A LIGHT FOR THE IGNORANT OR A Treatise showing, that in the new Testament, is set forth three Kingly States or Governments, that is, the Civil State, the true Ecclesiasticall-State, and the false Ecclesiastical State. Mat. 15.13. Every plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted, shallbe rooted up. Seen and allowed. Printed in the Year, 1638. The Epistle to the Reader, Well affectionated Reader. It is (as thou knowest) a divine precept, that we should give Honour to whom honour is due: Jmplying therein, that no honour is due either to People or things, but in a lawful and right way. And hence it is that many of God's dear Servants both have and still do, refuse to yield any Reverence, Honoor, Service, etc. unto Archbishop's Bishops: and their dependent Offices; I say, as they are Ecclesiastical persons & do administer in their Spiritual Courts as they term them: in regard they have assumed such a State as is to speak properly and truly of it, neither jure Divino nor jure Humano, warrented by the word of God. But of this I shall not need to say any more, in regard thou shalt find what here I say cleared & proved sufficiently: viz. that their calling is not from God, either in a divine or humane respect, but according to the scriptures after mentioned: altogether & every way from the Devil. And therefore look unto it whosoever thou art, that thou (like Mordecay) bow not the knee to any of these Amaliks, but on the contrary Fear God and honour the King, and give reverence Only to such ordinances as God binds thy Conscience too, either in respect of nature or grace, and so doing thou shalt Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, And give unto God, those things that are Gods. And that thou mayst so do, the Lord sanctsfie both this and all other good means and helps to thee. A LIGHT FOR THE IGNORANT OR A Treatise showing, that in the new Testament, is set forth three Kingly States or Governments, that is, the Civil State, the true Ecclesiasticall-State, and the false Ecclesiastical State. THere are in the new testament of Christ jesus three Kingly States or Governments. The Civil State. The true Ecclesiastical State. And the false Ecclesiastical State. Two of them are of God, and the third is of the Devil. They all consist of these Seven particulars following. In the First, place these three politic Regiments hath each of them a King or Head over them. Secondly, They have each of them authority power or state politic. Thirdly, They have books and Charters, wherein their statutes, Laws, and Cannons are written. Fourthly, Each of these make themselves City's Corporations or bodies politic. Fiftly, They have Officers and deputies who are their several Ministers to and in there bodies or Corporations. Sixtly, They have Laws, ordinances, and administrations for these officers to administer to their subjects, according to there several functions in the name and by the power of their proper King, and head; from whom they have received their authority & in whose name they administer. Sevenlie, and lastlie, they have subjects or members governed by and in their several politic States and powers under their several ●eads. The First particular Handled. These have each of them a King or Head over them. The Civil State. The First is the State of Magistracy or civil State, that wherein Cesar is to have his due as King and head, these Kings & heads are to be prayed for of all God's people, as their Heads and governors Rom. 13.1.2 1. Tim. 2.2. The true Ecclesiastical State: This state is Christ's the anointed Psa. 2.6. Acts. 2.26. whom God the Father hath set upon the Throne of David, Jsay, 9.6.7. and he is King of Saints Rev. 15,3. Yea the King of Kings & Lord of Lords. Rev. 17.14. & 19,16. The False Ecclesiastical State. The third is the hellish state of the Beast, his Kingdom or state of Rome, which in the 13. Rev. v. 2. is said to have his power from the Devil; also he is said to have a Throne: therefore he is a King 11. c. He is called the King of the Locusts which is there said to be the Angel of the bottomless pit. v. 11. Secondly, these have each of them a Kingly state or power politic The Civil State. This power or Civil state is of God, and is the Character of God's sovereignty over man; is displayed by his Communicating the same unto Kings & such as are in authority under them, for which cause he hath said ye are Gods, and God must and is obeyed by stooping and submitting to this power and state, and he that resisteth this power resisteth the ordinance of God Rom. 13. c. The true Ecclesiastical State. Likewise this state is of God, for it is the Kingdom of his dear Son, & is not the Civil state but the Ecclesiastical state of Christ his Church, or power which he received of his Father Mat 28.18, after that he rose again from the dead, by which power he authorised his Apostles & sent them on his errand or message to all the