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<DATE>2011-06-20</DATE>
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<NAME>Holly (Beeman) Smith</NAME>
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<P>SCRIPTVRE A PERFECT RVLE FOR CHVRCH-GOVERNMENT Delivered in a Sermon at <HI>Margarets We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> before &s;undry of the Hou&s;e of <HI>COMMONS.</HI></P>
<P>By <HI>William Seigwich</HI> Mini&s;ter in <HI>Farnham</HI> in <HI>E&s;&s;ex.</HI></P>
<P>Publi&s;hed according to Order.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Ralph Smith</HI> at the &s;igne of the Bible in <HI>Cornhill</HI> neare the <HI>Exchange.</HI></P>
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<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>SCRIPTVRE A PERFECT RVLE FOR CHVRCH-GOVERNMENT</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>I&s;aiah 9.6.</BIBL>
<P><HI>The Government &s;hall be upon his &s;houlders.</HI></P></Q>
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<P>_THE text is a Propheticall &s;olemnity of the incarnation and inauguration of Chri&s;t, and &s;ets forth his birth and raigne, Chri&s;t in the wombe and on the throne. The &s;econd is expre&s;t very fully, in a &s;tately and lofty &s;tile, apt and fit to the great|ne&s;&s;e of the matter: every word &s;wels with royall and Princely ex|cellencies, &s;o full of evangelicall glory that the Septuagint were a&s;toni&s;hed at the Maje&s;ty of it, and therefore dur&s;t not expre&s;&s;e it, but render it in their tran&s;lation veiled and ob|&s;cured: but Chri&s;t by his comming hath expounded them to us, and we &s;ee them a very excellent, plaine, and full de|&s;cription
<PB N="2" REF="3">of the Kingdome of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;hewing to us.</P>
<P N="1">1. His regall office, to governe; <HI>the government.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. The burthen and weight of this office, it was not <HI>honds,</HI> but <HI>onus,</HI> not a crowne upon the head, but the <HI>government upon his &s;houlders,</HI> the part imployed with bearing heavy and pre&s;&s;ing burthens.</P>
<P N="3">3. His propriety to it, it lay upon <HI>his</HI> &s;houlders alone; he had no helpe from others; he &s;uffered and raignes alone.</P>
<P N="4">4. After this there comes a troope of titles &s;etting forth tho&s;e royall graces which doe adorne &amp; a&s;&s;i&s;t the crowne of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t &s;hewing the nature and kind of this government; it is not an ordinary, vulgar, or a carnall kingdome, but <HI>won|derfull,</HI> my&s;terious: other &s;tates have &s;ome my&s;teries in them, this is a &s;tate of my&s;teries.</P>
<P>The &s;econd &s;hewes how it is a&s;&s;i&s;ted with wi&s;edome and coun&s;ell, the great &s;upport of &s;tates; and that too within him&s;elfe, he needes not goe to others for it, and therefore the more faithfull and &s;afe; he is <HI>the coun&s;ellour.</HI></P>
<P>The third title &s;ets forth his power: he is wi&s;e to pre&s;cribe lawes, and as potent to execute them, able to defend his Lawes and Subjects in their obedience to tho&s;e Lawes; <HI>the mighty God.</HI></P>
<P>The fourth &s;ets forth his love: hee can doe all things, but his love limits him, and &s;ets his wi&s;edome and power on worke: his government is not tyrannicall but paternall, his Subjects are his children, he is <HI>the everla&s;ting Father.</HI></P>
<P>The fifth &s;hewes the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of it: a government &s;o well a&s;&s;i&s;ted and compo&s;ed mu&s;t needes be very peaceable, <HI>the Print of peace.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;ixth &s;hewes the continuance: what is peaceable will continue, warre either open or civill being the ruine of &s;tates; <HI>and of his government &s;hall be no end.</HI></P>
<P>We will take onely the head of all, the &s;ubject of the&s;e ex|cellent properties, <HI>the government.</HI> And concerning it ob&s;erve but the&s;e con&s;iderations by way of explication of the text, and we &s;hall draw up our conclu&s;ion to be in&s;i&s;ted on.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Con&s;idera."> That under this tearme of government is meant all
<PB N="3" REF="3">Chri&s;ts power extending to internalls and externalls. By the fir&s;t he rules internally in the Soules of men by grace and ho|line&s;&s;e. By the &s;econd he rules externally, the outward man together with the inward in his wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>We omit the fir&s;t, although the more excellent and glori|ous, and aime at the &s;econd, as more &s;ea&s;onable, the ex|ternall government. That this is here included as well as the former (be&s;ide the extent of the word, reaching to all in which Chri&s;t exerci&s;es dominion) two acts of his govern|ment expre&s;&s;ed ver&s;. 7. &s;hew.</P>
<P N="1">1. He <HI>orders</HI> it, which is properly a right di&s;po&s;ing of things externally.</P>
<P N="2">2. To e&s;tabli&s;h it with <HI>judgement</HI> and <HI>ju&s;tice,</HI> &amp;c. and an act of ju&s;tice is properly <HI>ad extra:</HI> and therefore though it be not onely under&s;tood, it cannot be excluded, externall go|vernment.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Con&s;idera."> Con&s;ider that the text is evangelicall, and what was here promi&s;ed we mu&s;t expect it to be performed under the Go&s;|pell.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Con&s;idera."> That there is a twofold government. 1. Supreme, Lordly, legi&s;lative, unlimited. 2. Subordinate, inferiour, &s;hut with|in bounds. By government here is meant the fir&s;t, the pow|er of con&s;tituting Lawes, of ordaining and laying a govern|ment: for the &s;econd may be and is in the Church-officers, but the fir&s;t proper to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The&s;e three con&s;iderations laid downe, the conclu&s;ion na|turally flowes from the text.</P>
<P>That Chri&s;t hath left or con&s;tituted an externall govern|ment, or a government in externalls for the Church under the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>Before we come to the proofe of it, two things neede ex|plaining. 1. What the Church is that is the &s;ubject of this government. 2. What this government is, and what is the extent of it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Concerning a Church, the originall, <GAP DESC="foreign">, was u&s;ed to expre&s;&s;e civill A&s;&s;emblies, any Congregation of men met together for a civill u&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 19.32, 39, 40.</NOTE> and is in Scripture taken &s;ometime in a good, &s;ometime in a bad &s;en&s;e. It is u&s;ed in &s;pirituall
<PB N="4" REF="4">things variou&s;ly.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 19 32.39.40.</NOTE> We will not trouble you with the &s;everall acceptions of the word Church in Scripture, but take it in its common and mo&s;t ordinary u&s;e, and that which accords be&s;t with the originall u&s;e of it in the new Te&s;tament, It is a particular or congregationall Church, which is a &s;imilar part of the Catholique, and hath the nature of the whole intire, <HI>viz.</HI> immediate fellow&s;hip with Chri&s;t, and right to all the ordinances.</P>
<P>The Church is vi&s;ible or invi&s;ible; a di&s;tinction not of <HI>genus</HI> into &s;everall <HI>&s;pecies,</HI> but of the &s;ubject into the &s;everall adjuncts; for the &s;ame Church may be and is vi&s;ible and in|vi&s;ible. We are to con&s;ider of the Church onely as vi&s;ible, for &s;o it is the &s;ubject of that government we are to &s;peake of, a vi&s;ible and externall body for an externall policy. It is ordinarily defined thus, to be a company of beleevers joy|ned together in the name of Chri&s;t to enjoy fellow&s;hip with God and each other in all Gods ordinances according to the word.</P>
<P>The matter of this Church mu&s;t be Saints, <HI>faithfull men;</HI> &s;uch whereof Chri&s;t may be the head:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Art. of Church of England 19.</NOTE> they mu&s;t all be mem|bers that make up a body, <HI>(i.)</HI> vi&s;ibly and in appearance. The&s;e materials ca&s;t into a vi&s;ible union knit together in one body: in Go&s;pel-order, whereby they are apt and fit for communi|on with God in holy things: and that in the name of Chri&s;t this is a Church called his <HI>hou&s;e</HI> and <HI>family,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jun. de Eccl.</NOTE> his <HI>City</HI> and <HI>Kingdome</HI> in Scripture.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not need to &s;pend much time in &s;hewing what this Church is. It will conduce much to the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in hand to prove that there is a vi&s;ible politicall Church who&s;e government is di&s;tinct from the invi&s;ible, in&s;tituted by Chri&s;t; And this will appeare,</P>
<P N="1">1. From the word Church, applied to particular con|gregations in many places of Scripture, to the Church of <HI>Corinth, Antioch,</HI> the &s;even Churches in <HI>A&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.24. The Apo&s;tle &s;peakes of a Kingdome to be delivered up to God at the la&s;t: which is not the invi&s;ible Kingdome of grace, for that is perfected in the end, and &s;o to continue for ever; nor the externall Kingdome of the
<PB N="5" REF="4">Jewes, that already is di&s;&s;olved: but this mini&s;teriall and evangelicall di&s;pen&s;ation of ordinances: which agrees with that of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 4.13. Tho&s;e offices and admini|&s;trations mu&s;t &s;tand till we all come in the unity of the faith, &amp;c. For as the comming of Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h aboli&s;hed the Leviticall Church, &s;o the comming of Chri&s;t in glory &s;hall thru&s;t out the evangelicall.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Hebr.</HI> 12.28. <HI>Wherefore we receiving a Kingdome let us have grace, &amp;c.</HI> It cannot be meant of the internall, for that con&s;i&s;ts in grace: the Apo&s;tle argues from this Kingdome to grace, which were ab&s;urd if they were but one. The con&s;e|quence is not good any otherwi&s;e but thus, having a vi&s;ible and glorious Church, let us have grace to enter into it, and to walke worthie of it. And that the externall Church is meant, is apparent from the antithe&s;is that it hath with the Jewi&s;h Church, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 18. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> For nothing is oppo&s;ite to the externall Church under the Law, but an externall under the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P N="4">4. Many places in the Go&s;pel where Chri&s;t &s;peakes of this Kingdome to come can be meant of no other. <HI>Repent, for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 4.11. &amp; 10.7.</NOTE> Chri&s;t intending to &s;et up his government, prepares materials, converts Saints. And <HI>Matth.</HI> 11.11. he compares the mini&s;tery of <HI>John</HI> with the mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel, which he cals a Kingdome. <HI>He that is lea&s;t in the Kingdome, &amp;c. i. e.</HI> He that is the weake&s;t Mini|&s;ter in the Church under the Go&s;pel is greater then <HI>John.</HI> And that Chri&s;t hath in&s;tituted &s;uch a &s;ociety and Kingdome, &s;uch a vi&s;ible Church, rea&s;ons prove it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> If there were not &s;uch a Church, there would be no com|munion of Saints here on earth. That there is &s;uch a com|munion the Scriptures are plentifull, it will be granted: the con&s;equent will appeare, if we con&s;ider what communion is, it is an arct, clo&s;e, orderly, and profitable fellow&s;hip. For as in civill &s;ociety, that politicall vertue that is in a man is not exerci&s;ed toward men in a crowd, for a man may be <HI>&s;o|lus in civitate,</HI> alone in a multitude; to be politicall or in &s;o|ciety, is to be united to families, Cities, Kingdomes. So this &s;pirituall fellow&s;hip is not with Chri&s;tians as Chri&s;tians, nor
<PB N="6" REF="5">many Chri&s;tians within a &s;ame walls, but with Chri&s;tians united together in one body &s;pirituall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.20. P&s;al. 122.3. Ephe&s;. 4.16.</NOTE> and that rightly com|pacted and fitly joyned together, Mini&s;ter and people, &amp;c. &s;uch as are to exerci&s;e offices, and to admini&s;ter to each other. Now the rea&s;on why God would have &s;uch a fellow&s;hip is,</P>
