Virgin and appear in her Native Beauty when Honours Lordships and great Revenues the common Temptations to Deflower and Disguise her are taken away and it will not a little contribute to publick Peace when all Denials the common Parent of Discontent are removed But what may be as great an Inducement as any to move a Complyance hereto by all our Sides and Parties is That whereas they would all have their own ways to be preferred This Method will make no Party either upper or under but will pull all in general down and set none in particular up so will prevent all Emulation and give none of them reason to Complain From what hath been said it may reasonably be expected that the perplexed Nations of Christendom should hearken to so excellent an Occonomy especially the settleing Patriots of our own distracted Nations and in hearkening to it they will but hearken to the plain Precept and Advice of their Blessed Lord and great Legislator For his Words are these All Power is given me in Heaven and Earth go ye therefore and Teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Chost Teaching them to Observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even to the END of the World. As if he had said May be some may question your Power and Authority to Preach my Golpel or 't is possible you your selves may think my Commission not sufficient but expect to receive your Power and Commission from the Princes of the Earth But I tell you it is sufficient and that I have Received all Power both in Heaven and Earth Go ye therefore and Teach all Nations c. In which Words our Blessed Lord doth seem plainly to Dictate to the whole World how he would have his Gospel dispensed and that in every minute Circumstance viz. First The manner they must go and Teach which doth plainly imply an Itineration then whom they must Teach all Nations Secondly The Duty of these Predicants in the matter what they must do Baptize and Teach them to Observe all the Things he has Commanded And lo I am with you always even to the End of the World. This plainly implies the Continuation how long he would have this Method continue viz. for ever to the End of the World and is confirmed by a promise of a Blessing on the due performance thereof But here let me Note that the Princes of the Earth though Idolatrous and Pagan had all the right and legal Power in ordinary and that both our Saviour acknowledged and the Apostles well knew but not being Proselyted to his Doctrine would grant no Commissions or Authorise such Preachers therefore he himself as well as they had Power on Earth yea all Power in an Extraordinary manner was fain to use it and issue out the first Commissions but the Nature and Intent of these Commissions was not to convey a Power to a sort of men distinct from the State but was an Act of Necessity and he had not used any Power or given his Commissions at all if the High Priest or Jewish Sanhedrim would have done it The Princes and States of Christendom therefore since sufficiently Proselyted to the Faith of Jesus may justly issue out their Que Warranto's against all Ecclesiastical Power and all Persons whatsoever who claim any Power Priviledge or Jurisdiction jure divino distinct from theirs for it peculiarly belongs to them as Nursing Fathers of the Church to issue out their Commissions and to say Go and Teach c. 'T is true if they send none or send those that are contrary to Christs Institutions which instead of giving the Children Bread will give them Stones then the Power Lapses and returns to its Fountain and Men must Act by vertue of Christs Extraordinary Commission and have recourse to his special Power For Christ must be Preached Princes ought to have the Preference but if they neglect their Duty Renounce their Power or are so far from commanding it that they forbid it Then God must be Obeyed rather than Man as has been the Plea and a just one too of all hitherto that have entered on the Function But further I desire to take notice of one thing more and that is of the last Clause of our Saviour's Precept viz. And lo I am with you always even to the end of the World. Christ said his Words were Spirit and Life but some there are who too much incline to the Letter and like the old Jews think the Kingdom of Heaven should come with Observation They expect a new Material Heaven and a new Earth and that Christ will come again on Earth personally and Reign a Thousand Years in great Glory Those are but Fancies for the Text seems to be plain And lo I am with you always even to the End of the World. First this plainly implies the World shall have an end and then his Willingness that this way of Administration should continue so long and he mentions not the least word of his coming again in the Interim or that the world shall have Two Ends which now leaving the world we may reasonably suppose he would have made some mention of if such things should have come to pass It seems plainly to me therefore that there will be no New Material Heaven or Earth or that Christ will come Personally again to Reign amongst Men and my Reason is his own Words Lo I am with you always even to the End of the World not I will be but I am with you and what he promised them was not a Personal but a Ministerial Presence A Presence by his Spirit as if he had