GENERAL REFLECTIONS ON CHURCH 1. It appears, from various declarations of our Saviour and his Apostles, that the christian church shall never cease to exist in the world; we may, therefore, fairly conclude, that the directions which are given in Holy Writ for the formation of the church in the time of the Apostles, are to be applied to the same society in all ages; allowance being made for the cessation of those miraculous powers which were granted to the first Christians, and for the unavoidable disturbance to which the regular order of the church may be exposed in times of persecution. What the inspired Apostles considered as important in the formation of the church, ought not to be * Written about the year 1798. considered by us as of little import. The church must be formed after some model; and we have no authority to deviate from that model which inspiration dictated, unless it be in such things as are, by a change of circumstances, rendered impracticable. It is not a sufficient objection to say,-The Apostles did not declare, that this order was to be perpetual. Such a declaration was unnecessary. A regulation appointed by divine authority, in a society that was designed to continue to the end of time, bears the stamp of perpetuity upon the face of it. It should become impracticable, before it should cease to be practised by those who take the Word of God for their guide. All laws which are not expressly made for a limited time, are of course perpetual, until they are abrogated by an authority equal to that by which they were enacted. Christians of all persuasions seem to agree in these sentiments; for they either profess to form their church government on what they conceive to be the primitive model, or attempt to support, by the authority of Scripture, that order which they have adopted from accidental circumstances. 2. The commands relative to church government, like those which relate to many other duties, are partly positive, and partly discretional. In this case we are as much bound by the positive declarations, as if nothing had been left to our discretion. General directions are also given for the regulation of those circumstances which are committed to our discretion. We stand in the same predicament with relation to other duties. Alms deeds, for instance, are positively enjoined, but no specific proportion of our wealth is directed to be set apart for this purpose. Yet we have general directions to guide our conduct in this discretional circumstance. It is our duty to collect those particulars which the Apostles clearly enjoined, by precept or example, in the formation of the christian church, as far as they are applicable to a settled state of the church. Such injunctions we are bound to follow. No private opinions of what is best, can authorize us to depart from them. In all matters left to our discretion, we must conduct ourselves by those general rules which the Scriptures afford for the guidance of that discretion. If it should appear, for instance, that the Apostles appointed different orders of ministers in the church, but did not appoint a particular mode of conducting public worship; the christian church is bound to retain those orders of ministers, but may exercise its discretion with respect to the mode of worship, provided the general rules given for the guidance of that discretion are observed. Or, if the Apostles have marked out with precision the duties of an officer of great consequence in the christian church, whose continuance in the church was necessary for the execution of that plan of church government which they, by divine inspiration, had appointed; and yet have left no directions how this officer should be elected in future ages; we are bound to consider the office as perpetual, but the mode of election to that office as discretional. 3. Some persons have imagined, that if matters relative to church government had been of importance, they would have been more clearly revealed. Such imaginations are highly improper, if divine revelation has given any directions relative to this subject. We must not pretend to dictate to the all-wise God, how he shall reveal his will to us. If he has revealed it in any way, this ought to be considered as sufficient to command our obedience. That excellent writer, Bishop Butler, has observed, that a preponderance of argument in favour of any duty requires our obedience, as well as a more clear and explicit revelation. Let it be granted, for the sake of argument, that no particular form of church government is commanded in Scripture; yet, we cannot thence conclude, that all christian churches have equally the support of divine authority. For the inspired Apostles formed the first christian church after a particular model; and if any modern church has the example of the Apostles on its side, all other things, being by the supposition equal, this church has a preponderance of argument in its favour. 4. But the example of persons acting by divine authority, not only affords a preponderance of argument in favour of any branch of conduct, in which they may be imitated; but it is expressly proposed in Holy Scripture, as a model of our conduct. The Apostle Paul says, "Walk so as ye have us for an example;" and no good reason can be given why his example should be followed only in things pertaining to private life. His example, as a superintendent of the christian church, calls for imitation. We may, therefore, rank among the number of divine precepts, such rules as he prescribed for the formation and government of the christian church, as far as they |