The temple measured: or, A brief survey of the temple mystical, which is the instituted church of Christ.: Wherein are solidly and modestly discussed, most of the material questions touching the constitution and government of the visible church militant here on earth. Together with the solution of all sorts of objections which are usually framed against the model and platform of ecclesiastical polity, which is here asserted and maintained. In particular here are debated, the points of so much controversie, touching the unity of the church, the members of the church, the form of the church, and church covenant, the power of the church, the officers of the church, and their power in church-government, the power of magistrates about the church, and some church acts, as admission of members, and other things set down in the table before the book. / By James Noyes teacher of the church at Newbery in New England.

Concerning the Power of the Church.

THe body of members (women and such as are unmeet to govern,* 1.1 excepted) hath all power originally and essentially. The body of members is the immediate subject of the Keys. 1. Every being (be it never so subordinate) hath a defensive power, and the Church or body of members is a seat and society of Authority, and therefore

hath power both offensive and defensive within it self. Those churches Acts 14.23. had no proper Officers when they were called churches; and there is no intimation that their Officers made them churches. Officers are not the like and soul of churches. 2. Else the church shall be left destitute of necessary supports for its subsistence: times may come in which no Elders are to be obtained for many particu∣lar churches. Such as are wholly subject, have a defensive power according to the law of Nature: David and Elisha thought it law∣ful to defend themselves; Israel defended Jonuthan. 3.* 1.2 3. It is natural that the Whole should have Soveraignty over its parts, especially when parts are equal or pares. If all members in the body had an eye, all should give direction according to the order of nature. 4. The church hath relation of a Spouse unto Christ; and it is meet that the Spouse should have power some way or other, in absence of the Husband. 5. The church hath power to give the Keys, therefore it hath power to act the Keys. 6. Those which have power in other Societies to elect their Governours, have power also to act them∣selves; yea, to reserve to themselves what power they please in re∣spect of those that are elected. And if the church be a church in pro∣priety, when it hath no Officers, then it hath an offensive power over such as are within, and a defensive power towards those without, as all Beings have which are sui juris.

Object. The church may have the Keys to give, yet not to act. A messenger may carry a commission, and yet have no power to open or execute the commission.

Answ. The Arguments from the constitution of the church, do prove that the church hath power to act as well as it can, until it be furnished with Officers. 2. The churches power of election is for∣cible of it self, unlesse there be something against the proportion of the churches power, as compared with other Societies. 3. The church is not onely the conduit, but the onely ordinary fountain of power upon earth. 4. The members have all of them gifts for edi∣fication, 1 Cor. 12.5. In Israel the whole body did act as well as elect; though when they had Magistrates, they could onely exercise a defensive power in interposing with or against their Magistrates, and that onely for demonstrable causes, not scandalously circumstantia∣ted. The member•• may act in the way of charity and of natural Office; the Elders onely in way of Stewardship or instituted Office: the people by a natural law, the officers by a positive law. The mem∣bers

have gifts, and therefore may act, as a potentia ad actum valet ar∣gumentum. The people may give that which it hath onely virtual∣ly, and act that which it hath formally, or in potentia proxima.

Object. There is not the same reason for supernatural Societies, as for natural; for the power of supernatural Societies, as for the power of natural Societies.

Answ. Supernatural Societies are as perfect as natural Societies; and therefore if natural Societies have power within themselves for their subsistence, the church must have the like.

Object. The church cannot administer the Seals without Officers.

Answ. The church hath power to act all Ordinances that are es∣sential to its primary and natural integrality, that are necessary to its being or first being; though (without Officers) it cannot dispense some Ordinances as are necessary to its well-being, or secondary be∣ing, and essential to its secondary integrality. The church hath not an organick integrity, but it hath an essential integrity, before it hath Officers.

