Concerning Ministers Meddling with State Matters in their Sermons, application · Section 12 – Section 13
The application of this Rule to the perverſe deſignes of Magiſtrates and Miniſters.
1. If any called a Chriſtian Magiſtrate, or a Miniſter, be ignorant or unmindfull of the ſubordination of his Office unto the Soveraignty of Jeſus Chriſt, and doth not lay to heart theſe ends which Chriſt hath ſet before him, to be followed in his employment, to make the courſe of his adminiſtrations directly ſubſervient thereunto; we may conclude of ſuch a one, that as his heart is not right with God, ſo he will not be able to walke acceptably before God, or uprightly towards men in his Office.
2. If any called a Chriſtian Magiſtrate, or a Miniſter, doth ſet himſelfe to get into the employment, as into a place of eaſe, of plenty and profit, of honour and reſpect, of power and authority, that he may live at eaſe, and have power over, and reſpect above others; we may conclude, that therein he hath forſaken his intereſt in Chriſt, and his aim to ſerve him; and hath made his own eye (that is, his intention in the adminiſtration) which ſhould be ſingle, (that all his proceedings may be full of light) evill, corrupt, and full of darkneſſe. If therefore the light that is in him (his very eye and aim) be darkneſſe, how great is that darkneſſe, ſaith Chriſt Jeſus? Matth. 6. 22. 23.
3. If any called a Magiſtrate, doth in his place ſet himſelf to keep people in Diviſions, that he may rule at will between their partiall humours and paſſionate follies: to keep people in blindneſſe, that they may not diſcern his way,, nor know their own, but be led at his pleaſure: to keep people in Poverty, by getting all the riches and power thereof into his owne hand, rather to make all men his ſervants thereby, than to ſerve the publick therewith: to keep people in a ſlaviſh feare, and awfull terror, that he may rule them rather like beaſts, than rationally and conſcionably by love like men: and to keep up a ſhew of greatneſſe and outward appearance of glory, to make fooles gape and gaze upon them, rather than to ſeek the honour which commeth alone from God, by doing reall ſervice in his way to the Common-wealth of Iſrael; if (I ſay) any man doth follow theſe politick ſubtilties of State. yet profeſſing himſelfe to be a Chriſtian; we may conclude, that he hath not onelyonly forſaken Chriſts way & aim, but hath drunk deep, and is drunken with the cup of the abominationsRev. 17. 2. 3, 4. and filthineſſe of the great Whore, who rideth upon the ſcarlet-coloured Beaſt; and with whom all the Kings of the earth have committed in this kind vile fornication: and ſo far as he uſeth any of theſe wayes to compaſſe his own ends, and neglecteth the means, wayes and ends for which Chriſt hath put him in his place, ſo farre is he a part of her myſtery, and ſhall accordingly receive his reward with her,, if he repent not.
4. If any called a Miniſter, doth ſet up a formality of Religiouſneſſe, leading people to worſhip God this or that way therein, and to caſt their conſcience at reſt thereon: if he doth not wholly apply himſelfe to manifeſt Jeſus Chriſt crucified unto his hearers, to bring them to be conformable to his death, as new creatures by the covenant, and to reſt there alone upon free grace: if he doth help to perſecute any in their bodies or ſtates for outward relations and intereſts, rather than ſtudy to addreſſe and convert their ſoules to God: and if he doth ſet himſelfe in a ſtate-way, either to gain power and authority in his own hand, to ſhare it with the magiſtrate, or to ſubordinate his miniſteriall imployment unto wordly ends of State-government, to cover the tricks thereof with a cloke of Conſcience and Religion, that people ſhould worſhip the Image which he ſets before them: if (I ſay) any man doth pervert the uſe of his miniſtery thus, yet profeſſing himſelfe to be the ſervant of Chriſt; he doth play the part of the falſe Prophet, who doth work miracles before the great Beaſt, and exerciſeth all his power over men. And theRev. 13. 11, 12, 13, &c. and chap. 19, 20. greater the naturall and acquired parts and gifts of this man are, and the more revealed and ſpirituall truths, or myſtcall ſhewes thereof he doth mix with this kind of ſervice, the more fire he doth cauſe to come down from heaven, and the more deeply he doth deceive; and therefore he ſhall accordingly receive alſo with the falſe Prophet ſo much the more of his reward, if he repent not.
5, If therefore ſuch as are in power look upon religion onelyonly as Jeroboam did, in order to their owne intereſts, and will ſuffer none to ſtand in places of employment, but men of their own creating, that will ſerve turnes towards the people: and if miniſters that are in places of employment, look onelyonly upon their Magiſtrate, as the Jewiſh Prieſts did upon Pilate, when they delivered Chriſt up to be crucified by him, and affect him no further than he will act their deſignes: whether they agree or diſagree upon their matters together, it is apparent that by ſo doing, they conſpire to make the people that are led by them, miſerable and deſolate, becauſe neither of them follow either the true work, or the right way of their employment, neither towards the multitude, or towards one another: but if they doe openly diſagree, they conſpire then by tearing them in pieces, and ſetting them in factions againſt one another, to make their miſery and deſolation ſudden and without remedy. For except God turn their hearts to a right courſe, and ſet them upon the works of their calling wthout partiality, and direct their counſels in a loving, righteous and peaceable way, (as Chriſt hath appointed his Diſciples to walk for his glory) towards the good of thoſe that are under their charge, and for their own mutuall happineſſe, they ſhall never be able for feare of one another, to intend, or attend any other deſignes but ſuch as are acted by power and violence; whereupon the great Dragon their maſter in theſe courſes doth ſet them; and whieh for want of Chriſtian love and compaſſion, can end in nothing elſe but in mercileſſe cruelties, equally ruinous to each other, and to the Commonwealths of humaneſocieties.
Of the duties of Love, Righteouſneſſe, and Peace joyntly.
Hitherto we have ſeen both what the proper workes and wayes of the Magiſtracy and Miniſtery are, as they relate unto the ends for which Chriſt hath ordained them; and what the error and deviation is from thoſe works and wayes. And laſtly alſo what this deviation doth produce in all ſocieties, where the duties of Love, of Righteouſneſſe and of Peace, are not thought upon, to referre the whole ſtate thereof unto Chriſt, as Chriſtians ought to doe. Let us now come to the ſecond point of our Diſquirie, which is to diſcover what the naturall properties and proper acts are of true Love, of Righteouſneſſe and of Peaceableneſſe, which Chriſtians, and chiefly their Leaders unto happineſſe, ought to intend towards all men, but eſpecially towards each other in the workes of their employment, and above all in times of diſtreſſe.
Now to ſpeak of theſe duties ingenerall, as to commend their worth, their neceſſity, their uſefulneſſe, and ſuch like, I conceive it needleſſe: for certainly it is not ſo much for want of knowledge of that which we ought to doe, that we run into errors, as by reaſon of our perturbation, and of our by-reſpects, which beget in us a diſregarding of theſe, and an obſervation of other matters; and are begotten in us through partiality in our ſelves, and fore-ſtalment of thoughts concerning others: For it is by reaſon of theſe things that we play the hypocrites, and lye againſt the Truth; for which cauſe our ſin is the greater: For to him that knoweth to doe good, and doth it not, to him it is ſin, ſaith the Apoſtle, Jam. 4. 17.