for the cause why God should not be King in the two first Contradiction comes in the last to fill the sin of Blasphemy up in the measure of it As to say We would not have God reign because he is so severe So the man in the Gospel sayd he knew he was an austere man and reaped where he sowed not Matth. 25.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hard man who also gathered where he strawed not In which indeed blasphemy is committed against God if it be spoke against him as King and Lord of a people and a man doth for such-like sayings deserve death by the Law And doubtless the Egyptian Levit. 24.15 in his blaspheming God sayd no more Or if it be understood cursed as opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is onely a desire in opposition to God his magnificence and glory that he might be acknowledged as King no longer but that they may be under men who would not rule with the like justice but give a greater liberty to sinners in their lives to live after their lusts and licentiousness It was blasphemy in the Jews account that Christ as they thought a meer man made himself equal with God Now men make themselves equal with God many ways That the truth of this may appear Exod. 22.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not revile blaspheme or lightly esteem the Elohim By which was understood the Judges who were Gods deputies For which very fact by the Law it was death Now if it be death to blaspheme the Deputy of the King how then to blaspheme the King himself 1. This is illustrated in Gaal and his brethren Judg. 9.27 28. who in the house of their Elohims eat and drink 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and made light of Abimelech or blasphemed Abimelech saying thus Who is Abimelech or who is Shechem that we should serve him is be not the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul his officer Serve the men of Hamor and the father of Shechem for why should we serve him Vers 29. Would to God this people were under my hand then would I remove Abimelech Note well he vilifies Abimelech to set up himself in his place onely A thing natural arising out of an unsound heart to God 2. In Shimei 2 Sam. 16.5 He came forth and cursed or blasphemed still as he came which God explains vers 7. And thus said Shimei when he cursed Come out come out thou bloody man and man of Belial Vers 8. The Lord hath returned on thee all the blood of the house of Saul in whose stead thou hast reigned And the Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son and behold thou art taken in thy mischief because thou art a bloody man Vers 9. for which Abishai calls him dead dog as a dog he barking and as dead being by the Law condemned to die and therefore would have cut off his head Note In this of Shimei were many blasphemies or curses he did it all the way as he came 1. Dishonouring him by calling him man of bloods 2. By saying that he was a childe of Belial or of the devil one that was not under the yoke of God's law and so unfit to rule And so the rest as deprecations But 〈◊〉 what Abishai said when he humbled himself to David 2 Sam. 10 22. Shall Shimei not die for this As if he had said Shall this serve his 〈◊〉 for cursing the Anointed of JEHOVAH Which proves that the Magistrate may pass by reproaches cast on himself so that God be not concerned therein but if God be directly concerned in the blasphemy of any he might not Acts 6.11 It is Moses and God Now Abab to prove Naboth's death just and that none should be found to intercede for him sets up witnesses to say he blasphemed not the King onely but God and the King which man could not pardon Levit. 24.14.15 Yea note 1 King 21.10 the witnesses were sons of Belial men with whom God or his Law were of no esteem who yet cover their impiety with seeming zeal of God by not saying He cursed God but Thou blessedst God by the contrary word as that the people should think they to honoured God and his Law that they were afraid to mention the word curse before them as not to be named Not to pass by Shimei in his end for cursing David 1 King 2.7 8 9. he was the last man David gave Solomon charge of that he bring him to the grave in blood for it who for breaking the Oath of God after vers 43 44. was slain by Benaiah The Heathens punished blasphemy of their gods Acts 19.37 freely proves it Again as to vilifie God or the Magistrate Gods deputy was death so for the childe to vilifie his father it is death also Exod. 21.