the Christians themselves although not actually assembled if they be permitted to enter into the Congregation and to communicate with them For example Tell it to the Church Mat. 18. vers 17. is meant of a Church assembled for otherwise it is impossible to tell any thing to the Church But Hee laid waste the Church Acts 8. vers 3. is understood of a Church not assembled Sometimes a Church is taken for those who are baptized or for the professors of the Christian â—aith whether they be Christians inwardly or feignedly as when we reade of somewhat said or writâ—…n to the Church or said or decreed or done by the Church sometimes for the Elect onely as when it is called holy and without blemish Ephes 5. vers 27. But the Elect as they are militant are not properly called a Church for they know not how to assemble but they are a future Church namely in that day when sever'd from the reprobate they shall bee triumphant Againe a Church may bee â—ometimes taken for all Christians collectively as when Christ is called the head of his Church and the head of his body the Church Eph. 5. vers 23. Colos 1. vers 18. sometimes for its parts as the Church of Ephesus The Church which is in his house the seven Churches c. Lastly a Church as it is taken for a Company actually assembled according to the divers ends of their meeting signifies sometimes those who are met together to deliberate and judge in which sense it is also called a Councell a Synod sometimes those who meet together in the house of prayer to worship God in which signification it is taken in the 1 Cor. 14. vers 4 5. 23. 28. c. XX. Now a Church which hath personall Rights and proper actions attributed to it and of which that same must necessarily be understood Tell it to the church and he that obeys not the church and all such like â—ormes of speech is to be defin'd so as by that word may be understood A Multitude of men who have made a new Covenant with God in Christ that is to say a multitude of them who have taken upon them the Sacrament of Baptisme which multitude may both lawfully be call'd together by some one into one place and he so calling them are bound to be present either in Person or by others For a multitude of men if they cannot meet in assembly when need requires is not to be call'd a Person For a Church can neither speak nor discerne nor heare but as it is a congregation Whatsoever is spoken by particular men to wit as many opinions almost as heads that 's the speech of one man not of the Church farthermore if an assembly be made and it be unlawfull it shall be considered as â—â—ll Not any one of these therefore who are present in a tumult shall be tyed to the decree of the rest but specially if he dissent and therefore neither can such a Church make any decree for then a multitude is sayd to decree somewhat when every man is oblig'd by the decree of the major part We must therefore grant to the definition of a Church to whith we attribute things belonging to a Person not onely a possibility of assembling but also of doing it lawfully Besides although there be some one who may lawfully call the rest together yet if they who are called may lawfully not appeare which may happen among men who are not subject one to another that same Church is not one Person For by what Right they who being call'd to a certaine time and place doe meet together are one Church by the same others flocking to another place appointed by them are another Church And every number of men of one opinion is a Church and by Consequence there will be as many Churches as there are divers opinions that is to say the same multitude of men will at once prove to be one and many Churches Wherefore a Church is not one except there be a certaine and known that is to say a lawfull power by meanes whereof every man may be oblig'd to be present in the Congregation either himselfe in person or by Proxie and that becomes One and is capable of personall functions by the union of a lawfull power of convocating Synods and assemblies of Christians not by uniformity of Doctrine and otherwise it is a multitude and Persons in the plurall howsoever agreeing in opinions XXI It followes what hath beene already said by necessary connexion that a City of Christian men and a Church is altogether the same thing of the same men term'd by two names for two causes For the matter of a City a Church is one to wit the same Christian men And the forme which consists in a Lawfull power of assembling them is the same too for 't is manifest that every Subject is oblig'd to come thither whither he is summon'd by his City Now that which is call'd a City as it is made up of men the same as it consists of Christians is styled a Church XXII This too is very cohaerent with the same points If there he many Christian Cities they are not altogether personally one church they may indeed by mutuall consent become one Church but no otherwise then as they must also become one City For they cannot assemble but at some certaine time and to some place appointed But Persons places and times belong to civill Right neither can any Subject or stranger lawfully set his foot on any place but by the permission of the City which is Lord of the place But the things which cannot lawfully be done but by the permission of the City those if they be lawfully done are done by the Cities authority The Universall church is indeed one mysticall body whereof CHRIST is the head but in the same manner that all men together acknowledging God for the Ruler of the world are one Kingdome and one Câ—ty which notwithstanding is neither one Person nor hath it one common action or determination Farthermore where it is said that CHRIST is the head of his body the Church it manifestly appeares that that was spoken by the Apostle of the Elect who as long as they are in this world are a Church onely in potentiâ but shall not actually be so before they be separated from the reprobate and gather'd together among themselves in the day of Judgement The Church of Rome of old was very great but she went not beyond the bounds of her Empire and therefore neither was she Universall unlesse it were in that sense wherein it was also said of the City of Rome Orbem jam totum victor Romanus habebat when as yet he had not the twentieth part of it But after that the civill Empire was divided into parts the single Cities thence arising were so many Churches and that power which the Church of Rome had over them might perhaps wholy depend on the authority of
