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The SPEECH of Mr JOHN GLAS before the Commission of the General Assembly, March 11. 1730.

Judge it my duty to lay before this commission such a state of my difference from this national church, as may

serve to shew how far it may justify the treatment I have met with upon it; and to manifest, that I differ from this church no farther than the word of God, as I understand it, obliges me to differ. And I am hopeful, that what I now offer, may serve to bring this process to a speedy issue, which is the thing I fincerely defire.

What lies now before the commission to be confidered as the matter of my condemnation, may be comprehended under the three following heads.

1. My refusing to subscribe the Formula, because I cannot see the government of this national church by kirk-feffions, presbyteries, provincial synods, and general affemblies, to be founded in the word of God.

2. My refusing to subscribe some passages in the Confeffion of Faith, touching the magistrate's power circa facra, and liberty of confcience, with fome propositions relative thereto, maintained by me.

3. My exercising the minifterial office, after I was forbidden upon these grounds.

I. As to the first of these, I refuse to subscribe the Formula, because I cannot fee precept or example in fcripture for the government of this national church by kirk-sessions, prefbyteries, provincial and national synods; and I do not imagine, that the commission will affirm there is fuch a fourdation in the word of God for the foresaid government. And if it should be my opinion, that it requires precept or example in God's word for such a government to warrant me to declare, that it is founded in that word, or if I should affirm, that church-courts, meeting in the name of Christ, require as much warrant in the word of God, as church-officers, acting in his name; I see not any proposition in the public standards of the church that condemns this: nor can I conceive how it should be a ground of cenfure; since I have declared, that I look upon this as the best national establishment, and that I am very far from defiring to fee it changed for another national church-government.

And

And though it be by me affirmed, that a congregation or church of Jesus Christ, with its presbytery, is, in its difcipline, subject to no jurisdiction under heaven; yet I never intended by this to deny the subjection of a parish, with its kirk-session, unto presbyteries, synods, and assemblies. For, when the magiftrate divides his subjects into parcels, to be taught by so many teachers, upon the encouragement by him afforded, the nature of the thing requires, that these teachers should be subject to the oversight of such as, by the law that affords them a maintenance, are appointed to oversee them, and to whom that law makes them accountable. But it will not be affirmed by the commission, that these parishes, and their overseers, are of the same kind with the first Christian churches or congregations, and their prefbyteries: for these congregations were gathered together only by the gofpel; and were disciples of Christ, voluntarily associated for holding spiritual communion together, and for the observation of the laws of Christ, and the enjoyment of the spiritual privileges of his kingdom, which is not of this world, and they were governed by presbyteries freely chosen and maintained by themselves. Now seeing it is evident, these were quite different things from parishes and kirk-sessions, as I cannot think but parishes are designed unto better ends than to make such churches, as were from the beginning, useless, and set them aside; so I cannot perfuade myself, that the commission will judge it a cenfurable fault in me to hold, that, notwithstanding of the order of parishes, it is still lawful for ministers and disciples of Christ, to conform themselves to the first Christian churches, with their presbyteries, 1 Thef. ii. 13. 14. So that, unless I be condemned for saying, that kirk-sessions and parishes are not the same thing with the first Christian presbyteries and congregations, the only thing that remains to be confidered, as a ground for the sentence against me upon this head, is, That I affirm these first churches were not subjected in their difcipline to any jurisdiction under heaven. But as the Confession and Formula (which respects parishes) does not precisely decide this question, nor contain any proposition that expressly contradicts this; so there is no evidence appearing to me from the word of God, that these first churches were subject to any jurisdiction under heaven in their difcipline, but much to the contrary. For,

1. Our Lord lodges the power of binding and loofing under himself, in that church, with its prefbytery, unto which the

the offended brother tells his brother's trespass, after he has neglected to hear him with the one or two more, and he promises his prefence with the smallest prefbytery of fach a church in the exercise of that discipline; and that what they do in his name on the earth shall be ratified in heaven, Matth. xviii. 15.-20.

When the Lord warrants the smallest prefbytery of such a church to exercise that difcipline in the church, I cannot fee, that he hereby allows any number of bishops or prefbyters, gathered together in any other manner, to bind or loose in his name. Neither can I fee, that his directing his disciples in the church to carry toward them that do not hear the church, as the Jews did towards heathen men and publicans, can give any ground to think, that he would by this have his churches to be constituted after the form of the Jewish national church. But if there had been any reference in this place unto the constitution of the Jewish church, then I conceive, that a congregational church, with its presbytery, where the worship and the discipline hold pace together, is far more agreeable to the constitution of that church, which was one worshipping congregation, with its prefbytery, the Sanhedrim, and where the bounds for the worship and government were the same, and not as in national churches now, where the worship is comprehended in a parish, and the go. vernment and discipline extends to the whole nation. And as there were synagogues in the Jewish congregation, where the whole worship of the church could not be performed; so there may be meetings belonging unto a congregational church, wherein some parts of worship, and some things pertaining to the discipline may be done. But as the commifsion will not allow of a conformity to the Jewish church in the fubordination of church-officers, so as little can I fee any reason for a conformity to that church in a fubordination of church-courts; and it will not be easy to prove, that these two fubordinations should not go together.

