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A83437 The casting down of the last and strongest hold of Satan. Or, A treatise against toleration and pretended liberty of conscience: wherein by Scripture, sound reason, fathers, schoolmen, casuists, Protestant divines of all nations, confessions of faith of the Reformed Churches, ecclesiastical histories, and constant practice of the most pious and wisest emperours, princes, states, the best writers of politicks, the experience of all ages; yea, by divers principles, testimonies and proceedings of sectaries themselves, as Donatists, Anabaptists, Brownists, Independents, the unlawfulnesse and mischeif [sic] in Christian commonwealths and kingdoms both of a vniversal toleration of all religions and consciences, and of a limited and bounded of some sects only, are clearly proved and demonstrated, with all the materiall grounds and reasons brought for such tolerations fully answered. / By Thomas Edvvards, Minister of the Gospel. The first part.; Casting down of the last and strongest hold of Satan. Part 1 Edwards, Thomas, 1599-1647. 1647 (1647) Wing E225; Thomason E394_6; ESTC R201621 211,214 231

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cases too hard and difficult for them are commanded to goe higher to some superior Court and Assembly as those words cleerly show thou shalt arise and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall chuse This place afterwards was Jerusalem as t is said Psal 122. 5. there were set thrones of judgement and in Ierusalem did Iehoshaphat set of the Levites and of the Priests and the chiefe of the Fathers of Israel for the judgement of the Lord and for Controversies 2 Chron. 19. 8. 9. 10. Ainsworth upon the place writes that by the Iudge that shall be in those dayes is understood the high Councell and Senate of Iudges which were of the cheif of the Fathers of Israel as they who are called Priests verse 9. are called verse 12. Priest so many Iudges are called Iudge only as among the Priests one was cheife so among the Iudges one was Prince 2 Chron. 19. 11. The Hebrew records say when any doubt a●ose in any case to any one of Israel hee asked of the judgement H●ll that was in his Citie if they knew they told it him if not then hee that enquired together with the Synedrion or with the messengers thereof went up to Jerusalem and inquired of the Synedrion that was in the Mountaine of the Temple if they knew they told it them if not then they all come to the Synedrion that was at the door of the Court yard of the Temple if the● knew they told it them and if not they all came to the chamber of hewen stone to the great Synedrion and enquired and Interpreters generally understand these verses of Iudicatures and Courts in Israel and of the lower Courts going to the highest the great and high Synedrion Now I find no command no● example recorded in Scripture of any of the Iewish Courts Ecclesiast or Civil enquiring by Vrim of morall transgressions of what sort they were and what punishments the Committers of such sins should have but still they determined according to the Law and Iudgements Ezek. 44. 24. I never read of the high Synedrion either in Scripture or any other writers of it that they were wont to give their Answer by Vrim and Thummim If we observe those instances in Scripture of enquiring by Vrim wee shall see they are inquiries made of particular persons by the Priest not by a Court and of the high Priest not as sitting in Court nor as alwayes at Ierusalem nor of Criminall cases but of going in and out to warre and such like and whoever doth but consult with the Annotations of Ainsworth Diodate and Luther English Divines the Commentaries of Lyra Piscator and others on this place will confesse t is quite another thing is here spoken of then the judgement of Vrim 3. Amesius in his Cases of Conscience in his Answer to that question whether that Law Deut. 17. 12. of putting him to death who would not hearken to the Iudge and the Priest was just resolves it was and faith the equity of that Law will easily appeare and among other reasons gives this because that place speaks of disobedience in those things which out of the Law of God are cleerly and manifestly determined verse 11. so that wee see Ames judgement in the resolution of that case is that the Answer of the Iudge or Priest was made out of the Law of God and not by Vrim and it seems that learned men never dreamt of any such thing in this Deut. 17. for among all his reasons he mentions no such thing and certainly if that were the meaning of the place which Hagiomastix puts upon it that had been such a strong reason for the equity of putting those to death who would not hearken to the Priest giving them councell immediately and infallibly from God as that Dr. Ames could not have omitted it For if Mr. Goodwin who is so kind and charitable to all Atheists Antiscripturists Blasphemers Idolaters c in his Queries upon the printed Paper entituled an Ordinance against Heresies and his Hagiomastix as that he would have no coercive power made use of against them doth yet grant there was an equity in that Law that sentence of death should passe on such that would not hearken to the Priest speaking immediately and infallibly from God and saith that for his part if the Inquisitors now can give any satisfying account of any sentence awarded against Blasphemers Hereticks that comes by infallible Revelation from God hee shall thinke it equall and meet that hee that shall doe presumptuously and not hearken unto it should be put to death then Dr. Ames who was fully for the Magistrates coercive power in matters of Religion and for putting Blasphemous Hereticks to death could not have forgotten this reason Fourthly on Deut. 17. 