doctrine a matter of Religion was of Gods appointment Jer. 29.21 with 23. and hence by Gods appointment was this execution of Gods vengeance on them made a proverbial Curse vers 22. Argum 2 A second Argument is in that it 's recorded as a most desperate and accursed estate of old that they had no King or chief Ruler in Israel to restrain as Adultery and Murther sins against the second Table Judges 19.1 with chap. 20. so Idolatry a sin against the first Table chap. 17.1 18.1 compared but every man had his liberty to doe what was right in his owne eyes Argum 3 The third Argument is in that it is recorded as a matter of speciall guidance and direction of God and acknowledged by Ezra inspired by the Spirit as a special mercy of God to his people that Artaxerxes an Heathen King had an heart to put forth his coercive power injoyning things commanded of God and forbidding with sanction of sutable punishments the evils whether against the Lawes of the King or against the Lawes of God whether concerning Religion or righteousnesse whence we argue that this use of the civil power was of God of old and therefore the same is as well of God now Artaxerxes was indeed an instrument in the hand of Christ but not therefore a Type of Christ Nor was this of the nature of a meer Jewish judiciall Law because injoining punishments moral offences being punishable and yet not therefore of a meer judicial nature or meerly against a judicial Law besides this act of Artaxerxes respected civil matters and matters of the second Table which none will challenge as not imitable as well as matters of Religion And that which some object that he did this for fear of wrath rather confirmeth the morality of the use of such power then otherwise For what ground of fear in not putting forth such coercive power if the omission of it were not sinfull Yea if the use of such a coercive power in matters of Religion were not according to Gods mind as our opposites say he might rather more groundedly have feared Gods wrath for such an high offence as usurpation of a power which the Lord disliked and forbade Thus much of the first head of Arguments from the Old Testament those from the New follow and they are foure From the New Testament Argum 1 The first is taken from Rom. 13. If God will have every soul in and of the Churches and that of Rome as well as others to be subject to civill Magistrates as being powers ordained of God v. 1. an Ordinance of God v. 2. a terrour not to good works but to evill v. 3. the ministry of God for their good v. 4. and that for conscience sake v. 5. Then Magistrates are to put forth coercive power in such matters of Religion respecting the outward man But the former is true ergo the latter Object All this may be true and yet verified onely in matters of the second Table and is extended to matters of the first yet onely to such things as are against the Law of Nations or the light of Nature and so no proof of that for which it is urged He is a terrour to evil works but it is not said he is so to all evill works Answ 1 If all this be restrained according to the intent of the Objection then is none to have praise approbation incouragement from Civil Authority by reason of matters of Faith or of Religion but for matters of righteousnesse onely or if for any matters of Religion yet onely for such as stand with the light of nature and Law of Nations as the third Verse must be Expounded For if it be supposed that it is an act of Justice whereof the Magistrate is Minister to distribute rewards in any matters of Religion that appeares in the walk of the outward man and respect godly peace in way of encouragement it must needs be an act of like justice to distribute punishments to the contrary The Magistrate being according to the Apostles distribution a Minister of God as well when he encourageth good as when he represseth and punisheth evil 2 The Objection would make onely offences against the rules of the second Table or at most those that are against the Law of nature and Nations which come under the view of the Magistrate as a publick Minister of God to be evill works and not other sins of like publick cognizance concernment respecting other matters of Religion For if both sorts of offences are evil he being a terrour to evil works indefinitely which come to his publick cognizance he is a terrour ex officio to both and it is vaine to say he saith evill works not all evil works for so he saith he is not a terrour to good works but saith not to all good works and therefore if that indefinite good works be not equivalent to that general all good works he may then it seems be a terrour to some good works which come under his publick cognizance 3 We are yet to speak of that limitation where the New Testament alloweth the civil Magistrate power as in matters of righteousnesse so in matters of Religion so far namely as the light of nature and Law of Nations extendeth in matters of the outward man which come to his publick view but restraineth him from medling further in any matters of Religion of like publick cognizance and concernment That Scripture ground of this distinction and restriction would be produced Object I when Paul wrote this Epistle to the Romans their Rulers were Pagans and what coercive power was it likely they would put forth in any matters of Religion unlesse against the