(1.) Election is the people's right. This appeareth because their consent and suffrage is required in all offices, even in the choice of an apostle. Acts i. 15, 26, the one hundred and twenty nominate Matthias in the room of Judas, and God decided it by lot ; and in the choice of a deacon : Acts vi. 3, ' Look ye out among you seven men of honest re- port, full of the Holy Ghost,' &c. ; and of an elder : Acts xiv. 28, ' And when they had ordained them, ')(eipoTovrj<TavTe^, elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord.' I know 1 tread upon thorns, but yet this seemeth to have been the constant practice of the church in after ages. Leo the great, in an epistle of his, is for vota civium, the vote of the people, in the election of ministers. And Cyprian more clearly before him, lib. i. cpist. 4, Videmiis de authoi'itate divina descendere tit sacerdos, plebe
Ver. is.] sermons upon john XVII. 475
prcesente, suh omnium oculis deligatur, et-dignus atque idoneus puhlico judicio ac testimonio comprohetur — The minister should be pro- pounded to the people, and apjiroved by their vote and suifrage. And just before, Plebs ilia maxime Jmhet potestatem vel eligendi dignos sacerdotes, vel indignos recusandi — The people have a power to choose those that are worthy, and refuse those that are unworthy. Certainly all allow some consent to the people, a full use of the judgment of discretion 'to try the spirits,' 1 John iv. 1, and to distinguish 'the voice of a stranger from the voice of a slieplierd,' John x. 5. It seemeth to be most agreeable to scripture that the people should by suffrage propound the person, and then he is to be authoritatively determined by the presbytery : Acts vi. 3, ' Look out from among you seven men of honest report, &c., whom we may appoint over this business.' The apostles did not take to themselves an absolute power, but referred the nomination to the people, though still they reserve the determination and ordination to themselves. Election is the people's right, because he is chosen for their good ; but ordination is the elders' right, because that is done in the name of Christ, and therefore must be done by his deputies and proxies, as an evidence that the matter is confirmed by Christ, and that he accepts him for his servant in the work of the ministry. Christ himself, as head of the church, had his ordination from God, and his election from the church. God hath appointed him to be head of the church : Eph. i. 22, 'And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.' And the church ratifies it by her consent : Hosea i. 11, ' Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head,' &c. And it is notable that in Paul's vision the call is managed by a man of Macedonia, that represented the people of that place : Acts xvi. 9, ' A vision appeared to Paul in the night : there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying. Come over into Macedonia, and help us.' Not Go thou, but Come over and help us.
(2.) Ordination, which consists in the trial of gifts and authoritative commission, that is the right of the elders. That appeareth, because to them is the power of the keys given for the people's good ; and Acts xiii. 2, ' The Holy Ghost saith, Separate to me Paul and Barnabas unto the work whereunto I have called them.' Who were those that were to separate ? They were prophets and teachers of Antioch, as appeareth ver. 1. And elsewhere the scripture speaketh of ' the laying on of the hands of the presbytery,' 1 Tim. iv. 14. Ap- probation of doctrine and life is the elders' right, who are best able to judge of men's fitness and abilities. To Titus, an officer, is this given : Titus i. 5, 6, ' To ordain elders in every city : if any be blameless, the husband of one wife,' &c. And then for imposition of hands, it iS' a custom most conform to apostolical practice ; it is not founded on a precept, but only on apostolical practice.
(3.) Confirmation is the magistrate's right. The christian magis- trate hath his share, to see that all things are done orderly by the people and elders. Now magistrates are concerned, not only as prin- cipal members of the church, and of the first rank, but as episcopi ad extra, as nursing fathers, to whom care and inspection belongeth, that
47G SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. [Ser. XXXI.
all things be done decently, and according to the mind and will of God. The christian magistrate is custos utriusque tahulw. And upon this ground would the apostle have us to pray for the conversion of magistrates, that they might be converted from paganism : 1 Tim. ii. 2, ' That under them we may lead quiet and peaceable lives, in all godliness and honesty.' The magistrate is not only to interpose when differences arise about honesty, but also about godliness ; there is judex, index, vindex. In all controversies the word is judex, in it the mind and will of God is declared ; the minister is index, it is his ofhce to preserve knowledge, and out of the word of God to show his mind and will ; and the magistrate is vindex, he is to see that duty be not neglected, that the administrations of the church be not ill managed, and carried on contrary to Christ's appointment, because he is the ' nursing father of the church,' Isa. xlix. 23. Again, the magistrate is concerned as the head of the commonwealth, and so to consider who shall be encouraged by public maintenance, and allowed to preach publicly without disturbance, the commonwealth being concerned in it. And there wants not precedents in scripture for this. David and Solomon did exercise such a power. Solomon deposed Abiathar : 1 Kings ii. 26, ' And to Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields, for thou art worthy of death,' &c. And ' Jehoshaphat sent Levites and priests to teach in every city,' 2 Chron. xvii. 8, 9. And as soon as magistrates turned christian in after ages, they were much concerned in the votes and suffrages of the church. The power of princes herein hath been much debated, especi- ally by those that have pleaded the rights of princes against the en- croachment of the Eomisli synagogue, who abundantly prove that the election of the })ope himself is not valid without the consent of the emperor. So in ancienter history, Socrates showeth that wdien Ambrose was chosen by the people of Milan, the election was confirmed by the Roman em})eror, lib. iv. cap. 2.5. And Theodoret. showeth that when Athanasins had nominated one Peter for his successor, and the people had given consent, they solemnly asked the magistrate's leave and confirmation. I might heap up many other instances, but let these suffice.