as a civil right? Anf. 1. How far religion is a natural and civil right, to be defended by the fword in the kingdoms of this world, has been already declared. But that fort of defence is the common right of mankind, and not peculiar to Chrift's fubjects. 2. It cannot be denied, that a defence of civil and natural rights in the kingdoms of this world is lawful and neceffary; and they that have power, will defend their lives and fortunes by the fword. But the truths and institutions of Chrift, and the privileges of his kingdom, which are not natural, nor civil and earthly, but fpiritual, are not capable of fuch a defence: they must be defended another way. 3. If there fhould be a fociety for defending the truths and inftitutions of Chrift, in the profeffion of them, by the sword; then these truths and inftitutions would be thus laid in the conftitution of that fociety, which, by our Lord's defcrip. tion of a worldly kingdom, is a kingdom of this world. But it is exprefsly contrary to this his confeffion, that his truths and inftitutions fhould be in the conftitution of a kingdom of this world. For thus that worldly fociety or kingdom would be his kingdom, or his church: but he fays, "My kingdom " is not of this world." 4. In fuch an affociation of Chrift's fubjects, perfecution will be unavoidable. For should any in that fociety give up with the profeffion of any of those truths and inftitutions which the fociety judges to be Christ's, he muft, according to the nature of fociety, be deprived of the defence of that fociety which hath those truths in its conftitution, and forfeits his right to all the worldly privileges of that fociety, which, by the conftitution of it, belong unto the profeffion of thofe truths, and the obfervation of thofe in. ftitutions. Further, if any in that fociety, while it stands, fhould find himself obliged, in his confcience, to profefs contrary to any of those things that are held for truths of Chrift by the fociety, and are in the conftitution of it, then the power of the fociety must be put forth against him for the defence of the fociety. So fuch an affociation will be found inconfiftent with that natural right of mankind, to be defended in the kingdoms of this world, from violence offered to their confciences, which yet our Lord hath not taken away from thofe kingdoms, by fending his gospel unto them. And this, if it were maintained, would answer all the good ends that could be propofed by fuch an affociation. For to destroy mens lives that will not receive Christ, or profess him, is not an end of a worldly fociety that Chrift will approve of.

When God's kingdom was worldly of old, the cafe was o therwife :

therwise for then the profeffion of any other religion than the religion of the nation of Ifrael, was rebellion against the king of that nation: "But now," fays Chrift, " My kingdom " is not of this world, not from hence."

If the natural right of mankind, with refpect to religion, had been maintained in the kingdoms of this world, there had never been such a thing as the kingdom of Antichrift; and Chrift's fubjects cannot be great fufferers where this right is preserved; and if it be preferved, others will enjoy the benefit of it as well as they. But if it be not, they are the perfons that will fuffer moft. Others can diffemble their principles, and feign subjection to tyrannical power; but they are bound by the law of Chrift openly to confefs all his truths, the least of them not excepted, fo far as they know them; and that as they would not be denied by him at his coming.

It does not appear in his word, nor as yet in his providence, that ever he defigned that his fervants in this world fhould be, by themselves, in a capacity to defend their profeffion against the powers of this earth, by the fword. And they must be ftrangers on earth," conformed to the image of their fuffering mafter, in bearing the crofs; and not conformed to this world, whatever shape it put on, whatever form it be caft into; but transformed by the renewing of their minds, that they may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God, Rom. xii. 1. 2. "They are "crucified to the world, and the world to them; they are "dead to it, and their life is hid with Chrift in God, not to

appear till he appear," Gal. vi. 12. 14. Col. iii. 3. 4. Then it is that the faints fhall reign on the earth and till then they will be companions in the kingdom and patience of Jefus Chrift.

If any of Chrift's fubjects fhall, at any time, be in places. of power, he has given them no warrant nor command to employ their power for deftroying mens lives on his account; far lefs has he afforded any encouragement to his followers to raise up themselves in the world, unto the disturbance of the kingdoms of the earth, and the perfecuting of them that differ from them, or any party of them, under pretence of defending Chrift's kingdom by the fword.

CHA P. IV.

Of the proper means whereby the kingdom of Chrift is set up, maintained, and advanced in the world.

UR Lord having fet afide the way of establishing a kingdom the moft feasible in man's eyes, and the way of which his own disciples feemed very fond, proceeds to declare the way of fetting up, advancing, and defending his kingdom in the world: "Jefus anfwered, Thou fayft that I

am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I fhould bear witness unto "the truth."

SECT. I.

