eth you heareth me:" and "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” And, therefore, as the apostles were commissioned not only to teach, but to make regulations of good order: and as they not only exercised this power, but transmitted it to others, ("For this cause have I left thee at Ephesus, that thou mightest set things in order :") this power was to descend to all the successors of the apostles. The same is confirmed by the practice of the universal church in her oecumenical and particular synods, when bishops alone most commonly made enactments concerning rites and discipline. b But since the authority of bishops is paternal, and is not designed to be of the same nature as an earthly domination, because the apostle says, that they should not "lord it over God's heritage," nor have they "dominion over our faith;" it has always been held both wise and right, that in making regulations for their particular churches, they should, if possible, act with the advice and consent of discreet and holy brethren, in order that all things might proceed with more gracefulness and facility. The faithful in each particular church are bound to obey their bishop in all lawful regulations, that is, in those which are not contrary to the word of God; by the apostolical rule "Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account"." II. May particular bishops and churches make and adopt regulations in matters of discipline and rites? I reply, that this power is originally inherent in every particular church and has been repeatedly exer b Tit. i. 5. 1 Pet. v. 3. 2 Cor. i. 24 d e Heb. xiii. 17. eised in all ages, as we may see by the canons of diocesan synods, and by the various rituals and liturgies which still exist in all parts of the church. But while this power is inherent in particular churches, they often, by ancient custom or formal enactment, are united by provincial or national association, and agree, for many good reasons, to refrain from exercising their inherent powers, and to adopt uniformity of rites and discipline. And where this custom has been long continued, and no valid reason can be assigned for altering it, there is an obligation of charity on particular bishops and churches to obey the ancient rule, lest jealousies and schisms might be excited by their transgressing it. But where no such rule exists, particular churches may exercise their natural liberty. III. Are provincial and national churches bound by the regulations concerning discipline and rites made by the bishops of more numerous churches, and accepted by those churches? I reply that they are not bound, except when those regulations are essentially necessary to maintain the 'divine and apostolical institutions, to reform abuses prejudicial to piety, or to preserve the peace of the church without compromising the christian truth. In such cases there is, indeed, an obligation to adopt regulations, whether made by general, national, or provincial synods; and on this ground we might easily show, that some regulations adopted by our national church, are obligatory on the churches of the Roman obedience. But where there is no such special reason, the regulations, even of oecumenical synods, in rites and discipline, are not obligatory on national or particular churches. Some canons of the synods of Con stantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon, were not adopted by the western churches. In the code of canons of the universal church, approved by the oecumenical synod of Chalcedon, are many regulations which were not practised in the west. More recently we have seen several of the Roman churches not accepting the discipline of the synod of Trent, which they acknowledge to be an oecumenical synod. Therefore it is clear, that the regulations of œcumenical synods concerning variable rites and discipline, are not binding on national churches except by their own approbation and adoption of them. IV. It is very true that the power of making regulations concerning rites and discipline may be injudiciously exercised. God does not always vouchsafe, even to men of good intentions, the gifts of wisdom and moderation, and an insight into the practical consequences of things; and thus He did not interfere to prevent the introduction of several rites into His church, which, though arising in some instances from a spirit of devotion and humility, yet were found by experience to be prejudicial to piety, and as such were removed by the authority of our catholic churches. It is also true that this power may be too largely exercised and that the multiplication of rites, in themselves harmless, may, become so great, that the church may be obliged to prune away their redundancy. This also was done by our churches in the sixteenth century, as the preface to the Prayer-book teaches us: for we should be greatly mistaken, if we supposed that the church of England meant to censure or condemn as superstitious, all the rites which she dispensed with at "Some are put away, because the great excess and multitude of them hath so increased in these latter days, that the burden of them was intolerable; whereof St. Augustine in his that time. Vague and general charges of this kind would be equally inconsistent with christian charity, and with the truth. CHAPTER XVI. ON THE EXERCISE AND SANCTIONS OF ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE. IN examining the general principles of practical discipline in the church, or the mode in which transgressions against faith and morality are to be treated, I shall first consider the tribunals in particular churches for the judgment of offences; secondly, the censures which they are empowered to inflict; thirdly, restoration by penitence and absolution; and fourthly, the censure of churches by other churches. SECTION I. ON ECCLESIASTICAL TRIBUNALS. The offences of christians against the divine laws of brotherly love, holiness, and faith, were by our Lord and his apostles placed under the cognizance of their particular churches in the first instance; as we may easily gather from the following texts. "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault, &c. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a time complained, that they were grown to such a number, that the estate of christian people was in worse case concerning that matter than the Jews. And he counselled that such yoke and burden should be taken away, as time would serve quietly to do it." b publican "." "Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person". "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye that are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness." "Of some have compassion, making a difference and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." These precepts were addressed to the church in common, consisting of both pastors and people. And accordingly we find from Tertullian and Cyprian, that the judgments of causes in the church were attributed not only to the clergy, but to the brethren also o. The error of the Independents in this point consists in their vesting the whole authority in the laity, and in insisting on the necessity of their judging personally in every case. The scripture lays down no such rule on the contrary we find that the apostle sanctioned the appointment of one individual to judge in a church. "If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you? No not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren f." Thus churches were empowered to delegate their power of judging to individuals: and on whom could this power more properly and reasonably devolve, than on those pastors who were made overseers of the church of Christ by the Holy Ghost: whom the faithful were bound to obey in all spiritual matters; and who were invested with peculiar powers above all the rest of the brethren. a Matt. xviii. 15-17. b 1 Cor. v. 12, 13. Gal. vi. 1. • See Du Pin, De Antiqua Eccl. Discipl. Dissert. iii. c. 1. f 1 Cor. vi. 4, 5. |