The Glory of a True Church and its Discipline Displayed, Title page – Prefatory letter
THE GLORY OF A TRUE CHURCH, And its Discipline display'd. Wherein a true Gospel-Church is described. Together with the Power of the Keys, and who are to be let in, and who to be shut out.
By BENJAMIN KEACH.
Mat. 18.18.
Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth, shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth, shall be loosed in Heaven.
LONDON; Printed in the Year 1697.
To the Baptized Churches, particularly to that under my Care.
My Brethren,
EVery House or Building consisteth both of Matter and Form: And so doth the Church of Christ, or House of the Living God.
The Matter or Materials with which it is built are Lively Stones, …. e. Converted Persons: Also the Matter and Form must be according to the Rule and Pattern shewed in …he Mount, I mean Christ's Institution, and the Apostolical Churches Constitution, and not after Mens Inventions.
Now some Men, because the Ty…ical Church of the Jews was Na…ional, and took in their Carnal Seed (as such) therefore the same Mat…er and Form they would have under the Gospel.
But tho a Church be rightly built in both these respects, i.e. of fit Matter and right Form, yet without a regular and orderly Discipline, it will soon lose its Beauty, and be polluted.
Many Reverend Divines of th… Congregational way, have written most excellently (it is true) upon th… Subject, I mean on Church-Discipline; but the Books are so voluminou… that the Poorer Sort can't purchas… them, and many others have not Tim… or Learning enough to improve them to their Profit; and our Brethren th… Baptists have not written (as I ca… gather) on this Subject by it self… Therefore I have been earnestly desired by our Members, and also by on… of our Pastors, to write a small and plain Tract concerning the Rules … the Discipline of a Gospel-Church that all Men may not only know our Faith, but see our Order in this cas… also. True, this (tho plain) is bi… short, but may be it may provoke som… other Person to do it more fully. Certainly, ignorance of the rules of Discipline causes no small trouble and disorders in our Churches; and if this may be a Prevention, or prove profit able to any, let God have the Glory, and I have my End: Who am, Yours
Aug. … ▪ 1697. Benj. Keach.