M1J man make uew C/nmh·Forms or Officers ? -·------------------ Though I doubt not but in the bcginnit:g the DraCtnts were mcer frrv.mts to the Plfiors, to do as much of fuch circum!hntial work, as they were able; of which [erving at 7',;biCJ, and looking tO the poor, and carrying Bread and Wine to the abft:nt, &c. were but parts: And all went undtr the 11amc: of :Mini/lring to the p,jlors or Churc~es. And therefore they fecm to be but lllch an Acci:– drnral Office, appointed by the ApoO!es, on {uch common teifons, as MJgftn.ces or Churches might have appointed them, if they had not. · 2 . Jf one will call all or many of thcfc, [Church·Officers] and another will not; jc is but a Hrifc: about N<~mts, which.one will ufc more largely, and the:: other more narrowly or lhid:ly. 3· If MagiCtrat,sby authority, or the Churches by Agrremenr, thall dil\ribute rhe Coun•rey for conveniem:y into Pari{hes ( nor making all ro b~ Church-members that dwell in thol( Precincts, but determining that all perfons tha't art fit in thofc proximfties, and theyonly, fuall bernernb~rs of that plrticular Church) and then fhall denominate the Church from this accident of place, it is but whac 1 iS left to their difcrerion. 4 . And if the faid Magiflratcs or Churches 01all divide a Kingdom into Ptovinces, and fiy, that whereas God comrnandeth us the u[e of corrcfpondencies, mutual advice and Synods, for the due help, concord and communion of Churches, and all things mufi be done ia order and to edification\ rhcrefore we determine that fo many Churches !hall make up fuch a Synod, and the Churches of fuch a di!lrict !hall m;ke up another Synod, and fo !hall he fpecially relat<d to each other for Con• cord as advifers, all this is but the prudent determining of Church circumfiances or accidents left to man. 5• And if they !hall appoint that either a Magifirate or one Pafior !hall be for Order fake the ap• pointer of the times and places of meeting, or the Prefident of the Synod, to regulate and order proceedings, and keep peace, as is aforefaid, it is but an Accident of the Sacred \Vork which man may determine of. Therefore a ,Lay-man may be fuch a Prdident or Regnlater. 6. And if they will cail this man by the NJ.me ofa C'burch-Gavernour, who doth but a commo;1 part .. therein, and from thence will call this Alfociation or Province by the name of a CbNrch, which is but a comp:zr.y of Churchu affodated frJr Concord andCoun[tl, the Name maketh it not another thing than it is without that name : And the name may be lawful or unlawful as times and probable confequents· make it fit or unfit as to ufC. 7· So much of Church matters as is left to the · Magifirates Government, may be under Mo---..._ nan:hy , AliOocracy or Democracy, and under {uch lUbordinate Officers as the Supream'1Ruler !hall appoint. 8. And if the M~gifirate will make Affcmbties or Councils of Paftots, to be hU Councils, and require them frequtnlly tOmeet to advife him in the performance of his own trufr and worJt about Religion and the Church, he may accordingly difiribure them into Provinces for that ufe, or order iuch circurnHances as he pleafc. 9· And if a Province of Churches be called one Church, becaufe ir is under one Magifirate, or a Nation ofChurchtt called a National Church, beciufe it is under one King, or many Kingdoms or an Empire called one Catholic~. Church, bccaufe they arc all under one Emperour ; it mufi be confef .. iCd. that this quefiion is but de nomine, and not de re• And furthtr 1. That in (acred things that which is of Divine and primary infiitution is thef.mJ 3• fius analog~wm, and not rhar which is but form'ed by man. :l. That when fuch an ambiguous word is uted without exp\ication or txplicating circumlbncc~, it is to be taken for the fJJmojiJH aiJalogatum<A 3· That in this cafe the word Cht~rch or Church-fOrm is certainly ambiguous and not tmivoc;~.l. 4· T hat a National, 1mpet1al, or Provincial Chutch as·Headcd by a King, EmpC('OUr, Ma– giltrate, or any head of mans appointment, is another thing, from a Church of Chrifis infiitqtion ! and is but an Ac:cidrNt or adjunCt of it; and the Head of the Humane form, if called the Head of the Church o~ Chrifi, is but an Accidental Head , and not ConjlitUiive. And if Chriils Churches be: denominated from fuch a Bead , they are denominated but from an accident, as a man may be de– nominated cloJJhtd or uucloatbed, cJ,atbtd gorgtoujly or [ordidlj, a neighbour to thif ""inan or tbat, c, ... c. Jt is no tmmal denomination of a Church in the firji acccptiun, as it hgnifitth the famojiuf analoga~ tum; though otherwifc m:my kind of focietics may be called Ecclefi.e or C~IJM: But Divines fhoulcl not love cor.fulion. ro. lt fcemeth to me that the firG difiribution of Churches in the Roman Empire, into Patri .. archil, Primates, McrrOpolirical, Provincial, Diocefan, were only the determination of fuch adjun{1 1 or o:trinfick.. things, P,<ntly by the Empcrours, and partly by Churches Con[ent upon thc.Empe.. rours perm1Jfion: And fo that thdc new Church Governlilents were partly Migi!lratical, or brpowcr derived (rom the Ernperours, and partly mcer Agreemenll or Contr~lls by degrees degenerating into Govtr;mztntJ : And (o the new forms and names are all but dceidtNtal, of adjunlls of the true Cbrifti– an Cburcbcs. And rhough I cannot prove it unlawful to make fuch adiunllive or t,'(trin(ic~ conlti– turions, forms and names, confidering the Matter }imply it fclf, yer by accidtnl tf1efe accidents have proved fuch to the true Chutches, as tbe accitkm of jic~~ttfs is to the body, and have been the caufe1 of the Divifions, Wars, Rebellions, Ruines and Confufions of the Chrifiian world: I· As they haVe ferved the covetrmfnefs and ambit.ion of carnal men :. 2. An~ have enabled them to opprefi pmplicil)' and fincerity : 3· And bcc.m[e Prmces have notexerc1fcd the1r own po-ger tbtmfelvu, nor committe4 it to Lay-Officers, but to Church· men : 4· Whereby the txtri11jick_ GoverNment bath fo degenerated, and ohfcuied the Iiurinfick. ~nd been confounded with it, that l!oth going under the equivocal name of EcclrfiaJficd t
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