A Plot for the Good of Posterity, Parliamentary order – Dedication
Die Mercurij, 25. Martij, 1646.
ORdered by the Commons aſſembled in Parliament, That M. Holles and St Peter Wentworth, do from this Houſe give thanks to M. Bolton and M. Cheynell, for the great pains they took in the Sermons they preached this day at the intreaty of this Houſe, at St Margarets Westminster, (it being the day of Publique Humiliation) and to deſire them to Print their Sermons; And it is Ordered that none ſhall preſume to Print their Sermons, without licenſe under their hands writing.
H. Elſyng. Cler. Parl. D. Com.
March 28. 1646.
I Appoint Andrew Kemb to Print my Sermon.
Samuel Bolton.
A PLOT FOR THE GOOD OF POSTERITY. COMMUNICATED IN A SERMON TO THE HONORABLE HOUSE Of COMMONS For the ſanctifying of the Monthly Faſt. March 25. 1646.
By FRANCIS CHEYNELL.
Poſteris ſero, aeternitati pingo.
Parentes ſunt liberorum praeceptores.
foreign.
Xenophon. Cyropaed. l 8.
Magiſtratus pius totius Regni pater eſt.
The wiſe in heart will receive Commandments, but a prating fool ſhall fall.
Prov. 10. 8.
Let not thine heart envy ſinners, but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
Prov. 23. 17.
LONDON: Printed for Samuel Gellibrand, and are to be ſold at his ſhop at the Braſen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard. 1646.
TO THE HONOURABLE HOUSE of COMMONS Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
WHen I received Your Order, I was not in caſe to obey it, being ſcarſe able to write or read; We ſhould learn by every fit of ſickneſſe the greatneſſe of Gods Majeſty and our frailtie. We live in ſickly times, and You are collecting many wholſome and Medicinable ingredients, onelyonly take heed that you do not miſtake one Herbe for another, it is eaſily done, and whileſt You are but making Eſſayes it may be eaſily rectified: Be pleaſed to conſider that the Antidote muſt be made according to the Diſpenſatory the preſcription of the great Phyſician of Souls in his ſaving Goſpel, that the bleſſing of Chriſt may be upon it, and it may prove a ſoveraign Antidote for the preventing as well as removing of Church-offences. Jeſus Chriſt hath not entruſted any State to make new Inſtitutions, or create new offices in his Church. There are ſeveral forms of Civill government in ſeverall Chriſtian States, but there ſhould be the ſame Church-offices, and for ſubſtance the ſame Church-government in every Chriſtian State, though that government cannot be ſo peaceably exerciſed in ſome places as in other; There is ſo much equity and prudence in Evangelical rules and Inſtitutions, that they ought to be obſerved in all Chriſtian States and Common-weals thoroughout the world: Thoſe orders which Chriſt hath ſent us by his Apoſtles muſt be obeyed, there can be no exception againſt them, there muſt be no Prohibition of them;Rom. 16. v. 17, 18. This is a Rule of Chriſt, that they who walk inordinately, and cauſe diviſions contrary to the doctrine of the Goſpel, 2 Theſ. 3. 14, 15.muſt not be admitted into ſociety with the Saints. 1 Cor. 5. 11.I need not inſiſt upon other rules.1 Tim. 3. 4, 5. Our Saviour did injoyn his Apoſtles to teach Chriſtians to obſerve all things he commanded, Matth. 28. 20. Now St. Paul did not onelyonly teach Timot…y to ordain Elders in every City, Tit. 1. 5. but Paul and Barnabas ordained Elders in every Church. Act. 14. 23. And when St. Paul ſpoke of his departing out of the world, and ſeeing their faces no more to whom he had preached, he recommended the overſight or government of the Church to Elders, aſſuring them that the holy Ghoſt had made them overſeers over the Church. Act. 20. 