declared out of the Holy Scriptures as matter of Faith but the Belief of those Fundamental Articles before set forth neverthelesse there are required other things as matter of obedience For as it is not enough in Temporal Kingdoms to avoid the punishment which Kings may inflict to acknowledge the Right and Title of the King without Obedience also to his Laws So also it is not enough to acknowledge our Saviour Christ to be the King of Heaven in which consisteth Christian Faith unless also we endeavour to obey his Lawes which are the Lawes of the Kingdome of Heaven in which consisteth Christian Obedience And forasmuch as the Laws of the Kingdom of Heaven are the Laws of Nature as hath been shewed Part. 1. Chap. 5. not only Faith but also the Observation of the Law of Nature which is that for which a man is called Just or Righteous in that sense in which Justice is taken not for the Absence of Guilt but for the Endeavor and constant Will to do that which is Just not only Faith but this Justice which also from the effect thereof is called Repentance and sometimes Works is necessary to salvation So that Faith and Justice do both concur thereto and in the several acceptation of this word Justification are properly said both of them to justifie and the want of either of them is properly said to condemn For not only he that resisteth a King upon doubt of his Titlâ— but also he that doth it upon the inordinatenesse of his Passions deserveth punishment And when Faith and Works are separated not only the Faith is called Dead without Works but also Works are called Dead Works without Faith And therefore S. James Chap. 2.17 saith Even so the Faith if it have no works is dead in it self and vers. 26. For as the Body without the Spirit is dead even so Faith without works is dead And S. Paul Heb. 6.1 calleth Works without Faith Dead Works where he saith Not laying again the Foundation of Repentance from Dead Works And by these Dead Works is understood not the Obedience and Justice of the inward Man but the opus operatum or external Action proceeding from fear of punishment or from vain glory and desire to be honoured of men and these may be separated from Faith and conduce no way to a Mans Justification And for that cause S. Paul Rom. 4. excludeth the Righteousness of the Law from having part in the Justification of a sinner For by the Law of Moses which is applyed to mens Actions and requireth the Absence of Guilt all men living are liable to Damnation and therefore no man is iustified by Works but by Faith only But if Workes be taken for the endeavour to doe them that is if the Will be taken for the Deed or Internal for External Righteousness then doe works contribute to Salvation And then taketh place that of S. James Chap. 2.24 Ye see then how that of works a man is iustisted and not of faith only And both of these are ioyned to salvation as in S. Mark 1.5 Repent and believe the Gospel And Luk. 18.18 when a certain Ruler asked our Saviour what he ought to doe to inherit eternal life he propounded to him the keeping of the Commandements which when the Ruler said he had kept he propounded to him the Faith Sell all that thou hast and fellow me And Joh. 3.36 He that beleeveth in the Son hath everlasting life And He that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life Where he manifestly ioyneth Obedience and Faith together And Rom 1.17 The Just shall live by Faith not every one but the Just For also the Devils beleeve and tremble But though both Faith and Justice meaning still by Justice not absence of Guilt but the Good Intentions of the Mind which is called Righteousness by God that taketh the Will for the Deed be both of them said to iustifie yet are their Parts in the Act of Justification to be distinguished For Justice is said to iustifie not because it absolveth but because it denominates him Just and setteth him in an estate or capacity of salvation whensoever he shal have Faith But faith is said to justifie that is to absolve because by it a iust man is absolved of and forgiven his uniust Actions And thus are reconciled the places of S. Paul and S. James that Faith only iustifieth and A man is iustified by Faith onely and shewed how Faith and Repentance must concur to salvation 11. These things considered it will easily appear That under the Soveraign power of a Christian Common VVealth there is no Danger of Damnation from simple Obedience to Humane Lawes for in that the Soveraign alloweth Christianity no man is compelled to renounce that Faith which is enough for his Salvation that is to say the Fundamental Points And for other Points seeing they are not necesâ—ary to salvation if we conform our Actions to the Lawes we do not only what we are allowed but also what we are commanded by the Law of Nature which is the morall Law taught by our Saviour Himself And it is part of that Obedience which must concur to our Salvation 12. And though it be true whatsoever a man doth against his Conscience is sin yet the Obedience in these Cases is neither sin nor against the Conscience For the Conscience being nothing else but a Mans setled judgement and Opinion when he hath once transferred his Right of Judging to another that which shall be commanded is no lesse his Judgement then the Judgement of that other So that in Obedience to Lawes a man doth still according to his owne Conscience but not his private Conscience And