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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86931	A plea for Christian magistracie: or, An answer to some passages in Mr. Gillespies sermon, against Mr. Coleman. As also to the brotherly examination of some passages of Mr. Colemans late printed sermon, upon Job 11.20. In which the reverend and learned commissioner affirmeth, he hath endeavoured to strike at the root of all church government. VVherein the argumentative part of the controversie is calmely and mildly, without any personall reflections, prosecuted. / By William Hussey, minister of the Gospell, at Chesilhurst in Kent.	Hussey, William, minister of Chiselhurst.	1645 (1645)	Wing H3819; Thomason E313_7; ESTC R200474	46,951	61

of the little ewe lambe that he would have kept I say let the ewe lambe alone It argues nothing and therefore I answer nothing But Mr. Coleman can finde no other government instituted but Civill and this is laid to him as a great carelessenesse that sought no better into the Scriptures then so Mr. Gillespie hath found in many places the institution of the Church officers he findes that more subjection and obedience is commanded as due not only to civill but spirituall governours to those that are over us in the Lord 1 Thess 5.12 Mr. Gillespie seeth more then the text yeeldeth here is no mention made of obedience at all here is know them and esteeme them highly but there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is translated over you but Passor telleth us that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a genitive case signifieth pracedo and then it signifieth no more but them that goe before you either by doctrine or example here is nothing of institution whatsoever this person that is to be beloved he is supposed not instituted in this place the subject is supposed not handled in any science love and honour is due to the Preacher of the Word who is said to goe before them they teach but what is this to government Heb. 13.7 Remember them that rule over you there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is ducum them that lead you here is not obedience nor subjection but remember and imitate their faith yea but in the 17 verse there is obey and rule over you but that is as before them that lead you the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is no more but be perswaded I deny not but it is often translated obey but it commeth from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is persuadeo to perswade Passor telleth us it is verbum forense a word whereby the advocates perswade the Judges I hope ye will not say when an advocate by pleading Law doth perswade the Iudges that the Iudges doe obey the advocate but let the word stand as it is translated yet when it is so rigorously wrought upon it cannot be enforced interpretation belongeth not to the disputant Obey yet is it not alway correllative to the command of a superiour obedience is sometimes founded on the authority of the superior sometimes on the good and benefit of him that doth obey without any colour or claime of superiority or government so the patient obeyeth the Physitian so that master that imployeth a cunning workman must be ruled by his workman yet neither the one nor the other claime government over his patient or workmaster and upon this ground the Holy Ghost requireth obedience here not by an argument from the authority of him that leadeth them but from the benefit that commeth to themselves for that is unprofitable for you Rom. 12.8 The argument that Mr. Gillespie draweth hence is not out of the place but the interpretation of the place and therefore nothing in confutation of Mr. Coleman for he did not say he found no institution in Gualter and Bullenger but in Scripture though Gualter and Bullenger are for Mr. Coleman as Beza confesseth whatsoever they say upon the place Mr. Gillespie should prove institution of Church government out of Scripture the disputant may not interpret that is the answerers part as before Mr. Coleman saith Christ hath placed Magistrates in his Church for which he citeth 1 Cor. 12.28 Eph. 1.3 last verses to prove all government given to Christ and Christ as Mediator I have proved this a truth though I have left out those arguments that Mr. Gillespie doth confute in answer to Mr. Coleman because I shall have occasion to speake in his just vindication of them Having recited Mr. Colemans words he argueth against them ab incommodo He cannot upon these grounds assert the authority of either Heathen or Christian Magistrate For the Heathen Magistrate I say let Baall plead for himselfe but it will be easier for Mr. Coleman to prove the Heathen Magistrate unlawfull then for Mr. Gillespie to vindicate him First it is sin for a man to be an Heathen and such for which Christ will come rendring vengeance in flaming fire because they doe not know God nor obey the Gospell of Jesus Christ 2. Thess 1.8 If any man shall say that Heathen doe know God let Christ confute him No man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveale him Matt. 11.27 And for his government if sin be lawfull it is lawfull for whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.23 If yee speake of jus humanum and usurpation in humane estimation this is out of the question But I wonder a Christian should doubt whether it be the duty of all men to be Christians and that it is sinne in them that are not which yet it were not if it were lawfull for them to enjoy their Heathen condition Joh. 16.9 The Holy Ghost when he is come will convince the world of sin because they beleeve not in me sayth our Saviour Quod malum in so non potest esse