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<DATE>2010-08-04</DATE>
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<NAME>Susie Lorand</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE ORDER of choo&s;ing Church-Officers: WITH A Declaration of the Calling of the MINISTERS.</P>
<P>ALSO
<LIST>
<ITEM>The Elders, and their Office.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Deacons, and their Office.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Church-A&s;&s;emblies in generall.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Particular Elder&s;hips in Pari&s;hes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Order of Excommunication.</ITEM>
<ITEM>And the greater Presbyteries, or Cla&s;&s;es.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>According to the Forme of the Presbyterian Government.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed according to Order.</P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for R. A. 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>Of the Calling of Church-Officers.</HEAD>
<P>_AS no man ought to pre&s;ume to enter into any office Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall without an inward calling from God, who onely di&s;cerneth the intentions, and de&s;ires of the heart, whether they be earthly or heavenly, whether they be &s;et upon the glory of God, and e|difying of the Church, or upon the meanes of this life; So none are to be admitted without the approbation and judg|ment of men, according to the rules of the Word, and the received order of the Church.</P>
<P>This outward calling of the Officers of the Church doth con|&s;i&s;t in Election and Ordination, after due tryall and examination of their &s;oundne&s;&s;e in religion, and godline&s;&s;e of life: For the better under&s;tanding of the order of the calling of Mini&s;ters, it is to bee con&s;idered,</P>
<P>That in every one almo&s;t of the <HI>Cla&s;&s;es,</HI> or great Presbyteries, there be Studnets of Divinity; wherefore &s;ome, if they have op|portunity of their Studies, make their abode within the bounds of the Presbyterie, and attend the meetings thereof: Others, who are the greater part, &s;tay at the Univer&s;ities, and in the time of vocation come home and wait upon the Presbytery.</P>
<P>The abilities of both the one &s;ort and the other, are to be tried in private, before the Presbytery, and how &s;oon they are found fit to come in publike, to enter upon the exerci&s;e or prophecy with the Mini&s;ters of the Presbytery, and at &s;ometimes employed and allow|ed to preach before the people: By which meanes, their gifts and abilities are known to the people, as their manners are manife&s;t by their conuer&s;ing among&s;t them.</P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="3">Out of the number of the&s;e Propo&s;ants, or (as you may call them) <HI>Expectants,</HI> the Pa&s;tor is to be nominated to the vacant place by the Elder&s;hip, and by the Mini&s;ter, if any be, with the con&s;ent and good liking of the people, and if they can pitch upon none within the bounds of their owne Presbytery, to have their liberty to make their choice of an <HI>Expectant</HI> of good e&s;teem and report in &s;ome o|ther Presbytery.</P>
<P>The per&s;on thus knowne and nominated, is by the particular El|der&s;hip, to be named to the greater Presbytery, and there examined of his skill in the Languages, <HI>Latine, Greeke,</HI> and <HI>Hebrew,</HI> in his in|terpreting of Scripture, in the controver&s;ies of Religion, in his gift of exhortation, in the holy and Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Hi&s;torie and Chronolo|gie; And fir&s;t of all, Of his life and manner of conver&s;ation; wher|in if he be found vitious or &s;candalous, he is not to be admitted to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">|ny other examination.</P>
<P>After the people have heard him, &s;ome Mini&s;ter of the Presby|terie is to be appointed to preach to that people of the nece&s;&s;ity of the Mini&s;tery, of the excellency of a faithfull Mini&s;ter, of the qua|lities of a Mini&s;ter, and of the obedience due to the Go&s;pell, or of &s;ome &s;uch Theme: And at the &s;ame time a publike Edict mu&s;t be &s;erved, That if any per&s;on or per&s;ons, have any thing to object a|gain&s;t the literature, doctrine, or life of &s;uch a man, why he may not be a profitable Mini&s;ter of &s;uch a Congregation, They &s;hall appeare before the Presbytery in &s;uch a place, and at &s;uch a time, that their objections may be tried and di&s;cu&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Vpon the time appointed, the Doore-keeper of the Presbyteri|an meeting is to call three &s;everall times, if there be any thing to ob|ject again&s;t the per&s;on nominated, and if any thing be alledged again&s;t him by any of that particular flocke, or any other to whom he is knowne, it is duly and equally to be pondered by the Presbyterie, and if it be found to have any weight, or the ca&s;e be doubtfull, the Ordination is &s;u&s;pended to a more perfect tryall; otherwi&s;e, if there be nothing but &s;ilence, to proceed.</P>
