or to the care of a diocefan bishop, or many bishops joined together, and having a common overfight and jurifdiction over them: but commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed, as now wanting nothing to complete their church state and order, Acts xiv. 21. 22. 23. Tit. i. 5. Το the fame purpose we may observe, how Paul takes his leave of the elders of Ephesus, when he tells them, he should see them and that church no more, Acts xx. He commends the flock to their diligent care, and calls them to "take heed to "themselves;" but not a word of a fuperior judicature; not an infinuation of an advice to have recourse to it, or to any thing of that kind; but to "the Lord," and to "the word of "his grace." And yet he forewarns them of that very cafe, for which fome men judge a subordination of judicatures abfolutely neceffary. He tells them, that, after " his departing, "grievous wolves fhould enter in among them, not sparing "the flock;" and that of their ownselves "men should arise "speaking perverse things, to draw away difciples after "them." Here was occafion to speak of a fuperior judica ture, if the Lord Jefus had seen occafion for it. And what remedy does his Apoftle propofe for it? Not that which man's wifdom judgeth beft, but a remedy very agreeable to the fpirit of the gospel, and the mind of Chrift, "heed," fays he, "unto yourselves, and to all the flock. "For I know this, that after my departing shall grie "vous wolves," &c. "Therefore watch; and remember, "that by the space of three years I ceafed not to warn "Take every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I "commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and give you an inheri tance," &c. His difcourfe is well worth the confidering to the end of it. Binding and loofing is an ordinance of Chrift; and if it be done agreeable to his word, in the way wherein he hath ap pointed it to be done, then it is alfo done by him in heaven: and we fee he has left this matter in the hands of a congrega. tion of his with its prefbytery, with a promise of being in the midft of them; fo that they have power from him to assemble in his name, and bind and loose, being therein made account. able to no other lord or lords but himself alone. Thus, every dwelling-place of Mount Zion," every gofpel-church, having its "pillar of the cloud and of fire," according prophecy, If.iv. 5. as the national congregation had its "pil "lar た "lar of the cloud and of fire," of old, has all power of difci. pline within itself. Let us now see what is produced from the word with any colour against this. First, we are told of general rules laid down in the word, which muft neceffarily carry us beyond at congregation with our difcipline. And what are thefe rules? They are these: "The fpirits of the prophets are subject to "the prophets;" and, " Let all things be done decently and " in order," I Cor. xiv. 31. 32. 33. 40. But from that context, and the epiftle, it is vifible, these rules are laid down for a congregation meeting from time to time in one place, to prophefy, and hear prophefying, and to partake of the Lord's fupper: and the Apostle tells them, "God is not the "author of confufion, but of peace," and this in all the churches of the faints. So that these rules can carry us no further than congregations or churches of faints. : Further, there has been much labour about that tranfaction which we have recorded Acts xv.; and that which fome men intend at first to make out from thence is this: That, upon a divifion arifing in a church, as in Antioch, which they cannot heal themselves, they should go out unto a council, who have power and authority to determine in the cafe, make decrees about it, and lay burdens on the disciples and churches. This is all that can be offered to be proved from that paffage. From this, when they think they have made it evident, there are inferences made, and conclufions of this fort established, as having the stamp of divine authority upon them, viz. That there ought to be a national church, with a ftated fubordination of feffions, prefbyteries, provincial and national fynods, or general affemblies. Every body may fee, it will take no few confequences to bring the stamp of divine authority from Acts xv. upon all this order and government of the church. And after all that has yet appeared from that paffage of God's word, it will not carry us beyond a church or congregation of Chrift with our discipline, nor fhew us any jurifdiction over them in that matter. For, 1. It has not yet been shown, nor can be, that there is any thing more in that matter, than an occafional fubmiffion, by the congregation at Antioch, unto "the apostles and "elders of the congregation" at Jerufalem, of a queftion, a point of doctrine, wherein they were the only fit perfons to decide and determine. This point nearly concerned the practice of the Gentile difciples at Antioch, and throughout the world. They had received the gospel from out of the church at Je rufalem; rufalem; and fome came from thence, teaching them, that circumcifion, and the keeping of the law of Mofes, was neceffary unto their salvation; and made a divifion among them. None were fo fit to determine in this cafe as the eldership of the church at Jerufalem, which confifted of Jews, and where were the apoftles. The church at Antioch fubmits it to them; but we do not hear of any point of discipline fubmitted and the apostles and elders determine in it, with the confent of the whole church in Jerufalem. So that, even until now, we have not got out among congregations; and fuch a practice may take place to the end of the world among them. : 2. Nor has it ever yet been shown, that this meeting at Jerufalem, whatever it was, exercised any difcipline over any church or church-member at that time. They condemned the doctrine of the falfe teachers, who troubled the difciples with their words, and fubverted their fouls, and laid heavy bur dens upon them with their doctrine. But did they ever exercise any discipline about them? Nothing like it: they leave that entire to the churches where they came, or where they should enter: and there was nothing of it in the question and cafe fubmitted to them. Thus it holds