administration of power there also is unity of Doctrine lost and schism is also brought into the Church as well as confusion into the State The which needs the less to be wondered at in us on whom the ends of the earth are come if we consider what befel the Jews themselves when there was no King in Israel For although they had the oracles of God committed unto them that is they had not only more aboundance of divine precepts but had God himself also by his Priests and Prophets always ready to give them express direction in all doubts as from an oracle yet how plainly doth the instance of Micahs Idols tells us how subject each one is at such times to fraim to themselves not only new forms of Worship but new gods of their own devising and setting up Which by little and little may come to be taken up and countenanced by their divided authority as that was by the Danites who had many equal to and under them to be seduced by an evil example but none above them to keep them and all others conformable All which well considered may instruct us of the reason of our Saviours dark answer to such as had no minde to believe him therein when he saith My kingdom is not of this world This was true first in that this worlds kingdom being not to be compared to his Kingdom in heaven with his Father did not therefore deserve comparatively to be called his or had in that esteem which they that made this question did think of And then we must understand this denial not to reach to his right of Kingship or Super-eminence in the Church and Kingdoms of this world but to the present execution thereof by himself that probably being the very cause of Pilates demand Unto whom he having been by some reported as King of the Jews and he beholding his present mean condition so unlike that of a King it made him scornfully ask Art thou a King then aswel as afterwards scornfully write that he was so And therefore our Saviours answer can import no farther abnegation of his Kingship amongst us then to his own personal execution meaning not to be by him immediately managed here now but by Deputies whom he shall own and empower as King of Kings Whereupon he also saith The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Son And he is so far from renouncing his true being a King and title hereto that he says I am a King and that the testification of this truth meaning his right in this Office was the cause of his coming into the world adding that every one that is of the truth heareth his voyce that is he believeth and obeyeth him accordingly So that we are to interpret this denial of our Saviours Kingship to be upon the same reason at this time done as he had formerly charged his Disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. For although he had wrought all those miracles to evince so much yet would he have them carefull not to cast pearls before swine that is he would have them to be wary in declaring his Divinity before unbelieving Jews as himself was now reserved in publishing his Kingship before a scornful Roman lest he being so straitly bound to another Master might be but the more moved thereupon to turn upon him with reproach And therefore they that think that Christ did deny his true Kingly Right and Office by that answer Thou sayest it may also by the same rule say that at the same time he did also deny himself to be Christ the Son of the living God because he also answereth to that question made by the high Priest Thou hast said it But in this place being newly spoken before the other he may be conceived to have made answer enough for both and so to adjoyn that time of fuller manifestation of his external regency and glory which was the occasion of their demand namely at that time when he as Son of man shall be sitting at the right hand of the power of God By which means his Deputies shall be endued with power of earthly dominion and at that time also when he shall make his own personal appearance in the clouds of Heaven to judge all men at the last day And that he had openly acknowledged this truth himself before appears by that request made to Pilate Write not the King of the Jews but that he said I am king of the Jews So that now unto the deniers or opposers of this truth of his Kingship by obejection of any other truth we may make demand with Pilate What is truth Unto which I suppose they can make no answer but by proposing to us some wilde fancies and collections of their own For whilst they would make the known duty of Charity producing real good by peace be interrupted by some of their speculative duties which cause division and all under pretence of preferring truth to peace they would have us leave that good which evidence of sense and experience tells us to be so in hope to enjoy some contemplative good by them called truth which we cannot apprehend But we conceive that when Christ the Way the Truth and the Life is once on our parts entertained and believed when we have once sought and attained the kingdom of God and its righteousness that is have to our utmost endeavoured to promote the glory and Administration of Christs regency in his Church the pillar and ground of truth then and there are we with gratitude to enjoy those additional blessings which peace bringeth Then and there are we to study to be quiet to seek peace and ensue it and the like which are the proper duties of such as being by Gods grace called are by the God of peace called unto peace And therefore although the Prophet Zachery speaking of the restauration of the Jews and their receipt of the Gospel would have them seek peace after truth that is prefer that truth before all worldly blessings yet where this truth is once received there peace is to be preferred to lesser truths according to good Hezekiahs saying now settled and confirmed in Gods Worship Peace and truth shall be in my days The like was promised to the Jews in their restauration or rather to the Gentile Church abundance of peace and truth And to doth holy David also put mercy before it in his blessing to Ittai saying Mercy and truth be with thee And other graces and blessings are elsewhere more often put before then after truth Nay of such advantage to the preservation of truth it self and of sanctify of life this grace is that we shall find it put first as the way to that Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently lest any man should fail of
