The Divine Right of Church Government

The Divine Right of Church
Government

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Government
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Title: The Divine Right of Church Government
Author: Sundry Ministers Of Christ Within The City Of London
Release Date: November 3, 2004 [EBook #13941]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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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.
A NEW EDITION, CORRECTED AND AMENDED.
* * * * * BY SUNDRY MINISTERS OF CHRIST WITHIN THE
CITY OF LONDON.
* * * * *
TO WHICH IS ADDED
AN APPENDIX,
CONTAINING
EXTRACTS FROM SOME OF THE BEST AUTHORS WHO HAVE
WRITTEN ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT,
CONCERNING THE SCRIPTURAL QUALIFICATIONS AND
DUTIES OF CHURCH MEMBERS; THE SOLE RIGHT OF GOSPEL
MINISTERS TO PREACH THE GOSPEL; THE PEOPLE'S DIVINE
RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN PASTORS;
TOGETHER WITH
AN ABSTRACT OF THE ARGUMENTS OF THE GREAT DR.
OWEN (THOUGH A PROFESSED INDEPENDENT) IN FAVOUR

OF THE DIVINE RIGHT OF THE OFFICE OF THE RULING
ELDER.
* * * * *
NEW YORK: R. MARTIN & CO., 26 JOHN-STREET.
* * * * *
M.DCCC.XLIV.

THE EDITOR TO THE READER.
* * * * *
After what the authors of the following Treatise have said in their
preface, the Editor judges it unnecessary for him to detain the reader
long with any observations of his upon the subject. He, however, could
sincerely wish that the friends of Christ would pay that attention to the
government and discipline of his Church which it justly deserves.
Although this subject should not be placed among the things essential
to the being of a Christian; yet if it be found among the things that
Christ has commanded, it is at our peril if we continue wilfully ignorant
of, or despise it. He has expressly declared, that he who breaks one of
the least of his commandments, and teacheth men to do so, shall be
called least in the kingdom of heaven. It is an opinion too common, that
if we believe the essentials of religion, there is no occasion for so much
preciseness about the forms of church government, which are only
circumstantials, as there will be no inquiry made about these at the
tribunal of Christ. But whatever relative importance the things of
religion may have, when compared with one another, we ought to
reckon nothing which God hath appointed, nothing which Jesus hath
ratified with his blood, nothing which the Holy Spirit hath indited, so
circumstantial, as to be unworthy of our serious regard. It is at least
very rash, if not presumptuous, to say, that nothing about the
circumstantials of religion will be inquired into at the tribunal of Christ.
God has expressly said, that every work, good or evil, every idle word,

and every deed done in the body, shall be brought into judgment; and
false worshippers will, perhaps, find that their form of worship
consisted in something worse than idle words, or sinful words either,
even in sinful deeds, for which they will be accountable at the
judgment. As Christ laid down his life for his people, has instructed
them, and has set a hedge about all that they have, it would be most
ungrateful to requite him with pouring the highest contempt on his
kingly honor and authority; and when his worship is polluted, his truth
perverted, and the walls of his New Testament Zion broken down, to
care for none of those things. Government and discipline are the hedge
of his garden, the Church; and how will what men call the essentials of
religion remain in their glory, when this is broken down, the present
state of affairs can sufficiently attest, when the most damnable errors
are propagated with impunity.
In our times the enemies of the scriptural order of the house of God are
very numerous and very active, exerting all their power to break down
the carved work of God's sanctuary. The present spirit for novelty and
innovation, together with the rage for infidelity so prevalent, strongly
favors the opposition made to every thing which has a tendency to bind
men closely to God, to his truths, to the purity of his