the Nations of the World to be a People near to him his peculiar Treasure above them all Statutes and Ordinances to walk by both with relation to Civils and Ecclesiasticks which they were indispensably bound to conform to without adding to or detracting therefrom That the management of all their affairs was singly to be bottomed upon and conform to these Statutes and Judgments is very frequently asserted in Scripture Exod. 21.1 Lev. 18.4 19.37 20.22 25.18 26.15 43. Deut. 4.1 5 8. 5.1 7.11 11.1 32. 12.1 26.16 30.16 1 Chron. 16.12 28.7 Psal. 89.30 Ezek. 5.6 36.27 Dan 9.5 Answ. It is granted that the Lord gave unto the people of the Jews Statutes and Ordinances to walk by both with relation to Civils and Ecclesiasticks or as usually they speak Ceremonials and that they were bound to conform to them and so much the Texts alledged do prove But that they were bound indispensably to conform to these Statutes without adding to or detracting therefrom and that the management of all their affairs was singly to be bottomed upon and conform to these Statutes and Judgments is not asserted in those Scriptures there being not one of them that saith that they were bound indispensably to conform to them Our Lord hath determined to the contrary in justifying his Disciples plucking the ears of Corn on the Sabbath Davids eating the shew bread and entring into the house of God and confirming his determination by the words of the Prophet Hosea 6.6 in his dissertation against the Pharisees Mat. 12.3 7. in which there was a dispensation with and detraction from the Laws of the Sabbath and the Shew-bread about Ecclesiasticks for a time in some Case And for addition to Laws Ecclesiastical the assemblies keeping other seven dayes besides those prescribed in the Law of the Passover 2 Chro. 30.23 and to civils that ordinance of David 1 Sam. 30.25 Shew that in both some additions might be by the Prince Captain or private persons to both sorts of Lawes with Divine approbation And that the management of all the affairs of the people of Israel both civil and ecclesiastical was not singly to be bottom'd upon and conform to those statutes and judgments but that in both sorts of affairs humane prudence and the Rulers Authority might order many things may be cleared from sundry instances of David Jehoshaphat Hezekiah and others which there will be occasion more fully to discusse in examining the allegations brought by this Author to prove the major of his first argument Ch. 1. of this treatise Sect. 7. The election or ordination of Levites is no rule for election or ordination of Ministers now Secondly saith he that persons were appointed by the Lord to be chosen by the Congregation for the publick administration of ordinances and worship cannot be denied Thus were the Levites Exod. 13.2 12 13. and 22.29 Numb 3.12 called therefore the Wave-offering of the Children of Israel Numb 8.9 10 11. because given up by them to the Lord as their offering by solemn ordination and imposition of hands Answer it is true that the Levites were wholly given unto God from among the Children of Israel to do the service of the Congregation but it is not true that they were appointed by the Lord to be chosen by the Congregation God saith Numb 8.16 in stead of the first-born of all the Children of Israel have I taken them to mee And upon what occasion God took the Levites in stead of the first born is to be seen in Exod. 32.26 29. Deut. 33.9 Saith Ainsworth annot on Numb 3.12 So that here appears no choice of the Congregation so as that it was left to them to take or to leave those It is true also that Numb 8.9 it is said that Moses shall bring the Levites before the Tabernacle of the Congregation it was therefore his business to present them and that he should gather the whole assembly of the Children of Israel together and that he should bring the Levites before the Lord and the Children of Israel that is some of the chief of them as the first born in the name of the rest shall lay or impose hands on the Levites saith Ainsworth annot on Numb 8.10 And then it follows v. 11. Aaron shall offer or wave the Levites before the Lord for an offering or wave-offering of the Children of Israel that they may execute the service of the Lord. And then Aaron was to make an atonement for the Levites and Moses should set the Levites before Aaron and before his Sons and offer them for an offering unto the Lord and that he should separate the Levites from among the Children of Israel and the Levites should then be Gods v. 13 14. The reason of the laying on of the hands of the Children of Israel upon the Levites was to signifie their obedient yielding them to God in their stead to do the service of the Children of Israel in the Tabernacle of the Congregation and to make an atonement for the Children of Israel that there might be no plague among the Children of Israel when the Children of Israel came nigh unto the Sanctuary v. 19. But these were not the Priests they were distinct from the Levites to wit Aaron and his Sons who were called of God Heb. 5.4 without the Prophets laying on of hands Now it was the Priests office to do that work in which was the worship of God to wit the offering Sacrifice sprinkling the blood and such other duties the Levites were imployed to do other services as the bearing of the utesils and such like in respect of which