Part 3 › Question 57: Quest. 57. Whether any Forms of Churches, and Church Government, or any new Church Offi…, A Christian Directory by Richard Baxter (1673) | AskReformation

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1. As there are some things circa sacra, or Accidents of Gods special Church Worship, which are left to humane prudence to determine of, so the same humane prudence may determine who shall do them. As e. g. Who shall repair the Buildings of the Church; the Windows, the Bells, the Pulpits, the Tables, &c. who shall keep the Clock; who shall keep the Cups, Clothes, and other Utensils; who shall be the Porter, the keeper of the Books, &c. Who shall call the people to Church, or ring the Bells, or give them notice of Church assemblies: who shall make bread for the Sacrament, or provide Wine, or bring Water for baptism: who shall make the Graves, and bury the Dead, or attend Marriages, or Baptizings, &c. Who shall set the Tune of the Psalm, or use the Church-Music (if there be any): who shall summon any of the people on any just occasion to come to their Pastors; or who shall summon the Pastors to any Synod, or lawful Assembly, and give them notice of the time and place: When they are to meet, who shall be called first, and who second? Who shall sit highest, and who lowest? Who shall take the Votes, or moderate or guide the Disputations of the Assembly? Who shall be the Scribe, and record what is done? Who shall send abroad their Agreements; and who shall be the Church-messenger to carry them. The Agents of such Circumstantials may be chosen by the Magistrate: or by the Churches or Pastors, as is most convenient. ⟨p. 833⟩Though I doubt not but in the beginning the Deacons were mere servants to the Pastors, to do as much of such circumstantial work, as they were able, of which serving at Tables, and looking to the poor, and carrying Bread and Wine to the absent, &c. were but parts: And all went under the name of Ministering to the Pastors or Churches. And therefore they seem to be but such an Accidental Office, appointed by the Apostles, on such common reasons, as Magistrates or Churches might have appointed them, if they had not.

1. As there are some things circa sacra, or Accidents of Gods special Church Worship, which are left to humane prudence to determine of, so the same humane prudence may determine who shall do them. As e. g. Who shall repair the Buildings of the Church; the Windows, the Bells, the Pulpits, the Tables, &c. who shall keep the Clock; who shall keep the Cups, Cloaths, and other Utensils; who shall be the Porter, the keeper of the Books, &c. Who shall call the people to Church, or ring the Bells, or give them notice of Church assemblies: who shall make bread for the Sacrament, or provide Wine, or bring Water for baptism: who shall make the Graves, and bury the Dead, or attend Marriages, or Baptizings, &c. Who shall set the Tune of the Psalm, or use the Church-Musick (if there be any): who shall summon any of the people on any just occasion to come to their Pastors; or who shall summon the Pastors to any Synod, or lawful Assembly, and give them notice of the time and place: When they are to meet, who shall be called first, and who second? Who shall sit highest, and who lowest? Who shall take the Votes, or moderate or guide the Disputations of the Assembly? Who shall be the Scribe, and record what is done? Who shall send abroad their Agreements; and who shall be the Church-messenger to carry them. The Agents of such Circumstantials may be chosen by the Magistrate: or by the Churches or Pastors, as is most convenient. ⟨p. 833⟩Though I doubt not but in the beginning the Deacons were meer servants to the Pastors, to do as much of such circumstantial work, as they were able, of which serving at Tables, and looking to the poor, and carrying Bread and Wine to the absent, &c. were but parts: And all went under the name of Ministring to the Pastors or Churches. And therefore they seem to be but such an Accidental Office, appointed by the Apostles, on such common reasons, as Magistrates or Churches might have appointed them, if they had not.

:6558p. 833

And further 1. That in sacred things that which is of Divine and primary institution is the famosius analogatum, and not that which is but formed by man. 2. That when such an ambiguous word is used without explication or explicating circumstances, it is to be taken for the famosius analogatum. 3. That in this case the word Church or Church-form is certainly ambiguous and not univocal. 4. That • National, Imperial, or Provincial Church as Headed by a King, Emperor, Magistrate, or any head of mans appointment, is another thing, from a Church of Christs institution: and is but an Accident or adjunct of it; and the Head of the Humane form, if called the Head of the Church of Christ, is but an Accidental Head, and not Constitutive. And if Christs Churches be denominated from such a Head, they are denominated but from an accident, as a man may be denominated clothed or unclothed, clothed gorgeously or sordidly, a neighbour to this man or that, &c. It is no formal denomination of a Church in the first acception, as it signifieth the famosius analogatum; though otherwise many kind of societies may be called Ecclesiae or Coetus: But Divines should not love confusion.

