Truth Prevailing Against the Fiercest Opposition, Part 19
Your twenty one Conſideration for ſubſtance this: THat Paſtors and Teachers were given by Chriſt, that all Saints, one or other ſhould be perfected by them, and the whole body of Chriſt edified, then certainly they have all right to Church-fellowſhip, inaſmuch as they have their callings onelyonly by and reſident in Churches, neither are they in any probable way of perfecting them, but onelyonly when and whilſt they are incorporated with them in their Churches reſpectively, Eph. 4.8, 11, 12.
To which I anſwer. 1. Its true, that Paſtors and Teachers were given by Chriſt, that all Saints ſhould be perfected by them; but it is as evident, the Saints this Text ſpeaketh of, for whom they were given in ſpeciall, to ſerve as Officers in the Church, and who had power to give them their call, they were ſuch Saints as were of the viſible body of Chriſt, who as they had other characteriſtical marks of the members of that body, namely, to have one God, one Spirit, one Hope, one Lord, one Faith, ſo one BAPTISME; conſult the 4. and 5. verſes of this 4. of Epheſians, which Text Mr. Goodwin groundeth his Argument upon, and you will find it ſo, and although other perſons that were diſcipled by the word taught, but yet had not put on Chriſt viſibly by baptiſme into his Name. The gifts of Paſtors and Teachers were given for the perfecting of them too, yet but ſecondarily, not primarily, thoſe gifts primarily reſpect the body of Chriſt ſo marked, as before is noted; 'tis plain in the 12. verſe, For the edifying of the BODY of Chriſt.
That unbaptiſed perſons were not then reputed of the viſible body of Chriſt, I have proved at large already, and although they might be Saints before Baptiſme in the ſight of God, yet in the account of the Church none paſſe for Saints till then, becauſe their faith it ſelf in Chriſt, which maketh Saints, could not be clear to the Church till then, and that becauſe Baptiſme being one of the beginning doctrines of Chriſt,Heb. 6.2. Acts 2.38. Mar. 16▪ 16. and preached by the Apoſtles as a duty, with repentance and faith, and that in order to remiſſion of ſins and ſalvation (in ſome ſenſe or other) ſhould any man have ſtuck at it, and refuſed Baptiſme? what ground would the Church have had to look upon the faith of ſuch as ſound? nay, had they not all the reaſon in the world to doubt the ſoundneſs of it? becauſe the character of a true lively ſaith would be found wanting, namely, univerſal obedience, and they rejecters of the counſel of God.
Nothing in reaſon could appear as a ground to refuſe it, but the danger of the croſſe following it; I conclude then, that though the truth of their faith made them Saints before God, yet without publick profeſſion of their faith by Baptiſme, they were not owned for Saints by the Church, or any ſuch perſons whoſe faith was of the right kind, let their profeſſions otherwiſe be that they would be.
This is clearly the doctrine of the 3. Galat. 27. Ye are all the children of God by faith; FOR (mark) as many of you as have been baptiſed into Chriſt have put on Chriſt; he proveth their faith in Chriſt to be true by this, that they were not aſhamed to put on Chriſt, to bear his Name publickly, whatever it ſhould coſt them.
And then 2. Whereas he ſaith, AS MANY OF YOU as have been baptiſed into Chriſt have put on Chriſt. They and onelyonly they, that were baptiſed into Chriſt, were judged by the Churches, as perſons that had put on Chriſt, in diſtinction from Moſes, and that had now embraced the Religion of the Lord Jeſus.
And although it be very true, that beleiving perſons are not in ſo-good a way of perfecting by the gifts of Chriſts paſtors and Teachers, out of Churches as in Churches, yet that will not juſtifie the Church in breaking any of Chriſts rules for their admiſſion, their ſuffering is through their own fault, the mouth of God being open, and his heart enlarged towards them.
And thus good Reader, how eaſily maiſt thou ſee, that the Scriptures complain of the yoak, wherein Mr. Goodwin forceth them to draw.