true Religion as undermining their Paganisme Crying downe the same as worship of Devils and teaching them to cast off their Heathen Gods as no Gods They did not look at Jesus Christ as their Supream Lord but as a new upstart God in comparison of their Roman Gods and to make penall Laws against false doctrine or Religion had been to make Lawes against themselves as well as others and to make Lawes against the present light of their owne consciences Answ This no way weakneth but strengthneth what we have said For if even those Pagan Rulers in Pauls time were by their Office Ministers of God then bound to improve their Authority for the ratifying and establishing of his Lawes and for those of the first as well as second Table and then bound by their Office as Ministers of God to rule for him and the exacting of his rule in and over their subjects And that they did not know and doe thus it was their sin Many of them thought plurality of wives fornication rash divorces incestuous marriages usury c. no sin and it may be said if they had made Lawes against these they had made Lawes against themselves and the light of their owne consciences as thinking in their seduced blinded consciences that these were lawfull yet
THE Covenant OF GRACE Discovering The Great Work of a Sinners Reconciliation to GOD. By JOHN COTTON Minister at Boston in New England Whereunto are added Certain Queries tending to Accommodadation between the Presbyterian and Congregationall Churches Also A Discussion of the Civill Magistrates Power in matters of Religion By the same Author LONDON Printed by M. S. for Francis Eglesfield and Iohn Allen at the Marigold and Rising Sun in Pauls Church-yard 1655. TO THE Truly Vertuous and Religious my ever honoured and much esteemed Friend M ris Catharine Hodson The Sure mercies of David IF either Religion or Civility have any virtue to oblige certainly I am much your debtor it would be but a Complement which usually derives its Pedigree from the vainest assentations to promise any adequate satisfaction for those many favours you were pleased to make me the subject of The designe of these few lines is to testifie to your selfe and the world that I am really thankefull or heartily desire to be so The following Treatise which concernes the Covenant of Grace I commend rather to your Practice then protection It 's true it is an Orphane entertaine it for the Fathers sake and I shall undertake you shall gaine no mean satisfaction for your paines The two smaller Tracts at the end are of good use to those for whom they are intended In the first the Reverend Author undertakes a good Office which is to become Vmpire betwixt dissenting Brethren Next to their not falling out the best thing is to agree I have often thought that if men did more attend to the interests of grace and were lesse particular in their ends the quarrells about the way would not be so endlesse As to that latter Tract about the Magistrates power in matters touching the first Table Of late dayes it hath fallen much under Question wise and good men who have attended to the Scripture with a single eye have looked upon the Magistrate as The Minister of God a revenger to Execute wrath upon him that doth EVILL Rom. 13.4 under the name of Evill comprehending 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot Eth. 5. 13. whatsoever is committed about holy things Children are commanded obedience to their Parents in all things Col. 3.20 Felius inquit Augustinus Reges si suam potestatem ad Dei cultuuÌ„ maximè dilatandum majestati ejus famulam faciant De civit Dei 5. c. 14. All things comprehend holy things and the command of a father is lesse then that of the Supreme Magistrate That which relates in this little Book to the Covenant of Grace I commend to your speciall meditations every truth hath its value but not of equall concernment unto all Amongst all the parcells of sacred Word none more justly challengeth our serious study and affectionate inquisition then this mystery that hath been hid from ages and Generations Colos 1.26 comprehended in the Covenant or Grace which is a Constellation of great and precious Promises communicating the most beneficiall influences of rich everlasting and undeserved mercies by Jesus Christ the Mediator of the Covenant to the needs of lost heavy loaden sinners This is the City of Refuge and surest Sanctuary to which distressed soules have alwayes fled and found security when the â—…owes and the waves of temptation have beat upon them here they have successfully cast the Anchor of their hopes for The Mountaines shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the COVENANT of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Oh thou afflicted and tossed with tempests and not comforted I will c. Isai 54.10,11,12 They onely know how much sweeter then the honey and the Honey comb the Gen. 33.9,11 Esau lookes upon his substance and saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have much or abundance Jacob looks upon his portion in Jehovah saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have all things Thus it should be Translated large contents of the Covenant of Grace are who have tasted the grace of that Covenant The spirituall sense which you have of these things hath been so rightly exercised that your experience exceeds all the Arguments of knowledge that