The Magistrate hath much power about Church matters but he hath no Church-power properly so called that belongeth only to Christs own officers Secondly For clearing of the question take this Assertion what we deny to the Christian Magistrate in the power of Governing the Church we deny it to him only as a Magistrate for so we laid it down in the conclusion to be proved A Magistrate as a Magistrate hath no power in Governing the Church otherwise if a Christian Magistrate be chosen an Elder he hath power of Church Government being joyned with the rest Only we say as a Magistrate he hath no power to Govern the Church II. We come to the Second thing which is our Arguments to confirm the Truth And the first Argument is this That Jesus Christ hath given no warrand to the Civil Magistrate for the Government of his Church and therefore he hath no right to it 1 We say that Christ in his word hath given no warrand to the Magistrate for Governing his Church And this will appear from all these places where mention is made of any warrand given to any of Church Government There is no word of the Christian Magistrate in any of them only mention is made of Apostles Ministers and Elders so in Matth 16. 19. The power of Governing the Church to bind and loose is given to Peter in the name of the rest of the Apostles but no word of the Civil Magistrate And Matth 18. 17. the power of Excommunication is given to the Church and if he shall neglect to hear them 〈…〉 be c. The Church of Ministers and Elders hath the power but no word of the Civil Magistrate And so in Timoth and Titus the scope of which Epistles is to instruct Ministers concerning the right way of Governing the Church what is spoken there is spoken to them and to Ministers succeeding to them but there is no mention of the Civil Magistrate And therefore we may conclude he hath no right from Jesus Christ for Governing the Church And what he would challenge of that kind is but an usurpation and intruding unto that to which he hath no right Our second Argument is If the power of the Church Government belong to a Magistrate as a Magistrate then it belongeth to every Magistrate but this were absurd We say if the power of Governing the Church did belong to a Magistrate as a Magistrate then it should belong to every Magistrate for whatever belongs to one as such belongs to all such Now this hath many absurdities following on it For by this Rule Heathen Magistrates might have power of Church Government and be Church Governours which were absurd For they are not Church Members Then Secondly Women might be Church Governours for they may be Magistrates in some cases and yet they may not speak in the Church Yea Thirdly By this it should follow that Children not come to age might have the power of Church Government for they may be Magistrates when Magistracy goeth by succession Now Children cannot have the power of Church Government for that power is not to be Exercised by deputies but by the persons themselves who are intrusted with it A Third Argument to confirm the Truth is this That Magistrates as Magistrates are not Church Officers And therefore they have no power to Govern the Church The consequence is clear for if Magistrates have power to Govern the Church then they must be Church Officers if any thing make a man a Church Officer then power to Govern the Church will do it for State Government and State Officers are Relata and have a mutual Relation one to another and so must Church Government and Church Officers have a mutual Relation one to another But in the next place it is evident That a Magistrate as a Magistrate is no Church Officer and that because among all that roll set down in the word of God wherein Christ reckons up his Officers there is no mention made of the Civil Magistrate Ephes 4. There is a roll verse 11. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers But no word of the Civil Magistrate and in Rom 12 6 7. There is an other roll of Church officers but no word of of the Civil Magistrate whether prophecy let us prophecy according to the proportion of Faith Or Ministery let us wait on our Ministering or he that teacheth on teaching c. But neither in this place or any other is there any mention of the Civil Magistrate Only some of our Adversaries mutter somewhat of 1 Cor 12. 28. That by Governments there mentioned is meaned the Christian Magistrate but it is easily refuted for the text speaketh evidently of such Governours as the Church had at that time And God hath set some in the Church c. Now the Church at that time had no Christian Magistrate nor for above 200 years after So by Governments cannot be meaned the Christian Magistrate but the Ruling Elder who is often spoken of in other places Our Fourth Argument to prove this point is That the Church did enjoy full power of Government within her self and accordingly did exercise it near 300 years before any Magistrate was a Christian and so the Church hath this power within her self yet For the first part of the Argument it is evident if we consider First That which is not controverted to wit that in the space of 300 years after Christ there was not a Magistrate a Christian If we consider Secondly That all this time the Church had full power of Church Government within her self and therefore Paul sayes to Timothy 1 Tim 4. 