Part 2 — Chapter 6: The Second Argument, Taken from Christ's Institution

As we have Nature, so have we Christ's Institution for us, and this shall appear two ways. First, the fidelity of Christ, both in his Prophetical and in his Regall or Nomotheticall power, was such, that he has sufficiently provided for all the necessities and exigences whatever of his Churches, to the end of the world. Therefore the Apostle calls him as faithful in all the house of God, as ever Moses was, who delivered laws serving for the government of the Church of the Jews in all cases. From where we collect, that the authority of Classical Presbyteries over the Elderships of particular congregations, and the authority of Synods over both, must needs have a warrant from Christ's own Institution, because without this authority, there are very important necessities of the Churches, that cannot be helped. For example, in most congregations, especially in Dorps and Villages, when a Pastor is to be ordained, the particular Eldership within the congregation can neither examine and try his gifts, and his soundness in the faith, (which examination must necessarily precede his ordination;) nor can they discover him, in case he be a subtle and learned heretic; nor yet can they pray in the congregation over him which is to be ordained, and give him public exhortation and admonition of his duty, God having neither given to the Elders of every congregation, nor yet required of them such abilities. What shall be done in this case? Ainsworth would have the work stayed, and the Church to want a Minister, till she be able to do her works, and her duties which are proper to her. Alas! had Christ no greater care of the Churches than so? Shall they be destitute of a Pastor, ever till they be able to try his gifts and soundness, and to exhort and pray at his ordination? And how shall they ever attain to such abilities except they be taught? And how shall they be taught without a Teacher? Now the power and authority of Classical Presbyteries, to ordain Pastors in particular congregations, shall cut off all this deduction of absurdities, and shall supply the Churches' need. I may add another instance concerning the Classical Presbytery itself. What if the one half thereof turn to be heretical, or it may be the major part? They shall either have most voices, or at least the half of the voices for them, and there shall be no remedy, unless the authoritative determination of a Synod be interposed.

Secondly, the will of Christ for Provincial and National Assemblies to be over Presbyteries, even as they are over the Elderships of particular congregations, appears also in this. He has given us in the New Testament, express warrant for Ecclesiastical Courts and Assemblies in general, that such there ought to be, for the right government of the Church (Matthew 18:20): "Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them." (Acts 15:6) "And the Apostles and Elders came together for to consider of this matter." From these and the like places, it is plain, that Christ wills jurisdiction to be exercised, and controversies to be determined by certain Consistories and Assemblies. Of the exercise of jurisdiction is the first place, which I have cited to be understood, as the cohesion thereof with the purpose which went before, shows. Of determining questions of faith, and enacting laws concerning things in their own nature indifferent, is the other place to be understood, as we shall hear afterward. So then, we truly affirm of Ecclesiastical Assemblies in general, that power is committed by Christ to them, to exercise jurisdiction, to determine questions of faith, and to make constitutions about things indifferent, in the case of scandal. Now the several sorts of these Assemblies are not particularly determined in Scripture, but left to be particularly determined by the Church, conforming to the light of Nature, and to the general rules of the Word of God. And the particular kinds of Assemblies appointed by the Church, conforming to the light and rules foresaid, do fall within the compass of those precepts which are Divine-Ecclesiastical: they are mixed (though not mere) divine ordinances. Even as the Scripture warrants times of fasting, and times of thanksgiving, showing also the causes and occasions of the same, and the right manner of performance; but leaves the particular days of fasting and thanksgiving to be determined by the Church, according to the rules of the Word. In like manner, the Scripture commends the renewing of the covenant of God in a Nation that has broken it, but leaves the day and place for such an action to be determined by the Church, according to the rules foresaid. Now if the Church following the general warrant and rules of the Word, command to fast such a day, to give thanks such a day, to renew the covenant of God such a day; these things are divine ordinances mixedly, though not merely; and he who disobeys, disobeys the commandment of God. The like may be said of catechising, and of celebrating the Lord's Supper, (which are not things occasional, as the former, but ordinary in the Church:) they are commended by the warrants of Scripture, but the particular times and seasons not determined. The like we say of the order to be kept in baptism, and in excommunication, which is not determined in the Word, though the things themselves be. The removing of scandals, by putting wicked persons to public shame, and open confession of their faults in the Church, has certain warrant from Scripture, yet the degrees of that public shame and punishment, are left to be determined by the Church, according to the quality of the scandal, and the rules of the Word. Now the Church appoints some scandalous persons to be put to a greater shame, some to a lesser, some to see one Sabbath in the place of public repentance, some three, some nine, some twenty five, etc. And if the offender refuse that degree of public shame which the Church, following the rules foresaid appoints for him, he may be truly said, to refuse the removing and taking away of the scandal, which the Word of God enjoins him, and so to disobey not the Church only, but God also. Just so the Scripture having commended to us the governing of the Church, the making of laws, the exercise of jurisdiction, the deciding of controversies, by Consistories and Assemblies Ecclesiastical, having also showed the necessity of the same, their power, their rule of proceeding and judging, who should sit and voice in the same, etc., but leaving the particular kinds, degrees, times, bounds, and places of the same to be resolved upon by the Church, according to the light of natural reason, and general rules of the Word: the Church for her part, following the general warrant and rules foresaid, together with the light of nature, has determined and appointed Assemblies, Provincial and National, and to exercise respectively that power which the Word gives to Assemblies in general. The case thus standing, we may boldly maintain that those particular kinds and degrees of Ecclesiastical Assemblies, are God's own ordinances mixedly, though not merely.

But what can be the reason, may some man say, why the Scripture has not itself determined these kinds of Assemblies particularly. I answer, three reasons may be given for it: 1. because it was not necessary, the general rules of the Word together with nature's light which directs Commonwealths in things of the same kind, being sufficient to direct the Church therein. 2. As seasons and times for the meeting of Assemblies, so the just bounds thereof in so many different places of the world, are things of that kind which were not determinable in Scripture, unless the world had been filled with volumes thereof; for, *Individua sunt Infinita*. 3. Because this constitution of Synods Provincial and National, is not universal for all times and places: for example, there may be in a remote Island 10 or 12 Christian congregations, which beside their particular Elderships have a common Presbytery, but are not capable of Synods either Provincial or National. Again, let there be an Island containing forty or fifty Christian congregations, there shall be therein, beside Presbyteries, one kind of a Synod, but not two kinds. Besides, the reformed congregations within a great Nation, may happily be either so few, or so dispersed and distant, or so persecuted, that they can neither have Provincial nor National Assemblies.