saying of Core In which place by Cain and Baalim we may understand revenge and coveâ—ousness the two ordinary spurs to Rebellion personated as in Core we may see pride and rebellion it self brought by Gods justice to deserved punishment and so also counterfeit and dissembling prophesie to come to the like end in Baalim These are spots in your feasts of Charity when they feed with you that is they are such as would overthrow Charity by overthrowing Government and serving their own ends and feeding themselves without fear thereof Clouds they are without water carried about of winds that is all their pretensions of publike good consists in popular oratory whose fruit withereth twice dead plucked up by the roots being spiritually or civilly rotten or dead members they are sit only as thorns for the fire and destruction By raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame we may understand popular insurrections which are but to their own shame and by wandring stars we may conceive their giddâ— leaders for whose unrepented sin is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever when according to Enochs prophesie the lord shall come with ten thousand and of his Saints to execute judgement upon all to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed that is of all things done in disobedience to Gods commands and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners or sinners not fearing God have spoken against him that is against dominion set up by him For these mockers or Antichrists are murmurers complainers walking after their own lusts and their mouth speaketh great swelling words having mens persons in admiration because of andvantage All which sets forth rebellion in its cause and growth to the life but the last especially namely hope of private advantage this is that which still makes us cry up the heads of Rebellion and their Cause The like description of these Antichrists hath St. Peter but he is something more express in setting forth the way of their prevalence amongst us namely through promises of Liberty and such things as are taking with flesh and blood And this again they do as under colour of moral equity or legal right for saith he when they speak great swelling words of vanity as of the peoples paramount power and Authority they allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonness that is through temptations thereby to enjoy our lusts and wanton appetites those that were clean escaped from them who live in error while they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption That is although under countenance of their right to be interpreting the Law themselves they do promise liberty unto them yet it falls out otherwise for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage For if after they have escaped the pollutions of this world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that is Pride and Lust which causeth pollution through the Gospel of love they are again entangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them then the beginning For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness then after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them namely that one Commandment which Christ gave for all the rest when he said these things I command you that ye love one another Saint Paul also warns Timothy how that in the latter times some should depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing spirits and Doctrines of Devils that is there shall come Entâ—usiasts whom the devil shall beguile under the shape of an Angel of light and that these shall thereupon speak lies in hypocrisie or deceive others under shew of Religion Being men so wilfully set to entangle and ensnare the Conscienres of others and lead them to the ways of destruction as if their own Consciences were seared with hot irons even by prohibiting as unlawful what was in it self indifferent or lawfully enâ—oyned But more particularly he afterwards sets down the nature and practises of these men that by their unsociable dispositions shall make perilous times in the last days when he calls them lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce-breakers false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good traitors heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God Of all which this latter age hath had but too true and sad experience to be the fruits of those that are still putting on a form of godliness and denying the power thereof in their lives and actions even whilst they are truely found lovers of themselves and their own pleasures more then God by their covetousness and pride being lead to blaspheme and dishonor his name amongst men by their daily disobedience to their Christian Parents and superiors and thereupon also to be unthankful and unholy in their lives And while they stand partially affected to one another under the notion of more spiritual brotherhood they come to forget all natural ties and relations to the breach of all Truce and Commerce and also by being make-bates incontinent and fierce in their despightful usage and censure of such as be good and peaceable they shew themselves to be Traitors heady high-minded c. But when they are set down for such as creep into houses plainly shewing their love to Conventicles and private Meetings and there leading captive silly women laden with sins that is such weak dispositions as are by them frighted with their Sermons of damnation and also such as are led away with divers lusts or listening after novelty of Doctrine such as are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth they are yet more lively set forth For how should truth or obedience be known when these men are ready with their seditious incantations to oppose and resist the ground and piller thereof the Church and that publike Ministers of Christ that should uphold it after the same manner that Iannes and Iambres formerly withstood Mosses Being reprobate concerning the Faith or having but a false and reprobate Faith for want of that true tryal of Faith the work of Patience and work of love and so being not able to endure persecutions they shew themselves to be none of those that will live godly in Christ Jesus but evil men and seducers waxing worse and worse deceiving and being deceived But our comfort is in the confinement of their prevalence they shall proceed no farther that is no farther then with such silly Auditors for their folly shall be manifest to all men as theirs also was they shall be discovered in their plots against Christs Ministers as those that formerly opposed Gods Ministery in Moses And now farther to prove
