<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-08-06</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140516.apex.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B27724">
<STC T="W">O820</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]12535409</BIBNO>
<VID>199750</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>Unto the Que&s;tions &s;ent me la&s;t night, I pray accept of the en&s;uing An&s;wer, under the Title of two Que&s;tions con|cerning the Power of the Supream Magi&s;trate about Religion, and the Wor&s;hip of God; with one about Tythes, Propo&s;ed and Re&s;olved.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="question">
<HEAD>Que&s;tion I.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_WHether the &s;upream Magi&s;trate in a Nation or Com|mon-wealth of men profe&s;&s;ing the Religion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, may or ought to exert his power Legi&s;lative and Executive, for the &s;upportment, pre&s;ervation, and fur|therance of the profe&s;&s;ion of the Faith, and wor&s;hip of God; and whether he may and ought to forbid, co&euml;rce, or re&s;train &s;uch principles and practi&s;es as are contrary to them, and de|&s;tructive of them.</HI></P>
<P>The Affirmative of both the parts of this Que&s;tion is proved.</P>
<P>I.<HI> From the Light and Law of nature.</HI></P>
<P>For,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That there is a God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That this God ought to be believed in, and wor&s;hipped accord|ing to the Revelation that he makes of him&s;elf.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That it is incumbent on his wor&s;hippers in their &s;everal capaci|ties, to defend and further that wor&s;hip which an&s;wers the light and knowledge they have of him.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That to revile, or bla&s;pheme this God, or his Name, is an evil to be puni&s;hed by them who have <HI>jus puniendi,</HI> or the right of re&s;traint in them, or committed unto them,</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Are all dictates of the Law of nature, principles in&s;eparable from that light which is natural, and nece&s;&s;ary unto rational creatures, &s;ub|&s;i&s;ting
<PB N="2" REF="2"> in a moral dependance on God, and confirmed by Scripture, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. 6. <HI>Exod.</HI> 22. 28.</P>
<P>To a&s;&s;ert then that the &s;upream Magi&s;trate, as &s;uch, in any Nation, ought not to exert his Authority for the ends, and in the way enquired after, is contrary to <HI>the Light and Law of nature.</HI></P>
<P>II.<HI> From the Law of Nations.</HI></P>
<P>For,</P>
<P N="1">1. The due and regular improvement of common natural notions, and inbred principles, unto univer&s;al publick Good, is the Law of Na|tions, who&s;e general foundation is laid, <HI>Gen.</HI> 9. 5, 6.</P>
<P N="2">2. The con&s;tant u&s;age of mankind in their political &s;ocieties, an|&s;werable unto right Rea&s;on, is the Revealer or Di&s;coverer of this Law of Nations.</P>
<P N="3">3. This Law is an evidence and pre&s;umption of truth and right, paramount unto, and uncontroulable by any thing but expre&s;s Reve|lation; or it is a di&s;covery of the will of God, le&s;s then, and &s;ubordi|nate unto no way, but that of immediate revelation.</P>
<P N="4">4. The wilful breach or contempt of this Law, in its allotments or a&s;&s;ignation of bounds to the intere&s;ts and concernments of men, is generally e&s;teemed the mo&s;t righteous ground of one Nations wage|ing war upon another.</P>
<P N="5">5. That the &s;upream Magi&s;trate in each Common-wealth, ought to exert his power and authority, for the &s;upportment, pre&s;ervation and furtherance of the wor&s;hip of God, and to co&euml;rce and re&s;train that which would ruine it, is a maxime of this Law of Nations, manife&s;ted by the common con&s;tant u&s;age, and univer&s;al entrances, unimpeached by any one contrary in&s;tance (where this Law hath prevailed) of all mankind in their political &s;ocieties; nor is this practi&s;e controuled by expre&s;s revelation, but is rather confirmed, <HI>Jerem.</HI> 2. 10.</P>
<P>Therefore to deny the lawfulne&s;s of the Authority enquired after, and its due execution, is contrary <HI>to the Law of Nations.</HI></P>
