Of Burial. THE H E Corps is reverently brought to the Grave, accompany'd with the Congregation, without any further Ceremonys; which being bury'd, the Minifter, if he be prefent and requir'd, goeth to the Church, if it be not far of, and maketh fome comfortable Exhortation to the People touching Death and Resurrection. The Order of the Ecclefiaftical Difcipline. S no City, Town, Houfe or Family can The Neceffity of maintain their Eftate and profper with- Discipline. out Policy and Governance; even so the Church of God, which requireth more purely to be govern'd than any City or Family, cannot without Spiritual Policy and Ecclefiaftical Difcipline continue, increafe and flourish. And as the Word of God is the Life and Soul of this Church; fo this godly Order and Difcipline is as it were Sinews in the Body, which knit and join the Members together with decent Order and Comlinefs: It is a bridle to stay the wicked from their Mischiefs: It is a fpur to prick forward fuch as be flow and negligent; yea, and for all Men, it is the Father's Rod, even in a readiness to chaftife gently the faults committed, and to cause them afterward to live in more godly Fear and Reverence. Finally, it is an Order left by God unto his Church, whereby Men learn to frame their Wills and Doings according to the Law of God, by inftructing and admonishing one another, yea and by correcting and punishing all obftinate Rebels and Contemners of the fame. What Difcipline is. For what Cau fes it ought to be us'd. There are three Causes chiefly which move the Church of God to the executing of Difcipline: First, that Men of evil Converfation be not numbred among God's Children, to their Father's Reproach, as if the Church of God were a Sanctua for naughty and vile Perfons. The fecond refpect is, that the good be not infected with accompanying the Evil; which thing St. Paul forefaw, when he commanded the Corinthians to banish from among them the inceftuous Adulterer, faying, A little' Leven maketh four the whole Lump of Dough. The third ry 1 Cor. 5. Gal. S Caufe 1 Cause is, that a Man thus corre&ted or excommunicated, might be afham'd of his fault, and fo thro Repentance come to Amendment; the which thing the Apoftle calleth delivering to Satan, that his Soul may be fav'd in the day of the Lord; meaning, that he might be punish'd with Excommunication, to the intent his Soul fhould not perish for ever. The Order of proceeding in private Difcipline. Firft therefore it is to be noted, that this Cenfure, Correction or Difcipline, is either private or publick: private, as if a Man commit either in Manners or Doctrine against thee, to admonish him brotherly between him and thee; if fo be he ftubbornly refift thy charitable Advertisements, or elfe by continuance in his fault, declare that he amendeth not; then, after he hath been the fecond time warn'd in prefence of two or three Witneffes, and continueth obftinately in his Error, he ought, as our Saviour Chrift commandeth, to be difclos'd and utter'd to the Church; fo that according to publick Difcipline, he either may be receiv'd thro Repentance, or else be punish'd as his fault requireth. Publick Difcipline. What things are to be obferv'd in private Difcipline. And here, as touching private Discipline, three things are to be noted: First, that our Admonitions proceed of a godly Zeal and Confcience, rather feeking to win our Brother than to flander him. Next, that we be affur'd that his Fault be reprovable by God's Word. And finally, that we ufe fuch Modefty and Wisdom, that if we somewhat doubt of the matter whereof we admonish him, yet with godly Exhortations he may be brought to the knowledg of his Fault. Or if the Fault appertain to many, or be known of divers, that our Admonitions be done in prefence of fome of them. Briefly, if it concern the whole Church, in fuch fort that the concealing thereof might procure fome danger to the fame; that then it be utter'd to the Minifters and Seniors, to whom the Policy of the Church doth appertain. Of publick Difcipline, and the End thereof. 3. I 2 Theff. 19, 2 Theff. 