Furthermore, of Order there be two keys: a key of power, or interest: And the key of Authority or Rule. The first of these is termed in the Scriptures, Liberty: So distinguishing it from that part of Rule and Authority in the officers of the Church. We speak not here of that spiritual liberty, whether of impunity, whereby the children of God are set free by the blood of Christ from Satan, hell, bondage of sin, curse of the Moral Law, and service of the Ceremonial Law: nor of immunity whereby we have power to be called the sons of God, to come boldly unto the throne of grace in prayer, and as heirs of glory, to look for our inheritance in light: but of that external liberty, or interest which Christ also hath purchased for his people, as liberty to enter into the fellowship of his Church, liberty to choose and call well gifted men to office in that his Church: liberty to partake in Sacraments, or seals of the Covenant of the Churches liberty and interest to join with officers in the due censure of offenders, and the like. This liberty and the acts thereof, are often exemplified in the Acts of the Apostles: and the Apostle Paul calleth it expressly by the name of liberty. Brethren (saith he) you have been called unto LIBERTY, only use not your liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Galath. 5.13. that the Apostle by that liberty meaneth Church liberty or power in ordering Church affairs, will evidently appear, if we consult with the context, rather then with Commenters. For the Apostle having spent the former part of the Epistle, partly in the confirmation of his calling, partly in disputation against justification by the works of the Law, to the end of v. 8. of Chap. 5. in the ninth Verse he descendeth not to exhort unto bonos mores in general, (as usually Commenters take it) but to instruct in Church Discipline, in ⟨p. 9⟩which he giveth three or four directions to the tenth v. of Chap. 6.
Furthermore, of Order there be two keyes: a key of power, or interest: And the key of Authority or Rule. The first of these is termed in the Scriptures, Liberty: So distinguishing it from that part of Rule and Authority in the officers of the Church. We speak not here of that spirituall liberty, whether of impunitie, whereby the children of God are set free by the blood of Christ from Satan, hell, bondage of sin, curse of the Morall Law, and service of the Ceremoniall Law: nor of immunitie whereby we have power to be called the sons of God, to come boldly unto the throne of grace in prayer, and as heirs of glory, to look for our inheritance in light: but of that externall libertie, or interest which Christ also hath purchased for his people, as libertie to enter into the fellowship of his Church, libertie to chuse and call well gifted men to office in that his Church: libertie to partake in Sacraments, or seals of the Covenant of the Churchs libertie and interest to joyn with officers in the due censure of offenders, and the like. This libertie and the acts thereof, are often exemplified in the Acts of the Apostles: and the Apostle Paul calleth it expresly by the name of libertie. Brethren (saith he) you have been called unto LIBERTY, onely use not your liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Galath. 5.13. that the Apostle by that libertie meaneth Church libertie or power in ordering Church affaires, will evidently appeare, if we consult with the context, rather then with Commenters. For the Apostle having spent the former part of the Epistle, partly in the confirmation of his calling, partly in disputation against justification by the works of the Law, to the end of v. 8. of Chap. 5. in the ninth Verse he descendeth not to exhort unto bonos mores in generall, (as usually Commenters take it) but to instruct in Church Discipline, in ⟨p. 9⟩which he giveth three or foure directions to the tenth v. of Chap. 6.
