Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	moral_a	nature_n	positive_a	4,914	5	10.3383	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92864	Scripture a perfect rule for church-government delivered in a sermon at Margarets Westminster, before sundry of the House of Commons. By William Seigwich [sic] minister in Farnham in Essex. Published according to order.	Sedgwick, William, 1609 or 10-1669?	1643 (1643)	Wing S2388; Thomason E79_21; ESTC R12112	29,267	42

more then mens private estates It requires nothing of Princes but protection and favour that they be nursing Fathers and payes them againe in a more firme loyalty and zeale for their honour and safety Can these men make good their charge that ever Prince was molested in his government by the Disciplinarians Did they ever conspire their ruine combine with their enemies lift up their heeles against them or their power over them as the Episcopacy hath Or hath not the discipline beene faithfull to heathenish Princes having the chef throw a bowl of rabbit droppings at your headom 13.1 and will it prejudice Christian Or doe we thinke that Jesus Christ by whom Kings raigne will institute or allow of a government that shall by the remotest consequence undermine it Or Christ being to carry the Gospell round about the World would he so compose the government of it that he should justle downe the civill powers or clash with them These are odious aspersions and they that charge Christs government with this are guilty of it themselves It is easily proved they have beene and it is dangerous they will ever be encroachers upon Princes rights If any government endanger Monarchy 't is Monarchicall The Ivy that pretends to uphold the Tree sucks away the sap of it they that dare challenge so much interest in Thrones as to support them may come to challenge the disposing of them By such ascents the Pope rose so high as now to come betweene heaven and Kings Kingdomes depending lose part of their glory The Throne is established by God and Righteousnesse and needes not the helpe of a faction to support it But these weake arguments doe put jealousies not reason into Princes heads when it shall be considered that it is Christs these aspersions will fall off and his institution will stand bright cleare and perpetuall Thus much of the fourth Proposition Propos 5 The fifth is this Christ hath so established his government in all the parts of it that no man may alter either part or whole none may adde to it or take from it 1. For any man to doe so were directly against the command of God Deut. 4.2 and 12.32 He doth not say you shall adde nothing to the Leviticall Law but you shall adde nothing to that which is commanded so that the reason is the same now that it was then and therefore confirmed Rev. 22.18 19. as a close of the Bible For though that be particularly and especially meant of that booke yet the reason of it concernes the whole Scripture 2. Contrary to the second Commandement that forbids all feigned worship and manners of worship 3. Contrary to Colos 2.18 which forbids all voluntary or wil-worship 4. The Church never had any power given unto her to command any thing in the Church The highest power that ever was in the Church was but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministry Act. 1.17 or Ministration a step above that is to Lord it and will be in danger of that charge against Antichrist 2 Thes 2.4 to rule in the house of God Reasons there bee strong ones 1. If the Church may alter one she may alter many Reas if she may adde one she may adde twenty and so a wide gap opened to all the superstitions of Rome We may bow to an Altar to a Crucifix modo interponatur autoritas let authority command it it is no longer superstition 2. If the Church or any humane power may enjoyne any thing externall 't is to signifie something internall but of man can conferre such a power to any thing to set forth the spirituall things of God If he may appoint things to that end he may separate consecrate to that use and conferre a power supernaturall for naturally no artificiall thing or naturall thing can signifie divine grace This is to intrench upon Gods peculiar whose right onely it is to institute signes yea signes of this nature are Sacraments or Sacramentall 3. Men cannot invent any thing that can edifie not affirmatively and of its nature In civills things may be ordered to edification negativè i. e. so that edification be not hindered 4. Nor for ornament The designe of God is cleane contrary God hath chosen the meane base things 1 Cor. 1.27 28. c. Upon this conclusion we give this reason why the Lord made choyce of water and bread and wine to set forth the great mercy of Christ because they were ordinary meane low things that men might not looke for great state in his service but that his state is spirituall And therefore to erect a stately Priesthood Altars Worship 't is a designe above Gods and non honor sed dedecus si vel praeter vel contra mandatum Chrysost quoted by Bishop Andrewes on second Commandement That which men boast of a starre of reason to be sufficient to direct us in things externall 't is strange to suppose that so poore a guide should serve us in things of so high a nature In those things that are naturall or civill reason sanctified may advise something but in things religious she is to be excluded Consider mans insufficiency and unfitnesse to such a work to invent any thing for the service of God Man is ignorant not able to judge of spirituals all imaginations that are in man of God beside the rule are idolatrous neither can we safely suffer a thought of God beside what is written Every thought changes the infinite nature of God into a comprehensible frame and modell and subjects God to mans capacity therefore we may not bring the object to our soules but by revealed truths raise our hearts to the object And man that brings a service not commanded thinkes of God above what is revealed He that comes to God must beleeve c. As we beleeve so we come that which is the rule of beleeving must be the patterne of service If God have revealed as much as we many know he hath commanded what he will accept he is not a God that can be prescribed service nor is man able to doe it As man is unable so an enemy The wisdome of the flesh is enmity to God and God hath no reason to trust an enemy in moulding his service Besides the heart of man is crooked false deceitfull and therefore why should god put out his worship to man to make Consider on the other side the high nature of Gods publike worship 1. It is to have communion with God who is everlasting burnings and therefore it is no wisdome to bring wood ●●●y stubble Cor. 3.12 c. or any combustible matter of humane inventions 2. It is publike communion which is the greatest honour that God hath of man and therefore not fit that man should rule any thing in it 3. They are such things as come out of Gods bosome If he be a God he is to be worshiped according to his owne minde They are a part of the morall Law positive not

