8/12/2019 1988 Issue 8 - What is Calvinism?: Dialogue XVIII, Church Government - Counsel of Chalcedon

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STUDIES IN BIBLICAL DOCTRINE

What

is

Calvinism

or the Confession of Faith in Harmony

with the Bible

and

Common Sense

n

a series of dialogues between a Presbyterian

minister and a young convert

by William D Smith, D.D.

DIALOGUE

XVITI

Church Government

Convert. As I mentioned to

you

at

our last interview, I have never thought

much on the subject of church govern

ment, and have looked upon it

as

a

matter of expediency merely; supposing

there was no particular form authorized

in the Bible, and consequently, it

was

left for the church to adopt any form of

government, that according to circum

s t a n c e ~

might be deemed the most ex

pedient.

Minister. It

is

inconsistent with the

Saviour's love to the church, and his

care over her,

to

suppose, that in a mat

ter affecting her interests so deeply, he

would leave it entirely to the manage

ment of human wisdom. There are cer

tain grand principles which the Bible

gives for our direction, in ll our duties

toward our fellowmen, and especially as

members

of

the church, in our duties to

Teenage

Promiscuity

(Continued from the previous page)

f we

are going to refute the findings

of

this survey, we must once again use

Biblical language. To remove the

edge of descriptive Biblical Ian

guage is not really loving

our

teens.

To

love them is to tell them

the truth The truth is that sin

has

con

sequences. The epidemic proportions

of

sexual disease along with the threat

of

the new plague AIDS may indeed curb

fornication. But for our covenant chil

dien,' we want their behavior shaped not

just by the fear

of

disease, but more im-

portantly, by the fear of God. 0

the church itself, and to each other in

dividually. And in devising means for

her peace, prosperity, and order, and

labouring for her and our spiritual wel

fare, we surely cannot suppose that we

are left without direction by our great

and glorious Head. For this very pur

pose, we are told, that he instituted cer

tain orders

of

men in the church, with

peculiar offices and duties. Eph. iv.

11,12-- He gave some apostles, and

some prophets, and some evangelists,

and some pastors and teachers, for the

perfecting

of

the saints, for the work

of

the ministry, for the edifying

of

the

body

of

Christ. 1 Cor. xii. 28-- God

hath set some in the church, first apos

tles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teach

ers, after that miracles, then gifts

of

healing, helps, governments.

Con.--But some of these orders and

gifts do not now exist, and may we not

conclude that they were all only de

signed to continue for a time?

Min. The extraordinary offices and

gifts of those times are not now neces

sary, as the canon of revelation is com

plete; but

as

pastors, or teachers,

helps, and governments, are still neces

sary for the church in every age, they

are continued. But I mentioned those

texts to show, that the officers of the

church are of God's appointment. And I

believe all evangelical denominations

of

Christians admit that some officers

of

the church, with peculiar duties, are

divinely appointed, but ll do not agree

as to their number, rank, and duties, and

the manner in which they should be

appointed by the church, acting under

the authority

of

her Head; and the dif

ference

of

practice in these several part:i-

culars, constitutes the different forms of

church government that now exist.

Con. How many different forms of

church government are there now

found?

Min.

They :may all be classed under

four general heads, viz. Popery, Episco

pacy, Independency, and Presbyterian

ism. There are,

it

is true, several varie

ties under each of these general kinds,

but they all partake of the essential

features of one or other, to such a de

gree, that they clearly belong to that

class. For instance, the Episcopal and

Methodist churches, though differing in

some respects, both have all the es

sential features of Episcopacy, and are

in fact Episcopal in their government.

And on the other hand, Presbyterians,

Reformed Presbyterians, Associate Pres

byterians, andAssociate-Reformed-Pres

byterians, with the Dutch and German

Reformed churches, though they differ

in some things as to church polity, all

partake of the essential features of Pres

byterianism, and are in fact Presbyterian

in their government. There are also

different shades oflndependency or Con

gregationalism, some more and some

less purely independent.

Con. What are the grand, distinguish

ing features

of

Presbyterianism?

Min.--Presbyterianism is a spiritual

republicanism--the grand distinctive

feature

of

which is, power and authority

invested in those who are chosen by the

people,

as

their representatives or

agents,

to rule in their name. Thus it

secures all the advantages

of an

aristo

cracy without any of its accompanying

evils, and forms a union of all the dif

ferent branches and sections

of

the gov

ernment, more complete and binding

than can be found in a monarchy, be

cause it is a union by consent of the

people, and ratified by them, in their

capacity of members of the community.

In Independency, there is no union

which binds the different parts together,

with anything like a common feeling

of

interest. Each congregation is entirely

independent of all others, and acting and

living in its separate individual capac

ity, does not feel that

it

is an integral

The Counsel of Cbalcedon, August, 1988

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8/12/2019 1988 Issue 8 - What is Calvinism?: Dialogue XVIII, Church Government - Counsel of Chalcedon

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part of a common whole, bound by the

same system of laws and regulations.