I am able to administer But this Covenant being our Grand Charter and the great reason of our hopes for another life I refer you to the perusall of the following Treatise and shall in the mean time bespeak a blessing from Heaven upon your meditations in it I Question not but still you pursue that thriving course in Religion which many are wanting to themselves in and that is to keep off from unedifying disputes and Questions which have added nothing to Christianity but discord scruple and a losse of the vitalls of Godlinesse besides the expence of precious houres which you have improved to more considerable advantages You run well let nothing hinder you Hold fast that which you have wrought that you may receive a full reward Live as much as you can to the interests of another world For the Land of IMMANUEL is an excellent soyle the purest aire is above where the Spirit breaths freely and the soule injoyes a condition proportionable to it selfe in as much as nothing can fit it but that which bears some similitude to its being Your warfare is not yet accomplished as you must wrastle with God by prayers so you must wrastle with principalities and powers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de supercoelestibus Eph 6.12 vide Mat. 10.32 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mei causââ—… illius causa vide Mat. 26.21 All ye shall be offended because of me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aâ—OVI or because of heavenly things The nature of Satan is to tempt and we have that in our natures fitted to comply with any temptation Let him be conquerour or conquered he is restlesse He may goe away for a season till God is pleased to let out his chaine and then he comes againe Be we faithfull to the death and there is a Crowne of life provided for us Now the God of all grace 1 Pet. 5.10 who hath called us into his eternall glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered a while make you perfect stablish strengthen settle you So prayes Your very much obliged Friend in the bonds of the Gospel W. RETCHFORDâ— TO THE READER IF either Author or Matter may tend to commend any Treatise I might take occasion from both these respects to speak to the high commendation of all these three ensuing Treatises the Authors of them being such as whose commendations are in the gates of all the daughters of Zion and therefore need not Epistles of Commendation from any others The Name of Mr. John Cotton the Author of the two former being like a precious Ointment powred forth and although his blessed soul be now amidst the spirits of just men made perfect in the heavenly Jerusalem that is above yet his holy works and labours left
infringed when as he de jure commands nothing but that which if men have any tendernesse of conscience they are bound in conscience to submit thereto and in faithfull submitting to which is truest liberty of conscience conscience being never in a â—…er or better estate of liberty here on earth than when most ingaged to walke according to Gods Commandements 4. That thereby Christians become servants of men when the Magistrate only is to enjoyne what his Master and theirs hath commanded or to forbid the contrary and consequently in submitting thereto are but servants to Christ in man 5. That thereby men are made hypocrites and time-servers as if to command men to walke according to the Word and to forbid the contrary were to make men so contrary to the Word as are time-servers and hypocrites 6. That thereby a sluce is opened to let in all manner of false religions and corrupt opinions into the Church supposing the Magistrate be of any false religion or corrupt in his judgement yea that were the way to set up a Pope in a Christian Common-wealth for Religion must turne as he turns When as the question is touching the Magistrates power of commanding or forbidding not what he in a Popelike way shall please or what his own spirit shall like best but what God hath commanded or forbidden in the Word and the position subjecteth him to the Word as to the supream Law and doth not set him up Popelike above the Scriptures or allow him to make his sense of scripture to be Scripture or to make humane traditionall Cannons to be as much of force as Scripture to bind mens consciences c. but the position rather condemneth any such power as gular usurped not approved of God which swerveth from that rule of the exercise of his power in matters of religion namely the Scriptures and the contrary to that objected would rather follow that if there must be no King or civill power among Gods professed Israel coercively to restraine forbidden evills in Religion then every man would hold and doe as he list as if every one were a Pope and then Micah's Idolatry and any other abominations may be set up 7. That thereby the civill Magistrate is put upon many intricate perplexities hazards of conscience how to judge in and of matters of Religion But this doth not hinder the Magistrate from that use of his coercive power in matters commanded or forbidden in the first Table no more then it doth hinder him from the like power in matters of the second Table none being ignorant what perplexing intricacies there are in these as well as in the former as conscientious Magistrates finde by dayly experience yet such as object this will not deny this power in the latter and why then in the former the objection proveth the difficulty of his knowing of Gods minde in his place and if it had been objected against Church-Officers power in Churches or the power of Parents and Masters in their families it would have proved the same but it followes not its difficult for a man in authority to know the utmost of his duty in his place therefore it s not necessary for him to doe his duty in his place They which inaugurated Joash to be King 2 Chron. 