The Due Right of Presbyteries, Chapter 10 · Section 15 · Objection 18 – Objection 4
Object. 18. But you cannot demonstrate from Gods Word, that there is such a thing in the New Testament, as a Catholick visible Church.
Answ. I said something of this before, but I conceive the subject of the 1 Cor. 12. is a Catholick, visible Church, But, 1. wee doe not understand a politicall body with ordinary visible government from one man who maketh himselfe the vicar of Christ, the Pope, whose members are Cardinals, Bishops, & c. and such like. But the Catholick body mysticall of Jesus Christ, and that as visible: and 1. that the Apostle is to bee understood of an universall, not of a Congregationall and particular politick Church that meeteth in one place, is cleare; 1. hee speaketh of that Church wherein are diversities of gifts for the good of the whole Catholick body, as miracles, the gift of prophecie, the gift of interpretation, the gift of healing, &c. of whom hee saith, v. 5, 6. there is the same spirit, and the same God, who worketh all in all, the particular Congregation is not such an all in all. 2. Hee speaketh of such a Church as taketh in all baptized into one spirit, but this is the whole visible Church, not one single Congregation onelyonly. 3. Hee speaketh of such a Church as taketh in all, both Jewes and Gentiles, making them one body, v. 13. and that taketh in all the world. 4. Hee speaketh of such a Church as hath an adequat and full relation to Christ, from which this Church is denominated Christ mysticall, all the beleevers meeting in one mysticall body of Christ, as lines in one center, v. 12. now a single Congregation hath not a foot to fill this measure. 5. Hee speaketh of such a body as hath need of the helpe one of another, as the head hath need of the feet, v. 15, 16, 17. those of a single Congregation have need of those, who are eyes and eares without the congregation. 6. Hee speaketh of such a body, as is not to separate in their members, one from another, to make a schisme in the body. v. 25. but a single Congregation ought not to separate from the rest of the great body made up of many sister Churches. 7. Hee speaketh of such a body, the members whereof must care one for another, and suffer one with another, v. 26. now single Congregations are such members of this great bodie, as must mourne with these that mourne and rejoyce with these that rejoyce, therefore one single Congregation cannot bee this whole body, but its part onelyonly. 8. Hee speaketh of such a body in which God hath set, v. 28. Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, mi…cles, &c. now Christ hath not wedged in Apostles the Catholick Pastors of the whole world, to one single Congregation, nor hath hee confined such a multitude of officers ordinarie and extraordinary to one single Congregation. And that hee speaketh here of a Catholicke visible Church is cleare; 1. Hee speaketh of such a body, to which is given the manifestation of the spirit to profit withall, v. 7. this must bee a visible policie. 2. Hee speaketh of a politicall and organicall body, having eyes, eares, hands, feet, &c. which must bee a visible ministery. 3. Hee speaketh of a body capable of the seales, such as Baptisme, v. 13. We all are baptized by one spirit into one body, this must bee a visible baptized body; discerned by the visible character of baptisme from all societies of Jewes, Pagans, and others who professe not Christ Jesus. 4. Hee speaketh of such a body as standeth in need of the helpe one of another, as the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of the, v. 21. this evidently cryeth that hee supposeth a visible and externall policie in this body. 5. Hee speaketh of a body so tempered of God, as that there should bee no schisme in the body, nor separation from it, v. 25. now this cannot bee a separation from the invisible body of Christ, for so hypocrites which are members of this visible body, and are often officers, as eyes and eares, yea Pastors, and Teachers remaining in the body without any schisme or separation, are yet separatists from the invisible body of Christ, and no more parts of that body, then a woodden leg or arme is a member of a living man. 6. He speaketh of that body which is to expresse its care in praying, praising, mourning and rejoycing with the rest of the members as they are in a good or adverse condition of prosperitie or adversitie, v. 23, 26. and this must bee a visible Church praying or praising God. 7. Hee speaketh of such a Church as the fellow members may see and know by their senses, to suffer, and bee in a hard condition, or to rejoyce, as v. 25. 26. and this is more then apparently cleare to bee a visible Church. 8. Hee speaketh of such a Church as God hath furnished with severall officers, in severall orders visibly knowne to bee different officers, as v. 28. Now God hath set some in the Church, first Apostles, secondarily Prophets, thirdly teachers, these bee parts and most eminent and considerable organs of a visible Church. And the like I might prove by divers of these arguments of that body politicall of which the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 12. 3, 4, 5, 6. to the end of the Chapter. These speciall exceptions there bee against this. 1. That the Church, 1 Cor. 12. is the invisible and mysticall body of Christ, because it is a body baptized by one spirit. 2. A body called Christ, that is Christ mysticall. Answ. It is true that this visible body hath also an inward and spirituall baptizing, answerable to the externall and outward baptizing, and so according to that internall and mysticall union it is an invisible body, as these reasons prove: but the question is, if the Apostle speake of the body of Christ in that notion, we deny that, for hee speaketh plainly here of the Church, as it is a politicall, organicall and visible body.
