Quest. 62. Is the tryal, judgement, or consent of the Laity necessary to the admit∣tance of a member into the Universal or particular Church?
Answ. 1. IT is the Pastors office to bear and exercise the Keyes of Christs Church: Therefore by office he is to Receive those that come in; and consequently to be the tryer and Iudge of their fitness.
2. It belongeth to the same office which is to Baptize, to Iudge who is to be baptized: Otherwise Ministers should not be rational Judges of their own actions, but the executioners of other mens judge∣ment. It is more the Iudging who is to be baptized, which the Ministers office consisteth in, than in the bare doing of the outward act of Baptizing.
3. He that must be the ordinary Judge in Church-admissions, is supposed to have both Ability and Leisure to make him fit; and Authority and Obligation to do the work.
4. The ordinary body of the Laity have none of all these four qualifications; much less all. 1. They are not ordinarily Able; so to examine a mans faith and resolution with judgement and skill, as may neither tend to the wrong of himself nor of the Church. For it is great skill that is required thereunto. 2. They have not ordinarily Leisure from their proper callings and labours, to wait on such a work as it must be waited on; especially in populous places. 3. They are not therefore obliged to do that which they cannot be supposed to have Ability or Leisure for. 4. And where they have not the other three, they can have no Authority to do it.
5. It is therefore as great a crime for the Laity to usurp the Pastors office in this matter, as in preach∣ing, baptizing or other parts of it.
6. And though Pride often blind men (both people and Pastors) so as to make them overlook the burden and look only at the Authority and honour; yet is it indeed an intolerable injury to the Laity, if any would lay such a burden on them which they cannot bear, and consequently would make them responsible for the omissions or misdoing of it, to Christ their Judge.
7. There is not so much as any fair pretence for the Laity having power to judge who shall be received into the Universal Church: For who of the Laity should have this power? Not All, nor the Major Vote of the Church: For who ever sought the Votes of all the Christians in the World, before