If once it comes to that, that you shall say you have nothing to do ^vith religion as riders of the nation, God will quickly manifest that he hath nothing to do with you as nilers of the nation. The great promise of Christ is, that in these latter days of the world he will lay the nations in a subserviency to him, — the kingdoms of the world shall become his ; that is, act as kingdoms and goveraments no longer against him, but for him. Surely those promises will
VOL. viir. 25
386 Christ's kingdom and
scarcely be accomplislied in bringing commonwealths of men profess- ing his name to be of Gallio's frame, — to take care for none of those things : or as the Turk, — in an absolute indifferency what any profess ; I mean, that are not his own, for in respect of them he changes not his God. Not that I would you should go and set up forms of go- vernment to compel men to come under the line of them, or to thnist in your sword to cut the lesser differences of brethren ; not that I thiuk truth ever the more the truth, or to have any thing the more of authority upon the conscience, for having the stamp of your au- thority annexed to it, for its allowance to pass in these nations. Nor do I speak a word of what is, may, or may not be incumbent on you in respect of the most profligate o]3posers of the truths of the gospel, but only this, that, not being such as are always learning, never com- ing to the knowledge of the truth, but being fully persuaded in your own minds, certainly it is incumbent on you to take care that the faith which you have received, which was once delivered to the saints, in all the necessary concernments of it, may be protected, preserved, propagated to and among the people which God hath set you over. If a father, as a father, is bound to do what answers this in his family unto his children; a master, as a master, to his servants; if you will justify yourselves as fathers or rulers of your country, you will find in your account this to be incumbent on you. Take heed of them that would temper clay and iron, things that will not mingle, — that would compound carnal and fleshly things with heavenly things and spiritual, — that they may not entangle your spirits. The great design of grasping temp>oral potoer upon a spiritual account, tvill lirove at last to he the greatest badge of Antichrist. Hitherto God hath ap- peared against it; and Avill, no doubt, to the end. If either you, by the authority God hath given you in the world, shall take upon you to rule the house of God, as formally such, as his house, though j^ou rule the persons whereof it is made up ; or those who ai^e, or pretend to be, of that house, to rule the world on that account, — your day and theirs will be nigh at hand.
Now, because you wait on God for direction in reference to the propagation of the gospel, and the preventing that which is con- trary to sound doctrine and godliness, I shall, — [1.] Show you very briefly what God has promised concerning magistrates to this end; [2.] Give you some principles whereon you may rest in your actings; and, [3.] Lay down some rules for your direction : and so draw to a close.
[1.] Take, in the first ]>lace, what God hath promised concerning magistrates, kings, rulers, judges, and nations, and their subserviency to the church. What God hath promised they shall do, that is their duty to do; he hath not measured out an iidieritance for his people
THE magistrate's POWER. 387
out of the sins of other men. Let us a httle view some of these pro- mises, and then consider their apphcation to the truth we have in liand, and what is cleared out unto us by them. There are many; I shall instance in the most obvious and eminent. " I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning," Isa. i. 26. It is to Zion redeemed, purged, washed in the blood of Christ, that this promise is made. Isa. xlix. 7, " Kings shall see and arise, and princes shall boW down themselves." [Heb.] The Jews being, for the greatest part of them, rejected upon the coming of Christ, this promise is made unto him upon his pouring out of the Spirit for the bringing in of the Gentiles; as it is farther enlarged, verses 22, 23, " Kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their queens thy nursing -mothers." Isa. Ix. looks wholly this way. Taste of the nature and intendment of the v>diole : " And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings : and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Eedeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron : I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righ- teousness," verses 3, 11, 16, 17. To which add the accomplishment of all those promises mentioned. Rev. xi. 15, xxi. 24.