1…, 25, 28, 29. and therefore it is eaſie to conclude, that the Elders were, Jure Divino, by the will and appointment of Jeſus Chriſt, to ſucceed the Apoſtles in the ordinary government of the Church, and Chriſt promiſed to be with the Apoſtles, and their ſucceſſours, not for two or three hundred yeers onelyonly, till ſome Magiſtrates did turn Chriſtians, but even to the end of the world: and the holy Ghoſt ſeals up the promiſe with Amen, Matth. 28. 20. If then there be ten thouſand Churches in England, there ſhould be ten thouſand Elderſhips; but the government by theſe Elders is not Arbitrary, all the Cenſures which they paſſe muſt be in ſome ſort Evangelicall, becauſe agreeable to the Word of Chriſt; for the Elders are not to govern in their own name, or in the name of the Magiſtrate, no nor in the name of the people, but in the name of Jeſus Chriſt, from whom they do immediately receive their power and authority, and therefore are to receive their orders and directions from the Goſpel of Chriſt. The Chriſtian Magiſtrate ought to protect the Elders, that they may peaceably exerciſe that Church-power which is committed to them by Jeſus Chriſt, for the Chriſtian Magiſtrate doth owe a ſpirituall ſubjection to all the ordinances of Jeſus Chriſt. Eraſtus himſelf confeſſes, that the Magiſtrate in ordering of ſacred things muſt not depart one hairs breadth from the Word of God. p. 161. & 162. li. 3. Confirm. Theſ. It will be very dangerous for a Magiſtrate to do any thing of his own head about Church affairs, and it will be as dangerous for Miniſters to complement in this weighty point; all the power that a Magiſtrate hath ſetled upon him in Rom. 13. is ſetled on him as he is a Miniſter of God, and therefore they who teach Magiſtrates to deſpiſe the Authority of Miniſters, becauſe they are but Miniſters of God, teach the Magiſtrates to deſpiſe their own authority. Officers of Chriſts inſtituting, and powers of Gods ordaining, muſt agree together, and uphold one another, or elſe both will be vilified: Miniſters muſt not uſurp a civil power, nor Magiſtrates lay claim to any Spiritual power properly ſo called: if a man go about to thruſt two ſwords into one ſcabberd, let him take heed he doth not ſplit the ſcabberd, and cut his fingers. Mr. Robinſon and thoſe of his mind ſay, that if the Magiſtrate be a Church-officer, he muſt be called to his office, and may be depoſed from it by the Church, and and if the Magiſtrate be a ruling Elder, he is inferior to teaching Elders, and deſerves leſſe honour, according to that order, 1 Tim. 5. 17. In his Iuſtificat. of Separat. p. 216. if the Magiſtrate (ſay others) chalenge a Church-power, and deny himſelf to be a Church-officer, then we have a good Argument for Popular government, becauſe there is a Church…power in ſome that are not Church officers; and none can be entitled to Church-power, but by a Church office, or by Church-memberſhip; and if by the latter, then ſay they, Every member hath as much power as the Magiſtrate; who knows not what the Anabaptiſts ſay upon this point; The Church of Scotland hath declared their judgement; and they who plead for a Congregationall government have expreſſed themſelves after this manner: The Governors of the Church have not their power from the members of the Church, but from Chriſt, they are inveſted with the power of Ieſus Chriſt, they exerciſe his power, and do act in his name, and not in the name of the Church, ſaith Mr. Burroughs in his …ren. p. 50. And for my part, I ſhall readily grant that theſe Officers ought to tranſact all things which concern the conſciences of the people in ſuch a convincing way as may beſt tend to Common edification and ſatisfaction. Church ordinances are to be diſpenſed by the Church, that is, by the Elders with conſent of the people, ſaith Mr. Rutherford, in his late book p. 398. We ſhould quickly think of ſome expedients for an happy agreement, if You would be pleaſed to free us from the much feared Commiſſioners.