excepting this one Article that IESUS IS THE CHRIST which only is necessary to salvation in relation to internall faith all the rest belong to obedience which may be performed although a man doe not inwardly beleeve so he doe but desire to beleeve and make an outward profession as oft as need requires of whatsoever is propounded by the Church how it comes about that there are so many Tenets which are all held so to concern our Faith that except a man doe inwardly beleeve them He cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven But if he consider that in most controversies the contention is about humane Soveraignty in some matter of gain and profit in others the glory of Wits he will surely wonder the lesse The question about the propriety of the Church is a question about the Right of Soveraignty for it being known what a Church is it is known at once to whom the Rule over Christians doth belong for if every Christian City be that Church which Christ himselfe hath commanded every ChristiaÌ„ subject to that city to hear then every subject is bound to obey his City that is to say Him or them who have the supreme power not only in temporall but also in spirituall matters but if every Christian City be not that Church then is there some other Church more universall which must be obeyed All Christians therefore must obey that Church just as they would obey Christ if He came upon Earth She will therfore rule either by the way of Monarchy or by some Assembly This question then concerns the Right of ruling To the same end belongs the question concerning infallibility for whosoever were truly and internally beleeved by all mankinde that he could not erre would be sure of all Dominion as well temporall as spirituall over all mankinde unlesse himselfe would refuse it for if he say that he must be obeyed in temporalls because it is supposed he cannot erre that Right of Dominion is immediately granted him Hither also tends the priviledge of interpreting Scriptures For he to whom it belongs to interpret the controversies arising from the divers interpretations of Scriptures hath authority also simply and absolutely to determine all manner of controversies whatsoever but he who hath this hath also the command over all men who acknowledge the Scriptures to be the Word of God To this end drive all the disputes about the power of remining and retaining sinnes or the authority of excommunication For every man if he be in his wits will in all things yeeld that man an absolute obedience by vertue of whose sentence he beleeves himselfe to be either saved oâ— damned Hither also tends the power of instituting societies for they depend on him by whom they subsist who hath as many subjects as Monks although living in an Enemies City To this end also refers the question concerning the Iudge of lawfull Matrimony for he to whom that judicature belongs to him also pertains the knowledge of all those cases which concern the inheritance and succession to all the goods and Rights not of private men onely but also of Soveraign Princes And hither also in some respect tends the Virgin-life of Ecclesiaâ—ticall Persons for unmarried men have lesse coherence then others with civill society and besides it is an inconvenience not to be slighted that Princes must either necessarily forgoe the Priesthood which is a great bond of civill obedience or have no hereditary Kingdome To this end also tends the canouization of Saints which the Heaâ—heâ— called Apotheosis for he that can allure forraign subjects with so great a reward may bring those who are greedy of such glory to dare and doe any thing For what was it but an honourable Name with posterity which the Decii and other Romans sought after and a thousand others who cast themselves upon incredible perils The controversies about Purgatory and indulgencies are matter of gain The questions of Free-will Iustification and the manner of receiving Christ in the Sacrament are Philosophicall There are also questions concerning some Rites not introduced bur left in the Church not sufficiently purged from gentilisme but we need reckon no more All the world knows that such is the nature of men that dissenting in questions which concern their power or profit or preeminence of Wit they slander and curse each other It is not therefore to be wondred at if almost all tenets after men grew hot with disputings are held forth by some or other to be necessary to salvation and for our entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven insomuch as they who hold them not are not only condemned as guilty of disobedience which in truth they are after the Church hath once defined them but of Infidelity which I have declared above to be wrong out of many evident places of Scripture to which I adde this one of Saint Pauls Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind Rom. 14. v. 3 5. FINIS The Introduction That the beginning of mutuall society is from fâ—ar Annotation Annotation That men by nature are all equall Whence the wil of mischieving each other ariseth The discord from comparison of wits From the Appetite many have to the same thing The definition of Right A right to to the end gives also a right to the means By the right of nature every man is judge of the means which tend to his preservation By right of nature all men have equall right to all things Annotation The right of all to all is unprofitable The state of men without Society is a state of War The definition of War and Pace War is an adversary to mans preservation That by the right of nature it is lawfull for any man to compell him whom he hath in his power to give him caution for his future obedience That the Law of nature is not an agreement of men but the Dictates of Reason Annotation That is the fundamentall Law of Nature to seek Peace where it may be had and where not to defend our selves The first special Law of Nature is That our Rights to all things ought not to be retain'd What it is to quit our right what to convey 〈…〉 it The will of the receiver must necessarily be declar'd before the right be convey'd Words convey not except they relate to the time present Words of the future suffice to convey if other testimonies of our will be not wanting In matters of free gift words of the fiâ—ure â—onveigh no Right The definition of Contract and Covenant In Covenants we passe away our Rights by words signifying the future Covenants in the state of nature are in vain and of none effect not so in Civill Government Annotation That no man can make Compacts with Beasts neither with God without
