and this Rule holds as well for the Church now as then there being the same necessity there must also be the same power So the point is plaine that euery particular visible Church hath power from God to ordaine certaine outward Rites c. The reasons to proue this point are these First some Reas 1 Ceremonies are necessary in euery Church no Religion can possibly be carried without some outward Rites and Ceremonies Now who shall ordaine these but themselues as best knowing their owne State As in a priuate family who shall ordaine orders for it but those of the Family Secondly no Rights are vniuersall to hold euery Reas 2 where in all Churches no that is impossible because diuers Churches are of diuers states and therefore euery Church must haue power to ordaine Ceremonies for themselues Thirdly no Ceremonies are perpetuall in one and the Reas 3 same Church euery Church in time differing from it selfe by the change of occasions and states and then the Ceremonies which they had before are not fit for them now and therefore still they must haue power to ordaine as their state shall require Lastly if a particular Church hath not power to ordaine Reas 4 certaine Rites the Church vnder the Gospell is inferior to that vnder the Law For that was prouided for in this kinde by the Lord himselfe and that in particular But the Church now is not so prouided for of him If any say it is let them shew where therefore it must needes be that hee giues the Church now power to prouide for themselues in this kinde The vses are these First this teacheth the Church to Vse 1 take the benefit of this authority that God hath giuen them but you will say the Church is ready enough to take their liberty herein and therefore they had need to be bounded and bridled that they goe not too farre eyther for multitude vnprofitablenesse superstiton or the like The limits and bounds therefore that euery Church is to containe themselues within in ordaining Ceremonies are these First they must doe nothing that is opposite to Gods Word Secondly they must haue no opinion of Gods worship placed in them as the Surplice and the Crosse if the Church so inioyne them it makes them vnlawfull If they haue beene abused so heretofore by the Papists that is not their sinne now take away the abuse and the things may still be imposed and put in practice Thirdly wee must haue an eye to doe all to Gods glory 1 Cor. 10.31 Fourthly they must be done without scandall or offence as much as possibly may be the Church must be wary heerein for though all things be lawfull yet all thing are not expedient 1 Cor. 10. 23 32. Fifthly all things must be done to edification 1 Cor. 14 26. Lastly all things must be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 as in Exod. 28.40 Aarons sonnes must haue Coats and Girdles and Bonnets made them for glory and beauty which being the end that the Lord in the Legall Ceremonies did ayme at it must needs be our end also in the like cases and thus the Church may safely ordaine Ceremonies The last vse is to teach vs that if we liue in a Church where such things are ordained that are not simply vnlawfull we must take heed that we resist not this power or the things thereby ordained Bridle thy selfe from dislike specially from refusall yet yeeld with some perswasion of conscience take such a course whereby thou mai'st obey the Magistrate and the Church and yet not offend the weake heerein is wisedome yet rather obey the Magistrate though with offence for heere disobedience is the greater sinne and so takes away the sinne of offending the weake and indeede in this case I giue none offence because my hands are bound and I haue no liberty to doe otherwise but what if a man be not perswaded of these things What is then to be done must hee separate from the Church No first they must labour to be better informed secondly they must resolue to beare with a great deale rather then to make a rent in the Church thirdly suffer thy selfe to be ouerborne in things indifferent by the authority of the Church till thou be'st able to proue it simply vnlawfull or to shew that there is greater scandall in the vse of it then in disobeying the voyce of the Church and of the Christian Magistrate I know that it is sinne to disobey the Christian Magistrate except I know that God commands the contrary Now in these indifferent things I doe but feare I doe not know that God commands the contrary to that which my conscience is doubtfull of now shall I runne into a knowne sinne because I would auoyde a sinne onely feared So much shall serue for this point And so wee haue finished the eyghth point concerning the power and authority of the Church The sixe and twentieth LECTVRE of the CHVRCH YOu may remember that 9. points were propounded to be spoken to concerning the Church whereof we haue already handled 8. of them And now wee are to speake of the ninth and that is the application of all that which hath been spoken to all visible Churches in Christendome that I knnow of those Congreagtions that professe not Christianity we meddle not with The Pagans that professe heathenish Religion no Christian the Iewes that professe the Law and not the Gospell the Turks that professe that abominable Idoll Mahomet and not the Sonne of God Iesus Christ these wee haue here nothing to doe with they are vtterly excluded from the outward name of a Church as being assemblies quite of another kinde they haue no Christ not somuch as in outward profession and therefore are no Church at all It is the Christian assemblies that is those that professe the faith of Christ crucified that wee are heere to speake of you shall vnderstand that the Doctrine concerning the Church whereof I haue spoken hath been so plainely and fully deliuered that if it be rightly vnderstood it will easily apply it selfe to all Christian Churches in the censure of those that are Religious Iudicious but yet because diuers Christian Churches are of diuers conditions differing one from another as well in time as in place and because the chiefe reach of this whole discourse both in teacher hearer is this to see how we may iustifie our standing in the present state of this Church of England therefore for your better direction both to helpe your iudgement concerning other Churches and to settle your resolution touching the goodnesse and soundnesse of this Church that we liue in I will endeauour God willing to make application of that which hath beene spoken as to all Churches in generall so more particularly to this Church of ours The generall diuision of all Churches that eyther are or haue beene since our Sauiours time is two-fold First according to their situation and so some are Easterne and the
shall be made as white as snow Secondly here is comfort against their wants and defects and infirmities thou canst not pray nor performe any other good duty as thou oughtest yea but thou art a member of that blessed and glorious Church whereof Christ Iesus is the Head and therefore all thy wants and infirmities are couered and supplied by the perfection of Christ Thirdly here is comfort against temptation and against the Diuell and all his power for thou art a member of the true Church which is like to Mount Sion that cannot be remoued but shall stand fast for euer and euer the Gates of Hell nor all the power of the Diuell shall euer preuaile against thee the Lord for his owne glory which he hath set vpon vs will neuer see vs ouerthrowne Lastly here is comfort for vs against all the reproches of men that howsoeuer wee be as the off-scowring of the world in their vniust censures yet in Gods sight who iudgeth according to the truth wee are beautifull and glorious And therefore let this suffice to giue vs content against all the scoffes and nick-names in the world If wee bee so blessed and beautifull in Gods eyes what neede wee care though wee bee contemned in the world The fifth Vse is matter of terrour to the world that persecute Vse 5 and oppose themselues against Gods Church they know not who it is they make their force against it is euen against God and therefore they shall neuer preuaile and against the people of God the most glorious and blessed company that are And therefore first they may bee dismaied for they rush against a Rocke and kicke against the prick Act. 9. they shall neuer haue good successe yea secondly they shall be punished with the fierce and full vengeance and wrath of God because they resist the Lord and oppose his glorious and annointed Ones Vse 6 The sixth and last Vse is to reproue the peruerse opinion of the world that are blind and can see no grace nor beauty in the Church like vnto the wicked Iewes that would not see any forme or beauty in Christ Isai 53. they looke onely on the outward man and indeed there is nothing to bee seene but deformity and misery but if they could looke within there is perfect glory Yea but say they this is but your words wee can see no such glory in the Church but we can see a great deale of sinne and misery among you why doe you then face it out thus I answer we must vnderstand it with these limitations First it cannot bee discerned but with a spirituall eye and therefore the world cannot see it because they want this eye to discerne it withall Secondly it is vnderstood of the Church as they are considered in their Head Christ and not as they are considered by themselues If they consider the Church thus they shall perceiue perfect glory Christ himselfe being perfectly glorious and he couers and supplies our wants and deformities and presents vs as glorious to God his Father Thirdly it is so rather in our desires and Gods account then in actuall possession Fourthly we haue not thâ—s glory and blessednesse here but onely in the beginnings of it we haue some grace and some beauty and some glory here but it is to be perfected in heauen when there shall be a new Ierusalem Reuel 21.2 and then Christ shall present vs a glorious Body vnto God his Father without spot or wrinckle Ephes 5.27 which because some haue attained to already and the rest shall surely obtaine hereafter and haue some beginnings of it here already it may therefore bee iustly said in respect of some of her parts now and of all hereafter Thou art all faire my Loue and there is no spot in thee Thus you see how beautifull the Church is and blessed and glorious though the world be blind and can see no such thing in her And so much concerning the second generall Point propounded to be handled in the Doctrine of the Church The third Lecture of the Church THe third generall Point propounded to bee handled in the Doctrine of the Church is the Nature of the Church for so the order of teaching requires that when once wee doe know the name of a thing what it is called and the titles that it is graced withall then it followes that wee should search out the nature of the thing that is thus called and thus intituled For the names and titles of things may and are oft-times imparted to others But the nature of euery thing is proper to it selfe and cannot bee communicated to any thing else And therefore howsoeuer the name and titles set it forth vnto vs and make vs esteeme of it yet the nature will more fully expresse it and make vs the highlier to esteeme of it The name bearing diuers significations in ordinary method ought to bee diuided first and defined after But because the whole nature of the thing may bee aptly enough comprehended in one generall description and because the diuision hath a more neere dependance with that which followes making a ready steppe and passage thereunto we will first define therefore the nature of the Church and then proceede in the next place according to our order set downe to diuide it into seuerall kinds and branches The nature of the Church is thus described The Church of God in the true generall nature thereof is the whole company of Gods chosen both in heauen and earth where they are described by three things First by the efficient cause of their being of the Church Gods electing or chusing them Secondly by their number the whole Company Thirdly by the places where they are in heauen in earth First by the efficient cause of their being of the Church for the principall reason why any man is a true member of the true Church is because God hath chosen him to it First to saluation and glory as the end secondly and consequently to be of the Church as the means to the end Therfore the Church ofttimes is called Gods chosen Psal 33.12 Euen the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance And in Psal 132.13 The Lord hath chosen Sion that is his Church And Rom. 8.33 The Apostle speaking of the Church calls them by that expresse name Gods chosen And hence it is that the Faith of Gods Church is called the Faith of Gods chosen Titus 1.1 And therefore they are called The first borne whose names are written in heauen Heb. 12.23 Which what is it else but to bee written in the Booke of life That is to be Gods chosen It is true that it is much more agreeable to the name of the Church to bee defined by their Calling rather then by their Choosing as in the first Lecture because they are a Company called But yet it is more agreeable to the right nature of the Church to be defined by their choosing rather then by their Calling and that
for these Reasons first many of the Church are chosen that are not yet called as Paul an Elect vessell before his conuersion and yet not called and so all the Elect before their conuersion nay many are chosen that shall neuer be called as the Angels which belong to the Church too and are a part of it And therefore the Church in the nature of it is to be described by their choosing and not by their Calling Secondly many are Called that are not chosen so saith our Sauiour and therefore if we should describe them by their Calling we should make such to be of the nature of the true Church which are not chosen and so are no true members of Christ nor shall euer enter into the heauenly Ierusalem Thirdly those which are chosen are called too their Election and chusing is the cause of their Calling and not their Calling the cause of their chusing Rom 8.30 whom he predestinated them also hee called Therefore in these respects it is fittest and most agreeable to the nature of the Church to be described by their election rather then by their Calling And so much of the first part of the Description namely the efficient Cause of their being The second thing they are described by is their number the whole company c. Which wee musâ— vnderstand thus First that all that are of the Church are God chosen and none else and that all that are chosen are of the Church none excluded as who should say the whole company of Gods chosen all these and none but these Here may be an exception made for you will say Are the elect of the Church before they are Called Yes sure in the purpose and account of God though they bee not so in their owne account nor in the account of thâ— World though they be not as yet actually assembled to the Church yet they are in the way and first or last they shall certainely haue an effectuall Calling whereby they shall bee made actually of the Church both in faith and in their owne knowledge and account And secondly we must vnderstand that all those together make vp one Church the whole Company of God Choseâ—â—s his Church as they are considered all together as members of one body and incorporated into one societie or Company and not as they are members apart And also so â—ll togâ—â—her as that all the chosen of all times and places and kinds make vp one only Church So much of the second part the number they are described by The third thing they are described by is the places where they are in heauen and in earth And so we do first fetch in all Gods Saints whether liuing or departed whether fighting on earth or triumphing in heauen As also secondly the Angels that haue kept their habitation in heauen are all comprehended together as so many seuerall parts of the Church to make vp the whole Body So yee haue the particular heads of the Description expounded and inlarged the whole company of Gods chosen in heauen and in earth Now that the holy Angels are parts of the true Church because yee shall not thinke that it is a deuise of mine owne braine yee shall see that the Apostle vseth the same words Eph. 1.10 That in the fulnesse of time he might gather together in one all things both which are in heauen and which are in earth And Eph. 3.15 Of whom is named the whole family both in heauen and in earth And Col. 1.20 To reconcile to himself through him I say all things which are in heauen and which are in earth All which places must be vnderstood not onely of the Saints departed that rest in heauen but also with reference to the holy Angels in heauen that fell not who hauing a benefit by Christ the mediator as well as wee are therefore to be seated with vs in the society and body of the Church Doctr. Now to make this matter more plaine I will draw it into an obseruation and that is this Namely That the holy Angels that kept their first estate are parts and members of the true Church as well as we are The Scripture is plaine for this First in expresse wordes secondly by necessary consequence First by expresse words Heb. 12.22 23. But ye are come to Mount Sion c. and to the innumerable company of Angels Where the Apostle speaking of the Church takes the holy Angels as Limmes of that Body and members of that Company And Reuel 19.10 The Angell tels Iohn I am thy fellow Seruant one of thy Brethren I haue the testimony of Iesus the Spirit of Prophesie I am thy fellow Seruant as who should say A fellow of the same House and Family with vs that is the Church A Brother as hauing the same Father God and the same Mother the heauenly Ierusalem that is the Church hauing the testimony of Iesus that is communicating in the same gifts and graces of the Spirit as the Spirit of Prophesie which is peculiar to the Church onely as 1. Cor. 12. So wee see by expresse Scripture that they are members as well as wee Secondly by necessary deduction and consequence First the Angels are elect 1. Tim. 5.21 and therefore they are parts of the Church Secondly Christ is their Head Col. 2.10 yee are complete in him that is in Christ who is the head of all principalities and Powers therefore they must be parts of his Body Which is his Church Thirdly the Angels peepe and prie into the misteries of our redemption by Iesus Christ 1. Pet. 1.12 therefore except we will make them busi-bodies to prie and meddle with that which they haue not to doe in which is vtterly against their wisedome and vprightnesse they must needes be parts and members of the true Church and so much of the Proofes The Reasons are these First the Church is the most excellent Reas 1 and glorious and blessed Assembly that is as wee haue shewed before the Angels therefore that excell in strength and beautie and glorie and absolute happinesse must needs be members of it Secondly the Church is that fulnesse of Christ that filleth Reas 2 all things Eph. 1.23 If the Angels be left out where is that fulnesse Thirdly it is against the bountifulnesse of Christ and Reas 3 the worthines of his obedience that any Creature should know and embrace the Doctrine of the mediation of Christ and yet not receiue benefit thereby for themselues But the chosen Angels do know and embrace it worshipping him and doing him all the seruice they could in the dayes of his flesh whilst he was working this mediation And therefore they haue benefit thereby to themselues And so consequently they must needes bee parts and members of the Church For to them are all sauing benefits peculiar and properly belonging Fourthly the euil Angels that fell away are a part of the Reas 4 malignant Church of the Sinagogue of Sathan as our Sauiour Christ giues vs
of Elias yet in this very time God had his Church and a flourishing one too in his eyes though men could not discerne it Afterward in that generall Apostasie when Israel and Iudah were both fallen from God yet here is a true Church still here was one out of a Citie and two out of a Tribe to worship God Ier. 3.13 14. So in the Captiuity of Babylon when the Church is quite ouerwhelmed as it were Ierusalem was so distressed Religion defaced all turned into a miserable desolation so as there was neuer the like Is there any sorrow like vnto my sorrow saith the Prophet speaking in the behalfe of the Church Lam. 1.12 yet then God had his Church there were both teachers and embracers as Ieremy Haggai Zechariah and Daniel and many others At our Sauiours comming in the flesh when the Law and the Temple Priests and people the Church and Common-wealth were vtterly corrupted and defiled yet still God had his Church there was Zachary and Elizabeth Ioseph and Marie Simeon and Anna true beleeueres and right worshippers of God Lastly in the height of the pride of Antichrist the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place for many hundred yeeres when all the Nations in the earth were made drunke with the Cup of fornications by the Whore of Babylon the Synagogue of Rome yet God had some from time to time that lothed her golden Cup some that were not defiled with her fornications but kept themselues pure Virgins and a chaste Spouse to the Lord Iesus Christ sweetly embracing his sauing truth And so much for proofe of the first part of the obseruation That God alwayes had a Church and company of chosen people c. The second part is that as God euer hath had so he now hath a Church c. I shall not neede to speake much for proofe of this point for it cannot be denied but that blessed be God there be many flourishing Churches at this day in Germany France England and Scotland many in all these places that worship God in Spirit and Truth yea vnder Popery no doubt but there are many true Christians yea euen amongst the Turkes and Iewes and Infidels I doubt not but that there are yeâ— remaining some that worship God with vs no question but there are some sparkes of fire amongst those burnt ashes some polished stones of these decayed Churches some gold amongst all that drosse some that serue the Lord amongst so many thousand seruants of sinne and slaues of Sathan we haue many instances now at this day of some that liue vnder Popery and amongst the Iewes that professe our Religion So the second part is proued that God now hath his Church and chosen people The last part and shall haue to the worlds end c. Wee cannot prooue this point by examples as we did the former because it is not yet throughly fulfilled yet wee haue as sure proofes for it as examples we haue Gods own Word for it and that which God hath spoken is as sure as if it were already done and therefore the Prophets deliuer many predictions in the Preterperfect Tense as if they were already done because of the certaintie of it I say wee haue Gods Word for proofe of this point Psal 132.13 14. For the Lord hath chosen Sion and loueth to dwell in it saying this is my Rest for euer here will I dwell c. God will dwell and rest and that for euer in his Church as himselfe is for euer so his Church is for euer So Math. 28.20 I am with you euer euen to the worlds end It is more then if hee had said I wil be with you c. It is as much as if he had said thus As sure as I am actually present with you now so I will still continue vnto the very end of the world And whereas in respect of his bodily presence it was nor so because he was to ascend into heauen yet by his Spirit hee is with vs effectually to all sauing purposes Ioh. 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall giue you another comforter that he may abide with you for euer vers 17. euen the Spirit of Truth c. And whereas there are many opposers of Gods Church men and Deuils and many times they haue a great hand ouer the Church yet they are still bridled and curbed and the Church still so protected and defended that the gates of Hell shall neuer preuaile against it that is vtterly to disanull it Math. 16.18 There are many other proofes for this Point but because we shall speake of them in the Reasons therefore we will passe to them The Reasons of the point that God euer had now hath and shall haue a Church to the worlds end are these Reas 1 First we haue Gods promise for it who is truth and cannot lie If that be too little we haue his Oath for it wherein it is impossible he should lie Psal 132.11 12. The Lord hath sworne in Truth to Dauid and will not shrinke from it saying of the fruit of thy Body will I set vp thy throne for euer He hath sworne it and will not shrinke from it that is hee will not recant which although it be typically spoken of Dauid and his seede yet in truth substance of it it is intended of Christ and his Church The same promise is renewed Ier. 33.17 18. where it is said that Dauid shall neuer want a man to sit vpon the Throne of the house of Israel And in the 20. and 21. verses it is said If yee can breake my Couenant of the day and my Couenant of the night then my Couenant may bee broken with Dauid my Seruant Giuing vs to vnderstand that his promise is irreuocable so long as there is day or so long as there is night on the earth so long the Lord will haue his Church on earth his Word and his Promise cannot be broken no saith our Sauiour Heauen and Earth may faile but my Word shall neuer faile therefore he hauing passed his Word for the continuance of his Church for euer it shall continue for euer in despight of all her aduersaries Secondly the sauing Truth and doctrine of saluation Reas 2 shall neuer perish from the earth therefore the Church that is the pillar of Truth shal neuer be abolished from the earth If the truth of God could faile then the Church might faile but that can neuer faile for still there shall be some witnesses of Gods Truth to feele the sauing power of it in themselues and to testifie it to others and therefore the Church shall neuer faile The third Reason is taken from Gods Fatherly Care ouer Reas 3 his Church euen for their owne sakes because he loues them and they are deare to him as the Apple of his eye and therefore they shall neuer be all destroyed except the Lord could forget his owne people his dearlings which is impossible Fourthly he doth preserue his Church
on earth for the Reas 4 worlds sake that must stand till the appointed time of dissolution but it cannot stand longer then the faithfull are in it for whose sake onely it is vpholden for the holy seed is the substance of the world as I shewed Isa 6.13 and therefore so long as the world stands they cannot be vtterly destroyed Fiftly the Church on earth is the Nurserie for heauen Reas 5 now in heauen are many mansions to be filled vp euery day therefore there must be a continuall supply from the Nursery on earth Sixthly there must be a continuall warre betwixt the Reas 6 seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman Gen. 3.15 betwixt the wicked and the godly therefore as the wicked seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman Gen. 3.15 betwixt the wicked and the godly therefore as the wicked the Serpents seed shal be alwayes on earth so likewise the faithfull the womans seed shal be alwaies on earth too Vse 1 The vses First this shewes the antiquity of the Church that it hath been from the beginning Truth is elder then falshood righteousnesse was before sinne Gods Church is ancienter then all prophane Assemblies whatsoeuer Caine is ancient being of the malignant Church but his Parents the Church in Paradise is ancienter Eue and Adam harkened to the voice of the Serpent and so committed sinne soone after the Creation yet there was a time before their fall when they beleeued and rested on God and his Word and were righteous The Diuell is a Lier from the beginning yet Gods Truth was in the beginning before that â—ie else it could not haue been peruerted with his Lye This serues first to stop the mouth of all Gainsaiers and aduersaries of Gods Church that Charge vs with nouelty to bee a new sect and challenge antiquitie to themselues that they are the ancient and true Church which are both lies for they are the nouellists not wee We are from the beginning before they had any being so that we are more ancient then they and their religion is nouelty and a new Sect. Secondly it may serue to confirme vs in the vndoubted assurance of the Truth and of that Faith and Religion which we professe That which is most ancient is most true as being immediatly and originally from the pure Fountaine the pure hands of God himselfe who is the ancient of dayes And contrarily all Religions which are lesse ancient are from some corrupt Channels degenerate from the originall sinceritie Now our Religion which we professe is most ancient and most pure and therefore let all contrary Doctrines and Religions hide their heads and be ashamed of themselues and yeeld the preheminence of pure Truth to our Religion that is most true and rightly ancient Vse 2 Secondly as this shewes the Antiquitie of the Church so likewise it proues the perpetuity of it As it was from the beginning of the world so it shall continue by succession to the end of the world as it was before all other Congregations so it shall see the rising and fall of all other Congregations but it selfe shall continue one and the same by a continuall succession where the Fathers are gone there Children shall stand vp in their steads and so Childrens Children to the worlds end There shall bee many changes and alterations from time to time yet still there shall bee a Church in all these changes If the Church faile in Paradise it shall be found out of Paradise If Israel fall away yet Iudah shall stand If the Iewes bee cast off yet the Gentiles shal be taken in Though Popery Turcisme and Iudaisme and Paganisme abound and fill the world and are vp in Armes against the Church yet there are some corners in the world that God hath reserued to shelter his Church in wherein they shall be preserued both from their persecution and infection The third Vse Is matter of Comfort to the faithfull Vse 3 First in regard of themselues for they are the onely people of continuance that are in the world they onely are sure of their estaâ—e and none else It is true that the wicked may flourish a long time in great prosperitie like to a greene Bay Tree but in time and sometimes very quickly they shall vanish away like smoke and consume as the fat of Lambes and nothing shall remaine of them but the faithfull shall stand fast for euer Psal 102.28 they may be afflicted persecuted and distressed on euery side yet they shall neuer be forsaken nor giuen ouer vtterly as a prey to their enemies If the wicked murder some of them yet God wil haue some of them remaine still let persecutours draw out the blood of Gods Children as long as they will or can yet still there shal be found some that will offer themselues to their bloody hands for the maintenance of Gods Truth as some are taken away God will still send them a new supply So then it is Comfort to them in regard of themselues that they shall neuer perish Secondly it is comfort to them in regard of their posterity and of the Church after them they need not say on their deathbeds as worldlings doe What shall become of my Children and goods after I am gone they need not say so of their spirituall goods let God alone with them leaue them to him the faithfull seed shall bee preserued and vpholden by his Fatherly prouidence to the worlds end and the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against them And as for the Truth of God the Gospell and the graces of the Spirit which themselues are seized on in their life time God will dispose of them to the right heires heires of his owne begetting add raising vp he will find heires for them successiuely from age to age to the last end Then Christ Iesus himselfe shall come and hee shall stand last vpon the earth and so the Church shall be the first and the last The first Adam the first man on earth beginning the Church on earth And the second Adam the last man vpon the earth finishing it vp by his personall presence hauing continued and maintained it by his owne power from the first beginning to the worlds end And shall the Church haue an end then No though all things bee then at an end yet the Church shall not yet be at an end but as it is for euer here so it shall continue for euer in heauen too and that in a farre safer and happier and more glorious estate then euer it did in this world Psal 102.28 Vse 4 The fourth Vse is for discouragement to wicked men and Persecutors in that which they doe against Gods Church What can they doe against it roote it out as many times they say they will No doe they what they can by themselues by their Instruments they can neuer roote it out Let Kings and Rulers and Gentiles and people fret and rage and band themselues together against the Lord and
in Christ Iesus And so they shall be raised at the last day Matth. 24.31 The Angels shall gather the bodies of the Elect from all quarters and corners of the World then there must needs haue been a Church in all Corners of the World and so they shall be found in heauen after the Resurrection Reuel 7.9 for there the Apostle Iohn saith I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and people tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lambe praysing God and Reuel 21.13 So the Church is Catholike generally dispersed ouer the face of the whole world and euery beleeuing man is a true member of it The Reasons are these First God is the Lord and Ruler Reas 1 of all the world and therefore the Church the body of his Sonne who is Heire of the world must be as large too at least for some of all parts For shall the Kingdome of Gods power reach euery where and not the Kingdome of his grace proportionably In some measure though not in that generality altogether it is to reach as farre too Secondly Gods mercy and Christs merits requires it Reas 2 that the Church should bee generally dispersed ouer the whole world Gods mercy requires it who would that all men should be saued 1. Tim. 2.4 that is all sorts of men of all places So likewise Christs merits require it for that was for the sinnes of the whole world 1. Ioh. 2.2 that is for some of euery part of the world Thirdly God is glorified in the highest degree onely in Reas 3 those that are members of the Church that are saued It is true God is glorified much in the Reprobates that are damned but he is glorified in the highest degree onely in those that are saued And shall there be any place or Nation or Tongue in the world that the Lord will not be glorified in some portion of it euen in the highest degrees That cannot be beleeued therefore the Church is generall c. Fourthly Satans Kingdome is generall and euery wicked Reas 4 person is a member of his cursed Synagogue therefore Christs Kingdome is generall too and euery Beleeuer through the whole world is of his Church Fiftly the Church is thus generall to leaue the wicked Reas 5 without excuse so that no nation shall be able to pretend iustly that they were vtterly debarred from saluation now no man able to say that the Church of God neuer was amongst their Nation nor that none amongst them were saued No God shall stop their mouthes with many Instances of euery mans owne Nation when hee shall say Why here is a member of my Church euen of thy owne Nation and why mightest not thou haue been so too Reas 6 Lastly without the Church is no Saluation therfore euery beleeuer whosoeuer is a member of the Church Vse 1 The vses of the Point are these The first Vse is matter of Reproofe and first against the Iewes that would haue the Church and so the sauing faith confined to their owne nation as if they were the onely people of God and none but they It is true that so it was for many hundred yeeres the Lord chusing them from all the nations of the earth as his onely peculiar people to be glorified by them alone in his seruice and worship that so they might bee glorified alone as it were by him in heauen Yea but the greater the mercy of God herein was to them the greater was their vnthankfulnesse to him in that they shooke of his yoke and would not receiue Christ Iesus though he were sent specially to them but reiected him and crucified him and to this day for the most part they doe abandon him as a malefactor And therefore they are so farre now from being the onely people that God loues that they are the onely people that he hates and as it was fortold of them by the Prophet Hos 1.9 they are Loammi not Gods people now they are the onely people that are excepted against as not being of Gods Church And whereas they enuie the Gentiles that they should haue any part in God because they were once barred from the Church and hated of God and therefore they thinke they should be so for euer But alasse now they must know that now the partition wall is broken downe and that Christ Iesus hath made all one and that euery people is Iudah and euery faithfull man is a Priest and a Sacrifice and euery place is the Temple and hath spirituall Altars for a cleane sacrifice to be offered on and that now is come to passe that which the Prophet foretold Mal. 1.10 11. that in the place where it was said vnto them ye are not my people it shal be said vnto them ye are the Sonnes of the liuing God And as it is Matth. 18.20 That where two or three are gathered together in the Name of Christ he is in the midst of them And as our Sauiour saith Ioh. 4.24 God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth And that now is fullfilled the saying of Isaiah Isai 54.1 which he foretold that the Barren hath more Children then the fruitfull woman that is that there should be more Gentiles of the Church then euer there were Iewes And as it reproues them so it reproues the Donatistes that would haue no Church but in Affrica no Church but theirs somewhat like vnto the humour of the Separatists at this day that would haue no Church but theirs Principally it reproues the Papists that would haue no Church but that of Rome affirming that they that are not of the fellowship of that Church are in the certaine estate of damnation But this is against the nature of the Catholike Church to be restrained within them And let not them take vpon them to restraine that which God hath inlarged but as they brag of Peter so let them learne to be ruled by God as Peter was Act. 10.15 not to account those vncleane whom God accounts and calls cleane And therefore seeing God hath so far inlarged his bounty that he hath purified the whole world so that some of all parts and places should be members of his Church for shame let them not scantle his goodnesse and pollute all other Churches as vncleane except their Church But let them leaue all others to God and let them labour to see that themselues be purified lest as I said before of the Iews they proue themselues of all other Churches to be none of Gods Church The second Vse is for Instruction teaching vs what Vse 2 Church it is that we must esteeme and repute Catholike surely not any particular Church in the world though neuer so pure and sound but that which is generall that which is scattered ouer all the world It is true that a particular Church may be called Catholike that is a right beleeuing Church or Catholike that is a part of the
