true Foundation, shall see their Doctrines condemned; neverthelesse they themselves shall be
saved, and passe unhurt through this universall Fire, and live eternally, to call upon the name
of the true and onely God. In which sense there is nothing that accordeth not with the rest of
Holy Scripture, or any glimpse of the fire of Purgatory.
In what sense other Articles may be called Necessary.
But a man may here aske, whether it bee not as necessary to Salvation, to beleeve, that God is
Omnipotent; Creator of the world; that Jesus Christ is risen; and that all men else shall rise
again from the dead at the last day; as to beleeve, that Jesus is the Christ. To which I answer, they are; and so are many more Articles: but they are such, as are contained in this one, and
may be deduced from it, with more, or lesse difficulty. For who is there that does not see, that
they who beleeve Jesus to be the Son of the God of Israel, and that the Israelites had for God
the Omnipotent Creator of all things, doe therein also beleeve, that God is the Omnipotent
Creator of all things? Or how can a man beleeve, that Jesus is the King that shall reign
eternally, unlesse hee beleeve him also risen again from the dead? For a dead man cannot
exercise the Office of a King. In summe, he that holdeth this Foundation, Jesus is the Christ, holdeth Expressely all that hee seeth rightly deduced from it, and Implicitely all that is
consequent thereunto, though he have not skill enough to discern the consequence. And
therefore it holdeth still good, that the beleef of this one Article is sufficient faith to obtaine
remission of sinnes to the Penitent, and consequently to bring them into the Kingdome of
Heaven.
That Faith, and Obedience are both of them Necessary to Salvation.
Now that I have shewn, that all the Obedience required to Salvation, consisteth in the will to
obey the Law of God, that is to say, in Repentance; and all the Faith required to the same, is
comprehended in the beleef of this Article Jesus is the Christ; I will further alledge those places of the Gospell, that prove, that all that is Necessary to Salvation is contained in both these
joined together. The men to whom St. Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, next after the
Ascension of our Saviour, asked him, and the rest of the Apostles, saying, ( Act. 2. 37.) Men and Brethren what shall we doe? To whom St. Peter answered (in the next verse) Repent, and be Baptized every one of you, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Therefore Repentance, and Baptisme, that is, beleeving that Jesus is the Christ, is all that is Necessary to Salvation. Again, our Saviour being asked by a certain Ruler, ( Luke 18.
18.) What shall I doe to inherite eternall life? Answered (verse 20.) Thou knowest the
Commandements, Doe not commit Adultery, Doe not Kill, Doe not Steal, Doe not bear false
witnesse, Honor thy Father, and thy Mother: which when he said he had observed, our Saviour
added, Sell all thou hast, give it to the Poor, and come and follow me: which was as much as to say, Relye on me that am the King: Therefore to fulfill the Law, and to beleeve that Jesus is
the King, is all that is required to bring a man to eternall life. Thirdly, St. Paul saith ( Rom. 1.
17.) The Just shall live by Faith; not every one, but the Just; therefore Faith and Justice (that is, the will to be Just, or Repentance) are all that is Necessary to life eternall. And ( Mark 1.
15.) our Saviour preached, saying, The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand,
Repent and Beleeve the Evangile, that is, the Good news that the Christ was come. Therefore
to Repent, and to Beleeve that Jesus is the Christ, is all that is required to Salvation.
What each of them contributes thereunto.
Seeing then it is Necessary that Faith, and Obedience (implyed in the word Repentance) do
both concurre to our Salvation; the question by which of the two we are Justified, is
impertinently disputed. Neverthelesse, it will not be impertinent, to make manifest in what
manner each of them contributes thereunto; and in what sense it is said, that we are to be
Justified by the one, and by the other. And first, if by Righteousnesse be understood the
Justice of the Works themselves, there is no man that can be saved; for there is none that hath
not transgressed the Law of God. And therefore when wee are said to be Justified by Works, it
is to be understood of the Will, which God doth alwaies accept for the Work it selfe, as well in
good, as in evill men. And in this sense onely it is, that a man is called Just, or Unjust; and that his Justice Justifies him, that is, gives him the title, in Gods acceptation, of Just; and renders him capable of living by his Faith, which before he was not. So that Justice Justifies in that sense, in which to Justifie, is the same that to Denominate a man Just; and not in the signification of discharging the Law; whereby the punishment of his sins should be unjust.