said If you will go and continue to Preach my Gospel amongst all Nations I promise to Aid you in your Administration and Assist you by the Influence of my Spirit and that not for a little Time but to the end of the World which Promise he performed and and that in a special Manner so long as they continued to observe his Words and Institution But when Men began to make Merchandize of his Gospel to Monopolize and to Closet up the Sun-Beams and to put their Candle under a Bushel no wonder they fell into such Darkness and Confusion and no wonder he withdrew himself and the presence of his Spirit from them If therefore we expect his coming again or his more particular Presence in the large Effusions of his Spirit We must send forth his Light and his Truth and cease to Sell and parcel out his Gospel we must draw it out of the Garrisons in which particular Parties have imprisoned it and set it on a Candlestick on a Mountain that it may be as free as the Air or the Sun-beams It has been long Enslaved and Enthrall'd and if we a little view the present State of Christendom and consider what Canons Constitutions and Decretals what differing Customs Educations and Prejudices there are how many
contend against and in my former Discourse have shewed to be impossible is that of Men being all of One Mind One Judgment One Apprehension in the matters of Religion or otherwise and whenever I say Agreement is impossible I mean this sort of Agreement which really is so and no other Christian Men have indeed taken indefatigable Pains to bring this Agreement to pass and cannot as yet be brought to leave off although opposed by God Nature and all things Visible and Invisible Let us turn our Eyes wherever we Please we shall see nothing but Diversity and infinite Variety in things if we look up to Heaven what shall we see there but an innumerable company of Stars not ranged and in order but promisciously placed hic et ubique Indeed if the Sons of Men had been to have placed them no doubt but they would have put them in Rows and in Order I mean such a position which they call Order But what they call Order Unity and Agreement The All-Wise God esteems not so He knows and can see Beauty Order and Agreement in different Natures and infinite variety of Things though They cannot and methinks He plainly speaks from Heaven and tells them so having Confronted them with such a glorious appearance of infinitely differing but most beautifull Instructors which they cannot miss of seeing if they will but look upward I say one would think they should learn their Lesson out of this glorious Book of Heaven wrote in such fair and legible Characters and cease their vain attemps about an universal Order and Agreement Further if the Almighty hath not only placed these Heavenly Bodies for Ornament but also hath empowered them to influence the Bodies and Minds of Men as 't is possible he hath and many suppose and contend for Then this will aggravate their vanity in endeavouring to be more in Order and more Methodised than their Principals And they may contend and endeavour to Eternity but all to no purpose for when they shall have Power or be able to remove the Stars from place to place or form them into what Figures they please discharge their Influences or regulate their Promiscuousness Then and not till then shall they be able to bring their Motly Agreement to pass But as 't is impossible to do the one so not more possible to perform the other Then again if we cast down our Eyes upon Earth what shall we see to agree there 'T is nothing but a Composition of things of different qualties and natures a pregnant Mass of Matter productive of infinite Variety of Forms and Shapes And this is not its Deformity but Beauty and it would be but an unpleasing Heap without it But after all we like Men as we are will needs have all to Agree We would have no Differences we would have all Men to have One Mind the Same Opinion the Same Thought and Apprehension of things and perform Actions after the Same Manner and Method Notwithstanding all the discouragement and constant and successive defeats we have met with in the Prosecution thereof For first our Maker defeated Nimrod and his Accomplices the old Babylonian Builders who were contriving and forming to themselves strange universal things under One Form One way and One Government as also of late in the Reformation the New Babylonian Butlders who were carrying on the same work but in an Ecclesiastical manner And most of the great Invaders of the Earth have met with the same misfortune for some of their large Dominions and Empires have at this day scarce any being but in Records and that with great difficulty Preserved By God Almighties proceeding and dealings with the sons of Men in the things of this Nature he seems plainly to tell them That he is not pleased with such their universal Proceedings He never yet prospered or established universal Kings or universal Churches excepting for some little time to punish others but has always pulled down their Buildings and reduced them to their primitive Condition and station And whatever esteem or value they may put upon universal Agreements universal Empire or Churches it doth plainly appear He has not the same For he has divided the Globe of the Earth by Seas and Rivers and