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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42767	A sermon preached before the right honourable the House of Lords in the Abbey Church at Westminster, upon the 27th of August, 1645 being the day appointed for solemne and publique humiliation : whereunto is added a brotherly examination of some passages of Mr. Colemans late printed sermon upon Job 11.20, in which he hath endeavoured to strike at the root of all church-government / by George Gillespie, minister at Edenburgh.	Gillespie, George, 1613-1648.	1646 (1646)	Wing G759; ESTC R30413	43,318	49

Reverend Brother must either prove from Scripture that Christ as Mediator hath given such a Commission of Vice-gerent-ship and Deputy-ship to the Christian Magistrate or otherwise acknowledge that he hath given a most dangerous wound to Magistracie and made it an empty title claiming that power which it hath no warrant to assume God and Nature hath made Magistrates and given them great Authority But from Christ as Mediator they have it not I finde in Scripture that Church-Officers have their power from Christ as Mediator and they are to manage their Office under and for Christ and in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ do we assemble our selves together Matth. 18. 20. in his Name do we preach Luke 24.47 Acts 4.17 18. and 5.28.44 and 9.27 In his Name do we baptize Act. 2.38 and 4.12 16. and 19.5 In his Name do we excommunicate 1 Cor. 5.5 But I do not find in Scripture that the Magistrate is to rule or to make Laws or to manage any part of his Office in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ And as the Mediator hath not anywhere given such a Commission and power to the Magistrate so as Mediator he had it not to give For he was not made a Judge in Civil affairs Luke 12.14 and his Kingdom is not of this world Job 18.36 How can that power which Christ as Mediator hath not received of the Father be derived from Christ to the Christian Magistrate I know that Christ as he is the eternall Son of God and thought it no robbery to be equall with God doth with the Father and the holy Ghost reign and rule over all the Kingdoms of the sons of men He that is Mediator being God hath as God all power in heaven and earth and this power was given to him Matth. 28.18 both by the eternall Generation and by the declaration of him to be the Son of God with power when he was raised from the dead Rom. 1.4 even as he said to be begotten when he was raised again Act. 13.33 he had relinquished and laid aside his Divine Dominion and Power when he had made himself in the form of a servant but after his Resurrection it 's gloriously manifested And so he that is Mediator being God hath power to subdue his and his Churches enemies and to make his foes his footstool But as Mediator he is onely the Churches King Head and Governor and hath no other Kingdom The Phatinians have defined the Kingly Office of Christ thus It is an Office committed to him by God to govern with the highest authority and power all creatures endued with understanding and especially men and the Church gathered of them But those that have written against them have corrected their definition in this particular because Christ is properly King of his Church onely As for those two Scriptures which the Brother citeth they are extremely misapplied He citeth 1 Cor. 12.28 to prove that Christ hath placed Civil Governments in his Church If by the Governments or Governors there mentioned be understood the Civil Magistrates yet that place saith not that Christ hath placed them but that God hath done it Next the Apostle speaks of such Governors as the Church had at that time but at that time the Church had no godly nor Christian Magistrates This is Calvins argument whereby he proves that Ecclesiasticall not Civil Governors are there meant Thirdly I ask How can we conceive that Civil Government can come into the Catalogue of Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Administrations for such are all the rest there reckoned forth Lastly the Brother after second thoughts may think he hath done another disservice to the Magistrate in making the Magistracy to be below and behinde the Ministery The Apostle puts them in this order God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles then gifts of Healings Helps Governments c. How makes the Brother this to agree with his Interpretation Next he citeth Eph. 1.21 22 33. to prove that all Government is given to Christ and to him as Mediator and Christ as head of these given to the Church But this place maketh more against him then for him for the Apostle saith not that Christ is given to the Church as the Head of all Principalities and Powers The Brother saith so and in saying so he makes Christ a Head to those that are not of his Body The Apostle saith far otherwise that God gave Christ to be the Head over all things to the Church which is his Body which the Syriack readeth more plainly And him who is over all he gave to be the Head to the Church He is a Head to none but the Church but he who is Head to the Church is over all God l●●sed forever Rom. 9.5 yea even as man he is over or above all The very Humane nature of Christ which was raised from the dead being set at the right hand of the Majesty of God is exalted to a higher degree of honour and glory then either man or Angel ever was or ever shall be So that he that is Head of the Church is over all because he doth not onely excell his own members but excell all creatures that ever God made It is one thing to say that Christ is exalted to a dignity excellency preeminence majesty and glory far above all Principality and Power and Might and Dominion Another thing to say that Christ is head of all Principalities and Governments and as Mediator excerciseth his Kingly Office over these The Apostle saith the former but not the latter Shall I need to illustrate this distinction Is there any thing more known in the world Will any say that he who excels other men in dignity splendor honour and glory must therefore reign and rule over all those whom he thus excels The Apostle saith indeed in another sense that Christ is the Head of all Principality and Power Col. 2.10 But that is spoken of Christ not as he is Mediator but onely as he is God And the Apostles meaning in those words is nothing but this That Christ is true God saith Tosanus That he is Omnipotent saith Gualther That he being the naturall Son of God is together with the Father Lord of all things saith Bullinger That this is the meaning will soon appear 1. From the scope of the place which is to teach the Colossians not to worship Angels because they are but servants and the Son of God is their Lord and Head 2. The Apostle expounds himself how Christ is the Head of all Principality and power Col. 1.15 16 17. Who is the image of the invisible God the first-born of every creature For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in the earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones ord●minions or principalities or powers All things were created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things consist Now all