be taken into mercy because even thereupon the rest who could in Adam be looked upon but with equal guilt must have been unequally punished but it became expedient ordinarily to leave them free to the contrary As therefore that medicine or plaister which is made for any disease doth not cure by being but by being applyed so in this common cure of mankinde it became expedient that Christ should for application be freely offered to all that each mans destruction might be from his own fault and the means of salvation not forcably imposed on all that are saved to involve the rest in inevitable ruine Wherefore when we read of a Pharaoh hardned or a Paul particularly chosen by God for some special and extraordinary uses and to shew Gods freedom and power over his creature as the Potter over the clay we must not take it as his ordinary course No more then when in our fortunes and affairs of this life we find God sometimes making use of his good pleasure and power in more remarkably blessing and countenancing some particular Nations or persons more then ordinary we are thence to conclude that the good or ill fortune of each Nation in general or each person of that Nation in particular is not usually to be ascribed as left unto the guidance of their and his own judgement and will Which thing well considered might silence much controversie in point of Predestination But now upon the grounds before shewed it appearing fit that this general means of salvation should be in such manner set forth as all should not accept although offered nor none with just excuse deny we shall find reason why the name and notion of Mystery is so often applied both to the Gospel and Christ himself and why our Saviour was so frequent in parables Doubted it cannot be but that it stood within the compass of Gods Almightiness to have made such inward preparation of mans heart and to have so encreased the light and evidence of divine truth both by continuance of miracles and increase and plainness of discourse that it had been impossible for any one to have denied his assent and obedience thereunto For so even the unbelieving Jews and malicious Scribes and Pharisees that could not be convinced and brought to acknowledgement of the truth by those many other miracles wrought by our Saviour are yet professing that if he would shew one of their choosing that is Descend from his cross and save himself they would then believe on him also Whereas now by this offer of salvation in such a way as cannot by all be accepted or refused his mercy and justice in saving or punishing part of mankind are both preserved without partiality For thus when we find the Gospel preached to any particular Nation or People whereby God may have a Church or Company of men more expresly serving and praising him it is yet so ordered that the necessity of particular and definite persons believing unto salvation follows not thereupon for that the many resplendent beams of divine light and truth in scripture contained do so dazel and divert mens understandings that they prove for the most part unable truly to make use of and distinguish that direct beam pointing at their most necessary duties but pleasing themselves with the forms of godliness lose the true vertue and power thereof that should bring them to heaven When as on the contrary such sorts of people to whom so much hath not been given and have not so well known their Masters will shall by obedience to the substance of the Law written in their hearts prove themselves better Disciples of the two For these having never refused or opposed as the others have must therein be acknowledged as for him whilst not denying or against him And so because in works all we can call our own is absence of ill therefore faith being the gift of God absence of dis-belief frees us from condemnation where it is with innocence accompanied Upon which grounds it should follow that men in their future condition should be distinguished into three ranks that is first such as through actual faith in Christ attain remission by repentance and participation of the reward of heaven through imputation of good works done in his obedience The other of such as dis-believe him or else not knowing him do besides the miss of heaven pull upon themselves the deserved punishments of hell by breaches of charity in those punishments they bring on others The middle rank may be supposed of such as missing the desert and reward of heaven through want of actual faith in Christs merits do yet avoid the punishment and condemnation of hell by observing the substance of the Law which is love and avoiding those crimes that accompany actual and known disobedience and breach of Charity From which it might be farther gathered that had man continued innocent hell had not been for punishments of his charity nor a heaven appointed for the reward of his faith but being then led by the light of his uncorrupted nature as it would hâ—â—e kept him from guilt so the good he did through charitable propension being by her light done too and she having her object of benefit not higher then here below he could not merit beyond an earthly Paradise had not a divine person by owning our Charity as his made them more highly rewardable For so in the Gospel shall we find our Sentence at the last judgement running according to works and as works also done to or against our Saviour himself he answering Inasmuch as ye did it or did it not unto one of the least of these my brethren ye did it or did it not unto me But because now all men are more or less harmful and transgressors of the moral Law or Law of Providence this third middle condition is quite taken off And as men stand differenced in degrees of reward and punishment answerably as they have been faithful and charitable or otherwise So there being none that can say of himself he is at all times free from uncharitableness it follows that all without Christ must be liable in degree to future punishment also These things thus stated we may find reason why as there is a hell and heaven prepared for mankind so those qualities and conditions leading thereunto should rest for the most part in his own power and that as God is not to be accused for those punishments of the wicked in what he doth to the glorifying of his justice so that the rewards of the righteous may be the more to his honor in their services and obediences towards him he will have it done with and through as great difficulties as humane frailty is capable of even making his strength perfect in their weakness least they doing it as lead in too plain a way it might be objected in prejudice to Gods glory in their obedience as the Devil did to Job Do these serve God for nought
