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A86417 Philosophicall rudiments concerning government and society. Or, A dissertation concerning man in his severall habitudes and respects, as the member of a society, first secular, and then sacred. Containing the elements of civill politie in the agreement which it hath both with naturall and divine lawes. In which is demonstrated, both what the origine of justice is, and wherein the essence of Christian religion doth consist. Together with the nature, limits, and qualifications both of regiment and subjection. / By Tho: Hobbes.; De cive. English Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679.; Vaughan, Robert, engraver. 1651 (1651) Wing H2253; Thomason E1262_1; ESTC R202404 220,568 406

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questions concerning Right and Philosophy And they who doe judge that any thing can be determin'd contrary to this common consent of men concerning the appellations of things out of obscure places of Scripture doe also judge that the use of speech and at once all humane society is to be taken away for he who hath sold an whole field will say he meant one whole ridg● and will retaine the rest as unsold nay they take away reason it selfe which is nothing else but a searching out of the truth made by such consent These kinde of questions therefore need not be determin'd by the City by way of interpretation of Scriptures for they belong not to Gods Word in that sense wherein the Word of God is taken for the Word concerning God that is to say for the Doctrine of the Gospell neither is he who hath the Soveraigne power in the Church oblig'd to employ any Ecclesiastical Doctours for the judging of any such kind of matters as these but for the deciding of questions of Faith that is to say concerning God which transcend humane capacity we stand in need of a divine blessing that we may not be deceiv'd at least in necessary points to be deriv'd from CHRIST himselfe by the imposition of hands For seeing to the end we may attaine to aeternal Salvation we are oblig'd to a supernatural Doctrine which therefore it lis impossible for us to understand to be left so destitute as that we can be deceiv'd in necessary points is repugnant to aequity This infallibility our Saviour Christ promis'd in those things which are necessary to Salvation to his Apostles untill the day of judgement that is to say to the Apostles and Pastors succeeding the Apostles who were to be consecrated by the imposition of hands He therefore who hath the Soveraigne power in the City is oblig'd as a Christian where there is any question concerning the Mysteries of Faith to interpret the Holy Scriptutes by Clergy-man lawfully ordain'd And thus in Christian Cities the judgement both of spirituall and temporall matters belongs unto the civill authority And that man or councell who hath the Supreme power is head both of the City and of the Church for a Church and a Christian City is but one thing CHAP. XVIII Concerning those things which are necessary for our entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven I. The difficulty propounded concerning the repugnancy of obeying God and Men is to be remov'd by the distinction betweene the points necessary and not necessary to Salvation II. All things necessary to Salvation are contain'd in Faith and Obedience III. What kind of Obedience that is which is requir'd of us IV. VVhat Faith is and how distinguisht from profession from science from opinion V. VVhat it is to beleeve in CHRIST VI. That that Article alone THAT JESVS IS THE CHRIST is necessary to Salvation is prov'd from the scope of the Evangelists VII From the preachings of the Apostles VIII From the easinesse of Christian Religion IX From this also that it is the foundation of Faith X. From the most evident words of CHRIST and his Apostles XI In that Article is contain'd the Faith of the Old Testament XII How Faith and Obedience concur to Salvation XIII In a Christian City there is no contradiction betweene the commands of God and of the City XIV The Doctrines which this day are controverted ab●●t Religion doe for the most part relate to the Right of Dominion I. IT was ever granted that all authority in secular matters deriv'd from him who had the Soveraigne power whether he were one Man or an Assembly of Men that the same in spirituall matters depended on the authority of the Church is manifest by the next foregoing proofs and besides this that all Christian Cities are Churches endu●d with this kind of authority From whence a man though but dull of apprehension may collect that in a Christian City that is to say in a City whose Soveraignty belongs to a Christian Prince o● Councell all power as well spiritual as secular is united under Christ and therefore it is to be obey'd in all things but on the other side because we must rather obey God then Men there is a difficulty risen how obedience may safely be yeelded to them if at any time somewhat should be commanded by them to be done which CHRIST hath prohibited The reason of this difficulty is that seeing God no longer speakes to us by CHRIST and his