The Temple Opened, Tract · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Of the Inferences neceſſary from the Fore-going Chapter.
IT being diſcovered in what ſences the word Church is taken in the New Teſtament; its an idle and vain thing for Chriſtians to trouble and concern their heads and Conſciences about humorſome conceipts and imaginations of mens brains; managed for the moſt part to ſerve their carnal Intereſts, or darken the Truth. Let men give up themſelves and Underſtandings impartially to the plain, and genuine Sence and meaning of the Spirit of God, without ſqueezing or wreſting it to a deſign or prejudicate Opinion, or favouring any beloved Luſt, and the truth of the Goſpel would ſhine with full Evidence and Demonſtration. And therefore notwithſtanding mens great ſwelling and words of Vanity from Pulpit and Preſs, in matters of this nature, we ſhall make bold to lay down theſe following Aſſertions as undeniable plain Concluſions from what hath been ſpoken.
1. That the Goſpel Church Eſtabliſhed by our Lord Jeſus Chriſt in the dayes of the New Teſtament, is or can be no where underſtood of any other Church then the Catholick Church, or particular Congregations of faithful men, &c. and that there is no one place that can have any fair pretence to be underſtood of any other conſtitution of Churches.
2. That where-ever the word foreign is uſed, it always ſignifies a Congregation or Aſſembly of men met together, at leaſt occaſionally, upon ſome civil, ſpiritual, or ſinful Account; and that we need not be beholding to any Tropical Sences, or ungrounded ſuppoſal of things, and meanings of Words, ſo remote, when in the plain and ordinary way of Underſtanding, things preſent themſelves to our Reaſons and Senſes; If we be not blinded with Pride, Paſſion, Prejudice, and Eſtrangement from the true way of Spiritual Underſtanding, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, and conſonacy of things to the Analogy of Faith.
3. We infer, That a Congregation of faithful men is the generical material part of a Church, becauſe it comprehends all the matter that is ever found in any Goſpel Church of any kind; all fit matter for ſuch a Congregation, are ſuch as are really ſo, or viſibly, (in foro mundi) or both. And alſo, becauſe there is no Church of Chriſt ſpoken of, or mentioned in Old or New Teſtament, but is ſo called under the Notion of being a Congregation to be ſometime or other Aſſembled all together; the Catholick Church is ſo under that Notion, as being all gathered together actually and myſtically in Chriſt, and ſhall all appear one day in a glorious Congregation, Heb. 12.22, 23. Where foreign is to be underſtood as R. St. renders it, Publicus conventus, a general Publick Aſſembly: likewiſe, wherever the Spirit of God ſpeaks of a Church of his own conſtituting, its always ſo.
The Old Teſtament Church was called ſo under that notion; though National, yet was required to be ſtill Congregational; all the Males being required thrice a year to appear before the Lord in a Viſible Congregation at the Tabernacle; (therefore called the Tabernacle of the Congregation) or at the Temple, where it was in ſtanding; and it is ſo often called the Congregation of the children of Iſrael; the Reader may turn to theſe places at leiſure, Exod. 16.2.10. Levit. 4.13. ch. 14.2. & 20.1, 22. Joſ. 18.1. ch. 22.12, 16, 18. 2 Chr. 6.3. Ezra. 2.64. And the whole Congregation together 42360: theſe more or leſs made up one Aſſembly, theſe were Preached to by Ezra; and whatever the number of the Nation was, they were to meet all together in one place. And ſo we have the word applyed to the Church in the New Teſtament, that it alwayes ſignifies a Congregation that doth ordinarily meet together for their edification, if it be meant of a Particular Church; but if an Univerſal, ſuch a Church as ſhortly ſhall Aſſemble, and always ſit together in a laſting ſinleſs and uninterrupted communion. So that a true Church of Chriſt under whatever Notion you take it, muſt be and is a Congregation of Saints, viſible, inviſible, or both, that do meet together in one place, for the Worſhip of God in Chriſt, and communion in one body.
