Heathens Infidels and all that would come even purposely to pollute and scorn the holy Mysteries 1 Cor. 10. 16. 2 Cor. 6. 14. Acts 2. 47 c. 16. It is necessary therefore that some men be the Judges who are fit and who shall be admitted Else there can be no difference Of this see my Treatise of Confirmation 17. Every man is not to be the sole publick Judge for himself For then there would be still no difference nor the Mysteries kept from common scorns 18. The Magistrate is not made the first and proper Judge For then he must make a Calling of it and attend upon this very thing to try the baptized and the admitted which is no small work For he that judgeth must first try the Case and that with the diligence which the weight of it requireth Acts 8. 37. 19. The People are not to be the ordinary Judges for else they must all leave their Callings to attend baptizings and such works as thâ—se and must do that which most of them are unfit to do And Christ hath put all out of doubt by putting the Keys into the Pastors hands and commanding their study and attending to this work and calling them the Rulers Guides Pastors Fathers Stewards Overseers c. and commanding the people to obey them with submission and telling not the people or Magistrates but the Pastors of the great and dreadful account that they must give Heb. 13. 17. Matth. 24. 45 46 47. 1 Cor. 4. 1 2. 2 Tim. 4. 1 2. 1 Tim. 4. 15 16. 20. He that will lay this work upon people or Magistrates is their cruel enemy and brings on them a most heavy burden and consequently makes it their duty to prepare and study for it and to avoid all other business that hindereth it and would lay them under the terrors of a most tremendous reckoning unto God 21. Seeing it is a trust that must be committed to some or other common reason tells us that it is better in their hands that Christ hath put it in by Office and who spend their lives in preparation for it than in theirs that neither have the preparations nor the Office 1 Cor. 9. 16. 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. 1 Cor. 4. 1 2. 22. It is the great end of Christs coming into the world to destroy the works of the Devil and to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works and to save his people from their sins and to vindicate the Holiness of God And the world is so apt to judge of Christs doctrine by his followers that the Holiness and Concord of Christians is one of Christs great appointed means for his own and his Fathers glory in the world That as Gods greatness shineth forth in the frame of nature so might his Holiness in the Church And the Enemies of Holiness and condemned by their Creed when they profess to believe the Holy Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints And Rome it self doth own the name and pretence of Holiness 23. Travellers well know that the great hinderance of the Conversion of Infidels and Heathens Turks Persians Indians Tartarians c. is the wicked lives of the professed Christians that are next them when they see that Christians are more false and cruel and drunken and beastly and divided c. than themselves 24. Those therefore that would have the Church lye common without Christs Discipline to all the most prophane and wicked that will come in and have communion with it are indeed Antichristian even open enemies to the Church to holiness and to the saving of the Infidel and Heathen world 1 Cor. 5. 6 11 12 13. 1 Pet. 2. 9. Tit. 2. 14. 25. The Devil hath fought in all Ages as subtilly and diligently against the holy Discipline of Christ as against the Christian Doctrine 26. True Discipline doth so wonderfully displease the guilty and lose mens love and especially the Richer sort and all mens carnal interest and nature inclineth them so much to man-pleasing and flattery that Ministers have abundance more need to be driven to the exercise of Discipline than restrained from it except it be the corrupt and carnal Discipline which the Popish and tyrannizing Clergy do exercise where the Magistrate himself upholdeth them in Grandure and lendeth them his Sword Let Discipline be but such as Christ appointed and stand of it self and then it is but few that will have any more cause to be restrained from it than from too much preaching Though still I yield that there must be limits for the wilful and the indiscrâ—et 1 Cor. 5. 3 John 9. 