restored to the Authority given it by Christ Jesus; that the Primitive Difcipline of Chrift's Church may be Revived and Established with Effect in this our Church, for the good of Souls, and the intreft of our common Christianity? Yea, why may it not be Hoped, that at this juncture, if the Paftors of the Church, who ftand harged with the Miniftry, shall Affert (as in Duty they ought) the Right of the Church to an Authority that may Oblige the Confcience, and Bind its Members to a Submiffion to this Difcipline; and fhall make it appear also that themfelves, who have the care thereof committed to them on behalf of the Church, are defirous to discharge a Confcience in its Execution) the Civil Authority may lend an Affiftance, the general good Will of Christians alfo concurring, to bring it to Effect? It is out of this hope, how faint foever, that the Author of this Tract has attempted to fhew therein, That this Church has a Right to have her Difcipline Restored, which it has in vain Wished to See effected from the beginning of the Reformation; That those who stand Trusted with this Miniftry, cannot discharge a Confcience to God or his Church, but by doing their utmoft towards it.

That

1

That it will not be a fufficient Excuse for fuch, at the day of Account to fay, The Difcipline of the Church has been loft, or the Corrupt Age would not endure it, unless their Confcience can Atteft that they have been the more Zealous in their En deavours to Retrieve it, as the necessary Remedy for Cure of that Corruption; that they have done what in them lies alfo to recover to the Church that Authority which Chrift left it Invested with, for the Maintenance of Christianity: That the fame Reasons which oblige all that defire to Profefs Chriftianity, to become Members of the Church, ought to prevail with them to yield Effect to this Ministry, which is of God's providing, as the Means of obliging Chriftians to live up to the excellent Rules of their Holy Profeffion: That whatever Civil Power, being Chriftian, in that refpect, thinks it felf obliged to Maintain the Church, cannot want Evidence of its Obligation to give Effect and Force to this Difcipline of the Church, which Carnal Chriftians are not likely to Submit to otherwife: The very Being of a Church importing this, That there be a Power and Authority, acknowledged for the Maintaining that Chriftianity which the Church, as a Society, Stands Charged to Maintain, as A 4

the

the Nature of all Societies must Import a Power to Maintain themselves according to the Defige and Rules of their Conftitutz

Let me not be thought not to foresee many Cenfures, and much Opposition in this Attempt, which nevertheless, the Part which I have in the Church's Ministry will oblige me to abide. I must expect it to be Objected by fome, that there is no fuck thing as an Authority of such a Nature as the Difcipline pretended to importeth, of Right belonging to the Church; that indeed there is no fuch thing as a Church endued with a Fower to fuch Effect by the Ordinance of our Lord, or the Inftitution of bis Apoftles. But I take the Proof made in the following Treatife, That Difcipline was of Apoftolical Practice, to have obviated all that can be with any Force Objected against the Constitution of the Church, or its Right in this Particular: Inafmuch as Difcipline implies the Church to be Constituted a Society, as the Ancient Practice of this Difcipline Recorded in the Scripture implies alfo its Original to be from Christ and his Apofiles. I must look that it will be Objected, notwithstanding. That the Ancient Difcipline came to Effect by the vo· luntary Confent of Chriftians, that in times

7

of

י

of Perfecution Submitted to fuch Rules as jeemed neceffary in that State of Things ; and that now, all the Authority the Church hath is from the Laws of the Land ins every Chriftian State; fo that what Changes or Alterations are made by the C vil Power, fhall take Place, in Bar to any Laws or Customs of the Church. But I am mistaken if any great matter can be made of this Objection. 'Tis true indeed, The Ancient Discipline came to Effect by the vo luntary Confent of Chriftians; and the Church being a mere Spiritual Society, without any Temporal Power, to enforce by way of Conftraint the Effect of its Ministry, it could not be otherwife. But though the Church could lay no outward Conftraint, it nevertheless laid a Constraint upon the Confcience, fo that th fe who Confented to fub-. mit unto its Difcipline, could not have been Chriftians, had they not fo confented. There was therefore an Authority Obliging them in Confcience to yield Effect to thofe Miniftries which God had provided for the Maintenance and Propagation of Christia nity. So that that voluntary Act was nevertheless a Duty, in respect of an Autho•. "rity in the Church, Claiming from them a Submiffion to its Discipline, though not conStraining it by any External Force. Now

this being the Cafe, tis vifible that the Church had an Authority from the Ber ginning, though this not a Temporal, but Spiritual Authority. It will therefore concern fuch as will have it, that the Civil Authority may make Changes or Alterations at its pleasure in the Laws and Customs of the Charch, and that the Church has now no Authority, to fhew by what Right any Civil Tower, Profeffing Christianity, may defeat the Church of any part of the Right whereof it stands Roffelfed by the Original Institution of our Lord and his A postles on give a Reafon at least, why the Authority of the Church, which being de rived from Chrift and his Apstles food good against the Heathen Powers, should not stand good where the Civil Power Profelleth Chistianity, which will not be eafily done. Whereas it is a very easie matter for me to fhew on the contrary, That a State Profeffing Christianity, and the Protection thereof, ought not only to acknowledge the Authority which the Church has from Chrift and the Apostles, but to imploy also its own Authority to render the other Effectual with fuch as being Chriftians more out of Intreft than Confcience would not fubmit otherwife to the Authority and Difcipline of the

Church,

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Some

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