Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	bind_v	church_n	communion_n	1,436	5	9.0889	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91309	Truth triumphing over falshood, antiquity over novelty. Or, The first part of a just and seasonable vindication of the undoubted ecclesiasticall iurisdiction, right, legislative, coercive power of Christian emperors, kings, magistrates, parliaments, in all matters of religion, church-government, discipline, ceremonies, manners: summoning of, presiding, moderating in councells, synods; and ratifying their canons, determinations, decrees: as likewise of lay-mens right both to sit and vote in councells; ... In refutation of Mr. Iohn Goodwins Innocencies Triumph: my deare brother Burtons Vindication of churches, commonly called Independent: and of all anti-monarchicall, anti-Parliamentall, anti-synodicall, and anarchicall paradoxes of papists, prelates, Anabaptists, Arminians, Socinians, Brownists, or Independents: whose old and new objections to the contrary, are here fully answered. / By William Prynne, of Lincolnes Inne, Esquire.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1645 (1645)	Wing P4115; Thomason E259_1; ESTC R212479	202,789	171

not onely in their Pulpits but likewise in sundry late Pamphlets wherewith they have filled the World That every particular Congregation of visible Saints and Independent Church is under the Government of Christ alone as the ONELY Head King Governour Law-giver of it and subject TO NO OTHER IVRISDICTION then that of Christ his word and Spirit That NO POWER ON EARTH NOR EARTHLY LAW-GIVERS MAY CAN OR OVGHT TO GIVE LAWES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THIS REPVBLIKE nor claime nor exercise an Headship or undertake the Government of this Body That neither KINGS NOR PARLIAMENTS NOR SYNODS have any Authority to prescribe Lawes or Rules for the Churches Government to order the affaires of Christs Kingdome or institute the Government of his Churches or to make coactive Lawes in any Ecclesiasticall matters to bind the conscience of any Church or Christian to outward conformity or inflict any mulcts or penalties for contempt or disobedience Christ onely being the Lord of mens consciences which ought to be left at liberty That the Members of the Parliament are chosen but by a secular Root by the Generality and Riffe Raffe of the world Papists Atheists Drunkards Swearers Men voyd of the knowledge feare and grace of Christ And therefore the Independent Brethren conceive as great AN IMPOSSIBILITY that a Legitimate Ecclesiastick Power should according to the mind of Christ bee by them conferred upon any men or that they should have any Power or Authority from Christ to nominate or appoint who shall bee the men by vertue of such nomination or election to enact Lawes and Statutes in matters of Religion and to order under mulcts and penalties how men shall worship and serve God as it is in Jobs expression to bring a cleane thing out of an uncleane That the Parliaments claiming or exercising any such Ecclesiasticall Power or others attributing of it to them is a meanes to awaken the eye of Jealousie upon them and seven times more destructive and under-mining of not onely their Power but Honour Peace nd Safety also than any thing that is found in the Independent Way so ill entreated That it is a claiming of the sacred and incommunicable Royalties of Heaven an accounting it no Robbery to make themselves equall with God and such an high provocation in the eyes of the Most High as IF CONTINVED IN by the Parliament will kindle a fire in the brest of him whose name is Jealous which will consume and devoure Yea one of them puts this Question If the whole Kingdome may deny obedience unto Popish Acts and Canons or upon any other like just occasion and they themselves bee Judges whether the occasion bee just or no Whether MAY NOT INDEPENDENTS a part of the Kingdome onely doe the like in all respects Or Whether ought they because a Lesser part of the Kingdome yeeld obedience to Popish Acts and Canons because a Major part approve of and agree with a Parliament and Synod in approving them What if they should be for Popery again Judaisme or Turcisme t is no offence to make a Quere nor impossible to come to passe the greatest part of those that chose our Parliament men being thought to be Popishly or Malignantly affected c. Putting divers such like Queries destructive to the very fundamentall Power and Being of Parliaments and as bad or worse than the Popish Gun-powder Plot to blow up the Soveraign Ecclesiastick and Civill Authority of this High Court in all succeeding Ages These with infinite other Anti-Parliamentall Anti-Synodicall and Anti-Monarchicall Paradoxes at which I professe I stand amazed have not onely dropped from the Lips but Pens of sundry Independents who have avowed them publikely in Print with their Names affixed to their Bookes even before the face of Your Right Honourable Parliamentary Assembly and Supreme Tribunall in such open affront and high contempt of Your undoubted Rights Power Priviledges