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
in such sort that though the flouds lift up their voice and billows against it yet they cannot sink it For the Lord on high is mightier then the mighty waves of the Sea And so still even at this day the Lord leads his flock through the midst of Wolves and Lyons yea through the midst of Devils in admirable and invincible safety and gives them light in darkness councels in difficulties and success in all attempts above and beyond both all the power and all the expectation of the world Now note here that this kinde of government of the Church God doth not mannage according to the wisdom and thoughts no not of his very people but wholly according to the councel of his own will and the thoughts of his own heart doing things that they must not know yet but must know afterwards yea such things as for the present seem absurd and absolutely destructive And this is the usual way and order of Gods governing his Saints That of Luther on Gen. 39. is worth our minding here I saith he have often endevoured to prescribe certain wayes and methods to God which he should use in the governing of his Church Ah Lord said I I would have this to be thus done in this order with this event But God did altogether contrary to what I did desire Then again thought I why my councel is not differing from the glory of God but it will make much for the sanctifying of thy name the gathering and encreasing thy Kingdom the propagating the knowledge of thy word and to be brief it is a most excellent and profitable design But God no doubt laughed at this wisdom of mine and said Go to now I know thee to be wife and learned but this was never my manner that either Peter or Martin meaning himself should teach or form or govern or lead me For I am not a passive but an active God who use always to lead govern form Now saith he it is very grievous that our wisdom should be only passive and that we are commanded to mortifie and slay it and therefore many who could not endure this mortification have fallen horribly And thus this kinde of Gods government is wholly according to his own wisdom and councel and wholly without yea contrary to ours And thus we are in some measure acquainted with the government of Gods special providence over his Church 2. The second sort of Gods immediate Government of his Church is the Government of his spiritual Presence or Gods government within us For the right Church is the City of God and hath God in the midst of it being built and framed and that according to every part of it by the Spirit to be the habitation of God this is the temple of the living God as God hath said and God is in it of a truth And if any would know what this Church is called the name of it is THE LORD IS THERE And so the whole guiding and ordering of this Church depends wholly on God who dwels within it For God will not dwell in his own Church and sit still whilst others that are without it shall govern it but the government of the right Church lies on his shoulders who is Immanuel God with us and in us And so this government of the Church is one of the invisible things of God in the Church Christ who fils it governing it by a most present and powerful but invisible influence leading it into truth by the Spirit of truth into patience by the Spirit of patience into love by the Spirit of love into power by the Spirit of power into humility meekness patience heavenly mindedness and into the fulness of all Righteousness by that Spirit which contains all these graces in it self and works them in all those in whom it dwels In this government we hear the voice behind us saying This is the way walk in it when we turn either to the right hand or to the left In this government we have not outward laws to order us as the Kingdoms of the world have but an inward law written in our hearts by the Spirit of God as God hath said I will write my law in their hearts and in their inward parts and this law is the word of life for the living Church or body of Christ can only be governed by a living word which is called the law of the spirit of life And according to this Government also God guides the true Church wonderfully the soul not seeing the ways and councels of God whereby he forms and fashions the Church according to his own minde and good pleasure clean contrary to humane reason and judgement for he brings them to mourning to bring them to comfort brings them to despair to bring them to faith to death to bring them to life yea even to hell to bring them to heaven leading his chosen people after such a manner that nothing would follow but faith which looks not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen And thus when the soul is in the midst of many fears woes agonies temptations till it feel in good earnest the true sorrows of death and pains of hell and in this darkness sees no beam nor the least glimmering of light and wants all counsel and knows not which way to turn it self then Christ comes and manifests himself to the soul and counsels and directs and comforts it and leads it into the path of life and redeems it from all distress subduing the world and the devil and sin and death and hell under it yea and carrying it into all the fulness of God Now these two sorts of Governments to wit the one of his special providence and the other of his spiritual presence the true Church never wanted in any Age And in this present Age when the Prelatical Government hath been dissolved for several years together Can any Christian think that the right Church of Christ hath been without all Government Nay all this while it hath been governed most powerfully by his special providence and most sweetly by his spiritual presence So that neither the world nor the devil have been able to prevail neither against its grace nor comforts And for an outward formal visible enforced Government after the manner of civil Corporations or worldly Kingdoms the true Church can as well want such a Government at all times as at any time yea and it is best without it as being farthest removed from the tyranny of men and more immediately under the Government of Christ its onely King and Law-Giver And therefore they that are so violent for an outward and visible Government of the Church after the manner of the Kingdoms of the World I do heartily wish that if it be the good pleasure of God they might sometime or other be exercised with temptations of despair and with the sence of the wrath of God and everlasting burnings For
