his by the other capacities of membral or integral 2 Potestative in the particulars aforesaid viz. examining advising convincing pro contra sentencing c. which is the proper work of the adulti or men grown besides those of women and children ensuing which they have in common with them yet without the proper work of the prophets for want of the personall abilities to prophesie * 2 Passive or receptive 1 Mixtly as the duty of women wherein the understanding and sincerity and devotion of the mind is active in receiving Church-preaching Sacraments Prayers censures and secondly wherein they act without church-power as in testifying for and against themselves and others in the Ordinances of Ruling and Power besides the prâ—viledge of children under the age of discretion and without the work of Prophets and men grown and their priviledges mentâ—oned 2 Simply viz. the priviledges of children of the adult men and women whereof one or both are Church-members viz. to be really of the Church and to be baptized and generally enrighted to further Church-priviledges and duties further correspondent personal abilities intervening For they have right to baptism which exacteth no act of the receivers but to be meer patients and passive receivers of Gods seal of the righteousness of Christ wherein they are estated by their Church-membership received with the admission of one or both of their Parents into the Church by the Prerogative will and gift of God given them in by and at Isaac's receiving of Gods Covenant with Abraham and his promised seed Gen. 17.7 to 14. Gal. 3.16 that is to Isaac typically and to Christ antitypically and so to Christians in the estate with Isaac for the gifts and graces of God are without repentance yea inlarged under the Gospel Note The three later of the four integral membral functions or priviledges are by synecdoch of the particular viz. prophesie put for the general i. e. membral priviledges and duties prescribed v. 6. in the word Prophesie Z 2 Instrumental or official as Mayor Aldermen and Sheriff y 1 Episcopal Presbyterial or Pastoral Acts 20.17.28 z 1 Doctrinal 1 Informing i. e. Teaching v. 7. i. e. Translating Metaphrasing Analysing and Genesing preparatorily thereto dogmatizing or extracting the genuine Doctrine of the place and proving thereby and its parallel places and by artificial proofs and illustrations ad captum recipientium and applying them to them with exhortation to learn them and comfort therein and lastly confuting the opposite Doctrine with dehortation and terror of the teachers and learners 2 Conforming viz. exhortation of the members to do according to the Doctrine taught i. e. to believe and apply the promises and comforts and to fear and flee the threats and terrors to obey the Preceps and Prohibitions of God proved Note To both these Functions do the administration of Sacraments appertain they being teaching and significant and also confirming and sealing rites and as earnests and livery of seisin of what is taught and exhorted Observe by the way that the neer union of these in their scope and end doth not extinguish the distinctness of their estates or e converso and from thence the like affinity and distinctness of the other Offices and also of the Trinity it self in its being one in its proper nature and yet three persons and distinct hypostasis and again one with the Church and that in union of estate in Christ expressed by Christ John 17.21 The like is hence to be supposed in all compleat things of God and in this particular of which anon z 2 Ruling viz. the function of Ruling v. 8. i. e. ordering the Church after its decrees of the time place and persons of the Congregation and in its ordering the whole Worship in its parts time and order of exercise especially in the act of Government as proposing the case ordering the tryall both in the speakers and putting the matter to sentencing and gathering the voyces and accordingly pronouncing the sentence and in matters of admission and excommunication election and degradation executing their instituted solemnities as imposing hands in admission and ordination as it is called or rather election whereunto it is a complementary rite or solemnity appendant Howsoever Antichrist hath made it his Priest begetting act or rather the Antichristing or whore-getting seed and act to parallel the creation of the Heathens Goddess whore of the foam or shame of the Sea Iude 13. with that miscreation of the spiritual Gentiles Rev. 11.2 Whore-Goddess or Mother of Whoredomes chap. 17. v. 1.5 of and by the fume of the breath and touch of the paw of that Prelatical Beast as such and without other seed or act yea or pretence of any thing or act of Gods but the least and last touch of his Church-Deputy in that act who also is counterfeited by a Church-maker and Church-master and Church-beer the monstrous monster getting of and by that beast whereof might be framed a Riddle unappliable but to this monster Rev. 13.1 2. But for the Preachers usurping these instituted works I know no warrant much less for his doing other and that without the Congregation or authority from it but least of all for his sole supremacy over it even many of them and that by that Paw-begotten Prelateship yea and to his leaving his Preachership by which he claimeth them y 2 Diaconal or serving 1 Possessive viz. disposing matters Possessory v. 8 Distributer 2 Personal viz. tending the sick v. 8. the shewer of mercy or pitier Note Both which and the ruling function are prescribed in their subjective offices by this rule The properties of each conjugate belong to all the proof of these and the confirmation of other functions of the four former are of the larger Tract 2 Actional or executive 1 Active viz. the actual execution of all the nine functions except that of Infants in whose Parents yet there is an actual claiming of the active administration of Baptism on them and an active tendering of a fit object thereof which supplieth the active part of the children but in the rest there is a double activeness personal prescribed 1 The one in tendering a fit object for the administration of the function of the Church-estates 2 The other in claiming and using the same whether it be in doing or receiving for those are active even in receiving 2 Passive or receptive viz. the submissive receiving the blessed prâ—vâ—ledg of faith for the increase of faith amd its fruits and yeilding to the holy work of Gods Worship charged by his Word upon us even in the most active functions yea in the right consideration of the nature of Worship as commanded by God we are rather Patients than Agents in the most active work thereof and therefore it is said 1 Sam. 15.22 Behold to obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken then the sat of Rams that is the cream of works Note All these adjunctive institutions are capitally included in the third Apostolike Principle of
be active in the active priviledges and seals and to receive actual assurance thereof themselves The third is of Males of age and discretion enrighted thereby both to the nourishing and trading Church-priviledges and also to the Church-power of voting whereby their voices are to be accepted The fourth is of Prophets or membral or integral Teachers enrighted to use and exercise their personall abilitie of Speaking to Edification Exhortation and Comfort in the exercise of Prophesie to edifie the Church These are the integral parts of the Church The first of the Organicall is the Teacher whose Ministeriall Office is Ministerially to teach inform prove disprove and administer the Teaching Seals for knowledge The second is the Exhorter whose instituted office is to exhort dehort comfort reprove and terrifie by the preaching the Word and administration of the Sacraments as Seals thereof unto the Sanctification of the Church The third is the Ruler whose office is to order Church-actions and other Church-estates and offices in their execution and pronounce the Church-sentences of Admission Excommunication Ordination Deprivation for good behaviour The fourth is the Distributer Deacon or Helper whose Office is to receive and distribute the alms of the Church to provide Meeting-places Bread Wine and Water with their fit Vessels for the Sacraments for provision The fift is the shewer of mercy Mercier 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Widow or Woman-Deacon whose office is to keep the Sick and supply their naturall wants in Food Physick Warmth and other helps for their preservation The first three of these Offices are called by one common name of Bishops Act. 20.28 because their Office is set to oversee take care and charge of the Church in all Spirituall means of knowledge grace and honest behaviour for the benefit of the Church thereby Secondly they are Feeders Shepherds or Pastours Act. 20.28 for their duty to feed nourish and physick the Church by all means of information reformation and preservation spirituall for its benefit thereby They thirdly are also called Elders Presbyters or Ancients Act. 20.17 for their duty to be grave staid discreet and to be examples to the younger sort and by their experience and habit of knowledge vertue and gravity to benefit the Church The other two are also joyntly called Deacons and Helpers for their office of service to the Church and help to the other three offices in the mentioned particulars that nothing be wanting to the Church and its overseeing offices These are the nine sorts of Church-members Portions Proportions Gifts and Graces Rom. 12.3 to 6. enrighted there by to receive the benefits of Christ and do his speciall works allotted to his Church for his speciall worship and their good The first four as children women men Prophets have by their Church-membership an addition to their Personal Saintship of publike right to the duty and benefits of Divine Worship the second Commandement and the second Petition for their grace and exercise The last five as Church-officers have a farther priviledge and duty by their instituted offices to purchase a good degree in the Faith and to be promoted to an higher work and so to expect a greater blessing here and hereafter These are the particulars of the reall parts of Divine Worship c. and their subsequents the immediate previal thereof is the power of the Church sanctified by the Word of the Apostles of the Christ of God to enright those estates in those works for those ends The immediate previal cause of the first four is the actuated Covenant of the Saints to be a Church whereby they are made members thereof and therewith enrighted to receive and do their distinct works unto those benefits But of the last five it is the Church-power electing and ordaining them into those Offices enrighting them to those administrations for the Churches and their own edification exhortation and comfort and for Gods Worship Therein are two doubts whether Election or Ordination be the proper and predominant informing cause 1. But Church-Election is the procreating act in the Spirituall Nature of things 2. Giving the Office and Right 3. To administer 4. To God and the Church For Ordination is onely a Ministerial and no immediate and proper Church-action but one Minister hath no power sanctified by God to procreate another as under the Law but is onely as the Midwife to help in the birth of that office c. Secondly Church-election according to the express pattern of the Church its Power Offices and their choice and working set Rom. 12.1 to 8. createth giveth right charge unto the Officers elected to work for the Church but Ordination is onely a necessited act appointed by the body to manifest and compleat its choise by some ceremoniall act instituted to that end without any reall or arbitrary Power in the Ordainer c. The second doubt is Whether the consent of the chosen be essentially requisite but it is onely by conveniency and for the bene esse the efficient Power being in the Church to chuse its Officers c. but not to contract The superiour and remote previals and precedent Causes efficient material formal and intentionall are many but the chief are mentioned already The Uses are first in the generall of all the parts to observe their concordance in one Root even the Church from which they receive their Being Life and Power The four first by their admission The five last by their Election to do and receive good Then their agreement with each other in thei fraternity and portions Children having the same Church-membership with the other 8 women the same right with the last 7 to the Word Sacraments and Prayer Men the right to Church-power with the last 6 and Prophets so true a right to speak in the Church to the edification exhortation and comfort thereof as the three sorts of Bishops Pastours and Elders though not with the like measure charge authority and blessing Likewise the Teacher hath charge and authority over all both integral and ministerial members in matters of knowledge proof disproof and motives to knowledge The Exhorter over all in matters of Exhortation Comfort and their Opposites The Ruler in matters of order and government Also the Distributer hath charge to serve all Church-members in matters of provision and help in Church-services and the Widow in matters of preservation Secondly observe their speciall distinctness according to their diversity of gifts graces and proportions commanded Rom. 12.3 6 7 8. to every one of the Church in particular 1. The Under-aged to rest in their being estated in the Church and their passive priviledges of Baptisme and measure of the Word Prayer and Order and not to usurp above their giftedness with natural activeness 2. The Women not to meddle with any kind of authority order or power their inferiority of Sex dis-inabling them therein by a naturall disproportion thereto 3. Adulti and of active discretion not enabled to speak as Prophets must according to
being the Kingdom of Heaven compleat ◠e. the Evangelical Ministerial Church its five-fold Offices Ordinances Works and Uses derived from and answering to Christ as Prophet Priest King Provider Preserver as Instituter of his five Church-Offices i. e. the Teacher Exhorter Ruler Distributer Pitier with their five Functions of Teaching Exhortation Ruling Distribution Pittying enrighting us by these three sorts of Christs five-fold respects to Teaching Exhorting Ruling Distributing Pittying for and unto the knowledge sincerity honesty provision preservation of our understanding heart and its affections Christian conversation estates and possessions persons health and life as from through and for God as an essential Mind Will actus good Being or Essence a Respecting our five-fold needs of him sent n Christ as to Sons to be received by Faith so to his Servants to be worshipped by Works as acknowledging Christ therein and n The Holy Ghost to adequate Christ as our Mediatour with all gifts Son-like to receive the benefits and Servant-like to do the Works of instituted Church-worship By this Table is Synopticè to be seen the external relation of our present Divine Worship to all Gods former Worships and the internal order of the materials thereof within themselves and also their respects to God Christ the Spirit and Man all exactly parallelling each other in all particularities and also compleating all things Divine into an integral unity perfectly resembling the perfect uniformity of the glorified Heaven and proposing to Us the present enjoyment thereof in an exact Epitome by a proper Livery of Seisin and imparting earnest so that nothing is more worthy of knowledge in respect of the perfection and gloriousness thereof nor more desirable in respect of its pretiousness to us and for their acceptableness it cannot but be discerned through their evident being of through and for God yea in the highest degree on earth Alas that this kind of Knowledge is so unknown and the pearl and treasure thereof as hid in the earth though like yea being Wisdoms house pillars and food proposed to yea proclaimed for us with many and manifold motives by her maidens Prov. 9.1 to 12. and though so unlike the contrary false worship and folly of Antichrist that foolish Whore and whorish folly so vilified and deterred in the rest of that Chapter as illustrating true worship by its contrary the particulars of this worship are so many and magnifyed that I dare not move by one of them Eleventhly This word-worship is the subject of the greatest part of the Scripture in its describing the particulars thereof prescribing the observance thereof prohibiting the contrary historying the practises of both sorts and the answerable blessings and judgments and making use thereof for future encouragements and terrours of the proceeders and adding farther comforts and threatnings accordingly but the particularizing hereof requiring a kind of Exposition of half the Scripture I must refer the marking this point in your daily readings thereof wherein you shall find these things exceeding useful and worthy your knowledge Twelfthly the great and many blessings of the Word are annexed to this true divine worship and the plenty of fierce Curses are denounced against the false and because this and the other are too large to prosecute to the full see both verified in the Decalogue-Epitome thereof in the second Commandement for that is so large as all the rest except the fourth Commandement which instituteth Gods set time for the celebration thereof and so it rather secondeth than affronteth our point and pronounceth moe and higher blessings and denounceth heavier judgments in this matter than all the body of the Decalogue beside But I more need to excuse my prolixness herein and to break off from the many proofs of and motives to this point then to proceed herein both since the matter is so pregnant and the remaining points so many and special above my ability to accomplish your patience to read except you be more then vulgarly transformed for this purpose which v. 2. requireth and also the suppressedness of the matter by the wrong exposition of this place and its parallels and the wronging opposition of their subject than which none is greater And therefore having made some use of the point and proofs I will pass to other for if I should instance the particulars of this Worship I should be drowned in the multitude of their special motives to this point of the worth and need of their knowledge Since then Evangelical Worship is so many and main wayes worthy and necessary to be known why is the knowledge thereof so slighted as worthless and useless and that not onely by the world and its world-worshippers for I as much slight the slightings and the fightings of Christs adversaries but by the Lovers of the Word and also of Gods worship in the general and of the particulars thereof which they hold so to be i. e. of preaching the Word administring the Sacraments and Prayer But the main and radical parts thereof i. e. the Church as encorporated and congregated the diversities of its Ministries and their Functions their derivation from the Church their ministration i. e. service in and unto that Church their set number and nature and their distinct collateral order and more the more particular appropriating of Divine Ruling order and acts to the proper Ruler of such a Church and in its Congregation but most of all the most particular act of that Ruler in admission and ordination and the knowledge whether those acts or the decree of the Congregation give the being to a member or Minister of a Church All these and divers other points of great use and worth they hold to be Walls Hedges Orders and Circumstances of Religion and Gods Worship but not of the substance thereof and therefore put off the knowledge thereof in pretence of their love and esteem of the substance thereof Alas that Professours of Religion should thus he Ushers of Antichrists Hall to make room for his entrance Porters of his tryumphant chair of estate to bring him in and supporters of his Hierarchy with their own shoulders upon such groundless pretences for Antichristianisme consisteth in the confusion of those main points of Religion and thereby those things which they call the substance of Religion But first ad hominem hath God set them for walls of defence of his true worship and worshippers and will they through ignorant negligence relinquish the walls to their and their Kings mortal enemy since the winning the Walls is the winning the City and all therein and the subjecting themselves to the enemy either to his service direct or indirect or destruction yea in God's Matters to both if to the first Secondly hath God bounded his Services with Hedges Dikes or other Fences and Circumferences to distinguish Christs servants and services from Antichrists and shall we slight Antichrists encroaching on Christs Tabernacle Tent or Church and Inheritance or Clergy and entitling himself with those names of
