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nostris. Intus, nihil quod magis alat vitia, hæresis, &c. Annon vident Ecclesias suas principes plenas sectis hæreticorum, et impurorum hominum? Ad has confluit omne genus hominum fanaticorum, impurorum, &c. tanquam ad asylum. Quare? Quia ibi nulla disciplina.

"Sciant ergo Principes, et quicunque illi sint qui disciplinam Ecclesiasticam in Ecclesiis restitutam nolunt, sed ei adversantur, eamqué proscribunt, se Christo adversari: Qui Ministros impediunt ne eam excerceant, se Christum et Deum impedire, ne sua fungantur potestate. Quid enim agunt Ministri cum excommunicant? Pronunciant sententiam Domini. Ait enim Christus : Quicquid ligaveritis in terris, &c. Quid igitur agunt qui impediunt Ecclesiam ne sententiam Domini pronunciet? Peccant contra Christum, et rei sunt læsæ Divinæ Majestatis. Annon reus esset læsæ majestatis Cæsareæ, siquis ejus judicem ne sententiam Cæsaris pronunciet impediat? Videant igitur quid agant. Hactenus Christus rexit Ecclesiam suam hac disciplinâ ; et ipsi Principes, imo et ministri aliquot, nolunt eam sic regi? Viderint ipsi. Pronuncio, proclamo, protestor, eos peccare, qui cum possint et debeant eam restituere, non restituunt."

I hope both magistrates and ministers that are guilty, will give me leave to say the like with Zanchy, if not to call them traitors against the majesty of God, that hinder discipline, and adversaries to Christ, yet at least to pronounce, proclaim, protest, that they sin against God, who set it not up when they may and ought. But what if the magistrate will not help us? Nay, what if he were against it? So he was for about three hundred years, when discipline was exercised in the primitive church: To this Zanchy adds, ib." Ministri Ecclesiæ quantum per consensum et pacem Ecclesiæ licet hanc disciplinam excercere debetis. Hanc enim potestatem vobis dedit Dominus, neque quispiam auferre eam potest: nec contenti esse debetis ut doceatis quid agendum, quid fugiendum sit, utut quisque pro sua libidine vivat nihil curantes, sed urgenda disciplina. vid. August. de fide et operib. c. 4. Obj. At impedimur per Magistratum. Resp. Tunc illi significate quam male agat, &c." Read the rest of the solid advice that Calvin and Zanchy in the forecited places, do give both to ministers and people, where discipline is wanting.

The great objection that seemeth to hinder some from this work is, because we are not agreed yet, who it is that

must do it? Whether only a prelate, or whether a presbytery, or a single pastor, or the people?

Answ. Let so much be exercised as is out of doubt. 1. It is granted that a single pastor may expound and apply the word of God: he may rebuke a notorious sinner by name. He may make known to the church that God hath commanded them, with such a one, no not to eat! And require them to obey this command, &c. I shall say no more of this now, than to cite the words of two learned, godly, moderate divines, impartial in this cause. The one is Mr. Lyford a maintainer of Episcopacy, in his Legacy of Admission to the Lord's-supper; who, page 55, saith,

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Quest. 1. In which of the ministers is this power placed?” "Answ. Every minister hath the power of all Christ's ordinances to dispense the same in that congregation or flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made him overseer; yet with this difference: he may preach the word, baptize, and administer the holy supper alone of himself without the assistance or consent of the people: But not excommunicate alone (he means not without the people, though of that more must be said); because excommunication doth presuppose an offence to the congregation, a conviction and proof of that offence, and witnesses of the party's obstinacy and therefore hereunto is required the action of more than one, &c. Excommunication compriseth several acts: admonition, private, public: The last act is, the casting out of a wicked, obstinate person from the society of the faithful. (1.) By the authority of Christ. (2.) Dispensed and executed by the ministers of the Gospel. (3.) With the assistance and consent of the congregation, &c. 2. If you ask by whose office and ministry this sentence is denounced? I answer, by the ministers of the Gospel; we bind and loose doctrinally, in our preaching peace to the godly, and curses to the wicked: but in excommunication, we denounce the wrath of God against this or that particular person (thou art the man! thou hast no part with us): and that not only declaratively, but judicially. It is like the sentence of a judge on the bench, &c. 3. If you ask whether this be done by the minister alone? I answer no; it must be done by the assistance and consent of the congregation. (1 Cor. v. 4.) Excommunication must not be done in a corner, by the Chancellor and his Register, &c. But whosoever doth, by

