OCR Text |
Show ng. 33° or A CHRISTIAN c5410.", fies inthat fenfe, in which to Jnflifie, isthe fame that to Dmomimztc a man Iii/i; and not in the fignification of difcharging the Law; whereby the punifliment of his iins fliould be uniuft. But a man is then alfo faid to be Juitified, whenhis Plea,though initfelfe unfufiicient,is accepted; as when we Plead our Will, our Endeavour to fulfill the Law,and Repent us of our failingsmnd God accepteth it for the Performance it felfe: And becaufe God accepteth not the Will for the Deed, but 011er in the Faithfull, it is therefore Faith that makes good our Plea; and in this fe‘nfe it is, that Faith onely Juftifies : So that Faith and obedience are both Ne- ccifaif‘iy to Salvation; yet in feverallfenfes each of them is faid to ufii e. Obedientcie J Having thus fliewn what is Neceifary to Salvation-1 it is not hard (37de ‘0er to reconcile our Obedience to God, with our Obedience to the 19:17": 1:05};- Civithoveraign-7 who is either Chrifiian, or Infidel. If he beta Chrii‘tian, he alloweth the beleefe of this Article, that 1:?qu I; I]?! (WWW Mitibarébri- Chrifl; and of all the Articles that are contained in , or are by fllan, evident confequence deduced from it: which is all the Faith Neceffary to Salvation. And becaufe he isa Soveraign , he requireth Obedience to all his owne, that is, to all the CivillLaws, in which alfo are contained all the Laws of Nature, thatis, all the Laws of God: for befides the Laws of Nature, and the Laws of the Church, which are part of the Civill Law, (for the Church that can make Laws is the Common-wealth,)there bee no other Laws Divine. Wliofoever therefore obeyeth his Chriflian Soveraign‘, is not thereby hindred, neither from beleeving , nor from obeying God. But fuppofe thata Chriftian King fhould from this Foundation Itflu i: We Cbr/ffl, draw fome falfe confequences, that is to fay, make fome fuperfiruftions ofHay, or Stubble , and command the teaching ofthe fame; yet feeiitg St. Paul fays, he ihal be faved; much more (hall he be faved, that teachcth them by his command; and much more yet, he that teaches not , but onelv btlc-eves his lawfull Teacher. And in cafe a Subjcet be forbidden by the CiVlii Sovcraign to profeife fome of thofe hisopinions, upon what iuft ground can he difobe 2' Chriftian Kings may errein deducing a Loniequence , but who (hall judge f Shall a private iiianjuthe, when the queflion is of his own obediencef or ihall any man luiig but he that isa pointed thereto by the Church, that is, by the Civrll Soveraignt iatreprefentethitf or if the Pope, or an. Apoille Judge, may he not erre in deducing of a confequencef did not one of the two, St. Peter,«or St.Paul erreinafliperi'ti'ut‘ture,\\'hen St. Paul withftood St. Peter to his face? There can therefore be no contradiction between the Laws of God, and the Laws ofa Chriliian 0r In ‘dd fl Common-wealth. ' ‘ And when the Civill Soveraign is an Infidel, everyone ofhis own S"blacks that reiifieth him, finneth againfl the Laws of God «for tuch are the Laws of Nature,) and rejee‘teth the couni'cllof the Apo- flles, that admoniiheth all Chriitians to obey their Princes, and all Chlldrcn and Servants to obey their Parents, and Mafieis , in all thinfli- rm. 3. 9 c 0 MM 0 N-WE A L TH. c5411 43" things. And for their Faith it is internall and in i the licence that Naaman had: and need not put then‘ifleiibvlecélitlitcd' 3m get for It. But ifthey do , they ought to expetft their reward ";Heaven, and not complain oftheir Lawfull Soveraign much l (11"1 make warre upon him. For he that is not lad ofany juit occafio ri i" Martyrdome, has not the faith he profefl'etigi, but pretends it onel o fet fome colour upon his own contumaey. But what Infidel K);,to is fo unreafonablc,as knowing he has a Subject, that waitet h for the fecond comming of Chrifi, after the prefent world {hall bee burnt and intendeth then to obey him ( which is the intent of beleev ino that; Iefus is the Chrift,) and in the mean time thinketh himfel f bou:hd t F362; the Layvs or that Infidel King, ( which all Chrifli ans are ob(3 slhhjee liifon eience to doe, ) to put to death, or to perfec ute fuch a And thus much {hall fufliee, concernin the Kin P011?! Ecclefiafiicall. Wherein I preterigii not to Elithzzfiicg on o my own, but onely to fhew what are the Conlequeiieebfiiid {eem to me deduc1ble from the Principles of Chriftian Politi s th ‘ u at (which are the holy Scri turcs,) in confirmation of the Powgrcs Civill Soveraigns, and t e Duty oftheir Subjects. And in the all:- gation of Scripture, I have endeavoured to avoid fuch texts as are of obfcure,~ or controverted Interpretation; and to alledge none but fuch fenie as is moi‘t plain, and agreeable to the harmony and, in fee e of the whole Bible 3 which was written for the reveflablilhment bf the Kingdome of God in Chrifl. For it is not the bare Words the Scope ofthe writer that giveth the true light by which an but 'wrl un 15 to bee_ interpreted ; and they that infiit'upon {in le Yl‘extl wrt out coniidering the main Dcfigne , can derive no tii fro 5, them Ciccriy; but rather by calling atomes of Scripture aslifufl b: fore mens eyes, make every thing more obfcure than it is,- an ordinar artifice of thoie that feek net the truth, but their own advantage. y |