<P>III.<HI> From Gods in&s;titution, in and by Laws po&s;itive, upon do|ctrines of Faith, and wayes of Wor&s;hip, of pure Revelation.</HI></P>
<P>For,</P>
<P N="1">1. Among the people of the <HI>Jews,</HI> as is known and confe&s;&s;ed, God appointed this as the chief and &s;upream care and duty of the Magi|&s;trate, to provide by the Authority committed to him, that his wor&s;hip, as by him&s;elf revealed, &s;hould be pre&s;erved, and provided for, in all the concernments of it; and that what was contrary unto it in &s;ome in&s;tances, he &s;hould co&euml;rce and re&s;train, <HI>Deut.</HI> 14. 2, 3, 18, 19. <HI>chap.</HI> 16. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="3" REF="2"> 2. Though the in&s;tituted wor&s;hip of God was for the greate&s;t part then typical, and to endure but for a &s;ea&s;on, yet the pre&s;ervation of that wor&s;hip by God commanded, was a moral duty; <HI>Deut.</HI> 16. 20.</P>
<P N="3">3. Gods command to the Magi&s;trate, for the exerci&s;e of his care and duty in reference unto his <HI>typical wor&s;hip,</HI> did not re&s;pect it, as <HI>typical,</HI> but as <HI>his wor&s;hip.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. The Law and command of God for the Magi&s;trate in that Common-wealth to take care and do as above, was not only an emi|nent priviledge, ble&s;&s;ing and advantage to the Common-wealth, as &s;uch; but it was al&s;o a &s;pecial mercy to all and every one of his cho&s;en ones in that Common-wealth; and what is given or granted by God to all or any of his Saints by the way of priviledge or mercy, is not di&s;anulled, but either by expre&s;s revocation, or the in&s;titution of &s;omewhat exhibiting a greater priviledge, or mercy, wherewith the former proves incon&s;i&s;tent.</P>
<P N="5">5. No revocation of this grant, or command, and in&s;titution, no appointment of any thing incon&s;i&s;tent with it, appears in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Then univer&s;ally to deny the right and exerci&s;e of the Power en|quired after, is contrary to <HI>the po&s;itive law of God, given in reference unto doctrines of Faith, and wayes of Wor&s;hip, of pure Revelation;</HI> &s;uch as were tho&s;e profe&s;&s;ed, and walked in under the Old Te&s;tament.</P>
<P>IV.<HI> From the Example of all Godly Magi&s;trates, accepted with God from the foundation of the world.</HI></P>
<P>For,</P>
<P N="1">1. There is no one Magi&s;trate left on record in the whole Book of God, with any commendation given unto him, or approbation of him as &s;uch, but it is fir&s;tly and chiefly on this account, that he ex|erted the Power and Duty enquired after. <HI>David, Hezekiah, Jo&s;iah, Nehemiah,</HI> as others, are in&s;tances.</P>
<P N="2">2. Since the days of the publication of the Go&s;pel, no one Magi|&s;trate hath obtained a Good report among the Saints and Churches of Chri&s;t, but upon the &s;ame account.</P>
<P N="3">3. No one Magi&s;trate is remembred to have omitted this care, work or duty, but a mark, or blot is left upon him for it, as a per&s;on di&s;approved, and rejected of God.</P>
<P N="4">4. Nothing but an expre&s;s di&s;charge by way of Revelation, can acquit a Magi&s;trate from following the example of all and every one of them, who in their work have been approved of God, in that wherein they were &s;o approved. Wherefore,</P>
<P>To affirm that the Supream Magi&s;trate ought not to exert his Authority for the ends mentioned, is to affirm, That <HI>the Ma|gi&s;trate</HI>
<PB N="4" REF="3"> <HI>is now accepted with God, in and for the not doing of that which all other Magi&s;trates have been accepted with God in, and by the doing of:</HI> which &s;eems unrea&s;onable.</P>
<P>V.<HI> From the promi&s;es of Go&s;pel times.</HI></P>
<P>For,</P>
<P N="1">1. Promi&s;es given in a way of priviledge and mercy, that men &s;hould do any thing, dec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">are it to be their duty &s;o to do.</P>
<P N="2">2. There are many promi&s;es that in Go&s;pel times Magi&s;trates &s;hall lay out their power, and exert their Authority, for the furthe|rance and pre&s;ervation of the true Wor&s;hip of God, the profe&s;&s;ion of the Faith, the Wor&s;hippers and Profe&s;&s;ors thereof, and therein the whole intere&s;t of Sion, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 1. 26. <HI>chap.</HI> 49. 22, 23.</P>