unfold and distinguish the truth of the texts themselves For when as Christians we are fully brought to consent unto and credit the Books and parts of the Bible we become now as much amazed and dazled with too great light as with too great darkness confounded before For with too much familiarity and presumption daring to approach too boldly those glorious rayes instead of true discovery such cloudiness and mists have arisen in some understandings that their owne conceipts have been believed for divine and instead of the direct beam of truth the reflected and refracted beam of ignorance and opinion have been embraced For as he that looks against the Sun without some spectacle for his sight doth both miss his discovery there and also weaken his sight for other things so fares it with men when scorning to take in natural helps or the spectacle of reason and sense they usually instead of truth and satisfaction reap nothing but opinion and error And this because experience tells us that from it self alone no evidence can be had of its meaning And therefore to discover the rectitude or inequallity of opinions thence arising rhere must be still some such rule made use of as may direct us in our inquiry For example when we finde that all Christians do believe and relye upon the guidance and authority of the Bible and that yet because of the prejudice before mentioned that there is no Schisme or Heresie but is thence derived and endeavoured to be proved what course by me that am a lover of peace and truth should be taken For do I alleadge that no doctrine but what is proved by Scripture ought to be believed so much they confess also that oppose me and for satisfaction that they really thinke so are ready to attest it with their lives Tell I them farther that upon more strict search of the Scripture and comparing one place with another they may be convinced they will answer that As they beleive the whole Scripture to be Canonical so have they examined it all over and still find no reason but to believe as they do And why that part or those Texts of Scripture on which they ground their opinion should be otherwise or by other places interpreted must be as distasteful to their understanding as it is different from former apprehension and education because more then probable arguments being not to be brought by any it must be expected that custome and familiarity have made their entertainment both pleasant and fixed All which well considered the contemplation thereof compared to those sad effects of blood and war under which not onely whole mankind labours through distinct religions but of those more fierce and uncivil slaughters and contentions wherewith Christians themselves are so continually and impetuously carryed to mutual destruction it cannot but abate much of that peremtoriness which men usually take to themselves in phancying the truth of their owne tenents and doctrines and in condemning and punishing that of others It must methinks move the heart of any that hath at all any true intention of being a Disciple to the God of peace or of love to his brother to begin to examine somewhat better the ground of this his impetuous and bloody devotion and if a Christian to fear least that prophesie of his Saviour of killing men under colour of doing God good service may not light on his score to act when at any time he is too hastily provoked Let men take heed of phancying their merciful redeemer like a Heathen Saturn to be pleased or appeased with the sacrifice of humane blood Nor let too much self-conceitedness provoke fiery zeal to the perpetration of such actions as lead to the overthrow of Charity and his neighbours peace For since height of belief and perswasion of conscience can be of themselves no sure evidence of the goodness of a religious cause which can have but one truth amongst so many pretended ones they had need be wary in relying thereupon and careful that in their works they deny not him they so headily would serve nor do not transgress plain commands to obey obscure ones For since the very enduring of persecution must also testifie that those his Christian Brethren he now afflicts are also confident of their own right serving the same Master the persecuters must thereby become guilty of doing otherwise then they would be done unto both in relation to this their joynt Master that thus makes them brethren and to those their brethren and fellow members whom they ought not thus to judge but leave to stand or fal to their own Master and whom Rom. 14.4 they would be loath should get and make such use of advantages over them In consideration of all which there are that think that none should be oppressed or molested in the peaceable use of his conscience for they find that after all those heaps of blood slaughter shed over all Christendom in design and pretence to promote Christs sole truth and bring men to agreement herein that this truth is still as far from attaining farther certainty and evidence as it was before and that the stock of division is but hereby exasperated and not at all allayed To amend and put a stop to which inconveniencies and mischiefes all such as will put themselves into the number of the blessed peacemakers will find no readier way then seriously to consider as we have endeavoured to shew in our past discourses that since faith and charity are to be the foundations of our religion and we to our utmost to serve God in both it must also follow that we are to perform them with more or less zeal and order as we find the plainness of their precepts more or less evident And therefore since in matters of faith either concerning the full comprehension of deity and also of his manner of worship things have been but sparingly and darkly delivered we are to presume that no farther speculation and discovery is necessary for us herein then what God hath been pleased to impart who could have manifested himself to general conviction if he had thought it fit But since in this and in the manner of his worship he hath already done so fully as will serve for manifestation of his will and so far as to bring us to salvation what need we search farther It will therefore be necessary for them that would avoid the danger of lukewarmness and neglect of Gods service on the one hand and also the peril of breach of charity through blind zeal on the other to make a distinction between things fundamental and what is not The first he shall find in order to his salvation so plainly taught and delivered that he that runs may read and to those things onely as of immediate divine authority are we to give such firm assent as not onely to Obey God rather then men but also Though an Angel from heaven preach unto us other doctrine
