To Spang, undated: "Matters are near some crisis. I pray God it may be happy. I count the King's party utterly undone... London is not willing to quit what both parliaments [Scotch and English] granted to them before, and therefore did offer petition upon petition to have their own militia, as in the propositions agreed to by both kingdoms was settled. The Lords were willing to let it go so: the Commons, foreseeing that such a power in the hands of London, though under the Parliament, yet makes them masters of the Parliament; also gives them power over the city of Westminster and all the suburbs, which they had not before; so demur upon the matter, and are content to hear the contrary petitions of Westminster and the suburbs, which may draw the business of the propositions to so great a length as they please. In the mean time, the King's extremity makes him very impatient of such delays. The City is much grieved that what before was without a question granted to them, should now be taken away This controversy makes them the more willing to look into the ways of the Sectaries... The City is in so good a temper these two months as we could wish... The Sectarian party would gladly be at a breach with us; but the affection which France and the City declares towards us, does a little bridle them.” In a "Public Letter, December 2nd," these incidentals appear, "Our army [of Scots is come to Newark... The Independents here plead for a Toleration both for themselves and other sects. My Dissuasive' is come in time to do service here. We hope God will assist us to remonstrate the wickedness of such a Toleration... An 'Accommodation,' in just terms, we were well content with; but the Independents always scorned it. Yet ere long I think they will beg it when it will not be granted."b Then follows a Letter headed "For Mr. Roberts," but without a date: "Reverend and Beloved Brother,.. Yesterday the Assembly's Petition was frowned upon in both Houses; notwithstanding, we purpose, God willing, on Thursday to give in a remonstance of a more full and high strain... I heard yesterday, that Mr. Lilburn has a Petition for the Sectaries, subscribed with the hands of a great many thousands... If your city will countenance Mr. Peter's sermon on the day appointed, they do but go on as they have begun. Send back this letter with the bearer; for we had need to beware what papers be in any of your studies, since, the other day, it was earnestly pressed in the House that Mr. Jenkins', Mr. Cranford's, and, as I think, Mr. Fisher's studies should be presently sealed up, and searched. These be but the beginnings of evils."c a Let. 126. p. 176-178. b Let. 127. p. 178, 179. Let. 138. p. 179, 180. CHAP. LXII. COTTON'S "WAY OF THE CHURCHES.". 66 ANIMADVERSIONS UPON COTTON'S "KEYS" AND "WAY."-HIS DEFENCE. FOR another contribution necessary to the obtaining of a full and correct insight into the opinions and practices of our ancestors, we resort to "The Way of the Churches of Christ in New England: Or, The Way of Churches walking in Brotherly Equality, or Co-ordination, without Subection of one Church to another: Measured and examined by the Golden Reed of the Sanctuary. Containing a full Declaration of the Church-Way in all particulars. By Mr. J. Cotton, Teacher of the Church at Boston in New England. - Published according to Order. Lond. 1645." 4to. pp. 116. The Epistle to the Reader, "satisfying,"-say they who superintended the passing this treatise through the press,-" his desire of a fuller declaration of the Church-Way," commences with remarking that "Although our Brethren of a different judgment from that Way, have not, all this while, held forth unto us what Discipline they intend; nor yet have pointed us to any Platform settled in adjacent kingdoms; but rather have lured off our eye with intinations that they intend some variation; yet how many [times], how long [time], have [they] even dulled our ears with expostulations for a fuller declaration of ourselves, whose hands they know are much bound up, and our single selves in an incapacity to be representative of others! The unwillingness of Licensers to license our tracts; and the earnest endeavours of some to move complaints against two or three of our most moderate books, that with hard travail got a convoy of licences to cut through the presses, are not dumb witnesses how much our way is barred, and our hands tied short... "With much ado, we have presented you with a fuller declaration' of all our Way, according to the Scriptures, in this learned yet modest treatise... If all things in this treatise as now printed, do not answer punctually word for word to the first written copy, let the reverend author, and the candid reader, pardon us... Lest any should imagine that every thing in the Keys' doth not fit all the wards in this treatise to a hair, we will here insert Mr. Cotton's own words.. coming.. while this Epistle lay under the Press, namely, If you think the draft of Church-Discipline which was sent over in your ship, varieth from that of The Power of the Keys 'b sent over the year after; you may have some occasion so to conceive, from some difference of expression in logical terms, but not a jot in any doctrine of divinity, or church-practice.. To Mr. R. M. Divers objections, formerly, laid against the printing of this book, to the saddening of the author; some whereof are now answered by the late season of printing it; others by the necessity of them that conscientiously and candidly cry out for a See back, p. 155. b See back, p. 259. information; others, by the foreprinting of the Keys' to open the full mind and whole sphere of the author's judgment in this; others, by that putting forth in print of an answer to this book, before this was midwifed by the Press into the world; all reason therefore, now it can speak, that it should answer for itself.".. Signed, N. H.