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A57655
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Leviathan drawn out with a hook, or, Animadversions upon Mr. Hobbs his Leviathan by Alex. Rosse.
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Ross, Alexander, 1591-1654.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing R1960; ESTC R1490
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70,857
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139
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our Saviour did acknowledge by paying tribute and counselling to give to Caesar that which were Caesars He cap. 42 will not have excommunication to be a punishment but onely a denouncing of punishment that Christ shall inflict at the day of Judgement But I say that excommunication is not a bare denouncing but a real suffering of punishment and of such a punishment as is most grievous to wit a â— paration from Gods people and the benefits which they enjoy for if the Abstenti in the Prinâ—itive Church held it a great punishment to be debarred from the Sacrament for a whÃle how much more grievous is it to be cut off from the mystical body of Christ and to be excluded from the Communion of the Saints and of all the priviledges which they do now and shall hereafter enjoy He denieth cap. 42. that there is any spiritual Common-wealth among men in this world This he gronnds upon two reasons 1. because it is the same thing with the Kingdom of Christ which is not of this world Secondly There are no men on earth whose bodies are spiritual These reasons are very weak For first because a spiritual Common-wealth and Christs Kingdom are the same it will follow that there is a spiritual Common-wealth amongst men which is the Kingdom of grace here where Christ raigneth in the hearts of his faithful people which though it be not of this world yet it is in this world as I have shewed already And of this Kingdom our Saviour speaks when he saith The Kingdom of God is within you Luke 17. 21 Which consisteth in righteousness peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. Secondly To say that Christ hath not here a spiritual Common-wealth because mens bodies are not spiritual is ridiculous for Christs subjects here are spiritual though their bodies be corporeal because they are animated regulated directed by the spirit They are regenerated by the spirit John 3. They walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8. The spirit helpeth their inâ—irmities and teacheth them to pray Rom. 8. The holy spirit dwelleth in them 2 Tim. 1. 14. God hath given them of his spirit 1 John 4. 13. They are sealed with the spirit of promise Ephes. 1. 13. They have the fruits of the spirit which are love joy peace long-suffering c. Gal. 5. 22. Therefore Christs subjects though they are here cloathed with flesh yet are called spiritual Gal 6. 1. Yoâ— which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness These are distinguished froâ— carnal or natural men 1 Cor 3. 1. I could not speak to you brethren as to spiritual men but as to carnal So 1 Cor. 2. 14 15. The natural man perceiveth not the things of the spirit of God but he that is spiritual discerneth all things So their seed is spiritual 1. Cor. 9. 11. Their meat and drink is spiritual 1 Cor. 10. 3 4. Their songs are spiritual Eph. 5. 19. Their house is spiritual a Pet. 2. 5. And their sacrifice is spiritual 1 Pet. 2. 5. Can we say then that Christs Kingdom or Common-wealth as he calls it is not spiritual He cap. 42 â— will not have the members of a Common-weath to depend one of another but to cohere together They depend onely saith he on the Soveraign which is the soul on the Common-wealth But there is a dependence as well as a coherence in a dead body there is a coherence of members but no dependence in a living body there are both though the body depend on the soul it will not therefore follow that the members do not depend one of another for the hands and feet depend on the stomack to be â—ed by it and it depends on them to be defended provided and carried by them the like may be said of the other members So in a Common-wealthâ— the Soveraign depends on the people for assistance maintenance and defence they depend on him for counsel government and peace The members of the Common-wealth depend on the Clothyer for cloaths on the Husbandman for food on the Physition for health on the Divine for instruction on the Lawyer for counsel c. And these depend on each other Heresie saith he cap. 42. is nothing else but a private opinion obstinately maintained contrary to the opinion which the publick person bath commanded to be taught Hence an opinion publickly appointed to be taught cannot be heresie nor the Princes that authorise them hereticks It seems then by this definition that Arianiâ—m was onely an heresie whilâ—t it was maintained by Arius a private person but when it was anthorised publickly by the Arian Princes it was no more an heresie and so now not Arius but Athanasius that opposed it must be called an heretick by Mr. Hobbs contrary to the judgment of all learned men and the Church of God hitherto The great Turk and the Mahumetans who profess at this day the same damnable doctrine of Arius are not hereticks but the Christians within his dominions who are of another opinion these are your hereticks Mr. Hobbs by this your definition you may call Christ and his Apostles hereticks for they held doctrines contary to the traditions and opinions of the Scribes and Pharisees who as you say sat in Moyses chair It is not the person private or publick that makes an heretick but it is the doctrine repugnant to Gods word and the articles of our faith maintained obstinately for siniâ—trous ends as lucre honor c. that makes heresie a private man may maintain an opinion in Philosophy contrary to the opinion of the Prince and yet no heretick in this because he holds nothing against our Christian faith his opinion may be erroneous but not heretical In his three and forty chapter he tels us That the faith of Christians ever since Christs time hath had for foundation the reputation of Pastors and Authority of Christian Soveraigns This is to build our faith upon a sandy foundation which with every blast will be overtâ—rned the authority and reputation of men are but arms of flesh and broken reeds to rely upon these may be motives to induceus to give our assent as the testimony of that woman John 4. induced many of the Samaritans of that City to beleeve on Christ But the foundation of their faith was Christ himself who bestowed that gift upon them as he doeth upon us And how can mans reputation or authority be the foundation of that which exceeds all humane reason and capacity but such is faith Besides faith it self is the ground of our justification and salvation for we are both justified and saved by faith but if man be the ground of our faith he must also be the ground of our jâ—stification and saluation and so Christ died rose in vain But the Apostle sheweth us the true foundation of our faith in these words For other foundation canâ—no man lay them that is laid which is Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 3. 11.