Object. 2. If one should say, God hath placed in the common-wealth Emperours, Kings, Dukes, Princes and Rulers, as the eyes and eares of the Commonwealth, it should no wayes follow that all the Commonwealths in the earth are one visible civill body having a government, so though it hee said God hath placed in the spirituall Commonwealths of the Church Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, &c. it followeth not that the Church is all one spirituall, politick visible body, it followeth onelyonly that the Lord hath placed in the Church Apostles, Prophets, Teachers indefinitly, that is, that these may bee in any one single Congregation, as it is said, James 2. 2. If there come into your Assembly, or Synagogue, a man with a gold Ring, &c. now this will not prove that all the dispersed Jewes, to whom James wrote, were all but one Congregation.
Answ. 1. It is true, if any should say, God hath placed in the Common-wealth Emperors, Kings, Dukes, Princes, it should not folow that Common-wealths are one body, even Jewes, Gentiles, Barbarians, Americans, because there is not this externall union of visible Communion in the Common-wealths of the earth, as there is in the Churches; but if one should say, God hath placed Emperors, Kings, Dukes, Princes in the Common-wealths, as in one organicall body, having one head who hath given influence to so many Orgins of head feet, hands, eyes, eares, &c. as the Apostle speaketh of this body of the Church, he should then say all the Common-wealths of the world made but one body, but this indefinite speech must, by good logick, have the vertue either of an universall or a particular proposition, as if I say (The Church hath seated in it Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, &c.) you meane either the Cathlick visible Church, or the particular Congregation, or 3. some Church betwixt these two: our brethren cannot say they meane of a middle Church, for then they grant (contrary to their owne principles) a politicall visible Church, beside a Congregation; if they say the first, wee have what wee crave; if they say that the Congregation hath seated in it Apostles, Prophets, they fall in the former absurditie, for God hath placed Apostles, in the whole Christian world.
Object. 3. When the Apostle saith, v. 21. The head cannot say to the feet, I have no need of you; either must wee acknowledge here that …ee meaneth the head of a Congregation, to wit a Pastor, or a Doctor, and so hee speaketh here of a Congregation; or if hee speake of the Catholick Church, then Estius his argument may stand in force to … the Pope to bee the head of the Church; for Estius exponing these needs (The head cannot say to the feet, I have no need of you) by the head of the Catholick Church (saith hee) you either understand Christ the principall head, or then, some mortall man, the Pope, who is a ministeriall head; the former you cannot say, because Christ being God, and also man perfectly happy, hee may say to all the members of his Church great and small, yea to the very Angels, I have no need of you; for hee can sanctifie and governe his Church without the …d, the Sacraments, or any ministers, therefore the head which … in need of the feet, must bee the ministeriall head the Pope, … standeth in need of the feet for the governing of the body in a ministeriall way.
I answer, there is no reason for a Popish argument to leave the truth, for this argument shall no lesse militate against cur brethren, then against us, because it shall prove that there is a ministeriall head and Pope in every Congregation, which is no lesse absurd then to make a Catholick head over all the visible Catholick Church. Secondly, as for the argument it is easily answered, for the Apostle here useth a comparison from the naturall body, and there is no ground to presse every to…, lith and sinew of a comparison; and wee deny that the word (head) here doth signifie literally either Pastor or Bishop, for the eye also being that which watcheth and seeth for the whole body should also signifie the Pastor, but the intent of the Spirit of God is, that the most eminent members which are as the eyes & the head, whether their eminencie bee excellencie of saving grace, called, gratia gratum faciens, or excellencie of gifts, called, gratia gratis data, they have need of the gifts and graces of others inferiors and of meaner parts, and there is neither ministeriall head, nor ministeriall feet, nor ministeriall eyes in the Text.
Object. 4. To every visible Church there should bee a Paster to feed and rule that Church, if then there bee here a Catholick visible Church, thers should also be a Catholick visible Pastor, & that is a Pope.
Answ. That to every Church meeting foreign into one place, for Word and Sacraments, there should bee one Pastor onelyonly and a supreme one, I deny; there may bee more Pastors then one, but that to every Catholick Church there should be one head most eminent, that is farre rather to bee denied, for this is so great a flocke that there bee a necessitie of multitude of Pastors and watchmen to attend so Catholick a flock.