intendment as the thing it selfe tending directly to the damage and hurt of the Church and yet God so ouer-rules them as that they are meanes of the being of the Church as first hearing or reading the Word or some other good bookes with intent to deride or scoffe or cauill at them as we reade of one Virginius a Bishop of Rome who being set to write against Caluin and â—eading ouer Caluins bookes for that end hee saw the light so cleare against him that hee was conuinced and would write no more against him so that whereas he read ouer his books with intent to cauill at them God so ouer-ruled it that against his owne intendment he became a member of the true Church thereby Secondly the sinnes of Gods chosen why a man would thinke that they should tend directly to the hurt and damage of the Church yet God doth so ouer-rule the sinnes of his chosen as that he makes them causes of the being of the Church Thus God ouer-ruled the sinne of Saul in persecuting the Church to the making of him to be of the Church Act. 9.4.5 Thirdly the falling away of others from the faith is sometimes ouer-ruled by God to bee a cause of the raising of others to bee of the Church And this is the estate of vs all at this day the Iewes they fell away and through their fall saluation is come to the Gentiles as the Apostle shewes Rom. 11.11 Fourthly persecutions of the faithful that is so ouerrul'd by God as that it is made helpefull to the being of the Church Why what is more hurtfull to the Church euen to the destruction of it than this And yet this is sometime so ouer-ruled by God as against its owne bent and intendment it is a cause of the being of the Church for the cruelty of the Persecutors makes those that are of any humanity to detest them and their courses as also the constancy and holinesse of the Martyrs that are persecuted won the hearts of many euen of strangers yea of their aduersaries many times to the truth Examples of this wee haue had at home in our owne Land When were there euer more fruitfull times of the Churches increase in this Land than in Queene Maries bloody dayes at least euer since by occasion of those persecutions Lastly sometime the scattering of the Church in time of persecution is occasionally by the ouer-ruling hand of God a meanes of scattering the seed of the Word into many places and so of causing many Churches as in Act. 8.4 there was great persecution and the Word was scattered abroad what could hurt the Church more than this Yet this was so ouer-ruled by God as that hee made it a meanes of the propagation of his Church in many places whereas before it was in Iudea onely by this meanes it is come into Samaria too But all these are by-causes and therefore wee doe onely point at them and so passe them by yet this is worthy herein to bee taken notice of the wonderfull power wisdome and mercy of God that brings light out of darknesse and makes whatsoeuer pleaseth him euen besides and against its owne bent and intendment seruiceable meanes for the being of his Church The other sort of causes which were the first are such as cause the Church directly and of themselues and these are more proper and materiall than the other First then take the Church in a comparatiue sense as it is compared to a building and so the causes are to be apprehended thus As a building hath foure principall causes so hath the Church first in a building there is the foundation secondly the builders thirdly the matter of the building fourthly the forme So in Gods Church there is these foure causes of it first the foundation and that is Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 3.11 Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Iesus Christ and metaphorically the Prophets and Apostles as they teaching Christ 1 Cor. 3.10 As a skilfull master-builder I haue laid the foundation saith the Apostle Ephes 2.20 and are built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ Iesus being the head corner-stone c. Secondly the builders and they are the Teachers for so they are called 1 Pet. 2.7 The stone which the Builders refused c. that is which the Iewish Teachers refused And 1. Cor. 3.10 the teachers are called Master Builders Thirdly the matter of the building and they are Saints by calling liuing stones for so the faithfull are called 1 Pet. 2.5 liuely stones a spirituall house And in the 1 Cor. 3.9 they are called Gods building Lastly the forme of the building and that is the laying and the coupling of the faithfull together Ephes 2.21 22. In whom all the building coupled together groweth vnto an holy Temple in the Lord in whom yee are also built together to be the habitation of God by the Spirit And thus the Church is to be apprehended in a comparatiue sense as it is compared to a building Againe take the Church absolutely in it selfe and then it hath an efficient cause an instrumentall cause a materiall cause a formall cause and a finall cause First it hath an efficient cause from which it hath her being for that is the efficient cause of a thing from whence a thing hath that being which it hath Now the efficient cause from whence the Church hath her being is God himselfe he is the Author of it Act. 2.47 The Lord added to the Church c. so that God himselfe is the efficient cause of the Church Secondly the instrumentall cause or meanes of the being of the Church and they are of two sorts either outward or inward outward as first the Ministers of God they are the instrumentall causes whereby we are brought to beleeue as in the 1 Cor. 3.5 and these are sometimes ordinary sometime extraordinary ordinary that is when they haue an ordinary Calling as most Ministers if not all haue in these dayes extraordinary that is then when they are extraordinarily called as the Prophets and Iohn Baptist and the Apostles were The next outward instrumentall cause of the Church is the Word Ioh. 20.31 These things are written that ye might beleeue 2 Thes 2.14 whereunto he called you by our Gospell And in the 2 Cor. 5.19 both these outward instrumentall causes of the Church are laid downe together God hath committed vnto vs saith the Apostle the Word of reconciliation Then the Sacraments they are the next outward instrumentall causes or meanes of the being of the Church and first Baptisme Rom. 6.4 Know yee not that all we that haue been baptized into Christ haue been baptized into his death And the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 10.16 The Cup of blessing which wee blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ The Bread which we breake is it not the Communion of the body of Christ By Baptisme we are made members of
and burnt vp God waters it and makes it fruitfull who shall hinder the growth and increase thereof Surely God will not suffer his owne worke to be hindred by any power in the world If this were well considered it would dismay the aduersaries of the Church and euen daunt Satan himselfe for they know before-hand that they are fighters against God yea against his speciall hand and therefore it is impossible that they should preuaile The wicked after the Flood when they built the Tower of Babel they fought against God but they could not preuaile it turned to their confusion but these fight against God in a speciall manner And therefore this is our comfort they shal neuer preuaile though they band themselues together against the Lord and against his Church yet all they doe is but the imagination of a vaine thing because it is against God and against his people This should comfort the faithfull in all their persecutions temptations and distresses whatsoeuer because that they are built by Gods owne hand and therefore like Mount Sion they shall stand fast for euer and neuer be remoued and likewise they are continually assisted by Gods hand so that their enemies cannot hurt them as the Mountaines are about Ierusalem so the Lord is about his people from henceforth and for euer Psal 125.1 2. So much of the first obseruation arising from the causes of the Church The next Point arising hence is this That wheresoeuer Doct. 2 the true causes of a true Church are effectuall and that by the ordinary blessing of God they haue their due successe there certainely is a true visible Church First I say where they are effectuall for sometimes the causes may bee present yet not effectuall or at least very little effectuall but where they are effectuall onely there they cause a Church Secondly I say by the ordinary blessing of God for extraordinary blessing and successe doth not sufficiently proue a true visible Church The point is cleare in the case of the Church Act. 2. from the beginning to the end the causes of a Church were there as wee shewed before and they were effectuall Vers 41. They were added to the Church and it was ordinarily effectuall Verse 47. The Lord added to the Church from day to day c. and therefore there was a true Church and so it is called in that verse 47. And so it was in the case of the Church of Antioch Act. 11. from 20. to 26. verse there was the meanes the Word and the Ministers of it and it was effectuall for they beleeued and it was ordinarily effectuall for a great number beleeued and turned to the Lord and therefore they were a Church and were also so called vers 26. So likewise in the 1 Cor. 1.2 Vnto the Church of God which is at Corinthus to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus Saints by calling c. They had a Calling then and this was effectuall for they were sanctified in Christ Iesus and so were a true Church The case was thus in the seuen Churches Reuel 1.16 to the end of the Chapter there were the seuen golden Candlesticks that is seuen true visible Churches and there was the Sonne of man that is Christ walking in the middst of them and there were the Starres that is his Ministers vpholden in his right hand and a two-edged sword came out of his mouth that is his Word and the power thereof for so the Word is compared to a two-edged sword Heb 4.12 And these were effectuall too the Starres were vpholden and it was a sharpe two-edged sword so where these are thus effectuall there is a golden Candlesticke that is a true visible Church Reas 1 The Reasons of the point are these First the cause doth alwayes proue the effect necessarily where it hath her worke and is not resisted now here are the causes of a true Church and their worke is not resisted therefore here is the effect too that is a true visible Church Secondly where these causes are there is the definition Reas 2 of a true visible Church that is a company of people professing ioyntly the sauing truth Now where these are there is a true visible Church Thirdly whosoeuer liues in such a Church where these Reas 3 causes are walking in truth and sinceritie and being carefull and conscionable to obey these meanes he is certainely saued and on the contrary whosoeuer liues out of such a Church and doth not obey these meanes ordinarily hee cannot be saued then where these are must needs be a true Church for without the Church ordinarily there is no saluation But our Aduersaries that we haue principally to deale against in this case confesse it that the Word and Sacraments are the instruments and meanes of constituting the Church and conseruing it therefore we will stand no longer on the proofes and grounds of the point The Vses are these First this serues to iustifie our Church Vse 1 to be a true visible Church against the separation that deny it for by this it appeares we haue a true Church because that we haue the causes of a true Church and because they are effectuall yea and ordinarily effectuall amongst vs. If they except against vs they must deny and say either that we haue not the causes of a true Church amongst vs or that these causes are not effectuall or else that they are not ordinarily effectuall amongst vs. Some deny some of these and some deny all of them and therefore say we are no true Church If they say wee haue not the meanes wee answer that we haue through Gods mercy the Word and the Sacraments and Ministers and gifts which are the causes and meanes of a Church Yea but say they yee haue not all Gods ordinances amongst you you want discipline c. I answer first we only waite to see them proued by the word to be Gods ordinances which they so much require Answ and then wee will receiue them with both hands as wee haue done greater things Secondly I answer if wee should not receiue them yet we might bee a true Church though happily not so pure and perfect a Church for Discipline is not a matter of substance to the being of a Church but to the well-being only Obiect yea but say they though you haue the Word among you yet you haue it not out of the Lords mouth for your Ministers haue not a true calling they are not called and sent of God I answer that extraordinary calling we neither haue Answ nor looke for but such ordinary calling as ordinary Ministers haue had in any Church since the death of the Apostles wee haue the same Let them shew vs any since that time and we will proue that ours is answerable to it therefore if wee bee not a true visible Church then there was never any since the Apostles death Yea Obiect but say they you haue your calling from the Church of Rome I
answer we haue not our calling from the Church of Rome but from other ministers professing the same faith with vs as they haue Answ this might be a reason against Luther and other Ministers that had their calling in the Church of Rome Obiect it can be none against vs. Yea but say they Answ it came through their hands at first I answer that is nothing to vs many good things may come through theeues hands when the Arrian heresie spread it selfe ouer the world many Ministers came through their hands and therefore if this were a good Argument to proue wee were not a true Church then there should bee no true Church since the Apostles dayes But if wee had had our Calling from the Church of Rome I doe not see but that those Ministers that were ordained by the Church of Rome are warrantable and lawfull but I am sure ours now is lawfull if euer there were any since the Apostles death Yea but say they you haue no couenant made betwixt you and God Obiect I answer yes we doe make a couenant with God in Baptisme Yea but you were not gathered by the Word but compelled by a Proclamation in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths Raigne I answer Yes wee were gathered before in King Henery the eighth Answ and King Edward the sixth dayes so that this Proclamation was but a restoring of vs to our former estate as it was in the daies of Hezekiah 2 Chron. 30.5 where the people were restored to religion by the Kings Proclamation and this compulsion by the Proclamation was but to the outward meanes But now in our times there is no such compulsion but men are gathered by the word therfore this is vnseasonably applied to vs. Yes saith Ainsworth It is so still I answer If it be so that we are still compeld it is but to the outward meanes as I haue said but yet so many of vs as since the preaching of the Gospel doe voluntarily ioyne and enter couenant with God and the faithful are euen by our Aduersaries confession true members of a Church and therefore consequently such are a true visible Church Or else secondly they say If wee haue the meanes yet we haue not the successe Yes we haue the successe too for many of vs feele it and taste it to our singular consolation many of vs are conuerted Answ comforted instructed confirmed c. in our Church yea many of themselues were conuerted here amongst vs which is a manifest argument of our warrantable calling in that we haue experience of Christ that speaketh in our Ministers not weake but mighty in vs 1 Cor. 13.3 Or thirdly they say it may be effectually sometimes but it is not ordinarily effectuall I Answer What is more ordinary For first we haue many conuerted amongst vs and secondly this is dayly done and thirdly by these meanes that we haue amongst vs the preaching of the Word and fourthly this is as vsuall here as in any visible Church yea I dare vndertake that our Church is as fruitfull in gathering people and begetting Children vnto God as euer any Church was since the Apostles dayes they indeed had an extraordinary Calling and so an extraordinary successe which we must not looke for but ours is ordinarily effectuall for it is wrought vpon many and that day by day and also by the power of the meanes which is amongst vs and also as vsually as in any Church since the Apostles times And therefore ours must needs be a true Church therefore let none of vs entertaine any such thoughts into our heads as to thinke wee haue not the causes and meanes of a true Church amongst vs or that they be not effectuall to our conuersion and saluation or that they be not ordinarily effectuall But let vs blesse God for the means and the successe which daily they haue amongst vs lest for our vnthankfulnesse God depriue vs of them and turne from vs as he did from the Iewes and take his Church and presence from amongst vs. The eleuenth Lecture of the Church HAuing acquainted you already with the definition as also with the Causes of a true Church It remaines that we proceed in the third place to speake as we propounded of the members of the Church For whereas the visible Church is compared to a Body and every body consists of diuers parts and members framed and ioyned proportionably together if therefore wee would exactly know the body of a true visible Church we must be well instructed touching the parts and members of the same for the presence of the members proues the presence of the body looke where the members are there likewise is the body also And the state of the members well considered instructs vs rightly to esteeme of the state of the body for the body is to be accounted sound or vnsound accordingly as the members thereof are affected Now when we speake of the members of the Church we may as well vnderstand the head as the other parts for in a generall sense the head is as well a member as the rest of the parts of the body or else we may speake of all the other parts besides the head for so in a more strict and particular sense the head and the members are opposed against each other as they being diuerse from the head and the head from them Now because we desire to carry the matter fully before vs as neere as we can therefore we will speake of this body in the generall sense as including both head and members too First of the head for that being the chiefe and principall member is first and principally to bee spoken of specially in this case the head being here infinitely greater and more excellent than all the body besides and therefore first of that That which we will speake of in this point we will contriue into these three heads First that the visible Church must haue a head secondly that it must haue one head thirdly that this head is Iesus Christ and hee alone First that the Church being a body must haue a head for so in the first place the course of nature requires it for in the course of nature a headlesse body is a monstrous body imperfect without forme fashion life or gouernment Secondly as the course of nature requires it so the necessity of the Church requires it for the Church must be endued with spirituall life therefore it must haue a head to conuey life into it Thirdly the wisdome of God requires it for God is the God not of confusion but of order in all his works specially in his special workmanshippe that is his Church What a confused heape of stones would a Church be if it had not a head corner stone to hold all the other stones together euery one in his due place and what a disordered Assembly would the Church be if the members were without a head to order it and to releeue it Secondly as
Apostle speakes of that Church wherein was the vse of the Word and of the Sacrament of Baptisme as we may see in the 26. verse which are onely in vse in the visible Church And in Colos 1.18 there is Christ the head of his Church and there is the Church the body of Christ Now the Apostle speakes of that Church whereof hee was a Minister as we may see vers 25. which is a visible Church And that it may appeare that these Collections are not strained against the meaning of the holy Ghost you shall find that the Apostle in the 1 Cor. 12.27 speaking to the visible particular Church of Corinth saith plainely Yee are the body of Christ and so intends necessarily that Christ is the head of that particular visible Church And as it was with the Church of Corinth so it is too with all true visible Churches else Reuel 1.13 there the head and the body is described together there was the seuen golden Candlesticks the seuen particular visible Churches and there was also the Son of Man walking in the midst of them that is Christ the head of them And no question but the Iewish Church in the former Testament was Christs Spouse and so Christ was her Husband and consequently her Head for how often did God threaten to cast them off and to giue them a Bill of Diuorce shewing thereby that hee was the Head euen of their visible Church then much more of our particular visible Churches so that Christ proportionably is the Head of a true visible Church The Reasons of the Obseruation are these first Christ Reas 1 liuing vpon the earth was of the visible Church but not as an inferiour or a member for then some other visible member must be his head which is impossible therefore while he liued vpon earth he was the head of the visible Church Now what he was he is he was so then and therefore he is so now Secondly all power is giuen to Christ both in heauen Reas 2 and earth Matth. 28.18 and he is the head of all principalities and powers Colos 2.10 And in what respect is he the head of all but that he might be the head of the Church as the very reason is implyed Ephes 1.22 And hath made all things subiect vnder his feet and hath appointed him ouer all things Why to be the head of his Church And this is that we meane in that Article of our Faith when wee say I beleeue that Iesus Christ sits at the right hand of God that is that hee hath power giuen him to rule ouer all things specially ouer his Church to rule and gouerne it and to conuey all good things to it as the head to the body Reas 3 Thirdly he giues life to the members and holds all the body together Col. 2.19 and Ephes 4.15 16. therefore he is the head of the body Reas 4 Fourthly the Church is guided by the Lawes of Christ both for doctrine and manners therefore he must needs be the head of the Church Reas 5 Fifthly he is the Sauiour of the Church Ephes 5.23 and therfore he is the head of his Church for it is the office of the head to defend and to see to the safety of the whole body Reas 6 Sixthly he is the onely vanquisher of all the Churches Enemies and he doth so vanquish them as that he himselfe is freed from Satans and all other enemies harmes Ioh. 14.30 The Prince of this World commeth and hath naught in me yea he breakes the Serpents head Gen. 3.15 And in the Reuelation there is Michael and his Angels fighting with the Dragon and his Angels and they ouercome them Now Christ is this Michael that ouercommeth the Diuell and all the enemies of his Church therefore he is the head of his Church Reas 7 Seuenthly he giues the Spirit to his Church therefore he must needes be the head of his Church and hee giues the Spirit not onely in regard of ministeriall duties as Iohn 20.22 where he breathed on the Apostles and said Receiue the holy Ghost but also in regard of sanctification and inward graces as Act. 2.4 this he doth for euer Eph. 4.11 12. Now it is the head that conueyes Spirit and motion to the body Therfore seeing euery visible Church receiues the Spirit from Christ then he must needs be the head of them Reas 8 Eighthly and lastly hee is the King the Husband the Shepheard the eldest Brother or first borne of the Church therfore the head of the Church So much for the Reasons Vse 1 The vses are these The first Vse is matter of Refutation against the Popish Church for this is a maine point of difference betwixt vs and the Church of Rome Wee say and haue proued it that Christ is the head of the visible Church they say the Pope is the head of it and as they meane it it is worse than it seemes to be for therein they affirme a double blasphemy against God and giue two maine blowes to Iesus Christ to cut him off from being head to his Church at least they take his Crowne from his head And this they doe first in regard of the Body the Church secondly in regard of the Head Christ First in regard of the Church for they say the Pope is the head not of the Church of Rome onely for that were tolerable if hee would content and containe himselfe within his owne Diocesse neither would we much contend with him about his Bishopricke But he lookes high and gapes wide and saith like his lying father the Diuell All is mine that he is the head of the vniversall Church through the world A proud challenge easie to be made but impossible that it should bee maintained You see that it is proued to be Christs due only by right to be head of the visible Church if then the Pope wil be head either he must take it from Christ against his will and so he is plaine Antichrist as indeed and in truth he is or else he must haue it by Christs grant and this he pretends to be his Title But first he hath it not by Christs grant for Christ neuer gaue him any such matter for many hundred yeares after Christs ascension this headship of the Popes was neuer heard of Yea but say they he gaue it to Peter and so to the Pope I answer No Christ gaue it not to Peter nor yet euer meant to giue it him much lesse to the Pope First hee gaue it not to Peter for the places which they alleage to proue this point serue nothing to this purpose as Matth. 16.19 Whatsoeuer thou shalt binde on earth is bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose on earth shal be loosed in heauen This is spoken equally to all the rest of the Apostles as well as vnto Peter Ioh. 20.23 Whosoeuer sinnes ye remit they are remitted c. Where now is the headship of Peter ouer the whole
Church So that in Ioh. 21. where our Sauiour saith three times to Peter Feede my sheepe c. What a slight ground is this to build the headship of the Church vpon And if they aske then why Christ should thus presse it vpon Peter so often The Fathers answer them that it is onely a speciall charge binding to Duty not any vniuersall authority or iurisdiction pressed thrice vpon him for his former threefold deniall of Christ that so hee might be the more carefull for the time to come else the charge is alike to all the rest of the Apostles for shall wee think that any of them were not bound to feede the sheepe of Christ as well as he The Apostle giues this charge to all Ministers 1 Pet. 5.2 Feed the flocke of God c. Yea but Peter is the Rocke and vpon this Rocke Christ will build his Church Matth. 16.18 I answer if the Church were built vpon Peter then it was either built vpon his person or vpon his Confession but it was not built vpon his person for then when he died the Church must haue failed too Therfore the place must be vnderstood of Peters confession or of his faith or of that Christ which he confessed Christ built his Church on the confession of Peters faith because himself was the substance of his confession c. Peters confession of his faith is the Rocke in making knowne the Church But Christ himselfe is the Rocke as being the substance of that his confession so that the Church is not built vpon Peters person And if it had what is that to the Pope Vnlesse they can proue these two things First that Peter sate at Rome as head of the vniuersall Church secondly that hee intended to leaue his headship to the Pope of Rome and to none other which is a meere fancie and deuice of their owne braine for which they haue no colour So then Christ neuer gaue Peter much lesse the Pope this headship Secondly as Christ neuer did giue it so he saith expressely he neuer will giue it Luk. 22.25 26. Our Sauiour saith to his Disciples that it was enough for the Gentiles to be Lords and to raigne one ouer another but it shall not bee so amongst you saith he so that Christ checks them for hauing but a conceit of superiority so far is he from giuing it to any of them Further this being a great part of Christs glory as he is Mediator to be head of his Church hee will not giue it to any other Isai 48.11 My glory will I not giue to another And as Christ neuer gaue this nor meant to giue it to any other so no man is able to weeld or sway it no more than any one temporall Gouernor can rule all the Kingdomes in the world no this power is reserued onely to him that made the whole world and all things therein So that we see they ouer-reach in saying the Pope is the head of the vniuersall visible Church Secondly they ouer-reach as far in saying he is the head if you aske them what head they meane They will say onely a ministeriall head vnder Christ heere is some shew of modesty But aske them further what power they ascribe to him And then they bewray themselues for they say that the gouernment of the whole Church through the world depends on him that he hath power and authority to iudge and determine of all causes of Faith and Religion to rule Councells to order Bishops and Pastors to excommunicate and to suspend and to inflict other penalties vpon offenders yea whatsoeuer concerneth either preaching of Doctrine or the practice of Discipline in the Church of Christ the power of gouerning in all such causes they say lies in the Pope Is this to be a ministeriall head This is rather to be an absolute supreame head If by head they meant onely some chiefe Gouernour the name head in that sense might agree to some one man in respect of some one particular place for so the Scripture vseth the word in other cases in the 1 Cor. 11.3 The man is the womans head c. But neuer in this case for a man to be the head of the whole Church This transcendent power by them ascribed to the Pope is a great part of Christs owne power and can neuer agree to any man in the world for Christ is the onely Doctor of his Church Mat. 23.8 10. How then can the Pope determine all matters of faith and religion Is not this to make him a great Doctor yea the onely Doctor No say they for hee doth it but vnder Christ But he doth it of himselfe if the Pope in controuersies would take Christs booke and vse prayer to God for direction therein and in humility and sincere loue of the Truth would examine euery cause and so iudge there were some hope that he would doe many things well and that he would iudge rightly as in Christs stead and so honour his Master and doe good seruice to the Church But first he takes no such course but mingles with the word and vseth his owne Canons in stead of the word and he is so farre from vsing prayer to God for direction as that he presumes the truth is tyed to his Chayre and therefore that he cannot erre in any of his Sentences likewise hee is sinisterly affected to the Truth framing it to the state and practice of his owne Church and accordingly hee iudges and pronounces Secondly if he should take the former course yet his reach is not infinite hee cannot iudge rightly in all causes of faith and religion for no one man that euer was Christ Iesus onely excepted and his Apostles that was able to iudge of all Truth Therefore euery Pope in particular must be at least as one of the Apostles nay he must be as Christ is For if the Apostles could doe it yet they had fellowes Paul as well as Peter could do this But the Pope is without any fellow yea he will take vpon him to iudge of the Apostles owne Doctrine and writings so that though he pretends to be Peters successor only yet vpon the point he takes on him to be Peters Master euen to be Christ so proues himself to be very Antichrist yea and he not onely takes vpon him Christs Office but he takes his name vpon him also hee calls himselfe the chiefe Shepheard which name is proper to Christ onely 1 Pet. 5.4 What is this but to step into the throne of Christ But they except against vs and say doe you finde fault with vs for saying the Pope is the head of the Church Why you your selues make the King supreame head of the Church I answer how do we say the King is the head of the Church as they say the Pope is No but wee say the King is the head of the Church within his iurisdiction to see Gods religion maintained Answ and to see the
