The Parchment : Upsaid journal

I affirm the Presbyterian form of church government believing that system to be demonstrated in the Scriptures, both by the foundational Old Testament ideas held therein, the accounts of the Gospels, the early church in Acts, as well as the epistles. I reject all forms of Independency as schismatic, and as dissenting from Christ’s Church. This does not mean that I believe all Christians who are part of a Baptist congregation or Independent congregation are not saved, or heretical, or totally apostate. Rather, it does mean that I believe them to be in grave error as to church government, rejecting the lawful authority of Christ and His governmental rule over His Church. This brings specific consequences upon the lawful ordination of men in those churches, in opposition to the Presbyterian ordination seen as exercised in the Scriptures. (page 3)

If Presbyterianism is correct in its ecclesiology, then Independency is not correct, and thus, it is schismatic and dividing Christ’s Church. (page 3)

The Reformers, then, were not schismatics. Rather, as Rome indoctrinated an official position against the gospel, they withdrew from the true church that the Reformers were continuing to propagate under the Gospel. Those who were truly schismatic were the Roman Catholics. (page7)

Over this one Church there are officers, called pastors, teachers and deacons. These are expressly given authority to rule in their respective offices, the keys of which are given to pastors and teachers to govern the Church authoritatively under the headship of Christ’s authority. These men are ordained to office by lawful ordination. They say, “No man ought to take upon him the office of a minister of the word without a lawful calling.” This lawful calling is substantiated by the church, and then is approved by the presbytery of elders. They say, “Every minister of the word is to be ordained by imposition of hands, and prayer, with fasting, by those preaching presbyters to whom it doth belong.” The power of ordination does not rest in the hands of the congregation to vote a minister in or out, but rather in the hands of those whom Christ gave authority to lawfully ordain. Without this system, government becomes “suggestion” and overthrows the authority of Christ to rule His church through the ordained means He has given. (page 9)

This brings into question the following problem. Churches that function outside the prescribed governmental structure (the jure divino of Christ) are sectaries and schismatic from the Church of Christ. If the former principles are true (and I believe the Scriptures demonstrate them as true, as well as the demonstration of Scripture in the best Reformed Churches through history) then, 1) Independent Churches do not function as a biblical church and subsequently are not a particular congregations of the One established true Church, 2) the leadership is not biblically ordained (and so are taking up the duties of an elder without having the authority to do so - such as preaching and administering the sacraments illicitly), and 3) they cannot practice biblical church discipline, giving all power and right to the congregation instead of lawfully ordained ministers and ambassadors of Christ. Such an illicit office, as the Westminster Assembly concluded, is not to be tolerated. (page 12)

Independency attempts to apply the authority of the church from Christ to the church as a whole, instead of to the government of the church. (page 13)

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