OCR Text |
Show T ~~ e e l a 4.. • ,. 0 fA • __- why Paul appealed to C~far. led to a publicke 1\Iinil\ery,) till the !all yeare of his Minil\ery, when his houre was comming of departure out of the world ; a! knowin?, they would not be able to beare it, and their exafperation nrig.ht have bee11 fome hinderance tO the free pa!fage.of his Minil\ery, before his houre was come. .A 1\}ply to his Chap. 3 o. Difcu!fer. IF it be foid, neitTitr the Roman Crefar, nor Herod, nor Pi' late, b.!Jerv ought oftbt true God, or of Chrift: and it bad been in vaine to have made comf>laint to them, whowm not fit, andco,Petent, but ignorant, and oppofite Judges. . Anfw. I. 'fhis rernov<th the ftumblingbloc~ of Pauls appeak to C:Efar: which Jince he could lZOt doe in common fonce, as to a competent Judgein{uchcajis,&c. li muft needesfollow, his appellle was mem/1 in reffe/1 of his civill rvrongs, &c. Anfw. 2. If it had been an Ordinance of God: that all civill Ma· gij!rattJ were bound to judge iu cau(a JPirituall, andChriflian, ( aJ to [upprejfi Hereftes, .to defend the Faith ofJefus:) although that Cre!ar, Herod, and Pontius Pilate, were ignorant, wick(d and op/J9fite Jud· ges: yet Chrijl and his Dijciples {houldhave gone aJ farre at lay in their power for redreffing of evill, anJ left it in the Mat)ftrateJ hands. . Anfw. 3· I fit had been the holy wiO of God to have efrablifbed the DoEfrine and -Kingdnme of his Snnne this way, he would have furni· Jbed Kingdomes and Common· wealths with many good aud gracioUI Magiffrato, to have fitted them for it. Defender. Reply I. to An[. t . Pauls appeale to C.e{ar , was about the wrongs done unto the ]ewes, Al1s z;. to. The wrongs to them were .not onely civill, bm Church-offences, which P au I denied: Neither again!\ the Law of the Jewes (faith he) nor again!\ the Temple, nor agai~l\ C.e(ar, have I offencled any thing at all, ver.S. Fefru demanded tfhe would ~oe up toHierufalem, there to be jud· ged ofthefe rh_i~I!,S ~ ver. 9· Thefe things were matters of Religi· on,as w_tll a• c1vtll offences.To offend again!\ the Law of the Jewu and_agatnl\ the Temp!~, were offences ~gainft Religion: tooffenJ agamft C.efor was. a cmll otfence.T o be judged of thefe things,P •.J, dec!ineth. why Paul appealed to C refar. 59 -:-------- dec~inet~ the Court at Hierujjltm, (as bdng unjuiHy prejudiced aga!nl\ ?tm :) But proft11ing his owne innocency, and bbjetlion to )Uft Judgement, He appealed> to C.,fors judgem~c.• feate, ver. to, 1 I · wherein three or foure things doc e-vidently appeare. 1 •• That a man may be fuch.an off, nder in mJtters of Religion (agatnfl the Law of God, agatnft the Church, as well as in dvill matterugainl\ C.e(ar) as to be wo• thy ofdeath. This P•ul prefuppofeth, ver. 8, 9, 10. · z. That Paul, or any other fuch like t'ervant ofChril\ If he !hould commit any fuch offence, he would not refufe judgement unto death, ver. t t . 3· That for the Judgement of his perf on in thefe caufes ( whether ecclefiafticall or civil!,) It is law full in Come cafes to ;ppeale to a civill, though a Pagan Magil\rate. In fome cafes lfay, a~ where both thefe concurre, to wit. t. That Church-officers are malicioufly prejudiced again!\ a man, and inferiour civil Co~m inclin~ to th_em. 2. That ~man be called in que !lion amongft them 111 capuall caufes, whtch concerne his life. But a fourth thing which appeareth from Pauls appeale is this That the civill Magil\rare, whether Chrijlian, or· P Jgan, may and ought to be fo well acquatnted, not onely with civil! caufes but alfo with caufes of Religion, efpecially fuch as concerne life 'as to be ab!e to j~Jge, t~o.ugh not of all queftions, yet ,of capit:ll offmces, agamll Rehgton, as well as again!\ thc~ivill State. Repfy .z .. to An[. 2. The M.rgi_nall Note, fecmeth to imply a comradtthon .to It felfe, for thus tt fpeaketh, Civi/1 Magiflrates '"':• never appoznt~d by God, Defenders of rhe l•irh of Jefiu. And a~ atne, Every one rs h•und .!"put forth hzm{e/fo ro·his mmoft power in God~ Bujineffi: Surel_Y, a every <~ne be bound tO put forth h1mfelfe to hts ucmoft power 111 Gods Euftne!fc, then civil! Magil\rates are bound to put forth their civill power, in defending the F atth of jefirs. · .N.either will it henceforth follow, That either Chri!t, or his Dtfc~ples were bound to cumpl•ine tO C.<f.r, or to Herod, or to ~onrzm :tlate, ag.rinft the Herdics of t_he_Pharifes. For though ll Magt!lr ates, t V<Il Pag.ms ougl'lt to mlurrnr.themfelves in the matte.' of Faith and of Chri!li•n Rd;~iou, (dldt th<y may obferveaudpreferve it) and it will be a dellrut\i'ie fiuue tu them and I 2 t here • |