<P>So that by this meanes no man is obtruded upon the people, a|gain&s;t their open or tacite con&s;ent and approbation, or without the voices of the particular Elder&s;hip, with whom he is to &s;erve in the Mini&s;terie. But if the per&s;on nominated be a Pa&s;tor of &s;ome other flock, and his faithfulne&s;&s;e knowne in his former charge, this Pro|ce&s;&s;e
<PB N="3" REF="3">
is &s;pared, and his Tran&s;lation more &s;peedily expedited, if there be no impediments of another kind.</P>
<P>Vpon the day appointed for accompli&s;hing his election, and for his Ordination, which is in due time to be made knowne to the Congregation, and agreed upon by them, a Fa&s;t ought to be ordain|ed to be kept, with more then ordinary &s;upplication, for the a&s;&s;i&s;t|ance and ble&s;&s;ing of God, in a worke of &s;o great concernment: and one of the Pa&s;tors of the Presbyterie is appointed to preach to that People of the mutuall duties of Pa&s;tor and People: all which being done, the partie (during the time of the exerci&s;e of publike Wor&s;hip &s;itting in &s;ome con&s;picuous place before the Pulpit with the Elders, and &s;ome Mini&s;ters of the Presbyterie) is to be called and demand|ed concerning his willingne&s;&s;e and de&s;ire to &s;erve the Lord Je&s;us, for the good of that people; with other que&s;tions of that kind: and the people al&s;o are to be demanded, whether they will receive him for their Pa&s;tor, and &s;ubmit them&s;elves unto his Mini&s;tery in the Lord. Both having declared their readine&s;&s;e and mutuall con&s;ent, the Mini&s;ter coming from the Pulpit with &s;o manie Mini&s;ters pre|&s;ent as may conveniently come neare, lay their hands upon his head, and in the name of Je&s;us appoint him to be Pa&s;tor of that people, praying that from Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is at the right hand of the Fa|ther, and giveth gifts unto men, he may finde the demon&s;tration of the Spirit, and the power and ble&s;&s;ing of God in his Mini&s;terie, to the comfort of that People: after which, the whole Elder&s;hip give unto him the right hand of Fellow&s;hip. La&s;t of all, the Mini&s;ter go|ing to the Pulpit, is to conclude with pertinent Thank&s;giving and Prayers; and (a P&s;alme being &s;ung) the A&s;&s;embly di&s;mi&s;&s;ed with a Ble&s;&s;ing.</P>
<P>The Congregation, where he who is pre&s;ented to &s;erve, is called, if they have ought to object again&s;t his Doctrine or life, after they have heard him, or that their con&s;ent may be had: and if he be found <HI>Reus ambitus,</HI> or to have gone about to procure a pre&s;entation, he is to be repelled, and declared incapable of that place. No Pa&s;tor may thru&s;t him&s;elfe upon a flock, nor after his entry, de&s;ert his charge, or remove him&s;elfe to another Congregation at his own plea&s;ure. The de&s;erters, if any be, are appointed to be admoni&s;hed, and in ca&s;e of ob&s;tinacie, to be excommunicated. If a Mini&s;ter, upon lawfull and urgent cau&s;es, de&s;ire to remove from one Congregation to another,
<PB N="4" REF="4">
for which he is more fit, or be called forth upon grave con&s;iderati|ons, for &s;ome publike employment, tending to the common benefit of the Church; this is not done by private tran&s;action, and particu|lar agreement, of Mini&s;ters and Congregations, but by the wi&s;dome and authority of the Presbyteries or A&s;&s;emblies of the Church; not is it done by them, but upon &s;uch rea&s;ons as &s;hould move that Church wherein for the pre&s;ent he admini&s;treth, to give her con&s;ent: for who&s;e &s;upply al&s;o, either a convenient cour&s;e is pre&s;ently taken, or the way of &s;upply is &s;een to be ea&s;ie.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters thus removed from one Church to another, recei|veth no new Ordination, but by vertue of his fir&s;t Ordination &s;er|veth in the place, unto which he is called and elected: Only at his admi&s;&s;ion one of the Presbytery, who is appointed to preach of the duty of Pa&s;tors and people, and to pray for a ble&s;&s;ing recommend|eth him to the Congregation, who have before declared their wil|lingne&s;&s;e and de&s;ire to receive him, and the Congregation to his care and fidelity; and the Pa&s;tor, if any be, together with the Elders, with whom he is to &s;it before the Pulpit, take him by the hand. Pa&s;tors and Mini&s;ters of the Word, through old age, &s;ickne&s;&s;e or other infirmity being di&s;abled to beare the weight, and di&s;charge the duty of their Pa&s;torall charge, do notwith&s;tanding &s;till retain the honour of their office, and comfort of maintenance during their life time: And they performing what they are able, in teaching, government, vi&s;itation and catechi&s;ing, others are joyned with them by the Presbytery, with the con&s;ent of the people, to be their fellow|labourers, and to undergo charge.</P>
