Jews; whence the tradition ran strong that he observed it with them, on the fourteenth day of the month, which precise time others turning it into a Christian observation, thought meet to lay aside.

Things being thus stated in the connivance and forbearance of God among the Jews, some of them not contented to use the indulgence granted to them in mere patience for the ends before mentioned, began sedulously to urge the Mosaical rites upon all the Gentiles that were turned unto God; so making upon the matter the preaching of the gospel to be but a new way of proselyting men unto Judaism. For the most part it appears, that it was not any mistake or unacquaintedness with the liberty brought in by Christ, that made them engage in this quarrel for Moses, but that indeed being themselves carnal, and, notwithstanding the outward name of Christ, seeking yet for righteousness by the law, they esteemed the observation of the ceremonies indispensably necessary unto salvation. This gave occasion unto Paul, unto whom the apostleship of the Gentiles was in a special manner committed, to lay open the whole mystery of that liberty given by Christ to his disciples from the law of Moses, as also the pernicious effects which its observance would produce upon those principles which were pressed by the Judaical zealots. Passing by the peculiar dispensation of God towards the whole nation of the Jews, wherein the Gentile believers were not concerned; as also that determination of the case of scandal made at Jerusalem, Acts xv. and the temporary rule of condescension as to the abridgment of liberty in some particulars agreed unto thereupon; he fully declares, that the time of the appointment was come, that there was no more power in the law of their institutions to bind the consciences of men, and that it was not in the power of all the men in the world to impose the observation of them, or any like unto them, upon any one though the meanest of the disciples of Jesus Christ. The mind of Christ in this matter being fully made known, and the liberty of his disciples vindicated, various effects in the minds of men ensued thereupon. Those who were in their inward principle themselves carnal, notwithstanding their outward profession of the gospel, delighting in and resting on an outward ceremonious worship, continued to oppose him with

VOL. XIX.

2 D

violence and fury. Those who with the profession of the Lord Christ had also received the Spirit of Christ, and were by him instructed as in the perfection of righteousness, so in the beauty and excellency of the worship of the gospel, rejoiced greatly in the grace and privilege of the purchased liberty. After many contests this controversy was buried in the ruins of the city and temple, when the main occasion of it was utterly taken away.

By these degrees were the disciples of Christ put into a complete actual possession of that liberty which he had preached to them, and purchased for them; being first delivered from any conscientious subjection to the institutions of men, and then to the temporary institutions of God which concerned them not, they were left in a dependence on, and subjection unto himself alone, as to all things concerning worship; in which state he will assuredly continue and preserve them to the end of the world, under the guidance and direction of those rules for the use of their liberty which he has left them in his word. But yet the principle of the difference before mentioned, which is fixed in the minds of men by nature, did not die together with the controversy that mainly issued from it. We may trace it effectually exerting itself in succeeding ages. As ignorance of the righteousness of God, with a desire to establish their own, did in any take place, so also did endeavours after an outward ceremonious worship; for these things do mutually further and strengthen each other: and commonly proportionable unto men's darkness in the mystery of the righteousness of God in Christ, is their zeal for a worldly sanctuary and carnal or dinances. And such hath been the force and efficacy of these combined principles in the minds of carnal men, that under the profession of Christianity, they reduced things (in the papacy) to the very state and condition, wherein they were in Judaism at the time of reformation; the main principle in the one, and the other church in the apostacy, being legal righteousness, and an insupportable yoke of ceremonious observances in the worship of God. And generally others the same principles of legal righteousness and a ceremonious worship have their prevalency in a just proportion, the latter being regulated by the former; and where by any means the former is everted, the latter for the most part falls

of its own accord; yea, though riveted in the minds of men by other prejudices also. Hence when the soul of a sinner is effectually wrought upon by the preaching of the gospel, to renounce himself and his own righteousness, and being truly humbled for sin, to receive the Lord Christ by faith, as 'made unto him of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,' there needs for the most part little arguing to dissuade him from resting in, or laying wait upon an outside pompous worship; but he is immediately sensible of a delivery from its yoke, which he freely embraceth. And the reason hereof is, because that good Spirit by whom he is enabled to believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ, gives him also an acquaintance with, and an experience of, the excellency, glory, and beauty of that spiritual communion with God in Christ, whereunto believers are called in the gospel, which discovers the emptiness and uselessness of all, which before perhaps he admired and delighted in: for where the Spirit of Christ is, there is liberty.' And these things of seeking a righteousness in Christ alone, and delighting in spiritual communion with God, exercising itself only in the ways of his own appointment, do inseparably proceed from the same Spirit of Christ; as those before mentioned from the same principle of self and flesh.

