S. Paul S. Peter and other of Christs own Disciples because not of them shall not be by them called Saints also no not so much as Mr. Paul c. Whenas if any Author is mentioned by them he hath the addition of Mr. as Mr. Calvin or the like And their excuse for not doing it is the greatest Argument of their pride which is because the Apostles in their parity used not to give these titles to one another therefore are they not to give it to them neither Concluding as it should seem that because they had now attained an equal pitch of sanctity with them they might thereupon say our brother Paul Peter or the like But they should remember that as God alone is the searcher of hearts in such sort as to to distinguish between men of the same outward profession and say Behold a true Israelite in whom there is no guile so is it becoming Christian Duty and Charity to leave men in these censures to stand or fall to their own Master To him that hath the Keys of Heaven and of Hell we must leave the judgement and distinction of those persons and their qualities that are fit for the one or the other Whereas to us that cannot discover the hypocrisie of persons nor tell who in the visible Church are of the Communion of Saints and who not it is no ways safe nor becoming to make these arrogant and deceivable distinctions so as to call some Saints count others cast-aways in regard of any secret tokens of Grace and Salvation by our selves discoverable Whereas our Saviour that could best foretel of these hypocrisies bids us have an especial regard to these kinde of men that should come in sheeps cloathing but inwardly were ravening wolves Yes ravening Wolves indeed even too plainly found to be such by those seditions and destructive courses which do every day appear to be the fruit of these Trees of shew In which respect although none on earth can judge of these hidden Graces and Endowments by which one man is preferred before another as a Citizen of Heaven yet so far as men are here to be Citizens in Christs Kingdom the Church in that respect there are again certain moral Vertues and qualities differently seated and appearing in the Meembers of each Church whereby the head thereof may in reference to publike Peace and Order judge one man better or more holy then another But because these sorts of men do usually raise their Discipline and Tenents by abusing some Texts and Phrases of Scripture as supposing them plainly appliable to their uses when they are therein but set down as mysteries we shall now shew some Reasons for the darkness therein sometimes used CHAP. XIII Of the Mystical Delivery of some Divine Truths and the Reason thereof SOme there are who contend very seriously and with many arguments to make it appear that that work of Creation which is to ordinary apprehensions set down to be the imployment of six days was wholly effected in one chiefly perswading themselves that the contrary assertions of allowing six days time was derogatory to the Almightiness of such an Agent as was occupied herein In those that oppose them there is as much invention used to shew why we should keep our selves to the belief of six days work and that the litteral sense of that story could import none other And truly were I to judge I should assign to these last the greater hold of truth as not deeming it a diminution to the sufficiency of any workman that is not bound by any thing besides his own will to be as long or as short a time as he pleaseth in the finishing of what he undertakes especially since it is not therewithal set down that he had not ability to do it sooner For if the dispatch of the Creation in one day should have argued Almightiness more then in six then they should have left him but one hour or rather but one minute for the doing thereof if they must suppose him measuring his Almightiness in his operations by the time of their production Therefore as the only will and good pleasure of God Almighty was at first the cause why all things were by him at all or in such and such manner created so was it also the only rule and guid that set measure and form to the way and means of their preservation and so consequently was it the reason why the several species of creatures came to be endued with such friendly aspects and inclinations as that they prosecuting the same naturally and continually should therewith also preserve and promote the good of their fellow creatures Which affection although to that end common to all was yet only necessarily and insensibly to themselves imposed on the lower sorts of things when as the most noble race of creatures which had more resemblance to him had also so much knowledge and will implanted as to enable them not only to be so far apprehensive as to be expresly thankful for these favours but also to furnish them with power for farther acquisition of things delightful and good and of avoidance of what was contrary as hath been heretofore observed In which course of liberty and freedom of will whereby the welfare of voluntary Agents comes to be referred to their own demeanor and guidance God makes another manner of condition with us men then he did with Angels For the Angels that fell he hath so abandoned in his justice that they cannot rise and these that do stand he hath so surrounded with his grace and providence that they cannot fall For they sinning actually and personally or else after the same manner continuing upright and obedient could not but from his justice or goodness expect personal sentence accordingly whereas to us men that sinned by imputation as transgressing in the originals and representatives of our kind we in our separate persons are neither irremediably censured to punishment nor yet to mercy or reward For although traduction made eternal death liable to all even to such as had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression yet forasmuch as we had not like our first Parents personally so sinned God appoints us another means and way of deliverance whereby it should come to pass that none should suffer for the fault of Adam in his actual disobedience against God but such as should personally afterwards incur that guilt of disobedience by renewing it against his Son Christ Jesus nor should the bite and contagion of that Serpent in Paradise prove mortal to any that should with the eye of faith look unto this Brazen Serpent for cure But then farther some of mankind being for their original fault as aforesaid in justice to be punished and some again in mercy to be freed it stood not agreeable to Gods impartial rule of administration particularly to appoint and prosecute any peremptory and unavoidable means of distinct saving of all those persons which shall hereafter
and in the heart and so may carry some flattery of conscience along with them like unto Balaam who thought he might now go so long as according to Gods direction yet in such cases where a plain Precept is transgressed even so plain that every vulgar capacity like Balaams Ass may reprove the madness of the Prophet for men to think of venturing upon their own interpretations and think they can stop soon enough in their rebellious journey must be always dangerous as rendring them subject to be beguiled by the Prince of the ayr instead of an Angel of Light And we are by so much the more in danger of abuse and misinterpretation of Scripture by how much the design and advantage thereby to arise is more general as leaving none to contradict or bring us to rights therein as doth too evidently appear in the interpretation of all those Texts where insubjection is aimed at For each one being himself a subject and having a desire and interest towards encrease of freedom it is to be expected that all wayes of plausible addition should be still found out for advancement of a speculation so pleasing to all Whereas in the divided interests and opinions between Sect and Sect the violence of one is kept in moderation by the fear of his opposite who will be sure to use all the skill and diligence he can to detect him of error and to extol his own contrary tenent even so that an indifferent adjudication may be made between them And therefore if we put not on the whole armour of God and have not our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace that is with meekness and poorness of spirit we shall not be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil nor his stratagems devised to the breach of Charity nor be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked Those many arguments which he and his children of disobedience make use of for setting whole Kingdoms on fire by Rebellion But because many now under the Gospel have been the more drawn into these and other errors in matter of their practise out of their mistaken liberty in the imitations of some such presidents as they find in the Old Testament recorded without reproof it will not be amiss to discourse somewhat of their and our different conditions that so making it appear how their doings might be lawful in such things and how it comes otherwise to pass in ours we may then take off the ground of so much abuse After man had taken on him the knowledge of good and evil he stood thereby obliged as heretofore declared to the performance of all such explicite pious duties as were requisite for Gods service and all such vertuous moral actions as were advantagious for the good of others And albeit under the Law these were abreviated and under the Gospel contracted again into one Precept yet until that time it still remained so much their duties that men were more or less good or evil as they more or less kept or violated these Rules And from thence it again followed that those promises made to Adam as in the state of innocence and those threats sentenced on him as lapsed remained for rewards and punishments differently due and proper to his race The first great transgressor in this kind was Cain in the cruel slaughter of his brother and on him and his race as now exiled from Gods more particular care and right of the Creature we shall find the first curse of sterility to be again particularly laid And so himself understands it as appears by his answer Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face shall I be hid c. But when Seth is born and his first son reckoned you will presently find the distinction of the righteous seed from the other and that it is said Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord And then we may next gather him and his for this cause estated in the right of their Fathers promises as the other was of his Curse For it is after said That Adam beg at a Son in his own likeness after his image and called his name Seth So that he being represented in his Sonship to Adam under very same expressions of Image and likeness as Adam was made the Son of God we may conclude their undoubted propriety But when afterwards these Sons of God began to mingle and learn the vices of the other then by degrees did the whole world become corrupt and had been universally involved in natural death and destruction by flood had not Noah as a person upright in his generations found favour with God and to stopped specifical ruine So that we are henceforth to look that those promises made to mankinde in Adam should be renewed to him and his righteous seed Amongst whom we may again find this separation made and men still to be distinguished in regard of more eminent acts of Justice and Iudgement until the promises come more remarkably to descend and be conferred on Abraham and on his seed that is to the particular Nation of the Jews Unto whom those common blessings of nature were so often particularly promised as if they were their onely right whereas we shall find little mention in Holy Writ of the rest of the world other then as in relation to their affairs with this peculiar people In which we shall find them blessed as they were to them more kind or punished or destroyed as to them more malignant as the utter overthrow of Amaleck and the compleating of those many prophesies against all Nations that had any ways distressed them makes it plainly to appear These considerations being well weighed we may find reason for that right which the Israelites had unto the Land of Canaan We may finde a good right they had unto the Egyptians goods And of that right also which Moses had of being a god unto Pharaoh in demanding liberty of him for the Israelites departure to wit because these things were done and enjoyned in the name of that God that was supreme Lord of all as it was both to the Israelites and Pharaoh evidenced by miracles And so we may find a good right Iacob had unto the Amorites goods too although his sons had unjustly taken them away because done without his authority and so of divers other instances which would be by men now adays reduced into practise not considering our different conditions and how our Saviour the second Adam took not on him to restore or establish the rights of any particular People or Nation but dyed for all mankind and that in him the right of the creature became equally and universally restored For that now the wall of Separation being taken down there is no distinction in these things between the posterities of Cain and Seth or Cham and Iaphet but as the Christian duty of
