The Cry of a Stone, Section 11 – Section 13
Moſes example in building the Tabernacle, was no ordinary rule for after times.
MOſes the Man of God, a good Governor did appoint all things for the Tabernacle and publique ſervice of God, without conſulting SECT. 11.either with Prieſt or people, and had the wrath of God Object. 4 againſt any that oppoſed his courſes; ſo now the people and Miniſters Exod. 34. 32. Numb. 16. 31. cap. 12. 2.muſt have an eye to the godly Governours to ſee what they command, and ſee that they practiſe it, without impoſing, infuſing or practiſing otherwiſe in any thing then he alloweth.
I anſwer: firſt, this ſheweth what godly Magiſtrates are to doe Anſw. 1 in the matters of Gods ſervice, namely, to obſerve his will; but what the Prieſts or people might have done, if Moſes ſhould have beene defective, is yet queſtionable.
Secondly, Moſes, as he was a Prince, ſo he was a Prophet, and the onelyonly Prophet that ever was, except Chriſt, and he had his familiar Deut. 34. 10.talke with God, for all matters about the Tabernacle, and was by him Exod. 33. 11.immediately directed; ſo that for any to go about to direct and order him in thoſe things, had been high preſumption and undoubted evill. But now, no Magiſtrates that I know of, are ſuch Prophets, or have Moſes Magiſtracie ſingular.any ſuch immediate Revelations, but learne of God according to the common order of other men; yea, and ſtand in as much need of counſell and advice (that I ſay not more) as any other men of any calling whatſoever; and therefore till they have Moſes learning, how ſhall they uſe Moſes teaching?
Thirdly, neither did the Princes of Iſrael afterward take upon them this ſole direction, but were contented to be reproved and counſelled by the Prophets & Prieſts, both for their failings in their converſation, and for their eſtabliſhing the worſhip of God, as we may ſee in 1 Chron. 17. 4. 2 Chron. 19. 2. 2 King. 11. 17. 2 Chron. 34. 23. 24.David, Aſa, Iehoſaphat, Ioaſh, Ioſiah, and the reſt, yea, and all the writings of Iſaiah, Ieremy, Ezechiel, and the reſt, are ſo many ſermons of direction and advice to the Kings of Iſrael and Iuda: Now, if theſe godly Kings did thus, who can thinke that any now can be privileged ſo farre as to be ſole Law-givers for the Church of God?
Fourthly, the Revelations of Moſes were delivered with ſuch heavenly Majeſty, Signes, Miracles and wonders from heaven as no man could Exod. 20. 18. and 40. 38. & 24. 8.doubt or call in queſtion, of the immediate finger of God, in the eſtabliſhing of them; but never ſince, nor now neither, are there any Laws or Precepts of Princes confirmed with that heavenly Teſtimony, but that doubt may be made, whether the King of heaven ratifie them or not?
Fifthly, When Moſes wrote Lawes, no man had ever written any before him, ſo that as theſe Lawes were infallible, ſo they were alone, but now divers Magiſtrates make their Laws different, for the Church and Religion, and if we may not amidſt them all, and without diſparagement to any man, cleave unto the Lawes of Chriſt, who infallibly hath given the Lawes for the Church as did Moſes for the Tabernacle, Heb. 3. 1. 2. 5.and is become our everlaſting Prieſt and Prophet for ever, and muſt reigne over his alone; we ſhall preſently have as many formes of Churches, as there ariſe Governours, and as many Church Lawes as the unſettled mindes, and uncertaine capacity of fraile man pleaſeth to make.
Sixthly, If Moſes example in giving the Law for the Tabernacle teach us to ſubmit to the Religious Lawes of Chriſtian Princes now, without queſtioning or altering, then why ought we not alſo (if we live under them) to ſubmit to the Lutheran Arian, or Popiſh Princes? for it cannot be denyed, but that they are Chriſtians? And what folly and ignorance was it in the Martyrs aforetime to loſe their lives A diſhonour to Martyrdome.ſo many of them, and expoſe themſelves and theirs to ſuch ſlavery and miſery, if in the Court of heaven, and before God, they might have beene excuſed, ſo long as they had followed the Lawes of their Chriſtian Governours?
The examples of the Kings of Iſrael and Judah, in reſtoring Gods Worſhip, doe not bind to any faſhions in Religion, but Chriſts.