world, Mat. 28. which power the Apostles used in planting Churches and Church Officers, which power Christ gives to all the Churches of the Saints to the end of the world, it is the power given to them to bind and lose too, and from the Devil, and to right each others wrongs Mat. 18. it is the same power and state the Churches had committed to them by the Apostles who reproved the Churches for not using it to suppress sin and sin rs 1 Cor. 5. with the seven Churches in Asia. Rev. 2.3. c. these and many more are the several uses the Lord hath made of this true Ecclesiastical or Church state, and Government. The False Ecclesiastical State. This Angel of the Bottomless pit Rev. 9.11. the King of the Locusts hath a state, throne, power, and great authority. Rev. 13.2. & in the same Chapter it is said, he hath power to continue 42 months, v. 5. that is 126. days as c. 12.6. counting each day for a year (as the Lord doth in numbers, 14.34. and Ezec. 4.6,) it is 1260. years that is the length or time of his Reign, that one and the same time which Christ's Kingdom under the name of the holy City shallbe trod under foot Rev. 11.2. Likewise that is that power or state that the woman or great whore sits or rids upon: whereby she is able to Reign Rev. 13.16. etc. 17. as a Queen over the Kings of the earth. And Lastly, this state is so great that it Captivates all King's Princes & Emperors, yea all the world of men Rev. 13.7.8. wonders, follows, and worships this state, or beast, and if they will not he hath such power and authority that he will compel high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, to submit unto him, & to kill all those that are found refractory to his state and power. Rev. 13.15.16.17. This is the False Ecclesiastical state and power. Thirdly, these have each of them books and Chartors to declare their minds to their Subjects. The Civil State. Thirdly, all Kings & governor's have Books, statutes, and Records, wherein are recorded their Law's Articles, Acts of Parliament, likewise to Cities and towns Corporated they give Chartors whereby they have power and previlidge from their King, & head, in his name and power to instate themselves into diverse previledges for their mutual good. The true Ecclesiastical State. Even so in the next place Ghrist Jesus hath given his laws unto jacob & his statutes to Israel, his statute Books are the Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testament, he is faithful in all his house as was Moses Heb. 3.2.6. the acts of his last Parliament which he called for the establishing of his Kingdom, when he was 40. days with his Disciples giving them laws through the Holy Ghost, even till he was taken up into Heaven in their sight, as we may see in Acts. 1. chapped. Those books called the Acts of the Apostles, withal the Epistles and the Revelation, in these the Cities and Charters of the new Jerusalem is to be found with the previledges thereunto belonging. The False Ecclesiastical State. This smoky politic State of the Crowned Locusts or Roman Clergy Rev. 9.3.7. hath distinct books from the other two states that are of God, for this State or power hath Books of Cannons, Counsels, books of Articles, books of Ordination of Priests and Deacons, with the book of Homilies, and the Book of Common-prayer, and the power and state of this Beast, doth more narrowly look that all be agreeable to these books than the other two states doth (as is manifest by that strict eye that is had over all in every parish) not only in foreign Lands, but eveu in this our Kingdom of England, for they of this Kingdom of Darkness are wiser & more diligent in their generation than the children of light. Fourthly, by virtue of these Charters, these three states make Cities and Corporations, according to their proper & distinct state & power politic. The Civil State. In the next place the loyal Subjects of this Regiment under their King & Head, by virtue of these Charters, become famous Cities, & other inferior corporations agreeable to the tenor of their several Charters that they received from their Head, & when they received their Charters then & by that means they received the State & power to become a City or Corperation under that Head, & when they have united or incorporated themselves into a Body they are a City constituted, and this state & power they are entered into, is their form and being, and nothing else doth distinguish them from their former state and condition but that power and state, that is, their state wherein they live move and have their being politicly. The true Ecclesiastical State. In like manner the Subjects of this heavenly regiment or Kingdom of Christ, by power from him their Head, do become visible Churches and bodies incorporated together in his name & power Mat. 18. therefore the Church he left behind him of 120. were of one accord Acts 1. and to them were united or joined 3000. in the next chapped. so the saints at Antioch, became a body or Church whose constitution or incorporation we may see to be a joining themselves to the Lord Acts. 11.2.23. so all the Churches of the Saints became bodies politic, and therefore God's visible Churches are called Cities or the City of God Psal. 46.4. Psal. 48.1.2.8. & Psal. 87.2.3. Therefore the Saints are called Citizens Ephes. 