4. We infer that we have part of the differencing form in that Deſcription, viz. where the pure word is Preached, and Sacraments duely Adminſtred, &c. for it diſtinguiſheth the true Church, diſtinguiſheth the true viſible Churches from falſe and erroneous, it diſtinguiſheth a particular Church from the Catholick, for there is no Church but a particular Congregation capable of having the word preached to it, and Sacraments duely adminiſtred in one Congregation, but a particular Church; when the Catholick Church aſſembles, there will be neither.
5. We find not the leaſt word in Old or New Teſtament, of a Repreſentative Congregation, or Church-Repreſentative; the Congregation of the Jews was to be by a Perſonal Appearance of all the Males, the Females were exempted upon Gods ſpecial Diſpenſation, by reaſon of their unfitneſs for Travel, as from circumciſion by reaſon of incapacity. But we find that every viſible Church of Chriſt ſtill appeared before the Lord perſonally, for actual communion in Church Ordinances, in that way and method that God appointed in his Reſpective Diſpenſations; and we are fully aſſured there is no Repreſentative Church of Chriſts inſtitution, either Councels, or Synods, or Presbyteries. We read not of any Presbytery, i. e. Aſſociation of Elders called the Church, but the Church is always ſpoken of diſtinctly from them. If there had been any Reaſon to have called any Elderſhip the Church, there had been Reaſon to have called that ſo in the Apoſtolick Church, which had ſo many famous Apoſtles, Prophets, and Evangeliſts in in it; but they are named diſtinctly in that great Councel held at Jeruſalem, Act. 15.22. It pleaſed the Apoſtles and Elders, with the whole Church.
6. The Univerſal Church doth comprehend all the particular Congregations in all Ages and places, (being ſimular and co-ordinate parts of it) of the viſible Saints, where (by the Inſtitution of Chriſt the Head) all the Ordinances are placed, and by his influence there is a ſupply of Graces and gifts, for the Edification of his Body, as likewiſe all Officers, and Offices, as appears, Eph. 4.11, 12. of which there were Extraordinary and Ordinary.
7. The extraordinary Officers were inſtituted for an extraordinary Occaſion, viz. the firſt Plantation of the Goſpel-churches: They were Apoſtles, Prophets, Evangeliſts; the call of theſe, the works and Qualifications, was extraordinary: Theſe continued no longer than the firſt Age of the Church.
8. The Ordinary remaining Officers are no more than Presbyters, (which ſome make a little diſtinction of) Paſtors, Teachers, Ruling Elders,) but there is no need of multiplication of Titles and Offices, where the work doth ſo much correſpond, and is of the ſame nature) and Deacons; the firſt ſort to give themſelves principally to Prayer, and the Miniſtry of the Word, and Government: the latter to mind the matters of more external concern, called Tables, as the neceſſities of the Poor, the providing Elements for Sacraments, conveniencies for Church-aſſemblies, and whatever is neceſſary upon ſuch Occaſions. Theſe Officers are no where found with a capacity to exert their Power as ſuch, but in particular Congregations; tho' they be members of the Catholick Church, they are not Catholick Officers; Chriſt is now the only Catholick Officer, being the Head of the whole Body.
9. All the Officers of the Goſpel-church were placed in the one Catholick Church, primarily and immediately relating to Chriſt Myſtical, ſecondarily and mediately, to the ſeveral viſible militating parts thereof in particular Congregations; and their Office-work was either for the planting and gathering in to them, or for the edification of thoſe gathered: The Extraordinary had an extraordinary call, furniſhed with an extraordinary meaſure of the Spirit, as with an extraordinary Commiſſion: the Ordinary had not theſe, but ſufficient both of the Spirit and commiſſion for anſwering Chriſts glorious ends and deſigns in building his Church in future Ages, and gathering more.