they were to attend on the Priests Deut. 10.8 therefore it is said by God v. 19. I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his Sons So that the choice was Gods the presenting Moses his act the yielding them by imposition of hands signifying their offering them to God in stead of themselves was the act of the first-born the wave offering and cleansing them Aarons act which may more truly be called their solemn ordination than the imposition of hands by the first-born But were it true that in this act of imposing their hands there was election and ordination this waâ— not a successive election or ordination as is when one dies and another is chosen and ordained in his room as oft as there is such vacancy when one Minister dies and another comes in his stead For this election or ordination if it may be so called was but once and of the whole company together and so is no pattern for election or ordination of Elders successively by a particular Congregation or the major part of them Sect. 8. The Texts enjoyning the observation of things appointed prove not that some things undetermined might not in Gods worship be ordered by men Thirdly saith he that persons thus invested into the office of Priesthood were not left to the liberty of their own
wits nor have they any dependance upon the will or Authority of the Sons of men one or other of them either in respect of the matter or manner of their worship the whole whereof was purely of Divine institution and Divine appointment Exod. 25.9 40. Numb 8.5 Heb. 8.5 1 Chron. 28 11. Exod. 8.27 Levit. 10.1 Exod. 39.1 5 7 21 26 31 43 and 40.23 25 27 29. Levit. 8.9 13 17 21 29. Numb 8.3 Exod. 35.10 29. and 36.1 5. Isaiah 29.13 Answer The Levites were not invested into the office of the Priesthood by solemn ordination imposition of hands of the children of Israel but Aaron and his Sons and therefore as it was an usurpation in Uzziah to burn incense to the Lord sith it appertained to the Priests the sons of Aaron that were consecrated to burn incense 2 Chron. 26.18 So it was the sin of Korah that not content with that service he was to do he would usurp the office of the Priests to come nigh the Altar and to burn incense or as it is Numb 16.10 to seek the Priesthood which was in degree above the Levites who were to minister unto the Priests but not to come nigh the Altar as Ainsworth proves in his Annot. on Numb 16.10 out of Numb 18.2 3. 1 Chron. 6.48 49. 1 Chron. 23.13 It is granted that neither the Levites nor the Priests in their office or service were left to their own wills nor had they any dependance upon the will or authority of the sons of men one or other of them either in respect of the matter or manner of their worship which was of Divine institution and Divine appointment Every circumstance of time place order habit and what ever else was particularly determined was to be strictly observed under pain of death if presumptuously done otherwise as in the case of Nadab and Abihu Hophai and Phinehas or culpable negligence as in the case of Uzzah and if it were by ignorance yet an offering was to be made for an atonement and thus much it is granted the Texts alledged do prove But neither these texts nor any other do prove that no circumstances about place time order undetermined by God were left to the liberty of the people or Prince or Sanhedrin or Priests in and about the worship of God among the Jewes who yet had their service more fully particularized in all things pertaining to it than we have The Priests were invested into the office of Priesthood by Moses according to the rites distinctly set down Exod. 40.12 13 14 15 16. Levit. 8. throughout The text Isai. 29.13 alledged in the first chapter out of Mark 7.7 will there fitly be considered that we may discusse whether the whole of their worship was purely of Divine institution and appointment in respect of the matter and manner of it Sect. 9. The defection of the Jews to Idolatrous inventions of men is of a more hainous degree than use of humane ceremonies with us Fourthly saith he that this Church gathered by the Lord and wonderfully separated from the rest of the world though they had him nearer to them than any people had his Law made known amongst them did notwithstanding quickly depart from his pure institutions mingling therewith the inventions of men and customes of the Nations after which they went a whoring is frequently remarked in the Scripture of this the Lord sorely complains Deut. 32.18 Jer. 2.32 and 13.25 and 23.27 Hos. 4.6 and 8.14 and 13.6 2 Chron. 13.16 Isa. 1.4 Jer 1.16 and 2.17 19. and 9.13 and 15.6 Deut. 29.5 1 Kings 11.33 and 18.18 and 19.10 2 Kings 22.17 Ezra 9.10 for this he severely threatens and punisheth them Deut. 29.25 Judg. 10.10 1 Sam. 12.10 2 Chron. 