Mountains and allotted each Nation its Limits And this Division is both Ornamental and Necessary and no Division with him at all for he beholds all the Kingdoms of the Earth as one Undivided Mass and Spot of Ground and all the Generations of Men as one Stock and Family in one House but several Apartments and though we cry out of Division and Separation yet he beholds all Christian Assemblis together and as in one place and all to be in the Communion of one Church as so many Figures in one Sum. and all their several Opinions to be parts of One Agreement So that we need not be so fierce to attempt impossibilities to fill up the Sea choak up the Rivers or level the Mountains to make all a Terra Firma nor take all that pains which some Men do to reconcile Differences and make all men of One Mind which is equally impossible Which brings me again to my first Assertion which ought a little further to be insisted on 'T is impossible that Christians should Agree in the way and nature they would Agree not onely for the reasons mentioned in my former Discourse but because there is no common Standard fixed and agreed to by all by which all Parties may take their measures and square and decide their Pretences Some will have the Pope to be head of the Church and to be Infallible and the sole Judge of all Controversies and Differences others will have a General Council some will have both in Conjunction others neither of them either apart or in Conjunction Some again will have the Scriptures to be Judge others Tradition some Scriptures and Tradition together others neither Scriptures nor Tradition but every private Person Some again will have the Church others the Fathers some neither Church nor Fathers And what a noise have we perpetually sounding in our Ears about Church Fathers Councills and Scriptures which are true and which are spurious The Objections at this time of Day lie almost equally alike against all But if they agree which are the True they fall out about the Interpretation and every Party say their own Comment is right and nothing as yet on Earth has been found sufficient and competent to make a dicision 'T is not fit that the less number should judge for the greater a single Man for a whole company nor a whole company for a single Man where the matter is Salvation The Scriptures indeed are the best Rule and the best Judge we have but this onely to private and Particular Persons for themselves but not for others not for publick Communities and Societies against one another For the Question Who shall interpret them will never be answered a private Person may judge for himself but not for
Christendom an Occasion of Plots a Fomenter of Sedition Faction and Rebellion and of most of the 〈…〉 â—mongst us which being taken away innumâ—â—able Advantages of Peace would ensue But of those in the Conclusion What for the present I shall further add is with their leave the Templers Motto with some Variation leaving out the Sword as a strange Instrument and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let the Truth Live. And the Law give 〈…〉 〈…〉 As also what the Prophet speaks Isa 56. and 16. The time being now come saith the Lord That he who blesseth himself 〈…〉 himself in the God of Truth 〈…〉 by the God of 〈…〉 are forgotten and because they are hid from mine Eâ—es Which brings me to the third Thing 〈…〉 discourse of in order to 〈…〉 Government 〈…〉 be 〈…〉 be 〈…〉 although 〈…〉 ensue thereby 〈…〉 saith he by his Prophet Haggai It is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land and I will shake all Nations and the Desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House meaning the Temple with Glory saith the Lord of Hosts The Silver is mine and the Gold is mine saith the Lord of Hosts The Glory of this latter House shall be greater than of the former saith the Lord of Hosts And in this Place will I give Peace saith the Lord of Hosts Here let me make my Paraphrase By shaking the Heavens and the Earth c. is not meant a literal Sence as some would have nor are the Material Heavens to be so shaken but hereby is meant all the Kingdoms Constitutions and Governments of the World and that the Prophet means so is plain by verse 21 and 22. where he saith Speak to Zerubbabel Governour of Judah saying I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and I will overthrow the Throne of the Kingdoms and destroy the Strength of the Kingdoms of the Heathen and I will overthrow the Chariots c. And what is meant by the Desire of all Nations 'T is Halcyon days a peaceable Time the flourishing of the Gospel the calling of the Jews and what our Saviour Prayed for Thy Kingdome come thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven The Silver is mine and the Gold is mine that is I can Adorn and make this Temple as Rich and as Beautiful as I please I want nothing which may Embellish it for the Silver and the Gold is mine and so are the Cattle of a thousand Hills as he told David but 't is not my Desire that should be Adorned with Silver or Gold and yet the Glory of it shall be greater than the former for in this Place will I give Peace Here by this Temple cannot be meant a Material Temple either formerly built or to be built neither of the two Former because it must Exceed them in Glory and the Glory must