But a man is then also said to be Justified, when his Plea, though in it selfe unsufficient, is
accepted; as when we Plead our Will, our Endeavour to fulfill the Law, and Repent us of our
failings, and God accepteth it for the Performance it selfe: And because God accepteth not the
Will for the Deed, but onely in the Faithfull; it is therefore Faith that makes good our Plea; and
in this sense it is, that Faith onely Justifies: So that Faith and Obedience are both Necessary to Salvation; yet in severall senses each of them is said to Justifie.
Obedience to God and to the Civill Soveraign not inconsistent, whether Christian,
Having thus shewn what is Necessary to Salvation; it is not hard to reconcile our Obedience to
God, with our Obedience to the Civill Soveraign; who is either Christian, or Infidel. If he bee a
Christian, he alloweth the beleefe of this Article, that Jesus is the Christ; and of all the Articles that are contained in, or are by evident consequence deduced from it: which is all the Faith
Necessary to Salvation. And because he is a Soveraign, he requireth Obedience to all his owne,
that is, to all the Civill Laws; in which also are contained all the Laws of Nature, that is, all the Laws of God: for besides the Laws of Nature, and the Laws of the Church, which are part of the
Civill Law, (for the Church that can make Laws is the Common-wealth,) there bee no other
Laws Divine. Whosoever therefore obeyeth his Christian Soveraign, is not thereby hindred,
neither from beleeving, nor from obeying God. But suppose that a Christian King should from
this Foundation Jesus is the Christ, draw some false consequences, that is to say, make some superstructions of Hay, or Stubble, and command the teaching of the same; yet seeing St. Paul
says, he shal be saved; much more shall he be saved, that teacheth them by his command;
and much more yet, he that teaches not, but onely beleeves his lawfull Teacher. And in case a
Subject be forbidden by the Civill Soveraign to professe some of those his opinions, upon what
just ground can he disobey? Christian Kings may erre in deducing a Consequence, but who
shall Judge? Shall a private man Judge, when the question is of his own obedience? or shall
any man Judg but he that is appointed thereto by the Church, that is, by the Civill Soveraign
that representeth it? or if the Pope, or an Apostle Judge, may he not erre in deducing of a
consequence? did not one of the two, St. Peter, or St. Paul erre in a superstructure, when St.
Paul withstood St. Peter to his face? There can therefore be no contradiction between the Laws
of God, and the Laws of a Christian Common-wealth.
Or Infidel.
And when the Civill Soveraign is an Infidel, every one of his own Subjects that resisteth him,
sinneth against the Laws of God (for such as are the Laws of Nature,) and rejecteth the
counsell of the Apostles, that admonisheth all Christians to obey their Princes, and all Children
and Servants to obey their Parents, and Masters, in all things. And for their Faith, it is internall, and invisible; They have the licence that Naaman had, and need not put themselves into
danger for it. But if they do, they ought to expect their reward in Heaven, and not complain of
their Lawfull Soveraign; much lesse make warre upon him. For he that is not glad of any just
occasion of Martyrdome, has not the faith he professeth, but pretends it onely, to set some
colour upon his own contumacy. But what Infidel King is so unreasonable, as knowing he has a
Subject, that waiteth for the second comming of Christ, after the present world shall bee burnt,
and intendeth then to obey him (which is the intent of beleeving that Jesus is the Christ,) and
in the mean time thinketh himself bound to obey the Laws of that Infidel King, (which all
Christians are obliged in conscience to doe,) to put to death, or to persecute such a Subject?
And thus much shall suffice, concerning the Kingdome of God, and Policy Ecclesiasticall.
Wherein I pretend not to advance any Position of my own, but onely to shew what are the
Consequences that seem to me deducible from the Principles of Christian Politiques, (which are
the holy Scriptures,) in confirmation of the Power of Civill Soveraigns, and the Duty of their
Subjects. And in the allegation of Scripture, I have endeavoured to avoid such texts as are of
obscure, or controverted Interpretation; and to alledge none, but in such sense as is most
plain, and agreeable to the harmony and scope of the whole Bible; which was written for the
reestablishment of the Kingdome of God in Christ. For it is not the bare Words, but the Scope
of the writer that giveth the true light, by which any writing is to bee interpreted; and they
that insist upon single Texts, without considering the main Designe, can derive no thing from
them cleerly; but rather by casting atomes of Scripture, as dust before mens eyes, make every
thing more obscure than it is; an ordinary artifice of those that seek not the truth, but their
own advantage.