2.19. Inhabitants of the Living God Heb. 12.22. This holy City is trodden under foot 42. Months Re. 11.2. the time of the Reign of the Beast (Re. 13.5.) whose Reign is just so long & this Holy City is the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven in great glory Rev. 21. the form or being of his divine City or spiritual Body is the state and power politic instituted by Christ and given to his Saints Judas, 3. v. Psal. 133. and thus under Christ as their King they live, move and have their being pollitiquelie. The False Ecclesiastical State. So the power of Satan the Devil by hath the wisdom of the second Beast, or false Prophet, not only made to himself a great City whose power killed Christ Rev. 11.8. Thereby pointing us to the Roman power that still kills his Saints, for this City is so powerful that she Reigns over the Kings of the earth, & makes them to drink of the cup of her fornications, till they be so drunk thereby that they become her servants Rev. 17.2.18. & 18.2. And by this false Ecclesiastical power & state, there are made less Cities called the Cities of the nations o● (nation Churches) & are of the same nature Re. 16.9. as Daughters to the whore & Mother of fornication of the earth, this false great Catholic Church is distributed into nations, provinces, and into every diocese and parish, as lively and apparent as the Civil state, is in every parish and in every House therein, so that they live move and have their being as Royallie from this Beastlike power as the Saints do by Christ, or subjects under their King, this is plain by the daily troubles the poor saints suffer in every parish if they worship not as this power commands. Fiftly These have each of them proper and distinct officers belonging to each politic State. The Civil State. In the first place these Cities by virtue of their Chartors, enjoy their own officers, Mayors, Shirrifes, Aldermen, and other inferior Officers as their Lord and King hath allotted them, and also inferior corporations according as is granted to them in their Chartor, and they that obey these do well and please God in keeping the first Commandment. The true Ecclesiastical State? Likewise the City of God by virtue of their chartor have right to enjoy their own Bishops, overseers or Elders Acts, 14.23. and chap, 20. Titus, 1.5,7. Which are not many, yet Wisdom that hath built her house hath found them to be sufficient: which are these, Pastors, Teachers. Elders, Deacons, Widows, Rom. 12.7.8. Ephe. 4.11.12. Phi. 1.1. 1 Tim. and they that obey these and these only serve Christ and obey God in keeping the 2. and 3. Commandments, these only being the officers which God by his Holy Apostles hath set up, instituted and placed in his Church to the end of the world: therefore, in Hearing, and obeying these we hear & obey Christ that sent them Luke. 10.16. Math. 10.40 The false Ecclesiastical State? In like manner hath this whorish City, or Cities, the False Prophet, or Body of false prophets attending upon their forged divises, & humane administrations, which are almost innumirable to reckon from the Pope to the parish clerk or Paritor whosoever obyes these or any of these breaks the three. first Commandments, for in hearing & obeying these they hear & obey the Dragon, Beast, & whore, that sent them and gave them their authority and Office, that as Realie as we Hear and obey the King by stooping and submitting to a Constable: who sees not this. These have each of them proper and several laws, statutes, ordinances, and administrations for their several officers to attend upon. The Civil State Sixtly, In this state or in these Cities are the laws and ordinances of men, that the saints must obey in the Lord, for though in the time of Christ and his apostles there were no Christian Kings, yet the Churches of the Saints were commanded to obey their Laws, Religious Laws they could not be, Because the Magistrates were all infidels, therefore the Apostle Peter distingusheth them from the Divine, by calling them the Ordinances of men, due unto Caesar, as divine obedience is unto God, The true Ecclesiastcall State. Even so this City of God with 〈◊〉 officers are to observe whatsoever Christ hath commanded them Math. 28.20. the Church of Corinth kept them 1 Cor. 11.2. and Paulls Charge to Timothy is to teach the Church to observe all without preferring one before another, as he would answer it before Christ jesus and his Elect Angels. These divine things are due to Christ jesus, and to him & to him only, belongs this visible worship