A88586:52
The main points of church-government and discipline
The main points of church-government and discipline; plainly and modestly handled by way of question and answer. Very useful to such as either want money to buy, or leisure to read larger tracts.The main points of church-government and discipline; plainly and modestly handled by way of question and answer. Very useful to such as either want money to buy, or leasure to read larger tracts.
London: printed by J.M. for Luke Fawne, 1649London: printed by J.M. for Luke Favvne, 1649
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Quest. 18. Doth the Scripture warrant the use and subordination of Congregational, Classical, Provincial, National, and Ecumenical Assemblies?
Quest. 18. Doth the Scripture warrant the use and subordination of Congregational, Classical, Provincial, National, and Oecumenical Assemblies?
Ans. Yes, it doth. For 1. of Congregational Assemblies no question is made. 2. The proving of the Church of Jerusalem to consist of more Congregations then one, and their Elders questionless convening for Acts of government of those Congregations, doth also prove the warrantableness of a Classical Assembly. 3. There being warrant sufficient for combination of Churches, and the Scripture not limiting it to such or such limits, beyond which it may not exceed, doth sufficiently warrant the greater combinations, as occasion may require them, and they may with conveniency be had; the ⟨p. 38⟩Scripture doth not determine those cases in which a Church may call neighbouring Churches together for advice, nor with how many Churches, or with what Churches she should advise, nor in what cases neighbour Churches may call an offending Church to account, or how oft they must do it, nor when they may lawfully non-communion a Sister-Church; nor doth the Scripture limit the number of Elders, as three, four, five, six, &c. which each Congregation must have, and neither more no less; nor doth it bound a Congregational Church, saying, it must consist of one hundred, two or three hundred, five or six hundred, or a thousand, two, three, or more thousands, nor that the bounds of the habitation of its members should be two, three, four, ten, twenty miles; but these things are left to prudence, according to the general rules of the Word. 4. How much the greater distance there is between Churches, so much the less needs the visible communion thereof to be, because danger of scandal and infection, and opportunity of mutual edification is less or more, according as the distance of place is greater or less, and this occasions and justifies the ⟨p. 39⟩