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Show . Teftimoni.~s alledge~from ------- - be put.forth aga~n{bll evill doers (and amongfl others, again!! Hereticks) withoura Sword oflron or Steele. If their be flones in the flrects, the M•giflrate need not fetch a Sword from the Smitbi lhop, 110r an Halter frqrp the Ropers, topunilh an Here. rick. A ple~fant wit, can play wifh a foather of every flying Fan. cy,and yet (v,vhichis to bel~mente d) bring in fuchlight conceits into grave Difcourfes,andDtfputes abont the holy things of God. But two things let the Difc.nffer undorll:and, r. That the Lord (through his· grace) hath opened mine eye m~ny a yeare agoe,to dl!cergc, that'.a Nationall Church is not the Inftitution of the Lord Jefus. And himfelfc confet'f~th, ~hat elfwherc I have· profell: againfl {uch a Church State :nor wtl(heevcrbeablc to make it good, that the Church in New-Eng/.,"d is implicitely any N1~ tionall,Qr- Slate-Church. z., L~~ ~im underll:and further, that I lhould chinkc mi11eeye npt onely obfcured, but thdight ofit uttedy put out; if I thould ·conceive, as he doth, That th·" Nationall Church State of the ]ewes didnccelfarily call for fuch weapons topunilh Hcrcticks, more thel) the Congregational! State of particular Churches d.orh call. for the (ame,now io ~edayes of the New-Tcftamcnt. For wasnotrh~ Nationall Church of die lenin as compleat~ly furnithed with fpirituall Armour to defend it felfe, and to offend' men: and Divclls, as rhe partjcu·lar Churches of rhe New-Tellament bel H<d they not power to conv\nct~ falfe Prophets,as Elijah did the Prophets of B aAI? Had ~~ey nor power ro fepcrate all evil doers from the fc:llt>wlhi p of the Congregation? what PO 'Iff!'· have our particular Churches now, which their Nationall Church wanted ?• or what efficacy is their found in the exercife of our· power which was ":anring to them? . If it be faid,Their Nation was an holy Nation, and an unclean~ perfon migrr not live amongli them : A11(. lr is true, he might not enter into the Congregation with the tell: ofthelfraelim, to worlh;p the Lord : bur he was permitted to live in the Common-we 1Ith of /frael, men uncer• cumdfed both in heart, and fleth. It is therefore a Sophyliical imagination of mans Braine,to make 1 mans felfe , on he world believe, that the Nacionall.Cburch· Sute ofchcJnPu,. req~ired a civill Sword, whereas the parti· cular The Teftimonyof .Ancient a11d fare Wrtters dtfcu!Jed. cqlar Church- State ot tho Gofpel needs no fuch help. . Why not lpr 'Y ]'" l Btc«!lfoparticul.r (bt~rcheJ are po.,.erfullJ ,b/1, by the SrDord of the Spirit, 10 difend themfelvtJ, a11d to offend me•, or Dive! II i' And was nor the NationallChurch of I{rael as powerfully able,by the fame Spirit to doe chelamt?Surely ic w•s both fpc;) ken and meant of the Nati<>n.<ll Chttrch of the le•u, Not by mighr, nor by power, but by my Spirit, faith the Lord ofHofl:es l Zach. 4· 6. And doth not the Difcu!fer himfelfe obferve, that time was in theN ationall Church of the Land of Canaa11, when there was neithercarna!l Speare, nor Sword to be found l 1 Sam. 1 ~· And wunoc then the Natimull Church powerfully able' (by the Spiritof~od) to defend it felfe, and to off~nd men, and Divells, a[wtll as puticnlar Churches now? CHAp. 69. A ''l(!p/ytohis Chap.72, diftuJJing the Teftimony ofBrentius. Difcuffer. BRentiut up•n I Cor. 3.(aitb, no manhathpower to make or givr<· lawet to Chrijlians, wberebJ to binde th,ir Con{ciencer. For wi/. lingly,freelJ,alld Uf1Compelled, •ith a read; defl•e, 1111d chearfull min de, ""ft thofe that come, rnn Unto Chrifl. Ta tbiJ tbe Anfwerer returmth,Brentius (faith h• )fpeak.!_th t1ot til• }muufo. Wee •illingiy. grauntyou, thAI mall hath'" power to 6inde C'•fcience: bnt thisbinder.,hnot,that menm.IJ (e. the LawuofGod obfirved, which doe bin de Confcimc.. But the gr>untillg thu, That'"'" have no powertoma~e Lawn trl bi•de CorJfcience, overthr<Weth {itch hi. "( enent, and praffifo as reoo~ ft~ame m'n from their worfoip, llccordingto their Conftience, 4nd bt~ ltije , ••d conjlraine them to fucb worfoipr, which theirvwn ji)f(/eJ tell · th.m, tbey h•vc no (atifa[/ion, nor fait~in. I. It is an umrurh, that either we rell:raine men from ·wor• lh~p according, to Confcicnce,or contl1aine them to worlhip a· gamftConfcience: or that fuch is myTenent and prat1:ife. 1• Though it were true that wee did both: yet tbis did .noD · · make. IS7 |
