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
rightly exercised in the Church, as Constantine, Theodosius, Arcadius,
Marcianus, Charles the Great, and many pious kings, took care that the
judgments of the Church should be rightly exercised, &c.
Thus those of the presbyterian judgment are willing to give to Cæsar
those things that are Cæsar's, even about matters of religion, that the
magistrate may see, it is far from their intention in the least degree
to intrench upon his just power, by asserting the spiritual power, which
Christ hath seated in his church officers, distinct from the
magistratical power: but as for them of the independent judgment, and
their adherents, they divest the magistrate of such power.[31]
SECTION II.
II. Some power on the other hand touching religion and church affairs,
is utterly denied to the civil magistrate, as no way belonging to him at
all by virtue of his office of magistracy. Take it thus:
Jesus Christ, our Mediator, now under the New Testament, hath committed
no spiritual power at all, magisterial or ministerial, properly,
internally, formally, or virtually ecclesiastical, nor any exercise
thereof, for the government of his Church, to the political magistrate,
heathen or Christian, as the subject or receptacle thereof by virtue of
his magistratical office.
For explication hereof briefly thus: 1. What is meant by
spiritual power, magisterial and ministerial, is laid down in the
general nature of the government, Chap. III. And, That all magisterial
lordly power over the Church, belongs peculiarly and only to Jesus
Christ our Mediator, Lord of all, is proved, Chap. V. Consequently, the
civil magistrate can challenge no such power, without usurpation upon
Christ's prerogative. We hence condemn the Pope as Antichrist, while he
claims to be Christ's vicar-general over Christ's visible Church on
earth. So that all the question here will be about the ministerial
power, whether any such belong to the civil magistrate. 2. What is meant
by power, properly, internally, formally, or virtually ecclesiastical?
Thus conceive: These several terms are purposely used, the more clearly
and fully to distinguish power purely ecclesiastical, which is denied to
the magistrate, from power purely political about ecclesiastical
objects, which is granted to him; which is called ecclesiastical, not
properly, but improperly; not internally, but externally; not formally,
but only objectively, as conversant about ecclesiastical objects. Nor
hath he any such ecclesiastical power in him virtually, i.e. so as to
convey and give it to any other under him. He may grant and protect the
public exercise of that power within his dominions; but designation of
particular persons to the office and power, is from the Church; the
donation of the office and power only from Christ himself. So that
magistracy doth not formally nor virtually comprehend in it
ecclesiastical power for church government; for a magistrate, as a
magistrate, hath no inward ecclesiastical power at all belonging to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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