by the Lawes Subjects must have right restored to them against corrupt Judges How Law differs from Counsell How it differs from a Covenant Annotation How it differs from Right The division of lawes into divine and humane and of the divine into naturall and positive and of the naturall into those lawes of single men and those of Nations The division of humane that is to say civill lawes into secular and sacred Into distributive and vindicative Distributive and vindicative are not two Species of the Lawes All Law is supposed to have a Penalty annext to it The Precepts of the Decalogue of honouring Parents of murther adultcry these false witnesse are the civill Lawes It is not possible to command ought by the civill Law contrary to oâ—e Lawes of nature It is essentiall to a Law that both it and the Legislator be knowne Whence the Legislator is knowne Promulgation and interpretation are necessary to the knowledge of a Law The civill Law divided into written and unwritten That the naturall laws are not written laws neither are the sentences of lawyers or custome laws of themselves but by the consent of the supreme power What the word Sin taken in its largest sense signifies The definition of Sin The difference betweene a sinne of infirmitie and malice Under what kind of sin Aâ—hâ—isme is contained Annotation What the sinne of Treason is Treason breaks not the civill but the naturall Law And therefore is punisht not by the Right of Soveraignty but by the Right of Warre Obedience not rightly distinguisht into Active and Passive The Proposition of the following contents Over whom God is said to raign The word of God three fold Reason Revelation Prophesy The Kingdome of God two-fold Naturall and Prophetique The Rigbt whereby God governs is seated in his omn pâ—teâ—â—e The same proved from Scripture The obligation of yeelding obedience unto God proceeds from humane infirmity Annotation The Lawes of God in his naturall Kingdome are those which are above set down in the second and third Chapters What honour and worship are Worship consists either in attributes or in actions And there is one sort naturall and another arbitrary One commanded another voluntary 〈…〉 What the end or aim of worship iâ— What the naturall Lawes are concerning Gods attributes 〈◊〉 What those actions are whereby naturally we do give worship In the naturall kingdom of God the City may appoint what worship it pleaseth God ruling by nature onely the City that is say that man or Court which under God hath the Soveraignty is the Interpreter of all the Lawes Certain doubts removed Annotation What is sin in the naturall Kingdom of God and what Treason against the divine Majesty Superstition possessing forraign Nations God â—nstituted the true Religion by the means of Abraham By thâ— Covenant between God and Adam all dispute is forbidden concerning the commands of superiors The manner of the Covenant between God and Abraham In that Covenant is contained an acknowledgement of God not simply but of him who appeared unto Abraham The Lawes to which Abraham was tyed were no other but those of nature and that of Circumcision Abraham among his own was the Interpreter of the word of God and of all Lawes Abrahams subjects could not sin in obeying him Annotation Gods Covenant with the Hebrewes at Mount Sinai From thence Gods government was called a Kingdom What lawes were by God given to the Jewes What the word of God is and how to be knowne What was held for the written word of God among the Jewes The power of interpreting the word of God and â—he supreme civil power were united in Moyses while he lived They were also united in the High Priest during the life of Joshuah They were also united in the High Priest untill King Sauls time They were united in the Kings untill the Captivity The same were united in the Priests after the Captivity Among the Jewes the deniall of the Divine providence and Idolatry were the onely Treasons against the Divine Majesty in all other things they ought to obey their Princes The Prophesies of Christs dignity The Prophesies of Christs Humility and Passion That Jesus was the Christ That the Kingdom of God by the new Covenant was not the Kingdome of Christ as Christ but as God That the Kingdome of God by the 〈◊〉 Covenant is heavenly and begins from the day of Iudgement The government of Christ in this world was not a Soveraignty but Counsell or a government by way of doctrine and perswasion What the Promises of the new Covenant are on both parts There are no Lawes added by Christ beside the institution of the Sacraments That these and the like forms Repent be baptized keep the Commandements are not Lawes It belongs to the civill authority to define what the sinne of injustice is It belongs to civill authority to define what conduces to the Peace and safety of the City It belongs to the civill authority to judge when need requires what definitions and what inferences are true It belongs to the Office of Christ to teach morality not as a speculation but as a Law to forgive sins and to teach all things whereof there is no science properly so call'd A distinction of things temporall from spirituall The word of God many wayes taken All things contained in Scripture belong not to the Canon of christian faith The word of a lawfull Interpreter of Scriptures is the word of God The authority of interpreting Scriptures is the same with that of determining controversies of faith Divers significations of a Church What a Church is to whom we attribute Rights actions and the like appellations proper to a Person A Christâ—… City is the same with a Christian Church Many Cities doâ— not constitute one church Who are Clergy-men The Election of Church-men belongs to the Church their consecration to the Pastors The power of remitting sinnes to the penitent and retaining those of the impenitent belongs to the Pastors but judgement of the repentance to the Church What excommunication is and on whom it cannot passe The interpretation of Scripture depends on the authority of the Ciâ—y A christian city must interpret Scriptures by clergy-men The difficulty propounded concerning the repugnaney of obeying God and men is to be remov'd by the distinction betweene the points necessary and not necessary to Salvation All things necessary to Salvation are contain'd in Faith and Obedience What kind of Obedience that is which is requir'd of us What Faith is and how distinguisht from profession from science and from opinion What it is to beleeve in Christ That that article alone that Iesus is the Christ is necessary to Salvation is prov'd out of the scope of the Evangelists Annotation By the Apostles Sermons By the easinesse of christian Religion By this that it is the foundation of Faith By the plaiâ— words of Christ and his Apostles In this Article is contained the Faith of the old Testament How Faith and Obedience doe conâ—ur to Salvation In a Christian City there is no contrariety be weene the Command of God and of the City The Doctrines which this day are controverted about Religion doe for the most part belong to the Right of Dominion
