N00061:182
Communion of churches: or, The divine management of Gospel-churches by the ordinance of councils,…
Communion of churches: or, The divine management of Gospel-churches by the ordinance of councils, constituted in order according to the Scriptures. : As also, the way of bringing all Christian parishes to be particular reforming congregational churches: humbly proposed, as a way which hath so much light from the Scriptures of truth, as that it may lawfully be submitted unto by all; and may, by the blessing of the Lord, be a means of uniting those two holy and eminent parties, the Presbyterians and the Congregationals. : As also to prepare for the hoped for resurrection of the churches; and to propose a way to bring all Christian nations unto an unity of the faith and order of the Gospel. / Written by John Eliot, teacher of Roxbury in N.E. ; [Two lines of Scripture texts]Communion of churches: or, The divine management of Gospel-churches by the ordinance of councils, constituted in order according to the Scriptures. : As also, the way of bringing all Christian parishes to be particular reforming congregationall churches: humbly proposed, as a way which hath so much light from the Scriptures of truth, as that it may lawfully be submitted unto by all; and may, by the blessing of the Lord, be a means of uniting those two holy and eminent parties, the Presbyterians and the Congregationals. : As also to prepare for the hoped for resurrection of the churches; and to propose a way to bring all Christian nations unto an unity of the faith and order of the Gospel. / Written by John Eliot, teacher of Roxbury in N.E. ; [Two lines of Scripture texts]
printed by Marmaduke Johnson, 1665
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
VII. If business so multiply, […] at one day sufficeth not to finish the work, the Council have liberty to appoint other ⟨p. 29⟩times so oft as they need, within the month: and if they finish not in that month, it must be left on record how the case standeth, and so to be presented to the Council that shall be chosen for the next month, which ordinarily, in this order, will be the same persons, or (at least) most of them.
VII. If business so multiply, 〈…〉 at one day sufficeth not to finish the work, the Council have liberty to appoint other ⟨p. 29⟩times so oft as they need, within the moneth: and if they finish not in that moneth, it must be left on record how the case sta•deth, and so to be presented to the Council that shall be chosen for the next moneth, which ordinarily, in this order, will be the same persons, or (at least) most of them.
VIII. If any Case prove too hard for them to resolve, or if they be considerably divided in judgement, then the Case is to be transmitted to the next Provincial Council, and recorded so to be, with the Reasons o• transmitting the same.
IX. If they agree in Counsel about any case or point of Religion, in Faith or Order: and if any person or persons, or Church concerned therein, do not accept of their counsel and judgement; he, or they, have liberty to appeal to the next Provincial Council; provided, that if the Council advise the Church to proceed to Censure, they are to follow that counsel, notwithstanding his appeal, and not to suffer sin to lie upon their brother; for if it were in the […] power to stop the clear process of a Gospel-medicine to his soul in gross scandals, some would never come under the Soul-medicine of Christ Jesus, or not so soon as were meet but he may appeal higher fr all actions of the Churches and Councils, are liable to a […], until it come unto the highest. And his Appeal, with the Reasons and manner thereof, are to be recorded.