modaliter bonum That which is evill in it selfe cannot be circumstantially good If to be a Heathen be sin to governe as a Heathen cannot be good Next is a blow given to a Christian Magistrate because the brother must proove a Deputyship or Vicegerentship by commission from Christ I conceive he hath commission from Christ to be Gods instrument to punish the evill doer and doe good to him that doth well againe hath any Magistrate commission to be Christian or may they be Christians and not obey Christ I conceive the Prophets are good Expositors of the condition of Christs Kingdome Ps 72.11 All Kings shall fall downe before him all Nations shall serve him Esay 60.12 That Nation and Kingdome that will not serve thee shall perish But I follow Mr. Gillespie God and Nature hath made Magistrates and given them great authority but of Christ as mediator they have it not There is the affirmation see the proofe Church officers sayth Mr. Gillespie have their power from Christ as mediator and they are to manage their offices under and for Christ And this he proveth for that they doe the duties of their offices in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ And the duties of Church officers he citeth fowre 1. come together 2. Preach 3. baptize 4. excommunicate and all these are done in the name of Jesus but the Magistrate is not to performe any part of his duty in the name of Jesus And for all these he bringeth places of Scripture to proove the affirmative which I shall endevour to examine according to lawes of disputation The first is in his name we meet together Matt. 18.20 We sayth Mr. Gillespie meet and urgeth it to proove the institution of Church officers he maketh short worke of it but weake no argument The Text sayth when two or three are gathered together in my name I am in the

To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament RIght Honourable I have ever thought it the duty of us Ministers to debate matters of doctrine which is jus divinum amongst our selves so as that wee might all agree in the things that should be taught among the people which blessing of unity would certainly in a great measure be granted to us of God if we were set in such a station that we might use the means which were Schools of Divinity were we set into Classes and from our youth kept in the exercise of Divinity disputation before we were swaied with ambitious ends truth would in a great measure appeare to us which is now hid truth is but one the Gospell is the Gospell of peace it is our ignorance of truth and of the Gospell that maketh us at such distance in opinions now there is no such meanes in all the world to acquire knowledge as disputation therefore is that art which hath truth for its end studied and gotten in Schooles of Disputation I meane Logick Rhetoricke is ornatus the beauty or ornament of speech Now though persons of greatest quality doe usually weare the richest garments yet garments of greatest value may be borrowed and put upon the poorest slave and vilest begger the falsest and least probable matter is capable of curious ornament of words where it is a matter of the greatest skill in the world to find out the truth among these colours of Rhetoricke and those things that ought not to be taught will most forcibly draw disciples after their teachers At this time ye may heere the Pulpits filled with eager and earnest perswasions to accept of the government of Christ set up in the word of God without any argument out of Gods word to proove that Christ set up any such government as they aime at If any argument can be produced it is fit we all should know it and if so the word of God and the authority of Christ must not be bounded by any authority on earth no power among the sonnes of men may limit the Holy One of Israell If Christ hath set officers in his Church Kings and Nobles and Senators must stoop to them this intermixing of the Parliament authority with divine is but dawbing if it be any other then an acknowledgement of duty of submission if Christ hath set up any government in his Church to be executed by Church officers As for giving leave to execute discipline as to preach the word that is but a fraud you may indeed nay you ought to receive the word of God not for your selves alone but for the whole Nation as being the Representative Body thereof you may require a Covenant over all the Kingdome to wait on the means not by pieces and parcells but the whole word which ought to have a free passage not by plurality of votes but by an unanimous consent of the Preachers That the word ought to be so preached is plaine by these arguments First Christ gave a Commission to preach the Gospell unto his disciples which was to last unto the end of the world in which there was no Quorum duobus tribus vel pluribus vestrum by which they might not preach but by an universall consent If any shall object that the Apostles walked by an higher principle even by the ducture of an infallible spirit I answer first the Commission was penned in words that must last to the end of the world by which we must walke 2. The infallibility of the Spirit by which the Apostles walked did imply an impossibility of dissent 3. Though the Apostles did know that it was impossible for them to disagree in their doctrine yet St. Paul went up by the Spirit to communicate his doctrine to other of the Apostles James and Peter lest in regard of the people he had run in vain hee knew the unity of the Preachers would prevaile much among the people Gal. 2.2 2. Secondly St. Paul wrote to Timothy to charge those that taught any other doctrine that they should not whereby it appeareth that he had a care that no other doctrine might be taught but one 1 Tim. 1.3 3. Christ promised his presence among two or three that are gathered together in his name he promised nothing to the major part of such an assembly this gathering together cannot bee understood of a locall but a gathering by the Spirit into an unity of minde and judgement Christs promises attend on the performance of our duties when we doe our duties we may expect a blessing St. Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 1.10 beseecheth them by the name of our Lord Jesus that they all speake the same thing that there be no divisions among them but that they bee perfectly joyned together in the same minde and the same judgement where you see he urgeth them by the name by the reverence and honour that they beare to the name of Christ that they be of one minde those that are gathered together in the name of Christ are of one minde I doe not say that all those to the number of two or three that are of one minde are gathered in the name of Christ nay the gathering in the name is differenced from other ambitious and hereticall gatherings cumulo accidentium whereof this being of one minde is one such a gathering together is worthy the presence of Christ seldome can many agree in one judgement that Christ doth not unite in any thing that tendeth to the glory of God Ob. Some may say that it is impossible that men should be all of one minde so much division is found among us Resp I answer that this unity hath not beene sought after means have not been used for the obtaining it all things have been carried by vote and the dissenting party kept under by censure accompained with fire and sword under Antichristian Tyranny the truth was kept under by the vote of the ambitious and Schooles wholly neglected or used only more imperato questions not stated by Scripture but the Scripture overswayed by humane authority I confesse I conceive it necessary for Classes and Assemblies to meet but their businesse is only about matters of their Commission about preaching the word to communicate their doctrine and by dispute to finde out the truth their disputes ought to end in a brotherly accord as in Act. 15. much disputing but all ended in accord no putting to the vote Votes have too great an influence upon the will to decide matters of doctrine by them men may vote what they have an interest to dispose of I may vote my estate and liberty but will-worship is unlawfull I meane the matters that are essentiall to Gods worship which are matters of duty as for circumstantialls of time and place except the Sabbath which are matters of liberty in these things the Commonwealth may vote and the Ministers must by the duty of their place preach the Gospell when and where they can get

only with preaching and baptizing which being performed with such zeal and diligence as is needfull is abundantly a sufficient imployment Objection ought not the Minister to have regard to the holinesse of his flocke may all come without respect though never so wicked and unholy and be partaker of Sacraments R. I answer they may not it is a very great and dangerous sin if they come without repentance faith and charity wherein the Minister must instruct his people publiquely and privately and that with answerable zeale to the ignorance and stubbornnesse of the people he must preach the duty of the Magistrate to him first to make lawes that may compell all men to a reverent attendance on the means if he be a Christian Magistrate if he be not a Christian Magistrate he must endeavour his conversion when wholesome and holy laws are made he must instantly call upon that Magistrate that is put in trust to punish sin that he put wholesome lawes in execution to put sin to shame that as sin is a work of darknesse so no man may presume to commit it in the sight of the Sun if this were done what scandall could be given to the Church if any should be found guilty before and after receiving Sacraments the Law may appoint that a double punishment as being a double offence in some cases restraine him of his liberty to come to Sacraments as the Law shall bee agreed on in the meane time let the Minister plye both the Magistrate and offender with the mighty operative word of God private Christians using their private interest to reclaim the sinner If this be not the way of God I am mistaken if any further power can be proved out of Gods word to be in the hand of the Minister I shall be content to use it In the mean time let no man that hath voted himselfe high or hath gotten a great opinion among men despise arguments that come from an obscurer person I conceive the Minister may use nay must any sharpnesse the word useth against sin and then betake himselfe to his prayers to God to make his doctrine fruitfull what more is in the duty of his place I know not unlesse using of means to make him able to doe that if this be not a meanes to shame and cudgell sin to corners I know not what can But suppose the Magistrate doth not doe his duty then let the Minister bend the power of the word upon him and no doubt if Ministers could agree in their doctrine much would be the power of the word We see the Magistrate come and sit before us and wee hope without an Idoll in their hearts Oh that the Lord would put a word in due season into the mouth of his Ministers that might bee the word of peace unto them Oh that Ministers would lay downe the rigor of their opinions in point of Discipline and set themselves to attend on the meanes to increase their knowledge and to acquaint themselves with one anothers studies in an industrious way that they would unbend their thought of government a while and thinke on waies to get knowledge