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"fearcheth the hearts and reins, to render unto every man "according to his works," Rev. i. 15. & ii. 18. 23. There must be fiery trials, temptations, and perfecutions, because of the word; and by thefe every man's work will be tried of what fort it is. The Lord himself is notably at work in eve ry fuch church of his, for the trial and difcovery of hypocrites and as the Apoftle compares the church at Corinth to a husbandry; fo our Lord, making the like comparison, fhews us this trial of his difciples, John xv. 1. 2.: and it is the fame thing that the Apostle here calls "a trial by fire." Says our Lord, "I am the vine, and my Father is the huf"bandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he "taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit, he pur"geth, that it may bring forth more fruit." This trial will be perfect at the second appearance of Jesus Christ. "Now," fays the Apoftle, "if any man's work," in this building of God, "fhall abide the trial, as the gold, filver, precious "ftones, abide the fire;" he shall "receive a reward" as a good workman, and shall have joy in his work: but if any workman build fuch materials upon this foundation, laid in the church at Corinth, as will not abide the trial, like the "wood, hay, and stubble," that cannot abide the fire; he fhall fuffer the lofs of his labour: "And though he himself may be faved," because he held the foundation; yet it shall be" as by fire," like a man that hardly efcapes in a burning, lofing all his effects.

What has been faid may ferve for explication of the first thing in the proposition, and for clearing our way to the o ther things in it. But before we proceed to them, we must notice, that unto fuch a church or congregation of Chrift do belong the infants of the members, who are pointed out to us, as, with any one of their parents, the objects of brotherly love: "For they are holy," 1 Cor. vii. 14. and they have right to baptifm with their parents, by their parents pro fellion, Acts ii. 38. 39. Though yet it must be owned, that baptifm is not confined to a membership in any particular church; for we fee fuch baptized as were not yet members any particular church, but only members of the catholic. The inftance of the eunuch is very clear to this purpose, Acts viii. And baptifm feems to have gone before adding unto a particular congregation of Chriftians. We are baptized into the church-catholic, and not into any particular church, of whatsoever fort or fize, as many imagine; and

of

from

from this imagination have proceeded uncharitable and un christian controverfies about baptifm

But the Lord's fupper is an ordinance of communion in fuch a congregation or church of Chrift as has been descri bed. It is the most high and eminent act of communion in fuch a church, and therein the difciples make the highest profeffion of the one faith, which is in the blood of the Son of God; and of the catholic brotherly love toward one another, even as Chrift hath loved them; and of the one hope, fhewing forth the Lord's death till he come. This ordinance was always gone about in a congregation of difciples; for there must be a visible communion of difciples in it. The church in Jerufalem" continued stedfastly in breaking of bread." The difciples at Troas "came together on the first day of "the week, to break bread," Acts xx. 7. The church at Co. rinth" affembled and came together in one place to eat the "Lord's fupper," Cor. xi. And the Apostle there condemns them, for their not "tarrying one for another," for the want of brotherly love in fetting about that great ordinance of communion, and because the rich indulged themselves at the love-feafts, to the neglect of the poor. Very great corruptions indeed, but fuch as were not abfolutely inconfiftent with a ftate of grace: for he tells them, for these things "they were judged, and chaftened of the Lord, that they "might not be condemned with the world; and fo many "were weak and fickly among them, and many flept.' And because these abuses were common in that church, and not confined to a few members, he folemnly warns and calls the whole body to reformation in this point, and that speedily, leaving other things to be fet in order till he should come. It has been very furprifing to fee fome men pleading, from this inftance in the church at Corinth, for a fettled, conftant, impure communion of difciples and no-difciples in the Lord's fupper. But paffing this, we only notice a difference very obvious betwixt baptifm and the Lord's fupper. Baptism was administered to a fingle perfon, upon the fatisfaction of him that baptized, in the profeffion of fuch as were baptized with their infants. But there was ftill a visible communion of difciples, profeffing mutual brotherly love in Christ, and all fatisfied in one another as difciples, in the Lord's fupper, I Cor. x. 16. 17.

II. We proceed now to confider, what should be understood by" the presbytery of a church, or congregation of Jefus "Chrift."

And

And here we may observe, that all church-office under Jefus Chrift, the only head of the church, was at firft in the hands of the apoftles, who were employed in the first fetting up, and laying the plan of gofpel-churches. So foon as they, by the preaching of the gofpel, made difciples of Chrift in Jerufalem, and joined them together, they exercised all church-offices among them. They were deacons in that church; and when that became too burdenfome for them, fome of the disciples were set apart unto that office, after the manner of which we read, Acts vi. They were elders unto that church For the apostles were alfo elders, 1 Pet. v. I. and where ever they came, and affembled themselves with any church, they acted therein as elders. When there was neceffity for it, they also fet apart fome in the church at Jerufalem unto the office of elders. So we read of elders in that church, Acts xv. and xxi. Even as Mofes, who at first had the whole ruling power in the church of Ifrael, under the Lord, in his hand, when that was found too weighty for him, did, at the divine direction, fet apart the feventy elders, Numb. xi. and appointed other judges, which continued after the removal of that extraordinary officer appointed for the first fetting up of that national church.

