The Catholic Hierarchy, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Of Chriſt's immediate Legiſlative Power.
§ 1. THough Chriſt be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, in reſpect of all the Rulers and Principalities in the world viſible and inviſible, yet there is a ſpecial Dominion reſerved to himſelf, as peculiar in many reſpects, ſo in this, that he hath not committed the management thereof to others in juridical affairs, in two reſpects, viz. in Legiſlation and in Deputation of executive Miniſters. This is a Diamond in the Crown of his Prerogative as Mediator and ſole head of Conſcience and Church, which he purchaſed and cleanſed with his Blood.
§ 2. That unlimited Supream Power which is every where aſcribed to God, is Chriſt's; not onelyonly as God the ſecond perſon in the God-head, but as Mediator God-man, conſtituted by the Father Head over the Church, and over all things to the Church; ſee Epheſ. 1.21, 22. Matth. 28, &c. Ergo, he exerts this power not onelyonly as Creator, but as Mediator, and as ſuch a Legiſlative power belongs to him, not onelyonly properly and primarily, as being the political Head of his Church; but ſecundarily (for its ſake) he exerts ſuch a Power over all Societies in the world: and having this ſupream Legiſlation in his hands, he can make what Laws he pleaſe, and ſubſtitute others to what Law-making-power he pleaſeth to entruſt them with, or determine how far in that kinde they may act at their diſcretion or arbitrement. So that Chriſt rules his Kingdomes either by his own immediate Legiſlative adminiſtration, or mediately by inferiour limited Law-givers; he rules by himſelf, or by others.
§ 3. His immediate rule is eſpecially to be conſidered as more General or more Special, as he is Creator, or as he is Redeemer. God as Creator of all natural Agents, he onelyonly can command his Creature what it muſt do in order to thoſe ends for which it was created; and this government of natural Agents, is in a ſenſe of a Spiritual nature, proceeding in a ſpiritual manner from a glorious Spirit for ſpiritual ends, viz. the glory of Gods Soverainty, Power, Wiſdom, Goodneſs, &c. all the Creation praiſing him, and aſcribing Glory and Honour unto the Lamb; which Glory is ſubordinated to that which ſhines forth more reſplendidly in his Church; and he diſpoſing all things in order to his advancement therein to the higheſt honour and dignity, this Government of Chriſt may be ſaid to be a ſpiritual Rule and Government.
§ 4. This General Government may be conſider'd, as he rules intelligible or non-intelligible Creatures; theſe he rules by the Inſtincts of Nature, (which may be and are called his Statutes and Ordinances) which are no other than the impreſſion of the Will of him that made them: As in a Watch, or any piece of curious Mechaniſm, the minde of the Workman is plainly read in all the parts thereof. He ruleth intelligible natural Agents, ſuch as Angels and Men, by higher Laws. What the Law of Angels is, we ſhall not diſcuſs now, nor determine; but that they are Govern'd by a Law, I doubt not but may be proved, both from the ſin of them that fell, and otherwiſe; for where there is no Law, there is no Tranſgreſſion. The Law ruling Men, as rational Agents, is a Law of Manners, ruling all humane motions that are cum electione; for ſome natural motions in man are per neceſſitatem Naturae, as the running of the Blood in the Veins, &c. but theſe are under the Gubernation of natural Inſtinct. And as God faſtens his Law of Nature by inſtinct on the unintelligible Agents; ſo on Agents per electionem, he fixeth his Moral Law by Natural Conſcience, which is a kinde of rational moral Inſtinct, whereby the very Gentiles that have not the written Law, are in a great meaſure convinced of the nature of it, and their Duty in obedience thereunto, Rom. 2.13, 14. and in this ſence he enlightneth every man that cometh into the world, Joh. 1. and from this Law of moral Light cloſing with natural Conſcience, ariſeth accuſation or excuſation, according to the obedience or diſobedience yielded thereto, whereby Chriſt in a manner rules in all men, at leaſt laying a claim to his right of Dominion, ſo much diſowned and rejected by the prevailing Law of ſin; and this may be aſcribed to Chriſts ſpiritual rule, it being his peculiar Prerogative to govern in Conſcience; and notwithſtanding ſins rebellion in all natural men, yet Chriſt there retains his ſeat of Judicature, and as he judgeth and condemneth now, ſo he will by the ſame Law prove them unexcuſable at the laſt day.
§ 5. The more ſpecial immediate juriſdiction of Chriſt, is his moſt proper ſpiritual, mediatorly adminiſtration of rule towards his purchaſed ones; and this is twofold, in or over perſons particularly, or in and over bodies politick. In and over particular perſons his Throne is the ſame (viz. Conſcience) in the regenerate and unregenerate, onelyonly he rules theſe legally, and the other evangelically; theſe by a Law of Fear, them by a Law of Love: merely natural men, by a diſpenſation of the Covenant of Works; Believers, by a diſpenſation of the Covenant of Grace: And here the light of the glorious Goſpel of Chriſt rules in a Chriſtians Heart, and the Conſcience according to rule acquits or condemns. Neither is the true regulating force of the Moral Law any way extinct, but the terrifying embondaging nature of it removed, or at leaſt abated, any remainder of which is called the Spirit of Bondage; neither is there therefore two Laws in a Believer, Moral and Evangelical; but the Moral Law is evangeliz'd to him by his new relation to Chriſt, the Curſe being taken away due to the ſinner, and he coming under another obligation to an obediential conformity to the Law, viz. the greateſt ties of love and thankfulneſs; and hence his Obedience is called New Obedience.
