not if he will be wise to salvation to take up things on trust in a matter that concerns either his eternal life or eternal death 2. As the Church is to judge of the Doctrine of its Officers so also of its Councels For the Church judges of them and their doctrine also by the word and doth not take all that they determine for truth to be certain and unquestionable Yea in the first Councel of the Apostles Act. 15. Other Churches and Christians had both liberty and power to try both the doctrine and Spirit of the very Apostles in that matter and were not to swallow it down whole as they say because the Apostles had determined it and they were holy men but the faithful were to judge whether or no they had judged according to the word and if not they might have resisted them as Paul did Peter And Paul gives this liberty to Christians yea we have it from Christ himself whether Paul had allowed it or no to try the very Apostles themselves and the very Angels of Heaven whether they bring the right word or no for Christ commanded the Apostles to teach the Nations to observe and do whatsoever he had commanded them and nothing else and saith Paul If I or an Angel from heaven bring you any other doctrine let him be accursed So that the Church hath power to examine try and judge the doctrine of the Apostles and Angels much more of other men who have not received such an anoynting neither do live in so clear a light of God And thus I have declared the things which seemed to me both convenient and necessary for the true Church to know for the preserving of that peace among themselves which they have in Christ. Now as the judgement of the Church is to be rectified in these things so the practice of it is to be rectified in other things for the preserving it in peace The things wherein the practice of the Church is to be rectified in the Way of Peace are either 1. More absolute and general Or 2. More special and occasional in case of difference among the faithful Among the things that are more absolute and general which are to be done to procure and preserve the peace of the Church these nine things that follow have not the least place 1. Practical Rule for Peace 1. The true Church is to preserve it self distinct from the world and is neither to mingle it self with the world nor to suffer the world to mingle it self with it For if the Church and the world be mingled together in one Society the same common Laws will no more agree to them who are of such differrent natures principles and ends then the same common Laws will agree to light and darkness life and death sin and righteousness flesh and spirit For the true Church are a spiritual people being born of God and so they worship God in the Spirit according to the law of the Spirit of life that was in Christ and is in them but the carnal Church is of the world and only savours the world and so will have a worldly Religion Forms Orders Government and all worldly as it self is Now whilst these two are mingled together what peace can there be for what fellowship hath righteousnesness with unrighteousness and light with darkness and Christ with the Devil And so what agreement have Believers with unbelievers or the true Church with the world Wherefore it is not the way of Peace to mingle the Church and the world but to separate them and to keep them distinct that those that are of one nature and spirit may be of one communion among themselves and this way of Peace God himself teacheth us by Paul 2 Cor. 6.17 saying Come out from among them my people and be ye separate for to separate the Church from the world in its communion of Saints is the only way to preserve peace in both seeing the Church will best agree with it self and the world with it self The second Rule 2. The Church being thus distinct from the world is to be contended with its own power for its own affairs and is not to introduce or entertain any power in it that is not of it Wherefore the true Church being such a Kingdom as is not of this world stands in need of no worldly power and being a spiritual and heavenly Kingdom is only to have and exercise a spiritual and heavenly power seeing this power alone and by it self is able to accomplish the whole good pleasure of God in the Church and to work all the works in it that God hath to do And so it is strongly to be suspected that those men that dare not commit the success of their business to Christs power alone but will call in secular power over and above to help them I say it is more then probable that they have underneath some secular end seeing Christs power alone is fully sufficient to do all things that are necessary and profitable for his Kingdom Besides this worldly power never works peace but always disturbances in the Church putting all things out of Gods way and method into mans and working mans will rather then Gods yea mans will against Gods and it is wholly contrary to the very nature of the Church and how then can it agree with it in any thing If any shall reply that worldly power doth well in the Church because it keeps down many profane persons that would not be kept down by the word I answer That so far as such profane ones are governed by worldly power they are of the world and not of the Church and worldly power had better govern them in the world it s own proper sphear then in the Church which is beyond their line especially seeing the Church hath power enough in it self to govern those that are of it and they that will not be governed willingly in the Church as Christians let them be governed against their wils in the Commonwealth as men For the Government of the Church is over men as Christians as spiritual but the government of the state is over men as men as natural and carnal The first of these governments belongs to Christ and the latter to the Magistrate And if the Magistrate be faithful in his Office and headship there is no doubt to be made of Christs faithfulness in his But now if the Magistrate will not content himself with his own Kingdom and power but will needs intrude on Christs also and not reckoning it enough to govern men as men by his worldly power will also by the same power be tampering with the very Church this both renders him troublesome to the faithful and the faithful troublesome to him Him troublesome to the faithful in that he uses a power over them that is neither sutable to them nor their affairs and them troublesome to him because in Gods Kingdom as they hear not the