<P>The &s;ame cour&s;e of election and admi&s;&s;ion for &s;ub&s;tance, and in forme according to the nature of their office, is ob&s;erved in the cal|ling other Officers, as <HI>Ruling Elders</HI> and <HI>Deacons:</HI> at the beginning, and where there be none, the Pa&s;tor, with the grave&s;t, holie&s;t, and tho&s;e of the &s;ounde&s;t judgement, and be&s;t affection to Religion, doe choo&s;e them with the con&s;ent of the re&s;t of the people. And where particular Elder&s;hips are already con&s;titute, the Pa&s;tor and Elders who are in office, doe choo&s;e &s;uch as are to &s;ucceed tho&s;e who are removed by death, or any other way, or by vici&s;&s;itude are to relieve &s;uch as are in place; and that the election of one or more at fir&s;t, or afterward may proceed with the con&s;ent of the people, their names are to be publi&s;hed and made knowne to the Congregation by the
<PB N="5" REF="4">
Pa&s;tors, that if ought may be objected again&s;t any of them, why they may not be received to the office of an <HI>Elder</HI> or <HI>Deacon,</HI> it may be examined; and if it be found important, others may be cho|&s;en. When the day of their admi&s;&s;ion cometh, the Pa&s;tor having fram'd his Doctrine to the purpo&s;e, calls them up, and remembring both them of their duty in their charge, and the people of their &s;ub|mitting them&s;elves unto them, they are to be &s;olemnly received, with lifted up hands, giving their promi&s;es to be faithfull.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of Elders and their Office.</HEAD>
<P>THe Calling, Election, and admi&s;&s;ion of Elders is before &s;poken of. The number of Elders in every Pari&s;h is not definite, but doth vary, according to the number and nece&s;&s;ity of the people; In &s;ome pari&s;hes &s;ixe, in &s;ome ten or twelve, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Such are to be cho&s;en for Elders as come neare&s;t to the gifts, and qualities, required by the Apo&s;tle; and after they are cho&s;en, are (at all occa&s;ions) to be exhorted by the Pa&s;tor to be en&s;amples to the flocke, and to watch over them fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">thfully, again&s;t all corruptions, in Religion and life. And as the Pa&s;tor &s;hould be diligent in teaching and &s;owing the &s;eed, &s;o are the Elders de&s;ired to be carefull in &s;eeing and &s;eeking the fruits of the people.</P>
<P>The Elders are to attend with the Pa&s;tor in Catechi&s;ing the peo|ple, to a&s;&s;i&s;t him in vi&s;iting the &s;icke, in admoni&s;hing all men of their duty, and if any will not heare them, they mu&s;t bring the di&s;obe|dient before the E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">der&s;hip; But a principall part of their duty is to joyne alwaies, with the Pa&s;tor in the particular Elder&s;hip, and in o|ther a&s;&s;emblies of the Church, as they &s;hall be called, for exerci&s;ing of di&s;cipline, and governing the whole Congregation.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of the Deacons and their Office.</HEAD>
<P>VVHat manner of per&s;ons the Deacons ought to be, the Scrip|ture is plaine, and &s;uch they make choice of as are &s;o quali|fied, &s;o farre as may be; The forme of their election is before ex|pre&s;&s;ed. Their number mu&s;t be con&s;idered of, according to the num|ber of the poore, and the proportion of the Congregation, as wee &s;pake before of the Elders.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="5">Their maine duty is, to collect, receive, and di&s;tribute, not onely the almes for the poore, but the whole Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall goods, which are not a&s;&s;igned and appointed, for the maintenance of particular per&s;ons.</P>
<P>The&s;e duties they mu&s;t performe; at the di&s;cretion, and by the appointment of the Pa&s;tor, and Elders; for which cau&s;e, and not for government, they are to be pre&s;ent at the ordinary meetings of the Elder&s;hip.</P>