〈◊〉 as an antidote to that boundless arrogancy and swelling ambition the root of that antichristian confusion which hath long confounded Christs divine order as was therefore prophetically and justly called of God Babel and Babylon * 2 In speciall and as particularly and immediately applying all these general precepts to the particulars of divine worship ensuing and that by the illative and causal particle for v. 4. which sheweth that we are to apply all these preceding generalls to the ensuing particulars as 1 Directing us in the connextion of each preceding particular to each subsequent particular and ◠converso and that with grounded reasons causal and illative 2 Moving us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. by internall motives of highest consequence both from the cause to the effect from debt to repayment from Gods absolute commands and by many other pregnant directions and motives wherein every one is to help himself according to these helps the particulars being so infinite in number as can hardly without tediousness be read and yet so precious as will content and requite the pains ¶ 2 Described †1 By its name 1 Christian forename v. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word-worship of the Scripture in general and Gospel of Christ in particular 2 Of its kind sirname cognomen v. 2. that Will of God and so not only properly and truely divine but in a special manner i. e. as the high matter of Gods prerogative instituting and dictating will †2 In its nature ¶ 1 By a Protasis as pattern †1 Immediate and proper i. e. of a corporation * 1 It self as a totum in se intire as 1 Existing in its self and properly such as a covenanted body of civill men whether Realm City Town corporate or other proper corporation v. 4. one body or coporation 2 Exerting it self 1 Dispositively into its members as in the choice of officers 2 Actively by joynt-consent of its members as in sentencing both these as assembled into a Congregation as in a Parliament Common-Council or Burrow-month-court wherein the body acteth its concial power and supremcy v. 4. we have many Members in one body * 2 Its members 1 Smply as existing v. 4. many members 2 In respect of their 1 Body v. 4. many members in one body 2 Functions 1 Simply as Ordinances and Works instituted v. 4. practise or work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Relatively as appropriated to their membership all members have not the same function or work v. 4. These I but touch in this Protasis they being more proper to the Apodosis where they shal be more particularly placed as in an Index or map but their compleat clearing and handling requireth a larger vindex which yet cannot be orderly without this Analytical epitomy premised †2 Remote and general that is of every totum and body integral or compound by God and Man v. 4. body in the general yet with all the mentioned particulars of the properly patterning body of a corporation in particular so far as they agree therewith and that so much more as they are more proper boies in the general though this pattern be more proper in this case ¶ 2 In the Apodosis or Patterned as an * 1 Vnum †1 Subjectum 1 Quod which beareth the adjuncts immediately ss the four membral and five ministerial estates mentioned 2 Quo wherein subjectum quod inhereth i. e. the Church the original pillar or eminencer ground or subject of true divine worship or truth 1 Tim. 3.15 with Rom. 1.25.23 †2 Order of adjuncts i. e. those nine adjunctive functions * 2 Integral integrum 1 Totum whole or intire body v. 5. so we are one body i. e. a corporation spirituall or Christian Church 2 Order of parts v. 5. so we being many are one body Note The difference between these two respects is expressed in the application of the Apodosis to the Protasis which by a peculiar Scripturism compleateth each other though an inferiour authority cannot force us to that inquiry for the preheminency of the totum as having the parts as its own totally is expressed v. 4. in one body we have many members and the precedency of the parts as being the matter of which the totum was compacted of which compacture it doth consist expressed v. 5. wee being many members are one body which is of great use as shall in the Vindex be shewn but I will here proceed in the bare Analysis This Order of Integralls is †1 Collateral or between themselves as 1 Onely integral 1 Onely existent or patient as the children of the enchurched 2 Also active 1 Onely applying to themselves in Church-actions and doing personal duties 2 As working Ecclesiastically in 1 Teaching and its consequences 2 Matters of ruling 1 In discussing 2 In Sentencing and their consequences concerning these only integral v. 6. whether prophesie i. e. ability so by his Churches integralship right to speak to edification exhortation and comfort by which one particular membership the other are by synecdoche meant but the compleat proof which are integral Church-members is to be supplied from other places this being but an epitome and summary compacting the heads of Divine Worship 2 Also instrumentall as the Ministers v. 7. or a Ministery 1 Overseeing the internal man 1 In the root by preaching 1 Doctrinally v. 7. whether the Teacher 2 Exhortingly v. 8. or the Exhorter 2 In the fruit by ruling v. 8. the Ruler 2 Serving the outward 1 Estate by distributing v. 8. the distributer by synecdoche meaning all other Church helps to the estates as collecting husbanding the Church-stock arbitrating debts c. 2 The person and health of the body by tending the sick c. v. 8. the pitier †2 Lineal * 1 A priore in relation to the Church †1 Ascensive or regressive in a 1 Giving 1 Existence its Churchship or constitution unto it by 1 Making the Church-Covenant 2 Continuing the Church-covenant 2 Actuation or life to it by 1 Assembling 2 Acting therein their particular works 1 Integral 2 Instrumental a 2 Receiving their membership at and by the very act of church-covenanting which is to be likewise supposed of all after-entrances or admissions into the church they having reference thereto V. 5. we being many are one body i. e. many Christians are become one church †2 Descensive or progressive in the churches giving to each christian person his proper church-member-ship 1 Integral by admission 2 Instrumentall by ordination Both which are the churches by its making them such v. 4. Wee in one body have many members wherefore the power of both is in the Church and that both of sentencing and solemnizing them and therefore much of laying hands on the member in his admission and ordination by the instituted rite for both Heb. 6.2 with 1 Tim. 5.22 lay hands suddenly on no man c. The four integral and five organical states are before mentioned and here supposed * 2 A
Religion Heb. 6.2 The Doctrine of Baptismes and the former subjective in the fourth foundation and next words and of imposition of hands as also their commandedness is in both their relation to the two first Principles v. 1. of repentance from dead works and faith towards God and their commendedness in the two last v. 2. and of the Resurrection from the dead and eternall Iudgement It being the excellent course of the Holy Ghost in notifying things capitally to set the most noted adjunct of the particular intended to be set synecdochecally for the generall head of the thing notifiable it being the briefest plainest readiest and certainest course and freest from the corruptions incident to diversity of Ages Nations and Languages and cavills of the Heretical opposites For Baptism is the first necessariest and notedest seal and adjunctive solemnizing rite as imposition of hands is the subjective and rites being the most and imposition of hands meere notifying as Moses Gen. 1.3 intending to mention Gods creating fire notifieth it by Light as by its most evident and eminent quality and most obvious to the most but this place abruptly * 2 Rational or respective 1 Internally to themselves and their proper relatives viz. the respect of the Subjectives as such to their adjuncts and of the adjunctives to their subjects as so bounded and charged by God v. 3. as God hath apportioned to every one the portion of faith and v. 4. in setting a body members and works and particular Ordinances within the confines whereof we are to serve God and out selves by observing their contents otherwise it is desolation perdition abaddon 2 Externally to their colaterals and remote linealls from both which we are disbounded by the consequence of the same places especially v. 6. according to the proportion of faith that is walking servant-like in their confined stint and not disproportionally to their sonlike portion as transgressing the station and circuits thereof as the Angels did Iude 6. for which Antichristianism is called Babylon and Babel i. e. confusion as breaking the disboundings in Gods Worship as it is for adding to it stiled that abomination Mat. 24.15 with Dan. 11.31 Rev. 17.5 and Man of Sin viz. from breaking Gods band and bounds 2 Thess 2.3.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with 1 Ioh. 3.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for sinne is a band-breaker or bound-breaker and Lex and Religio are a band and rebinding or confining and stinting of Gods servants especially of his instituted or statuted Worshippers over which to step is superstition or supra station Iude. 6. and also for his destroying each of the stinted matter or order named Abaddon Apollyon that desolation son of perdition c. This I have shewn in the Text Metaphrase and Analysis of v. 3. and in the distinctness and stintedness of each state and work to be the scope of the Holy Ghost and of the Apostolick Emphatical charge v. 3. so jealous is God and ought we to be in this his marriage band bound and bed that he useth no active word much provoking or emphatical in all the five last Verses of the capital matter of his Divine Worship but onely restrictive and many wayes bounding terms and phrases for this distinctness sake Hitherto of the body or external part of Gods Worship and not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what it is natural proper and simple existence Now of its soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scope and life thereof †2 Internal or Theorical X 1 Lineal Y 1 Previal or respective a priore Z 1 Positive 1 Causal 1 Internal 1 Material 1 Of the Church viz. visible Saints and faithful in each others judgment v. 1. Brethren v. 3. portion of faith 2 Of its estates of its Ministery Saints graced and gifted for that end v. 3. as God hath apportioned to every one the portion c. v. 6. distinct 3 Of their functions moral teaching exhorting ruling distributing tending the sick natural bread wine water and actions of breaking powring giving dipping and set words of consecration 4 Of the membral states thereof viz. hearing with understanding and tractableness submission taking eating going into water 2 Formal as 1 True Worship so all the institutions external as of the word are the form of that ens verum unum â—onum and the particulars thereof its integra 2 Ecclesiastica so a corporation its estates and their works is its form v. 4 5.6 we v. 5. so we c. for the Church is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 basis the estates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 order and their works 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vigour their administration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 effect perfected 2 External the efficient 1 Supreme 1 Simple God the Father willing them v. 1. to God v. 2. of God v. 3. as God v. 6. of God 1 Commanding v. 1. holy v. 2. perfect will v. 3. I charge 2 Commending v. 1. by the mercies acceptable v. 3. good v. 3. Portion of faith v. 5. every one each others members So 1 Cor. 12.6 diversity of operations but the same God who worketh all in all things 2 To us 1 Ordering estating and enriching Christ v 5. in Christ as instituter and founder of its authority to 1 Be Gods Worship v. 1. to God even the Word Worship with v. 5. in Christ so in the same 1 Cor. 12.5 ministrations but the same Lord 2 Do as his Church-Ministry Ministrations Members viz. Rom. 12.7 8 with 1 Cor. 12. v. 4 5. 2 Acting gifting enabling the holy Ghost v. 1. living v. 2. be ye transformed in the renewing c. v. 6. gifts distinct according to the grace of God so in that place 1 Cor. 12.4 gifts but the same spirit 2 Mediate 1 Active viz. the Apostle v. 3. I 2 Declaring viz. the word v. 1. of the word 2 Subjective b 1 Universal As an unum with its particulars As a genus with its species Id est Gods prescribing his Divine Worship in the generall and its particulars as the subject of our active service of him in generall Devotion to him as willing it by his majestick and prerogative will v. 2. perfect will of God with particular and distinct discerning of speciall Order therein by Christ v. 5. in Christ b 2 Particular as an 1 Whole with its parts 2 Integrum with its members 1 Gods prescribing his existent worship consisting of a subjective totum with its adjunctive parts i. e. Paradise Noahs Ark Abrahams Family Moses Tabernacle Solomons Temple with their appendant things Rites and actions v. 1. sacrifice synecdochically for the whole legall or precedent worship and all its particulars 2 Gods instituting the present Evangelical Church and its Adjuncts as an integrum with its integrall members and their faculties proper and common and their actions v. 4 5. to the 8. Note These subjective respects I call internall worship as transient from God towards us and we do accordingly internally
Basis Centre Subject or Pillar b Originall c Primary or Proper viz. Christ as the Idea Image Word Reason Law Promise or Will of God v. 2. will of God v. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3.11 viz. the Scriptures c Secondary and in respect of VVorship derived viz. the same manifested to man ordered or acted †in the same words of v. 1. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word and will of God written being the immediate Original of the Church and its Offices and Ordinances though but Christs cistern as the brests are to the woman and her nipples †Figuratively viz. The Apostles and Prophets of the Gospel who are called such foundations Eph. 3.20 and authors 2 Tim. 2.16 by a Metonymie of the adjunct for the subject whether Christ or the word they being but Christs tongue or pen to reveal the word and so adjuncta subjecto cujus cui adjuncts to the subject original both primary and secondary as simply taken v. 3. by the grace b Existential subjective integral derived and effected viz. the Church Ministerial 1 Tim. 3.15 which is now 2 Cor. 6.16 with Levit. 26.11 as the Tabernacle Exod. 25.35 40.2.9.17 18. Num. 7.1 and the Temple 1 Chron. 28.20 2 Chron. 5.1 1 Kin. 6.38 the house with all the furniture thereof 7.51 all the work for the house were before Christ viz. the hypostasis basis subjectum quod or center to all the other Parts of Gods Worship whether Ordinances or Offices lines or circles V. 4 5. one body a Members furtiture branches cifcumferences ad juncts and Chapiters v. 3. to every one that is among you as God hath measured to every one the measure of faith v. 4 5. many members not one function being considered in themselves and without the particular scope of that place i. e. to shew the distinctness of the Church its Offices and Ordinances these in respect of the church their body are d Immediate e Homogeneal private naturall considered f Simply as such whether inherent and that either innate or acquisite or acting in the body f Relatively and order to the church its offices and their works Membral gifts powers and habits synecdocally exprest v. 6. whether prophesie These are b Common viz. of knowledge wisdome and dexterity in divine and natural things arts tongues utterance and actions especially grace which is common to all members and abilities and sanctifying both h Special as distinct prerequisite and peculiar to each of the three i Overseeing offices viz. to the Teacher as of knowledg and making know in those things as the spirits and annimal powers in the Arteries Exhorter of wisdome and wise-making therein as nutritive and vital as blood in the veins Ruler i. e. honest conditionedness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13.13 1 Thes 4.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.12.3 2.16 Jam. 3.13 and working others good conversation as the motive powers in the muscles i Serving in Provision for the k Estate as respecting simply Christians necessity not private benefit or glory as flesh k Health as tender and merciful-hartedness as the sinews and feeling power sympathetically moving all the parts in the hurt of any one e Heterogeneal publike or such as are in place office State or Ministry organical or such as are instruments of the house as Prophet Priest King and Saviour for moral voluntarie church-common actions or in a word distinct working Offices v. 7. or an Office v. 4. many members v. 5. sowe being many in distinctness of place office state ministry or giftedness for something must be supplyed and the scope of the place toucheth not the mysticall and personall respect of Christians nor the meer individuall manyness and diversity of the members of the Church but chargeth us strictly to keep distinct the manifold and distinct respects of Gods bestowing his divers membral and ministerial gifts for distinct ends and works or rather of his distributing and disposing the distinct parts of his worship to the diversly fitted and distinct members of the Church these are in number five viz. the Teacher the Exhorter the Distributer the Ruler the Pittyer or mercyer litterally translated v. 7 8. Now to annex their distinctness to their innumeration it is l Respective and mediate for they are to be considered as fitly answering to the distinct special membrall gifts mentioned as before in and after their existence or application to Officers which I have shewn before l Expresly confined unto denominated and so informed and so distinguished by and stirred up in those speciall divers and distinct gifts proper and adaequat◠Functions v. 6. by the inference of our divers discharging of them because they are divers in themselves and in respect of the givers free and voluntary distribution and of the receivers accordingly distinct measured portion and v. 7. by the Particles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denorative and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 designative as is shewn before and also by the express or equivolent distinct paralelling them with their proper and adaequate Functions viz. the teacher in the teaching gift function or work or in the Doctrine viz. of the Scriptures Church or rather of the Teacher so appropriating the one to the other even convertibly and in the highest degree the Exhorter in the Exhortation in the same manner and so the other three but because the express particularizing of them therein would import them too childish and because the distinctness of the Offices and Functions is not all or the onely thing here intended but onely the principall therefore the discreet holy and peculiar means of discharging them is annexed to them referring likewise to us the supplying the same to the two former viz. to the Teacher understandingly or perspicuously and to the Exhorter holy powerfully or the like This incorporating manifoldness well orderedness and compleatness of the Arguments for the distinctness in kinde of the Offices of the Church should oversway and settle our judgments purposes and practises accordingly yet as if nothing were enough to express Gods care and jealousie herein as being the chief particulars of the second Commandment nor to perswade Christians to this strictness sollicitousness and jealousie as being instituted and so not naturally known and such as wherein the devill deceived Eve and Eve Adam and both fell The Holy Ghost yet addeth two express particulars as the two notes of a Patenthesis to take all doubts from the understanding and ingenious and cavils from the contrary that that distinctness of these Offices in kind is intended and included in this place and properly and fully concluded which I have said the former is in these words or an office let us accordingly be in the discharge of that office whether it be the Teacher or Exhorter or c. their first Office or Ministry is expresly named and set as the matter distinct and so to be used least the distinctness should be supposed to be properly