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the despiser of his father or mother shall die Which sentence of the Law Christ confirms in the Gospel Mat. 15.4 and renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evil speaking to or of his father or mother How much more shall he evil speaks of God die The advice of Solomon Eccles 10.20 Despise not the King in thy conscience and in thy lodging chamber despise not the rich A bird of the air will carry the voice of it and on its wings shall the thing be declared Now if a man should fear to despise man in the secret of his conscience how should man fear to despise God the King in his thoughts or conscience since he needs no birds nor wings to reveal it but knows them long before they were within man and needs not any to testifie of what is in man Psal 139.2 Again not to punish Blasphemy is a dangerous thing 1 Sam. 3.13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth because his sons are to themselves blasphemers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he restrained them not who was he that then judged Israel That is by their abuse of their trust they made the people to slight them to vilifie them and despise them for which neglect of Eli and his sons sin God judged his house for ever that it should not be purged by sacrifice nor offering for ever The 70 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccles 7.21 God would not have the Master give heed though he heard his servant slight him vilifie him or curse him vers 22. and that because his own heart knows he oft-times had cursed others Hear England hear also ye Magistrates Ezek. 22.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In thee the father and mother are made slight of or as we read In thee have they set light by father or mother by God his Law and Rule And it is not to be past by that to men in Covenant the blessings and curses are to be often read that are annexed to the Law Deut. 11.26 Josh 8.24 as inforcements to obedience and from disobedience As for
his humanity the denyal of his death his resurrection or ascension into heaven or that he is not the Son of God the denyal of the Canonical Scriptures to be the Word of God or the Resurrection or the Last Judgement or that Christs death is not meritorious 1. The Law punisheth no man for any of these nor doth it condemn it 2. Nor doth the Gospel punish any man with imprisonment or death nor convict any man of felony In the Act these Truths are called Errours and those professed them adjudged to imprisonment or inforced to deny them which is worse 1. The denyal of Infant-baptism which is agreeable to the precepts practice and qualifications required in men to be discipled 2. To say the soul lieth in the grave which by Acts 2.31 is the truth of God though the Spirit indeed goeth immediately to God Of this see my Treatise of Soul Spirit and Body 3. Or that men baptized in infancy must be again baptized when sure if that Pedobaptism be not of Christ it is no baptism and so if a man will be baptized he must submit to it in the way of God 4. To say the observation of the Lords day as injoyned by the Law of the Land is not according to Gods word or contrary to it 5. Or to say the Church of England is not a true Church the Ministery a true Ministery or the Ordinances not true Ordinances 6. Or that the Presbyterian Government is Antichristian I made bold to mention this Ordinonce 1. because thereby a snare was laid for me from these last supposed Errors but my Adversary giving me notice of it it was broken and I escaped 2. To shew how dangerous a thing it is for men to be Law-makers in the Face of Gods Law I believe many that had a hand herein in heart are now sorry for it who then acted as then were led by their own reason and others perswasion 3. Consider when things are not of God in these times they are quickly laid aside and therefore men in Authority and power should be wise in doing what they do that it be of God that their labour come not to nothing or worse then nothing and still to mind that he that is not with God is against him there is no indifferency or Medium in the thing 4. I could shew how in this Ordinance against Blasphemy Heresie and Error is Blasphemy Error and Heresie so unfit is man to presume above himself to act in the work of God and not rest in his will as revealed in his word 5. I cannot pass by counselling men to take heed of censuring God in his Justice condemning the man for picking Sticks on the Sabbath for appointing death to Idolatry Blasphemy dishonouring of Parents c. for in it is high Blaspemy and if the Magistrate should not execute it he bears the name that is the Authority of God for nothing and as Saul sent against Amalek would spare the best and thought the judgement too severe was justly cut off from the Kingdom for it and had this tingling speech of God for it 1. Sam. 15.23 Rebellion is as the sin of witchraft and stubbornness is an iniquity and idolatry because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord he hath also rejected thee from being King This is Blaspemy against God in his justice and concernes the People in disputing it and the Magistrate in his neglect of executing it which not to do is Rebellion as divination is when to execute Gods decree is better then sacrifice Sauls rebellion is here compared to divination in that it coms from Satan yet pretends to divine light power So Sauls sparing the Cattle to sacrifice seemed better to them then Oods command and bewitched them from obedience to God their own wayes inclining them from it as Rom. 10.3 Being ignorant of the justice of God they sought to establish their own justice and so they submitted not to the Justice of God By this ignorance they could not be said to stand in rebellion against God as Saul that knew it by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ezek. 21.21 The King of Babel at the Mother of the way where two wayes were divined by Augury which he should go so men having before them Gods way and mans do as he