Thesis 6

6. THESIS.

The complaints, prohibitions, comminations, with the commands, directions, cautions against giving way to, tolerating of and following many wayes in religion, and for contending for the Faith, buying the truth, &c. though delivered, and run in generall, they bind (as other Scriptures do) all the severall sorts of men, every one pro cujusque officii ratione, the Minister in his way according to his office, and the Magistrate in his way, and the Master of a family in his place, and every private Christian in his way to suppress Error, and promote the Truth. Yes, the commands and precepts which in the letter and primarily belong to men of such a particular relation, the Father, Master, Minister as being directed by name to them, do also concern Magistrates, by the common rules of Interpretation of Scripture, given by Divines, of a Synecdoche, of Analogie and proportion, of common equity, and by the way of the Scripture itself in applying what's spoken at first hand to particular persons in such a speciall relation to all Christians (Joshua 1:5 compared with Hebrews 13:5), what to Magistrates, to Church Governours (Deuteronomy 13:11; Deuteronomy 17:6 compared with 1 Timothy 5:19, 20), with many other such instances that might be given, the commands of God being exceeding broad, as David speaks (Psalm 119). The fifth Commandment which in the letter mentions the naturall parents, as is evident by many other Scriptures, particularly that of (Ephesians 6:1, 2, 3, 4), commands the duties of Magistrates to their subjects, of Ministers to their people, as all Divines upon that commandment grant. The fourth Commandment that in the letter is directed to the Father of the family, for his family to keep the Sabbath, comprehends also the Magistrate. The Father of the family is a Synecdoche including the Magistrate; and therein the holy Ghost lays down not only what lies upon the Master of every family, but also what is the Magistrate's duty, as Zanchius, Chemnitius, and many other learned Divines show in their Expositions upon this fourth Commandement, all of them upon this Commandement writing of the public worship of God, and the Magistrate's duty to see it preserved, and the prophanation of it punished, and all under the name of the Father of the family.