West Port Experiment

The following are two passages from Samuel Rutherford’s The Due Right of Presbyteries (1644), in which he engages with the congregationalist “New England Way” of church government. These particular sections are revealing especially for how they illustrate the classic presbyterian model of church planting. The Church of Scotland operated programmatically as a “gathering church” versus the self-styled independent “gathered church” model. Or, if we may put it anachronistically in the language of Thomas Chalmers two generations later, we ought to operate on the “aggressive,” not the “attractive” scheme.

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 7. Argum. A multitude of unwarrantable wayes partly goeth before, partly conveyeth this Church-covenant, As. 1. It is a dreame that all are converted by the meanes of private Christians, without the Ministery of sent Pastors, by hearing of whom Faith commeth; all are made materialls and converts in private without Pastors; judge if this be Christs order and way. 2. How it is possible a Church shall be gathered amongst Infidells? this way Infidells cannot convert Infidells, and Pastors as Pastors cannot now be sent, by our Brethrens Doctrine, for Pastors are not Pastors but in relation to a particular congregation, therefore Pastors as Pastors cannot be sent to Indians. 3. They must be assured in conscience, at least satisfied in every one anothers salvation, and sound conversion: were the Apostles satisfied anent the conversion of Ananias, Saphira, Simon Magus, Alexander, Hymeneus, Philetus, Demas and others? 4. By what warrant of the word are private Christians, not in office, made the ordinary and onely converters of Soules to Christ? conversion commeth then ordinarily and solely by unsent Preachers, and private persons Ministery. 5. What warrant have the sister Churches, of the word, to give the right hand of fellowship to a new erected Church? for, to give the hand of fellowship is an authoritative and pastoriall act, as Gal. 2.9. When James, Cephas, and John perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave unto me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that is, saith Pareus, (a) they received us to the colledge of the Apostles; so Bullinger (b) and (c) Beza, now this is to receive them in amongst the number of Churches, as Pareus, and members of the catholick Church, but Churches being all independent, and of a like authority, the Sister Churches having no power over this new erected Church, what authority hath Sister Churches, to acknowledge them as Sister Churches? For 1. They cannot be upon two or three houres sight of them, hearing none of them speak, satisfied in their consciences of their Regeneration. 2. By no authority can they receive them as members of the catholick Church, for this receiving is a Church-act and they have no Church-power over them. 3. What a meeting is this of diverse Churches for the receiving of a new Sister Church? It is a Church (I believe) meeting together, and yet it is not a congregation, and it is an ordinary visible Church, for at the admitting of all converts to the Church-order, this meeting must be: surely here our brethren acknowledge that there is a Church, in the New Testament made up of many congregations, which hath power to receive in whole Churches, and members of Churches unto a Church-fellowship; this is a visible provinciall, or nationall Church, which they other wayes deny.

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Quest. 1. If Pastors may performe Ministeriall Acts in any other Congregation than their owne.

This is answered unto, by a Manuscript, If you take a Ministeriall act improperly, when a Minister doth exercise his gift of praying and preaching, being required so to doe, so hee may exercise some Ministeriall acts; but this he doth not by vertue of any calling, but only by his gifts and occasionally. But if you meane by a Ministeriall act, an act of authority and power in dispensing of Gods Ordinances, as a Minister doth performe to the Church whereunto he is called to be a Minister, then we deny that he can so performe any Ministeriall act in any other Church, than his owne.

Hence though he may preach to another congregation, yet may he not administer the Sacraments to an other then to his owne.

Answ. First, We hold that by a calling or ordination he is made a Pastor, by election he is restricted to be Ordinarily the Pastor of his flocke.

Secondly, A Pastor is a Pastor of the Catholike Church, but he is not a Catholike Pastor of the Catholike Church, as were the Apostles.