The people have power to elect and authorize their own Offi∣cers.* 1.3 1. The people did something in the election of Matthias, Act. 1. the members elected Deacons, Acts 6. 2. The Officers have no constant and ordinary mean of calling, but from the church and bo∣dy of members; they do not receive their Office immediately from Christ, and they cannot receive it immediately always from other Elders. The power of Officers is dependent on the church, not the power of the church on the Officers. The church is greater then its Officers in respect of priority, fontality, finality, stability and dignity. Master Parker hath abundantly demonstrated this assertion in his Ecclesiastical Policie, and that from principles maintained by Gerson a Papist. 3. It was a continued custome from the Apostles days, that the people did elect their Officers, & consuetudo est bona juris interpres. Calvin hath demonstrated this point from Cyprian. Calvin is for some consent,* 1.4 Beza for an implicite consent. The electi∣on of the people gives the Keys (at least incompleatly) when they have Elders, because their consent is necessary together with the consent of the Elders. The Elders have naturally a negative voice in point of ele∣ction; but they cannot compleatly elect any Officer without the consent of the people. That act which doth give authority, is an act of authority: the peoples consent in election doth give authority. The assumption is thus proved: That which doth compleat the au∣thoritative

act of the Elders, or which doth adde authority to the Elders act, that act doth give authority: but the consent of the peo∣ple doth (at least) compleat the act, or adde authority to the act of the Elders in election. 5. Either Election or Ordination alone, or both together, do give the Keys, not Ordination alone; therefore Ele∣ction doth give the Keys, either in toto or ex parte. In Rome it was wont to be said that authoritas was in Magistratu, Potestas in plebe, Majestas in populo. 6. Ordination doth not give the Keys essentially, therefore Election doth give the Keys. 1. It appears from the na∣ture of Ordination. Ordination is but a solemn declaration and con∣firmation of a person in Office. Ordinatio est testificatio & comple∣mentum electionis. 2. The body of members gave the Keys essenti∣ally to their proper Officers in the resurrection and restitution of the church out of Antichristianism. There is no sufficient testimony of their immediate call; and the church of Rome had lost its power. 3. Election is not onely a signe of Office; then an officer should be an officer before he be elected, and before he be ordained also, because Ordination was wont to follow Election. 4. The Priests and Le∣vites were essentially Officers before they were ordained: Ordinati∣on was but a circumstance to the hereditary right of the Levitical tribe. 5. The fathers and masters of families were Priests before the Law essentially and absolutely, without any Ordination. The cere∣monial Ordination under the Law is abrogated, and Ordination un∣der the Gospel is onely moral, and a complement of Election. Do∣ctor Ames compareth Ordination to the coronation of Princes and inauguration of Magistrates, in his Bellar. Ener. 6. Election in o∣ther Societies doth give the authority. The gift of edification, facul∣ty or aptitude is presupposed to Election, the authority or Office is conferred by Election; by Election sufficienter, by Ordination abun∣danter. Reformed churches have attributed liberty to the people in point of Election, for the general. Polanus saith that an Elder is or∣dained in the name of the church.

Object. Election is but an act of subjection.

Answ. Such an act of subjection transmitteth that power which the church had formerly within it self, unto the Officers, and there∣fore giveth authority unto the Officers. Every one that is sui juris, or so far as any one is sui juri, he is so far indued with authority with∣in himself, and therefore a servant giveth authority to his master; a servant (I say) giveth a master authority over himself, by putting

himself under his masters authority, and by giving over to his master that authority which he had over himself while he was free.

Object. The members have not sole power of Election where there are Officers.

Answ. The power of Election is primitively in the body of members, though secondarily there be a negative and an authoritative voice in the Elders as Elders.

The common members are not meet Organs to ordain their Of∣ficers.* 1.5 1. Common members have not co-ordinate power to act with their Officers; but Officers elected are essentially Officers, in respect of them at least. An Elder elect is supposed fittest to preach and pray for preparation unto his own ordination. 2. Ordination includes prayer as a part thereof, and the Elder elect is fitter to pray then the common members. 3. Ordination includes a blessing, and this blessing supposeth a meliority in order: Heb. 7. The Officers are to blesse the people, and not the people the Officers in way of church∣order. 4. Ordination is an act of consecration, Numb. 8. but the Officers are to consecrate the people, not the people the Officers. Such as have been sent in way of special office, have been onely found to send others in point of Ordination, both in the old and new Te∣stament. The Fathers have observed it so Religiously, as to appro∣priate Ordination to the Bishop. The church is greater then its of∣ficers in point of priority, and finality, and dignity; but the Officer: are greater in authority and power of execution. Christiani sumus propter nos,* 1.6 Pastores sumus propter vos. 5. The Apostles and extra∣ordinary Elders would never have taken ordination out of the peo∣ples hands, if it had belonged to them, because they did not deprive them of the power of election.

