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the world, yet did it receive encreafe with the encrease of God, and was preferved, maintained and enlarged in the world, notwithstanding all the rage and cruelties of the perfecuting Heathen Emperors, for three hundred years together; and ever fince, God himself hath taken the conduct of this Church, and hath carried it through difficulties, diftreffes, reproaches, prifons, torments, deaths, to eafe, liberty, comfort, joy, falvation, glory, life, happiness; and this hath been Gods glorious government of the Church hitherto. And at this prefent time the Church of God wants not this Government, among all the troubles, confufions, wars and defolations of the Kingdom, but God is now as near his true Church as ever, and fupports it, and comforts it, and guides it as a skilful Pilot, in fuch fort, that though the floods lift up their voice and billows against it, yet they cannot fink it; For the Lord on high is mightier than the mighty waves of the Sea: And fo ftill, even at this day, the Lord leads his Flock through the midft of Wolves and Lyons, yea through the midst of Devils, in admirable and invincible Safety, and gives them Light in Darkness, Councels in Difficulties, and Succefs in all Attempts, above and beyond, both all the power, and all the expectation of the world.

Now note here, that this kind of government of the Church, God doth not manage, according to the wisdom and thoughts, no not of his very people, but wholly according to the councel of his own will, and the thoughts of his own heart: doing things, that they must not know yet, but muft know afterwards; yea, fuch things as for the prefent feem abfurd, and abfolutely deftructive, And this is the ufual way and order of Gods governing his Saints. That of Luther, on Gen. 39.

ones conatus

quibus ute

ecclefiæ, &c

Gen. 39.
Tom. 6. fol.

542.

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Ego fæpe is worth our minding here. "I (faith he) have certas rati-" often endeavour'd to prefcribe certain ways and fum Deo " methods to God, which he should ufe in the gopræfcribere verning of his Church. Ah Lord (faid I) I retur, in ad-" would have this to be thus done, in this order, miniftatione » with this event. But God did altogether conLuther. in trary to what I did defire. Then again thought I, why, my councel is not differing from the glory of God, but it will make much for the fan&tifying of thy name, the gathering and encreafing thy Kingdom, the Propagating the knowledge of thy word; and to be brief, it is a moft "exellent and profitable defign. But God no doubt laughed at this wisdom of mine, and faid, Go to now, I know thee to be wife and learned, but "this was never my manner, that either Peter or Martin (meaning himself) fhould teach or form, or govern, or lead me. For I am not a paffive, "but an active God, who use always to lead, govern, form. Now(faith he) it is very grievous, that our wisdom fhould be only passive, and that we are commanded to mortifie and flay it; and "therefore many, who could not endure this mor"tification, have fallen horribly.' And thus this kind of Gods government, is wholly according to his own wisdom and councel, and wholly without, yea contrary to ours. And thus we are in fome measure acquainted with the government of Gods fpecial providence, over his Church. 2. The Go- 2. The fecond fort of Gods immediate Government of vernment of his Church, is the Government of his his Spiritual prefence. fpiritual Prefence, or Gods government within us.

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For the right Church, is the City of God, and hath God in the midft of it, being built and framed, and that according to every part of it, by the Spirit, to be the habitation of God; this is the temple of the living God as God hath faid, and God is in it of a truth: And if any would know what this Church

Church is called, the name of it is, THE LORD IS THERE. And fo the whole guiding and ordering of this Church, depends wholly on God, who dwells within it. For God will not dwell in his own Church, and fit ftill, whilft others that are without it, fhall govern it; but the government of the right Church, lies on his fhoulders, who is Immanuel, God with us, and in us. And fo this government of the Church, is one of the invisible things of God, in the Church: Chrift who fills it, governing it, by a moft prefent and powerful, but invisible influence, leading it into truth, by the Spirit of truth: into patience, by the Spirit of patience; into love, by the Spirit of love; into power, by the Spirit of power; into humility, meekness, Patience, heavenly mindedness, and into the fulness of all Righteoufnefs, by that Spirit, which contains all these graces in it felf, and works them in all thofe, in whom it dwells. In this government we hear the voice behind us, faying, This is the way, walk in it, when we turn either to the right hand, or to the left. In this government we have not outward laws to order us, as the Kingdoms of the world have, but an inward law written in our hearts by the Spirit of God, as God hath faid, I will write my law in their hearts, and in their inward parts; and this law, is the word of life; for the living Church or body of Chrift, can only be governed by a living word, which is called, the law of the fpirit of life.