true, for what appears from Acts xv. that Jefus Chrift hath not fubjected a church of his, with its prefbytery, unto any jurisdiction in its difcipline. And in this fate remained the churches of Chrift till towards the end of the fecond century, when fynods and councils began to be held upon the controverfy about Eafter; and these might have been as well unheld, for any advantage the churches had by them as to unity and peace. But thus uniformity, and impofitions, and councils commenced; and how far the catholic unity and peace of the difciples of Christ has been advanced by them, the expe. rience of all ages will declare. Yet it must be owned, that they have been in fome things useful, and that they might be tolerable, if they did not affume to themselves that power which Jefus Chrift hath lodged elsewhere, "nor lay any bur "den upon the difciples," which it "did not feem good to "him to lay upon them." Thus far we have been confidering the fenfe of the propofition which was to be explained, and comparing it with the word of God, the only rule by which the truth or falfehood of it can be determined; and fo we have had occafion to take a view of the plan of a gofpel-church, laid down to us by Chrift and his apoftles. It is owned, that, in this view, it is not agreeable to the wisdom of this world, to which the whole of the true gospel of Chrift is disagreeable; and that there may be many plaufible reasonings against it, by them. that are fond of that wisdom, as there are against all the parts of the gospel of Chrift. But there are these things that may be faid in the behalf of it. 1. It is the most agreeable to all conditions and circumftances wherein the church of Chrift or his difciples can be in this world, especially to times of perfecution; and perfecu tion is the most ordinary lot of the difciples and true church of Chrift in this world, Matth. xvi. 21.-26. Mark viii. 34. 2 Tim. iii. 12. 13. In the most peaceable times, when the powers of the earth are employed to divert the violent course of perfecution, we are told, "the dragon will be making war " with the remnant of the woman's feed, that keep the com"mandments of God, and have the teftimony of Jefus "Chrift," Rev. xii. 16. 17. 2. It interferes the least of all with Cæfar's kingdom, and can give the least disturbance to the kingdoms of this world; and it is most agreeable to our Lord's account of his kingdom, John xviii. 36. 37. The congregational frame, as it has been defcribed from the word of God, is far lefs intangled with the matters of ftate in the kingdoms of this world, than any other frame of the church: and if the thoughts of Chrift's difciples about the church were regulated by his word, their confciences would foon be freed from many intanglements they have come under by their principles about a national state of the church interfering with Cæfar's kingdom. 3. It is most agreeable to the spirit of the gofpel, and to the strain of the New Teftament, particularly to our Lord's new commandment of brotherly love, as has been showed; and to what is so frequently faid, in the word of God, against the pride and lordship of the miniftry over God's heritage. If the plan of a gospel-church given in the New Testament had continued, Antichrift had never been. Therefore we find the Apostle, when warning the church of the Theffalo. nians of Antichrift, gives them this direction: "Therefore, "brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have "been taught, whether by word or our epiftle," 2 Theff. ii. 15. 4. There is no other ftate of the church wherein all the difciples of Chrift will more easily agree, when they take the word of God alone for their rule in this matter, and when other frames of the church which they are contending for are ftripped stripped of all the worldly 'privileges that attend them. Chrift has pointed out to us in his word what is necessary in this matter, and what all contending parties muft own to be neceffary; but the difputes, wars, and fightings, have been about things that man's wifdom faw further neceffary, as if his inftitution of a gofpel vifible church had not been fufficient to answer all the ends for which he appointed it. But if we fhould take that wherein all the contending parties of Chrift's difciples are agreed in this matter, it will be found to come nearest to that which has been described. 5. There is no other ftate of the church better for prefer. ving and propagating the truth of the gofpel, in the purity and power of it: therefore fuch churches as we have been fpeaking of, are compared, by the Lord himself, to golden candlesticks for holding the light. It is true, that those of the congregational way in England did, to their great reproach, finfully grafp at fecular power, and upon that project became one party of this world with the fectaries; yet the doctrine of the gospel has been preferved in greater purity in those churches than in other churches of another frame, if we take the preaching in them, and the profeffion of the members, and not merely public fubfcribed forms, as the rule of our judg ing in this cafe *. And truly a church of that nature, which hath been defcribed, cannot be nor fubfift without the word of the gofpel coming in power, and bringing forth fruit; and without the spirit of Chrift enabling the members to confefs, that Jefus is the Lord. But it is easy to conceive how other kind of churches may be without this. 6. If this account of a gofpel-church be liable to no other fort of objections but what might be made against the apo ftolic churches, and if it be chargeable with no other kind of confequences but the fame, or fuch like, as attended them, Christians may know what to think of it. What would some men have thought, of the gathering of churches out of a national church, that had once express divine inftitution, and out of the fynagogues, if they had lived in those days? Fur ther, if we shall hear of no other kind of arguing against it, but the old Popish cant, about the imperfection or darkness of the fcriptures, the authority of the church, fathers, and martyrs, the unity and order of the church, the dreadful * See the preface to the faith and order of the congregational churches. |