in each City have obtained the Soveraignty the supreme authority of judging determineing al manner of coÌ„troversies about temporal matters we must see henceforth to whom he hath left the same authority in matters spirituall Which because it cannot bee known except it be out of the word of God and the Tradition of the Church we must enquire in the next place what the word of God is what to interpret it what a Church is and what the will and command of the Church To omit that the word of God is in Scripture taken sometimes for the Sonne of God it is used three manner of wayes First most properly for that which God hath spoken Thus whatsoever God spake unto Abraham the Patriarâ—hs Moses and the Prophets our Saviour to his Disciples or any others is the word of God Secondly whatsoever hath been uttered by men on the motion or by Command of the Holy Ghost in which sense we acknowledge the Scriptures to be the word of God Thirdly in the New Testament indeed the word of God most frequently signifies the Doctrine of the Gospell or the word concerning God or the word of the Kingdome of God by CHRIST as where it is said that CHRIST preach't the Gospell of the Kingdome Mat. 4. vers 23. Where the Apostles are said to preach the word of God Acts 13. vers 46. Where the word of God is called the word of life Acts 5. vers 20. The word of the Gospell Acts 15. vers 7. The word of faith Rom. 10. vers 8. The word of truth that is to say adding an interpretation The Gospel of salvation Eph. 1. 13. And where it is called the word of the Apostles For Saint Paul sayes If any man obey not our word c. 2. Thess 3. vers 14. which places cannot be otherwise meant then of the doctrine Evangâ—licall In like manner where the word of God is said to be sowen to encrease and to be multiplied Acts 12. vers 24. and Chap. 13. vers 49. it is very hard to ceive this to be spoken of the voyeâ— of God or of his Apostles but of their doctrine easie And in this third acception is all that doctrine of the Christian faith which at this day is preacht in Pulpiâ—s and contained in the hooks of divines the word of God XVI Now the sacred Seripture is intirely the word of God in this second acception as being that which we acknowledge to be inspired from God and innumerable places of it in the first and seeing the greatest part of it is conversant either in the prediction of the Kingdome of Heaven or in prefigurations before the incarnation of CHRIST or in Evangelization and explication after The sacred Scripture is also the word of God and therefore the Canon and Rule of all Evangelicall Doctrine in this third signification where the word of God is taken for the word concerning God that is to say for the Gospel But because in the same Scriptures we read many things Politicall Historicall Morall Physicall and others which nothing at all concern the Mysteâ—ies of our faith those places although they contain true doctrine and are the Canon of such kind of doctrines yet can they not be the Canon of the Mysteries of Christian Religion XVII And truly it is not the dead voyce or letter of the word of God which is the Canon of Christian doctrine but a true and genuiâ—e determination For the minde is not governed by Scriptures unlesse they be understood There is need therefore of an Interpreter to make the Scriptures Canon and hence followes one of these two things that either the word of the Interpreter is the word of God or that the Canon of Christian doctrin is not the word of God The last of these must necessarily be false for the rule of that doctrine which cannot be knowne by any humane reason but by divine revelation only cannot be lesse then divine for whom we acknowledge not to be able to discern whether some doctrin be true or not its impossible to account his opinion for a rule in the same doctrine The first therefore is true That the word of an Interpreter of Scriptures is the word of God XVIII Now that Interpreter whose determination hath the honour to be held for the word of God is not every one that translates the Scriptures out of the Hebrew and Greek tongue to his Latine Auditors in Latine to his French in French and to other Nations in their mother tongue for this is not to interpret For such is the nature of speech in generall that although it deserve the chiefe place among those signes whereby we declare our conceptions to others yet cannot it perform that office alone without the help of many circumstances For the living voice hath its interpreters present to wit time place countenance gesture the Counsell of the Speaker and himselfe unfolding his own meaning in other words as oft as need is To recall these aids of interpretation so much desired in the writings of old time is neither the part of an ordinary wit nor yet of the quaintest without great learning and very much skill in antiquity It sufficeth not therefore for interpretation of Scriptures that a man understand the language wherein they speak Neither is every one an authentique Interpreter of Scriptures who writes Comments upon them For men may erre they may also either bend them to serve their own ambition or even resisting draw them into bondage by their forestallings whence it will follow that an erroneous sentence must be held for the word of God But although this could not happen yet as soon as these Commentators are departed their Commentaries will need explications and in processe of time those explications expositions those expositions new Commentaries without any end so as there cannot in any written Interpretation whatsoeve be a Canon oâ— Rule of Christian doctrine whereby the Controversies of Religion may be determined It remains that there must bee some Canonicall Interpreter whose legitimate Office it is to end Controversies begun by explaining the word of God in the judgements themselves and whose authority therefore must be no lesse obeyed then theirs who first recommended the Scripture it selfe to us for a Canon of faith and that one and the same Person be an Interpreter of Scripture and a supreme Judge of all manner of doctrines XIX What concerns the word Ecclesia or Church originally it signifies the same thing that Concio or a congregation does in Latin even as Ecclesiastes or Church-man the same that concionator or Preacher that is to say He who speaks to the Congregation In which sense wee read in the Acts of the Apostles of a Church confused and of a Lawfull Church Acts 19. vers 32 39. That taken for a Concourse of people meeting in way of tumult this for a convocated Assembly But in holy writ by a Church of Christians is sometimes understood the Assembly and sometimes