I am not worthy to censure others I know my owne defects and doe complaine of the times and want of means to know more I wish that all men of skill would examine what Logick may be found in many of those Rethoricall Sermons which the world so much run after how well the Divinity of many of them is taught that are so finely worded how right they hit the argument of their text which if they misse they preach themselves and not Christ their own minds and not the minde of God nay let men of piety examine whether Mr. Gillespie though a man of excellent parts proved his reformation by his Ecclesiasticall discipline out of the words of his text whether that refiners fire and fullers sope doth not point at another and a nearer operation upon the soules and spirits of men by the bloud of Christ then his Reformation that he so eagerly presseth and then see whether we want not Schooles if men of his parts want them Sanctius hoc vero Christi doctrina facit and citeth Jer. 23.29 to prove the purgation by doctrine and operation of the word Is not my word an hammer And Clement Alexandirnus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoret divina gratia tanquā herba peceatorum sordes ●luit Let it be further examined whether the choice of a similitude for a text which is but illustrative draw what men fancie out of the similitude and passing by the argumentative part be to preach the minde of God or mens owne fancie whether this Rethoricall liberty do fill all the world with such diversities of opinions Ornament of words call weake judgement to admiration but incumber the truth if not imbezell and steale it quite away whereas strength of argument doth inform the judgement men talke much of having their affections wrought upon these cannot be wrought upon to salvation but by the still voice of the Spirit I deny not but fine words and smooth cadencies of sentences may worke naturally upon the affections but the effect of it is but as the blade that sprang up in stony ground such Religion unto which men are led by the eloquence of the Preacher when it shall bee charged with greater triall then nature will beare their affection that were led with naturall delight will sinke under the disquietnesse of nature I condemne not Rethoricke but suspect it and wish it may bee well cemented with judgement and not used to such that have no skill to deceive themselves and them that heare them let the Parliament set us to our worke punish us for our idlenesse and afford such incouragement by publique laws that men of choisest parts may be induced to the worke of the Ministery those that would perswade you that publique provision ought not to be made for preaching the Gospell by tythes or otherwise would make all Nations heathen and Idolaters not to have any publique interest in the Gospell those would have the State alwaies to stand at defiance with Religion The Lord grant Assemblies Parliaments to be at one among themselves and one with another Those therefore that cannot agree among themselves cannot be said to bring the Gospell those that allow diversities of opinions and claim a liberty to preach what they list I wish that the Parliament would set up but one learned School of Divinty and condemn the principall patrons of that Independent opinion into those Schooles where they should do exercise among others I make no question they would be soon converted or confounded and left without any word to say in defence of that groundlesse doctrine I had good hope that they would have agreed in the Assembly after two years dispute I could have been content with small faults if piety and peace might have been settled I hope there be witnesses enough that I set them not at odds I shall

endeavour to make them friends if reason will doe it Your servant W. Hussey To the Right VVorshipfull Sir Thomas Walsingham Knight Right Worshipfull I Am bold to Dedicate the first fruits of my Labours in this kinde unto your view and patronage unto whom I know the intention is not unwelcome as ayming at the conjunction of the State and Ministers of the Word in peace and unity that hitherto have beene kept at distance by these dividing principles arising from a twofold distinct government which being agreed on to be but one and I hope to make appeare they ought not to bee divers would for ever silence those implacable differences that have long time beene betweene them and remaine a hard matter to reconcile at this time Sir I have ever observed your aime to be at peace and justice to keepe of violence and oppression from all men so farre as your trust and imployment which hath beene great in and for your Country would inable you I aime at the same ends both to make the Parliament and Ministers all agree and all ayme at Gods glory and the Countries safety wherein I know no man would more rejoyce then your selfe I confesse the first sound of this my opinion out of the mouth of Master Coleman was very unwelcome to our brethren and I look for no better entertaynment I have some incouragement that a man so eminent is gone before me and doe hope that upon some pause they may receive better satisfactions and that at they were forwards but Bishops might bee plucked up root and branch so they will at last be 〈◊〉 to plucke up this root of their spirituall censure upon which the state and ambition of the Bishops was first planted I shall not desire to engage you in defence of the cause but if any good come by it to the Kingdome that you should enjoy the benefit unto whose happinesse here and eternall my duty doth engage mee to bostow my selfe and all the abilities God hath given mee Yours in the Lord VVIL HUSSEY To the Reverend Commissioner of