Bow far tl!e Scriptures are the 11\.ple of W01jhip. be A!feCied and exprefs it felf. And the cafe is the fame in this, whether it be from a Book, or frorp the words of another without book: For the fOul mufi do the fame, as quickly, in joyning wirh ano– ther that fpeaketh before us, without a book as .with it. 9· 13• Diw'l. 11• Vndtr]!and weU how f•r Chdfl bath given a Law and Rule fqr "'"]hip to hit Dirtil. 1 r. Churcb in 1he holy Scripture;, and fo /.tr fee that you tak._e it a1 a perfoli Rule, ond fwcrve ntJt from HoW" far the it by adding or Jjminjjhing• . This is a matt~r of great i~portauce by reafon of the danger ofe.rrint; t~:t~;=~~~~ on eithc:r fide. I· If you thmk that the Scnpture contameth not any Law or Rult of \Y"Or01JP at rw fh. all or not fo much as indeed it doth, you will deny a principal put of the Cffice ofChritl, as the ~nd })ilC~~ Ki~g and 1eacher of the Church, and will accufc his Laws of infufficicncy, and be tempted to war- pline,and how fbip himwith a humane kind of wodhip, and to think your fdv~s at liberty- ro wor01ip him accora- fJr nut. ing to your own imaginations, or change his •worfhip according to the jJjhitm of the Age or the Countrcy where you are. And on the other fide, if you think that the Scripcure is a Ll>V and Rule ofworfhip, more particular than ChriH intended it, you will involve your {~lv(S and others in cndlefs fnuplcs and conuoverfies, and tind fault with that which is !Jwful and a duty, becaufc you tind it not particularly in the Scriptures : And therefore if is exceeding needful to underHand how far it is imended to be herein our Law andRule, and how far not : Tohandle this fully would be a Digreilion, but I !hall briefly anfwer it. ~· 1 4 • ,. No doubt but Cbrijl is the only Vnivtrj:~ HtadandL•w-~ivtr to hi• Churc/,: and that Le· lfa. '; 1. & 1. gijlalion is the tirfi and prmc1pal part of Government: And therefore 1f he had made no Laws for Ius ~~~· & 4-· 4 • Church, he were not the full Govcrnour of it. And therefore he that arrogatt:th this power ro him· ~~~.~.:: h~· felf to be Law·giv€r to Jhe Cburch univcrf~l (as fuch) doth u[urp the Kingly Office ofCbrifl, and corn~ HC"b. 1o.1:i. mittcth Treafon againfi his Government, ( unlefs he can prove that Chrilt hath delegated to him Att~7. 37>38.. this chief part of his Government, which none .can do): There.being no VHiverfal Law-giver ~!;l~ 3;;,3;. to the Church but ChriH ( whether Pope or Council), no Law that IS rm.de by any mecr manCJn lfa. ~. 14, be univtrfally obligatory. Therefore fecing the making of all Vnivcrfal Law1 doth bdong only to ~ Chrijl, we may be fure that he hath ptrfclily dom it; and hath left nothing out of his Laws that was fit to be there, nor nothing at liberty that was fit to be determined and commanded. Therefore whatfocvcr is of equal Vjt or Coufider..rion to the Vniverj'.Jl Clmrcb, as it is to any one p.lrl of it, and to aU limes as ic is to any time of the Chu1ch, fhould not be made a Law by man w any p.lrt ·of the Church, if.Chrifi have not made it a Law to the wh1J/t: becaufe elfe they accufc him of being ... dcfcdive in bif Laws, and becaufe aU hi.l fitbje[iJ are rquaUy dependant on bim as their Kin.