up to believe those lies deceiving and being deceived The Scripture indeed sometimes Allegorizes and teaches the use of Tropes and figures by the best Rhetorick We must therefore be sure to keep close to it least we turn substantial Truth by Chymical Evaporations into Notional smoak Too many of late have followed those woful courses of enervating Scripture by Allegorical strains till they had lost Reason and Religion at once Such Paracelsian Fumes quickly Intoxicate mens Brains breeding the Giddiness and then Convulsions to extremity 13. Christs Ordinances by his Word appointed are not spared but are opposed too First By the forenamed deceits Secondly By our modern Seekers and Familists as by the old Gnosticks accounting them but childish weak things fit only for inferior Christians in their lower form Thirdly By many Luke-warm Laodiceans of this Age of a neutral indifferent spirit towards Christs Instituted Worship Fourthly By all Papists and Traditionists who set up wayes and parts of Worship of mans devising as religious use of Images prayer for the dead Invocation of Saints and Angels Veneration of Reliques sale of pardons and Indulgences Fictions of Purgatory and Limbus patrum infantium Prayer in an unknown Tongue by roat upon Beads vain Babling and Tautologies repeated over and over superstitious uses of Crosses and Crossings Altars and Tapers Vestments and Dressings Mimical Gestures and ridiculous Stage-playes in Worship corrupting of every Ordinance by many foppish additions and tricks Fifthly By Ranters and Quakers who jeer and blaspheme Christs Institutions as our sad experience testifies in all places AGainst such gross Evils the right Knowledge of Christ will arm us and prove that they are but fools who think themselves too wise for Christs School That the highest Christians have alwaies used them and pressed all others thereto with all diligence That they are the Charets and Conduits of communication between the Lord and us That they are all suited to the case of all Gods people on earth That we should live above them in the use not in the neglect of them That our bodies shal cease from needing food when our souls shall cease to need Ordinances That Christ promises his presence therewith to the worlds end That he meets his people with a choice Blessing where ever he records his name and therefore bids them seek his face evermore That therein our Homage is paid unto him in a special manner That the Lord will be sought and found in all his ways That his familiarity is to teach us manners not sauciness That to be neutral and meteor-like in the Lords worship is sad and sinfull in a high degree That Prayer and Singing are jointly prescribed and directed to for spiritual use That the abuse thereof by any should not cannot excuse us from our duty All are bound and bidden to use them yet none can use them spiritually but by a special Grace That a moral performance of Duty is better far then non-performance That men are to serve God as well as they can still learning of him how to serve him better That God is ready to give more still to such as improve what they have received That its better to serve Christ outwardly then to serve sin and Satan by omitting good or committing evil That the preaching and hearing Gods Word requires of necessity meditation and repetition reading and studying thereof That Christ will be honoured in every Relation by every one without exception as in publique and secret so likewise in our several Families That he threatens a curse to such Nations and such Families as know not and call not on his name That his morning and evening Mercies challenge good manners in duty from us That Christ himself taught how to pray and praise on the solemn use of the Lords creatures That to rest on Duties is Idolatry and to neglect the same is Rebellion That all mixtures of humane Inventions do but soil and deface the Lords pure worship that therefore all Romish Innovations are sufficiently confuted by the bare rehersal That Will-worship can never please him who will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth That the Heathens pleaded the like excuses for their superstition and Idolatry as the Papists do for theirs That a great part of the Popâ—sh trash is but borrowed from Pagans with disguises That in many things they renew those Rites which by Christs coming were to have an end that vows contrary to Scripture-Duty can shew little savour of Scripture-Verity that the ready way to obscure our Light is to besmear and and paint our Windows That Scripture-simplicity loves not the dressing of a pompous whore That a fair Complexion needs no painting and truth hath most power when most purity That Antiquity pleads not at all for their grossest Tricks That in the things wherein some of the Fathers seem to plead for them there is much mistake and much forgery That however Truth is the eldest and he wants no Antiquity that wants not Scripture-Truth Many words were innocently used by the Fathers as Merit Altar c. which are turned quite into another sense among Papists now 14. Christs holy-Day his Sabbath of rest suffers peculiarly as 1. From the foresaid Enemies of Truth So secondly From too many seeming friends some wholly rejecting some mangling of it and some indifferent to this or to that Thirdly By Quakers and all Enthusiasts who