The presence of Christ with the ministers of the Gospel, opened & applied in…The presence of Christ with the ministers of the Gospel, opened & applyed in…

5. Arg. They that are empowered by Christ to judge who are disciples, have power to judge in other causes Ecclesiastical; but Ministers are to judge who are disciples. Mat. 28.19. Go therefore & teach all Nations baptizing them. The word rendered Teach, is, Disciple them; and when that was done, then they were to Baptize them. They were not to ask the Church for liberty to Baptize them, and if the Church were unwilling, then to neglect it; but when they Discipled them, they were to Baptize them. If the command had been to Baptize those that the Church Voted to be disciples, they ought to have taken a Vote for it: but if the command be to Baptize disciples, they are made the judges who are disciples. There is the like reason for other acts of Office: because they are to give the Lords-Supper to qualified Persons, therefore they are to judge who are qualified; and because they are to censure impenitent Offenders, they are to judge who ⟨p. 12⟩are impenitent Offenders; and because they are to forgive them that are Penitent, they are to judge who are Penitent Paul Baptized the Jailer & his Family, & Lydia without the consent of any Church. Philip Baptized the Eunuch, and Peter Baptized Cornelius without the consent of any Church. Paul Excommunicated Hymeneus & Alexander, 1 Tim. 1.20. but there is no intimation that he had the consent of the Church. It may be pleaded, That Paul was an Apostle, & had extraordinary power. Yet it must be yielded that then the Brethren have power of Suffrage only in some cases, & that their consent is not necessary to the validity of the act.

5. Arg. They that are impowred by Christ to judge who are disciples, have power to judge in other causes Ecclefiastical; but Ministers are to judge who are disciples. Mat. 28.19. Go therefore & teach all Nations baptizing them. The word rendred Teach, is, Disciple them; and when that was done, then they were to Baptize them. They were not to ask the Church for liberty to Baptize them, and if the Church were unwilling, then to neglect it; but when they Discipled them, they were to Baptize them. If the command had been to Baptize those that the Church Voted to be disciples, they ought to have taken a Vote for it: but if the command be to Baptize disciples, they are made the judges who are disciples. There is the like reason for other acts of Office: because they are to give the Lords-Supper to qualifyed Persons, therefore they are to judge who are qualifyed; and because they are to censure impenitent Offenders, they are to judge who