The great accuser cast down, or, A publick trial of Mr. John Goodwin of Coleman-street, London, at the bar of religion & right reason it being a full answer to a certain scandalous book of his lately published, entituled, The triers tried and cast, &c. whereupon being found guilty of high scandal and malediction both against the present authority, and the commissioners for approbation and ejection, he is here sentenced and brought forth to the deserved execution of the press / by Marchamont Nedham, Gent.

Answer.

Now we are come to that which he calls his fourth Ar∣gument, and expecting here to meet with somewhat of Reason or Religion (because he boasts in his Title page, that the whole Dozen and half, are all Arguments of that nature) I am not able in this to find a grain of either, one∣ly we have him sitting down in the Reverend chair of Tautology, where he is pleased with much commiseration of the dull heads and weak memories of mankind (tan∣quam ex Tripode) most oraculously to dictate the same things again over and over, telling us, If Christ was as faithful as Moses in all the house of God, then it cannot be conceived but that with his Precepts, Counsels and Directions, he hath done so much, that no man man can adde any thing by

way of advice, or prudential contrivance for the promoting of the Gospel, &c.

Mr Goodwin might have done well to give us a Tran∣script of those pretended copious Precepts and Directi∣ons; and till he doth, he must rest satisfied with the An∣swer given to his first Argument, in reference to this par∣ticular, because we are not at leisure for Repetition. Howbeit, because he seems to lay some weight upon these words, [In all the house of God] some Reply must be made to that for the undeceiving of the Reader. By 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the House of God, is here meant the Church of God universal, as will appear by comparing it with 1 Tim. 3. 15. where the house of God, is plainly called, the Church of the living God. Now it is not to be denied, but that Christ took care with as much faithfulness, as Moses did for the ordering of all this House of God. For, whatsoever was necessary for the founding, building; and ordering of this House, Viz. The Church universal, he very faithfully provided. He laid the foundation of it upon the Prophets and Apostles, these latter▪ viz the Apostles, seconding that Doctrine of the Gospel, which had been first published by the Prophets. Moreover, for the planting and building up of the House of God, it is said, That he set in the Church, first Apostles, secondarily Prophets, thirdly Teachers, after that Miracles, then Gifts of Heal∣ings, diversity of Tongues. Lastly, for the ordering of this House of his, he left the great Ordinances and Insti∣tutions of Preaching the Word, Baptism, and the Supper, which Things we ought to suppose are all that Christ was appointed to do, in reference to the ordering of the Church, seeing we read of no more, and therefore having fulfilled the appointment of God therein, we ought to beleeve him as faithfull in his house, as Moses was in his, because he omitted nothing for the establishment of it, which the Fa∣ther thought necessary for him to do in his own person. As for other things, which were necessary to be made use of in after-time, for the gathering and ordering of particular Churches, in divers Cities, Towns, or Countries, he left

them to the ordering of his Apostles, to whom, before his Ascension, he gave a promise of the Spirit, for their Directi∣on and Assistance, which after his Ascension was perform∣ed; for, when he ascended up on high, he gave Gifts unto men to that end and purpose; and therefore he was faith∣full in all his House, as Moses was in his, though he and his Apostles left not Rules and Direction, at such a Latitude, as to answer so many particularities of Affairs and occasi∣ons, as Moses did. Nor indeed was there the same Reason for it; for, if it may be lawfull to guess at the ground of Gods proceeding thus in this particular, who trans∣acts all things according to the best and most excel∣lent dictates and proportions of wisedom, there appears to be a great deal of Reason, why Christ and his Apostles, having left such Institutions, Rules, and Directions, which are foundational, and absolutely necessary for the Con∣stituting of the Church in general, should not descend to the inferiour points of Regulation touching particular Churches, so as to leave Rules for it as amply as Moses did, or to prescribe means and Expedients, unto the use where∣of all men should be tyed up, who endeavour to propagate or promote the Gospel. For, that Christ did not mean to set down positive and particular Laws of so wide an ex∣tent for all things, as Moses did, the very different manner of the delivering of the Laws of Moses, and the Laws of Christ doth plainly shew. Moses had command to gather the Ordinances of God together distinctly, that concern∣ed the Jewish Church, and orderly to set them down, ac∣cording to their several kinds, for each publick duty and office the Laws that belong thereunto, as appears in the Books themselves written of purpose to that end. On the other side, the Laws of Christ about the affairs of his Church, we finde rather mentioned by occasion in the writings of the Apostles, than any solemn Thing directly written to comprehend and Record them in a Legal method and form; which I mention not (and therefore let no envious eye make such a construction, seeing it cannot be construed) in diminution of the said Go∣spel-Laws,

