Passion aside whether a Noble Man or Master of a Great Family leaving this general Rule for the Government of his house that all things in it be done Decently and in Order doth he not intend and expect that his Steward should Determine what is so For either the Steward or the rest of the Servants must determine it If the Servants confusion and ataxy instead of Decency and Order must inavoidable flow in upon them For one will say this is decent and another the contrary is decent It is more decent saith one to put off our shoes then our hats in Respect and Reverence to our Lord it is more orderly to sit then to stand in his presence This must necessarily beget Partyes and Sidings that Animosity Strife and Contention and by consequence the ruine of the Family For why will one servant in the Family or one party say should not I or we judge of decency as well as you or your party So that you cannot but see that there is a necessity that the Steward should Determine And is it not thus in the Spiritual house If every Congregation or Pastor be left free to judge of what is Decent and in Order things as unreasonable as the putting off the shoes and sitting in the Masters presence will be practised by the most Because the most are not the wisest And they affect generally like Cattle fallen into a River to Swim against the Stream In things therefore of this nature namely such as are not determined by the great Master God you owe obedience to the Stewards determination especially since whatsoever is not forbidden by God hath in that very respect the force of a permission at least Because Where there is no Law there is no transgression Rom. 4.15 Now there is no Law against such or such indifferent things and therefore he who conforms sins not But there is a Law which requires Every Soul to be subject to the Higher Powers Rom. 13.1 He therefore that conforms not sins You ought therefore to be subject to the Higher Power in matters of Religion for Conscience Sake But if any man will not be subject for Conscience Sake he must be subject upon another account for God hath entrusted the Supreme Magistrate with a Coercive Power Which is the 2d thing propounded to be made good In pursuance of this 2. thing 1. There ought to be some Coercive Power in Ecclesiasticall Things or Matters of Religion For without this every man would be left free to speak or do what him lift To introduce any false or blasphemous Opinion to disturb the Peace of the Church by enormous Practices May not one deny the Divine Authority of the Scriptures Another the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ A third reject despise and trample under foot the Priestly Office and all the Ordinances of the Gospell And for practice might not men with the evill Servant in the Gospell eat and drink with the drunken and smite their fellow Servants with the Fist of Violence Oppressing and Persecuting all that are not of their Opinion though their Opinion be not at any agreement or consistency with the truth If there be not a Coercive Power stated somewhere who or what shall hinder these and innumerable other inconveniences and mischiefs Every Fanatick Spirit if there were no coercive power might take licence by reviving old Heresies or broaching worse new invented Opinions to ruffle the Church and reduce it to an Heap or Chaos of Confusion Without a coercive power somewhere stated all Reins of Government must necessarily be let loose and an effectuall dore set open for Atheisme Heresy Sedition and Blasphemy to enter in But this is a thing so contrary not only to the peace but even to the essence of all societies that none but the absolute Sons of Belial i. e. without a Yoke can plead for it I passe therefore from that as a thing assented unto by all that pretend to Reason That there must be a Coercive Power and come unto the 2d thing the subject of this Power or Person in whom it is And that is the King 2. Him hath God entrusted with coercive Power in Matters of Religion Spirituall Power or Power in the Church is divided generally into Ordinis and Jurisdictionis That of Order is referr'd to the preaching or the Word Administration of Sacraments Absolution Confirmation and all such Actions as a person regularly ordained performes by Virtue of his Orders That of Jurisdiction is double Internall and Externall 1. Internall Where the Spirituall guides they who have the conduct of the Soules of men by Instruction Perswasion Ghostly Councell and such like so convince the inward Consciences of Men that they become wholly obedient to their directions As Saint Peter by his Sermon wrought upon the Consciences of those Jews Who were pricked in their Heart and said Men and Brethren what shall we do Acts 2.37 2. Externall Where the Person in whom the Power is in foro exteriori as they speak compells the Christians obedience The King is not intrusted with the first and 2d of these He hath no Power of Order nor Jurisdiction over the Inner Man but in things that are for the outward Politie of the Church as that God may be truly served such as transgresse the received lawfull constitutions of the Church punished with this Power the King is intrusted Again the Actions of Men are either Internall or Externall Internall Actions abstractedly and simply considereed in themselves