Light for Smoke, Section 13
SECT. XIII. To whom Chriſt is an Head, and how; of his rod of Iron and his Golden Scepter, and of his being a Lord and a ſervant; gentle, yet terrible.
Smoke. Pag. 34. IT is true, Chriſt is an head, but he is not an head to every body, he will have a body proportionable to his head; is a Nation of all ſorts a fit body for ſuch an head? is he not a pure, holy, and glorious head in his Goſpel dispenſation? and is a body ſo leprous, ſo wicked, ſo formall, ſo traditionally, and Antichriſtianly corrupted a fit body? Shall I take the members of my body, ſaith Paul, and joyne them to an barlot to make one fleſh? God forbid; what then ſhall the head doe with ſuch members?
Light.It is true, Chriſt is an head, and not an head to every body, but is he not an head to his owne integrall members, becauſe the wicked mingle with them in an outward profeſſion? have hypocrites any more conſanguinity with the pure blood of Chriſt then profane perſons have? yet Chriſt is head of that Church where reprobates are reputed to bee members; and are there not ſome branches of the Vine which beare no fruit, and are to be taken away? Joh. 15.2. who cannot for all that hinder the vitall influence into other branches, as in the example of the Church of Corinth.
And for that you ſay of a body ſo leprous, ſo wicked; as applied to our Reformation in furi, or in facte, it is very falſly reprod chfull, and ſavours of ungratitude to God, and of Phariſaicall diſdaine of purer Churches then thoſe you ſtand for; wherein you groſly digreſſe from the moderation whereto you protend.
Smoke. Pag. 34. To that of his ruling with a rod of iron as well as a golden Se…p…er, I anſwer.
And doth he rule any in his Church with his rod of iron, who were not called in firſt by his golden Scepter?
And for that of his iron rod in Pſal. 2. it is ſpoken of Chriſt not as King of his Church, but of the Nations.
Light.By this Anſwer you ſeeme to forget your owne Argument, which was to prove an unſutableneſſe of the Presbyteriall Government to the Perſon of Chriſt; and when I have ſhewed that the Perſon of Chriſt is not onelyonly amiable as a Saviour, but formidable to offenders as a Lord, having an iron Rod, as well as a golden Seepter, you ſay by way of diſtinction that he hath his iron ſcepter as King of the Nations, not as King of the Church; but if his Church conſiſt of golden Saints and gilded Hypocrites, (for you ſay it conſiſts at leaſt*Smoke. p. 31. of ſuch as viſibly and formally appeare ſo, and hypocrites appeare ſo, and the appearance of Saintſhip is the moſt that is in them) he hath and uſeth an iron rod to drive away, and to cruſh, as well as a golden Scepter to invite and call to his preſence; for were not Ananias and Saphira members of the Church after a Goſpel diſpenſation? and were they not ruined as well as ruled, when they were both of them ſuddenly ſmitten dead for their hypocriticall profeſſion? what could an iron rod have done more, if they had taken up heatheniſh hoſtilitie againſt the Church? and was not this exemplary puniſhment laid upon them that the Church might feare Chriſt as a Lord, as well as love him as a Saviour of his Church, that they might feare his iron rod, as well as love his golden Scepter? ſure I am it wrought that effect upon Chriſtians in generall, for feare came upon all the Church, and upon at many as heard theſe things, Act. 5.11.
Smoke. Pag. 34. For your other Texts of Chriſts being a ſervant and a Lord, a Lambe and terrible, you onelyonly prove what I grant, that he is more a King and a Lordin his Government, then in any other of his Goſpel dispenſations.
Light.In this particular you give me occaſion to returne a piece of your owne Rhetorick upon you, and to call you as you doe me,*Pag. 17. a faire enemy, for you repeat my proofes ſo fully here (though elſe-where you miſerably maime and mangle them) that you may be thought to have done as Bellarmine is ſaid to doe in his Controverſies, viz. to bring in more of the Proteſtants Objections then he is able to anſwer; But when you ſay that I prove onelyonly what you grant, that he is more a King and Lord in his Government, then in any other of his Goſpel dispenſations; you invert the order of the words you ſhould obſerve; for you ſhould have rather ſaid, You now grant what I have proved, for I never knew ſo much of your mind in this matter before; and you grant ſo much as might have ſpared a great part of your Reply to me; for the Lordſhip of his Government was the matter in queſtion, and that being granted by you, the Presbyteriall Government is not ſo inconſiſtent or unſutable with the condition of Chriſts deſcription of himſelfe as you would make it.