notwithstanding because that by the sweetnesse of that little Religion they haue they are whetted on to an hunger and thirst after more and doe vnfainedly seeke and desire to be further partakers of the Churches Communion therefore they are in respect partly of those beginnings and tastes which they haue of Religion and partly of those desires to be further partakers of the Churches communion they are I say in this respect true members of the visible Church by right though not by possession of this sort were those in the primitiue Church which were called Catechumeni or Nouices that began to be instructed in the grounds of Religion that vpon their further growth and fitnesse they might soone after bee made partakers of Baptisme and so become members by possession It is in this spirituall building as it is in the building of a materiall Church which is built of stones whereof some are layd already and so are parts of the Church by possession others are onely taken out of the Quarry and are vnder the workemans hand in fitting and preparing for the building and are not yet placed within the building as the others are and so are no parts by possession yet these stones because they are not onely appointed but also being in the Workemans hand a fitting for the building therefore they haue a place by right in the building So likewise it is in the spirituall building of the Church there are some members that are placed in the Church already and so are members by possession of which we shal speake in their due place others there are that are a fitting and preparing vnder the workmans hand that Faith may be wrought in thē that so they may afterward be baptised become members of the church by posession as it was with those Nouices in the primitiue church Now that these are members by right before they are baptized the reason is very good for put the case that these should dye before they bee baptized shall we say they are damned or that they died out of the Church God forbid But rather we must say that they died within the Church though not by possession yet by right and so were saued A third sort that are members by right though not by possession are the seed of the faithfull that die before they can be conueniently baptized I say before it can conueniently be had for if it be neglected or contemned where it may conueniently be had it is sinne but if it cannot conueniently be had and so they die before they bee baptized these are members by right though not by possession they haue no possession among the members of the Church because they are not baptized yet being borne within the Couenant wee are charitably perswaded that they are a holy seed and we must acknowledge them to haue a right among the members of the visible Church A fourth sort are those that haue true repentance and faith in Christ begotten in them in an extraordinary manner as amongst the Turkes and Infidels but yet doe not know any other to ioyne with them nor for them to bee ioyned with if they did know any such and might conueniently ioyne with them they would of these we are charitably to be perswaded that they are members by right though not by possession Lastly there are some that haue been possessed as members of the Church and yet either of their owne accord haue made a voluntary separation and so haue dismissed themselues as Schismatikes doe or else they are excommunicate by the Discipline of the Church and so are dispossessed by others for some sinne these afterward if they repent of their schisme or of their sinne and desire to be restored into the Church againe though they die before their second admission yet still we are charitably to bee perswaded that by right they are members of the Church though not by possession The second Branch is that some are members by posfession and not by right and they are such as are baptized and planted in the Church already but haue no true right nor title to it for after they haue gotten to be members by possession they grow lewde and profane in their liues and so by right they are no members of the Church They are so but by intrusion and vsurpation and haue gotten possession by colourable and fraudulent meanes pretending to bee that they neuer were that is that they are true beleeuers when indeed they are not nor euer were such for if they were they would bring forth better fruits Of these there are two sorts notorious offenders and secret hypocrites First notorious offenders such were the sonnes of Eli 1 Sam. 2.12 17. they were members of the Church by possession but they were such notorious wicked men so that they made the offering of the Lord to be abhorred therefore they were not members by right And such are many amongst vs that were baptized in their infancy but when they are of yeares they shew themselues openly prophane and of dissolute liues their Baptisme giues them possession but their prophanenesse and dissolutenesse of life vtterly disables them from hauing any right at all in this body for if they had their right they should bee turned out But you will say So they are cast out when they are once knowne to bee such and then they are not members by possession neither I answer It is true they are so where matters are carried as they ought to bee but yet sometimes the Church is in a weake case and hath not this power their hands are tyed and they cannot doe it or else if they haue power sometime they are negligent and do not exercise that power they haue or if they be forward in it yet at least there must be a time for admonition betwixt their discouery and casting out and so still for a time they are members by possession but yet not by right In the second place there are some secret hypocrites that are members by possession but not by right and these are all such as are baptized and accordingly goe on in an outward conformitie to the lawes and gouernment of the Church in outward shew as well as true beleeuers but yet are not such for within they are full of wickednesse and haue not that true faith in their hearts which outwardly they professe like to Iudas that profest himselfe to be one of Christs Disciples and a member of the true Church and outwardly carried himselfe as a true beleeuer but yet within he was a diuel and a child of perdition no member of the Church by right though he were by possession It is with them in this case as it is with a man that wrongfully possesseth an house all the while that it is not discouered he is accounted the true possessor of that house but afterward when it is proued he is not so then he is thrust out so that though he had possession yet he had no right to
therby to disgrace Church-gouernment and to make it the greatest trouble-state in the Christian world What was it that the Disciples contended about in our Sauiours time Luk 22.24 Was it not the matter of Church-gouernment Who should be the chiefest amongst them and so the Ruler and Gouernor of the rest By this occasion the Diuell made strife amongst the Apostles And what bred those great broyles and contentions in the primitiue Church betwixt the Easterne and the Westerne Bishops Was it not Church-gouernment which should bee the highest See and who should bee the highest and chiâ—â—â—t Bishop To goe further what brought forth Anti-Christ into the world and that aduanced the Pope to that high pitch which hee came to was it not Church-gouernment The Pope audaciously ingrossing all Soueraignty in the Church to himselfe and many good Bishops and Churches in their weaknesse yeelding too much to him in that kinde by the peruersenesse of the gouerned In a word what dishonour hath hereby beene done to God What disgrace to Religion What hinderance to the prosperous successe of the Gospell and of the Kingdom of Christ What furtherance and aduantage to the Kingdome of Satan What heart-burning hath it bred amongst some How hath it alienated the hearts of others from vs and that in many that otherwise are inclinable towards vs What tumults hath it bred at home What clamours abroad What griefe hath it brought to our friends and well affected What reioycing to our enemies and profane persons What distractions and doubts hath it bred in weake and tender Consciences What disheartning and discouraging hath it beene How many excellent Talents for Gods ministry haue beene hereby buried in the ground without profit And so consequently many congregations destitute of their faithfull Ministers and of their heauenly food and left as a prey to the Rauening Wolues by this meanes had they not by the prouidence and wisedome of our Gouernours beene otherwise prouided for I dare vndertake that in all likelihood had not the Diuell cast this bone amongst vs and throwne this businesse of Church-gouernment as a football before vs for euery one to runne after and so to set vs all together by the eares this Church of England through Gods blessing had been this day the most famous and flourishing Church that euer was in the world whereas now this businesse this onely businesse of Church-gouernment hath occasionally by the peeuishnesse of some hatched nourished and brought forth much ignorance prophannesse vncharitablenesse contempt of holinesse neglect of Gods ordâ—â—â—â—ces loosenesse and licentiousnesse I grieue to thinke on these things and I can haue no pleasure to speake of them and we may be all ashamed of them before God and the World and it must be euery ones care and endeauour to be instant with God by prayer that in his good time he would be pleased to redresse these foule euils yet here I haue mentioned them to the end that we may be both whetted on by these considerations to looke the more carefully into this businesse and also that we might be admonished to carry our selues the more temperately and moderately towards it And so much of the first point namely of the harmes and euils that haue happened occasionally by this matter of the Church-Gouernment though in it selfe holy and good The second point is what is meant by Church-Government Yea see here two words Church and Gouernment and each of these may carry three senses First for the word Church wee are not here to vnderstand it of the Catholike Church for that being dispersed ouer all places of the world cannot well be brought within the compasse of the same Lawes nor ruled by the same earthly Gouernours it is impossible for the reatures to weild such a great charge The sole Gouernour of the Church in this sense is Iesus Christ the onely Head thereof And the onely Lawes it is to be gouerned by is the presence power and direction of the Spirit but here we vnderstand it of a particular visible Church whether it be Parochiall Nationall or Prouinciall for these being confined and bounded within their seuerall places may and must haue their seuerall Lawes and Gouernours euery one for and within it selfe of this Church it is that we here speake of whether it be greater or lesse Now we come to the next word Gouernment which word in a generall sense signifies to maintaine secondly in particular to gouerne First in generall in respect of the state of nature as wee are men so the Lord gouernes that is maintaines and preserues his Church seating euery particular Church in the place where it is making a Fence about it feeding and clothing them supplying their wants affording them helpes and meanes for their reliefe defending them from their enemies deliuering them from dangers causing them to thriue and prosper in outward things and couering them with his fauour as with a shield And this kind of Gouernment the Lord extends ouer the whole world yea euen to the wicked as well as to the faithfull yet with this difference to the wicked in the common fauour of his prouidence to the faithfull in the speciall fauour of his Grace in Christ for euen in the very temporall blessings that the faithfull haue in this life they are theirs by Grace and promise in Christ And therefore to the wicked they perish in the inioying of them they haue no further benefit of them but outward and temporall to the faithfull they are helpefull and seruiceable in some degree to the worke of their eternall saluation for so God intends them and so the faithfull accept and vse them This is for the generall Gouernment of God in respect of the state of nature as we are men Secondly there is a particular Gouernment in respect of the estate of Grace as we are men professing the sauing Faith of Iesus Christ and so the Gouernment is twofold inward and outward First inward and this is proper to the Spirit of Christ God onely ruling in the hearts of his chosen as a King by the power of his Word and Spirit conuerting them from the seruice of sinne to the seruice of God causing them to beleeue Gods promises in Christ and so iustifying vs from our sinnes crucifying the old man and quickning the new acquainting vs with his will and framing vs to obedience putting good motions from time to time into our minds and stirring vs vp and enabling vs to entertaine them graciously and to giue place vnto them and so sanctifying vs and further he assures vs of Gods loue and fauour and our election in Christ and so comforts vs further he increaseth these and other Graces in vs euery day more and more so long as wee are in this world till at length they bee fully perfected in vs and wee receiued into his Kingdome of glory in heauen and so hee glorifies vs. This this is the right Kingdome of God and of Christ whereby God raignes in vs as
King here and makes vs to raigne as Kings with him for euer hereafter This is the inward Gouernment Secondly the outward Gouernment that is the power and direction that God hath put ouer to the sonnes of men for the well gouerning of the Church whereby there must bee first sufficient and painefull Ministers to instruct the people in the wayes of saluation teaching them Repentance towards God and Faith in Iesus Christ and secondly there must bee others that are holy and religious men chosen for their Assistants for the dispatch of such Ecclesiasticall businesse as they may bee helpefull in And thirdly there must be certaine godly and Christian Lawes and customes established amongst them by the common consent of the Church for the maintaining of peace and order in the Church for the punishment of sin and sinners and for the encouragement of well-doers and for the better execution of all such ordinances as the Lord in this case hath prouided to bee done in his Church And this is the Gouernment which we here meane and which wee seeke after that is the power and direction and administration that God hath committed to his Church specially to the Ministers and ouerseers thereof to see that the whole body be well ordered and that euery member carry themselues godly and religiously both in priuate especially in publike both towards God and the World In the third place wee are to speake of the necessity of Church-gouernment how needfull and necessary it is in the Church for the good thereof For the better vnderstanding of this Point wee must know that there is a twofold necessitie one absolute the other conditionall Absolute that is when one thing is so necessarily required to another as that it cannot be without it Secondly there is a necessitie that is not absolute but conditionall that is when one thing is so necessary to another as that it cannot well bee without it of this latter sort the necessity of this Gouernment in the Church of God is for the Church may bee without it in some kind of being but it cannot haue her well-being except this concurre The Point lyes fit to bee handled by way of Obseruation and therefore so I will deliuer it The Obseruation is this namely Doctr. That there is necessarily required an outward forme of Gouernment in the Church of God to bee exercised and administred by men All the former part of the Obseruation as necessity Church and gouernment haue beene before explained onely the last words administration by men needes some opening I say it must bee administred by men I doe not say It must bee deuised of men for it must be of Gods owne ordaining either in particular or at least in generall and it must bee administred that is men as Ministers and Instruments must put in execution that which God hath ordained And what men must these bee Surely they must bee members of the same Congregation For first these men must not bee such as are of no Church for what haue wee to doe with them that are without or they with vs Nor secondly it must not bee done by them that are members of another Church for what hath one Church to doe to meddle with anothers Gouernment except it bee by aduice or in case of necessity or in such causes as concerne diuers Churches but they must bee members of the same Church These are the parties that may and must Administer this Gouernment so that wee see the Note stands vpright namely that of necessity there is to bee required an outward forme of Gouernment in Gods Church to be exercised and administred by men For the proofe of this point in Rom. 12.4 5 c. The Apostle compares the Church to a body and Professors to parts and members of that body Now saith hee euery member hath not the same office no for that were superfluity and would breed confusion but seuerall members are tyed to seuerall offices for the good of the whole body Now there the Apostle speakes of outward gouernment in the Church as verse 5 c. and there must bee sundry Offices and Officers to exercise that Gouernment and who should these bee but the members of the same body In the 1 Cor. 12. from the 12. to the 21. verse there the Apostle presseth the same comparison further and growes to more particulars calling one the eye another the foote the hand the head c. of purpose to shew that as in the body and the parts thereof it is so ordered that some are to gouerne others to be gouerned so it is in the Church some must gouerne others must be gouerned and still vnderstand that the Apostle speakes of outward Gouernment in the Church and that they that gouerne must bee members of the same Church for so the comparison holds they must bee members of the same body And this the Apostle doth set downe generally for a rule in the first Epistle of the Corinthians Chap. 14. vers 40. Let all things be done decently and by order where wee see that the Apostle expresly commandeth order in the Church that is Gouernment for it is all one for things to be well ordered or well gouerned and it is intended of outward businesses in the Church as verse 26. Where the Apostle speakes of their comming together and it is a Charge Let all things c. there is the necessity of it and all is imposed vpon men as we see in the 26 verse Brethren when yee come together c. yee that are members of the same Church And according to this generall Rule so the Apostles carry themselues the Apostle writing to Timothy 1 Tim. 3.14 15. saith These things write I vnto thee that thou mayst know how to behaue thy selfe in the house of God Now that which hee wrote to him of was partly of outward Gouernement as verse 1. and forward where he speakes of the Office of a Bishop and the words in the fifteenth verse shew it plainely hee writes to him that hee may know how to behaue himselfe in the house of God that is in the Church of God But you will say hee was but a particular man and therefore what doth this concerne the whole Church I answer Though it were written particularly to him yet hee being the chiefe ouer-seer in that Church it consequently concernes the whole Church And this was so necessary that hee would not respite it till his comming though hee were to come shortly but for the more suretie hee wrote before-hand that so the Church might not bee destitute of so materiall an ornament as outward Gouernment is And he charges Timothy most seuerely in Chap. 5. vers 21. and in Chap. 6. vers 13. and 14. that the same be duly obserued And so in Tit. 1.5 there the Apostle writing to Titus that was Bishop of the Church of Creta saith For this cause left I thee in Creta that thou shouldest continue to redresse the things that
are amisse and that thou shouldest ordaine Elders in euery Citie c. There by name are two principall parts of outward Gouernment set downe redressing things that are amisse and ordaining elders And these are imposed vpon Titus being Bishop of that Church and that of necessity for he was left there for this very cause And in the second and third Chapters of the Reuelation there are directions sent from heauen to the Angels of the seuen Churches and that for many things that did concerne euen the outward as well as the inward Gouernment of the Churches If wee looke into the estate of the Church from time to time we shall see that the practice was answerable that still of necessitie there was outward Gouernment in the Church Our Sauiour while hee was vpon earth among his Disciples how orderly did hee gouerne them When any thing was amisse amongst them how quietly did hee order it How orderly did hee send them out to preach How carefully did he giue them Rules for the outward Gouernment of the Church for the time to come So the Church after Christs ascension how well was it ordered and gouerned As wee may see Act. 1.13 14. Where it is said that the Apostles continued with one accord in prayers and supplications with the women and Mary the mother of Iesus and his Brethren And Act. 2.42 they continued in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayer And Act. 6.2 3 c. When that matter of difference arose concerning the poore how wisely did they order it and chose out men from amongst them fearing God for the performance of this businesse So here we see how well the Church was ordered and gouerned after our Sauiours Ascension See it further Act. 15.2 and forward when there arose dissention in the Church about Circumcision what did they doe They called the Apostles and Elders together and so they ordered what should bee done in that businesse so here wee see is outward Gouernment still And so Phil. 1.1 the Apostle writes to the Bishops and Deacons of that Church that is to the Gouernours of it So that we see that of necessity there is required an outward Gouernment in the Church of God to bee administred by men And so much for the proofe of the point The Reasons are many and of diuers sorts some are drawne from the nature of God some are drawne by comparison from other Assemblies the third sort are drawne from the persons that are to be Gouerned and the last sort are drawne from the Offices that are to be exercised and the businesses that are to be done in the Church The first sort of Reasons drawne from the nature and will of God are these First God is the Author not of confusion but of peace as wee see in all the Churches of the Saints 1. Cor. 14.33 The Apostle giues all the Churches of the Saints for instance in this point that God is the Author of peace in all them as hee commanding it and they obeying Now what peace can there bee or how can it be maintained but by Gouernment therefore wheresoeuer there is a Church of Saints there must of necessity bee Gouernment Againe secondly Holinesse becomes Gods House for euer saith the Prophet Psal 93.5 but without Gouernment there can be no Holinesse at least in the outward man and therefore of necessity outward Gouernement must bee in the Church The second sort of Reasons are drawne by comparison from other Assemblies what Company is there without Gouernment In heauen there is order and Gouernment amongst the Saints and Angels themselues some amongst the Angels for order sake are aboue the rest there are Principalities and Powers and Thrones c. I do not say as the Papists doe that one Angell is aboue another in degree but in order at least Christ is the Head and gouernour of them all and that personally so there is a Gouernment in heauen And as it is in heauen so it is in earth What Company or Corporation either in the City or Kingdome is or can consist without Gouernment And is not the Church the Company of Gods Saints so they are called Ps 89.7 and can that be without Gouernment So in an house there can be no peace nor liuing together in it without Gouernment The Church is the House of God the City of God the Kingdome of his owne Sonne and therefore there must be of necessity an outward gouernment in it exercised by men yea Hell it selfe though it bee the place of all disorder and confusion yet they haue some Gouernment amongst themselues else their kingdome cannot stand The third sort of Reasons are taken from the nature of the persons of whom the Church consists and they are men and therefore to be gouerned and that by men Some are tractable and these are gently to be led others are obstinate those are to be drawne with strong hand some are Nouices and they are to be fed with milke others are of stronger growth and they are to be fed with stronger meat some are out of the Church that must be called in these are to be admitted others are within the Church misdemeaning themselues these are to be cast out Therefore there must be Order and Gouernment in the Church for the doing of all this Lastly there must be gouernment in the Church in respect of the offices and businesses that are to be done in it the Word and the Sacraments are outward things and therefore are outwardly to bee administred Officers are to be chosen Lawes to be made controuersies and contentions are to bee pacified the Sicke are to bee visited the Poore are to be releeued Offences are to be punished and sundry other things are to be done which without outward Gouernment it is not possible they should bee well done Therefore of necessity there must be this outward Gouernment in the Church Vse 1 The Vses of this point are these First this is against Anarchy and for reproofe of such as will haue no Gouernment in the Church their owne necks will endure no yoke and therfore they blush not to say that there should be no yoke at all laid vpon Christians and some of them haue gone so farre that they will not endure ciuill Magistracy neither they hold it vnfit for the estate of the Gospell to be vnder Gouernment Wee are called to liberty say they Iesus Christ hath set vs free and therefore we need no Gouernours It is true wee are called to liberty but wee must not vse our liberty as a cloake to our sinnes What liberty and freedome is it that wee haue Is it not from sin and Satan and the curse of the Law It is not a state of liberty in respect of the outward man but in respect of the inward man for the best liberty the outward man can haue is when it is made conformable to the ordinances of God and such wholesome Lawes
that it doth not suffice that they bee in some parts of the Church where most need is And lastly the Christian Magistrate who hath a chiefe stroke in Gouernment they speake nothing of him neither doe they interpret any of those places where the Apostle speakes of Rulers of the Christian Magistrate though I am verily perswaded that it is to bee vnderstood of them And therefore they erre in these particulars And so wee see that there is not any one particular forme of Church-gouernment set downe in Scripture which euery particular Church is precisely bound to obserue as prescribing to it euery particular in Gouernment The sixteenth Lecture of the Church HAuing propounded fiue principall heads to bee treated vpon touching Church-gouernment as namely First the harmes and euils that this matter hath occasioned in Gods Church Secondly what is meant by these words Church and Gouernment Thirdly how necessary it is in Gods Church Fourthly whether there be any prescript Rule in Gods Word for it And lastly if there bee not then what is to bee done in that case I haue proceeded in the foure former as God hath enabled mee Now I come to speake of the fifth namely That if God hath not ordayned any prescript forme in his Word for euerie particular in gouernment then what is to bee done in this case The Resolution whereof it is to bee fetcht from that which hath been formerly spoken For whereas euery particular Church must haue her particular gouernment and the Word hath not prescribed any one set forme for all Churches to obserue in euerie particular as I haue shewed in the second Obseruation of the former Lecture Therefore euery particular Church out of their owne power and wisedome and being guided by the generall forme set downe in the Scriptures as oft as necessity requires must make the best supply and prouision for themselues herein that they can howbeit because the whole substance of Church-gouernment is set downe in the Word c. as I shewed in the first Obseruation of the former Lecture Therefore the Church must not be presumptuous and licentious as if it were arbitrary and as if they might ordaine and do what they list But they must carefully see that whatsoeuer prouision they make in this kinde bee such as may well stand with those generall rules and directions which the word affords I take not vpon mee here to define what is prescribed in Gods word what not this is a hard taske too curious for mee and too tedious for you That is left to the enquirie of the particular Churches euery one for it selfe and the promise of the Spirit to leade the Church into all Truth of speciall vse for this purpose both to instruct the Church what is prescribed and what is not as also to helpe and direct them what to take and what to leaue and how to behaue themselues in such cases of Gouernment wherein they are destitute of particular warrant for each particular case from the word yet because I would faine informe you throughly of the whole businesse so farre as is needfull to know I will God willing inlarge my discourse farther than I thought to haue done and labour to rip it vp from the very bottome The whole forme of Church-gouernment as I conceiue consists of three principalls or Pillars as I may call them First of some Actions and duties to bee performed in the Church Secondly of some Persons or Officers that are to performe these duties in the Church And thirdly of some Lawes and rules that these persons are to be directed by in the execution of these actions and duties which are to bee done in the Church And if once you can tell these things first what is to be done in Church-Gouernment secondly by whom it must bee done and thirdly how and after what manner and vpon what ground and with what Conditions they are to bee done you may sit downe well satisfied and resolued in this point In the handling of all these points I shall bee in danger either to be too intricate or too tedious too intricate if I should handle them ioyntly all together or too tedious if I should frame a seuerall discourse for each particular by it self To preuent both I wil first propound them all in a generall view by themselues and then I will instance in two or three particular duties fitting them with their Officers and Lawes that so any man of vnderstanding may learne thereby to doe the like in all the rest First wee will beginne with the Duties or Actions to be done in Church-Gouernment haply I shal not touch them all but I will labour to touch the chiefe and principall and those to which all the rest may bee referred The principall Duties are these First Order must be taken that the Word and Sacraments and Prayers bee had in the Church Secondly there must be election of Officers from time to time as occasion shall require Thirdly Duties of Charitie must bee carefully and religiously practised Fourthly censures and proceedings against Offendors must be executed Fifthly order must be takē for calling publike Assemblies Lastly order must bee taken for the ouersight of all these things To beginne with the first Order must bee taken for the Word and Sacraments and Prayers I ioyne and couch all these together because there is a most neere and necessary league and affinitie betwixt them For as the Word is to beget faith so the Sacraments as seales and pledges accompany it for the more palpable Assurance of ou◠increasing in it and Prayer is to bee ioyned with them both that they may bee effectuall and powerfull for edification First for the Word order must bee taken that it may bee had in the Church first the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament must bee extant And how must they bee extant Surely in their owne originall languages because if there bee any corruption in the Translation wee may runne to the Originall so that it must be had in the originall languages And in what Copies Surely the best that be to be had But what then euery one cannot vnderstand these languages they may bee in a Nation whose language is not the Mother-Tongue What must bee done then Surely wee must get the most faithfull and best Translations that are and when they are got what must the Church see to bee done with them First some of these Copies must bee laid vp in a safe and secret place that if Desolation should come yet the written Word may bee preserued so the booke of the Law 2 Chron. 34.14 which was thought to bee written by Moses owne hand was found in a secret place where no doubt it had been laid vp by Gods speciall prouidence to bee preserued from that common hauock which was in the Land so that some Copies must bee laid vp in safe and secret places Yea but that is not enough but there must bee some extant
whereby they are enabled to doe some things which they could not doe before as in the power and vse of the Keyes to binde and loose and some other things they may doe lawfully now which they were able to doe before but not lawfully as to preach and to administer the Sacraments c. these depending vpon lawfull Ordination such an Ordination we find Act. 13.2 3. where Paul and Barnabas were separated to the work of the Ministery but not assigned to any one particular place And in the 1 Tim. 4.4 where the Apostle saith to Timothy Despise not the gift that is in thee which was giuen thee by Prophecy and the laying on of the hands of the Company of the Presbytery where the Apostle speakes of his Ordination before he came to be assigned to a particular place for as yet he had no certaine Charge till he came to Ephesus and the Apostle speakes as of a thing done before that is for Ordination In the second place we come to the appointment of them to some particular place where they may exercise their gifts and to performe the worke of their Ministery whereby there is a mutuall reference betwixt the Minister and those whom hee is set ouer hee being their Pastor and they being his Flocke And so the Apostle left Titus in Crete that he might ordaine Elders in euery City Tit. 1.5 that is that he might ordaine them and appoint them in euery Citie for both these vsually doe and should goe together that is Ordination and appointment to some particular place specially amongst vs though in the Apostles times there were Ministers at large but this is not good amongst vs we haue no such large Commission as the Apostles had but wee must haue reference to a certaine people and to a certaine place And so Act. 14.23 They ordained Elders by election in euery Church there they did ordaine Ministers and appoint them to a certaine place And surely whatsoeuer is rightly done in this kind the Lord himselfe acknowledgeth for his owne handy worke Act. 20.28 Take heed to the Flock ouer which the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers c. I speake all this while of the outward calling onely for that is in the power of the Church the inward is meerely and immediatly from God The Church is to try and examine the inward too by the proofe of their gifts and by charging them in the sight of God to speake the truth herein whether they find that Gods Spirit hath made them willing and able for the Ministery but to conferre it on them they cannot So much for the second point election of Officers The third point is the duties of charitie and mercy they are to be done in the Church next to the duties of pietie to God the duties of mercy and charitie are most carefully to be performed and to bee prouided for in the Churches of Christ I speake not so much of spirituall duties of charity concerning spirituall distresses as to comfort the wounded conscience to beare with the weake to haue compassion on our Brethrens infirmities but chiefly of outward bodily charity which concernes the outward state of our Brethren as first the sicke must be visited secondly the dead must be buâ—ied thirdly the needy must be releeued fourthly the Ministers must be maintained In these foure consist all the duties of mercy and charity to be done in the Church First the sicke are to be visited the Text is cleare for this in Iam. 5.14 If any man bee sicke let them call for the Elders of the Church c. And this must not be done for fashion sake after a ciuill manner but for conscience sake after a religious and Christian manner wee must pray with them and for them for their recouery and for a speedy and comfortable end we must offer our seruice to them for any good office in that necessity we must comfort and incourage them against the terrours and pangs of death we must stirre them vp to put their house especially their soules in order Thus we must labour euery way to fit them for the time of their dissolution thus wee must visit the sicke Secondly the dead are to be buried this is commended for a good work of mercy by Christs owne words Mark 14.6 8. when the Woman powred the boxe of Oyntment on his head some murmured at it but our Sauiour saith She hath wrought a good worke on me for shee is come afore-hand to annoint my Body to the Buriall so hee approues Buriall for a good worke And seeing that Sepulchers and Burials are monuments of our Resurrection for that was the first and true vse of them amongst the faithfull where should this bee practised more than in the Churches of God where the Resurrection is most and best taught and beleeued Thirdly the needy are to bee releeued the naked must be clothed the hungry must be fed c. and this dutie consists of two branches collection and distribution First there must bee collection so the Apostle inioynes 1 Cor. 16.1 2. That euery first day of the weeke euerie man must put aside something for the reliefe of the Saints then it must bee collected and gathered and so much put into the Treasury and that was the vse of the Treasury in Mark 12.45 to put in that which was collected Secondly there must be distribution as Rom. 12.8 Hee that distributeth let him doe it with simplicitie and vers 13. distributing to the necessitie of the Saints Heb. 13.16 to doe good and to distribute forget not c. and this may be done either by their owne hands or others and that not to their owne Churches alone but to others too if they want and these abound Rom. 12.26 so that that which is collected must not be kept but after collection there must bee distribution and in these two offices consists the relieuing of the needy The fourth duty of mercy is this the Ministers must be manifested this is the Apostle meanes in the 1 Tim. 5.17 where he saith that hee that rules well is worthy of double honour specially he that labours in the Word and Doctrine where at least double honour is taken for the honour of maintenance and the Text is cleare for it by that which followes where he saith Thou shalt not mussell the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth forth the Corne and this must not bee done with a sparing hand but as the Apostle commands it in Galat. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the Word make him that hath taught him partaker of all his goods Let him thinke nothing too deare for him And this is not grounded on the law of loue onely but euen vpon the law of reason too for so the Apostle in the 1 Cor. 9.11 sheweth that in reason if they minister to vs spirituall things it is no great matter if they reape our carnall things It is true that rather than the Minister should be burthensome to
