mended to them), but also to govern _vice Christi_, in
Christ's stead, and that not only as he is God, which is not controverted
neither, but as he is Mediator. This, I say, they must prove, which they
will never be able to do, or otherwise they do, by their doctrine, lead
the magistrate into a snare, and leave him in it. For how shall he be
acknowledged for a vicegerent who can show no commission nor warrant for
his vicegerentship? Secondly, Their doctrine tendeth to the altering of
the surest and best known tenure of magistracy, which is from God; for
they hold that God hath put all government, and all authority civil, and
all, into the hands of Christ as Mediator; if the tenure from Christ fail,
then, by their doctrine, the tenure from God shall fail too. Thirdly, The
vicegerent cannot act in that capacity, nor assume that power which his
sovereign, whose vicegerent he is, ought not to assume if he were
personally present; so that, by their principles, it will follow that the
Christian magistrate can act no farther, nor assume any other power of
government, than Christ himself might have assumed when he was on earth,
or might now assume and exercise as Mediator if he were on earth. But
Christ himself, when he was on earth, neither did exercise, nor was sent
to exercise, civil judgment, Luke xii. 14; and the temporal sword, John
xviii. 36; nor external observation and state, Luke xvii. 20, 21; and he
declined to be an earthly king, John vi. 15. Therefore, by their
principles, the Christian magistrate ought to forbear and avoid all these.

A sixth calumny is this: Mr Coleman, descanting upon the governments
mentioned 1 Cor. xii. 28, chargeth me with a circular argumentation: "He
circularly argues (saith he): they are civil, because God placed them
there, and God placed them there because they are civil," _Male Dicis
Maledicis_, p. 9. I neither argued the one nor the other; they are both,
Sir, of your own forging. But this is not your first allegation of this
kind. I sometime admire what oscitancy or supine negligence (to judge it
no worse) this can be, to fancy to yourself that I have said what you
would, and then to bring forth your own apprehensions for my arguments.

CHAPTER VIII.

THAT MR COLEMAN DOTH GREAT VIOLENCE, BOTH TO HIS OWN WORDS AND TO THE
WORDS OF OTHERS WHOM HE CITETH.

The reverend brother hath offered extreme violence to his own declaration,
of which let the l