the Law of God in the conscience that so by Christians they may be obeyed for conscience sake And if the Laws of men do answer to the Law of God in the conscience will not every one then that resists the Power as well be made sensible of the wrath of God in his conscience as deserving of the wrath of men upon his outward man And by the opposite Commands of God and man are not the consciences of them that are required to obey deeply concerned and themselves greatly tryed for of necessity are not they forc'd into sore sufferings either by the wrath of God or by the wrath of man that is to say if man forbids that which God commands or if God forbids that which man commands must they not suffer either by God or man for in this case of necessity must not either God or man be disobeyed And if they obey the Laws of men contrary to the Law of God do they not then incur the wrath of God and if they obey the Law of God contrary to the Laws of men do they not then incur the wrath of men And although the Wrath of God be the greater yet is not the wrath of men very great and grievous to be born when it is executed But in this case must not the Lord be obeyed rather than man For as to Soveraignty is not the Lord higher than the highest and doth not the Lord regard the Oppressions of the Innocent who in their sufferings have none to flee unto but to himself only as it is written If thou seest the Oppression of the Poor and violent perverting â—les 8. of Judgment and Justice in a Province marvel not at the matter for He that is higher than the Highest regardeth and there be higher than they And doth not the wrath of man turn to the praise of God And the remainder of wrath will not he restrain And as to their eternal estate Are not the concerns of the soul greater than the concerns of the body and even in this life is not peace with God in the conscience more to be regarded than to be parted with to avoid sufferings by men For what is any man profited by ease liberty and pleasures in the body if to gain this he lose his soul and what would not a wise man part with or suffer to gain his soul And are not Magistrates as they are Christians prohibited by Christ from the exercise of authority and dominion over the Faith and Consciences of God's true Worshippers in the matters of Religion and the Worship of God as it is written Mat. 20. 25 26 27. The Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them but it shall not be so among you but whosoever will be Great among you let him be your Minister and whosoever will be Chief among you let him be your Servant Which cannot be understood that Christians should not be subject to the just Government of their Christian Magistrates in Secular things because in Secular things even Christians are bound in conscience by God to be subject to the just Government even of Heathen Magistrates May not this prohibition viz. But it shall not be so among you therefore be rather understood the prohibiting by Christ of Secular Authority and worldly Dominion to be exercised among Christians for the government of his Church in the Heavenly and Spiritual things of God And also because in the Government of the Church The Greatest is to be their Mark â— 44. Minister and the Chiefest to be the Servant of all and is it so in the Government of the Church by Secular Powers For is not the Church of Christ a Spiritual Body and must not its Government therefore be Spiritual even by the Divine Authority and Heavenly Dominion of Christ himself as the alone Head and Governor of the Church which is his Mystical Body and the fulness of him that filleth all in all And may not this therfore be of caution as well to Christian Magistrates as to Heathen Magistrates to take heed of exercising that Authority and Dominion among Christians over the Spiritual Body of Christ in the matters of Faith and Worship and the things of God relating to the inward man which by Christ are distinguished from the things of Cesar which they exercise and which may be given them of God to be exercised by them for their Civil Policy and the Government of the Politick Body in things Secular and relating to the outward man For is not the Power by which the Church is to be governed by the Father given to Christ as the only Head of the Church and hath not Christ in himself kept the right of Soveraignty in the Government of his Church and is not Christ himself ever present in Spirit with his Church for the administration of his Authority and Supremacy over the Church and in the exercise of his Soveraignty for the Government of the Church And doth not Christ instruct them and rule among them by his Word and holy Unction and his Commands unto them and by the operation of his Power in them and doth he not teach and govern them by the motions and ministries and conduct of his Spirit which abideth with them and dwelleth in them and by the vertues and efficacy of the gifts of his Grace which by him are distributed to them And herein doth not Christ reign and rule and teach and govern his Church himself and hereby is not God glorified in the Church by Christ throughout all ages as it is written Unto him be glory in the Church by Christ Epheâ— 21. Jesus thorowout all ages world without end Amen And though Authority and Superiority and Magistracy and Power justly derived and lawful Dominion in the exercise of Civil Power for the