3. Alfo in publick Discipline it is to be ob ferv'd, that the Miniftry pretermit nothing at any time unchaftis'd with one kind of Punish ment or other, if they perceive any_thing in the Congregation, either evil in Example, Cor. 5. Mat. 18. Luke 17. Jam. 5. Lev. flanderous flanderous in Manners, or not becoming their Profeffion: as if there be any covetous Perfon, any Adulterer, or Fornicator, forfworn Thief, Briber, falfe Witnefs-bearer, Blafphemer, Drunkard, Slanderer, Ufurer, any Perfon disobedient, feditious or diffolute, any Herefy or Sect, as Papistical, Anabaptistical, and fuch like: briefly, whatfoever it be that might*fpot the Chriftian Congregation, yea, rather whatsoever is not to Edification, ought not to escape either Admonition or Punishment. * Eph. 5. Excommunica And because it cometh to pass fometime in the Church of Chrift, that when other Remedies effay'd profit nothing, they muft proceed to the Apoftolical Rod and Correction, as unto Excommunication (which is the greatest and laft Punishment belonging to the spiritual Miniftry) it is ordain'd, that nothing be attempted in that behalf, without the determination of the whole Church; wherein alfo they must beware and take good heed, that they seem not more ready to expel from the Congregation, than to receive again those, in whom they perceive worthy Fruits of Repentance to appear; forbid him the hearing of Sermons, which is excluded from the Sacraments and other Dutys of the Church, that he may have liberty and occafion to repent. Finally, that all Punishments, Corrections, Cenfures and Admonitions stretch no further than God's Word with Mercy may lawfully bear. neither yet to God's Word is the only Rule of Difcipline. Mat. 18. If any refuse to hear the Congregation, let him be to thee as an Heathen, and as a Publican. Phenix XXI. The Burden of Iffachar: or, the Tyrannical Power and Practices of the Presbyterian Government in Scotland, in their Parochial Seffion, Presbytery, Provincial Synods, and General Assembly. With the Articles of Presbyterian Faith inconfiftent with Monarchy. Printed in 1646. Of the Parochial Seffion. E the First, Of the VERY Parish hath one or more MiSeffion, how nifters; if more, all of them are equal and of whom in all Honour and Jurifdiction, only conftituted. Senior hath the Precedency. To the Minifter or Minifters of each Parish, to make upa Seffion, in which is fix'd the Parochial Jurifdiction, a competent number of Lay-Elders (whom they call Presbyteri non docentes and Deacons, proportionable to the Precinct and Extent of the Parish, are conjoin'd; which affociate Body thus compacted is the fpiritual Parochial Sanhedrim. This Seffion fits once a Week, or oftner, pro re nata; in which all Parochial Cafes, which concern external Order and Cenfure, are determin'd and order'd. If there be but one Minifter in the Parish, he is conftant Moderator; if there be more, they moderate by turns, either weekly or monthly, as they agree. The Minifter is He hath no Negative Voice. Whatsoever thing is order'd, determin'd, or decreed, is done by the joint Confent of the Minifter, Lay-Elders and Deacons, or by the plurality of Voices. The Minifter, who is the Moderator, hath no cafting nor negative Voice. The Jurifdiction fpiritual is radically in the Lay-El ders. Their four fa The Power of all Jurifdiction is radically and equally in all, for binding, for loofing, for all Cenfures Ecclefiaftical, for Orders which concern external Order and Worship; fo the Power of the Keys is as much in the Lay-Elders and Deacons, as in the Minifter or Minifters. What facrilegious Intrufion upon facred Orders this is, I need not inform one of your Understanding. To make this frame good, they maintain, that Jure Divino there be four Orders of Ecclefiaftical Offices (allow me to speak in this Epiftle all along their Dialect) or Perfons. First, Preaching-Elders, whom they call Minifters. Secondly, Doctors, thefe are Profeffors in the Chair, fuch as are in Universitys. Thirdly, Lay or Ruling-Elders, who now have vocem deliberativam & decifivam in rebus fidei, Cultus, politia, and in foro exteriori Ecclefia,in cenfuris Ecclefiafticis ; are as much interefted and au thoriz'd, as Preaching-Elders. Fourthly, Deacons, who have truft of the Means and Monys deftinated for pious and charitable Uses. cred Orders. This is very confiderable too, that altho they hold these four Orders and Offices neceffary for the Government of Chrift's Church, de Jure divino, by divine Right and Inftitution; yet neither the. Parochial Conclave, nor any Presbyterial Confiftory (except it be where the Presbyterial Seat is in a City where an Univerfity is) have any Doctor or Doctors amongit them. Nay, which is more, nor be any fuch in their general Affemblys; or if they be, they appear only in that capacity, as Commiffioners from and for the University. It is worth your notice-taking,that their LayElders and Deacons are yearly elected. Here is truly verify'd of them, that Hodie Clericus, cras Laicus. S3 This Year they are Sacred, the next Profane. The |