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A75732 The legislative povver is Christ's peculiar prerogative. Proved from the 9th of Isaiah, vers. 6.7. / By W.A. Aspinwall, William, fl. 1648-1662. 1656 (1656) Wing A4007; Thomason E498_4; ESTC R205981 64,555 56

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according as it is said Psal 93. 5. Holiness becomes thy House for ever Thus you see it cleared from the Text That the Government there spoken of must necessarily be understood of Civil Government Let me now produce some Arguments of the like nature drawn from other Scriptures that speak of the Kingdom of the Messiah And they will demonstratively prove That Civil Government and Jurisdiction do of right belong unto the Messiah the Son of David our Lord Jesus Christ that blessed and onely Potentate 1 Tim. 6. 15. These Arguments I shall reduce to six Heads 1. The Style given to the Government of the Messiah argueth that it is not Ecclesiastical but Civil It is called an Absolute k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soveraignty Dominion or Sultanship Dan. 7. 14. Hence the Turks derive the Name of their chiefest Lords whom they call Sultans This is such a power of Government as cannot be applied to Church-Government but is always attributed to earthly Princes Power in reference to mens persons and estates and ordering of the Commonwealths Affairs which is a Power that was never allowed to Churches or Church-Officers And David speaking of that Power which the Messiah should put forth saith Psal 72. 8. He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth The word there used for l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dominion doth signifie such a power as is inconsistent with Church Government It is such a Dominion and Rule as Masters do exercise over their servants Levit. 25. 43. Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour or as Adam did exercise over the fishes of the sea and fowls of the air and every thing that moveth upon the earth Gen. 1. 28. where the same word is used And who can with any pretence or colour of reason suppose That that should be an Ecclesiastical Power Yea it is such a ruling power as Princes exercise over their enemies Psal 110. 2. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies Wherefore we must needs conclude That Civil Government doth of Right belong to Jesus Christ unless we shall willingly shut our eyes against the clear light of Truth 2. The Titles given to Christ do argue That Civil Power belongs to him He is called The GREAT KING in reference to Jerusalem or the Commonwealth Ma● 5. 35. He is called also King of kings and Lord of lords Rev. 19. 16. Now in the Churches there is but one King and one Lord. Sometimes I alledged also 1 Tim. 6. 15. and applied those words The blessed and onely Potentate unto Christ as if the Apostle had spoken immediately of Christ Lest any therefore should mistake the place as I also did till I looked into the Original I thought it good to advertise every one to examine duly the words in their proper tongue ere they relye upon any interpretation given But yet the mistake is not great because that which is spoken of the Divine Nature may also by communication of properties be attributed to the Humane Nature united to the Second Person He is the King of kings and Lord of lords as hath been shewed 3. We may fetch another Argument from the Royal Seat of the Messiahs Government or the place of his Throne and Court which is not here said to be Zion or the Church but Jerusalem and Jerusalem in Scripture-phrase is frequently put for the Civil State And for that cause it is called The City of the great King Mat. 5. 35. Swear not by Jerusalem for it is the City of the great King Why were not Hebron and Samaria and other Cities of Israel and Judah his Cities Yea verily but they are not the Royal Seat of this great King or the place of his Court and Throne the place of his residence That will be at Jerusalem For There do the thrones of Judgement remain or sit the thrones of the house of David Psal 122. 5. Whence it is that most of the Prophecies concerning the Kingdom of the Messiah do still ●un upon Jerusalem I will create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a praise and I will rejoyce in Jerusalem Isa 65. ●8 19. Isa 62. 7. Ye that are the Lords remembranc●rs keep not silence and give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the midst of the earth And in the 3d Verse of that Chapter he saith That Jerusalem shall be a Royal Diadem as if that were the Royal Seat of this great King the MESSIAH And Zachary prophesying of the Kingdom of this great King bids Zion that is the Church rejoyce not onely for the presence of the Lord in his Church but also because the Lord Jesus the Messiah would again choose Jerusalem to be his Royal Seat Zech. 2. 10 12. and Zech. 14. 16 17. And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the Nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and to keep the feast of Tabernacles And it shall be that whosoever will not come up of the families of the earth to Jerusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts even upon them shall be no rain This King undoubtedly is King Jesus the promised Messiah of whom the Angel speaketh to Mary Luke 1. 32. He shall be great or shall be called the son of the MOST HIGH and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end And Thrones and Kingdoms are always put for Civil Jurisdiction and Power not for Church-power And l●st any should be mistaken to think that all the Scriptures which speak of Christs Kingdom are to be understood of his Spiritual Government over his Church the Prophet Isaiah tells us That he shall reign as King both in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem that is both in Church and Civil State Isa 24. 23. If any shall say That this will necessarily ●nferre Christs Personal reign for a thousand years I answer That it will not necessarily follow But that is not my subject at this ●a●e to discuss Possibly there may be a mistake both in them that avouch the thousand years Personal reign and in them that deny Christs Rule and Government in Civil things But whether he will Personally reign on earth a thousand years or no doubtless he will Personally appear and will assume his Kingdom and order the same And it is one thing to appear and to order and constitute Government another thing to reside and exercise the same But I shall conclude nothing positively as to that particular 4. The Acts of Judgement and Justice which are put forth in this Kingdom of the Messiah are such as appertain to Civil not unto Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Let me instance in some Acts and I shall begin with that which David mentions Psal 72.
