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that herein the Church may be truly faid to act according to, and to fulfil the Effect of our Saviour's Commiffion, in remitting Sins, as it Miniftreth the means of forgiveness; and not only teacheth the course Men are to hold in feeking Pardon, but prefcribeth it, and engageth them in it, and fo helpeth them forward in the courfe that they obtain it. But neverthelefs after all, this is not forgiving Sins as God forgiveth them, nor doth it suppose it to be in the Church to Pardon Sin, without that difpofition, which in the Gospel qualifieth a Man for it; fo that indeed, the Exercise of this Ministry in the Church (as the Bishop faith rightly) is then only effectual, when it is made Conform to the Conditions of the Gofpel: and yet the Power of the Church in remitting Sin fhall be more than Declaratory, as being Minifterial, having and acting with authority, in procuring Pardon by the means of Repentance, and in affuring the fame.

And now I think my felf to have fully vindicated the Scriptures hitherto cited, to their proper Senfe, and fo to be not only a good Foundation for an Authority in the Church, for the Miniftring of Difcipline, but an obligation alfo upon it to difcharge this part of its Ministry.

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Though it has not been without concern, that I have held this debate with fo Reverend a Prelate of our own Church, especially, because I may not hold him as an Enemy, but a Friend in the cause of Church-Difcipline, which he hath argued much for in divers places of that his Book : Which nevertheless bearing the Title of an Expofition of the 39 Articles of the Church of England, fhould in that refpect be thought to have delivered the Senfe of our Church, concerning thofe Scriptures, when they fell under confideration in any of the Articles that relate to the Government, Authority or Difcipline of the Church. And if there were Reafon to think the Church understood them in the Sense of the Bishop; I must not hope my Arguments fhould prevail with thofe that have share in the Ministry of the Church, to acknowledge themselves under any fuch obligation, to restore a Discipline therein, as I pretend them to be. This therefore, and my prefent undertaking, obliging me to feek beyond the usefulness and advantage of Difcipline, a foundation for it in Scripture, (feeing that the Expediency thereof, or its Congruity to the Design of the Christian Religion, may not be looked on as fufficient of it felf, to oblige the Church otherwise to reftore it) have been

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the fole Motives prevailing with me to undertake to retrieve thefe Scriptures to the Senfe, which in the Church of Chrift they have generally been understood in, and which the Practice of the Apostles, and of the whole Church inferreth.

HA

CHA P. III.

Aving thus far fhewed the Foundation of Ecclefiaftical Power, and therein confequently of Difcipline the chief Act thereof, to have been laid by our Lord Chrift himself; 'twill be now requifite that we look into the Acts of the Apostles and Difciples of our Lord thereupon; and likewife what Scriptures we have to fhew the Course and Order taken and fettled by them, for the Government of the Church, and for Difcipline therein.

Now though our Lord Chrift himself, as hath been thewn, gave this Power and Authority to his Church for Government and Difcipline therein; yet we must not expect to find the Exercise of it, whilft himself was upon Earth, his Church not being as yet Gathered. And for the fame Reason the Acts of this Power, it is to

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be fuppofed were few, if any, for fome time after the Apoftles began their Preaching of the Gofpel upon our Saviour's Afcenfion; for though they might understand our Lord to have given a power to his Church, and knew themfelves entrusted with the discharge of it, yet they must also know their Commiffion could not take place until a Church in his Name were Gather'd and Form'd.The Apostles alfo and Disciples continued in the Synagogue with the Jews for a time, while there was hope of gaining thefe over to Christianity; in which space, though they had separate Meetings, for which they were to do as Chriftians, yet the Body of the Church not being as yet Formed, there could not much appear of the Method and Way of Government therein. There is also a Reafon to be given why we have not many Inftances in the Scriptures of the New Teftament, of Offenders brought under Discipline in the Church, or Cenfures upon the Refractory that would not: which is this, That the Chriftian Religion was then New, and the Churches not well Setled, and withal, thofe that then became Christians could not well come to the Church, but with a Refolution to undergo the Crofs, and fuffer Perfecution, (the Church then being Perfecuted on every

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fide, hated alike by Jew and Gentile) and fuch a Refolution, 'tis likely, would not foon depart from the Christianity it had undertaken to live after, as well as conftantly to profefs; and fo the Offenders 'tis very probable were not many. More over, the Apostles had not only Power and Authority to Cenfure Tranfgreffors, but an extraordinary power to punish Hypocrites, and fuch as were fo wicked as to Defpife God and his Church, and Difobey the Gospel of his Son, with Plagues, Dileafes, and Death, as in the Cafe of Ananias and Saphira, so that in their time few Hypocrites durft offer themselves to become Chriftians; and the Profeffors of Chriftianity, it must be fuppofed had greater regard to live as their Holy Profeffio obliged them, in refpect of the imminent danger, fhould they tranfgrefs, and not walk after the holy Commandment delivered, unto them. According to what is faid, Acts 5. II. upon what befell Ananias and Saphira, that great fear came upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard these things. Morever, neither may we expect in the Inftances that are of this nature in the New Testament, an account at large of the Course and Order taken by the Apostles, concerning Government and Discipline in the Churches of their Plant

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