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In which words we have the place from whence salvation is to proceed, "Jerusalem, a quiet habitation;" the eternity of it, "a tabernacle that shall not be taken down," &c. ; the Saviour of it, "the Lord, their Judge, their lawgiver, their king, He will save us;" the salvation, "the Lord shall be to them as a broad moat of swift waters," &c. ; the condition of their enemies, "their tacklings are loose, their masts weak, the lame shall take the spoil of them;" the condition of the saved, "the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick:" and lastly, all this is comprehended in forgiveness of sin. "the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." By which it is evident, that salvation shall be on earth, then, when God shall reign, at the coming again of Christ, in Jerusalem; and from Jerusalem shall proceed the salvation of the Gentiles that shall be received into God's kingdom as is also more expressly declared by the same prophet (Isaiah lxvi. 20, 21), "And they (that is the Gentiles who had any Jew in bondage) "shall bring all your brethren, for an offering to the Lord, out of all nations, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain, Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord." Whereby it is manifest, that the chief seat of God's kingdom, which is the place from whence the salvation of us that were Gentiles shall proceed, shall be Jerusalem: and the same is also confirmed by our Saviour in His discourse with the woman of Samaria, concerning the place of God's worship; to whom He saith (John iv. 22), that the Samaritans worshipped they knew not what, but the Jews worshipped what they knew, "for salvation is of the Jews" (ex Judæis, that is, begins at the Jews): as if He should say, you worship God, but know not by whom He will save you, as we do, that know it shall be by one of the tribe of Judah; a Jew, not a Samaritan. And therefore also the woman not impertinently answered Him again, “We know the Messias shall come." So that which our Saviour saith, "Salvation is from the Jews," is the same that Paul says (Rom. i. 16, 17), “The gospel is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith;" from the faith of the Jew to the faith of the Gentile. In the like sense the prophet Joel describing the day of Judgment (chap. ii. 50, 31), that God would "show wonders in heaven, and in earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come; he addeth (verse 32), "and it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be salvation." And Obadiah (verse 17) saith the same: "Upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance; and there shall be holiness, and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions," that is the possessions of the "heathen," which "" possessions" he expresseth more particularly in the following verses, by the Mount of Esau, the land of the Philistines, the fields of Ephraim, of Samaria, Gilead, and the cities of the south; and concludes with these words, "the kingdom shall be the Lord's." All these places are for salvation and the kingdom of God, after the day of judgment upon earth. On the other side, I have not found any text that can probably be drawn to prove any ascension of the saints into heaven; that is to say, into any cœlum empyreum, or other ethereal region, saving that it is called the kingdom of Heaven: which name it may have, because God, that was King of the Jews, governed them by His commands, sent to Moses by angels from heaven; and after the revolt, sent His Son from heaven to reduce them to their obedience; and shall send Him thence again to rule both them and all other faithful men, from the day of judgmeut, everlasting;

or from that, that the throne of this our great King is in heaven; whereas the earth is but His footstool. But that the subjects of God should have any place as high as His throne, or higher than His footstool, it seemeth not suitable to the dignity of a king, nor can I find any evident text for it in Holy Scripture.

From this that hath been said of the kingdom of God, and of salvation, it is not hard to interpret what is meant by the "world to come. There are three worlds mentioned in Scripture, the "old world," the " 'present world," and the "world to come." Of the first, St. Peter speaks (2 Pet. ii. 5), "If God spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly," &c. So the "first world" was from Adam to the general flood. Of the present world, our Saviour speaks (John xviii. 36), “My kingdom is not of this world." For He came only to teach men the way of salvation, and to renew the kingdom of His Father, by His doctrine. Of the world to come, St. Peter speaks (2 Pet. iii. 13), "Nevertheless we according to His promise look for new heavens, and a new earth." This is that "world" wherein Christ, coming down from heaven in the clouds, with great power and glory, shall send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, and from the uttermost parts of the earth, and thenceforth reign over them under His Father, everlastingly.