8 9 10 11 12. is founded by the judgement of many great Divines that which is called the Councell the great Sanhedrin at Jerusalem the Seventy Spanhemius in his third part Dubiorum Evangelicorum page 800. 801. showes that by the command of the Law this very place Deut. 17. 8 9. to this supreame Tribunall of the Synedrion were referred all things whatsoever that could not be determined of the inferior Courts or were doubtfull and had tried the severall judgements of the inferior judges Gersom Bucerus in his Dissertat de Gubernat Ecclesiae page 62. quotes this Deut. 17. 8. 9. for the generall Convention at Ierusalem to which the hardest things were brought which could not be determined in the lower judicatories Walaeus in his Tractate de Discrimine muneris politici Ecclesiastici brings this place to prove the Synedrion or Colledge at Ierusalem that if among the Iudges or Priests in the lesser Cities and Townes there fell out some things of greater moment or if any one would not rest in their sentence the cause was devolved to higher Iudges who after Davids time had their Synedrion at Ierusalem as the cheife Metrapolis of Iud●● Mr Gillespie in his Aarons rod blossoming 1. Book 3. chapt write● thus T is agreed upon both by Iewish and Christian Expositors that this place holds forth a supream civill Court of Iudges and the Authority of the civill Sanhedrim is mainly grounded on this very text And as the high civil Synedria is founded here so many Divines show a supream Ecclesiast Sanhedrim distinct from the Civill is held forth in this very place to which the People of God weere bound as to the supream Ecclesiasticall Court to bring all the difficult Ecclesiasticall causes which could not be determined in the lower Assemblies in which Court they were determined without any other appeale of which the Reader may find more in Walaeus Gerson Bucerus Apollonii jus Magistratus circa sacra first part page 374. and second part second chapter page 48. and aboue all others in Mr. Gillespie his Aarons Rod blossoming Book 1. chapt 3. who at large handles this point that the Iewes had an
under the Gospell now as well as under the Law and if these why not the other of Blasphemy Idolatry false-prophecie c these latter are of moral things as well as the other the first and these are delivered both by Moses in the samebooks time propounded after the same tenor and way upon the same grounds and reasons No difference at all unlesse that these latter concerning Apostasie Idolatry false prophecie be more strictly commanded and further inlarged which the Reader by comparing the texts shall observe But if it be said those commands against offering their seed to Molech and of witches are therefore punished by the Magistrate because they offend against lives and estates of mankind in killing the children in cattell being killed and mens bodies being hurt by Witches and Wisards which is not in the other of Apostasie Blasphemy c. I reply t is to be observed that in all those places where the commands are given by God to the Magistrate about these there 's not one jota or tittle expressed about offending against the second Table in life or goods but all the reason formally declared is because against God immediately and the commands of the first Table For giving the seed to Molech Levit. 18. 21. this is the reason alledged by God against it Thou shalt not let any of thy seed passe through the fire to Molech neither shalt thou prophane the name of thy God I am the Lord Levit. 20. 3. the reason given against it is the defiling of Gods Sanctuary and prophaning his holy name both which spake in reference to the worship of God only and matters of Religion as Ainsworth in his Notes upon both these Texts fully and excellently shows as also the late Annotations of our English Divines It is further proved by those two Texts Jerem. 7. 31. Jerem. 19. 5 6. where God speaking against the Jewes offering up their children to Molech layes open their sinnes in these expressions which I commanded them not neither came it into my heart which I commanded not nor spake it neither came it into my minde in which words God answers to what was in their hart viz. that they did it as a worship to God a thing commanded by him and so out of conscience but God tels them and that in these reiterated expressions it was never commanded by him among all the duties of his worship he never spake a word of any such matter and among all the places in Moses Books Prophets the Books of Kings Chronicles where 't is spoken of we shall never find this condemned as murther but still spoken against as Idolatry a corruption of Gods worship and so recorded among such transgressions besides according to Gods owne rule and way of acquitting some men of murther by providing Cities of refuge Deut. 19. in some cases for men that had slaine their brethren upon that ground because they hated them not in time past twice expressed verse 4. 