The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 4 · Chapter 121
CHAP. CXX.
Peace.
DEare Truth, you have shewne me a little draught of Zions sorrowes, her children tearing out their mothers bowels: O when will Hee that stablisheth, comforteth, and builds up Zion, looke downe from Heaven., and have mercy on her? &c.
Truth.
The Vision yet doth tarry (saith Habacuk) but will most surely come: and therefore the patient and believing must wait for it.
But to your last Proposition,… Reasons proving that the Kings of Israel and Judah cannot have any other but a Spirituall Antitype. whether the Kings of Israel and Judah were not types of Civill Magistrates? now I suppose by what hath been already spoken, these things will be evident.
First, that those former types of the Land, of the People, of their Worships, were types and figures of a spirituall Land, spirituall People, and spirituall Worship under Christ. Therefore consequently, their Saviours Redeemers, Deliverers, Iudges, Kings, must also have their spirituall Antitypes, Civill Types and figures must needs be answered by Spirituall Antitypes.and so consequently not civill but spirituall Governours and Rulers; lest the very essentiall nature of Types, Figures and Shadowes be overthrow…e.
Secondly, although the Magistrate by a Civill sword might well compell that Nationall Church to the externall exercise of their Naturall Worship:Civill compulsion was proper in the Nationall Church of the Jewes, but most improper in the Christian, which is not Nationall. yet it is not possible (according to the rule of the New Testament) to compell whole Nations to true Repentance and Regeneration, without which (so farre as may be discerned true) the Worship and holy Name of God is prophaned and blasphemed.
An Arme of Flesh, and Sword of Steele cannot reach to cut the darknesse of the Mind, the hardnesse and unbeleefe of the Heart, and kindely operate upon the Soules affections to forsake a long continued Fathers worship, and to imbrace a new, though the best and truest. This worke performes alone that sword out of the mouth of Christ, with two edges, Rev. 1. & 3.
Thirdly, we have not one tittle in the New Testament of Christ Iesus concerning such a parallel, neither from Himselfe, nor from his Ministers, Neither Christ Jesus nor his Messengers have made the Civill Magistrate Israels Antitype, but the contrary.with whom he conversed fourty dayes after his Resurrection, instructing them in the matters of his Kingdome, Acts 1.
Neither find we any such commission or direction given to the Civill Magistrate to this purpose, nor to the Saints for their submission in matters spirituall, but the contrary, Acts 4. & 5. 1 Cor. 7. 23. Coloss. 2. 18.
Fourthly,Civill Magistracie essentially civill, and the same in all parts of the World. we have formerly viewed the very nature and essence of a Civill Magistrate, and find it the same in all parts of the World, where ever people live upon the face of the Earth, agreeing together in Townes, Cities, Provinces, Kingdomes. I say the same essentially Civill, both from, 1. the rise and fountaine whence it springs, to wit, the p…ples choice and free consent. 2. The Object of it, viz. the common-weale or safety of such a people in their bodies and goods, as the Authours of this Modell have themselves confessed.
This civill Nature of the Magistrate we have proved to receive no addition of power from the Magistrates being a Christian, Christianitie adds not to the nature of a Civill Commonweale, nor doth want of Christianitie diminish it.no more then it receives diminution from his not being a Christian: even as the Common-weale is a true Common-weale, although it have not heard of Christianitie; and Christianitie professed in it (as in Pergamus, Ephesus, &c.) makes it ne're no more a Commonweale, and Christianitie taken away, and the candlestick removed, makes it ne're the lesse a Commonweale.
Fifthly,Rom. 13. evidently prove… the Civill work and wages of the Civill Magistrate the Spirit of God expresly relates the worke of the civill Magistrate under the Gospel, Rom. 13. expresly mentioning (as the Magistrates object) the duties of the second Table, concerning the bodies and goods of the subject.
2. The reward or wages which people owe for such a worke, to wit, (not the contribution of the Church for any spirituall work, but) tribute, toll, custome which are wages payable by all sorts of men, Natives and Forreigners, who enjoy the same benefit of publick peace and commerce in the Nation.
Sixthly, Since the civill Magistrate, whether Kings or Parliaments, States, and Governours, can receive no more in justice then what the People give, and are therefore but the eyes and hands and instruments of the people (simply considered,Most strange, yet most true consequences from the Civill Magistrates now being the Antitype of the Kings of Israel and Judah. without respect to this or that Religion) it must inevitably follow (as formerly I have touched) that if Magistrates have received their power from the people, then the greatest number of the people of every Land have received from Christ Iesus a power to establish, correct, reforme his Saints and servants, his wife and spowse, the Church: And she that by the expresse word of the Lord (Psal. 149.) binds Kings in chaines, and Nobles in links of iron, must her selfe be subject to the changeable pleasures of the people of the World (which lies in wickednesse, 1 Iohn 5.) even in matters of Heavenly and spirituall Nature.
Hence therefore in all controversie concerning the Church, Ministrie and worship, the last Appeale must come to the Bar of the People or Commonweal, where all may personally meet, as in some Commonweales of small number, or in greater by their Representatives.
Hence then no person esteemed a beleever,If no Religion but that which the Commonweal approves thē no Christ, no God, but at the pleasure of … world. … Ep. Jo 9. and added to the Church.
No Officer chosen and ordained.
No person cast forth and excommunicated, but as the Commonweale and people please, and in conclusion, no Church of Christ in this Land or World, and consequently no visibly Christ the Head of it. Yea yet higher, consequently no God in the World worshipped according to the institutions of Christ Jesus, except the severall peoples of the Nations of the World shall give allowance.
Peace.
Deare Truth, Oh whither have our Forefathers and teachers led us? higher then to God himselfe (by these doctrines driven out of the World) you cannot rise: and yet so high must the inevitable and undeniable consequences of these their doctrines reach, if men walke by their owne common Principles.
Truth.
I may therefore here seasonably adde a seventh, which is a necessary consequence of all the former Arguments, The true antitype of the …ngs of Israel and Judah.and an Argument it selfe: viz. we finde expresly a spirituall power of Christ Iesus in the hands of his Saints, Ministers and Churches, to bee the true Antitype of those former figures in all the Prophecies concerning Christ his spirituall power, Isa. 9. Dan. 7. Mich. 4. &c. compared with Luc. 1. 32. Act. 2. 30. 1 Cor. 5. Math. 18. Marc. 13. 34. &c.