Prophets in open voice but by the holy Scriptures which by divers men are diversly understood they know indeed what Princes and a congregated Church doe command but whether that which they doe command be contrary to the word of God or not this they know not but with a wavering obedience between the punishments of temporall and spirituall death as it were sailing betweene Scilla and Cary●●is they often run themselves upon both But they who rightly distinguish betweene the things necessary to Salvation and those which are not necessary can have none of this kind of doubt for if the command of the Prince or City be such that he can obey it without hazard of his aeternnll Salvation it is unjust not to obey them and the Apostles praecepts take place Servants in all things obey your Masters according to the flesh Children obey your Parents in all things Col. 3. v. 20 22. And the command of CHRIST The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moyses chair all things therefore whatsoever they command you that observe and doe Mat. 23. v. 2. On the contrary if they command us to doe those things which are punisht with aeternall death it were madnesse not rather to chuse to dye a naturall death then by obeying to dye eternally and then comes in that which CHRIST sayes Feare not them who kill the body but cannot kill the Soule Mat. 10. v. 28. We must see therefore what all those things are which are necessary to Salvation II. Now all things necessary to Salvation are comprehended in two vertues Faith and Obedience The latter of these if it could be perfect would alone suffice to preserve us from damnation but because we have all of us beene long since guilty of disobedience against God in Adam and besides we our selves have since actually sinned Obedience is not sufficient without remission of sinnes but this together with our entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven is the reward of Faith nothing else is requisite to Salvation for the Kingdome of Heaven is shut to none but sinners that is to say those who have not perform'd due Obedience to the Lawes and not to those neither if they beleeve the necessary articles of the Christian Faith Now if we shall know in what points Obedience doth consist and which are the necessary articles of the Christian Faith it will at once be manifest what we must doe and what abstaine from at the commands of Cities and of Princes III. But by Obedience in this
excepting this one Article that IESUS IS THE CHRIST which only is necessary to salvation in relation to internall faith all the rest belong to obedience which may be performed although a man doe not inwardly beleeve so he doe but desire to beleeve and make an outward profession as oft as need requires of whatsoever is propounded by the Church how it comes about that there are so many Tenets which are all held so to concern our Faith that except a man doe inwardly beleeve them He cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven But if he consider that in most controversies the contention is about humane Soveraignty in some matter of gain and profit in others the glory of Wits he will surely wonder the lesse The question about the propriety of the Church is a question about the Right of Soveraignty for it being known what a Church is it is known at once to whom the Rule over Christians doth belong for if every Christian City be that Church which Christ himselfe hath commanded every Christiā subject to that city to hear then every subject is bound to obey his City that is to say Him or them who have the supreme power not only in temporall but also in spirituall matters but if every Christian City be not that Church then is there some other Church more universall which must be obeyed All Christians therefore must obey that Church just as they would obey Christ if He came upon Earth She will therfore rule either by the way of Monarchy or by some Assembly This question then concerns the Right of ruling To the same end belongs the question concerning infallibility for whosoever were truly and internally beleeved by all mankinde that he could not erre would be sure of all Dominion as well temporall as spirituall over all mankinde unlesse himselfe would refuse it for if he say that he must be obeyed in temporalls because it is supposed he cannot erre that Right of Dominion is immediately granted him Hither also tends the priviledge of interpreting Scriptures For he to whom it belongs to interpret the controversies arising from the divers interpretations of Scriptures hath authority also simply and absolutely to determine all manner of controversies whatsoever but he who hath this hath also the command over all men who acknowledge the Scriptures to be the Word of God To this end drive all the disputes about the power of remining and retaining sinnes or the authority of excommunication For every man if he be in his wits will in all things yeeld that man an absolute obedience by vertue of whose sentence he beleeves himselfe to be either saved o● damned Hither also tends the power of instituting societies for they depend on him by whom they subsist who hath as many