<P N="1">1. For him&s;elfe, that he might enjoy the perfection of mankind, which is men in &s;ociety: politicall is a &s;tep above rea&s;onable. By this his &s;ervice is more rich and glori|ous, having the grace and &s;trength of many in one. <HI>That we may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God.</HI> It is a goodly and beautifull &s;ervice that is thus pre&s;ented to God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15.16.</NOTE> and is ve|ry acceptable, as that P&s;alme is interpreted, <HI>How good a thing it is for brethren to live together, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. For us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 133.</NOTE> there is as great nece&s;&s;ity of communion in di|vine as civill things. Fir&s;t, in re&s;pect of our weakne&s;&s;e. <HI>It is not good for man to be alone,</HI> was Gods judgement of man in innocency; and now man cannot be good alone. When we are as &s;cattered Sheep the Lions will devoure us: while we are as eares of corne growing alone,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 50.17.</NOTE> we &s;hall be carried away with every wind of Doctrine: again&s;t which to&s;sings this is a remedy.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4.14.</NOTE> Church-fellow&s;hip having a Kingdome of &s;inne and darkne&s;&s;e to fight with, we need the power of a Kingdome to re&s;i&s;t them. Secondly, in re&s;pect of our graces. God that gives us grace, gives us it <HI>to profit with.</HI> A man can|not be happy alone,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.7.</NOTE> nor good alone: grace will fade and wi|ther if it want objects to worke upon, and is never &s;o glori|ous as in propagation. God that hath given us grace, hath given it for others as to our &s;elves; as a faculty in a member is for the whole body: the eye &s;ees for all, the eare heares for all, &amp;c. And therefore there is a nece&s;sity of communi|on, and &s;o nece&s;&s;ary there &s;hould be a Church.</P>
<P>There mu&s;t be a Church that there may be ordinances. For clearing this, con&s;ider but the&s;e two things. 1. That a Church is a chiefe ordinance; 2. That the Church &s;anctifies and upholds all other ordinances.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that it is the chiefe ordinance. It is Gods Temple under the Go&s;pel,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.5. Heb. 3.6.</NOTE> called his building, and hou&s;e, therefore the greate&s;t.</P>
<P N="1">1. Compare it with the Temple under the Law in who&s;e
<PB N="7" REF="5">place it comes, and under which this is prophecyed of famili|arly in the Prophets: that was the greate&s;t under the Law, &s;o this under the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P N="2">2. Compare it with the &s;ub&s;tance, Chri&s;ts body, which is the Temple of all wor&s;hip. <HI>De&s;troy this Temple. In whom the God-head dwels bodily.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh 2.19. Col 2.9.</NOTE> That which &s;erves to &s;o high a u&s;e as to repre&s;ent Chri&s;t, and in the maine worke of Chri&s;t to bring us into the pre&s;ence of God, mu&s;t needes be the greate&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. It is fulle&s;t of Chri&s;t, many beleevers &s;hining with the graces of Gods Spirit, each having &s;ome of the divine nature, all united in one body. It &s;ets forth the glory of God, and in them Chri&s;t is compleate; &s;o full of Chri&s;t that it obtaines the name of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="4">4. Other Ordinances were made for the Church, not the Church for them: <HI>Man was one made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for Man;</HI> &s;o other ordinances for the Church. There|fore as under the Law the Temple was greater then the gold of the Temple, &s;o the Church is greater then the Ordi|nances of the Church.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.12.</NOTE></P>
<P>Secondly, other Ordinances &s;ub&s;i&s;t not but in the Church. The mini&s;tery of the word; a &s;teward is not a &s;teward but to a hou&s;e, a Pa&s;tor is not a Pa&s;tor but to a flocke. <HI>How can a man Preach except he be &s;ent? Rom.</HI> 10.14, 15. and a true mi&s;|&s;ion doth require an externall call. Di&s;cipline is not exer|ci&s;ed but in the Church;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 5.12.</NOTE> <HI>What have I to doe judge them that are without?</HI> The Churches cen&s;ures reach not till they be within the Church, the keyes are nothing without a King|dome. All the Ordinances and Sacraments, they are not due to Chri&s;tians as Chri&s;tians, nor as members of the Ca|tholike, but to Chri&s;tians in &s;ociety, in relation, mini&s;ters and People: therefore there is and mu&s;t be an externall and vi&s;ible Church di&s;tinct from the internall. And hence it is that there are di&s;tinct callings to the internall and exter|nall Church. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.2. He writes there <GAP DESC="foreign">, which is a company called out; and afterward <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>called to bee Saints,</HI> a calling <HI>&s;eperatim,</HI> and a calling <HI>conjunctim,</HI> as <HI>Junius,</HI> and <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9. <HI>called to the fellow&s;hip of the Saints.</HI> Ex|po&s;itors ob&s;erve a double calling from the words. One to
<PB N="8" REF="6">be members of Chri&s;t and of the invi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ble Church; and ano|ther of a particular Church: to beleeve, and to be added to the Church. So that as a man is con&s;idered as <GAP DESC="foreign">, and as <GAP DESC="foreign">, as <HI>rea&s;onable,</HI> and as <HI>politicall;</HI> &s;o a Chri&s;tian may be con&s;idered as a Chri&s;tian or member of Chri&s;t, and as a member of a vi&s;ible Church. We have, beene large in this, being a &s;peciall meanes to cleare the whole truth: and the ig|norance of this cau&s;eth much mi&s;take in the world about Church-matters.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be explained is the government of this Church. Being a Kingdome, or City, or Family, it mu&s;t have a policy; being not a worldly but a &s;pirituall Kingdome, it mu&s;t have a &s;pirituall policy; and being a vi|&s;ible Kingdome, it mu&s;t have a vi&s;ible policy: &s;uch as the bo|dy is, &s;uch mu&s;t be the government of it. To &s;hew what this is,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> For the name, the Apo&s;tle helps us to a very apt one, <GAP DESC="foreign">,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;: 2 14.</NOTE> <HI>the policy of I&s;rael:</HI> and what that is the Philo&s;o|pher tels us, <GAP DESC="foreign">, it is <HI>order,</HI> the word u&s;ed here, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 7. and <HI>Col.</HI> 2.5. their <HI>faith</HI> and <HI>order.</HI> So that by government we under&s;tand, that order left by Chri&s;t to the Church for the admini&s;tring of Church affaires or holy things.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> For the extent of it, we take it in the large&s;t &s;en&s;e; not onely for that part of government called commonly di&s;ci|pline, or juri&s;diction, or the power of one over another, &amp;c. but more largely, for the whole ordering of the Church in all Church-affaires. All are reduced to the&s;e two heads.</P>
<P N="1">1. The order of the parts of the body,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.14.</NOTE> called the <HI>tempering of the body,</HI> a right di&s;po&s;ition of the parts every one in their place; Pa&s;tors, and Elders, and Deaeons, every one in their ranks.</P>
<P N="2">2. The order of the admini&s;trations and &s;ervices of the&s;e parts to God and to each other, as Prayer, Word, Sacra|ments, Di&s;cipline, and all the holy things of God. And that we take in the large&s;t &s;en&s;e too, including the matter and manner; for both come within this policy: Chri&s;t com|mands the things them&s;elves, and the rites and ceremonies belonging to them. For,</P>
<PB N="9" REF="6">
<P N="1">1. Chri&s;t would not ordaine ordinanecs, and leave, them confu&s;ed, imperfect, and halfe compo&s;ed, and &s;ubject them to humane skill to receive their forme and beauty.</P>
<P N="2">2. All things that God made in the world were perfect, and every creature brought its &s;hape into the world with ac|cidents &s;utable to its being; and &s;ure God would not leave his holy ordinances and this &s;econd and more glorious world of the Church imperfect.</P>
<P N="3">3. If man were to pre&s;cribe the manner man had (<HI>i.e.</HI> to command that we &s;hould injoy them in their manner or not at all) a negative voice, which is a greater power then God ever left man in his owne ordinances to admit and refu&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. Chri&s;t hath left rules for them; not onely for Preaching, but by whom, and to whom; &s;o in Bapti&s;me and the Sup|per, how they &s;hould be admini&s;tred and to whom, onely admit of this di&s;tinction. Some things, viz. &s;uch as are religious, and immediately and particularly belong to the na|ture of the things them&s;elves, are peculiarly commanded: &s;uch as are more remote, as naturall and civill things, are on|ly in generall rules pre&s;cribed. How the&s;e are di&s;tingui&s;hed, we &s;hall &s;ee hereafter.</P>
<P>For the extent of this government we &s;hall lay the&s;e two grounds.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, for all internals, Chri&s;t hath laid downe &s;ome inter|nals, both per&s;ons and things. As</P>
<P N="1">1. For matters of Doctrine, and faith, and inward &s;an|ctification, there are Word, Sacraments, and Pa&s;tors and Teachers to admini&s;ter them.</P>
<P N="2">2. For matters of conver&s;ation, there is watching, admo|nition, &amp;c. for which there are Elders to joyne with the former, as <HI>helps of government.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. For matters of charity, there is collecting and di&s;tribu|ting of Almes, and for that are Deacons appointed. For the&s;e externalls are as the barke of a tree, or as a vaine in which the bloud runnes, in the&s;e the inward life of grace is conveyed, and to the&s;e three heads are they by Authors reduced.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, that Chri&s;t hath laid downe all externals that are for the good of the Church. That's the property of a
<PB N="10" REF="7">good Law, to containe all and leave nothing to the Judge but the interpreting of &s;uch Lawes and the executing of them. Chri&s;t the King of his Church hath made as many Canons as need: all that is left for the Church is to execute the&s;e rules, and in ca&s;es of doubt or difficulty to draw out the rule to particular occa&s;ions. Or, to conclude this point, the go|vernment laid downe by Chri&s;t, is <HI>ordinances of divine &s;ervice,</HI> or a liturgy, a compleat way of &s;erving the Lord in all his ordinances, &s;o called, <HI>Hebr.</HI> 9.1.</P>
<P>Having explained the&s;e two maine termes, we proceed to prove the point. The point will be &s;ufficiently proved in de|mon&s;trating the&s;e five propo&s;itions.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That it is nece&s;&s;ary there &s;hould be a government of &s;uch an extent, with all the rites and ceremonies belonging unto it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That it is nece&s;&s;ary that Chri&s;t him&s;elfe &s;hould pre|&s;cribe it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That Chri&s;t hath actually done it, and that &s;ufficiently.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That this government &s;o commanded is perpetuall.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. That neither the Church, nor any other hath power to alter any part of it, or to adde any thing to it.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Propo&s;."> Fir&s;t, It is nece&s;&s;ary there &s;hould be &s;uch a government, &s;hewing the per&s;ons, admini&s;trations, with the rites and ce|remonies belonging to them.</P>
<P N="1">1. Nece&s;&s;ary by the Law of nature to the Go&s;pel as a Re|ligion: for there never was a Religion without &s;uch. The Aegyptians, Romans, Turks, had their Prie&s;ts, Temples, Rites belonging to them, and &s;hall Chri&s;t be defective in that which even nature requires? Nature requires &s;ome, Chri&s;t pre&s;cribes what.</P>
<P N="2">2. Nece&s;&s;ary by the naturall Law, by the &s;econd Com|mand. The affirmative part of a command is of the &s;ame na|ture with the negative, the negative denies externall devi&s;ed manners of wor&s;hip, therefore the affirmative requires a form of Gods devi&s;ing. The Jewi&s;h ceremonies did append to the &s;econd Command. With out a pre&s;cribed forme the Law is imperfect, therefore there mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily come a Law of &s;er|vice in the place of that which is aboli&s;hed, to &s;upply the
