Independency a Great Schism, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Of the Church Catholick Myſticall, and its Union.
§. 1 THe Church of Chriſt in this world, is taken in Scripture three wayes, 1. For the myſticall body of Chriſt,p. 84. his elect redeemed, &c: commonly called the Church Catholick militant, 2. For the univerſalitie of men, called by the Word, viſibly profeſſing the Goſpell, called the Church Catholick viſible. 3. For a particular Church of ſome place, wherein the inſtituted worſhip of God in Chriſt, is celebrated according to his mind. This diſtinction of the Church, is rather of the word, than of the thing intended by it; & imports not a three-fold Church, but one Church under a threefold conſideration: ariſing (as he ſayes) from the nature of the things themſelves, that is, the members of that Church, who may be conſidered, either as true believers, that makes the inviſible Church, 2, as profeſſors of the ſame Faith, & that makes the Catholike viſible Church: or thirdly as partakers of the ſame inſtituted worſhip, and that is called a particular Church: For, as the definition of a Church agrees to it, in all the three conſiderations; It is a ſocietie of men called out of the world, by the word, &c: So, the ſame perſons are or may be members of all the three Churches, or in that threefold conſideration of it, at once, He that is a true believer of the inviſible Church, is alſo a profeſſor of the Faith, and ſo a member of the Catholike viſible Church, and he that is of both thoſe, is or ought to be (if poſſible) a member of a particular Church: Now the Church, having its riſe and nature from a call, (as the word imports) that call admitting of ſeverall degrees, cauſes this three-fold notion of the Church, That call in Scripture, is either internall, which he calls effectuall; or externall, and that again admits of degrees: men are called either to the profeſſion of Faith onelyonly (lacking opportunity of publick Ordinances) or to participat…on of the inſtituted worſhip alſo; In their obedience to the firſt call, they are ſaid to be members of the Church inviſible; to the ſecond, to be members of the Catholike viſible; to the third, to be members of a particular Church: And his own way of raiſing the former diſtinction, is the ſame for ſubſtance, p. 84. §. 2. Hence the neceſſitie of Churches in the laſt acception is not onelyonly, becauſe members of a particular Church, are bound to externall rules for joynt communion (for to thoſe very rules, are members of the inviſible and viſible Church bound alſo, when it is poſſible): but partly becauſe, the Catholike Church, in either ſenſe cannot all meet in one place; and partly becauſe, the opportunitie to yeeld obedience to thoſe rules of joynt communion cannot be exerciſed but in a particular Societie, not too great, or numerous.
§. 2 1. For his firſt conſideration of the Church, which … calls the Myſticall body of Chriſt his elect,page 84. &c: the Church Catholike militant, I have but a little to ſay. I obſerve onelyonly, firſt that he reſtraines the Catholick Church inviſible, onelyonly to this world, as militant; whereas commonly our Div nes take it for the whole number of the elect, both Militant and Triumphant, from Heb. 12.23. The generall aſſembly, and Church of the firſt borne, which are written in heaven. 2. That he makes the Church inviſible, the onelyonly Myſticall body of Chriſt, which is ordinarily applyed to the Catholike viſible Church alſo; as contra diſtinguiſhed to the civill or politicall body of a ſtate. 3.See, my Vind, Vind. p. 9. That he cites Math. 16.28. to prove the Catholike inviſible Church, which is commonly underſtood of the Catholike viſible Evangelicall Church; He ſayes; They that will apply this (text) to the Church in any othe… ſenſe,page 88. muſt know that it is incumbent on them to eſtabliſh the promiſe made to it, unto every one that is a true member of the Church, in that ſenſe, which will be difficult, &c: But I ſay, that the promiſe in that text (and the reſt cited) is made good to every one that is a true member of the inviſible Church, is true; They are built upon that Rock, and the gates of Hell ſhall never prevaile againſt them; but yet it may be true, with reſpect, (if not to a particular Church, which may faile, yet) to the Catholike viſible Church, which as it is built upon that Rock, the confeſſion of Peter, that Jeſus Chriſt is the Sonne of God, and the Meſſiah come; So it is to continue to the worlds end, and the gates of Hell ſhall not prevaile totally to deſtroy it. And this himſelfe confeſſes, I no way doubt of the perpetuall exiſtence of innumerable believers in every age, and ſuch as made the profeſſion, that is abſolutely neceſſary to ſalvation, one way or other, p. 86. f. There is then a perpetuall existence of the Church, not onelyonly inviſible, as true beleivers, but alſo of the viſible, as profeſſors of the Faith of the Goſpell; and ſo the promiſe is made good to it. Indeed the promiſe in that text, is made to the whole Church indefinitely, and reſpectively; but not to every particular perſon in it, nor to every particular Church: There ſhall be a Church of true beleivers and profeſſors of the Faith in all ages, but whether it be made to a particular Church, That Chriſt hath had alwayes a Church, in this ſenſe, in the world, himſelfe ſayes is a needleſſe enquiry, p. 85. §. 5. Of which more perhaps hereafter.