govern his people by but the word or the preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and declaring what he had heard from his Father and at his departure out of the world he told them That as his Father had sent him so did he send them and no otherwise that is to do all in the Church by the power of the word and nothing by the power of the world And so the true Church doth all in it self only by the Gospel by the Gospel it bindeth and looseth by the Gospel it remits and retains sin by the Gospel it quickens to life and wounds to death by the Gospel it receives in and casts out by the Gospel it works faith renues the life acts orders guides and governs all things and that Church that hath another scepter and sword besides the word that hath orders and constitutions of men to govern by and plurality of votes in Classical Provincial and National Assemblies to binde and loose by that have their own Laws and Orders to be their Scepter and the Authority of the Magistrate to be their Sword in their Kingdom I say if these be the ways and instruments of their Governments assuredly the Church they boast of is another Church then Christs and is no other in very deed but a Kingdom of sin and darkness and death and when its form of godliness which it hath put on to deceive shall after a few years vanish away it shall return into the shape of its first beginning And therefore let us know whatever rules orders or humane inventions men do study and devise to govern their Churches by the true Church of Christ shall ever be known by the scepter and sword of the onely Gospel preached in it which is fully sufficient for the regiment of the Church else Christ were an imperfect Law-giver And all those that do affirm that the votes determinations rules and constitutions of Councels are better for the well ordering and governing the Church then the pure and naked word of the Gospel by the ministration of the Spirit in my judgement they speak blasphemously Let us now hear what Luther saith to this purpose Christians saith he ought to be governed by that word and no other whereby they are made Christians that is free from sin and this is only by the pure Gospel of God without the addition of Councels Doctors Fathers For what is it to govern Christians by that word which though they keep yet neither do they become Christians nor continue such nay they cease to be Christians and lose Christ. And of this sort is every word besides the Gospel and salvation reigns in us not by the laws of men but by the power of Christ. Farther they that are not Christians are to be restrained other ways then by the traditions of men for these are to be let alone and as Paul saith We are not to mingle with them There is the secular sword there is the Magistrate for these and it belongs to him to restrain those that are evil from evil deeds by the power of the sword But the Bishop or Overseer governs Christians without the sword only by the Word of God seeing it is certain they are not Christians except they be spontaneously good and such they are made by the force of the spirit of faith as Paul saith Rom. 8. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the children of God What madness then is it to urge them that are willingly good with the Laws of the evil And yet saith he There are not a few light and vain men that think that the business of the Gospel is to be promoted with weapons and cuffes And the same Luther in his Epistle to the Christians and Preachers of Erphurd saith Consider in your minde with what sword I subdued the Papacy and the whole state of religious men who before were dreadful to all of whom it was said Who shall fight with the Beast that hath power to make war with the Saints and to overcome them And yet saith he I never touched them with so much as one of my fingers but Christ destroyed and overthrew all that detestable Kingdom by discovering their iniquities by the Spirit of his mouth that is by the Word of the Gospel In which passages of his besides what is spoken before it is apparent that there is no other instrument of the true Churches power but the word of the Gospel which is the only scepter and sword of Christs Kingdom 5. What the true Church can do by vertue of this power Now the true Church by the power it hath received from Christ can 1. Gather it self together when and as often as it pleaseth The company of Believers have power to gather themselves together for their mutual good instruction preservation edification and for the avoiding or preventing of evil and that without the consent or authority of any extrinsecal and forraign power whatever else Christ were not a sufficient founder of his Church And if every free Society not subjected to tyranny hath power in it self to congregate and come together as conveniency and necessity shall require as is evident in all civil Corporations and in all Fraternities and meetings of love much more hath the Church of Christ which is the freest Society in the world power to meet together into a communion of Saints though it be without and against the consent and authority of the powers of the world And thus the Disciples immediately after Christs resurrection though the People and Rulers were wholly set against them did often meet together among themselves though privately and Christ himself came and stood in the midst of them and finding them in that way of Communion said Peace be unto them And so by his own presence did both justifie and encourage such meetings And after the Apostles with other Believers to the number of an hundred and twenty met together in an upper room to pray and to choose an Apostle in the stead of Iudas Act. 1. And at the day of Pentecost they all met again Act. 2. Though the Elders of the Church and Rulers of the state were utterly against their meetings And again Act. 4. Peter and Iohn after the threatnings of the Rulers and the Iews went and met with their own company which was now mightily encreased by the Ministery of the Gospel and declared to them all things that God had done by them and the Rulers had done against them whereupon all of them joyned together in the praise of God for the success of the Gospel against the power of the world And again Act. 6. the Church of its own accord met together to chuse seven Deacons And a multitude of other instances might be produced By all which it appears that the Church of Believers hath power of it self to appoint its own meetings as conveniency or necessity shall require for the good of the Church And therefore none are
