"

meaning of the word now, which is here translated fellowship. "And in breaking of bread." This probably means their partaking of the Lord's fupper. "And in prayers." That is, joining in public prayers, and in finging pfalms, which is included in prayer; which were constantly performed when they attended the other parts of public worship. Here then every part of their public worship is mentioned, viz. public teaching; diftribution to the neceffities of the poor faints; attendance on the Lord's fupper; and prayer; including pfalmody, which is devotion, and a particular manner of prayer. But it does not follow, from this enumeration of the different parts of their public worship, that every part was attended upon, every time they met for prayer or preaching; or that they made a contribution for the poor, or broke bread, every time they met together for public worship: But that these were performed, as often as was convenient and proper. Breaking bread from houfe to house, and eating their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,* does not appear to mean their eating the Lord's fupper from house to house; but their partaking of their common food, and eating together; exercifing liberality and friendship one towards another, in eating their common meals. But if breaking bread does here mean the Lord's fupper, and it were certain that believers at Jerufalem did, in their then peculiar and extraordinary circumstances, adminifter and partake of this ordinance, whenever a number of them met in a par ticular house, it would not hence follow, that the dif ciples of Chrift are by this bound in all ages of the world to attend the Lord's fupper in the fame manner, or thus frequently.

When it is faid, " And upon the first day of the week, when the difciples came together to break bread :+" It does not import, that breaking bread was the only or

Verse 46.

† Aûs xx. 7.

chief

chief thing for which they came together on that day; for this was not true, as appears by the relation. Nor does it follow from thofe words, that they always came together on the first day of the week to break bread. It is only faid, that on that firft day, they did fo. They might, confiftent with this, come together on many other firft days of the week, not to break bread; but to attend on other parts of public worship, without partaking of the Lord's fupper..

SECTION

IV.

Concerning the Difcipline of the Church.

THE Difcipline of a Church confists in their admitting or rejecting thofe who offer themselves to join with them; in the members watching over each other; in reproving and admonishing those who walk disorderly, and taking all proper methods to reform them; and in rejecting those who will not be reclaimed, but continue obftinate and unreformed, when all proper means have been previously used to bring them to repentance.

The proper exercife of difcipline, is important and neceffary, in order to the comfort, edification, and profperity of a church; and where this is wholly neglected in a church, it will go to ruin; and such a society is not worthy of the name of a christian church. Therefore this is particularly enjoined by Chrift and his Apoftles. The following particulars may ferve to illustrate this fubject.

I. In the exercise of difcipline, the church is to be wholly governed by the laws of Chrift. He is the only

PART II. law giver in his church; and in exercifing difcipline, christians are to execute his laws, and have no authority, or right to do any thing, unless it be agreeable to his direction and command. And whatsoever is done by the church in his name, and according to his laws, is done by authority derived from him, as they are authorized by him to execute his laws: But when, and so far as they deviate from this, they have no authority; and what they do is null and void, and difapproved by him.

II. THE power to execute the laws of Chrift, is not given by him to any one man, or to any particular clafs or order of men in the church; but to the church, as a particular and diftinct fociety; though fome particular members, or officers, in the church, may in many inftances have a diftinguished influence, and lead in the tranfactions of the church, and put into execution their decifions. When the head of the church faid to Peter, "I will give unto thee, the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: And whatsoever thou fhalt loofe on earth, fhall be loofed in heaven ;"* we are not to suppofe that this commiffion and authority was given to Peter alone, or to the Apostles only, or to any distinct fucceflion of men or officers in the church; but to the church, which Peter represented in the confeffion he had then just made; and of which Chrift fpeaks in the pr ceding words. "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it." And what Chrift fays in the next chapter, confirms the truth of this fuppofition; for when he is there fpeaking of the doing of the church, in çenfuring and excommunicating an offender, he repeats the words above mentioned, which he had fpoken to Peter,

Peter, and gives this fame authority to the church, and fanction to their doings, according to his laws. "Verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye fhall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: And whatsoever ye fhall loose on earth, fhall be loofed in heaven."* Two things appear evident from hence. In the first place, that Chrift did not give this commiffion and authority to Peter only, in diftinction from the reft of his difciples; but to them all, as much as to Peter. And in the next place, that this authority was given to them, not as a diftinct order of men in his church, but as his disciples, and his church, as they compofed the only church which Christ then had on earth, from whom all the profeffed difciples of Chrift, and members of his vifible church, have defcended, as their fucceffors, being the followers of Christ, and members of his church, as his firft difciples were.Therefore, this power and authority is given to the church, and is to continue in it, as long as there is a church on earth, even to the end of the world.

III. THIS authority therefore, to maintain and execute the laws of Chrift, is given to the church, as a body or fociety; each member of the church having an equal concern and right to judge and. act in all decifions to be made by the church, in the exercise of discipline; and the act of the majority is to be confidered as the act of the church, as no fociety can decide and act in any other,

y. And that the whole church are in this way to judge, decide and act, is evident from fcripture. When our Saviour is giving particular directions repecting discipline, he gives the authority to judge and act to the church, as a fociety, and not to any particular member of it. "Tell it to the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man, and a publican." According to this, every matter is

to

Chap. xvii. 18.

+ Matth. xviii. 17.

to come before the church, and is to be decided by the judgment and voice of the church, as a body; which cannot be done in any other way but by the judgment and voice of all the members of it, or of the majority.Agreeable to this, are the words of the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth, when he gave them direction to difcipline a particular member of the church, who had been guilty of a fcandalous crime. "In the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, when ye are gathered together, and my fpirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver fuch an one unto fatan.' * This was to be done by the church, in order to which, they must all come together, that it might be the act of the church. And in the whole that he fays, on this fubject, he speaks to the whole church as concerned, and acting in this matter. "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother, be a forni~ cator, or covetous, &c. with fuch an one, no not to eat. Do not ye judge them that are within ? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person. And when they had rebuked and excommunicated this perfon, the Apostle fpeaks of it as being done by them all, or the majority of the church. Sufficient to fuch a man is this punishment, which was inflicted by many," or by the most, or major part, as the word may properly be rendered And he speaks the fame language to other churches, when treating of this fubject. "I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divifions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them: For they that are fuch ferve not our Lord Jefus Chrift, but their own bellies." "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that ye withdraw

1 Cor. v. 4, 5. + 2 Cor. ii. 6

Rom. xvi, 17, 18.