IT is further objected from the Kings of Iſrael and Iudah, as David, SECT. 12.Aſa, Hezechiah and Ioſiah, &c. who reſtored Religion, repaired the Object. 5 Temple, and brought in the Law and the Ordinances without 2 Chron. 30. 1. & 35. 1. 2, 3. 1 King. 8. 1.any advice or conſultation of the people; and ſo now, the Kings as agents to appoint and command the people as patients to ſuffer and obey that which is commanded, &c.
I anſwer, firſt, all this ſtill ſheweth what forwardneſſe there Anſwer 1 ought to be in godly Princes when faithfulneſſe is departed from their Lands, namely, by their examples and edicts, to ſeeke to raiſe ſome life againe in that which is dead, but that the people may doe nothing in Gods worſhip, till their Princes begin, but may remaine as cold and as careleſſe, or ſuperſtitious as they, and as the rebellious Jewes were, is an unreaſonable and unſound affirmation.
For it cannot be imagined but it had beene lawfull to have read the Law of God, though Ioſiah had not commanded it; as alſo the Prieſts might have cleanſed the Temple, and have offered the ſacrifices, and the people might have eaten the Paſſeover, and brought their oblations, though the Princes had forbid it, ſince theſe Statutes were Exod. 12. 24. 25, & 27. 21.nor given onelyonly to the Kings, but to all the Houſe of Iſrael.
As the Kings of Iſrael and Iudah were types of Chriſt, the eternall King, ſo they were ſucceſſors and imitators of Moſes, and they onelyonly which moſt ſtrictly followed Moſes, are moſt approved and commended for their faithfulneſſe; but now the ſucceſſion of Moſes being 2 King. 23. 25.cut off by a more perfect and better Lawgiver, there is now no Law or policie that can be deviſed for the gathering and ordering of the Church that deſerves any commendation, but onelyonly Chriſts, yea, and whoſoever is not with Chriſt therein, is againſt him, and be he what he will, he is rather a ſcatterer than a gatherer with him.
So that as the Kings of Iſrael looked into the Lawes of Moſes for direction to build, repaire and ſtabliſh the Temple and Ordinances of God, then; ſo now, if Princes will eſtabliſh Religion, and ſettle a Church, whither ſhall they goe for a patterne but to Chriſt?
A Compariſon of the patterne of Chriſts Church with the Church of England.
CHriſt, though he had all power in heaven and earth, yet, he SECT. 13.raiſed no forces nor pitched no fields to compell Nations and Countries to be of his Church, but ſent out his Ambaſſadors Mat. 28. 18, 19. Luke 14. 17, 18. 2 Cor. 10. 4. 2 Cor. 5. 20. Acts 17. 34.and Meſſengers unarmed in any carnall weapons, to paſſe thorow Kingdomes and Countries, with intreatings and beſeechings, to gather here and there a man to him, and ſuch as by preaching would believe and by voluntary ſubmiſſion would obey, of them onelyonly he became the Captaine and Head: ſecondly, when hee had gathered his Church together, he fed them not with dead decrees, nor carnall Devices Ioh. 6. 51. 53 1 Cor. 12. 7. 1 Pet. 2. 2.but with his Word, Fleſh and Spirit, which nouriſhed to life eternall: thirdly, hee governed them not by any ſtately or pompous power, but by ſuch rules and regiments as their neceſſities required, and themſelves deſired.1 Cor. 5. 4.
And if now by glittering ſwords and ſounds of trumpets, Churches be gathered by thouſands, and that wee are growne to ſuch pomp and ſwelling in words, that we can talke of a Catholique viſible Church of a Chriſtian world, of a Nationall Church, &c.
Let the multitudes ſound as loud as they will, I feare mee heaven will have never the more of them, but when all is done, his Word will ſtand that ſaith, Few finde the way to life, and Chriſt chooſeth not Mat. 7. 13. 14.a world, but a remnant out of the world.
And yet, whileſt proud fleſh and carnall policie thus vainly preſumeth how doe men ſtruggle and ſtrive by wit, policie and learning, to make that ſtand for truth, which onelyonly times have hatched, and to make true Religion ſtand with all the faire ſhew in the fleſh that may be▪ but in the meane time, what ſcattering, ſcambling and contradicting there is, and how men are plunged and fumbled to bind the truth and the times in a bundell, that even the moſt wiſeſt and ableſt have even loſt themſelves about it.