And according to this Government alfo, God guides the true Church wonderfully, the foul not feeing the ways and councels of God, whereby he forms and fashions the Church, according to his own mind, and good pleasure, clean contrary to humane reafon and judgment; for he brings them to mourning, to bring them to comfort; brings them to defpair, to bring them to faith; to death,

to

The Church never want

ment of God

in

to bring them to life; yea, even to hell, to bring them to heaven: leading his chofen people after fuch a manner, that nothing would follow but faith, which looks not at the things which are feen, but at the things which are not feen. And thus, when the foul is in the midst of many fears, woes, agonies, temptations,till it feel in good earneft, the true forrows of death, and pains of hell, and in this darkness fees no beam, nor the least glimmering of light; and wants all counfel, and knows not which way to turn it felf: then Chrift comes and manifefts himself to the foul, and counfels, and directs, and comforts it, and leads it into the path of life, and redeems it from all distress, fubduing the world, and the devil, and fin, and death, and hell under it; yea, and carrying it into all the fulness of God.

Now these two forts of Governments, to wit, the one of his fpecial providence, and the other fold Govern- of his fpiritual prefence, the true Church never any Age. Wanted in any Age: And in this prefent Age, when the prelatical Government hath been diflolved for several years together; Can any Chriftian think, that the right Church of Chrift hath been without all Government? Nay, all this while it hath been governed moft powerfully by his fpecial providence, and moft fweetly by his fpiritual prefence; So that neither the world, nor the devil have been able to prevail, neither against its grace nor comforts: And for an outward, formal, vifible, enforced Government, after the manner of civil Corporations, or worldly Kingdoms; the true Church can as well want fuch a Government at all times, as at any time; yea, and it is beft without it, as being fartheft removed from the tyranny of men, and more immediately under the Government of Chrift, its only King and law-Giver.

And

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And therefore they that are fo violent for an It were to outward and visible Government of the Church, that they be withed, after the manner of the Kingdoms of the World; that are fo I do heartily wish, that if it be the good pleasure outward or of God, they might fometime or other be exerci- ders in the fed with temptations of defpair,and with the fence were them, of the wrath of God, and ever lafting burnings: feves acFor by this means their idle and vain thoughts quainted and fpeculations of governing the Church of God temptations by humane power and methods, would foon vanifh, and they would foon give over to trouble themselves, and the faithful, about things that have neither power in them to free from eternal death, nor to procure eternal life.

And thus much for that two-fold Government of the Church, which God himself exercises immediately in and over it; whereof we must not be ignorant, if we defire to preferve the peace of the Church, both in our felves and others.

with inward

Government

Now befides this immediate Government of Themediate God, there is another fort of Government of the of the Church, which Chrift exercises mediately by the Church is Church: And this alfo is Chrifts Government, not Mans Chrifts, and and not mans; and men who have not known nor understood the former Government of Chrift, have mistaken this also, through the fame unbelief; wherefore, they not fo much as minding the former Government of Chrift, which is immediate, and by himself, have made this mediate Government of the Church by man, to be all; And this alfo, I fay, they have understood moft grofsly and carnally, and not according to the Word, but according to their own ignorant and feduced hearts. Ifhall not trouble the Reader with their particular misapprehensions in this matter; seeing it is far more profitable to content our felves with the plain and evident truth, than to enquire after variety of errors. Wherefore letting alone

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