An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of…

From hence the Note is this,¹ That it's a hateful thing to cast off the Government that God would have us under, ²it is hateful to God; the Jews had both their Civil and Ecclesiastical Government by Divine Institution, they were both mixed in one there. And though now we have not our Civil Government by Divine Institution, but it's left to the Creation of man,³ according as in prudence men in several Countries shall think best; but Ecclesiastical Government certainly is as much by Divine Institution now, as ever it was, and it must be so, because it is spiritual, and nothing can work in a spiritual way upon the inward man but that that is by Divine Institution, therefore whatever the Government be (I will not meddle with the particulars) yet we must take heed how we cast off that which is appointed by God, for that's hateful, there I hated them; we had need therefore search and examine to find what that is,⁴ and if we think it be not so clear as their Government was to them, we must take so much the more pains to examine, and not think it long that there is so much time spent i• seeking to find out what the Government should be, do not think it a light matter: many people they think it but a circumstance, and things that we need not trouble our selves so much about, and why should there be so much time spent in searching it out;⁵ Learn from hence to look upon it as a great matter, as a matter upon which the welfare ⟨p. 272⟩or the evil of a Kingdom doth much depend, for so it was here, saith God, because they cast off the Government that I would have, there I hated them. Thus you may take in both the meanings, both the Testimonies of Gods mercies in Gilgal at first, and the place where they cast off my Government and would have another, I hated them there saith God.

From hence the Note is this,