Childe shall be born unto us a Son shall be given Unto whom shall this childe be born Surely the Prophet here personates the Church of Christ and by Vs he means the Church of the Jews according to what is spoken Isa 42. 6. and 49. 6. I will give thee for a Covenant to the people to wit the Jews and for a Light to the Nations So that his meaning is God will give to the Jews such a Son as shall sit upon the Throne of David to execute Judgement and Justice It is the promise of a blessing then to come And the phrase Vnto us or For us or Of us a Son shall be born implies That the Messiah here promised according to his Humane Nature shall be born and descend of the Jewish race And that in the first place he was given for them they then being the onely Church of Christ in the world And the GOVERNMENT shall be upon his shoulder The conjunction argues That it was already on his shoulder in regard of one of his Natures and shall in Gods appointed time be laid upon his shoulder in regard of his Humane Nature also The word translated a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Government is not elswhere to be found in Scripture and therefore it is more difficult to judge of the proper sense thereof But it hath a near affinity with two other b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 words which signifie Princely Rule and Dominion according to that of Isa 32. 1. Princes rule in Judgement And By me Kings rule Prov. 8. 16. And it is such a power as Princes and Conquerors do put forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as may appear by the use of that Root Gen. 32. 28. And when the Prophet saith That this Government shall be upon his shoulder it implieth That it is so weighty as none but the shoulder of the MESSIAH was able to bear And his Name shall be called WONDER Counsellor The Everlasting Father The Prince of Peace The word which our Translators render Wonderful is never so translated by them but in this place But it is a Substantive and not an Adjective and properly signifies a WONDER A new and strange thing that a Virgin should conceive Isa 7. 14. And that the Power of the Most High should overshadow a Virgin and that she should conceive without the help of man This is a WONDER indeed Counsellor This word c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is generally spoken of such Counsellors as are about Princes and Civil Magistrates such as were Jonathan and Achitophel in Davids time 1 Chron. 27. 32 33. and such were Azur Peletiah and Benajah in Zedekiahs time whom we commonly call Privy Councellors or Councellors of State And this argueth That the Government here spoken of is to be understood of Civil-Government The Everlasting Father Christ is so called in a double respect 1. Because he begetteth us through the Gospel administred by his Servants 1 Cor. 1. 15. And hence it is that Conversion is called a new birth 2. Christ is the Everlasting Father in regard of Creation He is the God of the spirits of all flesh Numb 16. 22. Moreover Christ is called The Prince of Peace or as the Apostle calls him He is first King of Righteousness typified by Melchisedeck Gen. 14 18. and then King of Peace Heb. 7. 1 2 The extent of this Government is expressed by an unusual form of writing the word Increase which here and nowhere else that I remember is written with Mem finale in a quadrangular form to shew that this Government 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d should spread it self into all the quarters of Heaven East West North South So extensive should the Government be and so also should be the peace of the same And for durance it should have no end so long as the world indures The Subject or Object of this Government about which it should be conversant it is not said Upon Zion but Vpon the Throne and Kingdom of David to shew that he means not a Government over the Church in an Ecclesiastical way but a Government over the Common-wealth in a Civil way The effects of this Government are these two to order and to support it amplified by the means of this Support Judgement and Justice For by Justice the Throne is established Prov. 16. 12. Thus have you the words briefly opened I shall onely raise one Observation from the same as that which I conceive to be chiefly intended and shall lay down as a firm Position which all the Powers in the world shall not be able to overthrow That the Power of Civil-Government is laid upon the shoulder of Jesus Observ Christ the MESSIAH the Son of David and to him it doth of right belong This I take to be the chief scope of the words and the great Promise here held forth That there should come a time when the MESSIAH should exercise Rule and Dominion as a Prince over all Nations of the world as well in Temporal or Civil things as in Spirituals Now that I may the better clear this Truth consider That there are three kindes of Government and they are all laid upon the shoulder of the MESSIAH 1. There is an Universal Government over all the Creation and Workmanship 1. Vniversal Government of God The parts of which Government that I may so speak are two 1. The Law-giving part which Christ exercised in the Creation giving unto every creature a Law and imprinting the same upon them or putting the same within them And this we commonly call the Law of Nature whereof we can give no reason but the will and pleasure of the Creator Hence springs those secret Virtues in the Magnet and many precious Stones Herbs and Minerals the ebbings and flowings of the Sea which Philosophers ignorantly and absurdly attribute to the Moon putting the Effect before the Cause Hence it is that Fire burneth and Water quencheth and all things act according to their several Natures which is none other but the Law given them by the Lord Jesus in the Creation For we must understand that the worlds were made by him Heb. 1. 2. and without him was not any thing made that was made Joh. 1. 3. And the same day that he created them he gave them a Law To the Heavens he gave their Motions the first day Gen. 1. 1. And on the fourth day he gave the Sun and Moon and Stars their Motions So that as David saith Psal 19. 1 4 5. The Sun like a bridegroom cometh forth of his chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run his race And on the fifth day he gave a Law to the Herbs Trees Plants Fowls Fishes Beasts and every creeping thing to produce their like for propagation of their kinde And as Jeremy saith Chap. 8. ver 7. The Stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their coming