joh. 4 21.22.23. The false Ecclesiastical State. The Laws & administrations of this whorish Church, are partly their own Inventions, contained in the Books formerly named, with some divine truths which usurped they enjoy, which truths they use as a help to set a gloze upon their inventions: that they may pass with a better acceptation, but both Divine and devised are consecrated & dedicated by the Beast, and are administered by his Officers and power. Seaventlhy, All these three have their subjects or people which their politic Bodies consist of. The Civil State Lastly, this State hath Subjects, which are the King's alleiged people, and are bound to him their Head, by the Oath of alleigence, & as any of them do purchase a Charter from him to become a City or Corporation, they are bound by virtue of their Charters to walk submissively to him their politic head, and in that relation are by duty bound to keep the Laws of their Charters in his name & power, which is their politic obedience. This Civil State is God's Ordinance, and is here borrowed to Jllustrate, manifest, and set forth the other two in the former particular, and so we leave it. The true Ecclesiastical State, So in the last place, the Subjects of this State are only Saints & no other, that is such as by the Rule of the word are to be Judged one of another to be in Christ, otherwise they have no right to this Kingdom 1 Cor. 4.20. Chapt. 5.13. But are intruders jud. 4. verse and so not of the Kingdom, though in the Kingdom, 1 john 2.19 and the Saints are out of their places till they come within this Holy City. To this State all God's people are Called, both out of this world and all false Churches, especially from this Regiment of darkness there described 2. Cor. 6.17. & Rev. 18.4. The False Ecclesiastical State Lastly, the Subjects of this Kingdom of darkness are all the Inhabitans of the Earth, Kings & subjects Rev. 13.16. & Chap. 18.3. Yea it, hath a commanding power, bond and free, to receive a mark of subjection and servitude, there is none so bad but will serve his turn, if any prove too good bee casts them out, kills and destroys Rev. 11.7. This is the State and Kingdom of darkness: with which the Devil hath deluded all nations from which all God's people & Servants are bound in duty to separate, that so they may be free from that wrath of God which shall fall upon the Kingdom of the beast to the Ruin & overthrow thereof Rev. 18.4.5. & 19.20. & 14.9.10,11. Leaving the premises let every one note these ensuing differences or disproportions, that are between the ● Ecclesiastical States, for their different natures. The true Ecclesiastical State The First disproportion between the true and False State is, in the Original from whence they arise. The true State came from Heaven and is the house of wisdom's building Pro. 9.1. wherein the son of God, the wisdom of his Father, Heb. 1.3. hath been as faithful as was Moses in the former Heb. 3.2.6. & is that Heaven described Rev. 12.1. and that City said to come down from Heaven Rev. 21, and is an habitation for God to dwell in, and for all his people to come into: to dwell with God their Saviour, for the name of the City is, the Lord is there Ezec. last Chap. and last ver. The False Ecclesiastical State. Likewise it is no hard Mystery to know the Original of this False Ecclesiastical State, for the Clergy, (as goodwin's Catalogue of Bishop's Fox his Book of martyrs, & Rev. 9 & 13 ch.) & by their Preaching & writing hath taught us plainly that Antichrist the man of lin, the son of perdition is seated in Rome, & the same Clergy doth also teach us: that their Ministry & Goverments of Bishops & Arch Bb. successively proceeds from thence, & for our confirmation herein we read that Gregory the first of that name, Pope of Rome about 1000 years since, sent Austin the Monk into England & consecrated him first Arch B. of Canterbury, and he consecrated the rest of the Bb. and established the Ecclesiastical state, which state & platform remains un-altered to this day, notwithstanding the Head thereof be changed. This state then being the man of sin, it is said to arise out of the Bottomless pit Rev. 9.1. & is called the King of the Locusts Rev. 9.11. & is said to come by the effectual working of Satan 2 Thess. 2.9. and as he is the son of perdition v. 3. and the Mystery of Iniquity v. 7. so shall he come to confusion by the mouth of the Lord v. 8. & go to perdition Rev. 17.8. as the son & heir thereof, & he shall have the company of his Fatther the great Dragon the Devil and Satan, with the younger Brother the False Prophet, that deceived them that worshipped him, these three shall dwell in the tormenting lake of God's wrath forever and evermore Rev. 19.20. & 20 10. And thus we see Originally from whence he came and whither he must go. The true Ecclesiastical State, A Second disproportion is, between the true power and the false. The true power which Christ our King hath received of his Father Math. 28.18. and hath comunicated to his Saints 1 Cor. 5.4,12. and Psal. 119. and to them only; This is that Dominion that the Ancient of days hath given to his Saints Dan. 7..14. compared with for 22 27 and with Revel. 