doe not fall under any humane Authority or Power whatsoever Errat si quis putet servitutem in totum hominem descendere pars enim melior excepta est Corpora obnoxia sunt adscripta Dominis mens sui juris est Sen. de Benef. l. 3. It is an Errour in any man to think that Servitude descends upon the whole man for the better part is alwayes excepted Our bodies indeed are Obnoxnious to Servitude and the pleasure of those who are Lords over us but our minds are free and at their own dispose And it is a known saying in the Law Cogitationis paenam nemo patitur No man suffers any thing for his bare thoughts For All Empire or Power necessarily supposeth such matter as is capable of coming under the knowledge of him that commands but the internall Actions of Men Simply and Abstractedly considered doe not come under the knowledge of any Humane Power and therefore they fall not under their Authority No power can impose upon any person that he shall think thus and not otherwise concerning any Article of Faith because he cannot know whether a man thinks so or otherwise As Lactantius l. 5. c. 13. Quis mihi imponat necessitatem vel credendi quod nolim vel quod velim non credendi Who can compell me to believe what I will not or not to believe what I list For Religio imperari non potest Religion cannot be compell'd as Cassidor l. 3. Ep. 27. and Fides
be truly said of those with whom he convers'd reprobaverunt ad mortem mortem autem crucis they rejected him to death the death of reprobates the death that hath a curse annexed to it the death of the Cross they prosecuted him in their rage and fury till they brought him lapis ad lapidem into a grave of stone and then rolled a stone upon him and so left him dissallowed or reprobated with a witnesse But if he were a stone that is incapable of disgrace utterly unacquainted with sorrow it is neither sensible of what is spoke nor of what is done to it the tongue that casts it aside with reproach the hand that cuts and hews it doth it not affect it any thing at all It is true a stone indeed is insensible but Christ was a living stone a stone endud with life and sense a person very tender and sensible of the wounds they gave him with their tongues the reproaches taunts and scofs they cast upon him and of those likewise ef their hands he was sensible of the furrows which they made upon his back the whips the thornes the nayles and spear he was sensible of them all he endured all patiently as a stone but he felt it sensibly as a living stone witnesse two things 1. His passionate prayer Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me the cup of his passion it was the cup of red wine the cup of his Fathers displeasure and this prayer he repeats no lesse then three times Mat. 26.44 2 The apprehension he had of his ensuing sufferings which was so great that it cast him into that agony in which he sweat drops of blood Luk. 22.44 whereby he made good this compellation of a stone which use to give or sweat against rain or storms he could not but be sensible of the Tempest when it fell upon him who thus swet in the sense of it before it came and thus you see the third thing what entertainment he found he was dissallowed or reprobated But by whom was he thus dealt with That is the 4. Saint Peter saith in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of men of mean men it may be the multitude who know not the worth or valew of a stone Nay but they were the builders they who should know what stone is fit for every place so our Lord Christ Did you never reade in the Scriptures the stone which the builders rejected the same is become the head of the corner Mat. 21.42 and so Saint Peter This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders Acts 4.11 and the builders generally universally have any of the rulers or of the Pharises believed on him John 7.48 He among them who thought so well of himselfe as a chief master builder that he despised the rest as persons who knew nothing Caiaphas was positively and absolutely for the reprobating of him One of them named Caiaphas being the highpriest that same year said unto them ye know nothing at all nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man meaning Christ should die for the people John 11.49 50. Now lay these together and you have a sad account of the lot that befell Christ he was refused or dissallowed refused by the builders by the chiefe of them yea he was not onely dissallowed that is not afforded to be the head but he was reprobated not allowed any room in the building to be refused is not so much it may be more honour as the Tryers may prove to be rejected then approved by them but to be refused of builders who are presum'd to be skilfull and by the chiefe of them this is much indeed Againe to be dissallowed not admitted to the chief place this is not so much for there are other places in the building in which he might have been set with some reputation but to be wholly and absolutely reprobated not allowed any place but to be cast out among the rubbish this is hardly to be under gone and yet this was the lot of Christ he was dissallowed not by mensimply but by the builders the supposedly wisest men and that leads me to the 5. Particuler the aggration of their sin in dissallowing him 1. Because he was a living stone who