<PB N="11" REF="7">roome of it: for till that be added, a rule of externall wor|&s;hip, the command binds in affirmatives but potentially, <HI>viz.</HI> to wor&s;hip God in his owne way when he &s;hould pre&s;cribe it.</P>
<P N="3">3. Nece&s;&s;ary to our natures con&s;i&s;ting of &s;oule and body, both created by God and redeemed by him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> therefore God mu&s;t be wor&s;hipped by both.</P>
<P N="4">4. Nece&s;&s;ary to t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2+ letters"> Church as a Kingdome or City, for policy is <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>the life of a City:</HI> and without a Law for officers, and duties and bounds and limits for them, it is anan|archy, not a policy. Chri&s;t &s;hould leave a mi&s;erable City with|out a policy.</P>
<P N="5">5. Nece&s;&s;ary to the Church as vi&s;ible and externall: for being vi&s;ible, it mu&s;t have &s;omething vi&s;ible to knit it to the head, Chri&s;t. For as the invi&s;ible is knit to Chri&s;t by faith, &s;o is the externall united to Chri&s;t by the&s;e externall things: neither is there any meanes, any ligaments to ty the body to the head, or the members to each other externally, but the&s;e pre&s;cribed by Chri&s;t. The Apo&s;tle, <HI>Colo&s;.</HI> 2. being to deale upon this &s;ubject again&s;t humane impo&s;itions and will-wor&s;hip, he brings his maine argument from Chri&s;t and our union to him; which were no argument if the&s;e did not knit us to Chri&s;t, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 7. <HI>we are rooted</HI> and built on him. By the&s;e we are knit, as the tree to the root, not onely by the body, but by the barke. And <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 19. they that &s;et up any o|ther wor&s;hip or order then that which Chri&s;t pre&s;cribes, they <HI>hold not the head,</HI> they quit Chri&s;t; which &s;ets a high price upon the&s;e things, and makes them nece&s;&s;ary. By them the Church doth immediately clo&s;e with Chri&s;t, and in them the fulne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t is &s;eene, and the life of Chri&s;t convey|ed, and therefore nece&s;&s;ary as nerves and &s;inews to the body.</P>
<P N="6">6. It is a nece&s;&s;ary part of the Go&s;pel: by the Apo&s;tle ac|counted a principle, and a fundamentall one, <HI>Hebr.</HI> 6.2. &s;et|ting downe the principles, he counts this as one, <HI>laying on of hands,</HI> which is a part of this externall policy, a ceremo|ny belonging to ordination; and if a part be fundamentall, then the whole is. I am not ignorant, that &s;ome interpreters carry this another way, <HI>viz.</HI> for confirmation: but there is little rea&s;on for it.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="8">
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e confirmation is not commanded in any one Scripture but this, and therefore not likely to be a principle in Religion that hath footing but in one text.</P>
<P N="2">2. Confirmation hath nothing fundamentally di&s;tinct from bapti&s;me being but to confirme the &s;ame, and not to adde any thing new.</P>
<P>Some e&s;teeme it exegeticall, as an <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">po&s;ition of bapti&s;me going before: but that were not agreeable to the Apo&s;tles intent, being to &s;et downe a briefe epitome of the principles of Religion. Yea <HI>laying on of hands,</HI> is more darke then <HI>bap|ti&s;me,</HI> and therefore cannot be an expo&s;ition of it. There|fore it is meant of that laying on of hands in 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.14. and 5.22. &amp;c. a part of ordination. So not onely the Sacra|ments, but mini&s;tery, calling, ordaining with the ceremonies of them are fundamentals of the Go&s;pel. Doe not mi&s;take mee, I count them not ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to &s;alvati|on; For, <HI>he that beleeveth &s;hall be &s;aved.</HI> Nor are they all ne|ce&s;&s;ary to the being of a Church; a Church may &s;ub&s;i&s;t with|out part of them; a Church gathering and beginning, or a Church in per&s;ecution, or a Church corrupted and lame, and declining, may be a true Church without &s;ome of them: but nece&s;&s;ary they are <HI>nece&s;&s;itaee praecepti,</HI> as a rule for every Church to walke by, and to the <HI>bene e&s;&s;e</HI> of a Church. They are nece&s;&s;ary with the &s;ame nece&s;&s;ity as the Leviticall rites were to the Jewes, they were bound to performe them, and incomplete in the want of them: but when they were in <HI>Ba|bylon</HI> and deprived of them, or through negligence had lo&s;t them, yet then they were a Church: So is it in the&s;e things under the Go&s;pel. But being nece&s;&s;ary &s;o many wayes, ei|ther Chri&s;t hath left them for his Church, or el&s;e he hath not left all things nece&s;&s;ary.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Propo&s;."> It is nece&s;&s;ary they &s;hould be laid downe by Chri&s;t, none el&s;e can be the author of them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Becau&s;e he is the onely Lord of his Church, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.5, 6. <HI>Many mini&s;trations, but one Lord.</HI> The onely husband of the Church, and Law-giver, the onely captaine, head, King; and therefore the Church ought, not to &s;ubject hen &s;elfe to any but Chri&s;t:<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 33.22. Jam. 4.12.</NOTE> &s;he is his Spou&s;e, and &s;o not <GAP DESC="foreign">, not to be
<PB N="13" REF="8">her owne rule, nor may any other lord it over her.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Chri&s;t onely gives the being to the Church,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jun. de Eccl.</NOTE> the being of the Church is relative, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>two or three gathered together in the name of Chri&s;t,</HI> and therefore from him onely can come the operations of that being: all the actions flow from the form, <HI>Quod dat e&s;&s;e dat operari:</HI> and therefore the e&s;&s;ence of the Church being divine, all that the Church doth as a Church mu&s;t be divine. <HI>In relatione hac magnified omnia divina,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jun.</HI> in P&s;al. 122.</NOTE> In this divine relation all things are divine. And the &s;ame Au|thor, <HI>Quicquid tangit, audit, &amp;c.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Id. ibid.</NOTE> What&s;oever the Church touches, heares, &s;ees, enjoyes, ought to be divine.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> The things them&s;elves are &s;uch as none but Chri&s;t can be the Author of them. The Apo&s;tle gives a right character of wor&s;hip, <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.1, 2. That it is meant of &s;ervice or wor|&s;hip, the la&s;t word of the fir&s;t ver&s;e &s;hewes. That it is exter|nall, we &s;ee in the &s;equell of the chapter:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tle is upon Church-officers, and their manners of admini&s;tration. In the ver&s;e there is <HI>&s;acrificing,</HI> an externall rite, and that of the <HI>body.</HI> So that it mu&s;t be under&s;tood of externall wor&s;hip, that can|not be excluded. Of this he required it &s;hould bee,</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Living;</HI> being to &s;erve the living God, it mu&s;t not be dead &s;ervice, there mu&s;t be nothing dead in it. And therefore of Chri&s;t, for no man can give naturall life, much le&s;&s;e &s;piri|tuall. It is the word that quickens. Man may &s;hape a &s;ervice, but he cannot give life unto it, it will be vaine and dead.</P>
<P N="2">2. It mu&s;t be <HI>holy;</HI> now nothing that is holy can come from man that is uncleane; none but Chri&s;t can ordaine holy things: the things in them&s;elves mu&s;t bee holy, what&s;oever infirmity be in the doing them. He that erres in the weake performing them, erres in the doing of his duty; but he that invents &s;ome of his owne, erres more then he needs; what we invent we mu&s;t ju&s;tifie; Chri&s;t will warrant no more then he commands, what his wi&s;dome commands, his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hall make good. Therefore the Pope to make good his authority in enjoyning Church-matters, claimes an unerring faculty, and &s;o he had need.</P>
<P N="3">3. It mu&s;t be <HI>acceptable to God,</HI> and therefore according to his owne minde, as in the &s;econd ver&s;e: now who knowes
<PB N="14" REF="9">the minde of the Father, but the Sonne? or what doe we know of God more then is written? Therefore Chri&s;t one|ly is able to pre&s;cribe &s;uch &s;ervice as God would have, living, holy, acceptable, and con&s;equently able onely to pre&s;cribe a policy in his Church. And &s;ure he did what belonged to him to doe.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Propo&s;."> Chri&s;t hath actually done it.</P>
<P>You will &s;ay, here is the great worke, prove this and we have done. We might prove it undeniably by producing the particulars, and &s;et them up before you: And if I &s;hould, you would &s;ay as the Jewes &s;aid of Chri&s;t, <HI>He hath done all things well,</HI> he hath well provided for the government of the Church, and that it is &s;o perfect, it needes no addi|tion. But that were a taske neither befitting the time, nor my weakne&s;&s;e. I &s;hall labour according to my power to prove there is one; and then I hope you in who&s;e hands the worke lyes, will employ more able men to finde it out. It will be &s;o full and &s;atisfactory, that no man will finde a place to adde any thing to it, and therefore the be&s;t confutation of humane policy. The Epi&s;tle to the Hebrewes being well &s;earched will afford aboundant proofes, it being the maine bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the Epi&s;tle to per&s;wade them to leave the Jewi&s;h Ordinances, and to accept the Ordinances of the Go&s;pell that came in the place of them: note this through that E|pi&s;tle. The government of the Go&s;pell is &s;aid to be a <HI>better Te&s;tament,</HI> and a <HI>more perfect Covenant.</HI> It is not meant of the internall, for that is the &s;ame, Chri&s;t ye&s;terday, to day, and for ever; but of the externalls that were brought in new, they are &s;aid to be better.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In their u&s;e, they pre&s;ent Chri&s;t to the Soule more live|ly and clearely, more feelingly and &s;piritually, more fully and abundantly.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In their end, they end in heaven, the comming of Chri&s;t to glory; whereas they of the Law had their period in the grave of Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. In them&s;elves, this is a more perfect Te&s;timony; the rites being fewer, the que&s;tions and controver&s;ies are not &s;o many as did ari&s;e concerning the legall ceremonies.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB N="15" REF="9">
<P>Fir&s;t, A Plaine place it <HI>Heb.</HI> 7.12. <HI>There being a change of the Prie&s;t-hood, there is nece&s;&s;arily a change of the Law.</HI> The Ba|&s;is of that text is this, that a Prie&s;t-hood and Law are in&s;epa|rable, and indi&s;&s;olubly united.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cornel. a Lap. in loc.</NOTE> Every Prie&s;t-hood mu&s;t have precepts, promi&s;es, puni&s;hments and ceremonies annex-to it; It mu&s;t be &s;o or el&s;e the&s;e holy things whereof he is a Prie&s;t, mu&s;t needes &s;uffer prophanation. That which he infers is this; the old Prie&s;thood is aboli&s;hed, and we have a new, to wit, Chri&s;t the High Prie&s;t, and Servants under him: (we confe&s;&s;e there is not under the Go&s;pell an expiatory Prie&s;t, or a Prie&s;t of interce&s;&s;ion, but Chri&s;t, but an Eucha|ri&s;ticall and of oblation, which is nothing but a Steward or Mini&s;ter of holy things.) Having a new Prie&s;t-hood we mu&s;t have a new law, the old Law will not &s;erve a new Order, we mu&s;t have a new one, and &s;uch a new one as was the old: that aboli&s;hed contained Ordinances, Sacraments, Rites, &s;o mu&s;t the new. The &s;umme is this, the Apo&s;tle would prove, that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron</HI> are met together in one Chri&s;t; for he is not onely a Prie&s;t as <HI>Aaron,</HI> but a Law-giver as <HI>Mo|&s;es,</HI> he did both their workes; a <HI>High-prie&s;t</HI> to &s;ucceed <HI>Aaron,</HI> and an <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> to &s;ucceed <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> as <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.1. they are joy|ned together: hee is <HI>Aaron</HI> in &s;acrificing, and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in pre|&s;cribing Lawes for holy admini&s;tration.</P>