6. the givers of their children to Molech will be found to be adjudged to death for their Idolatry rather then the killing their children for it cannot be supposed that the worshippers of Molech hated their children in time past or at present and out of that hatred offered them up in sacrifice but out of their blinde zeale and strong delusion thinking therein they should doe a high and extraordinary service Rabbi Bechai saith that the Parents were perswaded that by this sacrifice the rest of their children should be delivered from death and that they themselves should prosper for it all the dayes of their life For ther 's no question but these Idolaters loved their children and had affections to them as might be proved by severall reasons among others by the great noise made by beating upon Drums in the time of sacrificing to drowne the cries of the children left their cries working on their Fathers naturall affections should make the Fathers spare them whereupon the place of sacrificing was called Tophet of Toph which is a Taber or Drum For the commands given to Magistrates against Witches they are set down either without any reasons at all of them or else in those places where any reasons are assigned they relate wholly to God as a breach of the first Table nothing at all as to men as these Scriptures show Levit. 20. 6 7. 26 27. Deut. 18. 10 11 12 13. and our English Divines in their late Annotations upon Exod. 22. 1● write thus Witchcraft in forbidden and that upon paine of death Some have thought Witches should not die unlesse they had taken away the life of mankind but they are mistaken the proof of which the Reader may finde set downe there But why then must the Witch be put to death Answer Because of the league and confederacie with the Devill which is high treason against God because he is Gods chiefest enemie and therefore though no 〈◊〉 ensue this contract at all the Witch deserver present and certaine death for the contract it selfe Secondly these commands to the Magistrate concerning Idolaters Blasphemers c. were not for the punishing of Israelites the Jewish people only but of all strangers in their Land both of Proselytes that dwelt among them and of others that only travelled thorough or were there a while upon trading or such like occasions as these Scriptures show Levit. 20. verse 2. Whosoever he be of the children of Israel or of the stranger that sojourne in Israel that giveth any of his seed to Molech he shall surely be put to death Levit. 24. verse 16. Hee that blasphemeth the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death as well the stranger as he that is borne in the Land Upon which places of Scripture and others as the fourth Commandement c. besides many reasons that might be given why stranger is to be taken in the largest sense even for al strangers coming among them though not Pro●elytes it is the judgement of many learned men as Rabbins who were best skilled in the Customes of the Jewes Maimonides with others as moderne write●s Zanchius Rivetus our English Divines in their late Annotations on Levit 20. verse 1. and above all Master Selden in that learned Book De Jure Naturali Gentium lib. 2. cap. 3. clearly showes 't is understood of all Gentiles coming among them by accident as those workmen of other Countries Tyrians Phaenitians c. sent by Kings to King Solomon for the building of the Temple or those who passed from place to place for traffique sake or any who passed through the Countrey Master Selden in that Book of his also showes that when the Israelites were Sui Juris in their owne Countrey had power over the Nations and were in a flourishing estate under David Solomon and other such Kings they denied all dwelling and habitation to the Idolatrous Heathen or so much as to lodge them by way of Travellers or Guests till they had given their names to the
substance there may well be a great change of accessories accidentals formes and manner of proceeding which neverthelesse give no ground for the taking away things and commands themselves but only clearly show there may bee a cessation of all such forms accessories manner of proceeding which were peculiar to that time and people And if wee do but observe and consider the composition of most of the mosaicall lawes how they are mixt of morall judiciall and ceremoniall how lawes judiciall have something morall and something ceremoniall in them and ceremonials have something judiciall and morall in them and how that those things which in their nature are moral and perpetuall have yet somewhat judiciall and ceremoniall annexed to them of all which we may be further satisfied in Zepperus his explanation of the mosaicall lawes we may easily conceive how in these mosaicall lawes a command the thing it selfe may be binding for the substance and yet severall particulars accompanying as being properly judiciall and ceremoniall may cease among which now the form and kinds of punishments the extent with rigor and severity of punishing to the cattell the making the city a heap for ever c may be reckoned And that these are but accessories and appendixes of these lawes for punishing Idolaters false Prophets which therefore may not bind though the commands for the substance be still in force may appeare thus because inflicting death simply upon Apostates false Prophets c is commanded without any of these accessories of destroying the cattel and making the city an heap c as these places Exod. 23. 