we are not to believe him But in the other things not so neccessary as we find them more darkly delivered and not fully cleared by God himself so have they their appointed Gods and interpreters here amongst us unto whom we are to be obedient as to those that watch for our souls In the first case that is in the fundamentals of our faith it behoves us to be explicite and epress for in that sence He that is not for Christ is against him whereas in the other we are to serve Christ by our implicite obedience to his Church the pillar and ground of truth and in that sence it is that he that is not against him is for him But if he do not observe these and other inducements to moderation and charity he will be very subject to persecute Christ in his members while he is about to serve and vindicate him in his truth He will be subject by his zealous prosecution under the form of godliness to lose the power thereof and even to destroy charity the end of the law through his misguided devotion to keep the law For pretend men what they will of the equity and justice of their cause whilst they are in private prosecution of one another for religion it can never be half so certain that herein they maintain that truth and doctrine which was by Christ delivered to be believed as that they transgress that precept of brotherly love commanded to be practised For the truth of their opinon is seen but to themselves onely else they migâ—t think others that endeavour to serve Christ as well as they would not as in order to their owne salvation hereafter or their present riddance from their persecution here stand so firmly to their own contrary principles Will they say that their adversaries might know this truth as well as themselves did not prejudice possess them they hereby become both uncharitable censurers and judgers and if they should impartially search their owne hearts they might hereof also condemn themselves at least may as justly suspect the rest of their owne faction as any of the other And having so far laid the ground-work of direction for those that desire to follow those things that make for peace we will next speak of the Church and of our condition of innocence in her obedience CHAP. III. Of the Church Catholick and of the Fundamentals of Religion THe end of all religion being to praise and glorifie God befoâ—e men and the praising him before men inferring such a manner of doing it as in humane judgement is most honourable and then again that which is most honourable being that which through custome and general acknowledgement is held most beneficial to man himself it still brings Gods glory to be the Alpha and Omega of all we do and the good of our Neighbour the steady and only sure means thereunto For to us men that cannot intuitively behold his face and live and so out of rapture of his express excellence glorifie him with immediate Halelujahs our approach to him must be by his back-parts his Image in our brother and our praise of him here if at all must be by such light and works before men that moveing them as men here They may thereupon glorifie God which is in Heaven At first there was no distinction of such as were to honour God before men from others whom we might thereupon call by the separate name of a Church but whilst mankind was thin the Church was as large as mankind it self But that encreasing the Nation of the Jewes were particularly chosen from the rest to have his name more eminently put and worshipped and amongst and unto them for the preservation of his more immediate service and honour he appoints a particular law to be written and observed Whereupon that sign of Circumcision that served for a mark to distinguish them from others as being the pledge of their promised obedience took on it the name of Covenant to wit the Covenant of works Not that God was not still worthily the only true object of the praises of all mankind but inasmuch as his former precepts and our natural ability had been so forgotten and insufficient that Idolatry and oppression had now in a manner wholly supplanted his worship and mutual charity except in that single family of Abraham it seemed necessary that as well an increase of direction should be given for increase of his service as an appropriation thereof to some select people for its better intention and security for the future By this means the race of Abraham come at once to receive the reward of their Father constancy in Gods service in regard of many promised blessings by them received and also by having the Oracles of God committed unto them they come to be a means for Gods honour to be more encreased even by being here as by a select Church or company of men more eminently served For from hence he might through the observation of the whole world have his name more hallowed and have greater glory given and directed to him then before Not that the common Salvation of man was lessened by this more express care of his owne glory but rather encreased For as the Jewes had open advantage by encrease of light so other Nations had the same light of reason continued to them as before with this advantage that if they were diligent there with to examine those precepts delivered to the Jewes they could not but discover as we formerly noted in the Decalogue great benefit by using them themselves And since we find no other reward or punishment then temporal annexed to legal obedience or default for works as works cannot deserve higher and since those vailes of Rites and Ceremonies were so thick that it was neer as hard for the Jewes expresly to discern Christ by faith through them as for the rest of the world to difference him by the light of reason I cannot but charitably presume that the great preserver of men might finde a way for the saving mâ—ny of them worshiping the same God though not under that notion of the God of Abraham For as the having of Circumcision did not save all that had it so neither the want of it did of it self destroy but as those which were without the law of Moses were a law unto themselves by the law of reason so it follows that at this law of reason proceeding from the same God was unequally broken or kept mens punishments or rewards no doubt succeeded Nor shall I ever make my self believe that Sardinapilus and Scipio should be alike in their future reckonings for punishment being not to be supposed equally culpable in the breach of charity the end of the law although they might equally miss heaven as being equally incredulous Yet as we said untill the law was given whereby another way of direction for mens honouring of God and sociable abearance to one