OF THE KINGDOME OF DARKNESSE.
CHAP. XLIV.
Of Spirituall Darknesse from MISINTERPRETATION of Scripture.
The Kingdom of Darknesse what.
BESIDES these Soveraign Powers, Divine, and Humane, of which I have hitherto discoursed, there is mention in Scripture of another Power, namely, 1 that of the Rulers of the Darknesse
of this world, 2 the Kingdome of Satan, and 3 the Principality of Beelzebub over Dæmons, that is to say, over Phantasmes that appear in the Air: For which cause Satan is also called 4 the
Prince of the Power of the Air; and (because he ruleth in the darknesse of this world) 5 The Prince of this world: And in consequence hereunto, they who are under his Dominion, in
opposition to the faithfull (who are the Children of the Light) are called the Children of Darknesse. For seeing Beelzebub is Prince of Phantasmes, Inhabitants of his Dominion of Air
and Darknesse, the Children of Darknesse, and these Dæmons, Phantasmes, or Spirits of
Illusion, signifie allegorically the same thing. This considered, the Kingdome of Darknesse, as it
is set forth in these, and other places of the Scripture, is nothing else but a Confederacy of
Deceivers, that to obtain dominion over men in this present world, endeavour by dark, and
erroneous Doctrines, to extinguish in them the Light, both of Nature, and of the Gospell; and
so to dis-prepare them for the Kingdome of God to come.
The Church not yet fully freed of Darknesse.
As men that are utterly deprived from their Nativity, of the light of the bodily Eye, have no
Idea at all, of any such light; and no man conceives in his imagination any greater light, than
he hath at some time, or other, perceived by his outward Senses: so also is it of the light of
the Gospel, and of the light of the Understanding, that no man can conceive there is any
greater degree of it, than that which he hath already attained unto. And from hence it comes
to passe, that men have no other means to acknowledge their owne Darknesse, but onely by
reasoning from the un-foreseen mischances, that befall them in their ways; The Darkest part of
the Kingdom of Satan, is that which is without the Church of God; that is to say, amongst
them that beleeve not in Jesus Christ. But we cannot say, that therefore the Church enjoyeth
(as the land of Goshen) all the light, which to the performance of the work enjoined us by God,
is necessary. Whence comes it, that in Christendome there has been, almost from the time of
the Apostles, such justling of one another out of their places, both by forraign, and Civill war?
such stumbling at every little asperity of their own fortune, and every little eminence of that of
other men? and such diversity of ways in running to the same mark, Felicity, if it be not Night amongst us, or at least a Mist? wee are therefore yet in the Dark.
Four Causes of Spirituall Darknesse.
The Enemy has been here in the Night of our naturall Ignorance, and sown the tares of
Spirituall Errors; and that, First, by abusing, and putting out the light of the Scriptures: For we
erre, not knowing the Scriptures. Secondly, by introducing the Dæmonology of the Heathen
Poets, that is to say, their fabulous Doctrine concerning Dæmons, which are but Idols, or
Phantasms of the braine, without any reall nature of their own, distinct from humane fancy;
such as are dead mens Ghosts, and Fairies, and other matter of old Wives tales. Thirdly, by
mixing with the Scripture divers reliques of the Religion, and much of the vain and erroneous
Philosophy of the Greeks, especially of Aristotle. Fourthly, by mingling with both these, false,
or uncertain Traditions, and fained, or uncertain History. And so we come to erre, by giving
heed to seducing Spirits, and the Dæmonology of such as speak lies in Hypocrisie, (or as it is in the Originall, I Tim. 4. 1, 2. of those that play the part of lyars) with a seared conscience, that is, contrary to their own knowledge. Concerning the first of these, which is the Seducing of
men by abuse of Scripture, I intend to speak briefly in this Chapter.
Errors from misinterpreting the Scriptures, concerning the Kingdome of God.
