The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 4 · Chapter 136 – Chapter 137
CHAP. CXXXV.
Truth.
THese Arguments to prove the Magistrate subject (even for sinne committed in judiciall proceeding) I judge, like Mount Zion, immoveable, and every true Christian that is a Magistrate will judge so with mee: Yet a Quaerie or two will not be unseasonable.
First,Church administrations are charged firstly upon the Misters thereof. where they name the Church in this whole passage, whether they meane the Church without the Ministry or Governours of it, or with the Elders and Governours joyntly? and if the latter, why name they not the Governours at all, since that in all administrations of the Church the duty lies not upon the body of the Church, but firstly and properly upon the Elders.
It is true in case of the Elders obstinacy in apparent sinne, the Church hath power over him, having as much power to take down as to set up, Col. 4. Say to Archippus, &c. Yet in the ordinary dispensations and administrations of the Ordinances, the Ministers or Elders thereof are first charged with duty, &c.
Hence first for the Apostles, The Ministers or Governors of Christs Church to be acknowledged in their dispensations.who converted, gathered & espoused the Churches to Christ, I question whether their power to edification was not a power over the Churches, as many Scriptures seem to imply.
Secondly, for the ordinary Officers ordained for the ordinary and constant guiding, feeding, and governing the Church, they were Rulers, Shepheards, Bishops, or Overseers, and to them was every letter and charge, commendation or reproofe directed, Revel. 2. 3. Acts 20. And that place by them quoted for the submission of the Magistrates to the Church, it mentions only submission to the Rulers therof; Heb. 13. 17. Those excellent men concealed not this out of ignorance, and therefore most certainly in a silent way confesse that their doctrine concerning the Magistrates power in Church causes would too g…osse,A paradox, Magistrates made the Judges of the Churches, and Governours of them, yet censurable by them. if they should not have named the whole Church, and but silently implyed the Governours of it: And is it not wonderfull in any sober eye, how the same persons (Magistrates) can be exalted over the Ministers and Members, as being bound to establish, reforme, suppresse by the civill sword in punishing the body or goods, and yet for the same actions (if the Church and Governours thereof so conceive) be liable to a punishment ten thousand times more transcendent, to wit, excommunication, a punishment reaching to their soules and consciences, and eternall estate, and this not only for common sins, but for those actions which immediately concerne the execution of their civill office, in judiciall proceeding.
Peace.
The Prelates in Q. Elizabeths dayes,Queene Eliz. Bish p…truer to their principles, then many of a better spirit and profession. kept with more plainnesse to their principles, for acknowledging the Queen to be Supreme in all Church causes, (according to the Title and Power of Henry the 8. her Father, taken from the Pope, and given to him by the Parliament) they professed that the Queen was not a sheepe, but under Christ the chiefe Shepheard, and that the Church had not power to excommunicate the Queen.
Truth.
Therefore (sweet Peace) it was esteemed capitall (in that faithfull witnesse of so much truth as he saw,Mr. Borowes profession concerning Queen Elizabeth. even unto death, Mr. Barrow) to maintaine before the Lords of the Councell, that the Queen herselfe was subject to the power of Christ Iesus in the Church: which Truth overthrew that other Tenent, that the Queene should be Head and Supreme in all Church causes.
Peace.
Those Bishops according to their principles (though bad and false) dealt plainly (though cruelly) with Mr. Barrow: but these Authors, whose principles are the same with the Bishops (concerning the power of the Magistrate in Church affaires) though they wave the Title, and will not call them Heads or Governors (which now in lighter times seems too grosse) yet give they as much spirituall power and authoritie to the civill Magistrates to the full,Is not this too like the Popes profession of servu… servorum Dei, yet holding out his slipper to the lips of Princes, Kings and Emperours? as ever the Bishops gave unto them, although they yet also with the same breath lay all their honour in the dust, and make them to lick the dust of the feet of the Churches, as it is prophesied, the Kings and Queens of the Earth shall doe, when Christ makes them nursing fathers, and nursing mothers, Isa, 49. The truth is, Christ Jesus is honoured, when the civill Magistrate a member of the Church, punisheth any member or Elder of the Church with the civill sword, even to the death, for any crime against the civill State so deserving it; for he beares not the sword in vain.
And Christ Iesus is againe most highly honoured, when for apparent sinne in the Magistrate, being a member of the Church (for otherwise they have not to meddle with him) the Elders with the Church, admonish him and recover his Soule, or if obstinate in sin, cast him forth of their Spirituall and Christian fellowship, which doubtlesse they could not doe, were the Magistrate supreme Governour under Christ in Ecclesiasticall or Church causes, and so consequently the true heire and successour of the Apostles.
CHAP. CXXXVI.
Peace.
THe 15.15. Head examined. Head runs thus: viz. In what cases must Churches proceed with Magistrates in case of offence. We like it well, that Churches be flower in proceeding to excommunication, as of all other, so of Civill Magistrates especially in point of their Judiciall proceedings, unlesse it be in scandalous breach of a manifest Law of God, and that after notorious evidence of the fact, and that after due seeking and waiting for satisfaction in a previous Advertisement. And though each particular Church in respect of the Government of Christ be independent and absolute within it selfe, yet where the Commonweale consists of Church members, it may be a point of Christian wisedome to consider and consult with the Court also, so far as any thing may seeme doubtfull to them in the Magistrates case, wch may be further cleered by intelligence given from them; but otherwise we dare not leave it in the power of any Church to forbear to proceed & agree upon that on Earth, which they plainly see Christ hath resolved in his Word, and will ratifie in Heaven.
Truth.
If the scope of this Head be to qualifie and adorne christian impartialitie and faithfulnes with christian wisdome and tendernesse, I honour and applaud such a Christian motion: but whereas that case is put, which is no where found in the patterne of the first Churches, nor suiting with the Rule of Christianitie, to wit, that the Commonweale should consist of Church members, which must be taken privatively, to wit, that none should be admitted members of the Commonweale, but such as are first members of the Church (which must necessarily run the Church upon that Temptation to feele the pulse of the Court concerning a delinquent Magistrate, before they dare proceed) I say let such Practices be brought to the Touchstone of the true frame of a civill commonweale, The inventions of men in swarving from the true essentialls of Civill and Spirituall Commonweales.and the the true frame of the Spirituall or Christian commonweale, the Church of Christ, and it will be seen what wood, hay, and stubble of carnall policie and humane inventions in Christs matters are put in place of the precious stones, gold and silver of the Ordinances of the most High and only wise God.