CHAP. II.

The disciples of Christ taken into his own disposal. General things to be observed about gospel institutions. Their number small. Excess of men's inventions. Things instituted brought into a religious relation by the authority of Christ. That authority is none other. Suitableness to the matter of institutions to be designed to their proper significancy. That discoverable only by infinite wisdom. Abilities given by Christ for the administration of all his institutions. The way whereby it was done, Eph. ix. 7, 8. Several postulata laid down. The sum of the whole state of our question in general.

We have brought unto, and left the disciples of Jesus Christ in the hand and sole disposal of him, their Lord and Master; as to all things which concern the worship of God, and how he hath disposed of them, we are in the next place to con

sider. Now he being the Head, Lord, and only Lawgiver of his church, coming from the bosom of his Father to make the last revelation of his mind and will, was to determine and appoint that worship of God in and by himself, which was to continue to the end of the world. It belongeth not unto our purpose to consider distinctly and apart all the several institutions which by him were ordained. We shall only observe some things concerning them in general, that will be of use in our progress, and so proceed to the consideration of that particular about which we are in disquisi tion of his mind and will. The worship of God is either moral and internal, or external and of sovereign or arbitrary institution. The former we do not now consider, nor was the ancient original fundamental obligation unto it altered or dissolved in the least by the Lord Christ. It was as unto superadded institutions of outward worship, which have their foundation and reason in sovereign will and pleasure, that he took his disciples into his own disposal, discharging them from all obligations to aught else whatever, but only what he should appoint. Concerning these, some few considerations will lead us to what in this discourse we principally intend. And the first is, That they were few, and easy to be observed. It was his will and pleasure, that the faith and love of his disciples should, in some few instances, be exercised in a willing ready subjection to the impositions of his wisdom and authority. And their service herein he doth fully recompense, by rendering those his institutions blessedly useful to their spiritual advantage. But he would not burden them with observances, either for nature or number, like or comparable unto them from which he purchased them liberty. And herein hath the practice of succeeding ages put an excellent lustre upon his love and tenderness. For whereas he is the Lord of his church, to whom the consciences of his disciples are in an unquestionable subjection; and who can give power and efficacy to his institutions to make them useful to their souls? Yet when some of their fellow-servants came, I know not how, to apprehend themselves enabled to impose arbitrarily their appointments, for reason seeming good to their wisdom, they might have been counted moderate, if they had not given above ten commandments for his one. Bellarmine tells us, indeed, that the laws and institu

tions of the church that absolutely bind all Christians, so that they sin if they omit their observation, are upon the matter but four; namely, to observe the fasts of Lent and Ember-weeks, to keep the holydays, confession once a year, and to communicate at Easter; De Rom. Pontif. lib. 4. cap. 18. But whereas they double the number of the sacred ceremonies instituted by Christ, and have every one of them a greater number of subservient observations attending on them; so he must be a stranger to their councils, canonlaws, and practices, that can believe his insinuation.

Again, as the institutions and ordinances of Christ in the outward worship of God, whose sole foundation was in his will and pleasure, were few and easy to be observed, being brought into a relation of worship unto God by virtue of his institution and command, without which no one thing in their kind can do so more than another; so they were, for the matter of them, such as he knew had an aptness to be serviceable unto the significancy whereunto they were appointed by him, which nothing but infinite wisdom can judge of. And this eternally severs them from all things of men's inventions, either to the same purpose, or in the same way to be used. For as whatever they shall appoint in the worship of God can have no significancy at all, as unto any spiritual end, for want of a Christ-like authority in their institution, which alone can add that significancy to them, which in themselves without such an appointment they have not; so they themselves want wisdom to choose the things which have any fitness or aptitude to be used for that end, if the authority were sufficient to introduce with them such a significancy. There is nothing they can in this kind fix upon, but as good reason as any they are able to tender for the proof of their expedience unto the end proposed to them, will be produced to prove them meet for a quite other signification and purpose, and the contrary unto them, at least things diverse to them, be asserted with as fair pretences, as meet to be used in their place and room.

But that which we principally shall observe in and about Christ's institutions of gospel worship, is the provision that he made for the administration of it acceptably unto God. It is of the instituted worship of his public assemblies that we treat. The chiefest acts and parts thereof may be re