which Your Honours and wee all are obliged by Late Solemne Oathes Covenants Protestations to defend maintaine with our very Lives and Estates and to discover oppose all others who shall invade them to our uttermost power as I am confident no Age nor History can ever parallel in the least measure the very Malignant Prelates and Anti-Parliamentary Cavaliers having not proceeded in this kind so farre as they which I speake with deepest griefe of heart and spirit out of Conscience of that common Vow and Covenant which bindes mee to discover oppugne reveale abhorre it and detestation of their most pernicious Assertions not out of the least malice or hatred to any of their Persons What the Independents end of publishing these desperate Anti-Parliamentary Paradoxes should be unlesse to prepare their party and all others as much as in them lies utterly to reject whatever publike forme of Church-Government Discipline Reformation and Directory of Worship Your Honours by the advice of the Reverend Assembly shall establish in our Church for the future after all your serious consultations debates paines Prayers and Fastings about it and to set up their owne Anomolous Platforme which they averre is Christs Kingdome and Government and which may upon probable and higher grounds than of reason bee thought in time to overthrow and put downe all other Governments whatsoever and to stand up alone in their stead since Christs Kingdome shall stand up when all opposite earthly Kingdomes like earthen vessells shall with an Iron Rod bee dashed in peeces Which they close up with a Faxit Deus festinet in despight of Your Authority and all humane Power whatsoever I cannot conjecture And their owne late printed Passages with Mr. Iohn Goodwins Sermon that it would be more easie for him and hee should rather yeeld to bee torne in pieces by wild horses than submit to such a Government which proceeded from a Parliament chosen by the Riffe-raffe of the world c. intimate and expresse as much Which what an high contempt it is against Your undoubted Power and pious Ecclesiasticall proceedings in Reforming setling the Doctrine Discipline and Government of our Church the grand desire and prayer of all wel-affected spirits I most humbly submit to Your saddest thoughts and deepest wisedomes who have both Power and Authority in Your hands to suppresse incomparable Prudence and Providence to prevent these growing dangerous Insolencies before they become Masterlesse or Epidemicall past Your cure Farre be it from my thoughts to exasperate Your Power or Iustice against any Delinquents of this kind some whereof are so neare and deare unto mee that it is my heaviest affliction to mention their extravagancies in this kind of which I trust they and all their followers will be now ashamed and a Brotherly Admonition to their Persons though their Writings undergoe the sharper Censure will I hope induce them upon second thoughts both to discerne lament recant their fore-mentioned Paradoxes and abhorre themselves for them even in dust and ashes as one of them professeth hee will doe in case hee be convinced And

ends of the World shall turne unto the Lord and all the kindreds of the Nations shall worship before him for THE KINGDOME is the Lords and he is the Governour among the NATIONS That ALL NATIONS shall serve and worship before him That he shall have DOMINION from sea to sea and from the Rivers to the ends of the earth That all DOMINIONS shall serve and obey him That the KINGDOMES of the earth shall sing unto the Lord c. All pregnant proofs of Nationall Churches which should serve and obey Christ But that Independent particular Congregations of visible Saints and they only should be Christs Kingdom Republick and Governed immediately by him rests yet on my Brothers part to make proofe of when he is able Thirdly I shall request my Brothers to satisfie me others by that Texts he can make good these Paradoxes of his That those who will not submit to his Independent Church-government Covenant become members of such Churches have no interest in the Covenant Sacraments or Seal of the Covenant or right to any Church-Communion That they are not within the Covenant visibly and therefore their Children not visibly to bee baptized That they professe not Christ to be their King and are afraid or ashamed to be in Covenant with Christ as their King c. Do not these uncharitable Paradoxes good Brother un-Church un-Saint all Christians and reformed Churches whatsoever which submit not to your new way excluding both them and their Children from the Covenant and Seales of Grace and all church-Church-communion at least in and among your Congregations as professed enemies to the Kingdome and Soveraignty of Christ Is not this the very language Doctrine of the Antichristian Church of Rome who vaunts herself the onely true Church of Christ out of which there is no salvation un-Churching all Churches and un-Saincting all Christians but their owne professed members as haeretickes Schismaticks and enemies to Christ yea is it not an higher strain of spirituall pride and uncharitable