hath life in himselfe even as the Father hath life in himselfe As the Father hath life in himselfe so hath he given to the Son to bave life in himselfe John 5.26 a living stone who gives life to all others all kinds of life temporall spirituall eternall the life of nature grace and glory In him was life John 1.4 not in the Scocinians sense Quia Christus primus vitam aeternam caelestem annunciavit revelavit Smalcius because he first preached eternall life or life per meto nimiam pro vitae aeternae clarissimo nuntio Schlichtingius the most eminent Preacher of life but the meaning of the Text in him was life is originally radically as in the head or heart from whence it is communicated to all the members so that the rejecting disallowing or refusing of this living stone is being interpreted the refusing of life it selfe the choosing of death rather then life 2. Because he was chosen of God the reprobating of that which God hath elected is an high aggravation of sin because hereby the foolishnesse of man exalts it selfe against the wisedom of the onely wise God Had Christ been a stone accidentally or by chance assum'd by men had he been propounded for the advancement or carrying on of some politick designe he might have been disallowed without any eminent hazard but when God in infinite wisedome and upon mature deliberation hath made choice of him as the only proper foundation of mans happinesse he cannot be reprobated by any without adding many cubits to the stature of their transgression 3. Because he is precious that is truly and properly precious cujus exiguum alterius magnum exaequat a little of which compensats a great deal in other maters Christ is the pearl of price which the wise Merchantman sels all that he hath to purchase Christ is so precious that Saint Paul accounted his greatest priviledges his choisest services yea and all things but losse and dung in comparison of him Phil. 3.5 6 7 8. to reject therefore a thing or person so precious as Christ is is an exceeding high aggravation of their sin he was a living stone chosen of God and precious and yet disallowed of men Lay Christ then to improve this first general in a few words the foundation of your happinesse as he was design'd by the God of Heaven the Apostle tels you in the 1. to the Corinth 3. chap. 11 vers Other foundation can no man lay then that is layed which is Jesus Christ This is the rock upon which the wise builder erects his fabrick all others are but sandy foundations the House that is built upon them the expectation that men raise from them must fall in the
forrest and all the stones dig'd out of the same quarry This might not probably conduce more to the union of the house then if the timber and stones were cut and dig'd out of divers forrests and quarryes But sure I am it conduceth not a little to the union of the spiritual house that the timber and stones be cut and hewen out of the same forrest and pit For when one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos and a third I am of Cephas this genders to envy strife and division as the Apostle l Cor. 3.3 4. There are two things that tend much to the preservation of this union 1. A Spirit of Contentation with that estate and condition in which God hath plac'd every Member of the Church For as it tends to Schism in the natural body if the foot shall envy the hand or the ear the eye or any of the members the head If the foot shall say why should I bear the burthen of the whole and not be supported as well as the head is or the hand say why should I be employed as the instrument of action and not partake with the eye in its more honourable and easy imployment of speculation So in the spiritual body if one member emulate or envy another the Subject the Prince the Presbyter the Bishop it must necessarily cause a cleft or schism in the building which may ruin the whole For as in material buildings all openings are weaknings and therefore skilful builders advise that dores and windows be as few in number and as moderate in dimension as may be A spirit of contentation therefore is of a primary necessity to the preservation of union 2. A Mutual Communication of particular faculties for the good of the whole For as the foot in the natural body can't refuse to walk the hand to work or the eye to see without the apparent prejudice of the whole No more can any member in the spiritual fabrick withhold his particular ability from the rest without their detriment and suffering losse by it As when the members in the fable conspired to withhold nourishment from the belly they conspired but their own ruine in weakning it And as they observe in Architecture it is a notorious soloecism to weaken that part which must strengthen all the rest But when every member communicates its particular faculty the feet walk the hands work the eyes see the ear hears the tongue speaks this tends to the union of the whole with the advantage of welfare to the particular members And thus I have considered the Christian Church as a spiritual house Whence this inference naturally may be drawn viz. There is a Master of this house by whom the family ought to be ruled and Governed It was an equitable and natural law that King Ahasuerus made upon his Queen Vashti's disobedience That every man should bear Rule in his