20. Deut. 17. 2 5 6. and Deut. 18. 20. snow which is worthy to be taken notice of besides in the commands to punish those who offer up their children to Molech and that Blaspheme God Levit. 20. 2. Leuit. 24. 16. the inflicting of death upon them is required but none of those particulars mentioned Deut. 13 15 16 17. In the new Testament also though the punishing by death according to Moses law of Apostates be approved of as in page 52 53. of this Book I have showen and severall judiciall Lawes for the substance ratified page 56 57. yet the formalities accessories with all particularities of such Lawes never are spoken of and lastly though severe punishment by the Magistrate the substance of that command in Deut. 13. be both before Moses Lawes as in Jobs time and after Moses times by Artaxerxes Nebuchadnezzar Darius in cases of Apostasie Idolatry Blasphemie approved of yet there is not a word spoken of destroying Cattell the whole Cities c. And to stop Hagiomast mouth for ever I wish him to consider this that by vertue of commands under the old Testament Apostates false Prophets Idolaters may be now put to death and yet the Magistrates under the Gospel not bound to destroy whole Cities cattell nor fulfill the rest of his inferences For it will appeare by many instances in the old Testament even in that time of Administration of the Covenant wherein the 13. of Deut. was written that the Magistrates held not themselves bound to àll those particulars of destroying all the inhabitants cattell c. though they inflicted punishments yea death upon some Idolaters and Apostates as these instances fully show viz. in Moses Exod. 32. commanding in the worship of the Golden Calfe three thousand to be slaine not all the people nor the cattell Numb 25. 2 3 4 5. commanding for the bowing downe to the gods of Moab the heads of the people to be hanged up not all the people neither the cattell to be killed in Eliah killing the Prophets of Baal only 1 Kings c. 18. not the people in Asa entring into Covenant that whosoever would not serve the Lord the God of Israel should be put to death and in deposing Machah his Mother for making an Idoll in a Grove 2 Chron. c. 15. but not entring into Covenant to destroy all the Cattell and the Cities where such persons lived in Josiah sacrificing all the Priest of the high places in Samaria that were there upon the Altars 2 Kings chapt 23. but not sacrificing the people nor the cattell and so in others which might be given And therfore if Magistrates under the old Testament though all thought it their duty to punish● Idolaters and Apostates were not tied to all the particulars in Deut. 13. then certainly the Magistrates under the new are lesse tied to those accessories and formalities of that Law by all which t is apparent those things laid down in Deut. 13. 15 16 17. are only accessories accidentals of that cōmand of punishing with death those that goe after other Gods and not of the nature and essence of it yea holding only in some particular cases time but not generall to the Iewes themselves which in what cases and how I shall forbearespeaking of now for feare of inlarging this part beyond its proportion intended And for a conclusion of this the consideration of this mixture and composition of the Lawes of God under the old Testament is exceeding usefull for this purpose viz. that thereby wee may judge more easily of the mutabilitie or immutabilitie of them whether they be temporary or perpetuall and so whether they bind all men or only some In commands alledged out of the old Testament this is to bee carefully lookt into whether they be meerly and purely morall or ceremoniall or judiciall or whether mixt and compounded and how of what lawes mixt If the command bee pure and simple the thing is evident where morall is binds where ceremoniall or judiciall it binds not But if it bee mixt of judiciall ceremoniall and morall or of ceremoniall and morall the morall remains and is in force by all which wee may see the weaknes of Hagiomastixs inference that if that command in Deut. 13. does at all bind Christians it must binde in every particular there spoken of for what 's morall in Deut. 13. abides and yet what 's properly judiciall and ceremoniall is taken away look as that were no good argument against the fifth commandement being in force under the new Testament because then what was judiciall and ceremoniall in it as containing the promise of the Land of Canaan and a blessing in it c. must remaine under the Gospel so neither is this of Hagiomast For as a command morall may have somewhat judiciall mixed with it so may a command judiciall have much of morall in it but now what judiciall lawes and how mixed are temporary and changeable and upon what rules and grounds and what judiciall lawes are immutable and perpetuall and how to bee known I referre the Reader for satisfaction to Zepperus explanation of the Mosaicall Lawes 1. Book chapt 7 8 9 12. And as for those commands in question of Magistrates punishing in cases of Apostasie Idolatry Blasphemie they are upon all occasions reckoned by learned Divines among the immutable and perpetuall as by Zanchius De Magistratu Quaest Secunda