because it is the onely foundation for other foundation then this can no man lay and this foundation every man must lay or else all the faith and obedience to be framed thereupon will come to nothing For although their be other articles as depending on this and incident to our Christian profession which ought to be believed also even as all things by God proposed as truths are yet to add them as of themselves necessary to salvation it is to Christ and Christian faith as high derogation as to add circumcision or other observations as necessary to salvation in our Christian obedience And as for our obedience outward we are freed from those many rites ceremonies and observations of the Jewes which God in particular favour of the Jewish Nation had appointed most of them being but shadows of Christ himself and of that great and plain way which by the Gospel should be revealed Nay the very judicial part though instituted by God himself for that government bindes us not as positive laws but as useful presidents upon like occasion that is to say where their and our causes were alike which is not binding as such or such laws formerly made and authorised by God but as parts of the general law of reason For as unto them God was immediate lawgiver and being given before Kings was both God and King so was the litteral observation of them in both respects necessary that is as religious and as civil duties also For both were the same to them because God at that time undertaking the managery of the Civil as well as Ecclesiastical Estate made both one then no otherwise then his remitting both to the Prince makes both of one sort now that is under the same chief relation to duty and obedience namely that of conscience But because of Gods express undertaking herein to them it was do this and live but unto us for whom those directions were not particularly made by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified As Gods rule to them was outward and litteral so were his promises and threats for performance temporal and respecting this life onely Wherein they failed as needs they must their failing was expiated by sacrifice pointing at a Saviour to come to fulfill these things for them but Christ being now come and having fulfilled all righteousness the observation of the letter is released as to direct divine authority and we Christians standing bound but to the general precept of love and charity are referred for our particular managery and guidance therein to the higher powers whom we are to obey not onely for wrath but also for conscience sake not onely for fear of that present temporal punishment they may infflict as meer men in authority but out of conscience also of preservation of our owne innocence in preservation of our obedience to God in them All which in the Epistle to the Hebrews is plainly signified where God is brought in speaking of the difference of the Jewish and Christian Covenant and obedience according to the many Prophesies to that purpose and saying Not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt that is not like as it was whilst I gave them particular precepts for all their outward duties and did lead them in all their affairs my self as if I should have taken them by the hand But this course God now changeth because they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord that is because I found humane frailty so great that these litterall commands could not be kept therefore now I will put my laws into their minde and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people And they shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for all shall know me even from the least to the greatest that is by the love of God shed abroad in our hearts all shall be taught of God and by his Spirit led into all fundamental and saving truth so that by being all taught of God to love one another which is the life and soul of the moral law they shal by keeping that one precept of love keep the whole law But for our direction outward therein we are not come unto a mount that might not be touched and that burned with fire nor unto blackness and darkness and tempests that is to hear them from such a mountain which was made inaccessible through these terrible apparitions that accompanied Gods presence thereon and the sound of a Trumpet and the voice of words which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more for they could not endure that which was commanded That is neither are we now to be terrified as by hearing God speaking with his owne voice to our outward ears but we for our outward direction are come unto mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the Heavenly Jurusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels that is to the present Church militant and to such as do therein instruct us as Gods Messengers by their Angelical doctrine And to the general assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect that is unto the Catholick doctrine of the Church assisted by God the judge of all and attested by those many Martyrs which like their Captain are made perfeâ—t by suffering And then that both these may be made beneficial to us and to our salvation we are come to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then the blood of Abel And these Gospel duties of love and obedience we shall find to be the verry errand also of him that was to conclude the Law and the Prophets and to be Christs forerunner as it is most fully though mystically expressed by the Prophet Malachy and also by Saint Luke in their descriptions of Iohn the Baptist his office and message The first of these duties is couched in these words He shall turn the hearts of the Father to the Children that is he shall prepare them to entertain the loving of one another in as high degree as the Father doth his Child And then secondly for performance of the duty of obedience whereby to make this love to be advantagious it is added by Malachy and the heart of the children to their Fathers the which Saint Luke expounding to mean the disobedient to the wisdome of the just doth plainly shew that the preparation of the Gospel of peace and the way to make ready a people prepared for the Lord was by bringing them into such a state of