<P>Secondly, There is a plaine place, <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.2, 3, &amp;c. common|ly urged to this purpo&s;e, where the Apo&s;tle compares the faithfulne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t and <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI> To inforce it, con&s;ider,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That their faithfulne&s;&s;e was both in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">conomy or homhold government, one as a Servant, the other as an owner, and this cannot be without externall policy.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Their faithfulne&s;&s;e is compared in tho&s;e things where|in they differ, and &s;o it is more effectuall. Chri&s;t was not faithfull onely in laying downe that which <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did, <HI>viz.</HI> doctrine and internalls, but <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was faithfull in &s;etting downe his legall &s;ervice, Chri&s;t in &s;etting downe his evange|licall &s;ervice.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> Some object, that there was no government committed to Chri&s;t as the patterne of the Arke was to <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> It was committed to him here in the text in generall, al|though
<PB N="16" REF="10">not in the particulars of it, God laid the government upon his &s;houlder, that he might appoint one in his Church. And in this text (<HI>Heb.</HI> 3.2.) by commi&s;&s;ion and de&s;ignati|on of the Father: He was faithfull to him that appointed him: and by nature, ver&s;. 6. he is the owner, the Father of the family, and therefore the government of the family is naturally in him: naturally government is &s;eated in the Fa|ther, and &s;o in Chri&s;t: Chri&s;t &s;ayes he delivered <HI>what be had heard and &s;eene,</HI> and what <HI>he had received of the Father.</HI> Therefore could not Chri&s;t bee as faithfull as <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> if he had not pre&s;cribed and laid downe a government for his Church.</P>
<P N="3">3. If we have &s;o many externalls as doe make an Image of Chri&s;t, and repre&s;ent Chri&s;t to the Soule, we have a &s;uffi|cient platforme in Scripture, but we have &s;uch an Image. <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.1. <HI>For the Law being a &s;hadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things.</HI> There are three things &s;poken of.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> 1. The <HI>good things</HI> them&s;elves, the truth, the &s;ub&s;tance, which is Chri&s;t and tho&s;e mercies that flow from him.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> 2. There is <HI>a parte ante, a &s;hadow,</HI> or a rude inperfect picture, &s;uch as painters draw with a coale. And 3. <HI>&agrave; parte po&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>an Image,</HI> a more lively and compleate repre&s;entation of them: which Image is in externalls, (for internalls are part of <HI>the good things</HI>) and it is compo&s;ed of the whole po|licy of the Church, all the admini&s;trations thereof. As the <HI>&s;hadow</HI> included all under the Law, &s;o the <HI>Image</HI> all under the Go&s;pell, Word, Sacraments, and Ceremonies annexed to them. The Apo&s;tle expre&s;&s;eth the mini&s;tration externall under the Go&s;pell in this manner, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.12. Having &s;poken of the Church and all her gifts and operations, he &s;aith, Wee &s;ee Chri&s;t <HI>as in a gla&s;&s;e, i. e.</HI> they doe repre&s;ent the image of Chri&s;t. So 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.18. &s;peaking in the former part of the Chapter of the mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pell, u&s;es the &s;ame expre&s;&s;ion. And the&s;e externalls being an image, they mu&s;t belong and appertaine to the &s;econd Commandement, and are a part of it. Give me leave for the clearing this truth, and the vindicating the &s;econd command, to digre&s;&s;e a little. We &s;hall find in Interpreters that there are two things for|bidden
<PB N="17" REF="10">under the name of an Image in the &s;econd Command. Fir&s;t, that great Idolatry then in u&s;e among the Gen|tiles, wor&s;hipping of an Image. And &s;econdly, all feigned and devi&s;ed wayes of wor&s;hip: as in other commands, viz. The &s;eventh forbids adultery and all wantonne&s;&s;e, la&s;civiou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. and things conducing thereunto. And as two things forbidden, &s;o two things commanded.</P>
<P>Fir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">t, The fir&s;t is Chri&s;t, the &s;umme of that command: it is <HI>Zanchies</HI> opinion, and there is good rea&s;on for it.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Becau&s;e he is the true and expre&s;&s;e Image of the Father, <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">b.</HI> 1.3. <HI>Col.</HI> 1.15.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. He is the onely <HI>medium</HI> of wor&s;hip. In him the Father is found. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.18. Phil. 2.10.</NOTE> and in him &s;hall every knee bow; <HI>i. e.</HI> all wor&s;hip mu&s;t be done by Chri&s;t and in his name, to the Father by men and An|gells.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Becau&s;e of that diametricall oppo&s;ition that is in Scrip|ture betwixt Chri&s;t and all fal&s;e wor&s;hip,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1.6. Col. 2.8.</NOTE> often in the old and new Te&s;tament.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. From the &s;trong fence &s;et about this command; Gods jealou&s;ie, his greate&s;t, hotte&s;t, and mo&s;t implacable rage: God will propagate his wrath to the third and fourth gene|ration, count them haters of him that break it, and e&s;teeme them to love him that keepe it, and binds him&s;elfe to thou|&s;ands that ob&s;erve it. God doth not u&s;e to lay &s;uch words upon matters of &s;mall moment: there is &s;omething more in it then ordinary, and what can that be but Chri&s;t?</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Secondly, but there is a &s;econd Image commanded, and that is that externall wor&s;hip pre&s;cribed by Chri&s;t. As the way pre&s;cribed by Antichri&s;t is called <HI>the Image of the bea&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 13.14, 15</NOTE> &s;o the way pre&s;cribed by Chri&s;t is his Image, which is that we have &s;poken of; and is meant in this, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.1. So that having an Image, &s;uch externalls as doe repre&s;ent Chri&s;t fully, we neede no more, but &s;uch an Image we have.</P>
<P>A fourth proofe is in <HI>Act.</HI> 1.3. &s;peaking of tho&s;e forty dayes after the re&s;urrection of our Saviour, he &s;aith, in them he taught them <HI>all things belonging to the Kingdome of God.</HI> To parallel this with the forty dayes that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was in the
<PB N="18" REF="11">mount with God would little helpe us, (you may thinke) we neede it not. That by the Kingdome of God is here meant that vi&s;ible Kingdome that we have &s;poken of, is apparent.</P>
<P N="1">1. From con&s;ent of other Scriptures, wherein we &s;hall finde that Chri&s;ts great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e after his re&s;urrection was ordaining of Mini&s;ters,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth 28.18. Ma k. 16.</NOTE> di&s;patching their commi&s;&s;ions, pre|&s;cribing them rules for that purpo&s;e.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e the Apo&s;tle treating of things of this nature, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14.37. challenges this honour to his rules that they were <HI>Commandements of the Lord:</HI> how did the Lord command them? not by writing extant in the old or new Te&s;tament, nor by ordinary revelation or in&s;piration; for in another ca&s;e in that Epi&s;tle, giving rules for married E&s;tates, and re&s;olving &s;ome doubts &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Cor. 7 12.</NOTE> <HI>This &s;peake I, not the Lord, i. e.</HI> not the Lord in any part of the word then written, but I, not as a private per&s;on, but as in&s;pired by the Holy Gho&s;t. There|fore calling them the Commandements of the Lord, he mu&s;t need meane tho&s;e orders left by Chri&s;ts mouth to the A|po&s;tles for the ordering of the Church, and which by them were to be derived to the Church.</P>
<P N="3">3. That which helpes to confirme this, is, that Chri&s;t did but rarely touch upon this point of his government in his life, but taught matters of faith and holine&s;&s;e of life. The rea&s;ons were,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. He was but <HI>a Mini&s;ter of the circumci&s;ion,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15 8.</NOTE> and therefore would not pre&s;cribe Lawes as a King.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The old government was not aboli&s;hed: and to teach a new before the old was di&s;placed would have cau&s;ed a con|fu&s;ion and rent in the Church: he tooke away the old, that he might &s;et up the new.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.9.</NOTE></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The people were not fit for this new government: hee would not put this new wine into old bottles; he therefore prepares them by the doctrine of repentance for it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. His Kingdome was to be laid in bloud: he mu&s;t fir&s;t triumph on the Cro&s;&s;e, and then on the Throne, and there|fore he &s;pake Prophetically of his government, of his king|dome to come.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 28.8.</NOTE> After his re&s;urrection he &s;aith, <HI>All power is committed to me in heaven and earth; now goe teach all Nations;</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="11">therefore he left this part of his doctrine, till this &s;ea&s;on af|ter his re&s;urrection.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><MILESTONE N="5"> There is a fifth proofe, <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.1. That he &s;peakes of out|ward wor&s;hip hath beene proved already: concerning this he requires it &s;hould be <GAP DESC="foreign">, both words prove a forme pre&s;cribed in the word.</P>
<P N="1">1. It mu&s;t be <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&s;ervice,</HI> and therefore commanded; for there can be no other rea&s;on given of &s;ervice to God but his commanding of it. <HI>Obedience is better then Sacrified.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 15.</NOTE> Obe|dience makes Sacrifice acceptable, and when Sacrifice is with|out obedience, God di&s;claimes it; <HI>Sacrifice thou woulde&s;t not.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40.</NOTE> Nor can there be imagined a rea&s;on why God &s;hould favour any &s;ervice, but becau&s;e God commands us to bring it him; there being no rea&s;on why God &s;hould require &s;ervice, but that we might &s;hew our obedience. Not becau&s;e he needs them; <HI>rivers of oyle,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mic. 6.7, 8</NOTE> <HI>the bea&s;ts of a thou&s;and mountaines are no|thing to him.</HI> Nor becau&s;e they are beautifull; there is nothing beautifull but him&s;elfe, and that which comes from him; God is not taken with glory. Nor becau&s;e it is chargeable to thee: if it be thy body to be burnt, he cares not, if it be not commanded: wor&s;hip not required is no wor&s;hip.</P>
<P N="2">2. This &s;ervice mu&s;t be <GAP DESC="foreign">, it is tran&s;lated, <HI>rea&s;onable;</HI> this tran&s;lation will helpe us &s;ufficiently; for what can be rea&s;onable in &s;pirituall things but <HI>mens Chri&s;ti,</HI> that is <HI>vera ratio,</HI> the rule of rea&s;on: neither may we thinke any thing rea&s;onable in divinity, but that which is according to the principles of divinity, Chri&s;ts mind. But we may well wave that interpretation. <GAP DESC="foreign"> is properly, <HI>word-&s;ervice,</HI> or a <HI>&s;ervice agreeable to the word,</HI> from <GAP DESC="foreign">. And &s;o the &s;ame word is u&s;ed, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.2. <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>the milke of the word,</HI> and therefore why not here, <HI>the &s;ervice that is agreeable to the word?</HI> and Chri&s;t may not require word-&s;ervice, if the word be not a rule.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6"> We might argue from the &s;ufficiency of the word; It teacheth us <HI>every good way,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Salomon.</HI> It will <HI>make the man of God perfect for every good worke.</HI> And this is a good work, the chiefe&s;t worke of all, to have fellow&s;hip with God in his ordinances. The Scriptures in&s;truct us (as they did <HI>Timothy</HI>)
