alwaies did and ever will manifest the testimony and doctrine of the Gospel to be divine and that is the Holy-Ghost who by his powerful working upon the hearts of men seriously attending to this truth whereby a great change both inwardly in their hearts and outwardly in their lives is wrought doth mightily confirm it And those who find and feel in themselves the effects of sanctification and heavenly comfort can no waies doubt but are assured that God was in the Prophets and Apostles and did speak by them Besides when we consider 1. That the more we understand them the more excellency of wisdom we find in them 2. That these positives are agreeable and no waies contrary to pure morals 3. That they conduce effectually to holiness and eternal life 4. That they were approved received by the best men in the world and sealed with the blood of many Martyrs we must needs be fully satisfied that they are not false feigned fantastick conceits of deluded men and not only so but all these things may perswade any rational man to try upon practise whether they be divine or no. And this never any did but found the Apostles Doctrine to be of God If we had nothing but the universal and perpetual agreement and tradition of the Church of all places and times affirming the Scripture to be the Word of God it were sufficient to produce in a rational man a greater measure of belief then any Book or History in the world can possibly require or deserve For this universal testimony of the best in several parts of the world at such a distance as that they in their time neither heard of nor knew one another makes it more credible then any humane History can be But to return unto Mr. Hobbs I say its possible and not impossible to know the divinity of the testimony or declaration immediately but not of the revelation or matter revealed Yet that such a revelation and such a thing revealed there was is known in some measure by consequence And the divine Authority of this testimony may be infallibly known and that by natural reason yet by it as elevated and more perfected by outward representation and inward sanctification And the matter of the revelation to another together with the manner may be believed though not known For when we once know that God hath revealed it we believe the thing revealed to be true though by artificial and intrinsecal arguments we cannot prove it to be so For the testimony of God may be evident though the thing testified be hidden and above our reason The Conclusion is That we may have an infallible knowledge of the positive Laws of God so far as to know that they are from him and are his Laws and that without particular revelation that they were revealed to another T. H. If the divine positive Law be not against the Law of nature and he undertake to obey it he is bound by his own act to obey it but not bound to believe it For mans belief and interiour cogitations are not subject to the commands but only to the operations of God ordinary or extraordinary Faith of supernatural Law is not a fulfilling but only an assenting to the same it s not a duty but a gift c. G. L. His second question was how a man can be bound to obey supernatural positive Laws whereof he hath no particular revelation that they were revealed to others declaring them To this he answers 1. It must not be against the Law of nature which is the Law of God And its true that the Law of nature is the Law of God and this is a good rule For the positive Laws of God are not contrary to his pure moral Laws which have an intrinsecal rectitude in them 2. He further adds that if he undertake to obey a supernatural positive Law of God he is bound to obey it but not believe it This is very obscure and very absurd For 1. To undertake to obey it seems to be a promise to obey it and this is a voluntary Obligation whereby a man may bind himself to obey it as a divine Law or as no Law or if as a Law yet not as a Law of God and then he doth not obey as he ought to do 3. It is absurd To obey it as a positive Law of God and not believe it to be a Law of God For if he neither know nor believe it to be a Law of God he cannot obey it as a Law of God His obedience is no obedience unto God 4. Whereas it s said That faith is not subject to Gods command it s not a duty it s a gift this must needs be a gross errour For though the active power whereby a man is enabled to believe a divine positive truth be the gift of God yet the exercise of this power and the acts thereof are subject to the Law of God Other wise positive unbelief of a supernatural divine positive Law sufficiently declared and proposed could be no sin It s true that some affirm that the first and natural acts of the soul are not subject to any Law yet these do grant that all practical operations and such assent unto divine truths is be subject unto Law That faith is a duty is apparent because God commands it approves it rewards it and reproves and punisheth unbelief That we may the better understand the drift of this Author in this discourse he produceth the examples of Abraham and Moses declaring positive Laws of God upon revelation made of them which the posterity of Abraham were to obey upon their declaration and thence concludes T. H. That it is manifest and sufficiently appeareth that in a Common-wealth a subject who hath no certain and assured revelation particularly unto himself concerning the will of God is to obey for such the command of the Common-wealth G. L. But 1. It was formerly made manifest that neither Abraham nor Moses were Soveraigns much less Common-wealths 2. A Soveraign civil may declare something to be a Law of God and yet it may be no such thing and declare against a Law and yet it may be and many times it so falls out to be a Law of God and in neither of these cases is the subject bound to obey his Soveraign 3. If that which is declared for a positive Law divine be sufficiently attested especially by Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost by undoubted history and universal tradition the matter be agreeable to the Law of nature tends to practise of piety being practised is conducing to an higher degree of holiness and justice and by experience constantly found to be accompanied with rare and excellent effects tending to mans inward and real happiness it is to be believed and obeyed as a divine Law though all the Soveraigns in the world declare against it If a subject do accept the Religion established by the civil Laws of his Countrey he is free from
