Who u the Judge of (ontro1JerJies ? ---------------- Qlef!. 28. Who is .the Judge of Controwrjies ir1. the Church? t . About the .Ex. pojttioll of the Scnptr<re , and 'DoBrmal poolts m themfelves 2. About eet/Ju Herefies, or wicked PraCtices, as they are ciJarged on the peifons 111h~ are ac. wfed of them: Hat u, t. Antecedently to our PraCtice, by way 8{ rf?.!· gttlatiori, z. Or Confequentl y, by Judtceal Swtence (and Execution) on Of~. fenders. I Have anfwered this qucftion fo oft, that I can perfwade my felf to no more than thi$ jhort, yet clear folmion. . Tht Plpifts ufe to cheat poor unlearned pcrfons that cannot Juftly difcmt things that differ, by puzling them with rh is confufrd ambiguous quellion. Some things they cunningly and falfly take fo'r gramed, As that there M fuciJ a 1bing on Earth, a~ a Pol~tical Vnivtr{at Church , headed by any Mortrzl Governour. Some things they lhuffie together m cqmvocd words. They confound, I· Pub~ lie~ Judgement of Deci.fion, and private judgement of difccrning. 2· The Magiftrates Judgement of Church-conrrovcrfies, and the Pajfor1, and the feveul Cafu, and Ends, and Ejfeas ot their fcveral judgements. 3· Church-judgement as Direllive to a particular Church, and as a means of the Con– cord of fevcral Churches. Which being but dit\inguiChcd, a few words will ferve to clear the dif!imlty. 1 As there is no V nivcrjdl Hum12ne C!Jurcb ( Confiituted or Governed by a Mortal Head) fo there is no Power [et up by Chril\ to be anVniverfal 'fudge of either fort ofControverfies, by decijive Ju· dicial fomnce: Nor any Univerfat Civil Monarch ot the world. • 2· Thepublici(_Governi•g Decijive judgement, obliging othert, belong<th to publick perfons, or Officers Eph. 4·1• 13; of God, and not to any private man. · 14,H,t6. 3. The publick d.Ccifion of Doubts or Controverfiu about Faitb it felf, or the true fenfe of Gods 1 Cor.~;· 2a. Word and Laws, as obliging the whole Church on Earth to believe that decifion, or not gainfay it, ACh rr. ' 17 ' bccaufe ofthe InfaUibi,'ity or Governing authority of theDeciders, belongerh to none but Jefus Chrifi; See my 'J!.tf Bt:caufe as is faid, he hath made no Univerfa\ Govcrnour, nor Infallible Expofitor. It belongerh to {~rC~tbollcf.t. the Larv-giver only to make fuch an VniverfaUyobliging Expofition pf his own Laws. 4· True Bifhops or Pafiors in their own particular Churches arc Authorized Teachers andGuidu, in Expounding the Lawsand Word of Chrifi: And the people are bound as Learners to reverence their Teaching, and not contradict it without true caufe: yea, and .to believe them fide humana, in things p<.rtinent to their Office: For opJJrtet difcentem credere. 5· No fuch Pafiors are to be Ah[o/utely believed, nor in any cafe ofnotorioJH Error or Hertfie, where the \~'ord of God is difccrnc.d robe againfi them. 1 • 6~f'or all the people as Rcafonable creatures, have a judgemmt of private di[cerning to judge what they mufi Receive as Trurh, and to difcern their own duty, by the help of the Word of God, and of their Teachers. 7· The fame power ofGovtrniHg-Judgement Lawful Synods have over their feveral flocks, as a Pallor 0v.. r his own, but with f.reattr advantage. · \ 8. The power of Judging in many Confociate Churches, rrbo is to he tak._en into Communion as Or· thodox, and wbJ to bt reftt{ed by tbofe Churches ar Herctickfr- in. fpccie, that is, what Do{Jrinc they will judge four.d or tmfound, as it is J udicium difcernendi ; belongeth to every one of the Council tingly: As it is aJudgcmrmt obligi11g themfelves by Contra&, ( and not of Gov.:rning each other) it is in the Contrallers and Con{cnters: And for peace and order ufually in the MajOr V~~tt· But with the Limitations before exprdfc::d• .9· Every true Chrifiian believeth all the Effeutials of Chrifiianity, with a Divine faith, and nOt by a mecr humane belief of his Teachers, though by their Help and Teaching, his faith is generated and con6rmc:d, and pref::rvcd. Therefore no dfential Article of Chriftianity is left to any obHgiJ)g de.· cifion of any Church, but only to a fubfcrvient ~biiging ·:teaching: As whether there be 3 God, a Chrifl, a Heavc:n, a Hell, an Immortality of fouls; whether God be to be believed, loved, feared, obeyed befOre man? Whether the Scripture be Gods Word, and true? Whether thofc: that contra– dict it are tQ be believed therein? Whether Pallors, Alfcrr,blics, publick Wodhip, Baptifm, Sacra· rnent of rhc Lords Supper, be E>ivinc: inftitutions ? And the fame I may fay of any known Word of God ; No mortals may judge in partem tttramlibet, but.the: Paftors are only Authorized Teachers >nd helpers of the peoples fairh. ( And fo they be partly to one another. ) zc. 1f the Pope or his Council, were the JnfaUible, or the Governing Expofitorr of all Gods Laws, and Scriptures, 1. God would have enabled them to do it J:>y an V niverfal Commentary which all men fhOuld be obliged to believe , or at leaft not to contradict. For there is no Autbo~ 1·iurand Obligation given ro men. (yea, to fo many fucceffively) to do rhat (for the needful decifi– on of Controveriics ) which they never have Ability given them to do. For that were eo oblige thnn to things impofiiblc. 2· And the Pope and his Council would be the moll treacherous mifcrcants on earth, that in fa many hundred years, would never write: fuch an Infallible, nor Governing Commen– tarr, tO end the differences oi the Chriftian world. lnde<d they have judged (with others ) again!I K k k k k .Arri;s<
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