The Remains of John Corbet, Section 6 – Section 9
§ 6. The Ʋnity of the Catholick Church Viſible.
THE Catholick Church is not only notionally, but really exiſtent, and hath Relation to particular Churches, as an intregal whole, to integral parts. The ſame relation it hath alſo to particular Chriſtians; yea, and to ſuch as are not fixed members of a particular Church.
There being one peculiar Kingdom of Chriſt, throughout the World, diſtinct from the World in general, viſibly conſtituted and adminiſtred, not by humane Laws, and Coercive Power, as Secular Kingdoms are; but by Divine Laws and Power directly and purely reſpecting the conſcience, there muſt needs be one Caetholick Viſible Church.
The Catholick Church in its Viſible form, is one political Society, or Spiritual Commonwealth, the City of God, the more ſpecial Kingdom of Chriſt upon Earth; for the World in general is his Kingdom at large.
The Unity of the Catholick Church being a political Society, ariſeth not out of a local contiguity, but out of the moral and political Union of the parts.
And if the Inviſible Church be one body, the Viſible muſt be ſo likewiſe. For theſe terms, the Church Viſible and Inviſible, do not ſignifie two Societies (as hath been ſhewed); but the ſame Society diſtinguiſhed by its diver conſiderations.
The Viſible Catholick Church hath one Head and Supreme Lord, even Chriſt; one Charter and Syſteme of Laws, Members that are free denizons of the whole Society, one form of admiſſion, or ſolemn initiation for all its Members; one Spiritual polity, or one Divine form of Government, and one kind of Eccleſiaſtical Power.
The members of one particular Church are intituled to the priviledges granted of God to viſible Chriſtians in any other Church whereſoever they come to be injoyed by them according to their capacity, and in a due order: And whereſoever any Chriſtian comes as a ſtranger, he is by his relation to the Univerſal Church, bound to have communion with the particular Church or Churches of that place in Gods ordinances, according to his capacity and opportunity. And if it be ſaid, he is looked upon as a tranſient member of that particular Church, where he comes as a ſtranger: I anſwer, that it ariſeth from his being a member of the Catholick Church, which contains all particular Churches, as an integral whole, its ſeveral parts; for it is his right, and not a favour or a matter of mere charity.
Whoſoever is juſtly and orderly caſt out of one Church, is thereby vertually caſt out of all Churches, and ought to be received by none. This cannot be meerly by compact among the Churches, or by the mutual relation of mere concordant or ſiſter Churches, but by their being integral parts of one ſociety, for the ejection out of all (de jure) follows naturally, neceſſarily, ipſo facto, from the ejection out of one.
The Apoſtles were general officers of the whole Catholick Church as of one viſible ſociety: And it is not to be imagined, that it loſt its unity by their death. The ordinary Paſtors and Teachers, tho actually and in exerciſe overſeeing their own parts, are habitually and radically related to the whole Catholick Church, and thereby are inabled to exerciſe their miniſterial authority in any other parts, whereſoever they come, without a new ordination, or receiving a new paſtoral authority, ſo that they do it in a due order. This ſhews that the ſeveral Churches are parts of one political ſociety, otherwiſe the officers could not act authoritatively out of their own particular congregation, no more than (as one well obſerves) a Mayor or Conſtable can exerciſe their offices in other Corporations.
§ 7. The Priority in nature of the Catholick Church to particular Churches.
FOraſmuch a… men are Chriſtians in order of nature before they are members of a particular Church, and miniſters in general before they are miniſters of a particular Church, they are members and miniſters firſt of the Catholick Church in order of nature, and then of particular Churches. And the Charter and Body of Laws and Ordinances by which the Church ſubſiſts, doth firſt belong to the Catholick Church, and then to particular Churches as parts thereof.
To be a member of a particular congregation, gives only the opportunity of injoying divine ordinances and Church priviledges; but immediate right thereunto is gained by being a viſible believer, or a member of the Church Catholick.