whatsoever is done contrary to private Conscience is then a Sin when the Lawes have left him to his own liberty and never else And then whatsoever a man doth not only believing it is ill done but doubting whether it be ill or not is done ill in case he may lawfully omit the doing 13. And as it hath been proved that a man must submit his Opinions in matter of Controversie to the Authority of the Common Wealth so also is the same confest by the practice of every one of them that otherwise deny it For who is there differing in Opinion from another and thinking himself to be in the right and the other in the wrong that would not think it reasonable if he be of the same Opinion that the whole State alloweth that the other should submit his opinion also thereunto or that would not be content if not that one or a few men yet all the Divines of a whole Nation or at least an Assembly of all those he liketh should have the Power to determine all the Controversies of Religion or who is there that would not bee content to submit his Opinions either to the Pope or to a Genenerall Councel or to a Provincial Councel or to a Presbyterie of his owne Nation And yet in all these Cases hee submitteth
men be more violent when they are assembled together then the passions of one man alone it will follow that the Inconvenience arising from Passions will be greater in an Aristocracy then a Monarchy But there is no doubt when things are debated in great Assemblies but every man delivering his opinion at large without interruption endeavourâ—th to make whatsoever he is to set forth for Good better and what he would have apprehended as evill worse as much as is possible to the end his Counsel may take place which Counsel also is never without ayme at his own benefit or honour every mans end â—eâ—ng some good to himself Now this cannot be done without working on the Passions of the rest And thus the Passions of these that are singly moderate are altogether vehement even as a great many Coals though but warm asunder being put together inflame one another 5. Another Inconvenience of Monarchy is this That the Monarch besides the Riches necessary for the Defence of the Common Wealth may take so much more from the Subiects as may enrich his Children Kindred and Favourites to what degree he pleaseth which though it be indeed an Inconvenience if he should so do yet is the same both greater in an Aristocracy and also more likely to come to pass For their not One only but many have Children Kindred and Friends to raise And in that point they aâ—e as twenty Monarchs for One and likely to set forward one anothers Designs mutually to the Oppression of all the rest The same also happeneth in a Democracy if they all do agree otherwise they bring a worse Inconvenience to wit Sedition 6. Another Inconvenience of Monarchy is the Power of Dispencing with the Execution of Iustice whereby the Family and Friends of the Monarch may with impunity commit outrages upon the People or oppresse them with Extortion But in Arâ—stocracies not only One but many have Power of taking men out of the Hands of Iustice and no man is willing his Kindred or Friends should be punished according to their Demerits And therefore they understand amongst themselves without further speaking as a tacite Covenant Hodie mihi cras tibi 7. Another Inconvenience of Monarchy is the Power of altring Lawes Concerning which it is necessary that such a Power be that Lawes may be altered according as mens manners charg or as the Coniuncture of all Circumstances within and without the Common Wealth shall require the change of Law being then Inconvenient when it proceedeth from the Change not of the occasion but of the minds of him or them by whose Authority the Laws aâ—e made Now it is manifest enough of it self that the mind of one man is not so variable in that point as are the Decrees of an Assembly For not only they have all their natural changes but the change of any one man may be enough with eloquence and reputation or by solicitation and faction to make that Law to day which another by the very same means shall abrogate to morrow 8. Lastly the greatest inconvenience that can happen to a Common Wealth is the Aptitude to dissolve into civil War and to this are Monarchies much less subiect then any other Governments For where the Union or Band of a common Wealth is one Man there is no distraction whereas in Assemblies those that are of different Opinions and give different Counsel are apt to fall out amongst themselves and to cross the designs of the Common Wealth for one anothers sake and when they cannot have the honour of making good their owne devices they yet seek the Honour to make the Counsels of the Adversaries prove vain And in this contention when the opposite Factions happen to be any thing equal in strength they presently fal to war Wherein necessity teacheth both sides that an absolute Monarch to wit a General is necessary both for their Defence against one another and also for the Peace of each Faction within it self But this Aptitude to Dissolution is to be understood for an Inconvenience in such Aristocracies onely where the Affairs of State are debated in grâ—at and numerous Assemblies as they were anciently in Athens and in Rome and not in such as doe nothing else in great Assemblies but choose Magistrates and Counsellours and commit the handling of State-affaires to a Few