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his offences, lose his right to the holy things of God, he must lose it in the face of the congregation; and that after proofs and allegations, as is aforesaid: the people hear and see the offence, complain of it, and are grieved at his society with them, and judge him worthy to be cast out. This concurrence and consent being supposed, every minister is 'Episcopus gregis,' a bishop in his own parish, (N. B.) "To all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Επισκόπ8, overseers." (Acts xx. 28.) And "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of God."(Heb. xiii. 17.) Where note, (1.) That they who preach the word of God, must rule and govern the church; and every preacher is a ruler, unto whom the people must submit. (ver. 17.) Besides, every minister is vested with this authority at his ordination: Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven: Whose sins thou dost retain, &c.' (2.) Every minister is vested with this authority by the laws of this land. The words of the rubric for the Administration of the Lord's-supper, which do enable us thereto, are these: If any of those which intend to be partakers of the holy Communion, be an open, notrious, evil liver, so that the congregation by him is offended, or have done wrong to his neighbours by word or deed, the curate having knowledge thereof, shall call him, and advertise him in anywise not to come to the Lord's table, until he have openly declared himself to be truly repented and amended of his former naughty life; that the congregation may thereby be satisfied, which afore was offended; and that he have recompensed the parties whom he hath done wrong to; or at least, declare himself to be in full purpose so to do as soon as he conveniently may.' Besides this, our authority in this particular, is confirmed by an ordinance of the Lords and Commons in Parliament, &c." So far Mr. Lyford's words.

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The other is Mr. Thomas Ball, of Northampton, in his late book for the Ministry; where, (part iii. cap. 4,) he bring- eth many arguments to prove it the minister's duty to exercise discipline as well as to preach; and the seventh argument is this; "What was given by the bishops unto such ministers as they ordained, and laid their hands upon, should not be grudged or denied them by any body: for they were never accounted lavish or over liberal to them, especially in

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point of jurisdiction, that was always a very tender point, and had a guard and sentry always on it. For conceiving themselves the sole possessors of it, they were not willing to admit partners. Whatever they indulged in other points, as Pharaoh to Joseph, Only in the throne I will be greater than thou;' yet bishops granted to all that they ordained presbyters, the use and exercise of discipline as well as doctrine; as appears in the book of Ordering Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, whereof the interrogatories propounded to the party to be ordained is, Will you then give your faithful diligence always so to minister the doctrine and sacraments, and the discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, and as this realm hath received the same according to the commandments of God, so that you may teach the people committed to your care and charge, with all diligence to keep and observe the same:' Which a reverend and learned brother not observing, would confine all jurisdiction to diocesan bishops, &c. Arg. 8. What is granted and allowed to ministers, by the laws and customs of this nation, cannot reasonably be denied: for the laws of England have never favoured usurpation in the Clergy, &c. But the laws and customs of this nation allow to the ministers of England the use and exercise of discipline as well as doctrine; for such of them as have parsonages or rectories, are in all processes and proceedings called Rectors, &c."

2. And as to the points of the people's interest, the moderate seem to differ but in words. Some say the people are to govern by vote: I confess if this were understood as it is spoken, according to the proper sense of the words, and practised accordingly, it were contrary to the express command of Scripture, which command the elders to rule well, and the people to obey them as their rulers, in the Lord: and it seems to me to be destructive to the being of a political church, whose constitutive parts are the ruling and the ruled parts; as every school consisteth of master and scholars, and every commonwealth of the 'pars imperans, et pars subdita:' and therefore those that rigidly stick to this, do cast out themselves from all particular political churches' communion of Christ's institution. (Which because I have formerly said, or somewhat to that purpose, a late nameless writer makes me cruel to his party, while I seem for them,

and so self-contradicting: as if it were cruelty to tell a brother of his sin, and not to leave it on him; or, as if I understood not myself, because he understands me not!) But I perceive the moderate mean not any such things as these words, in their proper sense, import. They only would have the church ruled as a free people, (as from unjust impositions,) and in a due subordination to Christ. And we are all agreed that the pastors have the 'judicium directionis,' the teaching, directing power, by office; and that the people have 'judicium discretionis;' and must try his directions, and not obey them when they lead to sin; and therefore we cannot expect that the people should execute any of our directions, except their judgment lead them to execute them. (Though if their judgment be wrong, God requireth them to rectify it.) And as for the judicial decisive power, about which there is so great contending, in the strictest sense, it is the prerogative of Christ, and belongeth to neither of them: for only Christ is the proper lawgiver and judge of the church, whose law and judgment is absolute, of itself determinative, and not subjected too ur trial of its equity or obligation. So that we must as much conclude, that there is no final judge of controversies in a particular church, as we do against the Papists; that there is none in the Church in general. And therefore the church's judicial decisive power is but improperly such, reducible to the former; which seeing we are agreed in, we are as far in sense agreed in this. A pastor is judge, as a physician in an hospital, or as Plato, or Zeno was in his school, or any tutor in a college of voluntary students. For any more, it belongeth to Christ, and to the magistrate. Why then do we stand quarrelling about the name? One saith, the people have a power of liberty, and the ministers only the power of authority. And what is this more than we yield them? viz. That the guiding authority being only in the guides, and the people commanded to obey them in a due subordination to Christ, there is a liberty belonging to all the saints; from any other kind of ministerial rule, that is, from a 'sic volo, sic jubeo,' a rule without divine authority: and therefore the people must first try and judge, whether the direction be according to God, and so obey: and this in church-censures as well as in other cases. So that, (1.) As the people ought not to dissent or disobey their guides, unless they lead them to sin : (and therefore must see a danger of sin before they suspend

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