Part 3 (1/2)

1. By commending or discommending. G.o.d commended king Josiah for his zeal and impartiality in completing of the reformation of religion, 1 Kings xiii. 25. This is a rule for all princes and magistrates how they should reform. The angel of the church of Ephesus is commended, for not bearing of those that were evil, for trying and detecting the false apostles, and for hating the works of the Nicolaitans, Rev. ii. 2, 3, 6.

The angel of the church of Pergamus is praised, for holding fast Christ's name, and not denying his faith in places of danger, and days of deepest persecution, Rev. ii. 13: a rule for all pastors and churches, how in all such cases they should carry themselves. G.o.d's commendings are divine commandings. On the contrary, G.o.d dispraises Ephesus, for falling from her first love, Rev. ii. 4. Pergamus, for holding the doctrine of Balaam, and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, Rev. ii. 14, 15. Thyatira, for tolerating the false prophetess Jezebel, to teach and seduce his servants, &c., Rev. ii. 20. Laodicea, because she was neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, Rev. iii. 15. The church of Corinth, for coming together in public a.s.semblies, not for better but for worse, by reason of schisms, scandals, and other disorders about the Lord's supper, 1 Cor. xi. 17, &c. In these and all such divine discommendings of the churches for their corruptions, all succeeding churches are strongly forbidden the like corruptions: G.o.d's dispraises are divine prohibitions. Thus good church elders are commended in this notion, that they are _elders ruling well_, 1 Tim. v. 17; therefore, that elders in the church should rule, and rule well, is by this commendation of divine right.

2. By promising and threatening. What promise did G.o.d ever make to any act or performance, which was not a duty? or what threatening against any act which was not a sin? He promises to them that forsake all for Christ, a ”hundred-fold now in this time, and in the world to come eternal life,” Mark x. 29, 30; therefore it is our duty to forsake all for Christ. He promised to ratify in heaven his disciples' sentences of _building or loosing on earth_; and to _be with them_ whensoever _two or three of them were met together_ for that end, Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii.

18-20, and John xx. 23. Therefore binding and loosing, remitting and retaining of sins, and meeting together for that end, belong to them by divine right. He promised to be with them that baptize, preach, remit, and retain sins in his name, &c., _always, to the end of the world_, John xx. 23; with Matt, xxviii. 18-20, which promise shows, that these works and employments belong to all succeeding ministers to the world's end, as well as to the apostles by divine right. On the contrary, the Lord threatens Ephesus for decay of first love, Rev. ii. 4, 5; Pergamus, for holding false doctrine, Rev. ii. 14, 15; Thyatira, for tolerating of Jezebel and her false teaching, &c., Rev. ii. 21, 21, 23; and Laodicea, for lukewarmness, Rev. iii. 15, 16. Therefore, all these were their sins, and we are bound, even by this divine threatening, to avoid the like by a divine warrant.

3. By remunerating or rewarding; whether he reward with blessings or with judgments. With blessings G.o.d rewarded the Hebrew midwives, because they preserved the male children of Israel, contrary to Pharaoh's b.l.o.o.d.y command; _G.o.d made them houses_, Exod. i. 17, 20, 21. He will have the elders that rule well _counted worthy of double honor_, &c.; i.e.

rewarded with a bountiful, plentiful maintenance, 1 Tim. v. 17.

Therefore, their ruling in the church is of divine right, for which G.o.d appoints such a good reward. Contrariwise, with judgments G.o.d rewarded king Saul, for offering a burnt-offering himself, 1 Sam. xiii. 12-14; Uzzah, for touching the ark, though it was ready to fall, 2 Sam. vi. 6, 7; and king Uzziah, for going into the temple to burn incense, 2 Chron.

xxvi. 16. None of these being priests, yet presuming to meddle with the priest's office. A rule for all persons, being not church officers, yea, though they be princes or supreme magistrates, that they are hereby warned by the divine law, not to usurp church authority or offices to themselves. G.o.d rewarded the Corinthians with the judgments of weakness, sickness, and death, for unworthy receiving of the Lord's supper, 1 Cor. xi. 30. So that this is a divine warning for all after churches against unworthy communicating.

CHAPTER VI.

IV. _Of a Divine Right by Divine Acts._

IV. By divine acts. Whatsoever matters of religion were erected in, or conferred upon the Church of G.o.d, by G.o.d, or any person of the blessed Trinity, and are left recorded in the Scripture, they are of divine right, by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ. Shall divine approbation, yea, shall the saints' binding example hold forth to us a divine right, and shall not the divine actions of G.o.d, Christ, and the Spirit, do it much more? Take some instances: the Lord's-day sabbath, under the New Testament, was it not inst.i.tuted (the seventh day being changed to the first day of the week) by the acts of Christ, having now perfected the spiritual creation of the new world? viz: by his resurrection and apparitions to his disciples on that day, and miraculous blessing and sanctifying of that day, by pouring forth the gifts of the Holy Ghost, Acts ii., all which were seconded with the apostolical practice in the primitive churches, Acts xx. 7, &c.; 1 Cor.

