140 Go#el-Converfation. their own prudence, what they conceive to be fit in way ofpru- dence, no, but they muft fetch the Laws out of his Word, and impofe nonebut the fame Laws that are in his Word, they mull have a Scriptom eft, it is written, here are thefe and thefe texts of Scripture for what is enjoyned, nothing muff be added unto what he bath in his Word revealed, only there are Divine Laws for the government ofhis Church : now 'tis true, that the Church beçaufe they are a focietyof men, they have fome things natural, and forne things civil among them, fo far as they have need of natural and civil helps, fo far there may be Laws made according to rules of prudence and juftice, and Magifirates may come in to be helpful to the Church, fo far as they have need here of natural and civil helps as a fociety of men ; But now to (peak properly to that which belongs to themmeerly as they are the Church of Chrift, betides that that they haveneed of as they are men, and natural and civil focieties, (I fay) what belongs to them, meerly confidered as a Church of Chrift, they, are to be governed only by the Laws of Jefus Chrift who is the only Law-giver, only by the Laws oftheWord ; and there is, not that liberty of making new Laws in theChurch as there is ofmaking new Lawes in the Common-wealth and State ; and that's a great difference between the kingdomofChiift and the kingdoms of this world. That's a fourth The Laws are dif ferent. TheLaws are different, not only_that they are by Di- vine revelation in the one, and left to humaneprudence in the other : But 2. In the one the Laws bind confcience, in the o- ther they do not, they do not bind concience any further than the nature of the thing that is required binds, except it be in cafe of fcandal and contempt, fo our Divines that have been the molt orthodoxhave gone ;, that theLaws ofmen in the State they bind not confcience, that is, ifaman fhould not do the thing that is required,he fhould in confcience bebound over to eternal death for not doing it, this is a very hardbondage, a cruel yoke : but thus, ifthe thing that is required be right and juft, then the nature of the thing may bind confcience, for then there comes in a LawofGod, ifthe thing be jui and right that is required : or however, if I knownothing to the contrary but it may be juf and right I muff not break the Laws ofman fo
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