Chap. 2. the. 4. Diuision.
But I will yet come nearer. That without the which the principall offices of charitie cannot be exercised, is necessarie and alwayes to be kept in the Churche: but the office of Auncients & El∣ders are such as without which the principall offices of charitie can not be exercised, therfore it follo∣weth that this office is necessarie. That the principal offices of charitie cannot be exercised without this order of Auncients, it may appeare, for that he which hath faulted, and amēdeth not after he be admonished once pri〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ately, and then before one witnesse or two, cānot further be proceeded against,* 1.1 according to the commaundement of our sauiour Christ, onlesse there be in the Church Auncients 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉d Elders, therfore this principal office of charitie which tendeth to the amendment of him which hath not pr̄ofited by those two former admonitions, can not be exercised without them. For it is commaunded of our sauiour Christ, that in such a case when a brother doth not proffite by these two warnings, it should be tolde the Church. Now I would aske who be ment by the Church heere, if he say by the Church, are ment al ye people, then I will aske how a man can conueniently complayn〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 to all the whole congregation, or how can the whole congregation conueniently meete to decide of this matter. I do not denie but the people haue an interest in the excommunication, as shal be noted hereafter, bu〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 the matter is not so farre come, for he must first refuse to obey the admonition of the Church, or euer they can proceede so farre. Wel, if it be not the people that be ment by the Church. who is it? I heare M. Doctor say it is the Pastor, but if he will say so, & speake so straungely, he must warrant it with some other places of scripture, where the Church is takē for one, which is as much to say as one man is many, one member is a body, one alone is a companie. And besides this strangenesse of speech, it is cleane contrary to the meaning of our sauiour Christ, and destroyeth the soueraintie of the medicine which our sauiour Christ prepared for such a festred sore, as would ney∣ther be healed with priu〈1 line〉〈1 line〉te admonition, neyther wt admonition before one or two witnesses. For as ye fault groweth, so our sauior Christ would haue the nūber of those, before whō he shuld be checked & rebuked likewise grow. Therfore from a priuate admonition he riseth vnto the admonitian be∣fore two or three, & from thē to the church, which if we should say it is but one, then to a dangerou∣ser wound should be layd an easier plaster, & therfore our sauiour doth not rise from two to one (for that were not to rise, but to fall, nor to proceede, but to go backwarde) but to many. Seeing then that the church here is neyther the whole congregation, nor the pastor alone, it followeth that by the churche here he meaneth the pastor, with the Auncients or Elders. Or else whom can he meane? And as for this maner of speech wherin by the church is vnderstanded the chiefe gouernours and Elders of the church, it is oftentimes vsed in the olde Testament, from the which our sauiour bor∣rowed this maner of speaking, as in Exodus it is sayd, that Moses wrought his miracles before ye* 1.2 people, when mention is made before, onely of the Elders of the people, whome Moses had called togither. And most manifestly in Iosue, where it is sayd that he that killed a man at vnwates, shall* 1.3 returne vnto the citie vntill he stand before the congregation to be iudged. Where by the congrega∣tion, he meaneth the gouernours of the congregation, for it did not appertayne to all to iudge of this case. Likewise in the Cronicles, and diuers other places. 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉nd therefore I conclude, that for so* 1.4 muche as those be necessarie and perpetuall which are spoken of in those words (tell the Churche) and that vnder those words are comprehended the Elders or Auncients, that the Elders & aun∣cients be necessarie and perpetuall officers in the churche.