The Hartlib Papers

Title:Copy Tract On Church Government In Scribal Hand ?, John Dury
Dating:27 December 1641
Ref:68/9/1A-4B: 3B, 4A BLANK
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                         CONCERNING
                     Church-governement
Loving Freind
yow desire to know positively & briefly my opinion concerning the Independant, the Presbyteriall, & the Episcopall Government of Churches. Thus then I declare it.
                         I.
I hold that the Spirituall Pastorall charge belonging to every particular Minister, lawfully called over his peculiar Congregacion is really independant from all Men, & only subordinate to God & his word: & that no Minister ought to suffer himselfe to be over ruled & brought to subjection by any humane authority in this matter, but that he should do all things as imediatly sett in his place by God to be accountable only to him as a watchman over the soules of his people.
                         II.
I hold that euery particular Minister lawfully called in respect of the outward administracion of his pastorall charge in a visible manner as it may be taken notice of in publicke by a State is dependant from other Men three wayes.
1. He is dependant from the capacity, will, & consent of his owne flocke to do all things of this nature by accomodating himselfe so vnto them, as they may be edified & no wayes offended thereby.
2. That he must be dependant also from the judgement, [catchword: will]
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will, & consent of his fellow Pastours, that the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace may be kept entire with them through the Communicacion of Councells for mutuall edificacion & that nothing may seeme to be don through vayne glory & selfe conceitednes, & that no occasion of strife be given. Philippians 2. 3.
3. That he must also be dependant from the will & consent of lawfull superiours, lest in the outward & publicke actions of his Calling he should seeme to make the Gospell of Christ & the profession of Christianity to be opposite to Civill government, & as it were pretend an Exemption from the lawfull Ordinances of Men that are Kings and Governours, to which we are comanded to submitt ourselves for the Lords sake. 1.Peter 2. 13. namely in those things wherein they make lawfull vse of their Authority & power which God hath given./.
                         III:
I hold that the Government of a Church by Pastours, Elders, and Deacons in a Consistorie in Presbyteriall & Synodicall Meetings is most of all edifying & most answerable to the intencion of Christ & to the Rules of Spirituall Goverment delivered by the Apostles and practised in the most entire primitive tymes.
                         IV:
I hold that the Episcopall Government of Churches, as it here stands in England, & is exercised by Lordly Prelates is not good: for so far as it is not subordinate vnto the Consistoriall, Presbyteriall, & Synodicall constitucions of [catchword: a]
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a Church, it is no Ministerially Spirituall or a lawfull function in Ecclesiasticall Government, but rather an Vsurpation over the Inheritance of God, if it doth meddle with Spirituall matters to order them by meere Authority & absolute command. For I conceive that all Episcopall Authority (which I call a Right to oversee more places then one Parish) must be derived from the particular places & persons themselves, which are to be overseene: & they ought to be overseene no otherwise then according to their owne Constitucions by themselves, according to Gods owne will & word established for their common good.   And if the Authority be not received from them in common to do this, & if it be not exercised in their name over particulars, & for the end & in that manner of way which they shall appoint, that it is neither Ecclesiasticall, nor any wayes Spirituall. For although it might be thus established & exercised by humane lawes, yet neverthelesse except it be also established & exercised according to the Rules prescribed in the word of God for the maintayning of a publicke good through the Communion of Saints, it is not from God: for as it is from God, it is but an instrument of the Comunion of Saints, & a servant & substitute for other Members of the body of Christ, whereof none is by himselfe inferiour to him that is employed vpon the service: but all jointly are his superiours, both in the collation & in the vse of his place & charge, wherein he is to serve & not to be served (no more then Christ desired to be in the dayes of the flesh) otherwise then [catchword: through]
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through Love we are bound to serve one another in all matters tending to mutuall edification. For the ayme of mutuall edification through the comunion of Saints is the fundamentall cause of begetting this charge. And because the exercising of it nowadayes is not subservient herevnto, but tendeth rather to divide the hearts of Christians one from another for Prelaticall privates ends of greatnes & temporall interests, therefore God will worke their overthrow by the Principles & endevours of holy, vnpartiall, & Ecclesiasticall Comunion.
To this yow object & say seing then yow esteeme of Episcopall Government, that it is no Ministerially spirituall & a lawfull Ecclesiasticall function, the Question is made How any can with a good Conscience converse freely with them, & respect them in Ecclesiasticall matters, & I answer that any body may respect them, as they vse to respect Civill Authority & Magistrates in Ecclesiasticall workes of a publicke nature. for I find here in England in them that which belongeth vnto the Kings charge over the Churches, so that they are his instruments & substitutes to do that which he himselfe should doe as the Patron and nursing Father of the Church in his Kingdomes.
I take then their Authority in this place to be Civill, & would not deny them the Civill respect & honour which the King doth put vpon them, which any body may do with a good Conscience as long as it is established by the Civill & Ecclesiasticall Constitucions of the Land. And although some of them or all of them take vpon them more then is their due in the Civill charge to be done, & pretend that their Authority is rather Ecclesiasticall then Civill, & that their power is from God, [catchword: yet]
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yet that must not be allowed, nor by flattery countenanced; but such as converse with them should thinke of wayes how this might be mended in them. And to that effect they should observe their conversation without passion & partiallity, & see what possibility there might be in due tyme to bring them to a Reformacion of that wherein they exceed their bounds both in Civill & Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction, whereof they make an illimited mixture. A man may respect A King that is a Tyrant, & give him the honour due to him as he is a King, & yet not partake of his crueltyes & oppressions, nor approve of the same. So they may be respected as they are the Kings Agents in matters Ecclesiasticall of a publicke nature, & yet not approved in that wherein they abuse the Kings Authority, & stretch it further then it ought to be extended vnder the pretence of a Spiritually Ecclesiasticall charge, which is altogether incompatible with a Lordly Iurisdiction in one & the same person & action./
This is to beare witnes to the truth so far as I am enlightened, & to give your lawfull demands a just satisfaction, which I have thought good to expresse with my best affections in all Christian Love who am,
                             your faithfull Friend
This 27th of Decemb:            to serve yow
Anno 1641.                      [N. M.? deleted by H]
                                   <H: Iohn Dury. >
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[Hand Y:]           Concerning Independant,
                    Presbyterial & Episcopal
                         Church Government.