<P>The meanes (for the maintenance of the poore) are collected by the Deacons, the fir&s;t day of the weeke, and other dayes of the pub|like a&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">mbling the people to the wor&s;hip of God, at the entry of the Church. And if this prove not a competency, then do the peo|ple either bring in their Charity, on &s;uch daies as are appointed by the Elder&s;hip, or are willing to be taxed, according as they &s;hall bee judged to be able In Cities and Pari&s;hes, where this order &s;hall be carefully ob&s;erved, none will be &s;uffered to beg, and none lacke.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of Church A&s;&s;emblies in generall.</HEAD>
<P>NO man, were he never &s;o eminent above others, for piety wi&s;|dome or learning, or doth he never &s;o much arrogate authority to him&s;elfe, hath the rains of Church-Government in his hands to determine, or to doe what &s;eemeth good in his owne eyes; But all matters are to be advi&s;ed, determined, and judged with common con&s;ent, in the meetings and a&s;&s;emblies of the Church, which for this end are of foure &s;orts and degrees, which are commonly cal|led by the names of Church-Se&s;&s;ions, or particular Elder&s;hips, or Con&s;i&s;tories; Presbyteries or Cla&s;&s;es; Provinciall Synods, and Nationall, or Generall A&s;&s;emblies.</P>
<P>Each of the&s;e a&s;&s;emblies hath a Pre&s;ident or Moderator, who be|ginneth and endeth with Prayer; propoundeth matters to be trea|ted; procureth them to be debated if need be, and in orderly way, that all may be heard, and none interrupted, unle&s;&s;e he &s;peake too much; gathereth the voices, which are noted by the Clerk, and pronunceth the &s;entence, or if there be an equality, remitteth it to the greater Presbytery; each of them hath a Clerk, or a Notary; and a Regi&s;ter of all things debated and done by them, e&s;pecially of &s;uch matters as may be of future u&s;e.</P>
<P><PB REF="5">None of the&s;e A&s;&s;emblies, from the lea&s;t to the greate&s;t, are to treat of matters pertaining to the civill Juri&s;diction and Magi|&s;trate, but only of matters Spirituall, and Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall, that the doctrine and wor&s;hip may be kept in purity, all things be done de|cently, and in order, in the particular Churches, and that all the Members of the Churches may walk worthily of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>The le&s;&s;er and inferiour A&s;&s;embly is &s;ubordinate to the &s;uperi|our and greater, &s;o that if any per&s;on &s;hall think him&s;elf wronged or di&s;tre&s;&s;ed, by the unju&s;t proceedings of the inferiour A&s;&s;embly, it is lawfull for him to &s;eek relief of the greater, providing, it be done in an humble and peaceable way, and in the right order, by proceeding to the greater A&s;&s;embly, and &s;o of the re&s;t, if need be, taking them in their &s;ubordination, untill either he be &s;atisfied, or which rarely cometh to pa&s;&s;e, he a&s;cend unto the highe&s;t of all.</P>
<P>In matters difficult or &s;uch as belong to &s;uperiour A&s;&s;emblies, re|ferences from the le&s;&s;er are ordinary, but nothing belonging to an inferiour A&s;&s;embly is brought before a greater, till either it cannot be &s;etled, or be di&s;orderly done by them, or &s;ome complaint ari&s;e. And in that ca&s;e, &s;o farre as may &s;tand with truth and peace, the greater A&s;&s;embly is carefull to pre&s;erve the power and authority of the le&s;&s;er, and therefore matters belonging to the inferiour A&s;|&s;emblies are commonly remitted unto them by the greater.</P>
<P>No one Church, be it never &s;o great, is to have authority over another, nor is it governed by any extrin&s;ecall power; but all the particular Churches are of equall power and authority, and are ru|led and judged by them&s;elves, and their own intrin&s;ecall power in A&s;&s;emblies compo&s;ed, and con&s;i&s;ting of their Officers and Com|mi&s;&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ners from them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of particular Elder&s;hips in Pari&s;hes.</HEAD>
<P>THe particular Elder&s;hip or Church-Se&s;&s;ion con&s;i&s;teth of one or moe Mini&s;ters, and of Elders, &s;o many in number as the pro|portion of the Congregation doth require, who ordinarily doe meet once in the week.</P>
<P>The Deacons are alwayes to be pre&s;ent with the Elders, not for government, but that they may make known the ca&s;e and nece&s;&s;i|ties of the poore, and may con&s;ult and receive direction for their &s;upply.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ter of the Pari&s;h is alwayes to be Moderator of this
<PB N="8" REF="6">
Meeting, and if there be moe Mini&s;ters then one, the Moderator is either cho&s;en, or they doe moderate by cour&s;e, providing that none be Moderator while any matter is treated which concerneth his own particular.</P>
