The Casting Down of the Last and Strongest Hold of Satan, Treatise · Chapter 1 · Thesis 12
12. THESIS.
Whereas the Patrons of Toleration except againſt the inſtances of the Judges, Magiſtrates and Kings of Iudah and Iſrael as no ſufficient proof for Magiſtrates power in ſuppreſſing falſhood, and commanding men to receive the truth, becauſe they were typicall Kings, types of Chriſt as King of his Church, and the Land of Canaan a typicall Land, which no other Magiſtrates or Land beſide ever were or are; I deſire that it may be remembred that other Magiſtrates, Judges, and Princes who were before the common wealth of Iſrael was erected and the judiciall lawes given, and of other Common-wealths and Kingdoms did take away and puniſh Idolatry, Blaſphemy, and command men under their power to worſhip God, and ſome ſuch examples are not only barely related in the Scripture, but approved of. Abraham, Jacob and Job were before the time of Moſes and Aaron, before the judiciall Lawes or the Leviticall Prieſthood for the Government and worſhip of the Jewiſh Church and Common-wealth were given. For Abraham and Jacob thats evident by the Book of Geneſis, and for Job, that he lived in the time between Abraham and Moſes is the judgement of many good Divines and Interpreters upon Job, and that upon ſeverall reaſons given by them, of which the Reader may read more in Bucolcerus, Pineda, Junius and Tremellius, *Mercer Praefat. in Job: ſane diligentius omnia conſideranti mihi, videtur Job antiquiſſimus fuiſſe ac ſub Patriarcharum tempus vixiſſe.Mercerus, Maſter Carylls Expoſitions on Job, and divers others. Now of Abraham and Iacobs commanding their children, ſervants, and all that were with them to keep the way of the Lord, I have ſpoken of in the tenth Theſis. And that in Iobs time, and that out of the Land of Canam in the Land of Vz (no typicall Land) Idolatry and falſe worſhip were to be puniſhed by the Magiſtrates, is apparent by Iob 31 26, 27, 28. where Iob ſpeaks of himſelfe, If I beheld the Sun when it ſhined, or the Moon walking in brightneſſe, And my heart hath been ſecretly intiſed or my mouth hath kiſſed my band: This alſo were an iniquity to be puniſhed by the Iudge: for I ſhould have denied the God that is above, the meaning of which place according to the judgement of the beſt Interpreters, Mercer, Merlinus, Iunius, Pineda and others is that Idolatry and worſhiping the creatures, as Sun, Moon, and the Heavens (a worſhip much in uſe in the Eaſt where Iob lived) was an iniquity worthy to be taken notice of and puniſhed by the Judges: ſo Mercer reads it, digna eſt, it deſerves and ought to be puniſhed by the Judges; and then obſerve the reaſon, for I ſhould have denied the Lord that is above: So that all falſe worſhip and falſe doctrine that denies God that is above, is worthy to be puniſhed by the Judges; and this is further proved and illuſtrated that Idolatry is to be puniſhed by Judges corporally, by the 9, 10, 11. verſes of this chapter, where he ſpeaks the ſame of adultery, that 'tis an iniquity to be puniſhed by the Iudges, ſo that the ſpirit of God here in Iob makes Adultery and Idolatry of the ſame cognizance, and as Adultery is to be puniſhed by the Civill Magiſtrate, ſo Idolatry and all falſe wayes whereby men deny the God that is above, are by this Scripture to be puniſhed alſo. And that it may further appear the Kings of Iudah and Iſrael did not qua Kings of Iudah and qua dwelling in ſuch a Land, as Kings over ſuch a typicall people, bearing viſibly, and executing typically the kingly office of Chriſt in his Church, meddle in matters of Religion, but as Kings in places of authority and power, I ſhall ſhow that other Kings, not of the Tribe of Iudah, ruling over other Kingdomes and Countries, when by any of the great works of God done before them, or upon any inſtinct of the Spirit of God upon them by any meſſage from God by his Prophets and ſervants, they came to be touched in heart and ſenſible of themſelves, they uſed their power in making Lawes and Edicts for the worſhip of God againſt Blaſphemy and Idolatry, and for puniſhing of thoſe who were Idolaters and Blaſphemers. Thus Artaxerxes the King of Perſia, Ezra 7. makes a Decree that whoſoever will not do