3. The true Church hath power to chufe its Officers, them.. its Officers. The Church hath power to chufe its own Offi-.3. To chufe cers. True indeed it is, that as in the natural, fo in the fpiritual body, every member is in office; and that the Ministry of the New Teftament, being the Ministration of the Spirit, is common to all that have received the Spirit, Wherefore, if every Believer, hath received the Spirit to profit withal, and hath power and priviledge, as opportunity ferves, and neceffity requires, to speak the word, that the power and vertue of Chrift may be declared through them all: there is no doubt, but any Community of Christians may, by a common confent, chufe one or more, to speak to all, in the name of all. Agreeable to this is that of Paul, 2 Tim. 2. 2. where he commands, That the office of teaching be committed to faithful men, who are able to teach others. Where the Apostle, contemning all fuperfluous ceremonies and pomp of ordaining, only feeks, that the Ministers may be fit and able to teach, and without any more ado, commits the Miniftry of the word unto them. More particularly in this matter we shall enquire after these three things. 1. What Officers are to be chofen ? 2. Out of whom they are to be chofen? And, cers the Church is te For the first, What Officers are to be chofen? Paul what Ofteaches us this, faying, They must be faithful men, apt and able to teach others. For as among natural chufe. men in the world, they that have most natural power and abilities, are fitteft to be the Officers; fo among fpiritual men in the Church, they are fittest to be the Officers, that have moft Spiritual Power; that is, fuch in whom Chrift and the Spirit are moft manifeft; 3. Who chuTes them. manifeft; and of this, the Faithful of all forts are Judges. Wherefore no natural parts and abilities, nor no humane learning,and degrees in the Schools, or Universities; nor no Ecclefiaftical Ordination,or Orders, are to be reckoned fufficient to make any man a Minister, but only the teaching of God, and gifts received of Chrift, by the Spirit, for the work of the Ministry, which the faithful are able to difcern and judge of. 2. Out of whom thefe Officers are to be chofen? And that is, out of the Flock of Chrift, and no where else. Indeed Antichrift bringing in Humane Learning, inftead of the Spirit, chofe his Minifters only out of the Universities: but the right Church chufes them out of the faithful; feeing it reckons no man learned, and fo fit to speak in the Church, but he that hath heard and learned from the Father. Moreover it is plain, that as natural power is founded on a natural gift, and he must needs be a man, that is capable of humane power; fo fupernatural power is founded on a fupernatural gift, and he muft needs be a Believer, that is capable of this fpiritual power: And fo a man must needs first be of the Church, ere he can have any power or office in it. Wherefore all unbelievers and carnal men are fo far from having any power in the true Church, that they have no place in it; and are fo far from being Officers, that they are not members: For they that neither have, nor know spiritual power themfelves, how can they exercise it among others? 3. By whom they are to be chofen? And that is by the Congregation, or Community of Believers: For if every free Society hath power to chuse its own Officers, much more hath the true Church this power; being (as is faid) the freest Society under heaven. And fo the true Church is not to have Officers thruft over them by others, but is to chufe them its felf. If If any object against this, that Panl commanded Object. Timothy and Titus to appoint Elders; and that Paul and Barnabas, Acts. 14. 23. did chufe Elders in every Church with prayer and fasting. And therefore it may feem, that the Congregation hath not power to chufe its own Minifters, but that fome chief Ministers must appoint other Ministers in each Congregation. To this Ianswer: That if there were any Mi- Anfw. nisters among us, that did hold the place of the Apostles, living and acting evidently in the vertues of Chrift, and in the knowledge and power of the Spirit, I would not doubt to allow them as much authority, in ordaining Minifters, as Paul and Barnabas, or any of the other Apoftles had : But fince it is very evident, that very few of these have the Spirit of the LORD upon them: how fhould they have Authority to appoint Minifters, who cannot themselves be reckoned Believers, or spiritual? But fecondly, If they were true Ministers, through the anointing of the Spirit, yet could they not appoint Minifters in other Congregations, without their own confent and approbation, but those whom the whole Church chufes, they are to commend to God by prayer; and if they fhould refuse to do this, yet he who is chofen by the Church, is fufficiently its Minister, through the Churches choice alone. Neither did Paul, or Barnabas, or Timothy, or Titus, appoint any Minister, by their own fingle Authority, without the confent of the Church; as may appear by thofe Scriptures, 1 Tim. 3. and Titus 1. where Paul faith, The Overseers, or Elders, as alfo the Deacons, or Minifters fhould be blameless and unreproveable. Now neither Timothy, nor Titus, knew of themselves who were blameless in those places, but only received the Teftimony of the Church, which chofe them to that office. Further Further we fee, Acts 6. That the Twelve Apofiles together, did not by themselves, appoint any to a lower Office, to wit, to be Deacons, without the Churches own choice of them: But fay the Twelve to the multitude of the Difciples, Look ye out among your felves feven men of honeft report, full of the holy Spirit, and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. And thofe whom the Church chofe,the Apostles confirmed. Wherefore if it were not lawful for the Apostles at their own pleasure, to appoint men to minifter fo much as alms to the neceffities of the Poor, without the choice and confent of the Church; much less was it lawful for them to appoint any, among Believers, to the hard and difficult work of the Miniftry, without their own choice and appro'bation. By all which it is clear, that the Congregations of the Faithful have power in themfelves, according to the Doctrine of the Gospel, to chufe their own Minifters. And therefore feeing the true Church of God cannot poffibly be without the word, feeing it is born, and nourished, and encreased, and strengthned, and preferved, and comforted, and perfected by it: And feeing the generality of the Clergy of these times, are ignorant of the mystery of the Gospel, and deftitute of the Spirit; it muft come to pafs, that either the Church must perish for want of the word, or elfe (according to what we have heard) Believers must meet together, as they can conveniently, up and down the King dom; and fuch Meeetings muft chuse one or more fit Perfons from among themselves, to be their Elders in the Lord, and then by Prayer to commend them to the work of the Ministry, fo to acknowledge them for their Paftors. And there is no doubt, but what Believers meet toge ther in the name of Chrift, do in this matter, it is and done done through the working and approving of God himself. And befides this way, I fee no other, how (in this great defection of the Clergy) the Church may have the true word of God restored to their Meetings and Affemblies again. Now this thing that is fo directly cross to the way and working of Antichrift, for many Ages together, and is fo oppofite to Fathers, School-men, Councels, Doctors, Antiquity, Cuftom, and the general practice of the Kingdom, cannot be hoped to be accomplished at once, but by degrees, as the lightnings of the Gospel shall enlighten the World, and the Spirit fhall be poured forth. And therefore in this matter, let fome begin, and the reft follow, as this practice fhall be cleared up to them from the Scriptures. For none are to be forced in this matter (if Authority fhould entertain this truth) but the Spirit is to be allowed its own liberty, to blow, when and where, and on whom he lifteth. Neither ought this to trouble any, if all do not presently agree with them; it is fufficient, if at first a few begin, whom others may follow afterwards, as God fhall perfwade them. Now as the Church hath Power to chuse its Officers; fo if they prove evil, it hath Power, either, 1. To Reform them. Or, 2. To Depose them. 1. It hath Power to Reform them, if fo be that they may be brought to Repentance and Amendment : Yea, as all the evils of the Church do commonly first flow from the Officers, fo the Reformation of it is firft to begin with them. And who fhall reform the Officers of the Church, but the Church it felf? Seeing the Officers will be fure to tolerate one another in their Un-gofpel and Un-chriftian courfes, against the life of Christ, and the true R practice |