<P>The matters treated by this Elder&s;hip, are &s;uch particulars as concern the wor&s;hip of God in that Church; as what dayes of the week are meete&s;t for a&s;&s;embling to the publike Wor&s;hip, if it may be had, and be thought nece&s;&s;ary, what hours on the Lords day, be|fore and after noon, which are variable, according to the length, or &s;hortne&s;&s;e of the day in Summer and Winter; what times are fit|te&s;t for publike Catechi&s;ing, and for vi&s;iting of particular Fami|lies; how often and at what times the Lords Supper is mo&s;t &s;ea&s;o|nably to be admini&s;tred: all which are fitting for keeping of order in the Church, and cannot be &s;o fitly determined by a &s;uperiour A&s;&s;embly; the Elders al&s;o do here delate &s;candalous per&s;ons, and bring them to publike repentance, according to the Forme pre|&s;cribed in the greater A&s;&s;emblies: but if there be any doubt or difficulty, or if the delinquents and ob&s;tinacy and impenitency to their fault, then are they warned to appeare before the greater Presbytery, there to receive order for their cen&s;ure, or to be &s;ent home again to give &s;atisfaction, or to make their repentance in their own Church where they have given offence, and where the fault was committed: For example, a man behaving him&s;elf &s;can|dalou&s;ly with a woman, both unmarried and &s;ingle per&s;ons, is fir&s;t admoni&s;hed and rebuked; if fornication appear, he is called be|fore the Elder&s;hip, brought to the &s;en&s;e and confe&s;&s;ion of his fault, and ordained to make his publike repentance, according to the or|der of the Church, and to ab&s;tain from all &s;candalous behaviour afterward. But if he prove ob&s;tinate, he is conveened before the greater Presbytery, the matter is examined, and either promi&s;eth to give obedience to his own Elder&s;hip, or in ca&s;e of continued ob&s;tinacy, the cen&s;ures of the Church proceed again&s;t him. But if there be a &s;candall of adultery or murder, the noi&s;e and &s;candall whereof is far &s;pread, and filleth all mens ears round about, the parties are brought before the greater Presbytery, and the parti|cular Elder&s;hip doth before prepare the parties for their appea|rance before the Presbytery.</P>
<P>The &s;ame faults which are brought before the particular or grea|ter
<PB N="9" REF="6">
Presbytery in an Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall way, are al&s;o publi&s;hed by the ci|vill Magi&s;trate, and the pecuniall mulct or penalty is given to the Dea|cons to be kept in the Church trea&s;ure for the benefit of the poore, or other pious u&s;es.</P>
<P>Nothing u&s;eth to be done by the le&s;&s;er or greater Presbytery in or|dering the publike Wor&s;hip, in cen&s;uring of delinquents or bringing them to publike repentance, but according to the &s;etled order of the Church and with expre&s;&s;e or tacite con&s;ent of the Congregation, and if there be any new emergents that cau&s;e doubting or hae&s;itation, the matter is remitted to the great A&s;&s;emb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ies of the Church.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The order of Excommunicating.</HEAD>
<P>ALL baptized per&s;ons, when they come to age and di&s;cretion, are not admitted to the Lords Table; but &s;uch onely as either upon examination are found to have a competent mea&s;ure of knowledge in the principles of Religion, doe profe&s;&s;e that they are believers and do live unblamedly, or coming from another Congregation bring with them &s;ufficient te&s;timony that they are &s;uch, or are otherwi&s;e well known and approved.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters and Elders are to u&s;e all the meanes in publike and private to bring all others within the Pari&s;h to knowledge, faith, and holine&s;&s;e of life, that they may be fitted for the Lords Table.</P>
<P>But this not admi&s;&s;ion to the Communion is one thing &amp; excom|munication of haynous or ob&s;tinate offenders, is another thing very different. In ca&s;e of ob&s;tinacy and wilfull impenitency, even when the offences are not &s;o great and &s;candalous they proceed to excommu|nication, but with great meekne&s;&s;e, long &s;uffering, and by many de|grees the cen&s;ure being &s;o weighty and they de&s;ire to gain the &s;inner to repentance. If any per&s;on walk unworthy of the Go&s;pel, or commit any tre&s;pa&s;&s;e he is (unle&s;&s;e the &s;candall be publike and notorious) ad|moni&s;hed fir&s;t &s;ecretly by one, next by two or three more; and third|ly, if he contemn both, then according to the order pre&s;cribed by our Saviour, <HI>Mat.</HI> 18. The matter is brought before the Mini&s;ter and El|ders, where he is accu&s;ed both of the tre&s;pa&s;&s;e and of the contempt. If he cannot yet be brought to repentance, then is the matter in &s;ome mea&s;ure to be made known unto the Congregation, and he called be|fore the greater Presbytery; where if he give &s;igns of his repentance, he is remitted to &s;atisfie his own &s;e&s;&s;ion. But if he per&s;i&s;t in his ob&s;ti|nacy, then by the Ordinance of the Presbytery, the particular Elder|&s;hip