"Salvation" of a sinner supposeth a precedent "redemption;" for he that is once guilty of sin is obnoxious to the penalty of the same; and must pay, or some other for him, such a ransom as he that is offended, and has him in his power, shall require. And seeing the person offended is Almighty God, in whose power are all things; such ransom is to be paid before salvation can be acquired, as God hath been pleased to require. By this ransom is not intended a satisfaction for sin equivalent to the offence, which no sinner for himself, nor righteous man, can ever be able to make for another the damage a man does to another, he may make amends for by restitution or recompense; but sin cannot be taken away by recompense; for that were to make the liberty to sin a thing vendible. But sins may be pardoned to the repentant, either gratis, or upon such penalty as God is pleased to accept. That which God usually accepted in the Old Testament was some sacrifice or oblation. To forgive sin is not an act of injustice, though the punishment have been threatened. Even amongst men, though the promise of good bind the promiser; yet threats, that is to say, promises of evil, bind them not, much less shall they bind God, who is infinitely more merciful than men. Our Saviour Christ therefore to "redeem " us, did not in that sense satisfy for the sins of men. as that His death, of its own virtue, could make it unjust in God to punish sinners with eternal death; but did make that sacrifice and oblation of himself at his first coming, which God was pleased to require for the salvation at His second coming, of such as in the meantime should repent and believe in Him. And though this act of our "redemption" be not always in Scripture called a "sacrifice," and "oblation," but sometimes a "price;" yet by "price we are not to understand anything by the value whereof He could claim right to a pardon for us from His offended Father; but that price which God the Father was pleased in mercy to demand.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Of the Signification in Scripture of the word Church.

THE word Church (Ecclesia) signifieth in the books of Holy Scripture divers things. Sometimes, though not often, it is taken for "God's house," that is to say, for a temple wherein Christians assembled to perform holy duties publicly, as (1 Cor. xiv. 34), "Let your women keep silence in the Churches." But this is metaphorically put for the congregation there assembled, and hath been since used for the edifice itself, to distinguish between the temples of Christians and idolaters. The Temple of Jerusalem was "God's house," and the house of prayer; and so is any edifice dedicated by Christians to the worship of Christ, Christ's house; and therefore the Greek fathers call it Κυριακή, "the Lord's house; " and thence in our language it came to be called kyrke and "church."

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Church, when not taken for a house, signifieth the same that ecclesia signified in the Grecian commonwealth, that is to say, a congregation or an assembly of citizens called forth to hear the magistrate speak unto them; and which in the commonwealth of Rome was called concio; as he that spake was called ecclesiastes and concionator. And when they were called forth by lawful authority (Acts xix. 39), it was Ecclesia legitima, a “lawful Church,” έννομος ἐκκλησία. But when they were excited by tumultuous and seditious clamour, then it was a confused Church, ékkλŋola ovykeχυμένη.

It is taken also sometimes for the men that have right to be of the congregation though not actually assembled, that is to say, for the whole multitude of Christian men, how far soever they be dispersed as (Acts viii. 3), where it is said that "Saul made havoc of the Church;" and in this sense is Christ said to be the head of the Church. And sometimes for a certain part of Christians, as (Col. iv. 15), “Salute the Church that is in his house." Sometimes also for the elect only, as (Eph. v. 27), "A glorious Church, without spot, or wrinkle, holy, and without blemish; which is meant of the "Church triumphant" or "Church to come." Sometimes, for a congregation assembled of professors of Christianity, whether their profession be true or counterfeit, as it is understood (Matt. xviii. 17), where it is said, "Tell it to the Church; and if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be to thee as a Gentile, or publican."

And in this last sense only it is that the "Church' can be taken for one person, that is to say, that it can be said to have power to will, to pronounce, to command, to be obeyed, to make laws, or to do any other action whatsoever. For without authority from a lawful congregation, whatsoever act be done in a concourse of people, it is the particular act of every one of those that were present, and gave their aid to the performance of it, and not the act of them all in gross, as of one body, much less the act of them that were absent, or, that being present, were not willing it should be done. According to this sense, I define a Church to be a company of men professing Christian religion, united in the person of one sovereign, at whose command they ought to assemble, and without whose authority they ought not to assemble." And because in all commonwealths that assembly, which is without warrant from the civil sovereign, is unlawful, that Church also which is assembled in any commonwealth that hath forbidden them to assemble, is an unlawful assembly.

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It followeth also that there is on earth no such universal Church, as all Christians are bound to obey; because there is no power on earth to which

all other commonwealths are subject. There are Christians in the dominions of several princes and states, but every one of them is subject to that commonwealth whereof he is himself a member; and consequently, cannot be subject to the commands of any other person. And therefore a Church, such a one as is capable to command, to judge, absolve, condemn, or do any other act, is the same thing with a civil commonwealth, consisting of Christian men; and is called a "civil state," for that the subjects of it are "men ; and a "Church," for that the subjects thereof are Christians.' "Temporal" and "spiritual" government are but two words brought into the world to make men see double, and mistake their "lawful sovereign." It is true that the bodies of the faithful, after the resurrection, shall be not only spiritual but eternal; but in this life they are gross and corruptible. There is therefore no other government in this life, neither of state, nor religion, but temporal; nor teaching of any doctrine, lawful to any subject, which the governor both of the state and of the religion forbiddeth to be taught. And that governor must be one; or else there must needs follow faction and civil war in the commonwealth between the "Church and between the

"State;" between "spiritualists " and "temporalists;

"sword of justice," and the "shield of faith" and, which is more, in every Christian man's own breast, between the "Christian" and the "man." The doctors of the Church are called pastors; so also are civil sovereigns. But if pastors be not subordinate one to another, so as that there may be one chief pastor, men will be taught contrary doctrines, whereof both may be, and one must be false. Who that one chief pastor is, according to the law of Nature, hath been already shown; namely, that it is the civil sovereign; and to whom the Scripture hath assigned that office we shall see in the chapters following.