Thus we find, in the church at Jerufalem, the elder, and the deacon, the only ordinary church-officers under the New Teftament. There is no need of infifting to fhew, that the guidance and government in churches belonged to the "el"ders of thofe churches," Heb. xiii. 17. 1 Tim. v. 17. Neither fhall we stay on that dispute, Whether there were elders that only ruled or prefided in the church, and did not labour in word and doctrine? And it is needlefs to labour in fhewing, that the New-Teftament elder or presbyter and bishop are the fame thing. This has been abundantly fhewed by many. But that which must be noticed here is, that there was in every church a company of these bishops, or elders, or presbyters, Acts xiv. 23. "When they had ordain.

ed them elders in every church." Such a company of elders was in the church at Ephefus, Acts xx. They were paftors For they are exhorted to "feed the flock;" and their business was "to take heed to themselves, and to all "the flock over which they were overfeers," or bishops. Of these elders that were in every church, there seem to have been more than one, perhaps many, in fome churches, labouring in the word and doctrine." And whatever may be faid as to the being of order in a church, yet unto the well.

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well-being of it, more fuch elders or bishops than one feem neceffary; elfe they would not have been fet in the firft churches And there is no ground in the New Teftament for that faying, which afterwards became common, “One "bishop and one church :" for at first every church had more bishops. Now, the company of prefbyters, elders, or bifhops, taking heed to themselves, and to all the flock, is the prefbytery of that flock, that congregation or church of Je fus Chrift. Such a prefbytery was in the congregation at Jerufalem, and fuch a prefbytery was in the congregation at Antioch, Acts xiii. 1. 2. 3. The Holy Ghoft employed that prefbytery to fet apart and fend forth Paul and Barnabas to preach the gofpel through the world. And of no other kind was that prefbytery "that laid hands on Timothy," 1 Tim.iv. A company of fuch elders, placed in a church or congregation of Chrift's difciples, is in the best fituation for Spreading the gofpel. The light is then fet on a golden candlestick, Rev. i. 20. and so it shines round about. For as eve ry member of fuch a church is fome way a witnefs for Christ, and much more all together, in their joint confeffion of the faith of Chrift; fo they that labour among them in the word and doctrine are as a light fet on a candlestick, that it may fhine to the world. When men are fent out by fuch a pref bytery to preach the gospel in the world, or when the gofpel comes out from fuch a church, it then goes forth in the most orderly regular way, and unto the beft advantage: for thus it was at firft fpread through the world. So foon as it is fuc

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cessful in any place where it comes, fo as that there is a num ber of difciples, then it is the duty of fuch a church, with its prefbytery, to affift the disciples there, in bringing themselves into church-order, and furnishing them with prefbyters or overfeers, Acts viii. 14. Acts xi. 22.-26.

The rule and government of this prefbytery, or eldership, in a church of Jefus Chrift, is not their own, but Chrift's. "They are not lords over God's heritage." I Pet. v. 1. 2. 3. "The elders which are among you, I exhort, who also am

an elder :- Feed the flock of God which is among you, "taking the overfight thereof, not by constraint, but willing"ly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as "being lords over God's heritage, but being enfamples to "the flock." They that "labour in the word and doctrine," muft not "preach themselves," the lords of the difciples, but "Chrift Jefus the Lord, and themfelves their fervants for "Jefus fake: Even as the Son of man came not to be mi"niftred

"

"niftred unto, but to minister, and give his life a ransom for many." Their proper power and authority over the flock goes as far as they are furnished and enabled by the Holy Ghoft, for representing the authority of the Lord Christ in his word unto them, and as far as they can manage that, with fpiritual wisdom upon their confciences. He that has no measure of a gift of this fort from Jefus Chrift, and has no fkill in the application of his words and commandments unto the confciences of them that profefs fubjection unto him, is no way fit to be an overfeer or prefbyter in one of his churches, which are free from the doctrines and commandments of men.

No company of elders can pretend to more power over the difciples of Chrift in a church, than the apoftles had. And when we look to their administrations in the church at Jerufalem, and other churches where they acted as elders, it does not appear, that they did any thing of common concern to the church, without the confent of the multitude. Thus we have the Holy Ghost noting down to us the confent of the multitude, before fuch things were fully concluded and done. See an instance of this Acts vi. 1.- 6. And even in that determination of the great question by the apoftles and elders. Acts xv. we are told, y 22." It pleafed the apoftles and el"ders, with the whole church" *. Yea, and it seems they thought it neceffary to judge and determine in discipline in the presence of the church, 1 Cor. v. 3. 4. 5.

But it is time now to inquire about the difcipline of a church of Chrift. Only let us firft notice, with refpect to this fcripture-word prefbytery, that it has been treated the fame very way, as the word bishop. A bishop at firft was an overfeer of a flock or congregation of Chriftians; but afterwards it came to fignify a ruler over many prefbyters, and many fuch flocks, as have taken place in later ages.

Juft fo, the fcripture-prefbytery is the eldership of a con gregation of Jefus Chrift, as has been faid; but, in process of time, the word prefbytery has come to fignify a company of elders gathered out of many parishes and feffions, and ha ving jurifdiction over thofe feffions and parishes; of which parishes and feffions, and of which prefbytery, the fcripture fpeaks nothing. But thus have men fet off their own contrivances with fcripture-names, to make them well-pleafing to themfelves, and recommend them to the world. So fome,

* See Calvin upon the place.

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when