Behaviour against your brethren then ever the Donatists or Nouatians broached I beseech you deare Brother in the bowels of Christ to consider and recant these harsh passages which you can never justifie before God or men and have given great offence to many who cordially affect you These generall questions being demanded I shall next addresse my selfe to a more particular answer of the premised Objection by reducing it into these Logical arguments which wil best detect the fallacies imbecillities of it The first is this Christ is the only immediate supreame King Head Ruler and Governour of every particular Church Ergo no Kings Parliaments Councels Synode or any human Power can make any Lawes Rules Canons for the setling of Religion or reforming Governing well ordering of any particular Churches of Christ This is the summe of all my Brothers Passages I answer that this is a meere Independent Argument which will introduce a world of absurdities if admitted as I shall cleare by these following Instances 1. The Scripture is expresse That God himselfe is King yea a great King over all the earth That Christ is the ONLY Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords yea a great King over all Gods That all the Kingdomes and Nations of the earth are the Lords and that he giveth them to whomsoever he will● That his kingdome ruleth over all That his is the greatnes the Kingdom the power and the glory and the Majesty that all that is in the Heaven and in the Earth are his that he is exalted as head over all and raigneth over all That he is Lord and King of all as well of their bodies estates as soules and consciences Ergo By my Brothers forme of Arguing No Kings Parliaments Potentates Rulers Kingdoms Republikes ought to make any Lawes for the government of their Realmes publikes Nations Corporations or the ordering of mens persons or temporall estates but God and Christ alone and all particular Kingdomes Societies States Corporations Families are and ought to be immediatly subject to no King Majestrat Parliament or human power whatsoever even in temporall things but only to God and Christ 2ly God is more frequently stiled in Scripture The Lord of HOSTS and God of BATTLE then he is called the only King of his Church a Title you can hardly show me in direct termes in sacred writ Yea his power and providence principally appeares in mannnaging and disposing all occurrences and particulars concerning Hosts Armies Battles as your Brother Burroughs in his Glorious name of the Lord of Hosts hath largely manifested Ergo by this Logicke No King Parliament Generall Captaine or Councell of Warre may or ought to make or prescribe any Martiall Lawes for the regulating governing mustering Marshaling or disciplyning of their Hosts but God alone 3ly Christ is our only Soveraigne Lord Master Father Ergo no Landlord Master Father ought to prescribe any Lawes Rules orders for the better Government of their Tenants servants families Children but Christ alone by your argumentation 4ly Christ is the chiefe Shepherd Bishop Prophet Teacher and Instructor of his Church Ergo none ought by your reasoning to seed teach or instruct the Church and people of God but Christ alone We must have no Ministers teaching Elders Pastors Teachers to instruct Vs henceforth who are but men and not Christ himselfe 5ly Christ is the only Mediator Advocate Intercessor for his Church and people Ergo none ought by their Prayers and intercessions to soltcite the throne of Grace for the peace prosperity reformation and deliverance of Christs Churches and people but Christ alone Ministers must not pray for their people nor Saints one for another noreither of them for the whole Church of God if your Argumentation be solid 6ly If this argument stand firme then marke the inevitable consequences of it Independent Subjects will argue with their Princes Majestrates Superiors thus Christ is our only King Head Lord. Therefore we must not be subject to any Lawes and commands what soever but only to the lawes and precepts of Christ Wives Children servants will reason thus Christ is our onely Head Husband King Lord Father Master Therefore we will not we ought not to be subject to any of the Lawes Orders precepts of our Husbands Parents Ministers but only to the immediate Rules Laws edicts of Christ himselfe Mutinous or Independent Souldiers will thus argue with their Generalls and Commanders Christ is our only Captaine Generall and our Lord of Hosts Ergo we will be commanded conducted ordered by none but Christ not by any other Captain or Generall whatsoever Nay people and every member of your Independent Congregations upon any discontent wil thus dispute with their Ministers Ruling Elders Congregations Christ is our only head King lawgiver Judg. Therefore neither Councels Synods nor any Independent Ministers or Congregations may prescribe any Laws covenants Orders or directions to us or exercise any jurisdiction