subjects as Monks although living in an Enemies City To this end also refers the question concerning the Iudge of lawfull Matrimony for he to whom that judicature belongs to him also pertains the knowledge of all those cases which concern the inheritance and succession to all the goods and Rights not of private men onely but also of Soveraign Princes And hither also in some respect tends the Virgin-life of Ecclesia●ticall Persons for unmarried men have lesse coherence then others with civill society and besides it is an inconvenience not to be slighted that Princes must either necessarily forgoe the Priesthood which is a great bond of civill obedience or have no hereditary Kingdome To this end also tends the canouization of Saints which the Hea●he● called Apotheosis for he that can allure forraign subjects with so great a reward may bring those who are greedy of such glory to dare and doe any thing For what was it but an honourable Name with posterity which the Decii and other Romans sought after and a thousand others who cast themselves upon incredible perils The controversies about Purgatory and indulgencies are matter of gain The questions of Free-will Iustification and the manner of receiving Christ in the Sacrament are Philosophicall There are also questions concerning some Rites not introduced bur left in the Church not sufficiently purged from gentilisme but we need reckon no more All the world knows that such is the nature of men that dissenting in questions which concern their power or profit or preeminence of Wit they slander and curse each other It is not therefore to be wondred at if almost all tenets after men grew hot with disputings are held forth by some or other to be necessary to salvation and for our entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven insomuch as they who hold them not are not only condemned as guilty of disobedience which in truth they are after the Church hath once defined them but of Infidelity which I have declared above to be wrong out of many evident places of Scripture to which I adde this one of Saint Pauls Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind Rom. 14. v. 3 5. FINIS The Introduction That the beginning of mutuall society is from f●ar Annotation Annotation That men by nature are all equall Whence the wil of mischieving each other ariseth The discord from comparison of wits From the Appetite many have to the same thing The definition of Right A right to to the end gives also a right to the means By the right of nature every man is judge of the means which tend to his preservation By right of nature all men have equall right to all things Annotation The right of all to all is unprofitable The state of men without Society is a state of War The definition of War and Pace War is an adversary to mans preservation That by the right of nature it is lawfull for any man to compell him whom he hath in his power to give him caution for his future obedience That the Law of nature is not an agreement of men but the Dictates of Reason Annotation That is the fundamentall Law of Nature to seek Peace where it may be had and where not to defend our selves The first special Law of Nature is That our Rights to all things ought not to be retain'd What it is to quit our right what to convey 〈…〉 it The will of the receiver must necessarily be declar'd before the right be convey'd Words convey not except they relate to the time present Words of the future suffice to convey if other testimonies of our will be not wanting In matters of free gift words of the fi●ure ●onveigh no Right The definition of Contract and Covenant In Covenants we passe away our Rights by words signifying the future Covenants in the state of nature are in vain and of none effect not so in Civill Government Annotation That no man can make Compacts with Beasts neither with God without
able enough to interpret those books of antiquity in the which Gods word is contained and that for this cause it is not reasonable that this office should depend on their authority he may object as much against the Priests and all mortall men for they may erre and although Priests were better instructed in nature and arts then other men yet Kings are able enough to appoint such interpreters under them and so though Kings did not themselves interpret the word of God yet the office of interpreting them might depend on their authority and they who therefore refuse to yeeld up this authority to Kings because they cannot practise the office it selfe doe as much as if they should say that the authority of teaching Geometry must not depend upon Kings except they themselves were Geometricians We read that Kings have prayed for the People that they have blest the people that they have consecrated the Temple that they have commanded the Priests that they have removed Priests from their office that they have constituted others Sacrifices indeed they have not offered for that was hereditary to Aaron and his sonnes but it is manifest as in Moyses his life time so throughout all ages from King Saul to the captivity of Babylon that the Priesthood was not a Maistry but a Ministry XVII