27. The true Discipline of Christ hath been acknowledged to be his Ordinance in all the Churches almost in the world since the Apostles dayes till now save that as you open it since Constantines time it hath been much corrupted by the mixture of the secular force and the Emperours lending his Church-power to the Bishops and Councils 28. Government hath two parts Antecedent to mens facts which is Legislation and Consequent which is Judgement and Execution Christ is the only Lawgiver of Universal Laws to the universal Church and the Author of his own Doctrine and the substantials of his Worship But yet there are many undetermined circumstances which may and must be antecedently determined some by each Pastor some by a consent of Pastors and some by Magistrates if they please I will name you twenty lately named elsewhere 1. What day besides the Lords day and what hour the Church shall meet 2. How long the Prayers Reading and Sermons shall be 3. When and how often publick Fasts and Thanksgivings be 4. What place the Church shall meet in 5. Of the Form Ornaments Seats c. of the Temples 6. The place and form of the Pulpit 7. The subject of the present Sermon and the Chapter to be read 8. The Method of the Sermon 9. The Words of Sermons and Prayers 10. Of using or not using Books and Sermon Notes for memory 11. What Translation of Scripture to use 12. And what Version and Meeter of the Psalms 13. And what Tune to sing in 14. What form of Catechism to use 15. Of decent Habits especially in publick Worship 16. By what professing sign to testifie our consent to the Churches Confession of faith Whether by speaking or lifting up the hand or standing up 17. Of decent Gestures in the acts of publick Worship 18. Of Font Table Cups Cloathes and other Utensils 19. Making new Officers for these actions circa sacra as Door-keepers Clarks Churchwardens c. 20. Judging when any private man shall speak in the Church and when he shall be silent and such other Orders necessary to peace and Edification 1 Cor. 14. 28 29. 33. 26 40. 29. Most of these should be left to every Pastors judgement some may be determined by the Magistrate but yet some are fittest for the Concordant determination of Consociated Churches in a Synod or by consent But none of them
THE DIFFERENCE Between the POWER OF MAGISTRATES AND CHURCH-PASTORS AND THE ROMAN KINGDOM MAGISTRACY Under the Name of a CHURCH CHURCH-GOVERNMENT Usurped by the Pope or liberally given him by Popish Princes Opened by Richard Baxter To the Learned and Sincere Ludovicus Molinaeus Dr of Physick and Author of Jugulum Causae Papa Ultrajectinus and other Books on this subject For the Vindication of the true Pastoral Discipline exercised by the Ancient Churches and claimed but alas too little exercised by the Churches called Protestant and Reformed And to acquaint Posterity what we hold in this that false accusations misinform them not LONDON Printed for Nevil Simmons at the Sign of the three Crowns near Holborn Conduit 1671. READER THE first Epistle is now written upon the sight of Jugulum Causae The other with the Propositions was written about a year and half ago upon the sight of Papa ultrajectinus c. and the Paraenesis contra Aedificatores Imperii in Imperio And the design of all is to shew how little or nothing at all the sober moderate Protestants called Episcopal Presbyterian Independent and Political or Erastian are disagreed in all this business whilst I name you near a hundred Propositions in which they commonly consent That Princes and all Magistrates may see that they have no cause to be offended at the Christian and Protestant Doctrine or to judge the true Religion of any of these parties as such to be contrary to their interest when in very truth they are in that all one But that among all Sects and Parties there will be still some injudicious intemperate and unpeaceable men especially those whose Interest in the world is Great and cannot be upheld without encroaching on the rights of others As Great Trees must have much room and suffer nothing to prosper under them but Weeds and Bryars And it is to tell Politicians that the true Pastoral Power being a Power to labour and suffer in patient self-denyal for the Church of Christ and the souls of men is past all doubt of Christs appointment And to diminish that Power is but to diminish our obligation to labour and suffer and to gratifie our sloth and fleshly interest But to diminish that Secular Church-power which Clergie men claim as of Divine Right is but for Princes to be Princes whether the Clergie will or no. And as to the Learned Author Dr. Lud. Molinaeus my meaning is to second him in awakening Magistrates to reassume their proper power and to leave it in no Clergie mens hands of what party soever But as to his reflections on the Protestants Discipline lovingly to chide him for making the difference seem wider than it is and to RECONCILE the four Parties while I distinctly open the common Doctrine of them all excepting the rigid Opinions of some interessed or intemperate individuals My Learned Sincere and Worthy Friend WHEN I had hastily set down my judgement of the Cause which I found handled in your Papa Ultrajectinus and other Writings which you sent me I cast by that Script which I intended at the writing of it for your view that I might surely keep it from the notice of others in this Age wherein the prevalency of Interest Faction Passion and Injudiciousness doth make it so great a difficulty to say any thing for the cure of any mens errors enormities or impieties which shall not be charged with the same crime or greater which it would cure and be taken for a