A second cause of weakning and dissolving a State are certain Doctrines The first That every private man is Judge of good and evil actions G. L. Judgement is publick or private publick no private man can pass private he may and that both of his own actions and others too The acts of others are private or publick of both these he may Judge Publick acts of the Governors are Laws Judgements Execution Even of Laws he may he must within himself so far as they are a rule and bind him enquire examine and determine whether good or evil Otherwise he can perform but only a blind obedience to the best and if he conform unto the unjust he in obeying man disobeys God which no good man will do In other acts which are apparently just we may judge of them truly as they are and no otherwise Yet this must not be done to palliate our disobedience to that which is just or raise sedition or rebel but we may complain to God and by our humble prayers seek redress T. H. A second Doctrine That whatsoever a man doth against conscience is sin The conscience may be erroneous and he that is subject to no Civil Law sins in all he acts against his conscience Yet to him that is in a Common-wealth the Law is the publick conscience by which he hath undertaken to be guided G. L. Conscience is a mans knowledge of his own acts as agreeable or disagreeable to the Law of God It s not a faculty but an act of the soul and an act not of the will but understanding and the same as practical The proper act is knowledge the object is his own acts and these acts not any way but as agreeable or disagreeable to the Law of God For as Aquinas saith there must be applicatio facti ad legem Otherwise a mans understanding cannot judge of it as conformable or not unto the Law of God These acts may be considered as to be done or done In the former respect conscience binds as a Law though it be not the Law but presupposeth or includeth the knowledge of the Law In the latter respect it judgeth and is a kind of judge of himself in some sort as superiour to himself But before the tribunal of God it is a witness and doth accuse or excuse The great Question so much vexed by the Casuists is whether an erroneous conscience doth bind But let them determine what they please an erroneous conscience in proper sense is no conscience For an errour is no knowledge but a defect of knowledge or rather a plain want of knowledge and also an act contrary to knowledge Conscience is a knowledge in proper sense and knowledge is true and certain and it s a knowledge of a mans own act or acts as agreeable to the Law of God this an erroneous conscience cannot be That conscience is such a knowledge is made evident by the Apostle saying That when the Gentiles not having the Law do the things contained in the Law they having not the Law are a Law unto themselves who shew the work of the Law written in their heart by their conscience witnessing c. Rom. 12.14 15. Where we may observe 1. That the conscience could not witness accuse or excuse except there were something to be accused or excused 2. The thing accused as evil or excused as good must be something conformable or contrary to the Law of God 3. The conscience could not accuse or excuse any thing as good or evil without knowledge both of the Law and of the act that was contrary or consentaneous to that Law 4. Therefore the Apostle before he makes mention of the conscience affirmeth 1. That they did the things contained in the Law 2. They were a Law unto themselves 3. That they did by their conscience witnessing prove or demonstrate the work of the Law that is the work which the Law did command written in their heart To have the work of the Law written in their heart is to have a certain true knowledge of it not an erroneous mistake But to return to the Author Conscience in proper sense doth bind yet not as it is knowledge nor as knowledge of a mans proper act nor as knowledge of the Law in general but by vertue of the Law known as a rule of his particular act For man being subject unto God and under his Laws cannot bind himself and be his own Law-giver but the Law of God not an errour truly understood by him doth bind him But let the erroneous judgement of the practical understanding be called conscience as by a Trope it may because there may be something of conscience in it yet whether can it bind or no I answer it cannot bind for an errour of the understanding cannot be a binding rule to command the will of man neither can it be a rule at all Again an erroneous judgement especially practical is a sin and against the Law of God therefore it can no waies bind only thus far most Casuists do grant that by it a man is so far bound as not to act against it yet this it doth only per accidens for per se he is bound to act otherwise then it doth dictate For because God hath made a mans reason his guide he must needs be much depraved in his will that will act contrary unto his reason And he that will not seruple to act against his erroneous judgement will be bold to act against his judgement rightly informed But the full debate of this I refer to another occasion And these things premised I return unto Mr. Hobbs that of the Apostle Whatsoever is not of faith is sin and therefore whosoever acts againt saith and conscience properly so taken sinneth and for him to affirm that the true Doctrine of God revealed in the Scripture should be either false or destructive of eivil States and Governments is no waies tolerable Whereas he alledgeth that the Law of the Common-wealth is the publick conscience by which the subject hath bound himself to be guided it s too loose and fallacious if examined For 1. The Law is not the publick conscience but the publick rule of conscience in matters civil 2. It s a rule of the subjects obedience not as its a Law of the Common-wealth but as it is agreeable and not contrary to an higher Law the Law of God For the Laws civil do not immediately bind the conscience and immortal soul as the civil Soveraign hath no power to punish it for his sword cannot reach that spiritual substance Secondarily and by consequence they may oblige the soul 3. No subject may or ought to make the Law of the State his absolute guide For the Law may be against the Law of God and then how can the subject undertake to obey it and make it his rule and not offend God 4. Every subject is first bound and subject unto God before he be subjected to civil powers and is first