submission to authority they are to submit themselves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake or as they render Gods glory or their own good And then least any factious pretence should alienate their duties in the true object of their allegeance it is appointed unto Kings as supreme and unto other governors as to such as are sent of him for such was the will of God and their well doing that hereby they should put to silence the ignorance and foolishness of men even of such men as not knowing that the foundation of Society was laid upon the united and irresistable authority of the person had under pretence of liberty vented their maliciousness and countenanced rebellion in favouring some subordinate authority against the supreme And then lastly least any should object that because as aforesaid these governors were but for the punishment of evildoers and praise of them that do well therefore if they should do the contrary as their Commission or authority would fail so their obedience to him might faile also We shall farther finde him giving precepts of suffering patiently though they knew it wrongfully And this he confirms by the example of our Saviour himself who as he vvas infinitely more innocent so vvas his usage more hard and unjust and thaâ— many times from under Kings that had neither natural nor rightful authority over him As for one instance in the case of paying tribute for although as appears by Peters ansvver it vvas but vvhat he had used to do he makes an expostulation purposly to cleer all doubt that might be made Of whom said he do the Kings of the earth take custome or tribute of their own children or of strangers Peter saith unto him of strangers Jesus saith unto him then are the children free notwithstanding least we should offend tâ—em go thou to the sea and cast an hook and take up the fish that cometh first and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a piece of money that take and give unto them for me and thee So that you see rather then he vvill offend them that is resist authority and give occasion to rebellion by standing out and refusing as he proved he might have done in this illegal command he vvorks a miracle to perform it and doth it for Peter also of vvhom it vvas not demanded Nor vvas this done out of fear as vvanting povver to resist if resistance had been lavvful For he was able to have commanded more then twelve Legions of Angels a povver sufficient to have mastered any oppossion But he like a Prince of peace left us this example not to promote rebellion against the supreme authority but to commit all to him that judgeth righteously even to God to vvhom alone Kings are accountable and therefore to him alone vengeance in that kinde especially doth belong For as God vvas the alone author of their povver and Office so vvill he be the onely judge of their defaults therein according to that of David against thee onely have I sinned as if lying vvith another mans vvife vvere no wrong or trespass to her husband vvhich that it vvas so is cleerly evinced in that parable made by Nathan of the taking of the Evv-lamb and in Davids answer acknowledging it an offence and making a censure thereupon namely The man that hath done this shall surely dye and make restitution But although David had power thus to punish any of his subjects as having from God rightful jurisdiction over them yet when he understands himself to be the man he concludes none on earth above him but that he is subject to God onely in the said words Against thee only have I sinned Marke also the use of this kingly power in enforcing or abateing the rigor of the law For restitution was by Gods law onely set down as a punishment of theft which was the onely fault and not adultery which appeared in the parable of the Lamb but he for the punishment of a fault so aggravated by circumstances though fit to have death added and should no doubt have been therein by his subjects obeyed without imputation of guilt for using arbitrary power no more then when he took the shewbread altered the courses of the Priests erected new Offices amongst them brought in Musick and other Ceremonies into the Temple without particular direction from God or Moses law and when he commanded the numbering of the people as beforesaid and again made that law for the shares of such as stayed with the stuff both of them not onely without but against his present peoples liking To conclude therefore Soveraignty is the supreme judge and disposer of Publike interest where by â—ublike is meant whatever may be of general concern between that Kingdom and another or of mutual concern to others in the same kingdom although the same be kept as a propriety in private hands The particulars of this authority we will briefly here set down The chief is that so largely heretofore spoken of namely the sword of Justice or the last appeal aswel in Religious as Civil Causes and is inseparable and incommunicable The next is the power of making and interpreting of laws The next is to lay taxes and grant privilidges and exemptions and therefore had David and Solomon both their tribute Masters and so Saul also out of his known prerogative promised to them that should slay Goliah to make his fathers house free in Israel which power to free must suppose a power to impose The next is to make Magistrates and state officers for he having delegation from God and being the common Fountain and Center of power their power must be but derivative and part of his The next is to make peace and war all of them comprehended under those general terms of submission mentioned in the Jews first election of their Kings namely to judge them and fight their battailes And as for the other more separable and communicable markes of receiving homage coynage and valuing the mony weights and measures to grant Letters of Mart to have Crown and Scepter to have titles additions and donations of honor as they may be sometimes but complemental so may they be comprehended under some of the more general and express markes before spoken for if he have the last appeal and be in all causes and over all persons and estates in his dominions supream head and governor it will follow that he is so also in these Although in the passed Treatise the name of King be only commonly used yet what is spoken of him is to be applied unto Monarchy in general under what other title of Emperor Prince Duke Lord c. so they be free and holding of God onely For unto the Monarch in right of his Office and not to the name is the Power and Soveraignty due even as the head of the family is in relation to his wife called husband to his children
we shall agree to their usual definition of freedom calling him onely a Citizen and free that hath a share and voice in the Government then all under their obeysance must be reckoned slaves as indeed they are the exclusion of Tradesmen in some Commonweals the different admission of freed men and different yeers of emancipation and admission of children to be Citizens shews all their rule to be arbitrary and not depending on their pretended Paction or consent Nor is the little finger of these Polarchies heavier then the loyns of Kings in point of Liberty onely but in Property also the publike Levies and Taxes being always rateably more in them then in Monarchies that are of like extent for Territorie or number of Subjects The which must so come to pass because they can never subsist without Armies both to force their own vassals to obedience and also to keep the major part of the whole commonalty and people from having power and opportunity to set up some more eminent person in trust and charge with the Commonwealth in their stead And to conclude as we defined the Liberty of a Subject to be when he shall be suffered to enjoy his own delight and good so far as publike utility is not crossed to slavery is hereof to be deprived without the same regard but in neither case is the reason and measure left to the parties own judgement but to that which is publike and common CHAP. VII Of Property WE have formerly discoursed how pleasure is the end of all sensiâ—ives and that as man had the most variety of perfection herein so stood his obligation of gratitude and praise higher then of other creatures And this is not only remarkable in that every thing one way or other is made delightful but then farther because the stock of nature in many kinds is not of it self sufficient and because again the covetous appetites of others will not many times let things extend to general satisfaction therefore to preserve our contents and thereby invite us to thankfulness we may observe that each one hath his pleasure and delight affixed to what he possesseth even so that be it of what kind it will the possessions of others in the same or other kinde passeth with less repining For as the food we eat be it never so unlike the body it self or never so differing from other sorts doth yet by long retention and the divers concoctions and passages of the body attain at last to a perfect degree of assimulation even so our sence through daily presence of our own particular enjoyments doth at last imprint them unto the fancy with such steady delight that they come to be valued in a kinde of Identity or second self Answerable hereunto both in end and effect is that property of properties or that property that usually provokes us to seek all others namely that great love of parents towards their children which as a thing of greatest use for preservation of mankinde and esteemed of great concern to parents comes to stick so close to our affections out of no other consideration Insomuch as in all creatures this affection prevailes as acquired to its particular object and not out of any innate sympathy in nature And therefore another yongling of the same or divers kind if the dam be ignorant of the change obtains as great love as the true would do So that Hens we see and other fowl will hatch and bring up fowl of other and different sorts to their own and all because in eggs they were not easily distinguishable whereas after they have taken full notice of their own a remarkable stranger shall not be admitted So in other beasts before their sense have had time to take notice of the shape or smell of their brood part of or all their litter may be changed especially for others of the same kind where there is no disparity of size or yeers As for men mark such as have their wives in suspition how they will pick and choose among their children not as any other affection but as conceit of propriety shall lead them And again such as have just cause to suspect but yet are not at all jealous under this conceit of propriety either love all alike or distinguish not by any revealing sympathy Nay what mother at the same time of her delivery might not be cozened with a change as also while children are at nurse Their best security being that this affectionate esteem of propriety makes the poorest parent of all even loth to yeild thereunto And although our particular goods and estates as being reckoned not of so great concern nor being so long or often in our sight comes to have a less regard Yet an especial indulgence we may observe cast towards them in such sort that the true fountain from whom they flow comes many times to be forgotten For so full of pride and vain-glory are all sorts of men by nature and so heavy a burthen doth the due return of received benefits seem to our ungrateful dispositions that rather then any diminution of content through the acknowledgement of such receit shall lye upon us we are ready by all inventions we can make to shift off the plain confession of any dependance whatsoever And because It is a more blessed thing to give then to receive we would in nothing or at least in due measure acknowledge our selves receivers The prevailence of this humor appears in all those goods and 〈◊〉 which by the bounty of God the earth and other elements and creatur◠〈◊〉 so plentifully afford us For how ready are we herein to finde out a 〈◊〉 relinquish and forget our common dependance and obligation and to impale and impropriate to our selves set portions of them answerable to our desires From which as from a stock now our own our wants being supplied our acknowledgement and gratitude comes many times to be forgotten And this is not onely practised by mankind in general against the common right of other creatures as accounting himself sole Master and Proprietor of natures common revenue but also by Kingdoms Societies and particular persons to the detriment of one another To meet with this inconvenience many things are by our All-seeing God in his law enjoyned in acknowledgement of his original and Paramount propriety for so comes a seventh of our time a tenth of our substance the first of our fruits liquors cattel nay of our own sons to be his to keep us in remembrance that we have not in our selves any unconditionate propriety not so much as over our own persons And to shew that these things are of common interest as between men so between men and beasts every seventh yeer the land is to rest and lye still That the poor may eat and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat And this consideration is expresly set to the letting the land lye fallow in the yeer of Jubilee namely that the land is