The greatest, and main abuse of Scripture, and to which almost all the rest are either
consequent, or subservient, is the wresting of it, to prove that the Kingdome of God,
mentioned so often in the Scripture, is the present Church, or multitude of Christian men now
living, or that being dead, are to rise again at the last day: whereas the Kingdome of God was
first instituted by the Ministery of Moses, over the Jews onely; who were therefore called his
Peculiar People; and ceased afterward, in the election of Saul, when they refused to be
governed by God any more, and demanded a King after the manner of the nations; which God
himself consented unto, as I have more at large proved before, in the 35. Chapter. After that
time, there was no other Kingdome of God in the world, by any Pact, or otherwise, than he
ever was, is, and shall be King, of all men, and of all creatures, as governing according to his
Will, by his infinite Power. Neverthelesse, he promised by his Prophets to restore this his
Government to them again, when the time he hath in his secret counsell appointed for it shall
bee fully come, and when they shall turn unto him by repentance, and amendment of life: and
not onely so, but he invited also the Gentiles to come in, and enjoy the happinesse of his
Reign, on the same conditions of conversion and repentance; and hee promised also to send
his Son into the world, to expiate the sins of them all by his death, and to prepare them by his
Doctrine, to receive him at his second coming: Which second coming not yet being, the
Kingdome of God is not yet come, and wee are not now under any other Kings by Pact, but our
Civill Soveraigns; saving onely, that Christian men are already in the Kingdome of Grace, in as
much as they have already the Promise of being received at his comming againe.
As that the Kingdome of God is the present Church:
Consequent to this Errour, that the present Church is Christs Kingdome, there ought to be
some one Man, or Assembly, by whose mouth our Saviour (now in heaven) speaketh, giveth
law, and which representeth his Person to all Christians, or divers Men, or divers Assemblies
that doe the same to divers parts of Christen-dome. This power Regal under Christ, being
challenged, universally by the Pope, and in particular Common-wealths by Assemblies of the
Pastors of the place, (when the Scripture gives it to none but to Civill Soveraigns,) comes to be
so passionately disputed, that it putteth out the Light of Nature, and causeth so great a
Darknesse in mens understanding, that they see not who it is to whom they have engaged
their obedience.
And that the Pope is his Vicar generall:
Consequent to this claim of the Pope to Vicar Generall of Christ in the present Church,
(supposed to be that Kingdom of his, to which we are addressed in the Gospel,) is the
Doctrine, that it is necessary for a Christian King, to receive his Crown by a Bishop; as if it
were from that Ceremony, that he derives the clause of Dei gratiâ in his title; and that then onely he is made King by the favour of God, when he is crowned by the authority of Gods
universall Vicegerent on earth; and that every Bishop whosoever be his Soveraign, taketh at
his Consecration an oath of absolute Obedience to the Pope. Consequent to the same, is the
Doctrine of the fourth Councell of Lateran, held under Pope Innocent the third, (Chap. 3. de Hæreticis.) That if a King at the Popes admonition, doe not purge his Kingdome of Hæresies, and being excommunicate for the same, doe not give satisfaction within a year, his Subjects
are absolved of the bond of their obedience. Where, by Hæresies are understood all opinions
which the Church of Rome hath forbidden to be maintained. And by this means, as often as
there is any repugnancy between the Politicall designes of the Pope, and other Christian
Princes, as there is very often, there ariseth such a Mist amongst their Subjects, that they
know not a stranger that thrusteth himself into the throne of their lawfull Prince, from him
whom they had themselves placed there; and in this Darknesse of mind, are made to fight one
against another, without discerning their enemies from their friends, under the conduct of
another mans ambition.
And that the Pastors are the Clergy.
From the same opinion, that the present Church is the Kingdome of God, it proceeds that
Pastours, Deacons, and all other Ministers of the Church, take the name to themselves of the
Clergy; giving to other Christians the name of Laity, that is, simply People. For Clergy signifies those, whose maintenance is that Revenue, which God having reserved to himselfe during his
Reign over the Israelites, assigned to the tribe of Levi (who were to be his publique Ministers,
and had no portion of land set them out to live on, as their brethren) to be their inheritance.
The Pope therefore, (pretending the present Church to be, as the Realme of Israel, the
Kingdome of God) challenging to himselfe and his subordinate Ministers, the like revenue, as
the Inheritance of God, the name of Clergy was sutable to that claime. And thence it is, that
Tithes, and other tributes paid to the Levites, as Gods Right, amongst the Israelites, have a
long time been demanded, and taken of Christians, by Ecclesiastiques, Jure divino, that is, in Gods Right. By which meanes, the people every where were obliged to a double tribute; one to
the State, another to the Clergy; whereof, that to the Clergy, being the tenth of their revenue,
is double to that which a King of Athens (and esteemed a Tyrant) exacted of his subjects for
the defraying of all publique charges: For he demanded no more but the twentieth part; and
yet abundantly maintained therewith the Commonwealth. And in the Kingdome of the Jewes,
during the Sacerdotall Reigne of God, the Tithes and Offerings were the whole Publique
Revenue.
