74 an the Excellency of Chrif{, what the meaning is, when wee fay, that atilt only can make Lawes for his Church, and Officers for his Church. Why ? becaufe whatfoever is fpiritual, it muff bee only by the Authority of Jefus Chrift, this great King of his Church. 6 And then Sixthly, Christ is a wonderful King in this, that his Soverainty is abfolute, which no Kings power is ; though they have great power in the world, yet they have not an abfolute power to doe what they lift ; and certainly, no Subjeóts are bound fo farce to the humours of men, that they (hall doe what they lift there ism? abfolute power that one man bath over another ; but the power that Jefus Christ hath is abfolute, an abfolute Kingly power, his Will it is the Law ; no mans will in the World is fulficient to be a law, but the will of this King it is fufiïcient. 7 And then in the Seventh place, bee hath power to bind Confcience, his Laws are fuch as lay obligations and bonds upon the Confciences of men;no Law that would be madeby all the Angels in heaven could lay bonds upon confcience,but the Law only of, Jefus Christ; all the Lavves that men can make, muff receive their power and authority efpecially from the end of them , and therefore if they fhould not conduce unto that end for which God fets up Magiftracy over men, that is, for the good of the place, then the rule vvill hold, that if there be not fcandal or contempt, there is no obligati- on upon a mans confcience, meerly becaufe it is the vvill of man. But novv the Lavves of Christ, vvhatfoever they are, they lay bonds upon confciences, and if I doe offend them never fo fecretly, I Rand as guilty before the great God ; and that is the feventh thing.. 8 And then in the Eighth place, Chrifls Kingly power it reaches to mens hearts, (I muff not as I got along enter into. the large opening of any thing that may be controverfal, but meerlyprefent vvhat at large might be opened to you about the Aingly power of Christ) I fay, Chrifts Kingly povver is vvonderful in this, in that it rules over the hearts of men as well as their confciences ; Christ by his povver is able to fubdue
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