<PB N="18" REF="12">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="19" REF="12">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="20" REF="13"><HI>how to behave our &s;elves in the hou&s;e of God.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3.16.</NOTE> If <HI>Timothies</HI> religi|on will &s;erve us, he had no other Canon; what need we?</P>
<P>All confe&s;&s;e that Chri&s;t in&s;tituted part of this government, and why not all of it; being of the &s;ame nature? What he did he did perfectly: and the Church did retaine all, till car|nall ea&s;e, pride, and ambition wrought this &s;trange metamor|pho&s;is.</P>
<P>neither is that to be de&s;pi&s;ed, <HI>Acts</HI> 20.20. The Apo&s;tle &s;aith, He <HI>kept backe nothing that was profitable.</HI> If there had needed any more, he would not have &s;uppre&s;&s;ed it. And <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 27. <HI>he declared the whole coun&s;ell of God.</HI></P>
<P>When we &s;ay, Chri&s;t hath left his government for us in the Scriptures, we meane the whole Scripture, commands, and examples; for both are binding rules to us. 2. It is in Scripture either in plaine words, or el&s;e in good and &s;uffici-con&s;equence: either actually, and in the letter, or el&s;e poten|tially, and by cleare and good deduction: Although it be not laid downe in one continued methodicall di&s;cour&s;e, but &s;cattered in &s;mall peeces here and there in Scripture: and al|though not obvious to a &s;light and &s;uperficiall view of the letter, but lies deeply and clo&s;ely couched: yet it will doubt|le&s;&s;e be found by tho&s;e who&s;e faithfull labours God &s;hall a&s;|&s;i&s;t in the &s;earch of it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Propo&s;."> Our next propo&s;ition is: <HI>This government is perpetuall.</HI> We might take all Chri&s;ts in&s;titutions for perpetuall, and not &s;eeke a particular rea&s;on to entaile them upon the Church: but there being a contrary opinion, we &s;hall meete it with three or foure arguments.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. From 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.24. a place formerly quoted, and pro|ved to be meant of the externall Kingdome which Chri&s;t will render up to his Father. If the Kingdome &s;tand, the po|licy will &s;tand too.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.27. It is called a Kingdome that cannot be &s;haken. Chri&s;t hath &s;et it upon &s;uch firme pillars as never to be removed, till he come him&s;elfe to pull it downe by erect|ing a full Kingdome of glory.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.12. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Tho&s;e officers are to continue till we all come in the unity of the faith, &amp;c. That which the Apo|&s;tle
<PB N="21" REF="13">&s;aid of the Sacrament of the Supper, is true of all the re&s;t, It is to keep <HI>in remembrance his death till he come.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Be&s;ide Scripture there is rea&s;on for it.</P>
<P>It is a <HI>Law,</HI> a <HI>Commandement,</HI> called &s;o in many places: the word doth perpetuate it. See 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.14. becau&s;e a Com|mandement, therefore to be kept till the appearing of Je|&s;us Chri&s;t. What is made a Law, no authority can pull it downe but that which &s;ets it up. Therefore the Apo&s;tle backs the command with Chri&s;ts regall power, <HI>Who is the onely Potentate, King of Kings, &amp;c.</HI> a &s;ufficient rea&s;on to prove his Lawes unalterable, becau&s;e made by the &s;upreame and highe&s;t power: and therefore they are to &s;tand till a greater then Chri&s;t come.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> This government was univer&s;all in re&s;pect of places, and why not in re&s;pect of times? In all Churches thus I ordaine,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor 4.17. &amp; 7.17.</NOTE> thus I teach. If the di&s;po&s;ition of the &s;ubject had required a different rule, the Apo&s;tle was very barren to ty all up to one: or the Church of <HI>Corinth</HI> abounding with variety of gifts, and &s;o richly furni&s;hed, might take it ill that &s;hee &s;hould be kept in the &s;ame bounds with others, and have no &s;tate and honour more then the poore&s;t Church.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> The government pre&s;cribed in the word is ordinary, and therefore perpetuall: for there is nothing that is in the word that can be thought temporall, but that which was occa&s;io|nall and extraordinary; but the government pre&s;cribed by Chri&s;t is ordinary. Things ordinary and extraordinary are found to differ.</P>
<P N="1">1 In their gifts. Ordinary officers have ordinary endow|ments, &s;uch as are of perpetuall u&s;e in the Church, as the gifts of Pa&s;tors and Teachers, <HI>To looke to the flocke, to be apt to teach, to be wi&s;e, &amp;c.</HI> but the gifts of Apo&s;tles were extraordi|nary, the gift of tongues, miracles, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="2">2. In their imployments and ends. Pa&s;tors and Teachers are to <HI>edifie the Church, to build us up in faith,</HI> a worke of per|petuall u&s;e, and cannot decay in the Church;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2.20.</NOTE> but to be <HI>the foundation,</HI> to lye in the bottome of the building, and to be a <HI>Ma&s;ter-builder,</HI> this proper to extraordinary officers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3.10.</NOTE> <HI>viz.</HI> Apo&s;tles. It is not hard to &s;hew; what is ordinary and nece&s;|&s;ary,
<PB N="22" REF="14">and what occa&s;ionall and accidentall.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> That which is urged again&s;t the perpetuity of this policy, is weake; That it was fit for the times in which it was pra|cti&s;ed, being times of per&s;ecution: but when the Church hath peace, another government may be more profitable and u&s;efull.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> For an&s;wer to it, know that this is a project that the Scrip|ture is ignorant of, and affords no colour for it; and that is rea&s;on &s;ufficient to reject it. But they that know what our &s;oules are, know that we have alway need of &s;uch offices and &s;uch mini&s;trations as are in the word commanded. And on the contrary, the government now pleaded for, would have better &s;uited with times of per&s;ecution.</P>
<P N="1">1. For one Prie&s;t to &s;erve two congregations, three if need be, is it not better for a poore per&s;ecuted Church, then to maintaine Pa&s;tors, Teachers, Elders, and every one to have double honour, maintenance or allowance? Sure <HI>Paul</HI> knew not this way of &s;aving charges. Why &s;hould he that de&s;ired to free the Church from burthens, and did labour with his owne hands, to doe it, not &s;uffer this new way of Curats?</P>
<P N="2">2. For officers to di&s;patch bu&s;ine&s;&s;e privately in a cham|ber, is &s;afer a great deale in bad times then to make a publike bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of it! Why did the Apo&s;tle ordaine all Church af|faires to be publike?<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 4.5.</NOTE> When you come together, ca&s;t out that per&s;on.</P>
<P>And that which they would thru&s;t out, is fitter for times of pro&s;perity.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is a &s;trict and exact way, clo&s;e bands, that give not that liberty that the other doth, and therefore &s;itte&s;t for &s;uch times wherein men are apt to take the greate&s;t liberty. Per|&s;ecution is a di&s;cipline it &s;elfe, and then men may be left more to them&s;elves: but profanene&s;&s;e is apt to grow in times of pence, and then it is no wi&s;dome to have the remedy (di&s;ci|pline) 20. or 40. miles ab&s;ent.</P>
<P N="2">2. Mercies &s;hould make us better, not wor&s;e. If God gives Kings to be nur&s;ing Fathers, &s;hall the Church grow wanton upon &s;uch bounty? &s;hall &s;o happy a ble&s;&s;ing make
<PB N="23" REF="14">us wor&s;e? We have a Chri&s;tian King, &s;hall we therefore grow Antichri&s;tian? Men &s;ay, per&s;ecution was an occa&s;ion of the Apo&s;tles &s;etting up &s;uch a di&s;cipline, we are &s;ure per&s;ecution hath kept it out.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> But men object, That Church-government ought to hold good proportion with the civill; and epi&s;copall govern|ment &s;uits be&s;t with a Monarchy, and that which men would ground upon the word is dangerous to Monarchies.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> If it be prejudiciall to Monarchy, it is &s;trange the Apo&s;tles would practi&s;e it under per&s;ecuting Monarchs. It was no wi&s;dome to runne them&s;elves into a premunire, to endanger the &s;plitting of the Go&s;pel in every place by giving ju&s;t occa|&s;ion to Princes of per&s;ecution. Or indeed they were not per&s;ecutors in oppo&s;ing the Go&s;pel, but ju&s;t oppo&s;ers of ene|mies to their &s;tate; neither were the Apo&s;tles Martyrs, but &s;editious per&s;ons, that brought in things dangerous to <HI>Cae|&s;ar,</HI> and &s;o died ju&s;tly. But this is an old tricke of the Devill, to &s;et Chri&s;t and <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> at difference; a plot as old as abo|minable, and &s;o gro&s;&s;e that a man may ea&s;ily di&s;cerne it. Not to &s;peake any thing of the difference betweene corporals and &s;pirituals, betweene <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron,</HI> King and Prie&s;t, of &s;o wide a di&s;tance that they cannot interfere, nor one endanger another. States have &s;tood intire without Church-govern|ment, yea without Chri&s;tian Religion: and the government of Chri&s;t hath &s;tood in all States without mole&s;tation. Reli|gion confirmes what it finds in a Kingdome, meddles with nothing that is civill to alter it. It makes princes better ru|lers, and people better &s;ubjects, but changeth neither. The government endangers Princes honours and royalties no more then mens private e&s;tates. It requires nothing of Prin|ces but protection and favour, that they be nur&s;ing Fathers, and payes them againe in a more firme loyalty and zeale for their honour and &s;afety.</P>
<P>Can the&s;e men make good their charge, that ever Prince was mole&s;ted in his government by the Di&s;ciplinarians? Did they ever con&s;pire their ruine, combine with their ene|mies, lift up their heeles again&s;t them or their power over them, as the Epi&s;copacy hath? Or hath not the di&s;cipline
<PB N="24" REF="15">beene faithfull to heatheni&s;h Princes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">having the chef throw a bowl of rabbit droppings at your headom. 13.1</NOTE> and will it prejudice Chri&s;tian? Or doe we thinke that Je&s;us Chri&s;t, by whom Kings raigne, will in&s;titute or allow of a government that &s;hall by the remote&s;t con&s;equence undermine it? Or, Chri&s;t being to carry the Go&s;pell round about the World, would he &s;o compo&s;e the government of it, that he &s;hould ju&s;tle downe the civill powers, or cla&s;h with them? The&s;e are odious a&s;per&s;ions; and they that charge Chri&s;ts government with this, are guilty of it them&s;elves. It is ea&s;ily proved they have beene, and it is dangerous they will ever be en|croachers upon Princes rights. If any government endan|ger Monarchy, 'tis Monarchicall. The Ivy that pretends to uphold the Tree, &s;ucks away the &s;ap of it: they that dare challenge &s;o much intere&s;t in Thrones as to &s;upport them, may come to challenge the di&s;po&s;ing of them. By &s;uch a&s;cents, the Pope ro&s;e &s;o high as now to come betweene heaven and Kings. Kingdomes depending lo&s;e part of their glory. The Throne is e&s;tabli&s;hed by God and Righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e: and needes not the helpe of a faction to &s;upport it. But the&s;e weake arguments doe put jealou&s;ies not rea&s;on into Princes heads; when it &s;hall be con&s;idered that it is Chri&s;ts, the&s;e a&s;per&s;ions will fall off, and his in&s;titution will &s;tand bright, cleare, and perpetuall. Thus much of the fourth Propo&s;ition.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Propo&s;."> The fifth is this, Chri&s;t hath &s;o e&s;tabli&s;hed his govern|ment in all the parts of it, that no man may alter either part or whole, none may adde to it or take from it.</P>
