310 Enemy of all Society, Relations andCommon good. Jerufalem, let my right handforget her cunning. 11 I do not re- member thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I referr not Jerufalern above my chief Toy] pfii. 137. 5, 6. His love is to the Church as the fpoufe of Chrif}, and as to the ody of which he is himfelfa member, and hisprayers and en- deavours are for its profperity and peace, Pfal. 122.6, 7, 8,9.. [Pray for the Peace of Jerufalem they Aall profiler that love thee :Peace be within thy gals andprofperity within thy Pallaces For my Brethren and compAnicns fake I will now fay, Peace be Within thee : becaufe of the hassle of the .Lord our God, I will feekthygood] The bodyof Chrift, is all animated by one fpi- rit, that it might aim at one end ; and it is fo tempered by God, that there thould be no fchifm in it, but that the mem- bers fhosild have thefame care one for another, that if one member Pifer all the members fhould fufer with it, or if one member be honoured, all fh-uld rejoice with it] i Cot. 2:13.24,25,26,27. There is no ferving Publike ends with a Private faith. fpirit. 3. Isiloreover felflfhnefs is an Enemy to theLaws of focieties, whether it be the Laws of God or man. For it would have themall bended to their private intereft, and fitted to their ielfifh difpofition. And therefore for the immutable Laws of God, which they cannot change, they corrupt them by mif- interpretations, expounding them according to the diaates ofthe flefh, and putting fuch a fence on all as felf can bear with. And what they cannot mifinterpret, they murmur at and difobty. And for the Laws of men, where felfifh per- fons are the makers of them, you Mall perceive by the warp- ing of them, who they were made for. Hence it is that Princes and Parlivnents have lookt at the Laws, and Church, and Minifters of Chrift, with an eye of Jealoufie as if they had been fome enemies that they stood indanger of, and all for fear left' the perfonal, felfifh, flefhly intereft of Noble- men, and Gentlemen, and others, should be incroacht upon, by the Laws and Government of Chrift. And hence it is that lo muchendeavours and hopes of a Reformation have been fo fo long fruilrated,and even among wife and Pious Law-makers there bath been fo much pains to keep Nlinifters from dtohineigr
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=