A consideration of certaine controversies at this time agitated in the kingdome of England, concerning the government of the church of God. / Written at the command and appointment of the Walachrian classis, by Guilielmus Apollonii, minister of the Word of God at Middleburgh. And sent from the Walachrian churches, to declare the sense and consent of their churches, to the Synod at London. Octob. 16. 1644. Stilo novo. Translated out of Latine accorning to the printed copy.

CHAP. II. Of a Church-Covenant.

Question.

VVHether a Church-Covenant solemn∣ly made between the Members and the Governours of a Church publikely before the whole Church, whereby the members of a particular Church are by a publike and ex∣presse agreement and promise associated and united amongst themselves, to exercise the feare and sacred worship of God, unity of faith, brotherly love, mutuall edification, and all du∣ties of piety in a holy communion with God

and amongst themselves; be absolutely neces∣sary and essentiall to the constitution of a true Church: so that without this Covenant there is no true or pure Church, nor true Church member?

Answer.

THe Reformed Churches judge it necessary to the constitution of a particular visible Church, that there be sacred union in the exer∣cise of Ecclesiasticall communion, expressed by certaine externall acts appointed by God, and to be exercised in a visible Church society, under one ministry, and spirituall discipline. But this union, they affirme, the members of a true Church enter into amongst themselves, when they are united in one externall professi∣on of the truth and holynesse, and in the same baptisme; and will frequent the same divine worship, be subject to the same Church Go∣vernors, be governed by the same law and ju∣risdiction Ecclesiasticall; and do submit them∣selves to the same discipline, and partake of the same Supper of the Lord. And in this union there is, they affirme, a kind of tacit and virtu∣all Covenant, which uniteth the faithfull into a particular Church: although such a solemne Covenant betweene them in expresse termes be not publikely entered into before the whole Church, as the question requireth.

We grant in this controversy:

1. That there is a Covenant of saving grace between God and repenting Sinners, founded in Christ the Mediator: whereby all the faith∣full are obliged to the performance of all duties of piety which he hath commanded in his word, as well in Church communion and fel∣lowship, as out of it: by which Covenant all those who are truly partakers of it obtain right to all those saving benefits which are contained in the promises of this Covenant.

2. That there is a tacit or virtuall Covenant between the members of one and the same ex∣ternall particular Church: whereby they are obliged to the performance of those mutuall duties, which are required of the members of a visible Church in reference to their particu∣lar Church communion: as that they will be subject to the care and Discipline of their own Pastors, frequent the same publike worship of God, and be ruled by the same law and jurisdi∣ction Ecclesiasticall: by which Covenant they also obtain to themselves right to those things which are peculiar to this particular Church, and the members thereof, and do not belong to other particular Churches.

3. We grant that there may be an expresse and solemne Covenant, in the presence of God and the Church, upon extraordinary occasions, entered into, by all the members of the visible

Church of one nation or kingdome: when the Church in that kingdome or nation hath made defection from God and his worship, or some other necessity call for it; for the preserving, or propagating, or restoring of the decayed worship of God. By which Covenant not∣withstanding there doth not accrew to the Church of that kingdome any new right, but that right which before they had to injoy the ordinances of God, which by reason of their defection, or some other cause, was hindered and as it were suspended, they may now freely and purely again reduce to practise. Thus did the Church of God under the Old Testament often in the time of defection, or extraordina∣ry necessity, enter into a solemne Covenant in the presence of God.

4. Neither do we hold that the Covenant men∣tioned in the Question, is for the matter of it alltogether unlawfull: for it is lawfull also ex∣pressely, publikely, and solemnly to vow to God those things which are in the precepts of God enjoyned to all beleevers: But that ne∣cessity of making this publike, solemne, and expresse Covenant, in the presence of the whole Church, requiring it as a thing of abso∣lute necessity to the essentiall constitution of a particular Church, we do not acknowledge: but that union above mentioned, we conceive sufficient by the word of God for the joyning

men professing the faith into one particular Church. So that, by the word of God, to the essence and intirenesse of a particular Church, this union is sufficient.