the new Testament and therefore could not be done by Christ himselfe much lesse by his Pastors and to remit the impenitent seems to be against the will of God the Father from whom Christ was sent to convert the world and to reduce men unto obedience Furthermore if each Pastor had an authority granted him to remit and retain sinnes in this manner all awe of Princes and civill Magistrates together with all kind of civill Government would be utterly destroyed For Christ hath said it nay even nature it â—elfe dictates that we should not feare them who slay the body but cannot kill the soule but rather feare him who can caâ—t both soule and body into hell Mat. 10. vers 28. Neither is any man so mad as not to choose to yeeld obedience rather to them who can remit and retain their sinnes then to the powerfullest Kings Nor yet on the other side it is to be imagined that remission of sinnes is nothing else but an exemption from Ecclesiasticall punishments for what evill hath excommunication in it beside the eternall pains which are consequent to it or what benefit is it to be received into the Church if there were salvation out of it We must therefore hold That Pastors have power truly and absolutely to forgive sinnes but to the penitent and to retain them but of the impenitent But while men think that to Repent is nothing else but that every one condemn his Actions and change those Counsels which to himselfe seem sinfull and blameable there is an opinion risen that there may be repentance before any Confession of sinnes to men and that repentance is not an effect but a cause of Confession and thence the difficulty of those who say that the sins of the penitent are already forgiven in Baptisme and theirs who repent not cannot be forgiven at al is against Scripture and contrary to the words of Christ Whose soever sins ye remit c. We must therefore â—o resolve this difficulty know in the first place that a true acknowledgement of sin is Repentance for he that knows he hath sinned knows he hath erred but to will an errour is impossible therefore he that knowes he hath sinned wishes he had not done it which is to repent Farther where it may be doubtfull whether that which is done be a sin or not we must consider that repentance doth not precede confession of sins but is subsequent to it for there is no repentance but of sinnes acknowledged The penitent therefore must both acknowledge the fact and know it to be a sinne that is to say against the Law If a man therefore think that what he hath done is not against the Law its impossible he should repent of it Before repentance therefore its necessary there be an applicacation of the facts unto the Law but it s in vain to apply the facts unto the Law without an Interpreter for not the words of the Law but the sentence of the Law-giver is the rule of mens actions but surely either one man or some men are the Interpreters of the Law for every man is not judge of his own fact whether it be a sin or not wherefore the fact of which we doubt whether it be a sinne or not must be unfolded before some man or men and the doing of this is confession Now when the Interpreter of the Law hath judged the fact to bee a sinne if the sinner submit to his judgement and resolve with himselfe not to do so any more t is repentance and thus either it is not true repentance or else it is not antecedent but subsequent to confession These things being thus explained it is not hard to understand what kinde of power that of binding and loosing is for seeing in remission of sinnes there are two things considerable one the Judgement or Condemnation whereby the fact is judged to be a sinne the other when the Party condemned does acquiesce and obey the sentence that is to say Repents the remission of the sinne or if he repent not the Retention The first of these that is to say the Judging whether it be a sinne or not belongs to the Interpreter of the Law that is the Soveraign Judge the second namely Remission or retention of the sinne to the Pastor and it is that concerning which the power of binding and loosing is conversant And that this was the true meaning of our Saviour Christ in the institution of the same power is apparent in the 18. of Mat. vers 15 16 17 18. thus He there speaking to his Disciples sayes If thy Brother sinne against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone where we must observe by the way that if thy Brother sinne against thee is the same with if he doe thee injury and therefore Christ spake of those matters which belonged to the civill Tribunall he addes if he heare thee not that is to say if he deny that he hath done it or if having confest the fact he denies it to be unjustly done take with with thee yet one or two and if he refuse to heare them tell it the Church But why to the Church except that she might judge whether it were a sinne or not But if he refuse to hear the Church that is if he doe not submit to the Churches sentence but shall maintain that to be no sin which She Judges to be a sinne that is to say if he repent not for certain it is that no man repents himselfe of that action which She conceives not to be a sinne he saith not Tell it to the Apostles that we might know that the definitive sentence in the question whether it were a sin or not was not left unto them but to the Church but let him be unto thee sayes he as an Heathen or Publican that is as one out of the Church as one that is not baptized that is to say as one whose sinnes are retained For all Christians were baptized into remission of sinnes But because it might have been demanded who it was that had so great a power as that of withholding the benefit of Baptisme from the impenitent Christ shewes that the same Persons to whom he had given authority to baptize the penitent into the remission of sinns and to make them of heathen men Christians had also authority to retain their sins who by the Church should be adjudged to be impenitent and to make them of Christian men Heathens and therefore presently subjoynes Verily I say unto you Whose soever sinnes yee shall binde upon Earth they shall â—ee bound also in Heaven and whose soever sins yee shall loose upon Earth they shall be â—oosed also in Heaven Whence we may understand that the power of binding and loosing or of remitting and retaining of sinnes which is called in another place the power of the keyes is not different from the power given in another place in these words Goe and teach all Nations Baptizing them
