A defence of Mr. John Cotton from the imputation of selfe contradiction, charged on him by Mr. Dan. Cavvdrey written by himselfe not long before his death ; whereunto is prefixed, an answer to a late treatise of the said Mr. Cavvdrey about the nature of schisme, by John Owen ...

The 9^th Contradiction is layd out thus.

9. A Parti¦cular Church of Saints Profes∣sing the Faith (that is mem∣bers without offices) is the first subject of all the Church. Offices, with all their Spiri∣tuall Gifts & Power, Keyes pag. 31.

9. As the keyes of the kingdome of Hea∣ven are divers, so are the Subjects to whom they are committed di∣verse, keyes pag. 11. The Apostles were the first subject of Apo∣stolicall power. ibid. pag. 32. A Synod is the first Subject of that Power whereby Errour is convinced, and condemned. ibid. pag. 47.

9. The Power of the keyes belongeth firstly to a Congregation of Covenanting Belie∣vers, Surv. part. ••. p. 219. The Power of the keyes is in the Church of Believers, as in the first subject. ib. p. 195 That conceite is wide to make one first sub∣ject of this power, & yet others to share in this power, not by meanes of that, for this is to speak dag∣gers, and Contradi∣ctions. ibid.

Ans: 1. This is one of those Differen∣ces, of which I spake before, that ly∣eth rather in Logicall Notion, than ei∣ther in Doctrine of Divinity, or in Church Practise. Against which the ex∣ception made above, hath been An∣swered above, in clearing the first Contradiction.

Ans. 2. There is no colour of Contra∣diction betweene the two former Co∣lumnes. For when I say A Particular Church is the first Subject of all the Church Officers and their Gifts, I speak not of this or that particular Church, (which is but an Individuall) but of a Particular Church taken Indefinite∣ly, which (by meere errour of the Prin∣ter) is without sence said, taken Indepen∣dently, which is the Disadvantage of us, who live so far remote from the Presse, that we can neither prevent their mista∣kes nor correct them afterwards. But take a Particular Church Indefinitely & it comprehendeth all Particular Churches: And that God hath given to Particular Churches all spirituall officers together

with their Gifts, for the Discharge of their offices, is Proved by evident Texts of Scripture, in that very Page of the Keyes 31. I doe not say (as some doe) that the Church meaning the Fraternity is the first subject of all spirituall Gifts (for then they had received them im∣mediately without officers:) but I say the offices and Officers, not devoid of Gifts, but furnished with their gifts, are given by Christ to the Church freely, and not to any other Person or Society, from whom the Church Receiveth them.

But this no whit crosseth, what is said in the second Columne, That Elders are the first Subjects of ordinary Ministe∣riall Power, and Apostles of Apostoli∣call Power, and Synods, of Synodicall Power. A wife may be the first sub∣ject of her own Dowry, but yet her Hus∣band is the first Subject Recipient of his wife with her Dowry.

Ans. 3. As for what is said different∣ly by my Brother Hooker in the third Co∣lumne, as his Person and Gifts and

Friendship were pretious and deare to me whilest he lived: so now that he re∣steth in Glory, his Name and memory, and labour (saving some very few pri∣vate Notions) are honourable, and blessed, with me, and I suppose with all that knew him. But in this Logicall Notion, I crave leave, not so much to dissent from him (for he herein Dis∣sented from me, who wrote first, rather than I from him) but leave I crave not to Retract what I formerly wrote in the Keyes touching this Point, though I should as much suspect mine own judg∣ment, where he Dissenteth from me, as where any man. It is true he taketh the Church of Covenanted Believers to be the first Subject of the power of the keyes, vvhich if he meane no more, than that they have all Church-Power ei∣ther formaliter, or Radicaliter, and Virtualiter, then there is no Difference in our expressions; but if he meane that that they are the first Subject of all Church-Povver properly, two or three things Detaine me from consen∣ting

with him herein. 1. That vvhich is the first Subject of any Povver Re∣ceiveth it immediately vvithout any o∣ther Intervening Subject. As fire be∣ing the first Subject of Heate, Recei∣veth not his Heate from any former Subject. But it is evident, That ma∣ny a Church of Believers, hath not Re∣ceived Pastorall Gifts, nor it may be any Gifts fit for office, 'till they fetch them from other Churches, and sometimes from some who are not members of any Particular Church at all.

2. The first Subject of any Power, as it hath immediately Received it: so it may immediately exercise it: as Fire (the first subject of Heate) can Heate without Intervention of any other sub∣ject.

But the Church hath not Power im∣mediately to exercise Pastorall Preach∣ing, or Administration of the Sacra∣ments, 'till it have procured and chosen, and called forth some or other Gifted Persons to exercise the same.

3. I might Adde a third Reason to

both the former. Whatsoever is pro∣perly the first Subject of any Power, It hath that same Power, or some other e∣quivalent, and analogicall to it, not on∣ly radicaliter and virtualiter, but For∣maliter also. And because formaliter, therefore radicaliter and virtualiter. For whatsoever is in any Subject Firstly, (whether it be proper Adjunct, or proper effect, or any other proper Ar∣gument) it either floweth from the forme, or from the matter so formed; As for instance, capacity of Learning, or Risibility is in Man, as in the first sub∣ject. The former floweth from the Reasonable soule: the latter from the matter of a man so formed. But nei∣ther of these are in man radicaliter or virtualiter, but only because they are in a man formally, and so either flow from the forme, or from the matter so for∣med. Take another Instance, and of a∣nother sort. The People that have power to elect a King, though they have not formally kingly power, yet have they a formall Power, to submit

themselves to Kingly Power. And so haveing a formall Power to put one of the Relatives, they have an aequiva∣lent and Analogicall Power to put the o∣ther Correlative. For, Posito uno Re∣latorum, Ponitur etiam & alterum.

As for that which is quoted by the Replyer from M^r Hooker, in the last clause of the third Columne of this con∣tradiction, I see not how it concer∣neth me, or contradicteth any thing in the former Columnes. For I doe not make any first Subject of Church-Power, and yet others to share in that Power, but not by meanes of that. But as the keyes of the kingdome of heaven are diverse: So I see no Inconvenience, that the first Subjects to whom the severall keyes are committed, may be diverse also. Neither doth the letter of the Text seeme to me to gainesay that, Mat. 16. 18. For though it speak, not to Them but to Thee; a Representing one state or Condition of men: yet say that one condition to be believers and take Be∣lievers in a large sence, It comprehen∣deth

all sorts of Professing Believers, whether Private members, or Elders, or Apostles, indeed all. But neither doe I see any convincing reason seeing Peter stood in a threefold Ecclesiasticall Re∣lation (being both an Apostle, and an Elder, & a Profest Believer) why Christ committing the keyes to him (saying to Thee will I give them) might not Intend to give all the keyes; and the severall sorts of them, according to the severall Relations he stood in.

If it be said All that share in the sub∣ject to whom the keyes are Given (in these words, To Thee) they all share alike in the same equall Power of the keyes, because they have all the same Commission: I Answer it would indeed so follow, If there were no other severall Commissions, granted in Scripture else where, but only here; But cleare it is from other Scriptures, That Power of Authorita∣tive Preaching, and Administering the Sacraments, is Given only to Apostles, Elders, and such like officers: but Pow∣er

of Priviledge and Judgment, is given all the Fraternity.