The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 4 · Chapter 134
CHAP. CXXXIII.
Peace.
DEare Truth, it is now time to cast your eye on the second part of this Head or picture uncomely and deformed.
Truth.
It containes two sorts of Religious meetings or assemblies.
First, more extraordinary and occasionall, for which he quotes the practice of Iosiah.
An. Iosiah was in the type,Josiah a type of Christ Jesus the King of the Church. so are not now the severall Governours of Commonweales, Kings or Governours of the Church or Israel, whose state I have proved to be a None-such, and not to bee parallel'd but in the Antitype the particular Church of Christ, where Christ Iesus alone sits King in his owne most holy Government.
Secondly, they propound meetings or assemblings ordinary stated and constant, yearly and monthly unto which the civill Magistrate should give liberty. For these meetings they propound plausible arguments from the necessity of them from Christian fellowship from Gods glory, from the experience of the benefit of them, and from the good report of them, as also those two Scriptures, 1 Cor. 10. 32. 2 Cor. 11. 38.
To these I answer,An unjust and partiall desire of liberty to some co…sciences, & bondage unto all others. If they intend that the civill Magistrate should permit liberty to the free and voluntary Spirituall meetings of their Subjects, I shall subscribe unto them; but if they intend that the Magistrate should give liberty only unto themselves, and not to the rest of their subjects, that is to desire their owne soules only to be free, and all other soules of their subjects to be kept in bondage.
Secondly, if they intend that the Magistrate should inforce all the Elders of such Churches under their Iurisdiction, to keepe correspondencie with them in such meetings, then I say (as before) it is to cause him to give Libertie with a partiall hand, and unequall Ballance: for thus I argue. If the Civill State and Civill officers be of their Religion and Conscience, it is not proper for them to give libertie or freedome, but to give honourable testimonie and approbation, and their own personall submission to the Churches. But if the civill State and Officers be of another conscience and worship, and shall be bound to grant permission and libertie to them, their consciences and meetings, and not to those of his own Religion and Conscience also, how will this appeare to be equall in the very eye of Common peace and righteousnesse?
For those yearely and monthly meetings, as we find not any such in the first Churches, So neither will those generall arguments from the plausible pretence of Christian fellowship, Gods glory, &c. prove such particular wayes of glorifying God, without some precept or president of such a kind.
For those Scriptures, 1 Cor. 10. 33. & 2 Cor. 11. 38. expressing the Apostle Paul his zeale for glorifying God, and his care for all the Churches, it is cleere they concerne such as are indeed Pauls successors, The Commission. Mat. 28. of preaching and baptizing not properly directed to the Churches, or fixed Teachers of it, least of al to the Commonweale.sent forth by Christ Iesus to preach and gather Churches… but those Scriptures concerne not the Churches themselves, nor the Pastours of the Churches properly, least of all the Civill State and Commonwealth, neither of which (the Churches, the Pastours, or Commonwealth) doe goe forth personally with that commission, Matth. 28. to preach and baptize, that is, to gather Churches unto Christ.
For as for the first, the Churches are not Ministers of the Gospel: the Angels or Messengers of the Churches, and the Churches themselves were distinct, Revel 2. & 3.
As for the second,A quaerie, who have now the care of all the Churches? the pastours and Elders of the Church, their worke is not to gather Churches, but to governe and feed them, Acts 20. & 1 Pet. 5.
As for the civill Magistrate, it is a Ministry indeed: (Magistrates are Gods Ministers, Rom. 13.) but it is of another Nature, and therefore none of these, the Churches of Christ, the Shepherds of those Churches, nor the civill Magistrate, succeeding the Apostles or first Messengers, these Scriptures alleadged concerne not any of these to have care of all the Churches.
Peace.
Deare Truth, who can heare this Word, but will presently cry out, Who then may rightly challenge that commission, and that promise, Math. 28. &c.
Truth.
Sweet Peace, A Ministrie before the Church.in due place and season, that Question may be resolved; but doubtles the true successours must precede or goe before the Church, making Disciples, and baptizing as the Apostles did, who were neither the Churches, nor the Pastors and fixed Teachers of them, but as they gathered, so had the care of the Churches.