the Church he is to labour with his owne hands to satisfie his necessitie but yet when there is a competent state in the people they are to ease him of that labor and of their estates to releeue his wants as the Philippians did by the Apostle Paul Phil. 4.10 11. where the Apostle reioyceth for the care which they had in ministring to him And surely the people lose nothing by this for when the Ministers are thus prouided for they giue themselues wholly to their callings without let to study for the good of the people whereas else they bee driuen to prouide for themselues it will be with them as it was with the Israelites vnder the hands of the cruell Taskmasters in Egypt they must be seeking straw while they should bee making brick to build withall they must be seeking after the pelfe of this world while they should be building Gods house And they that neglect this duty are empty of all Religion both for piety to God whose Ministers they are and for charitie to themselues and their brethren because they do not straine themselues to relieue the wants of such as by Gods Ordinance they are most bound vnto and which doe spend themselues and their time for others good and saluation So much of the third point for duties and workes of mercy and charity The fourth point is the censures of the Church the proceeding against offendors For seeing in all Churches there are still some that walke inordinately some course of necessity must bee taken against them that the Church may bee disburdened either of their persons or of their sinnes And hence it is that our Sauiour himselfe takes precise order for this matter Matth. 18.15 c. And the Apostle chargeth this Duty on the Thessalonians with great authority 2 Thess 3.6 We warne you brethren in the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ that you withdraw your selues from euery Brother that walketh inordinately And hee is grieuously offended with the Corinthians that they did not proceed accordingly with all seuerity against the incestuous Person 1 Cor. 55. And the Reasons for such proceedings are very weighty First no Gouerment I say not onely can bee good but can stand where malefactors are not punished much lesse can the Gouernment of the Church where sinne is specially to bee hated preuented and suppressed Secondly where knowne sinne is not punished there the state and Gouernment is reputed accessary to that sinne now what a scandall is it to Gods Religion and Church to bee accounted fauourers or sparers of any sinne which they must bee if offendors bee not punished Thirdly offendors must bee punished else there is danger of infecting the whole Congregation so saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.6 A little leauen leaueneth the whole lâ—mpe therefore the old and sowre leauen is to be purged forth Fourthly in regard of the offendor himselfe Censures must bee had in the Church that so the flesh may bee thereby destroyed and his soule saued and so Gods mercies glorified in the conuerting a penitent Sinner by his sauing Ordinances 1 Cor. 5.5 But if hee continue obstinate his punishment here is but the beginning of his tormented State in hell and the decreee of Gods Reprobation is begun to bee executed vpon him and so the Lord is glorified in iudgement in the middest of his Church in the confusion of his enemies Now these proceedings consist in many particulars for the Church is mercifull euen as their heauenly Father is mercifull they delight not in the death of sinners but rather that they should bee conuerted and liue and therefore they attempt all meanes of cure first before they proceed in cutting off And yet they are iust too as God their Father is iust and therefore when gracious and mild meanes doe not preuaile they proceede to rougher courses First therefore there must bee priuate admonition betwixt him and thee or two or three more so our Sauiour commands Matth. 18.15 16. Secondly if hee will not heare complaint must be made to the Church as in vers 17. which as I take it is that noting out by Letter which the Apostle speakes of in 2 Thes 2.14 Thirdly consequently if hee will not heare the Church separate from him haue no Company with him as the Apostle speakes in that 2 Thes 3.14 And this is it also which the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 5.9 I wrote vnto you that you should not company with fornicators this is a suspending of them for a time from the Sacraments and from Communion in holy things till the Church had triall whether thereby they would bee brought to Repentance Fourthly if this will not preuaile what must be done then Why if they cannot cure they must cut off hee must bee deliuered vp to Satan indeed so the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 5.5 and 1 Tim. 1.20 and that which the Church doth in this case the Lord ratifies in heauen Matth. 18.18 Whosoeuer they bind on earth is bound in heauen yet so too that vpon his Repentance they can and must and doe most willingly loose them from those bandes of Satan wherein they wrapped him before This is a most serious and weighty duty to bee performed in the Church of God but how grieuously it is both neglected and abused it is a shame to speake of that any that professe themselues to bee of the Church of God and haue power in their hands to execute these censures should yet neglect them these being the onely meanes to reclaime or cast off the obstinate when imprisonment and all other waies will not serue So also it is abused by those vpon whom it is inflicted they deriding it and making but a iest of it as if they were neuer the further from heauen for all that and surely it may be they are not because they were neuer neere it Well whosoeuer they be that abuse it let them know that it is Gods owne pretious and holy Ordinance and therefore not to bee dallied in nor basely esteemed yea it is Gods owne worke and doing where it is lawfully proceeded in and it is ratified by him in heauen and where it is abused God will bee auenged on the abusers to the full It is true that the Curse causelesse as Salomon speakes is like the flying of a Bird in the Aire it leaues no impression behind it and in this case God derides it from heauen and it is their fearefull sinne that inflict it But when it is iustly suffered it is the heauiest stroke that can light vpon man in this life either from God or man The sword of the Magistrate is nothing to this that onely depriuing vs of temporall life this of eternall life a wounded Conscience which is an intolerable Burthen to them that haue â—elâ— it is nothing to this For a man sometimes in that case can pray for himselfe or if he cannot pray for himselfe yet he may and must and is prayed for by the Congregation These are neither in case
right to and possession in When God giues a man gifts he hath a possible right and when he is appointed by the Authoritie and Orders of the Church that giues him actuall possession Secondly euery such officer is an officer both for God and for men and therefore hee must bee inuested by each Man inuests him by appointment God inuests him when hee is qualified by himselfe and appointed by man according to Gods ordinance So much for the first generall answer that officers in the Church must bee men qualified with a competent measure of gifts Secondly that they must bee appointed thereto by the Authority and Orders of the Church wherein they liue Answ 2 Now I come to answer particularly and by name to the Question namely what these officers are It were too great a labour and yet to no great purpose to reckon vp all particular officers that haue had to doe in Church businesses for besides the ordinary there haue been many extraordinary Some in our Sauiours time and the Age next succeeding as Apostles that were to teach at large through the whole world Matth. 28.19 c. and Prophets to foresee and foreshew things to come as Agabus Act. 11. and Euangelists to bee Assistants to the Apostles Others there were also in many Ages after as Exorcists Doore-keepers Acolutiues and Readers c. but whether these were in rightfully or wrongfully is to bee seene hereafter In the meane time we will speake of such officers as were of ordinary and necessary vse in the Church either such as were indeed or else are pretended so to be on probable and plausible grounds Wee will begin with the officers of the Ministery as that being the principall duty and so they the principall Church-officers in the most strait and proper sense We will take them in their orders first we will begin with Bishops secondly we will come to Presbyters then to Doctors then to gouerning Elders then to Deacons then to Widowes then to other Assistants lastly we will come to speake of the Christian Magistrate First wee will begin with Bishops and first wee will speake of their name secondly of their office First of their name Bishop is as much to say as an Ouerseer in the Originall and it is attributed vnto them by a kind of excellency for there are many Ouer-seers but these are the chiefe in the Scripture sense that are and these are Ouer-seers by a kind of excellency whether we respect the persons they ouer-see or whether we respect their designement to that office or whether wee respect the worke they doe First if we respect the persons they ouer-see they are ouer-seers by a kind of excellency for they ouer-see the faithfull or the flocke of Christ for whereas they haue other ouer-seers as they are Subiects they haue the King and other Magistrates to be their Ouer-seers yet none are so as these for these are their Ouer-seers as they are the flock of Christ Secondly if we respect their speciall designment ouer that flock they haue a more speciall designment ouer the Lords flock than any other Ouer-seer hath ouer any other people the holy Ghost makes them ouer-seers after a speciall manner Thirdly if we respect their worke which is to feede and that not with bodily foode but with spirituall and heauenly food to eternall life All these are intimated Act. 20.28 Take heed to the flocke ouer which the holy Ghost hath made ye Ouer-seers to feed the Church of God c. First they are Ouer-seers and that by a kind of excellency first in respect of the persons they ouer-see which is the flocke of Christ Take heed to the flocke c. Secondly in respect of their speciall assignment ouer which the holy Ghost hath made yee Ouer-seers And thirdly in respect of their work to feed the Church of God c. And as this name Ouer-seer is restrained onely to these so it may bee safely extended to euery particular in that kind and so is the vse in Scripture Phil. 1.1 To all the Saints in Christ Iesus which are at Philippi with the Bishops c. And most plainely in the 1 Tim. 3.1 If any man desireth the office of a Bishop c. this is the generall signification of the word in Scripture But you shall vnderstand that by common practice of speech I find this name alwayes almost euer since the Apostles times particularly applied to those that haue a primacy and precedency in the Church aboue their fellow-Ministers and so Bishops are not Ouer-seers of the flocke onely but also of the Pastors too within such a compasse some greater some smaller which we call Diocesses and as this is generally so in all antient Writers so likewise if the Postscript be authenticall 2 Tim. as for any thing I see it must then the Scripture fauours it too for there Timothy is said to be a Bishop in this sense and so had other Pastors vnder him And so much for the signification of the name Bishop Now wee come to their Office we speake still in the particular sense their Office besides their preaching and other ministeriall Duties common to all Ministers consists First in ordaining Ministers secondly in reforming things amisse First in ordaining Ministers So it is said of Titus that hee was left in Crete to ordaine Elders Titus 1.5 and so in the 1 Tim. 5.22 the Apostle would haue Timothy lay hands rashly on no man c. What is it to lay on hands but to ordaine Ministers And this Timothy must doe and thereto Antiquitie so plainely agrees that Ierome though otherwise bitter enough against Bishops acknowledged it to be done by them and misliked not the doing of it And surely seeing ordination must be continued in the Church some Persons must needs haue a special ouer-ruling hand in it and who are they but Bishops that is they that are highest and chiefest in the Ministery So the Apostles and so the Euangelists being the chiefest in the Ministry did ordaine Ministers If it be said that the Apostles ordained not as Bishops but as Apostles and Timothy and Titus not as Bishops but Euangelists yet the same office being of necessitie still to be performed some must alwaies be in the Church answerable to them in that respect call them how you will if not Bishops yet they must haue as much authoritie in this businesse as I for my part do ascribe to Bishops It is true that extraordinary Officers are not to be imitated in extraordinary workes but in their ordinary workes of continuall and necessary vse when extraordinary Officers cease ordinary must succeed them I doe not say they did this wholly and alone but stil other Presbyters or Ministers were assistants and layd on hands with them and so it was in the Primitiue Church and so our Law requires that the Bishop should make no Minister vnlesse other Ministers be with him but yet still they haue the chiefe stroke the power of ordaining
is in the one the approbation in the other The second thing wherein their Office consists is in ouerseeing and redressing things that are amisse for this purpose was Titus left in Crete to redresse things amisse Titus 1.5 and that not in the people onely but in the Ministers also 1 Tim. 5.19 20. Against an Elder receiue none accusation but vnder two or three witnesses them that sinne openly rebuke openly c. Timothy was at Ephesus as Titus was at Crete to redresse things amisse and there were many Ministers there and these must bee reformed too and therefore the Apostle would haue him in redressing things amisse amongst them to receiue no accusation against them but vnder two or three witnesses So that there must bee one aboue the rest for the performance of this Duty the same Reason may bee proportionably applied for this as for the former for seeing some ministers must bee redressed then there must be some that must haue this power to doe it and who are they but Bishops that are in the chiefest places I doe not ascribe to Bishops hereby any absolute power ouer their Brethren as to doe what they list but a limited power to proceed with the approbation of their Brethren neither say I that these were simply Diocesan Bishops as ours are but surely they were such as had some compasse of iurisdiction allotted them wherein were many Congregations at least many Ministers whom these did ouer-see Those of the Presbytery haue one that is chiefe amongst them and so is the confession of the Reformed Churches And Master Caluin himselfe confesseth as much that in the ancient Church there were such Superiours and saith further that their proceedings were not contrary to the Word yea and hee shewes and approues the reason why such were chosen and that was of purpose to preuent dissention which by equality would arise Mistake me not as if I did meane to settle in Bishops any Princely authority or Lordlike command neither he nor they nor I intend it but that at least there must be one superiour and aboue the rest for order-sake For so it must needs be in all Companies and Societies whatsoeuer else it cannot stand There were many Ministers in Ephesus Act. 20.28 And so Act. 15.35 we reade of many that were in the Church of Antioch and some of them are named Act. 13.1 Now what disorder would there haue been in these Churches if one had not been aboue the rest What danger of Schisme would there haue been How could matters haue been decided amongst them Who should there haue been to haue moderated their actions The freest State that euer was hath one Superiour aboue the rest as Venice hath her Duke Rome hath her Consuls c. yea the Apostles themselues exercised this order amongst themselues some in one Cause was Moderator some in another Nay I adde further that they exercised power though not ouer themselues for they were all equall yet ouer other Ministers Therefore the thing is not vnlawfull in it selfe if it bee moderately and lawfully vsed And the order which I pleade for I would not haue thought a bare Title but such as is armed with some kind of power too which is conferred on them by them which chose them to such places But you will say all this is tolerable if it were but for one Action or for one yeare I answere that surely the lawfulnesse is all one bee it for a yeare or for a mans life only there is lesse danger of abusing such a place if they be limitted to a shorter time And so much of the first Office namely Bishops where yee haue heard first of their Name and secondly of their Office Now wee come in the second place to Presbyters or Elders for so the word Presbyter in the Originall signifies an Elder and they were so called either as they were Ministers or as they were ancient in yeares or at least in carriage or because they were more ancient in grace and in begetting others to the Faith We speake here of such as labour in the Word and Doctrine for of such as are pretended to be gouerning Elders we shall speake in the next place This name wee find also to bee generall to all in the Ministery from the highest to the lowest yea euen the Apostles themselues are so called so Peter calls himselfe an Elder 1 Pet. 5.1 yet by vse for the most part both in Scripture as Act. 15.4 and the 14.23 and in other Writers it is restrained to those that are assigned to teach in some particular Congregation sometimes many of them together sometimes one by himselfe as times and occasions serued Their Office in regard of the maine essentiall duty is to feed and therefore they are called Pastors Ephes 4.11 Hee gaue some to be Apostles c. and some Pastors c. And to this duty they are often exhorted in Scripture 1 Pet. 5.1 2. The Elders which are amongst you I beseech feed the Flocke of God c. Act. 20.28 Take heed therefore vnto your selues and to all the Flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you Ouer-seers to feed the Church of God c. And this feeding consists chiefly in two things that is first to teach secondly to rule and gouerne they must bee acknowledged to haue as absolute power and authoritie from God for both these duties within their Charge as the Bishops in theirs for euery Presbiter is a Feeder that is both a Teacher a Ruler within his Charge It is true that Presbyters haue bin most vniustly scantled abridged by Canons and Councels of this part of their office that consists in ruling and gouerning too much hath been taken from them that Bishops might be aduanced the more To speake more particularly of their Office it consists in many particulars First they are to teach the Word that is both to expound it and to apply it and whatsoeuer particulars of exhorting reprouing comforting c. are set downe in Scripture they are to bee referred to this head they were all exercised by the Apostles and Euangelists and are so to bee by euery Minister or Elder within his Charge that which is spoken of Paul to Timothy 2 Tim. 4.2 is spoken to all Ministers Preach the Word bee instant in season and out of season improue rebuke exhort c. And there is reason for it for the Word being committed to euery Pastor to bee ministred by them and that being profitable to teach to conuince to correct as it is in the 2 Tim. 3.16 therefore there is power and charge in them to handle it euery way for the edification of the Church Secondly they are to administer the Sacraments for that also being charged vpon the Apostles Mat. 28.19 was intended to all the Ministery as well as the Word and in the 1 Cor. 10.18 The Cup of blessing which we blesse c. there is the other Sacrament and the Apostle makes it
peculiar to him and other ministers to administer it which wee blesse c. The third Duty is prayer Act. 6.4 and in the 1 Cor. 14.16 there the manner of publike prayer is plainely set downe that is that which is conceiued by the Minister and the people accompanying him in their affections and saying Amen The fourth Duty belonging to their Office is that they be an example to their flocke of holinesse in life so the Apostle exhorts the Elders to whom hee writ 1 Pet. 5.3 to bee an example to their flocke and so the Apostle exhorts Timothy to bee an example to them that beleeue 1 Tim 4.12 The fifth Duty is to visit the sicke So it is intended Iames 5.14 If any man bee sicke let him call for the Elders of the Church c. Their sixth Duty they are to vse and exercise the power of the Keyes both in binding and loosing for that also is common to them with the Apostles and that which is said to the Apostle in Ioh. 20.23 is said also to all true Ministers Whose sinnes soeuer ye remit on earth they are remitted c. This is peculiar to all in the Ministery and none else The seuenth Duty belonging to their Office is that they are to haue care ouer the poore I vrge it not so much that they should distribute with their owne hands yet that is needfull too where greater occasions are not hindred by it for so the Apostles all was brought and laid at their feet and they did distribute it till they had greater businesse in hand But this they ought to doe to see it performed by those that are in places both collections and distributions 1 Cor. 16.1 Eighthly and lastly their Duty is to bee continually resident and attendant ouer their Charge Act. 20.28 Take heede to the flocke ouer which the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers c. The very name Ouerseer intends so much that they must be continually resident ouer the flocke wherein the Apostles themselues though they went from place to place yet they were very carefull in visiting and in writing to the Churches which they had planted as Paul and Barnabas did Act. 15.36 and they did long to bee with them as the Apostle Paul saith Rom. 1.11 and when they were hindred from it they bewailed it as Satans worke therein So doth the same Apostle 1 Thes 2.8 and when they could not come themselues they supplied their bodily absence by the presence of their Ministers and Deputies as also by Letters But no ordinary Minister can thus excuse himselfe but they are continually bound to bee resident And the danger is exceeding great when the Pastor is absent as wee may see in the 1 Cor. 15.12 When the Apostle was absent some crept into the Church that taught errors and false Doctrine as that there is no resurrection c. and the danger of it amongst vs is too apparant and lamentable And therefore wee are to pray vnto God that those in Authoritie may force them that are tied to a Charge to be resident vpon it so much for Presbyters In the third place we come to Doctors I finde the word vsed in Ephes 4.11 and we expound it Teachers which hath two significations First I find it to bee vnderstood of those that teach the Word and that is the true and onely sense of it in the Scriptures secondly sometimes it is vnderstood of those that instruct Schollers specially in the grounds of Religion and so after in other matters and so it is taken in some antient Writers The question concerning Doctors is in the former sense this Whether there must bee such an one in euery particular Congregation as a seuerall Officer from the Pastor For answer whereunto I say that the Office of a Doctor is necessary in both senses generally in the Church and also in the former sense as hee is a Teacher hee is necessary in euery particular Congregation yea and further I say that if there bee in one and the same Congregation a Doctor in whom is the Word oâ— knowledge ioyned with a Pastor in whom is the word of wisdome 1 Cor. 12.8 it is not to be misliked But that this must be so of necessitie that wee deny for howsoeuer the gifts bee diuers the Doctors to teach and expound the Scripture the Pastors to apply it yet they may bee and are vsually found in the same Person and therefore wee shall find it Scripture that teaching and preaching concurre together in the same Officer so it is said of our Sauiour Christ himselfe Matth. 9.35 That hee went about teaching and preaching the Gospell And so it is said of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas Act. 15.35 That they continued preaching and teaching at Antioch And so the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.2 requires this in Timothy that he teach and exhort And this is generally required of all preaching Elders 1 Tim. 5.17 that they labour in the Word and Doctrine and what is that but to teach and apply And euery Minister must bee apt to teach What necessitie is there of a Doctor in euery particular Congregation Howsoeuer then they are diuerse gifts yet commonly they are found in the same person and that which they alleage Eph. 4.11 makes directly against them for if the Apostle there had meant to haue made them diuerse offiâ—es heâ— would haue disioyned theÌ„ with the same note of difference as hee did the other and haue said and some Pastors and some Teachers but in that he conioynes them together and saith Pastors and Teachers hee makes them to bee as one Now we come in the fourth place to gouerning Elders I finde Gouernors mentioned in Scripture as in the 1 Cor. 12.28 and also Rulers Rom. 12.8 And I deny not but this is of necessary vse in the Church for the Ministers must bee endued with it they must rule and gouerne as we haue seene before 1 Tim. 5.17 And it may bee of good vse too for the Church euen in those that are out of the Ministry as in the Christian Magistrate but that this must bee meant directly of some that must of necessity rule in euery particular Church besides the Ministers I cannot see specially seeing they ascribe to these Rulers a hand in the Censures of the Church which being a chief part of the power of the keyes and therefore appropriated to the Ministers and limited by Christ onely to the Apostles and them how shal they be imparted to others without their open wrong I will deliuer my iudgment briefely and freely in this case First either there were none such at all or if there were such they were onely by practice not by institution or if they were by institution yet they were for that present dispensation and not perpetuall or lastly if they were perpetuall yet our Church is not destitute in that case First either there were none such at all for first whereas it is said that the Iewes had their Elders
may liue peaceably and quietly vnder them in all godlinesse and honesty not onely in ciuill honesty as they are Magistrates but in all goodnesse too as they are Christian Magistrates to be countenanced and established by them where they bee Christians and to be tolerated by them though they be no Christians And surely these Officers of ruling and gouerning spoken of Ro. 12.8 and 1 Cor. 12.28 in all good consideration are to reach to the Christian Magistrate The second question concerning the ciuill Magistrate is wherein his Office consists I answer It consists chiefly in the matter of ouer-sight the last duty we spake of in the former exercise The new Testament is very scarce of proofes for this point because there were then no Christian Magistrates but it is abundantly supplied in the old and the equitie of the thing is the same in both you shall find then that his office consists specially as I said before in ouersight But the particulars wherein his Office consists are these First in calling Assemblies secondly in abolishing false worship and establishing the true worship of God thirdly in looking to the Ministery and their maintenance fourthly in causing the people to serue the Lord lastly in appointing Consistories you shall find these things performed by Asa Iehosaphat Hezekiah and Iosiah as you may reade in the 2 Chron. 15. and in the 29. and 30. and 34. and 35. Chapters of the same booke And for the proofe of the particulars First for calling of Assemblies that it was performed by the King as in Ionah 3.7 And secondly for abolishing of false worship wee see it was performed by Moses the chiefe Magistrate Exod. 32.20 as also by King Asa in the 1 King 15.12 13 and 14. verses and for establishing Gods true worship it was done by Iosiah in the 2 King 23.2 3. and by Hezekiah 2 Chron. 29.3 4 5. And if we looke into Iudges 6. from the 23. to the 26. verse we shall find both these performed by Gedeon And thirdly for looking to the Ministery and their maintenance we may reade how it was done by Salomon in the 2 Chro. 8.14 15. and by Hezekiah 2 Chron. 29.4 and Chap. 31.4 and 16. and 17. verses and by Iosiah 2 Chron. 35.2 and by Nehemiah Chap. 13.11 12. verses And fourthly for causing the people to serue the Lord it was done by Hezekiah in the 2 Chron. 30. from the first to the sixth verse And Iosiah compelled all that were found in Israel to serue the Lord 2 Chron. 34.33 and so Asa did the like 2 Chron. 15.13 And lastly for the appointing And lastly for the appointing Consistories you shall reade in the 2 Chron. 19.8 how it was done by Iehosaphat and commanded by God Deut. 17.8 Vse 1 The vses of the point are these First this shewes how God doth grace his Church in this world that he will haue the Sword to maintaine the Word and Princes that are the shields of the world to bee the shields of his Church and Kings and great Potentates to be her Seruants Vse 2 Secondly this serues for the reproofe first of the Papists that say that the Magistrate hath no power in the Church but vnder the Minister these are enemies to Gods ordinance and they rob Kings and Princes of their chiefest grace and greatest part of authoritie and also they rob the Church of her best defence vnder God on earth I am perswaded that if any Churches in these times of Christ and his Apostles had liued vnder a Christian Magistrate the Apostles would haue added somewhat expresly and particularly touching the Magistrate too Vse 3 Lastly this teacheth vs to giue glory to God for his great mercy towards vs that wee liue vnder a Christian Magistrate that the Word and the Sword goe together that the Church flourishes and her enemies goe to wracke that Christs Kingdome is mightly aduanced that the Gospell hath free and full passage This wee are to praise the Lord for and to pray for the continuance of his grace and care and continuall supply of such Magistrates and also we are to mourne and bewaile the losse of such hopefull successors and heyres when we see the breath taken out of their nostrils that should haue been the breath of our nostrils This we are euery one to mourne and to humble our selues for by fasting and by prayer if we cannot doe it publikely we must be carefull to doe it priuately for this is a grieuous iudgement and a fearefull token of Gods anger And surely if wee doe not turne vnto God and humble our selues for our sinnes we are to expect and feare some more heauy and fearefull iudgement to befall vs. The eighteenth Lecture of the Church AFter wee had spoken in the first place touching the duties to bee performed in the Church-gouernment we came in the second place to speake of the persons or Officers that are to performe these duties where we shewed first what manner of persons they ought to bee and secondly what they were by name Now we come to the third point namely the Rules and Lawes that these persons and officers spoken of in the second point are to bee directed by in the execution of these actions and duties spoken of in the first point that is the point wee are now to speake to All businesses to be done do necessarily require certaine Lawes and Rules to bee performed by and surely Gods businesse requires it much more It is not enough that the workes of God bee done but as they are good in themselues so the carriage must be good too they must be well done The Lord is very precise and iealous ouer his owne Ordinances and therefore as hee hath giuen expresse commandement that they be obserued for the matter and substance of them so also he hath prescribed certaine rules and directions how they are to be proceeded in for the manner and circumstances of them and therefore to performe the duty commanded neglecting the directions prescribed for the managing of them is like Sauls obedience which is said to be disobedience at the best it is but halfe obedience the Lord accepts it not For our sound and intire obedience to God consists in this when wee doe that which the Lord commands and when we doe it as hee commands it to bee done according to that in Exod. 39.42 43. where the children of Israel are commended because they did that which the Lord commanded them and in euery point as he commanded them Now the Rules here to bee obserued that these duties may be well done are many for order and plainenesse sake wee will reduce them to these three heads First the warrant must be good by which they are guided in the doing of them Secondly the manner must bee good whereby they are carried Thirdly the end must be good which we aymed at in the doing of them Wee will begin with the first The Rules and Lawes whereby these Persons and