or principally in the work to be done according to the divers abilities of the gifted Secondly Church Ministry is expresly divided into five particulars by the disjunctive and proper distinctive conjunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter is in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which cannot be translated she that pittyeth because both the article the substantive are the Masculine Gender Nor he that pittyeth because the work is receivedly proper to the Church-widow and so it should be false English and therefore must they be translated the pittyer or shewer of mercy denotating a known Church-office and not only properly or principally a working gifted mercifull and pittying Officer or Member that is so to do more than any other of the Church whether Officer or Member more and more plain and exact proofs of what kinde you wil I think cannot be shewn in any place of Scripture for any point of instituted worship so that we must admit it or dismiss the second Commandment with the Papists professedly or with other hierarchicall or prophane and carnall worshippers so much as we can and dare †Mediate * Near. ¶ Apportioning ordering and confining the Offices to the Powers and the Powers to the Offices i. e. the Functions of the Offices not considered as abilities and that either as existing inherent or acting in the Members prerequisites to the Church-Offices or Actions or causes of the benefit of the Church but only as the portions of faith measured out by God to every Officer v. 3. the bounding proportions of faith v. 6. the distinct and not one work or function of the many members v. 4. and the appropriated paralelled charged adaequated and proper designations of and to every Office v. 7 8. for those five expressed contain in and under them and intend all the passive and exequatable Ordinances of the Church either as such viz. the Sacraments which as signes are teaching and as conveyers and seals perswade and unite us and the thing exhorted and sealed to And the censures and orderings of the Church-actions are parts of ruling or else as concurring to their being viz. the collections for the poor unto distribution in which respect teaching as a power or act subordnate may be used by the Exhorter without breach of Christs order in the distinctness mentioned it coming here under the respect and nature of exhortation it being upon right understanding of that nature and reason intended to that end but I know no other Functions that can be brought under the Exhorters for excommunication that he may administer the Sacraments only to worthy persons cometh not unto this case First because he administereth to the Church in whose power is Excommunication and to persons not as such but as Members of the Church and so it cometh not within his Office to judge of their particular unworthiness much less upon that judgement to excommunicate them Secondly because his personall discomfort toucheth not his ministeriall Function they being of clean different natures and considerations Thirdly Excommunication is an Institution and so not to be by the Light of nature found much less ordered as an essential or subordinate unto any thing without authority from the Word expresly or under an expressed Reason which is equivolent but teaching is a Naturall subordidinate to Exhortation and so used in our case which also is a fourth Argument though v. 7. it be made also the instituted Function of the Teacher but that in our and the like case it is otherwise is evident both by the Scriptures and the Precepts and practise of Naturalists boasting and self-pâ—â—ising is a sin and folly resting in that nature and end and more forbidden than teaching is the Exhorter in the case of giving matter to the Corinthians to rejoyce of him and answer the false Apostles he Paul doth it and yet denyeth that he doth it 2 Cor. 5.12 because he doth it as a necessary and proper subordinate to that end and on the contrary eating meat otherwise lawfully was a sin to the Heathen being done in way of worship of Idolls and that not only the idolatrous intent but even the eating it self was sinfull is evident 1 Cor. 10.21 because it was a sin for the Corinthians to eat that meat in their feasts though without that intent for that intent having made that eating a true subordinate to their worship it was now the same Communion with Devils with the Corinthians The Precepts of Logicians are plentifull in this case both of their Prince Aristot 2. Phys And of their soundest accutest and most methodicall and judicious Pillars Zeb a rel lib. de Constit Scaliger de subtilitate Exercit 307. Cap. 26. Keckerman sustem Log. Lib. 2 Cap. The practise hereof is most current in all civill Courts and courses in the world In England tryalls of right to Lands Goods are peculiar to the common Pleas and of personall actions to the Kings Bench yet by way of tryall of Actions Titles of Lands and Goods may be and are lawfully daily tryed and so may Actions in the Common Pleas and both in the Chancery under the respects peculiar to each court The truce between the Low-Countreys and Spain was nâ—ver supposed to be broken by their warring together in Cleveland hurts to any possession of the City of Amsterdam are to be tryed punished by the Burgemasters yet by way of tryall of any persons right thereto they may be desided by the Court of Skepins A Woman is forbidden to speak in the Church 1 Cor. 14. yet in the case of confession of Faith she may teach all the Principles of Religion in the Congregation and as a witness speak and ask therein for it is the right Reason Respects and Order of Actions which is their soul and life and not their acts that make them lawfull and on the contrary unlawful and so our answerable knowledg and intention of them that maketh them so to us but the simple acts are meer matter and so passive and so neither under the state of good nor bad for Murder Adulterie Robbery c. are not evill because of their actions of killing a man lying with a woman taking goods from a man c. but because they are either not Gods subordinate means to out intended ends of revenge pleasure profit c. or else because as such means they are not committed to us nor permitted as might be cleared if present occasion required only let me not be mistaken to compare teaching with the act of killing and generating in the originall estate of things for then were they simply unlawfull but not teaching neither speak I here of teaching as a ministerial Function for so it is simply unlawfull to any but the Teacher or the end of Exposition Analysis Metaphrase and Extraction of Doctrines but as an ability and action duly subordinate and necessarily prerequisite to Exhortation without which it cannot he and so may by the Exhorter be used as a Passenger may eat
third or sixt answer is from the predicate annexed in the same clause to divers viz. according to that grace given unto us which also is itterated in the same verse in according to that measure of that faith both referring us to v. 3. and so inferring the particulars following upon the preceeding generals and both being answered 1 Cor. 12.11 Eph. 4.7 with 8. to 11. 1 Pet. 4.10 11. wherein also are three sorts or heaps of Arguments couched which I must but touch The first is in the words themselves first laying the cause of that distinctness in Gods gracious and free Will not in mans discretion or will for reasons within himself in the former Clause And secondly In the proportion of faith which is here set as the formall Reason or soul of our Church-estate whether membral proper and immediate faith being the respect or cause why we have right to be Members of that State and why all other gifts are given unto us Mark 16.16 17 18. Acts 10.44 to 48. 20.8.32 and so why we are capable of the Offices of the Church according to which measure whether of Membership Gifts or State we are to actuate that we have received distinctly not confusedly i. e. of each according to his own Rules and Order not of any of the other two as of the State or Offices by the Rules thereof not of gifts properly and immediately though the Office was given to us in respect of fit gifts therefore yet now the predominant and denominant the constituter and distinguisher and the proper subject of order is the office or state it self and that only though they be also both Members and gifted which have also their proper Rules which we are also to observe in their respect as such other ARGUMENTS there are also to be drawn from these words viz. from given measured shewing us that the Rule of our exercising the Offices is to be taken from the respect as they are from God and not as inherent in us properly though secondarily both gifts and graces are to be respected and exercised therein as is expressed v. 8. with simplicity with diligence with cheerfulnes and fourthly from to us v. 6. to every one v. 3. with the reference of v. 6. thereto shewing the same and the specialness and singularity of the respect but we neither need nor may prosecute every thing to the utmost The second sort of Arguments is from ὠdemonstratively used four times thereby referring us in this point to the matters past in the generals which yeeld ten Arguments as is shewn all strongly though more obscurely proving the same distinctness which is here exprest The third sort is from the inference of distinct executing of those distinct gifts and Offices upon the former proved and present expressed distinctness of them connecting thereby the generalls and particulars the Root Body and Branches the Soul Body and Members and the preceding and subsequent matter of this place incorporatingly together and so communicating membrally the force of each Argument to the other the number weight of the following Arguments are well to be considered and applyed hereto after I have also answered the second Objection from the instance in the extraordinary Offices which now succeedeth To that second Objection I first answer that as those Offices are more hard to know in all the bounds rules and appurtenances and less concern us then the ordinary and also yeeld us no present light from their practise as these do so are they less distinctly known then these and cannot be perfectly paralelled to make the rules of these to square with those and therefore no good Argument a notiori can be brought from them against our point Secondly that the rule of the extraordinary Offices was principally according to the being immediately inabled and directed by God and not by the set State and Office as the proper subject of their gifts works and end since whosoever was indued with Apostolicall Propheticall and Evangelicall gifts did presently proceed to the execution of those Offices without expectation of a farther Ordination and as being thereby called thereunto but so is it not with the now permanent Offices Thirdly those were under the respect of Instituters Platformers and Law Rule and Worship-makers though mediate and not as instituted after the pattern seen in the Mount of the Word and so are not to be measured thereby as our instituted Offices are Fourthly That Order which is to be observed in them is rather by reflex from the Church to which they most properly are given 1 Cor. 3.22 1 Cor. 28. 1 Tim. 3.15 viz. in their Consultations Acts 1.15.21 22. and in Ordination Acts 13.3 1 Tim. 4.14 with 2 Tim. 1.6 4.5 then by any set Rule in themselves which yet is so sparsim and sparingly observed that it cannot be said to be the Rule of extraordinary Offices Fifthly They had divers properly distinct functions works and duties according to their inspired abilities which were specially and singularly distinct in severall persons 1 Cor. 12.8 9 10 with v. 28 29. especially v. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 distributing to every one privately personally peculiarly or severally as he will and their Offices which came therewith and thereupon were alike distinct properly and in kinde Sixtly For authoritative Offices which required not only ability but also a sending or calling unto the Functions immediate or mediate about which is the greatest question they had also and especially their distinct Functions Works and Duties alotted to them either immediately as Apostles Mat. 28.18 19 20. Acts 1.26.9 with 26.14 to 18. or mediately deputedly and inferiorly as Evangelists 1 Tim. 1.3.18 4.14 with 2 Tim. 1.6.4.1 2. Tit. 1.5 to 13. Divers hard questions do here arise as whether Barnabas were properly an Apostle or no Whether Philip had the same authority with Timothy and Titus Whether Timothy and Titus had that Authority by Pauls deputation or by their Evangelicall gifts or office c. but for these I refer thee at this present to my four first Answers and proceed to the seventh Seventhly Neither all nor any of the extraordinary Offices were common in all works nor so only divers in kinde nor in number as differing only in gifts and their exercising which the two opposite opinions hold that the three overseeing ordinary offices are but divers also in office both in name and nature and therefore the instance from them is for neither of them opposite I say they are both against themselves in terms affection and course and in the two former clauses of the predicate in kinde in number and also against the scope of this writing and I think of Rom. 12.1 to 9. the subject thereof in matter affection and course and in the two latter clauses of the predicate in gifts in their exercising though in the latter part of that predicate they be one and thereby destroy the unity and order of Gods Worship giving yea
Burroughs for Badgers through magnifying their Office that the epitome of the Hierarchy which they form within the church will acknowledg kindred with its mother Iezebel yea and by degrees with its Grand-father Ethbaal too and so also open the door of community between us and them by the same reason further prosecuted and spirit further inflamed as the opinion book and course of Mr. Iohnson and many with him have lamentably experimented even unto the eminent and imminent fear of the ruin of a special Church if we should come to sift the differences I doubt we should not finde them so great as would give security of better success outward than hath that Church or inward than the Hierarchy though the goodness of the present order and matter would delay it may be long this infection from raging at least till the iron of civil single double and treble crowned authority id est Classical Synodical and National Courts and Courses made Ecclesiastical be added unto the former clay and both adde strength to the rotten legs of Antichrist but I not daring to open my mouth freely in this bad aire will reserve my breath for better use Thirdly and specially If that course which is obtruded on this place should be alike observed in all places of the like reason as it must be we might prove strange matters yea what not I could prove that Samuel prayed for and brought out water of the Rock in the wilderness at least that God spake there unto him out of the cloudie pillar and punished his Idolatry foure hundred yeers before he was born out of Psal 99.7 8. and out of 1 Tim. 5.4 that Aunts are Parents that all the Elders and Brethren of the Church of Ierusalem spake by the infallible and immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost and by absolute and immediate authority from Christ gave Laws Decrees and burdening conscience binding and necessited Prohibitions to the Churches of Antiochia Syria and Silicia and by consequence to all the Churches of the Gentiles from Acts 15. with cap. 16.4 21.25 and other innumerable absurdities and falsities out of 1 Cor. chap. 1. v. 1. concerning Sosthenes in 2 Cor. 1. chap. v. 1. and also Phil. and Col. ch 1. v. 1. of Timotheus in 1 Thess ch 1. v. 1. and 2 Thess of Silvanus and Timotheus and more almost in every Epistle should I descend to particulars I should be intollerably because needlesly tedious it being obvious to every one that any thing might be proved out of any thing if that course might be allowed besides it would pervert all the other places of Scriptures which begin with generalls and proceed to particularize them which are innumerable and indeed would destroy all analysing of them which is not exprest and then it would be needless yea there might then be proved out of one place thereof consisting but of seven verses viz. Heb. 11.32 to 38. many sevens of falsehoods absurdities and what not that should make men cease from necessiting this Exposition of 1 Tim. 3. and Tit. 1. Heb. 11.32 to 38. a whole heap of lying wonders viz. that Baruch subdued Kingdomes and did a dozen great works at least more then he did that Sampson did so that Iephtha did so also that Dnvid Samuel and all the Prophets did so also and that much more clearly and strongly then any can out of 1 Tim. 3. that the Exhorter may excommunicate or do any proper ruling act by the same reason yea expresly it that reason be good that all adjuncts that are annexed unto two three or more joint subjects must be verified in every one of them therfore I leave it for bad holding every adjunct to be sorted to its proper subject by the rules of Nature the word in other places that intend that peculiarizing shew us the same by better means referring these objected unto Rom. 12.7 8. 1 Cor. 12. 1 Tim. 5. for their distinctness And again Rom. 12. and 1 Cor. 12. 1 Tim. 5. unto 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. and the like for their compleating and full exemplification in matter of practise Fourthly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein is the whole force of this Argument is by all the holders of the third Opinion applyed only to that Teaching in the ruler which is necessary for the discharge of his Office and work of Ruling which nothing proveth the undistinctness in question nor more then I have oft granted in the case of the Exhorters Teaching as necessarily subordinate to his office and also grant in this case with the provisoes there mentioned Fifthly The question is not properly about this Teaching simply or subordinately considered but as Ecclesiasticall or Ministeriall and such as carrieth with it as an Appendex to the administration of the Sacraments to signifie seale and convey the thing taught unto the persons ministerially taught but such teaching is also confessed by them not here to be intended nor within the Rulers Office Sixtly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is apt prone and ready to Teach signifying rather the goodness and grace of the heart then the power and gift of Teaching to be requisite in the Ruler and no more can be inforced out of that word on which the whole strength of all the three opposite Opinions doth consist yet I will grant a Propheticall gift of teaching to be requisite in the Ruler partly because it is a disparagement to his Office and Exercise thereof to be inferior to the Prophets therein who have no Office at all partly because it wil be a discouragement unto the Prophets to have their inferiors in gifts of Ecclesiasticall respect to be advanced above them in Ecclesiasticall Office and partly because the Speakers to the Edification Exhortation and Comfort of the Church do best of all the Members deserve to be honoured by the Church manifest their deserts fitness and worthiness of the same yea in evident and eminent likelihood and humane judgement they are the most fit for any overseeing Office which is all that the scope of the place or any thing material therein doth inforce yea intimate in any of the many other particulars Seventhly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 5. all the other particulars but one or two do evidently import only qualifications with grace in the heart requisite in the overseers of the Church and not common gifts which only distinguish the Ministries and Funnctions of the Church which proveth that this intendeth not the constituting and distinguishing them as Rom. 12. doth essentially formally and properly as our case requireth but onely the informing the Chusers and Ordainers of such Officers what qualities are requisite for their well being and the acceptableness and efficacie of their Office in a speciall manner above other and making them fit above others for those Offices such as are aptness and fitness to entertain strangers courtesie and having obedient and meek Children c. but to say that the want of any one of