did they also received these Keys and so all that have received the Spirit have the Keys of the Kingdom equally committed to them and the power of binding and loosing by the ministration of the Spirit And so these Keys appertain not only to greater Congregations of Christians but to the very least communion of Saints as Christ hath promised Where two or three are met together in my name there am I present in the midst of them Where we see that two or three gathered together in Christs name have as much power as Peter and all the Apostles because Christ is equally present with these as with those Again Christ hath commanded that if the offending brother will not hear the admonition of two or three other brethren the offended brother should tell the Church Mat 18.17 Now the Church is not the Officers but the Congregation of the faithful seeing men are not of the Church through any Office but only through faith And by all these things it is evident That the power of Church-government that is the power of acting and ordering all things among the faithful belongs to every faithful man alike in the Congregation of the faithful 2. What kinde of power this is which the true Church hath I answer in general that it is a power sutable to the Church or Kingdom whereof it is the power now as the Church we speak of is that Church which is born of God and of the Spirit and so is not at all of this world so the power that is agreeable to this Church is the power of God and his Spirit and not at all of this world that is it is not any civil or secular power I may add nor any Ecclesiastical power according to the common understanding it that hath any place in the true Church but meerly a spiritual and heavenly power without any conjunction or mixture of the other seeing Christs power is perfect and every way sufficient for his own Kingdom and Christs Kingdom is Gods Kingdom as well as the Fathers and so men may as well carry worldly and secular power into the Fathers Kingdom as into the Sons seeing this is no other then the Kingdom of God though it be among men and no other then the Kingdom of Heaven though it be upon earth which hath not been understood nor considered by them who have been so busie to being secular power into a spiritual Kingdom as if Christs own power in his own Kingdom were either weak or imperfect More particularly this true power of the true Church is as I said Christs power in the faithful which is the self-same with Christs power in himself and so 1. It is not a power of violence but a power of influence even such a power as the Head hath over the members and the soul over the body it is not a coercive but a perswasive power a power that makes men willing that are not willing and doth not force the unwilling against their wils 2. This power is humble and not proud as worldly power is for the power of the world sets men over others but the power of the Church sets men under others I saith Christ of himself am among you as one that serves and again He that will be the chief among you let him be the servant of all 3. This power is for edification and not for destruction as Paul acknowledges again and again that the power the Lord gave him was this and no other power viz. not to cast men out of their native Kingdoms but to translate them into Gods Kingdom not to take away their outward Liberties or Estates but to bring them into the Liberty and Inheritance of the Saints to bring men to eternal life and not to destroy men by temporal death 4. This power seeks the good of others more then its own yea good of others with the neglect of its own So Moses was not busie to have a most rebellious people blotted out of the Book of life but rather desired his own name might be blotted out of that book that if it had been the will of God theirs might have been written in And Paul desired that himself might be separated from Christ that his brethren and kinsmen after the flesh might have been united to him And if this power seek the good of others after this high rate even to the neglecting as it were and laying aside their own eternal good how much more to the neglecting and laying aside their temporal good their worldly profits advantages and dignities 5. This power doth not make others suffer to enlarge the Church but suffers it self to bring this about So Christ as Wickliff saith through his poverty humility and suffering injury and death got unto him the children of his Kingdom and not by force and the Martyrs enlarged the Church of Christ by dying themselves and not by causing others to die the blood of the Martyrs being the seed of the Church 6. This power only acts to a spiritual end salvation and only according to spiritual Laws but not to any temporal and worldly ends according to civil and humane laws And thus you see that this true Church power for the nature and quality of it both in general and in particular differs very much both from the apprehensions and practise of the most of our Ecclesiastical men 3. What is the extent of this true Church power I answer that this power extends it self full as far as the Church but no further For what hath the Church to do with those that are not of the Church What have we to do saith Paul with them that are without For Church power which is spiritual is no more sutable to the world then worldly power which is fleshly is sutable to the Church The power of the Church which is Christs power onely reaches so far as Christs Kingdom that is the people that are born of God and his Spirit True Church Government reaches as far as Christs and the Spirits effectual influence and operation but no further that is to all that are willing but to none that are unwilling As nothing hath more troubled the Church then to govern it and give it Laws after the manner of the world by secular force and power so nothing hath more troubled the world then to govern it and give it Laws after the manner of the Church by the aforesaid compulsion Wherefore as the Government of the world is not to be spread over the Church so neither is the Government of the Church to be spread over the world but as the world and the Church are distinct things in themselves so they are to be contented with their distinct Governments 4. What is the outward instrument of this power I answer The word only which is the only scepter and sword of Christs Kingdom to govern his people and subdue his enemies Christ himself the Head of the Church used no other instrument to