so we again having no other direct outward precept from God or Christ himself are through faith and by our ready obedience to him actually performed to his Church in his stead as having the word of reconciliation committed unto them acquitted in all we do but if done otherwise we forfeit thereby the whole condition and as again obliged and culpable for the breach of the whole law nothing but read mission into the Covenant of Innonency by repentance can secure us from damnation CHAP. IV. Of each particular Church and its power HAving hitherto spoken of the Reason and Foundation of the Church in general and of the necessity of our participation of her communion so now again it will be necessary to speak of each particular Church and its jurisdiction For since we cannot otherwise attain to be members of this Catholick body then as being first members of some particular Church it will therefore follow that as the necessary observation of the law of providence which we could not explicitely and perfectly do upon our owne abilities was the cause Christ became obedient to God for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him so there lies upon each member a duty of conformity and obedience to their particular Churches that thereby being made conformable to the image of his Son they may also be restored to the image of God And therefore although the Catholick Church cannot be aggregate or represented der any single head or rule but of Christ himself yet since it is integrated and by parts made up of particular Churches and in these Christs power being to be represented by other Christs or anointeds under him it will follow that our obedience to this Church and the head thereof must have of us all that obedience which unto the other we cannot give else would that precept of obedience to the Church come to nothing as indeed for the most part is intended by such as would have the Writers of their owne mind to be held for the Catholick Church onely Therefore now being to consider the Christian Church as an assembly of Believers separate from other for Gods more immediate honour and worship we cannot well appropriate this phrase to that part of the Catholick which is past and unconversant with men nor for the present to that part of it which is yet to suceeed although both the one and the other have done or are to do their personal parts herein but must interpret that notion of Catholick Church used either when those duties are in general given which are fit for the Church to observe in obedience to Christ or when againe given for her members to observe to her to intend that part of Christs body which shall be successively militant on earth to whom alone these instructions can be necessary and useful in both kinds But then again as this general duly of praising God before men can onely be performed by the visible Church because she hath onely power and opportunity therein yet since this power here on earth is subsistant by the separate jurisdiction of those particular Churches which constitute her Catholick body and she can in no other sence be termed Catholick with reference to any other head then of Christ himself it must be therefore granted that all those precepts for general obedience to the Church must be meant of every Church in particular as having onely use of jurisdiction to this purpose And as having besides according to the several inclinations of their owne people and the known affections of those of the world amongst whom they live the best and onely ability to know and command what is fittest to be done for advancing Gods glory according to the exigence of their particulars which otherwise in the strange mixture of Christianity with other religions throughout the world were not possible to be comprised under one certain or equal rule or to be known and executed by one single persons power And that the Church and civil jurisdiction of each place signifie the same and that by obedience to the Church obedience to the particular Church is ment will appear by that of our Saviour Mat. 18. where controversies are if not decideable by umperage to be told to the Church Under which name must be comprehended the present particular authority of that place because else how shall they go to it And it must be the civil as well as ecclesiastical authority also as having them conjoined because it determines particular personal injuries where brother offends against brother and one servant takes another by the throate saying pay what thou owest as the parable denotes But the conclusion is that the supream jurisdiction whilst it is Christian is the very Church we are to submit unto And those that will not hear the Church are to be unto us as Heathens and Publicans that is such as have renounced Christ by this their renoucing the Image of his authority the Christian Church whose definition and power be the thing of never so civil nature makes the breach of it a sin as on the contrary our obedience to them acquits us of guilt For it is from Christ they have this power that Whatsoever is bound on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever they shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven So that Christ having now blotted out that hand writing of Iewish Ordinances which was against us and released them from their litteral strictness to the extent of rational and natural laws and having also answered to God for the large morallity of the whole rule of providence leaving Christians at large in all things wherein their reason or Christian precept is not transgressed and lastly having left the charge for custody and enforcing these Christian precepts to every Christian Church who are thereupon to answer to him for the faults of the people the advantage that Christians have of living in a state of innocence is unquestionable and immoveable while they contiune obedient And therefore Christs Gospel might well be called Glad tytings and we may find that our Saviour made his general encouragement to the entertainment of him and his doctrine because his yoke was easy and his burthen light Insomuch that when he came in particlar to be asked what it was he answered in one command for both Tables thou shalt love c. including under the precept of love to God and our Neighbour all the law and the Prophets that is all things of faith and charity or of faith and obedience which is charities support First for our faith and its fundamental object life eternal is to know God and Iesus whom he hath sent he is the way the truth and the life the Authour and finisher of our faith on whom whosoever believeth hath everlasting life and on him that believeth not the wrath of God abideth Which one article comes therefore to be eminently necessary
their measure use it by the vertue of his authority who said whose sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose sins ye retain they are retained Whereupon we may collect that as the power of the keyes is originally in Christ the Churches universal head and was by him given to the heads of Churches onely so it can be in the whole Church or in its subordinate members no otherwise then as received from their head according to that of Saint Paul When ye are met together and my Spirit c. And therefore to make it farther evident that the heads of Churches are to be understood in the direction of tell it to the Church we are to denote that the power of the keyes in the next verse was directed to the Apostles in the word ye when it was said Whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven for unto them was most of this chapter directed the which was the reason of Saint Peters interogating him presently hereupon How oft shall my brother offend c. This power comonly called the power of the keyes and by the Romanists appropriate to the chief of that Sea only is that divine obsignation of Christian authority and precept whereby those laws and edicts of him that sitteth in the seat of judgment as the head of each Church that were but civilly or morally criminal in their own nature and obnoxious to temporal wrath onely for their breach come now to be sinful and damnable as being violations against God and the heavenly thrown it self by whom they are impowred and whose authority they do represent according to that sentence to be given at the last day inasmuch as ye have or have not done it c. Upon which grounds we may know what to conceive of that article of our Creed I believe the holy Catholike Church which some would wrest and make use of to draw mens obedience which way they pleased by proposing unto us what they pleased for Catholike doctrine But we are to conceive that this primitive form of profession of Christian faith therefore called the Apostles Creed was offered to and taken by such as were to be admitted into the Christian Church to shew and state their beliefe before their admittance and not to direct their obedience afterwards For although to believe in God in Christ in the holy Ghost do together with the acknowledgement of their deity draw on obedience by just consequence yet was this form of profession of faith therefore called the Creed made but to denote their beliefe of their true existence by which means being received into the Church their obedience was thence to be learnt For strange it had been for the Church to have proposed to men the matter of obedience to any of whom as yet they had no beliefe in And therefore when I profess to believe the holy Catholike Church the word holy will make it unconceiveable how it should directly import my profession of obedience and that not onely because the Catholike Church or Christs universal body cannot as before noted be ever comprehended under one notion and conception so as to be definitive to me concerning their determinations but also because I can never rightly say of the present or past militant Church to whom I seek for direction that they are all holy nor can men that live in a particular Church be ordinarily able to know what is and what is not Catholike doctrine besides that which is proposeth Whereupon understanding our belief in or of the holy Catholike Church to import our beliefe that Christ hath a true sanctified body which being so made by means of the holy Ghost in the article foregoing comes through their union in Christ and his Spirit to be of one communion from the rest of the world and so to be the Communion of Saints as in the article following So that then although the Creed as a Creed cannot of it self oblige to obedience yet since the beliefe of the articles thereof do by consequent bring men to Christs Church and out of desire to attain that Communion of Saints doth also farther prompt me to acts of obedience to that Church to whom I made this profession it will therefore follow that that