such as is the Aristocracy of Venice at this Day For these are no more apt to dissolve from this occasion then Monarchies the Counsel of State being both in the one and the other alike CHAP. VI 1. A Difficulty concerning absolute subiection to man arising from our absolute subiection to God Almighty propounded 2. That this Difficulty is onely amongst those Christians that deny the Interpretation of Scripture to depend upon the Soveraign Authority of the Common-Wealth 3. That Humane Lawes are not made to govern the consciences of men but their words and aâ—â—ions 4. Places of Scripture to prove Obedience due from Chrâ—stians to their Soveraign in all things 5. A distinction propounded betweâ—n a Fundamentall point of Faith and a Superstruction 6. An explication of the Points of Faith that be fundamâ—ntal 7. The belâ—ef of those Fundamental points is all that is required to salvation as of Faiâ—h 8. That other points not Fundamenâ—all are not necessary to salvation as matter of Faith and that no more is required by way of Faith to the salvation of one man thâ—n to another 9. That Superâ—â—ructions are not points of the faith necessary to a Christian 10. How faith and Justice câ—ncurre to salvation 11. That in Christian Common-Wealths Obedience to God and man stand wel together 12. This Tenet Whatsoever is against the conscience is sin interpreted 13. That all men do confess the necessity of submitting of controversies to some Humane Authority 14. That Christians under an Infidel are discharged of the Iniustice of disobeying them in that which concerneth the faith necessary to salvation by not resisting HAving shewed that in all Common-Wealths whatsoever the necessity of Peace and Government requireth that there be existent some Power either in One man or in One Assembly of men by the Name of the Power Soveraign to which it is not lawfull for any Member of the same Common-Wealth to disobey There occurreth now a difficulty which if it be not removed maketh it unlawfull for a man to put himself under the Command of such Absolute Soveraignty as is required thereto And the difficulty is this We have amongst us the Word of God for the Rule of our Actions Now if wee shall subiect our selves to men also obliging our selves to do such Actions as shall be by them commanded when the Commands of God and Man shall differ we are to obey God rather then man And consequently the Covenant of general Obedience to man is unlawâ—ull 2. This difficulty hath not been of very great Antiquity in the World There was no such Dilemna amongst the Jewes for their Civil Law and Divine Law was one
and the same Law of Moses the Interpreters whereof were the Priests whose Power was subordinate to the Power of the King as was the Power of Aaron to the Power of Moses Nor is it a controversie that was ever taken notice of amongst the Grecians Romanes or other Gentiâ—es for amongst these their severall Civill Lawes were the Rules whereby not only Righteousness and Virtue but also Religion and the External Worship of God was ordered and approved that being esteemed the true worship of God which was {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} according to the Laws Civil Also those Christians that dwell under the Temporal Dominion of the Bishop of Rome are free from this Question for that they allow unto him their Soveraign to interpret the Scriptures which are the Law of God as he in his own Judgement shall think Right This difficulty therefore remaineth amongst and troubleth those Christians only to whom it is allowed to take for the sense of the Scripture that which they make thereof either by their own private Interpretation or by the Inteâ—pretation of such as are not called thereunto by publick Authority they that follow their own Interpretation continually demanding Liberty of Conscience and those that follow the Interpretation of Others not ordained thereunto by the Soveraign of the Common-Wealth requiring a Power in matters of Religion either above the Power Civil or at least not depending on it 3. To take away this scruple of Conscience concerning Obedience to Humane Lawes amongst those that interpret to themselves the Word of God in the Holy Scriptures I propound to their Consideration first That no humane Law is intended to oblige the Conscience of a man unlesse it break out into Action either of the Tongue or other part of the Body The Law made thereupon would be of none effect because no man is able to discern but by Word or other action whether such Law be kept or broken Nor did the Apostles themselves pretend Dominion over mens Consciences concerning the faith they preached but only perswasion and instruction And therefore S. Paul saith 2 Cor. 1.24 writing to the Corinthians concerning their controversies that he and the rest of the Apostles had no Dominion over their Faith but were helpers of their Joy 4. And for the Actions of men which proceed from their consciences the regulating of which actions is the only Means of Peace if they might not stand with Justice it were impossible that Justice towards God and Peace amongst men should stand together in that Râ—ligion that teacheth us that Justice and Peace should kiss each other and in which we have so many precepts of absolute Obedience to humane Authority as Mat. 23.2 3. we have this Precept The Scribes Pharisees sit in Moses Seat all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do