Government of the Politick Body be the Ordinance of God yet doth it therefore follow that the same is ordained of God for the Government of his Church For are the motions of the Spirit of Christ in his Church and the operations of the Power of Christ in the Members of his Mystical Body by Magistrates to be bounded and limited through the exercise of their Dominion over them and of their Authority upon them Are the gifts which by God are given for the mutual edifying of the Church to be ordered and disposed of by Magistrates have they power over and the government of the manifestations of the Spirit of God and all those different Administrations which are by the same Lord and which by the working of one and the same Spirit operateth severally in all for the benefit of the Body and the profit of every member Or had the then Heathen Magistrates the same Authority over the Power and Spirit which operated in the Apostles and primitive Christians as they were the Ministers and Servants of God in the exercise of their Ministry and Service of the Church which they had over
known beforehand but are also read week after week and year after year And if by might and power any should be forc'd astray to worship God in that manner which is contrary to the Law of God in their consciences though highly esteemed amongst men would not even their Prayers be their sin for doth not Solomon say He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law even his prayer shall be abomination And he that causeth the Righteous to go astray by an evil way shall fall â—â— 28. â—0 into his own pit And is not their sin great and will not their stripes be many who either by force or subtilty are either drawn or driven to worship God after that manner which is contrary to their knowledge and conscience And if by the force of Might and Power any should be driven contrary to God's witness in their consciences will they not hereby be run into transgression and Rebellion against God and will not the Witness of God in them in their own consciences be their condemnation And is not Rebellion as the sin of Witchcraft and Transgression as Wickedness Idolatry And are their own consciences pure and without offence and tender and in the feeling of anothers conscience or rather are not their consciences reprobated without remorse and unsensible who by force would defile and offend and even wound and wrack the consciences of others And do not they sin against Christ the Head who so sin against his Body the Church and who grieve his Spirit and oppress his Members by imposing rigorously upon them heavy burdens which they are not able to bear even to the wounding of their consciences if they submit and as much as in them lyeth to destroy their souls for whom Christ died And if the doubtful thoughts of them that are weak in the Faith in things that are lawful in themselves are not to be judged as it is written Rom. 14. 1. Him that is weak in the Faith receive you but not to judg his doubtful thoughts see the margent Is the faith and certain knowledge of God's true Worshippers then to be judged as to the manner of God's Worship which they assuredly believe to be the will of God and certainly know to be of the Lord and required of them as his Law unto them Was the noise either of Hammer or Ax or of any Tool of Iron heard in the House of God whilst it was in building by Solomon And are the Laws of men then and their Penalties and Punishments to be the Foundations now on which God's Spiritual House is to be built or is the matter for the House of God now to be hewen out and hammered and prepared by armed-men and the noise of the clattering of Arms with which the peaceable Meetings of the Quakers have been often assaulted and broken up and their Bodies hurt and bruised Is Force and Violence exercised by men on the Body the way of God to save the soul Did not the Prophet in the power of God and in the might of his Spirit declare against them who built up Zion with blood and Ierusalem with wrong And is it not uncharitable among Christians and against the Law both of Love and Equity and that which they would not be done unto themselves for one to impose upon another as to their Faith and Conscience in the matters of Religion and Worship contrary to the Law which rules in their Consciences and to that which they believe to be the Will of God and to that in which they are not to themselves but to the Lord and to that in which the Lord hath received them and doth accept of them For doth not the Royal Law command to love thy neighbour as thy self and hath not Christ to his Disciples â—â— 2. commanded saying Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets â—att 2. Are not even Gainsayers by sound Doctrine both to be convinced and exhorted and in meekness are not they to be instructed who oppose themselves and are not even unbelievers and them that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to be gathered by the Word of God preached and to be won by moderation and soberness and by the good conversation of them that believe And is not the Word of God of more force inwardly to execute the righteous Judgments of God for disobedience and to convince perswade and compel to obedience than all the force and strength of men for is it not therefore by the Lord likened to a Fire and to a Hammer which breaks the Rocks in pieces reader Ier. 23. 29. 