nate.

i. 8.

xvii. 5.

nion over the whole universal world. Christ is God. Christ is Дóyov, the consubstantial Word of God, Christ is also that consubstantial Word which made man. As God, he saith of himself, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the Apoc. end he which was, and which is, and which is to come; even the very Omnipotent." As the consubstantial Word of God, he hath with God, before the beginning of the world, that glory,which, as he was man, he requireth to have; "Fa- John ther, glorify thy Son with that glory which with thee he enjoyed before the world was." Farther, it is not necessary, that all things spoken of Christ should agree to him either as God, or else as man; but some things as he is the consubstantial Word of God, some things as he is that Word incarThe works of supreme dominion which have been since the first beginning wrought by the power of the Son of God, are now most properly and truly the works of the Son of man: the Word made flesh doth sit for ever, and reign as sovereign Lord over all. Dominion belongeth unto the kingly office of Christ, as propitiation and mediation unto his priestly; instruction, unto his pastoral and prophetical office. His works of dominion are, in sundry degrees and kinds, according to the different conditions of them that are subject unto it: he presently doth govern, and hereafter shall judge the world, entire and wholly; and therefore his regal power cannot be with truth restrained unto a proportion of the world only. Notwithstanding, forasmuch as all do not shew and acknowledge, with dutiful submission, that obedience which they owe unto him; therefore such as do, their Lord he is termed by way of excellency, no otherwise than the apostle doth term God the Saviour generally of all, but especially of the faithful: these being brought to the obedience of faith, are every where spoken of as men translated into that kingdom, wherein whosoever is comprehended, Christ is the author of eternal salvation unto them: they have a high and ghostly fellowship with God, and Christ, and saints? or, as the apostle in more ample manner speaketh, "Aggregated they are unto Mount Sion, and to the city Heb. of the living God; the celestial Jerusalem, and to the com- xii. 23. pany of innumerable angels, and to the congregation of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all; and to the spirits of just and perfect men, and to Jesus the mediator of the New Testament." In a word, they

T.C. lib. iv. p. 411.

are of that mystical body, which we term the church of Christ. As for the rest, we account them " aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and that live in the kingdom of darkness, and that are in this present world without God." Our Saviour's dominion is therefore over these, as over rebels; over them, as over dutiful and loving subjects. Which things being in Holy Scriptures so plain, I somewhat muse at that strange position, that Christ in the government of his church, and superiority over the officers of it, hath himself a superior which is the Father; but in governing of kingdoms and commonwealths, and in the superiority which he hath over kingdoms, no superior.

Again, "That the civil magistrate's authority cometh from God immediately, as Christ's doth, and is subordinate unto Christ." In what evangelist, apostle, or prophet, is it found, that Christ (supreme governor of the church) should be so unequal to himself, as he is supreme governor of kingdoms? The works of his providence for the preservation of mankind by upholding kingdoms, not only obedient unto, but also obstinate and rebellious against him, are such as proceed from Divine power; and are not the works of his providence for safety of God's elect, by gathering, inspiring, comforting. and every way preserving, his church, such as proceed from the same power likewise? Surely, if Christ, as God and man, hath ordained certain means for the gathering and keeping of his church, seeing this doth belong to the government of that church; it must in reason follow, I think, that as God and man he worketh in church regiment; and consequently hath no more there any superiors, than in the government of the commonwealth. Again, to "be in the midst of his, wheresoever they are assembled in his name," and to be" with them to the world's end," are comforts which Christ doth perform to his church as Lord and Governor; yea, such as he cannot perform but by that very power wherein he hath no superior. Wherefore, unless it can be proved, that all the works of our Saviour's government in the church are done by the mere and only force of his human nature, there is no remedy but to acknowledge it a manifest error, that Christ in the government of the world is equal to the Father, but not in the government of the church. Indeed, to the honour of this dominion, it cannot be said, that God did exalt him otherwise than only according to that human nature wherein he

was made low. For, as the Son of God, there could no advancement or exaltation grow unto him: and yet the dominion whereunto he was in his human nature lifted up, is not without Divine power exercised. It is by Divine power, that the Son of man, who sitteth in heaven, doth work as King and Lord upon us which are on earth. The exercise of his dominion over the church militant cannot choose but cease, when there is no longer any militant church in the world. And therefore, as generals of armies when they have not finished the work, are wont to yield up such commissions as were given for that purpose, and to remain in the state of subjects, and not as lords, as concerning their former authority; even so, when the end of all things is come, the Son of man (who till then reigneth) shall do the like, as touching regiment over the militant church on the earth. So that between the Son of man and his brethren, over whom he reigneth now in this their warfare, there shall be then, as touching the exercise of that regiment, no such difference; they not warfaring any longer under him, but he, together with them, under God, receiving the joys of everlasting triumph, that so God may be in all; all misery in all the wicked, through his justice; in all the righteous, through his love, all felicity and bliss. In the meanwhile he reigneth over the world as king, and doth those things wherein none is superior unto him, whether we respect the works of his providence and kingdom, or of his regiment over the church. The cause of error in this point doth seem to have been a misconceit, that Christ, as mediator, being inferior to his Father, doth, as mediator, all works of regiment over the church; when, in truth, regiment doth belong to his kingly office, mediatorship to his priestly. For, as the high-priest both offered sacrifices for T. c. expiation of the people's sins, and entered into the holy place, there to make intercession for them; so Christ, having Heb. finished upon the cross that part of his priestly office which ix. 25. wrought the propitiation for our sins, did afterward enter into very heaven, and doth there, as mediator of the New Testament, appear in the sight of God for us. A like sleight of judgment it is, when they hold, that civil authority is from God, but not immediately through Christ, nor with any subordination to God, nor doth any thing from God, but by the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. They deny it not to be said Isai. of Christ in the Old Testament, "By me princes rule, and vii. 25.

