The Vindication of the Royal Commission of King Jesus, Title page – Dedication
THE VINDICATION OF THE ROYALL COMMISSION OF KING JESUS.
MAT. 28.18.19.20. compared with MARK. 16.15.16.
AGAINST THE ANTICHRISTIAN FACTION OF POPE INNOCENSIƲS the third, and all his Favourits; that enacted by a Decree, that the Baptisme of the Infants of Beleevers, should succeed Circumsion. Deret. Gre. l. 3. which doth vniversally oppose the Commission, granted by King Jesus, Mat. 28.19. Goe teach and baptise &c. by giving Authority to all his Preists, that receive Ordination from him, to Goe, and first baptise the Infants of Beleevers borne within the Parish, and then teach them.
WRITTEN (BY FRANCIS CORNEWELL Mr. of Arts, and sometimes Student of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge) out of his love and sinceare affection, he beareth to his native Countreymen; who with him have taken a Protestation, and Solemne Covenenant to oppose all Poperey, and Popish Innovations; And to stand for a Reformation in England, and Ireland according to the Word of God; that his and their consciences may be freed from that guilt, misery, and curse, that otherwise is falling on them: as Mr. Case a Learned Synodian testifieth in his Sermon styled, A Covenant renewed for the pacification of the quarrell: viz. that the Sword shall goe through the Land to avenge the quarrell of the Covenant page 27. 28.
I am come in my Fathers Name, amd yee receive me not: if an other shall come in his owne name, him yee will receive.
John 5.43.
Approved of by the Church of Jesus Christ; that is called, and preserved by the Power of King Jesus according to his Promise. Mat. 28.18.19.20. Printed An. 1644.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE House of Commons assembled in Parliament.
Right Honourable
THE sad and vnnaturall bloody Tragedies of our times may not vnfitly be compared, to the two Women striving for a Child, 1 Kin. 3. ch. one claimeth it as her owne; the other saith, Nay; but it is mine: the contention is so hot, that King Solomon calleth for a sword; giveth out the Word of Command; Divide: Content saith the Harlot, let it be neither mine, nor thine, but divide it: but the true Mothers bowels yearned upon her son, and said, oh my Lord, give her the living child: shee could endure no division: Such (Right Honourable) is the controversie in our Land. The malignant partie pretend to fight for a Christ, and in their blind zeale they will dye too, but they will enjoy him. And you (thrice worthy Patriots) in all your Declarations say so likewise. Now the Lord to decide the Controversie, permitteth the Sword to come, and crieth aloud in our Land; Divide. Content, saith the Antichristian and malignant partie: Christ, and their Arch-Bishops, Arch-Deanes, Deanes, Preists and Deacons, and all Ecclesiasticall persons depending vponupon them: Christ, and their devised worship, Temples, Alters, Tythes, and Offerings: Christ, and the residue of their Fore-fathers Traditions: thus let them but enjoy a divided Christ, and there will be an end of Controversie. But they (Right Honourable) that are holy, synceare, faithfull and true Covenanters with you (according to the light they have received) even in all the three Ilands, will have an whole Christ, or no Christ; their faithfull soules cannot endure to run division: a Christ, they must have in all his Offices: Christ to be their King, and his Commission to be maintained, Mat. 28.18.19.20. least otherwise he make good his Word against vsus, Luke 19.27. Christ their Prophet, whom they will only heare (as the Father from Heaven chargeth vsus to doe, Mat. 17.5. And Moses truly said to the Fathers, him shall ye heare in all things, he shall say vntounto you: And it shall come to passe, that everie soule, which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from amongst the People, Act. 3.22.23. And all Traditions of men, to be rejected, as holy Paul recordeth, Gal. 1.8.9. Christ their Preist; and no Mediatour, but him only, 1 Tim. 2.5. that the Lord Jesus may be one, and his name one, in the three Kingdomes; that we, and our posterity after vsus may live in faith and love, and the Lord may delight to dwell in the midst of vsus. Now the cheife cause and roote of all our division, is from the Roman Hierarchie, who have made a Law, that whosoever shall interpret, or give the sence of the holy Scriptures, contrary to their determination, they must remaine Anathema; and the Furnace did burne then hottest against the Saints, when the Civill Magistrate (that is appoynted of God for the praise of them that doe well 1 Pet. 2.14.) joyned their power with Romes proud Bishops and Preists, to persecute, and kill all them, that would not submit to the Roman Jurisdiction: Hence arose all the Martyrdoms in England, from the time of Richard the second, in whose time, the Prelats obtained a Law to kill the English Subjects, that would declare the whole truth (so farre as it was revealed t… them) and keepe a good conscience to God and man. Thus by penall Statutes, the popish English Prelats, and Preists did long tyrannize over the consciences of the godly and faithfull in the Land, that would not subject to their Decrees and humaine Traditions and corrupt Interpretations of the holy Scriptures: Hence it was that the thrice Noble and antient