The Divine Right of Church Government: Wherein it is proved that the Presbyterian government, by preaching and ruling elders, in sessional, Presbyterial and synodical assemblies, may lay the only lawful claim to a divine right, according to the Holy Scriptures
Religion
The Divine Right of Church Government: Wherein it is proved that the Presbyterian government, by preaching and ruling elders, in sessional, Presbyterial and synodical assemblies, may lay the only lawful claim to a divine right, according to the Holy Scriptures
Presbyterian Church -- Government
I. Can you say indeed that you do seriously and heartily desire to see,
and to be more deeply and powerfully convinced of your own vileness and
sinfulness, of your own weakness and wretchedness, and of your wants and
unworthiness? and that, in order to your deep and spiritual humiliation
and self-debasing, that you may be more vile in your own eyes, and Jesus
Christ and free grace more precious and excellent, more high and
honorable, and more sweet and desirable, that your hearts may be melted
into godly sorrow, and that you may be moved thereby to abhor
yourselves, and to repent in dust and ashes? Job xlii. 5, 6.
II. Can you say that you do seriously and heartily desire and endeavor
to believe in Christ, and to receive and accept of him in the gospel
way, such as you find in Mark viii. 34; Luke xiv. 26-28, and elsewhere?
Do you thus desire and choose to have him with his yoke and cross? Matt.
xi. 28, 29. And do you so deny yourselves, and your sinful self,
righteous self, worldly self, supposed able, powerful self, and every
other carnal and spiritual self, that Christ only may be exalted, that
you may be nothing in your justification and salvation, but that Jesus
Christ and free grace may be all, and in all things? Col. iii. 11; Phil.
iii. 7, 8. Do you desire, choose, and endeavor to have Christ on the
hardest terms; and do you desire, that all may go for Christ's person,
blood, and righteousness, his grace, love, life, and Spirit, for the
pardon of your sins, and the justification of your persons, that you may
be found in him, not having your own righteousness, but the
righteousness of Christ by faith? Phil. iii. 9. And do you go and
present yourselves as destitute condemned sinners to him, and to God the
Father in and by him, that you may be clothed with the righteousness of
Christ, and that God may pardon, justify, and accept you for his sake
only?
III. Do you seriously and heartily desire and choose to have Christ
Jesus for your Lord and Ruler too, Col. ii. 6; that he may rule in you,
and over you, and that your lusts and yourselves, your interests, and
your all, may be subject unto him, and be wholly at his command and
disposal continually? Is Christ the Lord as acceptable to you as Christ
Jesus the Saviour? and are you willing to obey him, and to be subject to
his authority and dominion, as well as to be saved by him? Would you
have him to destroy your lusts, to make an end of sin, and to bring all
under his obedience?
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