in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Mat. 28. ver 19. And even as the Pastours cannot refuse to Baptize him whom the Church judges worthy so neither can they retaine his sinnes whom the Church holds fitting to be absolv'd nor yet remit his sinnes whom the Church pronounceth disobedient And it is the Churches part to judge of the sinne the Pastours to cast out or to receive into the Church those that are judg'd Thus Saint Paul to the Church of Corinth Do not ye judge saith he of those that are within Yet he himself pronounc't the sentence of Excommunication against the incestuous Person I indeed saith he as absent in body but present in Spirit c. XXVI The act of retaining sinnes is that which is called by the Church Excommunication and by Saint Paul delivering over to Satan the word Excommunication â—ounding the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easting out of the Synagogue seems to be borrowed from the Mosaicall Law wherein they who were by the Priest adjudged â—eprous were commanded to be kept a part out of the Camp untill by the judgement of the Priest they were againe pronounc't cleane and by certaine rights among which the washing of the body was one were purified Levit. 13. ver 46. From hence in processe of time it became a custome of the Jewes not to receive those who passed from Gentilisme to Judaisme supposing them to be uncleane unlesse they were first washed and those who dissented from the Doctrine of the Synagogue they cast out of the Synagogue By resemblance of this custome those that came to Christianity whether â—hey were Jewes or Gentiles were not receiv'd into the Church without Baptisme and those that dissented from the Church were depriv'd of the Churches Communion Now they were therefore said to be deliver'd over to Satan because all that was out of the Church was comprehended within his Kingdome The end of this kind of Discipline was that being destitute for a time of the grace and spirituall priviledges of the Church they might be humbled to salvation but the effect in regard of secular matters that being excommunicated they should not onely be prohibited all Congregations or Churches and the participation of the mysteries but as heing contagious they should be avoided by all other Christians even more then Heathen for the Apostle allowed to accompany with Heathen but with these not so much as to eate 1 Cor. 5. ver 10 11. Seeing then the effect of Excommunication is such it is manifest in the first place that a Christian city cannot be excommunicated for a Christian City is a Christian Church as hath been declar'd above in the 21. Art and of the same extension but a Church cannot be excommunicated For either she must excommunicate her selfe which is impossible or she must be excommunicated by some other Church and this either universall or particular But seeing an Universall Church is no Person as hath been prov'd in the 22. Artic. and therefore neither acts nor does any thing it cannot excommunicate any man and a particular church by excommunicating another Church doth nothing for where there is not one common Congregation there cannot be any Excommunication Neither if some one Church suppose that of Jerusalem should have excommunicated an other suppose that of Rome would it any more have excommunicated this then her selfe for he that deprives another of his Communion deprives himselfe also of the Communion of that other Secondly No man can excommunicate the subjects of any absolute government all at once or forbid them the use of their Temples or their publique worship of God for they cannot be excommunicated by a Church which themselves doe constitute for if they could there would not onely not remain a Church but not so much as a common-weale and they would be dissolved of themselves and this were not to be excommunicated or prohibited but if they be excommunicated by some other Church that church is to esteem them as Heathen but no christian Church by the doctrine of Christ can forbid the Heathen to gather together and Communicate among themselves as it shall seem good to their Cities especially if they meet to worship Christ although it be done in a singular custome and manner therefore also not the excommunicated who are to be dealt with as Heathen Thirdly a Prince who hath the Soveraign power cannot be excommunicated for by the doctrine of Christ neither one nor many subjects together can inâ—erdict their Prince any publique or private places or deny him entrance into any Assembly whatsoever or prohibit him the doing of what hee will within his own jurisdiction for it is Treason among all Cities â—oâ—any one or many subjects joyntly to arrogate to themselves any authority over the whole City but they who arrogaâ—e to themselves an authority over him who hath the supreme power of the City doe arrogate the same authority over the City it selfe Besides a Soveraign Prince if he be a Christian hath this farther advantage that the City whose Will is contained in His is that very thing which we call a Church the Church therefore excommunicates no man but whom it excommunicates by the authrity of the Prince but the Prince excommunicates not himselfe his subjects therefore cannot doe it It may be indeed that an Assembly of rebellious Citizens or Traytors may pronounce the sentence of excommunication against their Prince but not by Right Much lesse can one Prince be excommunicated by another for this would prove not an excommunication but a provocation to Warre by the way of affront For since that is not one church which is made up of Citizens belonging to two absolute Cities for want of power of lawfully assembling them as hath been declar'd before in the 22 Art they who are of one Church are not bound to obey an other and therefore cannot be excommunicated for their disobedience Now what some may say that Princes being they are members of the Universall church may also by the authority of the Universall church be excommunicated signifies nothing because the Universall church as hath beene shewed in the 22. Art is not one Person of whom it may be said that shee acted decreed determin'd excommunicated absolv'd and the like personall attributes neither hath she any Governour upon Earth at whose command she may assemble and deliberate For to be guide of the Universall church and to have the power of assembling her is the same thing as to be Governour and Lord over all the Christians in the world which is granted to none but God onely XXVII It hath beene shewed above in the 18. Art that the authority of interpreting the Holy Scriptures consisted not in this that the interpreter might without punishment expound and explicate his sentence opinion taken thence unto others either by writing or by his owne voice but that others have a not Right to doe or teach ought contrary to his sentence