warlike Nation, our Brethren the Scots; when they contended for a Reformation according to the light they had received from the Lord, and casting of Romes proud, papall, and prelaticall Government, with all her devised Formes of Worship, they must dye: yea and the English Bishops with their High Preists will give large summes of money towards the leavying of an Armie; and incense the King and Nobility to kill, and destroy them: yea when the Lord opened your eyes, with the eye-salve of his spirit (Thrice Deare and Noble Patriots) to make a solemne Protestation, to oppose all Popery, and Popish Innovations, and to extirpate Episcopacy root and branch: Then evill counsell prevailed with the King to withdraw from his Parliament, and under pretence of a Guard to protect his Person, to make way against you, that you might dye: But our faithfull Nobles, and true hearted Commons in England reply; shall our Jonathans dye, who have in part freed our consciences from Roman Traditions; and Covenanted with vsus for a pure Reformation according to the Word of God and preserved our estates, and liberties from an Arbitrary Government: shall they dye, that have wrought such a deliverance in the Land? They shall not dye; we will bleed our selves (before an haire shall fall from your heads) if either we with our persons, prayrs, counsels, states, or swords can prevent it. Even so your pore Petitioner (Right Honourable) by eating a litle of the honey of Gods eternal truth his eyes have been opened to see and vnderstand, that the Royall Commission of King Jesus extendeth no further, but to Beleivers, that are instructed in the faith by the Gospell, and they only to be baptized, Marke 16.15.16. opposing the Decree of Pope Innocentius the third, that appoynted, that the Baptisme of the Infants of Beleivers should extend as farre, as Circumcision; thereby establishing Nationall Churches, and overthrowing the particular Churches of Jesus Christ, that are called out of the World by the preaching of the Gospell, Marke 16.15.16. for the denying of which popish consequence (as my ensewing discourse will more largely demonstrate) J must dye, and be deserted of my freinds, and allies; yee and also J have received much injustice from some, that would be counted the Ministers of Christ, which have received my Arguments from vnderunder my hand fairly written, this 14. or 15. monthes, with a promise, that if they should convince me from the word of God, that I was in an errour, I would willingly recant; yet I never received any satisfactory Answer from them. Wherefore (Right Honourable) you are the Sanctuary (next vnderunder Heavens protection) to flye vntounto for Justice: Seeing you are joynt Covenanters with all them, that stand for Reformation according to the Word: For it is not the voyce of the Assembly, but Christ only in the Assemblyes, we have covenanted to listen to; as Mr Case testifieth in his Sermon styled, the Covenant renewed, pag. 43. Oh consider! what a dangerous thing it is to praevaricate the least from the Covenant your Honours have made: as Mr. Thomas Goodwin once admonished you in his Sermon on Zach. 4. v. 6.7.8.9. p. 43. line 30.31, pag, 44. line 1.2. 3. viz. For if you should build the least hay and stuble, you will not only suffer losse; but lay a Foundation of a new rent, and division in the age to come. David not carrying the Arke according to the due order of the God of Israel caused breach vponupon Vzziah, 1 Cron. 15.12.13. For God is so jealous of his Glory, that he cannot endure his Worship to be corrupted with the least mixture of man, Levit. 10.1, 2. If the Reformation begun in the time of King Edward the sixt, and queen Elizabeth of happy memory, had been established according to that order, that King Iesus the great Prophet hath left vsus a pattern for, in his Word; I am confident England had never seen this bloody day: Is not England like Egypt (you grave religious Patriots) almost destroyed; (Exod. 10.7.) because the Lawes and Orders of Jesus Christ, the Great King of his Church is not observed: The Lord put it into your hearts to be like minded to noble Cyrus and Darius according to your Covenant to give libertie of Conscience, to all such as know the Lord Jesus, and are ashamed of the abominations, that they have done in the Land of their spirituall Captivity vnderunder Antichrist, to build the spirituall House according to the Patterne (the Lord Jesus hath left vsus) in his eternall truth, that we may pray for your peace, and the Kingdoms prosperity, Tim. 1.2.1.2. And as for them that know not the Lord Jesus Christ, let them alone (as the Lord Jesus informeth you, Mat. 15.14.) vntill God call them forth out of Mysticall Babylon, Rev. 18.4. For none can perswade a pore Japhet (a pore Gentile, who is alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him, Ephes. 4.17.18.) to dwell in the Tents of Shem, but a God alone, Gen. 9.27. least that Judgment befall the Kingdome, that Mr. Case hath threatned in his Sermon, called a Covenant renewed, page 27.28.
Your Honours humble Servant, and Souldier, that hath hazarded his life for his Countryes Liberties; that is willing to be reformed, if he shall from the word of King Jesus, be righly informed, that he is in an errour; and humbly submit himselfe to your Honours Censure. FRANCIS CORNEWELL.