<P N="3">3. All the promi&s;es relating unto Gods Providential Di&s;pen&s;ations in the World, with reference unto the Intere&s;t of his Church and peo|ple, do center in this, that the rulers in and of the world &s;hall exert and exerci&s;e their power in &s;ub&s;erviency to the Intere&s;t of Chri&s;t, which lies in his Truth, and his Wor&s;hip; which cannot be done, if the Power enquired after be denyed, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 60. 3, 11, 12. <HI>to</HI> 17. <HI>Revel.</HI> 11. 15.</P>
<P>To &s;ay then, that the Supream Magi&s;trate in a Common-wealth of men profe&s;&s;ing the true Chri&s;tian Religion, ought not to exert his Legi&s;lative and executive power in the defence, and for the fur|therance of the Truth and Wor&s;hip of God, and for the re&s;traint of the things that are de&s;tructive thereunto, is to &s;ay, that the <HI>promi&s;e of God is of no effect.</HI></P>
<P>VI.<HI> From the Equity of Go&s;pel Rules.</HI></P>
<P>For,</P>
<P N="1">1. Whatever is of Moral Equity, and hath the power of obliga|tion from thence, the Go&s;pel &s;uppo&s;eth, and leaves men under that obligation, pre&s;&s;ing them unto obedience thereunto, <HI>Phil.</HI> 4. 8.</P>
<P N="2">2. Whatever was in&s;tituted and appointed of God formerly, is of Moral po&s;itive Equity, if it be not repealed by the Go&s;pel; and therefore the forementioned in&s;titution of the Magi&s;trates Duty in the things under con&s;ideration, is &s;uppo&s;ed in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P N="3">3. The Go&s;pel Rules on this &s;uppo&s;ition are, that the Magi&s;trate is to promote all Good, and to hinder all Evil that comes to his cog|nizance, that would di&s;advantage the whole, by its civil di&s;turbance, or provoking God again&s;t it, and that in order to the Intere&s;t of Chri&s;t and his Church: <HI>Rom.</HI> 13. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 2. <HI>with Prov.</HI> 8. 15, 16.</P>
<P N="4">4. That what is Good and Evil upon an Evangelical account, evi|dently
<PB N="5" REF="3"> and manife&s;tly is exempted from the&s;e Rules, cannot be proved.</P>
<P>Therefore to &s;ay it, is contrary to the equity of Go&s;pel Rules.</P>
<P>VII.<HI> From the confe&s;&s;ion of all the Prote&s;tant Churches in the world.</HI></P>
<P>That all the Prote&s;tant Churches in the world a&s;&s;ert, at lea&s;t the whole of the duty contained in the affirmative of the Que&s;tion to be incumbent on the &s;upream Magi&s;trate, is known to all men that care to know what they a&s;&s;ert.</P>
<P>VIII.<HI> From the confe&s;&s;ion of tho&s;e in particular, who &s;uffer in the world on the account of the largene&s;s of their principles, as to toleration and forbearance.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Independants;</HI> who&s;e words in their confe&s;&s;ion are as fol|loweth.</P>
<Q>ALthough the Magi&s;trate is bound to encourage promote and pro|tect the Profe&s;&s;ors and Profe&s;&s;ion of the Go&s;pel, and to manage and order civil admini&s;trations in a due &s;ub&s;erviency to the intere&s;t of Chri&s;t in the world, and to that end to take care that men of corrupt minds and conver&s;ations do not licentiou&s;ly publi&s;h and divulge Bla&s;phe|mies and Errors, in their own nature &s;ubverting the faith, and inevi|tably de&s;troying the &s;ouls of them that receive them: yet in &s;uch diffe|rences about the Doctrines of the Go&s;pel, or wayes of the wor&s;hip of God, as may befall men exerci&s;ing a good con&s;cience, manife&s;ting it in their conver&s;ation, and holding the foundation, not de&s;turbing others in their wayes or wor&s;hip, that differ from them, there is no warrant for the Magi&s;trate under the Go&s;pel to abridge them of their liberty.</Q>
<P>IX.<HI> From the &s;piritual &s;ence of the generality of godly men in the world.</HI></P>
<P><HI>This can be no otherwi&s;e known, but by the declaration of their judgements, and as to what can by that way be found out or di&s;co|vered, a Thou&s;and to one, of men truly godly, are for the</HI> Affir|mative, Vox populi Dei, e&s;t vox Dei.</P>
<P>X.<HI> From the pernicious con&s;equences of the contrary a&s;&s;ertion; whereof I &s;hall mention only two.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The condemnation and abrenunciation of the whole work of Reformation, in this, and other Nations, &s;o far as it hath been pro|moted by Laws or Con&s;titutions of Supream Magi&s;trates: as in the Removal of Idolatry, de&s;troying of Idols and Images, prohibiting the</HI> Ma&s;&s;e, <HI>declaring and a&s;&s;erting the doctrine of the Go&s;pel, &s;up|porting the profe&s;&s;ors of it; which things have been vi&s;ibly owned and ble&s;&s;ed of God.</HI></P>