20. 9. 6. 11. 5. 14. Isa 49. 2. 30. 30. 11. 4. And was not the Baptism of Repentance which by Iohn was preached as an Ax from God in his hand for the cutting down of fruitless Trees and were not they prickt in their hearts with the force of the Word and the authority of the Doctrine which by the Apostles was preached And did not Foelix tremble before Paul when he reasoned of Righteousness and Temperance and of Judgment to come And is not therefore the matter for the building of the Church of God to be prepared by the Ministry of his Word in God's Authority rather than by the force and terror of men And are not even those that oppose themselves to be subdued by the Gospel of Christ unto the obedience of God in his Spiritual Service and Worship For is not the Gospel of Christ the Power of God And is not the Authority of the Word and the Force of the Gospel in which the Power of God is made manifest the means by God appointed to satisfie doubts and to decide Controversies in matters of Religion and manner of Worship For is not the Word of God both quick and powerful and the Sword of the Spirit and sharper for the convincement of Gainsayers than the two-edged Swords of men for doth it not pierce to the discerning of the thoughts and intents of the heart and inwardly force and compel where the Force of men can neither reach nor enter And if Power in Magistrates over the Faith and Consciences of God's faithful and true Worshippers in the matters of Religion and Worship be pretended unto as they are Magistrates may not then Antichristian or Heathen Magistrates pretend to the same power to over-rule the Faith of their Subjects and compel them to their Religion and by their penalties and punishments to force their Consciences to worship Idols And if such power in Magistrates be pretended unto as they are Christians are we not to distinguish between the Office or Authority of Magistrates in the administration of their Civil Power as Rulers and Governours and the Religion of Magistrates as they are Christians by which they have fellowship in the Church as Members of the Spiritual Body of which Christ only is the Head among them that
Waters of Life Nay was it not a transgression in them among the Hebrews and their Apostacy and sin against the Lord who after they had received the knowledge of the Truth did yet forsake the assembling of themselves together with them that persevered in the Truth And forsook not the assembling of themselves together but endured a great Heb 25 33. fight of Afflictions and were made a Gazing-stock both by Reproaches and Afflictions and took joyfully the spoyling of their Goods And is not the Name of Christ which is above every name even his Power and his Presence the Authority in which God's true Worshippers are to gather together to worship him rather than the Laws of men for is not Christ present in the midst of them who are gathered together in his Name are not God's true Worshippers therefore to meet together in the Name of Christ and by his Authority to worship God as by the Spirit of Christ they are drawn and compelled ordered and guided which leads into all Truth notwithstanding the Laws of men for wherein the Laws of men for Conscience-sake cannot be actively obeyed are they not submitted unto and passively obeyed yea and fulfilled by their patient suffering of their penalties And are not their Meetings lawful in the sight of God who are gathered together in the Name of Christ for are they not owned of God by the Presence of Christ in the midst of them and do not they offer violence to Christ in the midst of them who violate their Meetings that are gathered together in his Name do not they dispise him 10 who despise them and is not what is done to them for his sake by him esteemed as done to him And were it not better for them that â— 25. 5. 18. a Milstone were hanged about their necks and they cast into the Sea than for them to offend one of the least of his little ones And as to the place for Divine Worship and the Service of God in the exercise of Religion Are there now any certain places prefixt and limited unto by Christ since the hour came that God would neither be worshipped on the Mountain of Samaria nor yet at Jerusalem are not all limits and ties to certain prefixt places for the Worship of God made null and void by the Ministration of the Spirit and the Truth as it is in Jesus for are not all distinctions of places by Christ annihilated in that which to the Woman of Samaria he saith Woman believe â— 4. me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father And did not the then Teacher of the Gentiles in Faith and Verity will them to pray every where aswell â—im â— â—â— 1. without any scruple to the place as without doubting in what they asked according to the will of God And doth not the Lord by the Prophet Malachi say that IN EVERY Place Incense shall be offered unto his Name and a pure Offering and that his Name shall be great among the Heathen And in the Liturgy of the Church of England is it not said viz. It is very meet right and our bounden duty that we should at All times and in All places give thanks unto thee O Lord Almighty and everlasting God c. And is not Christ there and in the midst of them wheresoever it be that two or three are gathered together â—â—tth 20. in his Name And did not the primitive Christians of the Cities of Corinth Ephesus and Thessalonica c. in the Worship of God meet apart from the Jewish Synagogues and from the Idol Temples And were not the Assemblies of God's true Worshippers in Jerusalem approved of by God who in the Worship of God met apart from them who worshipped in the Temple for were not the Churches of Judea and Samaria and of all Asia and Macedonia which were in God the Father and in our Lord Jesus Christ so many distinct Congregations and all separated from their several National Worships as in some Translations the 2d Cor. 1. 