Then the proper acts of Church-power, and of ordinary Office-power, are limited, by the Ordinance of Christ, to be put forth by the Church, and Officers respectively, within that Body, or particular Congregation, to which they have a particular memberly or official Relation. The members of one Church cannot act in admitting the Members, choosing the Officers, nor censuring Offenders of another Church ▪ Nor may the Officers of one ⟨p. 110⟩Church, administer the Seals, or ordain Officers, or perform other proper Acts of official Authority, out of their own body, in another Church. The Church may, by communion of Churches, upon orderly, recommendation, receive the members of other Churches unto fellowship of such Ordinances, as are for the comfort and strengthening of the Saints, as the Seals are, and the Officers may administer them to such, being accepted by the body: for we have a warrant for so much, from the Rule, Rom. 16.1. 3 Joh. 9. but not to act in judgement. For, the Church hath this privilege proper to be judged by, and to judg, only those that are within, 1 Cor. 5.12. whereas I alleged this Text against Mr. Paget, to prove, that Church-Ordinances belong only to the Members of some particular Church, Mr. Rutterf. meeting with that expression, saith, Mr. D. will have Pastors so far strangers to all Congregations, save their own, that (he saith) other Churches are without, and have nothing to do to judge them, and allegeth for this, 1 Cor. 5.12. But by those that are without, Paul meaneth, not those that were not of the Congregation, but he meaneth Infidels and Heathen, as in other Scriptures. ⟨p. 111⟩For Paul judged and excommunicated Hymeneus and Alexander, 1 Tim. 1.20. who were without the Church at Corinth.] Had Mr. Rut. been pleased to cast his eye upon my own defence of that passage,1 printed sundry years before he put pen to paper in these disputes about Church affairs, he might have found that written by me, touching the sense, and my application of that Text, which might have prevented his exagitating that matter. Nor doth he with any congruity argue from Pauls Excommunicating Hymeneus and Alexander, who, he saith, were without the Church at Corinth, to prove that Pastors have any thing to do, to judge judicially, or excommunicate the members of other Congregations.
Then the proper acts of Church-power, and of ordinary Office-power, are limited, by the Ordinance of Christ, to be put forth by the Church, and Officers respectively, within that Body, or particular Congregation, to which they have a particular memberly or official Relation. The members of one Church cannot act in admitting the Members, choosing the Officers, nor censuring Offenders of another Churc• ▪ Nor may the Officers of one ⟨p. 110⟩Church, administer the Seals, or ordain Officers, or perform other proper Acts of official Authority, out of their own body, in another Church. The Church may, by communion of Churches, upon orderly, recommendation, receive the members of other Churches unto fellowship of such Ordinances, as are for the comfort and strengthning of the Saints, as the Seals are, and the Officers may administer them to such, being accepted by the body: for we have a warrant for so much, from the Rule, Rom. 16.1. 3 Joh. 9. but not to act in judgement. For, the Church hath this priviledge proper to be judged by, and to judg, only those that are within, 1 Cor. 5.12. whereas I alledged this Text against Mr. Paget, to prove, that Church-Ordinances belong only to the Members of some particular Church, Mr. Rutterf. meeting with that expression, saith, Mr. D. will have Pastors so far strangers to all Congregations, save their own, that (he saith) other Churches are without, and have nothing to do to judge them, and alledgeth for this, 1 Cor. 5.12. But by those that are without, Paul meaneth, not those that were not of the Congregation, but he meaneth Infidels and Heathen, as in other Scriptures. ⟨p. 111⟩For Paul judged and excommunicated Hymeneus and Alexander, 1 Tim. 1.20. who were without the Church at Corinth.] Had Mr. Rutt. been pleased to cast his eye upon my own defence of that passage,1 printed sundry years before he put pen to paper in these disputes about Church affairs, he might have found that written by me, touching the sense, and my application of that Text, which might have prevented his exagitating that matter. Nor doth he with any congruity argue from Pauls Excommunicating Hymeneus and Alexander, who, he saith, were without the Church at Corinth, to prove that Pastors have any thing to do, to judge judicially, or excommunicate the members of other Congregations.
- 1In my Apolog. Reply, pag. 312, 313.
