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Show :‘é-b ad.» OF A CHRISTI A N. Ch.1[r.4:. Son of mar; (boll fit in the throw of hit glocy, you flirt/14%,}, 1am. 3.' upon twelve Thrones; And 0t St. Paul ( Epoef. 6.15.) Him/m3 your feet jhod With the Preparer/on of tho Gofioell of Peace. fromrbecom-" And is compared by our Saviour, to Fiflung, that is , to winpatiib'léfita ning men to obedience, not by Coercion, and Punilliing; but by more therefore we are to obferve thofe Chriltians ,- whom God hath ordained to have Soveraign Power over us. How then can wee be obliged to obey any Minifier of Clirifl, ifhe fliould command us to doe any thing contrary the Command ofthe King, or "7"" F'll'mg' Perfwafion : and therefore he laid not to his Apoitles, lice would other Soveraign Reprefentant ofthe Common-wealth, whereof we Lemn's'fJ' make them {0 many Nimrods , Hunters of mm; [mt Fl/hc'n of mmIt is compared alfo to Leaven; to Sowing of Seed , and to the are members, and by whom we look to be proteétedr It is there- fore manifefi, that Chrifl hath not left to his Miniflers in this world, Multiplication ofa grain ofMul‘tard-feed; by all which Compulfion is excluded; and confequently there can inthattime be no actual Reigning. The work of .Chrifls Minifiers, .is Evangelizarion. that is, aProclamation ofChriit, anda preparation for his {econd com- ming; as the Evangelization ofjohn Baptii‘t, was a preparation to COMMON-WEAL TH. Chalk") unlefle they be alfo endued with Civill Authority, any authority to Command other men. But what ( may fome objeét)if aKing, or a Senate , or other W1," am, ,2; Sovereign Perfon forbid us to beleeve in Chrifi 5' To thisI an- on: my data fiver, that {uch forbidding is ofno efieet; becaufe Beleef, and Un- M'oidperjecu- his firft coming. From the ta- Again, the Office of Chrifis Minit‘tersin this world, is to make beleet‘ never follow mens Commands. Faith is a gift of God, "'07-'which Man can neither give, nor take away by promiie of rewards, "moi 1L ""l‘: men Belceve, and have Faith in Chrilt: But Faith hath no relati- or menaces ot‘torture. And ifit be further asked, What if wee bee commanded by our lawfull Prince, to lay with our tonoue , wee Qn to, nor dependence at all upon Compulfionpr Commandcment; but onely upon certainty, or probability ofArguments drawn from Profefiion with the tongue is but an externall thing, and no more then any other gcfiure Miniflers of Chrifl inthis world, have no Power by that title , m whereby it e lignilic our obedience; and wherein a Chrifiian, hold- mg firmcly in his heart the Faith ot‘Chrifls, hath the fame liberry which the Prophet Eliiha allowed to Naaman the Syrian. Punifli any man for not Beleeving, or for Contradiéting what they fay; they have Ifay no Power by that title of Chrilts Minutm, to Punifli fuchzbutif they have Soveraign Civill Power, by pol‘c tick inltitution, thenthey may indecdlawfully Punilli any (Tontradiétion to their laws whatlbever : And St. Paul ,ol7 lumielr‘c 2Ccr. i. 24. and other the then Preachers of the (JOi‘pCll , faith in (xprcfl‘c words, Wee have 770 Dominion everyour fatthhllt ore Hrlper; lIJ' 'me I . "W'bm'" "Another Argument, that the Minillers of Clirifl inthis prelent mm" Chnfi world have no, right of Commanding . may be drawn from the bothleft to . . 