<P N="1">1. For any man to doe &s;o, were directly again&s;t the com|mand of God. <HI>Deut.</HI> 4.2. and 12.32. He doth not &s;ay, you &s;hall adde nothing to the Leviticall Law: but, you &s;hall adde nothing to that which is commanded: &s;o that the rea|&s;on is the &s;ame now, that it was then: and therefore confir|med <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.18, 19. as a clo&s;e of the Bible. For though that be particularly and e&s;pecially meant of that booke, yet the rea&s;on of it concernes the whole Scripture.</P>
<P N="2">2. Contrary to the &s;econd Commandement, that forbids all feigned wor&s;hip and manners of wor&s;hip.</P>
<P N="3">3. Contrary to <HI>Colo&s;.</HI> 2.18. which forbids all voluntary or wil-wor&s;hip.</P>
<PB N="25" REF="15">
<P N="4">4. The Church never had any power given unto her to command any thing in the Church. The highe&s;t power that ever was in the Church, was but <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Mini&s;try,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 1.17.</NOTE> or <HI>Mini&s;tration:</HI> a &s;tep above that is to Lord it, and will be in danger of that charge again&s;t Antichri&s;t, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.4. to rule in the hou&s;e of God. Rea&s;ons there bee &s;trong ones.</P>
<P N="1">1. If the Church may alter one, &s;he may alter many; <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> if &s;he may adde one, &s;he may adde twenty; and &s;o a wide gap o|pened to all the &s;uper&s;titions of Rome. We may bow to an Altar, to a Crucifix, <HI>modo interponatur autoritas:</HI> let au|thority command it, it is no longer &s;uper&s;tition.</P>
<P N="2">2. If the Church or any humane power may enjoyne any thing externall, 'tis to &s;ignifie &s;omething internall: but of man can conferre &s;uch a power to any thing to &s;et forth the &s;pirituall things of God. If he may appoint things to that end, he may &s;eparate, con&s;ecrate to that u&s;e, and conferre a power &s;upernaturall, for naturally no artificiall thing or naturall thing can &s;ignifie divine grace. This is to intrench upon Gods peculiar, who&s;e right onely it is to in&s;titute &s;ignes, yea &s;ignes of this nature are Sacraments or Sacra|mentall.</P>
<P N="3">3. Men cannot invent any thing that can edifie; not affir|matively, and of its nature. In civills, things may be orde|red to edification <HI>negativ&egrave;, i. e.</HI> &s;o that edification be not hindered.</P>
<P N="4">4. Nor for ornament: The de&s;igne of God is cleane con|trary. God hath cho&s;en the meane, ba&s;e things,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1.27, 28.</NOTE> &amp;c. Upon this conclu&s;ion we give this rea&s;on, why the Lord made choyce of water and bread and wine to &s;et forth the great mercy of Chri&s;t, becau&s;e they were ordinary, meane, low things, that men might not looke for great &s;tate in his &s;er|vice, but that his &s;tate is &s;pirituall: And therefore to erect a &s;tately Prie&s;thood, Altars, Wor&s;hip, 'tis a de&s;igne above Gods, and <HI>non honor, &s;ed dedecus, &s;i vel praeter vel contra man|datum.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> quo|ted by Bi&s;hop <HI>Andrewes</HI> on &s;econd Com|mandement.</NOTE> That which men boa&s;t of a &s;tarre of rea&s;on to be &s;uf|ficient to direct us in things externall; 'tis &s;trange to &s;uppo&s;e that &s;o poore a guide &s;hould &s;erve us in things of &s;o high a nature. In tho&s;e things that are naturall or civill, rea&s;on &s;an|ctified
<PB N="26" REF="16">may advi&s;e &s;omething, but in things religious &s;he is to be excluded.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider mans in&s;ufficiency and unfitne&s;&s;e to &s;uch a work, to invent any thing for the &s;ervice of God. Man is ignorant, not able to judge of &s;pirituals: all imaginations that are in man of God be&s;ide the rule are idolatrous; neither can we &s;afely &s;uffer a thought of God be&s;ide what is written. Every thought changes the infinite nature of God into a compre|hen&s;ible frame and modell, and &s;ubjects God to mans capa|city: therefore we may not bring the object to our &s;oules, but by revealed truths rai&s;e our hearts to the object. And man that brings a &s;ervice not commanded, thinkes of God above what is revealed. <HI>He that comes to God mu&s;t beleeve, &amp;c.</HI> As we beleeve, &s;o we come: that which is the rule of belee|ving, mu&s;t be the patterne of &s;ervice. If God have revealed as much as we many know, he hath commanded what he will accept: he is not a God that can be pre&s;cribed &s;ervice, nor is man able to doe it.</P>
<P>As man is unable, &s;o an enemy. <HI>The wi&s;dome of the fle&s;h is enmity to God;</HI> and God hath no rea&s;on to tru&s;t an enemy in moulding his &s;ervice. Be&s;ides, the heart of man is crooked, fal&s;e, deceitfull: and therefore why &s;hould god put out his wor&s;hip to man to make?</P>
<P>Con&s;ider on the other &s;ide the high nature of Gods pub|like wor&s;hip.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is to have communion with God, who is <HI>everla&s;ting burnings;</HI> and therefore it is no wi&s;dome to bring <HI>wood, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters">y, &s;tubble,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cor. 3.12.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI> or any combu&s;tible matter of humane inven|tions.</P>
<P N="2">2. It is publike communion, which is the greate&s;t ho|nour that God hath of man; and therefore not fit that man &s;hould rule any thing in it.</P>
<P N="3">3. They are &s;uch things as come out of Gods bo&s;ome. If he be a God, he is to be wor&s;hiped according to his owne minde. They are a part of the morall Law po&s;itive, not na|turall. It is naturall there &s;hould be externall wor&s;hip; but what that is, is po&s;itive: for what rea&s;on can there be given for any part of Gods wor&s;hip? What rea&s;on in nature
<PB N="27" REF="16">why Bapti&s;me or the Supper &s;hould be a &s;ervice to God more then any thing el&s;e? onely he commands them.</P>
<P N="4">4. They are evangelicall, things that have their u&s;e about Chri&s;t; and Chri&s;t is purely &s;upernaturall. There may be naturall Theology, but no naturall Chri&s;tianity: therefore rea&s;on hath little to doe in the things of Gods wor&s;hip.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> But what power hath the Church? none at all?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> What &s;he hath may be &s;eene in the names given the Church. Shee is called the <HI>pillar of truth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3.15.</NOTE> So that &s;hee may as a pillar, hold up the truth in her practice, and maintaine and defend it from errours and profanene&s;&s;e; &s;he may keepe the truth committed to her. Or &s;he hath the power of a Spou&s;e, to make knowne her Lords minde and &s;ee it perfor|med:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5.23, 24</NOTE> &s;hee hath power of &s;ervice, di&s;pen&s;ation, mini&s;tration, pre&s;ervation, &amp;c. but no lordly or legi&s;lative power.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> Are there not &s;ome things indifferent, and in them the Church hath power?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> Suppo&s;e the Church rightly con&s;tituted, and &s;he hath power: but that power is not in another; neither hath it power till the Church be a Church: the accident cannot &s;ub&s;i&s;t without the &s;ubject. But here will ari&s;e a double que|&s;tion. 1. What things are indifferent. 2. What power the Church hath in them.</P>
<P>For an&s;wer to the fir&s;t, we mu&s;t know, that nothing that is religious is indifferent, but nece&s;&s;ary, externals as well as internals; Religion requires the one as nece&s;&s;arily as the o|ther. Tho&s;e things that are indifferent and not religious, but in the power of the Church, may be reduced to three heads.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. There be &s;ome naturall circum&s;tances which attend the wor&s;hip of God, in re&s;pect of tho&s;e naturall actions im|ployed in it, as &s;peech, motion, which require circum&s;tances of time, place; which the Church may order.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Civill circum&s;tances. The congregation being a civill thing, though applyed to a &s;pirituall end, yet retaines its civility, and &s;o hath &s;utable circum&s;tances, as a di&s;tinct place for meeting, decency and comeline&s;&s;e in uten&s;ils, table, cloth, cup, pulpit, and &s;uch like, which are in the power of the Church. The&s;e are more ordinary: but there are &s;ome|things</ITEM>
<PB N="28" REF="17">
<ITEM>3. Extraordinary, &s;uch as concerne not the things them|&s;elves, but &s;omething without, <HI>viz.</HI> the con&s;ciences of the weake, which occa&s;ioned &s;ome temporary commands in the Church, as forbearing of bloud, &amp;c. In the&s;e things the Church hath a power, but what? not perpetuall, ab&s;olute, unlimited, but occa&s;ionall, re&s;pective, and bounded by gene|rall Lawes, and that during the occa&s;ion offered; which be|ing removed things ought to cea&s;e, and the Church is free againe. Which power is not &s;o much of making Lawes, but of wi&s;e in&s;tructing of us how to keepe Lawes already made.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>But how &s;hall we di&s;cerne between things religious and ci|vill? Their nature and u&s;e will di&s;cry them: take in &s;tead of many, the&s;e three rules.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Such things as are not competent to civill &s;ocieties, nor ordinarily u&s;ed in them, but of particular u&s;e in Religi|on, are religious.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Such as have beene religious and appointed by God, or were religious if God &s;hould appoint them, are religious, as ve&s;tments in wor&s;hip, orders of Prie&s;thood and degrees, &s;ignes of internall and &s;pirituall things: the&s;e are religious.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Such as doe that which religious things doe, that which God commands his ordinances to doe, <HI>viz, teach, edi|fie, in&s;truct, confirme in grace, &amp;c.</HI> <MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> the&s;e are religions and onely in Gods power to a&s;&s;igne them.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> The Apo&s;tle &s;aith, Let all things be done decently and in or|der; doth not that give authority to ordaine ceremonies?</P>
<P>A text much abu&s;ed with &s;mall rea&s;on. Know this text is a rule not of commanding, but of doing; a rule &s;o generall; and appliable to all particulars, as it is laid downe to prevent further Lawes.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Let all things be done <HI>in order,</HI> that is, not new things commanded, but things commanded rightly placed, &s;o that one doth not da&s;h again&s;t another; and &s;o order is oppo&s;ite to confu&s;ion &s;poken of before in the chapter.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> And <HI>decently,</HI> that is the comeline&s;&s;e of that order, a come|lines that ari&s;eth from things well &s;et together, not borrowed or added beauty from other things, otherwais the Apo&s;tles did not &s;erve the Lord comely that neglected the&s;e garbes, ge&s;tures
<PB N="29" REF="17">and ve&s;tures. Thus you have this point cleared to the for|mer, that no man hath power to alter, or adde, or dimini&s;h any thing in the wor&s;hip of God.</P>
<P>I hope the point is &s;ufficiently proved; let us now &s;ee what u&s;e we may make of it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Let it per&s;wade all men to imbrace this truth. I know it is a per&s;ecuted truth, and hath been much malign'd: The pro|fane <HI>E&s;aus</HI> have had an evill eye at this <HI>Jacob,</HI> and have coun|ted it a &s;upplanter of their honours and great places, which is their ble&s;&s;ing, and of their lordly priority, their birth|right. They have pur&s;ued it &s;o clo&s;e that they have driven it almo&s;t out of the minds of good men. They have buried it under &s;o much errour and malice that it is almo&s;t forgotten: which &s;hewes their malice, that would not onely deprive us of our priviledges, but either corrupt or obliterate our Char|ter, and &s;o prevent our claime for ever. But we hope, you that have freed them that &s;uffered for truth, will not &s;uffer truth it &s;elfe to be impri&s;oned. It begins to &s;pring forth, let it have favour and it will flouri&s;h. Give us leave to &s;et it up in your &s;oules. We know &s;ome have laboured to poy&s;on mens minds with fal&s;e principles, and fill their heads with prejudices; but we hope you are ready to receive it with a love of it: I know it will be acceptable to a godly heart: Doe not thinke government is not in Scripture, becau&s;e you yet &s;ee it not: that were too much, to thinke our knowledge the rule of what is knowable, e&s;pecially in a thing &s;o much &s;up|pre&s;&s;ed: but whatever have preoccupied your under&s;tandings, give me leave to expect what <HI>Paul</HI> did of the <HI>Corinthians</HI> in the &s;ame ca&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">having the chef throw a bowl of rabbit droppings at your head Cor. 14.37.</NOTE> <HI>He that is &s;pirituall will acknowledge that the&s;e things are the Commandements of the Lord.</HI> To remove jealou|&s;ies, con&s;ider,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> That in al ages the Church hath her externall policy</P>