words as himself findes most warrantable and behoofeful yet must it be acknowledged reasonable that all those publike forms of Worship and Praise whose practise is necessary for constituting each place an unite and distinct Christian Church or Assembly should be at the dispose and appointment of that publike person onely who under Christ is the supreme and entire head and Representativâ— thereof Even out of necessary consideration of keeping up conformity therein and by that means keeping Gods publike Worship in existence which else by mens differing practises in opposition to one another would come to be defeated and lost no otherwise then would our practises in the Precepts of Charity if not by uniform obedience directed For these things have a natural and necessary coherence the Unity of the end requires Coition and Unity in the means and that again requires uniformity in the directions themselves as well as Unity in the person directing all of them to be made useful by the Grace of Obedience before noted But because much dissention hath hitherto arisen about that Officer or person we are to give the obedience unto in regard of the different names of power in Scripture used We will speak something farther here of that Coition or succession of this supreme Officer now under the Gospel This we shall finde briefly done by Christ himself when he is impowring these several little ones Where he begins with those that should first represent him namely such as should presently succeed as his own Desciples and followers he that receiveth you receiveth me c. Under which no doubt the first Apostles were to be comprized who in regard of their mean worldly condition might sometimes be objects of Charity also even to the receiving a cup of cold water The next object of our obedience is set down under the notion of Prophet he that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward Under this notion we may comprehend Episcopal or Patriarchical power succeeding which had power of instruction but little of jurisdiction the which was reserved for the last more glorious Officer the just man or righteous man And he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous mans reward That is shall be made capable of justice or justification by means of his obedience to this chief representer of Christs Authority who is thereupon called a just or righteous man this appellation of righteous man being equivalent with that of Ruler in chief as divers places of the Old-Testament do also Warrant In which the attribute could not be formally due to him whose words were perverted by gifts Whenas by reason of the place they execute they ought always to be respected as righteous by those under them And therefore unto him as the person of jurisdiction and power shall those other Offices of Prophesie or Instruction be annexed and made subserviâ—nt no otherwise then in the Jewish Church it at first was unto Moses their first King For so we shall finde it plainly delivered concerning Aaron and him Thou shalt speak unto him meaning Moses to Aaron and put words in his mouth and I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what ye shall do Which is the same with being a spirit of judgement or Mishpat and of being in the mouth of their seed and seeds seed for ever before spoken of And then follows the subordination of the Prophets and he shall be thy spokesman or Angel unto the people and he shall be even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth and thou shalt be to him as a God And in the first verse of the seventh Chapter he is expresly called Moses Prophet Aaron thy brother shall be thy Prophet or Angel The which doth plainly foreshew the Coincidence of Christian Authority under each Christian King and Monarch to make useful the coition of the means before spoken of For he as the last most glorious deputed Minister to Christ amongst us is to claim our obedience in his name in all things done towards the stating of Charity and as Steward in the mysteries of God is to be obeyed in all our outward religious deportments Nay that very Argument of mysteriousness and profoundness in matters of divine truth and worship which some would urge in bar to the Kings intermedling in causes of Religion as the true Steward of the mysteries of God is by the wisest King and Preacher made to be the proper glory and part of his Office saying It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honor of Kings is to search out a matter In which words Kings being set in the plural number makes it appear that this of liberty searching into the mysteries of God was not reserved to Solomon onely but was belonging to each King as Gods Vicegerent on earth Nor was it so set down as to denote that every individual King could personally attain to such ability but to shew that each King being Gods chief Steward that therefore those things which by means of his Seers and Prophets under him were performed should be accompted to the honor of the King as being done by him because of their subordination to his supreme Authority therein And those persons that are most subject to inveigh against publike forms as Will-worship Superstition and Scandal are themselves the onely men that are truly guilty of Will-worship and Scandal by relying on their own private Wills and Judgements and preferring their own devises and forms to the practises of all others whereby to introduce general offence and scandal And so again when they refuse to joyn with others in their publike services out of the fear of superstition in giving too much and do choose to proceed in contrary or negative performances this as being induced and carryed on by superstitious and ungrounded fear to displease offends in the worse extream and turns to be true Superstition indeed And I verily believe that men are generally more superstitious in avoidance of Ceremonies then they are in observing them for this is Superstition upon Superstition For the truth is if publike reason and appointment be excluded in appointing forms of Gods Service and Worship then since himself hath appointed no form to us Christians as such he can now have no right external Worship given to him at all which doubtless for honor sake is eternally due to him as God and by way of gratitude to be returned from us But although he knew it to be a thing necessary to be done yet knowing also that we now have Moses and the Prophets as useful presidents for general directions in what we are to do that is since we have all that light which was formerly given to any people if these and those many general Precepts since given cannot be sufficient together without great helps of natural learning and reason
