much as in them lies, Quietness, Love, and Peace, and themselves to correct and punish, according to fuch Authority as they have by God's Word, and the Ordinances of this Realm; that the People may not be faid to mock God, when they implore of him, at the fame time, to give to all Bifbops the Paftors of his Church, that they may duly minifter godly Difcipline, and ufe the Authority given them, not to Deftruction, but to Salvation; and that we ourfelves likewife may not lofe our Right of appealing, and the gracious Refource we promife ourselves in the Bofom of our Bishop, by being referred to a mercilefs Court, and Brother fent to Law against a Brother, and that before Extortioners.

&c.

2. THE Eraftians, my Lord, have difputed the Senfe of a Paffage with us, wherein both the Bishop's Right to arbitrate, and our Directions to appeal, are equally comprized. The Words are thefe, If thy Brother shall trefpafs Matt. against thee, go and tell him his Fault between xviii. 15, thee and him alone: If he fhall hear thee, thou haft gained thy Brother. But if he will not bear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the Mouth of two or three Witneffes every Word may be established; and if he hall negleft to bear them, tell it unto the Church: But if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an beathen Man, and Publican. The whole Contest arifes from the Ambiguity of the Words Brother and Church; by the former, they wou'd have us understand any common Chrif tian, and by the latter, the People in general; whom they hereupon conclude to be authorized Judges in all Church-Difputes. The Context however determines the Senfe; and the Occafion upon which the Words were spoken makes it appear, that the Brother fignifies here none

but

but the Apostles, and the Church, no other than the whole Synod or Affembly of them met together in a judiciary Manner, to determine Controverfics. To this Purpose we may obferve, that when our Saviour first began this Difcourfe, St. Mark tells us, that he called the twelve unto him. He called the twelve unto him, because there had lately been a warm Difpute among them upon the Point of Precedency in his Kingdom; and therefore he teaches them Humility, firft by the Example of a little Child, and then directs them to a proper Remedy, when, at any time, fuch Differences fhould chance to arife, viz. a double Admonition first, and then an Appeal to the Church: To the Church, i. e. to the whole College of Apoftles, or as many as could be affembled on fuch an Occafion; for nothing can be lefs probable, than that the People were to arbitrate Differences between the Apoftles. The Apostles indeed were to preferve Peace among them, and were therefore impower'd to reprove, cenfure, and eject out of the Church as they faw it requifite; but that the People were to fit Judges upon the commiffioned Officers of Jefus Chrift; and who, in the very next Verse, had the PowMat. xviii, er of the Keys entrusted with them, is a little too grofs.

18.

THE Truth is, the whole Paffage related then to the Apostles only; but has fince been made a general Rule for the Clergy, in like Circumstances, at all Times, to follow. The Apostles were feparately all upon the fame Level. Our Saviour does not allow fo much as his own Relations to claim any Pre-eminence. When therefore any Difference fhould arife among them, he orders that fuch as were not Parties in the Dilpute fhould form an Affembly to arbitrate be

tween

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tween their Brethren, and that their Decifion fhould be authoritative. Bifhops, in their Epifcopal Capacity, are all co-ordinate, and equal. When therefore any Contention happened among them, the antient Manner was to refer it to a Synod (if Methods of Accommodation prov'd ineffectual) and their Determination was decifive. Presbyters, in their facerdotal Capacity, are not inferior to one another: And therefore when Offences come, and a Prefumption of Injuries perhaps on both Sides attending them; the Complaint lies to the Bifhop, and he, with a fet Number of other Presbyters, makes up the Confiftory, that hears and determines the whole Matter. So that the Church, to an Apoftle, was the College of Apoftles; to a Bishop, is a Synod; and to a Presbyter or other Inferior, his particular Bishop, with fome affifting Clerks.

If this, my Lord, be the true Intendment of the Text, (as I conceive it may, and as the Practice of the Primitive Church has best expounded it) not only our Right of appealing to the Bifhop only, but the very prefcript Form and Method of our proceeding therein is of divine Inftitution and Appointment; and (whatever Alienation others have made of theirs) we must not, we dare not, go against it.