Thirdly, The Reformed Churches may send Pastors to the Indians, for that which Acosta saith of Jesuites, wee may with better reason say it of our selves: That Pastors are as Souldiers, and some Souldiers are to keepe order, and remaine in a certaine place, others run up and downe in all places; So some are affixed to a Congregation, to feed them, others may be sent to those people, who have not heard of the Gospel. Which sending is ordinary and lawfull, in respect of Pastors sending, and the Pastors who are sent, because in Pastors, even after the Apostles be dead, there remaineth a generall Pastorall care for all the Churches of Christ. Thus sending is not ordinary, but extraordinary, in respect of those to whom the Pastors are sent, yet is it a Pastorall sending.

This opinion of our Brethren, is against the care of Christ, who hath left no Pastorall care in earth by his way, now since the Apostles dyed, to spread the Gospel to those Nations who have not heard of the name of Christ; but a Pastorall care for the Churches, is not proper to Apostles onely, but onely such a Pastorall care by speciall direction from Christ immediately to Preach to all. 2. Backed with the gift of tongues and of miracles; and this essentially differenceth the Apostle from the ordinary Pastor; but the former Pastorall care to Preach the Gospel to all Nations, and to convert, is common both to the Apostle and Pastor.

    2. Our Brethren distinguish betwixt office and the calling, and they say that the office extendeth no further then the call, and by office he is onely a Pastor of this determinate flocke. But if he be a Pastor essentially in relation to none, but to his owne Congregation from which he hath all his calling, as is supposed, by that same reason a Christian, is a Baptized Christian to none but in relation to that particular Church in whose society he is admitted, and he doth partake of Christs body and blood in the Lords Supper in relation to no visible professors on earth, but onely to the Parish Church whereof he is a Member, 1 Cor. 10.17. for they expone that onely of a Parishionall Communion within one single independant Congregation. And he must be a Heathen, or as a Pagan in all Congregations on earth, but in his owne, yea and he is a visible professor of the Covenant of grace, which is one in substance, (as they say) with the Church-Covenant, and hath claime to Christ and all his Ordinances in no Congregation save in his owne. I prove the consequence, for by Baptisme the Baptized person is incorporated in Christ’s visible Church. 1 Cor. 12.13. If this be true when one removeth from one Congregation to another, hee must be re-baptized and incorporated a visible member of a body visible with them. And I see not how one can be in-churched to another Congregation, and made one body therewith, while he eate of one bread with them, as they expone, 1 Cor. 10.17. if he be not also a member of all visible Churches on earth.

    3. If a Pastor can exercise no Pastorall acts toward any Congregation, save toward his owne, then a Pastor as a Pastor cannot pray for the whole visible Churches of God: but the latter is absurd: Ergo, so is the former. I prove the major, The praying for the whole visible Churches is a Pastorall Act, due to a Pastor as a Pastor. Because every visible Church is obliged, as it is a Church, to pray for all the visible Churches on earth: for as a Christian is obliged to pray for all Churches visible, so farre more is a Church: now a visible Church doth not pray but by the Pastor, who is the mouth of the People to God; and that this is a Pastorall duty due to a Pastor, I thinke is said Isa. 62.6. I have set watchmen on thy Towers, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: Yee that make mention of the Lord, keepe no silence till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem the praise of the whole earth.

    Also Pastors as Pastors are to pray for the King, though the King be no member of that Congregation, whereof they be Pastors. 1 Tim. 2.1, 2. every Pastor as a Pastor is to Preach against the sinnes of the Land, else how can the People mourne for these sinnes? Ergo, the Pastor doth exercise Pastorall acts upon all the visible Churches on earth, upon the King, and upon the whole Land, to which he is not a Pastor by speciall election.

    4. If a Pastor be obliged to Preach in season and out of season, and that as a Pastor, and because he is a Pastor. 2 Tim. 4.2. Ergo he is to Preach as a Pastor in any Congregation where he shall be desired.

    They answer, He may Preach the word in another Congregation, not by vertue of a calling or office, but by vertue of his gifts.