provide for and tend on the help of the administration of the Sacraments c. and according to this fitness every of them is disposed either by themselves the Church or the over-seeing Officers or else by eaâ—hes severall inclination This for the present being supposed shall we thereupon conclude that these are five or moe distinct serving offices Surely he were unfit for the meanest of the five and much more for any of the three over-seeing offices that should so judge except he could find where the Word did distinguish them and if he could then were it as great weakness to hold them but one office in kind and yet greater so holding to hold also that they may promiscuously execute each others Function whereby they are found and held distinct but most of all to lay it as a general rule that they may so execute and yet to exempt the Pastour onely from the same without giving a peculiar reason therefore The like and greater intricateness and distraction is in our case because it is evident in the Word that there is such a distinctness in kind to be found and held Now if there be but one Office in kind as the Deacons then is every one charged with every over-seeing action by God and no mutual agreement nor Church-assignment can excuse any one if any one overseeing action be wholly omitted But on the other side if they be three in kind and distinctly assigned by the Word the one is excused though the other fail either in being or well-being nay he should as much fail as Vzzah if he should supply the failing office through the affinitive of his office or personal devotion But in the third place to conclude at last to be put to hold and practise both is to be put into an inextricable intricateness and labyrinth without light or clue to help him out or to work within it which is more then ever God charged upon man or man could discharge unto God yea if they be flat contradictories as they seem more then God can discharge for he cannot lie and then he can charge for he cannot oppress Let not us therefore give or take an higher office nor harder work then God himself will either give or take to himself or any other The like may be said of the Deacons and Widows and both may be exemplified by the legal and present joynt practises Numb 3. and 18. and very oft in positive and opposite respects Sixthly and secondly it is said 1 Cor. 12.28 30. that God hath given some to be Teachers and some other Governours and not Teachers and so on the contrary the scope of the place being to shew that excellency above others cannot be had in the offices of the Church because they are severally distributed by God and not divers to one person as is before fully proved Hereupon if a man should frame his practise in any oâ—fice it should be distinctly to observe the peculiar Function of his so distinct office but if he according to the second opinâ—on hold them boâ—h one oâ—fice or according to the third that though they be dâ—stinct offices yet they are common in their Functions and Execution he should look unto his gifts and discretion or to some assignment beside that of God the Church and his Office and so must shape a clean different if not contrary course in the discharge of his office Now therefore the destruction and entoxication will be little less hereby than in the former Argument so that a man by these Opinions must be rent from himself yea and the word in the Understanding and conscionable discharge of his office to God I might have added other Arguments against the first Opinion that all Offices are in the Pastour out of 1 Cor. 12.7 and Rom. 12.8 with 1 Tim. 5. The former place shewing the end of Christs distribution of the Offices to be to profit the Church and not to magnifie any Officer But that his end is to magnifie the Pastour above the rest and so that the distinction should be as great or greater then the former two and the latter places shewing the fift Office to be a Womans and not a mans and so unfit for the Pastour to discharge as because her office is night and day to attend the Sick both men and women But I leave them for you to prosecute by your own meditations supposing the other fully sufficient The fifth head is the respect of the Lords of the Gentiles from which the Church-officers are expresly forbidden Matth. 20.26 Mar. 10.43 Luc. 22.26 viz. in that they rule or are superiour one over another in Office Place Authority and Dignity for other Superiority is either not in rerum natura or not intended in this place Or thirdly not pertinent to our point or else not spiritually instituted or peculiar to an instituted Church but the Hierarchical superiority of Order whereby some Reformers palliate the superiority of Bishops over Priests and Arch-bishops over them c. is neither of all these four for the best Philosophers admit it not into the estate of a being and therefore we may exclude it out of the last three for by best Philosophers I intend both Ancient Modern Christian Heathenish and Antichristian a taste and summe of all whose Judgments in this point is set down Timpler Metaph. lib. 3. cap. 7. and Kecker Sustema Logicum lâ—b 1. cap. 6. and the sum of them in this Disticon Tempore natura numero doctrina et honore Fineque lege loco dic similique prius that is Time nature number knowledge worth end state place likeness to these onely yield BEFORE If other order or priority seem to be in the World it is either for want of discerning the intent and extent of these 9. or else it is but the stamp of the Mystery of Iniquity set upon Worldly orders arising from the reflex of the Antichristianing order oft mentioned by our Writers to extenuate the evils of the Bishops between the Apostolical and Apostatical times i. e. between Anno Dom. 100. or 200. unto 300. and after out of which Antichrist arose and according to that reflex reflecting on Civil or Monkish Estates forged and framed them as a refuge for their brood into the Mothers belly in time of danger like the Serpent and it's brood mentioned by Aelian Now the direction which Christ giveth unto his Ministers from the negative or contrary to find and keep his Ecclesiastical Order being not so as the Lords of the Gentiles and yet the course which I now oppose in respect of the first Opinion being according to them What distraction of mind disturbance in practice or rather what not must this breed in and amongst the Understanding and Conscionable Let it here be remembred that though the occasion of this Argument be but to prove an inconvenience or mischief yet I omit not it's absolute proof of the point of equality of Christs Bishops but against these places
it may be objected with the Jesuits and other Hierarchians that Christ there forbiddeth onely tyranny pompous and vain-glorious Titles and Master-fulness over Inferiours and not the superiority over other Ministers I answer First that I hope they will not more destroy the generals of Truth and light of natural Ingenuity than the Jesuits themselves of Rhemes who in their Annotations on Luk. 22 24 say The Apostles perceiving Christs departure from them and his Kingdome to be neer as infirm men and not yet endued with the Spirit of God begin to have emulation and cogitations of Superiority one over another which our Master represseth in them by Exhortation to Humility and by his own Example that being their Lord yet so lately served them They as Expositors of the Scriptures minding their scope and apparent truth suffered themselves with the Pythonisse Act. 16.16 17. To speak the truth though it utterly destroy their and their Holy Fathers Kingdome and they as Antichristians and men of scared Consciences presently after contradict the Truth and themselves adding Not forbâ—dding majority or superiority in them but Pride Tyranny and Contempt of their Inferâ—ours How can these Jesuits brook their name without a metathesis of s and u and b set in the first place of s then indeed they with the Jebusites are treaders of Mount-Sion the most holy place of Jerusalem under foot Rev. 11.2 i. e. professing possession of Mount Moriah yet being true Intruders thereinto and blind and lame contradicters of themselves and the true David and King thereof and contradicted and destroyed with their blind and lame gods THE scope of Rome 12.1 to 8. is exactly yet summarily to describe teach and effectually to charge the matter and manner of Gods instituted Worship as is expressed v. 1. in the general and v. 6. in the particulars Those two Verses are also expresly connected by causal and illative Conjunctions which are the absolutest Connecters of the Connection of v. 4. with 5th and 7th with 6th and 8th with 7th there can be no doubt Now the soul and sinews being of the same body the flesh and bones cannot but be granted to be of the same also neither is the encorporatedness of these 8. Verses onely literall but especially reall each without other being maimed and all joyntly yielding an excellent description and charge of Gods Worship the Root in v. 7. and 2. giving life to the body in v. 3 4 5. and to the branches v. 6 7 8. the body giving sustenance and sustentation with the Root to the Branches and the Branches shewing the Heavenly Fruit of both Let the words be observantly read and a sense worthy the Scripture be conceived and the matter being the same with the second Commandement and yet being very imperfectly delivered but in this place and here also in the common sense and I cannot but think that the Understanding and Ingenuous will find an admirable conciseness of such a large matter a clearness in this dark and s ecial point of the Word yea a pleasantness in what is most harsh to Nature as being not onely above it but mainly intended to thwart it and to proclaim and constrain God's absolute Will to be submitted unto as to the Lord and Ruler of all the Fall also of Adam and the most abominable sinnes ever since were there-against and all desolations thereout and the yet prevailing Antichristian sinne assisting in oppositeness thereto and usurpation thereover The drift therefore of the Holy Ghost being herein to preach and press preciseness in the matter and distinctness in the manner of God's speciall Worship The latter of this place and the rest of this subject must have their spirit from hence which also will not onely easily but excellently sort therewith and better than with any other and though the manner or order of any thing cannot be shewn but upon supposition of the matter known or in the shewing to be withall made known yet when the Apostle cometh v. 6. to assume and conclude his intent in the premisses v. 1. to 5. he seemeth to have supposed and intended onely the distinctness of the Church states by their peculiar Functions and the order of exercising them in the Church Assembly onely in the handling Paul after the excellent Scripture-manner interlaceth the peculiar vertues of three of the Offices which were hardest to be known leaving the other two easier to be by the like course understood as on the other side he expresseth his main drift of charging the distinctness of the Offices and their Functions onely in the two first leaving the like to be supposed in the other three so that it is expresly proved that the Offices are distinct v. 6. which after are expressed to be five In the Inference therefore of v. 6. is the drift of the Holy Ghost expressed which is the Soul and Life of the whole Context upon it therefore we are to stand as we use to do on the parting of the Branches from the Body of the Tree for the best finding and gathering the Fruit of the Tree whereby the Nature of the Tree and Intent of the Planter is best to be discerned that therefore saith We having then gifts or since then we have gifts according to the grace measure of Faith v. 3. that is given measured v. 3. different divers or distinct whether it be Prophesie the estate or ability of a Church-Prophet or both according to the proportion measure v. 3. gift v. 6. of Faith grace v. 6. 2. Of the Interest in Christs body v. 4 5. or Worship and Will of God v. 1 2. He seemeth to have left the speech very imperfect yet therein he most excellently perfecteth the drift of the Holy Ghost affirmed that is to prove a distinct observance in the offices and not to provoke unto vehemency in the execution which will undoubtedly follow this distinct discerning the speciall intent of Gods zealous and jealous distinguishing them Secondly it suiteth with the ten times greater care that is taken throughout the Scriptures that Gods Worship should be observed according to his Precepts Statutes or Institutions or Laws and Zeal that is used in the reproof of the contrary than that a zealous Worship should be given him Thirdly he therein well observeth the order of the Commandements in more regarding the second then the third And fourthly the order of Nature which first and more regardeth the truth of the matter then the measure And fiftly his own scope intimated in the five former verses and oft expressed to take care for Gods Worship of his Word v. 1. of his Will v. 2. of his apportioning v. 3. of his disposing v. 4 5. of his divers giving v. 6. and of his exact distinguishing v. 6 7 8. more than for the measure thereof Sixthly he well preferreth the maine of the matter before the exactness of words yea than competency but in this case of endangering the proper scope of the place which would have been
that want abstain from Prophecying and works of Office not being deputed thereto by state or act 4. The Prophets also are not to speak Ministerially with authority charge threats and vehemency but onely with strengh of arguments brotherly perswasions and motives and less frequent and large then the Ministers and also in their distinct course place and time 5. The Teacher also is not to press Exhortations Comforts their contraries on the affection and hearts in purposes of practise but to leave them distinct for the Exhorter neither is he to exercise any work of government 6. No nor the Exhorter but as actually deputed by the Church in case of absence of a Ruler but in which case neither of them are to admit excommunicate ordain degrade members nor officers nor order the Church-exercises 7. Neither is the Ruler Ministerially to preach but onely on particular occasions in Church-dealing with the Erroneous perverse and ill-behavioured they are to inform exhort and do all acts of Preaching to those parties but they are on no occasion to administer the Sacraments 8. The Distributer is not to use any of those three kinds of works neither are any of these to speak in the exercise of Prophesie but as Prophets laying aside in that act all Ministerial authority c. nay they are not by their office to do the work of the widows 9. But they i. e. the widows onely are Ministeriall to attend thereon but to use no Ministeriall work in the Congregation nor to prophesie This mutual distinctness is so mainly charged on the Church and every Church-estate for observation of order and avoiding consusion as the due derivation of those estates and exercise of their works for avoiding desolation and the refusall of other estates derivations and works for avoiding of abominations the contrary practise and titles being the proper nature and brand-mark of Antichrist as that Babylon the great that Apollyon Abaddon destroyer and desolation and that abomination out-law that vile one that Tyrant ruling by his own Will Dan. 11.21 31 36 37. yea this distinctness is the prime and proper scope of Rom. 12.1 to 8. as v. 3. in the whole and the boundings in every verse after and the no affectionate provocation in any verse do shew as I have amply cleared before Thirdly observe their variety and adequate extent to Christs fulness and our emptiness and to our abilities and Christs employments But this being seasonable after the third real part of Worship now ensuing I will refer it thither both for the neer relation of the third part to the two preceding and for the joynt pertinency of that observation to both the last parts The third real part of Divine Worship of the second Commandement of the second Petition the second Title of Christ Esa 9.6 viz. Orderer Councellor or Judge of the second fruit of Faith 2 Pet. 1.5 Knowledge of what vertues he requireth c. consisteth of the Administrations of those Ministries and priviledges of those memberships or joyntly of the works and priviledges of that Church and those Church-estates The abilities requisite to the first Office and the correspondent exercise of them are 1. Skill in the Original Tongues and clearing the difficulties of the Translation 2. Skill in the instrumentall Arts Grammer Rhetorick and Logick and expounding metaphrasing and analysing the Text as need is 3. Knowledge of positive Divinity and shewing the Doctrine thereof in the Text. 4. Knowledge of the controversies raised against the same and ability to answer them and confuting them 5. Informing conforming comforting and confirming in those Knowledges and their Uses in the general partly in a fraternal referting the