12.5 and 24.20 and 34.25 Jer. 16.11 and 19.4 the very truth is the contests of God with that people from first to last are to be bottom'd upon this foot of account Answer It is true that Church of Israel was gathered by the Lord and wonderfully separated from the rest of the world by great signs miracles providences and judgments which he shewed against their enemies and towards them especially by the hand of Moses and that he did not till Christ came so gather and wonderfully separate any Church from the rest of the World as he did them But after the ascension of Christ by the Preaching of the Gospel and other wayes he hath gathered out of all Nations his Church and wonderfully separated it from the rest of the world It is true also that the Israelites quickly departed from Gods pure institutions mingling therewith the inventions of men and customs of the Nations But those inventions of men and customs of the Nations which the Texts alledged mention were such as were expressely forbidden drew them to serve other other Gods and to forsake the Lord not such as are usually by seperatives called inventions of men to wit humane ceremonies confessed out of the case of worship in themselves to be things indifferent such as out of pretended prudence at least or publique authority are imposed for discipline order or decency without giving any Divine worship to a Creature Let all the Texts alledged be viewed and there is none of them that mentions the mingling such inventions of men no not those which our Saviour reprehends in the Pharisees Mark 7.3 4 8. which are farr worse as the departing from Gods pure institutions nor doth God contest with the people of the Jewes in those places alledged for other inventions of men and customes of the Nations than such as were Idolatrous and therefore the threatnings and punishments in those places are grossely abused when they are applied to the imposing or use of such ceremonies or discipline as are whether rightly or wrongly retained in the Church of England Sect. 10. Such testimony as the Prophets gave against the Jewish defection is not now to be given against the Conformists Fifthly saith he that notwithstanding their dreadful Apostacy from God they were usually confident that they were the only People had not forsaken the Lord nor done any evil and could not bear the Prophecies and rebukes of the Prophets and Servants of the Lord against their abominations whom they persecuted and put to death as at last they did the Prince of Life and Glory for no other cause but for telling them the truth and bearing testimony against their Innovations and Apostacy from God the usual practice of persons degenerated from the way and Spirit of the Lord Mal. 1.6 Jer. 7.4 Luke 3.8 John 8.39 Mat. 5.12 Act. 7.52 Answer All this is granted and if this Author can prove any such innovations and Apostacy from God as the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and other Servants of God rebuked in the Jewes in the People or Teachers who adhere to the doctrin worship or discipline of the Church of England this Author with others of his minde do well to bear their testimony against them as the Prophets did and
Circumstantials such as are Time Place Meetings Order in Doing and the like God hath not determined the whole of the outward Worship appertaining to the New Testament Churches as of old he did with reference to the then Church but hath left such things though needful to the well performing of the Worship he hath determined under general rules prescribed in holy Scripture to be set down by men who are Governours to whom obedience is due in order to the end of their directions though not with equal tie of Conscience as to Divine Institutions Nor doth God hereby bear less love or exercise less faithfulness over his New Testament Churches than he did over the National Church of the Jews but rather more 1. Because the determination of the whole of the Worship of God to the National Church of the Jews was the imposing of a yoke on them which neither the elder nor later Jews were able to bear Acts 15.10 and therefore God shewed more love and exercised more faithfulness over his New Testament Churches in not determining the whole of his Worship in Circumstantials as he did to the Jews 2. The determination of the whole of Gods Worship to the Jews in Circumstantials of outward Worship did bring in many things which were unprofitable and weak and made nothing perfect Heb. 7.18 19. And if God had so determined to us he had commanded things unprofitable weak which made nothing perfect therefore he shewed more love and faithfulness to us in not so determining 3. The things God had determined to the Jews about the Circumstantials and Rituals of his Worship were but shadows of good things to come which were not fit to be continued or to be supplied with any other Christ being come who was the Body or Substance Col. 2.16 17. Heb. 10.1 Therefore God in not determining such things to us hath shewed more love and faithfulness 4 Such Ordinances were carnal to endure only until the time of Reformation therefore it is a part of Gods love and faithfulness that neither the same in particular nor other are precisely determined to us by God this time of the Gospel being the time of Reformation Heb 9.9 10. 5. God so determined the whole of his Worship to the Jews because they were in their Minority and therefore were to be kept under those weak and beggerly Elements of the World as under Tutors and Governours until the time appointed of the Father Gal. 4 1 2 3 9. But the Christian Believers are as sons come to age and therefore fit to be released of them and such like and to be at more liberty in these things than they were before v. 7. 