insomuch as the interpretation we speak of is the same with the power of defining in all manner of controversies to be determined by sacred Scriptures Now we must shew that that power belongs to each Church and depends on his or their authority who have the Supreme command provided that they be Christians for if it depend not on the civill authority it must either depend on the opinion of each private Subject or some forraigne authority but among otheâ— reasons the inconveniencies that must follow private opinions cannot suffer its dependance on them of which this is the chiefe that not onely all civill obedience would be taken away contrary to Christ his praecept but all humane society and peace would be dissolved contrary to the Lawes of nature for seeing every man is his owne interpretet of Scripture that is to say since every man makes himselfe judge of what is pleasing and displeasing unto God they cannot obey their Princes before that they have judg'd whether their commands be conformable to the Word of God or not And thus either they obey not or they obey for their owne opinions sake that is to say they obey themselves not their Soveraigne civill obedience therefore is lost Againe when every man followes his owne opinion it 's necessary that the controversies which rise among them will become innumerable and indeterminable whence there will breed among men who by their own naturall inclinations doe account all dissention an affront first hatred then brawles and warres and thus all manner of peace and society would vanish We have farthermore for an example that which God under the old Law required to be observed concerning the book of the Law namely that it should be transcribed and publiquely us'd and he would have it to be the Canon of Divine doctrine but the controversies about it not to be determined by private Persons but onely by the Priests Lastly it is our Saviours Precâ—pt that if there be any matter of offence between private Persons they should heaâ—… the Church Wherefore it is the Churches duty to define controversies it therefore belongs not to private men but to the Church to interpret Scriptures But that we may know that the authority of interpreting Gods Word that is to say of determining all questions concerning God and Religion belongs not to any forraign Person whatsoever we must consider first what esteem such a power carries in the mindes of the subjects and their civill actions for no man can be ignorant that the voluntary actions of men by a naturall necessiâ—y doe follow those opinions which they have concerning good and evill Reward and Punishment whence it happens that necessarily they would chuse rather to obey those by whose judgement they beleeve that they shall be eternally happy or miserable Now by whose judgement it is appointed what Doctrines are necessary to salvation by their judgement doe men expect their eternall blisse or perditidition they will therefore yeeld them obedience in all things Which being thus most manifest it is that those subjects who believe themselves bound to acquiesce to a forraign authority in those Doctrines which are necessary to salvation doe not per se constitute a City but are the subjects of that forraign power Nor therefore although some Soveraign Prince should by writing grant such an authority to any other yet so as he would be understood to have retained the civill power in his own hands shall such a Writing be valid or transferre ought necessary for the retaining oâ— good administration of his command for by the 2. Chap. 4. artâ—â— no man is said to transferre his Right unlesse be give some proper sign declaring his Will to transferre it but he who hath openly declared his will to keep his Soveraignty cannot have given a sufficient sign of transferring the means necessary for the keeping it This kinde of Writing therefore will not be a sign of Will but of Ignorance in the contractors We must consider neâ—t how absurd it is for a City or Soveraign to commit the ruling of his Subjects consciences to an enemy for they are as hath been shewed above in the 5. Chap. 6. artic in an hostile state whosoever have not joyn'd themselves into the unity of one Person Nor contradicts it this truth that they doe not alwayes fight for trâ—ces are made between enemies It is sufficient for an hostile minde that there is suspition that the Frontiers of Cities Kingdomes Empires strengthned with Garisons doe with a fighting posture and countenance though they strike not yet as enemies mutually he hold each other Lastly how unequall is it to demand that which by the very reason of your demand you confesse belongs to anothers Right I am the Interpreter of Scriptures to you who are the Subject of anothers Realme Why By what Covenants past between you and me By Divine authority Whence knowne Out of holy Scripture Behold the Book read iâ—… in vain unlesse I may also interpret the same for my self That interpretation therefore doth by Right belong to me and the rest of my private fellow-subjects which we both deny It remains therefore that in all christian Churches that is to say in all christian Cities the interpretation of sacred Scripture depend on and derive from the authority of that man or Councell which hath the Soveraign power of the City XXVIII Now because there are two kindes of controversies the one about spirituall matters that is to say questions of faith the truth whereof cannot be searcht into by naturall reason such are the questions concerning the nature and office of Christ of rewards and punishments to come of the Sacraments of outward worship and the like the other about questions of humane science whose truth is sought out by naturall reason and Syllogismes drawne from the Covenants of men and definitions that is to say significations received by use and common consent of words such as are all questions of Right and Philosophy for example when in matter of Right it s questioned whether there be a Promise and Covenant or not that is nothing else but to demand whether such words spoken in such a manner be by common use and consent of the Subjects a Promise or Covenant which if they be so called then it is true that a Contract is made if not then it is false that truth therefore depends on the compacts and consents of men In like manner when it is demanded in Philosophy whether the same thing may entirely be in divers places at once the determination of the question depends on the knowledge of the common consent of men about the signification of the word entire for if men when they say a thing is entirelyâ—…somewhere doe signifie by common consent that they understand nothing of the same to be elsewhere it is false that the same thing is in divers places at once that truth therefore depends on the consents of men and by the same reason in all other