one another but not masters and this same doctrine the Apostle Iames preacheth Iam. 3.1 My brethren saith he be not many Masters knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation it is not fit for brethren who are equal among themselves to make themselves masters over one another Christ also hath spoken again so plainly to this matter Math. 20. that one would wonder that ever the Beast or his image should dare to arrogate to themselves Lordship over the People of God in so clear a light Ye know saith Christ to the twelve that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority over them but it shall not be so amongst you he speaks it peremptorily that some Believers should not exercise dominion and authority over Believers no not the greatest over the least all being fellow servants alike under one Lord. Wherefore they that are puffed up in their hearts against their fellow servants might better think thus with themselves why Christ is our Lord as well as theirs and is as much over us as over them and we are not over our fellow servants nor they under us but both of us are equally under Christ and Christ is equally over us both and so Christ hath given us the same laws he hath given them to wit that we should believe in him and love one another and he expects the same obedience from us as from them and so we are not to command one another but are all alike to be commanded by him It was the evil servant that beat his fellow servants upon hopes of the delay of his Masters coming And this is the fourth bond of the true Churches Vnity Vnity of Lord. Now they break this bond of the Churches Vnity that either make themselves or others Lords over the Church besides Christ and parcel out this one Kingdom of the Son to many Lords to the great dishonour of Christ and dis-union of the Church The Pope was the first that professed himself to be the general Master in the whole Church of God and after the Pope a general Councel took this honour to it self and by degrees this last became as hard yea a harder taskmaster to the Church then the former After when particular Kingdoms fell off from the Pope and his Antichristian Church the mystery of iniquity was not by this means wholly dissolved but only was contracted and brought into a less compass for then the Archbishop made himself general master of the Church in each particular Kingdom as the Pope before had done in all and after the Archbishop rises up a National Assembly as the General Councel after the Pope and each of these in their courses usurp Lordship over the Church of Christ to the sad dissolution of its unity Most evident then it is that during the time of the Apostasie the Church hath been most miserably Lorded even amongst us for the Priest he Lorded it over the People the Arch-deacon over the Priest the Dean over the Arch deacon the Bishop over the Dean and the Arch-bishop over the Bishop under which woful bondage the Church cried out as Isa. 26. O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us And is this bondage of the Church now eased by casting off those strange Lords Yea do not men rather seek to encrease it by setting yet stranger over it whose names are so full of mystery that the common people cannot understand them for now they would have the Classical Presbytery set over the Congregational and the Provincial over the Classical and the National over the Provincial for so it is Voted THAT IT IS LAWFULL AND AGREEABLE TO THE WORD OF GOD THAT THERE BE A SUBORDINATION OF CONGREGATIONAL CLASSICAL PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH Now here is mystery and nothing but a certain rising up into the old power under a new name And mark how they prove this subordination of Congregational Classical Provincial and National Assemblies to wit by that Scripture Mat. 18. where it is written If thy brother trespass against thee and will neither hear thy admonition nor councel nor the admonition and councel of other brethren TELL THE CHURCH that is the Congregation of the faithful Now from this place they prove the fore mentioned subordination of Assemblies just as the Pope once proved himself to be above the Emperour to wit because it is written Gen. 1. That God made two great lights the Sun to rule by day and the Moon by night Now if this might be brought about which they design the Church would be so far from being eased of its strange Lords that it should have them exceedingly multiplied for what is a National Assembly but an Archbishop multiplied and what a Provincial Assembly but a Bishop multiplied And a Classical but a Dean and Arch deacon multiplied And thus the former Lords being removed they would in their stead cause the Church to swarm with Classical Provincial and National Lords and would by no means suffer Christs own Kingdom to return to his own Lordship and Dominion And thus whilest they by secular power seek to enforce these Ecclesiastical Lords over the Church they absolutely break in pieces the unity of it even whilst they bear the simple people in hand that they above all other men seek to preserve it seeing the plurality of Lords is alwayes the cause of Schisms and divisions in the Church which can never be one but under one Lord the Lord Jesus Christ. The fifth bond of the true Churches Vnity is ONE FAITH The true Church of God hath but one Faith wrought by one Spirit apprehending the same Christ or the same living and eternal truth of God So that Abraham and Moses and David and all the Prophets and all the Apostles and we who now believe and all that shall believe hereafter all have and do and shall live in the same mystery of faith that is Believers in all Ages do not live their own lives but all live the life of Christ in their own soul and bodies each one receiving equally from Christ the life of Christ which they all live alike in him being one with him as the branches live equally the life of the Vine and one branch lives it not more then another Through faith then every Christian is carryed out of himself and all his own things into Christ whom he apprehends with all his fulness for his own and in this faith all Christians are equal and none hath a better or worse faith then another So that in regard of faith also there is among the true Church unity and equality For all Believers have one and the same faith of the operation of God wrought by the same Spirit which raised up Christ from the dead and that faith which the Spirit works neither sin death nor the devil can possibly prevail against and so the faith of the operation of