5.10. & being lost he will recover it again unto them as Daniel speaks, & in the New Testament is given to every Particular visible Church or Assembly of Saints Math. 18.17.19.20. and 1 Cor. 5.12. In which point of Power, we are to note two things. First the Subject or place where it doth reside, that is in the Body or Assembly of the Saints, as the former scriptures largely declare. Secondly, that they were not forced nor compelled to submit to these power, but as the love of God shed abroad in their hearts, & the Doctrine of the Apostles by the power of the spirit caused them freely and willingly to submit themselves unto it Acts 2.41. for Christ and his Apostles never used any means to bring his saints into his K●ngdome. The False Ecclesiastical State. So in Like manner the Dragon that Old Serpent Rev. 12. ●. gave to his son of perdition the Beast, his power & throne & great authority Rev. 13.2. And this man of sin hath conveyed to all his Cergie his power; by virtue whereof, they are all rulers & men of authority in all nations where he hath established them, as is declared Rev. 9 Chapter & 10 First Verse: s where it is said, hay have Crowns upon their heads like gold, that is counterfeit power and authority, & by virtue of this power politic; are made one entire body politic, under one head & King so called vers. 11. and are distinct from the Laity, living in & by the practice of this power, with reference to that Head, though they be never so fare dispersed or remote from him; this being observed, the disproportion will appear in these two particulars. First, the subject place where this power doth reside, it being in the body of the Clergy, the Laity being excluded though never so high or great in place, as judges, justices, Lords & Knights &c, they refusing it as a matter not belonging to them, but to the Clergy. Secondly, this power compels all in all nations, will they nill they to come under this Government, and to obey his power and authority Rev. 13,8.16. where it is said, he made all great and small, rich and poor, free and bond, to submit to him, else they should not buy nor sell nor live ver. 17. and ch 11 7. The true Ecclesiastical State. A Third disproportion shall app●a●e in this, Every Kingdom or politic state whether Civil or Ecclesiastical, hath their several books and Charters: wherein is contained the Platform of there several governments, so every Church is known by its own articles, Cannons, and Constitutions, so that they that will know what Church, Ministry and worship Christ and his Apostles hath planted in the new Testament after the Ceremonial was abolished, they must read the Acts of the Apostles with the Epistles Acts, 16.4. 1. Cor. 14.37. Revel. 22 18.19. Yea the whole new Testemen●, and there they shall find Jesus Christ our Lord and King, his Books of Cannons, Articles and Ordination, to guide and direct the Churches of the saints in his Kingdom unto the end of the world. The False Ecclesiastical State Also in the False State, they that would know what government, Church, Ministry, and worship, the man of sin hath established, he must view his Platform contained in his Book of Cannons, Articles, and Ordintion ●f the Priests & Deacons, his Books of homilies and Common Prayers, for in them is contained those institutions, Laws and ordinances that he hath established, but how contrary to the Scriptures of the Old and New testament; they that are Spiritual in part do know, and how obedience to them is enforced and divine Laws omitted and laid aside, the poor saints do find, and f●…e to there smart. The true Ecclesiastical State A Fourth Disproportion. This State makes not Nationall nor Provincial politic Bodies, but only particular Congregations or assemblies of Saints, as in Judea one Nation; yet diverse Churches Gal. 1.22. So Galalia one nation yet many Churches ver. 3. likewise Asia hath seven several Churches for 1.11. and where there was but one the Holi ghost speaks in the singular number, as the Church at Rome, another at Corinth, another at Collossia, another at Thessaloniea, and the like. Secondly, the Congregations of our Lord Christ come freely and willingly as so many living stones 1 Pet. 2.4.5. voluntarily ●…iting themselves together, whereby they become A Spiritual house and a Royal Priesthood ver. 9 and are hereby capable of performing the public worship of the New Testament, wherein they are to offer as Living sacrifices their Souls and Bodies Rom. 12.1. and by faith to have Communion with their Mediator Heb. 12.24. as he hath promised to all such assemblies gathered in his name and power Rev. 21.3. Math. 18 19.20. which is the form