Coiú.I. Fittlesófreftraiñtinexpúunding the La hat: 94 irisno rule, but Conftetudo cedarauthoritati divine, Cuftommuft give place to di.; vine authority. Their rules have noplace in the ten commandments, there's nòer-%Citron. if routthat can plead Cullom, or fo common that can make it a Law. If 3ebefapba6 walk not after Gods Law, bill after the Cuftom of lfrael, he is blamed. Now thë reafonwhyCuftom muff give place to Gods Law in this. In every pofitive Law of man it is necelfary to feverjufl pafitivum &nature the pofitive Law, and Law of nature, toneceffarioconfequatur repititio, and repetirlodoth prefnppofe delib'erat nein, and aft-times the after Wit is better than the former. But the Lawof Godwas fó wifely fet down at the 6rtt, that it need not come again to the forge of men : mans after Wit cannot better it, and therefore howfoeverit be with the Lawof man yet in Gods Law, ufos authariíati'etdat, &per principie in lege Dei omnia examinanda, all aftions are tobe fquared according to theprinciples of Gods Law, and Cuftom mutt give way to authority. This hot:s, where the Cuftom is clearly and evidentlyeontrary to Law ; but ddditiós;. öf where the Law fpcaks doubtfullyor obfcurely, -there Cuftom and tffageof the Churchh` ,:',e ütg of Charth CttJ is the heft and fa fell guide to follow, even in divine Laws as well ashumane : fö Ora toms. learned Authour on I Cori t I. 16. fpeaking of Church Cultoms. Every Society; `beget their Lairs inBooks, have their Ces omsinpratlife, and fothe Church ; the de ' not oppofe them to that which is written r c. but hwcoporet facere, & illa non omitere P. 5.21. At the Nícenc Counsel the Churchescry was, =pwá r'S* mos antiquus 'obtinear, let oldCuffoms prevail. And P. 5Zr. againftcontantious Alen, reafoning 'willnotferee they will be line fine dicentes, no way foready to ftap their mouths as Cult- ' om : for CuFtom is matter of fai , habetnus or non habemus, may be put to twelve men, andthere': an end: Thus this reverend Author expounds himfeif. Now we may {snow, howmany ways a Commandment holdeth not; by three rules of-Limitation. t By the Difpènfation, ì. By the nature of the Precept. 3 By the Conflifì'or oppofitionOf the Precejits. r. Every Prince challengeth rohimfelfa prerogative Royal tô difpenfe with hid is own Laws : the word cometh a difpeeifando proper tó a Steward ; fo are all Princes to God. This priviledge,as it is allowed to Earthly Princes, of great rieht doth God challenge it. For their difpenfations commonly proceed from will or affection; which oft-times is corrupt; but Gods Will and his Ju(tice go together, therefore there can be nodanger inhis difpenfations. Their rule is, Quad licituns eft ex fuperue- nienteeaufa mutatur, that which is lawful may be changedby acaufe which may come unlooked for., =and foin fame cafes, God hath (meth-ties refrained his Law. The warrant ofthis, is either by his word, as the fetting upof the brafenSerpents Image againft the fecondCommandement, or by ratifying by fome fpecial fign, and bleffing Men extraordinary above the course of Mankind; when any pretend exemption or fpecial difpenfation, thefe difpenfations are exemptions front the common Law, be; caufe they arc priviledges, and are to be refrained to the perlons to whom they were granted, It is a maxime in Law, ;Qua exorbitant a Sure Ccmmuni non fulyt trabenda in confequentiam argumenti bet exempli ; things which agree not with the common Law are not tobe drawn into the coniequénce, either of argument or example. Though We ate wiling to make many reftraidts, yet they arebut few tvhich God allows; as he laid of the goodEmperonrs, fo may we fayof them, they may all begraven uponone fide of a Penny : and therefore themore reftraints we make, the more in jury we do toGod. It is the commendation of a Law to have the fcwcftcxceptiong and priviledges ; for where difpenfations are feweft, there in moll equity : and there- fore it is, that in Gods Laws there are not fo Many as in others. The flaughter of Plaines, the robbing of the Egyptians are not refraints, and if they were, yet it is certain, they are,not for us, nor our tithes, narhave we the fpecial warrant of the voice of God for them ; and irmay,be fufñciently proved, that many things in the old Tcftament (fuppofed to be reliraints) were not fo, but kept to, the uttcrmoft. And this is to flop the mouths of vain perfogs, which cans not contain thernfclves within the ordinary contfe, and We have but little ule òf this z. rule. The fecond rule is from the nature of a precept; which id futidty cafes Avis are: !trains
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=