as a church. Our commission is not larger now than the apostles' commission was, and their commission ran thus: "Go teach and baptize, &c., teaching men to observe whatever I command you," Matt. xxviii. If not commanded by Christ, then not to be preached by them nor by us. Jesus Christ was and is as fully Christ in his prophetical as priestly office, and his priestly satisfaction reached unto all our sins, though they were never so small, therefore his prophetical direction reacheth to all our duties, though they be never so little. That which cometh not from heaven, can never bring you into heaven. If you say, There are some things indifferent; it is true, but Christ's command is to keep them so then, and not to alter them.* If you say that circumstances are left unto the church; either you mean all circumstances, or some; if you mean only some, then you conclude nothing, for a particular proposition cannot make a general conclusion; if you mean that all circumstances are left unto the church, then you do at once and at one stroke cut off three commandments from the decalogue; the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other Gods but me," commandeth the substance of worship, the second the means, the third the manner, the fourth the time; and means, manner, and time are circumstances. Herein Luther speaks well,† Whatsoever a man believeth, or learneth, or teacheth besides the word, it is sin; and again, saith he,‡ The church is the daughter of Scripture, brought up at the feet of the word. Oh, the perfection of that line, it is a complete line, a glorious line, a blessed line. Take this line therefore first into your hands.

*Cum Moses per incultam et desertam regionem populum exulem et vagum traduceret, in tanta olitudine quicquid vel dicendeum vel agendum esset, semper consuluit Dominum, nihil unquam attulit de suo; prophetæ semper aiunt, verbum Domini, visio Domini, vox Domini, hæc dicit Dominus, audite Dominum; Ego (inquit Paulus) evangelium meum non accepi ab homine, neque per hominem; imo Christus omnia inquit quæ audivi a Patre meo tradidi vobis, et prædicate inquit non quicquid inciderit, sed evangelium omni creaturæ.-Jewel in Concione ad Clerum de verb, Dei, page 55, 56,&c.

+ Circumst. cur, quomodo, quando, quibus auxilius. Quicquid vivitur, docetur, discitur extra verbum, peccatum est. Ecclesia est Scripturæ filia.-Luther.

Non enim nostro judicio instituenda est religio, sed e verbo Dei. Omnia pervertuntur, cum religio non verbo Dei, sed hominum arbitrio nititur.-Jewel, Concio ad Clerum de verbo Dei.

When you have gotten this line into your hand, view your ground well, and stones well, that you are to draw this line over. Three sorts there are that are especially to be lined by it: the magistrates, the ministers, the congregations. These three the Pope and prelates, notwithstanding their flattering with princes, have especially laboured to degrade and to deprive of that power which was given unto them by Jesus Christ. The magistrates, and therefore the "man of sin" is so described by the apostle, that he "shall exalt himself above all that is called God," 1 Thess. ii. 4. The ministers and elders of the church, and therefore you shall observe that from Rev. vii. to xiv. there is no more mention made of elders, unless it be in relation unto that same time. In chap. iv. the condition of the church is stated, and then the elders are mentioned; so again in the vth and viith, but in the after chapters to the xivth you have the story of antichrist, his rise, his reign, and ruin; and till the fall of antichrist, which is begun in the xivth and perfected in the xviiith, we read no more of the elders; but in the beginning of the xixth, after Babylon is fallen, then come forth the elders again, praising God, and with great joy. So in our servicebook, the collect runs thus, "Send down upon our bishops and curates," &c., as if ministers and elders were only bishops' curates, and had no power but under them. The congregations also have been much oppressed by them, therefore Azorius* the Jesuit professeth ingenuously, that until Gregory the first, and Charles the great, the congregations had the power of choosing their own ministers; since antichrist's power the congregations have lost their power.

Now beloved in the Lord, there is none of all these three but have some power about church affairs; the magistrate he hath his power, and therefore he is called "a nursing father;" the minister and elder, he hath his power, therehe is commanded Toμave, which signifieth both to feed and

* Non itaque ; inficiamur veterem ritum ac morem episcopos eligendi, quo plebe præsento, imo et ipsius suffragis aliquando eligebantur: nam in Africa illum morem observatuin esse constat ex electione Eradii successoris S. Augustin in Græcia ætate S. Chrysostum ex libro ejus 3. de sacerdote : qua quidem eligendi Episcopi ratio usque; ad Gregorium I. ut constat ex ejus epistolis, imo et ad Caroli Magni, et Ludovici II. Imperatorum usque; tempora perduravit.— Azor. instit. Morab. p. 2. 1. 3. c. 28.

rule; the congregation hath its power, and therefore well saith that blessed and learned man Dr. Whitaker,* who is now in heaven: If you consider the government of the church in regard of its Head, Christ, so it is monarchical; if in regard of the elders, so it is aristocratical; if in regard of the people who have a power to choose their own officers, it is democratical: whether this power of theirs be a matter of privilege or of jurisdiction, I dispute not now; but a power they have: a power the people, a power the minister and elder, a power the magistrate; and if your line can be so drawn, as that every one of these three may have that native power which Jesus Christ hath left them by legacy, then have you drawn your line aright: view therefore your ground well.

