A Treatise on Church Government Author:Robert Barclay Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3gence to convince and persuade people of the truth, and bring them to the belief of it, (which yet we cannot do, but as truth moves and draws in their hearts,) it is also no less needful, ... more »when a people is gathered,, to keep and preserve them in unity and love, as becomes the Church of Christ; and to be careful, as saith the apostle, That all things be done decently and in order; and that all that is wrong be removed according to the method of the gospel; and the good cherished and encouraged. So that we conclude, and that upon very good grounds, That there ought now, as well as heretofore, to be order and government in the Church of Christ. That which now cometh to be examined in the third place is, First, What is the order and government we plead for ? Secondly, In what cases, and how far it may extend ? And in whom the power decisive is ? Thirdly, How it differeth, and is wholly another than the oppressive and persecuting principality of the Church of Rome, and other anti-christian assemblies ? SECTION IV. textit{Of the Order and Government which we plead for. It will be needful then, before I proceed to describe the order and government of the Church toconsider what is or may be properly understood by the Church: for some (as I touched before) seem to be offended, or at least afraid of the very "word; because the power of the Church, the order of the Church, the judgment of the Church, and such like pretences, have been the great weapons wherewith antichrist and the apostate Christians have been these many generations persecuting the woman, and warring against the man-child. And, indeed, great disputes have been among the learned liabbies, in the apostasy concerning this Church, what it is, or what may be so accounted; which I find not my place at present to dive much in, but shall o...« less