Baxter - BV669 B3 1681

(143) but wIrther (hall haveorder or anarchie , Church Government or none As if neither the MagiftratesGovernment of the Sword w_re. any thing, nor yet the Paliors Government by theword. But I world fainknowof there men what more it is that they wo.ild hive, and Wait is the Church Government which they fo much contend for ? I. Is it an V:iverfal LegElation ? It is high and damnableTreafon a gainfi Christ for any mortal men to claime it. Univerfal Legit] rtioa is theprerogativeof the Univerfal King. There is noUniverfil K'ng but Christ, whoelf: isGovernour of all the world or all the Churches in the world ? And Chrili bath in nature and Scripturegiven the world already an Univerfal Law. If he luth done it well, take not on you 'to amend it. If you fay he hash done it ill, either take nor on you to beChrifiians, or elfe call your fell the Chrilt , that is Anti- Chrili, if you will take Chrills place and take upon you to amend his work. If )on dream of an Univerfal Pope or General Council as having chit power, you will but make true Anti-Chrifisof them, and foolifhly con - found a humane conflitution with a Divine, and the Roman Empire with all theworld. For you are ignorantin Chi rch Hiftory it you fee not plainly that Popes, Patriarks, and Primates hand all on the fame foundation ; And that both they and Councils (falffy called; General,) were but Imperial, or confined to one Princes Dominion, called or ruled ufually by the Emperours, who had no power in other Princes Territories : No Councils containing any confiderable members, but filch as were in that oneEmpire; or. formerly had been of it, ar_d fo kept the cultome which then they had received, except that the Roman pla- ced one Bifhop on the bordersofScythia or Tartary, and one on the bor- ders of Prrfia, in hope that he might have influence further into the Countries, and rarely one or two fuch might beat a Council called General, fo that certainly there is no Univerfal Law -giver or Judgebut Chrili. This therefore is not the Church Government of Bdhops which men contend for. 2. What is it then, is it an Univerfal Expofition of the Scripture or ofChrills Laws ?why an expo(ition truly Univerfal is far Regulation, as the Law it fell: And none ever had Poch power (even in civil Go- vernment) bat the Law-givers themfelves : Elfe the Dcpofitor of the Lawes Mould be King, and not the maker, Peeing it is his fence that the fubjeet muh be ruled by. But if it be a particular decifrve expofiti.. on which you mcane, Poch as a Judge in deciding particular. controvet lies, I Ihatl fay more to that anon. 3. If it be any Coatrìive or Coercive power of Church Government that you meant , by inwlEis or Corporal penalties, no Bithops as fuch have any thing todowith it ; not only Bitfon, but thegenerality of the Prelarifts difclaime it, and confefs that it belongeth only to theKing and Magilirares and that they receive it from the King, if ever they ex- crcife any Poch. g., What..-

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