slight all or most of Christs Ordinances and this especially Against such mistakes and abuses the knowledge of Christ will teach and enable us to observe his day as becomes a Sabbath It s called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords Day to express his special property therein and sanction thereof as the Eucharist is called the Lords Table and the Lords Supper 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Command enjoining it is placed in the heart and Center of the Decalogue with a signal Memento prefixed It s largely expressed both positively and prohibitively In the precept and close he names the Sabbath though in the amplification he mentions the seventh day or a seventh day He adds strong Reasons to enforce it from his Propriety Example and Blessing as also from the Equity thereof By this one Command he often expresses his whole Worship He couples it sometimes with one Precept of the first Table and after with one of the second Table to signifie the great Influence it hath into the observance of both It s abundantly confirmed enforced and renew'd in every part of Scripture old and new The reason that enforced the use of the seventh day Sabbath extends as fully to the first day Sabbath That was the Lords rest day from his creation-Creation-work This is his rest day from his redemption-Redemption-work The change of the day in its quando made by God himself alters not the
A bare external painted form they have a shel of duty and carkass of Religion but without the Life and inward vigour Such are Pharisaical monkish Hypocrites varnished potsheards garnished Sepulchres Christ was troubled with such and so are we still Profession is grown into fashion shifted by many as men shift their cloaths They make use of God to serve their own turn and enjoy their Lust Such are on a round of duty like a Mill-horse in a course perfunctorily Religionis their task and Burthen They post from one Ordinance to another as to a stage longing to be rid of their trouble Used to a Road as a Carriers horse they carry their Load and take their turns But this gracious knowledge they are strangers to Their worship is much like the mongrel Samaritans that knew the Lord in a mixt formal way but knew him not aright Is not this a woful condition thinkest thou to baffle Christ thus Will this foppish way of dead performances be pleasing to him who is a Spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and Truth Did not Paul himself see the vanity of his utmost Pharisaical holiness wherein he rested before his conversion Hast thou not much more need to bewail thy coldness and deadness thy cursoriness and heartlesness A sacrifice without a heart was alwayes ominous as it proved among the Romans Wilt thon put off God as Heathens serve their Idols with a liveless worship If thou offer the lame and the torn is it not evil How far art thou from knowing of Christ that knowest not thy self but art well conceited of thy good meaing and thy good Duties Who hath required these things at thy hand Will not the Lord rebuke thee as he did Israel in the like case 4. It justly reproves the Justitiary Legalist that seems exact in his way of good works and rests thereon He is not so bad as the worst and therefore thinks himself as good as the best His seeming Justice equity and charity beguiles him as much as the Formalists painted holiness He hopes to be saved by his good Deeds and good Intentions as the Papists do thinking that Christ will make up for him what is defective Alas wretched soul wilt thou patch up thus a Linsey Woolsey Garment of thy own Righteousness mingled with Christs Merits Will thy fig-leaves cover thy nakedness Will thy crack'd peny make amends to God for millions of pounds due to him from thee Canst thou do any thing without sin Art thou not bound to be wholly his Canst thou satisfie his Infinite Justice or deserve his Infinite Mercy Did Christ merit that thou mightest merit Is he a Remote Saviour that thy self mightst be thine immediate Saviour Canst thou climbe to Heaven with a Ladder of thy making or waft thy self over into the Indie's in thy own Nut-shel of self-Righteousness Civil morality is good in it self but not to Justifie thy person as a piece of brass is good for something but not to pass for Gold nor to pay an Infinite ransom God gives indeed a Reward to his according to their works but not for their works sake Thou canst not be saved without good works and yet not by works If thou knewest Christ graciously thou wouldst know thy self to be unworthy and insufficient still See thy folly and thy misery in trusting to self thou loosest and slightest the only Pearl of Price 5. This point casts a very ghastly glance upon all profane licentious persons that turn Christs grace into wantonness and delight in a sinful Liberty Consider it thou Swearer and drunkard thou Lyar and unclean wretch thou scoffer and malicious thou proud and wanton thou slanderer and riotous Liver Why dost thou profess the Knowledge of Christ to abuse him thus Art not thou much worse then Pilate or Judas then the Jewes and Romanes in affronting and murthering of Christ Dost thou not give him ten blows for one good word destroying thy self in disgracing him Dost thou presume on his mercy still whilst thou delightest in the Devils work Doth the Name and Baptism of Christ give