One may be a member of the Church Catholick, and yet not a fixed member of any particular Church, and that in ſome caſes occeſſarily, and in that ſtate he hath right to Gods ordinances.
The Ethiopian Eunuch was of no particular Church, and yet baptized by Philip.
The Promiſes, Threatning and Precents of Chriſt are diſpenſed by his Miniſter to the members of his Church primarily, not as members of a particular, but of the univerſal Church: And therefore the Miniſter diſpenſeth the ſame with authority in Chriſts Name, even to ſtrangers that come into his Congregation.
8. The Viſibility of the Catholick Church.
AS a large Empire is viſible to the eye of ſence, not in the whole at one view, but in the ſeveral parts one after another; ſo is the Catholich Church.
As a large Empire is viſible in the whole at one view by an act of the underſtanding, which is the eye of the mind; ſo is the Catholick Church.
As the unity of a large Empire is not judged inviſible, becauſe it cannot be ſeen without an act of the underſtanding; no more may the unity of the Catholick Church be for that reaſon judged inviſible.
I have already ſhewed that the adequate notion of viſible and inviſible in this ſubject, is to be not only the object of the bodily eye or other external ſence, but alſo of any humane intuition or certain perception, or that which falls under humane cognizance and judgment.
§ 9. The Polity of the Catholick Church.
THE Catholick Church is not (as ſecular Kingdoms or Commonwealths are) autonomical, that is, having within it ſelf that Power of its own fundamental conſtitution, and of the laws and officers and adminiſtrations belonging to it, as a Church or ſpiritual polity; but it hath received all theſe from Chriſt, its Head, King and Law giver. Indeed as it includes Chriſt the Head, it is in reference to him autonomical; but here we conſider it as a political Body viſible upon earth, and abſtracted from its Head.
Nevertheleſs it hath according to the capacity of its acting, that is, in its ſeveral parts, a power of ſecondary Laws or Canons either to impreſs the Laws of Chriſt upon its members, or to regulate circumſtantials and accidentals in Religion, by determining things neceſſary in genere, and not determined of Chriſt in ſp…c…, but left to humane determination.
The ſpiritual authority ſeated in the Church, is not ſeated in the Church, as Catholick, ſo as to deſcend from it by way of derivation and communication to particular Churches; but it is immediately ſeated in the ſeveral particular Churches as ſimilar parts of one political Body the Church Catholick.
The Church Catholick is as one univerſal or Oecumenical Kingdom, having one ſupream Lord, one Body of Law…, one Form of Government, one way of Enrollment into it and ſubiects who have freedom throughout the whole extent thereof, radically and fundamentally always, and actually to be uſed according to their occaſions and capacities, but having no Terrene Univerſal Adminiſtrator or Vicegerent perſonal or collective, but ſeveral adminiſtrators in the ſeveral provinces or parts thereof, inveſted with the ſame kind of authority reſpecting the whole kingdom radically or fundamentally, but to be exerciſed ordinarily in their own ſtated limits, and occaſionally any where elſe according to a due call and order.
Wherefore tho it be one political ſociety, yet not ſo as to have one terreſtrial vicarious Head, perſonal or collective, having legiſlation and juriſdiction over the whole. And indeed no terreſtrial Head is capable of the Government; and Chriſt the Supream Head and Lord being powerfully preſent throughout the whole by his ſpirit, cauſeth that ſuch a vicarious Head is not wanted.
Indeed the Apoſtles as ſuch were univerſal officers, having Apoſtolick authority not only radically or habitually, but actually alſo over the whole Catholick Church in regard they were divinely inſpired, and immediately commiſſioned by Chriſt under him to erect his Church, and to eſtabliſh his religion, even the Doctrine, Worſhip, Diſcipline and Government that was to be received by all Chriſtians: But this office was but temporary in the nature and formal reaſon of it, and ſo expired with their perſons, and was not of the eſſence, or a conſtitutive part of this ſociety.