then Christ nor we worse then the devil If they be righteous and have the truth with them as they say they have and we be unrighteous why do they fear since the truth ought not to be afraid of falshood and Zorobabel declared That truth is of all things the most mighty and overcometh all things For Christ is the truth John 14. I am the way the truth and the devil is the father of lyes John 8. Therefore if the Pope and his Priests have the truth let them overcome us with the word of God but if they have lyes then they cannot long abide in all their presumption Wherefore we exhort and beseech all the Imperial Cities all Kings Princes Noble-men rich poor for Gods sake and for his Righteousness that one of them write hereof to another and that there may be some means made how we may commune with you safely and friendly at some such place as shall be fit both for you and us and bring with you your Bishops and Teachers and let them and our Teachers fight together with the word of God and let us hear them and let not one overcome the other by violence or false subtilty but only by the word of God c. By all which it appears That let mens Doctrine be what it will they ought to be heard and convinced by the word and not presently to be silenced and subdued by force Now secondly if upon hearing and debating things by the word it shall clearly appear that our adversaries hold such things which are so false and erroneous that they cannot be reckoned believers and members of Christ that hold them not can retain those Doctrines without unvoidable damnation then in this case the true Church hath Authority from the word to do these things 1. To condemn the doctrine 2. To excommunicate their persons 1. The Church ought to condemn the doctrine as contrary to the Gospel and to that eternal and unchangeable and most clear and certain truth which Christ hath heard from the Father and delivered to his Church which is the faith once given to the Saints and never to be altered And so to tell the people what Doctrine it is even such as carries in it an utter enmity to Christ and his Spirit and so consequently death and damnation and that therefore they are to take heed of it as they love eternall life and would void eternall death And thus Christ condemned the Doctrine of the Scribes and of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces and bid his Disciples Beware of them and Paul the Doctrine of Hymeneus and Philetus which did eâ—t as a canker c. 2. The Church in this case may also excommunicate the Person yea though he should be silent and not seduce others seeing believers 〈…〉 have no true 〈…〉 the word of life in which all the true communion of the faithfull stands Wherefore such pâ—â—sons may justly be cut off from the Society of the faithfull But herein also these Rules are to be observed to wit 1. That this censure be not proceeded to for every varying from the truth as is already said but for denying such truths or holding such errors as make a man incapable of salvation 2. That this be not done till all other wayes have been tryed to reclaim him 3. That this be done not by two or three persons but by the whole Church or communion 4. That it be done not by their own but by Christs Authority who is alwayes present in his Church as the Head of that body and that it be done not by any humane Passion or violence but by the efficacy of the holy Spirit who is alwayes present among believers as the Spirit of those members And this Excommunication thus regulated is the last punishment the Church can inflict by the warrant and authority of Christ and it cannot imprison any or banish them or fine them or put them to death for we must not expound that place of Paul Hareticum hominem devita as Hugo Charensis did to take a Heretike out of his life but him that is a Heretike we must avoid we must not kill the former being Christs rule the latter Antichrists Now these things have I spoken and propounded to the faithfull and Churches of Christ wherever the providence of God shall cast this Book which may travel farther on this errand then weak flesh can do and I so propound them all as being most ready my self to hear from any what they can propound in more light 〈…〉 in these matters they will ye◠〈…〉 over and preserve Peace and Vnity in the true Church of Christ The desire of which through Gods goodness is much stronger in my heart then any private interest or respect of mine own FINIS 2 Cor. 11.6 â—cclesia Regiâ—a misericordiae cujus viscera sunt merae miserationes remissiones peccatorum Cito vos omnes ut respondeatis mihi coram Attissimo justissimo Iudice post paucos annos The peace propounded is 1. Not between the Church and the world 2. Nor between the carnal and spiritual children of the Church Spiritual Christians make up the body of Christ. Carnal Christians the body of Antichrist Peace between the children of pâ—ace What the right Church is not What it is How the Church of God differs from the Churches of men How the true Church may be known though spiritual and invisible Quest. 2. Answ. How we may be joyned to the true Church though invisible The Church the body as well as Christ the head a great mystery The Church just such a body as Christ is a Head Wherein the Unity of the true Church lies The right Church is one body This one body comprehends Believers of all Ages Of all sorts Many things to be considered from the Churches unity of body 1 Cor. 12. Who break this bond of the Churches Unity The right Church is one Spirit Who break â—his bond of Unity Quest. Answ. The right Church have one hope of their calling Who break this bond of Unity The right Church hath one Lord. Who break this bond of the Churches Unity The Assemblies vote for their government The right Church hath one faith Unity of faith preserves peace 1. Notwithstanding diversity of inward gifts 2. Notwithstanding diversity of outward works Who break this bond of the Churches Unity Who break this bond of Unity The right Church hath one God and Father of them all The true Church is a Kingdom of Brethren Where all are 1. Alike dear to God 2. Alike dear to us This one God and Father of the true Church is 1. Above you all 2. Through you all 3. In them all Who break this bond of Unity There is no other bond of the Churches unity besides these seven It is a wicked thing to cry up Uniformity in the stead of this Unity How the union which God hath wrought among Believers should be preserved in 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