§ 6. Another part of his ſpecial and immediate Government conſiſts in his giving Laws to his Church Militant, and deputation of Miniſters for execution thereof; and therefore he is called The Head of his Church, Eph. 1.22. Hence his Apoſtles and Prophets durſt not teach any thing but what they had immediately from him either by word or tradition, Matth. 28. and we may boldly aſſert, as James 4.12. there is but one Law-giver; and though it be ſo plain and indiſputable a truth, yet becauſe men of corrupt mindes, by practice and argument, have made it their great aim to rob Chriſt of this Prerogative; we ſhall make it the principal part of the enſuing Diſcourſe to illuſtrate and confirm this poſition againſt all humane Ʋſurpations.
§ 7. Chriſt's immediate Government of his Church Militant, is not to be underſtood as if he had not appointed the executive adminiſtration to be by Paſtors and other Officers deputed by himſelf, as appears from 1 Cor. 12.28. Epheſ. 4.11, 12. but the meaning is, that it is immediate, theſe two manner of ways. 1. In that he hath not authorized or commiſſionated any ſuch Officers or Governours on earth, who may compoſe and enact new Laws for the diſciplining of his Church in the order and manner of his inſtituted Worſhip; his own Laws here are onelyonly binding. 2. In that all Church-officers receive their executive power from Chriſt immediately (nullo Papa aut Epiſcopo mediante) neither have any of them any power of deputation or ſubſtitution of others to execute that Office or Power committed to themſelves by Chriſt. And herein lieth the oppoſition between Chriſt's immediate reign in his Church, and his mediate in the Kingdoms of men; and for this, amongſt other differences which Ameſius makes between the Magiſtratical and Miniſterial juriſdiction, he ſaith, Magiſtratus juriſdictionem habet cum Imperio, atque adeo (ſi ſummus ſit) juſtâ ratione poſſit leges condere & abolere, atque juriſdictionem aliis mandare. Sed Miniſtri Eccleſiaſtici in ſeſe conſiderati, ſunt mandatorii meri, qui proprii nihil habent, ſed quiequid legitime agunt, id omne vice Chriſti mandantis agunt, atque adeo neque leges poſſunt ferre, neque aliis mandare poteſtatem illam quam acceperunt, Medul. lib. 2. cap. 17. § 48.
§ 8. The chief of our aſſertion about the immediate Government of Chriſt concerns his Legiſlative power, that where-ever he governs in this manner, he hath reſerved the Law-giving-power to himſelf, as his peculiar Prerogative as to natural Agents. Who can give and preſcribe Laws, for ſuch orderly and natural direction of them to their ſeveral places and ends, but the Creator alone? Who can give Ordinances to the Sun, Moon, and Stars; ſet a bound to the Seas; command the former and latter Rain; appoint the viciſſitudes of Day and Night, Summer and Winter, Spring and Autumn? &c. and would not ſuch a Creature be juſtly chargeable with the greateſt folly and preſumption, that ſhould pretend to ſuch a Power? and therefore God challengeth Job on this account, Job 38. As for Conſcience, all are witneſſes that will deal but impartially in the acknowledgment of the truth, that there is nothing lays a true obligation thereon, but a Divine Law; neither do Humane Laws any farther binde Conſcience, than they are dependent upon, or reducible unto ſome Divine Law; and therefore all true obedience to them is for the Lords ſake. As for the Church, he always preſcribed what Law and Rule he would have the affairs thereof managed by. The Church of the Jews had her Laws from Chriſt, though under a more legal and typical Diſpenſation, executed in the miniſtration of Moſes, and of other Miniſters of his own appointment in that Levitical Oeconomy. So in the New Teſtament he ſent forth his Miniſters to teach onelyonly ſuch Laws and Orders of his Houſe as he himſelf had inſtituted and appointed; and he is compleat in that reſpect in his Houſe, which in ſome reſpect is more properly his, (the Old Teſtament-Church being called Moſes's houſe) becauſe the will of Chriſt is here more plainly and fully diſpenſed, and adminiſtred more immediately; Chriſt acting there by the miniſtration of Moſes, for the delivery of Levitical Laws, and for conſtituting and ruling the Body Politick of his Church: but in the latter days of the Goſpel, God ſpake to us by his Son Chriſt immediately himſelf, delivering the order and manner of the Goſpel-Church when he was here on earth; and after his Aſcention, by his Spirit inſpiring his Apoſtles and ſuch as were extraordinarily qualified in the primitive times, ſince which he hath managed that Government by his ordinary Miniſters, acting according to the Rules and Preſcripts left behinde him in his holy Word.