1. is read Unto the Congregation of God which is at Corinth and Gal. 1. 2. Unto the Congregations at Galatia c. and as so many separated and distinct Congregations all in the Unity of God the Father and of Christ in the midst of them had not they power and authority from Christ and by his Presence with them either in their own hired houses or in any other convenient places to meet together in his Name for the exercise of Religion and Worship and the administration of holy things within and among themselves Are we not all to be the Servants of God only and not the Servants of men in the things of God which concerns his heavenly Kingdom and Government as it is written 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men for are not the matters of Religion God's matters and is not God only our Master in the matters of his Spiritual Worship hath not the Lord only the sole power over both our Souls and our Bodies in his own Worship and Service and is not the Lord only the alone Judge in and over our Consciences And must not we all stand or fall to our own Master as it is written Rom. 14. 4. Who art thou that judgest another mans servant to his own Master he standeth or falleth Is not mans judgment and authority over the consciences of the Lord's Servants in the matters of Religion and Worship herein by the Apostle excluded in that which he here saith Who art thou that judgest another mans servant to his own Master he standeth or falleth In the late Annotation published in the year 1651 on John 7. 51. it is said Those whom God hath set in Authority may and ought to judge of Secular businesses but of mans final estate Christ only is to judge And did not the Apostles deny Lordship over the Consciences of God's Heritage and disclaim to have any Dominion over their Faith for doth not Peter in his exhortation 1 Pet 3. 2 Coâ— 24. to the Elders to feed the flock of God say Neither as being Lords over God's Heritage And doth not Paul to the Corinthians say Not for that we have Dominion over your Faith Is there then any such Lordship or Dominion by the Secular Powers in the Spiritual Body as to give Law and Rule to the Faith and Consciences of God's faithful and true Worshippers in the matters of Religion and for the Worship of God Are the Servants of God therefore to make men their Masters in the Service of God or are the Commandments of men to be their Limits and Prescriptions for the Worship of God or rather Are not they false teachers and themselves in the false and vain worship who for the Worship of God teach for Doctrines the Commandments of men for of such worshippers and Teachers doth not Christ say But in vain
do they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men â—th 9. And for the Servants of God to resign the power over their souls and their soul-concernments into the hands of men and for them in subjection to the commandments of men to yeeld up the dominion over their consciences to man which only belongs to God is not this in the things of God to make themselves the Servants of men and herein is not the Lord rejected and his Soveraignty and Dominion contemned and reproached And in the concerns of their eternal being do they not in this stand or fall to men as their Masters or will Christ profit them any thing who in the things which concern his own Heavenly Kingdom and Government do yeeld their Souls and their Consciences to be yok'd and bound by men Are not the Lord's Servants here in the things of the Lord both by the Apostles Doctrine and Example to be left to their Lord's Judgement and to stand or fall as by his Justice they are either justified or condemned without their being judged by mans judgment And as amongst men it is accounted unequal for one man to exercise authority over another mans Servant and an injury to the Master So doth not the Lord here by the Apostle sharply reprove the presumption of those who at all take upon them to judge the Lord's Servants in the matters of Religion especially in those things which are owned â—â—t 18 7 8 â—0 by him and which by him are allowed in them and wherein the Lord hath received them and doth accept of them And will not the Lord as severely judge them and their usurpation and Hypocrisie as they in the exercise of authority over the Lord's Servants are severe in their judgments and do judge that which is of God in them for is it not an high provocation in them and are not they usurpers who exercise authority over the Servants of Christ in those things in which Christ only is their Lawgiver and their Judge And are not they hypocrites who under the pretence of their service to Christ do persecute the Members and Servants of Christ and that pretend it good service to God to make strong the bands of the Righteous and with the fist of wickedness to smite the Lord's Servants And when the Lord comes