which with a devout heart I reverence as of the most sacred and most transcendent Divine Authority; but I hint this onely to intimate, that the very different manner of the delivery of the Laws of Christ and Moses touching Church-affairs, doth shew, that the one had no intent to leave Laws, which might answer the variety of Gospel-occasions in particulars of so large a compass, as the other did to supply Church-occasions in the time of the Law. Besides, be pleased to consider, that when Moses gave those positive Laws and Ordinances both Ce∣remonial and Judicial, they were intended onely for that particular Nation, who then were the sole People, House, or Church of God, and accordingly God in the framing of those Laws, had an eye and regard to the nature of that people for whom they were made, and peculiar and proper Considerations were upon that account respected in the composure, to answer most of the Occasions that might fall out in the administration of the Affairs of that Church and State; which end might indeed easily be attained by prescribing Rules in and to a particular Nation: But when Christ came, the Case was much altered; for whereas the House or Church of God in Moses time, was confined to one single Nation, now it was to be made up out of all Na∣tions: The Laws of the Common-wealth were then made conformable to the Order of Church: But the Church un∣der the Gospel, being to spread through all States and Com∣mon-wealths, was so formed, as it might without prejudice to the Civil Peace, be entertained in any Nation; and there∣fore as the framing of positive Laws, Rules, or Directions of the same nature with those of Moses, which might serve to fit the different Tempers and Constitutions, the various necessities, Affairs and Occasions of all the Nations of the World, or of those Remnants which should be first convert∣ed in all Nations, and oblige them to a very Puntilio, (as Mr. G. pretends) was in the very nature of the thing altogether impracticable, so it must have proved no less inconvenient, then unnecessary. For, Christ himself having appointed the principal Ordinances before his departure, such as might

be conveniently made use of by the Church Universal; and his Apostles having left divers Rules and Directions which are of the same general concernment, and which may in∣differently serve to the principal parts of Oeconomy in the Churches, in all the Nations of the world, its to be sup∣posed he hath (by himself and his Apostles) done all that the Father judged necessary for him to do on the behalf of the Gospel, and thereby approved himself faithfull in all his House, as Moses was in his. And whereas I maintain, that in particular matters of lesser Importance, concerning the way of carrying on the Gospel, there are no positive Laws or Rules to be found of so vast a Latitude and com∣prehension, as to reach all Purposes, Occasions, Accidents, and Emergencies, in all succeeding times all over the world, so as for ever to exclude altogether the use of humane Reason and discretion from assisting about the way and means of publishing the Gospel; this Assertion of mine is so far from occasioning any man thereupon to infer, or imagine any defect of wisdom and providence on the part of our Lord and Saviour, that it is rather a clear Evidence he hath (as becomes his Divine wisdom and faithfulness) therein so ordered the matter, as was most agreeable to right Reason (which is a ray of the Divinity) and to the nature and scope of His and his Fathers own great design and intendment; which was, and is, To gather unto him self a People out of all Nations upon the face of the Earth. So there is an end of his fourth Argument; in the confutation whereof, it was necessary to enlarge thus a little more than ordinary, because as 'tis a supposition too much rooted in the conceptions of men in these times, so he seems to build much upon it, and with many flashes of Ostentation to dazle the eyes of the Reader. The residue of his Arguments which follow, import little else but matter of scandal, to which, though there be no other Answer due than what Michael the Archangel gave the Devil, yet somewhat must be said to each of them by way of Animadversion.