CHAPTER VII.
Of the several Parts or Acts of this power of Church Government, wherein it puts forth itself in the Church.
Thus far of the special kind or peculiar nature of this authority; now to the several parts or acts of this power which the description comprehends in these expressions, (in dispensing the word, seals, censures, and all other ordinances of Christ.) The evangelical ordinances which Christ has set up in his church are many; and all of them by divine right that Christ sets up. Take both the enumeration of ordinances and the divine right thereof severally, as followeth.
Jesus Christ our Mediator hath instituted and appointed these ensuing administrations to be standing and perpetual ordinances in his church: which ordinances for method sake may be reduced into two heads, according to the distribution of the keys formerly laid down, (chap. III.,) viz., ordinances appertaining, 1st, To the key of order or of doctrine; 2d, To the key of jurisdiction or of discipline.
1. Ordinances appertaining to the key of order or doctrine, viz:
1. Public prayer and thanksgiving are divine ordinances: for 1st, Paul writing his first epistle to Timothy, "that he might know how to behave himself in the house of God," 1 Tim. iii. 14, 15, among other directions in that epistle, gives this for one, "I exhort therefore that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men," 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, "for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour," verse 3. 2. The apostle, regulating public prayers in the congregation, directing that they should be performed with the understanding, takes it for granted that public prayer was an ordinance of Christ. "If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and will pray with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned, say amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? for thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified." 1 Cor. xiv. 14-17. 3. Further, the apostles did account public prayer to be of more concern than serving of tables, and providing for the necessities of the poor, yea, to be a principal part of their ministerial office, and therefore resolve to addict and "give themselves to the ministry of the word and to prayer," Acts vi. 4; and this was the church's practice in the purest times, Acts i. 13, 14, whose pious action is for our imitation. 4. And Jesus Christ hath made gracious promises to public prayer, viz., of his presence with those who assemble in his name; and of audience of their prayers, Matt, xviii. 19, 20. Would Christ so crown public prayer were it not his own ordinance?
2. Singing of psalms is a divine ordinance, being,
1. Prescribed; "be filled with the spirit: speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs," Eph. v. 18, 19. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs," Col. iii. 16.
2. Regulated; the right performance thereof being laid down, "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also," 1 Cor. xiv. 15, 16. "Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord," Col. iii. 16. "Singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord," Eph. v. 19.
3. The public ministry of the word of God in the congregation is a divine ordinance. "We will give ourselves," said the apostles, "to the ministry of the word and prayer," Acts vi. 4. The ministry of the word is a sacred ordinance, whether read, preached, or catechetically propounded.
1. The public reading of the word is a divine ordinance, (though exposition of what is read do not always immediately follow.) For, 1. God commanded the reading of the word publicly, and never since repealed that command, Deut. xxxi. 11-13; Jer. xxxvi. 6; Col. iii. 16. 2. Public reading of the scriptures hath been the practice of God's church, both before Christ, Exod. xxiv. 7; Neh. viii. 18, and ix. 3, and xiii. 1; and after Christ, Acts xiii. 15, 27, and xv. 21; 2 Cor. iii. 14. 3. Public reading of the scriptures is as necessary and profitable now as ever it was. See Deut. xxxi. 11-13.
2. The public preaching of the word is an eminent ordinance of Christ. This is evident many ways, viz:
1. Christ hath commanded that the word shall be preached. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," Mark xvi. 15. "Go ye, therefore, and disciple ye all nations; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matt. x. 7. See also Mark iii. 14. "I charge thee," &c. "Preach the word," 2 Tim. iv. 1, 2. "Necessity is laid upon me, yea, wo is unto me if I preach not the gospel," 1 Cor. ix. 16, 17. "Christ sent me—to preach the gospel," 1 Cor. i. 17; with which compare also Acts xx. 28, and 1 Pet. v. 1-4.
2. Christ hath appointed who shall preach the word. "How shall they preach except they be sent?" Rom. x. 15. The qualifications of preaching elders see in 1 Tim. iii. 2-8, and Tit. i. 5-9.
3. Christ hath appointed how the word shall be preached. "Be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine," 2 Tim. iv. 2. "That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince gainsayers," Tit. i. 9. "He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully: what is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord?" Jer. xxiii. 28.
4. Christ hath made many encouraging promises to the preaching of his word, which he would not have done, were it not his own ordinance. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo I am with you every day to the end of the world," Matt, xxviii. 20. "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii. 18. "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained," John xx. 23. Both these are partly meant of doctrinal binding and loosing, remitting and retaining. "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this city," Acts xviii. 9, 10.
