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+ Acts 20. 28.

• Ifa. 9. 6.

Luke 1. 32.

Eph. 1. 22.

Rev. 3.7.

Mat. 28. 18.

rose again. The Church of God, therefore, which he hath purchafed with his Blood, is hereby made fubject to him, and he is the Head or chief Ruler over it: * For the Government is ирon his Shoulder: Of the Increase of his Government and Peace there fhall be no end, upon the Throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it and to establish it with Fudgment and with fuftice, from henceforth even for ever. The Lord hath given unto him the Throne of his Father David: And he frall reign over the Houfe of Jacob for ever, and of his Kingdom there fhall be no end. God hath put all things under his Feet, and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church. He hath the Key of David, he openeth and no Man shutteth, he shutteth and no Man openeth. And all Power is given unto him both in Heaven and in Earth: Which Power, before his Afcenfion, he delegated to certain John 20. 21. Perfons whom he fent into all the World with the fame Power and Authority, to Collect, Settle, and Govern the Church, which he himself had before received of the Father. This Power was by no means given to all the Faithful, for if it was, all Chriftians must be made Governors of the Church, and then where fhall we find any to be governed? At leaft no Man can challenge any Authority derived to him by this Commiffion of Chrift: Yet St. Paul declares himself to have fuch an Authority † when he asks the Corinthians, if they will provoke him to come among them with a Rod? And (a) afferts to them the Authority which the Lord had given him and the rest of the (b) 2 Cor. 13.10. Apostles, and (b) lets them know that he has a Power from the Lord to use Sharpness to 'em,, if it be found expedient; that they are not to (c) 1 Cor. 4. I. (c) account of him and the other Pastors of the

+ 1 Cor. 4. 31.

(4) 2 Cor. 10. 8.

Church,

Church, as their Ministers or Servants, but as the Minifters of God and Stewards of the Mysteries of Chrift, that is as Perfons who have received their Commiffion and Authority from our Lord himself and not from the Church or Congregation of the Faithful; And he charges (d) (d) 1 Tim, s. 17 Timothy, that the Elders which rule well be counted worthy of double Honour: He also befecches the

(e) Theffalonians to know them which labour among ft (e) 1 Thef. 5.12. them, and are over them in the Lord. (f) The (f) Heb. 13. 17. Author to the Hebrews likewife commands them to obey them that have the Rule over them, and fubmit themselves. And that this Obedience is required in this Place, not to temporal but Spiritual Governors is moft apparent from the following Words, for, adds he, they watch for your Souls as they that must give Account. That the Pastors of the Church alfo had Authority over their Flocks in all fucceeding Ages is most manifeft. Ignatius, one of the most ancient Fathers, who immediately fucceeded the Apoftles, in his Epistle to the Trallians has this Expreffion; He that is within the Altar is pure: wherefore alfo he is obedient both to the Bishop and Presbyters. And there is fcarce one of his Epiftles wherein he says not fomething of the like Nature. Does not St. Cyprian plainly discover, that he thought himself vefted with a lawful Authority to Pardon or Punish with Spiritual Cenfures? when he fays, I my felf almost of- Ep. ss. fend by pardoning Offences more than I ought. For he is fpeaking here not of private Offences committed against himself, but of publick against the Church. And in another place he + Ep. 6, fmartly rebukes those who would not be governed by the Presbyters and Deacons. But why should I trouble my felf to collect partiC

cular

28.