disturber of the Church and Peace which it would save or heal But now seeing that you renew your endeavours in the same Cause and finding your Jugulum Causae directed to so many hands by seventy particular Epistles and that you have honoured me with a place among those great and worthy persons I take my self obliged to render you some account of my judgement of your Writings and especially of the whole Cause by bringing into the open light those hundred Propositions which I had purposed to conceal And withal to tell you 1. That though you have much overvalued me in your recitation of their report who would have joyned me with so Great so Wise and Good a man as A Bishop Usher and that in so great a work and experience may tell you that other men have other thoughts of me as one unmeet to preach the Gospel in the Land of my Nativity much more unmeet to be a decider of the Churches Controversies yet you have truly described my judgement of your self and your undertaking I confess I hope not that ever you should make the Roman Usurpation more palpable than the falshood of their Doctrine of Transubstantiation where they maintain not only the Corporal Presence which is not it that I now mean but that Bread is not Bread and Wine is not Wine when all men see taste smell and feel them And if the Princes Doctors and great men of the world can thus obstinately deny or take on them to deny the judgement which is made of sensible objects by all mens senses you may gather what fruit you may expect of your labours or of any Cause how plain soever where prejudice and seeming interest are against you Can all the Writings or Reasonings in the world bring any thing to a more clear and sure decision than that of all the senses of all men in the world about the proper objects of sense If flesh so far conquer flesh it self and the interest of sensuality can cause such men and such multitudes to renounce the apprehension of all their senses what have we to do more for the cure of mankind You have made it plain enough that it is really a part of the Secular Government of Kings and States which is now commonly called Ecclesiastical among the Papists and as such is challenged and usurped by the Pope and that Princes that subject their Kingdoms to his Usurpation do take in a joint Ruler with them and divide their Kingdoms or Power between themselves and him But so they have done and so they will do till the Time of the Churches fuller Reformation and of the Coalition of the Christian world is come I know you may think that as Interest blindeth them so this great detection of the Invasion of their Interest is the way to bring them to the truth For who will have a Co-partner with him in his Kingdom that may choose Who had not rather Rule alone than divide his Kingdom with the Pope Undoubtedly they give away more of their own Interest hereby than you have opened When they deliver part of their power to one who by an approved General Council of their own which is the Religion of their Party Later sub Innoc. 3. Can. 2. 3. may depose Temporal Lords though no Protestants themselves that will not exterminate those that deny Transubstantiation out of their Dominions and may absolve their subjects from their fidelity and may give their Countryes unto others When their most Learned
and Religion Now I call not all this an Usurpation of Magistracy so far as he useth no Corporal force and threatneth no penalty but excommunication and damnation For every true Pastor with his own flock hath the Power of Guiding them by delivering Christs Doctrine and Precepts and commanding obedience as his Servant or Embassadour in his Name and of denouncing his judgements and of judging obligingly who are fit to be taken in to the Church by Baptism and who to be cast out as Impenitent by excommunication in his own particular Charge or Society And if the Pope usurp a power of doing all this and more as an Universal Pastor only this is an Usurpation of a Church Power and not of a Magistracy And indeed if you will acquit him from the guilt of the Mysterie of Iniquity any further than he invadeth Magistracy it self you will do him a great deal of wrong For he is the Vicarius Christi and the Vice-Christ more notably by his Spiritual Usurpation of a power proper to Christ himself or at least of a power that Christ never gave him II. His setting up a KINGDOM and invading the MAGISTRACY is done I. Directly II. Indirectly and Consequentially I. Directly 1. By holding a Secular Jurisdiction as the King of Rome where he exerciseth the Supream Civil Power acknowledging no Superiour Civil Governour either as to the Legislation or Execution in all the parts of his own Dominions 2. By his laying claim to many Kingdoms as his own among which England is one as pretended to be delivered to him by King John and supposing that the Kings do hold them as under him and by his Grant 3. By laying claim to the Temporal or Corporal Government of all the world say some or of all the Christian world say