    I answer, First, if he Preach by vertue of a gift onely, he Preacheth in that case, not as sent of God, and so intrudeth himselfe, and runneth unsent, and a meere gift to be a King or a Magistrate, maketh not a Magistrate, as (a) Master Robinson, of Grantham. Ergo, one cannot warrantably exercise a Pastorall act by vertue of a meere gift. 2. He may in another Congregation preach with Pastorall authority, and use the keyes by binding and loosing sinnes, according as hearers doe repent and harden their neckes against the Gospel. Ergo, he may preach as a Pastor to another Congregation. 3. There shall be no Communion betwixt Sister Churches in Pastorall acts as Pastorall, which is absurd; the Communion shall onely be of Pastorall acts as Christian acts, but in no sort betwixt them as Pastorall acts.

    5. The Scriptures for this opinion are weake, Ergo the opinion it selfe is weake, I prove the antecedent. Act. 20.28. Feed the flocke, over which the holy Ghost hath made you overseers, &c. there is no ground to feede even by Preaching, or by vertue of a gift, the flockes over which the holy Ghost hath not set you: Obey them that are over you in the Lord, Heb. 13.17. &c. there is no warrant to submit to other Pastors that are not over you in the Lord, though they command by vertue of a gift, not by vertue of an office or calling: these be loose consequences.

    6. All reciprocation of mutuall duties amongst sister Churches, whereby they exhort, rebuke, comfort one another, must be unlawfull, for these be Church acts, and this Author saith, The office extendeth no further then the calling, but there is no calling of Church-membership betwixt sister-Churches, and therefore all these duties are not acts of the Communion of Churches, as they are such Churches or incorporations in a Church-state, but onely duties of Churches as they are Saints, but communion of Churches as Churches in the act of Church-dispensing of the Word and Seales reciprocally one to another, is not in the Word of God, as this opinion will inferre, which is a weighty absurd.

    7. The Authors of this opinion hold; That if the Congregation, for no fault, reject the Pastor, whom they once called and elected to be their Pastor, though in so doing they sinne, and reject God in rejecting him, yet they take nomen & esse, the name and nature of a Pastor from him, yet (say they) hee still remaineth a Minister of Christ, till he accept a call from another Congregation.

    Hence 1. such a one is a Pastor, and yet the people have taken name and nature of a Pastor from him, as they gave him name and nature: Ergo, he is either a Pastor without a calling, which is absurd, or he remaineth a person in relation to another flocke, who never choosed him, nor gave him any calling. 2. To adde by the way, if he be capable of a calling to another Church, Ergo, for the time he is no Minister, else they must say, he may be a Minister capable of two callings, to two sundry Ministeries, which yet maketh him a Pastor not in relation to one single congregation onely.

    It is true, they object that the Apostles, Matth. 18. were commanded to preach to all Nations, but Pastors are not so now, but are commanded to feed the flocke over which God hath appointed them, Act. 20.28. but it is as true the Apostles were commanded to preach to all Nations, in opposition to the charge that the Prophets of old were to speake to the people of Israel onely, and the Apostles Matth. 10. forbidden to preach to the Samaritans and Gentiles; and it is as true that Gods Spirit limited the Apostles to Preach to Macedonia, not to Bithynia; now because this particular direction for places is wanting in the Church, it is certaine that a man is yet a Pastor in office in relation to as many as Gods hand of providence shall send him unto, though he be chosen by a people to feed ordinarily one determinate flocke, and though he be not an extraordinary and immediately inspired planter of Churches, or the first planter, as were the Apostles, yet is he a Pastor in relation to all. And if this be not said, 1. It were simply unlawfull for Pastors now to plant Churches, and spread the Gospell to those nations, who have not heard it, because all Pastors now are ordinary, and none are immediately inspired Apostles: but it is certaine what the Apostles did, by an extraordinary gift, as such immediately called pastors, it is unlawfull for ordinary Pastors to attempt to doe, as to attempt to speake with tongues, and to plant Churches by speaking with tongues and confirming it with miracles, is unlawfull. Papists, as Bellarmine, Suarez, Acosta, ascribe this to the Pope and his Apostles. Our Divines answer that the Apostles that way have no successors; But what the Apostles did by an ordinary pastorall gift, as to preach the word, administrate the Sacraments, to erect and plant Churches by ordinary gifts, where the Pastors can speake to the Churches by an ordinary gift in their owne language, they are obliged both within and without the Congregation, to preach as Pastors, because where God giveth gifts pastorall to pastors, he commandeth them to exercise these gifts, else they digge their Lords talent in the earth: but God giveth to Pastors pastorall gifts to preach to others then their owne Congregation, and to administrate the seales to them also, and to plant Churches. Ergo, it is presumed that the Church doth give authoritie and an externall ministeriall calling to the exercise of these gifts.