Scotland Mr. George Gillespie SIR The eminencie of your imployment and my obscurity may make the congresse between us seem unequall my calling is the same with yours my education hath been the education of a Scholler though with lesse proficiencie then I could wish you professe candor in attending to and answering arguments It may be some of my arguments may seeme weake unto you I feare they may some of them be weaker then I could wish I confesse I cannot urge an argument as it ought to be urged the want of Divinity Schools hath been the cause of it joyne with me in your petition for Divinity Schools then you and I shall know better how to handle an argument at 7 years end then now we doe if we live so long In the mean time if you shew me the weaknesse of my argument I shall not endeavour to maintain it against light of truth no not so far as any strain of wit will bear me if your answers shew any thing I did not consider of I will acknowledge it hee that knoweth nothing of an argument is too ignorant to be a Minister he that will not submit to an argument out of Gods word principles of nature is to proud to be a Minister unity among our selves would be an happy thing and an indissoluble amity between us and the Gentry were of great concernment in these times we have need of them and they of us let us endeavour to make use of our friends and not make them our foes I perswade not any man to depart from truth to please men but let us not wrestle with our friends for that which is not while our enemies destroy us thogh our judgemēts differ yet let us dispute as friends and agree as soon as may be If any bitternes come from me I shal be sorry and amend it if any from you I have been bred under Bishops I have been used to it and can the better beare it I shall overcome it with goodnes if I can prevail with my corruptions to give way The Lord grant that we may speak the same thing that there be no divisions among us that we be perfectly joyned in the same mind and the same judgement let there be no dissention among us we are brethren You say we have leave from the Civill Magistrate to preach the Gospell that was a Canterburian tenet to put doctrine and discipline into the same condition and hold all under him but we preach the word with all authority from Christ derived to us by those of our brethren that were in commission before us Magistrates may drive away false teachers but not the Preachers of the Gospell but at their uttermost perills Let us stand to our commission and attend on reading exhortation and doctrine and we may obtaine from the Magistrates in a fair way as a testimony of their love honour and obedience to Christ more honour more maintenance and sin will be more shamed discountenanced and punished Ordinances kept more pure in your sense then ever you shall be able to procure by your scaring affrighting censure of excommunication What will your censure doe it will shame a few whores and knaves a great matter to shame them the law of Nature shameth a boy in the streets can doe as much But if your censure work upon hereticks or men differing from you in opinion can you fetch in Antinomians Anabaptists Independents if ye could send out Sathan and fetch them in or by delivering them to Sathan reclaime them some reverence might be given to the censure sure in the day of our Lord there will be as good a returne of the word preached as of the censure But all this is nothing if Christ hath set up any such governement prove that I yeeld My desire is that you would draw your arguments from the words of Scripture and not from the interpretation that you or any Authors shall put upon them nor counter argue my arguments without giving answers in answering arguments you have liberty to interpret Scriptures as you please so as your interpretation will stand out against all arguments that shall be brought against it the strength of arguments is in mediums consisting of termes and words of Scripture where divine authority is pleaded keep rules and truth will sooner be found Your loving Brother Will. Hussey THe replies Mr. Gillespie touching this point in controversie are publique That which is personal in them as a great part is hath already and shall presently further be cleared The argumentative part was purposely referred hither which calmely and mildly without any personall reflections is prosecuted A like candor and ingenuity is requested from all that omitting accidentall slips for such possibly in acursory reading may be ever looked they would addresse themselves to the maine and clearly confute these assertions or by Scripturall arguments confirme the contrary positions for if otherwise

capitalia judicia exercerenter quod si Corinthi factum fuisset nulla fuisset opus Pauli de illo Sathanae tradendo denuntiatione tum alii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 levioribus offendiculis peccantes citra exclusionem à coena satis coercerentur quod cum utrumque prastare Christianus Magistratus nunc possit ac debeat carere nunc posse Christianas ecclesias hae disciplinae severitate to bee thus excommunication is in the power of Presbytery and that the Presbyters did proceed even to suspension from the Lords Supper because the Church at that time had no Christian Magistrate by whose authority capitall censures might be exercised which if it had been used there had been no need of Pauls delivery of the man to Sathan and also other disorderly men transgressing in smaller matters might well enough be restrained without suspension from the Sacrament both which because the Christian Magistrate now may and ought to doe The Christian Churches may wel be without this sharpe discipline