others Of which you may see a multitude of Volumes written in the defence of his pretensions In particular all those aforesaid were of this subject which all Goldastus his Collected Treatises for the Right of Princes do confute I gave you Cardinal Bertrands words before And though some of their Clergy who live under Princes that are not willing to resign their Crowns do disclaim the Popes direct Title to the Universal Civil Soveraignty yet he himself disclaimeth it not nor condemneth the Books as such that have been written to defend it In the Jesuits Morals the last Chapter hath this Title That the Jesuits teach that the Church cannot command spiritual and internal actions That its Laws and guidance are humane and that it is it self only a Political Body Where the Jansenist chargeth them with destroying the Church from its foundation and making it altogether external humane and Politick and that which needeth only Politick Vertues for its Government and the exercise of its principal offices and that they make its Laws but humane and politick which oblige only to things external and chargeth them as Cyprian did the Novatians Quod Ecclesiam humanam faciunt So that if he accuse them justly here is no room for any subterfuge It is not the Spiritual and Temporal power that he makes them claim but the Temporal or External only But what doth the Jansenist himself therefore disclaim all Temporal Power in the Church or is he just to Kings Judge but by pag. 388. where he boasteth of Laymans Confession of the Truth that Ecclesiastick power is instituted immediately from God and the Civil power comes immediately from men And that Civil power regards properly and directly wealth and peace temporal only And he adds For the Civil power regards the outward order and Civil tranquility alone and prescribes none but outward and humane means to attain this end Which is all false and most injurious to Kings whom this moderate Jansenist would hereby set as far below every Priest in real dignity and amiableness to the Subjects as a Humane Creature is below a Divine and the interest of the body is below that of the soul. Whereas indeed God is the immediate Original of Civil and Church power though in both the Persons are designed by the means of men And both have God himself for their ultimate end and the Common Good of the Society for their Common End which ever consisteth most in spiritual felicity referring to Eternal Though the Magistrates weapon be the Sword and the Pastors only the Word by which all this is brought to pass Indeed it is not possible that the Papacy in its present State can be defended by any man how moderate soever without Injury to Princes and States whose Power the Pope hath so notoriously invaded and usurped For how can they defend him that usurpeth the Power of Kings or usurpeth a false Power over Kings and not be injurious to them that the Usurper injureth But it is most wonderful to me that when W. Barclay defendeth the right of Monarchs in such a Kingdom as France that hath power and will to hold fast its own he should complain as if he undertook a Cause which most were against him in and in which he expected to be wondered at for his singularity 4. By their Inquisition and by their Decreeing Corporal Penalties in their Councils and Decreeing the deposition of Princes and the giving away their Dominions to others as in the two fore-cited Councils Roman suâ— Greg. 7. Lateran sub Innoc. 3. In a word by all that they do in their Usurped Legislation Judgement and Execution by the Sword or a forcing Power as in themselves II. But the more successful Usurpation of the Power and Rights of Princes is Indirectly and as Bellarmin defendeth it in ordine ad spiritualia By using their Ecclesiastical Usurped power upon mens Consciences in such a way as shall overtop the Magistrates power of the Sword when they decree that all are Hereticks that believe their senses and deny Transubstantiation and that all such Hereticks shall be banished or burnt the Clergy is not to do this themselves but to deliver them over to the Secular Power The Pope and Clergy do but charge it on their Consciences in the name of Christ. And if Princes obey them not or Temporal Lords will not burn or banish all such Hereticks for believing sense the Pope is not to touch their bodies but to excommunicate them And if they will not yet obey the Pope when they are excommunicate the Pope Good man will not draw a Sword against them but only use the Spiritual Sword by giving their Dominions to others which is but by word of mouth he doth but declare such a Temporal Lord to be dispossest of his Title and require another to take his Lands and let his great Divines publish that an Excommunicate King is no King and that to kill him is not to kill a King And if Princes will defend themselves by Arms the Pope will not send his Clergy in Arms against them but only by the Spiritual Sword or Word command other Princes States and people to arm themselves against their