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A33247
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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 ...
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Claridge, Richard, 1649-1723.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing C4433; ESTC R2252
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26,502
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40
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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 â—…wen's true â—ature of a Goâ—…el Ch. c. 8. â— 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
those Princes be that are truly Religious because many pretenders are in the World is not very easie for us to know The Heart falls not within our Cognizance for no man can sufficiently understand his own and how then should he know another Mans we leave that therefore to his Judgment who is the Maker and Searcher of it The Text describes them to us by an universal Conformity to the Law of God in turning to him with all their heart with all their Soul and with all their might which shews the nature of true Conversion it must be Universal A partial Change is an imperfect one for half an Heart is such an Offering as God will have no respect unto He who made the whole requires the whole and therefore he who gives him not the whole but reserves a part for another robs God of his Right and by that reservation desperately cheats himself too Our exactest Scrutinies cannot penetrate any further into the Heart of Man because it lyes quite out of our sight than it discovers it self by Overt Acts. This we know an Hypocrite may for a time appear to be a Saint but his Vizor will off at one time or other for will he delight himself in the Almighty will he always call upon God Job 27.10 But where there is true Grace in the Heart there will not be a Personating but a real Acting of Holiness in the Life Can the Fountain be sweet and yet send forth bitter streams Can the Tree be good and not the Fruit So it is impossible for a Sanctified Heart not to shew it self in a Reformed Life In whomsoever the principle of true Sanctification is rooted it will spread and branch out it self and extend to others Holiness is not only of a Diffusive but also of an Assimilating Nature and would have all like it self When men are throughly converted they will endeavour the Conversion of others Having effectually tasted of the immerited Love of God they will be telling what he hath done for their Souls and having their Hearts perfumed with the fragrancy of Free-Grace they will always retain the Scent and be ever admiring and commending it to others We may then say that truly Religious Princes will not put their Candle under a Bushel but set it in a Candlestick that it may give light to their Subjects nor hide their precious Oyntment but break the Box of Spikenard that the Odour may perfume the People For they are under an Obligation to countenance and encourage the Gospel and to endeavour the Reformation of those under them For Secondly There is more required of such Princes than Obj. 2 their own private Assent and Consent to the true Religion they must promate it in their Dominions by all such ways as are allowed or commanded of in Scripture It is the Duty of every Christian to do what he can for God and the Kingdom of his Son in his private Capacity and then much more the Prince's who is exalted to an higher station and placed in an Orb wherein he may shine as the Sun before his people It is no part of my present work to speak of the power of Princes in matters Civil and Political the Laws and Constitutions of the Government must be the Rule there * Defence of the Present Government We must have recourse to the wholsome Laws and Customs of our Countrey for our direction in Civil Proceedings Neither our Saviour nor his Apostles intermeddled with Civil Government but left that as they found it Christs Kingdom was not of this World and therefore he and his Apostles medled no farther with the Kingdoms of the World than to teach all their Duties in their respective Stations the Magistrates to Rule and the people to Obey in the fear of God The Standard of our Civil Government is the Law of the Land it is superiour to all Orders and Ranks of Men and looks with an equal aspect upon the Prince and People The Author of Jovian says that the King is a Soveraign doubly limited p. 212. by the Laws of God and the Civil Laws of his Kingdom And out of Bracton adds Et sub Lege ibid. quia Lex facit Regem He is under the Law because the Law makes the King And Dr. Hammond upon the words Pract. latech l. 2. p. 160. He beareth not the Sword in vain he is God's Minister an Avenger for wrath to him that doth ill says By this is intimated that the Sword is as far as respects this Life put into the hands of the lawful Magistrate with Commission to use it as the Constitution of the Kingdom shall best direct I shall therefore limit my Discourse to things pertaining to Religion and enquire briefly how far the Civil Magistrate is interested therein and this I shall do with humble reverence to Almighty God and a due respect to those whom he hath set over us in the Government of this Realm by laying down a few Theses or Positions 1. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Supream Head Governour Eph. 5.23 Col. 2.10 and Legislator of his Church and he hath not delegated this his Headship Government and Legislature Mat. 28.18 19 20. Joh. 15.14 Jam. 4.12 Isai 9.6 7. to any Person or Persons upon Earth He hath left no Humane Vicar or Deputy to preside over it for neither Pope nor general Councils nor National Synods nor the Civil Magistrate singly or with the Body Representative in Parliament have any Soveraign Authority in Church Affairs In things purely Divine they cannot make one Law to bind the Conscience to Obedience They have nothing to do to make Articles of Faith to compose Forms of Prayer and Worship and impose them upon the people under Penalties to make Ecclesiastical Canons and Rubricks and to decree Rites and Ceremonies Christ hath strictly tyed his Church to the observation of the Rules laid down by him in his Word Ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you John 15.14 I your sole Lord Head and Master to whom all Power in Heaven and Earth is given Mat. 28.18 And therefore the Churches of Christ own none other Head but him nay they dare not own any other because God hath put all things under his feet and given him to be the Head over all things to the Church Eph. 1.22 To admit of any other Head whether Polilical or Ministerial were to deny his Headship The Saints are the best friends to Caesar they are as Elisha said of Elijah The Chariot of Isrrel and the Horsmen thereof 2 Kings 2.12 But they are forbidden to give to Caesar the things that are Gods With respect to things Civil they will yea they must own the Supream Magistrate but with respect to Divine Worship they must own no Master or Superior but Christ The Argument that the Sticklers for Magistratical Authority in Religion draw from the Jewish Kings is of no force under the Dispensation of the Gospel could they prove