23.11 they put upon him the testimony as the Hebrew words used to be expounded to shew that it was his duty as a King not onely to know the testimonie or booke of Gods Law but authoritatively to establish what was written in it 8. That thereby persons are put upon acting with doubting consciences the Magistrates Injunctions being oft-times not cleare to such as are to obey them and so they are thereby compelled to sin When the position affirmeth this power in matters cleared in the Word which if not cleared to this or that subject in a Christian Common-wealth that is his owne fault by his owne ignorance of matters which he is bound to know to bring any such snare upon his conscience and in such a case he may desire the Magistrate to use the best meanes to cleare up the matters enjoyned or forbidden to be commanded or forbidden in the Word but neither of these hinder but that the Magistrate is to command or forbid that which God hath commanded or forbidden even that which Christ hath commanded or forbidden should not then be urged upon mens consciences by Church-Officers or Church-censures be executed against obstinate gaine-sayers because through error in judgement and corruption in conscience men will say thâ—…nd after all meanes used for convictâ—… they may still affirme that they thinke otherwise or at best that they still doubt of the matters in question yea albeit the matters be fundamentall 9. That hereby Christians are discouraged from seeking more light or hindred from embracing or following such new light as the Saints expect in these latter dayes When as its evident that the commanding and forbidding things cleared in the Word to be good or evill doth neither expresse what light men have from the Word nor discourage from more light in from the same as not in matters of the second Table so neither of the first 10. That thereby conscientious men especially will come to suffer because Magistrates may think things commanded or forbidden of God and accordingly ratifie them by their authority which God did never command or forbid when as the question is not concerning Magistrates enjoyning what they thinke but what is the minde of God nor can the pressing of the minde of God commanding what he requieth and forbidding the contrary be any just or proper cause of suffering to men truly conscientious The Magistrate may indeed through mistake command or forbid things respecting not onely the first but the second Table But this doth not deprive civill Magistracy therefore of coercive power as not in matters of the second so neither of the first Table but in this case Christians must be content to suffer in either albeit withall the Magistrate doe breake his rule 11. That thereby we shall incourage and harden Papists and Turks in their cruell persecutions of the Saints whereas for the Magistrate to command or forbid according to God as it is not persecution so neither doth it of it selfe tend to persecution Power to presse the Word of God and his truth doth not give warrant to suppresse or oppresse the same the times are evill indeed when the pressing of obedience to the rule shall be counted persecution 12. That thence are caused all the warres in Christendome at this day when it is evident that the pressing men to obey the will and word of God in matters either of the second or fiâ—st Table is not of it selfe any cause of warre but the lusts rather of such as abuse their power contrary to the Word By this already spoken we have seen the ruine of twelve of our opposites Castles in the ayre imaginarily framed to withstand the civil Magistrates coercive power in
is commended for laying the force of his command upon those under his power in matters of Religion Gen. 18 19. And if he had been considered as a Master yet less would not be granted that way to a Ruler of a Common-wealth than of a Family but rather more Job as a civil Ruler as a King in an Army of persons under his command did not leave each of them to chose out their own way of Religion or justice but he chose it he determinatively set it down for them I sate as King in an Army I chose out their way c. Job 29.25 The King of Ninivey with his Princes did not barely commend that duty of fasting and prayer to his people as very convenient to be attended yet leaving them to their liberty to omit the same but he positively commands the same that the wrath of God might be prevented 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jonah 3.7 The word is used for a coercive command or decree Ezra 4.21 6.11 Dan. 3.10,11 29. 