CHAPTER XL.

Of the Rights of the Kingdom of God, in Abraham, Moses, the High Priests, and the Kings of Judah.

THE father of the faithful, and first in the kingdom of God by covenant, was Abraham. For with him was the covenant first made, wherein he obliged himself and his seed after him, to acknowledge and obey the commands of God; not only such as he could take notice of (as moral laws), by the light of Nature, but also such as God should in special manner deliver to him by dreams and visions. For as to the moral law, they were already obliged, and needed not have been contracted withal by promise of the land of Canaan. Nor was there any contract that could add to or strengthen the obligation by which both they and all men else were bound naturally to obey God Almighty and therefore the covenant which Abraham made with God was to take for the commandment of God, that which in the name of God was commanded him in a dream or vision; and to deliver it to his family, and cause them to observe the same.

In this contract of God with Abraham we may observe three points of important consequence in the government of God's people. First, that at the making of this covenant, God spake only to Abraham; and therefore contracted not with any of his family, or seed, otherwise than as their wills, which make the essence of all covenants, were before the contract involved in the will of Abraham, who was therefore supposed to have had a lawful power to make them perform all that he covenanted for them. According whereunto (Gen. xviii. 18, 19), God saith, "All the nations of the earth

shall be blessed in him; for I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord." From whence may be concluded this first point, that they to whom God hath not spoken immediately are to receive the positive commandments of God from their sovereign, as the family and seed of Abraham did from Abraham their father, and lord, and civil sovereign. And consequently in every commonwealth they who have no supernatural revelation to the contrary, ought to obey the laws of their own sovereign in the external acts and profession of religion. As for the inward "thought" and "belief" of men, which human governors can take no notice of (for God only knoweth the heart), they are not voluntary, nor the effect of the laws, but of the unrevealed will and of the power of God, and consequently fall not under obligation.

From whence proceedeth another point, that it was not unlawful for Abraham, when any of his subjects should pretend private vision or spirit, or other revelation from God, for the countenancing of any doctrine which Abraham should forbid, or when they followed or adhered to any such pretender to punish them: and consequently that it is lawful now for the sovereign to punish any man that shall oppose his private spirit against the laws: for he hath the same place in the commonwealth that Abraham had in his own family.

There ariseth also from the same a third point; that as none but Abraham in his family, so none but the sovereign in a Christian commonwealth can take notice what is, or what is not, the word of God. For God spake only to Abraham; and it was he only that was able to know what God said, and to interpret the same to his family; and therefore also they that have the place of Abraham in a commonwealth, are the only interpreters of what God hath spoken.

The same covenant was renewed with Isaac, and afterwards with Jacob; but afterwards no more till the Israelites were freed from the Egyptians, and arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai; and then it was renewed by Moses (as I have said before, chap. xxxv.), in such manner as they became from that time forward the peculiar kingdom of God; whose lieutenant was Moses, for his own time; and the succession to that office was settled upon Aaron, and his heirs after him, to be to God a sacerdotal kingdom for ever.

By this constitution a kingdom is acquired to God. But seeing Moses had no authority to govern the Israelites, as a successor to the right of Abraham, because he could not claim it by inheritance; it appeareth not as yet that the people were obliged to take him for God's lieutenant longer than they believed that God spake unto him. And therefore his authority, notwithstanding the covenant they made with God, depended yet merely upon the opinion they had of his sanctity, and of the reality of his conferences with God, and the verity of his miracles: which opinion coming to change, they were no more obliged to take anything for the law of God, which he propounded to them in God's name. We are therefore to consider what other ground there was of their obligation to obey him. For it could not be the commandment of God that could oblige them; because God spake not to them immediately, but by the mediation of Moses himself; and our Saviour saith of himself (John v. 31), "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true;" much less if Moses bear witness of himself, especially in a claim of kingly power over God's people, ought his testimony to be received. His authority therefore, as the authority of all other princes, must be grounded on the consent of the people, and their promise to obey him. And so it was; for “the people " (Exod. xx. 18, 19), “when they saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpets, and the mountain smoking, removed, and stood afar off. And they said