After their returne from Babylonian bondage the Covenant being renewed and sign'd the Priestly Kingdome was restor'd to the same manner it was in from the death of Ioshuah to the beginning of the Kings excepting that it is not expresly set downe that the return'd Jewes did give up the Right of Soveraignty either to Esdras by whose directions they ordred their State or to any other beside God himselfe That reformation seemes rather to be nothing else then the bare promises and vowes of every man to observe those things which were written in the booke of the Law notwithstanding perhaps not by the Peoples intention by virtue of the Covenant which they then renewed for the Covenant was the same with that which was made at Mount Sinai that same state was a Priestly Kingdome that is to say the supreme civill authority and the sacred were united in the Priests Now howsoever through the ambition of those who strove for the Priesthood and by the interposition of forraigne Princes it was so troubled till our Saviour Iesus Christs time that it cannot be understood out of the histories of those times where that authority resided yet it 's plaine that in those times the power of interpreting Gods Word was not severed from the supreme civill power XVIII Out of all this we may easily know how the ●ewes in all times ●om Abraham unto Christ were to behave themselves in the Commands of their Princes for as in Kingdomes meerly humane men must obey a subordinate Magistrate in all things excepting when his Commands containe in them some Treason so in the Kingdome of God the I●we● were bound to obey their Princes Abraham Isaac Jacob Moyses the Priest the King every one du●…ng ●heir time in all things except when their commands did containe some treason against the Divine Majesty Now treason against the Divine Majesty was first the deniall of ●is divine providence for this was to deny God to be a King by nature next Idolatry or the worship not of other for there is but one God but of strange Gods that is to say a worship though of one God yet under other Titles Attributes and Rites then what were establisht by Abraham and Moyses for this was to deny the God of Abraham to be their King by Covenant made with Abraham and themselves in all other things they were to obey and if a King or Priest having the Soveraign authority had commanded somewhat else to be done which was against the Lawes that had been his sinne and not his subjects whose duty it is not to dispute but to obey the Commands of his superiours Of the Kingdome of God by the new Covenant I. The Prophesies concerning Christs Dignity II. The Prophesies coneerning his Humility and Passion III. That Jesus was THAT CHRIST IV. That the Kingdome of God by the new Covenant was not the Kingdome of Christ as Christ but as God V. That the Kingdome by the new Covenant is heavenly and shall beginne from the day of Judgment VI. That the government of Christ in this world was not a Soveraignty but Counsell or a government by the way of doctrine and perswasion VII What the promises of the new Covenant are on both parts VIII That no Lawes are added by Christ beside the institution of the Sacraments IX Repent ye be baptized keep the Commandements and the like forms of speech are not Lawes X. It pertains to the civill authority to define what the sinne of injustice is XI It pertains to the civill authority to define what conduces to the Peace and defence of the City XII It pertains to the civill authority to judge when need requires what definitions and what inferences are true XIII It belongs to the Office of Christ to teach morally not by the way of speculation but as a Law to forgive sinnes and to teach all things whereof there is no science properly so called XIV A distinction of things temporall from spirituall XV. In how many seveverall sorts the word of God may be taken XVI That all which is contained in holy Scripture belongs not to the Canon of Christian Faith XVII That the word of a lawfull Interpreter of holy Scriptures is the word of God XVIII That the authority of interpreting Scriptures is the same with that of determining controversies of Faith XIX Divers significations of a Church XX. What a Church is to which we attribute Rights Actions and the like personall Capacites XXI A Christian City is the same with a Christian Church XXII Many Cities do not constitute one Church XXIII Who are Ecclesiasticall Persons XXIV That the Election of Ecclesiasticall Persons belongs to the Church their consecration to Pastors XXV That the power of remitting the sinnes of the penitent and retaining those of the impenitent belongs to the Pastors but that of judging concerning repentance belongs to the Church XXVI What Excommunication is and on whom it cannot passe XXVII That the Interpretation of Scripture depends on the authority of the City XXVIII That a Christian city ought to interpret Scriptures by Ecclesiasticall Pastors I. THere are many cleare prophesies exta●…t in the old Testament concerning our Saviour Jesus Christ who was to restore the Kingdome of God by a new Covenan● partly foretelling his regall Dignity partly his Humility and Passion Among others concerning his Dignity these God blessing Abraham ●akes him a promise of his sonne Isaac and ●ddes And Kings of People shall be of him Gen 17. vers 15. Jacob blessing his sonne Judah The Scepter quoth be shall not depart from Judah Gen. 49. vers 10. G●d to Moyses A Prophet saith he will I raise them up from