xvi. 1, 2. And do not the churches of Christ generally conclude upon these grounds, that the Lord's-day sabbath is of divine warrant? Thus circ.u.mcision is abrogated of divine right, by Christ's act, inst.i.tuting baptism instead thereof, Col. ii. 11, 12. The pa.s.sover is abolished of divine right, by Christ himself, our true pa.s.sover, _being sacrificed for us_, 1 Cor. v. 7; and the Lord's supper being inst.i.tuted a memorial of Christ's death instead of it, Matt, xxvi., Mark xiv., Luke xxii. And the whole ceremonial law is antiquated and made void by Christ's death, accomplis.h.i.+ng all those dark types; therefore Christ, immediately before his yielding up the ghost, cried, _It is finished_, John xix. 30. See Col. ii. 14; Eph. ii. 14, 15; _abolis.h.i.+ng the law of commandments in ordinances_, Heb. viii. 13, and x. 4, 5, &c. Thus by Christ's act of giving the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter and the apostles, Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii. 18, 19, the keys belong to the officers of the church by divine right. By G.o.d's act of _setting in the Church some, first apostles_, &c., 1 Cor. xii. 28, all those officers belong to the general visible Church by divine right. By Christ's act of bounty upon his triumphant ascension into heaven, _in giving gifts to men_, Eph.

iv. 7, 11, 12; all those church officers being Christ's gifts, are of divine right. Finally, by the Holy Ghost's act, in setting elders, overseers over the flock, Acts xx. 28, elders are such overseers by divine right.

CHAPTER VII.

V. _Of a Divine Right by Divine Precepts._

V. Finally, and primarily, by divine precepts, whatsoever in matters of religion is commanded or forbidden by G.o.d in his word, that is accordingly a duty or sin, by divine right: as, the duties of the whole moral law, the ten words, commanded of G.o.d, Exod. xx.; Deut. v.

Believing in Christ, commanded of G.o.d, 1 John iii. 23. The plentiful and honorable maintenance of ministers, commanded of G.o.d, 1 Tim. v. 17, 18; 1 Cor. ix. 9-11, 13, 14; Gal. vi. 6. The people's esteeming, loving, and obeying their pastors and teachers, commanded of G.o.d, 1 Thess. v. 12; Heb. xiii. 7, 17. Ministers' diligence and faithfulness, in feeding and watching over their flocks, commanded of G.o.d, Acts xx. 28; 2 Tim. iv.

1-3; 1 Pet. iv. 1-3; with innumerable commands and precepts of all sorts: now all things so commanded are evidently of divine right, and without gainsaying, granted on all hands, even by Erastians themselves.

But the question will be, how far we shall extend this head of _divine commands_. For clearness' sake, thus distinguish, thus resolve:

G.o.d's commands are either immediate or mediate.

1. Immediate divine commands: as those which G.o.d propounds and urges; as the ten commandments, Exod. xx., Deut. v., and all other injunctions of his in his word positively laid down. Of such commands, the apostle saith, ”I command, yet not I, but the Lord,” 1 Cor. vii. 10.

Now these immediate commands of G.o.d, in regard of their manner of publis.h.i.+ng and propounding, are either explicit or implicit.

1. Explicit: which are expressly and in plain terms laid down, as the letter of the commandments of the decalogue, Exod. xx. The commands of Christ, ”Feed my lambs, feed my sheep,” John xxi.; ”Go, disciple ye all nations,” &c., Matt, xxviii. 19; ”Do this in remembrance of me,” Matt, xxvi; 1 Cor. xi. 23, 24, &c. Now whatsoever is expressly commanded of G.o.d in plain, evident terms, that is of divine right, without all color of controversy. Only take this caution, the divine right of things enjoined by G.o.d's express command, is to be interpreted according to the nature of the thing commanded, and the end or scope of the Lord in commanding: e.g. 1. Some things G.o.d commands morally, to be of perpetual use; as to honor father and mother, &c.; these are of divine right forever. 2. Some things he commands but positively, to be of use for a certain season; as the ceremonial administrations till Christ should come, for the Jewish church, and the judicial observances for their Jewish polity; and all these positive laws were of divine right till Christ abrogated them. 3. Some things he commands only by way of trial, not with intention that the things commanded should be done, but that his people's fear, love, and obedience may be proved, tried, &c. Thus G.o.d commanded Abraham to offer up his son Isaac for a burnt-offering, Gen. xxii.: such things are of divine right only in such cases of special infallible command. 4. Some things he commands extraordinarily in certain select and special cases: as, _Israel to borrow jewels of the Egyptians to rob them_, without intention ever to restore them, Exod.

xi. 2, &c. The disciples to _go preach_--yet to _provide neither gold nor silver_, &c. Matt. x. 7-10. The elders of the church (while miracles were of use in the church) _to anoint the sick with oil in the name of the Lord_, for their recovery, James v. 14. These and like extraordinary commands were only of force by divine right, in these extraordinary select cases, when they were propounded.

1. Implicit, or implied: which are either comprehensively contained in or under the express terms and letter of the command; or, consequentially, are deducible from the express command.