Light for Smoke, Section 23
SECT. XXIII. Of expedition or delay in ſetting up of Government; Whether Moſes and Chriſt, the Iewiſh and Chriſtian ſtate be ſo contrary, that there is no conformity betweene them.
Smoke. Pag. 54. ANd now after all this diſcourſe and ravelings out of time from Iohns Sermon, &c. what have you gained, not that the Government was ſo one … the… you have proved much to my advantage, and a clourer and fuller computation then I did the contrary; ſo as you have beene taking ſome learned paines, if you well obſerve, and the Reader will obſerve you, to prove that the Government as firſt was not ſuddenly caſt into a …, or brought forth in practice, which is the very thing I aimed at: and truly your paines in it have beene more then mine, and I thanke you for it.
Light.I muſt recall you to our former entercourſe to give light for the clearing this exception;aNew Quere. p. 7. you bring in a ſecond Objection againſt the delay of it thus: But vica, bereſies and ſehiſmes grew too faſt, and you anſwer it thus:bIbid. p. 8. ſo they might have done from Iohns firſt Sermon to Pauls Epiſtles, and the ſending of the Spirit, but yet you ſee there was no Government till after ſettled upon the people of God. And not ſhewing how long after, I calculated the time for you; and you are pleaſed in the end of the precedent Paragraph to commend my paines as more exact then yours, and to thanke me for it; but yet withall you make as if I had ravelled into time to prove your Tenet againſt mine own, wherein I ſhall eaſily diſprove you. For you brought in the putting off the government from Iohn Baptiſts time untill Pauls Epiſtles, and the ſending of the Spirit; (where you confuſedly ſhuffle things together, which ſhould be carefully diſtinguiſhed) and if you meane it of the time fromcSee mine Examin. of the New Quere. p. 39. Iohns preaching to the pouring out of the Spirit at the Feaſt of Pentecoſt, it is but five yeares; if to the firſt of Pauls Epiſtles, but 21; if to the laſt, 29 yeares; and before the end of that Epiſtle that Government was written which we finde in Scripture. Now take which of theſe times you will, and compare it to our time and State, and it will not ſerve for any cauſe or ground of adjournment, or putting off the Church Government to a further Date, as you would have it.
For, if that Government which the Scripture hath laid down be offered to acceptation, and eſtabliſhment, ſhall we take 29 yeares time, or 21 yeares time, or 5 yeares time before we will admit of it? eſpecially ſince we have been for many yeares together converſant in the Scriptures, where it is founded, and have had the practice of it exemplified unto us in many Reformed Churches for 100 yeares together; ſo that though 5, or 21, or 29 yeares, were to be taken for a long time in reſpect of the firſt age of the Church, before the government of it was ſetled upon the people of God, (and yet it was but a while, the progreſſe of the Goſpel duely weighed) it makes nothing for the delay of Government you drive at: and ſo diſappointing your purpoſe, which was out of that inſtance to make ſome ſhew for the ſlackneſſe in Government which you deſire, I pleaded not your cauſe, but the truths, and mine own in proſecution of it againſt your exception. I ſhall be willing in ſome other way to doe you a courteſie, and to deſerve your thankes, but expect not I ſhould be ſo unfaithfull, or fickle, or ſimple, as to deſert the defence I have undertaken, or ſo to manage it, as to give mine adverſary advantage by it.
Smoke. Pag. 55. For that of old Elyes indulgence which you ſpeake …, you are ſtill looking upon Moſes, though you tell us of Chriſt; make the Kingdome of Iſrael and of England the ſame, a Iewiſh and a Chriſtian State the ſame, and then we ſhall allow you both Elyes ſinne, and his ſonnes maintenance by tythes and offerings.
Light.Having cited the example of old Ely, againſt indulgence to ſuch as reproach and ſcandalize Religion, eſpecially againſt toleration of blaſphemers, as Paul Beſt, who made blaſphemous verſes againſt the Trinitie; you tell me, I am ſtill looking upon Moſes, though I tell you of Chriſt; you meane by like that I am ſtill upon mine Annotations on the Pentateuch, but they are printed a good while ſince; and I doe not thinke you have often found me looking upon Moſes, ſince I had occaſion to looke upon you as an adverſary; but if you looked upon him oftner, and underſtood him better, I beleeve you would be a more ſound and Orthodox Divine then as yet I can accompt you.
It is the manner of the Antinomians (of whoſe impious and pernicious opinions, ſome of your writings have a ſtrong ſavour) to ſhew their ſlightings of Moſes upon all occaſions; But Sir, though his Ceremonials be aboliſhed, his Indicials not eſtabliſhed in Chriſtian Common-wealths, (yet for ſome penall lawes, I thinke we ſhould be better governed if they were more Moſaicall) yet his face ſtill ſhines, and ſhall doe to the end of the world, in the pietie, equitie, regularitie, and utilitie of the Morall Law, which he brought from the Mount.
After your reproofe of me you appoint me a taske, and make me a promiſe; the taske is, that I muſt make the Kingdome of Iſrael and of England the ſame, a Iewiſh and a Chriſtian State the ſame; Why I pray you, Sir, muſt I make them all one, becauſe I bring an example of Caution out of the Old Teſtament? neither upon that ground, nor your command doe I finde my ſelfe obliged to ſuch an undertaking; nor is it any mans worke ſo to compare or reſemble them as to make them the ſame, ſince they doe, and of neceſſitie muſt differ in many things; and though they differ much, yet in divers things they do agree likewiſe, as the Apoſtle ſheweth in part, 1 Cor. 10.1, 2, 3; 4. and that their ſinnes and puniſhments ſhould be warnings to us (for which purpoſe I cited old Elyes caſe) he ſheweth by many examples out of the Old Teſtament, from verſ. 5. to the 11; was it the Apoſtles dutie (having ſo done) to undertake a proofe of the paritle or identitie of the Corinthian or Chriſtian and the Iewiſh State?
Now if I make good this, you promiſe to allow me both Elyes ſinne, and his ſonnes maintenance by tythes and offerings; but I will not take you at your word, for this liberall offer; keep Elyes ſinne to your ſelfe if you pleaſe; and ſince I know you are diſpleaſed with Tythes, put them upon me, and I will either prove them lawfull, and I thinke I have done it already; or give them up as you have done.