<P N="1">1. In Paradi&s;e, two Sacramentall Trees.</P>
<P N="2">2. In the infancy of the Church while the Church was within families, they had Sacrifices and a Prie&s;t-hood, the fir&s;t-borne.</P>
<P N="3">3. When the Church grew to be a Common-wealth, and a &s;ubject fit for a Law of ordinances, he pre&s;cribed them a
<PB N="30" REF="18">compl te forme: In the Wilderne&s;&s;e a wor&s;hip apt, a moving Temple, a Tabet nacle; in <HI>Canaan</HI> a fixed hou&s;e with holy things. This is <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> pupillaris, Gal.</HI> 4.2.</P>
<P N="4">4. There is <HI>aetas juvenilis,</HI> now under the Go&s;pel, <HI>no more children, Eph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;.</HI> 4.14. al though in compari&s;on of Heaven but a childhood;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Cor. 3.11.</NOTE> and now we mu&s;t expect a rule proportionable. Yea the&s;e mu&s;t continue till the <GAP DESC="foreign">, that <HI>aetas con&s;tans,</HI> that full &s;tature,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> 19.</NOTE> for the Church hath no old age: but in Heaven there will be an eternall externall glorious way of wor&s;hip.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> If Chri&s;t had left humane rea&s;on his deputy to ordaine ceremonies in the Church, the condition of the Church un|der the Go&s;pel had beene more &s;lavi&s;h then the Church under the Law; for one ceremony of mans is wor&s;e then ten of Gods: man's darken and oppre&s;&s;e the truth, Gods illu&s;trate and cleare it: but God hath promi&s;ed our condition &s;hould be more ingenuous, <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.7.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;hew but little love to the dearely beloved of his &s;oule to &s;ubiect her to humane inventions. The Phi|lo&s;opher accounted the committing of a Common-wealth to man, a committing of it to bea&s;ts, in regard of their pa&s;|&s;ions; but the committing of it to Lawes he e&s;teemed it a committing it to God and the Lawes. And &s;hall we thinke that Chri&s;t will leave his Spou&s;e, his body, his beloved, his Church, where a Heathen would not leave a City?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> If this were not true, that Chri&s;t had laid downe an exact rule, the Church would never know her load, never attaine a &s;etled e&s;tate. For if there were a liberty for men to adde, it were a duty too; and &s;o every High-prie&s;t in his time would be carefull to contribute &s;omething to the Churches benefit; and &s;o though Chri&s;t lay no other burthen,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">4.</NOTE> yet man might and would.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5"> If Chri&s;t have not pre&s;cribed a forme, there will ari&s;e di|vi&s;ions, varieties, inconformities, for men would all &s;et up their owne way: One Bi&s;hop require one thing, and another forbid it: We &s;hall never have peace &s;o long as this <HI>Jezabel</HI> of humane power in &s;pirituall things and her whoredomes remaine.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6"> If this be denied, Scripture will receive a blow: for Lawes
<PB N="31" REF="18">&s;tand while they &s;tand together; their power is in their au|thority, which is wounded when any one of them is viola|ted. And we &s;ee by experience that tho&s;e that deny the Scrip|tures to be the rule of di&s;cipline, have robd them of much of their authority in other things, if not of all: for they &s;et their owne feet upon the neck of Scriptures, and will tie them to &s;peake, not their owne, but the Churches interpre|tation. Humane <HI>traditions</HI> will <HI>make the commandements of God of none effect:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 15.6.</NOTE> wherever they are planted and &s;uffered, they will draw much honour from the holy Scriptures.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="7"> The contrary opinion derogates from the wi&s;dome of Chri&s;t, that he &s;hould not &s;ee what would be good for the Church, or if he &s;aw it, that he &s;hould not communicate it.</P>
<P>Many arguments more might we bring to induce you to beleeve it, let the&s;e be &s;ufficient: it is not a new truth, but a bani&s;hed one returned, and a truth of very great con&s;equence. Till Chri&s;t be re&s;tored to this his lo&s;t dignity, hee will ne|ver ri&s;e, nor Antichri&s;t fall.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Secondly, Chri&s;t hath left a rule for his wor&s;hip in all things: here is worke for you that God hath called to the weeding of his garden, the Church, to <HI>pull up every plant that our heavenly Father hath not planted.</HI> I &s;peake to you whom God hath honoured with a power, and I hope ble&s;t with a will to doe it. I know you are not ignorant that there are many things yet &s;tanding that never came into Gods mind to command his Church. It is an act of greate&s;t mercie to ea&s;e con&s;ciences of the&s;e burdens, humane impo&s;itions in di|vine things. God doth now with you as with Saint <HI>John, Rev.</HI> 11.1. He puts a reed into your hand to me&s;ure the Temple, he gives you the Scripture, a right mea&s;ure; lay it to the worke, and <HI>the outer court,</HI> all humane inventions, <HI>ca&s;t it out to the Gentiles,</HI> &s;end them home to <HI>Rome</HI> from whence they came. What is not agreeable to this rule, reject it as ha|ving <HI>no light in it. Try all things,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 8.20.</NOTE> <HI>and hold fa&s;t that which is good, &s;eparate the precious from the vile;</HI> and know in your worke the rule of innovations is not mans Law, but Gods: all &s;ub&s;tructions and additions to Chri&s;ts rule, are truly in|novations; again&s;t them mu&s;t your zeale burne. Doe as
<PB N="32" REF="19"><HI>Hezekiah</HI> did,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">9.</NOTE> command the <HI>Levites to carry all the filth out of the Temple.</HI> Gather them that are faith full, and charge them as <HI>Con&s;tantinus Magnus</HI> did them of the <HI>Nicene</HI> Councell, <HI>De|po&s;it &acirc; omni ho&s;tili di&s;cordi&acirc;, literarum divinitus in&s;piratarum, &amp;c.</HI> that they &s;hould re&s;olve all things in que&s;tion by the word of God. To move you to this con&s;ider,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> It exceedingly provokes the wrath of God to &s;ee humane inventions &s;tand by his owne: he cannot endure Prie&s;ts and Sacrifices not commanded. The idolatry threatned and &s;o often puni&s;ht in the Jewes, was but fal&s;e rites of wor&s;hip, which yet cau&s;ed <HI>warre in their gates,</HI> &s;old them into the hands of their enemies. E&s;pecially he hates any new order of Prie&s;thood not enjoyned by him&s;elfe. It was no le&s;&s;e then death under the Law for any man to pre&s;&s;e upon the Prie&s;ts office without a call from God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 18.3.7.</NOTE> and he hath executed what he threatned. Looke upon the examples of his di&s;plea&s;ure in <HI>Vazah</HI> and the men of <HI>Beth&s;heme&s;h.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chron. 13 7.10.</NOTE> And is not the office as &s;acred now as ever? yea the mini&s;tration is more glorious, and therefore every intru&s;ion more dangeous.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 4.5.15.</NOTE> Yea if parti|cular acts were &s;o grievous and puni&s;hable, how much more a &s;tanding office which was never ordained of God; and <HI>Aaron</HI> who&s;e <HI>rodde never budded,</HI> that never had the <HI>&V;rim</HI> and <HI>Thum|mim</HI> put upon him? They have made a <HI>breach in I&s;rael,</HI> and if they be not broken off we may feare God will make a greater.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Things &s;et up by man, &s;et up <HI>another Go&s;pel,</HI> we &s;ee it by wofull experience in this Kingdome.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. 1.</NOTE> Hundreds of congre|gations are con&s;tituted by humane Lawes, and looke after no more for their Religion then Canon an Law. To be a Mi|ni&s;ter is required no more but ob&s;ervance of Canon, and to be a Chri&s;tian it is enough if he be regular, and ob&s;erve the commands of the Church: neither will ever men look for a b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">tter till this be pull'd downe.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> They make men di&s;ta&s;t the pure &s;treames of divine truth. Humane in&s;titutions are carnall, ea&s;ie, &s;uch as reach not the heart, and therefore much de&s;ired and doted upon, being our owne, and &s;utable to our natures. The power of Religion, the &s;pirituall things of God are above us, and require more
<PB N="33" REF="19">of us to performe them, and therefore loathed by carnall hearts: therefore remove the&s;e as enemies of Chri&s;t, &s;ecretly drawing the hearts of the people from him. None &s;uch op|po&s;ers of Chri&s;t as the&s;e <HI>Samaritans,</HI> who have mixtures of their owne.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> They beget a thir&s;t after more of them. <HI>A little Leaven lea|veneth the whole lumpe:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cal. 5.9.</NOTE> the&s;e left behind beget a de&s;ire of eating of <HI>Romes fle&s;h-pots.</HI> You will never &s;top all pa&s;&s;ages of retur|ning to <HI>Rome</HI> but by pulling downe this bridge of humane impo&s;itions and &s;uper&s;tructions yet &s;tanding.</P>
<P>But a man may deale with them upon their owne claime. They have hitherto &s;tood as things convenient, things in them&s;elves mutable and changeable; and as taken up upon good ground, &s;o to be laid downe againe, (except pre&s;cripti|on be a better) they never yet had any other title. And if they be added, by the &s;ame power, and upon the &s;ame rea&s;on, if they be found inconvenient and hurtfull, they may be remo|ved. Therefore if they be found inconvenient, I hope all men will yeeld them up: and that they are &s;o appeares in that,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> They are much di&s;ta&s;ted by &s;ome, and that by the be&s;t; witne&s;&s;e the generall Petitions that come to your hands from all parts for their removall. By them and your owne experi|ence you &s;ee they doe as the <HI>&s;in of Elies &s;ons,</HI> cau&s;e <HI>the Lords Sacrifice to be abhorred:</HI> they trouble and offend the con&s;cien|ces of many. And however others (cruell Butchers of &s;oules) are pitile&s;&s;e to mens con&s;ciences, you have learn'd with <HI>Paul,</HI> the high price of &s;oules for <HI>which Chri&s;t died,</HI> and cannot but count one of tho&s;e thou&s;ands of &s;oules that are offended, of more worth then all that tra&s;h.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> They are as much ador'd by &s;ome, as di&s;ta&s;ted by others, made very <HI>Idols:</HI> never were there gro&s;&s;er Idols in <HI>Rome</HI> then the&s;e things as they are u&s;ed by &s;ome; and what is abu&s;ed to &s;uper&s;tition, ought not to be retained. The <HI>bra&s;en Serpent,</HI> though Gods owne in&s;titution, when made an Idoll, that could not warrant his &s;tanding. They that are zealous of Gods glory will burne up what ever doth rob God of his honour. Cro&s;&s;es and Crucifixes not more abu&s;ed by Papi&s;ts, then &s;ome things now &s;tanding are abu&s;ed by popi&s;hly affe|cted Prote&s;tants.</P>
<PB N="34" REF="20">
<P>Upon the&s;e different affections what divi&s;ions will nece&s;|&s;arily ari&s;e, if not prevented, yea what per&s;ecutions? We have felt the heat of their rage already: <HI>the bondwoman and her &s;eed have per&s;ecuted the free woman and her &s;eed,</HI> and wor&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ill be if they be not prevented.</P>
<P>But if we &s;hould take away all, we &s;hould ca&s;t a blemi&s;h upon antiquity, and de&s;pi&s;e our Ance&s;tours, holy Martyrs, that liv'd and died in a love and liking of tho&s;e things we oppo&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> We injure them not, but give them all honour due to their learning and piety. To looke no further then the reformers of our Church, we &s;ay, that what might be then tolerable, may be now &s;uper&s;titious and idolatrous. <HI>Paul</HI> circumci&s;ed <HI>Timothy,</HI> and yet after oppo&s;ed it. And they that did at fir&s;t tolerate the&s;e things, had they lived to &s;ee them abu&s;ed, and the power of Religion thru&s;t out by them, they would them|&s;elves have throwne the fir&s;t &s;tone at them. Be&s;ide, they have left their marke upon them, that they did but admit them for the pre&s;ent, and accounted the reformation imperfect be|cau&s;e of them.</P>