<PB N="10" REF="7">
is to proceed again&s;t him, with the cen&s;ure of the Church, even to Excommunication.</P>
<P>The matter being thus heard known &amp; judged, and the whole pro|ce&s;&s;e revi&s;ed by the greater Presbytery, the next Sabbath without de|lay, the tre&s;pa&s;&s;e and order of admonitions are to be declared to the Congregation, and the per&s;on without &s;pecification of his name, ad|moni&s;hed yet to &s;atisfie; which if he &s;till refu&s;e to do, the next Sab|bath his name, with his offence and contempt, are publi&s;hed; if he yet continue ob&s;tinate, then the next, which is the third Sabbath, is he charged publikely to &s;atisfie for his offence and contempt under the pain of excommunication. If now he offer him&s;elf to the particular Presbytery, then do they at the appointment of the Presbytery, give order for his publike repentance, the removing of the &s;candall, &amp; his reconcilement to the Church, otherwi&s;e the Mini&s;ter proceedeth in this order.</P>
<P>The Sabbath after the third publike admonition, the Mini&s;ter, with con&s;ent of the Elder&s;hip, is to make known to the Congregation that &s;uch a per&s;on is to be excommunicated, warning all that have any thing to object again&s;t it, that they appear the next Se&s;&s;ion day: and for the pre&s;ent, that the whole Congregation powre forth their &s;up|plications, that God would grant him repentance, and to come out of the &s;nare of the Divel. If nothing be objected, or if none for him wit|ne&s;&s;e any appearance of repentance, then is the danger of the per&s;on, and the weight of the &s;entence laid open the next Sabbath&punc; and he the &s;econd time prayed for publikely. If at la&s;t, upon the next Sabbath, there be no &s;ign of repentance, then is he prayed for the third time; and there being no means una&s;&s;ayed, nor remedy left to reclaime him, he is &s;trucken with the terrible &s;entence of excommunicating&punc; with calling upon the Name of God to ratifie the &s;entence in Heaven, and the people warned to hold him as an Heathen, or an Publican and to &s;hun all communion with him, except in naturall and civill duties, to be &s;till performed by &s;uch as are bound. It is to be under&s;tood, that where the crimes are &s;uch&punc; that they cry to the Heavens for revenge, wa&s;te the con&s;cience, and by the law of God de&s;erve death, and the tran&s;gre&s;&s;our certainly known, the Proce&s;&s;e may be more &s;ummary, and Excommunication more ha&s;tened; as on the other part of Ab&s;o|lution, the time would be longer, and the tryall of repentance more exact.</P>
<P><PB N="11" REF="7">After excommunication, he is permitted to come to the preaching of the Word, yet &s;o as it may appear that he commeth as one not ha|ving communion with the Church. Neither is he debarred from pri|vate coun&s;ell, in&s;truction, admonition, and prayer, that in the end his &s;pirit may be &s;aved. If after excommunication the Elder&s;hip finde the &s;igns of repentance, as the good life and behaviour of the excom|municate, declaration of the griefe of his heart, and his humble &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ion to the order of the Church, in all things that may reconcile him to God &amp; his people they &s;hall with joy of heart make it known to the Congregation by the Mini&s;ter, that they al&s;o may have joy over their brother repenting: or if they have ought to object again&s;t the truth of his repentance, they may give notice therof at the next mee|ting of the Elder&s;hip, where if nothing be alleaged again&s;t him, after he hath obeyed the injunction of the Elder&s;hip for his further humi|liation and the better tryall of his repentance, he is either brought before the greater Presbytery, as all other penitents for great crimes, or by relation from his own Elder&s;hip, is to give them &s;atisfaction in the &s;ignes of his repentance that he may be ab&s;olved.</P>