obedience which I cannot give to the Catholick Church as such must be to this end given to that part of it under which I live since that I cannot otherwise obey the Catholike then by obeying the particular All which will be cleared by one instance of Saint Pauls who as the present head of that Church gives liberty to the Corinthians in eating of things offered to Idols notwithstanding that the then Catholike representative Church at Jerusalem and he himself amongst them had decreed otherwise Clearly evincing that the power of binding and loosing was to reside in each Churches own head and that they were to perform their obedience to the same party by whom they had learned their Creed who had been their spiritual father and begotten them in Christ. And that this power of the keyes was not given to the Apostles onely as a collective body of Church heads and so to the Catholike Church onely but was also conferred upon the particular heads of the Churches appears in that it was upon occasion particularly given to Saint Peter so that whatsoever head or chief governour should like him acknowledge Christ to be the true spiritual foundation and rock he should from Christ have power also to be herein a rock to others and to bind and loose And both places must contradistinguish the persons binding from those that shall be so bound and the persons telling and complaining to the Church from those that are to hear and have power of redress And as they were in one place spoken to Saint Peter alone to declare against consistorial parity so were they elsewhere given joyntly to all the Apostles the then visible heads of Churches to abate Popish usurpation For they were not to be commanding one another out of their Churches as they might those within them which was forbidden them in the persons of Zebedees Children But in those equalities they were in love to serve one another and in this their parity obeying the precept of submit your selves one to another he that should do it most and thereupon become a Minister and Servant to his fellows will even thereby make himselfe chief among them By which means being converted and become as little Children they shall then be greatest in the kingdome of heaven or have great and kingly power in the Church from the power of Christ that hath taken them into the arms of his acknowledgement From whence it will again follow that Who so shall receive one such little Child in my name receiveth me that is in hearing and obeying him he shal hear and obey me but Who so
And from this necessary referment of the managery of many actions to the power of particular Subjects and because of the necessary submission of some deportments also to the guidance of fathers and Masters of families as proper to their charge and duty grows the reason why we finde in some of the Epistles and places of Scripture such general direction and intimation of duty namely because those or some of those precepts or presidents in them contained may be upon occasion as we said usefull to the general direction of the several persons contained in each Church when he shall either stand by his proper office or by power and leave from his Prince under no positive restraint but of God alone At which time and at all times when he is not by the Church debarred it seems highly expedient that the same person thus entrusted with the execution of affairs wherein himself or others may be concerted should have liberty to have his recourse to the Scripture for the farther enabling him in his demeanor in things and persons submitted to his trust and power and that upon the same reason and grounds that were formerly given to shew their sole custody and power of interpretation given to superiour powers namely for them to have assistance of divine guidance in execution of their charge of government also Upon which ground and consideration it became in particular manner necessary also to have the general rules of do as ye would be done unto and love thy Neighbour as thy self to be commended in common to each ones observation to the end that each one having his Neighbours good or harm more or less in his separate power might by this conscientious rule and tye of examination be more readily provoked and directed in his sociable abearance For the rule it self being but a general rule for inoffensive living by introducing a common and equall sensation or fellow feeling of each others wants and benefits that thereupon as to our selves the good of others might be sought and their harm avoided therefore is it by our Saviour placed as the sum and fullfilling of the law Meaning that as God had formerly by Moses and the Prophets given particular precepts and directions for the sociable abearance of the nation of the Jewes so the onely standing divine rule to us Christians now was this summary direction for the good of Society whereby preserving the good of our Neighbour we should also thereby to our power maintaine the glory and service of God So that the said rules of love thy Neighbour c. and whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you c. importing generally as if it had been commanded to all sorts of men to be ready according to their severall stations and degrees to promote the good and to ease and sustaine the harms of one another it must therefore follow that those persons that have publike and whole trust and power in each society are in the first place to have the interpretation and application of this rule and so each one under him as he shall entrust them therein in order to the good and welfare of that society For since the care and trust of the Prince is more then that of others it must also follow that the application of that rule which is directive therein must be primarily in him too the subject having onely liberty to guide himself in what he is to act on another as supposing the rule a fresh said unto him from Christs Minister set over him Because else as before shewed generall harm may be the consequent of general liberty independently to act by these rules whereas in our assistances to them and in our submissive deportments if we bear one anothers burdens we shall fulfill the law of Christ in maintaining the good of society the end of that law The rule of do as thou wouldest c. being thus hard to be kept as from private direction onely causeth it to fall out that our works as our works cannot justifie us before God because they cannot as proceeding from separate persons onely have throughly and on all hands charitable and perfect performance but as done in Christ that is in obedience to his or his deputies authority and failing in the faith hereof or in our impartial dealing with our Neighbours in things by authority permitted unto us it will follow that whatsoever is not of faith is sin But if in conscience to Christs authority commanding obedience to him and in him we do that which may privately make our conscience condemn us yet God is greater then our consciences and knoweth all things to wit knoweth that as his glory is to be increased by humane preservation so humane preservation is maintained by obedience and submission For if we must be judging of morallity and being under lawful authority act their commands on others no farther then the supposal of our case and suffering to be theirs will give leave I would fain know whether the Judge and other officers and executioners of civil Justice that joyne in the sentence and infliction of death on any their fellow Subjects or whether the Souldier that for press or pay doth the like on his owne country men or others do either of them imagine themselves in their case and so acquit themselves by not being instrumental in infliction of more then themselves would have again suffered from them If they do not nor need not then doth their innocence follow their obedience even by Imagining themselves to have been in their superiours case him their subject for as then they would have expected obedience to what themselves had conceived fit to be done so are they now to give it In which case by my obedience doing as I would be done unto by him that hath whole concern and represents all it must follow that I do as I would be done unto by all men else and so by my obedience have fulfilled the law of Christ. Whereupon as we finde Abrahams faith imputed for righteousness and he called Father of the Church or Faithful so was this attributed unto and made appear in a matter of obedience In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice For although Abraham had at other times obeyed yet was he herein exemplarily the Father of the Faithful because the proof of his obedience was performed in a particular wherein both the injury to another and himself might have been so highly disputed out of private judgement and interest Whereupon that which is here attributed to Abrahams Obedience is interpreted by Saint Paul his Faith who in the first Chapters to the Romans largely sets forth the necessary guilt accompanying legal precepts not done in Christ who throughly fulfilling all moral righteousness our faith and obedience in and to him makes it imputed unto us for as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one
must be in the even temper of the mind how shall we find them where these passions by their abode have first overthrown all moderation And so lastly if the end of Fortitude be to overcome evils what other way shall we so assuredly do it as with such fortification of our minds whereby they shall not so much as seem evils at all but rather blessings and benefits Whereas alas to others who are ignorantly and impetuously whirled with the thirst of honor riches or worldly pleasure of any sort how often must those crosses and thwartings in their attainment and possession which they must encounter from the hands of Competitors render them through revenge anger and discontent not only most afflictedly defeated of that particular but through sense hereof deprived of all their possessions else Or could you fancy a person like Solomon uncrossed of all that could in this world be asked yet he as in his experience and true wisdom shall tell you as if set up on purpose That all is vanity and vexation of spirit nay all of them in their fullest glut falling far short of the shortest moment of that content much less of that steady lasting content which his meek and pious father took in that gladness which God put into his heart and that in comparison of other mens corn and wine or any other temporal felicity When God gave him peace it was by reason of his meek and grateful acceptance made to him the blessing of peace nay when he came to be afflicted this as it wrought faith in God he acknowledgeth it to be good for him also For he had well practised the state of Christianity in whatsoever estate he was to be therewith content And as he stood in his God thus steady like a tree plantâ—d by the rivers of water he beheld the ungodly in their unbottomed condition driven to and fro like chaff upon the face of the earth neither had they like him a father in heaven to seek daily bread from but it was first their curse and unhappiness to have no trusty and steady support for food but to seek it in desolate places wandering up and down and then also to grudge if they be not satisfied Or let us suppose again any person at the higest pitch of power so as to be able to recompence all those his conceited injuries and displeasures which must befall him with revenge yet how shall we ever find this remedy to do none other then encrease his disease For while he is taking it how much trouble will this passion put him into and yet be both as unsatisfactory then of having done it full enough as afterwards even out of the natural sense of pitty how vvill he find himself troubled vvith perpetual reluctance of having done so much For vvhen he shall be restored to his reason again he must find that vvhilst he hath been judging another he hath been condemning himself For vvas not the harm done by another given as the reason of this revenge well then since hereby he hath not nor cannot recover the harm or loss it must fall out that so far as he is punishing him he is arraigning himself First as rebel to God in dethroning him or his sole Prerogative Of repaying with vengeance And then having by the very act of revenge it self broken the Precept of love what juster punishment can he expect then that as he hath with high and malicious contrivance plotted and acted the