3. Prophefying is a most useful means to keep out Error, in this regard, because it gives the Church light, how to chufe faithful Teachers out of its own children, when it stands in need of any fupply in this kind. Seeing through the exercise of Prophefying, the Church knows and difcerns which of its members are moft fpiritual, and most clearly taught of God, in divine things; and who have received the most exellent gifts from Chrift; and fo are moft fit and able to hold forth the word of life, in most evidence and power of the Spirit, that fo the Church may be supplied with Pastors of her own Sons, and not feek out after unknown perfons; nor be constrained to use mercenary men, who have been brought up to preaching, as their trade to live by; whereupon, but few of them, can be expected to be other than hirelings, who will make their Miniftry ferve their own advantage, and frame the Scripture to found fuch doctrine, as may best serve their own turns.

And in these three regards the use of Prophecying helps the Church to keep out Error. Now if any fhall object against this, That it Object. may feem very rafh and abfurd, after an able, learned man hath spoken in the Church, for an unlearned Mechanick presently to rise up and speak.

I return this Answer: That the true People of Answi God are all taught of God; and the true Church is a Kingdom of Prophets, through the anointing of the Spirit; and fo, they efteem not that to be learning in the Church, which is from man, but only that which is heard and learned from the Father; and fo they neither reckon him that hath humane learning, to be learned here; nor him that is deftitute of it, to be ignorant. Yea farther in this Society, God will have him, who is moft unlearned, according to humane literature,

to

to speak, that the vertues of Chrift may the more evidently appear in the Saints; and the knowledge of Heavenly and Divine Truths, may not be attributed to Gifts, Parts, Learning, or Studies, but only to his Spirit, which can even in a moment, teach the ignorant, and make the fimple wife; and open the mouth of Babes and Sucklings, yea and of the very dumb, to perfect his praise by. Whereas when a man of great Parts and Learning, fpeaks with Wifdom and Knowledge in the Church, this is commonly attributed to his Wit and Study, and fo God lofes all or most of his praife; but if a plain ignorant inan, shall speak Spiritually and Divinely, and hold forth the mystery of the Gospel in a clear light, then men muft needs acknowledge God to be the Author of fuch Grace, and fay, God is in him of a truth; and fo God is acknowledged the Author of his own gifts, and he himself is admired in his Saints.

It will be again objected.

Tea, but if every one have liberty to speak in the Church, will not this breed great confufion and disturbance?

I answer, no, not in the true Church, which are a People met in the name of Christ, and who have Chrift himself present in the midst of them, and fo every one demeans himself anfwerable to the prefence of Chrift, that is, in the wisdom, meeknefs, and modefty of the Spirit. And there alfo every one fpeaks, not after the rafhness of his own brain, but according to the revelation of God, as it is written, If any thing be revealed to another, let the first hold his peace; So that no man is to speak here, but by Revelation, or an inward teaching and discovery of God. And where men fpeak thus, as the true

Church

Church is to speak, there can be no confufion, but most excellent order and decency. Yea, God, himself, who is not the Author of confusion, but of peace in all the Churches of the Saints, he hath appointed and commanded Prophecying, as the way of peace; and therefore do not thou dare to fay, it is the way of confufion, feeing God knows better how to order the affairs of his own Church than thou doft.

Wherefore seeing Prophecying, is Gods Ordinance in the Church, for the peace of it; if any fort of men, fhall, notwithstanding what hath been faid, ftill attribute to themfelves a proper and incommunicable Miniftry, or the only power to speak in the Church; I fhall but ufe the Apoftles words to them, and fo pafs on from this thing? What? came the word of God only unto you? 1 Cor. 14. and is it to come out only from you? Nay, it is come to every Believer as well as to you; and it is alfo to come forth from all them, unto whom it is come; feeing they cannot but fpeak what they do believe.

5. The laft means I fhall name, whereby the true Church may keep error out of it felf, is, To exercife its power in judging Doctrines; as Paul commandeth, Cor. 14. 29. Let the Prophets Speak, two or three, and let the reft judge. If they that publish Doctrine, fhould alfo be judges of it, and the People be bound to fubfcribe to their judgement, error would not only, by this means, have opportunity to be vented, but would also be eftablished and confirmed, without the leaft contradiction. But now God hath appointed it otherwife in the Church; for whoever speak there, the Hearers are to judge of the truth of the Do&rine; and accordingly are either to receive it, or reject it, having power to do either as they fee Occafion; and fo error cannot prevail in that Church,

36.

Queft.

Whether the Magi ftrate hath

Power to

fupprefs Error.

Anfw.

Church, where the faithful have liberty to judge of all Doctrines, and do exercife that liberty. But where they, that publish Doctrine, are also the Judges of it, and the People are bound up to the Doctrine of the Teachers, and may not question or contradict it, there error reigns, as in its proper Kingdom.

And thus, by these means, error may certainly be kept out of the Church, that the Church may live in Truth and Peace.

But here now a great Question will be moved, and that is this.

Whether the Magiftrate hath not Power to fupprefs Error by the Sword; and whether the Church may not use this remedy against error, as well as all thofe before-named.

I Answer; that many men of great eminency, have attributed fuch a Power to the Magiftrate; and have done him the honour, befides his throne in the world, to erect him a throne in Gods Kingdom, at the leaft equal to Chrift; thinking that Religion would foon be loft, if he should not uphold it. And to make this good, they have produced many Scriptures of the Old Teftament; which feem to arm the Magiftrate against the Authors and Spreaders of Errours.

But I defire the wife hearted to confider, whether as clear Scriptures may not be produced out of the Old Teftament, to prove, that Temporal Power in the World belongs to Ecclefiaftical men, as that Spiritual Power in the Church belongs to worldly Magiftrates. And to this purpofe (because I would not be too large in this matter now) I fhall defire him, who hath a mind to be inftructed, to read and weigh the Reply of the French Prelates to the Lord Peters; which he

may

may find in Fox his Book of Martyrs, Vol. I. P. 467.

Wherefore, feeing the Scriptures of the Old Teftament, are every whit as strong, to give Ministers Power in Temporal matters, as Magistrates in Spiritual; it is without all question, the only fure and fafe way to determine this Caufe by the New Testament, or the Doctrine of Chrift, and the Apostles, by whom in these last days God hath spoken fully to the Church, and after whose Doctrine there is no other word to be expected. And because herein I find no fuch Power given to the Civil Magiftrate, to judge and determine in Spiritual matters, therefore I conclude, he hath

none.

Now if any fhall fay, This is a great wrong to Object. the Magiftrate, to thrust his power out of the Church, and confine it to the world.

I Answer, That to make the Church an Eccle- Answ. fiaftical Kingdom, standing in outward Laws, Orders, Authority, Dignity, Promotion, Government, all which are to be granted, established, and managed by State-Power, and yet to deny the Magiftrates authority and influence into these things, which flow from his own power, and confift in it, and by it, this is to ftreighten and to wrong him indeed. But to declare the true Church to be a Spiritual Kingdom, as Christ hath made it, and not at all of this world, but the very Kingdom of Heaven upon Earth; and thereupon to deny him power in it, is no more to prejudice the Magiftrate, than to deny him power in Heaven. Seeing the Sons Kingdom, which is Heaven on Earth, is to be as free from worldly and humane power, as the Fathers Kingdom, which is Heaven in Heaven: Chrift being to be

alla