particular prosecution thereof to the Exhorter as the propriety of his office and partly for consonancy therewith 2. The powers and practises of the second office are exhortation to the said dutys and promises particularly with all power and charge as Gods Embassadours 2 Cor. 5.18 to 21. Ephes 6.20 and consequent dehortation from the contrary and confirming in the same Faith Holiness and Order and also discouraging reproving and terrifying from the contrary all four with all arguments of proof to the mind motives of consent to the heart provocations to the affections and to practice and with removal of the contrary for the differencing properties of these two offices are not onely in the mentioned actions but principally in their distinct scope of the first to inform the mind of the second to conform the heart that though in their prosecution of their said scopes they promiscue use the actions of informing and conforming yet those actions are and are to be denominated according to the drifts and predominant purpose of those distinct officers in the discharge of their offices yet where there is all due ability and loving communicating of each others studies and purposes there is little need of this observation to preserve the distinctness of these two offices the Sacraments and Prayer are common to these two 3. The Duties and works of the Ruler are first ordering the beginning of the Congregation by Prayer and a Psalm and every distinct state and work thereof and their continuance and dissolving the Congregation with his Prayer and a Psalm 2. Disposing of the place of the whole Congregation and each distinct part thereof 3. Charging each distinct part to perform their office and keep their bounds 4. To see all the Ordinances of Worship orderly performed and false Worship suppressed 5. He is not onely thus the mouth of God to the Church and its estates but also the mouth of the Church to the estates thereof to be admitted excommunicated ordained and degraded for upon the Church acts of election or rejection of a Member or Minister he is to declare the sentence and perform the sentenced act of admission or dismission of a member and of Ordination or Degradation of an officer in way of complement of the act and publishing the Decree of the Church Of which last and least work of the Ruler i. e. of his doing or undoing ordination it is very remarkable that where Christ endeth his Elders Overseers and Shepherds Offices viz. in Ordination there Antichrist beginneth his like Herod who never saw Christ till the day of his crucifying Secondly though to conjoyn the Elderly charging and feeding offices I thus place the Ruler before the Distributer yet both in order of Execution and in necessity and also in all the expressions of the Word Rom. 12.8 1 Cor. 12.29 Act. 6. the Distributer is first and so this act of Ordination is the work of the last of all Male-Officers of the Church and that his last and least work for his works from God to the Church and its Church-estates are greater than his work from the Church to its Members and also his compleating and pronouncing about Election or Rejection of a Member is before the same about and Officer for he must be first a Member integral and so it is the
their scope for Rom. 12.1 proveth it a particular of the Worship of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 2. to be a part of Gods Wil-worship so called to shew the high cause and nature thereof and in opposition to man's Will-worship Col. 2.23 and so to be deputed by Christ v. 3. chargeth its distinctness from the other divine offices in general which v. 7. doth also in particular in the word Within v. 4 5 6. shew it to be a Church-office member and gift v. 7. calleth it an office which the article á½ confirmeth especially in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 7. also sheweth its distinguishing form in the words the Teacher and Teaching vâ—z by personal and instituted Ordinances which are above-mentioned with their abilities and execution in the third part The end is strongly imported in all the other three parts of the definition for though definitions of natural things require onely the matter and form yet these institutions primarily require the efficient and end also and the goodness of the work on the Workers part requireth also knowledge of these things and sincere obedience to the commander and also his enrighting estate or membership of a Church before he is accepted as a Divine Worshipper and Officer of the Church In these Church-exercises are to be considered the works themselves toward each other In themselves first Prophesie is Gods Ordinance to gifted persons a membral speaking by two or three in the Church to edification exhortation and comfort of all the Church all but membral is expressed 1 Cor. 14.3 4 5 12 19 24. and that at least is to be understood in that it is written to a Church and v. 34. a woman is forbidden to speak in the Church in handling this Exercise Now none hath power or priviledge in the Church or its Exercises but Church-members and that at the least in that Rom. 12.6 with 7. it is expresly distinct from a Ministry indeed able gifts are necessary and as necessarily to be understood in speaking to Edification Exhortation and Comfort for without them none can so do and so is not necessary to be expressed 1. From this definition arise these points first all members of Churches that can speak to Edification Exhortation and comfort of the Church may and ought to do it in the exercise of Prophesie 2. Onely such and such may 3. The Officers of the Church as such except the Ruler ih his ordering the action have interest in Prophesie above other members but in priority of order and betterness of gifts the former giveth onely firstness in the course agreed on by the Prophets the latter onely more length of time 4. The Church or Rulers as such hath no more authority to prescribe the Doctrines and Texts to the Prophets then to the Ministers of the Word the Teacher and Exhorter but rather less in two respects First because the Ministers have right and charge from the Deputation of the Church but the Prophets not so but their membership they have by and with their Original Church-state and not by any derivation there-from and their gifts from their persons Secondly because the Ministers are to be supposed enabled to all Texts and Doctrines and the Church may more colourably require what Text and Doctrine they think best for them but the Prophets not so but are truly such though enabled but in some Texts and Doctrnes and so both in regard of their estates and abilities 5. The number and order of the Speakers are to be by the agreement of the Prophets themselvs 1 Cor. 14.29 to 33. The Ministers as Members and Prophets having but the priority and moreness of speech in the agreement and exercise and that onely by the light of nature giving more honour to the more honourable in estate and ability but giving no Ecclesiastical superiority in Prophesie the confusion of which two estates seemeth to have been the first Seed of and step to Antichristianisme 6. A distinct place for the Speakers in each exercise is to be designed by the Prophets or by those that design other Seats fit to speak out of and to be heard and seen by all which seemeth to be before the Elders Pue proofs hereof are 1. Act. 13.15 from the ancient Exercise of prophesie among the Jews for Paul and Barnabas were then and there not known to be Apostles but were received as gifted Jews and so manifested of themselves by sitting in the Seat designed to that end which also is to be supposed of Christ oft 2. and from 1 Cor. 14.30 in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to one or any that sitteth i. e. if it appear by the Sitters in that Exercise that much of the time will be employed by the after-speakers let the first contrive his matter accordingly that each may have his course and the Ordinance duly discharged 3. from the light of Nature the former grounds considered First that there may be an aim in the first Speaker how to contrive his time Secondly for the more honesting the exercise it self by putting some difference between the Speakers and not Speakers in that Exercise Thirdly for the better opportunity of speaking and hearing yea and of being seen neither is there insinuation of any office thereby if there be no assignment of the Speakers nor of their Text or Doctrine by the Church or Elders and if their original be taken from their memberships giftedness and their exercise and vicissitude be ordered amongst themselves and kept distinct from the officers exercised by a distinct prayer time and place and also by a more social and less authoritative speaking then the Teaching-Officers even in the best enabled especially in the Rulers who else by their other authority and sitting with the Ministers of the Word and in likelyhood by their betterness of gifts will much endanger the distinctness of the body of Christ so charged Rom. 12.3 to 8. which is worse then their gracing the Exercise by their office is good 7. A distinct measure of time emphasis and authority in the utterance is to be observed from the Ministers according to their less authority promise charge and gift lest confusion and injury grow by the Members Usurpation on the Officers there is rather doubt that the Prophets have no proper authority but a right to publish the Law of God which hath the legal authority of God in it self whereto is added the Ministeriall authority of Christ in his offices Prophetical in the Teacher Priestly in the Exhorter and Kingly in both as instituted by its extraordinary Deputations of Apostles Prophets and Evangelists and as ordered by its Ordinary as the Church-Rulers which also to disobey addeth greatly to the other disobediences to the Word personally or prophetically read expounded and applyed yet since every one that is truly sent to publish the Word hath a kind of authority the degrees are principally to be insisted on in the greater promise of a blessing to the Ministerial than to the membral
Deputations of Christ and of like confident expectation thereof in the greater charge and duty to obey and also in the greater measure of gifts which are to be supposed in the Ministers whereof an answerable success is to be expected 8. None hath right to exercise as a Prophet out of a Church-Assembly at least but to Church members much less one that is no Church-member whether within or without the Church though they may and that successfully to the begetting and nourishing Faith and its fruits exercise the same gift because and as it is personal which also hath a less measure of authority charge promise and gifts annexed 9. The scope of the Prophets is to speak to the edification exhortation and comfort of the Church and not for triall no nor exercise of gifts though both may also yield that use and therefore distinct prayer in those respects onely is not good though the goodness of prayer alone be added because it is here used as a Sanctifier of an action and not as a distinct action for the edifying exhorting or comforting the Church much less is the Churches custome especially if begun on a divers reason warrant for it but least of all fear of Innovation both which are of through and for Babylonism and nourish up carkasses and traditions yea tyranny in the Church to the eating the heart of Religion and purity of Worship thereout Secondly therefore matters of sin or disorder therein are no more censurable within that time then the sins and disorders committed in any other Exercise but are to be referred to the Exercise of Ruling at least if great and turbulent but if onely in the length of time and number or other orders agreed by the Prophets they are to be remedied first by the reasons perswasion of the Prophets 1 Cor. 14.32 or by them referred to the censure of the Church in case of obstinacy Thirdly therefore each is to be referred to the knowledge of his own ability and to his fitting it with Text Doctrine and Manner for the fruit is much diminished by the inequality of the matter and ability Fourthly though respect be to be had of strangers in many mean circumstances and observations the main of the course is not to be shaped nor altered for them Again briefly of the Organical and five Officers there are five distinct objects functions portions and proportions of Faith Rom. 12.7 8. with 3 4 5 6. The first is of the Teacher who is v. 7. confined within Teaching which is fourfold Lingual Grammatical Logical and Ethical The first is his apt expressing the Original Tongues by the Mother-Tongue of the Church The second is his apt expounding the meaning of the Holy Ghost in the Grammer Phrases and Figures either in his own person or metaphrastically in the person of the Writer The third is his analytical dividing the word of truth aright into its proper parts and his genetical incorporating them into one body enspired or ensouled by the scope of the Holy Ghost The fourth is his distinct extracting the Doctrines of the Holy Ghost testimentary and preceptive and the genuine consequences from them both confirming and confuting and his suasive pressing them to approbation The second is of the Exhorter which is there called Exhortation which is either unto good from evil or to stay in good or flee out of evil which four are peculiarly called Exhortation Dehortation Comfort and Terrour Now the Sacraments and singing Psalms being both teachingly exhorting and exhortingly teaching are the works of both these Offices but most plenarily and properly of the Exhorter but prayer is equally common not only to these two but to the other three Offices before and after the execution of their offices and that in respect of their offices and not onely of their persons The third is that of the Ruler which consisteth in ordering of others in the execution of their functions and the Church in its Church-duties as its decreeing admission excommunication ordination degradation c. or in executing his own the former is his ordering the Church unto and in its Assembly and in its Members and Officers unto and in their Church-works late mentioned and promised the latter is his admitting excommunicating members ordaining degrading Officers and dismissing the Church and in respect of other Churches and persons and absent members to receive and read in the Church their Letters and write and send to them in this respect he is written unto under the name of the Angel of the Church seven times Rev. 2. 3. Chap. and charged with the faults of their Churches as not using their offices to their best redressing them and commended for their good on the contrary Fourthly the Function of the Distributer to provide for the relief of the Poor of the Church by the richer ones thereof and to do all the services of the Church in matter of provision by employment of Church-stock buying selling or building or ordering its meeting-place and following its necessary Suits in the Law and providing bread wine water and other necessaries for the Elders Bishops or Pastors proper discharge of their offices in which respect he is called the Servant Helper and Deacon of the Church The last and least is the Function of the Pittier shewer of mercy Widow or Deaconness of the Church which is to tend upon the health of each member thereof in cases of need as in sickness child-birth and in all matters of preservation of their persons so that by these five offices and their functions all the needs of the Church are supplyed as by the five offices of Christ our Prophet Priest King Provider and Preserver and the answerable gifts of the mind infused and acquisite and humane innate abilities three whereof are the three faculties of the reasonable soul apprehending applying and expressing and two of the sensitive i.e. desire-of provision and preservation and so all Gods promises Christs purchases and the Spirits graces for us and all that Faith Hope and Love expect in this life is in these as in the immediate niples spoons and hands of the nursing Mother the Church encorporate for the visible preservation of the mystical or saved Church wherein the one half of the special uses and ends promised is performed and the other half will be shewn after my present summary manner by observing in them all God as our Lord as in the former half he is shewn to be Jesus or our Saviour which two are the sole object of Faith 2 Pet. 1.2 for they are means of Gods sanctifying both for his service and our preservation and that convertibly for whatsoever is divinely to serve God is divinely to preserve his and è contra and wherein can he be more glorified by us than by our acknowledging of all these to be means of and by God for our salvation and of all them and our selves also to be for Gods service and worship for if they be for Gods Divine