14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery So they had power of Ordination Power also to dispence Censures as Excommunication 1 Cor 5. 4 5 When ye are gathered together To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the Flesh c. And they had power to relax from Excommunication So 2 Cor 2 6. Where Paul commands to relax the Excommunicate man from that Sentence Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many v. 7. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him c. Fourthly They had Synods meeting together making binding Canons to guide the Church Act 15. The Synod of Apostles Elders and Brethren meet together determine a controversie and Censure those who had troubled the Church Thus the first part of the Argument is made out to wit That the Church did enjoy full power of Discipline within her self long before any Magistrate became Christian And therefore it followes that this power is yet in the Churches hand and not in the Magistrates And that because if the Church at that time had right to dispence this power as undoubtedly she had then they must make it appear how Christ took this right from her and
Malice hath set it self in some one Age of the Church or other to bear it down And God's Wisdom hath still overshot Satan making use of his Malice in opposing Truth for the further clearing of that Truth which he intendeth most to obscure and darken Satan's first design in the first Ages of the Christian Church was to beat down that great Fundamental Truth of Christs Divinity But after long debate this Truth was fully cleared by the means of several Worthies whose Spirits the Lord stirred up in these Ages to mantain That so much opposed Truth Satan therefore being beat off this strong Fort of Christianity retired a little and laboured next to bear down the Truth of Christs Humanity But the Truâ—h hereof the more it was opposed growing the brighter The Lord making Light break up convincingly in the midst of Hot Debates Satan retired a little further yet and bent his whole force in the following Ages against the Vnity of Christs Person And next against the Distinction of his Natures But Satan not prevailing this Way either he set himself to undermine Christ Jesus in all His Offices 1. By setting up the Infallibility of Popes and Councils against His Prophetical Office 2. The Doctrine of Merit in the matter of Justification against His Priestly Office 3. The Doctrine of Free-will and power of it in Man's Conversion to God against the Inward part of His Kingly Office And for the Outward part of it he set himself to wrest the Scepter of Christ's Government from His own Office-bearers and put it in the Hands of Popes Cardinals Arch-bishops and Bishops But after long Contest Truth is now aboundantly cleared and confirmed in all these Thus as One saith the Lord Jesus hath been content to dispute His Ground by Inches with the Devil until almost He hath beat him out of all only Satan hath no will to quit it so it seems to us he is now giving his last and sorest On-set on which in a desperate way he is to venture all wherein his design is evident to cast all in a Confusion First By trampling under foot the Outward Court of God's House I mean the Constitution of His Church Visible by the Doctrine of Renting and Separation And next to deprive the Catholick Church Visible and all Her considerable Members of all Government by the Doctrine of Independancy which confineth the whole Power of the Keys within the narrow circuit of a Particular Congregation whereby all the Particular Churches are left as so many small Boats in a storm to dash one against another having no Intrinsical authoritative Mean to make them steer an even Course without rushing one upon another Thus Satan aimeth to cast all in confusion that he may undo all What in former Ages he could not do in destroying Gospel Truths by Piece-meal and one by one he intends now to do it by whole sale and all at once For if once the bottom of the Ship be split and the Rudder broken the precious Ware contain'd in it can hardly be preserved Now that Satan's main design is to deface these Truths which are about the Constitution and Government of the Visible Church that thereby all may be covered with Confusion appeareth In that not only the method God hath hitherto keeped doth point at it There being few other Points of Truth to clear but also the thing speaketh for it self the main speat of the Errors of the time running directly contrary to these So that certainly as God intends to clear Truth in these so it 's not the least part of Satan's main design against the Church of Christ at this time to obscure Truth in these This then being Satan's design I shall in the next place give some Directions how to manage our Differences so as not to further this main design nor yet be short coming in our Duty against it Of which Directions I shall reckon Three First We ought to examine Opinions and Practices even tho by us conceived just and lawful How far they may contribute for furtherance of that Design and in that respect should be more circumspect and sparing at least in medling with them Thus the Apostle Paul Gal. 2. 