6.7,8,9 13. and the act of the civil Authority of Ninivey having so much influence into the people act Jonah 3.5,6 7. verses compared is implicitely commended by Christ in his commendation of the repentance of the men of Ninevey and so of the King and Princes of Ninevey whose hearts were so thorowly touched as to improve their authority to further that civil work of Ninevy's repentance The examples of Moses Joshua David Solomon Asa Jehosaphat Hezekiah Josiah Nehemiah c. are obvious to every ordinary eye which looks into the Scripture Object They of old were Types therefore their examples are not now of force for our imitation Answ We suppose the Objection intends not by Type and exemplar for imitation as Type in a generall sense is used 1 Cor. 10.6 compared with 11. for this were to overthrow the scope of the Objectors but rather it meaneth a Type strictly taken namely that they in that exercise of their power did but shaddow out Christs Kingly power but of this the opposites give onely a barren assertion without proof and that will not carry it But we shall answer it more particularly 1 Then such may as well say those Rulers did shaddow out Christ in the exercise of their power in matters of the second Table and therefore are not therein imitable which none will affirme Solomon typed out Christ in subduing of enemies relieving the opressed procuring the peace of the state Psal 72. Must not Princes therefore doe the like 2 Those that make that Objection they use to put it thus The Kings of Israel were such Types but such an one was not Abraham nor Job nor Nehemiah who by a Coercive Law injoined the sanctifying of the Sabbath Neh. 13. nor the King of Ninevey nor was that wicked King of Israel Ahab a type of Christ which should have put that blaspheming Benhadad to death whence that sharpe reproof of him for not doing it 1 Kings 20. To say nothing of Darius Nebuchadnezzars Decrees this way which are recorded in way of commendation thereof Ezra 6. and Dan. 3.29 3 Solomon himselfe who if any were types of Christ therein he was setteth it downe by direction of the Spirit as a morall duty of each King indefinitely that howsoever de facto many doe otherwise yet de jure he scattereth away all evill with his eye Prov. 20.8 meaning all publick evil which cometh within his ken as a King or publick person whether the evill be against the first or second Table unlesse any make exception and say that either there are no sins against the first Table coming under the Magistrates view or though they doe yet they are not evil 4 It was a stated doctrine in the time of Job who by the most judicious is thought to live before Moses and it is attested and approved by the Holy Ghost that sins against the first Table as Idolatry was iniquity to be punished by the Judges Job 31.26,27,28 as well as sins against the second Table as Adultery ibid. vers 9. and 11. Object Those Rulers of old did thus as Members of the Nationall Church of the Jewes the same persons being Members of Church and Common-wealth but it is not alwayes so now Answ 1 Then at least where Magistrates are Members of Churches they may in these dayes exercise such power 2 Though they were Members both of Church and State yet they were to put forth their Coercive power civilly not as Members of the Church but of the State else it had been to confound Church and State yea to make God which directed to it to be the author of that confusion 3 They were to punish such to whom they stood in no Church relation at all but meerly Civil for sins against the first Table Hence Ahab was blamed for not punishing Benhadad blaspheming God as if a God of the Hils but not of the valleys Hence Nehemiah's resolution to punish even any of those strangers which should prophane the Sabbath chap. 13. 4 Job and those Judges mentioned in his time as bound to punish Idolatry were no Members of the Jewish Church Object If you make the example of the Princes of Israel acting Coercively in matters of Religion for Magistrates imitation why doe not you make the Levites a pattern also to Ministers now to act as they did civilly in civil censures Answ 1 It 's not clear that the Levites d d act any further than by counsel or at most by some generall consent to that which the Princes were formally to Act. 2 If the Levites did act in matters of the State by a peculiar liberty it doth not follow that this can invalidate the Rulers power then acting in matters of Religion as if by a peculiar liberty also unlesse the Objection could be bottomed on the proportion betwixt the Levites then and the Rulers then Thus that as the Levites which by speciall liberty proper to those times and so not imitable now did intermeddle in matters peculiar to Magistrates so the Magistrates then did intermeddle in matters peculiar to the Priests by a liberty proper to those times and this would be crosse to expresse Text 2 Chron. 26.16 where Vzzias medling with Priestly matters of offering Incense is made a transgression against the Lord for which he was afterward ruined 3 We make the Levites intermedling juditially in Civil matters therefore not imitable because what they are supposed to doe that way was by a liberty peculiar to that time but we make the example of the civil Rulers acting their Coercive power in matters of Religion imitable because not peculiar to the Jewish Church as appears in that what power they that way exercised the same in substance did Job and other Judges in his time by Divine direction and approbation put forth yea the judiciall act of Nebuchadnezzar in punishing Ahab and Zedekiah with death not for their Adultery onely a sin against the second Table but for their false