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A33247 A looking-glass for religious princes, or, The character and work of Josiah delivered in a sermon upon 2 Kings XXIII.XXV : the substance whereof was preached April 5 1691 at Pershore in Worcester-shire ... / by Richard Claridge ... Claridge, Richard, 1649-1723. 1691 (1691) Wing C4433; ESTC R2252 26,502 40

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the Sons and Daughters of the Lord God Almighty Now if we can find such a choice select sanctified and separate People from the World that is from the sinful Doctrines Courses Customs and Society of the World in the Cathedral and Parochial Assemblies then they have the right Matter of a Gospel-Church if not but their Members are as mix't as the Head and the major number openly to be profane carnal scandalous Livers such as Swearers Adulterers Drunkards Lyars Backbiters Persecutors Revilers or at best meer Formalists have we any ground to call these Visible Saints and to reckon them fit Materials for the Spiritual Building of a Gospel Church 2. As right Matter Visible Saints are one Constituent part of a Gospel Church so right Form is the next thing required to its Essence or Being By Form I mean the manner how any Persons come to be a Church and that is by a free Consent and Agreement to unite in Fellowship for the performing of all the Duties and observation of all the Appointments of Christ and for the exercise of that Power wherewith he hath entrusted them according to the Rule of his Word This is the Formal Cause or Constitutive Form of a particular Church namely their † Owen's True Nature of a Gosp Church p. 21. Actual express voluntary Consent to Walk together for the Ends and according to the Rule aforementioned But you will ask me perhaps What is there nothing pre-required unto this Conjunction of Visible Saints in a particular Church Is no more to be done than for Believers immediately to enter into Church Fellowship I answer They are first to be Baptized before they are admitted to Church Society In which point the Scripture is so clear that there is no place for Hesitation about it The Church at Jerusalem was the first Gospel Church this was not to depart from thence but wait for the promise of the Father Acts 1.4 The number of the Names was about an hundred and twenty v. 15. These when the day of Pentecost was fully come were all with one accord in one place Acts 2.1 and were all filled with the Holy Ghost v. 4. By the help whereof Peter proved so convincingly to the Murtherers of Christ that God hath made the same Jesus whom they the Jews had crucified both Lord and Christ v. 36. that they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren what shall we do verse 37. Peter presently directs them in this their great extremity Repent saith he and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the Remission of Sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost ver 38. Upon testification of their Faith and Repentance they were Baptized about three thousand Souls and added to the Church v. 41. Here is a plain Account of the Apostles manner of receiving persons into Church Fellowship They that gladly received the Word were Baptized and then Added If now upon Examination it prove that such as are Visible Saints and Baptized into Jesus Christ Rom. 6.3 do make up the Cathedral and Parochial Societies of England then they are rightly constituted in respect of Matter and if Mighty Grace having bowed them to the feet of Jesus they have freely consented to give up themselves to the Lord and to one another to walk together in Church Fellowship in obedience to all Christs Institutions then are they also rightly constituted in respect of Form But if one or both of these are wanting as there is cause enough to believe so Let them cry The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these and Preach and Print Apologies and Vindications in Defence of the Excellent Constitution as they call it of the Church of England on purpose to obstruct the searches of the Inquisitive and to retain the Ignorant in their Ignorance this will not justifie them before God at the Great Day thô now their false Pleas pass undiscovered by the unthinking Croud of poor deluded Wretches I heartily wish that the Guides and Teachers who act by publick Authority would not be led more by Interest than by Truth that they would lay down their Prejudices which they imbibed in their Education and received by Tradition from their Fathers and would beg of God to direct them to enquire into Gospel Verities I am perswaded the Lord would either teach them to discern their Mistakes or to exercise more Moderation and Charity towards those whose Judgments are convinc'd of former Errors I conclude all with a little variation of the Apostles words in another case † Rom. 14.3 4. Let not him who is in an Error judge him who is convinc'd for God hath received him Who art thou that censurest and condemnest another to Christ he standeth in the Truth yea he shall be holden up for God is able to make him stand THE END