6. The time before Christs coming was an estate under Moses a Servant but now the estate of Christians is under Christ the Son Gal. 4.4 5 6 7 Heb 3.5 6. Therefore our freedom from such determinations as were upon the Jews is more congruous than to have them imposed on us and consequently a sign of more love in God 7. If such determinations of the whole of Gods Worship had been to us as were to the Jews we had not reaped the fruit of Christs death by which he did abolish them Eph. 2.14 15. Col. 2.14 and consequâ—ntly had tasted less of the love of God than we have if the same or such precise determinations of the whole of Gods Worship had been continued to us 8. The Apostles judged it a great benefit to the Christian Churches that they were exempt from them and it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to them to lay upon the Churches no greater burden than those necessary things mentioned Acts 15.28 29. therefore they counted it an effect of Gods love that he had not determined the whole of his Worship to us as he did to the Jews 9. This yields us also another reason why it is an effect of Gods greater love to the Gentile Churches that he hath not determined to them the whole of his Worship as he did to the Jews because those Gentile Christians being of divers Nations and Languages under divers Governments used to divers Customs could not conveniently if at all practice such an uniformity of Circumstances as they must have done if God had determined the whole of his Worship as he did to the Jews 10 To averr that God hath determined the whole of his outward Worship in Circumstantials as he did to the Jews is to infringe our Christian liberty and to bring us into such bondage as they were in who were under the Law which is not agreeable to that love which God hath born to the New Testament Churches and the New Covenant which he hath made under the Gospel Gal. 4.20 21 24. This Author adds Sect 21. Christ designs Officers and Offices for his Church not as were in the Jewish which are the same while their work is the same though some Titles be new Yea 5. Whether he hath not now as then designed the several Officers and Offices his wisdom thought sufficient for the management of the affairs of his house so that the invention of new ones by the sons of men is not only needless but a daring advance against the Soveraignty care and wisdom of God over his Churches Answ. 1. God did besides Moses and the seventy Elders Joshuah and the Judges David and other Kings for the Government of the People of Israel and Prophets raised up as he thought good for special purposes design Aaron and his sons and the Levites for the Services of the Tabernacle and Temple But he hath not designed such Officers or Offices as either Moses and the Jewish Sanhedrin David or the Judges or as the Priests and Levites and their Services were for the management of the affairs of his House that is the Christian Church it being Gods design not to gather this Church or to form it in that way and Government as he did the Jewish Christ did not gather his Church as the Jews were by Moses brought out of Egypt nor were erected into the form of a Political Body but of a School without either infringing the power of the Caesars and their Officers or withdrawing the People from the Officers belonging to the Temple though corrupt If any advance themselves or others into Offices from the Pattern of the Aaronical Priesthood or Services as the Papists who will have their Pope to be Universal Supreme Bishop in correspondence to the High Priest of the Jews to be absolutely obeyed as he was in the Synedrium to be infallible in his determinations to have power of adjudging to death for Heresie to make sacrificing Priests for Quick and Dead in imitation of the Levitical Priests I conceive that the invention of such new ones by Papists or any other of the sons of men is not only needless but a daring advance against the Soveraignty Care and Wisdom of God over his Churches the Temple and the Priesthood thereof being now by God taken away 2. God hath
Disciples hearing the Scribes and Pharisees in his time notwithstanding other defects Therefore the present Ministers preaching or declaring the will of God notwithstanding other defects warrants the Saints hearing now the present Ministers of England The minor is grounded upon that which is intimated to be the reason of Christs direction Matth. 23.2 3. that they sate in Moses his chair that is taught the observation of Gods Law and that what they bid them observe according to it they were to hear and do as on the contrary they were not when they taught corrupt traditions of men and other leavened Doctrine To these things this Author thus answers Sect. 2. The Scribes and Pharisees sate in Moses his chair as Teachers not as Magistrates Many things are supposed by the Objecters and taken for granted and must be so by all that judge any weight to be in what is from this supposed command of Christ argued which they will never be able to prove and yet they are the very basis upon which the stress of the Objection lies As 1. 