Consequence of his dealing towards his Church for euer Now God had many Nations in the world besides Israel and he deales mercifully and graciously and bountifully with them all and giues them food and rayment and health and life and all But so as with Israel that is so mercifully and so bountifully he deales not with any Nation No he hath not dealt so with any Nation vnder the Sunne as with them and as God dealt with them so he deales with his Church from time to time hee vouchsafeth them more excellent Priuiledges then all the world besides And in the 1 Peter 2.9 Yee are a peculiar people that is such a people as the Lord hath endued with many excellent Priuiledges proper and peculiar to them alone And Psal 83.3 they are called Gods secret ones what is that but priuate ones And what are priuiledges but certaine Conditions granted to some priuate States or Persons So then the Church are Gods secret ones as who should say hee granteth them many excellent priuiledges which none other are partakers of And in Exod. 19.5 the Church is called Gods Chiefe Treasure It is true that all the Earth is the Lords and is all full of his Treasures but his Church is his chiefe Treasure Siluer hath her prerogatiue aboue all baser mettall and gold his prerogatiue aboue siluer but Pearles and precious Iewels are a chiefe Treasury and haue prerogatiue aboue all the rest Sodom was a goodly City like Eden and Egypt was a fat and fruitfull Soile Bâ—t they were nothing to Canaan for that flowed with milke and honey milke and honey are the best and sweetest things Canaan flowed with these that is had great abundance of them Niniueb was a great and famous City Babel was the Glory and Pride of Kingdomes Isay 13.19 but these are nothing to Ierusalem that is the holy City the City of the great King the Ioy of the whole Earth Psal 48.1.2 To goe forward Bashan is a high mountaine But Zion is farre beyond that Psal 68.15.16 All these as they are true in the story so are they in the Type All other places are inferior to Gods Church The Scripture forbeares not the name of Priuiledge in effect and applies it in this very case Rom. 3.1.2 what is the preferment of the Iew c The Lord questions it there and answers it himselfe that none may doubt of it much euery manner of way as who should say they haue Priuiledges and preferments and they are not scanted of them much that is many and great and that not in one kind but euery way It is spoken there onely of the Iew but by Analogy of Faith it may bee applied to the whole Church Iohn 1.12 to them that receiued him to them hee gaue Power or prerogatiue to bee the Sonnes of God here is a prerogatiue giuen and what is that to bee the Sonnes of God this is a Priuiledge of all Priuiledges for hee that hath this Priuiledge to bee Gods Child hath with all free right and interest in all the blessings that can bee affoorded to man such as the Apostle speakes of 1 Cor. 2.9 that the Eye hath not seene nor the Eare heard neither can it enter into mans heart where the Apostle speakes not onely of things to bee enioyed in the life to come but euen of the Priuiledges of Gods Children euen in this life And Isay 64.4 since the beginning of the world they haue not heard nor vnderstood with the â—are neither hath the eye seene any other God besides thee which doth so to him that waiteth for him God doth so for none as hee doth for his Children The Reasons why the visible Church hath such Priuiledges are these First euery Company and euery Cittie haue certaine Priuiledges of their owne therefore the Church the Company of the faithfull the Cittie of the great King must haue hers much more Secondly the speciall fauour and loue which God doth beare to his Church is such that he can doe no lesse for them Those whom the Kings of the earth most fauour on them they bestow the greatest Priuiledges Therefore whom the King of Kings fauours most of all that is the Church hee is to bestow on them greater and better priuiledges then any King can giue but God onely or any subiect can receiue but Gods owne Dearlings Thirdly the Church hath many offices to performe towards God in spiritual and heauenly duties as prayer and such like which they cannot possibly performe vnlesse they bee by Gods owne speciall priuiledges exempted from other Imployments and enabled to these Fourthly their nearenesse to Christ and their dependance on him requires it they are his Sheepe and hee is their Sheepherd and shall not hee know them and so set his mark vpon them and call them by name and lead them foorth into greene Pastures c. shall not he guide and comfort and preserue and priuiledge them from such things as other flockes are subiect vnto yea their onenesse with him requires it hee is the Husband the Church is his Spouse they are one and shall not hee giue her a wedding Ring his hand and his heart shall not he apparell and decke her and cherish her in his bosome and affoord her his coÌ„fortable presence at bed and at boord as we say And many other such priuiledges which non else can enioy yea he is the head the Church is his body and shall not he enliue and quicken nourish direct defend and indue his Body with all such Priuiledges and graces as it is capable of So that their neare dependance on Christ and her onenesse with him requires that hee bestow many excellent Priuiledges on her which others may not enioy Fiftly the Merit of Christ requires it which being infinite in it selfe and wholly imparted to the Church must needes purchase and procure from God many excellent Priuiledges such as are fit for them Sixtly the Church is separate from the Communion state and condition of others in the world by their very Calling and Being of the Church therefore it is necessary that they should haue some notable Priuiledges to bee enioyed in that State in regard that they are depriued of such as are common to others Seauenthly and lastly many Afflictions are to bee suffered and endured of the Church not onely in that State but euen for it and therefore some excellent Priuiledges are bestowed vpon them to comfort their hearts and to make them a full amends for all the wrongs crosses and losses that therby they vndergoe The vses of the point are these Vse 1 Is it so that God hath bestowed so many excellent Priuiledges vpon the Church then first this should teach vs to glorifie God that doth so mercifully grace and glorifie vs and first in generall we are to acknowledge with all thankfulnesse Gods speciall Loue and Fauour to his Church that bestowes such excellent Priuiledges and Royall Prerogatiues vpon it Secondly in speciall wee must acknowledge with
by vs are a priuiledge to vs Consider what is or might be against vs wee are freed from it and looke what is or may be for vs that we haue liberty in for the first what is or might be against vs that we haue freedome frō for the Son hath made vs free Iohn 8.36 First Gods Iustice was agianst vs to hurt vs and to condemne vs for our sins wee are sinners and God is Iust and hates sin and how can we stand before him But that we haue this priuiledge by Christ that hee hath fully satisfied for all our sinnes and so wee are freed from this danger so that now to vs in Christ God is a mercifull Father not a Iust Iudge yea Christ hauing satisfied the Iustice of God to the full for vs we may reuerently challenge the Lord in the Name of Christ that he cannot punish vs hauing punished one for vs and so Christs merits being all-sufficient haue purchased all good things for vs so that now Iustice is for vs to giue vs that which is due to Christ not against vs to giue vs our owne deseruings Secondly the Law is against vs and like Saul breathes out threatnings against the Church of God saying If thou doest not this thou shalt dye but this is satisfied too Christ tooke on him the curse of the Law and so redeemed vs from it Galat. 3.13 Next to the Law comes sinne that had defiled vs and exposed vs to Gods wrath and kept vs vnder as slaues and seruants that we could doe nothing but sinne here is our priuiledge euen the blood of Christ that cleanseth vs and frees vs from all our sins so that the filth doth not appeare in vs the guilt is not imputed to vs and the dominion is ended so that it doth not raigne in vs Rom. 6. After sinne comes death for the reward of sinne is death and death had seized on vs for her owne wee Death destroyes him that had power of death which is the diuell and sets vs at liberty so that we may now say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.56.57 The sting of Death is sinne the strength of sinne is the Law but thanks be to God who hath giuen vs victory through Iesus Christ our Lord. Afterwards comes in hell for her share and opens her mouth to swallow vs downe quicke Hell that house of horror that should haue beene by right the house of our perpetuall habitation and aboade but Christ Iesus hee hath triumphed for vs ouer Hell and Condemnation so that now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Rom. 8.1 Lastly the diuell who is the ground of all these forces hee had fingered vs and got vs within his clutches and wrapt vs vp in chaines and fetters as his captiues and bond-slaues Christ Iesus hee comes and looseth the workes of the diuell 1 Ioh. 3.8 hee breakes these chaines and subdues Satan so that we may say with the Prophet Psalme 124.7 the snare is broken and wee are deliuered These are great and rare priuileges I would haue you wisely to consider of them For who so is wise will ponder on these things that they may vnderstand the louing kindnesse of the Lord wee should labour to know these things and to make vse of them and to stand fast in this liberty and not to be intangled againe in the yoake of bondage In the second place consider what was or could be for vs and all that wee haue freedome into we haue bold accesse vnto the Throne of Grace and an entrance vnto God the Father through our Lord Iesus Christ Rom. 5.2 Ephes 2.18 wee may goe boldly and safely to God and tell him our wants and begge supply we may talke familiarly with him as a man doth with his neighbour as Iob speakes wee may come vnto God and say Thou art my Father and my maker despise not the worke of thy hands so we may goe to our Lord Iesus Christ and say with Thomas My Lord and my God hee by sight wee by faith so likewise we may goe to the holy Spirit and say thou art my Sanctifier and Comforter and I am thy Temple suffer not Satan to defile mee with sinne So likewise we may haue free accesse to the Word and to the Sacraments and to all Gods promises and we may lay our hands on them and challenge them for our owne So likewise wee may also reach out our hands to all the creatures as being our peculiar right and lastly when we are on our death-beds wee may with our Sauiour Christ and with Stephen sweetly and comfortably commend our spirits into the hands of God and say Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth this is an excellent priuiledge that at the houre of death when wee are assaulted with many sore temptations wee may throw them all from vs and safely commend our soules into Gods hand and if there were no other priuiledge but this it were enough to make vs desire to be of the Church The eighth Priuiledge is the power that is conferred vpon vs to admit or reiect to binde or loose c. but this is to be spoken by it selfe in the eighth generall head following The last sort of Priuiledges are in matters of future Certainties I say matters of future Certainties not of possibilities that is too weake a word in this sense possibilities are for men as that the sonne shall haue this and this after his fathers decease and yet the sonne may be disappointed many wayes but with God future possibilities are vndoubted Certainties they are as surely ours as if we had them already Now these are first perfection of all grace now we haue them but in part 1 Cor. 13.9.12 but hereafter wee shall haue them in perfection The second thing is the resurrection of the body but that you will say is common to the wicked too It is true they shall rise too but they shall not be able to stand in iudgement Psalme 1.5 they shall rise to condemnation as our Sauiour saith Ioh. 5.29 It were better for them to lye still the graue is better then hell so that it is no Priuiledge to them to rise Thirdly wee shall stand dreadlesse and fearelesse before the Iugdement Seat of God alas now wee are afraid of euery qualme how shall wee stand dreadlesse then I answer Then wee shall know God to be our Father in Christ wee shall know that our peace is made beforehand wee shall haue the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ to couer vs and then there shall be no sinne in vs this is it that will make vs stand dreadlesse whereas the wicked for want of this shall tremble and quake and call to the mountaines to fall vpon them and to the hills to couer them Lastly we shall haue euerlasting glory life and happinesse in heauen inioying the fellowship of God and Christ and the holy Spirit and the blessed
dangerous enemies and it is hard for vs to preuaile against the whole world Tenthly the flesh that is the vnregenerate part in our selues this alwaies fights against the spirit Gal. 5.17 and seeke the destruction of our soules 1 Peter 2.11 Abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule this is a pestilent aduersary which wee carry alwayes in our bosoms and cannot possibly either flie from it or cause it to fly from vs which is the singular mischiefe of this enemy aboue and beyond all others The diuell himselfe if we resist him will fly from vs but this we carry alwayes about with vs. The eleuenth aduersary is sinne this is a deadly enemy to the soule too the Apostle saith Rom. 7.11.13 Sinne tooke occasion by the Commandement and thereby slew me and sinne that it might appeare sinne wrought death in mee The last Aduersary is the diuell hee is the aduersary of all aduersaries and the commander of all the rest And this being the principall oposition of all we will speake God willing the more largely and particularly of it by way of obseruation And the obseruation is this Doctr. That Satan is the Grand-aduersary and the capitall and chiefe enemy of the Church of God and the Generall of the field fought against the faithfull all other aduersaries are his souldiers and his forces and instruments Gen. 3.15 The maine enmity betwixt vs and our aduersaries is from the Serpent himselfe as hee being the head all other are but his seed Reuel 12.37 The red Dragon the diuell he fought and his angells hee is the Arch enemy the other are but his angells 1 Pet. 5.8 your Aduersary the diuell c. What are there not many aduersaries besides him yeâ— but he is an aduersary by way of excellency the aduersary of aduersaries he hath the rule of all the rest Eph. 6.12 the Apostle saith We wrestle not against flesh and blood Doe wee not wrestle against flesh and blood yes that wee doe but they are but instruments the author of them are principalities and powers c. The diuell and his angells Matth. 13.28 Who sowed the Tares amongst the good Corne the enuious man did it as who should say whatsoeuer the meanes were yet he was the chiefe Agent and therefore they are called his seede vers 38. and thefore hee is said to deceiue the whole world Reuel 12.9 because hee leads the world after him to doe his will he it is that works in the children of disobedience Ephes 2.2 as he being the mouer and they his engines he their father they his children So that Satan is the Grand-aduersary of Gods Church all other aduersaries are but his instruments c. See this proued further in euery particular enemy before named first all false Churches whose are they the Synagogues of Satan Reuel 2.9 secondly they which are without not yet admitted into the Church they are his too they are vnder his power Acts 26.18 thirdly Heretikes they are his Reuel 2.24 fourthly Schismatikes are his Iames 3.14.15 Satan himselfe was the first Schismatike and that in heauen fifthly Apostates are his and Apostacy is by the working of Satan 2 Thes 2.3.9 sixthly Persecutors are his Reu. 2.10 the diuell is said to cast some of them into prison when as persecutors did it And 1 Iohn 3.12 Cayne that slew his brother is said to be of the wicked one that is of the diuell seuenthly Hypocrites are his false apostles are Satans Ministers 2 Cor. 11.15 the diuell was in Iudas heart Iohn 13.15 and the wicked Iewes are said to be of their father the diuell Iohn 8.44 eighthly excommunicate persons are his vassalls 1 Tim. 1.20 they are deliuered to Satan ninthly the world is his hee is the Prince of the world Iohn 14.30 yea he is the God of the world 2 Cor. 4.4 tenthly the flesh is his messenger 2 Tim. 12.7 Lastly Sinne is his Snare 2 Tim. 2.26 So that the diuel erects false churches possesses them that are without inspires Heretikes incenseth Schismatikes seduceth Apostates incourageth persecutors begets hypocrites triumphs in the excommunicate commands the world and hath them in a string prouokes the flesh inticeth to sinne he imployes all and euery one of them busily and eagerly in the disturbance of Gods people The Reasons are these First God himselfe is the generall Reas 1 of the Church therefore Satan is the generall and commander of all their enemies Secondly Satans outragious and incessant malice against Reas 2 God and his Faithfull to which if wee adde his strength it is a sufficient Reason to prooue that hee is the Grand enemy of the Church Thirdly if there be any losse to the Aduersaries it Reas 3 is his losse if there be any gaine to them it is his If they preuaile against vs there is so much added to his kingdome if wee preuaile against them there is so much detracted from his kingdome therefore it is reason that hee should bestirre himselfe and all his Instruments against the Church The Vses are these First this teacheth vs that seeing Vse 1 Satan is the conductor of all these forces therefore wee are to be the more vigilant and prepared and armed to resist him It is the Apostles owne Inference Ephes 6.13 For this cause saith hee take vnto you the whole Armour of God for what cause why because we wrestle not onely against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers c vers 12. and 1 Pet. 5.8 your Aduersarie the diuell goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may deuoure whom resist saith the Apostle so that if hee bend himselfe and all his forces against vs we should labour to bend all our forces against him to resist him Secondly here wee are taught what to esteeme of all Vse 2 wicked people that oppose the Church whosoeuer thou art that troublest the Church thou art no better then the Diuels souldier and slaue he is thy master and captaine and so the motions of the flesh are the Diuels darts the euill examples of the world his brokers he sets them all to worke and hee shall pay them their wages No meruaile therefore though Gods children are carried with such a zeale against the wicked for they are but diuels as it were and therefore our Sauiour saith Goe yee cursed into euerlasting Fire prepared for the diuell and his angels Matth. 25.41 Thirdly let vs consider the wonderfull power and mercy of God here is the wonderfull power and loue of God that keepes vs so long and so safe from so many Deuils as I may say that are continually beleaguering Vse 4 vs. And therefore lastly this should encourage Gods children in the fight because so oft as wee resist I say not onely so often as wee ouercome them but so oft as wee resist them and keepe them from preuailing ouer vs so many victories we get ouer the Diuell himselfe and so many wounds we giue to the Serpents head but on the
the 40. vers they beate them and command them againe not to speake in the name of Iesus what could the Deuill haue done more against the Gospell as things then stood All these places both the former and these latter proue that they set themselues against their persons and their profession both but the former are more directly against their persons the latter more directly against their profession So wee see the practices of our Aduersaries against our persons and against our profession yet here is the difference that they oppose against Religion for it selfe but they oppose against our persons for our Religion Secondly for the manner of their opposition they doe it sometimes openly sometimes secretly openly so did Saul Acts 9.1 2. when he went with open mouth to make hauocke of the Church sometimes they doe it secretly that is when either they cannot doe it openly at all or at least when they cannot doe it openly with such safety to themselues and such hurt and danger to their enemies thus it was in Galat. 2.4 the false brethren crept in craftily into the Church to spy out their liberty that so they might the better bring them into bondage we shall find both these kinds of oppositions Act. 6.9 10 11. where certaine of the Synagogue disputed with Stephen and thought to haue borne him downe openly but when they were not able to resist the wisdome and spirit by which he spake then they secretly suborned witnesses to accuse him falsely Secondly againe sometimes they oppose by strong hand as Herod Acts 12.1.2 he stretched forth his hands to vex certaine of the Church and he killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword and when Satan doth thus oppose hee is a Lyon sometime by fraud and subtilty hee opposeth the Church and then hee is a Serpent and so in Acts 7.19 Stephen saith the Egyptians dealt subtilly with the Israelites the third thing in the manner of their opposition is the meanes or weapons whereby they fight against Gods Church and they are infinite I shall touch those onely that are most materiall and the first kinde is carnall reasons and these are the fittest weapons for carnall men to fight withall and readiest against the truth and the Church as they being both spirituall and professed enemies to flesh and blood See how they flourish with this weapon first with multitude yours cannot be the true Religion say they for but few embrace it the multitude is against you and it is euery where spoken against as they said to Paul Acts 28.22 Againe saith the false Church wee haue far greater pomp and glory and greater riches Reuelat. 17.4 besides say they you haue no great men to applaud you doe any of the Rulers beleeue in him say the Iewes Iohn 7.48 Lastly there is say they no point of your Religion either pleasing to nature or almost iustifiable by reason and therefore saith carnall reason yours is not the true Religion but you must needs be of the right way If these kind of weapons preuaile not then they take other kind of weapons and close in neerer with vs forcing vs with Religious pretences and so striuing to beat vs with our owne weapons they pretend that they haue the Scriptures so did the diuell Matth. 4.6 that they are the Church as the wicked Iewes did Ierem. 7 4. so for miracles they pretend they haue them too they haue the effectuall working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders 2. Thes 2.9 so they pretend to be Abrahams children Iohn 8 39. and to be Moses Schollers and Disciples Iohn 9.28 yea to be Gods owne seede Ioh. 8.41 So they pretend to be Prophets Reuelat. 2.20 yea to be the Apostles of Christ 2 Cor. 11.13 yea and to be Angells of light verse 14. and for outward holinesse they will haue more then ordinary as the Scribes and Pharises had Matth. 23.27 And for simplicity which is the proper note of Christs sheep they will so cunningly pretend it that you would take them for sheepe of Christs owne fold and they cannot be discerned to be rauening Wolues till they bewray it in their workes and therefore our Sauiour saith Matth. 7.15 Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheepes clothing c. And when they faile this way then they will fall to more grosse dealing flattering vs with faire promises as the diuell dealt with our Sauiour Matth. 4.9 such and such things will I giue you if you will doe thus and thus if this will not preuaile they will labour to seduce vs with lies and errors as the Serpent did Eue Gens 3.4 5. or else they will labour to corrupt our sincere worship of God with inuentions and traditions of men as the Pharises did Mat. 15.3 If they can preuaile none of these waies then they will raise vp flanders and false reports against our persons howsoeuer wee carry our selues as they did against Christ and Iohn Baptist Mat. 11.18 Our Sauiour â—ame eating and drinking and they say behold a Drunkard and a Glutton Iohn Baptist came neyther eating nor drinking and they said hee had a diuell so they raised vp false reports of our Religion as they did in the Apostles time Rom. 3.8 Some say that he taught that we might do euil that good may come thereof c. If this be not enough they will breath out threatnings against vs as Saul did against the Church Acts 9.1 If that serue not their turne they will procure Lawes and Decrees against vs as they did against Daniel Dan. 6.7 8. and Letters of State as Saul did Acts 2.9 And their last and sorest and commonest weapon of all is blowes persecutions banishments imprisonments and all the punishments they can deuise as their hatred is deadly against vs so they cease not to pursue vs to the very death cruell blood-suckers they are for when they cannot sucke Religion out of our hearts yet they will sucke our liues and our bloods out of our bodies In a word there is no one thing in the world but the diuell and his instruments catch at it and take hold of it as a weapon in their fury to hurt and strike at Gods children withall The reasons of the point are these First the sillinesse Reas 1 and nakednesse and weaknesse of the faithfull and their condition in this life is such that they are euery way exposed and of themselues lie open to the danger of their enemies somethings they cannot doe to defend themselues for want of power and worldly wisdome as God knowes they be very simple and weake and other things they must not do for want of warrant from God without which their tender consciences dare doe nothing whereas if they could and might shift for themselues by hooke or by crooke as others doe it might be a good safegard to them and hence it is that our enemies assault vs euery way The second reason is drawne from
the multitude of Reas 2 their enemies they are so great and swarme so ouer all the earth and therefore how can the faithfull escape but that needs they must be assaulted euery way that which one saith not or doeth not against them another doth Satan is a hunter and the wicked are his hell-hounds and the faithfull they are in the field of this world like a silly Hare in the field beset about with hounds in euery corner so that it is impossible for her to escape them but that still he is assaulted how can the faithfull choose then but be assaulted euery way Reas 3 Thirdly adde to their multitude their malice and diligence that they snatch at all aduantages and let not any oppertunity slip to satisfie their blood thirsty malice Reas 4 Fourthly the enemies of the faithfull are assisted by Satan continually and very effectually so that if they do lacke power or subtilty or meanes any helpe inwardly or outwardly hee is ready at hand to make supply and when earth and hell too men and diuells doe altogether ioyne their forces against Gods poore Church what can be expected but vtter ruine at least great hurt Reas 5 Fifthly God permits these things for a time in this world this is their very houre and power of darknesse none is able either to helpe vs or to hinder and bridle them but God alone and therefore hee letting the diuell loose on them and giuing way to his instruments they must needes haue their full force and strength to attempt what they will against them though yet the Lord bridles them that they cannot accomplish it Reas 6 Sixthly Is it so that the faithfull may be tryed as in the fire that if there be any blemish in them it may be purged and that their faith may appeare much more precious then Gold Reas 7 Seuenthly It is so that the wicked may make vp the full measure of their sinnes and so a iust and full measure of wrath and vengeance against their soules Reas 8 Lastly It is so that the Lord may glorifie himselfe the more in the preseruation of the one and the confusion of the other Exod. 9.16 Vse 1 The vses of the point are these First this shewes vs the exceeding great danger that the Church and euery member thereof is subiect to in this world there is no danger that can possibly be imagined nor no one thing named in the world that a man may be endangered by that the faithfull can safely say I am free from the danger of it See how many dangers one silly soule was beset withall the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 11.26 that was often in perills of waters in perills of his owne Nation in perills amongst the Gentiles in perills in the City in perills in the Wildernesse in perills in the Sea in perills amongst false brethren he was in perill euery way and yet these were but dangers besides which hee had many forcible and cruell blowes laid on him as wee may see from the 23 to the 28. verse In labours more aboundant in stripes aboue measure in prison more plenteously in death often c. Many men maruell that the faithfull being so dearely beloued as they are of God should be so often foyled that they should fall into so many troubles yea oftentimes sinfull and reproachfull euills but if they could see but halfe the dangers they are in they would rather maruell that they fall into no more yea that they are not vtterly ouer-throwne and that they are not ouer-throwne by their enemies no reason can be giuen but that Lam. 3.22 It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed and Psalm 124.1.2 3. Except the Lord had beene on our side may Israel now say Except the Lord had beene on our side when men rose vp against vs they had swallowed vs vp quicke when their wrath was kindled against vs And this is a gracious and a comfortable vse which wee are to make of all the straights that wee are driuen to in this life not so much to looke on the multitude and greatnesse of the dangers which wee are in but on the mercifull protection and all-sufficient grace of God in Christ that doth so vphold vs that let our enemies doe what they can and all that may be done yet wee shall not be left as a prey to be swallowed vp by them In the 2 King 6.15 16 17. The Prophet Elishae's man when hee saw that they were compassed about with an host hee was stricken with great feare and cryed out Alas Master what shall we doe But Elisha answered Feare not for they that be with vs are more then they that be with them And when Elisha had prayed and that the Lord had opened his seruants eyes he saw the mountaine full of Horses and Chariots of fire round about his Master and as it was with him so it is with vs it is a great terror to vs to see our selues assaulted and compassed about with our enemies and to see dangers on euery side but let vs looke about vs and see also the mercifull protection and all-sufficient grace of God in Christ which embraceth vs on euery side so that our enemies can no way preuaile against vs and this will be a great incouragement and comfort to vs against all the assaults that our enemies make against vs. Vse 2 The second vse teacheth vs that seeing wee haue so many enemies that assault vs euery way then we should hold fast by God and cleaue steadfastly and wholly to him alone first by a liuely confidence in his truth and promise and saluation with an assured perswasion that hee will neuer faile vs nor forsake vs it was Israels case and Moses direction Exod. 14.13 when their enemies were behinde them and the red Sea before them and the mountaines on each side of them and no way for them to escape Moses saith to them Feare not stand still and he hold the saluation of the Lord which hee will shew to you this day c. and so the Lord did deliuer them there wants neither will nor power on Gods part if there be not want of our apprehending and relying vpon it as wee must cleaue vnto God by confidence So secondly we must cleaue to him by prayer for it is not enough for vs to beleeue it but wee must begge it too wee must lift vp our eyes and hearts to God in humble and hearty prayer for helpe and deliuerance and wee shall haue it you shall see this course taken and the successe of it both together in the 2 Chron. 32.20 22. When Senacherib came vp with his host against Ierusalem then Hezechiah the King and the Prophet Esaiah prayed against them and cryed to heauen and the Lord sent an Angell which destroyed all the valiant men and Princes of Senacheribs host and saued Hezechiah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem from the hand of Senacherib King of Ashur thirdly wee must cleaue to God by vsing the
Lord will be altogether with vs to saue and defend vs and altogether against our enemies to confound and destroy them The three and twentieth LECTVRE of the CHVRCH HAuing propounded nine seuerall heads to be spoken to concerning the visible Church wee haue through Gods assistance spoken of seuen of them It remaines therefore now that wee come to the eighth namely the power and authority of the Church A point which was named and pointed at before amongst the Priuileges of the Church For surely the power that God hath endued the Church withal is none of her smallest priuileges if it be not one of her greatest as the greatest priuilege of a King is his Kingly power and authority then wee pointed at it but wee respited the full handling of it to this place partly because in the beginning wee propounded it as one of the principall heads in this question but especially because it is both large and waighty large and so requires waighty and so deserues worthily to be handled in a seuerall Title by it selfe it hath also some affinity neernesse with the fifth head namely the Gouernment of the Church for many of the same things that are incident to the Gouernment of the Church are also incident to the authority of it and such things wee will onely touch as wee meete with them referring you for further knowledge of them to those places that already they haue beene handled in But there are somethings belonging to the power of the Church which could not so fitly be reduced to the gouernment of the Church and these are the points which God willing here wee will speake vnto The power and authority of the Church I call it power and authority for in effect they are both one It is true that they are sometimes distinguished and then this is the difference power signifies an ability to doe a thing and authority a warrant from God to exercise that ability but here they signifie one and the same thing and the reason is plaine because the Church of all other sorts doth absolutely deny her selfe to haue any power to do ought but that which she hath authority and warrant from God to doe The points that I will speake of concerning this matter are these First that the Church of God hath power and authority belonging to it Secondly what manner of power and authority this is And thirdly what it is that shee hath power in First that there is power and authority belonging to the Church for howsoeuer she be weak in outward forces and contemptible in the eyes of the world and for the most part spurn'd out ouer-borne and troden vnder foote by the Potentates of the earth and for the mannaging of any temporall administration or state able to doe little and warranted to doe lesse yet if she be taken within her owne element that is in Church affaires she is armed with much power and great authority euery State and society hath power and authority annexed to it whereby it is vpholden the Church then being the worthiest State and happiest Society that is hath it Reas 1 much more for there are many offices and duties of diuers kindes and sorts daily and necessarily to be performed in the Church wel-doers must be encouraged sinne must be punished lawes must be executed orders must be obserued and obedience must be practised these and such like must be daily performed in the Church Now without power nothing can be done and without authority nothing must be done And therefore the Church must haue power and authority Againe the Reas 2 greatest and waightiest workes that are done in the world are done in the Church the conscience commanded soules conuerted comforted and saued Gods owne life wrought into the hearts of men Christ and his Kingdome of grace that is highly aduanced Satans kingdome and his power quailed and subdued therefore the Church must needes haue great power to effect such great workes Lastly shee must haue this power Reas 3 and authority that shee may be able to hold vp her head against her aduersaries that doe commonly and ordinarily except against her saying By what authority doe you these things as they did to our Sauiour Matth. 22.23 and to Moses Exod. 2.14 Who made thee a man of authority c. so that except shee be furnished with sufficient authority there is no hope that they or their proceedings should finde any acceptance the people were astonished at Christs Doctrine because he taught with authority and not as the Scribes Mat. 7. Mar. 1.27 hee commands euen the foule spirits with authority and they obey him as who should say if he had not commanded them with authority they would neuer haue obeyed him they would know good cause why first This serues first to incourage the Church to the doing of Vse 1 her duty in excecuting Gods Lawes and in aduancing his ordinances seeing shee hath power sufficient in her owne hands to strengthen and countenance her preceedings and to make them effectuall It would neuer grieue a man to bestow time and labour in good endeauours though with much danger and with many opdositions when hee knowes before-hand that he hath power and authority enough to be beare him out in it therefore this should encourage the Church in her duty heerein And also this serues to reproue those that Vse 2 lightly esteeme of the Church and of that which shee doth as if they were nothing worth but let such know that the Church is a powerfull worker and that that Doctrine which she teacheth is a word of great power able to saue or to destroy and the Censures that she passeth are Censures of power able to kill or giue life and whosoueuer withstandeth these shall finde them matters of power to their destruction in hell if they be obstinate but whosoeuer obeyes them shall finde power enough in them to bring them to God and to his Kingdome So much for that first point The second point is what manner of power this is for this wee must looke well into lest mistaking wee goe too farre or come too short each being a dangerous error you shall vnderstand therefore that this power is not humane but diuine Secondly not temporall but spirituall Thirdly that though it be spirituall yet it is bounded and limited First it is not humane that is it is not of men though they be men that exercise it and howsoeuer where it is publikely practised it is vsually and needfully ratified at least permitted by the authority of the temporall State yet it hath not his power from men but it is diuine and hath his power directly from God himselfe the first beginnings of this power is from him as wee may see Matth. 10.1 to 5. where our Sauiour calls his Disciples and giue them power to preach to cast out diuels and to heale the sicke c. and the promise of more power is also from God as his