own house Hester i. ult It is much more reasonable that God the Master of this Spiritual House should bear Rule in it Our very being in Gods house doth necessarily oblige us to Subjection and Obedience to him When the Holy Ghost saith such or such persons were in such or such an house he intends subjection by it Numb 30.3 ult Thus when the Israelites are said to be in Pharoahs house the meaning is they were subject to him Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy Father when they were in Egypt in Pharaohs house 1 Sam. 2.27 Let us therefore give up our selves conscionably and sincerely to the Government of our great Lord and Master In things fundamental and essential to be believed and practised we are to receive our direction from his lips only as he spake by the mouths or pens of those holy men Prophets and Apostles who were inspir'd by the Holy Ghost Thus the Apostle expresly Though we or an Angel from Heaven Preach any other Gospel unto you then that which we have Preached unto you let him he accursed As we said before so say I now again if any man Preach any other Gospel unto you then that ye have received let him be accursed Gal. 1.8 9. where you have the Divine inviolable authority of the holy Scripture asserted and a very dreadful sentence thundred against any person of what rank or quality soever that shall presume to innovate or introduce any Doctrine contrary to the Doctrine of those holy Men who spake as they were inspir'd by the Holy Ghost Though we i. e. Paul himself and the Brethren that were with him in whose name he salutes the Churches of Galatia ver 2. or though we i. e. as Vincent Lirinens etiamsi Petrus etiamsi Andreas etiamsi Joannes etiamsi omnis Apostolorum chorus Evangelizet vobis praeterquam quod Evangelizavimus Anathema sit l. 1. c. 12. praescript advers profan haeresium novitates Though Peter Andrew John though the whole company of the Apostles should Preach to you any other Gospel then that which we have preached let him be Anathema Tremenda districtio a dreadful sentence saith he yet parum est this is but little in respect of that which followes Though an Angel from Heaven should Preach any other Gospel unto you let him be accursed Audite populi tribus linguae viri mulieres pueri senes tota gens Christianorum Sancta as Damas Orat. 2. de imagin give ear O ye people tribes and tongues men women children all the holy company that is called Christians in all the world Licet Angelus licet Rex Evangelizet vobis praeter id quod accepiâ—â—is aures occludite Though a King or Angel Preach any other Gospel to you then that ye have received you are to stop your ears and be as deaf unto his Doctrine But here you must take heed of wresting or misunderstanding the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeter id or praeterquam quod then that which we have preached for this doth not confine the dispensers of the word to a strict observation of those expressions and syllables only in their Administration which the Apostles used they may notwithstanding this commination use expressions of their own or borrow them from other professions in explicating illustrating or confirming the Truths of the Scripture But the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is either to be interpreted contra contrary to as it is frequently used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Aristot praeter i. e. contra naturam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeter i.e. contra legem beside that is contrary to nature And beside the Law that is contrary to it Thus the preposition praeter is used likewise by Terence in Andria praeter civium morem atque legem beside that is contrary to the Law and Custom of Citizens So St. August explicates this Text. Non ait plusquam accepistis sed praeterquam quod accepistis Tract 99. in Joan. he saith not more than you received but other then or beside that which you have received for saith the Father
had he said more then you received he had prejudiced himself who desired earnestly to see the faces of his Thessalonians That he might perfect that which was lacking in their faith 1 Thes 3.10 Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 other then that which you have received quicquid Evangelio quasi ad salutem necessarium additur Parae whatsoever is added to the Gospel as necessary to salvation I said therefore we are to receive our direction from the Lips of God only in things Essential and Fundamental A fundamental in general is that upon which other things are built Fundamentalls in Religion are those primitive truths without the knowledge of which we can neither believe aright nor yield that obedience which we owe to God In these I say we are to dedepend upon God only for direction to hear no voice but his for as they observe in Architecture the yielding of a stone in the lower part of a Fabrick but an hairs breadth will make a cleft of more then half a foot aloft So important are fundamental errors A small error in the beginning and foundation of all things proves in the procedure and end of them a great mischief And therefore God appointed the Foundation of the Tabernacle to be of massy pieces of silver intimating thereby the solidity and purity of the Truth whereupon the Church is founded And a Rabby of our own