The Pulpits Patronage Against Unordained Usurpation, Part 1 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. The twelfth Argument.
THat ought to be in every ſetled, well-ordered Arg. 12 Church, which Chriſt hath ſetled and eſtated on it; for he is all one with the Father (s)Joh. 10. 30., and doth co-operate & work together with him (t)Joh. 5. 17, 18, 19.; but if we will conceive him different, yet we muſt conſider, that he is his Son and only Child (u)Joh. 1. 18., by whom, as by an Organ or Inſtrument he acts and moves (w)Heb. 1. 2., and though he was his Heire in known and common right, as being all he hath, yet God hath ſetled all upon him (x)Heb. 1. 2., and ſo they might well ſay, this is the Heire (y)Mar 12. 6, 7.: now if the Father, and the Sonne and Heire joyne in a ſettlement, it cannot but be good, eſpecially if the ſonne be come to age, as Chriſt was (z)Luk. 3. 23., and have a quiet & clear poſſeſſion of it. For indeed it was with Chriſt, as many times it is with other Heirs, that have indeed Eſtates bequeathed to them by their Parents; but ſo incumbered and clog'd with debts and titles, that he muſt have ſome trouble to redeem and ſettle it; and the incumbrance here was able to have puſled any body elſe: there are ſome perſons, that to ſave their Lands, refuſe to plead unto their charge, and ſo endure a far more painful and oppreſſing death, but cannot afterwards themſelves enjoy it; but Chriſt redeemed us from the curſe of th… Law, being made a curſe for us (a)Gal. 3. 13., and yet lived to enjoy the benefit of that redemption, and make Eſtates to others of it; for when he had triumphed over all his enemies, and was above their malice and contrivements (b)Eph. 4. 8., and was indeed become her head and Husband (c)Eph. 1. 22, 23. Eph. 5. 23., he makes this over to his Church.
But Chriſt thus qualified, hath ſetled upon evere Congregation, ſome to attend and act in holy things: now becauſe this is the great wheel of the cauſe, the common hinge on which the controverſie turneth, the carrying and convincing Argument, we ſhall crave leave to be ſomewhat more punctual and particular in proving this; and leſt our plenty ſhould ſeem to any body tedious, we will digeſt this ſettlement into theſe ſeveral heads.
1. By will; we have ſeen before his power, our next enquiry is of his will. There is in all things three degrees of being, poſſe, velle, eſſe; the firſt is power, the ſecond will, the third being; that Chriſt had power to make a will we ſaw before, now let us ſee his will: choyce is an act of will, and that he exerciſed in the twelve Apoſtles, as we have ſeen before (d)Luk. 6. 13.; and for Paul, who was a ſpecial actor in holy things, he doth expreſly ſtoop unto the will of Chriſt; for when he was informed of the errour of his way, told that he kicked againſt the pricks, he preſently refers himſelf unto the will of Jeſus Chriſt (e)Act. 9. 5, 6., and as ſoon as that was cleared to him by Ananias, ingageth in the ſervice inſtantly.
It is not eaſie to be ſure of inſtruments; the Scribes and Phariſees had gotten one of Chriſts Diſciples from him: now Chriſt gets one of theirs from them, and of a perſecutor makes him become a Preacher. And not Paul only, but alſo Soſthenes is by the will of Chriſt annexed and conjoyned in the Commiſſion with him (f)1 Cor. 1. 1.; and as here he puts in Soſthenes, ſo in the next Epiſtle Timothy (g)2 Cor. 1. 1.; he was willing they ſhould know that they did nothing againſt their Maſters will in all they did, and indeed without the will of Jeſus Chriſt, there is nothing in the Church done; for the Church is in a ſpecial manner, the Kingdom of Jeſus Chriſt (h)Rev. 1. 9., and his will in that Kingdom is the legiſlative power.
2. By deed; its true, a will allowed, becoms a deed, and hath authority and influence in Courts of Juſtice, becauſe the teſtator is concluded, and cannot any more revoke; if men could live again when they are dead, there would be many alterations in their wils; yet Chriſt had this peculiar priviledge to live again, (i)Rev. 1. 18.I am he that liveth & was dead, yet altered nothing, but ratified and confirmed the ſame by reall deeds; for after he was riſen from the dead, he gives Commiſſions to them of a more large extent, go teach all Nations, baptizing them (k)Mat. 28. 19., and not Commiſſions only, but endowments alſo and abilities; for he breathed on them, and therein gave the holy Ghoſt unto them (l)Joh. 20. 21, 22, 23.: he told them, when he bad them go into all the world, and preach the Goſpel unto every Creature (m)Mark 16. 15, 16, 17, 18., that no Creature ſhould be able to annoy them; for they ſhould take up Serpents, and if they drank any deadly thing, it ſhould not hurt them, which Paul found by experience, when that venomous viper hung upon his hand (n)Act. 28. 4, 5,, for though it be ſaid, God bare them witneſſe with ſigns and wonders (o)Heb. 2. 4., yet Jeſus Chriſt was principal in all theſe wonders, as they plainly ſhew (p)Act. 4. 10., By the name of Jeſus Chriſt, whom ye crucified, whom God raiſed from the dead, even by him doth this man ſtand here before you whole, and therefore Peter tells Eneas plainly, that Jeſus Chriſt made him whole (q)Act. 9. 34., and Paul gives all to Jeſus Chriſt, thoſe mighty ſigns and wonders that he did, that in a circle from Jeruſalem unto Illyricum, he made the Goſpel to abound (r)Rom. 15. 18. 19., ſo that the will of Chriſt is witneſſed unto us by his deed: not once or twice reiterated and renewed, but by a conſtant courſe of miracles confirmed and abetted.