    2. It is an unwarrantable point of Divinitie that the Apostles and the Pastors succeeding to them doe differ essentially in this, that Apostles might preach as Pastors to more Congregations then one, and might plant Churches, but pastors succeeding to them may not as Pastors preach to more Congregations then their owne, and may not plant Churches, for then planting of Churches now were utterly unlawfull, because it is certaine there be no Apostles on earth, and it is not lawfull for a Pastor, yea nor is it lawfull for any other gifted person to doe that which is essentiall to an Apostle and agreeth to an Apostle as to an Apostle. It is then unlawfull for our brethren, seeing they be not Apostles, to plant Churches in India.

    Nor is that comparison to be regarded much; A Magistrate or an Alderman of a Citie may not lawfully exercise his office of Magistracie in another Citie whereof he is not a Maior, and therefore a Pastor cannot preach, ex officio, as a Pastor in another Congregation, whereof he is not a Pastor, nor can he exercise discipline in another Congregation then his owne, seeing another Congregation hath not by voluntary agreement, oath or paction submitted themselves to his ministry, nor chosen him for their Pastor.

    For I answer, the comparison halteth and doth not prove the point, for by one and the same act the citie hath chosen such a man both for to be a Magistrate, and to be their Magistrate, and have given him thereby authority over themselves onely, so he cannot exercise the office of a Magistrate over another Citie who hath not chosen him to be their Maior or ruler. But the flocke doth not both call such a man, in one and the same act to be a pastor, and to be their pastor, but hee is made by the laying on of the hands of the Elders, a Pastor, and a Pastor in relation to all to whom God in his providence shall send him to speake, the Congregation by election doth give him no authority pastorall, but onely appropriate his pastorall authoritie to themselves in particular; and when they refuse him againe and cast him off, they take not pastorall authoritie from him, for they cannot take away that which they cannot give; he remaineth a Pastor though they cast him off, as a Colledge of Physicians do promote a man to be a Doctor of Physicke, to cure diseases, a towne calleth him to be their Physician, he may yet exercise acts of his calling, and ex officio, as a Doctor, upon other cities and inhabitants of the countrey; and when the city who choosed him for their Physician doth cast him off, they take not from him the office of doctorship which the Colledge of Physicians conferred upon him, for they cannot take from him that which they cannot give to him. Yea if any of another flocke shall come and heare the word, the Pastor offereth all in one pastorall sacrifice to God in prayer, though there be many of another Congregation in the Church hearing; yea strangers beleevers communicate with him at the same Table, yet is he not their Pastor. If a Pastor of a Congregation die or be sicke, shall the children of beleevers, yea shall converted Pagans being desirous to be baptized be defrauded of the comfort of Baptisme, and of the Lords Supper; for no fault in them, but onely because their Pastor is dead, may not the Congregation by their desires and requests appropriate the office of Pastors of another Congregation in some particular acts to their necessitie? yea is not their receiving of his ministry in that act (when their Pastor is dead) a calling warranting him to officiate, hic & nunc? even as the desires and choise of his owne flocke electing him to be their constant Pastor, gave him a calling to be their Pastor constantly, and in all the ordinary acts of his calling? yea and it is sure as the holy Ghost set him over his owne flocke in ordinary, because they choosed him to be their Pastor, so that same holy Ghost set him over this other Congregation, in this act, to preach and administrate the sacraments to them, in this exigence of the death of their Pastor; for God who ruleth officers and disposeth of them in his house, disposeth of particular Acts of his owne officers, and he is sent as a pastor from God to speake to the stranger hic & nunc, and to worke his heart to the love of Christ, and that as a Pastor no lesse then to his owne flocke, except we destroy communion of gifts, and of Pastorall gifts. Paul by the holy Ghost was made the Apostle of the Gentiles; Peter of the Jewes, Gal. 2.8. yet Peter as an Apostle preached to, and baptized the uncircumcised Gentiles, Act. 10.11. and Paul exercised his office of an Apostle upon the Jewes also, both by preaching and baptizing, as the history of the Acts, chap. 16. chap. 17. and other places may cleare; Rom. 1. so that the contrary doctrine is a new conceite, not of God, and against the pastorall care of bringing in soules to Christ.

