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A
Platform of
CHURCH DISCIPLINE
GATHERED OUT OF THE WORD OF GOD:
AND AGREED UPON BY THE ELDERS:
AND MESSENGERS OF THE CHURCHES
ASSEMBLED IN THE SYNOD AT CAMBRIDGE
IN NEW ENGLAND
To be presented to the Churches and Generall Court
for their consideration and acceptance,
in the Lord.
The Eighth Moneth Anno 1649
Psal: 84.1. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts?
Psal: 26.8. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house
& the
place where thine honour dwelleth.
Psal: 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I
seek
after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the
dayes of my life to behold the Beauty of the Lord & to
inquire in his Temple.
Printed by S G at Cambridge in New
England
and are to be sold at Cambridge and Boston
Anno Dom: 1649
THE
PREFACE
THE setting forth of the Publick Confession of the Faith of
Churches hath a double end, & both tending to publick
edification. first the maintainenance of the faith entire within
it self: secondly the holding forth of Unity & Harmony, both
amongst, & with other Churches. Our Churches here, as (by the
grace of Christ) wee beleive & profess the same Doctrine of the
trueth of the Gospell, which generally is received in all the
reformed Churches of Christ in Europe: so especially, wee desire
not to vary from the doctrine of faith, & truth held forth by the
churches in our native country. For though it be not one native
country, that can breed vs all of one mind; nor ought wee for to
have the glorious faith of our Lord Jesus with respect of
persons: yet as Paul who was himself a Jew, professed to hold
forth the doctrine of justification by faith, & of the
resurection of the dead, according as he knew his godly
countrymen did, who were Iewes by nature (Galat. 2. 15. Acts 26.
6, 7.) so wee, who are by nature, English men, doe desire to hold
forth the same doctrine of religion (especially in fundamentalls)
which wee see & know to be held by the churches of England,
according to the truth of the Gospell
The more wee discern, (that which wee doe, & have cause to doe
with incessant mourning & trembling) the unkind, & unbrotherly, &
unchristian contentions of our godly brethren, & countrymen, in
matters of church-government: the more ernestly doe wee desire to
see them joyned together in one common faith, & our selves with
them. For this end, having persued the publick confession of
faith, agreed upon by the Reverend assembly of Divines at
Westminster, & finding the summ & substance thereof (in matters
of doctrine) to express not their own judgements only, but ours
also: and being likewise called upon by our godly Magistrates, to
draw up a publick confession of that faith, which is constantly
taught, & generally professed amongst us, wee thought it good to
present unto them, & with them all the churches of Christ abroad,
our professed & hearty assent & attestation to the whole
confession of faith (for substance of doctrine) which the
Reverend assembly presented to the Religious & Honourable
Parlamet of England: Excepting only some sections in the 25
30 & 31. Chapters of their confession, which concern points of
controversie in church-discipline; Touching which wee refer our
[2] selves to the draught of church-discipline in the ensueing
treatise.
The truth of what we here declare, may appear by the unanimous
vote of the Synod of the Elders & messengers of our churches
assembled at Cambridg, the last of the sixth month 1648:
which joyntly passed in these words; This Synod having
perused, & considered (with much gladness of heart, &
thankfullness to God) the cofession of faith published of late by
the Reverend Assembly in England, doe judge it to be very holy,
orthodox, & judicious in all matters of faith: & doe therfore
freely and fully
[8] To the 2 Exception, That wee take no course for the gayning
& healing & calling in of ignorant, & errorious, & scandalous
persos, whom we refuse to receive into our churches & so exclude
them from the remidy of church-disciplie.
Wee conceive the receiving of them into our churches would
rather loose & corrupt our Churches, then gain & heale them. A
little leaven layed in a lump of dough, will sooner leaven the
whole lump, then the whole lump will sweeten it. Wee therefore
find it safer, to square rough & unhewn stones, before the[y] be
layed into the building, rather then hammer & hew them, when they
lye unevenly in the building.
And accordingly, two meanes (wee use to gayn & call in such as
are ignorat or scandalous. I The
publick ministery of the word, upon which they are invited by
counsel, & required by wholsome lawes to attend. And the word it
is, which is the powr of God to salvation, to the calling &
winning of soules. 2 Private
conference, & conviction by the Elders, & other able brethren of
the church: whom they doe the more respectively hearken unto,
when they see no hope of enjoying church-fellowship, or
participation in the Sacraments for themselves, or their
children, till they approve their judgements to be sound &
orthodox, & their lives subdues to some hope of a godly
coversation. What can Classical discipline, or excomunication it
slefe do more in this case.