those Churches who having cast off the Emperours were yet content to admit the Doctours of Rome XXIII They may be called Church-men who exercise a publique office in the Church But of offices there was one a Ministery another a Maistery The office of the Ministers was to serve Tables to take care of the temporall goods of the Church and to distribute at that time when all propriety of riches being abolisht they were fed in common to each man his portion The Maisters according to their order were called some Apostles some Bishops some Presbyters that is to say Elders yet not so as that by the name of Presbyter the age but the office might be d●stinguisht For Timothy was a Presbyter although a young man but because for the most part the Elders were receiv'd into the Maistership the word denoting age was us'd to signifie the office The same Maisters according to the diversity of their employments were called some of them Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors or Teachers And the Apostolicall worke indeed was universall the Propheticall to declare their owne revelations in the Church the Evangelicall to preach or to be publishers of the Gospell among the infidels that of the Pastors to teach confirme and rule the minds of those who already beleev'd XXIV In the Election of Church-men two things are to be considered the Election of the Persons and their consecration or institution which also is called ordination The first twelve Apostles CHRIST himselfe both elected and ordain'd After CHRISTS asc●nsion Matthias was elected in the roome of Judas the Traitour the Church which at that time consisted of a Congregation of about one hundred and twenty men choosing two men And they appointed two Joseph and Matthias but God himselfe by lot approving of Ma●●ias And Saint Paul calls these twelve the first and great Apostles also the Apostles of the Circumcision Afterward were added two other Apostles Paul and Barnabas ordain'd indeed by the Doctours and Prophets of the Church of A●…h which was a particular Church by the imposition of hands but elected by the command of the Holy Ghost That they were both Apostles is manifest in the 13. of the Acts v. 2 3. That they receiv'd their Apostleship from hence namely because they were separated by command of the spirit for the work of God from the rest of the Prophets and Doctours of the Church of Antioch Saint Paul himselfe shewes who calls himselfe for distinctions sake an Apostle separated unto the Gospell of God Rom. 1. ver 1. But if it be demanded further by what authority it came to passe that that was receiv'd for the command of the Holy Ghost which those Prophets and Doctours did say proceeded from him it must necessarily be answer'd by the Authority of the church of Antioch for the Prophets Doctours must be examined by the Church before they be admitted For Saint John saith Beleeve not every Spitit but try the Spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world but by what Church but that to which that Epistle was written In like manner Saint Paul reprooves the Churches of Galatia because they Judaized Gal. 2. v. ●…4 although they seemed to doe so by the Authority of Peter for when he had told them that he had reprehended Peter himselfe with these words If thou being a Iew livest after the manner of Gentiles and not as doe the Iewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do● the Iewes Not long after he questions them saying This onely would I learne of you Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith Gal. 3. ver●… Where it is evident that it was Judaisme which he reprehended the Galathians for notwithstanding that the Apostle Peter compelled them to Judaize Seeing therefore it belonged to the Church and not to Peter and therefore also not to any man to determine what Doctors they should follow it also pertained to the authority of the Church of Antioch to elect their Prophets and Doctors Now because the Holy Ghost separated to himself the Apostles Paul Barnabas by the imposition of hands from Doctors thus elicted its manifest that imposition of hands consecration of the prime Doctors in each Church belongs to the Doctors of the same Church But Bishops who were also called Presbyters although all Presbyters were not Bishops were ordain'd somtimes by Apostles for Paul Barnabas when they had taught in Derbe Lystra and I●onium ordained Elders in every Church Acts 14. v. 23. sometimes by other Bishops for Titus was by Paul left in Crete that he should ordain Elders in every City Tit. 1. v. 5. And Timothy was advised not to neglect the gift that was in him which was given him by Prophesy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery 1. Tim. 4. v. 14 And he had rules given him concerning the Election of Presbyters But that cannot be understood otherwise then