the Spirit is altogether invincible in all the faithful Among true Christians some are not justified by faith and some by works but all are saved through faith without the works of the law Among true Christians one Believers faith doth not apprehend one word and anothers another word but the faith of each and of all apprehends one and the same word of truth and life which is Christ himself Yesterday and to day and the same for ever Among Believers one doth not live his own life and another Christs which indeed would make them very different and unequal but all live Christs life alike and none their own And thus is the whole Church knit together in Vnity of Faith Now this unity of faith is mightily able to preserve peace among Believers notwithstanding diversity either of inward gifts or outward works 1. Vnity of Faith preserves peace notwithstanding diversity of inward gifts inasmuch as we are not made members of Christs body through such and such gifts but meerly through faith and so he that hath one or a less gift is equally a member of Christ through his faith with him that hath another or a greater gift and so unity of faith which makes us all one body in Christ is to keep us one notwithstanding diversity of gifts and operations and diversity of gifts are in no wise to divide where there is unity of faith Further among them that believe where there is the more gift there is only the more labour but there is not another or a better Christ and where there is the less gift there is the same Christ equally enjoyed through faith He that had five Talents given him brought in five that he had gained and he that had ten ten but he that brought in most Talents had not more of Christ then he that brought in fewer and he that brought in fewer had not less of him then he that brought in more but each having Christ alike by faith brought in the exercise of his several gifts And so unity of Faith is to keep us one notwithstanding diversity of inward gifts And secondly it is to keep us one notwithstanding diversity of outward works For unity of Faith makes all believers righteous alike though they differ in outward work For in Christs Kingdom each ones righteousness is reckoned by his faith not by his outward works And therefore Paul Heb 13.7 having reckoned up many excellent works of the Fathers doth not enjoyn us to follow their works but their faith saying Whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation seeing the unity of the Church stands in unity of faith and there may be unity of faith in diversity of works for faith uses freely any outward laws manners forms works so farr as they may tend to the mortifying of our bodies and the edifying of our neighbours wherein faith also will judge for it self and will suffer no body to judge for it and in all change of works faith is the same and changes not and the Church still remains one through unity of faith in the midst of variety and diversity of outward works And therefore where men are accounted Christians for such and such outward works sake and this unity of faith is not taught and received there the gates of hell do certainly prevail And this is the fifth bond of the true Churches unity Vnity of Faith Now they break this bond of the Churches unity that live out of this faith of Gods Elect seeing it is written That the just shall live by faith And therefore they that live by sense in the things of the world or by form in the things of God they live out of this faith and unity of the Church 1. They that live by sense in the things of the world break this bond of the Churches unity even such as minde and affect and love and desire earthly things and have all their joy comfort sweetness satisfaction support and confidence in the creature these live out of the unity of the Church seeing the life of sense is clean contrary to the life of faith Faith carrying us to live in God out of the creature and sense carrying us to live in the creature out of God 2. They that live by form in the things of God whether it be called Conformity as the Prelates called it or Vniformity as the Rhemists do also break this bond of the Churches unity For to live upon this or that form of religion or worship so as to think our selves good Christians therefore and others evil that shall live otherwise is to fall apparently from the faith of the Church seeing faith doth not live upon this or that form of Religion but it lives on Christ only in every duty and whatsoever form it may use for a help to the infirmity of the flesh yet in the use of forms it lives above forms in Iesus Christ and his fulness The sixth bond of the true Churches unity is ONE BAPTISME The true Church which is the body or flesh of Christ hath but one and the self same Baptism by which it is purified which is the Baptism of the Spirit For the Apostle speaks here of that Baptism wherein the whole Church is one which is not the Baptism of the sign which hath often been altered and changed but the Baptism of the substance which comprehends all believers and all ages and under several and various dispensations and was the same before Christs comming in the flesh as since believers both of the Iews and Gentiles of the Old and New Testament drinking all alike into one Spirit though these more plentifully then those So that though many have wanted the Baptism of water yet not one member of the true Church hath wanted the Baptism of the Spirit from whence our true Christianity begins Now this Baptism of the Spirit is the onely Baptism that hath power and efficacy to make Christians one For through the Baptism of the Spirit it is that the Church is made one body as Paul saith 1 Cor. 12.13 For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be Iews or Greeks whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit The true Church drinks all into one Spirit as ye have heard and not into many and through one Spirit are baptized into one body and not into many and believers are never truly one till they partake of this one Baptism Now this Baptism of the Spirit as it is but one so it is administred onely by one Christ as Iohn Baptist witnesseth Math. 3.11 saying I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire For as none can give the Son but the Father so none can baptize with the Spirit but the Son for this is Christs proper and