The 3 Exception wrappeth up in it a three fold domestical
inconvenience: & each of them meet to be eschewed. I Disunion in families between each relation:
2 Disappointmet of edificatio for
want of opportunity in the governours of familyes to take accout
of things heard by their children & servants. 3 Disbursments of chargeable maintenance to the
several churches, wherto the several persons of their familyes
are joyned.
All which inconvenience either do not fall out in
congregationall-churches: or are easily redressed. For none are
orderly admitted into congregational-churches, but such as are
well approved by good testimony, to be observant of family-
relations. Or if any other-wise diposed should creep in, they
are either orderly healed, or duly removed from the way of
Chrsit. Nor are they admitted, unless thay can give some good
account of their profiting by ordinances, before the Elders &
brethren of the church: & much more to their parets, & masters.
Godly Tutors in the university can take an account of their
pupills: & godly housholders in the Citty can take account of
their children & servants, how they profit by the word they have
heard in several churches: & that to the greater edification of
the whole family, by the variety of such administrations. Bees
may bring more hony, & wax into the hive, when they are not
limited to one garden of flowers, but may fly abroad to many.
Nor is any charge expected from wives, children, or servants to
the maintenance of congregationall churches, further then they be
furnished with personall estates, or earnings, which may enable
them to contribute of such things as they have, & not of [9]
Such as they have not. God accepteth not Robbery for a
sacrifice. And though a godly housholder may justly take
himselfe bound in conscience, to contribute to any such Church,
wherto his wife, or children, or servants doe stand in relation;
yet that will not aggravate the burden of his charge, no more
than if they were received members of the same Church wherto
himself is related.
But why doe wee stand thus long to plead exemptions from
exceptions? the Lord help all his faithfull servants (whether
presbyteriall, or congregational) to judge & shame our selves
before the Lord for all our former complyances to greater
enormityes in Church-government, then are to be found in either
in the congregationall, or presbyteriall way. And then surely,
either the Lord will cleare up his own will to us, & so frame, &
subdue us all to one mind, & one way, (Ezek. 43. 10, 11.)
or else wee shall learn to beare one anothers burdens in a spirit
of meekness. It will then doubtless be farr from us, so to
attest the discipline of Christ, as to detest the disciples of
Christ: so to contend for the seameless coat of Christ, as to
crucifie the living members of Christ: soe to divide our selves
about Church communion, as through breaches to open a wide gap
for a deluge of Antichristian & prophane malignity to swallow up
both Church & civil state.
What shall wee say more? is difference about Church-order become
the inlett of all the disorders in the kingdom? hath the Lord
indeed left us to such hardness of heart, that Church-government
shall become a snare to Zion, (as somtimes Moses was to AEgypt,
Exod. 10. 7.) that we cannot leave contesting &
contending about it, till the kingdom be destroyed? did not the
Lord Jesus, when he dedicated his sufferings for his church, &
his also unto his father, make it his earnest & only prayer for
us in the world, that wee all might be one in him? John.
17. 20, 21, 22, 23. And is it possible, that he (whom the
Father heard alwayes, John. 11. 42.) should not have
this last most solemn prayer heard, & graunted? or, shall it be
graunted for all the saints elsewhere, & not for the saints in
England; so that amongst them disunion shall grow even about
Church-union, & communion? If it is possible, for a little faith
(so much as a grain of mustardseed) to remove a mountaine: is it
not possible, for so much strength of faith, as is to be found in
all the godly in the kingdom, to remove those Images of
jealousie, & to cast those stumbling-blockes out of the way,
which may hinder the free passage of brotherly love amongst
brethren? It is true indeed, the National covenant doth justly
engage both partyes, faithfully to endeavour the utter
extirpation of the Antichristia Hierarchy, & much more of all
Blasphemyes, Heresies, & damnable errours. Certainly, if
congregational discipline be Independent from the inventions of
men, is it not much more Independent from the delusions of Satan?
what fellowship hath Christ with Belial? light with darkness?
trueth with errour? The faithfull Iewes needed not the help of
the Samaritans, to [10] Reedify the Temple of God: yea
they rejected their help when it was offered. Ezrea the 1,
2, 3. And if the congregationall way be a way of trueth (as
wee believe) & if the brethren that walk in it be zealous of the
trueth, & hate every false way (as by the rule of their holy
discipline they are instructed, 2 John. 10, 11.)
then verily, there is no branch in the Nationall covenant, that
engageth the covenanters to abhore either Congregationall
Churches, or their way: which being duely administered, doe no
less effectually extirpate the Antichristian Hierarchy, & all
Blasphemies, Heresyes, & pernicious errours, then the other way
of discipline doeth, which is more generally & publickly received
& ratifyed.
But the Lord Jesus commune with all our hearts in secret: & he
who is the King of his Church, let him be pleased to exercise his
Kingly powr in our spirites, that so his kingdome may come into
our Churches in Purity & Peace.
Amen. Amen.
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