harm of another and that only as in the Devils stead with express desire and pleasure in mischief without expectation of repair to himself so should he be left to the reward of that Master he hath so carefully served And then farther this act of revenge is so far from abating or allaying the pressing tortures of this passion which un-erring truth justly calls Travelling with mischief that it necessarily encreaseth it For the more and higher it works the greater discontent and murmure will it draw down from the friends of the oppressed And then since none can in this case want friends and pittiers this must again by new objects give occasion of new anger and therewith of new revenge Whereas accustomed patience not onely enables us in the enduring of present sufferings but also is by its habit the true and onely relisher of all blessings when they come no otherwise then abstinence or course food is too dainty fare afterwards which is but loathsom to persons glutted therewith For all pleasure being absence of pain as health is of sickness and arising therefore to be encreased according to present sense of contrariety it will follow that as sense of pain and want did precede so will sense of pleasure and possession in measure succeed patience equally enabling us to sustain evil with less grief as to entertain good with more delight In which respect we may well find how those Gospel Promises came to be made good of Whosoever hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wise or children or lands for my sake and the Gospels he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions and in the world to come eternal life Which words with persecution plainly shew us that separate persons can have such large restauration made good to them in this life by no other way then by that formerly set down which if rightly weighed will be such a high recompence indeed as if each Christian formerly deprived of these things for Christs sake or each Christian subject now deprived for the Gospel of peace sake had or could have had these things in kind restored All which well observed would make the condition of Kings and great Persons not so much desirable by Subjects and Inferiors even for that the fare and usage proper to them which in regard of scarcity with us we call dainty is by reason of commonness with them more loathsome then ours whose freedom they often envy being themselves so enclosed and imprisoned with set order and multitude of ceremonies and attendants that they esteem themselves then only at liberty when they can most imitate and practice the freedom of our condition But the weakness of this passion being so well found in natural reason and example I may leave it as a common place sufficiently treated of For how many and eminent are tâ—ese instances even amongst Heathens of such as would not acknowledge their Prosecutors power or their own weakness so far as to prove by repine or desire of revenge that they were more then they could bear and did therefore usually leave this pusillanimous part to be acted by the weaker tempers of women and children But as for Precepts this way set down in Scripture I believe that next to the Doctrine of Faith in Christ which must precede as well as be accompanied with these vertues these Lessons
words as himself findes most warrantable and behoofeful yet must it be acknowledged reasonable that all those publike forms of Worship and Praise whose practise is necessary for constituting each place an unite and distinct Christian Church or Assembly should be at the dispose and appointment of that publike person onely who under Christ is the supreme and entire head and Representativâ— thereof Even out of necessary consideration of keeping up conformity therein and by that means keeping Gods publike Worship in existence which else by mens differing practises in opposition to one another would come to be defeated and lost no otherwise then would our practises in the Precepts of Charity if not by uniform obedience directed For these things have a natural and necessary coherence the Unity of the end requires Coition and Unity in the means and that again requires uniformity in the directions themselves as well as Unity in the person directing all of them to be made useful by the Grace of Obedience before noted But because much dissention hath hitherto arisen about that Officer or person we are to give the obedience unto in regard of the different names of power in Scripture used We will speak something farther here of that Coition or succession of this supreme Officer now under the Gospel This we shall finde briefly done by Christ himself when he is impowring these several little ones Where he begins with those that should first represent him namely such as should presently succeed as his own Desciples and followers he that receiveth you receiveth me c. Under which no doubt the first Apostles were to be comprized who in regard of their mean worldly condition might sometimes be objects of Charity also even to the receiving a cup of cold water The next object of our obedience is set down under the notion of Prophet he that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward Under this notion we may comprehend Episcopal or Patriarchical power succeeding which had power of instruction but little of jurisdiction the which was reserved for the last more glorious Officer the just man or righteous man And he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous mans reward That is shall be made capable of justice or justification by means of his obedience to this chief representer of Christs Authority who is thereupon called a just or righteous man this appellation of righteous man being equivalent with that of Ruler in chief as divers places of the Old-Testament do also Warrant In which the attribute could not be formally due to him whose words were perverted by gifts Whenas by reason of the place they execute they ought always to be respected as righteous by those under them And therefore unto him as the person of jurisdiction and power shall those other Offices of Prophesie or Instruction be annexed and made subserviâ—nt no otherwise then in the Jewish Church it at first was unto Moses their first King For so we shall finde it plainly delivered concerning Aaron and him Thou shalt speak unto him meaning Moses to Aaron and put words in his mouth and I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what ye shall do Which is the same with being a spirit of judgement or Mishpat and of being in the mouth of their seed and seeds seed for ever before spoken of And then follows the subordination of the Prophets and he shall be thy spokesman or Angel unto the people and he shall be even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth and thou shalt be to him as a God And in the first verse of the seventh Chapter he is expresly called Moses Prophet Aaron thy brother shall be thy Prophet or Angel The which doth plainly foreshew the Coincidence of Christian Authority under each Christian King and Monarch to make useful the coition of the means before spoken of For he as the last most glorious deputed Minister to Christ amongst us is to claim our obedience in his name in all things done towards the stating of Charity and as Steward in the mysteries of God is to be obeyed in all our outward religious deportments Nay that very Argument of mysteriousness and profoundness in matters of divine truth and worship which some would urge in bar to the Kings intermedling in causes of Religion as the true Steward of the mysteries of God is by the wisest King and Preacher made to be the proper glory and part of his Office saying It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honor of Kings is to search out a matter In which words Kings being set in the plural number makes it appear that this of liberty searching into the mysteries of God was not reserved to Solomon onely but was belonging to each King as Gods Vicegerent on earth Nor was it so set down as to denote that every individual King could personally attain to such ability but to shew that each King being Gods chief Steward that therefore those things which by means of his Seers and Prophets under him were performed should be accompted to the honor of the King as being done by him because of their subordination to his supreme Authority therein And those persons that are most subject to inveigh against publike forms as Will-worship Superstition and Scandal are themselves the onely men that are truly guilty of Will-worship and Scandal by relying on their own private Wills and Judgements and preferring their own devises and forms to the practises of all others whereby to introduce general offence and scandal And so again when they refuse to joyn with others in their publike services out of the fear of superstition in giving too much and do choose to proceed in contrary or negative performances this as being induced and carryed on by superstitious and ungrounded fear to displease offends in the worse extream and turns to be true Superstition indeed And I verily believe that men are generally more superstitious in avoidance of Ceremonies then they are in observing them for this is Superstition upon Superstition For the truth is if publike reason and appointment be excluded in appointing forms of Gods Service and Worship then since himself hath appointed no form to us Christians as such he can now have no right external Worship given to him at all which doubtless for honor sake is eternally due to him as God and by way of gratitude to be returned from us But although he knew it to be a thing necessary to be done yet knowing also that we now have Moses and the Prophets as useful presidents for general directions in what we are to do that is since we have all that light which was formerly given to any people if these and those many general Precepts since given cannot be sufficient together without great helps of natural learning and reason
That God would divide him a portion with the great and that by these his Deputies swords he himself should divide the spoil with the strong that is when he shall have made his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed meaning more especially these his adopted Sons and by means of their ministration he shall prolong his days that is in exercise of temporal Kingship And thereby the pleasure of the Lord concerning the Churches temporal salvation and glory as well as eternal shall prosper in his hands So that the Apostles mistake in the forementioned demand was in the time and season of Christs more majestick appearance in the exercise of Kingly power in this kingdom of the Church by God given him and not in the true right he had thereunto Their mistake also was in fixing their thoughts too strictly on the Jewish Nation as if Israel in the litteral sense and not the whole Church had been the Kingdom to be thus dignified and advanced by his Government These mistakes they were also the rather led into in regard of those many promises made in particular to the Jewish Nation and also for that those promised blessings were always exemplified under the person of David whose natural son they knowing our Saviour to be it made them to expect he should thereupon be himself the executioner and undertaker thereof and so to be actually seated in the Throne of his father David as it was before promised to the blessed Virgin Yet if they had withal considered that other prediction concerning our Saviour made to Joseph namely that he should save his people from their sins they would not then have gone about to make the execution of his Office of temporal Jesuship precipitately to defeat that other his Office of saving souls But our Saviour that knew best his appointed time and manner for performance of these offices executed first the higher and greater work in his own person and leaves the other to be brought about and executed by Substitutes anointed under him He upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins and sate down at the right hand of Majesty on high In which regard although every member of his Church were equally his seed and equal to one another in reference to that Mediatorship which was consummated in his own person without other future assistance save that of the Holy Ghost yet in regard of the Prophetick and Kingly part or the part of Instruction and Government which was to be compleated by Humane deputation they were again severally