Secondly, Truth is necessary if you do respect the subordination of their Office; Christ hath not sent them to be Masters and Lords over mens Faith, to propound their own Dictates, and to anathematize such as do not immediately obey, No, They have a Ministerial not a Magisterial Office, for though in respect of the people they are Guides and Overseers, and Shepherds, yet in respect of God they are Ministers and Servants; They are under Christ the Head, and so must not deliver any thing but what they have received; They may not make Articles of Faith, they cannot appoint the worship of God, They cannot institute new Sacraments: It's spiritual Treason in them to do: this They are like the skilful Gemmary that doth not make the Jewell, only by his skill doth discover which is true, or like Solomon that did not make the true Child, but by his Wisdom did manifest it, So the Ministers of the Gospel though never so Learned, never so holy, yet they of their own authority cannot make any new Truth or new Ordinance, Therefore they are compared to Ambassadors that are bound up by their Commission; To Stewards not Masters in the House; The Scripture is called Gods Testament or Will, Now the Lawyer may not add or take away from it, though he hath never so much skill and knowledge, it would be sinful forgery in him to do so; Thus Beloved, we Ministers are bound up to Gods Word as that last Will: he hath appointed how he will have his Church governed, how it must believe, how it must worship, and it must be high Sacrilege to add or detract from it; Therefore if Scripture-Truths be thought too much above Reason; if they be thought too strict or precise, to contrary to flesh and blood, blame not us; It's not our truth, we did not make the Bible, It's not our Scripture.
Secondly, Truth is necessary if you do respect the subordination of their Office; Christ hath not sent them to be Masters and Lords over mens Faith, to propound their own Dictates, and to anathematize such as do not immediatly obey, No, They have a Ministeriall not a Magisteriall Office, for though in respect of the people they are Guides and Overseers, and Shepheards, yet in respect of God they are Ministers and Servants; They are under Christ the Head, and so must not deliver any thing but what they have received; They may not make Articles of Faith, they cannot appoint the worship of God, They cannot institute new Sacraments: It's spiritual Treason in them to do: this They are like the skillfull Gemmary that doth not make the Jewell, only by his skill doth discover which is true, or like Solomon that did not make the true Childe, but by his Wisedom did manifest it, So the Ministers of the Gospel though never so Learned, never so holy, yet they of their own authority cannot make any new Truth or new Ordinance, Therefore they are compared to Embassadors that are bound up by their Commission; To Stewards not Masters in the House; The Scripture is called Gods Testament or Will, Now the Lawyer may not adde or take away from it, though he hath never so much skill and knowledge, it would be sinful forgery in him to do so; Thus Beloved, we Ministers are bound up to Gods Word as that last Will: he hath appointed how he will have his Church governed, how it must beleeve, how it must worship, and it must be high Sacriledge to adde or detract from it; Therefore if Scripture-Truths be thought too much above Reason; if they be thought too strict or precise, to contrary to flesh and bloud, blame not us; It's not our truth, we did not make the Bible, It's not our Scripture.