Object. In case of general Apostacies there can be no ordinary way of ordination.

Answ. In case no Elders can be acquired, election doth suffice. The members do give power immediately of acting some Ordinances, The members have formally some power to teach, and the commissi∣on of Christ giveth them power to baptize, which have the power of office to teach, Matth. 28.19. The church of common members have not formally and actually power to administer the Seals, but it hath power efficiently and virtually. The Sun giveth life, though it hath no potentia proxima of life; the foul hath power to see virtually, because it hath power to frame its organs, and convey power to them;

so the members have power to set up Officers, and to convey power to them for the administration of the Seals; and thus qui possidet, dispen∣sat. 2. God in extraordinary passages of providence, did ordain the Apostles; Moses ordained Aaron, but who ordained Moses? Ordi∣nation is not essential; we may not make ordination with Scotus and Franciscus, a Sacrament. Ordination is not so necessary to a Minister, as the Sacrament to a christian; and yet a christian is a christian, though he never partake of a Sacrament. The Papists themselves hold it sufficient to be baptized in voto.

Object. The people of Israel are said to anoint Solomon, 1 Chron. 20.22.

Answ. Its evident that they anointed him by some sacred per∣son, even as they did Zadoc the Priest: not immediatly, but by some Nathan, &c.

Object. Members may elect, which is the greater; therefore, they may ordain, which is the lesser.

Answ. Ordination is an act of order as well as of jurisdiction. Some Papists place the essence of Ordination in that form of words, (Be thou a Priest.) Where shall we finde the very form of Ordinati∣on in the Scriptures? We conceive that it consisteth in Solemnities connatural to the confirmation of Election: and prayer, and blessing (which are acts of order) are acts of Ordination. Those that can do the greater, may not do the lesser, unlesse it be of the same kinde.

Object. The Levites were ordained by the hands of the congre∣gation.

Answ. 1. Upon the same ground the members should now or∣dain, and their proper Elders stand by. 2. The Levites were ordain∣ed by Aaron and the Priests, Numb. 8.3. Imposition of hands by the congregation was proper to the ceremonial offering of the Le∣vites as a Sacrifice to God, Exod. 29.13. not to our moral separating of Officers under the Gospel. That act of Imposition doth rather import somthing of Election then of Ordination, as we may shew in another question. Calvins opinion is, that Ordination ought to be admini∣stred by Elders, praesse etium electioni debere alios pastores. Doctor Ames granteth to Bellar.* 1.7 that it is the doctrine of the reformed church that Ordination is an act of the Elders, except in case of a general A∣postacie, Bellar. Ener. de vocations Clericorum. Election is an essen∣tial application of authority in the way of Jurisdiction; Ordination is a circumstantial application of authority, sutable to the power of

Order and Office. Election is an act of essential Jurisdiction; Ordi∣nation is proper to official power and jurisdiction. The least Or∣dinances in point of exemption, are proper to the Officers as the greatest persons, in respect of executive power. The Keys of natu∣ral power of of general Office, are in the members; the Keys of instituted power, or of Office in special, in the Elders. I might di∣stinguish thus: The Keys of natural power are in the body of mem∣bers; the Keys of Office in the Elders.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Pro. 1.
• * 1.2

  2 Kings 6.32.
• * 1.3

  Pro. 2.
• * 1.4

  Cal. Instit. l. 4. c. 3. Sect. 5. Beza Epist. 83. p. 365.
• * 1.5

  Pro. 3.
• * 1.6

  Augustine.
• * 1.7

  Instit. lib. 4. cap. 3.