to make inquisition for Blood and wrongs done in an hour that they are not aware of will he not then remember them and appoint them their portion with Hypocrites For as to the matters of Conscience in Religion the Worship of God and all those things which relate to the inward man is not every man to stand before the Judgement-Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body and is not this by the Apostle made use of as an Argument or Reason why Christians should not therefore judge one another in the matters of Religion nor set at nought their Brother in things in which he is neither to himself nor to any man but to the Lord only in that which he saith But why dost Rom. 10 1 thou judge thy Brother or why dost thou set at nought thy Brother we shall all stand before the Judgment seat of Christ For it is written As I live saith the Lord Every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God Doth not the Apostle herein reprove among Christians their judging one another and their setting at nought one another in the matters of Religion and all those things in which they are to the Lord and not to themselves or to man both as an usurpation of Gods right to whom only every knee must bow and every tongue confess as to all those things which are only proper to the Judgment of God and not to mans judgment and also as a violation of the Brotherhood which relation of equality and fellowship as Brethren in the things of God amongst Christians and as Members together of the same Body should be preserved in the unity of the Spirit and by the bond of Peace and to defer them from it by their being accountable to God for it Are not the Lord's Servants in the things of God which by Christ aâ—e distinguished from the things that are Cesars therefore to be left it liberty by Magistrates to stand or fall to their own Master that is to say as to their Consciences in matters of Religion and the Worship of God For in the regiment of their Souls and the dominion over their Consciences is not the Lord only their Master and not man And are they not therefore bought with a price that in the things of God they should not be the servants of men And wherein they are Freemen to be at liberty from the Laws of men are they not therein the Lord's Servants and under the Law to Christ and even in the Body are they not accountable to Him as their Judge whose Judgement-seat is set up in their Souls And by the Law of Christ are they not judged if they transgress in things in which rhey are at liberty from the Laws of men for doth not his Law take hold where their Laws cannot reach and are not their thoughts and the intents of their hearts opened in them and manifest to the searcher of hearts For is not the Sword of his Spirit i. e. his Word which is nigh them quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow to the descerning of the thoughts and intents of the heart And is not the Judge of all which either justifies or condems in every mans conscience alwayes before the door of their hearts in their own consciences to condemn al that either entreth in or cometh forth that is against him as it is written Grudge not one against another Brethren â—â— 5. lest ye be condemned behold the Judge standeth before the door And in that which by the Apostle is concluded as inevitable viz. So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God Doth he â—â—m 14 â— not herein reasonably exclude the judgments of men in the matters of Religion and Conscience relating to the Worship of God as himself next saith viz. Let us not therefore judge one another any more but â—â— 14 â— judge this rather that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his Brothers way for seeing that no man can by any means redeem his Brother nor give to God a ransom for his soul but that every one must account for himself to God is it therefore reasonable that any man should impose upon another contrary to his faith and conscience and in the spiritual concernments of his soul relating to his everlasting being in which the Imposer cannot answer to God satisfactorily for the imposed upon nor redeem his soul he therein miscarrying And do not they put stumbling-blocks in
their persons for obedience to their just Commands in outward things relating to their outward man or have Christian Magistrates now the same dominion over the Spiritual Administrations of holy things in the Church by the members of the Church or by those who by the holy Ghost are made Overseers to feed the Church of God which they have over their persons for obedience to their just commands in outward things relating to the outward man For are Secular Laws and Penalties the means appointed by God to make Disciples for Christ or being made to regulate them in the Spiritual Service and Worship of God can the outward force of external compulsion by pains and punishments ever truly convert to God or make clean the heart or regenerate the soul or renew a right spirit in man And must not that regulate in the spiritual Service and Worship of God which begets and converts to God Nor is that which Christ saith Luke 14. 