We deny therefore in this controversy:

1. That a solemne and expresse Church Co∣venant, between the Governors of a Church and the Members of it, publikely entered into before the whole Church, for the performance of all exercises of piety in a holy communion with God and amongst themselves, is absolute∣ly necessary and essentiall to the constitution of a true visible Church, so that without such a Covenant there would be no visible Church of God, no member of a true or pure Church.

2. We deny allso, that by such a Church-Covenant that right is obtained which the members of a Church in Ecclesiasticall com∣munion have to the Sacraments of grace, the priviledges of the Ecclesiasticall Ministry and other benefits which Christ hath given to his Churches.

The Reasons of our deniall are these:

1. Because the Apostles have not ordained any such Church-Covenant betweene the Members and the Pastors of a Church; neither in the admission of Members into the Church did require such a Covenant as necessary: but by the Sacrament of Baptisme they received such as professed the truth and holinesse in••o

the Church visible, and joyned in the same ex∣ercises of divine worship with those who were without any such Covenant received in∣to an Ecclesiasticall body with themselves. See Acts 2. 42, 47. & 5. 13. & 8. 12. & 9. 26. & 18. 8.

2. Under the Old Testament the particular Churches in the Synagogues entred not into any solemne Church Covenant in the admissi∣on of members: but only on extraordinary occasions, when they had made defection from God, all the faithfull of the whole nationall Church renewed their Covenant with God, for restoring the decayed worship of God; or when they were by some other necessity cal∣led upon for renewing such a Covenant.

3. No man can injoyne any thing upon the consciences of men, (as absolutely necessary to injoying the Sacraments of divine grace, and the benefits of the Ministery of the Church,) which God hath not injoyned; without dam∣nable wil-worship. But God hath not injoy∣ned such a Covenant on the consciences of men as absolutely necessary: for there is no law of God wherein he hath injoyned a neces∣sity of this Covenant as the essentiall form of Church-communion, so as that without it no man can be member of a visible Church, or have right to the seales of the Covenant: Therefore the necessity of this Covenant is a will-wor∣ship;

and so to be rejected.

4. The meanes whereby the members of a Church visible are associated and united into externall Ecclesiasticall communion, are Bap∣tisme under the New Testament, as Circumci∣sion was under the Old Testament, 1 Cor. 12. 13. as Cornelius, Acts 10. 47. Lydia, Acts 16. 15. & others, were by Baptisme ingrafted into the body of the Church visible: which in those of yeares is joyned with an imbracing and pro∣fession of sound Doctrine and subjection to the ordinances of God; as appeares in the believers, Acts 2. 41. the Bereans, Acts 17. 10. and by Christs commandement, Mat. 28. 19.

Hence say the Professors of Leyden, that be∣side the primary uses of the Sacrament of Baptisme, there are other secondary uses of it: to wit, the ex∣ternall ingrafting them into a particular visible Church, Acts 2. 41. the uniting of Christs mem∣bers amongst themselves, and into one body: 1 Cor. 12. 12. and consequently upon these, a sig∣nification of our profession; and a distinction and separation from all other assemblies of unbeleevers. This Church-Covenant therefore is not the formall reason of our Ecclesiasticall communiō in the Church visible. Hence allso our Chur∣ches of the Netherlands in admitting of Pa∣stors or Church members do not enter into a∣ny such Church Covenant: which yet are true visible Churches of God; whose members

have all essentiall requisites necessary to Church communion in the visible Church.

We reject therefore the Opinions of those:

1. Who make this Church-covenant to be the Forme of the Church of God: so that true beleevers professing the faith are indeed Ma∣terials of a Church, who yet so long as they have not entered into such a Covenant want the Forme of it; and therefore are no true Church of God. The Argument upon which we reject this position, is, because the Forme of a thing gives it its being and operation, so that there can be no property, no operation, or act of a true Church in such an Ecclesiasticall company, who are not joyned in such a Co∣venant. And therefore this opinion depriveth all the Reformed Churches, which are not uni∣ted in such a Church-covenant, of a true Church Ministery, of the power of calling and ordaining Ministers, of a lawfull administrati∣on of the Sacraments, of Ecclesiasticall Juris∣diction, &c. And denies all that are baptized, &c. in those Churches, to be truely and right∣ly baptized, &c.