owne free gift Matth. 16.19 I will giue vnto thee the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou shall binde on earth shall be bound in heauen And so the performance of more power is from him as deriued from his owne Pattent Matth. 28.18.19 Goe teach all Nations c. teaching them to obserue all things and lo I am with you to the end of the world The Church is furnished with power from Christ euen as hee is from his father Ioh. 20 21.22 As my Father sent mee euen send I you c. and yet a more full increase of this power is from God too Luke 24.49 Behold I send the promise of my father vpon you but tarry yee in the City of Ierusalem vntill ye be endued with Power from on high And Acts 1.8 yee shall receiue power after that the Holy Ghost is come vpon you These places proue that the Power which the Church is endued withall is not humane but diuine conferred God himselfe And the Reason is plaine because all Power is from Reas 1 God Rom. 13.1 And there is no power but from aboue as our Sauiour tells Pilate he could haue no power except it were giuen him from aboue If all power euen the power which the wicked haue be from God much more is the power and authority which the Church hath from God too And that after a speciall manner so much the more immediately as the Church is more nearer ioyned to Christ then any other State whatsoeuer And to much the more rightly as Christ is more rightly a spiritual King then a temporall as Ioh. 18. my Kingdome is not of this world c And so much the more properly as Christ is the head and ruler of the Church more properly then of the Commonwealth And so much the more effectually as the Lord doth more magnifie himselfe in Church causes then in causes of the State This teacheth first that if the power and authority Vse 1 which the Church hath be from God then we haue the more and greater assurance that it shall stand fast for euer against all oppositions of men or Diuels as Gamaliel said Acts 5.38.39 If it be of God yee cannot destroy it if it be of God so directly it must needs stand most firmly aboue all other power whatsoeuer Secondly it teacheth the Church that they bee the Vse 2 more wary and carefull in executing this power that they abuse not Gods owne Power to the satisfying of their owne humors and lusts but that they vse it to that end God hath appointed it that is to his Glory and the Churches good Thirdly seeing this power is so directly from God then this teacheth vs that it must bee the more dutifully obeyed and submitted to of them that liue vnder it else if wee despise it we despise not men but God as it is Luk. 10.16 hee that despiseth you despiseth me c. But you will say Quest Is then the Church to bee obeyed in all things Must all her sayings be beleeued All her lawes obeyed and all her proceedings yeelded to as if they were Gods owne proceedings and so bind the Conscience I answer Answ no for sometimes shee saith false things and doth that which is directly euill and therein we are altogether free from her Authority as that being vsurped and not from God and as shee therein bewraying some frailty and infirmity and not exercising this diuine power But you will say how shall I know when she speakes true or false when shee doth right or wrong I Answer The Lord hath giuen both her and vs the Word to rule and measure things by this is the rule that she must goe by in her proceedings and this is the rule that wee must measure her proceedings by But sometimes the Church inioynes things in themselues indifferent neither simply good nor bad neitheir simply commanded nor forbidden in the word In this the Church is to be yeelded to for order sake as she hauing therin a general power from God but yet the Conscience is not subiect to them because the particular choice and determination of these indifferent things is from themselues out of their own lawfull liberty I note this the rather because some not only in the popish church but among vs too stick not to affirme that the churches constitutions in this latter kind be of diuine authority and to be accoūted as the Constitutions of God himself But I haue shewed you how you are to receiue and to submit to them for order sake in respect of the general power she hath from God in these things The second branch of this second point is that this power is not temporall but spirituall and therefore it is not so often called a Sword to smite or a scepter to sway as Keyes to open and shut and what doth it open and shut Euen the Kingdome of heauen Matth. 16.19 and therefore it is a spirituall Power The Ciuill Magistrate hath to do about our bodies goods and outward State the Church hath to doe with the Soule and Conscience and the inward man Temporall power and authority serues to maintaine a temporall Life begun and ended here spirituall Power and Authority maintaines a spirituall Life begun here but perfected and finished hereafter in the life to come Temporall power rules by the lawes of men spirituall Power rules onely by the Lawes of God temporall power fights and defends it selfe by the materiall Sword and worldly Policy Spirituall Power renounceth these and therefore Christ said to Peter Mat. 26.52 put vp thy Sword into his place for all that take the Sword shall perish by the Sword Christ would not bee defended by the Sword Spirituall Power betakes it selfe to better Weapons to spirituall and heauenly Weapons 2 Cor. 10.4 5. the Weapons of our warfare saith the Apostle are not carnall but spirituall mighty through God c they are not carnall but spirituall not weake but mighty and that not of themselues nor through the power of him that vseth them but through God And what are these weapons They are the Word and the Spirit Faith Repentance Prayer c. It is true that sometimes both these Powers do concur together in the Church that is when the Magistrate is Christian and surely then Gods worke goeth happily forward and then this is a blessed thing both for our Soules and bodies too if wee haue grace so to vse it but though they doe sometimes concurre yet they are neuer confounded though they be not diuided yet they bee distinguished they must each of them keepe in it 's owne ranke and mannage their seuerall Charges by seuerall administrations The Church is not to vsurpe on the temporal power for that is flatly forbidden Matth. 20.15 16. the Gentiles raigne ouer them but it shall not be so amongst you saith our Sauiour to his Disciples and 1 Pet. 5.3 Be not Lords ouer Gods Heritage Nor is the temporal power to vsurpe the
Spirituall for ye see how Vzziah was stricken with leprosie for medling with the Priests Office 2 Chron. 26.16 to the 19. And it was well hee escaped so for by the law he deserued Death Numb 18.7 The third Branch of the second point is that though it bee a spirituall Power yet it is not vnbounded but it is limited and scantled within the bounds of the Word For the same God that hath set markes and boundes in the earth for the Sea that it shall not ouerflow them Iob 38.11 he hath also prescribed in his Word certaine marks limits and bounds for the power of the Church and so farre the Church must goe and no further The Body and Spouse haue power to doe many things yet still they are to bee ruled by the direction of their Head and Husband And so long as the Church containes herselfe within these bounds and limits it goes well with her God prospers her and he hath promised and will performe a blessing to her but if she goe beyond these bounds and transgresse against God It is a fearefull and dangerous case the bond is broken all flyes a sunder the walls and hedges of the Church are troden downe and the Boare and wild Beasts enter in and spoile and make a prey of all Gods yoke is shaken off and then men runne into strange outragious vnwarrantable and exorbitant Courses fitter for lawlesse Infidels then for Christs Disciples and by this meanes Gods Church will bee degenerate into Synagogues of Satan and Religion turned into Ignorance superstition profanenesse and meere licentiousnesse And by this meanes Anti-Christ himselfe hath clymed vp into the Seate of Christ The reason is plaine in the very like case 1 Sam. 15.23 Because that they haue reiected God and his yoke and gone beyond their bounds therefore God will reiect them and cast them off from being his Church The Church therefore must consider like a modest Spouse that shee hath power indeed but to what to that that shee will and list her selfe No but to that which Christ her husband will haue her to doe so farre as in the exercising of her power shee walkes with God shee may goe on safely and boldly But if when God stayes she will not stay but still goe on forward at her owne perill be it The fourth Branch of the second point is that though it be a bounded and limitted power and authority yet it is the greatest power on earth it reacheth not onely to the people but Kings and Princes must obey it I say they are vnder the power of the Church though they be aboue the persons that exercise this power as may appeare in the Example of Dauid and Nathan the Person of Nathan being subiect to Dauid and yet Dauid subiect to the Power of his reproofe Secondly as it reacheth not onely to the meanest but to the highest so it reacheth not onely to the outward man but euen to the Inward also the very Spirit and Conscience though it be free from all other power yet it is subiect to this I say not to the Church it selfe but to that spirituall and diuine power which it in Christs Name doth exercise Lastly whereas no other authority or power reacheth so high as heauen or so low as hell this power of the Church extends to both it cuts off from God and deliuers ouer to Satan And againe it releases out of Satans lawes and reconciles vs to God and brings vs to heauen So much for the second point what manner of power this is The third and last point is this Namely what is it that the Church hath power in The Church hath a double power one ouer persons and another ouer things ouer persons and that in two respects either as they are members or as they are officers As they are members and that in two respects also either as they are not come into the Church or as they are come in already as they are not come in and that in two respects too either to admit them as members or to repell and refuse them If yee aske who are to be admitted The Answer is all those that are called Acts 2.39 the promise is made to you and your children and to many that are a farre off euen to as many as the Lord our God shall call For seeing the promise belongs to them and so they are for ought wee know within the Couenant then they ought to be admitted into the Bosome of the Church and to bee admitted as members thereof If yee aske how we shall know that they are called The Answer is plaine yee shall know it by their profession of faith in the Church and by their profession of Repentance by their profession of faith as Acts 8.12 37. As soone as they beleeued Philip which preached the things that concerned the Kingdome of God and the Name of Iesus Christ they were baptized both men and women And verse 37. Philip said to the Eunuch If thou beleeuest with all thine heart thou maist be baptized then he answered and said I beleeue that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God c 38. and he baptized him And so by the profession of Repentance Matth. 3.6 they were baptized of Iohn confessing their sinnes And both these you shall finde together Acts 2.37.38 when they were pricked in their hearts at Peters Sermon they said Men and Brethren what shall we doe to be saued Peter said vnto them Amend your liues and be baptized euery one of you in the Name of the Lord Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes as if he had said repent and beleeue for amendment of life doth necessarily imply purpose of obedience and so the profession of Repentance is a promise of obedience and this is precisely required Exod. 19.5 to the 8. where the Lord sent to the people of Israel to know whether they would obey him before hee would enter into Couenant with them To which agrees the practice of Iosiah and the people in the case of Reformation or renewing their admission when they had broken their Couenant with God 2 Chron. 34.31 32. he renued the Couenant betwixt God and his people and caused all that were found in Ierusalem and in Beniamin to stand to it If you aske what is the meanes and act of Admission The answer is that it is baptisme Mat. 3.6 Act. 8.37 38 Acts 2.41 they that gladly receiued the Word were baptized and the same day there was added to the Church aboue three thousand Soules Now this Act being once receiued is neuer to bee recall'd though the Couenant be afterwards neglected and broken for one entrance stands good for our whole estate In so much that if I fall after Baptisme and that so greiuously as that I be cut off by the censure of the Church yet if I returne againe the Couenant is to bee renued but not baptisme no more then circumcision in the former Testament was to be renued
in the like case but if men were neuer before baptized then though they bee of yeares of discretion yet they are to receiue Baptisme But whether hath the Church power to compell men to be members No surely faith cannot be forced vpon any yet if the Magistrate be Christian he by his authority may and must compell men to come to the outward meanes else wee deny him the priuiledge of his authority and of our subiection So did Iosiah cause all that were found in Ierusalem and Beniamin to stand to the couenant 2 Chron. 34.32 As they haue power to admit into the Church so they haue power to repell and keepe out and this wee finde to be plaine Acts 8.36.37 See heere is water saith the Eunuch what doth let mee to be baptised Philip said vnto him if thou beleeuest with all thine heart thou may'st c. as who should say where faith is wanting it is a sufficient let to keepe from baptisme and so from being admitted into the Church But what shall children doe then I answer they if they be the seed of the faithfull are pre-supposed to be within the couenant and so they are to be reputed as Gen. 17.7 God saith to Abraham I will establish my Couenant betweene mee and ther and thy seede after thee and Acts 3.29 The promise is made to you and to your children saith the Apostle and so in the 1 Cor. 7.14 The vnbeleeuing wife is sanctified by the beleeuing husband c. else were your children vncleane but now are they holy and therefore where children are tendred by faithfull parents to the Church they must admit them so far as they haue power and that is to baptisme Marke 10.13.14 as it was with circumcision in the time of the Law the children of the faithfull all that were males were circumcised so it is in Baptisme which succeedes in the roome of that all the children of beleeuing parents are to be made partakers of it So you see the Church hath power ouer persons that are not come in and that either to admit or repell them Secondly they haue power ouer persons as they are come in already and that either to keepe them in or to cast them out to keepe them in as in Reu. 3.11 Our Sauiour saith to the Angell of the Church of Philadelphia Hold fast that thou hast that no man take thy Crowne from thee and what was the Angels Crowne but the faithfull in that Church So the Apostle Paul calls the Thesalonians his Crowne and how must hee hold them fast and keepe them in By confirming exhorting reprouing comforting and instructing them bearing with their weaknesse admitting them to the Lords Table and vpon their repentance loosing them from their sinnes So the Church hath power to cast out for their obstinacy in sinne and so to binde them in the chaines of euerlasting damnation that the Church hath this power it is plaine for the Word of God is powerfull each way It is the sauour of life vnto life vnto some to other It is the sauour of death vnto death so the Censures of the Church are wonderfull powerfull Iohn 20.23 whose sinnes yee remit they are remitted and whose sinnes soeuer yee retaine they are retained saith our Sauiour to his Disciples And so we see how the Church did cast out the Incestuous man in 1 Cor. 5.4 5. and how they receiued him in againe in the 2 Cor. 2.7 8. The next point is the power that the Church hath ouer members as officers and herein the Church hath power to choose or refuse to place or displace to choose and place Acts 6.5 and the saying pleased the multitude and they choose Stephen c. to refuse and displace as in Acts 8.21 Peter refused Simon Magus when he would haue bought gifts of the holy Ghost for money and in the 1 Tim. 5.11 refuse younger widdowes c. and in the 1 Kings 2.27 to the 35. we may read how Salomon displaced and cast out Abiather from the Priests office But of this I haue spoken sufficiently before the matter of Church gouernment and therefore as I promised I will referre you thither Now in the second place the Church hath power ouer things and these things are of diuers kindes some are matters of substance some of circumstance the Churches power in matters of stubstance is eyther touching the Scripture it sefe or in things besides the Scripture as touching the Scripture and that is eyther touching the credit and authority of Scripture or the sense of it first of the credit and authority of Scripture which is called into question and much disparaged not onely by those that are without but euen of those that professe themselues to be within and to be members of the Church which should most lighly esteeme it some of of her champions as they pretend challenge at least an equall yea indeed a superiour authority to the Church aboue the Scripture and therefore the point to be discused here is whether the authority of the Church be greater then the authority of the Scripture It is not denyed but that the Church hath some authority concerning Scripture as wee shall heare afterward but that it hath authority equall with or aboue Scripture is not to be granted I will draw this point into an obseruation Doctr. which shall be this That howsoeuer the Church of God is endued with great power and authority from aboue yet the authority of the Church is not greater then the authority of the Scripture no it is not equall with it but the authority of the Scripture is greater and higher then the authority of the Church here are two parts of this obseruation First that the authority of the Church is not greater then of the Scripture secondly that the authority of Scripture is greater then of the Church the same places that proue one proue both Ioh. 4.39 The woman of Samariah hauing had conference with our Sauiour and beleeuing him to be the Messiah she went and told it in the Citty and it is said in the 39. verse that many of the Samaritans beleeued in Christ for the saying of the woman but it is said in the 41. verse that many moe beleeued because of Christs owne words The voyce of the woman what is it but the voyce of the Church shee beleeuing in Christ her selfe propounds him vnto others which is the Office of the Church in this case well the people beleeued for her saying but doe they rest vpon that as the chiefest authority of their faith No for verse 41. many moe beleeued for his owne word and verse 42. they that did beleeue for the saying of the woman acknowledge a greater and surer cause of their faith disclayming the former as insufficient now say they wee beleeue not for thy saying for wee haue heard him our selues and know that this indeede is that Christ the Sauiour of the world and is not Christs voyce to
be beleeued besides the Word Gal. 1.8 Reas 6 Lastly the practice of the faithful is answerable to this both of teachers and learners the Teachers they haue referred the people still for certaine proofe of the truth to the Scriptures Esa 8.20 to the law and to the testimony if they speake not according to this Word it is because they haue not light in them Acts 10.43 to him giue all the Prophets witnesse saith Peter to Cornelius referring the truth hee taught to be tryed by the Scripture and so this hath beene the practice of the learners Acts 17.11 12. The men of Berea seached the Scriptures to try whether the things were so as Paul had taught them and yet Paul was a principall member of the Church and in his Doctrine hee was specially guided by the Spirit more then euer any Church was since and the Bereans are commended for this and not accounted curious So that the Teachers and the Learners haue still referred themselues for the tryall of the truth to the Scriptures and not to the Church and therefore the authority of the Scripture is greater then the authority of the Church Yea Obiect but you will say so the Scriptures are vsually referred to the censure of other Scripture and yet that is no proofe that therefore one Scripture is of greater authority then another how then doth this proue that the Scripture is of greater authority then the Church I answer Answ yes It proues the first ponit of the obseruation plainely that is that the Church is not aboue the Scripture which is the maine controuersie Nay if it be well considered it proues the second point of the obseruation that the authority of the Scripture is greater then that of the Church I say it proues it as sufficiently though not at the first sight so plainely for still in euery kinde there must be one highest which all the rest must settle vpon else there will be no stay at all but we shall runne on infinitely and without end now the Scripture or the Church is the highest thing in this kinde whereon we are to rest for they cnanot be equall then the Scriptures must needs be highest and if they be referred to any at all it must be to themselues for there is none greater nor higher as in the matter of an oath Heb. 6.13 to 16. men sweare by him that is greater then them selues But God sweares by himselfe because there is none greater to sweare by So likewise the Church is referred to the Scripture for trial because the Scripture is higher then the Church but Scripture is referred to Scripture because there is none higher to be referred to nor there cannot be two highests in one kinde for that is against nature and reason too and therefore when the sayings of the Church are referred to the approbation of Scripture it is the referring of them to an higher and so the authority of the Scripture is greater then the authority of the Church The vses are these The first is matter of refutation Vse 1 against the Papists that vsually disparage the holy Scriptures and set them downe too low and doat on the Church aduancing it too high their reach therein is not so much the loue they beare to the Church it selfe but that thereby they might exalt themselues and their owne Church and that their faith might be reputed the onely true sauing faith because their Church teacheth it So that God and his Word must goe downe that they might be lifted vp but if it be true that the Church were aboue the Scriptures yet except they can proue their Church to be the only true Church of God which they are neuer able to doe it helps not their cause It is strange to see and heare what monstrous and blasphemous speaches and positions many of them haue deliuered to this purpose as that the Scripture is of no more authority without the approbation of the Church then Esops Fables Oh horrible blasphemie there are some others of a better kinde that are more modest that say that the Scriptures are to be fitted to the times and the sense thereof is to be altred as the times alter others there are that say that the Churches are not bound to take the Scriptures as true without the allegation of the Church and that the Church hath authority to reiect or allow Scripture and that yee may know that by the Church they meane their Romish church and by that the Pope hearken how blasphemously they ascribe vnto him all power in heauen and in earth that hee may dispence against the Apostles and their Canons and against all the commandements of God in the old and new Testament c. Here the world may see that the church of Rome is that whore of Babilon an impudent and shamelesse strumpet that sets such a brasen face and belches out such whorish filthy blasphemies against God and his Word the very naming of these positions is refutation enough for them in any Christians iudgements To come to their best positions in this controuersie Position 1 First the Church say they is supreme Iudge in all controuersies of Religion but yee see by this obseruation that it is not so God is higher and the Scripture is higher the Spirit indeede is the Iudge and the highest Iudge speaking openly and plainely in in the Word and secretly in the minde and heart of euery beleeuer 1. Ioh. 2 20 27. you haue anoyntment from that holy one and know all things And againe the same anoynting teacheth you of all things Obiect yea but say they are not men sent to the Priests to enquire at their mouhes Mal. 2.7 and is not the Priest the highest Iudge then Answ I answer What are wee to goe to the Priests for for the Law not for their owne Iudgement whereto if they speake wee are to receiue it yet not because it is their saying but Gods Law but happly they can deliuer no other but Gods Law that is flatly contradicted verse 8. where the Prophet saith that they are gone out of the way and haue caused many to fall by the Law yea but say they the high Priest was the Iudge as wee may see Deut. 17.8 12. But hee was to iudge according to the Law as we may see in Vers 11. so that except they will arrogate more to themselues then the messengers of the Lord of hoasts did vnder the law they cannot be Iudge nor Iudges of the Scripture The second position of theirs is this Position 2 That whatsoeuer the Church saith we must take it as a Law and obey it It is true that whatsoeuer the Church saith according the Law and Word of God we must obey it not otherwise The Scribes and Pharises were to bee obeyed as they sate in Moses chaire that is as they taught his Doctrine Matth. 23 2 3. but if they transgresse and bring in the precepts of men and their owne traditions
to the word and the Spirit There must be a perswasion in vs that the Word is of God else there is no profit by it 1 Thessa 2.3.2 Peter 1.19 20. 2 Tim. 3.16 And therefore still the Preface of the Prophets is Verbum Domini And so much shall seue to be spoken concerning the authority of the Scripture The foure and twentieth LECTVRE of the CHVRCH COncerning the power of the Church yee haue heard how it extends it selfe to persons and things for so we diuided it for our more easier proceeding in the point that which concernes persons wee haue already spoken of And that which concernes the thing wherein the Church hath power wee haue entred into and shewed that they are of two sorts eyther matters of circumstance or matters of substance The Churches power in matters of substance are eyther in matters touching Scripture or besides Scripture touching Scripture and that I shewed was of two sorts eyther touching the authoritie of Scripture or the sense of Scripture Of the authority of Scripture we spake in the last Lecture Now wee are to speake of the sense of Scripture which wee shall be the longer in handling because looke what was wanting in the former point shall be here supplyed Touching this point what authority the Church hath in the sense of Scripture it is as materiall and as difficult a point as the former First as materiall for after we are made acquainted which the letter of Scripture so that we know which are Canonicall bookes written by the Infallible direction of the Holy Ghost and that euery thing contained in them is the vndoubted truth of God wee are still as far to seeke in matters of faith as before till we proceed further and be acquainted with the sense and meaning of Scripture for the Word of God is not so much the letter as the sense and the Scripture is not so much the bare written word as the right meaning and vnderstanding of that which is written That what a man saith is his speech indeed in common acceptation But yet if it bee not taken in the sense hee meanes it he will and may iustly disclaime as none of his speech A mans meaning is contained in his words as the things signified in the signe because words are the signification of our meaning but the subiect of them wherein it properly rests and is seated is the breast of the speaker So the Word of God is in the Scripture as the signe whereby God signifies his meaning but the subiect of them wherein properly the meaning of them restes is in God himselfe so that this is a materiall point to be knowne Secondly it is as difficult a point as the former for after we heare which is the right letter of Scripture it is as difficult to know which is the right sense as before it was to know which was the right letter for the same words sometimes haue diuers significations and one and the same sentence may be vnderstood many wayes and diuers men are of diuers minds expounding one and the same Scripture diuers wayes euery man abounding in his owne sense the true beleeuer expounding it to the maintenance of the true Catholique faith the Heretique to the maintainance of his Heresie Yea among and true beleeuers themselues one interprets the same words to that opinion that he fauours and another to a contrary that he fauours What is to be done in this case The Church is here thrust vpon vs as the onely or chiefest vmpyre in these differences and that alone to be the true sense which shee pronounceth And surely I see not but that the Church may as probably and plausibly challenge authority to deliuer which is the meaning of Scripture as which is the letter of Scripture We haue giuen the Church her due touching the former acknowledging her authority in and about the letter of Scripture but not ouer or aboue it and so God willing we will deale as ingenurously in this concerning the sense of Scripture But yet we will limit and bound it within certaine necessary cautions and limitations And that we may doe so we will handle it by way of Obseruation The Obseruation is this Doct. That howsoeuer the Church hath great authority in expounding Scripture yet she must not expound it as shee list and according to her owne minde but according to Gods minde and the meaning of the Scripture it selfe But say some the Church will not nor cannot expound them Ob. but according to Gods minde and therefore this is a needlesse Obseruation I Answer It is true that the Catholique Church that is Answer the whole company of the faithfull cannot do otherwise But particulâ—r visible Churches may and oft times haue expounded Scripture to their owne minde and not according to Gods minde And therefore it is reason that they should bee thus bounded and limited we will proceed then to the proofes of the obseruation And first I will prooue it by rules And secondly by examples The rules in the Scripture are plaine for this note and that first in generall Esay 8.20 To the law to the Testimony c. whosoeuer is the speaker and whatsoeuer he speakes in matters of God and of Religion and therefore specially in expounding Scripture it must be according to the law and the testimony that is according to the meaning that God intendeth therein and so in the 1 Peter 4.11 the Apostle saith Let him that speakes speake as the words of God that is in Gods sense As in generall all must thus speake Gods Word so specially the Preacher or whosoeuer that takes vpon him to expound Gods Word he must speake it as the Word of God that is not onely for the manner of it reuerently and zealously as becomes the Word of God but for the matter much more that is in the same sense that God himselfe hath spoken it as hee being then in Gods stead and deliuering his message else he speakes his owne words not Gods Secondly more particularly Iohn 5 39. Search the Scripture saith our Sauiour he doth not bide them take the Scriptures and reade them and giue what sense of them they thinke good But he bids them search them that is examine them and consider aduisedly of them lay them rightly together weigh one place wel with another and make diligent inquiry after the sense reach that God intends in them And so we shall find that they are first witnesses of Christ and then that they are helpes to eternall life See it yet more neerely Rom. 12.6 Let vs prophesie according to the proportion of faith saith the Apostle whereby prophecy is expresly meant interpretation of Scripture for so it is taken in the 1 Cor. 14.3.31 and that is to be framed according to the proportion or Analogy of faith which whether it be meant of faith contained in the Creede or of the measure of faith that God hath endued vs with all yet still