what they are never able to do that they were * God was its alone Head the Government being a Theocracy Jerubbaal p. 312. Heads of the Church because as the Learned Answerer of Mr. Tomb's Theodulia saith Betwixt the Oeconomy of the Law and Gospel there is a vast disproportion many things were of old lawful which now to practise were no less than a denyal of Christ come in the flesh And a little after the same Worthy Author says That neither the Rulers of the Jews or any other Nations had de Jure any such Dominion or Power over their Subjects as to make Laws introduce Constitutions of their own framing in Matters relating to Worship and compell them by force and Violence to be subject thereunto As little success they have had who urge the Power assumed by the first Christian Emperours for if they took upon them the Headship of the Church they invaded Christs Prerogative and it is not what they did but what they had Warrant from the Word to do that is Precedential to us Those Jewish Kings David Hezekiah and Josiah had Divine Warrant for what they did and Solomon in deposing Abiathar from the Priesthood acted not as Head of the Church but as King of Israel for as the Author before mention'd truly distinguisheth Jerubbaal p. 314 Solomon deposed Abiathar not as High Pontifee or Head of the Church for Male administration in Church Affairs but as King of Israel for treason against the Commonwealth in the business of Adonijah But though Christ hath constituted no Heads Vicars or Deputies over his Churches yet he hath not left them without a Power to act by in Church Society For when people by the inward working of the Spirit through the outward Ministry of the Word are effectually wrought upon and have voluntarily joyn'd themselves into Church Fellowship for the mutual participation of all the Ordinances of Christ they have then a power to Elect such Persons as they shall judge fitted with Spiritual Gifts and Qualifications for the Ministry and Exercise of the same Power and therein they are to proceed by a close adherence to the Rule of the Gospel To prevent all Mistakes touching the Power and Authority which Christ hath given to his Church I do not assert any Soveraign ●…wen's true ●ature of a Go●…el Ch. c. 8. ● 163. Legislative or Lordly Power but such as is Declarative or Ministerial only with respect to Christs Authority and the Churches Liberty and in it's nature is purely Spiritual for whether we consider the Object the Souls and Consciences of Men or the End the Glory of God in directing of them to live unto God and to come to the fruition of him or the Rule the Word and Command of Christ himself alone or the Acts and Exercise of it in Binding and Loosing in Remitting and Retaining Sin in opening and shutting the Kingdom of Heaven it is in every part meerly and only spiritual From whence the Conclusion is plain that all such Acts and Exercise of Rule or Government from any Interest in Church Affairs which are Carnal Political Despotical of External Operation or not entirely Spiritual are utterly to be excluded as wholly Heterogeneous to Christs Headship and Government 2. The Churches of Christ are not National or Political Bodies See Assembly in their Jus Divinum Rutherford in his Divine Right of Ch. Government as States and Commonwealths but they are Congregational and Spiritual Societies and have Laws and Offices distinct from those of the Commonwealth 1. They have Laws formally different from those of the Commonwealth viz. The Precepts of Christ himself alone As 1. About Church Officers they must have a Divine Call and Mission Mark 16.15 and John 20.21 2. About Church Duties as Prayer Preaching c. which must all be performed according to the Word 3. About Church gathering and Discipline Members are to be admitted and Offendors dealt with as the Rule the Command of Christ directs 2. The Churches of Christ have Officers distinct from those of the Civil Magistrate they are of his sending and appointment Eph. 4.8.11 and 1 Cor. 12.28 they are elected and ordained by the Church Acts 6.3 4 and 14 23. 1 Tim. 4.14 and Acts 13.1 2 3 4 they act in Christ's Name and by his Authority 1 Cor. 4.1 2 Cor. 5.20 Gal. 1.1 and Mat. 28.19 20. It is the saying of Optatus Milevitanus an African Bishop † Non enim Republica est in Ecclesia sed Ecclesia Republicâ Lib. 3. That the Commonwealth is not in the Church but the Church is in the Commonwealth And 't is a great Truth for were it otherwise the two Societies would be confounded which are essentially distinct from each other If the Common-wealth should be in the Church then there could be no Church but there must also be a Commonwealth and wheresoever there is a Commonwealth there would be a Church But this is so absurd I will not spend time in the confutation of it We learn from the Word that the Churches of Christ are gathered out of the Kingdoms and Common-wealths of the World by the preaching of the Gospel and united into Bodies by other Bonds and Confederations than Civil Societies are the Members of the one may be Members of the other Society but the Laws Officers and manner of Administration are perfectly distinct 3. The Civil Magistrate has no Legislative or Coercive power in things of meer Religion 'T is his duty to protect the Churches of Christ in the free Exercise of Religious Worship to punish Vice and Prophaneness and to minister Justice to Evil doers But he has no power to institute alter change or abolish any thing in the Worship of God or to punish the man for his Conscience 4. The Civil Magistrate is to Rule his Subjects in the fear of God and to be a Nursing Father to the Churches of Christ He ought to be a person as David was a man after Gods own Heart a Man Exemplary for Holiness Righteousness and all other Vertues and to promote as much as in him lyes by Precept Recommendation and Example true Piety and Religion in their Dominions Obs 3 Thirdly Religious Princes cannot be capable of a greater Honour in this World than to be the Instruments of a Godly Reformation among their Subjects Some Princes have been bloody Murtherers of their Countrey and cruel Persecutors of their people and have made Laws for the Justification of their Barbarities Vide Aug. tom 4. Thus Valerian enacted against the poor Christians That unless they sacrificed to the Heathen Gods they should be exposed to divers kinds of Punishments and Dioclesians Edict against them was That no Man should sell Beda in hymno Jul. Mart. or secretly give them any thing except they would first burn Incense to the Gods These and all like them shall stink for ever in the infamy of their Names whiles the memories of good Princes shall be always precious The