23. Compel them to come in to be understood of Secular force or outward compulsion but of the force of the Gospel of Christ which is the Power of God to Salvation and the compelling vertue of the Spirit of Christ which in the Ministry of the Gospel by answering the witness in the conscience reacheth to the spirit in prison and by a taste not only invites but by its power and vertue compels and draws to the Lord's Supper them that were scattered by their extravagant lusts nor did the Apostles in their Spiritual Warfare war after the flesh or by the help of humane force or outward compulsion For the weapons of their Warfare were not Carnal or by Secular Laws and Penalties but mighty through God to the pulling down the strong holds of them that strengthened themselves against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ neither did they revenge the disobedience of any in matters of Worship by the hand of the Magistrate inflicting pains and punishments on the body for they wrestled not against flesh and blood but against powers of darkness and the spirits of wickedness which strongly hold the creature under the dominion of Sin and the reign of the Devil And to them that restrain this prohibition of Christ viz. But it shall not be so among you as if Christ herein only prohibited the exercise of Heathenish Tyranny and Oppression among Christians I say what Tyranny and Oppression is greater than by might and power to over-rule the Faith of the Just and to oppress their Consciences And if Heathen Magistrates because of their power and greatness may not after their own wills and pleasures domineer and over-rule among Heathens in the things of the outward man may Christian Magistrates then by their power and might over-rule and domineer over Christians in the things of the inward man and which relate to the Spiritual Service and Worship of God And if a quiet and peaceable life in the exercise of all Godliness towards the Lord and in his Worship and Service and of all Honesty amongst men in their common occasions was the right of the primitive Christians from their then Heathen Magistrates though in the most material and weighty matters of Religion and Worship they differed from them why may it not be much rather the right of Christians now from their professed Christian Magistrates without being molested by them to live quietly and peaceably in the exercise of all Godliness and Honesty though they differ as to the manner of Worship they giving unto Magistrates the things that are theirs and unto God the things that are God's which Right that it might be enjoyed by the Lord's People they by the Apostle are exhorted That 1 Tâ— 1 2 Supplications and Prayers and Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all men for Kings and all that are in Authority that both they may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and Honesty that their Magistrates also may have the knowledge of the Truth and their souls saved And when through the Prophesyings of the Prophets Haggai and Ez 1 Zecharia by the commandment of God the Jews again began to build the House of God and though Darius the King as to the Religion and Worship of the Jews was a Heathen yet he did not hinder them nor at all molest them but rather furthered them by his assistance and protection and also furnisht them with Sacrifices to the end that Ez 6 9 they might pray for the Life of the King and for his Sons and that Wrath from God might not break forth against the Realm the King and his Sons And did not Artaxerxes in his Decree submit the concernments of the House of God to the Commands of God in that which he saith Ezra 7. 23. Whatsoever is commanded by the God of Heaven let it be diligently done for the House of the God of Heaven for why should there be wrath against the Realm of the King and his Sons which latter clause by some is read the Realm the King and his Sons And whereas the examples of Cyrus Darius and Artaxerxes Kings of Persia and reputed Heathens are by some brought as having authority over the Jews as to the building of their Temple and as regulating and reforming them as to their Sacrifices and Worship as Arguments to prove That Christians now are to be subject to their Christian Magistrates in the matters of Religion that is to say as to their Faith and Consciences in the Worship of God To which I answer first as to Cyrus What Commands did he impose upon the Jews as to the matters of their Religion or what force did he put upon them as to the building of the Temple was not the sum of his Proclamation for Liberty to the captive Jews to return to their own Land and there to build the Temple And was not this in their advantage and as they would have it as to their Liberty and to worship God as God himself had commanded them and might not who would go and who would stay And were not their spirits raised up by the Lord without the force of man who to build the House of the Lord went up with the chief of the Fathers of Judah and Benjamin and the Priests and the Levites Ezr. 1. 5. And was not the spirit of Cyrus also as to this thing stirred up by the Lord that the Word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled And though Cyrus as to other things perhaps may be reputed as a Heathen yet may this therefore be reputed as heathenish which was of the Lord and who long before he was born was by the Lord called his shepherd Isa 44. 28. And although Darius the king as to Religion and Worship differed much from the Jews yet herein was he not an example of moderation and of indulgence as to their liberty therein who were then under his Dominion as to their outward