Gofpel-Cenverfation. Ì 45 them if they do not come in an outward compulfary way, by imprifonments, and fyning,and fuch kind of wales, We fpeak not what flower the Civil State bath, but Chrift bath committed no fuck thing to the Church, as the Church and thefe weapons the Apoftle fpakes of, though they be not carnal but fpiritual, yet they are mighty through God, and the more fpiritual, they are, themore mighty they are to caf$ down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth its felf againft the knowledgof God, and bringing into Captivity every thought to the obedience ofChriff. Theweapons, What are they? They are the two edged (word of the Spirit, the Word of God in the Name of Chrift, and . with the authority of Chriff preached to the people in the word of God, binding men in a dogmatical way, thefe are our Spiri- tual weapons; Chriff bath never appointed his Church to de- fend its felf by carnal weapons, the Church goes no further than Spiritual weapons, it's the very text that I have read to you, My Kingdom is not of this world: Mark what follows, What were the weapons Chrifi had to defend His Kingdom? Purely no worldly weaponsMy Kingdom is not ofthis world; ifmy Kiser_ dom here(faith he) ofthis World., then wouldmyfervants fight, that Ifhould not be delivered to the pews; but now is my kingdom not from hence; if my kingdom were fromhence, I fhould have the likeweapons to. defend me as the Kings of the world have to de- fend themfelves. You will fay, What's thefighting andWars for nor? May there not be Wars andfghtingfor the maintainance ofReligion and the Kingdom of Chrift? A. Now to that I anfwer thus, That the Church bath not thefe weapons, as a Church they have only fpiritual, yea and were it that any Church of God were in any place where theyhad not civil Right tothe exercife of their Religion,then I confefs (meerlyfor their Religion when the civil right of the State is ,againf ir) fthey fhould take up arms and tight for it, I think :they fhould go bt,yond the commißîonofJelus Chri(f : they 'fhould trug Chrifl for his Kingdom; and we find no Warrant in all the Book ofGod for to take up weapons meerly for the defence of Religion. And therefore in the primitive times X they
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