3. would not Circumcise Titus tho Circumcision at that time was a thing Lawful as appears from his Circumcising of Timothy Act. 16. 3. much about the same time and yet he would not Circumcise Titus The reason is v. 4. There were False Brethren present who would have taken advantage of That his Practice to confirm themselves in their opposition to that Truth which Satan intended most to bear down at that time to wit The freedom of the Christian Church from the yoke of Mosaical Ceremonies therefore he thinks himself bound to abstain from that practice tho in it self Lawful and which in some other cases would have been necessary And that lest by That his Practice he should have been advantageous to Satan's main design against the Church of Christ at that time It 's true Truth remains still Truth however Satan abuse it yet seing all grant that the venting of some Truths at sometimes is unseasonable and so for that time may be forborn And seing it would seem that nothing makes a Truth more unseasonable than when it is known that Satan will make bad use of it for bearing down that Truth which God intends mainly to clear It will follow that the venting of such a Truth ought to be at least with great modesty and much holy Circumspection if not altogether forborn for that time For Application of this Direction I will not say much Only I shall propose it to your serious thoughts Whether or not the late Proceedings in opposition to the Supreme Judicatories of the Church together with the Tenets whereupon they are grounded which for Peace's cause and from unwillingness to give the least occasion of Irritation I forbear to name whether or not I say These even supposing the Lawfulness of the Practices and Truth of the Opinions seem not to have been unseasonable for the time as being apt to be abused for leading People upon the Errors of the time Such as the Contempt of Ecclesiastical Judicatories Quarrelling the Constitution and Separating from the Fellowship of our Church I fear much it will be hard for People not acquainted with subtile Distinctions to conceive that any Corruption amongst those with whom we converse can make Civil Fellowship with them Unlawful but it must make Church Fellowship especially Communion-table Fellowship with the same Persons to be as much if not much more Unlawful But I forbear not being without hopes but that Brethren Gracious and Wise will ponder what they hold and what they practise when they see bad use made of it beyond their own Intention and Purpose There is one thing further I shall say for application chiefly upon the other hand and it is this Such Practices ought to be eschewed as may prove unjust and unnecessary Irritations unto People to
light breaks out to the clearing of the Truth These are Reasons why Hereticks must be Vse The use is seeing the Spirit of Error began so early to trouble the Church in the Apostles time that were guided with an infallible Spirit then ye are not to wonder that Error should trouble the Church now when there are not such infallible lights as these The Spirit of Error is a bold darring Spirit it will dare to contradict God Himself and find out some shift to cast at that which God Himself sayeth As may be seen Gen 3. The Lord said The day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die And Sathan contradicts it thou shalt not surely die And so no wonder there be such impudence seen in the Spirit of Error now as to cast at any thing which Gods Servants say seeing Satan still Acts the Instruments of Error Vse 2 But secondly from this Doctrine learn not to quarrell with Gods most Holy and wise Providence in that he suffers so many Errors to be We are ready to think that if God had that care of his Church Covenant and Cause as men would think he had he would not suffer such Effronted Spirits and such Blasphemous Hereticks to prevail and to outdare his Truth But that is to quarrel the Lords providence and without a ground He whose furnace is in Zion can make all the tryals of the time that arise from Error to contribute much for the clearing of Truth by this means he will rouse up his People to study Truth to understand it better to search out grounds for it and that is one advantage only ye would know also that these times will be discovering times they will discover many a corrupt heart many unstable hearts and light heads many proud Spirits and many that have Lusts lurking within them So that many will choose that Religion that will gratify their Lusts most For there is not an Error that Sathan hatches but there is one Lust or other within People that speaks for it and there is nothing more ready to make People take in Error than their harbouring of unmortified Lusts. So in 2 Timoth Cap 3. The Apostle speaking of those who should be caried away with false Teachers says in the 6. v. For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins led away with diverse Lusts Unmortified Lusts are as fuel to make the fire of Zeal for Error to burn very hot in Peoples bosom and so Error will try People this way Doct V. Next observe he sayes Believe not every Spirit that is believe not every Doctrine that hath the name of the Spirit and fair pretences put upon it as if they were the