The Covenant of God Entered with Mankind, Chapter 41
CHAP. XLI.
Intereſt in a Church-ſtate is of equal latitude with the Covenant.
THen it follows by way of neceſſary corollary,2. Corollary. that Church-memberſhip, intereſt in a Church-ſtate, is of equal latitude; not only the elect and regenerate, but all in covenant (as before ſpoken to) have their right, ſtand entitled to Church-priviledges. And here leſt I ſhould be miſtaken, let me explaine my ſelfe, that my meaning is not, ipſo facto, becauſe in covenant with God, and called by his name, to entitle them to the Church inviſible, and ſo to ſuppoſe them lively members, living in grace, by influence of the Spirit from Chriſt; This would clearly enough contradict, that which before I have ſpoken, and were indeed a contradiction in the adject, I mean it of a viſible Church-ſtate, and intereſt in viſible priviledges. If any quarrel at the diſtinction, as ſome have done on either hand, endeavouring to take off both members. The Church of Rome not admitting any Church inviſible, and others not brooking any Church, but ſuch as conſiſts of inviſible members, as may appear in their definitions of a particular Church, putting in thoſe clauſes, that belong only to the Church inviſible: I ſhall refer them to Doctor John Reynolds, in his ſecond Theſis, fully bottoming it on that Text, Mat. 22. 14. Many are called, but few choſen, which yet, muſt be confeſt with judicious Maſter Hudſon, that it is not a diviſion into two diſtinct Churches, or ſpecies of Churches, but a diſtribution of the ſubject by the adjuncts, viz. à duplici modo communionis, externo, & interno, Vindication, page 4. One, and the ſame Church, hath members of a viſible, and inviſible notion, a more full explanation may there be ſeen. This being premiſed, I affirm, that intereſt in Church-memberſhip, in a viſible Church-ſtate, is theirs, and may be claimed by all thoſe that have intereſt in the covenant before named, an external intereſt, or, an intereſt in the external covenant, as uſually it hath been called This is a ſure rule,Ubi foedus, ibi eccleſia. Where the Covenant is, there the Church is; and in what latitude ſoever men are taken into covenant, they are received into the Church. Lawes tendred by a Prince, and received by a people (whether they be tendred immediately by himſelf, or by his Heraulds or Embaſſadours) make up the relation of King and people: A marriage-covenant tendred by a man (as by Abrahams ſervant in the name of Iſaac to Rebecca, Gen. 24.) and accepted by a Virgin, makes up the relation of husband and wife: covenant-draughts between man and man for ſervice, (as an apprentice his indentures) make up the relation of Maſter and ſervant, now the Goſpel-covenant is all of theſe, between God and a people; where God tenders it, and a people receive it, there God hath his Spouſe, his Subjects, his Servants. Theſe are his people, and all of theſe are Church-members. The Word preached and received hath ever been aſſigned by Orthodox Divines, as the characteriſtical note of a Church of God; a Church ſtands and falls with it; where it is profeſſedly received, there is a Church-intereſt. Let one man apart receive it, as was the caſe of the Eunuch, he forthwith becomes a Church-member, and is to have (as we ſee he had) his preſent matriculation, and to be admitted by baptiſm a member (not of this or that Congregation, but) of the Church univerſal viſible: and upon this account whereſoever he comes, is a Saint, a Diſciple, a Chriſtian, a Beleever, and ſo to be received and acknowledged; This is abundantly confirmed in thoſe parables of our Saviour Chriſt, of the floore, where there is both chaffe and wheat, Mat. 3. 12. of the field, where there is both wheat and tares; of … draught-net, where are fiſhes good and bad, Mat. 13. 24, 47. As alſo in that of the Apoſtle, 2 Tim. 2. 