'T is supposed that the Scribes and Pharisees here spoken of were in the Ministerial seat Teachers and Expounders of the Law which at first view seems to be a difficult task for any to demonstrate That some of the Scribes and Pharisees which were particular Sects among the Jews as is known were so cannot be denied that these here mentioned by our Saviour are such is not so evident They are expresly said to sit in Moses seat not Aarons who though he were of the Tribe of Levi yet was not the Ministerial but Magistratical seat committed to him To the posterity of Aaron did the office of Priesthood appertain as is known to all that have but in the least turned aside to consider of this affair nor is it altogether frivolous that is by some observed that these Scribes and Pharisees are especially charged with the omission of judgement and mercy things most nearly relating unto the Office of Magistracy to whom it doth especially appertain to look thereunto Nor will it in the least follow that supposing Christ enjoyned his disciples to attend upon the Scribes and Phariseees acting as Magistrates and conform to what is justly and righteously prescribed by them as such That therefore it is lawful to attend upon the present Ministers of England I reply That it is indeed supposed that the Scribes and Pharisees here spoken of were in the seat of Moses Teachers and Expounders of the Law But not that they were Officers about the sacrifices and services belonging to the worship of God at the Templé as were the Priests and Levites nor need we so to suppose It is sufficient for rhe Argument That they took upon them the expounding of the Law and to resolve consciences what they were to do they did as Casuists or Doctors of Divinity in Schools or Synagogues or in the Temple Which is proved from that which is said That they did bind heavy burdens and lay them on mens shoulders v. 4. which was by their precepts their affecting to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi Masters Fathers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leaders v. 8 9 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doctors or Teachers translated Master in Israel John 3. but were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 23.24 blind guides Matth. 15.14 blind leaders of the blind And that they were not Priests appeared by their paying Tythes Matth. 23 23. Luke 18.12 Nor were they ordinary Magistrates except such as were in their Synedria the Romans were then the ordinary Magistrates Nor could they be said to sit in Moses chair either as Magistrates having the same power he had or as Law-givers For the power and office of Moses whether as Magistrate Judge or Prophet was singular He was a Prophet to whom there arose none like in Israel Deut. 34.10 and he was a Judge or Prince under God supreme who had jurisdiction and Empire supreme in matters sacred and profane although the function of doing holy rites was committed to Aaron and his sons and the Levites as is proved by Selden l. 2. de Syned Ebrae c. 2. from Exod. 4.16 Deut. 33.5 the address to him in difficult causes his sentences and other things acknowledged by Writers Jewish and Christian. It is not denied that the Pharisees and Scribes were many of them Rulers of the Jews as it is said of Nicodemus John 3.1 and of the Priests and Levites John 1.19.24 But not as Scribes or Pharisees who were as such onely particular Sects among the Jews as this Authour truly acknowledgeth nor as sitting in Moses chair which onely noted their function of teaching and expounding of the Law being bred up at the feet of Rabbins or Doctors of the Law as St. Paul at the feet of Gamaliel and after sitting in the School or auditory of the Temple or Synagogues where Moses of old time had in every City them that preached him being read in the synagogues every sabbath-day Acts 15.21 wherein the Scribes and Pharisees affected and obtained the chief seats Matth. 23 6. and had much sway with the people though they taught not with such authority as Christ did Matth. 7.26 Mark 1.22 now wherein they taught according to Moses Law or the truth as about Elias coming Matth 17.10.11 they were to be heard in other things as in their own traditions and the commandments of men their doctrine was to be rejected Matth. 15.9 It is frivolous which is observed That because judgement and mercy the omission of which is charged on the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23.23 and those nearly relate to the office of Magistracy to whom it doth especially appertain to look thereunto that therefore the Scribes and Pharisees v. 2 3. are considered as Magistrates For as is in the Assembly Annotations on the place the judgement mercy and faith are just dealing with all men mercy in relieving the poor and faithfulness in covenants promises and contracts judgement being there taken for right ordering the conversation towards God and men as Matth. 12.18 which is manifest in that it is joyned with mercy and faith or as it is Luke 11.4 The love of God opposed to ravening extortion intemperance or excess Matth. 23.25 rapine and wickedness Luke 11.39 such as was when they devoured widows bouses making long prayers for a pretence Matth. 23.14 compassing sea and land to make one proselyte and when he was made making him twofold more the child of hell then themselves v. 15. No such argument therefore is or needs be made as this Authour frames as made by his opponent That supposing Christ to injoyn his disciples to attend upon the Scribes and Pharisees acting as Magistrates therefore it is lawful to attend upon the present Ministers of England For neither do we say that Christ injoyned attendance on them nor that they acted as Magistrates but our supposition is That they acted as Teachers and his disciples were permitted to hear them though liable to greater