dignified and differenced one from another and so might be unequally esteemed his seed as they stood in that respect nearer in relation unto him for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of â—he body of Christ. And as this difference is to be observed that we be not like children without a Father carried to and fro of every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive so is it to last till Christs second coming that we come to the stature of the fulness of Christ. So that the glory of the Church this Kingdom of God given unto Christ being to arise by these means and degrees it is the reason of that petition of Thy kingdom come Which importing no doubt its encrease and prosperity here in order to have his name more hallowed and honored thereby may be well interpreted to signifie our desire that this Church may arise at such a degree and state of eminence that it may be proportionable in splendor and dignity to admit the true Idea and Platform of Regiment used by God himself Not as if the measure of Gods Omnipotent power should be then encreased but that the manner of execution thereof in the Church should be also more conform namely That his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven For although before it Christs Will and Law for the matter of them was as truly if not more performed in the Apostles time and by the primitive Church then afterwards no otherwise then in the Jewish Church Gods service was generally more unstained before Kings then afterwards yet as amongst them the accomplishment of Gods aim and promise of having a place to put his name in was made the object of their desires as therewith importing their own promised happiness also so in the Christian Church you may find reason why it should be commanded us to conform our desires to that of Gods and that besides the matter of our own inward devotions and charity whereby we severally and privately performed his will we should desire the manner of performance of it to be outwardly glorious and uniform also that it may answer as near as may be that ready service which Angels do in heaven For if we hallow and glorifie his name and do also acknowledge his power and kingdom on earth as it is in heaven we shall no doubt then best do his will in earth as it is in heaven Whereupon concluding also that the first petition of hallowing Gods name is to be explained also on earth as it is in heaven because we have no need nor warrant to doubt or wish the doing it in Heaven it is farther evident that the petition of Kingdom come must relate to the Churches future prosperity according to whose splendor and greatness God himself and his Kingdom may be rightly said to be more or less come or present amongst us even as he is more or less majestically râ—presented in the eminence of that officer which is substituted with his authority And therefore we being to ascribe all kingdom power and glory unto him without wresting from him the right of his everlasting kingdom amongst men we may explain this petition of Thy kingdom come in our Gospel precept of prayer by that petition of the Jewish Churches prosperity included in their injunction To pray for the peace of Jerusalem Both they and we being thereby obliged to continual duty of praying for the encrease and glory of his Church and that not only when it is weak but although flourishing we are to pray for the continuance and encrease thereof And that it may the better so do we are to make prayers and supplications for such as shall be chiefly instrumental therein that is for Kings and all that are in Authority This our commanded Petition pointing at the glory and encrease of the Church and particularly under Kingship may also well be understood as proportioned and answering the many Gospel-Promises made to that purpose and those particular promises also heretofore made to Abraham and other the Church Fathers and Founders namely that their encrease of race and posterity should be crowned with the blessing of Kingship also as we have formerly noted So that besides the expression of our
these things was despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him and we esteemed him not performing onely in himself as after followeth the work of Jesuship and so healing his Church by his wounds and stripes And therefore as we are to interpret those many promises of prosperity made to the Church in general under a Jewish figure to be accomplished in the prosperity of the Christian Church so must also many of those other Promises made of the Churches Kings in the name of David and Solomon be interpreted of Christian Kings Else we shall not know how to make good those sure mercies of David those many Prophesies that his kingdom should be established for ever in his seed and that his mercy should not depart from him as it did from Saul who was taken away from before him The same again repeated 1 Chron. 17.13 promising that as his Temple should be built by Solomon who was a Type of Christian Kings as David was of Christ so God says I will not take my mercy from him as I took it from him that was before thee but I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever and his Throne shall be estaalished for ever And David himself did so understand it also and therefore said Now O Lord let the thing that thou hast spoken concernig thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever and do as thou hast said And so he proceeds with a reason for establishment of that Government Let it even be established that thy name may be magnified for ever saying the Lord of hosts is the God of Israel even a God to Israel and let the house of thy servant be established before thee And in the next verse he intimates the manner how it should be For thou O Lord God hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him a house that is supply it by adopted Children for so the word wilt build must import beyond Solomon already born Therefore understanding and interpreting the conditonal promises made to Solomon and David to extend and have been fulfilled in their own personal loyns according to Nature and these by default on their part to be cut off and understanding again that succession of perpetuity and the glorious Promises of the Church to be made good in Solomons typified sons the Christian Monarchs these seeming contradictions may be easily reconciled as having been both made good And it is observable by the way that the expressions used verse the 14. shew that the kingdom of God here is the Kings as before shewed in the Petition Thy Kingdom come and that again the Kingship of Kings is Gods for so the words run I will settle him in mine house and my Kingdom for ever and his Throne shall be established for evermore to the end that Gods will may be done in earth as it is in Heaven But since for the far greater part of the time past we cannot find as aforesaid these Promises fulfilled to the natural or direct seed of Solomon or David in the kingdoms of Israel or Judah we cannot without great partiality and prejudice but conceive that they must typically be accomplished in Christian Kings in like manner as we are to understand that the many Promises of Judah and Israel and the Jewish Church and Temples happiness and perpetuity are to be made good in the Christian Church answerable to that prophetical description of the Christian Church under the Jewish figure made by David himself viz. For there are set Thrones of Iudgement the Thrones of the house of David Where the names of Thrones being twice set in the plural number must signifie succession of Kingship which coming to Christ as naturally Davids son and to Kings as Christs adopted sons it follows that the opposers of them do oppose Christ and so are Antichrists And without the like interpretation and taking in the adopted Christian Kings as with Christ typified in Solomon Psal. 72 it will be hard to be understood how many of those Prophesies of prosperity and outward greatness here and in other Prophesies given to Christ can personally be made good in him considering that mean condition Christ himself lived in amongst us where he was so far from expressing or exercising any thing like the Throne or judgement of a King or Kings son that he had not whereon to lay his head But there can be no more better Commentator of the meaning of these Promises then David himself who in his last words cleerly explains to us that they were prophetick to those Thrones which should be established under the Types of him and Solomon by Christ and Christian Kings in the Christian Church and not by him and his direct natural seed in the Jewish Church For there we shall finde him confessing that he was but the Prophet of these things that should after come to pass and not the present object otherwise then in type the spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue Afterwards we shall finde that that perfection of the Ruler he speaks of belongs to his typified son Christ and not to himself because it speaks of a perfection and an extent of Dominion which he in his own person was not capable of He that ruleth over men or is appointed Ruler over mankinde which David nor his natural race as Kings of the Jews could not claim to be must be just ruling in the fear of God And he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun ariseth even a morning without clouds as the tender grass springing out of the earth by cleer shining after rain All which are expressions of excellence which David could not personally essume and therefore he adds although my house be not so with God yet he hath made me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvatin and all my desire although he make it not to grow That is although neither I nor my present more natural house do thus grow yet it is my comfort that it shall be accompplished in my typifyed son Christ and the Christian Kings after him In him from whom all Crowns are derived and in whom all Justice is originally inherent is this Prophesie in the first place to be fulfilled And then by vertue of that Unction which those other Christi shall have from him all the world over they also shall be enabled in their several jurisdictions to rule over men in the fear of God and by vertue of their derived power be as the light of the morning even as a morning without clouds when the Sun ariseth or after this Son of Righteousness is arisen and be as the tender grass springing out of the earth by cleer shineing after rain that is that cleer shining light of Justice from
the grace of God That is lest failing of the usual concommitant and conveyer of grace ye should through the lack thereof lack grace also Lest any bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby may be defiled Where malice hatred c. the attendants on war being also set down under the name of bitterness we are warned to avoid them by keeping peace for else these malicious bitter prosecutions will not only outwardly trouble but inwardly defile us And to let men see that by this peace the civil peace is meant it is called Peace with all men And again to let them see it is wrought by patience chiefly it follows the large commendations thereof set down in the twelfth to the Hebrews However to make answer to some that would have us endanger both peace and truth by putting the name of truth always in to prevent peace we have made instances of Peace being put before truth and also before Holiness yet the truth hereof is they are so coincident and depending one upon another that Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other They do become inseparable in themselves and are so inseparably our duties to follow and practise that we can never truly do the one whilst we are not highly regardful of the other also and must then be guilty when we prefer as some do a very uncertain discovery of truth to a certain loss of peace and so under colour of new Gospel-light lose the benefits of the Gospel of Peace and make it cease to be an Evangel or glad tidings And if men would consider what hath been hitherto spoken concerning Gods owning the Seat and Throne of Christian judgement now settled amongst us and so being according to his promise A spirit of judgement to him that sitteth in judgement they might thereby perceive how amongst other things of salvation and glory which should come to the Church that mercy and truth are met together and that righteousness and peace as aforesaid have kissed each other So that