Is any Form of Churc/,~Gownmmlt of Divine Inflittttion· ~ ~e!1:. 56. Is any Form of Clmrc/; Govemmeut oJ 'Divine Injli~ution ? E•.h. 1 12 ,:J. Anfw. y£1: Thc~c a_rc two Effentially different PolicirJ or Formr of Chu~ch Govern'mtnr of ChrijlJ & ~- ::!'f, :::6, onm lnftJtutlOH, never to be ahcred by man. I. The fotm ot che Vnivtf[ 11 t Church as &('. &4. •hS• headed by Chri(\ himfelf; which all Chrifiians own as they are Chrillians in their Baptifm. ' He~- 10~;5: 6· 2. P~rticular Churcht1 which are headed by their particular Bifhops or Pailors, and. are parts of 1 Co 1 • 14 . the Umvt:rfal, as a Troop i; of an Army, or a Ciry of a Kingdom. . · Aft, 14.:.3. Here it is of Divine lnfiitution, I· That there be holy .Affemblits for the Puhlick Wm!hip Tnu~ I ~ of God. 1 ih~fi:s;.'i~ 2· That thefe Alfcmblics be Societies, confiituted of the pwpJe with their Paftars, who arc to them 1 1 ~'. as Captains ro rhc:ir Troop~, under the General, m as Mayors to Cities under the King. 1 Tim) 3,4,6. 3. That tlu.f\: Pallors ha\'t the prJrt!er of the Keya, or the [pecial Guidance and Governance (by the 1 Pet ~.T.1.,~. TYord, not b)' the Sword) of their own p3Iticular charge, in the routers ot Fiith, Worlhip and holy -~~~~~ 1 : 8;, /i"ing; and that the flocks ?bey them. And when all this is ]Hre divino, why thould any fay; that No f orm of Govcmment i1 jure divino~ . 3· Moreovtr it is cf Divine appoinrment, that thefe Church.es hold the nearefiConcord, and help each other as mnch as they cm; whether by Synods, or other meet wayes of conefpOndency. And though thi.., be not a Jjjlin[J Govtrnment, it ii a di1tind made of Governing. ObjtCl:. But tbat tl;rrc be Pajlors with fixed Church'e1 or Affemblitr i1 atot of tht L12w o[N.zturt. Anfrr:. r. Ho..th Chri:, nt'> Law but the Law of Nature? Wherein then differ the ChriJtian Religion and the Ht.athcndh ~ 2. Sq.-pofc but Chrift to b~ Chrijl, and man to be what he is, and Nature it felf will rdl os that this is tht hudl W3.Y for ordering the Worili.ip of God: For Nature: faich, Godmuft be foiemnly .Jnd urdin.zdl.J rvorjhipped, and that qu.l/ified per[onJ fhould be the official Guidu in the per!orm:mce: And that ploplc who need fuch cmduli and privatt ovtrfighl bdides, fhould where they live have the!l on·n jl.ucd Overjecrt. Objrd. B1tt particular Cnngre~atioHJ are not de prirnaria intentione divina: Fir if the w!Jo!e wi.IT/d could j'yn togetJur in the publicJt 1Vorfoip ofGod., 110 doubt tbat would' be proptrly aChurch: But parti– cular CungrtgationJ are only accidental, i.n refcrtnce to God1 intentiOIJ Qf having a Church> becau[t of the lmpof!ibility oj aU mtnJ joynii1g together fer Ordinances, &c. Anj'w I· The: qutllion with rot: is not ffhethn they be ofprim4T) lnttntion, but wherher llared Church<S heodcd with their proper Bilhops or Paflors be not of Gods infiitution in the Scripture ? 2. This Objcd:ion confitRlCth it, and not denyeth it. For r. It confdTeth that there is a neceffity o~joyning tor Gods W0101ip: 2 . And ;m Impof!ibility thac all thi world fhouJd fo joyn: 3· Bur it rhe tvbdt -J~ orld could fo j yn, it would be proptrly a Church: So that it confdfcrh that (to bt a /ucitty joy~:cd f" God, publick W"p,;p, J is [to be prop<rty a Church. J And we contefs all this: If all the world could be one fcmily, they might have one Mafier, or one Kingdom, they might have one King. But when iris cor.f(JTed, that I· AN.1tural lmpo[ftbiliry of an Vnivtrfol Affembly neceffitateth more p:~rticular aJTunblics: 2. And that Chri~ hath inftituted fuch actually in his Word, what more can a conlidcrate man r<quire ~ 3· I do uot underlbnd rhis difiind-ion, de prirna;ia imt.ntiene divina, and sccidtntal, &c. The Primary Intention is properly of the Vltimate End only: And no mm thinketh that a Law de medii1, of rht: mean1, is no Law, or dut God hlth made no Laws dt mediiJ: For ChriH as aMediator js a /VIeam. Hut fl~ppofe it be limited to the Matter ofChmcb LawJ : If this be the meaning of it, that it is not thepri,rcip.Jl mean1, but a{ubordinate meaiu) or th:1t it is not infiituted only propter finem ultimum, no more than propter [e, but alfo in order to a higher thing •J it1 immedi•te end, we make no qud\ion of thar. Affembliei are not only that th&e may bt affembliu ; hut for tht: IYorjhip and Offim rhcrc performed : And'rhofc fur Man; And all for God. Bur what ofall this? Huh God made no Laws for fubordiJJatt mtanJ? No Chrifiian denyeth ir. . Therefore the Learncd and Judicious Difputcr of this point d;.;clare!h himfelf for what I fay, when Dr.Stilfi•~- . he faith) [I engage not in the Controverlie, Whether a particular CoHgrer.•uion ht thtfirjf political fluu JrN. p. ChurciJ or no : It fitjfiwh for my purpo{t 1 that tbere are other Churcht.J brfideJ---1he thing iH , 54 fo f., 70• qr,eJfion i1, 1Vhethtr tbrre be 11rJ other Ghurch, but fucb particular CongregatioHJ·l Where it feemeth By Church granted, thar fuch p:Jrticul.lr Churchu are of Divine in/titulion: · And for other ChurcheJ I thatJ fay bere l m~an more a1;on. In the mean time note, that the quefiion is but de nomine here, whether the Name ~~~a:t~:1r;~e- [ Ch01ch J be fit for other focictics, and not de re. . ~~~r·hn'g~~~~clh thlt 1. tht' llniH·;fal Chur<h, z.Pa1ticu\ar Congretations are of Divjne Infiitution, one ex inuntilllt primaria, and the orh r a~ he ca:ls 1t at.,idw:Jily, but y.t of Nalun.l nc"flity. ' But lcfl any lhould grow to the boldntfs to deny that [ Chrift h.,h inftituted Chriftian ftated S•– cittieJ confiJfing. flfPajLrt and fiork.f, affociate far per{a;ral CammuJtion in publicJt IV(}rjbip and holy liz.•i1tg J ( which is my dctinirion of a particular Church, as not fO contin(:d. to one afi'Lmbly, bot th 3 1 1t n.ay be in divers, ane\" yet not confilling of divers fidJ dif\intl fhccd afi'tmblies with their diHinCt PJtlors, nor of fuch as can have no ptrl.anal Communion> but 1nly by Delegates ) : I prove it thus from the Wotd of God. '·The
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