-I. H. We shall not handle this profound treatise with any regard to method, since to do it ample justice would occupy far more space than can be allotted for it in these pages. The chapters consist of 1. "The order of gathering dispersed Christians into a Church." 2. "Touching Church-officers, with their election and ordination." 3. "Of the addition of Members to the Church." 4. " Concerning our Order and Forms in administration of God's Public Worship." 5. "Touching the dispensation of the Censures of the Church." 6. "Seven ways of Communion of Churches." And, 7. "Of the way of Reformation in the Congregations in England." · Concerning the vexata quæstio which has caused so much strife among disputants on church-order and discipline, Cotton writes, at this time, in this somewhat ambiguous strain: "Neither do we acknowledge Ruling Elders,' 1 Tim. v. 17, in the church, to be lay-elders properly; for to say nothing of the distinction between the clergy and laity, which is of a later edition than apostolic times, the ruling elders being ordained to the office by the election of the people and imposition of hands as well as the preaching elders,-they are no more laymen, or private christians, than the teachers or pastors are lay-ministers: and though the pastor and teacher be either of them church-rulers, yet the ruler is here distinguished from them, as a distinct member attending to his action of rule as his proper function.”b "The issue of all," he adds, after further remarks," is, that when men of learning and judgment have wearied their wits and strength to shoulder out Ruling Elders' from this text, yet such is the evidence and wisdom of the Holy Ghost, in the Word, that it may well appear the weakness of God is stronger than men,' and 'the foolishness of God wiser than men.' The words cannot but approve two sorts of Elders, and bo:h worthy of double honour,' both they that rule well,' though they labour not in preaching, and especially' they that do labour in preaching; but this interpretation will by no means satisfy some of a contrary judgment."d "We utterly deny them to be laymen,' as the word is commonly meant in this controversy; but church-officers, set apart to their office by the election of the people and by imposition of hands; but if they were mere laymen-which they are not,-yet you see it is no 'strange' or 'unheard of' matter, that churches should be bountiful to the maintenance of sundry sorts of church-rulers who are merely laymen, as their adversaries misconceive these to be... But the world will love its own, be there never so many idle drones or stately rulers of man's own devising, the Church must supply them not only with maintenance, but with magnificence; but let the Lord appoint ruling elders,' according to the simplicity of the Gospel, to assist his ministers in the work of government, that they might attend a Nathaniel Homes subscribed the Epistle prefixed to "The Way of Congregational Churches Cleared. 1648." c 1 Cor. i. 25. d P. 24. b P. 14. the more to 'labour in the Word,' if they shall expect from the Church any maintenance' for their work's sake, oh! that seemeth a 'strange' matter, and unheard of' from all antiquity, till this present age." To an objection, in part, that in 1 Tim. iv. 14, the presbytery gave imposition of hands to ordain ministers; but lay-elders had no right to impose hands to that purpose, therefore laymen were none of this "presbytery;" it is answered, "When it is said, No man can give what he hath not received;—the light of nature, the law of Moses, the Gospel of Christ, do all of them make a ready answer for us. The law of nature tells us it is not necessary that they that give should always, formally, have beforehand received that power which they give: it is enough if they have received it virtually. For instance, a multitude of free people may elect and ordain a king over them; and yet none of them had, beforehand, received kingly power: it is enough, they have a virtual power to set up and to submit unto any lawful form of government which they see good for themselves in the land. The people of Israel, to wit, some in the name of the rest, for all could not at once, impose their hands upon the Levites," and yet were not Levites themselves, nor had received imposition of hands themselves, and yet may nevertheless impose hands upon others. In the Gospel of Christ, the power of the keys' is given to the church-to Peter, not as an apostle nor as an elder, but as a professed believer, in the name of believers, and upon occasion of the profession of his faith; whereupon the binding and loosing-which is the power of the keys—is attributed to the whole church' Matt. xviii. 