of the ordination of those who were elected by the Church for no man could constitute a Doctor in the Church but by the Churches permission For the duty of the Apostles themselves was not to command but to teach and although they who were recommended by the Apostles or Presbyters were not rejected for the esteem that was had of the recommenders yet seeing they could not be elected without the will of the Church they were also suppos'd elected by the authority of the Church In like manner Ministers who are called Deacons were ordained by the Apostles yet elected by the Church for when the seven Deacons were to bee elected and ordained the Apostles elected them not but look yee out say they among you Brethren seven men of honest report c. And they chose Stephen c. And they set them before the Apostles Acts 6. vers 13. 6. It is apparent therefore by the custome of the Primitive Church under the Apostles that the ordination or consecration of all Church-men which is done by prayer and imposition of hands belonged to the Apostles and Doctors but the Election of those who were to be consecrated to the Church XXV Concerning the power of binding and loosing that is to say of remitting and retaining of sinnes there is no doubt but it was given by Christ to the Pastors then yet for to come in the same manner as it was to the present Apostles now the Apostles had all the power of remitting of sins given them which Christ himselfe had As the Father hath sent me sayes Christ so send I you John 20. vers 21. and he addes Whose soever sins yee remit they are remitted and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained vers 23. But what binding and loosing or remitting and retaining of sinnes is admits of some scruple For first to retain his sinnes who being baptized into remission of sins is truly penitent seems to be against the very Covenant it selfe of
the new Testament and therefore could not be done by Christ himselfe much lesse by his Pastors and to remit the impenitent seems to be against the will of God the Father from whom Christ was sent to convert the world and to reduce men unto obedience Furthermore if each Pastor had an authority granted him to remit and retain sinnes in this manner all awe of Princes and civill Magistrates together with all kind of civill Government would be utterly destroyed For Christ hath said it nay even nature it ●elfe dictates that we should not feare them who slay the body but cannot kill the soule but rather feare him who can ca●t both soule and body into hell Mat. 10. vers 28. Neither is any man so mad as not to choose to yeeld obedience rather to them who can remit and retain their sinnes then to the powerfullest Kings Nor yet on the other side it is to be imagined that remission of sinnes is nothing else but an exemption from Ecclesiasticall punishments for what evill hath excommunication in it beside the eternall pains which are consequent to it or what benefit is it to be received into the Church if there were salvation out of it We must therefore hold That Pastors have power truly and absolutely to forgive sinnes but to the penitent and to retain them but of the impenitent But while men think that to Repent is nothing else but that every one condemn his Actions and change those Counsels which to himselfe seem sinfull and blameable there is an opinion risen that there may be repentance before any Confession of sinnes to men and that repentance is not an effect but a cause of Confession and thence the difficulty of those who say that the sins of the penitent are already forgiven in Baptisme and theirs who repent not cannot be forgiven at al is against Scripture and contrary to the words of Christ Whose soever sins ye remit c. We must therefore ●o resolve this difficulty know in the first place that a true acknowledgement of sin is Repentance for he that knows he hath sinned knows he hath erred but to will an errour is impossible therefore he that knowes he hath sinned wishes he had not done it which is to repent Farther where it may be doubtfull whether that which is done be a sin or not we must consider that repentance doth not precede confession of sins but is subsequent to it for there is no repentance but of sinnes acknowledged The penitent therefore must both acknowledge the fact and know it to be a sinne that is to say against the Law If a man therefore think that what he hath done is not against the Law its impossible he should repent of it Before repentance therefore its necessary there be an applicacation of the facts unto the Law but it s in vain to apply the facts unto the Law without an Interpreter for not the words of the Law but the sentence of the Law-giver is the rule of mens actions but surely either one man or some men are the Interpreters of the Law for every man is not judge of his own fact whether it be a sin or not wherefore the fact of which we doubt whether it be a sinne or not must be unfolded before some man or men and the doing of this is confession Now when the Interpreter of the Law hath judged the fact to bee a sinne if the sinner submit to his judgement and resolve with himselfe not to do so