Church power muſt needs be acknowledged to have the proper notion and character of Authority in the Elders, to which the multitude ought by a command from Chriſt to be ſubject and obedient, as to an ordinance to guide them in their conſent, and therfore in the ſentence of the Elders the ultimate for mall miniſteriall act of binding or looſing ſhould conſiſt. Chriſt hath placed a Rule and Authority in theſe officers over the …eſt of the congregation, not directing only, but binding. (See the Epiſtle to Mr. …ottons book of the Keyes) When theſe officers gathered in Chriſts name do paſſe a right judgement upon hereticall congregations, or perſons declaring them to be ſuch as have no communion with any of the Churches of Chriſt, thoſe hereticall perſons or Churches are put out of the kingdom of Chriſt, and conſequently put under the power of Satan: Heart diviſions, p. 44. The Rule urged by many is this, Nemini fit injuria cui praeponitur Chriſtus, we prefer the Authority of Chriſt above all authoritie of men, or ſocieties of men: King, Parliament, & people muſt ſubject themſelves to Ieſus Chriſt. None muſt plead priviledge to live ſcandalouſly, though Peers of the Realm. The Tigurine Divines are accounted moſt favourable or rather remiſſe in this point; but Guather in his Epiſtle to Ionvill, ſaith, Excommunicatio legibus noſtris praecipitur quâ a tribuum Societate, & publicorum paſcuorum uſu fructu excluduntur qui contemptis admonitionibus tam publicis quam privatis aliter vivunt quam homines deceat Chriſtianos: and Bullinger in his Epiſtle to Mr. Dathen ſpeaks for them all, and ſaith, That if Noble men amongſt them were taken in the act of uncleanneſſe, they were publickly degraded. Solemus maechos, foreign, deprehenſos honore & trabeâ exutos publicè ded…corare; And Eraſtus ſaith, that they who do pertinaciouſly violate Gods commands, may be put to death. Confirmat Theſ. p. 337. You ſee that Eraſtus did not encourage pertinacious offenders. They that deſire ſuch a monſtrous kind of liberty, as to live as they liſt, and be accountable to none whatſoever they hold or do, are not onelyonly unworthy of Chriſtian, but Humane ſociety, ſaith Mr. Burroughes, Heart-diviſions, p. 166. & 177. You ſee what a generall ſeverity is expreſſed by all, that deſire any true Reformation, though they be men of different perſwaſions. In the judgement of the Aſſembly, None are fit to be admitted to the Sacrament, who do uſually neglect to pray in and with their families, or to inſtruct them in thoſe principles of Religion, the ignorance of which, is ſufficient cauſe to debar any one from the Sacrament. Be pleaſed then to take theſe things into your moſt retired thoughts, and doubt not but the godly Miniſters and people of this Kingdom will ſtick cloſe to you for promoting of a thorough-reformation; onelyonly let me intreat you, that when bloody Delinquents come to compound 3. things may be excepted. 1. That their compoſition may not authoriſe them to communicate at the Lords Table with thoſe friends of yours, whoſe fathers, brothers, &c they have ſlain with wicked hands, & have not as yet given any publick teſtimony of their repentance. 2. That they may not deprive any Pariſh of a powerfull Miniſtry, by denying ſufficient maintenance to the Miniſter, that they may raiſe their Fine, or a good part of it out of the Impropriations, which come into their hand upon their compoſition. 3. That they may not make themſelves whole, by oppreſsing and racking thoſe poore Tenants of theirs, or their widows, or orphans who have been faithfull to You, and ſpent their eſtates, or loſt their lives in your Service, Help the honeſt Tenants to an eaſie compoſition with their Malignant Landlords. If I did not Honour You, I would not be thus plain with You, I leave it to your wiſdom to draw concluſions from all, for the putting of your own Order in execution, for ſuſpending all that are ſcandalous ſinners from the Sacrament, though the ſins which they be guilty of be not yet enumerated; let all be fairly interpreted, as it is humbly preſented, by him who deſires Your perfection.
Francis Cheynell.