indeed, that our prefent Independents are certainly not bound, by the example of their forefathers, to admit any principle, or perform any duty towards God or man, however important, against their convictions. Such teftimonies however in favour of Presbytery, from many, of the greatest and most enlightened men that ever adorned their cause, ought to lead them at least to review their more levelling and democratic principles * with diffidence and caution, and ought undoubtedly to teach them greater moderation and liberality than fome of them have discovered in their language refpecting the nature and tendency of a system, which many of their moft diftinguished ancient ornaments either practically admitted, or publicly commended.

SIR,

LETTER XIII.

THAT it may not be imagined that this principle of Prefbytery has no foundation but the authority of refpectable names, I fhall now endeavour to prove that it is established by the united evidence of reason and scripture.

The following quotations from Baillie and Ferguson, two ancient Prefbyterians, contain, if I am not mistaken, a clear and accurate statement of the oppofite views which have been taken of this question.

"Independents and Brownifts," fays Baillie, in his Dif

of these original Independents are the tenets of those who now affume their name, most of whom are almost as much diffimilar to them as to Presbyterians, and many of whom, in their predilection for illiterate ministers, and virulence against churches of other denominations, refemble rather the Boltonians or Brownists, than those who were distinguished by the name of Independents!

* I fpeak of their religious fentiments only.

66

fuafive from the Errors of the Times, "maintain that every particular church, every fingle congregation, is independent from any Prefbytery, any Synod, any Af"fembly: This we deny, affirming the true dependence ❝and subordination of parochial congregations to Pref""byteries, and of these to Synods; to which we ascribe power, authority, and jurifdiction :" p. 197. "Inde"pendency is the full liberty of fuch a church (a par"ticular congregation) to discharge all the parts of religion, doctrine, facraments, difcipline, and all within "itfelf, without all dependence, all fubordination to any "other on earth, more or fewer, fo that the smallest congregation, fuppofe of three perfons*, though it "fall into the groffeft hereftes, may not be controuled by "any orthodox Synod, were it œcumenic (or univerfal) "of all the churches in the world :" p. 198.

46

66

"We come now," fays the other writer, p. 150. of his Brief Refutation of the Errors of Independency, Separation, &c." to the fecond head, and it is that for which' "mainly they are called Independents: The point they "affirm is this, that every particular church-feffion, or "congregational eldership (or, according to others, con"gregation), is furnished with the highest power of "church-government on earth, so that there is no power " in the church above them to call them to an account, "when they go wrong, to refcind any act once con"cluded, though it were never fo unjust. They grant, "that a Synod of ministers and elders may meet to con"fult about matters †, but withal affirm, that they have

* There are fome of them in Glasgow which consist only of eight perfons.

† You object to the propriety of thefe affociations of minifters being confidered as the reprefentatives of the churches to which they belong, and propose that they should meet only in their private characters, as an affembly of individuals, and not in their public official capacity.

46

46 no ecclefiaftical power to command in the Lord any congregation whatsoever: So that if a man be wrong"ed by a Seffion (or congregation); as for inftance, if "he be unjustly cenfured (as it may very readily fall "out), he muft fit with his wrong, there is no power to right it till Chrift come in the clouds: Or if a particular "congregation divide, turn heretics, run wrong (as many of the Independent congregations do), there is "no church-power to heal the breach, unless it be by "giving an advice, which they may either follow, or "not follow, as likes them beft. We again grant, "that particular elderfhips have a power from Jefus "Chrift to exercise difcipline in thefe things which con"cern the congregation in particular. But as for other things of more public concernment, that is to say,

66

things that concern other congregations as well as "them, these ought to be handled by a fuperior judi"catory; and that even in thofe things of particular "concernment, they are liable to appeals, and the in"fpection of the fuperior judicatory; fo that wherein "they fhall be found wrong, partial, or erroneous, they may be called to an account.

"We allow unto particular congregations an elder"ship and power of difcipline within themselves, to "judge of these things that are of their particular con"cernment: But as for things wherein other congrega❝tions are concerned with them, we hold that fuch do "belong to fuperior judicatories, according to the rule, "What belongs unto all, should be handled by all. Second"ly, we do not give power to any one fingle congregation "above another: We fay, that all congregations (the leaft "as well as the greateft) are equal in power. We do "only fay, that all particular congregations should be "subject to a Prefbytery, made up of elders taken from "among themselves, wherein no congregation can chal

"lenge power more than another: the meaneft hath as "great power in them as the greatest."