thee a Protection from Divine Justice whilst thou remainest still in open Rebellion Dost thou hope still to pacifie him with a few faint words of Lord hove mercy I am sorry and such like mock-speeches Is Repentance in thy own power or thy Life and Means that still thou puttest off Wilt thou lay the whole Burthen on the tyred horse and wave returning till thy elder age Wilt thou give Satan the creame and Christ the Refuse of thy time and strength Canst thou hope for Christs Salvation in the high Road to thy damnation Wilt thou still delight in the Devils work and yet hope for wages from Heaven Is not thy case very desperate to follow the Devil into every sin Couldst thou but see thy Infernal Guide that leads thee captive at his will what a dreadful sight would that prove to thee Hast thou lived so long under the Gospel as the Smiths Dog under the Anvil to deafen and harden thee Will not thy later end prove most desperate that hast made so much haste in the broad way to Hell If Grace prevent not miraculously thou shalt know that Christ to thy confusion whom thou wouldst not know to thy conversion 6. This Truth looks wishly on carnal Notionists who pretend much to the Knowledge of Christ and yet remain destitute of his Grace They have learned to prate about Christ and to use his Name for a Sanctuary to sin From vain Notions they speedily run into vile affections and their devotion lies most in their fancy Their Tongue is tipped with the Language of Canaan to deceive the simple in deceiving themselves This age abounds with such the Lord awaken them who are lulled asleep in the Devils Lap. Alas wretched soul what will be thy end and what is thy case in such delusions If thy head swel much with giddy Notions doth it not betoken a woful disease Whither will Satan transformed into an Angel of Light lead thee at the last How sad is it thus to poyson thy self so many more in mingling fancies with Gods holy Word perverted by thee to dream thy self into a fools Paradise whilst thou slightest Christ his Ordinances how woful is it Thou playest like a Gnat and Moth about the Candle till thou be consumed by the heat thereof Golden Imaginations do tickle thy thoughts whilst Satan is leading thee captive at his Will Are not such spiritual Judgements the worst of all to be given up thus to strong delusions to believe such Lies Is it not because thou receivest not the Truth in the Love of it that God gives thee up to thy own hearts Lusts How far art thou from a gracious knowledge that turnest his Grace into wantonness Didst thou know Christ
faithfully He cannot Deny himself nor them because his in Christ And what 's choiser then this special Grace that saves his children when he punishes others What 's more precious then this Miracle of Grace that gives them God in Christ and all things with him What more singular then this marvellous Love who gives them his Spirit to seal and strengthen them that they may close with him and keep close to him still This is Grace indeed not to be abused nor to be opposed by any pretence It s as compleat as his Salvation which must needs be answerable to such a compleat Saviour An imperfect Christ is but an Idol of mans fancy so is that Imperfect salvation and ineffectual Grace which many dream of 23. Christ suffers also in his Instruments his Civil Deputies in the Magistracy 1. By the former evils 2. By the Papists who advance their Antichristian Head into the Magistrates Seat putting the civil Key into the Popes hand and loosening the Subjects from their Allegiance to such Superiours who do not please him encroaching much upon civil Affairs in their Cannon Law as about Marriage Incest Adultery c. obliging their Clergy to Forraign Supremacy forbidding the Magistrate his Duty about Externals of the first Table c. 3. By Quakers and Notionists who labour to bring in confusion as the German Anabaptists did 4. Yea by many who seem more sober yet deny the best part of his Office that special care of the first Table in its Externals wherein he is to do most for God 5. By divers infirm Christians that by mistaken apprehensions of a fifth Monarchy do actually resist Christ in denying due homage to such Powers whom hi Providence hath set in Power AGainst these Oppositions the Knowledge of Christ graciously improved will sufficiently arm us declaring from Scripture the Magistrates Duty and Dignity in being most like God and doing most for God His Power is Authoritative about the external man in all matters Religious and Civil Politically to regulate reward and correct according to Gods Word for the Lords honour and the Publique good The Genus is an Authoritative Power the Object is the external man expressed by word sign or deed the Subject is all matters of the first or second Table religious and civil The acts of Power are to regulate reward countenance good and disown and correct evil The manner of acting is Political not Spiritual by civil Censures not Ecclesiastical The Rule is Gods Revealed Will in his written Word not his own Will or mans fancy The End is Gods honour as supreme publique good as subordinate Herein shines the Magistrates Dignity in being thus employed as Gods Substitute to look to his Law in cherishing good and suppressing evil Herein Gods Vicegerent shall meet with comfort in these Politicks of Gods own giving The Lord in all