And further 1. That in sacred things that which is of Divine and primary institution is the famosius analogatum, and not that which is but formed by man. 2. That when such an ambiguous word is used without explication or explicating circumstances, it is to be taken for the famosius analogatum. 3. That in this case the word Church or Church-form is certainly ambiguous and not univocal. 4. That • National, Imperial, or Provincial Church as Headed by a King, Emperour, Magistrate, or any head of mans appointment, is another thing, from a Church of Christs institution: and is but an Accident or adjunct of it; and the Head of the Humane form, if called the Head of the Church of Christ, is but an Accidental Head, and not Constitutive. And if Christs Churches be denominated from such a Head, they are denominated but from an accident, as a man may be denominated cloathed or uncloathed, cloathed gorgeously or sordidly, a neighbour to this man or that, &c. It is no formal denomination of a Church in the first acception, as it signifieth the famosius analogatum; though otherwise many kind of societies may be called Ecclesiae or Coetus: But Divines should not love confusion.

:6559p. 833–834

10. It seemeth to me that the first distribution of Churches in the Roman Empire, into Patriarchal, Primates, Metropolitical, Provincial, Diocesan, were only the determination of ••ch adjuncts or extrinsic things, partly by the Emperors, and partly by Churches Consent upon the Emperors permission: And so that these new Church Governments were partly Magistratical, or by power derived from the Emperors, and partly mere Agreements or Contracts by degrees degenerating into Governments: And so the new forms and names are all but accidental, of adjuncts of the true Christian Churches. And though I cannot prove it unlawful to make such adjunctive or extrinsic constitutions, forms and names, considering the Matter simply it self, yet by accident these accidents have proved such to the true Churches, as the accident of sickness is to the body, and have been the causes of the Divisions, Wars, Rebellions, Ruins and Confusions of the Christian world: 1. As they have served the covetousness and ambition of carnal men: 2. And have enabled them to oppress simplicity and sincerity: 3. And because Princes have not exercised their own power themselves, nor committed it to Lay-Officers, but to Church-men: 4. Whereby the extrinsic Government hath so degenerated, and obscured the Intrinsic and been confounded with it, that both going under the equivocal name of ⟨p. 834⟩Ecclesiastical Government, few Churches have had the happiness to see them practically distinct:¹ Nay, few Divines do clearly in their Controversies, distinguish them: (Though Marsilius Patavinus and some few more have formerly given them very fair light, yet hath it been but slenderly improved.)

10. It seemeth to me that the first distribution of Churches in the Roman Empire, into Patriarchal, Primates, Metropolitical, Provincial, Diocesan, were only the determination of ••ch adjuncts or extrinsick things, partly by the Emperours, and partly by Churches Consent upon the Emperours permission: And so that these new Church Governments were partly Magistratical, or by power derived from the Emperours, and partly meer Agreements or Contracts by degrees degenerating into Governments: And so the new forms and names are all but accidental, of adjuncts of the true Christian Churches. And though I cannot prove it unlawful to make such adjunctive or extrinsick constitutions, forms and names, considering the Matter simply it self, yet by accident these accidents have proved such to the true Churches, as the accident of sickness is to the body, and have been the causes of the Divisions, Wars, Rebellions, Ruines and Confusions of the Christian world: 1. As they have served the covetousness and ambition of carnal men: 2. And have enabled them to oppress simplicity and sincerity: 3. And because Princes have not exercised their own power themselves, nor committed it to Lay-Officers, but to Church-men: 4. Whereby the extrinsick Government hath so degenerated, and obscured the Intrinsick and been confounded with it, that both going under the equivocal name of ⟨p. 834⟩Ecclesiastical Government, few Churches have had the happiness to see them practically distinct:¹ Nay, few Divines do clearly in their Controversies, distinguish them: (Though Marsilius Patavinus and some few more have formerly given them very fair light, yet hath it been but slenderly improved.)

1Which temp• eth the Erashans to deny and pull down both together, because they find one in the Pastors hands which belongeth to the Magistrate, and we do not teach them to untwist and separate them.