not consist in a glittering shew of Silver or Gold but of Peace Where let me note that God doth plainly intimate little Peace has hitherto been in the World and therefore as a special Blessing doth promise that Peace shall be the peculiar Ornament of this Latter Temple and that we may depend upon his Word and Promise four Times saith the Lord of Hoâ—ts is mentioned in these four Verses sufficient Asseverations to Engage the Faith of a mortal Man. But I cannot leave off my Comment here but for the Sake and Consolation of the scattered Tribes shall bring the Prophet's Words again to the File Yet once c. by which the Living God plainly intimates That he had often shaken the Heavens and the Earth before that is the Governments and Kingdoms of the World for the Material Heavens and Earth were so far from being shaken often that since the Creation they were never shaken once for that of the Deluge was not a shaking the Earth or the Heavens but only a Permission of one Element some time to be Predominant and to return again to its Duty But not to Expound it by Parts The Eternal God the Lord of Hosts doth seem plainly to say thus Ye Sons of Jacob mine Heritage my Chosen Weep not but be Comforted though your latter House falls short of the Glory of the former though you cannot Adorn it with so much Silver and Gold weep not I have Silver and Gold enough I accept your Will and good Endeavours and know ye That Heaven is my Throne and Earth is my Footstool What Temple can you make for me I value not Houses or Temples for the Substance of these things have mine Hand made but him I value who is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and Trembleth at my Word but cease your Lamentations and Weeping though the Glory of the former Temple does far Exceed the Glory of this your latter Temple yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and will build you a Temple not a Material One whose Glory shall far Exceed the Glory of the former and in this Place will I give Peace saith the Lord of Hosts The Lord of Hosts is now about to build this Glorious Temple of Peace he is Faithful who hath Promised he is beginning to shake the Nations and to perform his Covenant to his People Yet a little while and the Gentiles shall bring his Heritage and his Chosen for an Offering to the Lord out of all Nations upon Horses and in Chariots and in Litters and upon Mules and upon swift Beasts to his Holy Mountain at Jerusalem as he has spoken by the Mouth of his Prophet Rejoyce ye therefore with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that Love her Rejoyce for Joy with her all ye that Mourn for her But here I must note that this Promise is made to all Nations but particularly to the Jews and to the Christians when to the Jews it is called a Temple when to Christians a Church The first long since have had their Temple their High-Priest and Hierarchie abolished The latter have theirs still in being which Symbolizes much with the Former and must Symbolize with their Fate for they must now be pulled down Of CHURCH and STATE HERE is a very great Error and we form to out selves very hurtful and foolish Notions of things we suppose the Church and State to be Two Things and in all our Discourses name them at Twice whereas they really are but One for the Church is in the State or rather is the State for when the Nations of the World at first became Christian and receiv'd the Faith of Jesus they became better Nations and the Inhabitants better People having receiv'd better Maxims and Principles but still the same People and they stood in Statu quo as to all Power or Administration of their Affairs The Religion which came amongst them made no alteration of Things but for the better gently infusing it self with as little noise as Rain on a Fleece of Wool its Ministry was of
her Family And all Present Methods of Government and Ways of Administration if found disserving the Ends of Publick Peace and True Religion may be innocently dissolved and new ones Chosen according to the Wisdom and Discretion of the Supream Power And the Reason is because all Offices and Functions Ecclesiastical and all Methods and Ways of Administration in the Religion of the Holy Jesus make no parts of it but are Extrinsecal to the Nature of the thing therefore may be changed or altered on the forementioned Account The greatest Opposition to this will be made by those who pretend to their Functions by a Commission from Heaven and by a Divine Right but these are of two sorts The first I believe will quickly lay down their Pretensions when the Grandeur of the Church is Diminished and her Power her Law and Riches are taken away The latter who may be innocently Abused and think themselves under an indispensable Obligation of Preaching the Gospel must be let alone there is no Remedy for them but Time which 't is possible by degrees may let them see their Error and lessen their High Thoughts of their Fitness and sufficiency of undertaking so great a Charge But however it may happen the Predication of no Pretenders can affect the Publick Peace when both Law and Power to do hurt are taken from them and the Matter and Subject of their Discourses are purely spiritual and relating to the things of another World. But by way of Recapitulation in order to a Conclusion