and being of this their visible and politic union & communion Ephe. 2.20.21.22. Coll. 2.19. Thirdly, the visible Churches of Christ are independent Bodies, there is Equality or apparity amongst them: that is, they are all alike in jurisdiction & authority, they are all Golden Candlesticks Rev. 1.20. they are every one of them a jerusalem compact together within itself Psal. 122.3. compared with Heb. 12.22. having each of them whole Christ for their mediator, that is, Priest, Prophet, and King, and thereby enjoy all his power and all his promises, and all his Laws and ordinances, with all his liberties and previledges. Fourthly and Lastly; in the use of their liberty which they enjoy from and under Christ their Head, and dwells in the whole body, in the use whereof they are enabled to exclude sin and sinners and aught that offends God or them, 1. Cor. 5.13. 2 Thes 3.14 Acts 3 and to establish among them such Officers, Ordinances, and Admistrations as their Lord & King hath given them for their comfort and profit, by this power they can examine and try False teachers Rev. 2.2. they can reprove and admonish proud ones and exhort the negligent Coll, 4.17, thus their power and liberty from Christ their head, becomes a great benefit and a great good to the whole body, in these and divers others particulars of great weight. The False Ecclesiastical State. But this False State brings ten Kingdoms into one politic body Rev. 17.12.13.15. & hath set heads over nations to bring them into politic bodies Ecclesiastical, as for example, England is one politic body Ecclesiastical, (as well as Civil) under one Archbishop of Canterbury, and Pope of Lambeth, and by the sinews and bonds of his Ecclesiastical power the whole hand as one body is knit and bound to that Ecclesiastical Head, by virtue of that Romish authority that he successively doth exercise, and hath received from Austin the Monk, who consecrated, authorized & sent into this Land to establish this power according to Pope Gregorius his will wisdom and power. Farther, this False State hath left no liberty nor power to any person good or bad Rev. 13.7.8. but compels and forces all in the name and power of Antichrists' successors, will they nill they, have they faith or no, conscience or no conscience, this beast will be served and obeyed of all states degrees and conditions, of all people in the world ver. 15.16.17. so that there is no Ecclesiastical body of his making whether it be the great Catholic Babylon, Revel 16.19. or Nationall, or Provincial; or Perrochiall bodies, but this Beast first made or framed them, and still by the force of the same authority doth compel them to assemble and worship in his name and power, which power is the tome and being of their visible & politic union and Communion. Again the visible Churches which are in the Kingdom of the Beast, are neither independent nor free bodies, therefore the great City is called by the Holy ghost; Sodom & Egypt: for her filthiness & bondage Rev. 11.8. so that there hath not in Europe one parish been found free from spiritual Egyptian bondage inflicted upon them by some task Master of the Clergy, as the Person and Churchwardens, who force and drive (by spiritual tyranny over the consciences of men) to their falsely so called spiritual Courts, to whom they are in bondage, and upon whom they do essentially depend, & so are not independent, neither have they any power, or liberty to procure truth or abandon Error in their public worship. And Lastly, these poor Captivated slavish assemblies have no liberty or power of Christ among them, but a great power over them that keeps them in a spiritual bondage, and there assemblies consists of sinners of all sorts, for they have no power of reproving or excluding sin or sinners, they must take such officers as the Bishops sends them be they never so bad; and they have no power to exclude or refuse them, and if they prove good they have no power to keep them neither, can they keep themselves there, except they submit to, and practise such ordinances, Laws & administrations, as are the inventions of men and will worship, a●… so break the second commandment, so that they have no power to do themselves any spiritual good, or to exclude from themselves any spiritual evil or hurt, but being enjoined by there spiritual taskmasters to assemble to Church, they go, and when they present them to their Courts, they run, & being commanded to do this or that in there public worship, they do it, though it be contrary to God and there own consciences In these and diverse other particulars this power, that is over them is to their exceeding great hurt & damage. The true Ecclesiastical State. The Fift Disproportionly s in their Officers or ministers, which we are to observe thus. First in there number, Christ jesus our Lord and King hath instituted and ordained only five; which are specified Rom. 12.7.8. Phil. 1.1. 