observes that every man in Israel from twenty years old and upward was to give half a shekel towards these foundation-pieces whereas to other things they were not bound to a set summe but every man to give as his heart moved him which might teach them that to the Fundamentalls of Religion they were all bound but in other things each one according to the gift given him gold or silver or purple or scarlet or fine linnen or goats hair Lightfoot on Exod. 30. So that thus you see in things fundamental and essential we are to receive directions from the great Master of the house God only But In things circumstantial even in Religion and the Worship of God it is the masters pleasure that we should receive directions in them from his stewards The High Steward in this house under God is the King or Higher Powers intrusted by God with a legislative and coercive or constraining power By the Higher Powers I intend the person not the office And that by no less authority then St. Pauls who calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Higher Powers Rom. 13.1 at the 3d. verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rulers Now this higher or highest Power is a single person or company of men intrusted with Soveraign Power over the people he or they being subject only to the Empire or power of God himself I say a single person or company of men For though that which commands in chief or in whom the highest Power is invested must necessarily be one yet it is not of necessity that it be one in or by nature but it sufficeth if it be one by institution so that the highest Power is not appropriated to Kings or absolute Monarchs onely but in a rightly constituted Aristocracy or Common-wealth the Optimates Senat Estates or by what other Title they are Dignified are the highest Power And they or He the King is only subject to the Empire of God himself For he is not cannot in any propriety of speech be called the highest Power but because there is not among men any higher Power Super Imperatorem saith Optatus contra Parmenianum l. 3. Non est nisi solus Deus qui fecit Imperatorem There is none superiour to the Emperour but God only who made the Emperour And so Tertullian ad Scap. Colimus Imperatorem sic quomodo nobis licet ipsi e◠pedit ut hominem a Deo secundum solo Deo minorem We so reverence the Emperour as it is meet for him and lawfull for us as a man second unto God and inferiour to God only You may perceive by this what I mean by the Higher Power but since the good providence of God hath cast us under the best of Governments Monarchy I shall speak in the ensuing discourse concerning the single person the King only And 1. He is intrusted by God with Authority and Power not only in Civill matters and affairs of State but in Ecclesiasticall matters the Affaires of Religion in the Church There are 3. Arguments that evince this 1. St. Paul tells you Rom. 13.4 He is the Minister of God to thee for good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indefinitely universally And explicating himself afterward more distinctly he tells us that Kings and persons in eminent or the highest place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were instituted and appointed of God to this end and purpose that we should lead a quiet and peaceable life under them not only in all honesty but in all piety 1 Tim. 2.2 The happiness of a City Country or Kingdom consists in this ut Dei sit amans amata Deo That it love and be beloved of God Vt illum sibi Regem se illius populum agnoscat August de Civit. Dei l. 5. c. 14. That it be in subjection to God whom it hath over it for its King And the Father-pronounceth Kings happy Si suam potestatem ad Dei cultum maxime dilatandum Majestati ejus famulam faciant If by promoting his worship as far as they can they subject their power to the Majesty of God Thus the Emperours Theodosius and Honorius Epist ad Marcellinum tell him that they design'd not any thing in all their Labour of War and Councells of Peace Nisi ut verum Dei cultum orbis nostri plebs devota custodiat That the people devoted to their service might follow the right worship of God Theodosius likewise in Ep. ad Cyrillum Caesarei est muneris ut non solum pacifice sed pie etiam subditi vivant The Emperour must take care that his Subjects live under him not only peaceably but piously Thus Isidor Pelusiota propounds the same end to the Prince as to the Priest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Salvation of their Subjects to which that of Ammianus Marcellinus agrees fully Nihil aliud est imperium ut sapientes definiunt nisi cura salutis alienae l. 39. Empire is nothing else in the judgment of wise men but the care of the Welfare and Salvation of others Since then this is the end which Kings are to propound unto themselves that their Subjects may live under them not onely honestly but godly it necessarily follows that they must be intrusted with Authority and Power in Ecclesiasticall matters For the end being admitted we must admit those things without which the end cannot be attain'd And accordingly we find God laying his command upon Kings in Scripture When the King sitteth upon the Throne of his Kingdom he shall write him a Copy of this Law in a book out of that which is before the Priests and the Levites and