yet of his owne by possession and feeling and therefore euery man must haue iudgement of his owne too for faith without iudgement is blinde presumption And must I not rest on my faith in that sense And why not on mine owne iudgement too that is on Gods Iudgement which he hath endued my minde and soule withall Obiect 6 Lastly it is obiected This is strange say they wee heare them confesse that euery man though he be neuer so much inlightned yet he is subject to error and yet euery one of them assures himselfe hauing one Answ no more warrant then another that hee is in the truth I answer so farre as wee haue full assurance that wee are in the truth that is in matters fundamentall so farre wee doe acquit all the faithfull from being subiect to error finally and therefore this is no strangenesse at all And so much concerning this point The fiue and Twentieth LECTVRE of the CHVRCH COncerning the power of the Church we haue heard that it reacheth to persons and things for so we diuided it for plainenesse sake concerning Persons we haue done concerning things we haue entred into them and shewed that the things wherin the Church hath power are either matters of substance or matters of circumstance matters of substance and that either touching Scripture or besides Scripture touching Scripture and that either touching the authority or sense of Scripture Of these two last points wee haue spoken namely concerning the power of the Church touching the authority and sense of Scripture Now wee are to speake of matters besides Scripture which is the last point concerning matters of substance that is the point we are now to speake to matters beside Scripture for though in deede and in truth there is nothing to be held in matters of substance in Religion but what is sufficiently warranted by the Word either expressely or at least by sound consequence and deduction yet because some haue fondly imagined and confidently auouched that such things there are and that it is in the Churches power to ordaine them and because some churches haue vsurped and incroached vpon more authority in this case then euer was granted or comitted to them from God therefore in handling the authority of the Church this point also amongst the rest is needfull to be spoken vnto Matters of substance in Religion are of two sorts some concerning faith teaching vs what to know and beleeue others concerning obedience prescribing vs what to do and practise in each of these the Church hath a great hand where the light of Scripture goes before and where shee followes the Doctrine thereof accordingly but where the Scripture is silent in any thing of either or both these kindes there the Church must be silent too and not desire to speake Wee will deliuer the matter plainly by way of obseruation and that is this namely Doct. that the Church hath no power to decree and ordaine any matter of substance in Religion eyther for faith or for obedience without or besides the Scripture The places that prooue this point are of diuers kindes for plainenesse sake wee will reduce them to these heads first some places ascribe this authority to God alone the second sort commends vs to the sufficiency of the Scripture in it selfe the third sort condemne all adding to Scripture and the last sort condemne all Doctrine so taught The first that ascribe this authority to God alone they are these Iames 4.12 there is one Law-giuer which is able to saue and to destroy and what is it to ordaine matters of substance in Religion but to giue Lawes Lawes I say of the highest kinde such as we must liue and be saued by and who is it that giues these Lawes hee onely that is able to saue and to destroy for so the Law-giuer is there described which being peculiar to God alone hee alone must be the Law-giuer Now the Lawes that God hath giuen are contained in the Scriptures which are therefore called the Word of God because therein God hath deliuered his minde and meaning therefore besides those in Scripture no other Lawes are to be ordained for matters of substance in Religion another proofe of this kinde wee haue Matth. 23.8 10. Be not called Doctors and be not called Master for one is your Doctor and Master and who is that but Christ himselfe Now what is it to be our Doctor and to be our Master It is to teach vs what to beleeue and what to doe that wee may be saued therefore Christ being our onely Doctor and Master he alone is to teach and direct vs in matters of Saluation And in Ioh. 1.18 The Office of reuealing God to man is appropriated to Christ hee onely declares him and the reason is there implyed because he onely came out of the bosome of the Father and therefore he onely knowes the minde of his Father and therefore consequently he onely being of ability and authority to declare it so that whosoeuer takes vpon him to reueale any part of the minde of God hee must shew that he comes out of Gods bosome else hee neither must nor can speake in this businesse that Christ himselfe hath already reuealed that is that which is contained in the Scripture Now that we may know that this Rule is inuiolably to be obserued wee must know that all which euer had to deale in matters of saluation were precisely tyed and and confined to this scantling both teachers and hearers Teachers they must teach nothing in this kinde but what Christ in his Word hath first taught The Apostles and in them all Ministers are forbidden to teach any thing but what Christ commands them Matth. 20.28 that and nothing besides that yea the holy Ghost Christs speciall and chiefe Deputy on earth hee is to receiue of Christ and to shew that to the people Iohn 16.14 15. he shall receiue of mine and shew it vnto you And the Text saith in the 14. verse that he shall glorifie Christ in this as who should say if hee teach ought besides it were a dishonour and disparagement to the Lord Iesus much more if any other should doe so and so the hearers they are tyed to this scantling too for so it was prophesied before Deut. 18.15 The Lord thy God will raise vp a Prophet vnto thee like vnto me from among you euen of your brethren vnto him yee shall hearken And this Prophet is Christ as the Apostle Peter proues Acts 3.17 And this was after confirmed by a voyce from heauen Matth. 17.5 This is my welbeloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him And it is the marke of Christs owne sheepe that they will heare his voyce Iohn 10.6.27 and his onely and not a strangers that is whatsoeuer is spoken not according to the voyce of Christ in the Scripture So much for the first sort of Scriptures The second sort that proue this point are such as commend vnto vs the
perfection and sufficiency of Scripture for if the Scriptures containe all things necessary to saluation then what hath the Church to doe in such matters besides Scripture the Church and the Scriptures stand in oposition in this point for that sufficiency being granted to the Scripture it disanulls all such power challenged to the Church and that power being granted to the Church disanulls that sufficiency of Scripture but the Scriptures are sufficient as wee will proue by these places following Iohn 20.31 but these things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ the Sonne of God and that in beleeuing yee might haue life through his name All things that Christ spake and did are not written yet there is enough written for quantity and enough for power to cause vs to beleeue and so to beleeue that we may haue life through his name and therefore sufficient enough for all matters of saluation 2 Tim. 3.16 17. The whole Scripture saith the Apostle is giuen by inspiration from God and is profitable to teach and to conuince to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto euery good worke heere are reckoned vp such speciall works as are most effectuall to teach both faith and obedience and these are ascribed to the Scriptures True say the Papists they are ascribed to the Scriptures as being profitable to these but yet not sufficient yes it is sufficient too for it is so farre profitable to euery one of these that thereby the man of God is made perfect to all good works and is not this as much as if the Apostle had said the Scriptures had beene sufficient for euery matter of saluation and that hee meanes so is plaine in the 15. verse thou hast knowne the Scriptures of a childe which are able to make thee wise vnto saluation so much for the second sort of Scriptures The third sort are such as absolutly forbid any addition or detraction from Scripture as in Deut 4.2 there is an absolute prohibition yee shall put nothing vnto the Word of God which I commend you neither shall ye take ought therefrom and Pro. 30.6 put nothing vnto his Words lest hee reproue thee and thou be found a lyer Reuel 22.18 19. If any man shall adde vnto these things God shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke and if any man shall take away God shall take away his part out of the booke of life c. Now then if the Church can decree any matter of saluation besides Scripture and not adde to Scripture nor diminish from it then they may haue some colour for it notwithstanding these prohibitions but if that be impossible as it is then this is simply vnlawfull The Apostle amplifies this point by way of comparison Galat. 3.15 If it be but a mans testament no man will adde to it much lesse to the Testament of Christ The last sort of Scriptures are those that condemne all Doctrines so taught eyther without or besides Scripture Esa 29.13 It is a sore complaint which the Lord takes vp against the people there because the Religion they looked to be saued by was taught by the precepts of men and Matth. 15.9 Christ vtterly reiected this worship as vaine and hypocriticall when they teach for Doctrine mens precepts and 1 Tim. 6.3 4. If any man teach otherwise and consenteth not to the wholesome Doctrine of our Lord Iesus Christ he is puft vp and knoweth nothing It is selfe-conceit and grosse ignorance yea and not onely when it comes from an ordinary man but if it come from an Apostle nay an Angel if they should teach any other Gospell not only that is against this but besides this which I haue taught you saith the Apostle hold him accursed Galat. 1.8 9. So that if any either Apostle or Angell from heauen deliuer or teach any other Gospell that is any matter of substance in Religion though it be but besides that which we haue in the Scripture they are accursed And so much for the proofe of the point The reasons are many And the first reason is drawne Reas 1 from the nature of faith which carries alwaies a iust correspondency to the Word of God Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Faith comes by hearing of whose sayings mans No but the Word of God whatsoeuer God speakes faith heares it and most willingly and sweetly beleeues and embraceth it but what any else saith whether it be man or Church or Angell as it is not powerfull to beget sauing faith so also it is the nature of faith to refuse it or at least to suspect it because it is beside the Word and God speakes it not Secondly The second reason is drawne from the state Reas 2 of conscience which is this God hath endued our conscience through his mercy and ordinance with that freedome and liberty that is in subiection to none but to God onely and therefore whatsoeuer God commands or forbids the conscience well rectified yeelds to it acknowledging the authority of the speaker to be a binding Law which necessarily must be obeyed but when a matter is imposed by man onely without or beside the prescript of God the conscience feeles not the commanding power of God to ouersway it and therefore may and must and doth take the benefit of her liberty and this is it the Apostle saith 1 Corinth 3.23 Be not the seruants of men The third reason is drawne from the property of the Reas 3 things themselues that are to be beleeued and they are matters necessary to saluation and therefore wee must haue such a sure ground and warrant for them as that we may be bold to hazard our saluation vpon them Now the Church being it selfe subiect to error where iâ— builds not vpon Scripture is vnable therefore to afford any such warrant therefore without and besides Scripture the Church hath no power in such things Reas 4 Fourthly that which the Church doth heerein in ordaning any thing in matters of saluation without or besides Scripture she doth inioyne it with condition of damnation to those that doe not beleeue and obey it Let them be accursed that doe it not but damnation is not to be threatned by any but those that haue power to inflict it but the Church hath no power of her selfe to inflict it and therefore it is ridiculous in her to threaten it The Church indeede threatens it in excommunications but that is not of her selfe but vnder God and in his name who is also able to inflict it as hee is to threaten it in his Word but wee speake heere of matters besides Scripture and therein the Church hath no power at all to inflict no not instrumentally in the lowest degree therefore not to threaten damnation and so consequently not to decree any such things Reas 5 The fifth reason is drawne from a rule of
proportion in like cases Christ himselfe when hee came to teach saluation spake nothing but from the father Iohn 12.49 50. and whatsoeuer the Spirit doth teach hee receiued it from Christ Iohn 16.13 If Christ doe tye himselfe to teach those things and nothing but those things hee receiued from the Father and the Spirit nothing but those things he receiued from Christ then I hope the Church hath not greater liberty in respect of the Scripture then Christ in respect of his Father and the Spirit in respect of Christ Therefore as Christ spake nothing besides that hee heard of his Father and the Spirit nothing but that hee receiued from Christ so by proportion the Church is to speake nothing in matters of saluation besides Scripture Reas 6 Sixthly the Church is to do nothing heerein but by direction and assistance from the Spirit and as it is horrible presumption to say the contrary so the Papists themselues sometimes ingenuously confesse that the Testimony oâ— the truth consists in the holy Ghost and the Prelates iointly so that it is not in the Church alone without the Spirit And what doth the Spirit teach the Church any new Doctrines or Reuelations No but that which Christ hath reuealed before If ye compare Iohn 14.26 with Iohn 16.13 14 15. you shall finde that the holy Ghost whom Christ promiseth to send shall teach all things that Christ hath taught which beâ—ng the same which is in the Scripture then the Spirit teacheth the Church nothing besides Scripture And so the Church is able to decree nothing besides the Scripture because shee is able to doe nothing without the Spirit Lastly when things are decreed by the Church are Reas 7 we to receiue them hand ouer head or vpon tryall and examination If ye say haâ—d ouâ—r head without examination that were a gracelesse speech and vtterly vnlawfull being against the rules of the Word 1 Thess 5.21 Trye all things 1 Iohn 4.1 Trye the Spirits If then they must be receiued vpon tryall and Examination how must they be tryed and by what rule Eyther by the Iudgement of the present Church or by the Scripture If ye say by the Church that were to make her Iudge in her owne cause then it must bee examined by the Scripture as the men of Berea did Paules Doctrine Act 17.11 they searched the Scriptures daily whether the things were so as he taught So the things the Church decrees must bee tryed by Scripture and if that cannot approue them as being not there found they are to be reiected and the authority of the Church in imposing them to be disclaimed So we see in reason that the Church hath no power nor authority to decree anything or matter of substance in Religion â—yth 〈◊〉 faith oâ— for obedience without or besides Scripâ—â—â— The â—irst vs◠〈…〉 of reproofe of sundry Popish practises and positions not to name all For indeede if this point be well vnderstood it razeth and ouer throweth the very foundation of Popery Here then we see first that the Church cannot coyne any new Articles of faith why is any man so gracelesse to doe so yes the Papists doe so And howsoeuer many of them will not seeme to fauour it in word yet their practise makes them guilty of it Pope Pius the fourth propounds a Creede and tyes his children the Papists to it wherein after hee had set downe the twelue articles contained in the Nicene Creede he addeth twelue more of his owne concerning traditions Purgatory c. And these hee will haue acknowledged and vndoubtedly beleeued as the former and is not this to coyne new articles of faith Ob. But say they why may not we doe so as well as you that haue your articles of Religion and all reformed Churches haue their seuerall confessions wherein there are many things besides those in the Creede and yet professed and beleeued Answ as well as they I Answer It is not a like comparison for we though we doe beleeue many things that are not in the Creede yet wee beleeue nothing besides Scripture and that which is soundly proued by Scripture is to be beleeued as well as that in the Creede But theirs are such for the most part as haue little or no shew of Scripture for them but are matters besides Scriptures which they obtrude on the people meerely or at least principally by the authority of the Church But hath the Church then no authority about Articles of Faith newly to be made I Answer No But onely as thus if any article hath beene neglected obscured and layen hidden in former times the places of Scripture whereon it is grounded being not well vnderstood then the Church hath power to declare and publish it vpon the better vnderstanding of such places as it is proued by And this is not to make new articles of faith but to reuiue and renew those that were before and that not beside the word but with and by the word This may be cleared by an Instance The article of Iustification by Faith had lyen hidden for many yeeres before Christ came but when Christ and his Apostles came they reuiued it and yet made no new article of it but the same that was taught from the beginning of the world to come neerer home After that this doctrine was againe obscured lay hid for many yeeres till it pleased God to raise vp Luther and others which brought it forth to that cleare light that it was in in the Apostles times And is this to make new articles No but to reuiue and to bring to light that which had lyen hid a long time And thus far the Church may goe and no further The second Position is this that the Church cannot make any booke to be Canonicall Scripture which is not so of it selfe For this is to ordaine and decree matters of substance in Religion besides Scripture But do the Papists doe this yes they doe and therefore are here to bee reproued for it as being vtterly vnlawfull for them so to doe For first the number of Canonicall bookes are certaine as themselues confesse and therefore no authority can admit more Secondly if the Church hath power to make bookes that are Apocrypha Canonicall then also shee hath power aswell to reiect some that are Canonicall for hee that hath power to build hath also power to destroy And what were this but for the Church to mayme and mangle the Booke of God as shee list her selfe what an horrible wrong were this to God Thirdly the sheepe of Christ heare his voice they doe not make or frame it Lastly as a Gold smith takes a peece of gold and tries it whether it bee right or counterfeit by the touch stone and before he finds it to be true Gold he doth not make it true Gold for if he finde it to be counterfeit all the Gold smiths that are cannot make it true so must the Church cry which are Canonicall
bookes by the Scripture and not make any so of her selfe for this she cannot doe The third Position is this That as the Church cannot make any booke Canonicall which is not so of it selfe for she hath no power to deuise adde diminish or alter any part of Gods worship outward passages of Gods worship are much in her power as we shall see hereafter but that she may ordaine any part of his worship besides Scripture or affixe remission of sins or other supernaturall effects to the obseruations and ceremonies which she deuiseth all this is but will-worship hatefull to God and expresly forbidden Col. 2.23 Intolerable hath beene the presumption of the Church of Rome in both these For first they haue ordained besides Scripture Images satisfactons new Sacraments new intercessours new propitiatory sacrifices and sundry other parts of Gods worship and seruice Secondly euen to ceremonies of their owne deuising as to crossings processions ringing of Bels pennance and such like they haue ascribed forgiuenes of sinnes driuing away of Deuils and such like gracious effects wherein consists no small part of Gods worship The fourth point is concerning the customes of the Church custome we know preuailes much in matter of practice and many times they are very approuable and not to be varyed from but vpon good occasion yet in matters of Religion yeelding to customes hath bred much inconuenience as wee see amongst vs profaning the Sabbath by playing and walking in the streets and in the fields after the exercises is growen to such a custome as that men thinke it no sinne and so in other things And to speake plainely customes are but a carnall motiue apt to ouer sway the naturall man but of themselues besides Scripture they are no spirituall motiues to the true Beleeuer The ancient fathers tye vp customes in Religion thus short that they must be agreable to the truth so that where truth and customes agree there they are to be admitted else to be reiected Now what is truth Our Sauiour saith Gods Word is truth Iohn 17 17. then if there be any customes in matters of Religion besides the Scriptures which are the truth they must be abolished euen by the Iudgement of the Fathers whom the Papists would seeme to alleadge for these things yea but say they the Apostle Paul alleadgeth custome 1 Cor. 11.16 but how doth he alleadgeth them Against contentions because contentions are against the Word of God so that custome besides Scripture is nothing worth The last point is for matter of traditions Traditions are one mine Piller of Popery and if they leaue them once they will quickly leaue their Religion too Now if we vnderstand traditions in a general sense It intends the whole Doctrine of Saluation which from time to time hath beene deliuered from the fore fathers to the children of the Church And so we willingly embrace traditions as being the Doctrine contained in the word and so the speeches of many of the ancients are to bee expounded and doe make for traditions But in the particular sense as the Popish Church intends them that is vnwritten verities and matters besides Scripture then so there is no building on them If they be verities it is more then we know and being vnwritten we haue no warrant to receiue them to his point we say first eyther there were no such traditions at all or secondly if there were yet they were needlesse considering the sufficiency of the Scripture thirdly if they were needfull yet they were vncertaine lastly if they were certaine yet certainely they were but the words of men and not certainely the word of God First eyther there were none at all I meane for matter of substance yes say they for substance ye haue something by tradition as the Baptisme of Infants the change of the Sabbath and that so many bookes are Canonicall Scripture c. We Answer wee haue not these by tradition for they may sufficiently be proued by good consequence out of the Scripture As first for the Baptisme of Infants we haue the example of our Sauiour in Marke 10.14 And secondly for the Canon of Scripture we haue that place 2 Tim. 3.16 the whole Scripture is giuen by Inspiration from God c. yea but what place in the word saith that so many bookes are Canonicall I Answer euery booke beares witnesse of it selfe and this place of them all that they are Canonicall Thirdly for the change of the Sabbath we haue Reu. 1.10 where it is called the Lords day so that we haue Scripture enough for these things to satisfie an humble minded man that is not contentious Secondly if there were any such yet they were needlesse for supposing the sufficiency of Scripture which we haue proued before what neede vnwritten traditions besides Scripture Indeed before the Word of saluation was committed to writing It was needfull that it should be deliuered by word of mouth from man to man but the word being now written and hauing beene now written these 1610. yeeres and as much written as euer shall be what haue we to doe with traditions besides Scripture Thirdly if they were necessary yet they are vncertaine for how shall I know that the Apostles deliuered ought by tradition or that the Churches after them be they either de facto or de iure For that which is alleadged from the Apostle in the 2 Thess 2.15 keepe the Instructions yee haue bin taught eyther by word or by Epistle whereupon they say the Apostle left traditions and Epistle I Answere these words doe not imply any diuersity in the things he taught but onely in the manner of deliuery looke what he preacht he writte And whatsoeuer can be alleaged for the Churches after them is but the testimony of man we must know it by history and what certainety is there in that to repose my Saluation vpon Lastly if they were certaine yet all this while they were but certaine the traditions of men and certainely not the Word of God And therefore here is the damnable presumption of the Papists that they by name call them the Word of God vnwritten equall them both in authority to binde the conscience in necessity to be beleeued and obeyed with the written word common sence and reason which is endued but with the least touch of Religion will easily decide this controuersie If we adde heere to determination of councels consent of fathers decrees of Popes and other patches and faynings of Popish Religion the conclusion must be this that either there were none such or if there were they were not beside Scripture but according to it or else if they were besides Scripture then they were no matter of substances nor Saluation nor to be receiued as such The second Vse is for Instruction to teach vs what Vse 2 it is that our faith must be framed by and what euery truth is to be tryed by And that is
the Scripture the written Word of God and nothing else The Scripture is the onely rule of Faith and of obedience what it teacheth must onely be beleeued and what it commands must onely be obeyed and nothing else as necessary to saluation And generally all Churches acknowledge the Scripture to be the canon yea the Popish Church to his day retaines the name though they cast it out at the backgate yet at the foregate they take it in the Canon that is as much to say as the rule Now what is to be done with a rule All things are to be fitted to it and not it to any thing Carpenters and Masons they fitte their tymber and stone to the rule and not the rule to the tymber or stone so then the Scripture being the rule whatsoeuer is to be beleeued or obeyed must be squared by it and looke how much it comes short or goes beyond or misseth on this hand or that of the rule so much it comes short of true sauing faith and obedience and so much wee goe out of the way of Saluation therefore cast away all other measures as crooked traditions customes c. and sticke fast onely to this rule as to the perfect square of all Religion we must put nothing to Gods Word nor take ought there from this the Lord himselfe commands Deut. 4.2 and 5.32.35 Secondly as this is the rule of faith so it is the tryall of euery truth the Scripture is the onely touch stone of truth if Paul teach the truth it must be tryed by the Scriptures Act 17.11 Let heathen men bring their Paganisme the Turcks their Alcoran the Iewes their Talmud the Papists their Catechismes councels customes and traditions to this touchstone and this this will shew them all to be starke counterfeits very drosse and filth not worthy to be once looked after much lesse to bee esteemed the pretious golden truth of God that soules should be saued by Lastly yet mistake not as to thinke that all matters of substance and saluation were expresly in the word that is by name and in so many words as we are to apprehend it but at least by consequence and to be deducted by sound and sanctified reason applying it to the circumstances of the Text and to the analogy of faith And so we haue finished those things that concerne matters of substance Wee come in the next place to matters of circumstance and these are of two sorts either miracles or discipline either miracles for indeed it is a part of the power of the Catholique visible Church as it containes altogether from the Apostles themselues downe to our times for with them it was an ordinary thing to doe miracles Matth. 10.1 Our Sauiour gaue them power against vncleane Spirits to cast them out c and Marke 16.17 and 1 Cor. 12.9.10 to another is giuen the the guifts of healing to another the operation of great workes by the same Spirit And it was very necessary at the first planting of the Gospell that they should haue this power for the confirming of their office and authority that planted it but now there is no vse of miracles their Doctrine and writings being sufficiently confirmed already and therefore that power is restrained and what Church soeuer challengeth this power may iustly be censured for Anti-christian spoken of in the 2 Thes 2.9 Secondly or Discipline and that is of two sorts either matter of Gouernement or matter of Ceremonies of the first wee haue spoken already of the second wee will speake a word by Ceremonies we vnderstand the time place and gesture to be obserued in Gods worship and seruice we will contriue the whole businesse into this obseruation Euery particular visible Church hath power from God to ordaine some outward Rites and Ceremonies for the outward carriage of Gods worship within that Church or Congregation Marke the parts of the Note Doct. First I say euery visible Church for the inuisible not being contained within the bounds of any one setled outward state can haue no such orders Secondly I say particular for besides that a generall visible Church cannot so be properly assigned to a place and if it were yet being of so large an extent as commonly it is it cannot be brought within the compasse of the same outward Rites Thirdly I say hath power from God to ordaine Ceretaine Rites Fourthly I say for the outward carriage of Church businesse for they haue nothing to doe with the Inward man Fifthly I say they must be within that particular Church for one Church is not to prescribe another what they should doe except their case be very like and that there be a willingnesse in the Receiuer So the Note is cleare we come to the proofes Acts 15.1 2. In the Church of Antioch there was a matter in question as touching Circumcision an outward Ceremony the Apostles being then at Ierusalem were by the consent of the Church of Antioch consulted withall about it and accordingly they deliuer their iudgement in the 23. verse c. And therein shew their power and consequently the power of the Church after them for the causes being perpetuall the course must be perpetuall too and they shew their power both in disanulling some Ceremonies as Circumcision vers 10. as abstaming from meat offered to Idolls and blood verse 20. which were certainely things in their owne nature indifferent as the Apostle shewes of meats 1 Corinth 8.8 And yet all this they did with the assistance of the holy Ghost verse 28. and that onely in things needfull as in the same verse and this they did not so much for the thing it selfe but for the auoyding of offence And so in the 1 Cor. 11.2 c. where the Apostle mentions the ordinances which hee had deliuered them already which are generally vnderstood of matters of order and decency and the circumstances make it plaine enough for after verse 3 c. he deliuers them other ordinances keepe which hee had not deliuered them before concerning the vncouering of the mans head and the couering of the womans head which were things indifferent in themselues yet for comlinesse sake hee doth there inioyne them and verse 20 c. hee deliuers certaine other ordinances concerning the outward carriage of Gods worship in the Lords Supper as their tarrying one for another eating before c. verse 33.34 And whereas many other things were out of frame with them he promiseth in the end of 34. verse to order the rest at his comming to them where it is cleare that the ordering of things concerning the outward carriage of Gods worship is in the power of the Church it selfe for still the Rule holds that the disease continuing alwaies requires a continuall reamedy from time to time So in the 1. Cor 14.26 40. The Apostle would haue all things done decently and in order hee giues them this generall rule for matters of Ceremony and they must draw particulars accordingly
consent proues not alwaies a true Church nor a true Religion for then the Iewes should be a true Church and their Religion true because they all consented to crucifie Christ and with one voyce cryed Crucifie him crucifie him here is consent and yet in the bloodiest matter that euer was in the world And so on the contrary Peter Paul and Paul and Barnabas should be of a false Church and a false Religion because they dissented and contended sharply but this was nothing to ouerthrow the truth of their Religion nor of the Church they were members of yea we see oft times that the worst matters are carried with the greatest consent and the best with great dissention as it is in the body that is the soundest body that striues most to expell hurtfull humours so that is the soundest Church that is most exercised with bickerings against the aduersaries of the Truth and in the true Church it is needfull that there should be dissentions and heresies that those that are approued may be knowne 1 Cor. 11.18 19. So much be spoken for the Papists exceptions which they take against vs for this dissention Now secondly wee are to shew what vse we are to make of these dissentions and differences surely though wee will not name them yet wee may make many good vses of them and first this should stirre vp our bowels of compassion to mourne for the breaches of Ierusalem and to see the Lord dishonoured and his truth blasphemed and the Church miserably distracted by mens infirmities frailties and dissentions Secondly this discouers the diuells malice that cannot not endure to see the worke of God to goe on prosperously forward but sets euen the builders themselues at variance to hinder them from building and from ioyning together with one hand against the common aduersarie yea he carries them into such outrage of passion and speech that thereby their persons and cause is much disgraced before the world so that if they were censured by his outrage they may seeme rather to be of the diuell then of God Thirdly heere wee may see the corruption and weakenesse if not wilfulnesse of men that rather then they will disclaime their errors and put vp disgracefull and opprobrious speeches they passe not to set the whole Church of God on fire Fourthly hence wee learne the nature of truth that neuer comes forth but incumbred with many oppositions both within and without and still mingled with some errors and contentions euen in the chiefe professors themselues Lastly hence we learne the power wisedome and goodnesse of God so that doth restraine the rage of man and the malice of Satan that howsoeuer we differ in some points yet we agree in the chiefe as in Iustification by faith alone and howsoeuer we differ among our selues yet each of vs agree against Anti-Christ and Popery with a common hand though not so throughly as otherwise we might doe yet so as neither of vs yeeld one iot to the Papist though they expected long ere this to haue deuoured both them and vs as a prey or at least that they should haue slept in a whole skinne as wee say working vpon the aduantage of our former dissentions The third point is what wee are to esteeme of these Churches notwithstanding these errors and dissentions Surlev if we should condemne them as false Churches wee should be very vncharitable and wicked For they haue been the chiefest instrument vnder God of our calling therefore far be it from vs to deny them to bee a true Church Besides we should wrong them much for seeing they affirme directly the foundation and euery part thereof there is no colour why wee should giue such hard sentence against them therefore let vs esteeme them as brethren and acknowledge them to be Gods owne Churches and let vs commiserate their blindnesse and ignorance and let vs beare with their infirmities and let vs passe by the wrongs they offer vs and let vs blesse God for the good that is in them and let vs intreate God to open their eyes and to pacify their mindes and to reconcile these vnhappy differences that are betwixt vs and to knit our hearts together in the bond of peace that we may be all of one minde and iudgement and speake one and the same thing And so much bee spoken concerning the Lutheran Churches Now we come to speake of our own Church which hath beene the speciall reach and shall bee the finall conclusion of this whole discourse We are generally acknowledged by most Protestant Churches that we are as well reformed in Doctrine as any Church It is Gods great mercy to vs that we are so reformed in the best and weightiest things And it is no small comfort to vs that wee haue the approbation of other Churches confessing for vs that we are a true Church of God sound in the faith so that if we doe faile in discipline as they say yet the substance being sound the danger is the lesse Discipline makes onely for the Beauty of a Church but yet neyther doâ—h the presence of it make a true Church nor the absence of it cannot marre the life being of a true Church therfore if wee be not reformed herein as we should for some reformation we haue many points and parts of Discipline are farre better amongst vs then in the Popish Churches yet as long as our faith is sound the life and being of our Church is sound and good I will deliuer the point by way of Obseruation Doctr. and that is this The Church of England euen as now it stands though it be guilty of many saylings and weaknesses yet notwithstanding it is a true and in good measure a sound visible Church of God first I doe acknowledge many faylings weaknesses in our church that I may not bee mistaken as if I should smooth vp the State of our Church as many doe with all is well when some things are amisse or iustifie euery particular because we haue many good things amongst vs No if there be any Baal amongst vs let him plead for himselfe I wil not plead for him Secondly I say that it is not onely a true but in some good measure a sound visible Church to distinguish it from other Churches specially from the Church of Rome which in some sense as we shewed is a true visible church but very vnsound but ours is true sound too that in some good measure The want of which difference rightly obserued hath caused many vncharitable censures to passe from vs against the church of Rome from the separatists against vs Thirdly I speake of the Church of England indefinitely which seemes strange in some eares that the whole company of professors in England should be called one Church and so make a nationall Church which say they is meerely a humane inuention not warrantable by the Word but to iustifie this speech against their exception take these