divine which is best profitablest most acceptable to the People and safest and easiest to be undertaken which to God is as the King of Babels divination and inquiry at the Teraphim and looking into the Liver of the Beast and neglecting the counsell of God and his being to them This may seem harsh to be spoke as to him Amos 7.10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. but if I should say less then the truth I should be unfaithful to God and man and an Enemy to my own peace I must therefore do it and in doing it I do it in love and in good will to the safety of all men God is witness and my heart also that I envy no man but wish all good to my very Enemies and God his glory and praise among us in all I write how then to these preserve me under God Again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we read Rebellion Rabbi David Transgredi voluntatem Dei and so the trangressor of Gods will is a lye of Teraphim that is as the Idol into which Idolaters in divinations inspected for direction in their undertakings which was a lye to them the Root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies cogere and shews that he that compels any thing against God is as the Teraphim to set out a false way to man as by a divination like Jeroboams who made Israel to sinne As concerning the Act in it are considerable the Law the sinne the punishment and of the present Authority I earnestly beg as if God by me desired them to take heed what they do in making Laws and let the Acts made by Hen. 8. and since so much against God be an admonition to them that they give up their account to God for their great trust with joy and not with sorrow in that day The Act was made August 9. 1650. it mentions unheard-of Blasphemies even not to be named among the Heathens when yet the Root of Blasphemy and that the Law condemnes is not mentioned as to deny God his dominion and soverainty over us as King or Judge and his rule in the Law If these had been punished as God requires the rest which come from thence as from the Root of bitterness and the Womb of Hell had never been heard of which now as a leprosie overspreads the Nation As for its punishments That they be sent to the house of correction and bound to good behaviour the first time banishment the second time and their return be death without benefit of Clergy as for the sinne it is such that the house of correction is not an equal punishment not can men be bound for him he shall do no such offence and to banish him is to defile others no less evil before God then our selves but may prove worse and at last to put him to death as a Felon or transgressor of mans Laws and not Gods is no way aceptable to God at all As for the Act against swearing by God or by his Attributes the people of God used it in truth and may do as Paul did yea on civil and ordinary occasions so that it be done in fear and men doing it in that kind ought not to be liable to pecuniary mulcts For the calling of God for witness in truth may be done as lawfully as to do it in judgement as the word of God abundantly witnesseth it 's part of Gods service Deut. 6.13 Jerem. 4.2 But when it is not done in reference to the end of an Oath in righteousness but hellishly vainly profanely then there is a taking Gods name in vain and men to be punished as the Law injoines and no otherwise Lev. 19.19 Ye shall not swear by my Name falsly nor prophane the Name of thy God If they swear falsly they are penable or if prophanely without conscience or fear Or if men swear by them are no Gods Jer. 5.7 in which civil converse as well as Gods glory is destroyed Right honourable consult in the truth of God and that will shew you as in a glass what is to be done by you and what men miscarried in that were before you The word is better then the Urim and Thummim the lights and perfections the high Priest enquired at Whoever among you fear God and love his name looking for salvation by him cannot but give entertainment to what is written in his word to which I commend you all as to the onely light by which in safety you may receive directions from and give stability to your undertakings remaining as before Your servant in God and his truth John Brayne FINIS
answers to the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as signifying imprecations The word is an expression of a Superiour to an Inferiour and usually accompanies power and authority as Christ in cursing the figtree By this word God cursed the earth Gen. 5.14 17 29. and he cursed the Serpent by it By this word he declares those cursed that curse his people Gen. 12.3 By this word the curses on breach of Covenant were threatned Deut. 27.15 16 17 18 19 20. The rebuilder of Jericho was cursed by this word Josh 6.26 and those do the work of God negligently Jer. 48.10 In one place Exod. 22.28 the inferiour hereby is forbid to curse the Prince of the people which yet Inferiours may do to men like themselvs though not to God that is blast them in their names through the infirmities abide in man The word also as the 70 render it may be read Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people Men by this word are not said to blaspheme God or his Name in the holy Scripture and in the New Testament