Of difference between Magiftrates and IBijhops Orders. 4 . But for the fuller t'Xplicire and exacter exercife of difcipline, it is very defirable for the wt!l bei 11 gof the Churches_: but it is bur a ihonger fence or hedge, and prefcrvative of S1cred Order; And both the being ot a Church ; and the profitable :{e of .holy affcrnblies, may fubfifi without it: As in Htlvtti(J, and other Countrcys it is found. 1 conch1de then, r. That he that confideratM confiderandiJ is a free man ihould choofe tha$ place Atls 2S. ulr. whc:re he hath the fulleft opportunities pf woriliipping God and edifying his foul. & 11. 26. &: . 2· He is not m be accounted a free~ma~t that cannot remove, without a greater hurt, than rhe 2 <>c 7, 10 ' &c. good ; either ro che Churc;, or Countrry, or ro his family, his neighbourJ, or bimflif. ~a;r~.~~. 3· Wi!hout Teaching, Prayer and Divine Praifes we are not to reckon that we have proper Church- 1 Tim. 4• tJ, Aftcmblics and Communion. . 14-. 4· We mull do all rhat is in ~Llr _po_wer to procure the right u~e of ~acramentr and Difcipline. ~ ~i::~: :6~· '5· When we camtot procure tr, 1t 1s lawful and a duty to JDyn m thofe Alfemblies that are Heb.Jo.·z.s, 26 wirhour ir, and :ra1her to enjoy the rejf than none. Few Churches have the Lords Supper above Col. 4· r6. once a monech, which in the l:'rimitivc Church was ufed e.vcry Lords day and ofter ; And yet they All:~~"11 ?~r. mecr on other dayes. 1 Th ff 6. lr is polfib!e that Preaching, Prayer and Praife may be fo cxcel1ently performed in fame I Co;, r.\ ~: Churches thu want both Vifcipline and the LordJ SHpper, and all fa coldly and igftoranlly managed &c 0• iu another (..)lurch that hatb all tiJe Ordin.:JnceJ, thac mens fouls may much. more fl.ouri{h, and pro- !per under the forrne_r than the.Jacer. 7· lf forbeari>1g or wanting fome Ordinances for a time, be but in order to a probable procure~ Matth. 26 . 11 , menr of fhcm, we may chebetter forbear. ACl.si. 1 . S. The time is nor robe judged of only by the length, but by the probbility of fuc<efs. For fomerime.Gods E?ro:v-idem:e, and the-dltmrltanCes--of the times, or the crafc of men in poWer may keep men fo long in the dark, thac a long expectation or waiting may become our dury. Q\!efl:. 103. Mr<ft the Paftors remow from 01le'Church to anotl,er Jvlml ewr t/Je Magiftrate comma1ldetb tU , though the IBifhops contradi{] it, m1d the (bu1c~ co•1ent not to difmiJS 111; And jo of other (a(er of diftgreemwt ~ J Anfw. r. AS in mans foul, the InteUel1u~l Guid.mce, the TViV, and che executive power do con. cur , fo in Church Cafes of this nature, chc PoteftativeGovernment of the Magifirate, the DirelJiveGuidance of the ferlior Pojlor1, and the Atnad-ivc Love of the people ( whO' are the chief inferiour final Caufe ) lhould aU ct:)ncur ; And when chey d'o not, ic is confufion: And when Gods order is broken which ,comrnandeth t-heir concurrence, it is hud to know what to do, in fuch a divifion which God a.Howerh not: As it is to know whether I fhould take part with che Heart again£\ the Head, or with theHead againft chC: S,rornach an·d Liver, on fuppofi~ion of crofs inclinati~ ons or interells; when as Nature fuppofeth eithel7 a concorel of inclination and imerrjll, or elfe che :IUine, ficknefs or death of chc perfon: And the Cute muft be by reconciling them , rather than by knowing which tp fide \l'ith agaiufi the.refi. But fceing we rnuft fuppofe fuch difcafes frequently to happen, they that cannot cure them muil know how to behave [hemfclves, and to do their own dllty. For my own put in fuch cafes I would do thus. 1. [would look at my ultimJZte end, God1 Glory,. a~d at the next end the Go11d of foulJ and "Wel~ Eph.-4. 12 , 14 • fare of theChurch; and lo ac the Peop/tJ Interejt as lt IS the End of the Order of Mlg1firacy and Mi- 2 Cor. ro. 8. niflry: And I would take my felf eo be fo obliged to that wd, as that no point of metrOrder could & IJ. 104. difobligc me; the End being better than the MeanJ as fuch ; Therefore I would Jo aU tbings to ~om.I"i·I9. cdiftc,;tion, fuppofing that all Power of man is as Paul>s was for Edijiclltion and not for deftmllion. I c:;. \'~.2;J, 2. But iu judging of what is Befi: for the Church, I mufi cake in every accident and circumftance, 1 Cor. ''f· 5, and look t9numy, more chan to a fiw, and to diflant partJ as well as to thofc near me, and to chc 12, 26. time and ages to come, •s well as w the prtfent, and not go upon miHakcn !Uppofitions of the ~ Cor. 12 ' 19'! 'Churches good : He 'hat doth not fee aU thingr that are to be weighed in fuch a cafe, may err by lt:aving out form o;se. 3• I woutd·obey the Magiftrate formaUy for confciencefak._e in all things which belong to his Office, And panicub.rly in this cafe, if it were but a Removal from place to pl~et~, in refped- to the 'Temple, or Tythn, or for the Civil pe~ct, or for the preftrvation of Church order m cafes where it is not grojly injuriom to the Church and Gt{pcl. 4· In cafts which by Gods appo'mtmcnt belong eo the Conduct of Bilhops, or Pallors, or the Con– cord of Confociate Chutchcs, 1 wou!d form:llittr tOllow them. And in p.nticular, if they fnisfieme thlt the removal of me is an apparenc injury to the Church~ ( As in the Arrians times when the Emp~rours removed the Orthodox from all the Great Churches to put in Arrians) 1 would not ob·.dicntially and voluntarily remove. Sffff s-That
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=