3. A Deed of gift, which (they ſay) is the moſt abſolute, authentick and comprehenſive of any deed that is; in bargains, if an errour be committed, men take hold of it and improve it, for the bettering and mending of their bargain; but in gifts, it is not honourable: a noble perſon having given a poor man an Angel for a ſhilling, the man preſents it to him, that he might correct the error; but he ſaid no, ſeeing the error was his benefit, he ſhould enjoy it; He would not give and take: and its obſerved, that where men give they love, and the more they give, the more they love: multum fuit ad amorem; dediſſe beneficium; for gifts are hoſtages, and pledges of our love unto them, as Ahaſuerus aſſures Queen Eſther of his love, by offering half the Kingdom to her (s)Eſth. 7 2.: ſo Chriſt by giving, witneſſes his love, and much improveth and augments the ſame.
When Alexander had prevailed at the River Granicum, and was now aſcended into the upper parts of Aſia, he ſends back many gifts, to aſſure them of his love in Macedonia: ſo when our Saviour had triumphed over death, an enemy that Alexander never conquered, and was aſcended up on high, he then gives gifts (t)Eph. 4. 8.. They that do conquer and divide the ſpoils, have many precious things to give: when David had recovered his own, from thoſe invading barbarous Amalekites, he ſends great preſents to his friends in Judah, that had given him free quarter in his trouble and neceſſity (u)1 Sam. 30. 26.; but nothing is ſo precious as the perſons of men and women, give me the perſons, and take thou the goods, ſayes the King of Sodom unto Abraham (w)Gen. 14. 21.: ſo Chriſt ſelects the perſons, and gives them unto his ſpouſe; when Paul brings in the inventory of the Churches goods (x)2 Cor. 3. 21, 2., the perſons in the firſt place are ſet down, whether Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas: ſo in that Legacy, & great bequeſt of Chriſt unto his Church, they are ſet down firſt (y)Eph. 4. 11, 12., he gave ſome Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, and ſome Evangeliſts, and ſome Paſtors and Teachers; there was variety of work, and he provides variety of workmen. As in the Tabernacle and Temple both, though there were an invitation unto every one that had ability, and will to work, to come and exerciſe the ſame (z)Exod. 36. 2., yet ſome were furniſhed and fitted for it: So in the Church of Chriſt, all are encouraged to act that can, but ſome are ſet apart, and ſetled on it.
4. A gift in perpetuity, not for a tearm. Thoſe that give freely, may determine and confine themſelves to what terme pleaſeth them: a Leaſe is a good Deed, but will expire and die. Job ſayes, the Mountains may decay (a)Job. 14. 18, 19., and time we know is a great eater and devourer, is edax rerum, and much more hominum; like Polyphemus, that eat up all Ʋ lyſſes fellows at a few meals: but Chriſt hath taken care, that this great gift ſhall be perpetual. When the Heire apparent of this Iſland was in Spain, his Father ſent him Servants, not to preſent their ſervice to him, and return, but to attend and wait upon him till he came home: ſo Chriſt gives Officers, until his Bride and Spouſe return and come home; for ſo the grant and Charter runs, (b)Eph. 4. 13till we all come in the Ʋnity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the meaſure of the ſtature of the fulneſſe of Chriſt. When Chriſt ſayes unto Peter concerning John, that he would have him tarry till he came, there went a rumour among the Brethren, that that Diſciple ſhould not die (c)Joh. 21. 22, 23.; but that was a miſtake; yet John continues in his ſucceſſors, and ſhall do until Chriſt do come again; And loe, I am with you alwayes unto the end of the world (d)Mat. 28. 20: not with their perſons, for they were mortall, and waxed old as well as others; but with them, in the followers and ſucceſſors: the guides and leaders muſt be continued, until the Church comes to her journies end. We ſend not friends home in a dark night, with a Candle that may be eaſily blown out, but with a Torch, or Candle put into a Lanthorn: ſo Chriſt ſends not his Church home through this dark world, by a Candle that is put out with every blaſt; but takes care, that it ſhould light her home. When the Apoſtles were to go into Judea only, and not ſo much as into Samaria, he calls them Candles (e)Mat. 5. 14, 15.; but when they were to go out into all the world, where ſtorms and bluſters would attend them, he doth not call them Candles, although the Metaphor invited him to that expreſſion, having ſaid, the Churches were the Candleſticks (f)Rev. 1. 20., becauſe he knew, a Candle would not long continue in a bluſtering and windy time, but Starres: its true, the Moon and Starres may ſometimes not appear, and be obſcured, as they were to Paul and his aſſociates for many dayes (g)Act. 27. 20., yet they are not extinguiſhed; The Miniſters may be obſcured and overſhadowed, but cannot be extinguiſhed; they thought the Witneſſes were dead, and gloried over them (h)Rev. 11. 10, 11., yet they riſe up again with ſome addition and advantage. What Chriſt hath ſetled, cannot be eaſily unſetled, what he hath built, cannot be broken down, or if it be, will be repaired with more magnificence: the Tabernacle roſe up in the Temple, and the ruined and deſtroyed Temple, in thoſe ſpirituall fabricks, that the Apoſtle calls the Temples of the holy Ghoſt: Chriſt leaves his Church in every viſitation of it, a great deal better then he findes it: the ſecond edition is evermore correctior & emendatior; look over all the Reſurrections of the Church from the beginning, and he might truly ſay, what Auguſtus vainly did of Rome, Inveni lateritiam, reliqui marmoream.