What Scripture /Jath left to Mans determinatiOii. Of aiterable Obligations. 685 So alfo for Order and Government, Scripture hath not particHlarly dturmilud, J. 1Yhat individttiJl per{oHI llnll be the Pajlors of the Church. 2. Or of jufi how many pt,{oHI the Congregations fhall confiH. 3· Or how the Pafiors £hall divide their work where thne ar~ many. 4• Nor ~ow many every Church !lnll have. 5· Nor what particula< people !hall be a P•llors fpeml charge. 6. Nor what individual perfons he i'hall Baptize, receive to Communion, admoni01, or abfolvc:. 7 • Nor in what word1moll of thefe !hall be expretfed. 8. Nor what numb" of Pallors !hall med in Synod.!, for thecommunion and agreement of. feveral Churches, nor ln w oft, nor at what tim~ or place, nor what p•rticul.:r order iliall be among them in their confulrations; with rn1ny fuch lik<· ~· 22• when you thus underfhnd how far Scripture is a Law to you .in the: Worfhip of God, it will be 1he greatcHDireCtion to you, to kc:tp you both from difobeying God, and your Superiours; that you may neither pretend obedience tom~n for your difobc:dience to God, nOr ptt rend obedience to Gud ag1infi your d~c: obedience to your Govemours, as thofc will do that thiuk Scripture is a ~ore putit:ular I,\ulc: than ever Chrill: intendcd it o And it will prcvc::nt abundance of unnecdf.uy fcruplcs, c;omentions and divtfions. ~· 2 3. Dircd. 12. Ob{crvt r:etllinScripture the dijftrtnce betwten ChrjftJ Vniver[al L aws, ( which Dirtft. 12• bind all his SubjeCTs in all times and places J and tbofi that are b11t local, perfonal or alterable Laws; Wb:ncom– /ejf you rhinJt that you 11re bound taaU that ever God bound MHJ others to. The: Vniver[al Laws and un- mands ;r G_~d alurabJeare lhofe which refult from the Foundation of 1he univer{al and unalterable nat~tre of perfous ~:~r~t~o~;~rand tbing,J, and thofe which God hath fuptrnatu<aCy revealed as fuitable conflantly to aU. T he pat- petuol. ticular lucal or tempor~ry Laws are thofe, which either refulted from a p.~rtimlar Or alterablt namre of perfonJand tbingJ as mutuaUy related ( as the Law of n.lhtre bound Ad.smJ Sons to marry theii' Sillrrs, which bindeth others againll it ) or thofe which God fuP"••tu<aUy enaCted only for fome p 3 rticular people or pcrfon, or f or a time. If you !hould miflake all tht: Jewijh Laws for zmiverf,.sl Laws ( as to pcrfons or dKr:Jtion) inw how many errours would it leadyou~ So alfo if you miftake evay perfonal mandate Cent by .a Prophet or _Apofite to. apartimlar man, as obliging aU! you would make a fnare of ir. Every man 15 not to abfta1n from Vmeyard1 and.J-Yine as the RechabutJ were : nor every man tO go forth to Preach in rhc garb as ChriH fem the twelve and fevcnty Difciples: Nur every man to admini11er or receive the Lords Supper in an upper room of a houfe, in the Everting, .with eleven or twelve only, &c. nor every on~ to carry P;~u/s Cloak and Parchments, nor go up and dowd .on (.he mdfJgc:s which fame "':ere fent on. And here: (in precepts about Wor&ip ) you riiufi: Know what is the thingprimarily intended ic the: comm1nd, and what it is that is but a fubfervient means : For matly Laws arc u~il'Cr[<JI and immutable as to the: matttr primarily intended, which are but local and temporary as w the matler fubfirvitnt and fecond.Jri/y intended. As the command of faluting one pnotber tJ~ith a holy Kifl and ufing Love {tajil in their facred Communion primarily intended the tX~ trcifing and expreffing boly Love by [ucb convenient figms M were then in ~t{t, and [uita9!e to thofe times : But that it be: done by thofe particular fig,nes, was fubfervic:nt, and a local alterable L lirP ; as appcarcth, I • In that it is actually laid down by Gods allowance:, 2. ln that in other placu and times the fame figncs have not the fame fignification, and aptitude to that ufe at all, and therefore would be no fuch exprellion of Love ; or elfe have alfo fome ill fignification. So it was the firfi way of Baptizing ro dip them overhead ; which was lit in that hot Countrey ; which in colder Counueys it would not be, as being defiructive to health, and more againfi modcfiy : Therefore it is plain that is was but a localalttrablc Law. The fame is to b:: [,aid of not-eating things jlrJnglcrJ and blood, which was occafioned by the offence of the Jt:ws; and othtr the like. This is the cafe in alrnofi all precepts abeut the extern:.~/ worjhipphzg geftureJ: The thing that God cornmandeth uni..: verfoUy is a bumble reverent adoration of him by the mi~td &nd b{)dy. Now the adoration of the mind j.s Hill the fame ; but the bodily exprdlion alrereth according to the cu{\:omc of Countreys : In moll: Countrq•s Jtnecling or projfrationare the expreffions ofgrc:atcil veneration and fubmitlion: In forne few Countreys it is more: fignified by fitting with the face: covered with their hands : In fame it is fignified "'fi by }landing : ll,petling is ordinarily moll fit, becaufe it is the moll common fign of humble re– verence : but where it is not fn, it is not fit. The fame we mufi fay of other gefiures and ofhabits: 'the iYomtn among the Corinthiat:lS were not to go uncovered becaufi of the Angtls, 1 Cor. 11 . 10 . and yet in fome places where long hair or co~ering may have a contrary figniticacion, the cafe may be contrary. The very fourth Commandment however it was a ptrpetu~Sl law as to the proporiUm of timt, yet was alterable as to the Jtventb day. Thofe which I c.1ll Vnil!erfal LarPJ, fomccall M<1raJ : But that's no teJm of diO:inCtion; but fignitieth the common nature of aU LtJwJ, which are for the Goveming of our ~fanners. Som~ call them Natural Laws, and the other Pofitive : But the trutli is, Thcr.e arc: femeLarPS of l;Jaturt which are Vniverfal, and fome that arc: particular, as they are (he Refuli of Vniver{al or Particui~Sr Nature: And [here are fame Laws of Nature that art ptrpetU.J/' :.cJ which ate the refult of ant4nalter~d {ou11dation: and there arc: fome that are 1emportJrJ 1 when it i~ See[he Ad.,er.! fomc Temporary alte,r,ablc: thing in Nature from whence the duty dorh rcfult :So there are fame Po- [ifc:ment be- ~ fitivt Laws that areVniverfal or unahcrablc:, (during this World ) and fame that are Loc 12 J,; particu· fore_ my Book lar, or temp~r_ary only. . li~;:nfi lnfidc.o: ~· 24· D~t;ct. I3· Kemembe: that whatever duty you {iem obl•geJ to f"form, the oblig.,ion ftiU DiidJ. , 3 • {uppo[t:h that U H not naturally lmJIIIJihlc to you, and tbtrefore you are bfJund to do it M weUIll you eau: See Mr. Ttu~ Andwhen other me111 force, or .J.our nM_tttral difobility hindereth you from doine,. it as you Would you ma~s bookof art not therrfort tlifobJiged from doing it AI aD: ~ut the tot'd omiflion .i1 wf11'{t than tht deftlJitJ; per- N:uur-31 ancl f ormanct ~~~;~lmpv~
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