restored to the Authority given it by Chrift Fefus; that the Primitive Difcipline of Christ's Church may be Revived and Established with Effect in this our Church, for the good of Souls, and the intreft of our common Chriftianity? Tea, why may it not be Hoped, that at this juncture, (if the Paftors of the Church, who ftand Charged with the Ministry, shall Affert (as in Duty they ought the Right of the Church to an Authority that may Oblige the Confcience, and Bind its Members to a Submission to this Discipline; and shall make it appear also that themfelves, who have the care thereof committed to them on behalf of the Church, are defirous to discharge a Confcience in its Execution) the Civil Authority may lend an Affiftance, the general good Will of Christians alfo concurring, to bring it to Effect? It is out of this hope, how faint foever, that the Author of this Tract has attempted to fhew therein, That this Church has a Right to have her Difcipline Reftored, which it has in vain Wifhed to See effected from the beginning of the Reformation; That those who stand Trufted with this Ministry, cannot discharge a Confcience to God or his Church, but by doing their utmoft towards it.

That

~That it will not be a fufficient Excufe for fuck, at the day of Account to Say, The Difcipline of the Church has been loft, or the Corrupt Age would not endure it, unless their Confcience can Atteft that they have been the more Zealous in their En deavours to Retrieve it, as the necessary Remedy for Cure of that Corruption; that they have done what in them lies alfo to recover to the Church that Authority which Chrift left it Invested with, for the Maintenance of Chriftianity: That the ・Same Reasons which oblige all that defire to Profefs Christianity, to become Members of the Church, ought to prevail with them to yield Effect to this Miniftry, which is of God's providing, as the Means of obliging Chriftians to live up to the excellent Rules of their Holy Profeffion: That whatever Civil Power, being Chriftian, in that refpect, thinks it felf obliged to Maintain the Church, cannot want Evidence of its Obligation to give Effect and Force to this Difcipline of the Church, which Carnal Christians are not likely to Submit to otherwife: The very Being of a Church importing this, That there be a Power and Authority, acknowledged for the Maintaining that Christianity which the Church, as a Society, ftands Charged to Maintain, as A 4

the

the Nature of all Societies muft Import a Power to Maintain themselves according to the Defign and Rules of their Conftituti

on.

Let me not be thought not to forefee many Cenfures, and much Oppofition in this Attempt, which nevertheless, the Part which I have in the Church's Ministry will oblige me to abide. I must expect it to be Objected by fome, that there is no fuch thing as an Authority of fuch a Nature as the Difcipline pretended to importeth, of Right belonging to the Church; that indeed. there is no such thing as a Church endued with a Power to fuch Effect by the Ordinance of our Lord, or the Inftitution of his Apoftles. But I take the Proof made in the following Treatife, That Difcipline was of Apoftolical Practice, to have obviated all that can be with any Force Objected against the Constitution of the Church, or its Right in this Particular: Inasmuch as Difcipline implies the Church to be Conftituted a Society, as the Ancient Practice of this Difcipline Recorded in the Scripture implies alfo its Original to be from Christ and his Apofiles. I must look that it will be Objected, notwithstanding. That the Ancient Difcipline came to Effect by the vo luntary Confent of Chriftians, that in times

of

7.

of Perfecution Submitted to fuch Rules as Jeemed neceßary in that State of Things; and that now, all the Authority the Church hath is from the Laws of the Land in every Chriftian State; fo that what Changes or Alterations are made by the Ci vil Power, fhall take Place, in Bar to any Laws or Customs of the Church. But I am mistaken if any great matter can be made of this Objection. 'Tis true indeed, The Ancient Difcipline came to Effect by the voluntary Confent of Chriftians; and the Church being a mere Spiritual Society, without any Temporal Power, to enforce by way of Constraint the Effect of its Ministry, it could not be otherwife. But though the Church could lay no outward Conftraint, it nevertheless laid a Constraint upon the Confcience, fo that those who Confented to fubmit unto its Difcipline, could not have been Chriftians, had they not fo confented. There was therefore an Authority Obliging them in Confcience to yield Effect to thoje Miniftries which God had provided for the Maintenance and Propagation of Chriftia nity. So that that voluntary Act was nevertheless a Duty, in respect of an Authority in the Church, Claiming from them a Submifion to its Difcipline, though not conStraining it by any External Force. Now

this

this being the Cafe, 'tis vifible that the Church had an Authority from the Beginning, though this not a Temporal, but Spiritual Authority. It will therefore concern fuch as will have it, that the Civil Authority may make Changes or Alterations at its pleasure in the Laws and Customs of the Church, and that the Church has now no Authority, to fhew by what Right any Civil Power, Profeffing Christianity, may defeat the Church of any part of the Right whereof it stands Poffeffed by the Original Inftitution of our Lord and his Apoftles or give a Reafon at least, why, the Authority of the Church, which being derived from Chrift and his Apostles Stood good against the Heathen Powers, should not stand good where the Civil Power Profeffeth Chistianity, which will not be easily done. Whereas it is a very eafie matter for me to fhew on the contrary, That a State Profeffing Chriftisnity, and the Protection thereof, ought not only to acknowledge the Authority which the Church has from Chrift and the Apostles, but to imploy alfo its own Authority to render the other Effectual with fuch as being Chriftians more out of Intreft than Confcience would not fubmit otherwife to the Authority and Difcipline of the

Church.

Some