§. 3 The ſecond thing conſiderable is, the Union of the members of this Catholicke inviſible Church, among themſelves; which he makes to be;pag. 95. The Inhabitation, of the ſame Spirit, or the animation of the whole by the Spirit; this is the fountaine radicall union of this Church, in it ſelfe, and with its head with the formall reaſon of it. But he cannot but know, that ſome of his own way, make Faith it ſelfe, in all the ſingle believers, D. Ameſ. Mcedull. l. 1. c. 31. §. 21.to be the forme of this inviſible Church; which they call the ſtate eſſentiall of this Church; they meane, the eſſence of the Church is preſerved by Faith, in ſingle believers: but I contend not: Be it Faith, or the Spirit of Faith, in its graces and operations, the matter is not great. But beſides this radicall union, pag. 96.he makes a double conſequentiall union flowing from that. 1. of Faith 2. of Love, of all thoſe united in the head, towards one another, and of every one towards the whole. But theſe are improperly called unions; they are rather conſequents of that union by one Spirit, than conſequentiall unions; and rather are the meanes of communion, Faith with the Head, Love with the members;pag. 98. So he ſayes I …annot ſay, they have their union in themſelves by Love, but it is the next immediate principle of that communion, which they have one with another, &c. but I liſt not to ſtrive about this neither. The third thing is, to enquire wherein the breach of this union muſt conſiſt:pag. 99. In theſe two things. 1. The caſting out that Spir…t, which gives this union; 2. The loſſe of Love, flowing from thenee into the body of Chriſt, &c: concerning which, he tells his Adverſaries, That our perſwaſion is, that this union was never utterly broken by any man,pag. 100. taken into it, or ever ſhall be, to the end of the world. I ſhall not differ with him, in this Aſſertion: OnelyOnly I take no ice of the warineſſe of his expreſſion; (utterly broken) which in that debate, ſignifies totally and finally. But if I may gradually and for a t…me be interrupted, (as our Divines allow) may there not be ſaid to be a breach in that union, though not of that union? And conſequentially a bleach in this union by ſome ſin may be called, Schiſm; which he too ſlightingly diſavows. That Faith may be weakened, and Love remitted, there is no queſtion; and that the Spirit may be quenched, and grieved, the Scripture inſinuates; upon whic… offence, there may be a kind of Schiſm, even in the Inviſible Church, if not to a ſeparation of the Spirit utterly, yet to a ſuſpenſion of its influence, by hiding it ſelfe, and leaving the Believer to a ſad deſertion; as experience tells us. Beſides this, the members of this Church, being alſo viſible in another ſenſe, and ſo of the Catholike viſible Church; may there not be a breach of union, even among them, which may extend, not onelyonly to diviſions in judgment, but alſo to ſeparation into parties, and what is that but Schiſm? I gave an inſtance in Paul and Barnabas, both members of this Church; Act. 15. l…ſt; and members of no particular Church. But ſtrictly to ſpeak, This Church it ſelfe, and its union being both inviſible, quà elect, there can be no v…ſible breach of union in it, or among the members of it; and ſo we muſt look for Schiſm, in the other Notions of the Church.