any more t is repentance and thus either it is not true repentance or else it is not antecedent but subsequent to confession These things being thus explained it is not hard to understand what kinde of power that of binding and loosing is for seeing in remission of sinnes there are two things considerable one the Judgement or Condemnation whereby the fact is judged to be a sinne the other when the Party condemned does acquiesce and obey the sentence that is to say Repents the remission of the sinne or if he repent not the Retention The first of these that is to say the Judging whether it be a sinne or not belongs to the Interpreter of the Law that is the Soveraign Judge the second namely Remission or retention of the sinne to the Pastor and it is that concerning which the power of binding and loosing is conversant And that this was the true meaning of our Saviour Christ in the institution of the same power is apparent in the 18. of Mat. vers 15 16 17 18. thus He there speaking to his Disciples sayes If thy Brother sinne against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone where we must observe by the way that if thy Brother sinne against thee is the same with if he doe thee injury and therefore Christ spake of those matters which belonged to the civill Tribunall he addes if he heare thee not that is to say if he deny that he hath done it or if having confest the fact he denies it to be unjustly done take with with thee yet one or two and if he refuse to heare them tell it the Church But why to the Church except that she might judge whether it were a sinne or not But if he refuse to hear the Church that is if he doe not submit to the Churches sentence but shall maintain that to be no sin which She Judges to be a sinne that is to say if he repent not for certain it is that no man repents himselfe of that action which She conceives not to be a sinne he saith not Tell it to the Apostles that we might know that the definitive sentence in the question whether it were a sin or not was not left unto them but to the Church but let him be unto thee sayes he as an Heathen or Publican that is as one out of the Church as one that is not baptized that is to say as one whose sinnes are retained For all Christians were baptized into remission of sinnes But because it might have been demanded who it was that had so great a power as that of withholding the benefit of Baptisme from the impenitent Christ shewes that the same Persons to whom he had given authority to baptize the penitent into the remission of sinns and to make them of heathen men Christians had also authority to retain their sins who by the Church should be adjudged to be impenitent and to make them of Christian men Heathens and therefore presently subjoynes Verily I say unto you Whose soever sinnes yee shall binde upon Earth they shall ●ee bound also in Heaven and whose soever sins yee shall loose upon Earth they shall be ●oosed also in Heaven Whence we may understand that the power of binding and loosing or of remitting and retaining of sinnes which is called in another place the power of the keyes is not different from the power given in another place in these words Goe and teach all Nations Baptizing them
by the Lawes Subjects must have right restored to them against corrupt Judges How Law differs from Counsell How it differs from a Covenant Annotation How it differs from Right The division of lawes into divine and humane and of the divine into naturall and positive and of the naturall into those lawes of single men and those of Nations The division of humane that is to say civill lawes into secular and sacred Into distributive and vindicative Distributive and vindicative are not two Species of the Lawes All Law is supposed to have a Penalty annext to it The Precepts of the Decalogue of honouring Parents of murther adultcry these false witnesse are the civill Lawes It is not possible to command ought by the civill Law contrary to o●e Lawes of nature It is essentiall to a Law that both it and the Legislator be knowne Whence the Legislator is knowne Promulgation and interpretation are necessary to the knowledge of a Law The civill Law divided into written and unwritten That the naturall laws are not written laws neither are the sentences of lawyers or custome laws of themselves but by the consent of the supreme power What the word Sin taken in its largest sense signifies The definition of Sin The difference betweene a sinne of infirmitie and malice Under what kind of sin A●h●isme is contained Annotation What the sinne of Treason is Treason breaks not the civill but the naturall Law And therefore is punisht not by the Right of Soveraignty but by the Right of Warre Obedience not rightly distinguisht into Active and Passive The Proposition of the following contents Over whom God is said to raign The word of God three fold Reason Revelation Prophesy The Kingdome of God two-fold Naturall and Prophetique The Rigbt whereby God governs is seated in his omn p●te●●e The same proved from Scripture The obligation of yeelding obedience unto God proceeds from humane infirmity Annotation The Lawes of God in his naturall