1 we . ‘. . _ . CivillPrin- lawfullAuthority which Chrift hath leit to all Princes, as utll m. beleeve not; mult we obey liicli command f Therefore the Reafon, or from lbmething men beleeve already. lfiaamanwas converted in his heart to the God ot'Ifrael; For hee iaith (2 King; 5. i7. ) Thy [armor null henceforth oflcr neither ham! offering,norjiu‘r/fi'ee onto other God; hut until the Lord'- I" ""3 thingthe Lord pardon thy jr'm'am, thotmhm my Juli/hf" goeth into. the hot/[c of lrxmmm toivorflnp there, and he [worth on my hztml, and! hen) my (elf: 1/,'theho.'//eof Rimmox, when! [my my [rife in the 1;; life of R/mmoix, the Lord pardon thy/ennui; in this thing.This the Prophetapproved, and bid him Goa to Pt'i'lEt'. Herc Naaman beleered in his heart, but by bowing before the Idol Rimmon, Chriflsians, as Infidels. St. Paul faith ( Col. 3. 20. ) (th'lxlrm ohrt he denycd the true God in diet}, as iiiuch as ifhe had done it with your Parent: in all things, for thins WlllP/C-‘fiflg to the Lord. And his lips. ver. 22. Servant: aha} m o/lthmgr your Naflrrx accord/21g to the ll'ho/oct'rr dental; me hefore men, 1 ml! dmy him heforc' my F41- fie/h, not with eye-fervioe, a: moo-pleofié'rs, hut mfi;1_-:glme{]e of ham, ther n‘hxt h z} m IIm-zvczfl‘l is we may lay,that whatloever a Subject, a: fearing the Lord: This is fpoken to them whole Mallets \x'ere as Naanun was, is compelled to in obedience to his Soveraign, and doth it not in order to his own mind, but in order to the Infidells; and yet they are bidden to obey them in all thingy. And again, concerning obedience to PrinCes. (Row. :3. the liril 6. verl'es( exhorting to hejuhyrfl to the Higher Pmrm, he iliitlr,;».zt all Power 1': ordamm' ofG Mo, and that we ought to hejuhietlio them, 7'0! MCI] for fear of incurring their wrath , lo: irljo fer ran/Jew: fake. And St. Peter, (' I Epifl. chap. 2. ver. 13, 1.}, 155‘, a rim; your film: to every Ordinance of Man ,for the Lords fake, il"'?!/'(' 1! he: to the King, (14‘ Supreme, or new GOTC')‘}70£IVS, .1:- zo I/ a'ib‘ rho: hefenthy him for thepum/hmem of'ec-i/l d005, and forth: frail! N them that aloe well, for 10 [It/161w" of God. And again St. Paul (Tit. 3. t.)PIIt mm in mind to he {Erhard to I' "Hiya/111w , Mi But then what lliall we anlwer to our Saviours faying , laws Oi-lllS country, that action is nothis , but his Soveraiens; nor is it l‘c that inthis cal-edenyetliChrilt before men. butqliis Go'.ernot.r, andthe law oi‘liis cbuntrey. If any man lli;ill accule this dottriiic, as repugnant to true, arid unfegined Chrillianity; I 35k 1311", In C41}: there llEOLllLl bea lubjeet in any Chriftian Comnion-weal: h, that illO‘chl be inwardly in his heart of the Mahometan Religion, whether it' his Sox'eraiizn command him to bee pl‘Citmat the divrne {ervice ol the Cliriliian Church, and that on _«'1‘r_1 otaleith, he thinkthat Mahomctan obliged in conl‘cience to and PDWCFS‘. "MY ‘18th )for that caulk, rather than to obey that command of .w y" ' ‘ _ hisV. laiti ulllrince. Itlie lay, he ought rather toiufler ‘ death, then whereof St. Peter, and St. Paul he re fpeak, were all Inlidebzmiaii he CiUIl t‘ \ iOYlZ ‘ GIll a ll private men, todifobcy their Princes,inmain- lllt‘l C enante or their Religion, true, or talle: it he fay,he ought to bi‘c "'WNs and to ohzy filogzflratri. Thel‘c Princes, Min 2 obedient, ‘cfiid" _...." P4rt.3. to:. the e . 370 |