What things are to be warranted Warrants for the cautions conditions and carriage of the businesse are First more principall Secondly inferâ—our warrant Second head and in it fiue Rules The second Rule That is vncomely in one place which is decent in another What is to be reputed decent Order extends it selfe to two things First to things to be done Secondly to persons The third Rule Three wayes how peace is indangered The fourth Rule Three wayes how this rule is broken The fifth Rule The third head and that is the end And there be two kinds of them Two graces necessary for this First wisedome Secondly love When this Rule is swerved from Instances in divers duties Proofes are here vsed because omitted before The sixth generall things concerning the Church viz. the priuiledges of it In this head two points handled 1 handled by way of obseruation Reasons 2 things handled viz. the priuiledges of Church and they be of two sorts 1 humane 2 diâ—r these â—uers sorts generally of two sorts 1. In respect of others both friends and enemies 2. In respect of themselues 1 temporall priuiledges 2. Spirituall priuiledges theseâ— of two sorts 1 common to all the members 2. proper to the true Beleeuers and these of two sorts 1. matters of present possession of diuers kindes 4 The workes God doth for the faithfull 2. matters of future certainties 2. other speciall priuileges added and intreated on 1. concerning the infallibe guidance of the Church by Gods Spirit and so whether the Church can erre or no either in manners or in Doctrine or in both or in neyther Errors of foure sorts 1. what a fundamentall Errors is Errors in smaller matters what they be Difference btwâ—eene them that erre in the foundation and them that erre in smaller matters The second thing is concerning the necessity of being a member of the Church if euer wee will attaine saluation and so whether any may be saued out of the Church or no. Extra fidem Ecclesiae Morn 451. The seuenth generall head in the doctrin of the church viz. the aduersaries and opposites of it This handled in 5. point â— Th◠〈…〉 that the Church of God hath many Aduersaries to oppose it deliuered in a Doctrine Stiâ—ting vp to many duties The second point what these aduersaries are and they are many 2. sort 3. sort 4. sort 5. sort 6. sort 7. sort 8. sort 9. sort 10. sort 11. sort 12. sort Vse 3. The third point which is how these Aduersaries oppose vs. The matter they strike at 1 against the persons of professors 2 against their profession The manner of their opposition â— secretly 2. openâ— 3. The means or weapons wherby they fight against Gods Children 1 carnall reasons and therein 2. Religious pretences and herein 1. Scriptures 2. that they are the Church 3. miracles 3. more grosse dealing The 4. point how the Church is to carry her selfe to her aduersaries 2. things to be done that we may be able to make a good fight What is to be done in it and therein 2. things The 2 worke to be done 2 thing how it is to be done The 5 point how the Lord carrieth himselfe to his Church and their aduersaries How God is with the saith full in many respects How God is against the enemies his Church many waies Vse 2. The 8. generall head of the Church viz. the power and auhority of it And in it 3. things to be spoken vnto 1. that there is a power 2. point what manner of power it is and in it things asserted 1 that it is not humane but diuine How we may know when the Church speakes true or false Two things asserted that power of the Church is not temporal but spirituall The 3. thing asserted that the Power of the Church is limited and scantled within the bounds of the Word The 4. thing asserted that the power of the Church is the greatest power on earth Kings are vnder the power of the Church though they be aboue the persons that exercise it The 3 point is what it is that the Church haue power in it is double 1. ouer persons and that 1 either as members either not come in to admitte Who are to be admitted The Act and meanes of admission This not to be renued vpon any falling away How far the Magistrate may compell Or to repell them Or secondly as come in to keepe them in or cast them out Or thirdly ouer members as Officers to choose or refuse place or displace Secondly the Church hath power ouer things and these either matters of substance as touching the Scripture and therein first touching the credit of the Scripture And herein whether the authority of Church bee greater then the authority of the Spripture Bellarmy de Verbo Dei interpret 246. The blasphemous speeches of the Papists concerning the Scripture without the approbation of the church The Church of Rome is that whore of Babilon The best positions of the Papists in this controuersie Answered How the Church is to be beleeued and obeyed Answered Reasons against it Reply How we must esteeme of the Scriptures How we must esteeme of the Church 4. Wayes how we may know the scripture to be the Scripture 6 Rules concerning our beleeuing what the Church saith of the authority of the Scripture The second thing the Church hath power in about the Scripture is thâ— sense of it and how farre it hath power therein Hieron in Epist ad Gelat cap. 1. Reprouing first the opinion of the Papists The Scriptures speake and haue a voyce How the Church is the mouth of the Scripture The Scripture not dumbe Secondly their practice first in regard of the vulgar latine translation imposed by them as the authenticall Text. Secondly in that all their Expositors are slaues and vassalls to their Church Thirdly in regard of the oath which generally all Papists recâ—ue concerning the exposition of the Scripture The Fathers doe all generally concur and yet misse in the right expounding of the Scriptures Fourthly in that they rely vpon the iudgements of Councells and the Popeâ— in case the Church dissent First other mens and the Churches expositions are to be examined by vs. Ob. Answer 1. Rectract lib. cap. 18. Secondly in framing expositions of our owne we must come not as masters to teach but as schollers to learne to the Scriptures Directions to walke and be ruled by when wee seeke the sense of the Scripture they are of three sortes 1 some before wee come to expound the Scripture they are 7. Things to be obserued in the businesse it selfe How we may consulie with Gods Spirit What is the analogie of faith Things to be doue after Diuers obiections against this doctrine Ob. 2. Ob 5. Of the authority of the Church in matters besides the Scriptures and what is to be held therein The places that proue this are of foure sorts First such as ascribe thâ—s authority to God alone Secondly such as commend
vnto vs the sufficiency Scripâ— Thirdly such as forbid any addition to or detraction from the Scripture Fourthly such as condemne all Doctrine taught either without or besides the Scripture Rhemists 15 Acts â— The Papists say the church may coyne new articles of faith What authority the Church hath about articles of Faith Hyper 6â— Hyper 54. Secondly that the Church make any booke to bee Canonicall Scripture Which the Papists hould this confuted by diuers reasons Thirdly that the Church hath power to deuise adde diminish or alter any part of Gods worship which the Church of Rome hath done prooued by diuerse things Fourthly concerning customes The fathers iudgement concerning customes Fifthly concerning traditions How and in what sense tradition is to bee receiued Answers to the Popish tenent concerning tradititions Answer 1. Ob. Answer wherin is shewed that the Baptisme of Infants the change of the Sabbath and that so many bookes are Canonicall Scripture and are not had by tradition but proued by good consequence out of the Scripture Answ 2. Answ 3. Their proofe out of 2 Thes 2.15 Answe Answ 4. The scripture the so onely rule of saith acknowledged to bee by all Churches generally Secondly the Scripture is the onely tryall of euery truth How euery matter of substance is to be found in the Scripture Concerning Churches power in matters of circumstance and they are of two sortes one of miracles and what is to be helde concerning the same Secondly of discipline and this is of two sorts either matter of dâ—scipline which is spoken of before or secondly matter of ceremonies and what the church hath power to doe therein The bounds the Church is to keepe in ordaining matters of ceremony 1. 2. Vse 2. 1. The ninth generall point concerning the Church viz. the application of all that hath bin spoken to all visible Churches in christendome that I know of The generall diuision of all churches that haue beene or are since our Sauiours time into Easterne and WesteÌ„rne and this according to their scâ—tuation Secondly according to their language and so some be greek and some latin Churches VVhether Schismaticall or hereticall Churches may be accounted true visible Churches What a Schismatike church is Hereticall Churches First what they are and when any particular man is to be reputed an Heretike Heresies of 2. sorts first such as ouerthrow the foundation What this fundation is Resol Those that deny directly this foundation or any part thereof cease to bee Christians and are no more visible Churcher The Greeke Churches be here spoken of and what weare to thinke of them 1. of the Greeke Churches generally disperse in most at the Easterne parts of the world Ortelius 100. Ortelius 97. 98. 108. Secondly the Greeke Churches which are more particularly and properly so called and what we are to hold of them deliuered in an obseruation Doct. The mayne error of the Greeke Churches The Greeke Churches better then the Popish-Church The Papists vnchatarible censuring the Greeke Churches answered The Greeke Churches not guâ—lty of Schisme from Rome The Greeke Churches neuer subiect to the Romane Church One note of the Church as the Papists account it is found in the Greeke Church viz succession of Bishops The goodnes of God in perseruing of his Churches seene in the Greeke Churches vnder the Turke The miseries of the Greeke Church vnder the Turke in many particulars in regard of their persecutions in regard of the Religion of the Turks The Religion of the Turks 1. a pestilent Religion directly opposite to Christ 2. It ouerspreadeth a great part of the knowne world 3. It is a pleasing Religion For what it was that the Lord suffered such famous Churches to come to ruine applied to vs. The Western churches and first of those that acknowledge the Pope their head as the Church of Rome and those that hold with her and what maâ— be said and held of her deliuered in two obseruations The church of Rome as now it standeth may in some sense be reputed a true visible Church A differenâ—e betweene the papacy or the popâ—sh â—action and some better spirits amongst them in regard of whom the whole may be called a true Church The popish church doth not directly deny any part of the fundation but in outward shew of words affirme it The church of Rome hath beene a true Church The Papists by their Doctrine of iustification by workes must ouerthrow the foundation they by this ouer throw Christ not directly but by consequence Quest Answ It is not so great a sin to deny Christ directly as by consequence yet hee that doth this deserueth to be cut off from Gods mercy The Church of Rome compared with the Church of Israel 2. with the Church of the Iewes in our Sauiours times With the Church of Galatia Circumcision doth as neerely by consequence cut off from Christ as iustification by workes with the of Church Sardis Baptisme a true Sacrament in Rome and rightly administred there for the substance of it Those that were Baptised in the Church of Rome were lawfully Baptised Ob 1. Answ Ob. 2. Answ The ordinati of our Ministers from the Church of Rome and yet a lawfull ordination The question where the Church was before Luthers time answered The inconuenience preuented by acknowledging that the Church of Rome may be accounted a true Church What to thinke of our fathers that liued in the Popish Church They of the Popish Chuâ—ch are to â—e â—udâ—ed rather mis-beleeuers then vnbeleeuers The 2. Obseruation wherein is further delired what may be sayd and held further of the church of Rome The Church of Rome so corrupt that it is not lawfull to ioyne with her This that is spoken against thee is in respect of the Pope and Popish factors Corruption of the Church of Rome reduced to 2. sorts 1. matter of Doctrine reduced to 1. part of the Doctrine Foure heads 1 concerning Scriptures And their error therein Three things 1 denying the sufficiency of the Scripture 2 Perâ—erting the truth of the Scripture 3 Disanulling the authorâ—ty and credit of the Scripture many wayes 1 teaching the apochryphaâ—l bookes to be canonicall Scripture Secondly equalling traditions of men with the written word of God Thirdly preferring the authority of the Church aboue the Scripture Two heads wherein they orre in matter of Doctrine viz concerning the direct offices of the Mediator The Papists say there bee many mediators betwixt God and man The distinction of mediators of intercession and redemption answered Two things in a Mediator To be mediator of intercession is peculiar to Christ as well as to be mediator of redemption The popish shâ—ft off praying to the Saints not as helpers but as intercessor Answered The popish reason for praying to the Saints departed drawn from our desiâ—ing the Saints on earth to pray for vs Answered The third head wherein the church of Rome erreth in doctrine and that is concerning Images The church of Rome an abominable whore deseruing
outwardly discerned to the worlds end And this is it that Austen and the Fathers meane when they compare the Church to the Moone that is sometimes in an eclipse so darkened that it cannot be seene So we see we haue the consent of the Fathers too against the Papists And so much for the proofe of the Point The Reasons are many and they all strengthen one another especially the first three must be laid together else they are not sufficient apart to proue the Point Reas 1 The first Reason is this The members of the Church are sometimes very few they are alwayes few in comparison to the wicked but sometimes they are few simply in respect of themselues as in the old World when the Church was in Noahs Family Now that which few doe except it be some notorious thing or person is little obseruable to the World Reas 2 Secondly as they are few so withall for the most part they are but meane persons the poore receiue the Gospell Now that which poore and meane Ones doe is generally neglected not taken notice of except it be some notorious exploit and therefore Reas 3 Thirdly that which they doe the profession of Christ is no such notorious thing that the World regards it or takes notice of it and therefore it is not sought after except it be either by the true members that seeke to ioyne with it and they are but very few or else by persecutors and such seeke after it onely to destroy it as Herod did after Christ Matth. 2.13 not to bee members of it And hence it is that they are so hardly discerned Fourthly their Persecutors many times bring them to Reas 4 this low scantling and so it was in the dayes of Eliah the Prophet the Prophets were slaine with the sword 1. King 19.10 and that was the reason of the scarcity of the faithfull in those times And so it was in Dioclesians time all the Christians that were found were put to death their bodies were burnt and their Temples were ouerthrowne where was the face of the Church at this time Persecution had brought it to this low scantling that it was not to be discerned And this is shadowed to vs in Matth. 8.24 by the ship that our Sauiour and his Disciples were in that was couered with waues so that it was hardly to be discerned yet it sanke not so is the state of the Church of God in this world that sometimes it is couered with the waues and rage of persecutors like to be swallowed vp hardly to be discerned but yet it liues Fifthly sometimes Heresies and Schismes arise in the Reas 5 Church and they sway the world after them ouercomming the true doctrine and the communion of the Church as it was in the time when Arius with his Heresie ouer-spread the whole world in so much that the World did wonder at it selfe to see it selfe become an Arian as the Ecclesiasticall History sets it downe Where could a man say now This is the true Church whereunto I must ioyne Sixthly those that make profession to be and indeed Reas 6 are of the Church are but men and therefore sometimes fearefull and will not stand to their profession but flie away as the Disciples of our Sauiour did Matth. 26.56 they all forsooke him and fled like fearefull men where was the face of the Church then Seuenthly Counterfeits and Deceiuers are very cunning Reas 7 and will set as good a face on idolatry and superstition on hypocrisie and on the Synagogue of Satan as the Church of God can doe on the sauing faith and Religion the false Apostles can transforme themselues into the Apostles of Christ 1. Cor. 11.13 14. and Mat. 24.24 our Sauiour saith that false Christs and false Apostles shall arise and shall shew great signes and wonders so that if it were possible they shall deceiue the very elect So that the true Church shall not be so easily discerned because of these deceiuers Reas 8 Eightly the Corruption of mans heart which suffereth it selfe easily to be drawne from the truth and to content himselfe with the name and shadow of the Church and Religion when the truth and substance is gone as the Scribes and Pharisies and the Iewes did in our Sauiours time And hence it is also that the Church is brought to so low an estate sometime Reas 9 Ninthly it is from the malice of Satan his instruments for they cannot abide that the Church should flourish so much as outwardly Reu. 12.4 to 14. who draue the Woman into the wildernesse but the great red Dragon the Diuell Reas 10 The tenth reason is taken from Gods mercifull prouidence and wisedome that hides his people from the rage of the wicked he hath them in a Corner and yet is contented to let them lie hidden that they may haue a breathing time from persecutions and that their enemies may not bend their forces against them therefore oft-times there is no apparant face of a true Church but God hides the faithfull secretly in his Tabernacle from the eyes of men that their enemies may not persecute them As also thereby hee tries the faithfull whether they will walke by faith as well as by appearance for whilst there is an outward face of a true Church many wil make an outward shew of the profession of faith and religion But when there is none then here is the triall whether men will walke faithfully or no. Likewise God doth it for the iust condemnation of the reprobate he leaues them iustly without any apparant teaching or profession of better Religion to perish in their owne sinnes and ignorance flattering himselfe that he is in the right because he can see no better any where else for when they heare of no better religion then their owne they harden themselues in it and so iustly perish Lastly God hath passed his promise onely for the perpetuity Reas 11 of his Church for the being of it not for any flourishing outward estate Matth. 16.18 The gates of hell shall not preuaile against the Church to ouercome it and to destroy the being of it but any thing else they may do to it they may deface it suppresse it banish it driue it into a narrow Corner but they shall neuer ouercome it they may and doe destroy the perpetuity of the visiblenesse of it but the perpetuity of the being of it they shall neuer destroy Thus farre God hath promised and tyed himselfe and so farre we may expect and looke for it and no further So much for the reasons The Vses are these First this serues to refute those Papists Vse 1 that hold a perpetuall notorious visiblenesse of the Church Some doe not hold it therefore it refutes those that doe their Speeches are large in this kinde for they say that the Church must be as notoriously visible as any kingdome in the world and their notes of the Church as multitude succession pompe visibility headship and that at Rome
Bellarmine tendeth directly hereto and they labour to proue it with all their power and it stands them vpon for if this doth not stand the whole forme of their Church falls to the ground For whereas they say the true Church is alwaies notoriously visible and therefore their Church being so is the true Church We say and haue prooued that the true Church of God is sometime brought into such straights that the outward face thereof doth not at all or at least doth hardly appeare and therefore it will follow that if their Church haue and shall be alwayes notoriously visible then theirs is not the true Church Their exceptions bee of small moment if they be well considered I will stand but vpon two or three of the chiefe They alleage out of the fifth of Matthew and the fourteenth Verse That the Church is the light of the World now the light is alwaies seene therefore the Church is alwayes seene I answer This is spoken personally to the Disciples Ye are the light of the world and it is to be extended to the Ministers of the Gospell in regard of the Duty of Holinesse to be practised by them that they should not walke offensiuely to the World but rather to prouoke them to the practise of holinesse by the light of their good example How doth this serue then to proue the continual visiblenesse of the Church Besides I say that a Light may bee eclipsed for a time and yet be a Light still The Moone is a Light and yet not alwayes visible for sometimes it is eclipst and yet then it is as good a Light as when it is in her full brightnesse and therefore if this were to be vnderstood of the Church it doth not proue that it is alwaies visible because it is a Light Further I say that by that reason their life for that is as well if not chiefely vnderstood by the Light as vers 16. is also without error too as well as their Doctrine and that alwayes which is not so Lastly if it doe giue Light alwayes yet it is but to those that are in the house verse 15. that is to those that are members of the Church and that wee easily grant but what is this to proue the notorious visiblenesse of the Church to the world Secondly they alleage the eighteene of Matthew and the seuenteenth vers where our Sauiour saith Tell the Church and therefore there must bee alwayes a visible Church Marke saith Campian here is a remedy for a disease now the disease remaines alwaies and therefore the remedy must alwaies remaine I answer It is true it is a remedy for those that lie in such a state there spoken of and in some sense it is alwaies performed euen when two or three are ioyned together in the faith though there be no knowne visibility they may tell one another for it is not here meant that they shall appeale to Rome Their third exception is this but say they they that beleeue be they few or many must make profession of their faith else they cannot bee saued Rom. 10.10 now if they must alwayes make profession then they are alwaies seene and so the Church is alwayies visible I answer It is true they must professe alwaies and so they doe except it bee in time of their infirmity But must they do it to all the world No they may doe it among themselues alwayes though there bee but two or three of them yea and when they are many they may doe it to the eye of the World too if there bee no certaine danger in it yea though there be certaine danger in it yet if they haue a calling to it they are resolute euen to die for the profession of it and that is as much profession as is required And yet because their number is but few and that they liue in certaine places and are in this case for the most part obscure and simple men therefore it is not possible that any such generall notice should bee taken of them and those that doe heare of them or see them are vsually little mooued by their example at least they are seldome perswaded that they are the true Church and so ioyne with them Therefore there is no such perpetuall notorious visiblenesse of the Church as they would haue We will returne vpon them with these two Points and choke them with these two bones First wee aske them where the Church shall be when Antichrist comes for they themselues confesse that in Antichrists time there shall bee a desolation of the Church therefore by their owne confession it may and shall be sometimes inuisible Yea but say they ours is the true Church still though it be then obscured and we say then that Antichrist is come and our Church obscured therefore by their owne reason our Church is the true Church The second is from their Church which they haue here among vs they haue a Church here among vs here be Papists and Masses Arch-priests and Priests this themselues will not deny nay they boast of it sometimes yet is their Church visible among vs They will not affirme it at least they will not say it is visible in their sense that is that the world may take notice of it neither was it euer countenanced nor tolerated in our State so that in our sense and to vs it is inuisible and so may our Church bee to them The second Vse is for admonition to admonish vs that Vse 2 wee should not alwayes expect a glorious estate of the Church outwardly this is for earthly States and Kingdomes wee must not dreame of a temporall Kingdome here for Christs Kingdome is spirituall not of this World The Papists they say that it must be as glorious outwardly as any kingdome in the world but we must take heed that we be not carried away with shewes with the lookes of the Whore for Gods Kingdome comes not with obseruations Vse 3 Thirdly this may minister comfort to vs and may stay vs in the most desperate times that are when Satan rages most when persecutors are most bloody and deadly when the Prophets are slaine Gods Altars destroyed the Couenant forsaken when wee see hauocke to bee made of the Church faith renounced when wee see those that made great profession of Religion to hide their heads and like Starres to fall from Heauen when we see the Sunne to bee darkened and the Moone to bee turned into blood when we see Antichrist in his pride and pompe in the very Temple of God himselfe when wee see Heretikes swaying the World after them Schismatikes cutting and tearing out the bowels of their Mother the Church Nay euen in the generall Apostasie and reuolt from all Grace and Religion when there shall bee no honesty nor conscience found amongst men yet be not dismayed but rest thy selfe fully contented and satisfied with this truth that surely still God hath his Church in the World though there bee no
Hezekiah sent forth messengers throughout all Israel and Iudah with godly letters for the keeping of the Passeouer and the wicked laughed them to scorne but the Text notes in the twelfth Verse that the hand of God was in Iudah so that he gaue them one heart to doe the Commandement of the King The King might haue commanded long enough yet if God had not giuen the people a heart they would neuer haue obeyed him so that all other meanes are vtterly voide yea nothing without God 1 Co. 3.7 Neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God that giueth the increase Now if God giues vs these outward instrumentall Causes of the being of his Church hee giues vs the inward much more as Repentance and Faith and principally the chiefe of all Gods Spirit is giuen vs meerely and freely of God 2 Cor. 1.22 Who hath also sealed vs and giuen vs the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts So that wee see the instrumentall causes of the Church both inward and outward are of God So also the materiall cause that is of God too 1 Cor. 3.9 Ye are Gods building saith the Apostle The formall cause that is of God also the outward formall cause which is our ioynt and publike profession of the faith 1 Cor. 12.3 No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost specially the inward formall cause is of God 1 Cor. 1.9 Wee are called of God to the fellowship of his Sonne Iesus Christ Lastly the finall cause that is of God too Gods Word labours husbandry ordinances Church c. are not onely of and from him as he being the efficient cause of them but also for him and his glory as he being the finall cause of them So likewise if we cast our eyes on the by-causes of the Church God is all in all euen in them too yea extraordinarily in these so that hee seemes rather to haue a greater hand in these than in the rest that God should make persecution which tends of it selfe to the destruction of the Church to bee a cause of the being of the Church this then shewes that God is all in all in causing his Church So much for the Reasons The vses are these First Vse is for instruction to teach vs Vse 1 that seeing the Lord is all in all in causing his Church then let him be reuerently and ingenuously acknowledged so to be And in that respect First let such congregations as haue tasted Gods bounty in this kind ascribe all the honour and praise and glory of that their blessed state to him alone and that which I say of whole congregations let euery one in particular practise and that both for the congregation and specially for himselfe We must not dote on the meanes though they be singular helpes vnder God the Ministers gifts nor any other thing the Church hath it must not bee doated vpon It is true that wee must esteeme highly of them and labour for the good of them and acknowledge what benefit we haue receiued from them and be thankefull to them yet still I say it is all the Lords doing and let him haue all the glory of them and if euer there should such a presumptuous thought come into our heads of doating vpon them we must euer haue that in a readinesse in our minds which the Apostle speakes 1 Cor. 3.5 They are but ministers by whom we beleeued let God haue the honor and praise of all that the Church hath for it is all his doing Secondly as this should stirre vs vp to thankfulnesse for the good we haue already receiued so it should stirre vs vp to prayer and continuall calling vpon God that he would bee pleased in his good time to afford the meanes of his Church where they are wanting And that where they are there God who is all in all in his Church would bee pleased to confirme increase and continue them for euer that so he may haue a Church there to the worlds end Alas what is it to haue care for our selues onely as Iosiah had Lord saith hee let there be peace in my dayes but we must haue a care of our posterity and pray that God would continue his Church to them too and this is a necessary duty both for Ministers and People and that each for himselfe and one for another the Minister hee is to pray for himselfe that the Lord would open his mouth and sanctifie his heart and affections that he may preach powerfully and effectually and for the people that they may bee teachable and tractable humble willing and ready to vnderstand and beleeue obey and practise that which they are taught And so likewise the people they are to pray for their Minister and for themselues too that God would open their Ministers mouth and sanctifie his heart and affections that he might preach powerfully and effectually to them and also that they might haue teachable hearts ready and willing to heare and to obey and that God would water their hearts with his Spirit that they may be fruitfull Thirdly this should stirre vs vp to vse the meanes profitably which are the causes of the Church let them not be vnprofitable towards vs much lesse let them bee contemned of vs but let vs make a good vse of them as of Gods speciall ordinances which hee will surely reuenge if we contemne them Doth the Lord bend himselfe wholly and all his forces as it were to make vs vnderstanding wise and obedient and to bring vs to himselfe and shall wee neglect so great saluation and not make vse of it to bee brought vnto God Doe not receiue such a pretious grace of God in vaine but embrace it take the opportunitie of it now is the accepted time now is the day of saluation now God stands at the doore and knockes now the Table is prepared the victuals are ready and the Guests are called therefore let vs now quicken vp our selues let vs take hold on the promise of Grace and let vs receiue the Word not as the word of man but as it is indeed the Word of the eternall God powerfull to saue vs if we beleeue and obey it or else if wee refuse and contemne it powerfull to condemne vs and to cast vs headlong into hell Vse 2 The second vse is matter of comfort to vs seeing God is all in all in constituting his Church then it assures vs of the welfare of the Church it shall goe well with the Church although Satan bend all his forces against it though the wicked maligne and persecute it God is for it who can be against it It is of God and therefore it shall stand in despight of Satan and all his forces It is God that plants his vine who can roote it out He makes a hedge about it who can breake it downe Yea God is a wall of fire about his Church therefore whosoeuer comes neere to hurt it shall be consumed