Kingdome are those which are above set down in the second and third Chapters What honour and worship are Worship consists either in attributes or in actions And there is one sort naturall and another arbitrary One commanded another voluntary 〈…〉 What the end or aim of worship i● What the naturall Lawes are concerning Gods attributes 〈◊〉 What those actions are whereby naturally we do give worship In the naturall kingdom of God the City may appoint what worship it pleaseth God ruling by nature onely the City that is say that man or Court which under God hath the Soveraignty is the Interpreter of all the Lawes Certain doubts removed Annotation What is sin in the naturall Kingdom of God and what Treason against the divine Majesty Superstition possessing forraign Nations God ●nstituted the true Religion by the means of Abraham By th● Covenant between God and Adam all dispute is forbidden concerning the commands of superiors The manner of the Covenant between God and Abraham In that Covenant is contained an acknowledgement of God not simply but of him who appeared unto Abraham The Lawes to which Abraham was tyed were no other but those of nature and that of Circumcision Abraham among his own was the Interpreter of the word of God and of all Lawes Abrahams subjects could not sin in obeying him Annotation Gods Covenant with the Hebrewes at Mount Sinai From thence Gods government was called a Kingdom What lawes were by God given to the Jewes What the word of God is and how to be knowne What was held for the written word of God among the Jewes The power of interpreting the word of God and ●he supreme civil power were united in Moyses while he lived They were also united in the High Priest during the life of Joshuah They were also united in the High Priest untill King Sauls time They were united in the Kings untill the Captivity The same were united in the Priests after the Captivity Among the Jewes the deniall of the Divine providence and Idolatry were the onely Treasons against the Divine Majesty in all other things they ought to obey their Princes The Prophesies of Christs dignity The Prophesies of Christs Humility and Passion That Jesus was the Christ That the Kingdom of God by the new Covenant was not the Kingdome of Christ as Christ but as God That the Kingdome of God by the 〈◊〉 Covenant is heavenly and begins from the day of Iudgement The government of Christ in this world was not a Soveraignty but Counsell or a government by way of doctrine and perswasion What the Promises of the new Covenant are on both parts There are no Lawes added by Christ beside the institution of the Sacraments That these and the like forms Repent be baptized keep the Commandements are not Lawes It belongs to the civill authority to define what the sinne of injustice is It belongs to civill authority to define what conduces to the Peace and safety of the City It belongs to the civill authority to judge when need requires what definitions and what inferences are true It belongs to the Office of Christ to teach morality not as a speculation but as a Law to forgive sins and to teach all things whereof there is no science properly so call'd A distinction of things temporall from spirituall The word of God many wayes taken All things contained in Scripture belong not to the Canon of christian faith The word of a lawfull Interpreter of Scriptures is the word of God The authority of interpreting Scriptures is the same with that of determining controversies of faith Divers significations of a Church What a Church is to whom we attribute Rights actions and the like appellations proper to a Person A Christ●… City is the same with a Christian Church Many Cities do● not constitute one church Who are Clergy-men The Election of Church-men belongs to the Church their consecration to the Pastors The power of remitting sinnes to the penitent and retaining those of the impenitent belongs to the Pastors but judgement of the repentance to the Church What excommunication is and on whom it cannot passe The interpretation of Scripture depends on the authority of the Ci●y A christian city must interpret Scriptures by clergy-men The difficulty propounded concerning the repugnaney of obeying God and men is to be remov'd by the distinction betweene the points necessary and not necessary to Salvation All things necessary to Salvation are contain'd in Faith and Obedience What kind of Obedience that is which is requir'd of us What Faith is and how distinguisht from profession from science and from opinion What it is to beleeve in Christ That that article alone that Iesus is the Christ is necessary to Salvation is prov'd out of the scope of the Evangelists Annotation By the Apostles Sermons By the easinesse of christian Religion By this that it is the foundation of Faith By the plai● words of Christ and his Apostles In this Article is contained the Faith of the old Testament How Faith and Obedience doe con●ur to Salvation In a Christian City there is no contrariety be weene the Command of God and of the City The Doctrines which this day are controverted about Religion doe for the most part belong to the Right of Dominion