<P>As all publike penitents are received, &s;o is the excommunicate ab|&s;olved in the face of the Congregation, before whom being brought by the Elders at the time appointed, he maketh free confe&s;&s;ion of his &s;inne and mourneth for it, cryeth to God formercy, &s;eeketh to be re|conciled to the Church, and promi&s;eth new obedience; with which all being &s;atisfied, and willing to receive him into their common and mutuall con&s;olation, the Mini&s;ter who preacheth for that time pro|nounceth him upon his repentance to be ab&s;olved in the Name of Chri&s;t from his &s;in and free of the cen&s;ures of the Church, and have right through faith to Chri&s;t and all his benefits and ordinances, prai|&s;ing God for his grace and praying that he may be fully accepted to his favour, loo&s;ed in Heaven and hear the voyce of joy and gladne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>After the &s;entence of ab&s;olution&punc; the Mini&s;ter &s;peaketh to him as a brother, exhorting him to watch and pray or comforting him if he have need, the Elders imbrace him, and the whole Congregation kee|peth communion with him as if he had never offended.</P>
<P>As the Presbytery excommunicateth prophane profe&s;&s;ours, &s;o doth it al&s;o depo&s;e Preachers, if they be teachers of corrupt Doctrine, if their lives continue &s;candalous after admonition, if they be bu&s;ie in renting the Church a&s;under by &s;chi&s;me and divi&s;ion; if they be given
<PB N="12" REF="8">
to bla&s;phemy, profanation of the Lords day, &s;imony, perjury, drun|kenne&s;&s;e, &s;ighting, or any other &s;inne, for which, whether in re&s;pect of the greatne&s;&s;e of the &s;inne, or by rea&s;on of the contempt and ob&s;tina|cie when the &s;inne is not &s;o great, private per&s;ons are excommunica|ted; and although they be upon their repentance ab&s;olved from the &s;entence of excommunication, yet in &s;ome ca&s;es e&s;pecially, where the crime inferreth a perpetuall infamy, are they never readmitted to the Mini&s;tery, except upon the mo&s;t unanimous and mo&s;t earne&s;t de|&s;ire of the whole Church where they &s;erved before.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of greater Presbyteries or Cla&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">es.</HEAD>
<P>THe Presbytery or Cla&s;&s;icall meeting doth con&s;i&s;t of particular neighbouring Churches in &s;uch a circuit as many conveniently meet together, to the number of 10, 16, 20, or &s;o many as the vicinity of the places and Pari&s;hes may well accommodate.</P>
<P>It is &s;uppo&s;ed that the whole particular Elder&s;hips cannot well a&s;&s;emble in one place ordinarily, neither is it nece&s;&s;ary. There mu&s;t be therefore, be&s;ide the Mini&s;ter or Mini&s;ters of the Con|gregation, who are &s;upo&s;ed to be perpetuall members of the Presby|terie, &s;ome of &s;peciall note cho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">en out of the Elders, and by them, who receiving from them Commi&s;&s;ion, may repre&s;ent the whole; from each perticular Elder&s;hip, one of the Elders with the Mini&s;ter or Mini&s;ters repaireth to the place of meeting: &s;o that the members of this Presbyteriall meeting are all Mini&s;ters within the Circuit, &amp; one Elder delegated from each particular Elder&s;hip. None of the Mi|ni&s;ters are permitted to be ab&s;ent unle&s;&s;e they be detained by nece&s;|&s;ary impediment or extraordinary imployments. And therefore the day of the meeting of the Presbyterie may not be de&s;tinate to ordi|nary preaching? Nor are they to wait that day upon &s;olemnizing of marriages. The names are called by the Clerke, and the ab&s;ents are noted and examined the next day upon the rea&s;ons of their ab&s;ence; and if any happen to ab&s;ent them&s;elves many dayes without rea&s;on|able cau&s;es, they are &s;et apart and cen&s;ured as guilty of the contempt or neglect of the Order of the Church. But the Elders are not &s;o &s;trictly tied to ordinarie attendance; but if there be any matter of great weight to be handled they are all to be warned to be pre&s;ent and if he who was formerly Commi&s;&s;ioner may not a&s;&s;i&s;t, another Commi&s;&s;ioner in his place may be cho&s;en by the Elder&s;hip.</P>
<P>It is permitted to the expectants having entred before upon the
<PB N="13" REF="8">
publike exerci&s;e or prophe&s;ie, to &s;it by the Mini&s;ters and Elders in the meeting of the Presbytery, and to give their judgment of the Do|ctrine, but they have no voice when matters of doctrine or di&s;cipline are debated. And in the handling of &s;ome matters which are thought fit to be concealed and kept &s;ecret, till they be by common con&s;ent publi&s;hed they are to be removed.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the whole di&s;cipline in a manner is in the hands of the Presbytery, they are to meet once a week or fortnight upon a certain day, and in a certain place, but in &s;ome places through the length and deepne&s;&s;e of the way in Winter they do not meet &s;o often</P>