no collections when I come and the very words import Therefore it can be no president for an ordinary constant unalterable universall Church-government and discipline established in all Churches 5ly Which takes of all and turnes its edg against my Brother It is must be confessed that this is no binding precept nor president in point of collections themselves much lesse then in other things For 〈◊〉 demand of my Brother 1. Whether this text did simply bind all the Corinthians to a weekely preparatory contribution towards the poore Brethrens necessities that were in Jerusalem so as they might not deny or vary from it it being rather a bare advise then a peremptory precept a meere voluntary charitable action as is cleare by comparing it with Act. 13 28. 29. 30. Rom. 15. 25. 26. 2 Cor. 8. 9. 1. to 15. especially v. 7. Every man according as he hath purposed in his heart so let him give not grudgingly as of necessity for God loveth a cheareful giver 2. Whether they were necessarily tied to make privat contributions only on the first day of the week no other or had they not a liberty notwithstanding this order to do it on any other week day as wel as on the first or every day or every fortnight or 10. dayes if they pleased as their particular occasions and conditions administred abillity or opportunity for such a charitable worke 3ly Whether this prescript forme of collection admitting it obligatory during this occasion did bind any Church but this of Corinth and those of Galatia only or whether it obliged all other Churches then or simply binds all Churches now to this forme of preparatory or privat contributions or not If you say no then you yeeld the cause since this president binds no Churches now to any punctuall imitation Therefore it is no proofe at all for any one divine universall unvariable forme of Church-government and discipline in all ages prescribed by Scripture If you say yea then all Christians Congregations in the world your Independent to offend against this the Apostles divine institution in not retaining this form of privat collections by segregating something for the use of the poore Sai●ts on every Lords day or weekly in suffering publique gatherings for the poore in Churches on Lecture dayes or week-day fasts whereas these were no such collections but only laying somthing up in private by way of preparatory Charity against the Apostles comming who would then receive every mans particular Charity by itselfe and not trouble them with any publike collections In one word No Churches nor Independent Congregations hold themselves strictly obliged to this forme of collection which was not publique but private every man by himselfe but all hould they may with safe conscience vary from it Therefore if this collection be a part of Church-government or Discipline under the Gospell as you make it this Government Disciplin is both mutable and arbitrable in this particular and so by consequence in others to as occasions and conditions of the Church do vary Your third Text of Acts 14. 23. When they had ordained them Elders in every Church proves nothing for what you alledge it For first it extends not to all Churches then planted in the World but onely to every Church in Derbie Lystra Iconium Antioch to which every Church relates as is cleare by comparing it with the three preceding and following verses whence the Argument from this Text can be but this The Apostles ordained Elders in every Church at Derbe Lystra Iconium and Antioch and so in every City in Creete Tit. 1. 5. Ergo in all Churches throughout the world Which is no infallible inference They might do it in all or most Cities where the Congregations were great yet not in Villages or lesser places where the number of Beleevers was but small Secondly This proues there were Elders ordained by the Apostles in many if not most Churches But yet it concludes not infallibly that there must of necessity bee Elders ordained by those who are no Apostles in all Churches There were such Elders then Ergo there must of necessity be such now in every Church unlesse there be a direct precept enjoyning them for perpetuity is no infallible Argument Thirdly Admit it generall and binding unto all yet this proves onely that there ought by Apostolicall president and institution to be Elders not one but more in all Churches what then becomes of some of your Independent Churches which have none as Master Simsons had none in Holland and as no new Independent Churches in or about London had when they were first gathered These certainly were no true Churches of Christ by this rule because they wanted Elders Fourthly This Text speakes onely in the generall that they ordained Elders in every Church But what sort of Elders they were Ruling or Preaching Elders onely or such who did both Rule and Preach or in what manner they were ordained whether by lifting up of hands onely to chuse them and no more or by laying hands upon them or by the Apostles owne imposition of hands only as Apostles or joyning with others as ordinary Ministers or in any other form is not expressed So that this Text onely informes us that there were Elders ordained in every Church but determines nothing of their office or in what manner or form they were ordained Therefore it concludes nothing for any exact compleat unalterable universall forme of Church-government in all particulars prescribed to all Churches ordaining of Elders being onely one part of Church-government not the whol no part of Discipline that left very indefinitely in respect of the manner and forme which the Scripture hath not by any direct precept or president reduced to an unalterable certainty but rather left Arbitrary and indefinite as will appeare by comparing Num. 8. 