Aristocracy and monarchy preserve a

union of the different parts, but they de

prive the people of their inalienable

rights, of choosing their own rulers,

&c. Republicanism, whilst it secures

union, leaves the people in full posses

sion of all their rights and liberties. It

leaves all free, yet brings all under law.

t places none above law, and leaves

none below it.

Con.--But

i

the Presbyterian form of

church government be thus based upon

republican principles, how can it be

said to be taken from the Bible? Repub

licanism is of recent date, as I believe

our own government is the only one

that has ever existed upon pure repub

lican principles.

Min. The close resemblance of our

republican form of government to Pres

byterianism, shows very clearly that

they have the same origin, but it proves

that true republicanism has its origin in

Presbyterianism. Any one who traces

their points of similarity, must be con

vinced that they have the same origin.

Presbyterianism has its several official

departments, legislative, judicial, and ex

ecutive, with this difference from our

civil government, that all these duties

in our church government, belong to

the same set of men. Every church

court

Sits

and acts in these several capac

ities, as circumstances require. And

when any church court is about to sit in

a judicial capacity, it is the duty of the

Moderator, who is the presiding officer,

to remind the body of heir high charac

ter as judges of a court

of

Jesus Christ,

and the solemn duty in which they are

about to act."--General Rules for Judica

tories, 39. These duties, in our civil

government, are vested in different bod

ies, but they all exactly correspond with

our several church courts. Our church

Session,

as

a judicial body, corresponds

with our magistrate's court, the Presby

tery with our County court, the Synod

with our State court, and the General

Assembly with our United States court.

As

a legislative body, the church Ses

sion corresponds with our township of

ficers, called in some States trustees,

and in others by different names. They

meet, consult, devise measures, and

make regulations for the general welfare

of those who have chosen them to their

office. The Presbytery corresponds with

our board of County Commissioners,

the Synod with our State Legislature,

and the General Assembly with the

Congress of the United States. With

each body, also, from the lowest to the

highest, are the several executive of

ficers, with whom the similarity is

equally striking.

Add to this, the grand principle of

delegated power in a representative sys

tem, which forms the basis of both our

civil and church governments, and the

similarity is still more striking. Other

points of similarity might be noticed,

but this is sufficient to show any one,

that one is modeled after the other, pre

serving all the grand features and out

lines entire.

Con. They must have had the same

origin, but how do we know that Pres

byterianism is the original, and repub

licanism the model?

Min.--From simple historical facts.

We know that Presbyterianism existed,

in all its purity, long before our govern

ment was thought of, and even before

America was discovered. We know that

it

was persecution for Presbyterian prin

ciples, that drove our forefathers to this

continent. For asserting their inalien

able rights, and, in some instances, en

deavouring to infuse republican prin

ciples into the governments of Europe,

they were persecuted, and fled to this

country, bringing their principles with

them. They had learned them from the

Bible, and prized them dearer than life.

These principles formed the basis

of

ll

their colonial governments, and when

they were infringed upon by the mother

country, they maintained them with

their blood. The same grand principles

of civil and religious liberty, for which

they were persecuted, and fled to this

country, were those which appeared con

spicuous in the contest, and for which

they contended in the arduous struggle.

When their liberties were achieved, and

the several colonial governments form

ed one grand confederacy, the same prin

ciples were embodied in the federal

constitution. And there they stand, giv-

Page20---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ing

us

more consistent liberty, both

civil and religious, than has ever been

enjoyed by any nation under heaven,

except, perhaps, that found in the theo

cracy of the Jews. The secret of our

success as a republic is, that we have a

government, whose principles are the

republicanism of the Bible, which is

only another name for Presbyterianism.

To Presbyterianism, then, as derived

from the Bible,

we

are indebted for our

excellent form of government. The

sound of liberty--civil and religious

liberty--is delightful; but it is an exotic

in this dark world, and we should never

forget, that those principles, in

the

successful operation of which we

rejoice, are drawn from the treasure of

God's word, which gives to us, under

all circlllrtStances perfect rules

of

life.

Con.--But where do we find in

the

Bible, any set of laws or regulations, de-

signed for civil governments? The

ac-

counts we have

of

civil governments,

are mostly of monarchies; and, in

the

New Testament times, Christians

were

subjects of the despotic governments

then in existence. I was not aware that

republicanism, in

any

shape, was

taught in

the

Bible.

Min.-- know it is too generally

thoughtthat the Bible

is

adverse

to hu-

man liberty. But I think I shall be able

to show you that the governments

established by God, whether of Church

or State, were all founded upon the

same grand principles

of

Republicanism

and Presbyterianism, which characterize

ours. But as this investigation would

require more time than

we

can devote

to

it

at present, we will defer

it

until anoth

er time.

[To be continued.]

The

Counsel of

Chalcedon

Book of the

month# 2

Available free for

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~ ~ m o t t s on ~ P b ~ s i a t t s

by John Calvin

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Not the same as tlie

The Counsel

of

Chalcedon, August, 1988