for the Presbyters of the Church to pray and.
intercede for them, (v) that 4h-eir sins may be for-
given. And the twenty-four Elders in the Revelation,
who represent the ministers of the Christian Church,
have every one of them golden vials full of incense, which
is the prayers of the saints, (u)

Thirdly, The next power is that of admitting mem-
bers into the Church by baptism. This is expressed
in the commission which our Lord gave to his apostles
just before his ascension : Go, teach all nations, bap-
tizing them, (w) Yet was it never understood to be so
strictly appropriated to them, but that it might law-
fully be exercised by inferior ministers. For we find
that Philip, the Deacon, baptized the Samaritans and
the Ethiopian eunuch, (x) Hence, though the power
of baptism belongs chiefly and primarily to the Bishops,

(t) Acts vi. 4. (vj James v. 14. fuj Rev. v. 8,

r~c) Mat. xxviii. 19. (x) Acts ix

( IS )

ret it belongs also to the Presbyters, who are the
bishops' assistants in the care and government of the-
Church; and may lawfully be committed to Deacons;
but neither Presbyters nor Deacons ought to baptize
without the Bishop's allowance.

Fourthly, Another power which our Lord has left
to his Church is, that of consecrating the eucharist,
or Lord's Supper. The first eucharist was consecrated"
by our Lord himself a little before his passion. At
the same time he gave his apostles commission to do,
as he had done; Do this, said he, in remembrance of
me* (y) Yet this office Mas not so strictly appropri-
ated to the apostks, but that it might be lawfully exe-
cuted by the ministers of the second orrery whence
we find, that the eucharist was consecrated in the
Church of Corinth, when no minister above the order
of Presbyters, who were next below the apostles, was
there. The reason why Deacons were not allowed
to consecrate the Lord's Supper was, because this sa-
crament was always believed to succeed in the place
of sacrifices ; and as none beside the high priest, and
inferior priests, were permitted to offer sacrifices
under the Jewish law, so none but Bishops and Pres-
byters, who alone are priests in the Christian sense of
that name, consecrated the Lord's Supper,

Fifthly, A further power which belongs to the
Church is that of imposing hands on persons bap-
tized, commonly called confirmation. The Scripture
gives us the following account of the exercise of this
power : When Philip, the Deacon and Evangelist, had
converted and baptized the Samaritans, the apostles
which were at Jerusalem sent unto them Peter and John,
who having prayed and laid their hands on them, they re-
ceived the Holy Ghost, who was before fallen upon none of
them ; only they were baptized in the najne of the Lord
Jesus, (z) When the twelve disciples at Ephesus had
been baptized by Timothy, or some other of St, Paul's
assistants, Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy

(y) Luicc: xxii. 19. (z) Acts viii. 14, 17.

( 17 )

Ghost came upon them, (a) From which passages these
two things appear : First, That the end and design
of this office was to confer the gifts of the Holy Ghost
upon persons lately baptized. Secondly, That it was
so strictly appropriated to the apostles, that it could
not ordinarily be performed even by inspired men,
and workers of miracles, who were of no inferior or-
der. And that it was not a temporary institution, but
one which was fundamental to Christianity, and conse-
quently lasting and perpetual, is plain from its being
called a principle and foundation ; and joined with
some of the most essential duties and articles of the
Christian religion. Leaving the priiiciples of the doc-
trine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection ; not laying
again the foundation of repentance from dead ivorks, and
of faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptism, and of
laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead,
end of eternal judgment.

Sixthly, Another power mentioned as belonging to
the Church is that of ordaining ministers. It having
been shown that there must always be ministers of
different orders in the Church ; and that no man can
ordinarily exercise any ecclesiastical office, or function,
who is not lav/fully called to it; the next inquiry is,
from whom this call or commission must be expected ?

Now, the -original of this commission is from God,
the Father, by whom our Lord was sent into the
world to mediate between God and man, as he him-
self witnesseth. As thou hast sent me into the world,
saith he to the Father, even so have I also sent them into
the world; (b) and to his apostles, As my Father sent
me, even so send I yoiu (c) So that the whole power
of erecting the Christian Church, and of governing it
since it was erected, is derived from the Father.

But then the person by whom this power is imme-
diately conferred is the Holy Spirit, the third person
in the blessed and undivided Trinity. He it was, by
whose anointing our Lord was invested with his media-

(a) Acts xix. 6. (b) John xvii. 18. fcj John xx. 21.
B2

( ?s )

torial office. Whence he is said to have preached Bj
the Spirit $(d) through the Holy Spirit he gave com-
mandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, (e) By the
Spirit of God he cast out devils. Through the eternal Spi-
rit he offered himself to God}(f) and the authority and
special grace, whereby the apostles and all church-officers
execute their respective functions, are in the same
manner ascribed to the Spirit* This was expressed
in the very form of the apostles' ordination, Receiveye
the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit^they are remit-
ted; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained, (g)
"Where the authority to remit and retain sins is
made a consequence of their receiving the Holy
Ghost. And St, Paul ascribes to the same Spirit both
the offices of the apostles and other ministers, and
their abilities to discharge those offices, (h) So that
■all ecclesiastical authority is the gift of the Holy
Spirit. But the question is, What persons God has
entrusted with authority to ordain ministers in the
Church ?