<P N="2"><PB N="6" REF="4"> 2. <HI>The de&s;truction of the Plea of Chri&s;ts intere&s;t in the govern|ment of the Nations; e&s;pecially as &s;tated by them, who in words contend to place him in the head of their Laws and Fundmentall con|&s;titutions; where nothing in a Government may be done</HI> for <HI>him, nothing again&s;t them who openly oppo&s;e him, men can &s;carce be thought to act under him, and in &s;ubordination to him.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The conclu&s;ion from hence is;</HI> to advance an opinion into any nece&s;|&s;ity of its being received, which is contrary to the Law of Nature and Nations, Gods In&s;titutions and Promi&s;es, the equity of Gospel rules, the example of all Magi&s;trates, who have obtained te&s;timony from God that they di&s;charged their duty unto acceptation with him, to the con|fe&s;&s;ion of all Prote&s;tant Churches, the &s;piritual &s;ence of the generality of Godly men in the world, and attended in it &s;elf with pernicious con&s;e|quences, &s;eems to be the effect of &s;elf-fulne&s;s, and readine&s;s to impo&s;e mens private apprehen&s;ions upon others, the only evil pretended to be avoided by it.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="question">
<HEAD>II. The next Que&s;tion is.</HEAD>
<P><HI>May the Supream Magi&s;trate, by Laws and Penalties compell any one who holds the head Chri&s;t Je&s;us, to &s;ub&s;cribe to that Confe&s;&s;ion of faith, and attend to that way of wor&s;hip which he e&s;teems incumbent on him, to promote and further?</HI></P>
<P>That we may an&s;wer di&s;tinctly, ob&s;erve;</P>
<P N="1">I. That the enquiry is concerning them only that <HI>hold the head;</HI> For others, their <HI>ca&s;e</HI> is not propo&s;ed. They are left to the provi|dence of God, in his working on the hearts of them, whom he rai&s;|eth up for Governors, according to the mea&s;ure of light, love and zeal which he &s;hall be plea&s;ed to impart unto them. And though it cannot be proved, that any Magi&s;trate is authorized from God, to take away the <HI>life</HI> or <HI>lives</HI> of any man or men, for their disbelie|ving or denying any heads or Articles of the Chri&s;tian Religion; yet it doth not &s;eem to be the duty of any profe&s;&s;ing obedience to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to make any <HI>&s;tated, legal, unalterable</HI> provi&s;ion for their immunity, who renounce him.</P>
<P N="2">II. That things, or opinions of publike &s;candall, National demerite, and reproach to the profe&s;&s;ion of the Go&s;pel, ought to be re&s;train|ed from being divulged by that publike &s;peaking of the Pre&s;s, or in <HI>Extrafamiliall</HI> A&s;&s;emblies, both which, according to the u&s;age of all Nations, are under the Power, and at the di&s;po&s;al of the Supream Magi&s;trate, was before proved, in our an&s;wer to the fir&s;t Enquiry.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="7" REF="4"> III. It is agreed that the mea&s;ure of Doctrinal holding the Head, con&s;i&s;ts in &s;ome few clear Fundamental propo&s;itions.</P>
<P N="4">IV. It cannot be denied but that mo&s;t men in the determination of this Que&s;tion, have run into extreams, much upon the account of their pre&s;ent Intere&s;t, or that of &s;ome Party of men, wherein and with which as to &s;ome &s;pecial &s;elf-ends, they are engaged.</P>
<P>The&s;e things being premi&s;ed, I an&s;wer to the Que&s;tion <HI>Nega|tively,</HI> and that becau&s;e the Authority enquired after, exerted to the ends mentioned, would immediately affect the Con&s;cience, and &s;et up it &s;elf in direct oppo&s;ition to the light of God therein; A defect of proving the conveyance of &s;uch an Authority over the Con&s;ciences of men holding the head, having been long &s;ince di&s;|covered.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="question">
<HEAD>The Third Que&s;tion.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Whether it be convenient that the pre&s;ent way of the maintenance of Mini&s;ters or Preachers of the Go&s;pell be removed and taken away, or changed into &s;ome other provi&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;wer.</HI></P>