now truth shall spring out of the earth as from this earthly Throne of judgement by means of righteousness that shall look down from heaven according to the former Prophesie of that good King and Typical Head of the Church made concerning the Churches future state and prosperity where it is set down that God hath now given his own Mishpat or rule of right judgement to the King Christ himself and his righteousness or justice to the Kings Son Christs adopted sons of oyl that so in these there being these unions of Mercy and truth and of righteousness and peace they may be enabled to judge Gods people with righteousness and his poor with judgement And having thus far spoken of the Antichrist according to S. Pauls description we will again re-assume and speak farther of the many Antichrists mentioned by S. John Although S. Paul gives the liveliest discovery of the one and S. John only names the other yet are they both of them as Ring-leaders in the breach of Charity and publike Peace the subject and occasion of many Precepts in holy Writ the admonitions and examples that way given taking up a very considerable part thereof and being for the greatest part the object and aim of what our Saviour either did or suffered For as this general good or charity consisted in or at least had dependance upon the reciprocal duties of commanding and obeying so are we from him furnished with Precepts and Examples of both kinds To this end he rides to the Temple and there by exercising his authority over the Temple the type of the Christian Church as a King he leaves example and authority for the higher powers to demand subjection not only for wrath but also for conscience sake and that either to Kings as Supreme or to others as sent of him To this end again as being the harder duty he not only sets down those many Precepts of Humility but in his own Person becomes the patern to all admiration of Patience and Long-suffering We being to learn of him to be lowly and meek and in the testimony of our Discipleship unto him to take up our cross and follow him Which we must testifie chiefly by our following him in our deeds of meekness and patience under subjection patience and subjection differing from one another no otherwise then in generality For I may do many things whilst a subject which sort with mine own liking and wherein no patience is required but I can do nothing as patient but where subjection must be presupposed But ordinarily patience doth define and constitute true subjection as vertue doth the vertuous And as heretofore shewed Gods glory is the end of Charity and Charity the end of Government and subjection so is subjection the end and aim of patience for what need of patience in what I may avoid That the formal cause of Antichristianism is insubjection to Christian Headship S. John makes plain saying of the many Antichrists of his time they went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us that is they were like such as receive seed amongst thorns Go forth and are choaked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and so minding division and separation they do for their sakes overthrow Charity and bring not fruit to perfection But nothing can to my thinking be a clearer evidence that this sin of Antichristianism is the same with Rebellion of one or more Church members against their Christian Head then to consider that we shall never find this phrase of Antichrist set down by any in the plain terms but by S. Iohn the only person whom we shall plainly and expresly read of to be in that sort opposed and disturbed For although S. Paul by his Corinthians and others puffed up against him who had raigned as kings without him might be induced through the sense of the mysterie of iniquity already working to speak so largely of the Antichrist to come yet doth he not name him as doth the other Who is recorded to be notoriously opposed by Diotrephes in his jurisdiction and exercise of Church power in not receiving or submitting unto him and as loving that pre-eminence which was only due to the other their sole Head And not being content therewith that is with his own departure doth neither himself receive or take into his care and protection the brethren such members as have no head and so doth not make his preeminence lawful as over a charge of his own but forbiddeth them that would that is such as would come to S. Iohn and casteth them out of the Church or takes upon him to excommunicate where he hath no authority This fault he warns his beloved Gaius against under the general notion of evil as
faith is of a more spiritual allay then that former Covenant of works so is their promises of a higher nature also Insomuch as we shall not find any where in the Gospel that there is warrant given to make these things the object of our aims or hopes as to the Jews was usually done but rather to the contrary Whereupon we may say that however a Church or particular members may as additional blessings to the righteousness of the kingdom of God expect these blessings to follow yet have they no such particular right as for gain sake onely to dispossess the greatest infidel And much less can particular Christians under colour of distinctions by themselves made have right against one another and so make God the Author of Peace to be the Author of Confusion and Civil war And as the Scriptures and their meaning are thus difficult and subject to misinterpretation in regard of the temporal promises made in the Old-Testament so are the more spiritual promises of the Gospel and New-Testament for want of due regard to alteration of times and difference of persons made the occasions of much abuse and disquiet also through mens hasty and partial interpretations of all things as relating to their particulars and to their own benefits onely To avoid which we are to observe a difference of persons and to know that whereas our Saviour usually addressed his speech to his Disciples as those he chiefly intended to teach because they should teach others so many of those speeches concerned them as present Teachers and Guides chiefly and not their successors as that place fear not little flock c. and the directions following it sell what ye have and give Alms c. Some again concerned their successors and not them as those places before mentioned of taking the swords and making friendship with Mammon Some things again concerned both them and their successors as the power of the keys whatsoever ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and the power of Mission and Instruction as he that heareth you heareth me c. thereby making a necessary difference between such as should teach and govern and such as should learn and obey Which distinction hath been of late so little considered of in the world or rather so preposterously practiced that those that should be by their places obeyed as Governors and Teachers are now made the only objects of Discipline and Instruction For there is not the meanest Subject or Artisan but are daring to censure and direct both Prince and Priest in performance of their duties as if these Texts Do all things without murmuring and disputing c. and obey them that have the guide over you c. had been purposely spoken to Kings and Preachers that thereby they might learn submission and attention to their Subjects and and Auditors Some things were spoken that concerned other Christians also but themselves in the first place as whosoever will be my Disciple let him take up his Cross and follow me c. And lastly some things are generally set down as concerning all men as the Doctrines of Faith Love Humility Patience Obedience c. although men may differently be concerned in the outward exercise of them as heretofore related As concerning such Promises and Precepts as had different regard to Christians through alteration of times we shall finde some that concerned the primitive Believers and not those that followed in the latter age as in those glorious signes promised to accompany Believers to cast out devils to speak with tongues to heal the sick c. The which and other miraculous assistances and ways of inspiration and illumination heretofore promised and granted to such as should ask in Christs name and had but Faith to the quantity of a grain of Mustard-seed some in these latter times have been vainly boasting of whilst others have as disconsolately expected and for want of them been ready to think they must want Faith also Not rightly weighing how necessary these miraculous signes and wonders were to be then shown for the honoring Christs name from above which was as yet had in so little repute here below Insomuch as for that very cause we shall finde the gift of miracles granted to him that cast out devils in his name who for ought we finde pretended neither to follow nor at all to believe on him Nay to shew these extraordinary endowments were not sure signes of Faith we shall finde our Saviour condemning them that had them But when his name should be the most glorious of any and his Church should have attained that degree of strength and learning as to be able to provide for its own safety and illumination in an ordinary way then came the time again when upon the contrary reason these endowments to private persons ceasing we are to construe some admonitions as chiefly proper to Christians in the last times and to happen when his service shall be an honor as are these Admonitions to beware of pretenders to new lights such as shall say Lo here is Christ and loe there is Christ c. And having hitherto so largely endeavoured to prove our Assertions out of the Texts of the holy Scriptures and having done it with such strength of evidence as to me seemeth of value to convince any that hath real and firm belief that they are truely proceeding from God or that rather there is indeed any God at all it seems lastly necessary for conviction of both these sorts of men that is open Athiests and such secret ones that confessing a God and the Authority of Scripture the better to serve their own turns thereby do yet in their works deny him to say something for conviction of Deity and the daily exercise of divine Providence amongst us The which shall serve by way of addition to our first enterprize therein at the beginning of this work which for haste to other things was but cursorily there handled CHAP. XIV Of Athiesm AS the Nature of all kinde of vertue is to be operative so by the degree and extent of operation is the proportion and extent of the vertue to be measured For neither to do by help is so powerful as to act alone nor to do one or few things as many or all Again as extent of ability is best measured by extent of operation in the objects it undertakes so is the proportion of vigor by distance in execution even as that loadstone that can attract at greatest distance is best and that fire that can heat or burn farthest of is so also And as potency and vigour are to be thus measured by distance between Agent and Patient so much more when that distance shall be so encreased as the presence of the Agent shall not sensibly appear as to the present work but a weak or unlike thing having of it self no effectualness thereunto shâ—â—l by its power be made the Author of his proper