thus much he confesseth Sed it a ut neque Scripturae locos novis ad hanc suam sententiam accommodatis interpretationibus applicarent But so as that they did not wrest Scripture texts with interpretations new and fitted to their opinion whereby it appeareth that these mens opinions were that the words of S. Paul 1 Cor. 5 were a denunciation of the sentence of excommunication but occasionall and particular no universall precept nor imitable by us Nisi rebus omnimodo sic stantibus but in the like condition and this is enough to dash all contentions about the sentence of excommunication this makes all further dispute meerly speculative we have a Christian Civill Magistrate though the present differences have taken away much of our comfort we might enjoy in them and these disputes render them of lesse use to us and us to them whatsoever they shall speake concerning the sentence of excommunication upon the severall places of Scripture if they may stand with these words here acknowledged by Beza let these men without more contention stand on Mr Colemans part if otherwise they must be understood upon after thoughts to be bent about by Erastus his arguments as Beza further confesseth Illos aliquantum in excommunicationis usu Presbyterii authoritate non quod ista per se damnarent sed quod corum abusum vererentur ad Erasti sententiam de flexisse That they did incline to the opinion of Erastus in the use of excommunication and authority of the Presbytery not because they simply condemned them but because they feared their abuse You see these men did fear the abuse and though Beza will not acknowledge Erastus reason to be of any weight yet with reason or without he confesseth take him in the mildest sense that they bent or leaned a little toward Erastus at least so far that in their Churches where they had to do they would not trust the Geneva discipline Beza himselfe citeth these words out of an Epistle which he acknowledgeth to be Bullengers to Erastus Neque putes nos ita esse dementes ut hic omnia ad rigerem Genevensis Ecclesiae exigere aut revocare velimus Neither doe thou thinke us to bee so mad that we would reduce all things to and exact them according to the strict discipline of Geneva and this not in Bullingers owne name but of the Tigurine Churches I hope these men shall have Mr. Colemans favour every other godly Minister will say c. I shall say nothing to Mr. Gillespies Preamble He excepteth against Mr. Colemans first rule and seemeth to oppose a contrary rule whereas indeed Mr. Colemans as little as may be and his as much as may be are both one Mr. Colemans meaning is that no more should be established then what was in the word and his meaning is as much should be established as is in the word of God this being doubtlesse both your meanings yee need not fall out about that greater difference will arise For my part I thinke Mr. Gillespie understandeth Mr. Coleman aright that he thinketh that no Church censures in the hand of Church officers are found in the word of God but I am nor or his minde ex supposito that they are jure divine and in the word of God that he or any Minister ought to be satisfied with any thing the Parliament can doe untill they have received it as the word of God if it be jut divinum it ought to be asserted not by many but by all As for Mr. Gillespies exception against Mr. Colemans word bias asserting they came biased for the truth that is petitio principii and deserves no answer The second rule let precepts held out as divine institutions have cleare Scriptures that is the rule against which Mr. Gillespie would not adventure to say any thing a phrase upon the by a thing named are too weake grounds c. when men may probably conclude different wayes Mr. Coleman doeth not deny that which by necessary consequence is drawn from Scripture to be a divine truth but ambiguous Scriptures decided by a vote if truth for they may possibly be errors are but humano jure let it be prooved that the major part of an Assembly have an infallible gift of finding out ambiguous truth and putting the stampe of divine authority upon their determinations For my part I wish much fearching the Scriptures were put in practice which cannot be done but in Schooles of Divinity men trust more to the opinion of piety they can purchase by their Oratory their places of trust their votes in assemblies then the strength of argument but of that heereafter He finds these words let the Scriptures speake expresly in Mr. Colemans second rule not so it was out of his rule he explaneth his rule sufficiently to take into it necessary consequences and for ought I know the word expresly if extended after a Rhetoricall liberty to signifie plainly apparently may include what is apparently in praemissis though in a most criticall sense that may not be sayd to be expresse that is not found in terminis but grant that the word had beene too strait to put into the rule he put it not in there but by way of amplification if expresse in Scripture all must bow he sayth not till then how necessarily soever it may be collected out of the Scripture they shall not bow He reprehendeth Mr. Coleman for supercilious passing over in a Sermon 1. Cor. 5. Mat. 18. without answering the arguments of the Learned upon those places and in a tract of purpose citeth none of those learned arguments for my part I say with Mr. Coleman and if such learned arguments such plenty it behoved Mr. Gillespie to have cited them Mr. Coleman might have taken more paines then he should have thankes in finding out ten or twenty arguments and yet be told at last that he had concealed the weightiest he had confuted the arguments in urging them you ought