And if we may be allowed to reason from the con-
stitution and universal practice of civil societies, we
must conclude, that the power of ordaining ministers
belongs to the Bishops, who are the chief governors
of the Church, because the power of constituting sub-
ordinate magistrates belongs to the supreme governors
of all civil societies : and it is contradictory to reason,
that they who exercise any authority, whether in the
Church or in the state, should derive their authority
from any but those in whom the supreme authority
is lodged.

Accordingly, we find in the Gospel, that whilst our
Lord lived on earth, he reserved the power of ordain-
ing ministers to himself. He gave the apostles and
the seventy disciples a commission to preach, but never
allowed them, while he continued among them, to
communicate that commission to any other. After-

(d) Luke iv. 18. fej Acts i. 2. ffj Heb. ix 14.
(gj JohH xxii. 22, 23. (h) 1 Cor. xii. 1. 31. Epk. iy. 7. 8, 11,

( tf )

wards, when the apostles were the chief visible go-
vernors of the Church, they ordained Ministers, All
the Apostles together ordained the seven Deacons in
the Church of Jerusalem, (i) Paul and Barnabas or-
dained Eiders in every Church which they visited, (k)
In the same age, this authority was exercised by
others whom the apostles had ordained to be chief go-
vernors of Churches. Timothy and Titus ordained mi-
nisters in their respective dioceses of Ephesus and
Crete : but that no inferior order had this power is
evident. St. Paul tells Titus, that for this cause he left
him in Crete, that he might ordain Elders in every city. (I)
But this could be no cause of leaving him there,
if the Presbyters or Elders had the power of ordina^
tion lodged in them : for that island had been convert-
ed to Christianity long before this epistle was written,
and before Titus came thither : and no doubt there
were many Presbyters among them. The same may-
be said of Timothy's being sent to Ephesus. To what
purpose was he sent thither, if the Presbyters there
before had power to ordain ? So that it appears from.
Scripture, and from the nature of the episcopal office,
that none but Bishops have authority to ordain Minis-
ters in the Church ; and, consequently, none but
those who are ordained by them, can be truly said to
have a divine commission, or any authority to minister
in the Christian Church.

Seventhly, The next power to be mentioned, which
the Church exercised in the primitive ages, was that
of making canons, or laws for the behaviour of its
members in spiritual affairs. Whereby it is not meant,
that the Church has authority to change any of the
divine laws, or impose any article of faith, or rule of
moral duty, or to prescribe any condition of salvation,
which is neither expressly contained in the Scriptures,
nor can certainly be concluded from them ; but only
that she is invested with power in all such things as
relate to the outward peace and order of the Church.

(I) Acts vi. 3, 16. (k) Act* xiv, 23. (I) Titus i. 5, 9.

( 20) )

And if it appears that things of this kind are left un-
determined by the Script; -es, and also that it is ne-
cessary they should be determined, then we cannot
doubt but that Christ has intrusted the Church with
authority to determine them. Now, that these are
not particularly determined by Scripture, is very evi-
dent. For the rules of Scripture are ail general. We
are commanded to assemble together to worship Godj
but the times and places are not expressed. We are
commanded to follow such things as make for peace and
edification, and to do all things decently and in order ;
but the particular methods whereby order must be
maintained, and edification promoted, are no where
set down. Timothy, and all other Bishops with him,
are commanded to lay hands suddenly on no man ; but the
previous trials of such as are candidates for holy or-
ders, and the time and methods of examination into
their abilities and behaviour, are left undetermined.
But it is necessary that these things should be deter-
mined; for otherwise nothing but disorder and con-
fusion would be seen in the Church, and therefore
Christ has certainly left the governors of his Church
authority to determine them. And, accordingly, if
Tve inquire into the practice of the apostles, and other
primitive governors of the Church, we shall find,
that, besides the standing rules of the Gospel, they
established many regulations, as the several occa-
sions of the Churches under their care required. In
many of St. Paul's epistles, especially in those to the
Corinthians, he prescribes particular rules for the de-
cency of divine worship, the avoiding of scandal, and
other things which were not determined by Christ;
and he speaks of customs which he himself and other
apostles established and the Churches observed, (m)
There is, and ever will be the same necessity of pre-
scribing rules for the peace and good government of
the Church, and the order and decency of divine ser-
vice, that there was in the apostolic age: and, corfse-

(m) 1 Cor. %r. 16,

( w )

quently, there is the same reason why this autho-
rity- should be transmitted to the Bishops in all ages,
as in any other part of the apostolical office.