10. It appears that the true actual members of the viſible Church are viſible Saints and Believers, none that were adult were ever counted ſo in the Goſpel-ſence, but under-the Notion of the Profeſſion of Faith and Practice of Holineſs. True Faith makes a man a true Member of the myſtical Body of Chriſt, but cannot inſtate a man in foro Eccleſiae, in the rights of viſible communion, till it manifeſts it ſelf with credibility unto thoſe to whom the Preſervation of theſe Rights and Priviledges are committed, the actual Officers and Members of a viſible Church. The Rule that Chriſt hath given for knowing and judging of others is by their Fruits, and if the Church be miſtaken for want of Infallibility, (which the Apoſtles themſelves came ſhort in, Simon Magus and Judas being not known to them but by the Diſcovery of overt Acts) God chargeth them not culpably with it, that being a Prerogative that Chriſt reſerves to himſelf, and none ever Pretended to it but the falſe Prophet, the great Spiritual Uſurper; and it appears that our Saviour reſerved this Diadem to himſelf in the Embrio of the Goſpel-church, by his Behaviour towards Judas, admitting him to viſible communion, meerly upon an outward Profeſſion, though he knew his Heart; leaving his Practice as an Example to his Miniſters and Churches; carrying himſelf as a viſible Paſtor, and dealt with men in the caſe of receiving to, or rejecting from communion, according to the viſibility of their Profeſſion: therefore leaving it as a ſtanding Rule to his Church for future proceeding in this kind; not that he eſteemed Hypocrites any part of his myſtical Body, but yet the preſent Profeſſion giving them by his own Rules a right to all External Priviledges, and a Reputation, nothing inferiour to others; he ſpeaks of them in ſome Phraſes which to minds not throughly informed in the Truth, create much difficulty, as John 17.11. Holy Father, keep through thy name thoſe whom thou haſt given me, that they may be one as we are; i. e. all thoſe that thou haſt given me to be of my myſtical Body, that they may be united in Participation of the Divine Nature, as we are one; verſ. 12. While I was with them in the World [as a viſible Paſtor among them] I kept them in thy Name; of thoſe thou gaveſt me, [that is the charge of, as a viſible Paſtor, and that I took upon their viſible Profeſſion,] I have loſt none but the Son of Perdition. So John 15.2. Every branch in me [in the Church by a viſible Profeſſion] that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: verſe 6. If a man abide not in me, he is caſt forth as a branch and withered. So 1 John 2.19. They went out from us, [as a viſible Church] but were not of us; as part of the Catholick Body.
11. Churches of Chriſt are and may be in Nations, Provinces, Dioceſſes, Pariſhes, though thoſe limits of co-habitation are not ſo, as ſuch; Jeruſalem, Corinth, Antioch, Epheſus, Smyrna, Coloſs, &c. were not Churches as ſuch, though there was a Church or Churches, in each of thoſe Towns or Cities, therefore we read of the Church in Corinth, and when he ſpeaks of Provinces or larger Tracts, he ſaith the Churches of ſuch a place, in the plural number, viz. Churches of Galatia, Macedonia, Judea, &c. and therefore, the Language of the Spirit of God now, if he ſpake as then, would be to ſay, The Churches of England, France, Spain, and not the Church, ſuppoſing all the Churches in ſuch a Province or Nation, to be Organized into one Body, under one viſible Paſtor, according to our corrupt Dialect and Underſtanding.
12. Hence laſtly it is manifeſt that however it came to paſs that by the ſubtile inſinuation of the Myſtery of Iniquity, ſeveral Antichriſtian Fabricks have had the Reputation of the Churches of Chriſt; yet it appearing that they are nothing ſo indeed by Chriſts conſtitution; They are juſtly ſeparated from by all truely informed in the mind and will of Chriſt: And that this Separation is ſo far from being any thing of Schiſm, or culpable Separation, that it is a high and Eminent Duty, that all they that are growing up to the Stature of the Fulneſs of Chriſt, ſhould be ambitious of; and they need not fear the Unchurching of them, that Chriſt never made Churches.