From the same mistaking of the present Church for the Kingdom of God, came in the
distinction betweene the Civill and the Canon Laws: The Civil Law being the Acts of Soveraigns in their own Dominions, and the Canon Law being the Acts of the Pope in the same Dominions.
Which Canons, though they were but Canons, that is, Rules Propounded, and but voluntarily
received by Christian Princes, till the translation of the Empire to Charlemain; yet afterwards, as the power of the Pope encreased, became Rules Commanded, and the Emperours
themselves (to avoyd greater mischiefes, which the people blinded might be led into) were
forced to let them passe for Laws.
From hence it is, that in all Dominions, where the Popes Ecclesiasticall power is entirely
received, Jewes, Turkes, and Gentiles, are in the Roman Church tolerated in their Religion, as
farre forth, as in the exercise and profession thereof they offend not against the civill power:
whereas in a Christian, though a stranger, not to be of the Roman Religion, is Capitall; because
the Pope pretendeth that all Christians are his Subjects. For otherwise it were as much against
the law of Nations, to persecute a Christian stranger, for professing the Religion of his owne
country, as an Infidell; or rather more, in as much as they that are not against Christ, are with
him.
From the same it is, that in every Christian State there are certaine men, that are exempt, by
Ecclesiasticall liberty, from the tributes, and from the tribunals of the Civil State; for so are the secular Clergy, besides Monks and Friars, which in many places, bear so great a proportion to
the common people, as if need were, there might be raised out of them alone, an Army,
sufficient for any warre the Church militant should imploy them in, against their owne, or other
Princes.
Error from mistaking Consecration for Conjuration.
A second generall abuse of Scripture, is the turning of Consecration into Conjuration, or
Enchantment. To Consecrate, is in Scripture, to Offer, Give, or Dedicate, in pious and decent language and gesture, a man, or any other thing to God, by separating of it from common use;
that is to say, to Sanctifie, or make it Gods, and to be used only by those, whom God hath
appointed to be his Publike Ministers, (as I have already proved at large in the 35. Chapter;)
and thereby to change, not the thing Consecrated, but onely the use of it, from being Profane
and common, to be Holy, and peculiar to Gods service. But when by such words, the nature or
qualitie of the thing it selfe, is pretended to be changed, it is not Consecration, but either an
extraordinary worke of God, or a vaine and impious Conjuration. But seeing (for the frequency
of pretending the change of Nature in their Consecrations,) it cannot be esteemed a work
extraordinary, it is no other than a Conjuration or Incantation, whereby they would have men to beleeve an alteration of Nature that is not, contrary to the testimony of mans Sight, and of
all the rest of his Senses. As for example, when the Priest, in stead of Consecrating Bread and
Wine to Gods peculiar service in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, (which is but a separation
of it from the common use, to signifie, that is, to put men in mind of their Redemption, by the
Passion of Christ, whose body was broken, and blood shed upon the Crosse for our
transgressions,) pretends, that by saying of the words of our Saviour, This is my Body, and
This is my Blood, the nature of Bread is no more there, but his very Body; notwithstanding
there appeareth not to the Sight, or other Sense of the Receiver, any thing that appeared not
before the Consecration. The Egyptian Conjurers, that are said to have turned their Rods to
Serpents, and the Water into Bloud, are thought but to have deluded the senses of the
Spectators by a false shew of things, yet are esteemed Enchanters: But what should wee have
thought of them, if there had appeared in their Rods nothing like a Serpent, and in the Water
enchanted, nothing like Bloud, nor like any thing else but Water, but that they had faced down
the King, that they were Serpents that looked like Rods, and that it was Bloud that seemed
Water? That had been both Enchantment, and Lying. And yet in this daily act of the Priest,
they doe the very same, by turning the holy words into the manner of a Charme, which
produceth nothing new to the Sense; but they face us down, that it hath turned the Bread into
a Man; nay more, into a God; and require men to worship it, as if it were our Saviour himself
present God and Man, and thereby to commit mo