Ages hath honoured such who have thus laboured still to honour him He requires it still and rewards it in a special manner He gives many Instructions about it to avoid error neglect and abuse He still branded those that neglected it and set up themselves in slighting of him They were threatned and punished sorely that would not and did not tender Christs Interest No Book of Scripture or humane Record but gives us signal demonstrations hereof The many Cavils obscuring this Truth easily vanish by the brightness thereof The Pontifician Crue by their encroachments have taught our Libertines very sad lessons Corah with his Partners acted once this part as the German Rout did long afterwards from 1522 till 1534. Pretence of Conscience is much talked of but it covers often the abuse of Conscience The Magistrate meddles not with conscience but with external evil though pretending conscience He is a terrour to all evil works whatever they be where-ever they appear and a countenance to good That 's his Office by Gods Commission for thy good Christ is King of Kings by whom they all Raign who calls all to account If sin and Satan possess a mans conscience that should be Gods Seat it cannot excuse their treasonable acts but aggravate them Much care indeed is to be still used least this Power be slighted or abused Such Christians who appear truly consciencious are to be dealt with in much tenderness Yet cannot Conscience plead for any sin Christ never intended it to be Errors Sanctuary He dallies with no sin and would have his servants like him They that make no conscience of his Truth and Grace nor of the publique Peace shew their conscience to be very unsound The standing Rule of man whether high or low is not his Conscience but the Lords Word An evil Conscience is the worst of evils and the Nurse of all evil Error is an infections Disease that spreads dangerously under the pretence of Conscience still Conscience must rule us so far as it s ruled by Gods Word and no further It cannot bind to nor discharge any sin Paul judges himself for those very sins very hainously which his conscience through mistake suggested to be his duty If a Christian suffer as an evil doer though he pretend Conscience he shall have little honour or comfort therein The sin is aggravated that is committed by an evil of Conscience the Presence Chamber and the Royal Throne of our Soveraign Christ The Magistrate therefore should be most careful to see that all sorts enjoy the best Means of informing Conscience about the Will of God as Noble Jehosaphat did that all good Laws may be duly observed Then Execution must be look'd unto the Life of the Law It s the great mercy promised to Christs Kingdom that Kings shall be Nursing Fathers to his Church and contribute their utmost to the help thereof whereas before they gave up their power to the Antichristian Beast Christ himself is wronged when his Lieutenant the Magistrate is taken off from his Work or disturbed therein All Arguments used against the Magistrates Power in Religion are still under-charged or over-charged either they prove only that Conscience is not to be forced and that Christians should begentle and meek bearing with each other in things indifferent which is not denied or if there were any force in them to disprove the Magistrates dealing with the first Table the same force would reach further against the second Table also So that they would make his office needless striking at Christ through his vicegerents Loins to bring in confusion and Anarchy by exempting from his Cognisance whatever things may pretend Conscience What evil so horrid that may not be covered under such a mask Hath not experience seen it fulfilled in the predigious Ranters are Quakers of our days Christs Interest in the good of mens souls is still the best part of the Magistrates care they must needs be sadly injurious to both that would deprive them of that choice
Garland and that signal work 24. Christ is opposed likewise in his Servants of the Ministry as First By the former Errors So secondly By the Socinians Seekers Behmenists Revelationists Quakers and Libertines who deny corrupt and oppose it Thirdly by the Papists who set up an Antichristian Head and Hierarchy mangling and perverting it wofully Fourthly By Innovators who exalt a Power therein above others unknown to Christ and others slighting what Christ hath set up AGainst these various Evils the Knowledge of Christ improved graciously will fence our Judgements and make us to see the excellency and perpetuity the necessity and utility of his Gospel-ministry It was his care of old to set it up in his Church for their common good that the Priests lips might preserve knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth because he is the Messenger of the Lord. The first Insurrections against it which assaulted also the Magistracy by a strong levelling party under holy pretences were dreadfully rebuked and plagued by an extraordinary hand from Heaven The Lord made also Aarons Rod to blossom and fructifie miraculously that he might ratifie this great Ordinance of his to all Ages He appointed the Levites to be therefore settled in all the parts of Israel that every one might be provided with ministerial Help Himself promised in a peculiar way to be their best Portion and took a special care that among their