lib. ii.

p. 415.

Rom. xiii. 1. Prov.

viii. 15.

Humble

Motion,

p. 63.

Rev. i. 5.

1 Cor. iii. 12.

T. C. l. ii. p. 413.

the nobles, and all the judges of the earth." In the New as
much is taught, "That Christ is the Prince of the kings, of
the earth." Wherefore, to the end it may more plainly ap-
pear, how all authority of man is derived from God through
Christ, and must by Christian men be acknowledged to be
no otherwise held than of and under him; we are to note,
that, because whatsoever hath necessary being, the Son of
God doth cause it to be, and those things without which the
world cannot well continue, have necessary being in the
world; a thing of so great use as government cannot choose
but be originally from him. Touching that authority which
civil magistrates have in ecclesiastical affairs, it being from
God by Christ, as all other good things are, cannot choose
but be held as a thing received at his hands; and because
such power is of necessity for the ordering of religion, where-
in the essence and very being of the church consisteth, can
no otherwise flow from him, than according to that special
care which he hath to govern and guide his own people; it
followeth, that the said authority is of and under him after a
more special manner, in that "he is Head of the Church," and
not in respect of his general regency over the world.
"All
things (saith the apostle, speaking unto the church) are yours,
and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." Kings are Christ's
as saints, because they are of the church, if not collectively,
yet divisively understood. It is over each particular person
within that church where they are kings: surely, authority
reaching both unto all men's persons, and to all kinds of
causes also, it is not denied but that they may have and law-
fully exercise it; such authority it is, for which, and for no
other in the world, we term them heads; such authority they
have under Christ, because he in all things is Lord over all;
and even of Christ it is that they have received such autho-
rity, inasmuch as of him all lawful powers are: therefore the
civil magistrate is, in regard of this power, an under and sub-
ordinate head of Christ's people.

It is but idle where they speak, "That although, for several companies of men, there may be several heads or governors, differing in the measure of their authority from the chiefest, who is head over all; yet it cannot be in the church, for that the reason why head magistrates appoint others for such several places is, because they cannot be present every where to perform the office of a head. But Christ is never from

his body, nor from any part of it, and therefore needeth not to substitute any, which may be heads, some over one church, and some over another." Indeed the consideration of man's imbecility, which maketh many heads necessary where the burden is too great for one, moved Jethro to be a persuader of Moses, that a number of heads or rulers might be instituted for discharge of that duty by parts, which in whole he saw was troublesome. Now although there be not in Christ any such defect or weakness, yet other causes there be divers, more than we are able to search into, wherefore it might seem unto him expedient to divide his kingdom into many provinces, and place many heads over it, that the power which each of them hath in particular with restraint, might illustrate the greatness of his unlimited authority. Besides, howsoever Christ be spiritually always united unto every part of his body, which is the church; nevertheless, we do all know, and they themselves who allege this, will, I doubt not, confess also, that from every church here visible, Christ, touching visible and corporal presence, is removed as far as heaven from the earth is distant. Visible government is a thing necessary for the church; and it doth not appear, how the exercise of visible government over such multitudes every where dispersed throughout the world, should consist without sundry visible governors; whose power being the greatest in that kind, so far as it reacheth, they are in consideration thereof termed so far heads. Wherefore, notwithstanding the perpetual conjunction, by virtue whereof our Saviour always remaineth spiritually united unto the parts of his mystical body; heads indeed with supreme power, extending to a certain compass, are for the exercise of a visible regiment not unnecessary. Some other reasons there are belonging unto this branch which seem to have been objected, rather for the exercise of men's wits in dissolving sophisms, than that the authors of them could think in likelihood thereby to strengthen their cause. For example, " If the magistrate be head of the church within his own dominion, then is he none T. C. l. ii. of the church: for all that are of the church make the body P. 419. Ut of Christ, and every one of the church fulfilleth the place of 6. 9. one member of the body. By making the magistrate therefore head, we do exclude him from being a member subject to the head, and so leave him no place in the church." By which reason, the name of a body politic is supposed to be

Hen. 8.