name Ecclesia,' church, hath been used, by any Greek author, before the apostles' times, or in their days, or in the age after them, for the assembly of sole governors in the act of their government, or indeed before the same governors had seized into their own and only hands the churches' both name and power."

ELDERS REPRESENTATIVES?" But you will say, as learned men used to do, that these Elders sustain the person of the whole multitude, and supply their room, for the avoiding of confusion; and so are rightly, as commonly, called The church-representatives.'-I answer, first, No godly, no, nor reasonable man, will affirm, that this representation is to be extended to all the acts of religion, or indeed to others than these which are exercised in the governing of the church. What is it then? The Elders, in ruling and governing the church, must represent the People, and occupy their place. It should seem then, that it appertains unto the People,-unto the People primarily and originally, under Christ-to rule and govern the church, that is, themselves. But who will so say of a government not personal, but public, and instituted, as the church's is? If the Elders, in their consistory, represent the church, then whatsoever they either decree or do agreeing to the Word of God, whether respecting faith or manners, that also the church decreeth and doth though absent; . . this being the nature of representations, that what the representing doth, within the bounds of his commission, that the represented doth primarily, and much more as but using the other for his instrument: now, how dissonant this is to true faith and piety; how consonant unto the papists' implicit faith, no man can be ignorant; and I had rather wise men should consider, than I aggravate.”

APOSTOLIC EXAMPLE." Surely, if ever it did or could

appertain to any church officers or governors whatsoever, to represent the church-assemblies, in elections, censures, and other ecclesiastical judgments and occurrences; then, without doubt, unto the apostles in an eminent and peculiar manner, especially living in that rude and childish state of the church; considering both how superlative their office was, and how admirable their gifts and endowments of the Holy Ghost, together with their incomparable both piety and prudence; by which, they were both most able and willing to promote the Christian faith in holiness. And although this constant and uniform both practice and institu tion of the apostles unto divers politic persons, swelling with pride of fleshly reason, despising apostolical simplicity, and who, as Ireneus speaks, would be rectifiers of the apostles,' seem worthy of light regard; yet to us, who be lieve with Theodoret, that we ought to rest in the apostol ical and prophetical demonstrations, and who, with Tertullian, do adore the fulness of the Scriptures,' they seem of singular weight and moment."..

DEMOCRACY." Lest any should take occasion, either by the things here spoken by us, or elsewhere of us, to conceive that we either exercise amongst ourselves, or would thrust upon others, any popular or democratical churchgovernment; may it please the Christian reader to make estimate of both our judgment and practice in this point according to these three declarations following: first, We believe that the external church-government, under Christ the only Mediator and Monarch thereof, is plainly aristocratical, and to be administered by some certain choice men; al, though the state, which many unskilfully confound with the government, be, after a sort, popular and democratical. By this it appertains to the People freely to vote in elections, and judgments of the church; in respect of the other, we

make account it behoves the Elders to govern the People, in their voting, in just liberty given by Christ whatsoever.* Let the Elders publicly propound and order all things in the church, and so give their sentence on them: let them reprove them that sin, convince the gainsayers, comfort the repentant; and so administer all things according to the prescript of God's Word. Let the People, of faith, give their assent to their Elders' holy and lawful administration, that so the ecclesiastical elections and censures may be ratified, and put into solemn execution by the elders. . . Secondly, We doubt not but that the Elders both lawfully may, and necessarily ought, and that by virtue of their office, to meet apart, at times, from the Body of the church,† to deliberate of such things as concern her welfare, as for the preventing of things unnecessary, so for the preparing,→ according to just order,-of things necessary, so as publicly and before the People, that they may be prosecuted with most conveniency... Thirdly, By the People, whose liberty and right in voting we thus avow and stand for in matters truly public and ecclesiastical, we do not understand,as it hath pleased some contumeliously to upbraid us,women and children; but only men, and them grown and of discretion making account, that as children by their nonage, so women by their sex, are debarred of the use of authority in the church."

MARRIAGE." Of the celebration of Marriage by the Pastors of the Church."-Here, he says, "We cannot assent to the received opinion and practice answerable, in the Reformed Churches, by which the Pastors thereof do celebrate Marriage publicly, and by virtue of their office.".

* 1 Cor. 12: 28. 1 Tim. 5. 17. Heb, 13: 17. 1 Cor. 14: 34, 35. 1 Tim. 2: 12.

† Acts 20: 18.

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The Pastors' office, Robinson adds, ought not to be stretched to any other acts than those of religion, and such as are peculiar to Christians, amongst which, Marriage common to the Gentiles as well as to them, hath no place.”

PARABLE OF THE TARES.-Descending to particularize, Robinson follows out, at some considerable length, the allusion to "The church of Israel, and its condition compared with all the Christian churches ;" and then he takes up "the parable of the tares,* with which," he proceeds,→→→› 66 as with some thunderbolt, men both learned and unlearn. ed think us beaten all to fritters! But, first, these words, 'Let both grow together till the harvest,'t from which alone they do dispute, Christ the Lord doth not expound nor med. dle with in the opening of the parable; from them, there fore, nothing firm can be concluded. Secondly, Christ himself interprets the field,' not the church, but the world;' as also, the harvest,' not 'the end of the church, but of the world.' And if by the world, you understand the church, you must needs say, that Christ in the expounding of one parable used another. Thirdly, Both the text itself and reason of the thing do plainly teach, that He doth not speak at all of excommunication, which serves for the bettering of the tares;' but of their final rooting up to perdi. tion.|| Lastly, Admit Christ spake of men apparently wicked in the church, either not to be excommunicated in certain cases, which, with Gellius Snecanus, I confidently deny, --or not excommunicated as they ought to be, and therefore to be borne of private members, the former of which is too ordinary, especially in churches enjoying peace and prosperity; the latter of which, the church not being desperately bent on evil, I easily assent to, yet doth this place afford

* Matt. xiii. † Ver. 30. ‡ Ver. 38. § Ver. 39. || Verses 27-30.

no medicine for our grief: which ariseth not from any corrupt or negligent administration of the church's discipline, through the carelessness or want of wisdom,-it may be too much wisdom, such as it is,-of the administrators thereof, which are personal things; but from the very con. stitution of the church itself, and subject of ecclesiastical both government and power. Yea, I add unto all these things, that we, for our parts, are willing in the business and controversy in hand, to appeal unto the tribunal of this very parable; and that, expounded by our adversaries themselves; and do willingly condescend that by it alone judgment be given in this matter! Our Saviour Christ doth plainly teach that this 'field' was sown with 'good seed' alone; and that after, whilst men slept,' the enemy, the devil, came and sowed tares amongst the wheat.'* But, on the contrary, in the sowing the English field, whether we respect the national or parochial churches, together with the wheat the tares, and that exceeding the other infinitely, were at first and yet are sown, and that of purpose, and under most severe penalties. And, hence, is the first and principal prejudice to our English harvest; and from which I conceive all the rest to come. For, unto this Church, thus clapped and clouted together of all persons of all sorts and spirits, without difference, no man, equally and prudently weighing things, can deny but that the pompous and imperious hierarchical government, together with all its accessories, doth right well accord."

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CONCLUSION. He writes, in conclusion, " And here thou hast, Christian Reader, the whole order of our conversation in the work of Christian religion set down both as briefly and plainly as I could... And if the things which we do, seem right in thine eyes, as to us certainly they do, I do

* Matt, 13: 24, 25.