{. and Judg€· And no man muit ficp into_his Thro~e prctend_ing to amend his work whi;h he bath done: amifs, or to make up any wants, wh1ch the chte:f Ltw gtvcr fhgpld have made ur. ~· '5· 2· Thefe Laws ofChril\ for the Government of his Church, are fully contained in the holy Scripturu: .For fo much as is in NatJtrt, is there alfo more plainly expreffed than nature hath exprclt ir. .AU is not Chriftt Law that is any ~ay exprcfi in Scripture; but aU Chrijls Lar>.n are cxprefi in the Mltth. ,g, 2~. Scriptures : Not written by himfelf, but by bif Spirit in bif Apojller, whom he appointed and fent ~ to 1each all Nations to obferve ah.1t ever he commanded them: who being thus C9mmif!ionedand tn!ibled fully by the Spirit to pCiforrn it, are to be fuppofed to have perfe[lly exwmdchcir commiffioft ; and to have taught rrhatfoevcr Chrijf commanded them, and no more as from Chrifi : And therefore as they taught that prefent age by Voice, who could Hear them, fo they taught all ages afterto the end •f the world by writing, becaufe their voice was not by them ro be heard. . Rom. 13. 9· ~· 16. 3• So fat then as the Scripture if aLaw aud Rule, it is a perftU Rule: But bow far ir is a ~Jatt81.16H· Law or Rule, its own contents and expretllons mutt determine. As t. It is certain that all the Imenut A~~ 8. 1 15 '. 10 ' w.1rjhip of God (by Love, fear, truft, defire;-&c.) is peffedlycommandcd in the Scriprures. 2• The Ath 15-JS 36. DoftrineofChrift which hisMinificrs mull: read and preach is .perfectly cOntained in the Scriptures. ACts:6.t7,t8. 3• The grand and con~amly mcrffary points of Ortier :in preaching, arc there alfo rxprdfcd : As that ~ t~n L ~ the opening of mens eyes, and the converting_ of them from the powe.r of Satan tu God be firjf en- t~cv.c;~: ~·1 .' deavoured, and then their Confirmation and further Edification, &c. 4· Alfo that we humble our Phi!. 4 •6. (elves before God in the confeflion of our fins. 5· And that we ptay to God in the name ofChrifi P;'l l. 5o. 14. for mercy for'our felves and others. 6. That we give God Thanks for his mercies 'ro the Church &. 6 9 3o. & our fclvcs and others! 7· That we- Praife God in his excellencies manifcHcd in his \Vord and \\'ork; f.~~~~.,;.1 ;;.J 4 ' of Creation and Providence. 8. That we do this by finging Pfalms with holy joVfulnds of heart. l'f,~. 9··• '· & 9· The matttr and order of the ordin;Jry pra;>•ers and praifts of Chrillians is expreff,d in the Scripture, _ 9f· 1. (As whicb parts ate to have precedency m cur eftimation and defire, ;1nd ord~n.Jri!y i1). our cxpn(]j. Luke 1 1 • :,;~ ons ). 10. Chrifi himfcH hath determined that by Baptizing them into the name of the F.1tber, rhC Mltth. :.S.~;: Son, and rhe Holy Gbojt, men be folemnly entered into hisCovenanr, and Church, and Hate oi'Chri- r Cor. 1 t.t;, ti:iani1y. 1I· And he hath himfelf appointed t·hat his Churches hold communion with him a·nd 24, 15, 16,18, among thcmfclves, in rhc Euchiiiiflical adminiilrarion of the S1cram(:nt'of his B1dy and blood, repre1 Cor.x4. !' fcn.ted _in the h:e_a~ing, deliv_eri~g, recri;Ji"~ and eatin~ the confcc.ratcd Bread, and in the .P~:tri11J!, out, 2 C;>r. :~~ 8~' • ddtverm:,, recetvmg and drm~mf!. the comccrated Wme. 12. And as for the mutable fubferviem cir- & 1;. 10. cumfiancts and external exprdll.ms, and actions, and orders, which were not fie to be, inparticu- Romo~~.z. lar, the matter of an Vniver[al Law, but are fit in one place, or at one time, and n:>t aJtother for ~Cor.I4·4°• thcfe ~e hath left both i~ Nature and fkript_ure fuch G_mcral Law 7 ,_ by which upon emctgent o~cafiom. 14 ' 1 1,.'. ons thty may_be dctcrmmtd t and .by puttcl:lat Provrdences he titteth things, and perfiuu, and timer, rCor.9. zo, and placu, fo as that we may d1fcern rhc.u agreeableners to the dekriptions in his Gmcral . 21 • 1:: Laws: A~ that all thint;s ~e done Decently,. m Order ~nd to Edific;ti,n, and in Cbarity, VHily and 1 c~;:s;;:1 ~~ Peace. And he hath f o,rbtdden GeneraUy domg any thmg unckc'emly, di~rdcrly, [O the burt or de1 Cor. 6. 1 6, jlrul1ion
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=