The way of true peace and unity in the true church of Christ in all humility and bowels of love presented to them / by William Dell.

3. The true Church hath power to chuse its Officers, and if there be cause, to reform them, or depose them.

The Church hath power to chuse its own Officers.* 1.1 True indeed it is, that as in the natural, so in the spiritual body, every member is in office; and that the Ministry of the New Testament, being the Ministration of the Spirit, is common to all that have received the Spirit. Wherefore, if every Believer, hath received the Spirit to profit withall, and hath power and priviledge, as opportu∣nity serves, and necessity requires, to speak the word, that the power and vertue of Christ may be declared through them all: there is no doubt, but any Community of Christians may, by a common consent, chuse one or mo, to speak to all, in the name of all. Agree∣able to this is that of Paul, 2 Tim. 2.2. where he commands, That the office of teaching be committed to faithful men, who are

able to teach others. Where the Apostle, contemning all super∣fluous ceremonies and pomp of ordaining, onely seeks, that the Mi∣nisters may be fit and able to teach, and without any more ado, commits the Ministry of the word unto them.

More particularly in this matter we shall require after these three things,

• 1. What Officers are to be chosen?
• 2. Out of whom they are to be chosen? And,
• 3. By whom they are to be chosen?

For the first, What Officers are to be chosen?* 1.2 Paul teaches us this, saying, They must be faithful men, apt and able to teach others. For as among natural men in the world, they that have most na∣tural power and abilities, are fittest to be the Officers: so among spiritual men in the Church, they are fittest to be the Officers, that have most spiritual power, that is, such in whom Christ and the Spirit are most manifest; and of this, the faithful of all sorts are Iudges. Wherefore no natural parts and abilities; nor no hu∣mane learning, and degrees in the Schools, or Vniversities; nor no Ecclesiastical Ordination, or Orders, are to be reckoned suf∣ficient to make any man a Minister, but only the teaching of God, and gifts received of Christ, by the Spirit, for the work of the Ministry, which the faithful are able to discern and judge of.

2 Out of whom these Officers are to be chosen? And that is, out of the flock of Christ, and nowhere else. Indeed Antichrist bringing in humane learning, instead of the Spirit, chose his Ministers onely out of the Vniversities: but the right Church chuses them out of the faithful; seeing it reckons no man learned, and so fit to speak in the Church, but he that hath heard and learn∣ed from the Father. Moreover it is plain, that as natural power is founded on a natural gift, and he must needs be a man, that is capable of humane power; so supernatural power is founded on a supernatural gift, and he must needs be a Believer, that is ca∣pable of this spiritual power: And so a man must needs first be of the Church, ere he can have any power or office in it. Wherefore all unbelievers and carnal men are so far from having any power in the true Church, that they have no place in it; and are so far from being Officers, that they are not members: For they that

neither have, nor know spiritual power themselves, how can they exercise it among others?

3. By whom they are to be chosen?* 1.3 And that is, by the Congre∣gation, or Community of Believers: For if every free Society hath power to chuse its own Officers, much more hath the true Church this power; being (as is said) the freest Society under heaven. And so the true Church is not to have Officers thrust over them by others, but is to chuse them its self.

If any object against this,* 1.4 that Paul commanded Timothy and Titus to appoint Elders; and that Paul and Barnabas, Act. 14.23. did chuse Elders in every Church with prayer and fasting. And therefore it may seem, that the Congregation hath not power to chuse its own Ministers, but that some chief Ministers must ap∣point other Ministers in each Congregation.

To this I answer:* 1.5 That if there were any Ministers among us, that did hold the place of the Apostles, living and acting evi∣dently in the vertues of Christ, and in the knowledge and power of the Spirit, I would not doubt to allow them as much authority, in ordaining Ministers, as Paul and Barnabas, or any of the other Apostles had: But since it is very evident, that very few of these have the Spirit of the LORD upon them: how should they have Authority to appoint Ministers, who cannot themselves be reckoned Believers, or spiritual?

But secondly, If they were true Ministers, through the anointing of the Spirit, yet could they not appoint Ministers in other Con∣gregations, without their own consent and approbation, but those whom the whole Church chuses, they are to commend to God by prayer; and if they should refuse to do this, yet he who is chosen by the Church, is sufficiently its Minister, through the Churches choice alone. Neither did Paul, or Barnabas, or Timothy or Titus, appoint any Minister, by their own single Authority, without the con∣sent of the Church; as may appear by those Scriptures, 1 Tim. 3. and Titus 1. where Paul saith, The Overseers, or Elders, as also the Deacons, or Ministers, should be blameless and unreproveable. Now neither Timothy, nor Titus, knew of themselves who were blameless in those places, but onely received the Testimony of the Church, which chose them to that office.

Further we see, Act. 6. that the Twelve Apostles together, did not, by themselves, appoint any to a lower office, to wit, to be

Deacons, without the Churches own choice of them: But say the Twelve to the multitude of the Disciples, Look ye out among your selves seven men of honest report, full of the holy Spirit, and wise∣dom, whom we may appoint over this business. And those whom the Church chose, the Apostles confirmed. Wherefore if it were not lawful for the Apostles, at their own pleasure, to appoint men to minister so much as alms to the necessities of the poor, without the choice and consent of the Church; much less was it lawful for them to appoint any, among Believers, to the hard and difficult work of the Ministry, without their own choice and approbation. By all which it is clear, that the Congregations of the faithful have power in themselves, according to the doctrine of the Gospel, to chuse their own Ministers.