WHAT Right we have to expect Justice and Impartiality, when we thus appeal, is founded upon one of the most awful Paffages that ever I read in my Life. St. Paul, as I faid before, after he had inftructed Timothy how he was to behave to his Clergy, both in promoting Merit, and chaftifing Guilt; above all, with what Caution and Circumfpection he was to proceed against an Elder that had an Accufation lodg'd against him, gives him this tremendous Charge: I charge 1 Tim. v. thee before God, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, and 21.

the

the elect Angels, that thou obferve these things without preferring one before another, or, as it is better render'd, without Prejudice, doing nothing by Partiality.

WOULD not a Comment impair the Force and Energy of the Words, I could cafily fancy to myself a great Apoftle of the Gentiles, fpeaking to his new-appointed Bifhop, in fome fuch Strain as this. I, under God, have fet thee over the Church of Ephefis, and committed to thy Care a large Province. Hereby thy Station in Life is raifed, and the Weight of thy Charge vaftly increafed. Refpect and Reverence attends thy Perfon; Rewards and Punishments, Cenfures and Encouragements are at thy Difpofal, and an entire Submiffion waits on thy Decrees: For in making thee a Bishop, I have made thee a Judge likewife over thy Brethren, a Guardian of their Rights, and an Arbitrator of their Differences. Their Differences must come before thee; and in determining them, great Juftice and Impartiality must be observed. Thou must not coun tenance a pcor Man in bis Caufe, much less the Opulent and Great. Thou must guard therefore the Aventies of thy Soul, and fortify thyfelf againft Prepoffeffion, that thofe of an higher Degree may not run away with thy • Efteem, thofe of a lower Fall under thy Contempt: For he that would be just, must barden himself against all the Impreffions of Intereft, tho in that be may feem imprudent; against all the Impreffions of Affection, tho' in that he may feem ill-natur'd; against all the Impreffions of Benefits, tho' in that he may feem ingrateful; nay, against all the Impref * Vid. Young's Serm. Vol. I. p. 204. of the Origin of Human Judicature.

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fions of vulgar Pity, tho' in that he may feem bard-hearted: He must render himself difengaged from all the World, and from himself above all; because Self undoubtedly is the greatest Byafs to Partiality. The Office of a Bifhop then, thou feeft, not only advances, <but tries likewife and indicates a Man. Thy • Sphere is confpicuous, and thy Actions are as it were upon a public Theatre, where not only • Men,but God and Christ, and Angels, are Spec<tators. Men may be impos'd upon by a fpe<cious Pretence of Zeal and Reformation, while < Paffion and Refentment lies at the Bottom of

the Sentence; but to the Eye of him with whom <thou haft to do, and to whom thyself muft give • Account, all the Secrets of thy Heart, and hidden Springs by which thy Judgment moves, are open and lay bare. When therefore the Cause of thy Brethren comes to be heard, call to mind his awful Infpection, and take great beed what a Chron. thou doft, for thou judgeft not for Men, but for xix. 6. * the Lord. Above all, let no Man's Greatness

influence thy Fear, no Man's Opulency bait thy Defires, no Man's Infinuations win upon thy Affection to determine the Sentence. before thou haft heard the Caufe, left thefe great Spectators of thy Conduct be affronted, God provoked, and Chrift aggrieved, and Angels afham'd at thy Prevarication. Twill not be long before this tranfitory Scene muft fhift, and all the Infignia of thy Office, and 'Characters of thy Power vanish and be laid in the Duft: Not long before all Diftinctions 'must be buried, and Prieft and Prelate, Curate and Incumbent promifcuously appear together before another-guife Tribunal, the tremendous Judgment of Chrift. Think therefore on that awful Place, to, make it an Emblem of thy Confiftory; anas thou hopeft there to fee the

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