2. We reject also the opinion of those, who make this Church-covenant to be that moment of time, wherein the Minister of a Church hath Church-power over his Congregation committed to him; and the people injoy the benefits of his Ecclesiasticall function; and the

members of the particular Church amongst themselves exercise the care and power, and hold Ecclesiasticall communion and fellow∣ship; whereas it is certain out of the Word of God, that the Ministers and Pastours of Chur∣ches receive Ecclesiasticall power over their flockes, and the people become subject to the Ministery of their Pastours for the Salvation of their soules and their mutuall edification in faith, not from any contract which those men make amongst themselves, but from Gods Calling, whereby the Pastours are sent forth by the Church of Christ to the Ministery; and the flock injoyned by divine appointment, to re∣ceive the ministery and labour of their Pastours by Gods institution for their salvation: See 1 Cor. 4. 1, 2▪ 2 Cor. 5. 20. Ephes. 4. 11, 12. 1 Thes. 5. 11, 12. and it's certaine also that be∣leevers amongst themselves have charge of each other by vertue of the communion of Saints, whereby they all dispersed through the whole world are associated into one body, Eph. 4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. and 1 Thes. 5. 14, 15. and by the duty of Charity which requires this mutuall care from all. Lev. 19. Heb. 3. and 10.

3. We reject also the opinion of those who affirme, that the Sacraments of the Old and New Testament, are signes and seales to con∣firme this Church-covenant, and so instituted by God for the ratifying of it; that they are to

be administred to those only, who are by such a Church-covenant united amongst them∣selves; but to be denied to others, though knowne to be Godly, who be not in such a Church-communion and strict fellowship. Whereas it doth most cleerly appeare out of the holy Scriptures that the Sacraments were instituted by God in his Church, chiefly and in the first place to be signes and seales of the Co∣venant of Grace, and of the benefits promised in the Covenant of Grace, and of Salvation pro∣cured by Christ for us, as is manifest by the Sacrament of Circumcision, Gen. 17. 7, 10. Rom. 4. 11. of the Passeover, 1 Cor. 5. of Baptisme, Mark 1. 4. Act. 2. 38, 39. and 22. 16. Rom. 6. 3 4. Tit. 3. 5. and of the Lords Supper, Matth. 26. 26, 27, 28. 1 Cor. 11. 24, 25, 26. But in a se∣condary respect we acknowledge the Sacra∣ments to be seales of our outward ingrafting into the Church visible, and our conjunction into one body of the Church, Act. 2. 41. 1 Cor. 12. 12, 13. and that, as we conceive, of the Catholicke Church; so that he that is bapti∣zed is not baptized into the communion only of this or that particular, or parochiall Church, but is joyned into that one body of the Church Catholike and universall: as the whole Mini∣stery of the Church is given by Christ to men, to bring them to the unity and conjunction of the Church Catholike and universall, and to

ingraft them as members into it, Eph. 4. 11, 12. 1 Cor. 12. 28. Rom. 12. 5, 6, 7. And as by Ex∣communication duly performed the person ex∣communicate is not cast out of this or that particular Church only, but is bound all the world over, and shut out from the brotherly communion of the Church universall, Matth. 18. 17, 18. so the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper are seales to a man of Eccle∣siasticall communion, not only in a particular Church, but in the Church universall. And therefore we hold that these Sacraments are to be administred not to those only who by a Church Covenant have joyned themselves to some particular Church, but to all the members of the Church Catholike, who have duly pre∣pared themselves for the partaking of them. Thus our Belgick Churches deny not the seale of Baptisme to the children of those parents, who have not by a confession of faith and sub∣mission to Ecclesiasticall Discipline, joyned themselves to any particular Church; accor∣ding to the practise of the Jewish Church, Josh. 5. 4, 6. as neither doe we deny the participati∣on of the Lords Supper to those who by reason of the necessity of their calling cannot joyne themselves to any particular Church, but are forced to travell through divers Parochiall Churches.