Eiglitly, From the power of making laws, we pro-
ceed to that of jurisdiction, or executing the laws;
that is, the power of judging and censuring offenders.
That our blessed Lord has intrusted the Church, and
particularly the governors of it, with authority to cen-
sure offenders, and to exclude them from its communion^
will appear, if we consider the Church, fir3t, as a so-
ciety ; for this authority is exercised by all societies
whatever. And as in civil societies this authority is
necessary for securing men's lives and properties,
which is the chief end for which it pleased God to in-
stitute these societies ; so in the Church or spiritual
society, the same authority is equally necessary to
attain the ends for which the Church was founded ;
namely, to maintain the purity of divine worship, to
secure men from the pollutions of the world* and
train them up in virtue and piety now, in order to
make them happy for ever ; all which cannot be efc
fected if the Church has not power to exclude from
its communion such unworthy members as endea-
vour to oppose these ends, by promoting vice, super-
stition, and infidelity.

Secondly, As a Society, the privileges whereof are
conditional ; for none must be admitted into the
Church by baptism, who do not, by themselves, or
/their sureties, profess the faith, and vow obedience
to the laws of Christ ; and if these conditions are ne-
cessary for men's admission into the Church, they
must be so for their continuance in it. For no reason
can be shown why men should be obliged to vow faith
and obedience in order to their becoming members
of the Church, which does not equally hold for their
exclusion from it when they notoriously break that vow:
so that the power of excommunication is a manifest
eonsequence of the ta^/i-mo/ covenant, and committed
to the governors of the Church, who have the dis-
pensation of the sacraments*.

( 22 )

Thirdly, As it has received this power from our
Lord's institution. Upon Peter's confessing our Lord,.
to be the Son of God, he declared first, that upon this
rock he would build his Church, against which the gates
of hell should never prevail; and then added, / will
give unto thee (that is, to Peter, and with him to the rest
of the apostles) the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; and
'whatsoever thou s/ialt bind on earth, shall—be bound in
heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be
loosed in heaven: (n) the meaning of which promise
is manifestly this, that the apostles and their succes-
sors should be chief governors of the Church under
Christ, and as such, should have authority to admit
and exclude, to condemn or absolve, whom they
judged convenient ; which is certain from another
passage, where our Lord, having cautioned his disci-
ples that they should not offend others, proceeds to
instruct them how to behave themselves when others
should offend them. That first they should privately
admonish the offender; if this did not bring him to-
repentance, they should then reprove him before two
or three witnesses; but if this also proved unsuccess-
ful, their last remedy should be to tell it to the Church ;
and if the offender still neglected to hear, as their
authority was wholly spiritual, and they could not in-
flict any civil punishment en him, all that our Lord
directs them to do is, that they should account the
obstinate offender as an heathen or a publican, (o) they
should look on him no longer as a member of the
Church, but place him among infidels, and other pro-
figate men, whose conversation they used to shun.

That this authority was exercised and held to be of
divine right by the Apostles and their successors the
Bishops of the primitive Church, is clear; from the
case of Ananias and Sapphira, when it pleased God to
attest the apostolic authority of retaining sins, by en-
abling Peter to strike both the offenders with present
death: (p) and from the case of the incestuous Corin-.

(n) Mat. xvi. 19. foj Mat. xviii. 15, 16, 17. (p) Acts v. 12,...

( 23 )

ihian, fq) whom St. Paul delivered to Satan, excluded
from the Church of Christ, from the crime of incest,
and afterwards received again to communion upon re-
pentance. And this power was not confined to the
apostles, but was to be continued to their successors:
We find it was committed to Timothy and Titus, whom
St. Paul set over the Churches of Ephesus and Crete,
For he writes thus to Timothy : Against an Elder re-
ceive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses;
(r) and if he had power to receive accusations and
hear witnesses, he must have authority to pass some
■ censure upon them, if they were found guilty. And
the same apostle writes thus to Titus: A man that is
an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject. (s)
The like power had the angels of the seven Churches
in the Revelation. For the Bishop of Pergamus was
severely reproved for having the Nicolaitans in his
communion, ft J and the Bishop of Thy at ir a for suf-
fering that woman Jezebel, fvj Which manifestly im-
plies, they had authority to exclude them from the
Church, for otherwise they could not have been
blamed for permitting them to remain in it.