the Law of God, judgement ſhoule be executed ſpeedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or unto baniſhment, or to confiſcation of goods, or to impriſonment; and Ezra bleſſeth God for it, which ſhowes it was well done of Art…xerxes. Now whereas*Hagio maſtix. pag. 55. ſect. 43. Maſter Goodwin would evade this by ſaying Ezra bleſſes God for Artaxerzes beautifying the houſe of God only, not for the Decree of puniſhing thoſe that would not do the Law of God, I anſwer, that's a part indeed of that he bleſſes God for, but not all, as is evident by the 28. verſe, his bleſſing God having relation to that alſo as may appeare by that copulative and hath extended mercy unto me before the King, and I was ſtrengthned as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me: and I gathered together out of Iſrael chief men to go up with me; now let the 23. verſe that ſpeaks of Artaxerxes Decree to Ezra to ſet Magiſtrates and Judges to judge all the people, and thereupon who will not do the Law of God to have judgement executed upon them whether it be unto death, &c. be laid to the 28. verſe, wherein hee bleſſes God for his hand upon him to gather chief men out of Iſrael to goe up with him (which was to make Magiſtrates and Judges) and 'tis evident the Decree for puniſhing is included; beſides, if this Decree of Artaxerx…s had beene according to Maſter Goodwine, the Bloudy Tenet, and other Libertines opinion ſuch a wicked and bloudy doctrine, Ezra the Prieſt the Scribe of the Law of the God of hea…en had beene bound to have inſtructed Artaxerxes better, and humbly entreated him to have reverſed that part of the Decree in the 26. verſe, and certainly would never have built up Artaxerxes in ſuch a great ſin by bleſſing God for his Decree, and by taking care to ſet up Magiſtrates and Iudges to execute it, but would have dealt clearly with the King, bleſſing God for the Decree of the building of the Temple, and ſhowing him his miſtake in the other part about puniſhing; and to put it paſt queſtion, Ezra 10. verſe 7, 8. relates, this Decree of the King was accordingly put in execution by Ezra and the Princes and Elders, Proclamations being made throughout Iudah and Ieruſalem, unto all the Children of the captivity that they ſhould gather themſelves together unto Ieruſalem; And that whoſoever would not come within three dayes according to the Councel of the Princes and the Elders, all his ſubſtance ſhould be forfeited, which was one of the penalties of Artaxerxes Decree, viz. confiſcation of goods. Nebuchadnezar, Dan. 3. 28, 29, 30. as ſoone as he knew God upon that great work of Gods power in delivering the three children out of the fiery furnace, made a Decree that whoſoever ſhould ſpeak any thing amiſſe againſt him, ſhould be cut in pieces and their houſes made a dunghill. Darius, Dan. 6. 25, 26. upon Gods great work in delivering Daniel out of the Lions den, made a Decree that in every Dominion of his Kingdome men tremble and feare before the God of Daniel. Laſtly, the King of Niniveh upon Ienabs preaching, yet forty dayes and Niniveh ſhall be deſtroyed, did not only in his owne perſon ariſe from his Throne and cover himſelfe with ſackcloth, and ſit in aſhes, but cauſed it to be proclaimed and publiſhed by his Decree that all his ſubjects ſhould do the like, cry mightily unto God, and turne from their evill wayes; and this turning of Niniveh upon the command and edict of the King is bleſſed by Gods repenting of the evill that he ſaid he would do unto them, and ſo Gods owne ſeale of approbation ſet to the King of Ninivebs Edict for commanding in matters of Religion. Auguſ…ine in his*Aug. 50. Epiſt. ad Bonifac. Sicut ſervivit Rex Ninivitarum vniverſam civitatem ad placandum Dominum compellendo; ſicut ſervivit Nabuchadonazar omnes in Regno ſuo poſitos, a blasphemando Deo lege terribili revocande. 50. Epiſtle ad Bonifacium, makes uſe of the examples of the King of Niniveh, Darius and Nebuchadonezar to ſhow how a King muſt ſerve God as a King by commanding good things, and forbidding the contrary, as the King of Niniveh ſerved God by compelling the whole City to pleaſe God, as Nebuchadnezar ſerved him by recalling all in his Kingdome from blaſpheming God by a ſevere Law.