Two discourses concerning the Holy Spirit, and His work the one, Of the Spirit…

(§ 8.) THIRDLY, The Rule of the Church belongeth unto the Ministers of it. God hath established Rule in the Church, Rom. 12. 8. 1 Cor. 12. 28. 1 Tim. 5. 17. 1 Thess. 5. 12. Heb. 13. 17. I dispute not now of what sort this Ministry is, nor whether the Rule belong unto one sort alone. It is enough unto my present Design that it is committed by Christ unto the Ministers of the Church, which are it's Guides, Rulers and Overseers. Nor shall I at present enquire into the particular Powers, Acts and Duties of this Rule. I have done it elsewhere. I am only now to consider it so far as it's Exercise requireth an especial Ministerial Gift to be communicated by the Holy Ghost. And in order thereunto the things ensuing must be premised. (1) That this Rule is Spiritual, and hath nothing in common with the Administration of the Powers of the World. It hath, I say, no Agreement with Secular Power and it's Exercise, unless it be in some natural Circumstances that inseparably attend Rulers and Ruled in any kind. It belongs unto the Kingdom of Christ, and the Administration of it, which are not of this World. And as this is well pleaded by some against those who would erect a Kingdom for him in the World, and, as far as I can understand, of this World, framed in their own Imaginations unto a fancied Interest of their own; so it is as pleadable against them who pretend to exercise the Rule and Power of his present Kingdom after the manner of the Potestative Administrations of the World. When our Saviour forbade all Rule unto his Disciples after the manner of the Gentiles, ⟨p. 269⟩who then possessed all Sovereign Power in the World, and told them, that it should not be so with them, that some should be great and exercise Dominion over others, but that they should serve one another in Love, the greatest Condescension unto Service being required of them who are otherwise most eminent; he did not intend to take from them, or divest them of that Spiritual Power and Authority in the Government of the Church which he intended to commit unto them. His Design therefore was to declare, what that Authority was not, and how it should not be exercised. A Lordly or Despotical Power it was not to be, nor was it to be exercised by Penal Laws, Courts and Coercive Jurisdiction, which was the way of the Administration of all Power among the Gentiles.