( 57) clefaprima, but ores : It is an offociation of . feveral Pol tical Churches For that is thedifference between thecommunion of a tingle particular Church , and manycombinedChurches,that as the firft is a combination of perlons and not of Churches, fo the communion is held among the Members in common, whereas the other being a combination of Churches, the coni- musion is maintained orderly by Officersand Delegates,joyning in Synods,and fen: from the Congregations. If therefore it be an Immediate ordinary communion ofmembers inEcclefiaflical af- fairs,vi. Worfhipand.Difcipline, that is the Particular - Church that I i itend, call it what you will elfe,and whether there maybe any private meetings in ir befides themain body or not,aspofh boy through fome accidents there may be; andyet at Sacrament and on the mote folcrnne occafions, the fameperlons that were at { happels or le-es meetings,nray be with the chief Affembly. But I (hall proceed in the proof of this by the next Argument, which will ferve for this and the main together. :Argum...a r, (".Hat fort of ( hes-ch Government maymoji fafe- 1 ly be sow pratlifed :which was ufed in the Scripture times, and thats letsfafewhich Will not then ufed. But the Government of many Elder; and particular Churches b, one Bithop ( fixed, and taking that as his proper Diocefs, fetch as the Englifh Bithops were) was net ufed in Scripture times.There- fore it is not fofafe to ufe itor refiere it now. The Major is proved hence : a . In that thePrimitive Church which was in Scripture times,was of unqueflionable Divine ln- ftitution , and fo molt pure. And it is certainly lawful to praaice that Church Government which alone was praâifed by all the Church in the Scripture tirnesoftbe NewTeflament. 2. Becaufe we have no certain Lawor Dire&ionbut Scripture for theframe ofGovernment as pure Divino. Scripture is Gods fufcient andperfe&Law.lf therefore therebe no mentionof the Pra&ice of any Inch Epifcopacy in Scripture,no nor any precept for the pra&iceof it afterwards, then cannot we receive it asof Divine Inflitution. TheObje&ionsahall be anfwered when we have proved the Minor. And for the Minor I 111a11 at thistime argue from the Coned. (ions
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