Worship and our spiritual welfare what can be of a greater necessity of duty or concluder of Rebellion against God or murder of our own soules especially since they are expressed to be that good acceptable and perfect Will of God Rom. 12.2 That Word-worship so vehemently pressed v. 1. unto the approbation of both which we must be transformed into a renewedness of mind and disconformed from the World-worship as dead unholy and unacceptable unto God v. 1. and renounce our own Wills as evil odious and imperfect v. 2. by which high dignity of the Commander and Commender of these for his own peculiar Divine Worship and his Worshippers eternal glory and the Divine Nature of the Worship and Worshippers and the heavenly end of the former and benefit to the latter and also by the Deity of the Mediator and inspirer of them thus manifested another promised branch is also performed but competently indeed in respect of what may more be said of them yet compleatly being compared with the dignity of any other thing but God their original Author and ultimate End and his Saints for whom they and all things but God are and by and for whom they are exercised and their Institutors and Divine Declarer and Grace and Heaven for which they are But I haste to their further dignifying by shewing the odious baseness of their Opposites Antichrist and his Worship having only first marshalled them into their comely order lineal and collateral Psal 19. Gods natural works are highly extolled in that their line is gone through the Earth and their words unto the ends of the World v. 4. and the like is said of the Sun v. 6. but the extension of Gods spiritual works are far more magnified in the rest of that Psalm and throughout that spirituall Record nothing is more evident and eminent both in lineal and collateral extension than the pillar and ground of true Worship which is the House and Church of the Living God 1 Tim. 3.15 For the Word is Truth both as the Sanctifier of the Truth of Salvation and also of Worship but the Church is not the pillar and ground of the former but of the latter it is as shall be synopsed presently which also best sorteth with the subject of that whole Epistle especially at that part thereof which is an instruction of Timothy how to behave himself in ordering and acting Gods publike worship The rock and root of this line is God the Father as the absolute Willer thereof the Anchor or Hank end thereof is Christ as the original Revealer thereof his immediate Deputies therein are the Apostles Prophets and Evangelists by their precepts and practice thereof the Divine Record whereof is their Writings of the new Testament a Divine Progeny and previal Line indeed but the internal Line hath five parts 1. The Church 2. The power thereof 3. The Church-estates 4. Their Functions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12.4 or Portions of Faith v. 3. 5. Their object or matter What these five things are is shewn but I onely touch their lineal or successive order The filial or posterial Line of Gods Worship extendeth to all publike union and communion with God and his Saints in all grace and glory First in this life as an Earnest Broad-seal Livery of seisine and Court or Temple of Sanctum Sanctorum and the very Heaven an heavenly Issue and Inheritance indeed and so a Royal Race and Heavenly Line indeed The collateral respect of Divine Worship is either internal or external the former is the fraternity of its parts which is actual in its four last parts and virtual in the Church as causally respecting each branch of the four brotherhoods each whereof hath nine particulars according to the number of the Church-estates or Memberships 4. Whereof are integral as Children Women Men and Prophets And 5. Organical or Ministerial as the Teacher the Exhorter the Distributer the Ruler the pitier whose 9. portions priviledges or proportions of Faith Rom. 12.3 6. or Functions v. 4. may by these nine terms be understood receptive submissive active instructive teaching exhorting distributing ruling and pittying but the particulars of the matter wherein those Functions are to be exercised cannot so briefly be expressed but by reference to what is said of them which is sufficient for this place over unto in by and for these brotherhoods is the Church power authoritative over them in giving them their being or essentiative unto them preservative in them usive by them beneficial for them for all gifts ministrations and operations are given to the Church to profit each other member its Function and its matter to be executed 1 Cor. 12.7 The external fraternity of our Evangelical Divine Worship is either spiritual or natural the spiritual is either cotypical or antitypical the particulars of them all are 7 five are past one is and the seventh is to come so exactly is this white Line parallel'd with that black one in time number and particulars Rev. 17. though in all substantials exactly antiparallel'd as may appear in the counter-parallel of this Image of Christ with that of Antichrist The cotypes then are five Paradise Noah's Ark Abraham's Family Moses Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple which I cannot plainly and plentifully say and seal in few words and yet many I may not now use 1. Paradise as a type of the Church Adam as the Teacher or Declarer by Moral Teaching and the Tree of Knowledge As the typical preserver by the Tree of Life and Exhortation As the Orderer or Ruler by casting out of Paradise This was also a Legal Type of Heaven and the first Covenant 2. Noah's Ark. Noah the teacher of Righteousness by the spiritual signs of the Ark The typical preserver of all in the Ark by the Food of the Ark The Ruler by admitting into and rejecting out of the Ark. This was a Legal and Evangelical Type cleering the worship after the Fall 3. Abraham's Family in Covenant with God Abraham the Teacher of his Family by publication of Gods Promises and Commandements The Sealer thereof by Circumcision and the Sacrifices The Ruler by Excommunication This was an Evangelical Type cleering the second Covenant made with Adam Gen. 3.15 4. The Tabernacle The Priests and Levites as Teachers by Moral and Typical preaching As Exhorters and Sealers by the Passover Sacraments and Sacrifices As Rulers by Tryal shutting out and purifying the Lepers the Unclean c. This was properly legal and cleering the first Covenant made with Adam Gen. 2.17 Yet secondly it Was Evangelical as typing the Worship of the Gospel 5. The Temple The Priests c. as in the Tabernacle but thereto as also to the Temple as being neerer to Christ then the other three there was also annexed a cleerer distinctness of the teaching and offices of Christ in the Colledge of the Prophets and their prophecying exhorting and ordering the children of the Pâ—ophets and in Jerusalem as the prime place of Expounders of the Law
Luk. 3. Of eating the Passover and peace-offerings c. and also of Judgment Psal 122. There are thrones for Judgment c. Yet is there this difference that the transitoryness of the Tabernacle shewed the fading estate of the Law in respect of the Gospel and of the worship of the Gospel in respect of Heaven and the immovableness of the Temple shewed the respespective permanency of the Gospel and the perpetuity absolute of Heaven as the proper Kingdome of God and of Heaven in the respectiveness whereunto the Gospel is frequently called by Christ the Kingdome of Heaven the Worship whereof is the next and sixt type of Heaven 6. The Church or Spiritual Sabbath-Assembling Corporation the Officers overseeing it are the Teachers and Informers of the Understanding by teaching i. e. by translating metaphrase analysis doctrine Exhorters conformers or confirmers of the heart by exhortation dehortation comfort and terrour and administration of the Sacraments as ratifying the former and thereby establishing the heart Ruler or Reformer of the Conversation by admission excommunication ordination deprivation and ordering all Church-actions 7. The third Heaven after death where in Christ we shall see God face to face and know him as we are known as in an eternal mirrour and immediate sight of God Be perfected with all grace and peace by the real inspiration of the Holy Ghost in the heart and affections Raign in all manifest Holiness and Happiness as coheirs with Christ by perfect glory and content in God In these seven Divine Worships is the external instituted collateralness of the Evangelical Worship comprehended the moral or natural remaineth which in the general is expressed Rom. 12.4 5. For as we have many members in one body and all members have not one office So in Christ i. e. by Christs institution is it in the Church the particulars whereof are expressed in the next 3. verses Now in that the natural similies thereof are both personal v. 4 5. and publike v. 6 7 8. we are sent to all perfect bodies natural to search out the perfection of this spiritual complement of theirs three whereof are personal and three publike the three former are vegetative sensitive and rational hypostases For the first it is as the first of the former 3. vers Spiritual Brethren the most dark and imperfect yet all 1. Herbs and Trees have one stalk or body dispersed into leaves as life or kind-manifesting parts by their greenness in sight Blossomes as internal and inchoative kind-preserving parts by their tenderness in feeling promising and beginning fruitfulness Fruits useful to man and preserving its own kind by their feeding and physical and fructifying vertues and uses 2. Creeping things Fishes Birds and Beasts have their one body and each body its divers organs as the brain for knowing the Heart for purposing and willing the Motive Members for acting and moving These are receptive and determining in themselves but not agitating others to know will and work as they do onely man by his discursive reason and actuating wit and will collects from them knowledge and vertue and distilleth them into their instruments of action but especially in himself as the third natural pattern or brother of the Church 3. Man consisteth of one body having an head and therein the five external Senses and their common Sense Reason and Memory to learn and teach An heart and its affections of love hope joy and gratefulness and their opposites to will and cause others to will Their active organs as the tongue hands feet teeth c. externally to express what they internally know and will The publike patterns are likewise three according to the three Offices of Christ informing preserving and ruling the first are the Societies of Students in the Law and other Learning in the most eminent whereof I will instance as in the Inns of Court and Chancery 4. They have one voluntary body associated for the study of the Law and by the power thereof choose their Readers and other Exercisers of matter of knowledge to inform their members in the Law House-Officers as Steward Butler Cook Porter c. to preserve their being for that end Rulers to rule them in that Society and Work 5. The preserving are Societies of Trade for the preservation of men in all Common-wealths and other Societies such as are Regiments and Bands of Souldiers and the companies of London c. who take courses and should set Teachers to inform and see to others informing their novices in their trades for the true knowledge of their proper trade Cooks Butler Porter c. for their living in that Society Colonels Captains Serjeants Wardens and their Associats for Government for their orderly walking therein 6. The Ruling Societies are Nations Cities Towns Corporate and other free Common wealths who have by their covenant power to choose Instructers to inform all of that body in the Laws thereof Provokers to excite them to observe them Rulers to compell them by outward penalties to keep them 7. The seventh is the Church which hath whatsoever these six have whether lineal or collateral and is their fellow-creature corporation or brother of the same Creator King and Father though it have divers peculiars more then they as that it is also of divine institution nature and use of more exactness of order lineal and collateral and of a Sabbath-assembling property and though thâ—y are set by God Rom. 12.4 5. as general patterns and as the Wise-mens Star to direct where the Word doth not institutedly prescribe Yet the five lineal parts thereof and their five collaterals are so exactly and plentifully instituted by the divine precepts and practises in the Word that this is as the Sun-light to them in their substantials as they are the Candle-light to their darker accidentals yet is it our special duty to attend the to use thereof in this our weakness until the Sun-bright institutedness of the Evangelical Worship in the whole and each part and respect do appear in our hearts and then shall we thereby rectifie and reduce them to their original purity and use whereas now they are perverted and hurtful By all which glorious comelyness of our Evangelical Worship in it self by its divine progeny and posterity by its first-born fraternity with all excelling bodies spiritual natural politike required Ephes 4. and by its every way compleatness Col. 2. and distinctness charged Rom. 12.3 6. the perfect dignity thereof doth evidently yea eminently appear and withall the necessariness yea the necessitedness both of our duty to God to Christians and our selves therein and benefit thereby is thrust upon it all the vileness rebelliousness and perniciousness of Antichrist the exact opposite thereto is to be supposed Antichrist destroyeth not onely the whole Church and its power but also all the members thereof both integral and instrumental both by his setting himself against the Church and his sitting for or as the Church and thereby extinguishing the Churchship and
all the Memberships thereof and so is that desolation and as he setteth himself for and as the Church and his 128. sorts of his Church-members 24. Ministerial and 104. Monastical members as and for the members of the Church he setteth up that abomination And thirdly as he confuseth the names nature and order of the Church-members of Christ he is that Babylon the great or God of confusion For first he confoundeth the four sorts of the integral members of the Church as the Prophets Men Women and children both in taking from them all distinction of Church-power and priviledge whereby as Ecclesiastical they are distinguished from each other for by his Church-disorder no Saint of gifts of discerning spirits of edification exhortation and comfort hath more power in government or priviledge of teaching than men without them yea or women and children for they have none at all neither have men more enrighting power then women or children in telling the Church or in putting out of the obstinately wicked from among them than women and children what enabling power soever they have more than they for his Church-warden-promooting is a servility absolute of informing the Prelatical courts but not that power to tell the Church if the offendor will not repent at their private telling and not to tell if they will Neither thirdly have Prophets men or women more priviledge in any thing than children by any Church right he making them all alike of the Laity and not of the Church as for his giving the bread to men and women but not to children it is by a Ministerial or rather Magisterial munificence in the Priests and through a natural defect in the children simply and not as they cannot discern the Lords body nor eat in remembrance of Christ indeed his denying expresly the wine to all alike sheweth their Church estate and right thereby unto it to be all alike that is none at all and so he might by alike right deny them the Bread and Baptisme too but for his own sinister ends of making his Priests munificent herein and of discovering the informed in the right order of God and the avoiders of Antichristianity and of seeming to love Christianity Secondly he so also confoundeth the names nature and order of the five instrumental or ministerial members in making them all but one Priesthood for the Teacher Exhorter and Ruler of a Congregation he expresly maketh but one Priesthood and the Deacon he maketh but a diminutive servant and helper of that priesthood or a preparative thereto the Widow or Mercy-shewer he wholly excludeth and so he is that Babylon the great or great confounder of Gods Offices and Ordinances 2. He is also that abomination in setting up other Church offices than these five which onely are made divine by the Word and so also he sitteth as or for the Church in usurping its authority herein for he hath set up denal suffragan diocesan provincial patriarchal and universal Bishoâ—shâ—ps their subordinate councels commissaries Officials Archdeacons Surrogates and Registers as divinely authorized to exercise Church-authority whom yet Christ never authorized which I have shewn in a Tract of undivine Bishops and in a Confutation of their Postscriâ—ts or undivine authority for them 3. He is also that desolation both in his settâ—ng these Anachims over Christs Bishops and Deacons and not onely as simply ruling them by their Church-Monarchy as they do all called Christians but especially as making them subordinate instruments of their Magisterial tyranny both in their servile promooting to their Courts the true yea and reported breakers of their Articles repentant and impenitent promiscuously and especially in executing their Sentences though they know them unjust both in matter and also in the form of their proceedings for he hath hereby made them his Vassals Bayliffs Goalers and Executioners without any inherent power of ruling in their Offices And this though they had been of Gods creation by Church-election and under his correction But that which is worst thâ—y are of Hierarchical generation by Prelatical ordination and are under their censures even unto degradation for neglecting their traditions so that what they are can do and have in their formal estate is of through and for Antichrist for he created them into that estate by his instituted office of Bishopship and its constituting ordination thereby engaging them to use all their powers and habits internal and external to his ends and glory whereby he hath not onely destroyed their servantship of God but even made them his own servants and souldiers against Christ as King of Israel and Lord of his Temple The next part of Antichrists antithesis against Chrâ—sts instituted Worship is first his prescribing other ends to the works of the Church-members both integral and instrumental than Christ hath done even both to their saving serving souldierly and social works under which four heads all Christian duties are comprehended and indeed he maketh of these four sorts of works but one with a double end that is satisfactory to God in obedience to himself for all is works of service suffering and love he holdeth to be the prerequisite condition of our adoption sonship and spouship and so of our union with God as our heavenly Father though p operly Gods imputation of Christ and his sufferings and works unto us be the onely work preceding or prerequisite to our adoption and so therein God the Father Christ and the Holy Ghost are the onely Agents and Workers and we are meerly patients as receivers of that divine estate nature and inheritance and thereby enrighted by that estate enabled by that nature and moved by that inheritance to serve and suffer for God and for and with his sons servants and souldiers and so he is that Babylon abomination and desolation in this part also as he maketh the soul of the works of all Church-members to be satisfactory to God and services to himself whereas they are onely services and homage due to God as absolute Lord. This is not onely true of that Antichrist of Rome but of his daughters also in their secundary degree and under the name of Arminianisme whereof the Hierarchy of England is in travail that of Ireland pregnant and that of Scotland quick with child Secondly in prescribing other works rites and observances also than God hath sanctified as abstinence from Marriage and Meats to some at all times and to all at some times kneeling and many fopperies in the Lords Supper Salt cream spittle c. in Baptisme bondaged reading prayers the surplice copes and other priestly garments white clothing for the baptized churched and penitent praying before the crucifix crosse and images sackcloth and whipping c. consecrated places breathing the Holy Ghost in ordination prelatical consecration institution induction suspension anathematising with bell book and candle observation of holy-days weeks and set-times consecrating of Temples and their appurtenances of many sorts Fonts chalices Bells Holy-water Basons and