speaks against I must needs confess there is not so much as some could take upon them yet to deny all coercive power is to deny the commission which this great King Luke 14. gave to his servants that they should compel those in the high-waies to come to his supper And albeit ministers are called fisher-men and not hunters yet fisher-men use some force in drawing their fish to the shore and indeed none can come to me saith Christ except the Father draw him as for his doctrine of dissimulation in matters of Religion both with God and man I dare not assent thereto for God who is the God of truth loveth truth in the inward parts he that is not with him is against him who gathereth not with him scattereth Linnin and Woolin in the same garment different seeds in the same ground an ox and an ass at the same plough are not pleasing to him Pulcra est concordia cordis oris If to think one think and speak another did argue Catalin to be an evil-man shall it not argue the like in a Christian Aliud in lingua promptum aliâ—d in pectore clausum habere When he â—ells us cap. 42. That Christs commission to his Disciples and Apostles was to proclaim his Kingdom not present but to come He is mistaken for the Apostles commission was to proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven was at handâ— {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the perfect tense shews that it was already come or at hand Mat. 3. and 4. And he sheweth Luke 17. 21. That the Kingdom of God was within them And Luke 11. 20. That the kingdom of God was come upon them If then this kingdom of Christ was not to come till after the resurrection how could it be said to be then at hand Whereas already there are 1652 years past besides what are to come When he saith cap. 42. â— That the Apostles had no power to make laâ—s but to perswade that they did counsel and advise but not command that their precepts were invitations and callings not commands that they might be without sin dissobeyed And much more to this purpose he â—peaks absurdly for how can he make precepts to be counsels and not commands Is not praecipio and mando all one Are not the ten Commandments ten precepts Are they to be called counsels did not the Apostles make laws and enjoyn them to be observed Acts 15. St. Paul doth not counsel but command the Thessalonians to work with their own hands 1 Thes. 4. 11. He hopes they will do the things he commands them 2 Thes. 3. 4. Timothy is to command as well as to teach 1 Tim. 4. 11. He must command the rich men of this world 1 Tim. 6. 17. The Apostle puts a difference between counsel and command when he saithâ— that concerning virgins he had no command but gives his counsel in that case 1 Cor. 7. 25. Now that Christ and his Apostles may be disobeyed without sin is a sinful opinion for Christ tels us that if he had not come and spoken to the Jews they had not had sin but now they have no cloke for their sin John 15. 24. St John writes to his brethren that they might not sin 1 John 2. 1. to wit if they obey and observe what he writes otherwise they must needs sin Disobedience is not onely a sin but as Samuel saith it is as hainous as the sin of witchcraft or idolatry He makes a needless difference cap. 42. between a minister and a servant That servants are obliged by their condition to what is commanded them whereas ministers are obliged onely by their undertaking But indeed these words servant and minister are promiscuously used for if servants are obliged by their condition to what is commanded them then ministers are servants for this obligation lieth upon them And if ministers are obliged by their undertaking then servants are ministers for what they undertake they are obliged to perform Christ Mat. 20. 26 and 27. useth the words {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for the same thing And so he is called somtimes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and somtimes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and this word Diaconus is given sometimes to the meanest servant sometimes to the Magistrate as Rom. 13. somtimes to Preachers somtimes to Church Officers called Deacons Ambassadors are called also by this name and they are said {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} to serve or to be Deacons He will have Chap. 42. Princes to be called Shepherds or Pastors because they are to teach the people But indeed they are called Pastors from feeding not from teaching neither is it the office of a King to preach or administer the Sacramentsâ— No man taketh upon him saith the Apostle this honor but he that is called of God as Aaron was he should have said As Moses was if he had been called to perform the Prâ—ests Office Therefore Christian Soveraigns are not instituted to teach by vertue of their Baptisme as he saith for Baptisme is a Sacrament of our regeneration and of our admission to be members of Christs bodyâ— by it Princes and Subjects are washed from sin but not instituted to preach the Emperour hath no more power to perform the Priests officeâ— or to preach by vertue of his Baptisme then his meanest subject And if the Kings Baptisme doth not authorize him to â—ach at all much lesse to teach what doctrine he will and to exercise absolute Power over his subjects as Mr. Hobbs saith For absolute power is in God onely they are tyrants not lawfull Princes that will claim absâ—lute power over their subjectsâ— And if it be Baptism that investeth Princes with power over their subjectsâ— what power hath the Turk the Persian the Magor the King of Chinaâ— the great Cham over their Subjects who were never baptsed and to allow Princes power to teach what they will is to make them absolute lords not onely over our bodies and goods but over our souls also and to enâ—lave our understandings to their wills When he saith cap. 42. In that Urim and Thummim was given to the high Priest it was given to the civil Soveraign for such next under God was the high Priest in the Common-wealth of Israel He contradicts himself for this high Priest to whom Urim and Thummim was given first was Aaron whom not long before he subjected to Moyses cap. 40. where he saith That not Aaron buâ— Moyses alone had next under God the Soveraignity over the Israelites and that not onely in causes of civil policy but also of religion Here we see how he makes and unmakes the Soveraignity of Princes and not onely doeth he make Moyses for his time but also the Scribes and Pharisees who sate in his chair that is to â—ay expounded his law supreme civil Soveraigns whereas the legislative power and civil Soveraignity was in the Romans by right of conquest which