Doctrines of the Spirit of God believe them not From this we learn That the foulest Errors go out oftentimes under fairest names and are backed with most specious pretences what Fouler Errors than these spoken of here The denying of the Son of God And yet what fairer Names than the Spirit What fairer pretences than that they are Doctrines taught by the Spirit of God We will find this of all Errors spoken of in Scripture for the most part Coraâ— Dathan and Abiram's Error whereby they rose up against the Magistracy of Moses and Preist-hood of Aaron hath a fair pretence for it Ye take too much upon you Moses and Aaron are not all the Lords People Holy And Jeroboams Error his Idolatry in setting up the Calf at Dan and Bethel hath a fair pretence 1 Kings 12. It is too fair for you c. The Peoples ease and the publick good is the thing he pretends though his design was far otherwise And so these that urged Justification by works and opposed the way of free Grace and being justified by Faith they had their fair pretences O! say they to cast off Workes from Justification will make People secure wee may sin that Grace may abound very taking pretences all of them and as taking as any that Error is now covered over with The Reason of the Doctrine is from the cause for which the Tempter presents Error under fair colours and specious pretences which is this That he may make the Error the more taking For these are the baits he puts on the hook that he may deceive and catch the simple Therefore for use of this Doctrine ye would not be deceived with fair pretences or ravishinglike expressions that Error may be fairded over with See what the Apostle Paul sayes to this purpose 2 Thess cap. 2 v. 2. Where speaking against an Error he beseeches them by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ That they be not soon shaken in mind or troubled neither by Spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as that the day of Christ is at hand It supposes that the spreaders of that Error had all these three pretences Firstâ— they pretended the Spirit that it was a Doctrine taught them by the Spirit of God accompanied by his presence in their Spirits with more than ordinary flashes and raptures and In-bearings of the Spirit of Light And Secondly that they had the word or Scripture to alledge for it And Thirdly they picked somewhat out of Pauls Letters for them so would they say In speaking against us he contradicts himself These are fair pretences and yet sayes Paul be not shaken in mind with them So say I ye would guard your self against the fair pretences which Error may have and look not only to the out side but to the inside of them and then ye will find most bitter Serpents Lurking under fairest flowers As for example The Mother of all Error Tolleration hath a fair pretence for it viz. that good men may Err and so in suppressing Error ye may suppress Piety A fair pretence but it hath afoul end For by this meanes Blasphemers Denyers of God and Jesus Christ must have Liberty to vent their damnable Errors if so be that they can but pretend Conscience and so stable roome must be given in Christs Church to every unclean beast that ever was hatched in Hell The Antinomian Errors again have a fair pretence O say they Christ hath become sin for us and therefore it is taken off from us so we are not bound to repent for it for to say that we are to repent were to take the burthen off from Christs Back and to put it on our own These are specious words without solidity but they contradict Scripture Truths where they are narrowly looked to Peter was a justified Person and yet when Christ looked on him He weeped bitterly Davids sin was pardoned and Christ had taken the burthen of it and yet David was to Repent of it and to be corrected for it and so the Lord tells him that the sword should not depart from his house because he had made the Enemies of the Lord to Blasphem and yet sin was not laid upon David to satisfy divine Justice for it Only he must get
State so is it in the Church as to this purpose No Union can be there as of one actually incorporate Body except it be under one and the same Supreme Rulers So is it in the Church So long as there is no agreement about One and the same Supreme Representative under whose Authority we may stand for the present But one part standeth for it's Authority another is contrary unto it or setting up another against it In this case the matter is clear there is no compleat Union but a fixed Schism or at the best a strong tendency unto it A Third thing to be eyed is If so Our Union must be under one Supreme Representative then such ways of Union will do no good as carry not alongs the Body An Union if not with the Body instead of healing doth widen the Rent A resolution or desire to unite with a few not caring for the rest will not produce an union I mean of the Church altho it may be of a stronger Party in the Church These few would possibly as gladly unite as others would have them if it were not evidently a strengthening of the Breach Fourthly Yet a Part ought to labour with the Body for condescending as low as warrantably can be for Peace's sake Only a Caveat must be here They are so to deal with the Body to condescend for Vnion as to