And yet were the Scribes and Pharisees not preists but men of temporall Authority Again Luke 11.17 Every Kingdome divided against it self shall be desolate and is not that Kingdome divided against it self where the actions of every one shall be ruled by his private opinion or conscience and yet those actions such as give occasion of offence and Breach of Peace Again Rom. 13.5 Wherefore you must be subject not because of wrath only but also for conscience sake Tit. 3.1 Put them in remembrance that they be subiect to Principalities and Powers 1. Pet. 2.13.14 submit your selves unto all manner of ordinance of Man for the Lords sake whether it be unto the King as unto the Superiour or unto Governours as unto them that are sent of him for the punishment of evill doers Jude verse 8. These Dreamers also that defile the flesh and despise Government and speake evill of them that are in Authority And forasmuch as all Subiects in Common Wealths are in the nature of Children and servants that which is a command to them is a command to all Subiects But to these S. Paul saith Colos. 3.20.22 Children obey your Parents in all things Servants be obedient to your Masters according to the flesh in all things And verse 23. Do it heartily as to the Loâ—d These places considered it seemeth strange to me that any man in a Christian common wealth should have any occasion to deny his Obedience to publick Authority upon this ground that It is better to obey God then Man For though S. Peter and the Apostles did so answer the Councel of the Jews that forbade them to preach Christ there appeareth no reason that Christians should alledge the same against their Christian Governours that command to preach Christ To reconcile this seeming coâ—tradiction of simple Obedience to God and simple Obedience to man we are to consider a christian subiect as under a christian soveraign or under an Infidell 5. And under a Christian Soveraign we are to consider what Actions we are forbidden by God Almighty to obey them in and what not The Actions we are forbidden to obey them in are such only as imply a denial of that Faith which is necessary to our Salvation for otherwise there can be no pretence of disobedience for why should a man incur the danger of a temporal death by displeasing of his superiour if it were not for fear of eternal Death hereafter It must therefore be inquired what those propositions and Articles be the Beleife whereof our Saviour or his Apostles have declared to be such as without beleiving them a man cannot be saved and then all other points that are now controverted and made distinction of Sects Papists Lutheran Calvinists Arminians c. as in old Time the like made Paulists Apollonians and Cephasians must needs be such as man needeth not for the holding thereof deny Obedience to his Superiours And for the points of Faith necessary to Salvation I shall call them Fundamental and every other point a Superstruction 6. And without all controversie there is not any more necessary Point to be believed for mans salvation then this That Jesus is the Messiah that is the Christ which Proposition is explicated in sundry sorts but still the same in effect as that he is Gods annointed for that is signified by the word Christ that He was the true and lawful King of Israel The Son of David the Saviour of the World The Redeemer of Israel The Salvation of God He that should come into the World the Son of God and which I desire by the way to have noted against the now Sect of Arrians The begotten Son of God Act. 3.13 Heb. 55. The only begotten Son of God 1 Joh. 1.14.18 Joh. 3.16 18. 1 Joh. 4.9 That he was God Joh. 1 1 Joh. 20.28 That the Fulness of the Godâ—ead dwelt in him bodily Moreover The Holy one the Holy one of God The Forgiver â—f sins That he is risen from the Dead These are Explications and Parts of that General Article that Jesus is the Christ This Point therefore and all the Explications thereof are Fundamental as
himselfe to no greater then Humane Authoritie Nor can a man bee said to submit himselfe to Holy Scripture that doth not submit himselfe to some or other for the Interpretation thereof Or why should there bee any Church Government at all instituted if the Scripture it selfe could doe the Office of a Judge in Controversies of Faith But the Truth is apparent by continuall Experience that men seeke not onely Liberty of Conscience but of their Actions nor that onely but a farther Liberty of perswading others to their Opinions nor that onely for every man desireth that the Soveraign Authoritie should admit no other Opinions to bee maintained but such as hee himselfe holdeth 14. The difficulty therefore of obeying both God and Man in a Christian Common Wealth is none All the difficulty resteth in this Point Whether hee that hath received the Faith of Christ having before subiected himselfe to the Authoritie of an Infidell bee discharged of his Obedience thereby or not in matters of Religion In which case it seemeth reasonable to thinke that since all Covenants of Obedience are entred into for the preservation preservation of a mans life if a man be content without Resistance to lay down his life rather then obey the commands of an Infidel in so hard a Case he hath sufficiently discharged himself thereof For no Covenant bindeth farther then to endeavour and if a man cannot assure himself to perform a iust Duty when