17, 18. If then, the power of the keys, which is the whole body of church-power, be given to the body of the church, though it be not in their power to exercise their pastoral preaching of the Word and administering of the sacraments, yet it is in their power to elect such whom God hath furnished with gifts among them, unto such offices as may dispense all the holy things of God to them; and, by imposition of hands, to dedicate them to God and to the public service of his church. Now, if the whole church have this power to impose hands upon their officers in their first ordination, how can it seem a 'strange' and unheard of' thing, or on absurd matter, that Ruling Elders should together with the Pastors and Teachers-all of them making up the presbytery' of the church-impose hands, in the Name of the Lord, and of the church, upon the ordained? "e - "It is well known," Cotton says, "to all such as are studious of antiquity, that it was counted a rare and insolent matter for an Elder to preach in the presence of a Bishop! Which was the canse why the good old Bishop Valerius was hardly spoken of, for suffering Augustine a Presbyter though a learned Presbyter― to preach before him; which, is said, never any African Bishop had allowed, before him. Now, whence should such an offence as was taken against Valerius arise, but from translating the silence of Ruling Elders from preaching in the presence of Pastors and Teachers, unto those Presbyters also who were called often to preach the Word freely and diligently, as well as the Bishops themselves? But when, through a "Bishop Bilson." b P. 25, 26. e P. 26. с Num. viii. 10. corruption of times, Bishops claimed to themselves the principal pastoral cure of souls, then it was taken for an offensive matter that Teaching Elders should preach before them; as before, it was unwonted for Ruling Elders to preach before the Teaching, ordinarily." He meets an objection of "some learned and prudent men," thus, "It is not credible that the office of ruling elders should be of divine or apostolical institution, and no footsteps left of it.. for these many hundred years"; by inferring, that in "churchwardens and vestry-men" are "some footsteps and remnants, and as it were rudera, of that holy and ancient ordinance, so much as is escaped out of the ruins of antichristian apostacy... What other thing soundeth the very name of 'church-wardens-guardiani ecclesiæ, but church-guardians or churchrulers? and, what is the company of vestrymen,' but a kind of a consistory ? Of his own "knowledge," he states, "there be some peculiar, privileged, churches in England, exempted from the jurisdiction of the bishop and his officers, where the church-wardens and ministers either by themselves, or with the consent of the congregation, do transact all that government which in other churches the bishop and his officers do invade and usurp; as to admonish offenders, to enjoin acknowledgment of scandalous offences, and to debar from the sacraments, etc. by this means, they repress idleness, drunkenness, swearing, sabbathbreaking, and the like disorders, with better success than other towns can do who have the help of mayor and justices.” So that, "it may not obscurely appear, that anciently they did enjoy it-spiritual power-amongst themselves, before one church began to lord it over another." And "Deacons," we are told, "all men acknowledge," to have continued throughout all ages, "though not without sundry mixtures of corruptions in the practice,. . which is impertinent to our purpose to prosecute who only intend to declare and clear our own practice and proceedings. Deacons therefore we reserve in our churches, but without distinction of pre-eminence of some of them above others; much less over the ministers and elders. Neither do we employ them about the ministry of the Word, nor about the government of the church... We do not appoint them to go up and down to collect the benevolences of abler brethren, but as the apostles received the oblations of the brethren, brought, and laid down' at their feet, Acts iv. 34, 35, and thereby made 'distribution' as the xpɛía, 'use,' of the church required: . . they receive the oblations of the brethren every Lord's-day, brought unto them and laid down before them, or else brought unto them on the week-day; and distribute the same as the use and 'need' of the church doth require." "Widows," 1 Tim. v. 9, 10, "we look at them as fit assistants to the deacons in ministering to the sick poor brethren in sundry needful services which are not so fit for men: .. only we find it somewhat rare to find a woman of so great an age. . fit to undertake such a service." "When.. churches are destitute of any of these officers, the 'brethren .. look out from amongst themselves' such persons... Elders, according to 1 Tim. iii. 2—7; Tit. i. 6-9: Deacons, according to Acts vi. 3; 1 Tim. iii. 8-12: for the church hath not absolute power to a P. 33. b P. 33, 34. © P. 35. 4 P. 38. e P. 39. |