Which that you may do, in the next place take heed of self-engagements and self-respects in this work of reformation. Veritas stat in aperto campo, the truth stands in the open field, it sees no house, it sees no friend, no home; and if your eye be upon your engagements, your hand will draw the line awry. Chrysostom observeth, that when our Saviour propounded the parable of the husbandmen unto the scribes and pharisees, saying, "What shall be done to these husbandmen?" Matt. xxi. 41., the Jews answered, "He shall miserably destroy those husbandmen;" Luke xx. 16, yet in another gospel when our Saviour saith, "he shall miserably destroy them," the Jews answered, "God forbid." In one gospel their answer is related to be, "He shall miserably destroy them;" in the other gospel their answer is related on the contrary, "God forbid." How can these agree? Yes, says Chrysostom, for first they say, "he will miserably destroy these husbandmen;" but when they perceived Christ

* Ergo si velimus Christum ipsam respicere, fuit semper ecclesiæ regimen monarchicum; si ecclesiæ presbyteros qui in doctrina et disciplina suas partes agebant, aristocraticum: si totum corpus ecclesiæ quatenus in electione episcoporum et presbyteros suffragia ferebat ita tamen ut εv Točia semper a presbyteris servaretur, democraticum: sic partim monarchicum, partim aristocraticum, partim democraticum est semperque fuit ecclesiæ regimen; non quod unus aliquis episcopus potuit pro suo arbitratu singula facere, sed quod Christus summus ecclesiæ suæ monarcha episcopum quemque suo loco constituit, qui cum consilio pastorum, seniorum, et populi ecclesiam quoque suam regeret : hanc fuisse ceclesiæ apostolicæ roλTar ex scripturis discimus, eamque longo tempore conservatum in ecclesiis fuisse historiæ ecclesiasticæ tetantur.-Whitaker controvers. iv. de Rom. Pontif. q. i. c. i.

that aimed at them, then they said, "God forbid." So misleading are all self-respects and engagements in receiving the truth; reforming persons therefore must be self-denying persons.

They must deny their own wits, understandings, reasonings, though they be never so plausible: Da mihi baptizatam rationem; Give me baptized reason, saith one, mortified reason. Natural reason may be a drawer of water unto the temple but no officer in the temple.

They must deny their own wills and affections though they be never so strong. The saints in heaven are the least proprietaries to their own wills, and yet most happy. Our Saviour says, "I am not come to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me ;" and this must be the resolution and practice of all those that are sent by God upon any service.*

They must deny their own labours though they be never so great. So did Paul, who though "he laboured more abundantly than all," yet says, "I am the least of all the apos tles." I have read or heard a story of one being in the boat where the king's crown was, and the crown falling accidentally into the water, he leaped after it, and having recovered it, to save himself and it, he put the crown upon his own head, that so he might swim the better unto the boat or land; but though he was thanked for his venture, yet he was sharply reproved for his boldness for putting the crown upon his own head. The case is ours, is yours, the crown of the Lord Jesus hath as it were fallen into the water, and been ready to sink; it is our duty and practice to venture for to save it, but you must not then set the crown upon the head of your own labours, but upon Christ himself. "The four and twenty

elders threw down their crowns at the feet of Christ," Rev. iv. 10.

They must deny their own enjoyments, comforts and contentments, though they be never so sweet. So Nehemiah denied his court favours, his governor's table, and sometimes to shift his own clothes: he that will lift up one that is fallen must stoop himself.†

They must deny their own relations, though they be never so near. Salmeron observeth that our Saviour Christ did still

* Quia voluntati propria non divinæ obedit, sibi parit ruinam.-Mendoza. † Nullus jacentem excitabit nisi in flexione sui.-Augustin.

call his mother, woman: "Woman, what have I to do with thee?" not mother, but woman. Why so, says he, but to shew that in matter of religion we are to know no relations.* Thus must all reforming persons be self-denying persons. And thus, right worthy Zerubbabels, if you do first take the right line into your hands, then view your ground well, giving unto every one those immunities that Christ hath left him, and deny yourselves in working, your own reasons, wisdoms and understandings, your own affections, your own labours, your own outward contentments and all relations, I make no question but our stones of reformation shall be laid with much exactness, and the Lord's blessing; and the Lord grant it may be so.

As for these that are to measured, let them be willing to be measured, to be reformed, exactly reformed, willing to be fully measured. Wonder not that I call upon you to be willing; I shall tell you what I read concerning Beza, who coming unto a disputation before the court of France, and being very mighty in his arguments against the adversary, a cardinal stood up and said unto some peers, I would to God that either Beza were dumb, or that we were all deaf; so unwilling were they to receive the truth and to be reformed by it. And if people did not in their hearts wish as much now, why should they say in every place, Would to God we had never meddled with this work of reformation; here is ado about reformation and exact reformation, see what it has come to, would to God that we had stayed in our old condition. Oh, my beloved, do you not remember Christ's complaint? "I came unto my own, and my own received me not." Shall Jesus Christ take up the like complaint and say, I came unto my own in England and they received me not; I offered, I tendered my own government unto them, and they would none of it? O England, England, how long have I stood knocking at thy door, and as it were put my finger in at the hole of the door by my providential works: wilt thou not yet open unto me? How often would I have gathered thee under my wings as a hen gathereth her chickens, and thou wouldest not; wherefore now thy house is left unto thee desolate. Oh that people therefore would be willing! yea, go to God and say, Behold,

* In causa religionis consanguineos non esse audiendos nec respiciendos.— Salmeron.