221 The SPEECH of Mr JOHN GLAS before the Commiffion of the General Affembly, March 11. 1730. I Judge it my duty to lay before this commiffion fuch a ftate of my difference from this national church, as may serve to fhew how far it may justify the treatment I have met with upon it; and to manifeft, 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 procefs to a fpeedy iffue, which is the thing I fincerely defire. What lies now before the commission to be considered as the matter of my condemnation, may be comprehended under the three following heads. 1. My refusing to subscribe the Formula, because I cannot fee the government of this national church by kirk-feffions, prefbyteries, provincial fynods, and general affemblies, to be founded in the word of God. 2. My refufing to fubferibe fome paffages in the Confeffion of Faith, touching the magiftrate's power circa facra, and hiberty of confcience, with fome propofitions relative thereto, maintained by me. 3. My exercising the minifterial office, after I was forbidden upon thefe grounds. I. As to the first of thefe, I refuse to subscribe the Formula, because I cannot fee precept or example in fcripture for the government of this national church by kirk-feffions, prefbyteries, provincial and national fynods; and I do not imagine, that the commiffion will affirm there is fuch a fourdation in the word of God for the forefaid government. And if it should be my opinion, that it requires precept or example in God's word for fuch 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 Chrift, require as much warrant in the word of God, as church-officers, acting in his name; I fee not any propofition 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 de-. clared, that I look upon this as the beft 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 Jefus Chrift, with its prefbytery, is, in its difci pline, fubject to no jurisdiction under heaven; yet I never intended by this to deny the subjection of a parish, with its kirk-feffion, unto prefbyteries, fynods, and affemblies. For, when the magiftrate divides his fubjects into parcels, to be taught by fo many teachers, upon the encouragement by him afforded, the nature of the thing requires, that these teachers should be fubject to the overfight of fuch 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 commiffion, that these parishes, and their overfeers, are of the fame kind with the first Christian churches or congregations, and their prefbyteries: for thefe congregations were gathered together only by the gofpel; and were difciples of Chrift, voluntarily affociated for holding fpiritual communion together, and for the observation of the laws of Chrift, and the enjoyment of the fpiritual privileges of his kingdom, which is not of this world, and they were governed by prefbyteries freely chofen and maintained by themselves. Now feeing it is evident, these were quite different things from parishes and kirk-feffions, as I cannot think but parishes are defigned unto better ends than to make fuch churches, as were from the beginning, useless, and set them afide; foI cannot perfuade myself, that the commiffion will judge it a cenfurable fault in me to hold, that, notwithftanding of the order of parishes, it is ftill lawful for ministers and difciples of Chrift, to conform themselves to the first Chriftian churches, with their prefbyteries, 1 Thef. ii. 13. 14. So that, unless I be condemned for saying, that kirk-sessions and parishes are not the fame thing with the first Christian prefbyteries and congregations, the only thing that remains to be confidered, as a ground for the fentence against me upon this head, is, That I affirm these first churches were not fubjected in their discipline to any jurifdiction under hea ven. But as the Confeffion and Formula (which refpects pa rishes) does not precifely decide this question, nor contain any propofition that exprefsly contradicts this; fo there is no evidence appearing to me from the word of God, that these first churches were fubject to any jurifdiction under heaven in their difcipline, but much to the contrary. For, 1. Our Lord lodges the power of binding and loosing under himself, in that church, with its prefbytery, unto which the the offended brother tells his brother's trefpafs, after he has neglected to hear him with the one or two more, and he promises his presence 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. his name. When the Lord warrants the smallest prefbytery of fuch 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 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 conftituted after the form of the Jewish national church. But if there had been any reference in this place unto the conftitution 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 conftitution of that church, which was one worshipping congregation, with its prefbytery, the San. hedrim, and where the bounds for the worship and government were the fame, and not as in national churches now, where the worship is comprehended in a parish, and the government and difcipline extends to the whole nation. And as there were fynagogues 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 fome parts of worship, and fome things pertaining to the difcipline may be done. But as the commiffion will not allow of a conformity to the Jewish church in the fubordination of church-officers, fo as little can I see 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 fhould not go together. 2. As our Lord has thus committed the whole power of difcipline under himself to a congregational church with its prefbytery, and left it free from any other jurifdiction; so, when the apoftles had erected fuch churches, with their prefbyteries, and were leaving them, they did not recommend them to the care of any fuperior court or fynod, " 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 falfe teachers, grofs errors, and fects, the very cafe for which fynods have been, by the wisdom of man, judged abfolutely neceffary, Acts xiv. 23. Acts xx. 17. 28.—32. The apof directs unto means to be used in this cafe under the Lord, and calls the prefbytery to take heed to themselves, and to all the flock; but fpeaks of no fuch means as a fuperior court over fuch a presbytery. There were divifions and many evils prevailing, and grofs errors held in fome of the first churches, as in the church at Corinth, and fome of the churches in Afia; and these churches are condemned for fuffering fuch things, and com. manded to reform themselves, which they could not well do, if it belonged to their fuperiors; but there is no infinuation of their fubjection in this matter unto any fuperior court under heaven, having jurisdiction over them, nor any reference unto fuch 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 intances. I ift, 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 fpeaks of his delivering fome 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 faying, 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 falle apoftles was a great business, and this was done by the elders with the flock at Ephefus, Rev. ii. 2. Compare Acts xx. 28. and that whole flock did, in the days of Ignatius, all par take of the Lord's fupper, and pray together in one place. 2dly, The firft inftance of ordination is in the church at Jerufalem, when it was manifeftly but one congregation, Acts i. and that congregation was very far from comprehending all the difciples of Chrift then on the earth. For it is clear from 1 Cor. xv. 6. that the Lord, after his refurrection, was feen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained when Paul wrote that epiftle. But the number of the names together was only about one hun. dred and twenty, when Peter ftood up among them, and called called them to proceed to the ordination of an apostle, in the room of Judas, who was alfo, together with the eleven, to' be chofen unto the overfight of that church, Acts i. 14. 15. 20. 26. For though the apoftles had an immediate commiffion to be witnesses of the Lord's refurrection, as had alfo Matthias by lot, yet it behoved them to be the overfeers or bihops of that church, by the fuffrages of the church. And whatever power they had to preach the gofpel through the world, yet, in order thereto, they firft affembled themfelves with the church, that the gofpel might proceed out of a church; even as we fee Paul, the great apoftle of the Gentiles, affembled himself with the church in Antioch, and from thence went forth into the Gentile world to fulfill his commiffion. The feparation of Paul and Barnabas unto that great work to which the Holy Ghoft 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 manifeft 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 thefe are acknowledged to be congregational; yea, the conftant fignification of the word prefbytery in the writings of the ancients, is, for what I can learn, the elderfhip of one worshipping congregation. And if thefe great ordinations were tranfacted 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. δόγματα, 3dly, That great decifion in doctrine, even the Soyμare, the deerees about the keeping of Mofes's law by the Gen tiles, Acts xv. was ordained by the apoftles and elders of the church in Jerufalem, in the prefenée 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 queftion 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," y 23. 24. (2.) As there is no evidence that there were elders or meffengers there from any other church but Antioch; fo the company that made the decifion is evidently diftinguished from the meffengers of Antioch, Paul and Barnabas. So that VOL. I. Ff it |