time also God will more particularly own his Church then shall Ierusalem be holy and there shall no strangers pass thorow her any more that is the sons of violence shall not oppress her as in former times For in that day the mountains or kingdoms of the Church shall drop down with new wine and the hills shall flow with milk and all the rivers of Iudah shall flow with waters and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittim Under which expressions the abundance of instruction and learning is also comprised when on the other side the Churches enemieâ— Egypt and Edom shall be desolations and wildernesses c. because of their former oppressions but Iudah shall dwell for ever and Ierusalem from generation to generation Whereupon it must still follow that they which oppose these Iehoshaphats executing Gods Mishpat here on earth as them to whom he hath promised to be a spirit of judgement and are to be Christs Ministers and instruments in bringing on and preserving this prosperity of his Church and kingdom do oppose Christ and so are Antichrists Saint Pauls next description whereby we are to note him is that his coming and working shall be after the coming and working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders even as at this day miracles are pretended by him and his for confirming his Authority This thing is also further evidenced by their prevailing in their deceiveableness of unrighteousness in those that perish Because that in this mystery of iniquity unrighteousness prevailed by its deceivableness that is not as unrighteousness but as having put on a form of godliness he deceived those that perish under pretence of zeal And that because they received not the love of the truth that is received not the truth in love but wresting it through their temptations to Pride Ambition Revenge c. they made it the instrument in this Antichristian hierarchy to their own and others destructions through breach of Publike Charity and through placing their Christian obedience on a pretended and not on the true Deputy of Christ. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye that is that they should believe that to be Gods Truth and Service which was not and thereupon they might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness That is because they preferred those pleasures arising by the unrighteous courses of opposing Christs Regency therefore are they said not to have loved or believed the truth But Saint Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonians that through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth and his Gospel they had been so established in a way of salvation as to be freed thereof exhorting them to stand fast in the Traditions they had been taught whether by word or Epistle And that we may know the purport of these Traditions here mentioned and that it may appear that matter of manners and external behavior were but traditionally delivered upon occasion and not to be of universal precept to all Churches as positively divine he tells us their sum in the sixth verse of the next Chapter Now we command you brethren in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that you withdraw your selves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition which he received af us Importing that as God had called them by his Gospel or by means of his instruction and begetting them as a Father unto sanctification of spirit and belief of the truth so was it necessary that obedience and observance of his Traditions should be used as a means to continue and manifest this sanctification and truth in them and so make them of the number of those that obey as well as believe the Gospel For as we are to conceive that this phrase our Gospel was not to propose to them another Gospel then that of Christ so are we not to conceive it to be by chance or idely done but to teach them that since they had believed it as from him delivered so should they obey it as his and not as any other mans And by setting forth himself and his Gospel also under the term of our in the plural number we may further presume that the intimation of his just Authority was intended by the usage of that proper expression of persons in supreme power Whereby also we may learn that guidance of manners as well as Doctrine was by Christ at that time committed unto the hands of the Apostles which makes him here as elsewhere command in his name But more especially to our present purpose we may learn by Saint Pauls setting down the Gospel of Christ in this place as his and by making their obedience and belief thereof as the cause of their avoidance of Antichristianism that it plainly denotes that this sin is Christian rebellion or disobedience as before noted For indeed the Gospel as a Gospel is the object of Faith and salvation by the offer and proposal of one who having taken our sins and infirmities upon him hath already performed the work of obedience for us and is not like the Law binding to any thing of burthen or hardship as directly in it self but as in the hand of those that had and have the dispensation thereof and shall be therewith entrusted that thereby as in acknowledgement of our belief and thankfulness for so great mercy we might be ready and fitted to obey as Christ and King here him whom we profess and hope to finde as a Jesus and Savior hereafter These and other signes have been heretofore brought by many to evince the Pope to be the Antichrist for indeed in him and in his See have all the other Antichrists hitherto centred and confined their opinions they being but petty ones to him But most of these interpreters having the discovery of his erroneous Tenents in Religion onely in their eye did bring in these civil usurpations but as proofs to that by the by as though because the Pope offered to joyn Merits Free-will c. in the work of salvation he had therefore been Antichrist and not rather an Anti-Jesus then an Anti-Christus Not well marking how these and other his Doctrines of Purgatory Infallibility Indulgencies c. were not for themselves but as a necessary train did wait upon the advancement of him in his Antichristian humor of setting himself above all that is called God Being useful as experience hath told us for recovering money and strength towards the seating and possessing himself of that his usurped power as well as this his power should and did prevail to the same end also namely overthrow of Kings and that under all those fair pretences of Reformation Liberty Law Justice c. which the Aristocracies Democracies and the lesser Antichrists had made in their rebellious contrivances True it is that