<P>But &s;uppo&s;e they counted them good, yet the Apo&s;tle teacheth us to &s;ave the men and de&s;troy <HI>their worke,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3.12.</NOTE> <HI>if it be hay or &s;tubble,</HI> and will not indure the fire. And we may without arrogance thinke the Go&s;pel hath gotten &s;omething in the&s;e foure&s;core yeeres, there is &s;ome more cleare light. They lived in the dawning of the day, we enjoy more light, that which &s;ucceeds us will be greater: and therefore it is no di&s;honour to them for us to proceed in a further reformation.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> But corruptions flow not from the things them&s;elves, but from per&s;ons abu&s;e of them: the things may be good, if you teach men to u&s;e them well.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> The things them&s;elves are a corruption. All humane in|ventions have a malignity in them, and &s;mell of the foun|taine from whence they come. <HI>The wi&s;dome of the fle&s;h is en|mity,</HI> and they cannot be otherwi&s;e that come of it. They will doe mi&s;chiefe &s;ecretly or openly, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> not as Lions, yet as Foxes, many Lawes will not prevent evill to be done by them, one will make them &s;ure if it aboli&s;h them: better a De|vill be ca&s;t out then tied up.</P>
<PB N="35" REF="20">
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> Another government may degenerate.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> Chri&s;ts government hath no corruption in it, no <HI>hidden things of di&s;hone&s;ty,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.2.</NOTE> no fal&s;e end<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, no deceitfull <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> come, it is &s;ound. Men may &s;warve much under it, but hardly funda|mentally decay till government be neglected. <HI>It is the pattern of whol&s;ome words,</HI> it hath an active &s;anity in it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1.13.</NOTE> and if men decline they will not endure it. There is a great difference be|tweene humane Lawes and divi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">mans Lawes mu&s;t be kept, the Magi&s;trate is <GAP DESC="foreign">, but Gods Lawes will keepe the men.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> To remove all not commanded would indanger the &s;ha|king of the whole frame of Religion.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> Feare not that: tho&s;e things that are to be removed, Re|ligion will &s;tand the &s;urer without them: they have little Re|ligion in them, they are onely riotous branches, growne out of the abundance of worldly policy and carnall affection; the Church may &s;pare them as well as the body ill humours. They are heterogeneous to the truth, and like the clay in the feete of <HI>Nebuchadnezzars</HI> image, it would not cleave to the iron: The <HI>&s;pirit of judgement and burning</HI> that the Lord hath given to you, will &s;eparate the dro&s;&s;e without dammage to the gold.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> But we &s;hall &s;hake our owne Lawes by it, and make a great breach in them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> It is good to maintaine humane right, but much more Gods. The Apo&s;tle argues &s;o, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.15. if a man may not adde to a mans Te&s;tament, much le&s;&s;e to Gods. It is good to maintaine our Lawes again&s;t all but God, who mu&s;t keep us and our Lawes too. The be&s;t way to keep a State is to purge it from &s;acriledge: if there be any thing of Gods wound up with them, it may ju&s;tly cau&s;e God to pick a quar|rell with the whole. Keep Gods Lawes and God will keepe yours.</P>
<P>Ob&s;erve this, all arguments for them are politicall, and they are but weake in divine things; therefore let them not move you to retaine any thing again&s;t Chri&s;ts in&s;titution.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> If there be a cure to be wrought on the Church, heare ano|ther rea&s;onable motion, <GAP DESC="foreign">,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ari&s;t. polis.</NOTE> to cure ac|cording
<PB N="36" REF="21">to the principles of Art, the word. Methinks Chri|&s;tians &s;hould make no doubt of this. <HI>Search the Scriptures,</HI> is alway nece&s;&s;ary, but then e&s;pecially when we are at a lo&s;&s;e and want truth, which is our condition. Here all good re|formations have begun, <HI>Hezekiah's, Jo&s;eah's, Nehemiah's.</HI> Send to the Prie&s;ts and Levites, and let them produce the Law. Therefore if you want a rule, we &s;end you <HI>to the Law and Te|&s;timonies.</HI> Now we are to enquire,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 8.</NOTE> <HI>non quid aliitante nos, &s;ed quid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">aele&s;tia te&s;timonia quae a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">te omnes.</HI> The Phari&s;ees will flie to traditions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cyp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ian.</NOTE> the Samaritans to their Fathers, but the voice of God is, to the Scriptures. When the Church of <HI>Corinth</HI> was corrupted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 4.</NOTE> <HI>Paul</HI> leads them to the in&s;titution of Chri&s;t. The Churches of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> were lap&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.</NOTE> they have no other phy|&s;icke but, <HI>Hearken what the Spirit &s;aith to the Churches.</HI> And there is nothing to be done now but &s;earching the Scriptures and holding forth that light that is in them, and promoting the practi&s;e of it. The worke is great, let not God have cau&s;e to complaine when you have done,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 30.1.</NOTE> <HI>you looke coun&s;ell, but not of me.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e"> Let me per&s;wade you a &s;tep higher, to &s;et up the govern|ment of Chri&s;t. It is a worke God hath called you to, and an honourable one, to build the Lords Temple, and to in|courage others in it to &s;et him up an hou&s;e. We have beene in <HI>Egypt;</HI> what God &s;aid to <HI>Pharaoh</HI> as an enemy, he entreats you as friends, <HI>Let my people go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> that they may &s;erve me.</HI> Wee have &s;erved our task-ma&s;ters, and they have &s;erved their lu&s;ts of us; let us now &s;erve the Lord. Set your &s;elves cheerefully to the worke, you will meet with difficulties, but the reward will an&s;wer your pains.</P>
<P N="1">1. Doe this and you &s;hall be a&s;&s;ured of Gods perpetuall pre&s;ence. This is the mount in which he hath &s;aid he would dwell for ever; and manifold are the promi&s;es that God hath annexed to it.</P>
<P N="2">2. By this means you will wither Popery at the roots. Set up this wall of di&s;cipline and it will keepe out Antichri&s;tian errours. Take Chri&s;ts materials to build a Church with, and venemous bea&s;ts will not endure to dwell in it.</P>
<P N="3">3. Truth and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hall flouri&s;h: it is a fruitfull
<PB N="37" REF="21">&s;oyle, <HI>they that are planted in the Courts of Gods hou&s;e &s;hall bring forth much fruit in their old age.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. The way to Heaven will be more comfortable, ea&s;ie, and &s;hort. It hath much of Heaven in it.</P>
<P N="5">5. Hereby Chri&s;t will be honoured, the Church flouri&s;h, Religion increa&s;e and grow, when the Lords mountaine is exalted above every mountaine,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 2.2.</NOTE> then &s;hall Nations flow unto it. It will have &s;o much order, beauty, and glory in it, as it cannot but prevaile and win where ever it commeth.</P>
<P>Honoured Senatours, It hath beene often tendered to the Parliament and refus'd, but never &s;o hopefully as now, when the Father of Spirits hath &s;ent in the &s;pirits of the people to helpe you. It is Gods opportunity, and therefore embrace it, and your reformation will &s;ucceed as <HI>Hezekiahs. The Lord prepared the hearts of the people,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 29. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> <HI>and the worke was done &s;uddenly.</HI> As the worke will be ea&s;ie, &s;o the guilt great if refu&s;ed.</P>
<P>But never yet did any government challenge <HI>jus divinum</HI> but this, and therefore it is dangerous receiving it.</P>
<P>We &s;hould not expect that any &s;hould refu&s;e it for this rea&s;on, becau&s;e it is Chri&s;ts. Shall we take the advantage of Chri&s;ts ab&s;ence &s;o as to di&s;claime him, and &s;ay as the Citi|zens in his ab&s;ence, <HI>we will not have this man to rule over us:</HI> but <HI>our King comes,</HI> and then what &s;hall be done to &s;uch? The Heathens did all they could to challenge <HI>jus divinum;</HI> and to honour their Lawes, would pretend they came from the gods, and &s;hall we refu&s;e that which comes in the <HI>name of the Lord?</HI> Rather at the fir&s;t hearing of &s;uch a mercy as a go|vernment of Chri&s;t, &s;earch, &s;eeke earne&s;tly for it. For every line of truth that comes from Chri&s;t is full of his bloud, eve|ry peece of this building is full of divine excellency, and therefore we &s;hould count every du&s;t of it Gold and precious. What can any man &s;ay again&s;t the yoake of Chri&s;t? he &s;aith him&s;elfe it is ea&s;ie, and his burden is light. God offers a Ju|bile, and if we love not freedome, it is ju&s;t with God to boare our eares and keep us &s;ervants for ever.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> There be variety of opinions, there be divi&s;ions among&s;t men that challenge a government of Chri&s;ts in&s;titution.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Sol."> It is no wonder, con&s;idering the darkne&s;&s;e that we have
<PB N="38" REF="22">beene kept in. God brings back our captivity as the rivers of the South, and we are as men that dream, our thoughts an|gles and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> counter. We have not yet had leave to talke of di&s;cipline. When we have more light, and may &s;ee each o|thers faces and thoughts, we doubt not but we &s;hall con&s;ent quickly. I dare prophecy as <HI>Paul, Phil.</HI> 3.15.16. <HI>If any man be otherwi&s;e minded, the Lord &s;hall reveale even this unto him.</HI> There is no argument can be good again&s;t this truth, and therefore practi&s;e it. I dare not charge you to doe it, but a greater hath, <HI>Paul,</HI> and in him Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.14. It concernes all that profe&s;&s;e Chri&s;t to the end of the world, till Chri&s;ts com|ming, and therefore you. The command he &s;peaks of is this of di&s;cipline e&s;pecially, and therefore not ea&s;ily wiped off. <HI>I give thee charge in the &s;ight of God who quickeneth all things, and before Chri&s;t Je&s;us, who before Pontius Pilate witne&s;&s;ed a good con|fe&s;&s;ion, that thou keep this commandement without &s;pot, unrebukable, untill the appearing of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> I know the great affaires of Church and Common-weale lye heavy upon you, take the incouragement this text affords. For this part Chri&s;t offers <HI>his &s;houlders</HI> to beare the burden. God laid it there, you need doe no more but take care to lay it there tod. He hath beene <HI>wonderfull</HI> in bringing you together, and will doe wonders by you. If you &s;ee your &s;elves to doe it, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">eare not want of advi&s;e, he will be your <HI>Coun&s;ellour;</HI> nor &s;trength to go through with your work, he will be a <HI>mighty God</HI> unto you; nor encouragement, he will be your <HI>everla&s;ting Father,</HI> and give you a <HI>place in his hou&s;e better then of &s;ons and daughters.</HI> Chri&s;t will rule in peace, and oppre&s;&s;ion &s;hall be far from us; Chri&s;t &s;hall be our King <HI>for ever:</HI> and <HI>happy are the people that are in &s;uch a ca&s;e.</HI> If you are not &s;o zealous as to doe it, we are &s;ure <HI>the zeale of the Lord of Hea&s;ts will performe this.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
