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Show pang. OF A CHRISTIAN 051117.33, c 0 MM 0 N-WE A L TH. C54,. 3 ,. '05 no more to cheat} Emperours, though Chrii'tian , for the Shepherds old Tefiamettt: Cbrz‘ji‘ himfelf, in the time he lived)on eartht and ofthe people, but for Sheep , and Emperours not Chrifhan , for the. Apo/Her, and their fttcceilots, from the day 9f Ienteco£t(when the 11on chart defcendcd on tht‘mflo thrsday. . . , ' It is a quellion much difputed between the dis/err» feé'cs of Chriih. The}; quefllm Wolves-7 and endeavoured to paile their Doétrine, not for Counlell, and Information, as Preachers; but for Laws , as ahfolute Gover- nours,and thought {uch frauds as tended to make the people the more obedient to Chrifiian Doétrine, to be pious-7 yet I am perfwaded they did not therefore falfifie the Scriptures,though the copies ofthe Books an Religion, Fromm/{mat the Smyrnrerdmw t/mr Atttborzty; which tit; eafdgta. ofthe New Tefiament,were in the hands only of the Ecclefiafiicks, becaufe ifthey had had an intention to to doe,they would furely have the difficulty oftefolving it, arifeth chiefly from the impropemefle of made them more favorable to their power over Chrifiian P rinces,and Civill Soveraignty,than they are. queflion is alfo propounded fometimes in other terms , 35 a How fl" Scripture: liflt'n‘ them to {2e 1/}: Word 0/ God, or,W/2}l we heleew the??? to befi: And flared. the words wherein the quel'tion it felt lS couched. For it is beleeved on all hands, that the firlt and originall Art/yer oft'hem is God ;. and lice not therefore any reafon to conl‘equentlv the quelhon dilputed, is not that. A031", it is manifeft, doubt,but that the Old,and New Telhzmentnts we have them now,are that none can know they are Gods Word, (thogh all true Chrifli- the true Regiflers ofthole things, which were done and laid by the Prophets,and Apofiles. And 10 perhaps are tome of thole Books pernarurally-7 and therefore the quefhon is notrightly moved, ofour which are called ‘Apocrypha , and leftouto't the Canon, not for mconformit or. Doétrine with the refl,but only became they are 110: found in t ie Hebrew. For after the conqucfl of Alia by Alexander the Great, there were few learned _]ews, that were not perfect in tle Greek tongue. For the feventy Interpreters that converted the Bible into Greek , were all of them Hebrews, and we have extant the Their Score. PM 3- ans beleeve it,) but thole to whom God himlelfhath revealed it fuItimvrdgcofir. Laf'cly, when the queihon is propounded of our Eelsefc, becaufe fome are moved to beleeve for one, and others for uti‘iCl‘ reatbns, there can be rendred no one generall anfwer for them all. The queflion truly {hated is, By viz/m: Authority the} are mad: Law. works of Philo and joféfbm bothjews, written by them eloquently As far asthey differ not from the Laws of Nature, there is no Their Autha. d wubt, but they-are the Law of God , and carry their Authority with tit) and Inter- in Greek. But it istnot the VVriter,hur the authority of the Church, tl‘Cm, legible to all men that have the ufe ofnaturall reafon : but this WWW" that maketh a Book Canonicall. And although the {e Books were is no other Authority, then that of all other Morall Doétrinc conlbv written by divers men, yet it is manifefl the W titers were all indued with one and the fame Spirit , in that they conl'pire to one and the fame end, which is the letting forth of the Rightsof the Kingdome ofGt/d, the Father, Son, and Holy (Ilia/4'. lor the Boole of time/ix, dcriveth the Genealogy of Gods people , from the creation of the World, to the going into Egypt : the other four Books or Mam, mm to Reafon, the Dictates whereofare Laws, nor mad: , but Eterml]. "they be made Law by God himfelfe, they are of the nature of mitten Law, which are Laws to them only to whom God hath fo liilliciently publilhed them, as no man cartexcufe himfelf, by fay1115:, he knew not they were his. contain the Election ofGod for their King, and the Laws which hte "He therefore, to whom God hath not {upernaturally revealed, that prefcribed for their Government 3 The Books or" joflma , judgrr, the y are his, nor that thole that publiflied them, were fent by him, is Rut/J, and Samuel, to the time 0554111, delcrtbe the acts of Gods not obliged to obey them, by any Authority, but his , whole Commands have already the force ofLaws -, that is to fay , by any other Authority, then that ofthe Common-wealth, refiding in the Sover.tign,who only has the Legiflative power. Again, iftit be not the chlllittlvc Authority ofthe Common-wealth, that giveth them the force or Laws, it muf‘t bee {ome other Authority derived from people, till the time they cali ofl‘Gods yoke, and called {or a King, after the manner oftheir neighbour nations : The tell of the liiiioiy ofthe Old Teftament, derives the lucceflion o't‘the line of David, to the Captivity, out of which line was to lining the reflort‘r of the Kingdome otGod, even our bleifed Saviour (Jr/d 1/1: 50.: , v» me coming was foretold in the Bookts ol‘the Prophets, alter whom the: Evangelifis write his life, and actions,and his claim to the Kingdome, whilfl he lived on earth: and laflly, the Ac‘ts,and Epilllcs or the Apoflles ,dcclarc the Coming ofGod, the Holy (theft, and the Authority he left with them,and their fuceellorr for the dirt etion ot‘tht- jett 3, and for the invitation ofthe Gentilean liimme,the "diaries and the Prophecies ofthe old Teflament, and the Golpels and lipiiilts oft}: New Teflament, have had one and the {ante (cope, to LOIIVCt'I men to the obedience ot‘God, i. in filo/E5, and the Prielis; 2. in the man Cimfl -, and 3. in the Ape/Ila and the fiicccilors to Apollolierdl pUW‘ er. Eorthefc three at leveral times did rtpm‘tnt the pcrfon of God: Major, and his fuccefi'ors the High Prieits,and Kings ofjudalt, in If}: L l\ God, either private,or ptihlique : if private, it obliges onely him, to whom in particular God hath been pleated to reveale it. For it every man lhould be obli ed, to take for Gods Law, What particular men, on pretence 0 private Infpiration, or Revelation, lliould obtrude upon him, ( in fuch a number of men, that out of pride, and ignorance, take their own Dreams, and extrava" gent Fancies, and Madnefi'e, for tef‘timonies of Gods Spirit; or otitof ambition, pretend to fuch Divine tellimonies, falfely, and Contrary to their own confciences,) it were impoflible that any DMHC Law lhould be acknowledged. If publique, it is the Au‘ thorny of the Comman-wealrbpr of the Chart/7. But the Church, Hit be one perfon, is the fame thin0 with a Common-wealth of D5 2 other: |