2. As our Lord has thus committed the whole power of discipline under himself to a congregational church with its presbytery, and left it free from any other jurisdiction; so, when the apostles had erected such churches, with their prefbyteries, and were leaving them, they did not recommend them to the care of any superior court or synod, " but to the "Lord, on whom they believed, and to the word of his grace;" and this even when they were forewarning them of the cafe of false teachers, gross errors, and sects, the very cafe for which which synods have been, by the wisdom of man, judged absolutely necessary, Acts xiv. 23. Acts xx. 17. 28.-32. The apose directs unto means to be used in this case under the Lord, and calls the prefbytery to take heed to themselves, and to all the flock; but speaks of no such means as a fuperior court over such a prefbytery.

There were divisions and many evils prevailing, and gross errors held in some of the first churches, as in the church at Corinth, and some of the churches in Asia; and these churches are condemned for suffering such things, and commanded to reform themselves, which they could not well do, if it belonged to their superiors; but there is no infinuation of their subjection in this matter unto any superior court under heaven, having jurisdiction over them, nor any reference unto such jurifdiction.

3. The greatest acts of church government and discipline, and the most important decisions in doctrine that the New Teftament speaks of, were in congregational churches, and in no other courts; as may appear from the following instances.

1st, Excommunication and absolution was in the power of the church at Corinth, 1 Cor. v. 2 Cor. ii. And to any that will impartially confider 1 Cor. xi. 18. 20. and xiv. 23. it will evidently appear to have been a congregational church. The Apostle indeed speaks of his delivering some unto Satan, 1 Tim. i. 20. but it is not thereby clear, that he did it by himself alone, and not after the manner pointed at 1 Cor. v. 4. 5. even as it does not appear from his saying, the gift was given unto Timothy by the putting on of his hands, 2 Tim.i. 6. that this was not done in the prefbytery of a church, as we see it was, 1 Tim. iv. 14. The trying and judging of false apostles was a great business, and this was done by the elders with the flock at Ephesus, Rev. ii. 2. Compare Acts xx. 28. and that whole flock did, in the days of Ignatius, all partake of the Lord's supper, and pray together in one place.

2dly, The first instance of ordination is in the church at Jerufalem, when it was manifestly but one congregation, Acts i. and that congregation was very far from comprehending all the disciples of Christ then on the earth. For it is clear from 1 Cor. xv. 6. that the Lord, after his refurrection, was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained when Paul wrote that epistle. But the number of the names together was only about one hundred and twenty, when Peter stood up among them, and called

called them to proceed to the ordination of an apostle, in the room of Judas, who was also, together with the eleven, to be chosen unto the oversight of that church, Acts i. 14. 15. 20. 26. For though the apostles had an immediate commiffion to be witnesses of the Lord's refurrection, as had also Matthias by lot, yet it behoved them to be the overseers or bishops of that church, by the fuffrages of the church. And whatever power they had to preach the gospel through the world, yet, in order thereto, they first assembled themselves with the church, that the gospel might proceed out of a church; even as we fee Paul, the great apostle of the Gen. tiles, afsembled himself with the church in Antioch, and from thence went forth into the Gentile world to fulfill his commission. The feparation of Paul and Barnabas unto that great work to which the Holy Ghost called them, and the fending of them to it, was by the prefbytery of the church in Antioch, Acts xiii. 1. 2. 3.: and it is manifest from Acts xi. 23. 26. and xiv. 25. 26. and xv. 30. that this church was but one congregation. The ordination of Timothy was by the laying on of the hands of the prefbytery, (1 Tim. iv. 14.) of fome one or other of those churches of which we read, Acts xiv. 23. compare Acts xvi. 1. 2. 3. and these are acknowledged to be congregational; yea, the conftant fignification of the word presbytery in the writings of the ancients, is, for what I can learn, the eldership of one worshipping congregation. And if thefe great ordinations were transacted in the congregations of the faints, we need not go elsewhere to find the power of ordaining bishops or elders, Acts xiv. 23. and deacons, Acts vi.

3dly, That great decision in doctrine, even the δογματάς the deerees about the keeping of Moses's law by the Gentiles, Acts xv. was ordained by the apostles and elders of the church in Jerufalem, in the prefence and with the confent of that whole church, Acts xvi. 4. and xv. 26. and by none other. For,

(1.) Thefe decrees were ordained by the apostles, and these elders with the brethren that were in Jerufalem, before the question and difpute was raised at Antioch; even that com pany that fays, "We have heard, that certain which went " out from us have troubled you with words," * 23. 24.

(2.) As there is no evidence that there were elders or meffengers there from any other church but Antioch; so the company that made the decision is evidently distinguished from the messengers of Antioch, Paul and Barnabas. So that

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