thereby he is assured of present Death much less it can be expected that a man should perform that for which he believeth in his heart he shall be damned eternally And thus much concerning the Scruple of Conscience that may arise concerning Obedience to Humane Lawes in them that interpret the Law of God to themselves It remaineth to remove the same scruple from them that submit their controversies to others not ordained thereunto by the Soveraign Authority And this I refer to the Chapter following CHAP. VII 1. The Questions propounded who are the Magistrates in the Kingdome of Christ 2. The Questions exemplified in the Controversies between Moses and Aaron and between Moses and Corah 3. Amongst the Jews the Power Temporal and Spiritual in the same Hand 4. Parallel of the Twelve Princes of Israel and the twelve Apostles 5. Parallel of Seventy Elders and Seventy Disciples 6. The Hierarchy of the Church in our Saviours time consisted in the Twelve and in the Seventy 7. Why Christ ordained not Priests for Sacrifices as Moses did 8. The Hierarchy of the Church in the Apostles time Apostles Bishops and Priests 9. The Preaching of the Gospel was not commanding but perswading 10. Excommunication Soveraignes immediate Rulers Ecclesiasticall under Christ 11. That no man hath any just Pretence of Religion against Obedience to Common-VVealth God speaketh to Man by his Vicegerents IN the former Chapter have been removed those difficulties opposing our Obedience to Humane Authority which arise from misunderstanding of our Saviours Title and Lawes in the former whereof namely his Title consisteth our Faith and in the latter our Justice Now they who differ not amongst themselves concerning his Title and Lawes may neverthelesse have different opinions concerning his Magistrates and the Auâ—hority he hath given them And this is the cause why many Christians have denyed Obedience to their Princes pretending that our Saviour Christ hath not given this Magistracy to them but to others As for example some say to the Pope universally some to a Synod Aristocratical Some to a Synod Democraticall in every several Common VVealth and the Magistrates of Christ being they by whom he speaketh the Question is Whether he â—peak unto us by the Pope or by Convocations of Bishops and Ministers or by Them that have the Soveraign Power in every Common-Wealth 2. This Controversie was the cause of those two Mutinies that happened against Moses in the Wilderness The first by Aaron and his Sister Miriam who took upon them to censure Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman And the state of the Question between them and Moses they set forth Numb. 12.2 in these words VVhat hath the Lord spoken but only by Moses hath be not spoken also by us and the Lord heard this c. and punished the same in Miriam forgiving Aaron upon his Repentance And this is the case of all them that set up the Priest-hood against the Soveraignty The other was of Corah Dathan and Abiram who with two hundred and fifty Captains gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron The state of their Controversie was this Whether God were not with the Multitude as well as with Moses and every man as holy as he For Numb. 16.3 thus they say You take too much upon you seeing all the Congregation is holy every one of them and the Lord is amongst them wherefore then lift ye your selves above the Congregation of the Lord And this is the case of them that set up their private Consciences and unite themselves to take the Government of Religion out of the hands of Him or Them that have the Soveraign Power of the Common Wealth which how well it pleaseth God may appear by the hideous punishment of Corah and his Complices 3. In the Government therefore of Moses there was no power neither Civil nor Spiritual that was not derived from him Nor in the State of Israel under Kings was there any Earthly Power by which those Kings were compellable to any thing or any Subiect allowed to resist them in any case whatsoever For though the Prophets by extraordinary calling did often admonish and threaten them yet they had no Authority over them And therefore amongst the Jews the power Spirituall and Temporall was alwayes in the same Hand 4. Our Saviour Christ as he was the rightful King of the Jewes in particular as well as King of the Kingdome of Heaven in the ordaining of Magistrates received that form of Policy which was used by Moses According to the number of the Children of Jacob Moses tooke unto him by the appointment of God Numb. 1.4 twelve men every one of the chief of their Tribe which were to assist him in the Muster of Israel And these twelve vers. 24. are called the Princes of Israel Twelve men every one for the house of their Fathers which are said also Numb. 7.2 To be heads over the Houses â—f their Fathers and Princes of the Tribes and â—ver them that were numbred And these were every one equall amongst themselves In like manner our Saviour tooke unto him Twelve Apostles to be next unto him in Authority of whom he saith Matth. 19.28 When the Son of Man shall sit in the Throne of his Maiesty ye shall follow me in the Regeneration shall sit also upon Twelve Thrones and iudge the Twelve Tribes of Israel And concerning the equality of the Twelve Apostles amongst themselves our Saviour saith Matth. 20.25 Ye know that the Lords of the Gentiles have Domination over them c. vers. 26. But