THis "His kingdom is not fet up, maintained, or advanced in the world, by human policy, but by the truth. It might be expected, that when the power of the fword is laid afide, there would be the more need of this kind of wisdom. But inftead of this wisdom, we have here the truth. They that were employed at first in setting up and promoting this kingdom in the world, ufed great plainnefs of fpeech, and fpake naked truth without disguise : Cor. iv. 1. 2. "Therefore,

feeing we have this miniftry, as we have received mercy, "" we faint not but have renounced the hidden things of dif"honefly, not walking in craftinefs, nor handling the word "of God deceitfully, but by manifeftation of the truth, com"mending ourselves to every man's confcience, as in the "fight of God." And, upon a review of their conduct, they had this to fay, 2 Cor. i. 12. "Our rejoicing is this, the testi"mony of our confcience, that, in fimplicity and godly fin

cerity, not with fleshly wifdom, but by the grace of God, " we have had our converfation in the world, and more a"bundantly to you-wards." And this belongs unto that wisdom which is peculiar to the kingdom of Chrift, and is opposed to the wifdom of this world, after this manner, 1 Cor. iii. 18. 19. 20. "Let no man deceive himself. any man among you feemeth to be wife in this world, let "him become a fool, that he may be wife. For the wisdom "of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He taketh the wife in their own craftinefs; and again,

If

"The

"The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wife, that they are "vain." If we confider that context, we may find this kind of wisdom pointed at, as one of the things that defile the temple of God, being most useful in carrying on party-defigns, and managing feuds. And we may fee what the Apoftle James fays of this wisdom, and how he diftinguishes it from that wisdom which is from above, James iii. 13.17.

Yet there are fome things brought, as from the word of God, for the use of this kind of wisdom in advancing the kingdom of Chrift. That which the Apostle wipes off as a foul afperfion caft upon him, 2 Cor. xii. 16. 17. 18. "Be"ing crafty, I caught you with guile," is by fome adduced to this purpose, and they call it "holy guile!" And his making the gospel of Chrift without charge to the Corinthians, though he had power to be chargeable to them, and his becoming a fervant to the various tempers and difpofitions of men, in indifferent things, for the gofpel's fake, that he might gain their fouls to Chrift, and fave them, Cor. ix. 18.-23. is pleaded to patronife our walking in crafty compliances with the corrupt inclinations of the men of this world, in order to gain an authority over them, to fave ourselves from the effects of the world's hatred, and to advance our worldly intereft. This did not Paul.

THE kingdom of Chrift is fet up, maintained, and advanced in the world, by bearing witnefs unto the truth; and fo not by the strength of human reasoning, nor by the moving influences of human eloquence.

This truth has wisdom in it, "even the hidden wisdom of "God, which none of the princes of this world knew;" and there is an utterance in bearing witness unto this truth, which they that know, can diftinguish from human reafon and eloquence But our Lord came not into the world to teach moral philofophy, nor to oblige men to acknowledge the truth by the force of philofophical argument, nor to entice them to embrace it by the charms of rhetoric: for he came to bear witness unto the truth.

This faithful and true witnefs gave his teftimony on the earth in the days of his flesh, and now bears witness to us from heaven, from whence he speaks in the ministry of the gofpel, Heb. xii. 25. 1 Pet. i. 12. His minifters that are sent

by

by him are his witneffes, declaring unto men the teftimony of God. They must have some acquaintance with this teftimony themselves, at leaft by that illumination which is called common, and is the foundation of all thofe gifts that are for the edification of the church, 1 Cor. xii.

they muft lay open what they thus know to the 7. And

world, proclaiming it as Chrift's meffengers, or declaring it as his witneffes. This is preaching. Now, as it would be very unfuitable for a herald making a proclamation, or a witness bearing teftimony, to philofophife or harangue, to difpute or drefs up his difcourfe in all the beauties of eloquence, in order to perfuade men of what he teftifies; fo it is in this case. And this ferves rather to make the teftimony suspected. If by force of argument or eloquence, he can induce men to acknowledge and receive what he teftifies, so as to answer the defign of it, what ufe is there for that teftimony which he declares?

When we embrace the gospel in the proper way, so as to be faved by it, it is by divine faith receiving the divine testi. mony: "For if we receive the witnefs of men, the witness "of God is greater. He that believeth, hath this witness "in himself," 1 John v. 9. 10. Our Lord, speaking of the evidence given to the Jews for his being the Meffiah, John's miniftry, and beyond that the works given him to finifh, doth at length fend them to the teftimony of God in the word, declaring, that "they believed not, because they had "not his word abiding in them," whatever regard to it they profeffed, John v. 32.-39. There is an extrinfic evidence for Chriftianity, which may ftop the mouths of gainfayers, and move men to attend to the divine teftimony in the word of fcripture-revelation; but the faith whereby men are faved, doth not stand on this extrinsic evidence, but on the evidence that is in the divine teftimony itself. Some would make our faith to be the affent to the conclufion of fuch a fyllogifm as this: "Whatever God fays is true; but God fays this; "therefore this is true." But the business of faith is with that propofition, "God fays this." There is not fo much occafion for faith to fhew us, that whatsoever God fays is true, and that if he fays this, it must be true. The great pinch where faith is needful, is in the making out to us that God fays this; and the province of faith is, to give affent to this propofition. Whatever way it be therefore that this is made out to me, in that way comes my perfuafion of it. If my perfuafion be in the affent to the conclufion of a philofophical argument, then it is fcience, not faith; if my perfua