sin of man and merited for himself eternal power and glory and for us eternal life and all effectual means for the certain attainment thereof All the rest of his acts performed by him as King Priest and Prophet tended unto the application of his sacrifice that we by faith might be partakers of the benefit thereof This is the sum of that Doctrine of Redemption delivered clearly and more fully in several places of the Scripture especially of the New Testament Yet this Innovatour hath obscured the same several ways and determines the Kingdom of Christ to begin when the world doth end because Christ said to Pilate My Kingdom is not of this world Joh. 18.36 From whence he concludes T. H. That the Kingdom of Christ is not to begin before the general Resurrection G. L. This is a gross mistake and mis-interpretation of a place which is clear in it self For by his gloss he makes the Scripture to contradict it self Christ was then Candidatus imperii and was King when he gave this answer unto Pilate yet he began to reign and exercise his Royal power more eminently when he was set at the Right hand of the Father yet his Kingdom was not of this world that is not civil but spiritual and as Austin upon the place It was Hic non hinc in the world not of the world in the world yet not worldly but divine and far more excellent then the Kingdoms of the world This is the genuine sense of the words That Christ doth reign now and hath reigned since his ascension and sitting at the right hand of God is evident Before his Ascension he lets his Apostles know that all power in heaven and earth was given him and according unto and by vertue of that power he gave Commission to his Apostles to teach and baptize and perswade men to the obedience of his commands Mat. 28.18 19 20. He that hath an universal power in heaven and earth who makes officers and gives them power who makes Laws Institutes Sacraments and sends down the Holy Ghost must needs reign and his Kingdom is begun already We read that Christ must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death And when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall also the Son of man be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all 1 Cor. 15.25 26 28. Where first from Psal 110.1 The Apostle tels us That Christs Kingdom did Commence at the time of Christs sitting at the right hand of God 2. That with him to sit at the right hand of God is to reign 3. That he must reign by Word Sacraments Spirit Ministry till all enemies whereof death is the last be destroyed 4. That when death is destroyed he shall deliver up his Commission and kingdom in respect of this administration by Ordinances 5. That at the Resurrection this manner of reign shall end when Mr. Hobbs saith it shall begin 6. That then God shall be all in all that is reign perfectly in his Saints without any enemy without opposition without Ordinances and more immediately Before that time indeed he will not proceed to the final and universal sentence and execution of the same Yet there are many acts of government besides judgement and many acts of judgement be sides those of the general Assizes and last Sessions To make Laws reduce men to subjection appoint Officers pass sentence and execute the same in the very souls of men are acts of one that reigns as likewise to subdue enemies Sin Satan and the world to protect the Church And in this manner Christ hath reigned since his Ascension And many Millions do adore him subject themselves unto him and obey him to this day Yet with this man Christ doth not yet reign Let him read Psalm 2. throughout It began to be fulfilled upon his Resurrection and Ascension as appears out of the Acts of the Apostles and their Epistles And if he or any other shall deny the present reign of Christ they must expect with his Iron Scepter to be dasht in pieces like a Potters Vessel CAP XI Of the third Part the 42. of the Book Of Ecclesiastical Power AFter he had enthroned Civil Soveraigns cap. 40. Dethroned Christ in the former Chapter In this he takes away all power from the Church and invests the Christian civil powers with it And herein it may be a question whether his ignorance or presumption is the greater for he is highly guilty of both He that will determine the controversie concerning the power of the Church must distinguist the universal power of God the spiritual power of Christ incarnate and exalted to the Throne of glory and the power deligated from Christ unto the Church universal here on earth as subject unto Christ as Lord and Monarch and also that which every particular Independent association of Christians is trusted withal for to preserve the Society and the Ordinances of God from profanation This he hath not done and therefore little or rather nothing can be expected from him This last power of particular Churches is called the power of the keys in foro exteriori in the particular government of their several combinations for there is no supreme universal Independent judicatory on earth to which all Churches in the world are bound to appeal in this outward visible administration General Counsels can be no such thing Neither was there ever any Oecumenical Synod in proper sense since the Gospel was preached to all Nations This power of outward Discipline is challenged by the Pope by the Clergy by the people Christian and by the States civil and Soveraigns of the world And in this last party is the Author deeply engaged but upon what reason I know not except he intends to side with the strongest for such are they which bear the sword The power of ordaining Ministers preaching the Word administring the Sacraments was in the universal Church since the time of the Apostles And in every particular Church reduced to a form of outward discipline there is a power of making Canons of jurisdiction of making Officers so far as shall conduce unto the better ordination of Ministers the preservation of the purity of Doctrine and the right administration of the Sacraments least they be profaned and Christ offended by the admission of ignorant scandalous and unworthy persons There is a power also of disposing and dispensing of those goods which are given to the Church for the maintenance of Christian Religion Civil Christian States may and ought to make civil Laws to confirm the just Canons and jurisdictions of the Church And those Laws may be a fence unto it against these who shall oppose or persecute Yet when all this is done those Laws are but Civil though the object of them be Ecclesiastical matters This might suffice for to confute and make void the main body and break in pieces