1 Tim. 5. for though our Lord hath ordained in his Church for the Foundation thereof; himself being the Chief corner stone, Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists, yet not successively continued; but these Five only are to continue to the End of the world. Secondly, these Officers and Ministers of jesus Christ, have not only there authority from the particular congregation, but do originally and naturally arise out of the same Acts, 1.23,26, and 6.3; & 14.23. Note that in the new Translation the word Election is left out of the 23. verse. For before there be any Officers in the Church the e is instituted by the Holy Ghost divine offices; functions or odministrations; as void and empty rooms. Psa. 122.5. Rev. 4.4, & cha. 20.4. for the saints which dwell in that City of God to supply with fit & able persons, to perform those several administrations, which God hath ordained and commanded them, and for the authorising of their Officers, they have Christ walking a 'mongst them as in one of his golden Candlesticks, holding them in the right hand of his Kingly authority, Rev. 1.16. by these divine deputies he rules them as a King, teacheth them as a Prophet, and feeds them as a Priest with his most sacred body and blood. The false Ecclesiastical State. But the officers of this false state are the whole body of the Clergy almost innumerable if we should reckon their several orders & ●distinction of degrees, as Pope, Cardinals, Patriarches, Primates, Me●trapolitans, Archbishops, Lordbishops, Deans, Chancellars, Vicars-general, Praebends, Arch-deacons, Subdeacons', Doctors, of the Civil Law, Doctors of Divinity, Proctors, Registers, Cannons, Petty-Cannons, Chanters, Priests, jesuits, Parish-Preists, Parsons, Vicars, Curates, Deacons, Vestremen, Church Wardens, Swornemen, Sidemen, Pa●ish-Clarkes, Sextons, Pursuivants, Summinours, Apparitors, with amultitude more which would tyre a man to reckon them all up their being well nigh sixscore in all of this rabble, and as jesus Christ & his Apostles never knew them nor approvedly spoke of them, but rather gave warning to the Saints that they should take heed of such, for such were to come 2 Pet. 2.1. Mat. 24.24. and the Saints have woeful experience that they are come: for they have been plagued with them this thousand years & more, Yet the time approacheth and is near when they shall be consumed with the Breath of his mouth and brightness of his coming 2 Thess. 2.8, that rides upon the white Horse Rev. 19.11,12,15, for their Kingdom is momentary, and his is Everlasting. Likewise these offices rise not out of the particular assemblies, neither have the assemblies any offices or functions, properly in them nor any power or authority to produce or raise officers out of themselves, for the Clergy are a particular body distinct from the Laity having their consecrations, Offices and authority from and amongst themselves, and so sent by their Ecclesiastical Heads, and bring their Office and authority with them, as matters not belonging to the assemblies, and so by virtue of that Ecclesiastical power rule over them as Lords and teacheth them as that power allows, and commands them, usurpedly administereth spiritual food unto them, and so by Imitation beguileth the simple and affronts the Administration of the mediatorship of Christ jesus. The true Ecclesiastical State. A sixth Disproportion is the difference between there Laws and Administrations, as every City and Corporation have there Laws amongst themselves by virtue of their Charters from their King, Even so hath every visible Church from Christ there King, by virtue of their Charter, which is the New Testament, in possession amongst themselves all Laws & ordinances as Christ by his Apostles Mat. 28.20. hath committed to them, Charging them under acurse to keep from adding or diminishing to or from these divine Laws Act. 1.2.2. 1 Cor. 11.3. 2 Thes. 2.15 Rev. 22.18.19. Secondly, as the difference is great in the number of there Officers, the true being few & the False being innumerable, so of necessity must the difference be in the laws and administrations agreeable to the number of Officers; which particulars I must omit as a matter to large for this place, yet note this by the way: that one of the first laws in Christ's Church is the ordinance of Prophecy 1 Cor. 14.1. to the end of the chap. that is, that it is not only the liberty, but the duty of every man in the Church that is able to teach & preach to the edifying of the body, so to do (provided he keep the proportion of faith; that is the bounds of his own knowledge Rom. 12.6. The False Ecclesiastical State. But as hath been formerly said; the false Church hath no power nor Charter nor office, for all these things are locked up within the body of the Clergy, so is it as true that they are destitute of all laws or administrations, amongst themselves, so that all they have at any time is brought