<P>The &s;ubject and matters treated by the Presbytery are all Eccle&s;i|a&s;ticall matters of weight, which concern the particular Churches there repre&s;ented as the examination, ordination, &s;u&s;pen&s;ion, axd de|po&s;itions of Mini&s;ters; &s;candals of Mini&s;ters in Doctrine, life or any part of their calling; the di&s;cerning of excommunication, references, and appellations from particular Elder&s;hips, and the amending of any thing that hath been negligently or weakly done by them; the an&s;we|ring al&s;o of que&s;tions &amp; reque&s;ts from other Presbyteries, Churches, or per&s;ons, or &s;ending of Commi&s;&s;ioners in &s;ome ca&s;es to other Churches or Presbyteries, whether to admoni&s;h them, or to &s;eek coun|&s;ell from them but &s;o that they have no authority without the limits of their own con&s;ociation.</P>
<P>The Mini&s;ters and Elders who are Commi&s;&s;ioners, together with the expectants and others who are plea&s;ed to be pre&s;ent, meeting in the place, and at the day and hour appointed, which u&s;eth to be one half hour after nine a clock in the forenoon&punc; where of warning is gi|ven by the &s;ound of a bell, that &s;o all the affaires of that day (unle&s;&s;e there be &s;omwhat extraordinary to hold them longer) may be expedi|ted again&s;t mid-day, do begin with prayer, and proceed to the textu|all interpretation of Scripture, which is done by the Mini&s;ters, each one in his own place by cour&s;e, or by the expectants, who&s;e names are &s;et forth in a Table, or written in the Regi&s;ter of the Presbytery for that end; after the fir&s;t &s;peaker, &s;ome other who followeth in or|der and is al&s;o appointed by the Presbytery the day before, &s;peaketh in the &s;econd place, collecting &s;ome doctrine sone or moe upon the text expounded and &s;hewing the u&s;e thereof. The &s;econd &s;peaker ha|ving ended about eleven a clock, the exerci&s;e is clo&s;ed with thank&s;|giving by him who &s;pake fir&s;t. The matter of each dayes exerci&s;e is
<PB N="14" REF="9">
&s;ome portion of that particular book of the old or new Te&s;tament a|greed upon in the Presbytery: once every moneth &s;ome common place or controver&s;ie is handled, unto which the exerci&s;e giveth place for that day. The ground is read in Scripture, the &s;tate of the que&s;tion propounded, the arguments for the truth pre&s;&s;ed and vindicated from the &s;ophi&s;tication of the adver&s;aries; but the arguments <HI>contra</HI> are left to be proponed in the Presbyteriall meeting by &s;uch Mini&s;ters as are by the Moderator called to di&s;pute upon the propo&s;itions, or <HI>The&s;es</HI> exhibit, the day of the meeting next before, by the controver|&s;ar, and are propugned by him, the Moderator being <HI>pra&s;es</HI> of the di&s;|putation. That that the Presbyterie may goe through all the contro|ver&s;ies, they have al&s;o a table wherein they are all dige&s;ted in order, &s;o that each mini&s;ter or expectant knoweth a moneth before what is next to be treated.</P>
<P>The exerci&s;e or common head of controver&s;ie ended in publike, the people depart, and the Mini&s;ters and Elders with others, who are per|mitted to be pre&s;ent go to the private place of their meeting, where all being &s;et in order, and the Moderator having begun with prayer, the doctrine delivered in publike is examined, and each one of the Presbytery and Expectants, either approveth, or in charity and &s;ober|ne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, propoundeth his doubt again&s;t any point &s;poken of, which being done, the &s;peakers for that day are called upon (they be|ing apart at this time) their interpretation and doctrine approved, and they encouraged or (if there be cau&s;e) they are in a brotherly manner admoni&s;hed. The doctrine cen&s;ured (for this is called the cen&s;ure of the doctrine.) The matters before mentioned to be the &s;ubject of the Presbyteriall juri&s;diction, are propounded, mode&s;tly debated, and ei|ther concluded, or taken to further deliberation, or remitted to the Synod and &s;o the meeting concluded with prayer. The Moderator ei|ther continueth in his place between one Provintiall Synod and a|nother, or for a &s;horter time, but they think it not fit to change the Moderator at every meeting.</P>
<P>The Presbyteries al&s;o do vi&s;it the &s;everall Churches within their bounds either by holding their full meeting at the Churches, or by &s;ending their Commi&s;&s;ioners thither, that they may &s;ee how the Or|dinances of Chri&s;t are u&s;ed and obeyed, by the Mini&s;ter, Elder&s;hip, and all the Congregation, and that if any thing be ami&s;&s;e, it may be rectified.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="9">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