naturall It is naturall there should be externall worship but what that is is positive for what reason can there be given for any part of Gods worship What reason in nature why Baptisme or the Supper should be a service to God more then any thing else onely he commands them 4. They are evangelicall things that have their use about Christ and Christ is purely supernaturall There may be naturall Theology but no naturall Christianity therefore reason hath little to doe in the things of Gods worship Object But what power hath the Church none at all Sol. What she hath may be seene in the names given the Church Shee is called the pillar of truth 1 Tim. 3.15 So that shee may as a pillar hold up the truth in her practice and maintaine and defend it from errours and profanenesse she may keepe the truth committed to her Or she hath the power of a Spouse to make knowne her Lords minde and see it performed Ephes 5.23 24 shee hath power of service dispensation ministration preservation c. but no lordly or legislative power Object Are there not some things indifferent and in them the Church hath power Sol. Suppose the Church rightly constituted and she hath power but that power is not in another neither hath it power till the Church be a Church the accident cannot subsist without the subject But here will arise a double question 1. What things are indifferent 2. What power the Church hath in them For answer to the first we must know that nothing that is religious is indifferent but necessary externals as well as internals Religion requires the one as necessarily as the other Those things that are indifferent and not religious but in the power of the Church may be reduced to three heads 1. There be some naturall circumstances which attend the worship of God in respect of those naturall actions imployed in it as speech motion which require circumstances of time place which the Church may order 2. Civill circumstances The congregation being a civill thing though applyed to a spirituall end yet retaines its civility and so hath sutable circumstances as a distinct place for meeting decency and comelinesse in utensils table cloth cup pulpit and such like which are in the power of the Church These are more ordinary but there are somethings 3. Extraordinary such as concerne not the things themselves but something without viz. the consciences of the weake which occasioned some temporary commands in the Church as forbearing of bloud c. In these things the Church hath a power but what not perpetuall absolute unlimited but occasionall respective and bounded by generall Lawes and that during the occasion offered which being removed things ought to cease and the Church is free againe Which power is not so much of making Lawes but of wise instructing of us how to keepe Lawes already made But how shall we discerne between things religious and civill Their nature and use will discry them take in stead of many these three rules 1. Such things as are not competent to civill societies nor ordinarily used in them but of particular use in Religion are religious 2. Such as have beene religious and appointed by God or were religious if God should appoint them are religious as vestments in worship orders of Priesthood and degrees signes of internall and spirituall things these are religious 3. Such as doe that which religious things doe that which God commands his ordinances to doe viz teach edifie instruct confirme in grace c. Object these are religions and onely in Gods power to assigne them Answ The Apostle saith Let all things be done decently and in order doth not that give authority to ordaine ceremonies A text much abused with small reason Know this text is a rule not of commanding but of doing a rule so generall and appliable to all particulars as it is laid downe to prevent further Lawes Let all things be done in order that is not new things commanded but things commanded rightly placed so that one doth not dash against another and so order is opposite to confusion spoken of before in the chapter And decently that is the comelinesse of that order a comelines that ariseth from things well set together not borrowed or added beauty from other things otherwais the Apostles did not serve the Lord comely that neglected these garbes gestures and vestures Thus you have this point cleared to the former that no man hath power to alter or adde or diminish any thing in the worship of God I hope the point is sufficiently proved let us now see what use we may make of it Vse 1 Let it perswade all men to imbrace this truth I know it is a persecuted truth and hath been much malign'd The profane Esaus have had an evill eye at this Jacob and have counted it a supplanter of their honours and great places which is their blessing and of their lordly priority their birth-right They have pursued it so close that they have driven it almost out of the minds of good men They have buried it under so much errour and malice that it is almost forgotten which shewes their malice that would not onely deprive us of our priviledges but either corrupt or obliterate our Charter and so prevent our claime for ever But we hope you that have freed them that suffered for truth will not suffer truth it selfe to be imprisoned It begins to spring forth let it have favour and it will flourish Give us leave to set it up in your soules We know some have laboured to poyson mens minds with false principles and fill their heads with prejudices but we hope you are ready to receive it with a love of it I know it will be acceptable to a godly heart Doe not thinke government is not in Scripture because you yet see it not that were too much to thinke our knowledge the rule of what is knowable especially in a thing so much suppressed but whatever have preoccupied your understandings give me leave to expect what Paul did of the Corinthians in the same case having the chef throw a bowl of rabbit droppings at your head Cor. 14.37 He that is spirituall will acknowledge that these things are the Commandements of the Lord. To remove jealousies consider That in al ages the Church hath her externall policy 1. In Paradise two Sacramentall Trees 2. In the infancy of the Church while the Church was within families they had Sacrifices and a Priest-hood the first-borne 3. When the Church grew to be a Common-wealth and a subject fit for a Law of ordinances he prescribed them a compl te forme In the Wildernesse a worship apt a moving Temple a Tabet nacle in Canaan a fixed house with holy things This is 〈◊〉 pupillaris Gal. 4.2 4. There is aetas juvenilis now under the Gospel no more children Eph●s 4.14 al though in comparison of Heaven but a childhood ● Cor. 3.11 and