Ninthly, Lastly, another right ofrthe Clergy is that
of demanding a competent maintenance from the
people committed to their charge. It is certain that
God has. an absolute right to dispose of all we have in
the world ; and since it has appeared, that he has ap-
pointed an order of men to attend continually on
his worship and service, we cannot doubt but that he
requires so much of our worldly substance to be set
apart for their support, as may enable them to dis-
charge the duties of their function, and such as may-
express the just respect which is borne to their office
and character. Our Lord himself, with his retinue of
Ap@stles and Disciples, was maintained by charitable
contributions ; for we read that many ministered unto him
of their substance, fu) When he sent forth his Apostles

fq) 1 Cor. v. 1. frj 1 Tim, v. 19. fsj Tit. iii. 10,
ft J Rev. ii. 15, 16. fvj Rev. ii. 20. (u) Luke viii. 2, 3,

( 24 )

to preach, he gave them this instruction, Provide nei-
tJier.gold, nor silver, nor brass, in your purses, for -the
'workman is worthy of his meat, (w) Whence it is
manifest, that our Lord accounted it the duty of those
to whom the Gospel was preached, to give a compe-
tent maintenance to them that preached it. When
the apostle St. Paul puts the Thessalonians in mind,
that he had maintained himself, he at the same time
asserts his right to require maintenance of them : Not
(says he) because we have not power, (x) And to the
Corinthians he says, That as they who wait at the altar,
are partakers with the altar, even so hath the Lord or-
dained, that they who preach the Gospel, should live of the
Gospel, (y) Where it is plain, that the Ministers of
the Gospel have authority to require a competent
maintenance from the people committed to their
care ; and as the privileges of the Gospel certainly are
not less than those of the law, and the Apostle has in-
ferred, that the Ministers of Christ ought to live of
the Gospel, because the Jewish priests lived of the altar,
ive may reasonably conclude, that their maintenance
must not be less in proportion than that which the
Jewish priests enjoyed.

IV. As it appears that the Church is a complete so-
ciety, wherein some govern, and others are governed,
the next thing to be determined is, What obedience
is due from the private members of this society to
their governors? That all lay-christians do owe some
obedience to their spiritual rulers, is evident from our
Lord's command to hear the Church, (z) and the in-
junction of the Apostle, Obey them that have the rule
over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give an account, (a) The Church
which we are to hear, is to be known from the fore-
going description of it; and the rulers to whom wc
are to yield obedience, and submit ourselves, are they
who derive their commission by an uninterrupted suc-
%

(no) Mat. x. 9, 10. (x) 2 Thess. iii. 8. (y) 1 Cor. is. 6-
(z-) Mat. xviii. 17. (a) Heb. xiii. 17.

( 25 )

cession from Christ and his Apostles. Wherein th:£
obedience to our rulers consists, and what are the li-
mits of it, we may learn from the nature and extent
of their power; for so far as they have a right to
command, so far are we bound to obey. Now all
things that are in the world may be divided into gocdi
bed, and indifferent. The good oblige by their own
nature, and the command of God; in these things
the authority of our governors is. of no force; fcr*
whatever is enjoined by the positive command o£
God, we are bound to do, whether they require it or
not. The evil are by the same forbidden, and we
are obliged not to obey our governors, if they should
command them. So that it is the indifferent only
whereto their authority reaches; and the things which
are indifferent in themselves are all those which relate
to the outward peace and order of the Church ;
which are not enjoined by the express word of God,
but yet are in no respect contrary to it, in no wise
forbidden by it. This authority was exercised by the
Governors of the Church from the beginning (as hath
been shown), and it undoubtedly belongs to them ; for
as they are evidently invested with some spiritual au-
thority, and they can command in nothing at all if
not in indifferent things, in all such things as are in-
different they certainly have a right to command*
And as is their authority, such is to be our submis-
sion. So that the obedience we owe to our spiritual
governors consists in observing all their injunctions,
that are contained within these bounds of their com-
mission; in submitting to that discipline, which they
shall inflict, either to recover us from a state of folly,
or to preserve us from falling into it ; in attending
their public administrations at such times and places as
they shall appoint, and upon such occasions as they
shall judge proper, to increase our piety and devotion ;
and in submitting to such regulations as they shall
think conducive towards the edifying of the body of
Christ, This is our duty; for things which are ih-
C

( 26 )

different in their nature, when commanded by lawful
authority, are no longer indifferent to us, but become
necessary in their use ; and in disobeying them that
have the rule over us, we disobey God, who has com-
manded us to be subject for conscience sake; and there-
fore all this we are to do, from a sense of that right
which they have to command, intrusted to them by
God our Saviour, and of that great penalty to which
we are liable by our contempt ; for he that despiseth
them, despiseth Him that sent them*

FINIS.

ERRATUM.

In page 9, (note) 7th line from the bottom, For
distinguished" read distinguishing*

m