And therefore seeing the true Church of God cannot possibly be without the word, seeing it is born, and nourished, and encreased, and strengthened, and preserved, and comforted, and perfected by it: And seeing the generality of the Clergy of these times, are ignorant of the mystery of the Gospel, and destitute of the Spi∣rit; it must come to pass, that either the Church must perish for want of the word, or else (according to what we have heard) Believers must meet together, as they can conveniently, up and down the Kingdom; and such Meetings must chuse one or mo fit persons, from among themselves, to be their Elders in the Lord, and then by prayer to commend them to the work of the Ministry, and so to acknowledge them for their Pastors. And there is no doubt, but what Believers met together in the name of Christ, do in this matter, it is done through the working and approving of God himself. And besides this way, I see no other, how (in this great defection of the Clergy) the Church may have the true word of God restored to their meetings and assemblies again. Now this thing that is so directly cross to the way and working of Antichrist, for many Ages together, and is so opposite to Fathers, School∣men, Councels, Doctors, Antiquity, Custom, and the general pra∣ctice of the Kingdom, cannot be hoped to be accomplished at once, but by degrees, as the lightnings of the Gospel shall enlighten the world, and the Spirit shall be poured forth. And therefore in this matter, let some begin, and the rest follow, as this practice shall be cleared up to them from the Scriptures. For none are to be forced in this matter (if Authority should entertain this truth) but

the Spirit is to be allowed its own liberty, to blow, when and where, and on whom he listeth. Neither ought this to trouble any, if all do not presently agree with them; it is sufficient, if at first a few begin, whom others may follow afterwards, as God shall perswade them.

Now as the Church hath power to chuse its Officers; so if they prove evil, it hath power, either,

• 1. To reform them. Or,
• 2. To depose them.

1. It hath power to reform them, if so be that they may be brought to repentance and amendment: Yea, as all the evils of the Church do commonly first flow from the Officers, so the reforma∣tion of it is first to begin with them. And who shall reform the Officers of the Church but the Church it self? Seeing the Officers will be sure to tolerate one another in their Vn-Gospel and Vn Christian courses, against the life of Christ, and true practice of the word, because it is their own case. Wherefore seeing the Gene¦rality of the present Clergy,* 1.6 are arrived to this height of evil that they will not be contented to be servants, but will needs make themselves Lords over Christs Flock, plotting and striving to procure and maintain their Ecclesiastical state by secular power, seeing they have left off to preach Christ, and the Gospel, and onely preach of state-affairs, raging and railing against the most just and necessary proceedings of the Supream Authority of the Kingdom, as not sutable to their designs; seeing they are dai∣ly depraving the sayings and writings of men more righteous then themselves; yea, and dare cast a veil of their fals Expositions over the very Scriptures, to darken them, and make them as Sack-cloth to the world, that the glory of the Father, and the minde of Christ, might (if it were possible) be wholly obscured; yea, see∣ing they are become so vile, that they had rather Christ himself, with his Gospel, and true Church, should all perish, then that they should suffer the least diminution of their power, dignity, riches, dominion and tyranny: What remains, but that the Societies of Christians should meet together to reform these evil Officers? And whereas they are now met to reform the Church, it is far more necessary, and would be far more profitable, for the Congre∣gations

of the faithful, to meet together to reform them, if yet they be capable of reformation; which I confess is much to be doubted, seeing they sin against so clear a light.

2. If the Officers of the Church prove incorrigible, the Church hath power to depose them, seeing they have no indelible character, whatever the Romish Church affirms. Wherefore as the true Church hath power to chuse its Ministers, and to continue them, as long as they remain faithful in their work; so also it hath power to remove them, if they forsake the truth and power of the Gospel. For as in civil Societies, not subjected to tyranny, Officers that prove evil, are moveable by them that made them; so like∣wise the Church hath power to remove, if it see cause, this spiri∣tual Officer; yea, the spiritual Officer is so much the more move∣able then the civil, by how much the more he is intolerable, if he be unfaithful: for the civil Officer can onely hurt in the things of this life, but the spiritual in the things of eternal life. Wherefore the Church hath the greatest necessity to remove him, and chuse another; seeing this salt, when it hath lost its savour, is good for nothing, but to be cast upon the dunghil. And to this, worthy Mr Tindal,* 1.7 a blessed Martyr, witnesses, saying,

If they (that is, the Ministers) err from the word, then may whosoever God moveth his heart, play Paul, and correct him; and if he will not obey the Scripture, then have his brethren Authority by the Scripture, to put him down, and send him out of Christs Church, among the Hereticks, which prefer their false doctrines above the true word of Christ.

Notes

• * 1.1

  3. To chuse its Officers.
• * 1.2

  What Officers the Church is to chuse?
• * 1.3

  3. Who chuses them.
• * 1.4

  Object.
• * 1.5

  Answ.
• * 1.6

  Hi profecto non venient in concilium, ut judicentur ab ali••s, ut emen∣dent ea quae ipsorummet conscientia, a∣deoque totus mundus emen∣danda esse cla∣mat, sed om∣nes alios ju∣d••care & sub∣jugare; suam illam potenti∣am retinere; & quicquid ipso∣rum obstat li∣bidini concul∣care, è medio tollere cona∣buntur. Bul∣linger. Ep ad Edward sext.
• * 1.7

  Tindal. Pra∣ctise of Po∣pish Prel. p. 344.