The Divine Right of Church Government | Page 9

shipmasters, who by
their helm, card, or compass, cables, and other tacklings, guide, and
order, turn and twine the ship as necessity shall require; so these
officers called Governments, have a power of governing and steering
the spiritual vessel of the Church; thus, Beza on this place, says he
declares the order of Presbyters, _who are keepers of discipline and
church polity_. For how improperly should these, or any officers be
styled Governments in the Church, if they had not a power of
government in the Church settled upon them? Nor can this be
interpreted of the civil magistrate; for, when the Apostle wrote this, the
Church had her government, when yet she had no civil magistrate to
protect her; and when did God ever take this power from the Church
and settle it upon the civil magistrate? Besides, all the other officers
here enumerated are purely ecclesiastical officers; how groundless then
and inconsistent is it under this name of Governments to introduce a
foreign power, viz. the political magistrate, into the list and roll of mere
church officers? Finally, the civil magistrate, as a magistrate, is not so
much as a member of the visible Church, (for then all Pagan
magistrates should be members of the Church,) much less a governor in
the Church of Christ. 5. That this government settled in the Church is
of divine right; for, of those Governments, as well as of Apostles,
Prophets, and Teachers, it is said, God hath set them in the Church.
God hath set them, hath put, set--Tremellius out of the Syriac. Hath
constituted, ordained--Beza out of the Greek. Now, if they be set in the

Church and God hath set them there, here is a plain divine right for
government in the Church.
Add hereto, 2 Cor. x. 8, "Of our authority, which the Lord hath given to
us for the edification, and not for the destruction of you." Here are
mentioned--1. Church power or authority for government in the Church.
2. The end of this power--positively, for the edification; negatively, not
for the destruction of the Church. 3. The Author or Fountain of this
authority--the Lord Christ hath given it, dispensed it; there is the divine
right. 4. The proper subjects intrusted with this authority, viz: the
church guides, our authority, which he hath given to us. They are the
receptacle of power for the Church, and the government thereof.
Compare also 1 Thes. v. 12, Matth. xvi. 19, 20, with xviii. 11, and John
xx. 21, 22, 23. In which and divers like places the divine right of
church government is apparently vouched by the Scripture, as will
hereafter more fully appear; but this may suffice in general for the
confirmation of this general proposition.
CHAPTER II.
Of the Nature of a DIVINE RIGHT in general.
Now touching this divine right of church government, two things are
yet more particularly to be opened and proved, for the more satisfactory
clearing thereof unto sober minds, to unprejudiced and unpre-engaged
judgments, viz:--1. What the nature of a divine right is, and how many
ways a thing may be said to be of divine right, and that by warrant of
Scripture. 2. What the nature of the government of the Church under
the New Testament is, which is vouched by the Scripture to be of
divine right.
For the first--viz. What the nature of a divine right is--consider both
what a divine right is in general, and how many ways a thing may be
said by Scripture warrant to be of divine right in particular.
Right is that which is most proper, just, or equal; or that which is
prescribed or commanded by some statute law, and is just to be
received in virtue of said law.

Divine sometimes points out a divine warrant or authority from God,
engraven or enstamped upon any thing, whereby it is exalted above all
human or created authority and power. And thus, all Scripture is styled
divinely breathed or inspired of God. Hence is the divine authority of
Scripture asserted, 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17; and in this sense divine right is
here spoken of, in reference to church government, as it signifies a
divine warrant and authority from God himself, engraven upon that
church government and discipline, (hereafter to be handled,) and
revealed to us in his holy Scriptures, the infallible and perfect oracles.
So that divine right, according to this interpretation of the terms, is that
which is either just, meet, and equal; or commanded and enjoined by
any divine warrant or authority. And generally, a thing may be said to
be of divine right, which is any way divinely just, equal, &c.; or
divinely commanded by any law of God, or by that which is equivalent
to a divine law. And whatsoever matters