20. In a great houſe there are not only veſſels of gold, and of ſilver, but alſo of wood and of earth, and ſome to honour, and ſome to diſhonour. The Church is this floore, this field, this draught-net, this great houſe, in which there is chaffe, tares, fiſh unfit for uſe, and veſſels of diſhonour, to which may be added, the parables of the wedding feaſt, in which there is a mixture, of, ſome without a wedding garment. Mat. 22. of the ſheepfold with kids and goats. Theſe parables are brought by Bellarmine for proof, that the Church doth not conſiſt only of the elect, lib 3. de Eccl. Mil. cap. 7 to whichaDebuit Bellarminus probare in Eccleſia Ca…holica quae eſt corpus Ch…iſti, eſſe tam malos quàm bonos, tam reprobos, quàm electos. Hoc ut probaret affert hanc parabolam de area inqua & triticum & palea eſt. At per aream hoc in loco non Catholica, ſed particularis quae que eccleſia intelligitur, in qua nos fatemur tam malos quàm bonos eſſe, & plerunque plures malos quàm bonos. Whitaker Controv ſecundâ, quaeſt. primà cap 7. anſwers by diſtinction. Bellarmine (ſaith he) ought to prove, that in the Catholick Church (which is the body of Christ) there are both good and bad, reprobate as well as elect, and for proof of this (ſaith he) he brings the parable of the floore, in which there is wheat and chaffe; but by the floore in this place is not meant (ſaith he) the Catholick Church, but each particular Church, in which (we confeſſe) there are bad as well as good, and for the moſt part more bad than good. And though he makes ſome exceptions againſt ſome of the Parables, yet he applies the ſame anſwer to others. Concerning that of the draw-net he ſaith, The ſenſe of the parable is manifeſt bSenſus parabolae manifeſtus eſt ſic in Eccleſia evenire ſolere cùm Evangelium praedicatur, ut cùm verriculum in mare projicitur ad piſces capiendos. Primò non omnes piſces qui ſunt in mori capiuntur. Secundò non omnes boni ſunt qui capiuntur, ſed multi inutiles. Tertiò, non ſeparantur mali piſces à bonis donec verriculum ad terram extractum fuerit. Sic in Eccleſia cum Evangelium praedicatur, non omnes homines accedunt, non omnes qui accedunt ſunt boni, non ſeparantur boni à malis ante finem mundi.It happens in the Church when the Goſpel is preached, as in the ſea, when the draught-net is cast to take fiſh. 1. All the fiſhes that are in the ſea are not encloſed in the net. 2. All are not good that are incloſed, but ſome are unfit for uſe. 3. The bad fiſh are not ſeparate from the good, till the net be drawn to land: ſo when the Goſpel is preached, all men do not come in, all are not good that come, and the good and bad are not ſeparate till the end of the world. And Doctor Reynolds maintaining that poſition, That the holy Catholick Church, which we believe is the whole company of Gods elect and choſen, ſaith, The wicked muſt needs be a part of the Church, if the name of Church did ſignifie the viſible Church, as we call it, conſiſting of the good and bad. Ameſius who (as we heard) judges it very probable that there is no viſible Church where the Word is truly preached, in which there are not ſome that are godl…, and therefore is farre from concluding the godlineſſe of all;Falſum eſſe internas virtutes requiri à nobis▪ ut aliquis ſit in eccleſia quoad viſibilem ejus ſtatum. ſaith, in his Bellar. Enervatus, lib. 2. de Eccleſ. cap. 1. It is falſe, that inward graces are required of us, to a mans being in the Church as to the viſible ſtate of it: ſee Apollonius Syllog. pag. 8. Profeſſores Leyden diſput. 40. pag. 3. If any man judge it to be abſurd, that Chriſt ſhould have wicked men (who are limbs of Satan) to be of his myſtical body, carnal wicked men to be members of ſuch a gracious and glorious head. Chriſt is the head of his Church, ſay they; if ſuch be Church-members, then Chriſt is their head; I ſhall referre them to a full and ſatisfying anſwer to Maſter Hudſons Vindication, page 6, 7, 8. And for thoſe that deny any being of a Church univerſal viſible as Maſter Blackwood in his Storme, page 65. who ſaith, the objector, is overtaken in a groſſe abſurdity, to think there is ſome univerſal Church viſible begun in Abraham, into which upon the rejection of the Jewes, the believers among the Gentiles, and their ſeed are to be received; for beſides the inviſible Church, the body of Christ myſtical, there are only particular Churches under the Goſpel. I would learn of them, into what particular Church the Eunuch was received, and by baptiſme actually and ſolemnly admitted, or whether he was ſtill no Church-member, but an alien and ſtranger to the Common-wealth of Iſrael, not added to the Church. To what particular Congregation, the Apoſtles, Prophets, and Evangeliſts joyned themſelves by covenant; and to ſave farther labour, leave them to Maſter Hudſons Vindication of the eſſence and unity of the Church Catholick viſible, which will receive a ſatisfactory anſwer when the Sun hath no more being in the Heavens.