Christs Church and Clergy and to their answerable nature and so to domineer in and over both Domum dominium domini and so ut dominus domini nostri Mansion and Mannour of our Lord and so as Lord of our Lord and his Lordship its appendant worship homage rent and service Thirdly suppose we the word Sacraments and Prayer to be the materials of Christs and Christians Communion shall we therefore like Swine eat of his meat without observance of the order he hath set for their administration by his Ministers according to their distinct offices and functions and that as parts of his family or court of his own forming The Queen of Sheba shameth these Borderers on Jerusalem for she came from the utmost parts of the Earth to know the wisdome of Solomon and observed the house which he had built and the meat of his Table and the sitting of his Servants and the attendance of his Ministers and their apparel and his Butlers and their apparel and his ascent to the house of God and she admired them and pronounced him and them blessed of God therein and God blessed thereby 2 Chron. 9.1 to 8. But these eaters of the meat of the greater than Solomon come from Heaven to them observe not much less admire Christs wisdome Love and Will in his house formed by himself in the offices and set-estates thereof and their orderly attendance and administration of them and the comely ornaments of them all and the distinctness of the particular officers and their functions and beauty and also their relation reciprocal to God and his house and the mutual blessings communicated in all these Nay they rather as sensual gluttons and self-feeders lust after and suck up his wine and milk without seeking after his wisdome and perfect order therein loving him for his goodness therein or obeying him in his holy and so acceptable Will and Command in them all Fourthly they learned not of David to speak so slightly of these distinct Orders and Offices of the Church and their necessited relation to the Ark and the like administrations of the Priests and Levites as to call them circumstances of Religion for he saith that because they were not there in their Orders at the bringing home of the Ark God made that great breach in Israel because though Israel sought him yet they neglected the Ministerial Order God had prescribed for his Worship 1 Chron. 15.2 to 13. with Chap. 13. and Numb 4.4 15. Nor of Moses to neglect an hoof in way of compleat readiness for Gods service much less would he neglect the least hoof after it was sanctified by God for that end But what do they mean by circumstances distinctly They are vulgarly known to be three Time Place and Persons onely the third then can be the controversie Whether it be material in the Word Sacraments and Prayer publike who administreth them whether an instituted Officer or no But they are so far from holding the SacrameÌ„ts administrable by any out of an instituted office that they impose a necessity therof in preaching and praying in the congregation and the formal Protestants out of the congregration also except by reading especially in preaching since then they hold the ministry of the Church and i'ts administration so necessary unto in preaching Sacraments and prayer in Gods worship why villifie they our necessiting this Church estate to be distinctly known purposed and practised as a pertinent point of Gods worship But now to pass from these motives ab homine unto the greater à Deo call to mind the constant necessity of this official Celebration of all instituted ordinances since God set up a set Church-ministry teaching exhorting ruleing and serving and helping me and your self herein read Heb. 5. to 8 8. Exod. 25. to 31.33 to Lev. 10. 1 Chron. 20 2 Chron. 2. to 7. Ezek. 40. to 46. All which and many other parts of Scripture are wholly of one of the types of this worship summarily contrived in our present 8. verses of Rom. 12. expressed so to be 2 Cor. 6.16 1 Tim. 3.15 Rev. 21. compared with Levit. 26.11 Ezek. 37.26 27. Then in your reading the Histories and Prophesies of the Old Testament from Joshua to Malachi First mark the main scope of the Holy Ghost in them and you shall find it to be to observe the Israelites observing and neglecting the same and their omission of the matter and order thereof and their commission of the contrary false Worship of divers sorts and degrees and Gods reproofs and judgments for the same and his comforts and blessings of the walkers after that rule of his truth or true worship Secondly in reading the New Testament do the like in respect of his present Rule of true Worship both in it self and its comparisons with that his former instituted Rule of Worship prescribed in his Word of Truth and therefore called Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 Rom. 1.23 25. and comparing it with its opposites and you shall then find this our present subject not to be such circumstances ceremonies nor the like trivial trifles as the present worldly worshippers account call them But to be on the contrary of so high and deer esteem with God and his servants as they be of base and slight account with the halters between Christ and Antichrist one of which must alwayes prevail the former in love to his true Lovers in their inward and outward blessings The latter in contempt of his contemners God giving them over to strong delusions to beleeve lyes and to wonder and wander after him For 1260. years yet in quiet trading and prosperity both of outward worship and jollity while the true worshippers were forced by him them into the Inner Temple Sackcloth Rev. 11. into the wâ—lderness Rev. 12.6 14. Mat. 24.15 c. even to death Rev. 13.10 15.20 4. So that these Semi-christian doters on the 3. of the parts only of divine worship i. e. Preaching Sacraments and prayer and slighters of the rest are worse both in worship and benefits then Antichristians who highly esteem and devoutly practise the other parts in their intent and esteem and so observe the general duty of obedience to God therein though they misse the particular and thereby build their Babel and Babylonish regiment and orders instead of and as Gods City and Church with its ministry and ministrings whereunto they are also furthered and occasioned by this Semi-christian conceit and practise not only in giving way and leave thereto but even in devoutly accepting their administrations of the word Sacraments and prayer yea and in magnifying maintaining and pleading for them that are sent according to that Babylonish regiment and professe their ministry to be from by and of that Antichristian Hierarchy it self which even themselves hold and say is Antichrist and that against many heavy penaltied laws of the Land and general practises and confessions of all their fellow opposites to that Antichrist throughout all
Beast Rev. 13.1 to 10. that desolating abomination Dan. 11.31 12.11 Matth. 24.15 that man of sinne c. 2 Thes 2.3 4. Dan. 11.36 prophetically and historâ—cally or historico-prophetically described pregnantly in the Word as the compact complement of all Idolatry in its Romane perfection and Whore-mother of all its derivative abominations Prelatical and Presbyterial The Hierarchick Antichrist or Antichristian embodied Hierarchy or the counterfeit Gospel Church spiritual Body-politike or Corporation of Priests Pastors Prelates Diocesans Metropolitans Primats under one universal Head Primate or Pope pretending and calling themselves Christian Bishops Priests and Deacons and usurping their Gospel-offices but in the execution extending and racking them to an Antichristian Tyranny Hierarchy Church-Supremacy Word-absoluteness divine infiniteness or godness 2 Thes 2.4 with the World worshipping it wondering at it and wandering after it Rev. 13.4 5. and its Forts Temples Basilikes or Mauzzim Dan. 11.38 for its congregating and maintenance v. 39. This is the confluence of all the subjects of Idolatry and false Divine Worship The stative parts and actors or active States Ministries or Offices that Hierarchick c. these are the compleat patterns of all Idolatrous States Offices and instituted Orders rective teaching atoning possessive and fructive the particulars of each of these are innumerable and too large for this place the supream State or Head is the popeship or office of the Pope or universal Primate The next sort is the National Primates The third the Provincial The fourth the Diocesan The fift the Parochial Each of these have many Nethinims and Levites Their Actions Functions or Ministrations far more innumerable and irregular but more inobservable yet the soul of their abomination is in their God-Churchship or God-Rome whoredome which causeth the world to partake with the froth of her Fornication by her pretended infallibility of Doctrine and absolute authority obtruded by her emulous deposing and envious opposing all venerable Deities and Dignities so making the Gospel-preaching Sacraments Prayer c. Antichristian all partaking in any of those instituted actions c. is spiritual communion with those stative parts c. and so with that Hierarchick Antichrist c. and so with Devils Rev. 20.10 of and for whom they were so instituted constituted and used I forget not that other false worship of the Jews after the expiration of the seventy seveni'ts three years and an half after Christs Resurrection but it paralleleth not with these eleven either in their humane and diabolical institution constitution or communion but onely in the unholy and unhappy use for there is no relative partaking or spiritual communion without a relative state spiritual union of a corporation or authoritive erection of a Spiritual Ministry and Office or of a Sacramental Rite real or actional For though the Mosaical Church-state Ministry and Ministrations continued the same in the Jews practise yet the Apostles and many thousand believing Jews were both active and receptive in all the three real and the two relative or connexive parts of that Mosaical worship either cultively as the many thousands or indultively as the Apostles and their peculiar ones Act. 21.20 to 26. 1 Cor. 9.19 to 23. yet without Idolatry and instituted false worship in the Apostles intrue understanding because it was not of any humane institution constitution only it was without the spirits direction assistance or blessing in the devout thousands yea and in the Apostles as worshippers of God thereby but onely as understanding Indulgers of the weak knowledge of the sincere Believers and as commended Judaizers with them Act. 21.23 1 Cor. 9.20 The reason is because that compleat worship was instituted by God his Angels Act. 7.53 and his Mediatour Moses v. 37. and constituted by the concurrence of all those with the acceptance and free will of the Israelites in the Wilderness and confirmed by all the powers of Gods spirit as from him and in his people then ever after in all legal manner and measure yea and unto all Gospel-conversion sanctification and blessings except in the reserved degree peculiar to the Gospel Heb. 1. to 3.6 and it was invested in the consciences of the Saints by the word-light and true zeal and devotion of the spirit unto heavenly content but none of the other eleven ever were thus n any particular though it were mortal to cease by its deaths wound and sentence at Christs death unto death and execution three years and an half after it yet it was not deadly and pestiferous to any of the then converted Jews but after and ever since their death it was and ever shall be and no more indulgeable then the other 11. Of these with other false Worships the Author hath written more laâ—gly whereof at present I shall only add one instance more at large viz. that of Aarons and Israels Steer and its appurtenances and his seconding thereof with 2 Cor. 11.13 to 16. Aarons young Bull or Calf of a year old or yearling Bull or Bull-rite Sacrament or Idol AAron as supream Instituter and Constituter of that Idolatry Exod. 32. by the general provocation conviction and encouragement of the people of Israel ver 1 to 5. especially of his own high Priesthood thereof and of the sacrificing Priesthood and their Levitship with all their Functions even the same in kind state and order that they were before but onely in the new intervening Sign Image Representation Sacrament and Memorial of the same ultimate Object Deity or Person of God whose they were before that and whom they then and thereby intended to worship and that as the sole bringer of Israel from Egypt v. 1 5. whereby they all became in their own account the true instituted cultive Ministry of God in that new Function or cultive Ordinance so erected and did accordingly exercise that Ministry as of through and for God v. 4 5. whereto all the people conformed by their acting their parts which were prescribed to them v. 6. and thereby became the joynt active Worshippers of God in that false order and form and so joynt false Worshippers with them by their instituted respect and relation to that instituted Bull-Sacrament molten and graven Image of a yearling Bull or Bull-calf Steer or young Ox or Bullock as such in age and food of eating grass Psal 106.20 but not in maimedness or gelding instituted to be an Image resemblance representation memorial sign and seal of God and his visible and discernable presence with them as his Inheritance or Clergy People or Church Saints faithful and regenerate ones or spiritualty v. 4. Thy Gods O Israel the promised Seed and peculiar people of the God of Israel that brought thee out of Egypt for it is not thy God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy Gods which signifieth Gods Deputies divine cultives adorands venerables or things to be worshipped and reverenced in Gods stead representation and deputation as if he were there
therein or the soul thereof in his own person which being a spirit and they flesh they thought that they could not worship him but by some external notion or image in their own judgment of him See Judg. 17.3 to 13. Now I know that the Lord c. as the Papists do by their Crucifixes and Images of Christ Mary God the Father the Holy Ghost Peter c. as Lay-mens books and Teachers but none of them as God objectively the Altar Holy-day v. 5. the Sacrifices burnt-offerings Peace-offerings feasting with part of them dancing singing and observance of that Holy-day yea and the teaching exhorting and ruling ordinances of those officers subordinate or associate to them became parts of that Idol-Worship or Bull-worship and so of Devil-worship and so none of Gods but in Gods account a despising and rejecting of him Therefore Aarons and the other Priests and the Levites accepting killing and sacrificing those burnt and peace-offerings for themselves the whole Church and for any particular and their eating drinking singing dancing and solemnizing that holy day in any of those cases and the peoples doing so with them in their allotted works and observances of Worship so instituted constituted and executed Also the teaching exhorting and ruling of those Priests and Levites and the Israelites hearing learning purposing obeying and coming to their set places for those ends and joyning with them in their prayers before and after that their teaching and exhorting and in their sacrificing Yea all the Sacraments Sacrifices Services and observances performed by Aaron and those Priests Levites and People as Worshippers of God by the said new Sacrament or teaching and representing Image and in that other form of Divine Worship instituted instead of that of Moses v. 1. which is there expressed to be frustrate and that therefore a new one was to be erected which extended to all the particulars thereof especially to the speciall one of the Priesthood which being thereby altered became a new Bull-Priesthood and therefore all their Priestly services were changed Heb. 7.12 Luke 10.16 Matth. 10.40 John 13.20 and so made a new unparticipable estate which therefore made all their Priestly works unparticipable though their Sacraments sacrificing preaching praying and the things sacrificed preached and prayed for were otherwise parts of the very true Divine Worship of God yet thereby they were Idolatrous and the same with that Priesthood and that with the Bull-worship whereof they were newly made Priests for hearing Luke 10.16 is receiving Joh. 13.20 and honouring Luke 10.16 by the rule of opposites and so the refusing to hear those Sermons receive those Sacraments and their Discipline c. was to refuse and despise an Idol and false Ministry and so to honour God With these things sort 2 Cor. 11.13 to 16. which calleth the like Instruments of Satan in this stratagemical counterfeiting a Ministry of Christ and deceitful working thereby False Apostles Ministers of Satan transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ and Ministers of Righteousness as their Lord and Master Satan himself metamorphoseth himself into an Aâ—gel of light What can we conceive the scope of the Holy Ghost in these sayings but to incense the Saints of Corinth against these false Apostles not simply as men of wickedness but for covering their Wolvish disposition and intent with the sheepskin of a Christian profession and pretence of a Ministry of righteousness nor against Satan simply as an Angel of darkness but properly as sending his disguised Seminaries to pretend a Ministry of Christ and to practice and intend the mastery of Christs Army and Church and so of Christ in his encorporate body which he could not do in his person Matth. 4.10 Nor in his Apostles as I have shewn in Paul Act. 16.16 2 Cor. 11. they seeing Satan through all his Visards But his Wizards and Sooth-sayers now are as wise as the Pythonisse to say and sooth the wise and true servants of Christ in their love of the doctrine and rites of salvation and true way unto life as of the bread of life simply considered without the order of the Word of God which God hath set to dispose it to that end and us to seek and serve him by in his due order that is without the Church and Ministerial order of the Word and so they take them also in the first tryall Matth. 4.3 4. to the dishonour of their Head and themselves and in Sauls tryal by their preferring Sacrifice before obedience and fat of Rams their zeal in their worshipping before their listening to the utmost order of Gods Worship Observe what our Author saith in general for I am straitned for want of room of those with other false Worships which are before onely nominated saith he THe morall Devotion of all Nations was much provoked by Gods glorious Works for the Posterity of Abraham Esa 41.1 to Chap. 44. which turned to the increase of their Idolatrous superstitiousness as the supposed descending of Jupiter and Mercurius in the persons of Paul and Barnabas did Act. 14.12 13. to the endeavour of the like Sacrifice to that of Baals 1 Kin. 18.26 Be not peremptory against my applying almost all the names of the Idols in the Scripture unto this 2d sort of Idolatry of Sun-worship or Bull-worship which was but as that of Diana unto Jupiter and their Institution unto one and the same God even in Object the same with ours at least not till you have scanned these proofs viz. Judg. 2.3.6.8 and 10. Chapters 1 Sam. 7.3 1 King 18.18 yea Lev. 18.21 Numb 22.41 and 25.3 5. 2 King 17.25 26. Jer. 32.35 Act. 7.39 to 43. and have read over Macrobius Saturnals Augustinus Egubinus de cultu divino Mornaeus Duplesses de veritate Christianae Religionis so far as concerneth those two great Controversies about Divine Worship and till you have well considered the very Scriptures whereon you wrongly ground the contrary to either since they yield express and evident proofs for both THat which is evidently and eminently pressed all manner of wayes above any other Commandement except the first is our yielding to God his zealous and jealous Worship instituted in the Word Not that the Order of Worship is to be preferred before its matter simply but onely in respect of the times of Antichrist then imminent even in the Apostles days and to prevail for nigh 1600. years after partly in his encroachment and in his establishment And indeed what enemy of God and godlyness did ever so much long and highly usurp over and oppose against all that is called God All aggravatings therefore of the holy zeal for Gods true worship and jealousie against the false worship powerful and plentiful in the Scripture do pertain to this bounded sound-mindedness in Gods worship so well as to the other parts thereof since it is so much charged as any of the other it being expresly and truly instituted in the word and is the constiâ—uting distinguishing and actuating form of
