Phil. ii. 3. Let nothing be done through Strife or Scriptures Vain-glory, but in Lowlinefs of Mind let each efteem for Submit other better than themselves.

Verse 29. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all Gladness, and bold fuch in Reputation.

And iii. 17. Brethren, be Followers together of me, and mark them, which walk fo, as ye bave us for an Enfample.

And iv. 9. Thofe Things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and feen in me, do; and the God of Peace fhall be with you.

Col. ii. 5. For though I be abfent in the Flesh, yet am I with you in the Spirit, joying and beholding your Order, and the Steadfastness of your Faith in Chrift.

1 Theff. v. 12. And we beseech you, Brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you.

Verse 13. And to efteem them very highly in Love, for their Work's Sake; and be at Peace among yourfelves.

Verse 14. Now we exhort you, Brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the Feeble-minded, fupport the Weak, be patient toward all Men.

2 Theff. ii. 15. Therefore, Brethren, stand fast, and bold the Traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by Word, or our Epiftle.

2 Cor. x. 8. For though I should boaft fomewhat more of our Authority, which the Lord bath given us for Edification, and not for your Deftruction, I should not be afbamed.

fion and Lowlinefs

Now, though the Papifts greatly abuse this Place, as if hereby hey could justify that Mafs of Superftition, which they have heaped together; yet, except we will deny the plain Scripture, we muft needs believe, there lay an Obligation upon the Theffalonians to obferve and hold thefe Appointments, and no doubt, needful Inftitutions, which by the Apoftles were recommended unto them: And yet who will fay, that they ought, or were thereby com

manded

of Mind;

and Efteem of the Bre

thren.

The Au

theChurch

manded to do any Thing contrary to that which the Grace of God in their Hearts moved them to?

2 Theff. iii. 4. And we have Confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do, and will do the Things, which we command you.

Verse 6. Now we command you, Brethren, in the Name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that ye withdraw yourselves from every Brother that walketh diforderly, and not after the Tradition, which he received of us.

What more pofitive than this? And yet the Apothority of Itle was not here any Impofer. And yet further, no Impofi. Verse 14. And if any Man obey not our Word by this tion, Epiftle, note that Man, and have no Company with bim, that he may be ashamed..

Thus Heb. xiii. 7. Remember them which have the Rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God, whofe Faith follow; confidering the End of their Converfation.

Verse 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you, and fubmit yourselves; for they watch for your Souls, as they that must give Account: That they may do it with Joy, and not with Grief; for that is unprofitable for you.

Jude viii. Likewife alfo thefe filthy Dreamers defile the Flesh, defpife Dominion, and speak Evil of Dig

nities.

I might at length enlarge, if needful, upon these Paffages; any of which is fufficient to prove the Matter in Hand; but that what is faid, may fatisfy fuch, as are not wilfully blind and obftinate. For there can be nothing more plain from thefe Teftimonies, than that the ancient Apoftles and primitive The priChriftians practifed Order and Government in the Christians Church: That fome did appoint and ordain certain pratifed Things; condemn and approve certain Practices, as well as Doctrines, by the Spirit of God: That there lay an Obligation in Point of Duty upon others to

mitive

Order

in the

Church.

obey

obey and submit: That this was no Encroachment, nor Impofition upon their Chriftian Liberty; nor any ways contradictory to their being inwardly and immediately led by the Spirit of God in their Hearts. And lastly, that fuch, as are in the true Feeling and Senfe, will find it their Places to obey, and be one with the Church of Chrift in fuch like Cafes: And that it's fuch as have loft their Sense and Feeling of the Life of the Body, that diffent and are ditobedient under the ialfe Pretence of Liberty. So that thus it is fufficiently proved, what I undertook in this Place.