10. Acts 1 23. 24. 25. 26. c. 6. 5. 6. c. 14. 23. 1 Cor. 4. 14. c. 5. 17. 22. 2 Tim. 1. 6. 1 Tim. 4. 14. Tit. 1. 5. It being a great Controversie at this day whether imposition of hands be now simply necessary in the ordination of Presbyters Deacons or Lay-Elders or whether it be but an arbitrary ceremony which may be omitted without prejudice if there be cause whether it belonged to the Apostles onely as Apostles or as Presbyters whether it be appropriated to Preaching Elders onely as such or to ruling Elders as well as they or to the whol Church or Congregation and such as they shall appoint Or to Arch-bishops and Bishops only as such as many held of late though now that question is out of date So as neither of these Texts in severall nor any nor all three of them conjoyned prove any such conclusion or universall set forme of Church-government and Discipline for all Churches as is pretended My Brothers 4. Objection is The every particular Congregation is a compleate intire absolute spirituall Republike Corporation Body and City of God of it self

then Heresie or hereticall Doctrin by such extravagant inferences and incoherent Arguments for fear you dishonour both your Master and your self 3. Though Christ hath left no absolute exact forme of Church-Government in Scripture for all Churches and Ages yet he hath left his Word to be a light to the feete and a Lanthorne to the pathes of all his Saints and Churches and said downe such generall Presidents rules and directions therein as may serve for ordering directing and regulating of all Churches herein yea he hath given us some more particular rules for some things which concerne the Government of his Churches The Scripture hath generall Rules for our faith life manners thoughts words actions apparell eating drinking praying preaching receiving the Sacrament c. applicable to all particular cases and occurrences concerning them though not particular punctuall rules for deciding all those cases of conscience and controversies that frequently arise concerning them yet Christ is not unfaithfull because he hath left his Church sufficient rules and meanes of salvation in generall or particular to bring it safe to heaven 4 The providing of godly and faithfull Ministers Magistrates and Governours of the Church to put good Laws Disciplin and Government in execution is a great part of Christs charge and care as well as providing his Word and a Government for his Church Will you charge Christ then with negligence and leaving his Church to six and seven because every Minister of Christ hath not the selfe-same measure of gifts and endowments to discharge his Ministery or because some Ministers are more negligent in their places then others and some sheep are left oft-times without a Shepheard or committed to a Iudas a Thiefe or to Wolve● false Teachers Seducers which teare and devoure instead of feeding them or because he set not up and maintained this forme of Church Government you now contend for as his and none else beside in all Churches for so many hundred yeares together but reserved this honour in this latter age to some of you or rather to the Anabaptists and Brownists your Predecessors herein to advance it Brother you may easily discerne by this where your owne pretended inconveniences and inferences will drive you at the last if you rely upon them I beseech you therefore as a loving Brother to forbeare them for the future 4. Whereas you object We should have a mad world of it if Civill States Magistrates Kings and Parliaments should set up such a Government 〈◊〉 they conceived to be agreeable to Gods Word and the good Lawes and Customes of their Realmes I answer 1. That it is your own position that every particular man and Church ought to walke according to the rule of their own consciences and judgement not anothers Christ only being Lord of their consciences If then a whole Kingdome Parliament Church or Realme shall conceive and be perswaded in their consciences that such and such a Church Government is most consonant to Gods Word most suiteable to their condition and therefore shall upon solemne debate after much seeking of God by Prayer and Fasting make choise of this government before another as by electing a Presbyteriall rejecting an Independent way What madnesse or inconvenience meer slavery tyranny humane inv●ntions superstitions or corruption will this introduce Shall they be Hereticks presently for such a choise as you define them Shall private men have more liberty of choise or conscience then whole Nations Synods Parliaments or more wisedome