this is without controversie to be understood not of the Office but of the Person of Jesus Christ not of his governing and Kingly Office as he is Midiator but to prove that he is true and very God Therefore Beza Zanchius Gualther Bullinger T●ssanus M. Bayne and divers other Interpreters upon the place do generally agree that the Apostle vers. 15.16 17 speaks of the dignity and excellency of the Person of Jesus Christ proving him to be true God and that vers. 17. he cometh to speak of his Office as he is Mediator And be is the Head of the Body the Church c. So that we may distinguish a twofold Headship of Jesus Christ One in regard of his Godhead and so he is Head of all Principality and Power Another in regard of his Office of Mediatorship and so he is Head of the Church onely The present Question is of the later not of the former The former is common to the Son of God with the Father and the holy Ghost The latter is proper to Christ God and man The former shall continue for ever The latter shall not continue for ever The former doth not necessarily suppose the latter but the latter doth necessarily suppose the former Christ can reign as God though he reign not as Mediator but he cannot reign as Mediator and not reign as God The object of the former is every creature the object of the latter is the Church gathered out of the world This digression concerning the Headship of Jesus Christ may for the future prevent divers Objections So I shall return And now I desire all to consider it there is not one word in those three last verses of Eph. 1. which will give any ground for that which the Brother with so much confidence averreth Vers. 21. affordeth this Argument against him The Honour and Dignity of Jesus Christ there spoken of hath place not onely in this world but in that which is to come But the Kingdom and Government which is given to Christ as Mediator shall not continue in the world to come for when Christ hath put his enemies under his feet he shal deliver up the Kingdom to the Father and reign no longer as Mediator 1 Cor. 15.24 25. Therefore the Government given to Christ as he is Mediator cannot be meant in that place but the dignifying honouring preferring and exalting of Christ to a higher degree of glory then either man or Angel Come on now and see whether vers. 22. maketh any whit more for him He hath put all things under his feet that is saith Zanchius all things but the Church which is his Body But this must be meant in respect of the Decree and foreknowledge of God as Hierome expounds the place and so doth the Scripture expound it self Heb. 2.8 But now we see not yet all things put under him 1.15.25 He must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet Acts 2.34 35 Sit thou on my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool Now when Christ shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power and shall put his enemies under his feet then he shall cease to reign any more as Mediator which I have even now proved But before that be done he reigns as Mediator So that it can never be proved that the meaning of these words He hath put all things under his feet is That all Government in this world is given to Christ as Mediator And whoever saith so must needs acknowledge that Christs exercising of government as he is Mediator over all Principalities and Powers shall continue after all things shall be put under his feet Or that Christ shall not govern as Mediator till all things be put under his feet which is so contrary to the Apostles meaning that Christ shall then cease to reign as Mediator The next words And he gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church do furnish another Argument against him Christs Headship and his Government as Mediator are commensurable and of an equall extent Christ is a Head to none but to his Church Therfore no Government is given to him as Mediator but the Government of his Church The last verse doth further confirm that which I say For the Apostle continuing his speech of the Church saith Which is his Body the fulnesse of him that f●lleth all in all He cals the Church Christ fulnesse in reference to his Headship that which makes him full and compleat so far as he is a Head or King Having his Church fully gathered he hath his compleat Kingdom his perfect Body and this being done he wants nothing so far as he is Mediator So that the holy Ghost doth here as it were on purpose anticipate this Opinion lest any should think all C●●●l Government is given to Christ as Mediator Though as God he filleth heaven and earth yet as Mediator his filling of all in all extends no further then his Body his Church which is therefore called his fulnesse Finally to avoid the mistake of this place and upon the whole matter let these three things be well distinguished in the Mediator Jesus Christ 1. His {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} his eminence and highnesse in respect of the glory and majesty he is exalted to far above whatsoever is highest among all the creatures 2. His {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the power by which he can and doth by degrees and will more and more subdue his and his Churches enemies and dash them in pieces like a potters vessel and break them with a rod of Iron 3. His {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} his Kingly Power by which he exerciseth acts of Government These three are distinguished in an earthly King the first two being of a larger extent then the third The conclusion of that prayer which our Lord taught his disciples doth distinguish the same three in God Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory Now these being distinguished in the Mediator Jesus Christ I conclude with these three distinct Assertions the truth whereof I hope I have made to appear 1. As Mediator he is exalted and dignified above all creatures and his glory is above all the earth 2. As Mediator he exerciseth acts of divine power and omnipotency over all creatures in the behalf of and for the good of his Church and restraineth or diverteth or destroyeth all his Churches enemies 3. As Mediator he is King Head and Governour to none but his Church Neither was all Government put in his hand but the Government of the Church onely I could enlarge my self further against that most dangerous Principle That all Government even that which is Civil is given to Christ and to him as Mediator But let these things suffice for the present The Reverend Brothers opinion will finde better entertainment among the Jews who expect a Temporall