beware of making a new Rupture in the Body upon their not granting For that were in a desperate way to make a new Rent because others will not take Our way for removing of the Old Fifthly If we desire an hearty cordial Vnion it would be endeavoured without rubbing upon the Credit 1. Of Persons 2. Of Parties 3. Of Ordinances If the Credit of all can be held up it 's well He is no friend to Vnion that would endeavour the contrair But if some must suffer Love to the Publick and Zeal for God will teach That the former is to yeild to the latter viz. Persons to Parties and the Credit both of Persons and Parties yea and of both Parties themselves if need be are to stoop for upholding the Authority of Divine Ordinances A litle of this Self-denial would do much good But how litle of it is there to be found Sixthly Dividing Principles and such as tend of their own nature to obstruct Union should be abandoned There is One Principle often spoken of by some and now made more publick which if maintained in Our judgment will close the door upon Union in hast to wit That it is unlawful to sit in an Assembly with those who have enacted persecution against the Godly And this in the sence of the Propounders as it is expresly tho injuriously applyed by them is as much as to say It is unlawful to joyn in any Assembly made up for the most part of those who acted in and approved of Our late Controverted Assemblies Now if it be unlawful to joyn in an Assembly made up for the most part of such why not also unlawful to join in a Synod or in a Presbytry likewise made up of such yea and to join at a Communion Table where the most part are such And indeed some of the People chiefly draw out their Principle to this full length A Principle which to say no worse of it striketh at the very throat of Peace and if stood to makes it desperat and so I hope is and will be disowned by all who cordially pretend to Peace and Union in the Church These I conceive and many moe should be eyed by Us in Our aiming at Union if we would have Our endeavours effectual But because a Compleat Union in an ordinary way is not to be so soon expected I shall in the next place give Two Directions for managing our Differences So as the Church of Christ may have less hurt by them at least The first Direction is That we ought to guard against these Tentations which Our Standing Division may readily make way for Whereof I shall mention Three The First Tentation is this An oversight of every other fault almost whether in Ministers or Professors providing they be true to the Party A Party is a dangerous thing and in nothing more dangerous than in this That it driveth men if not all the more tender to take fidelity unto the Party to be the prime if not the only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and badge of honesty and enclines them to look on all other things whether Corrupt Principles or loose Practices as excusable Infirmities A woeful Tentation and destructive both to Truth and Piety And therefore ought so much the more to be guarded against on both hands A Second Tentation is The secret wishing after and rejoycing in the Slips one of another An Evil so woeful that David complains to God of it even in his avowed Enemies Ps. 38. 16. When my Foot slippeth they magnify themselves against me And Jeremiah complaineth of it in his false Friends Ch. 20. v. 10. They watched for my halting And yet an Evil that even Good men if once engaged in Parties will have a Battel with A Third Tentation upon Our standing Divided and which is also to be guarded against is A bending of Our selves to the outmost of Light and possibly beyond it for strengthning of our selves to the doing of these things in relation to these who now Rule which not long since we would have abhorred both in our selves and others It is very possible that as Gifts blind the Eyes of the Wise Exod. 23. So the seeming advantage unto that which we conceive Truth may draw out somewhat like an Approbation to such like Work from those of our own Judgement and if these do approve it is the less matter think we that others do disapprove But we ought to remember there are others to sift our Actions Forreign Churches abroad our own Conscience being sober and settled and above all God the Judge of All. A Second Direction for managing our Differences is That we ought not to be so taken up with others as to take our Eye off from guarding against that which is Satan's main design against the Church of Christ at this time Satan does as a subtile Warriour labour to raise a Mutiny among the Forces which should oppose him that while they are wrangling one with another he may carry his Point without stroke of Sword Being to insist a little on this Direction I shall first speak to what I conceive to be Satan's main design against the Church at this time 2 I shall give some Directions to manage our Differences So as not to further this his main design nor yet to be short-coming in our Duty against it And First For taking up what is Satan's great Design we shall in a word or two lay before you a wonderful Contexture as it were of God's Wisdom and Satan's Malice since the first beginnings of the Christian Church even untill now There is no Truth almost but Satan's