temper knowledge discretion conscience then they Indeed I have read of one Parliament stiled the Mad and another the unlearned because there were no Lawyers in it and no doubt both Parliaments Councells Synods generall Assemblies may and doe sometimes erre and that grosly as well as private persons or congregations But doubtlesse all reasonable men will and must acknowledge that two are better then one a whole Court of Iustice lesse liable to errour and corruption then a particul●r Judge a whole Parliament then a Committee an whole Synod then a private Conventicle or congregation Then tell me in sober sadnesse good Brother whether your Independent Assertion That every particular Minister hath power to gather and set up a Church of his owne Independent from any other and to choose such a Discipline Government to themselves as they CONCEIVE to be most suiteable to Gods Word though in truth it be not so but a meer CONCEITE as I feare your New way is That particular Christians have power to unite themselves into a Church and elect a Minister and Government of their owne choise most agreeable as they thinke to the Word And that every Sect and Person ought to have free liberty of conscience in the exercise of what they beleeve Or my Position be likely est to produce more madnesse in the world or mischiefes in the Church Certainely it will be a madder world and Church too indeed when every private Minister and Christian may follow their owne opinions fancies crochets waies every Sectary set up his owne congregation sect and vent his owne erronious schismaticall Opinions without control when every man shall have priviledge to doe What seemes right in his owne eyes as if there were no King in Israel no Parliament in England when every Anabaptist Enthusiast or brainsick Melancholico shall not only build Churches in the ayre different from all others but set them up openly in our Cities Counties Kingdomes without impediment in contempt of Lawes Parliaments all Civill or Ecclesiasticall Authority as too many I feare doe now and I hope the High Court of Parliament will remedy it in due time because they deem their owne fancies Gospel their owne Juventions Christs Oracles Certainly the world and Church will both be mad in good earnest when such a licentiousnesse shall be proclaimed under the Notion of Christian Liberty every mans own private way christned with the Name of Christs Kingdom c. though it hath small affinity with it The God of peace order of his infinite mercie preserve us safe from this Maniaca Insania this deadly madnesse into which we are running and hath already desperately seized upon the Braines and hearts of many My Brothers sixth Objection is this That Parliaments Councells Synods are not now infallible but subject unto errour many of them having erred and that grosly in former and late times That neither Parliament nor Assembly can now say as that Synod Act. 15. 28. It seemeth good to us and to the Holy Ghost they being not endued with an infallible spirit Therefore they can make no binding Determinations Lawes Canons Decrees in any Ecclesiasticall matters to oblige any particular Churches or christians Good Brother writes he for all your punctuall quotations of that Scripture Acts 15. you doe not all this while tell us that which is the maine of all which we finde in the 28. verse IT SEEMED GOOD TO THE HOLY

breach of Gods Laws with temporall punishments yet by this Gods Lawes become not temporall and unobligatory to the conscience So God on the other side may and doth 〈◊〉 the violation of just humane Lawes with spirituall and eternall punishments Majestrates being but his Vicegerents Deputies and the contempt of their just Lawes a contempt of God himselfe Therefore the Argument holds not The 5th Objection is this that the conscience only respects God therefore nothing can binde it but Gods owne Law which is spirituall I Answer That the conscience respects as well men as God Act. 24. 16 therefore the just Lawes of men as I have proved as well as of God 2ly The conscience looks upon the just Laws and precepts of men not meerly as human Lawes but as proceeding from the Ministers and Vicegerents of God himselfe whom they represent and whom God himselfe frequently enjoynes us to obey The 6th Is this No one man and by consequence not all mens consciences in the world may or can Iudge another mans conscience who standeth or falleth 〈◊〉 his owne Master Rom. 14. 4. 