<P N="1">I. That the Publike Preachers of the Go&s;pel ought to be main|tained, by a Participation in the temporal things of them to whom the word is preached, is an appointment of the Lord Chri&s;t, and of the Apo&s;tles in his name and authority, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. 14. <HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 6.</P>
<P N="2">II. The rea&s;onablene&s;s of this Go&s;pel In&s;titution is manife&s;ted by the Holy Gho&s;t. 1. From the Law of Nature, <HI>Luke</HI> 10. 7. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. 7. 11. 2. From the Law of Nations in the &s;ame place. 3. From the tendency and Equity of <HI>Mo&s;aical</HI> In&s;titutions, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.</P>
<P N="3">III. Where God by providential di&s;pen&s;ations hath laid things in a Nation, in a &s;ub&s;erviency to an in&s;titution of Chri&s;t accor|ding to his promi&s;e, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 2. 8. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 49. 23. as he hath done in this ca&s;e, to oppo&s;e that order of things, &s;eems to be a fighting again&s;t God and his Annointed.</P>
<P N="4">IV. The payment of Tythes, 1. Before the Law, <HI>Gen.</HI> 14. 20. <HI>Heb.</HI> 7. 4, 5. with 2. The like u&s;age among&s;t all Nations, living according to the light of Nature; 3. Their e&s;tabli&s;hing under the Law; with 4. The expre&s;s relation in Go&s;pel Appointment unto that e&s;tabli&s;hment, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. 14. do make that kind of payment &s;o far pleadable, that no man without being able to an&s;wer and &s;atisfie
<PB N="8" REF="5"> that Plea, can with any pretence of a good con&s;cience, con&s;ent to their taking away.</P>
<P N="5">V. A maintenance by a Participation in mens Temporals, for tho&s;e who preach the Go&s;pel, being expre&s;ly appointed by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and reference for the proportion, being directly made by the Apo&s;tle, unto the proportion allotted by God him&s;elf under the Old Te&s;tament; for any man, or number of men to &s;uppo&s;e they can make a better and wi&s;er allotment, e&s;pecially when and where a neer approachment thereunto is already made by providence, &s;eems to be a contending with him, who is mightier then they.</P>
<P N="6">VI. To deprive Preachers of the Go&s;pel, when &s;ent out into their Ma&s;ters harve&s;t, and attending unto their work, according to the be&s;t of the light which the pre&s;ent age enjoyeth, with vi&s;ible and glorious &s;ucce&s;s, of the portion, hire, wages, or temporal &s;up|portment prepared for them in the good providence of God, up|on pretences of inconveniences, and di&s;&s;atisfactions of &s;ome pre|judiced men, &s;eems to be an attempt, not to be parallel'd from the foundation of the world.</P>
<P N="7">VII. Where-ever, or in what Nation &s;oever there hath been a removal of the maintenance provided in the providence of God, for the nece&s;&s;ary &s;upportment of the publike Di&s;pen&s;ers of the word, the i&s;&s;ue hath been a fatall and irrecoverable di&s;advantage to the Go&s;pel and intere&s;t of Chri&s;t in tho&s;e Nations.</P>
<P>It appears then fir&s;t, That to take away the Publike maintenance provided in the good Providence of God, for the publike Di&s;pen&s;ers of the Go&s;pel, upon pretences of pre&s;ent inconvenience, or pro|mi&s;es of future provi&s;ion, is a contempt of the care and faithfulne&s;s of God towards his Church, and in plain terms, down right Robbery.</P>
<P>Secondly, To entitle a Nation unto &s;uch an action, by impo&s;ing it on them without their con&s;ent, is down-right Oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P N="8">VIII. An alteration of the way of payment of that Revenue which is provided in the Providence of God for publike Preachers, by the way of Tythes, into &s;ome other way of payment, continu|ing the pre&s;ent Right, is not obnoxious or lyable to any of the fore|mentioned evils, but its convenience or inconvenience may be freely debated.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours <HI>J. O.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>London, <HI>Printed for</HI> Francis Tyton, 1659.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