3. The catechetical propounding or expounding of the word, viz. a plain, familiar laying down of the first principles of the oracles of God, is an ordinance of Christ also. For, 1. This was the apostolical way of teaching the churches at the first plantation thereof. "When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat," Heb. v. 12. "Therefore, leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God," &c., Heb. vi. 1,2. "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able," 1 Cor. iii. 1, 2. 2. And this is the sense of pastor and people which the Holy Ghost useth, setting forth the reciprocal relation and office between them, with his own approbation. "Let him that is catechized in the word, communicate to him that catechizeth him, in all good things," Gal. vi. 6.
4. The administration of the sacraments is of divine institution.
1. Of baptism. "He that sent me to baptize with water," John i. 33. "Go ye therefore, disciple ye all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," Matt, xxviii. 18-20.
2. Of the Lord's supper, which Christ ordained the same night in which he was betrayed: which institution is at large described, 1 Cor. xi. 20, 23, &c.; Matt. xxvi. 26-31; Mark xiv. 22-27; Luke xxii. 19, 20.
2. Ordinances appertaining to the key of jurisdiction or of discipline, viz:
1. The ordination of presbyters with imposition of the hands of the presbytery, after praying and fasting, is a divine ordinance. "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery," 1 Tim. iv. 14. Titus was left in Crete for this end, "To set in order things that were wanting, and ordain presbyters" (or elders) "in every city, as Paul had appointed him," Tit. i. 5. Timothy is charged, "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins; keep thyself pure," 1 Tim. v. 22. Paul and Barnabas came to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, and "when they had ordained them presbyters in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord," &c., Acts xiv. 21, 23.
2. Authoritative discerning, and judging of doctrine according to the word of God, is a divine ordinance. As that council at Jerusalem, authoritatively (viz. by ministerial authority) judged of both the false doctrine and manners of false teachers, branding them for "troublers of the Church, subverters of souls," &c. "Forasmuch as we have heard that certain, coming forth from u, have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, ye ought to be circumcised, and keep the law, to whom we gave no such commandment," Acts xv. 24; "it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to impose upon you no greater burden than these necessary things," v. 28; and this was done upon debates from scripture grounds, "and to this the words of the prophets agree," Acts xv. 15: and afterwards their results and determinations are called "decrees ordained by the apostles and elders," Acts xvi. 4.
3. Admonition and public rebuke of sinners is a divine ordinance of Christ. "If thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more—and if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church," Matt, xviii. 15-17. "Whose soever sins ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven," John xx. 23. One way and degree of binding is by authoritative, convincing reproof. "Admonish the unruly," 1 Thess. v. 14. "An heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject," Tit. iii. 1. "Them that sin, convincingly reprove before all, that the rest also may fear," 1 Tim. v. 20. "Rebuke them sharply," (or convince them cuttingly,) Tit. iii. 13. "Sufficient to such an one is that rebuke, which was from many," 2 Cor. ii. 6.
4. Rejecting, and purging out, or putting away from the communion of the Church, wicked and incorrigible persons, is an ordinance of Christ. "And if he will not hear them, tell the Church; but if he will not hear the Church, let him be unto thee even as a heathen and a publican." "Verily, I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth, they shall be bound in heaven," Matt, xviii. 17, 18, compared with Matt. xvi. 19, and John xx. 21, 23. "An heretic, after once or twice admonition, reject," Tit. iii. 10; i.e. excommunicate, till he repent—Pisc. in loc. By the lawful judgment of the Church, to deliver the impenitent to Satan.—Beza in loc. "Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme," 1 Tim. i. 20. The apostle's scope in 1 Cor. v. is to press the church of Corinth to excommunicate the incestuous person. "Ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed may be taken from the midst of you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have already as present judged him that thus wrought this thing. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus," 1 Cor. v. 2-5. "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven," ver. 7. "I wrote to you in an epistle, not to be mingled together with fornicators," ver. 9, 11; and explaining what he meant by not being mingled together, saith, "If any named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or drunkard, or rapacious, with such an one not to eat together," ver. 11. "Therefore take away from among yourselves that wicked person," ver. 13.
5. Seasonable remitting, receiving, comforting, and authoritative confirming again in the communion of the Church those that are penitent. "What things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii. 18. "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them," John xx. 23. This loosing and remitting is not only doctrinal and declarative in the preaching of the word, but also juridical and authoritative in the administration of censures. This is called, for distinction's sake, absolution. After the church of Corinth had excommunicated the incestuous person, and he thereupon had given sufficient testimony of his repentance, the apostle directs them to receive him into church communion again, saying, "Sufficient to such an one is that rebuke inflicted of many; so that contrariwise you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest such an one should be swallowed up of abundant sorrow. Wherefore I beseech authoritatively to confirm love unto him: for to this purpose also I have written unto you, that I may know the proof of you, if ye be obedient in all things," 2 Cor. ii. 6-9.