17. There is nothing herein, which any man who hath a conscientious sense of his duty in a professed subjection unto the gospel, can question for the substance of it, whether it be according to the mind of Christ or no, And whereas the nature and essential properties of a divine covenant are contained in them, as such it is a foundation of any church-state.

18. Thus under the Old Testament, when God would take the posterity of Abraham into a new peculiar churchstate, he did it by a solemn covenant. Herein, as he prescribed all the duties of his worship to them, and made them many blessed promises of his presence, with powers and privileges innumerable; so the people solemnly covenanted and engaged with him, that they would do and observe all that he had commanded them; whereby they coalesced into that church-state, which abode unto the time of reformation. This covenant is at large declared, Exod. xxiv. For the covenant which God made there with the people, and they with him, was not the covenant of grace under a legal dispensation; for that was established unto the seed of Abraham four hundred years before in the promise, with the seal of circumcision; nor was it the covenant of works under a gospel dispensation; for God never renewed that covenant under any consideration whatever. But it was a peculiar covenant which God then made with them, and had not made it with their fathers;' Deut. v. 2, 3. whereby they were raised and erected into a church-state, wherein they were intrusted with all the privileges, and enjoined all the duties which God had annexed thereunto. This covenant was the sole formal cause of their church-state, which they are charged so often to have broken, and which they o often solemnly renewed unto God.

19. This was that covenant which was to be abolished, whereon the church-state that was built thereon, was utterly taken away. For hereon the Hebrews ceased to be the peculiar church of God, because the covenant whereby they were made so, was abolished and taken away, as the apostle disputes at large, Heb. vii. 8, 9. The covenant of grace in the promise will still continue unto the true seed of Abraham; Acts ii. 38, 39. But the church covenant was utterly taken away.

OF THE POLITY, RULE, OR DISCIPLINE, &c. 377

20. Upon the removal therefore of this covenant, and the church-state founded thereon, all duties of worship and church privileges were also taken away (the things substituted in their room being totally of another kind). But the covenant of grace, as made with Abraham, being continued and transferred unto the gospel worshippers, the sign or token of it given unto him is changed; but another substituted in the room thereof. But whereas the privileges of this church covenant were in themselves carnal only, and no way spiritual, but as they were typical; and the duties prescribed in it were burdensome, yea, a yoke intolerable; the apostle declares in the same place, that the new churchstate, whereinto we are called by the gospel, hath no duties belonging unto it but such as are spiritual and easy; but withal, hath such holy and eminent privileges as the church could no way enjoy by virtue of the first church covenant; nor could believers be made partakers of them before that covenant was abolished. Wherefore,

21. The same way for the erection of a church-state for the participation of the more excellent privileges of the gospel, and performance of the duties of it, for the substance of it, must still be continued. For the constitution of such a society as a church is, intrusted with powers and privileges by a covenant or mutual consent, with an engagement unto the performance of the duties belonging unto it, hath its foundation in the light of nature, so far as it hath any thing in common with other voluntary relations and societies; was instituted by God himself, as the way and means of erecting the church-state of the Old Testament; and consisteth in the performance of such duties as are expressly required of all believers.

CHAP. III.

Of the polity, rule, or discipline of the church in general.

I. THE things last treated of concern the essence of the church, or the essential constituent parts of it, according unto the appointment of Christ. It remains in the next place, that we should treat of it as it is organical, or a body

corporate; a spiritually political society, for the exercise of the powers wherewith it is intrusted by Christ, and the due performance of the duties which he requires. Now, whereas it is brought into this estate, by the setting, fixing, or placing officers in it, method would require that we should first treat of them, their nature, names, power, and the ways of coming unto their offices. But, whereas all things concerning them are founded in the grant of power unto the church itself, and the institution of polity and rule therein by Jesus Christ, I shall first treat somewhat thereof in general.

That which we intend, on various considerations and in divers respects, is called the power or authority, the polity, the rule, the government, and the discipline of the church. The formal nature of it is its authority or power. Its polity is skill and wisdom to act that power unto its proper ends. Its rule is the actual exercise of that power, according unto that skill and wisdom. Its government is the exercise and application of that authority according unto that skill, towards those that are its proper objects. And it is called its discipline, principally with respect unto its end. Yet is it not material whether these things are thus accurately distinguished; the same thing is intended in them all, which I shall call the rule of the church.