The Foundations to be laid for a New Settlement are First The Impossibility of Agreement and Innocency of Differences Secondly That the Church be converted into a Christian State that she needs no Law no Power or Revenues Thirdly That whatever Forms or Ways of Administration in Religion or the Church hath hitherto been used may innocently and lawfully be changed Then the Plain and necessary Consequences will be these When Agreement is Impossible Men will cease to attempt it and when Differences are made Innocent the infinite variety of Understandings and Apprehensions of Men will be no more hurtful or offensive then their different Faces When there is no Government all Contentions which is the right will cease and where there is no Law there will be no Transgression and by consequence no Delinquents to be punished and when there is no Power there will be no danger of abusing it And how soon shall we see the the flames of Contention cease when the combustible Fuel of Wealth and Power and Honours are taken away But further At the very sound of impossibility of Agreement a cessation of all Controversies must necessarily ensue and this Doctrine doth presently summon all the most skilful and learned in the Art of Wrangling to lay down their Arms and live Peaceably and how happy must the Christian World be when rid of such Seditious Captains that so long have disturbed her Peace Then the Doctrine of no Government is not less Advantageous and Beneficial for at one breath it tumbles down all Ecclesiastical Hierarchies and gives ease to the groaning and miserable Potentates of the Earth it answers all the Prayers of the Saints for many Ages and like a voice from Heaven or the Trump of God Tumbles down the mighty Man of Sin or Whore of Babylon from her Throne And methinks I see the Princes of the Earth already in Council against her to pull down her Pride and divest her of her Power which so long has been used against them Then for Law that being banished Christian Men would then begin to look Innocently and the great Machine of Persecution and Rapine would fall to the Ground Wicked Men would have no pretence to exercise their Cruelties and the Earth would no more Groan and Cry out for Vengeance for the Blood of Saints Martyrs and Professors that has been spilled upon her 'T is these Laws that are the sharp Teeth with which Christians devour one another they might Dispute and Argue with Innocence and Safety were but these Weapons lay'd out of their way which they too often snatcht to compleat the Victory and to the ruine of each other But by this time men will say my design tends to unhinge all Governments to destroy all Laws and to make nothing but Confusion in the World To this I answer That there was Darkness before Light Confusion before Order and whoever will have a new House must have some trouble in the building and endure the Inconveniencies of puling down the old One But this is not sufficient but in further answer to the Objection I desire to have it observed That the Christian World is in Confusion already that I make no disturbance but find it that I cannot Confound them more then they are already Confounded that Governments are unhinged and Laws broke and Princes in Arms ready to destroy one another and one of the principal occasions is Religion therefore some great thing is the matter 'T is either in the Religion itself or in the Managery and Administration of it the first I acquit the latter I lay my Accusation against and charge the Administrators with assuming Power and making Laws and Erecting a Mock Government which has Ruined and Confounded the State and all True Laws and True Governments I therefore shall take the Liberty to move and suggest some Considerations for a New and Better way of Administration and I hope my undertaking will find a Favourable Acceptance amongst all good Men. Then the Administration of the Religion of the Holy Jesus may be divided into two parts Ordinary and Extraordinary the Ordinary which consists of Prayers and Praises and Dispensations of Charity to be Perform'd by ordinary Men I hope it will not be deny'd me but that Men in Common are capable of performing such things after some few Lessons taught them of the nature and attributes of the Being they are to Petition and Adore other Requisites are only a Sence of their Wants and Mercies received which almost naturally will make them both Eloquent and Grateful As to their meeting together this will require no great Art or Subtilty nor will the Time and Place meet with greater Difficulty Wherever Two or Three are gathered together in my Name saith our Saviour I will be in the midst of them there is neither Time and Place mentioned nor the Quality or Capacities of the Persons to meet but all runs in an indefinite Manner By two or three either may be meant so many in a literal Sence or a certain Number for an uncertain but however a posse to congregate or gather together must necessarily be implyed and allowed to Men in common from this indefinite Text. And notwithstanding all the great noise of Disagreement Dissenters and Schismaticks if Men can agree so to meet together to pay Homage to the great God in the Name of Jesus their Agreement is sufficient and here is a Blessing promised them from this plain Text which I