enchurched Christian or Church-member 4. Of thine i. e. of the same Church with thee in union first and properly secondly and in cases and by proportion in communion and generall state and order 5. Sinneth i. e. breaketh Gods Law or Religion whereto he hath bound him and thee 6. Vnto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the experimental and certain knowledge conscience and extent of patience lest he should perish by and in that sinne as above in the word BUT of 7. Thee as his brother i. e. against that Church-brotherhood i. e. to his forfeiture or less thereof and of his communion with thee therein in the Scripture phrase 1 King 2.23 against thine own life i. e. to the forfeiture and loss thereof Lev. 17.10 ב in both being the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in as transitive and so is it 2 Sam. 18.13 and so is ל also Lev. 19.16 and the connexive must answer to the scope of the place and to the transition from the subject or efficient unto its object or effect both in their order and power all which are thus well sitted then and in this case and not otherwise 8. Argue i. e. confute by argument of that sinne in the general and convince of the particular of the fact and then redargue reprove and dehort from it and then threaten Gods judgments against the obstinate and irrepentant i. e. argument and evidence by Scripture proofs in all for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same with Heb. 11.1 argumentively convince and reprove but not report which is to reproach or slander or murder Levit. 18.16 with Matth. 5.21 22. these four degrees must be from the first to the last of the tryall 9. Him personally by conference or writing immediate for it is not report to nor tell others which is to reproach but argument him 10. Between i. e. Dialogue-wise or by way of conference mutual and equal but not chidingly nor beggingly 11. Thee in thy person not by Deputies 12. And him in his person not behind his back 13. Alone none other being present both for thy better and quieter proceeding in these observances without interruption and for thy manifestation of all tender love in that privacie and brotherly wisdome in preventing his being provoked to be more stout in arguing and slow in confession a farther acting and exacting of all these points and phrases and excluding all colour and excuse of whispering it much more of blazing it to any much less to many All these instituted parts of Christs discipline being actually done in a decent humane manner and with all brotherly compassion and tenderness toward him prayer for him and patience of his weakness and delay then expect the issue good or bad 14. If on the better part through Gods gracious working by his Spirit with his Gospel-Institutions son-likely exercised by thee 15. He or she for the masculine gender is indefinitly here put for both as natural in natural things and spiritual in spiritual things 16. Hears with his ears thy words in that personal communication without which all the other particulars are irregular and also with brotherly attention of mind especially with sincerity of heart acknowledging the fact and its sinfulness with true repentance and promise of amendment for all the requisite passages intervening between the preceding and succeeding things or actions are to be understood in the intervening word and the like is in connexives as above in the word Vnto especially if he hear thy words and give a satisfactory answer by proving that matter not to be sinful or that he did not sinne that objected sinne must by the same reason in the whole clause thereof be here supposed 17. Thee thou mark how in all the passages thereof immediate personal dealing on both sides is exacted by Christ and all intervening medlers on either side are excluded 18. Hast gained i. e. gotten good and purchased a spiritual and heavenly purchase even an eternal and pretious Inheritance next in nature to that of Christs getting Sonnes that are Princes in all Lands Psal 45.16 and his redeeming straying souls and converting of sinners Jam. 5.19 20. So careful ought we to be in this case of all meek instructing the differers from us with gentleness teachingness and patience and without provoking and hardening war-waging and striving 2 Tim. 2.24 25 26. 19. A Brother even a Weakling or Publicane-Christian that is the greatest in the Kingdome of God and yet so prone to wander neer to losing and perishing that Christ hath instructed the stronger by this instituted order and brotherly Spirit to prevent it or regain him from that his perishing case v. 14. v. 2. and 10. the contrary Pharisaical forth-bearing Spirit and carnal Hog-herds and boysterous Bearwards are hereby discovered to be little in Gods account 20. Of thine and therefore this gain is also our own and so it is both Wisdome and Religion conjoyned and of an high and heavenly nature thus to encorporate this Gospel-discipline and to ensoul and enlive it with this brotherly spirit and practice VER 16. 21. But though all these indulgences of order spirit and practice be first in nature dignity and time to be exercised and discreet distinct and tender compassion be frequently and Jude 21 22. fervently charged upon us in this case yet when these weak ones turn wicked ones in cavelling gain-saying and stiff-necked obstinacy then Jude 23. is in season and this love and Spirit of meekness a Rod must follow For 22 23 24. If the worst come that all these and you be slighted so that he a brother in state and profession yet seeming unbrotherly in heart right and practise hear not both in humane and divine respects above-said Sec. 16. 25. Thee Having thus holyly lovingly wisely and meekly conjoyned the Gospel-Institutions Instructions and Spirit for his secret and discreditless recovery seeking with Joseph Matth. 1.19 to free him from publike censure 26. Take unto or joyn with thee yet or moe as uniting to thee and adding to thy power and testimony not as weakning his credit by meer relating his sin thy former course with him and his obstinacy against it and in his sin 27. One or two as few as may be but one if that may suffice however but two at the most an evident barring the Spirit of envy from its licentious reproaching of his brother and an eminent charging us to discharge this duty with so small help as may be rather than the sins of the Saints should be spread farther than their necessited cure exacted and an imminent judgment of the contrary disposed that is that of Cham and Canaan Doeg Shimei Diotrephes c. 2. Of the Doctrine warranted thereby here onely in the Index or sum of the Chapter especially of these six verses both in their soul and body their Soul Gospel-Spirit or scope of the Holy Ghost is compiled into this word Meek-love-mercy their body is answerable thereto both in the whole Chapter
7. The acceptance or effect thereof in the latter or suing brother i. e. his forgiving his sinning brother v. 20. And I forgive him which Peter spake in relation to this place or impertinently 8. The account and acceptance of all on Gods part i. e. his approbation of the suer and sinner and all passages between them thou hast won thy brother to me whose union he had broken to my Church whose communion he had forfeited and so to thee as a member both of my mystical and ministerial body and to himself whose profession and practice discorded and yet by thy meek-love-merciful discharge of thy duty to me my word and thy brother in the use of my means sanctified to that end thou hast regained all and saved a soul from straying toward death and hell from me The second part is chained to the end of the first and to the beginning of the third and so is a medial instituted Church-suing of an obstinate brother by two or three of his upright brethren for his recovery or excommunication 1. It consisteth also of eight parts the first is a Church-members obstinacy in a gross or excommunitive sin discovered by the first course if he hear thee not 2. Another brothers manifesting that sinne and obstinacy unto one or two of his other Brethren 3. His brotherly requiring that one or two to joyn with him in the use of Christs means for the repentance and recovery of that obstinate brother by themselves or the Church take unto thee yet one or two 4. Their joynt arguing with him to convince him of that sinne or obstinacy and their answerable dehorting him from and reproving him for them 5. Their instituted end and scope i. e. the same with the former Sec. 5. and that in the mouth of two or three Witnesses every thing may be ratified by the Church The threefold event of all these particularized in the first course 6 7 8. and here to be by the same grounds applyed mutatis mutandis The third sort head or course of Church-Discipline is publike or Congregational having ten parts The first is a Church-members gross sinne of a publike nature known by two or three Witnesses or by the Church 2. His accusation thereof to the Church by the discovering Witness or by the Church-Instrument official or actual for that time 3. The accuseds answer either by denying or justifying the fact or by confessing and forsaking that sin 4. The tryal of the two first by Witnesses and reasonings on both sides to be guilty or not to repent 5. The Church-Instruments 6. The Church-Instruments requiring the Church sentence against the obstinate 7. His gathering it by the lifting up the hands of the most part of the Congregation tryed both in the affirmative and negative distinctly 8. His pronouncing that sentence with prayer to God to ratifie it 9. His charging them to behave themselves towards the Excommunicate as to an Heathen and a Publicane i. e. to deny him spiritual communion publike or personal 10. But if the accused be freed by the not proof of the fact or the not excommunicativeness thereof or by his not obstinacy therein then the Angel is to pronounce his absolution The Angels admonishing or charging the guilty in his judgment to repent 11. The like proceedings with and tryal of the false accuser and his censure of admonition to humiliation in case of weakness or repentance if of malice or disorder and of excommunication if obstinate after two or three admonitions These are the Reals of Church-Discipline or Government for all which the actors therein must have an instituting Warrant either express or equivalent so well as for the Church-state it self or its ministry and other ministrations which answer to the Tabernacle and its Officers and their works of meer Divine Institution as its three coverings typed the three covers or comelyers of our Gospel Ecclesiasticals Membral Moral and Civil the membtal comelyer or adorner of the said Church-Government is each members reverend orderly and decent demeanure in the execution thereof the second is the like demeanure of other social Churches voluntarily conjoyned into one moral fraternity for each others advice countenance encouragement and other moral benefit without compulsory authority Civil much less Ecclesiastical the third is civil authority The first was typed by the inmost covering of the Tabernacle made of Goats hair Exod. 26.7 to 13. The second was typed by the covering of that covering made of Rams skins dyed red v. 14. And the third by the utmost covering of Badgers skins v. 14. their terms membral moral and civil are but for ready distinct handling them for the present but not exactly to describe their proper natures 1. Of the first there are five particulars the first is a loving fair winning and unprovoking carriage of the body in all its parts expressing brotherly spiritual love without scornful fleering or angry fierceness toward his brother 2. Reverend and humble behaviour of voyce phrase gesture hat c. as respecting Christ the Institutor the Church the Constitutor and the sued Brother the Object of this Divine Ordinance 3. Grave sober and modest behaviour becoming the speakers spiritual estate of faith and order and answerable works 4 Equal and unpartial dealing in giving and taking due vicissitude of speech and its length proportionable to the matter in handling without repeating his own matter or interrupting the others 5. Distinct and orderly handling each several part of instituted Discipline in its proper place without confounding his accusing confuting testifying reproving and censuring or any two of them together or breach of the due successive order of any two of them much less of moe Compare these 24. particulars of Christs Divine Discipline with those of personal Antichrists and observe first that they are wholly omitted by them which in Scripture-phrase is a desolation of them for so soon as the inspired with his Ishmaels and Esaus Spirit can take yea make an offence against the promised Seed Rom. 16.17 he hasteth to scorning murderousness and dis-separation and eagerly and in his conceit devoutly prosecuteth it and persecuteth him and pleaseth himself as in Gods service especially if he can effect his dis-separating and murderous project Joh. 16.2 and as the rich man Luke 12.19 thereby clean or rather fouly leaping over all the distinctly prescribed points of Christs holy living good and acceptable Discipline which are 24. in number and precious in nature of the matter form efficient and end Secondly what he placeth before and after them are not divine and so are abominations in Scripture-language and therefore evils of the highest kind but sins against the first Commandement besides they are from and for that murderousness and reproachingness so fervently and frequently exaggerated in the Word and by the good of the World but they pretend 2 Thes 3.6 14. for answer v. 16. is the summe and argument of the ten next verses and v. 14 15. are the conclusion of the
Disseparatists Jude 19. or proper Brownists or makers of offences or soul-killing sins more then the word hath made and makers of division or separation thereupon even from true Christians yea true Churches which the word never allowed nor instituted the former which is the 5. point is practised in the said un-Mosaical uncivil un-Messiacal and antichristian courses opposite to Christs instituted church-Church-order Mat. 18.15 in all the eight points thereof especially to this convincing course our fift part and the sixt of which next in both which abominations and false Church-orders are practised by true Churches in their members telling each other of each others faults main and mean and thereupon separating the reproached as vile Heathens and Publicanes at one hour with the same and reproach raised as if their so reproaching were a judicial tryal and that an authoritive sentence and that a soul-killing and disbrothering execution even all four so soon as the first is spoken by the reproacher yea as if all were done in himself so soon as it is suspected by him Secondly in both these desolations are practised against Christs said instituted membral course of four degrees i. e. 1. certain knowledge 2. due convincing 3. resolvednes of his irrepentance and 4. thereupon proceeding in an executory course of taking Witnesses to testifie it to the Church which onely hath discommunicative power that it may duly separate the otherwise uncurable brother for those four are slighted omitted and rejected by this rejecting or rejectible course and spirit which the word termeth desolating Thirdly confusions of the successive order of these four degrees is practised in one Church-members separating censuring testifying and lastly upbraiding another with sin and in his neglect of Christs precise order prescribed him herein Which 3. practises of 1. abominations or false institutions 2. of desolations of true Institutions and 3. of confusion or Babelism are severaly at least joyntly the quarto modo properties of Antichrist either publike and stative viz. of a false Church-state or personal and membral viz. of the possessed with the evil Spirit of Antichrist 1 Joh. 4.3 whether of Professours at large or of Christs Church-worshippers in state though unmortified in affections and actions especially in matters of the fift sixth and ninth Commandements which the sixth and next point will plainly and plentifully shew This sixth Jngredient into this Divine Saint-healing Medicine is brotherly and tender privacy in all the rest in these words between thee and him alone This therefore sorteth with all the rest in their joynt proper soul and of this whole Chapter viz. in meek-love-mercy and in opposing their and its opposites viz. proud-rail-racking the three parts of both those words answering to the three said distinct parts of this Chapter the former in the positive respect the latter in the opposite The two first parts of the former expresly the last part inclusively in the last part of the latter and the two first parts of the latter word inclusively in the two first parts of the former the last expresly in the last part of the Chapter from v. 20. This sixth part of this soul-saving and sinne-purging sealed receit Job 33.16 sorts also with the other five in their divine and word-holy body as they are instituted parts of Christs Scripture-worship so that the omitters and slighters hereof are Desolators of that Divine Worship and the practisers of any other in its stead though in their conceit much better are abominators thereof and the disorderly users thereof are confusers thereof and so sorters with that Babylon i. e. confusion that abomination and desolation Dan. 11.31 12.11 Mat. 24.15 Mar. 13.14 called also that man of sinne that sonne of perdition 2 Thes 2.3 that Usurper over and Opposer against all called God v. 4. Dan. 11.36 that Antichrist that Beast that Abaddon c. and so gross breakers of the first second fifth and sixth Commandements The gross and flat opposite to this part both in that soul and this body is one Church-members reproaching and speaking evil of another which also in a fifth respect is the proper and prime breach of the ninth Commandement viz. as it tendeth to his discredit for it breaketh the first as it usurpeth over opposeth against Christ the Institutor of that order and means and the commander and commander of that meek-love-mercy and against God his Father and sender It is a breach of the second in all the particulars of this second respect of this sixth Ingredient especially as it forsaketh and desolateth this part of Christs Church-Discipline and erecteth a false one in its stead and so abominateth it and sinneth in the like transgression with Adam who did yea could sinne onely in matter of Divine Institution for when by his shame his sinne was shewn God thence concludeth that he had eaten of the forbidden Institution Gen. 3.10 11. and as it usurpeth over and opposeth against Christs Church-power authority and jurisdiction instituted for as it proudly deposeth or opposeth the persons enrighted thereto and practising thereof it breaks the fifth and as it ariseth from anger malice or an evil mind it breaks the sixth Commandement Matth. 5.21 to 26. If it be above just cause and onely inward it is against the first degree of v. 22. If it extend to external insinuations and general reproaching it cometh under the 2. degree of that sinne and judgment but if it proceed to the least sort of particularizing of matter of a brothers discredit though it be but of his wisdome it is expressed to be of the highest sort of sins and judgment at least of that Commandement yet Jam. 4.11 12. expresseth it to be a reproaching and censuring of the Word of God it self and an usurpation of Gods Law-giving Supremacy and an opposition against God that is alone able to save and to destroy and thereupon thundereth against this reproacher with Who art thou that judgest another brother which last word is expressed v. 11. and sheweth the true nature and high degree of this sinne of reproaching without it the other two parallel places of Matth. 5.21 and 18.15 were not its true parallels and without this peculiar institutedness or instituted peculiarity of this privacy in present consideration the other two would seem somewhat harsh In brief mark the holy institutedness of this sin-hiding or rather sin-healing privacy Mat. 18.15 the holy estate of a brother in all three places the holy nature of the Law Jam. 4. and of Christianity Matth. 5. and the oppositness of Antichristianity to all three even in falsness of institution against the Gospel and in evilness of order against the moral Law and of nature generate and regenerate against the first and second Adam and their Posterity and you shall therein see the heavenly vertue of this privacy and hellish vility of its privative in dealing with our brothers sins even that the former is an healing and the latter an helling of our brother and his