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 …Indians and Turks may heare the Word as well as the excommunicated person, and therefore hearing of the word is no note of Church communion.

    I answer, the Turke and Indian must heare the word, but at hee by, and not professedly; but the excommunicated person by the vertue of his Covenant made in baptisme, and that relation he hath to the Church under whose cure he is, for the saving of his spirit, and to that Gospel which he professeth, is obliged to the Church-communion of publique hearing the Word; yea, and according to his oath given, to be subject to the ministery of such a man whom he chose for his Pastor, to give obedience to him in the Lord, however in that one particular for which he is cast out, he hath failed against all the foresaid obligations. 2. The Church, as a visible Church, exerciseth no medicinall acts upon Turkes or Heathen persons, and doth not repute them as Heathen, but doth repute them to be Heathen. Nor hath the Pastor any pastorall charge of Turkes and Heathens, except they would desire to be baptized and professe the faith. But the Church as the Church exerciseth medicinall acts of shunning Christian fellowship with the excommunicated, and that with a continuated intention even when he is excommunicated, that his spirit may be saved in the day of God, and the Pastor hath a pastorall, and so a ministeriall care and obligation of pastorall teaching, admonishing and perswading him to returne to God.

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 2. You make the spirit of love in a pastorall care over other Churches to be dead, because none have any pastorall care over any other Churches, but the particular Congregation over which they are Pastors, and pastorall love to unconverted ones, as pastorall, you utterly deny.

    The last way of communion (saith the Author) is by propagation or multiplication, which is, as the Apostles had immediate calling from God to travell through the world, and to plant Churches, so have particular Churches given to them immediately from Christ, the fulnesse of measure of grace, which the enlargement and establishment of Christs kingdome doth require, that is, when the Bee-hive a parishionall congregation is surcharged, they have power to send forth their members, to enter, by Covenant, in Church-state amongst themselves, and may commend to them such able gifted Ministers, as they thinke may bee Ministers in that young Church.

    Answ. 1. This way of inlarging Christs kingdome is defective. 1. It sheweth the way of inlarging the number of invisible Churches, and multitudes of converts into new incorporations, but doth shew no way how to plant soules who were non-converts, and branches of the wild Olive in Christ Jesus, and to make new visible Churches; but it is certaine that the Apostles as Apostles, and as Pastors, by vertue of their office converted obstinate sinners to the faith of Christ, and planted them in a visible Church, consisting of professors of the faith, partly converted, partly not converted; but the pastors by your doctrine have no power as Pastors, or by any Pastorall authoritie, to plant the Gospel where it hath never beene, that pastorall spirit is dead with the Apostles; and in this, contrary to all reason and sense, and contrary to the Scriptures, you make private Christians the successors of the Apostles to plant Churches, and to convert soules, and to make them fit materials for the visible Church of regenerate persons; for Pastors as Pastors, and visible Churches as visible Churches doe nothing at all to the multiplying of Churches, seeing Pastors and visible Churches as they are such, by your doctrine, are but nurses to give suck to those who are already converted, but not fathers to convert them; for private Christians, or pastors as Christians gifted to prophesie, not as Pastors, doe multiply Churches, and convert men to Christ, as you teach, now wee all know that nurses as nurses doe not propagate, or by generation multiply people in the Common-wealth, that fathers and mothers onely can doe; your Churches have no ministeriall breasts, but to give suck to babes who are already borne: but wee see by your doctrine, no ministeriall power of Pastors or Churches to send forth members to enter in a Church covenant, or to enter in a new Church relation of a daughter, or a sister visible Church; if they send a number to bee a new Church, your Pastors or visible Church did not multiply them, it is presumed they were converts, before they were members of the visible Church, which now sendeth them out, and if they bee multiplied in the bosome of your visible Church and converted, they were not truely members of that visible Church before their conversion, and also that they were not converted by any publike ministery, but by private Christians gifted to prophesie, who are the onely successors of the Apostles to plant visible Churches: but what pastorall authoritie have you to send them forth to bee a new visible Church? none at all? they have as beleevers power to remove from you, and because of multiplication, to make themselves a new Church, and this ministeriall power of making themselves a new Church they have not from you, but from their fathers who converted them, so that you make a visible Church within a visible Church, but not a Church begotten or borne of a visible Church, as a child of the mother; and wee desire a word of God, either precept, promise, or practise of such a Church multiplication, mans word is not enough.