by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.24 The ground and rise of Blasphemy as committed against the Name of God in the third Command in the slighting of the rule government authority law or covenant of God is this That therein the Attributes of God are concerned so that in the despising of the one the other also is despised set at naught vilified and dishonoured and the glory of God taken from him and bestowed on some other 1. He that says the Law of God is not a sufficient rule and that there needs the Prudentials of men to compleat it sets at nought the wisdom of God who would make such a Law as was deficient for the end he made it so dishonors him in the glory of his wisdom and makes man to men more glorious in that he must come and give it its beauty of perfection 2. He that says it is too severe condemns God in his mercy and renders him as a Tyrant to man as ruling by power onely in which fear and servility is begot in man and love destroyed which is the ground of obedience and the fulfilling of the Law and the other of disobedience 3. He that says it is a law to the Jews onely denies his Soveraignty as if he were God of the Jews onely and not of the Gentiles also 4. He that saith it 's onely a ground of Law or a rule to make Laws by but not a Law to govern men by bores the Law hollows it and makes it empty and void yea a lye and God a lyer to man who enjoyned men not to turn from it to the right or left hand Or denies Gods goodness to the Gentiles who was so good kinde and careful of the Jews as to give them a Law fitting them but as for the Gentiles he respected not them so as to give them any Law at all Or else despise his goodness to the Jews who in giving them a Law and ruling over them did it by such a Law as was unfit to be a Law to men and so become judges of the Law and not doers of it James 4.11 But as Christ said in another case Judge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgement that men come not to make themselves God Joh. 10.36 5. They that say their own humane law is fitter and better for them then the Law of God despise God and his Law in the glory of his Will that would give them no fitter and in the glory of his goodness and prudence that would in giving a Law give them no better 6. They that say they ought not to be under God's Law but their own despise his power rule and authority and thrust him from them saying We will not have thee to rule over us 7. They that slight the setting up of the Covenant in the Nation with God set God at naught despise the promises annexed to the Covenant and intail the curses on themselves and posterity casting them and theirs out of his protection to be devoured of their enemies who may say Persecute and take them there is none now to deliver them God who should be their glory is departed from them 8. If any should be so profane as to say that the Law is not just nor holy he robs God of the glory of his holiness and contradicts the Spirit of God in the Gospel which says that the Law is holy just and good Rom. 7. Wherefore the Law is holy and the Command holy just and good Note it well the Command is not onely holy just and good but the Law Judicial also that depends on that Command both are by the Spirit in the Gospel and by the Gospel commended owned and established to Gentiles viz. the Romanes as well as Jews 9. If it be Crimen laesae Majestatis to say of the Supreme authority of a Nation It is bloody tyrannical usurped unjust childish unfit c. how then for a man to say so of God himself in his Law and Government in all which is a denying God to be God and mans subjection to and his acknowledgement of him as such Or to wish the Government of God ill as that it might never be is blasphemy yea a cursing the name of God Again if you live by Gods Law and teach that for Law ye must judge by it if ye judge by it ye must punish by it Act. 23.3 In the Ordinance of Lords and Commons dated May 2. 1648. against Blasphemy 1. It is mentioned as an errour for men to say that the Moral Law or Ten Commands is not a rule of Christian life when indeed the rule of the Christians life is more spiritual not onely Thou shalt not kill but Thou shalt not be angry with thy brother without cause nor say Thou fool to him and Thou shalt not commit adultery is not enough but Thou shalt not lust Indeed it should have been set down Blasphemy for men to say the Divine Law is no Law and that men are not to submit to it but live as they list 2. It is by that Ordinance blasphemy to say There is no God or that he is not everywhere or not omniscient eternal That the Father Son and Spirit are not one God Now Blasphemy against God in the Law chiefly relates to him as King of a kingdom supreme of a people Judge of breach of his Law and so as God is in the Law the Judges are called Elohim That blasphemy is rather against his justice authority power rule law and government and his attributes secondarily in them 3. As for the rest of the Ordinance it is against Church-blasphemy Herefie and Errour which the Magistrate was not to judge or punish with the Civil sword by the Law in death but the Church with the sword of the Spirit by Excommunication as the denial of the manhood of Christ or the two natures of Christ or the unspottedness of