Cure now,

Thirdly, I judge, there will need no great Ar- Reason III. guments to prove, the People of God may and do well to exercife the like Government upon the very like Occafion. For even Reafon may teach us, that what proved good and wholfome Cures to the Diftemper of the Church in former Ages, will not now (the very like Diftempers falling in) prove hurtful and poisonable; efpecially, if we have the Teftimony of the fame Spirit in our Hearts, not only allowing us, but commanding us fo to do. It is manifeft, though we are forry for it, that the fame Diftempers Occafions now fall in; we find, that there are that of the Church rehave eaten and drunken with us at the Table of the quire a Lord, and have been Sharers of the fame fpiritual Joy and Confolation, that afterwards fall away. We find, to our great Grief, that fome walk diforderly; and fome are puffed up, and strive to fow Divifion, labouring to ftumble the Weak, and to cause Offences in the Church of Chrift: What then is more fuitable, and more Chriftian, than to follow the Foot-steps of the Flock, and to labour and travel for the Good of the Church, and for the removing all that is hurtful; even as the holy Apoftles, who walked with Jefus, did before us? If there be fuch as walk diforderly now, muft not they be admonished, rebuked, and withdrawn from, as well as of Old? Or is fuch to be the Condition of

as of Old.

the Church, in these latter Times, that all Iniquity muft go unreproved? Muft it be Herefy or Oppreffion, to watch over one another in Love? To take Care for the Poor? To fee, that there be no corrupt, no defiled Members of the Body, and carefully and chriftianly deal with them, for reftoring them if poffible, and for withdrawing from them, if incurable? I am perfwaded, that there are none, that look upon the Commands of Chrift and his Apostles, the Practice and Experience of the primitive Church and Saints, as a fufficient Precedent to authorize a Practice now, that will deny the Lawfulness or Usefulness hereof; but must needs Objection. acknowledge the Neceffity of it. But if it be objected, as fome have done, do you not deny, that the Scripture is the adequate Rule of Faith and Man. ners? And that the Commands or Practices of the Scripture are not a fufficient Warrant for you now to do any Thing, without you be again authorized, and led into it by the fame Spirit? And upon that Score do you not forbear fome Things both practifed and commanded by the primitive Church and Saints?

Times al

Well, I hope I have not any thing weakened this Objection, but prefented it in its full Vigour and Strength: To which I fhall clearly and diftinctly anfwer thus:

Firft, Seafons and Times do not alter the Nature ter theUfe and Subftance of Things in themselves; though it Things may cause Things to alter, as to the Usefulness, or command- not Usefulness of them.

fulness of

ed.

Secondly, Things commanded and practised at certain Times and Seafons fall of themselves, whenas the Cause and Ground, for which they were commanded, is removed: As there is no need now for the Decifion about Circumcifion, feeing there are none contend for it: Neither as to the Orders concerning Things offered to Idols; feeing there is now no fuch Occafion: Yet, who will fay, that the Command enjoin'd in the fame Place, Ats xv. 20.

to

to abftain from Fornication, is now made void? Seeing, there is daily Need for its standing in Force, because it yet remains as a Temptation Man is incident to: We confefs indeed, we are against fuch, as from the bare Letter of the Scripture, though if it were seasonable now to debate it, we find but few to deal with, whofe Practices are fo exactly fquared, feek to uphold Cuftoms, Forms, or Shadows, when the Ufe, for which they were appointed, is removed or the Subftance itself known and witneffed: As we have fufficiently elsewhere anfwered our Oppofers in the Cafe of Water-Baptifm, and Bread and Wine, &c. So that the Objection, as to that, doth not hold; and the Difference is very wide, in refpect of fuch Things: The very Nature and Subftance of which can never be difpenfed with by the People of God, fo long as they are in this World; yea, without which they could not be his People. For the Doctrines, and fundamental Principles of the Christian Faith we own and believe originally and principally, because they are the Truths of God, whereunto the Spirit of God in our Hearts hath conftrained our Understandings to obey and fubmit, In the fecond Place, we are greatly confirmed, ftrengthened and comforted in the joint Teftimony The Joint of our Brethren, the Apostles and Difciples of Chrift, Teftimony who by the Revelation of the fame Spirit in the Days Ales, &c. of Old believed, and have left upon Record the to the fame Truths; fo we having the fame Spirit of Faith, God in our according as it is written, I believed, and therefore bave I fpoken; we alfo believe, and therefore we fpeak. And we deny not, but fome, that from the Letter have had the Notion of thefe Things, have. thereby in the Mercy of God received, Occafion to have them revealed in the Life: For we freely acknowledge, though often calumniated to the contrary, that whatsoever Things were written aforetime, were written for our Learning; that we through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures may

of the Apo

have

Truths of