    2. Wee hold that the sending of the Apostles to all the world was not in it selfe, that which essentially distinguisheth the Apostle from the now ordinary Pastor, who is fixed to a single Congregation, but the gift of tongues to preach to all the world upon the Lords intention to send the Gospel to all nations, that as many as were chosen to life, might beleeve, was that which essentially differenceth the Apostle from the ordinary pastor, together with a speciall revelation of God, to goe to such and such people, to Macedonia, and not yet to Bythinia. And now seeing these two are taken away, the ordinary Pastors which now are, have as Pastors a sufficient calling to preach the Gospel to all nations, to whom by Gods providence they shall come, and can understand their language, whether of their owne Congregation or not. Neither is a Pastor tied as a Pastor by Gods Word, to one onely Congregation, for then it should bee unlawfull for a Pastor as a Pastor to plant a new Church; but shall it bee lawfull for private Christians to plant new Churches, who are not the Apostles successors, and yet it shall bee unlawfull for Pastors, who are the undoubted successors of the Apostles, to plant new Churches? I would thinke that admirable doctrine; for so you give to private Christians that which you make essentiall to the Apostles, and you deny it to the undoubted successors of the Apostles, to wit, to Pastors. But we hold a lawfull Pastor is a Pastor in relation to all the world, with this distinction, hee is by Christs appointment and the Churches a Pastor to all congregations, to plant and water, and preach, but by speciall designation of Gods providence, and the Churches appointment designed and set apart for such a determinate flocke, just as the Apostles in generall were made Pastors to all the world, Matth. 28.19. Go teach all nations, but by speciall revelation and Apostolick appointment, Peter was appointed the Apostle of the Jewes, Paul of the Gentiles, Gal. 2.9. yet Paul was a Pastor in relation to the Jewes, and Peter also in relation to the Gentiles: so by speciall revelation, Act. 16. they are forbidden to preach the word in Bythinia, and commanded to preach it elsewhere; and for this cause, pious antiquity, as Morton (a) observeth, called some learned fathers Pastors of the World, (b) Athanasius is saluted Pontifex maximus, as Ruffinus saith, and Origen magister ecclesiarum, master of the Churches, so (c) Hieronymus, and Cyprian totius orbis praeses, Cyprian the Bishop of all the world, yea and Pope, so (d) Nazianzen. Hilarius is called by (e) Augustine insignis ecclesiae doctor, a renowned teacher of the Church, and (f) Nazianzenus calleth Basilius the light of the world, and (g) Damascenus the light of the whole world, and (h) Theodoret saith Chrysostome is called totius orbis terrarum doctor, the Doctor and teacher of the whole world: all which titles saith evidently that antiquitie beleeved never a Pastor, or Bishop, not to bee a Pastor onely in relation to the one single Congregation, whereof hee is Pastor, but a Pastor in relation to the whole visible Church, though by designation of the Church his ministery bee appropriated to one particular Church. Thus it is cleare that our brethren deny all communion of Churches, while they confine a visible Church to one onely single and independent Congregation, subjected in its visible government to Christ Jesus immediately, and to no universall visible Church or Synod on earth.

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