Brethren they might never want a plentifull portion From time to time did he renew that charge and sharply visited for the neglect thereof He honor'd and prosper'd those Princes and people that did carefully observe his Will therein His Magistracy and his Ministry went still hand in hand both in doing good and suffering evil Moses and Aaron in all their Successors were still duly observed by God and good men The Jewish Church and State declined together by their sinfull neglects of Christs Institutions Christ therefore came at last himself personally that he might repair those wofull Ruins The vile abusing of his Ministry brought on them first a Babylonian yoak and afterwards a Roman slavery after many Persian and Grecian Oppressions The Revolts of Jason and of Onias with their Anti-temples in Aegypt and Samaria brought in many more confusions then both on Church and State Their corrupt opposings of Christs Ministry cost them very dear When Christ came in the flesh the many disorders of the ministerial Office and persons had disordered all His great care was then to rectifie things in the best method An end of all shadows he made in himself by his own Ministry and settled himself a substantial Ministry that should continue unto the worlds end His great business still was to purge his Temple and to commission his ministerial Servants for the successive building of his house His twelve Apostles and seventy Disciples were to that end succesfully employed by him When he ascended and triumph'd over all he bestowed then Coronation Gifts of a choice Nature Then gave he Apostles Prophets and Evangelists in extraordinary Pastors and Teachers in ordinary for Ambassados for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the building up of his body untill we all come to the full stature of the Son of God Thus Christ settled this ministerial function with spiritual Authority by setting apart in a regular Call persons by him duly qualified to the full employment of the Ministry The Circumstantials of the ceremonial Law he pared off thereby and settled the substance of his will therein in this solemn office for his special honor and his peoples good The Father and Spirit joined with God the Son in the Commission given from above to settle this Office and assure thereon a signal Blessing till the end of all As the Son gave these Residents of his to his Church below so did the Father set them in the Church and the holy Ghost still makes them overseers thereof In the renewing of their Commission he enlarged it unto all Nations gave them the keys of his Kingdom to act under him as Deputy-stewards Titles of Honor he gives them many fit Emblems also of their weighty work They are his Agents and the peoples Guides Shepherds and Rulers Angels and Leaders Elders they are and Overseers as Ambassadors acting in his name As he taught his Apostles the things of his Kingdom so were they carefull to instruct the rest Pauls Epistles to Timothy and Titus are a directory for all Church Affairs The Apostles needed extraordinary Gifts as did the Prophets and Evangelists in the first planting of Churches everywhere That work being done then ended with them their immediate infallible Call Extraordinaries are but for a time to make sure way to Ordinaries Snccessors they had in the substantials of the Ministry though not in all their Circumstantials Paul in his progress having shew'd the way of ordaining such gave Timothy and others further Rules still to prosecute that work Pastors and Teachers must abide in charge whilst there is one soul to be brought to Christ and built up in Christ These stars are kept in the Lords own hand being the Lights of his own setting up Many Ministers and Churches may perish for their Apostacy as they of Asia but the Ministry in the Church of Christ shall be sure to stand These witnesses of his may be much abused to the very Death but they shall rise again very speedily to the confusion of all enemies Lest they should grow proud and usurp Lorship Christ charged them timely to act as Servants in his name and work His word holds forth all Elders equal in ordinary since extraordinaries removed from men Some priority of order and age the Primitive Churches thought fit to admit Pride and Ambition corrupted the same adding Jurisdiction and Power thereto At first they did chuse a Moderator who might be Speaker in their regular meetings That was first elective and then became fixed and gradually did degenerate Under fair colors many did encroach and subjected Elders to Bishops Power Thence did Arch-Bishops and Patriarchs rise with other Limbs of that Hierarchy By Princes bounty too sadly abused this evil did rise and brought forth a Pope That Antichristian Beast with his double horn speaking like the Lamb acted Dragon-like He gradually subdued Christs Magistracy and Ministry by usurpations of the double sword That Pestilential Wen grew so fast on the Church that it did over-spread and consume it in its noblest parts Many Excrescences did rise under it as their Cardinals Archdeacons Chancellors Thence a further Rabble of Commissaries Porters Acolyths Subdeacons Exorcists Thence also their Monks Friers Eremits Nuns and Jesuits swarming everywhere Thus gradually did Abaddon prevail to waste Christs portion for a thousand two hundred sixty years The witnesses whilst