to them by these Crowned Stinging messengers of that authority, as Common sense and reason proveth: ●hat the Clergy being a politic and distinct body of themselves from the Laity; having all power and authority Ecclesiastical in themselves, must of necessity have all laws ordinances and administrations in themselves, whether they be divine, (which they have by usurpaton) or humane, by their own Invention, they only posesse them and have power to use them not fearing adding, or detracting, the Lay congregations being altogether passive herein till their Jnju●tion make them active. So the laws and ordinances of this state being innumerable (as their officers are) I must omit for to name them, as their several false holy things: Kneeling in the & of receiving, Signeing with, the Cross in Baptism, Churching of women, Reading Prayers, with the Consecrating of Days, Times, Places, Persons, Garments, with their Anointing of the Sick, and unholy Orders of consecration, with other innumerable inventions, not worthy aplace in Christians thoughts, only note the opposition of their law against the law of Christ, in vehement prohibiting and strongly barring all (Lay men as they call them) from preaching, that let Christ give never so great abilities or gifts to lay men: they are never suffered to make any public use of them, but it is horrible profaneness and sacrelegious presumption so to do, and this prohibition of the Clergy is and hath been so universal: that it reacheth to the four Corners of the earth, and with holdeth this spiritual wind of Christ Jesus in the mouth of his Saints that it shall not blow upon them that are in the earth Revel. 7. The true Ecclesiastical State A Seveuth Disproportion is betwixt their subjects or members, the subjects or members of Christ's Kingdom 〈◊〉 Church must, be believing Disciples, they must be Saints by Calling & sanctified in Christ jesus 1 Cor. 1.2. they must be living stones to build his house withal 1 Pet●. 2.5. such as these and these only are enjoined to observes whatsoever he commands them, to these only is his Kingdom and dominion given, these be they that are crowned as Kings, anointed as Priests, the mediator himself being theirs, & he hath committed the administr●…ion of his mediatorship in his Church to them. But to the Wicked saith God, what hast thou to do with these things. Psa. 50.16. Thou hast not a wedding garment therefore bind him hand & foot & cast him out as leaven dangerous to hurt the body 1 Cor. 5.7. For without shall be & dogs enchanters and those that love & make lies Rev. 22.15. But within there shall be no unclean thing. Revel. 21.27. The False Ecclesiastical State. But the Subjects of this foul body are all unclean and hateful birds, Revel. 18.2. the Cage that holds them being the Ecclesiastical state of Rome, is become the habitations of Devils & the hold of every foul spirit, so that the vnfit●ests members which they can least endure or suffer amongst them, are the conscious saints, they are the soon turned out, cut of and killed by them Revel. 13.15, but yet if the saints; or Christ himself can by temptations or compulsion be drawn to worship the Devil, he will have it of them Mat. 4.9. for he will have all the world to worship him, if high and low, rich and Poor, bond and free, be all the world, he will compel them to be subjects or members in his black Regiment Revel. 13.16.17. For these dwell and rule make & change laws and times in this their habition which is the bottomless pit, as the Father Son & holy Ghost do in their habitation, which is the New Jerusalem. The true definition of a true visible Church of jesus Christ. 1. THat every true visible Church of Christ, are a company of people called and separated out of the world, (a) By the word of God, joined (b) together in the fellowship of the Gospel by volentary (c) profession of faith and obedience of Christ (a) Levit. 20.26. Nehe. 10,18. Ezeche. 44; 7.9. 1 Pet. 2.9.10. Act, 2.40. Act, 19.9. 1 Cor. 1.1. 2 Cor. 6.17. Revel. 18.4. (b) Act. 11.21.23. jer. 50.4,5. (c) Act. 2.41. 2 That every true visible Church of Christ, is an independent body of itself Revel. 1.3. chapped. & hath power from Christ her head Coll. 1.18.24. to bind & lose; to receive in & cast out by the Keys of the Kingdom Mat. 18.17.18. Psa. 149.8.9. 1 Cor. 5.4.5.12. 2 Cor. 2.7.8. 3 That Jesus Christ hath by his Last will and Testament given unto and set in his Church, sufficient rodinary Officers: with their qualifications Callings and work, for the Administration of his holy things, and for the sufficient ordinary Instruction, Guidance and service of his Church to the end of the world. Rom. 12.6.7.8. Ephe. 4.11.12.13. Heb. 3.2.6. 1 Tim. 3.2.8. & Chapt. 5.9.10. Act. 6.3. And that all the Officers in the Church are but only five and no more namely Pastor, Teacher, Elder, Deacons, Widows. Rom. 12.7.8. Ephe. 4.11. Phil. 1.1. 1 Tim. 3.1. & Ch. 5. Tit. 1.5.7. FINIS