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cular Proofs and Authorities, when it is manifeft from all Church Hiftory, that the Chriftian Church before it had any fupreme Magiftrate in its Communion for above three Centuries, was actually governed by its Pastors, and has continued to be fo ever fince in the greatest part of Chriftendom. Indeed without this Distinction of Governors and Governed, it is impoffible the Church fhould continue, it muft needs fall and come to nothing. The I Cor. 12, 20, Body of Chrift confifts of many Members, * and if they were all one Member, where mere the Body? Accordingly therefore the Apostle fays, God hath fet fome in the Church, first Apostles, secondarily Prophets, thirdly Teacher's, after that Miracles, then Gifts of Healing, Helps, Governments, Diverfities of Tongues. Are all Apoftles? are all Prophets? are all Teachers? Are all ap pointed to Govern? &c. It is certain they are not, neither is it poffible they fhould be, and the Church continue an orderly well regulated Society. Nor do thefe Church Officers receive their Authority from the People; for how can the People give that they have not themselves? The Supreme Authority is certainly vefted in Christ, and therefore no Man can challenge any but as it is delegated from him, for no Man taketh, that is, ought to tike this Honour to himself, but he that is called of God as mas Aäron. But we never find that Crift delegated his Power to all the People, or gave them a Commiffion to appoint their own Church Officers. It is true, indeed, the Apoftles did once fay to the Multitude of Difciples, look ye out among you feven Men of boneft Report, full of the Holy Ghoft and of Wisdom, but then it follows, whom WE may appoint over

Heb. 5 4.

AЯs 6. 3.

this

this Bufinefs. So that howfoever the People chofe 'em, the Apostles only appointed them, and by Virtue of Chrift's Commiffion committed an Authority to them: And befides the People attempted not to choose and prefent them 'till they had the Apostles Leave to do it. For this was no Right which the Multitude could challenge to themfelves, as is plain from the Practice of Paul and Barnabas, who or- Acts 14. 23. dained Elders in every Church, without the Pcoples electing 'em: And Titus was left in Crete + Tit. 1. s. to ordain Elders in every City, which had been perfectly needlefs if the People could have conftituted fuch for themfelves. But I purpose to speak more of this hereafter, when I come to confider the manner of electing ChurchOfficers, and therefore fhall wave any further Discourse of it here. I fhall only add, that it is certain Church-Officers derive their Autho rity from Heaven, and not from the People, because St. Paul exprefly declares as much to the Elders of Ephefus, faying, * Take heed Acts. 20. 28. therefore unto your felves, and to all the Flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overfeers.

And as the Governors of the Church receive not their Power and Authority from the Community of the Faithful, fo neither do they receive it from the Civil Magistrate. For when Chrift delegated his Power to the Apo- . ftles and their Succeffors, he fent them not to any Princes or Governors to have this Power confirmed to them, but having received their Commiffion, they executed it in all places where they came, and that many times even in Oppofition to the Rulers that then were. And it is certain that for three Centuries and

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more, Chrift had a pure and flourishing Church governed by its own Officers or Pastors, where the Civil Government was no ways concerned with it, unless it were to fupprefs and Perfecute it, yet all this time the Rulers of this Church exercised an Authority therein, according to the Fulnefs of that Spiritual Power (4) Acts 2.41. given by Chrift. (a) They received Multitudes () 1 Tim. 1. 20. into their Communion by Baptifm, (b) others (c) Acts 6.3,&c. they caft out by Excommunication, (c) Officers were chofen and appointed for the Service of (d) Acts 20. 28. the Church, and (d) Overfeers to govern and (e) 2 Tim. 4.2. feed the Flock, not only (e) to reprove, re(f) 1 Tim. s. 9 buke and exhort, (f) but alfo to receive Ac(8) Tit. 3. 10. cufations, and to () reject, that is to cut off from Church Communion, after the first and fecond Admonition. It is certain from the Scriptures that all this Power and Authority was given to the Church from the Beginning, and was exercised by the Apostles themselves, and divers others appointed by them for that Purpose, no one Part of it being received from the Civil Magistrate: Yet none were more loyal to Princes, none more obedient to Governors than these truly primitive Chriftians, and every (b) where they preached Obedience to the higher Powers under the Penalty of Damnation. But when they were oppofed by the Rulers in the Execution of their Office, and forbid to preach the Gospel to the People, they did by no means think themselves bound to obey, because they wife(i) Acts 4 › 9. lỵ (i) judged it to be more right to hearken to God rather than Man. Therefore notwithstanding all the Oppofitions they met with in their Miniftry, and all the Perfecutions they fuffered, they ceafed not to exercise the Authority com

(b) Rom 13. 1.& Tπ 3 1 &,

Pet. 2 13.

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