II. The rule of the church is in general The exercise of the power or authority of Jesus Christ, given unto it according unto the laws and directions prescribed by himself unto its edification. This power in actu primo,' or fundamentally, is in the church itself; in actu secundo,' or its exercise, in them that are especially called thereunto. Whether that which is now called the rule of the church by some, being a plain secular dominion, have any affinity hereunto, is justly doubted. That it is in itself the acting of the authority of Christ, wherein the power of men is ministerial only, is evident For, (1.) All this authority in and over the church is vested in him alone. (2.) It is over the souls and consciences of men only, which no authority can reach but his, and that as it is his; whereof we shall treat more afterward.

The sole end of the ministerial exercise of this power and rule, by virtue thereof unto the church, is the edifica

tion of itself; Rom. xv. 1—3. 2 Cor. x. 8. xiii. 10. Eph. iv. 14, 15.

III. This is the especial nature and especial end of all power granted by Jesus Christ unto the church; namely, a ministry unto edification, in opposition unto all the ends whereunto it hath been abused. For it hath been so unto the usurpation of a dominion over the persons and consciences of the disciples of Christ, accompanied with secular grandeur, wealth, and power. The Lord Christ never made a grant of any authority for any such ends; yea, they are ex+ pressly forbidden by him, Luke xxii. 25. Matt. xx. 26-28. 'Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the. Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.'

All the pleas of the Romanists are utterly insufficient to secure their papal domination from this sword of the mouth of the Lord Jesus. For, whereas their utmost pretence and defence consists in this, That it is not dominion and power absolutely that is forbidden, but the unlawful, tyrannical, oppressive exercise of power, such as was in use among the princes of the Gentiles; never was there any dominion in the world, no not among the Gentiles, more cruel, oppressive, and bloody, than that of the pope's hath been. But it is evident, that our Lord Jesus Christ doth not in the least reflect on the rule or government of the kings and princes of the Gentiles, which was good and righteous: yea, he speaks of them in an especial manner, whom their subjects, for their moderate and equal rule, with their usefulness unto their countries, called svɛpyéraι, or 'benefactors.' Their rule, as unto the kind and administration of it in the kingdoms of the world, he approves of. And such a power or pre-eminence it was, namely, good and just in itself, not tyrannical and oppressive, that the two disciples desired in his kingdom, which gave occasion unto this declaration of the nature of his kingdom, and the rule thereof. For in this power or dominion two things may be considered. (1.) The exercise

of it over the persons, goods, and lives of men, by courts, coercive jurisdictions, processes of law, and external force in punishments. (2.) The state, grandeur, pre-eminence, wealth, exaltation above others, which are necessary unto the maintenance of their authority and power. Both these in the least participation of them, in the least degree whatever, are forbidden by our Saviour to be admitted in his kingdom, or to have any place therein, on what pretence soever. He will have nothing of lordship, domination, preeminence in lordly power in his church. No courts, no coercive jurisdictions, no exercise of any human authority doth he allow therein; for by these means do the princes of the Gentiles, those that are the benefactors of their countries, rule among them. And this is most evident from what in opposition hereunto he prescribes unto his own disciples, the greatest, the best in office, grace, and gifts; namely a ministry only, to be discharged in the way of service. How well this great command and direction of our Lord Jesus Christ hath been and is complied withal, by those who have taken on them to be rulers in the church, is sufficiently known.

Wherefore there is no rule of the church but what is ministerial, consisting in an authoritative declaration and application of the commands and will of Christ unto the souls of men, wherein, those who exercise it are servants unto the church for its edification, for Jesus' sake;' 2 Cor. iv. 5.

It hence follows, that the introduction of human authority into the rule of the church of Christ in any kind, destroyeth the nature of it, and makes his kingdom to be of this world, and some of his disciples to be in their measure like the princes of the Gentiles; nor is it ofttimes from themselves, that they are not more like them than they are. The church is the house of Christ, his family, his kingdom. To act any power in its rule, which is not his, which derives not from him, which is not communicated by his legal grant; or to act any power, by ways, processes, rules, and laws not of his appointment, is an invasion of his right and dominion. It can no otherwise be, if the church be his family, his house, his kingdom. For what father would endure that any power should be exercised in his family as to the dis