When it is affirmed by Prefbyterians, that every particular congregation ought not to be independent of a Prefbytery or Synod, it is not intended that its rulers, or office-bearers, are to be dependent upon them for the exercise of their power after they are invefted with it, or that they may be deprived of it by them at pleasure, in that fociety which they govern. All that is defigned is fimply that they are subject, in any cafe of error, or any inftance of mal-administration, to the authoritative review of the minifters and elders of a number of congregations met as a Prefbytery; and, perhaps, it would be better, as the judicious Hoornbeek has obferved, to express their relation to such a court by the terms fubjection or fubordination, than by the word dependence, which is occafionally used by fome ancient Prefbyterians *,

* The words of this very excellent and candid writer, in his book against fchifmatics, p. 771. deferve to be quoted.

66

Quidnam vero hic tanti, iterum quæro, quod magnarum contentionum, et tumultuum caufa effe debeat? quodque non vel tolerari vel componi, fi non corrigi facile poffit? Ecclefiam particularem "habere omnem poteftatem ecclefiafticam in fe, neque eam accipere

a Synodo, vel ab aliis fuperioribus, certum eft. Pone (verbi caufa) "ut modo una particularis fit ecclefia, vel in mundo, vel in aliqua "parte mundi, vel ut non fint ecclefiæ, quæ fociari in unum pof"fint; aut quod aliqua cum iis fociari nequeat: non hæc eq "minus ecclefia eft, vel mutila ideo aliqua fui parte, nedum "effentiali. Jam fociari in unum ecclefias, et convenire in Sy"nodos, haud improbant adverfarii, tantum non deponere a Sy"nodis. Et fi bene introfpiciamus, dependentia a Synodis non

congrue dicitur. Quippe haud exiftimandum, vel ab aliis fupe"rioribus, aut ecclefiis, aut Synodis, habere precariam poteftatem "particularem quamque ecclefiam, vel fe poteftate fua exuere, "quando in Synodo coit, illamque ei tradere. Neutiquam. "Synodorum vel ufus vel poteftas nihil officere poteft aut debet " ecclefiarum, particularium libertati et potestati, estque non pri"vativa, fed cumulativa poteftas, ecclefiaque particularis quæli

The question then is, Whether every congregation, with its office-bearers, should be fo independent as to be completely feparate from every other in point of go

"bet manet subjećtum proprium et adæquatum plena poteftatis "ecclefiaftica. Neque Synodi in alias fub ea comprehenfas ecclefias "poteftatem ufurpent imperantem, quæ dominorum et superio"rum eft in inferiores fibi fubditos; fed ex communi et libero " ecclefiarum confenfu in Synodum, hæc poteftatem habet delegatam, et auxiliarem vel ministrantem, ecclefiis voluntaria confenfione, ob neceffitatem ordinis et ædificationis, Synodis se sub"jicientibus. Uti quando in rebufpublicis, vel alibi, ex communi " æqualium confilio collegium erigitur, ad quod communes caufæ "devolvuntur tractandæ et definiendæ, quod in illas nullam habet "poteftatem, nifi earum arbitrio et mutuo confenfu. Quod in "circulis vel diœcefibus ecclefiarum, quare hac ifti, illæ alteri Sy"nodo fe adjungant, et fubmittant, apparet. Non eft ergo pro"prie hæc ecclefiarum ad Synodum relatio, dependentia dicenda, "neque commode mihi vocabulo Independentifmi vel denotata " controverfia, vel hominum fecta videtur: nam bene dici poteft, "ecclefiam particularem effe independentem ab alia, vel a Synodis, "aut hominibus; pendere autem a folo Christo: fubmiffio potius "appellanda fuerat, ut quæ venit ex communi confenfu ecclefia"rum, fe illi ordini, ad ædificationem et bene effe ecclefiæ, fub "jicientium. A qua nomenclatura ipfos non admodum alienos "futuros, et molliore verbo rem non malam facilius persuasum "ipfis iri confidimus, quum in apologia dicentes audiverimus, fuis "fe fenioribus fubjectionem præftare, et Synodi Roterodamenfis fen"tentiæ fubjectionem a Roterodamenfi cœtu poftulatam, teneri "ecclefiam fubmittere aliorum judicio et cenfuræ, &c. quæ facilius mihi videntur concilianda cum fententia noftra, quam cum "nomine dependentiæ (quo offunduntur) vel poteftatis ufurpatæ a Synodo in ecclefias. Verum quid eft quod adeo offendere eos poffit, fi Synodorum poteftate ita explicata, et limitata, "aliquam iis tribuamus? Cenfuram ftringere incontumacem, "pronunciare non-communionem, quid vel ab excommunicatione " adeo distat, vel ab ufurpata poteftate? illa non-communio paf"five confiderata, quid differt ab excommunicatione? qui extra "fanctorum communionem ponitur, annon idem eft quod excom"municatus? vel ecclefia fic damnata non-communione, annon poteftatem aliquam sentit adversus fe exercitam? Certe magis " videntur verba horrere, quam rem."

66