sometimes false either of which apart is called thinking and also beleeving both together doubting But when our reasons for which we assent to some Proposition derive not from the Proposition it selfe but from the person Propounding whom we esteeme so learned that he is not deceiv'd and we see no reason why he should deceive us our assent because it growes not from any confidence of our owne but from another mans knowledge is called Faith And by the confidence of whom we doe beleeve we are said to trust them or to trust in them By what hath been said the difference appeares first betweene Faith and Profession for that is alwaies joyn'd with inward asseâ—… this not alwayes 〈◊〉 That is an inward perswasion of the minde this an outward obedience Next betweene Faith and Opinion for this depends on our ownâ— reason that on the good esteeme we have of another Lastly betweene Faith and Knowledge for this deliberately takes a proposition broken and chewed that swallowes downe whole and entiâ—â— The explication of words whereby the matter enquir'd after is propounded is conducible to knowledge â—ay the onely way to 〈◊〉 is by deâ—… but this is prejudiciall to Faith for those things which exceede humane capacity and are propounded to beleev'd are never more evident by explication but on the contrary more obscure and harder to be credited And the same thing befalls a man who endeavours to demonstraâ—â— the mysteries of Faith by naturall reason which happens to a sick man who will needs chew before he will swallow his wholsome but biâ—…r Pillâ— whence it comes to passe that he presently brings them up againe which perhaps would otherwise if he had taken them well downe have prov'd his remedy V. We have seene therefore what it is to beleeve But what is it to beleeve in CHRIST Or what Proposition is that which is the object of our Faith in CHRIST For when we say I beleeve in CHRIST we signifie indeed Whom but not What we beleeve Now to beleeve in CHRIST is nothing else but to beleeve that JESUS IS THE CHRIST namely Hee who according to the Prophesies of Moyses and the Prophets of Israel was to come into this world to institute the Kingdome of God And this sufficiently appeares out of the words of CHRIST himselfe to Martha I am saith he the Resurrection and the life HE THAT BELEEVETH IN ME though he were dead yet he shall live and WHOSOEVER LIVETH AND BELEEVETH IN ME shall never dye Beleevest thou this She saith unto him Yea Lord I beleeve that THOU ART THE CHRIST the Soâ— of God which should come into the world John 11. ver 25 26 27. In which words we see that the question BELEEVEST THOU IN ME is expounded by the answer THOU ART THE CHRIST To beleeve in CHRIST therefore is nothing else but to beleeve JESUS HIMSELFE saying that he is THE CHRIST VI. Faith and Obedience both necessarity concurring to Salvation what kinde of Obedience that same is and to whom due hath beene shewed above in the 3. Article But now we must enâ—â—iâ—e what articles of Faith are requisite And * I say that to a Christian there is no other article of Faith requisite as necessary to Salvation but only this THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST But we must distinguish as we have already done before in the 4. Article betweene Faith and Profession A Profession therefore of more articles if they be commanded may be necessary for it is a part of our obedience due to the Lawes but we enquire not now what Obedience but what Faith is necessary to salvation And this is prov'd first out of the scope of the Evangelists which was by the description of our Saviours life to establish this one Article and we shall know that such was the scope and counsell of the Evangelists if we observe but the History it selfe Saint Matthew beginning at his Genealogy shewes that JESUS was of the linage of David borne of a Virgin Chap. 1. that He was adored by the Wise men as King of the Jewes that Herod for the same cause sought to slay him Chap. 2. That his Kingdome was Preacht both by John the Baptist and Himselfe Chap. 3 4. That He taught the Lawes not as the Scribes but as one having authority Chap. 5 6 7. That he cur'd diseases miraculously Chap. 8 9. That He sent his Apostles the Preachers of his Kingdome throughout all the parts of Judea to proclame his Kingdome Chap. 10. That He commanded the Messengers sent from John to enquire whether he were the CHRIST or not to tell him what they had seene namely the miracles which were onely competible with CHRIST Chap. 11. That he prov'd and declar'd his Kingdome to the Pharisees and others by arguments parables and signes Chap. 12. and the following Chapters to the 21. That He maintain'd himselfe to be the Christ against the Pharisees That He was saluted with the title of King when he entred into Jerusalem Chap. 21. That he forewarn'd others of false Christs and That He shewed in Parables what manner of Kingdome his should be Chap. 22 23 24 25. That He was taken and accused for this reason because He said He was a King and that a Title was written on his Crosse THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWES Chap. 26 27. Lastly that after his resurrection He told his Apostles that all power was given unto Him both in Heaven and in Earth Chap. 28. All which tends to this end That we should beleeve Jesus to be the Christ Such therefore was the Scope of Saint Matthew in describing his Gospell but such as his was such also was the rest of the Evangelists which Saint Iohn sets down expresly in the end of his Gospel These things saith He are written that ye may know that Jesus is the Christ the Sonne of the living God Iohn 29. vers 31. I say that to a Christian Although I conceive this assertion to be sufficiently proved by the following reasons yet I thought it worth my labour to make a more aâ—…ple explication of it because I perceive that being somewhat new it may possibly be distastfull to many Divines First therefore when I say this Article That Jesus is the Christ is necessary to salvation I say not that Faith onely is necessary but I require Justice also or that Obedience which is due to the Lawes of God that is to say a Will to live righteously Secondly I deny not but the profession of many Articles provided that that profession be commanded by the Church is also necessary to salvation but seeing Faith is internall Profession externall I say that the former onely is properly Faith the latter a part of Obedience insomuch as that Article alone sufficeth for inward beleefe but is 〈◊〉 sufficient for the outward profession of a Christian Laâ—â—ly even as if I â—ad said that true and inward Râ—pentance of â—innes was onely necessary to salvation yet were it not to be held