2. Tliis power is ceased in the church. It is so, not by virtue of any law or constitution of Christ, but by a cessation of those actings whence it did flow and whereon it did depend. For unto this apostolical office and power there were required, — (1.) An immediate 2}€rsonal call from Christ himself; (2.) A commission equally ex- tensive unto all nations, for their conversion, and unto all churches
OF THE POLITY, ETC., OF THE CHURCH IN GENERAL. 85
equally, for their edification ; (S.) An authority in all cJnirches, com- prehensive of all that power which is, in the ordinary constitution of them, distributed among many; (4.) A collation of extraordinary gifts, as of infallibility in teaching, of working miracles, speaking with tongues, and the like. Whereas, therefore, all these things do cease, and the Lord Christ doth not act in the same manner towards any, this office and power doth absolutely cease. For any to pretend themselves to be successors unto these apostles, as some with a strange confidence and impertinency have done, is to plead that they are per- sonally and immediately called by Christ unto their office, that they have authority with respect unto all nations and all churches, and are endued with a spirit of infallibility and a power of working miracles; whereof outward pomp and ostentation are no sufficient evidences : and certainly when some of them consider one another, and talk of being the apostles' successors, it is but " Aruspex aruspicem."^
3. Least of all, in the ordinary state of the church, and the conti- nuation thereof, hath the Lord Christ appointed a vicar, or rather, as is pretended, a successor, with a plenitude of all church-power, to be by him parcelled out unto others. This is that which hath over- thrown all church rule and order, introducing Luciferian pride and antichristian tyranny in their room. And whereas the only way of Christ's acting his authority over the churches, and of communicat ing authority unto them, to be acted by them in his name, is by his word and Spirit, which he hath given to continue in his church unto that end unto the consummation of all things, the pope of Rome placing himself in his stead for these ends, doth thereby " sit in the temple of God, and show himself to be God." But this is sufficiently confiTted among all sober Christians; and those who embrace it may be left to contend with the Mohammedans, who affirm that Jesus left John the Baptist to be his successor, as Ali succeeded unto Mohammed.
4. All those by whom the ordinary rule of the church is to be ex- ercised unto its edification are, as unto their office and power, given unto the church, set or placed in it, not as " lords of their faith, but as helpers of their joy," 1 Cor. ii. 3, iii. 21-23; 2 Cor. i. 24; Eph. iv. 11-15; 1 Pet. v. 1, 2: for the church is the spouse of Christ, the Lamb's wife, and , by virtue of that relation, the enfeoffment into this power is her due and dowry. All particular persons are but her servants for Christ's sake; for though some of them be stewards, and set over all their fellow-servants, yet he hath not given them the trust of power to rule his spouse at their own will, and to grant what they please unto her.
' An allusion to a saying of Cicero rospocting soothsayers : " Mirabile vidctur qnhd non rideat aruspex cum aruspiccm viderit." — Uc Nat. Deor. lib. i. cap. xxvi. ; and De Dirina. lib. ii. cap. xxiv. — Ed.
36 TEUE NATURE OF A GOSPEL CHURCH,
5. But as this whole church-power is committed unto the whole church by Christ, so all that are called unto the peculiar exercise of any part of it, by virtue of office-authority, do receive that authority from him by the only way of the communication of it, — namely, by his Avord and Spirit, through the ministry of the church; whereof we shall treat afterward.
V. These things being thus premised in general concerning church- power, we must treat yet particularly of the communication of it from Christ, and of its distribution as unto its residence in the church: —
1. Every individual believer hath power or right given unto him, /Upon his believing, to become a son of God, John i. 12. Hereby, ' as such, he hath a right and title radically and originally unto, with ( an interest in, all church-privileges, to be actually joossessed and
used according to the rules by him prescribed ; for he that is a I son of God hath a right unto all the privileges and advantages of the family of God, as v/ell as he is obliged unto all the duties of it. ' Herein lies the foundation of all right unto church-power; for both ^ it and all that belongs unto it are a part of the purchased inheritance, whereunto right is granted by adoption. Wherefore the first, original ' grant of all church power and privileges is made unto believers as I such. Theirs it is, with these two limitations: — (1.) That as such only they cannot exercise any church-power but upon their due ob- servation of all rules and duties given unto this end ; such are joitit confession and confederation. (2.) That each individual do actually participate therein, according to the especial rules of the church, which peculiarly respects women that do believe.