assistance in all things we are then to proceed according to the rules of Christian Faith and love in all deportments and actions not otherwise directed by our superiors who also are in this case to be looked upon as the authorized interpreters of the Scriptures as heretofore noted Else it will fall out that each one undertaking to examine and interpret them according to his own wilde fancy and weak and ungrounded method of comprehension and being also strongly through education or interest forestalled in his judgement there will arise to be as many Religions and Opinions as men and interests And that which is yet worse mens natural pride and vainglory will prompt to such presumption of extraordinary revelation that even things blasphemous and destructive of humane society shall in despite of the Church Reason or Authority be set on foot Whereas in truth in things of most private and separate concern the sense of the Church and the Analogy of Faith is to be venerably regarded even as the supreme Christian Magistrate is also in all things of publike concern For in this case we are again fallen within the limits of moral care and consideration And therefore as each mans reason is in him the best guide of what to do in the course of his own affairs so publike Reason in that which hath publike respect to the end that from the knowledge of what is there done there may be a fit and a constant way left for attaining moral prudence and obedience and that according to a well grounded experience and observation of moral and political directions and Edicts Whereby each Subject may from the constancy of the measure and manner of application used by his Prince in rewards and punishments come to frame to himself political methods and schemes of comprehension and knowledge of his duty and benefit in civil deportments as well as he may learn Philosophy by observation of that constancy which is kept up in the course of Nature For she being preserved and governed by uniform rules and laws the same Causes must ever produce the same effects if the Agent and Patient be in themselves and circumstances alike vertuous and the same the which wisdom must discover from a well grounded observation of constancy in her observations for should not natures course be constant species and individual things could not have any steady provision for existence and benefit but causes being indeterminable effects would be so also For it was from the constant observation of one thing following another in all respects alike considered that I come to know any thing even as by continually observing heat to accompany fire I know fire to be the cause of heat And from this constancy in Nature it comes also to pass that what is most naturally done is most uniformly done and so most handsomly and delightfully done Which coming to be imitated by us will be also most vertuously and wisely done but what is not done in natural imitation as following no rule is vitious and ill favoured For folly being a short and false observation in the course of things it concludes to act upon half premises Whereupon the irregular processions and effects thereof come through inequality to be inequity For as truth can be but one but errors divers even so as we noted formerly of beauty and handsom faces vertuous actions have more likeness to one another then vitious For all virtuous actions are done by certain rules and copies and as they agree to these measures their goodness is known and as they differ therefrom they do differ from themselves also and approach to vice Things being thus stated it will follow that more reason knowledge and understanding is but more observation and that an uncontradicted observation is taken for a supreme reason in it self For so for example the motion of gravity because it is observed to accompany all things none or few search the reason of it for there is not a more general or uniform rule in nature to examine it by all proof going from things more generally observed and known to such as are less Whereas to believe the Antipodes and that men upon the same reason of motion of gravity should tend in the same line towards us as we do towards them this seems as difficult for belief as it is different from the usual tendency of things as to our appearance which we call upwards and downwards Nor can it be conceivable to any that will not take pains to get it comprehended from observation elsewhere In which case if men have made and methodized observations aright it may appear that the sum and superiour bodies move in spheres even because the time they are absent and unseen is equal to that they compleat in compassing that half of the sphere which is seen from whence and the observation of eccilpses the earth must be supposed to be spherical also And if this be farther enquired into we shall find that this motion of heavy things downwards is but part of a more general motion and to be so concluded from that more general observation of union And is but the appetite thereof made more observable through this more apparent motion toward union after separation For the common knowledge and observance of boldness as they are unite and keeping close together as by so much more general then the motion of gravity as rest it self is more general then local motion for indeed what is usually called motion and rest are but these two but it is not so observable as the other because rest or union already made hath no variety to cause intent observance as variety of motion doth in the other And therefore it is onely discoverable to such as can un-ravel nature in their contemplation until they come to the bottom and first ground-work thereof For then they shall find both this constant practise of union or adhesion of bodies and also the cause thereof to be the general cause of all causes that is the will and law of God in order to his providence And although inanimates have a kind of specification amongst themselves whereby defire of proper union hath some force as may be seen in that active part of earth the Loadstone in his variation yet they follow in their whole mass the general law of matter in the common and general thirst of union For should there not be a common centre of gravity whereby all earthly things as they stood differenced in weight by dense and rare might have and keep the proper places assigned them Chaos and confusion would follow And therefore this motion of heavy things to the earth being both necessary and natural both for affording a place of receipt and production of creatures and for leaving all without so rare and transparent that the influences of superiour bodies might approach them we must conclude that as the whole earth is more then a part so hath it this attractive force of union greater also in
as affections upon repetition and authority only they must take their hazards to be more or less true and reasonable as these figures were more or less fit for them which the party makes use of in his fancy to conceive them by for the diffeence of abilities in apprehension of abstracted things wil be in choice of fittest Figures For example as we have helped our selves in the conceipt of superiour bodies and their postures and Motions by representing them in globes and spheres by remembrance of whose shape and linemeants we can remember and conceive the others for so if we would examine the question of diurnal motion between Copernicus and others we are then fancying ing the Earth and Heavens turning round as we have seen these Globes do And so to make us mindful and observant of matters of high and special import as Coronations Ordinations witnessing of Deeds between party and party or the like there are certain remarkable tokens exhibited unto the eyes by whose order and sensible method of performance the thing by them expressed comes to have proportionable esteem in our fancy above other things that have not such ceremony used about them Nay of such force are these sensible expressions that Religion it self would soon vanish without their use in many things For although all our outward worship and expression of devotion and obedience as Sacraments Prayer Alms c. may be called Ceremonial as they are but expressions of that inward root of charity and love of God we have in our hearts yet must they be all acknowledged as necessary to the quickning supportation thereof And so again to the supportation and enlivening of these must such Ceremonies as are unto them proper be allowed also our minds and devotion being not otherwise able to conceive and attend what they are or do import And as for those that do so bitterly inveigh against Ceremonies as humane inventions for such they must be as heretofore noted if any be they are not themselves able to keep up their own devotions without them and although they make not so much use of expressions to the eye they requite it in sedulity and constancy of what is performed by the ear and the numbring Sermons and other select phrases of theirs as Papists do their prayers upon beads serves with them to the like end namely to keep their devotion in exercise Besides all men to secure themselves against this strong and importunate affection of fear must always be ready according to the pressure thereof in their consciences to encrease the other affection of hope by all such actions as they conceive to be their duties which prevailing upon and passing into affections by itteration and custom and so much the sooner and more firmly doing it as they are more sensible and methodical in themselves we need not wonder why those that most decline and cry out against Ceremonies and Set-forms of Worship as superstitious are themselves most superstitious that is most fearful and scrupulous of having in general or in any particular served God so or otherwise then they ought for as there is no comparison in assurance of a work done betwixt those evidences that flow from sight and those that come from hearing so the performance of holy duties consisting in actions there must remain greater security and satisfaction of conscience to him that hath performed in most sensible solemn and orderly manner those duties he conceived were enjoyned him then to him that imployeth not himself in practise of his devotions in such serious and deliberate form To search a little more nearly into the cause why affections should be so strongly raised in us from reiteration of Tenents and inculcation of Doctrines received from others only of which we never had experience in our selves nor are impressible from proper Figures we are to consider that although those collections can be only properly called Science which do arise from real figurate and perceptible objects and were thereupon gathered into notions and thence into affections even because in this case onely the affections in their disputes amongst themselves and also for the satisfaction of others by tradition and giving a reason or demonstration of things may have recourse to the brain to receive a judicious and deliberate determination according to such evidences as the senses have there laid up yet as to the introducing of an affection the often repetition of any thing to us under the Classis of hope or fear prevails towards the belief of what is thereupon offered and presented in as high manner as if it had been impressed by a figurate object of its own nay more in all likelihood because the ground and reason which it takes for its support to wit these passions of hope and fear are there strongly placed and proved already Whereupon being set so much onward on his way as towards affirmation and proof there is nothing can hinder its progress towards assurance but plain sensible contradictions or strong preoccupations As we formerly instanced how a repetition of strokes made by an Egg or other like thing on the forehead would by degrees make as great a tumor as one greater blow given by a stronger or harder thing so may we conceive onward that by successive continuance of these strokes the same may be still more raised untill it exceed by far that other swelling taken from the one only stroke especially when it is to work upon a tumor and impression already made like as Tenets and Doctrines usually doe insinuating themselves as under the consent and command of prenotion and demonstration already conceived and assented unto by the help of Similitudes Types and Figures That blow which Logick gives with its conclusion from premises newly represented however it may for the sudden strongly affect by its more pointing and entire stroke yet can it not raise an impression or swelling answerable to those repeated blows made upon the affections and passions themselves whereby as building upon a groundwork already made and laid it may well be supposed to proceed more thrivingly and assuredly for setting up a compleat Fabrick then can be expected from a Figure and Idea impressed by it self which must on the other side be supposed to be continually declining in its presence and force in the fancy for want of progression or repair For a Syllogism can give but one blow and so depending on figurate induction cannot produce higher assent then they can yield which in wise men may be by observation contradicted and by fools for want thereof unapprehended Whereas relying and grounding upon the strength of affections already made a discreet pressure can never fail of receipt and encrease Logick must clear his way to the will by the understanding and must appeal to the Indicative mood before it can make use of the Imparative when as those things that enter as Rhetorical impressions by their insinuation and mixture with those affections and passions that do already rule