Fourthly, If men take this power upon them, to compel §4men to do whatsoever they conceive good, and to deny or forbear whatsoever they conceive evil, they take more power upon them then ever the Apostles took. The government of the Saints under the Apostles, was a great deal more mild, sweet, gentle then this. The rule the Apostles went by, Phil. 3. 15. was, Let therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you; nevertheless, whereunto we have already attained, let us walk. If any should be otherwise minded then I or the other Apostles, God will reveal it in due time, we will not force him,1 only let us walk up to what we have attained. This rule, Zanchy, saith Augustine, would repeat a thousand time; and Chrysostom hath a good note upon this place, he does not say, God will bring them to it, if they be otherwise minded, but God will reveal it, noting the love and goodness of God to those who are otherwise minded, excusing them that it was not through wickedness, but for want of knowledge ⟨p. 60⟩that they did otherwise, Acts 15. where the Apostles and Elders were met together, the furthest they would take upon themselves, was to lay no other burden but those necessary things. The false teachers put a yoke upon them, which was such a burden, that neither they nor their fore-fathers could bear, v. 10. yet it was no juridical authority that these had over them; surely the yoke they put upon them, in the judgments of all was but doctrinal: But for us, say the Apostles, we finding what the mind of the Holy Ghost is, dare not yoke you as they did; all that we burden you with, is these necessary things, no Church-officers, no Synod can go further then this, but certainly every matter in controversy amongst godly and peaceable men cannot be conceived to be necessary.
Fourthly, If men take this power upon them, to compell §4men to do whatsoever they conceive good, and to deny or forbear whatsoever they conceive evil, they take more power upon them then ever the Apostles took. The government of the Saints under the Apostles, was a great deale more milde, sweet, gentle then this. The rule the Apostles went by, Phil. 3. 15. was, Let therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveale even this unto you; neverthelesse, whereunto wee have already attained, let us walke. If any should be otherwise minded then I or the other Apostles, God will reveale it in due time, we will not force him,1 only let us walke up to what we have attained. This rule, Zanchy, saith Augustine, would repeat a thousand time; and Chrisostome hath a good note upon this place, he does not say, God will bring them to it, if they be otherwise minded, but God wil reveal it, noting the love and goodness of God to those who are otherwise minded, excusing them that it was not through wickedness, but for want of knowledg ⟨p. 60⟩that they did otherwise, Acts 15. where the Apostles and Elders were met together, the furthest they would take upon themselves, was to lay no other burden but those necessary things. The false teachers put a yoke upon them, which was such a burthen, that neither they nor their fore-fathers could bear, v. 10. yet it was no juridicall authority that these had over them; surely the yoke they put upon them, in the judgments of all was but doctrinall: But for us, say the Apostles, we finding what the mind of the Holy Ghost is, dare not yoke you as they did; all that we burden you with, is these necessary things, no Church-officers, no Synod can go further then this, but certainly every matter in controversie amongst godly and peaceable men cannot be conceived to be necessary.
- 1[Greek or Hebrew] Chrysost. in Phil. 3. Hom. 1•.〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Chrysost. in Phil. 3. Hom. 1•.
