An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

Secondly, It's a most blessed thing, when the civil State and Church are happily united together, so that both in their several stations do promote the Kingdom of Christ. There are extremities on both sides, some exclude all civil Government from the matters of the Church or Religion; as if the Magistrate, and the civil power had nothing to do to appoint any thing in reference to these spiritual matters, which if so, then Kings and Queens could not be nursing Fathers and Mothers in the Church; Then the Magistrate should not be the Custos utriusque tabulae; then holy Magistrates should sin in reforming abuses and corruptions which are crept into the Church of God, which yet Hezekiah and Josiah did; and so likewise Constantine did, to his great praise, saying to the Officers of the Church, he was [Greek or Hebrew], He had an external Episcopacy and Superintendency.

Secondly, It's a most blessed thing, when the civil State and Church are happily united together, so that both in their several stations do promote the Kingdom of Christ. There are extremities on both sides, some exclude all civil Government from the matters of the Church or Religion; as if the Magistrate, and the civil power had nothing to do to appoint any thing in reference to these spiritual matters, which if so, then Kings and Queens could not be nursing Fathers and Mothers in the Church; Then the Magistrate should not be the Custos utriusque tabulae; then holy Magistrates should sinne in reforming abuses and corruptions which are crept into the Church of God, which yet Hezekiah and Josiah did; and so likewise Constantine did, to his great praise, saying to the Officers of the Church, he was 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, He had an external Episcopacie and Superintendency.

Then in the second place, there is another extreme error, which is to confound the State and the Church, as if Christ had appointed no distinct Officers or work, but that any man authorized by a commission from the civil power, was hereby enabled to do any Office in the Church, and that Christ had not set Pastors or Teachers in his Church, but civil Governors. Now how blessed and happy hath it been, when these Societies have been friendly complying, and furthering one another. The Commonwealth helping and furthering, defending and protecting the Church: The Church also performing all Church-Ordinances, in such a manner, that God may bless that state, and make it to be as Obed-Edoms house, while he entertained the Ark, Quamdiu respublicae manent hospitia Ecclesiae tamdiu suns duraturae.