16. Ergo they cannot make Lawes to binde the conscience I Answer first that this text speakes only of privat Christians Judging one another in things indifferent as meates holy dayes c. when and where there is neither law of God nor man inhibiting the free use or refusall of them at the whole Chapter manifests Therefore it makes nothing against necessary ecclesiastical● Laws Canons obliging men to obedience even in point of conscience 2ly The Apostle expresly concludes in this very Chap. v. 14. to 23. That in case of giving scandal and offence to weak Brethren we ought to abstaine from the very use of lawful indifferent things even out of conscience of the scandall hurt don thereby not simply of the things themselves though there be no law of God or man restraining or altering the indifferency or lawfulnes thereof that without any impeachment of Christian liberty Therefore when necessary or convenient things meerly indifferent in their nature are enjoyned by Superiors just Laws or inconvenient indifferent things prohibited for the publick good or peace they ought much more to be submitted to without impeachment of christian liberty out of Conscience of the Law and scandall which would follow the volation thereof and in obedience to the generall Law of God which commands obedience to such Lawes The 7. Objection is this There is one Lawgiver which is able to save and to destroy to wit God● who art thou that judgest another Iam. 4. 12. Ergo none can make laws to bind the conscience but God I answer 1. that there is but one supream absolut Lawgiver which is God Is 33. 2. wch excluds not subordinat ones 2ly The Apostle saith not that there is ONLY one law-giver that can save and destroy neither will the words infallibly conclude there is but one such since humane law-givers can make Lawes to save or destroy the lives bodyes and Estates of men as appeares by Scripture and the Lawes of all Nations though not their Soules as they are meare humane Lawes but only collaterally as the wilful contempts and violations of them are sins breaches of the very law of God prescribing obedience to those Lawes in which sence they may secondarily destroy the very soules of men Thirdly This Text takes not away the power of making necessary temp●rall or Ecclesiasticall Laws for then no such Lawes could possibly be made by any But the meaning of the Apostle is this That onely God the Supreame Law-giver is able by his Law to make any indifferent lawfull thing necessary or unlawfull in it selfe in point of Religion or conscience and to change the meere indifferency of it into a thing simply good or evil and not humane Law-givers Therefore we should not judge or condemne one another in the use or neglect of those things which God himselfe hath left indifferent where there is no circumstance of scandall or contempt of humane Lawes to engage us to use or not to use them But it reacheth not to such humane Lawes Civill or Ecclesiasticall which command or prohibit things agreeable to the rules of Gods Word or things necessary and expedient for Order Decency Peace avoyding of scandall and other mischiefes which Lawes as Doctor Willet himselfe who makes this objection affirmes do binde the conscience notwithstanding this objected Text. And thus much for my Brothers first generall Objection His second is this That the Scripture holds forth and Christ in the New-Testament presoribes and layes down unto us but ONLY ONE and that a most compleat and exact forme of Church government and Discipline which ought not to be altered or varied from in the least title being a part of the Gospel and must be BUT ONE and THE SAME in all Nations Churches in all ages throughout the World precisely observed by all Churches without the least variation That the Independent way alone is this divine unalterable Evangelicall platforme Therefore nor King nor Parliament though assisted with a Synod of most pious and learned orthodox Divines justly may or can of right make any Ecclesiasticall binding Lawes for the government or Discipline of the Churches of Christ within their Jurisdictions it being indeed a meere adding to the Word of God prohibited under a curse Deut. 4. 2. c. 12. 22. Prov. 30. 6. Rev. 22. 18 19. Thus my deare Brother and other Independents Argue with more confidence than evidence of Scripture To which I answer first That though Christ and his Apostles have instituted in the Gospel all necessary Church-Officers as Evangelical Bishops Elders Ministers Deacons Pastors Teachers c. and likewise given some general rules for the Government and Discipline of his Church yet he hath neither instituted nor prescribed any such unalterable compleat exact forme of Church-government and Discipline in all ages and Churches in the New Testament as is pretended by many not evidenced by any My reasons are these First Because no such exact and punctuall platforme is or can be clearly demonstrated to us nor discovered by us in the Scripture upon most diligent scrutiny Quod non lego non credo hath alwayes been reputed a solid Argument in matters of Divinity and divine institutions The Apostle Heb. 7. 13. 14. argues thus negatively even in the point of Christs Priesthood because Moses spake nothing of the Tribe of Iudah concerning Priesthood And God himselfe argues thus Deut. 9. 12. 15. Ye saw no manner of similitude therefore ye shall make no likenesse or image of me I may safely argue negatively in like sort The Scripture speaks nothing of such an exact universall Platforme and we see no image or similitude of it in the Gospel Therefore there is no such Secondly Independents have been frequently pressed to shew us any such exactform of Church-government instituted and generally prescribed to all ages