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Show 161 Teftirnonies alledgedfrom _:__----:-::-.:-outward man alfo. The bodies, and goods, and outward Eftatet· of men nJJy tXpetl: a bleffing,. when their foules prof per. Though God may keep his Saints low In oucwud Eftate, t~at grow [a~eft in God! inelfe : yet Cure Godlineff'e hath the Promtfes of ~hts hie, and of a better 1 'tim. 4· 8. And fuch as firft feeke the Kmgdome of God may :xpelhllthefeoutward things to be call: in upon them. If ideeme a monflrous thing io the eyes of the Difcu!Jer, to imJgine, that the good Eftate of the c.hurch , and the well· or· dering of theO.-dinances of God th~rem, fhould concorne the civill good of the Common·weal~h~ Jt may w~ll_fee~emonftro~s to him, to imagine that the flourtfhmg of R:"l!gt~n IS the flmm· fhingof tht civil! State, and the decay of R.ehgton ts the decay andruineof thecivillState. But fttch Vtrgme Coules, as follow the Lamb wherefoeverhegoeth ( Rev.l4·4·) wouldbcloathtogoe to liv:in fuch a Common-wealth, to whom it fhould fecme mon· llrous, that the things of God fhonld belong to them• And therefore the Magifl:rate need not to feare, that he !hould exceed the bounds of his Office, if he fhould meddle with the fpi· rituall affaires of the Church in Gods way. It is true , if he fhall meddle with the execution of a Minifters Office, as VMiah did: or.if he !hall fet up humane Inventions in Doa:rine, Worfhip, Government in ftead ofChrifis InfHtmions, as David brought the Arke of GOd upon Oxen, infiead of the fhoulders o£ the Levitel : Or if he !hall thrufi in Jeroboams Priefls upon the Church , ~nd caft out faithfull Minifiers: or if he fhall make Lawes to bmd Confcience, in all thefe, or any fuch Like, he exceedeth the bounds of his Office. But if hefhalldiligeotly feeke after the Lord, andread in the word of the Lord all the dayes of his life ( Deut .. I(• J·9·,)thathemayboth live as aChriOian, and rule as a Ghnfilf an, if he !hall feeke to cfiablifh and advance the. Kingdom~ o Chrifl: more then his owne : If he !hall incourage the good ~n a Chrifiian courfe, and difcourage fuch as h1ve evill will tO s,n: and punifh none for mattor of Religion , but fuch as fubvert the Principles of faving Truth (which no good ChriiHan, mu~h lcfli: good M•gifl;"ate can be ignorant of) or at leafr fuch as d1dfiur~ the Order of the Gofpel in a turbulent way, verily the L~r w build up and efiablifh the Haufe and Kingdome of fucb Pnncct,al ~thus Juildup his. ., .tr. DltCUU<f· .Ancient and late Writers dif'cuffed. Dilculfer. Againe neceJ[aril] it ""'fl foUorr> that tbtft trr>o are contradi{}or to tbe,.,~lves ( rr>bJCh yet both of them are Mr. Cottons Pofttions ) ')tb. Ma$iflrates Porr>er <><tendJ no furtber then to thebodyu andg•ods 0 rtb Suh;eEJ: and yet 7 • 1h~ Magijlrate "!"fl punifh Chrif.ians for ]inning "gainft the Li ht •f Faztb andC.nfcunce, and for corruptingtbefoules of men. g Defender. 'If the Chrifii.an Faith, and a good·Confcience be a·part , and a great part, a chtefe part of the good of Chrifiiant then thefe two are fo farre from c?ntradi~ing one another 1 tha: they efiablifh one another. For 1f a M~gtfirates pnwer extend to the preferTing of the> Goods of the Subjea:, and to the punifhment of the Im· peachersor p~rloy?ersthereof: then he falleth fhort of his ~ty, if:hefutfer t~etr Fauh• and good Confcience to be cormpted or d~pa.yled Without revenge. Againe, this l fay further (which al· fo, w11l eafily avoyde appearance of Contradiaion) (uppofe by Goods were. meant• onely outward Goods, and that the Magi· frrates ~ow~r extended no further then the bodies and goods of ~~· Subje<'l:a ~ yec though he have no power over Faith and Con· fCtcnc~, he ~ath• ~evertheletTe lawfull power to punifh fuch evill d~rs m thm B~tee and goods, as doe feduce his people to make fh~pwrackof Fau~, andagoodCon(cience. Forinfeeking Gods Kmgdome and R.tghteoufnelfe , men pro{per in their outward Efiates1 Mt.tth. 6. 33· othenvayes they decay. Befides I doe· nob re~temher, tRat this Propofition is any of mine ( whi~h yet the Di[cuffir fafineth upon me) that the Magijlratu power extendeth n• further then the bodies and Goods of bu SubjeEJs. I doe not deny the Truth of it, rightly underftood, but it feemet~ to me fomewhat too loofe,and confufed, for me to owne it fismmeown. Fonhe Magifirates power maybe faid to extend no &;b·h~then ,the ix?dyes and Goods of his Subjelh, either as the )<'-'of hts power, or as the end of his power. If Goods be me~nt.omward Gnods, and the Magill rates power be f.tid to ex· ten no f~rther then to the body and Goods of his Subjelts, as tft~e•Ob)e<'l: of his power, the Pofition is true. But ifitbe m"ant 0h t . ~end ol his·power, as if a MJgHlrates power reJched no f<tr· 1 er t en tQ tbepre(ervation<Jf their bodycs,and om ward Good,,. y 2 It 163 |