The Temple Measured, Part 1
Concerning the Ʋnity of the Church.
THe Militant Church of Chriſt upon earth,Pro. 1. is one integral Body viſible, and hath power to act in Synods and Councels to the end of the world. 1. The Apoſtles, and Prophets, and Evangeliſts were viſible members of the Univerſal or Catholike and Integral Church. They could not be members of any particular Church, becauſe they were not conſtituted members of any particular Church by ſpecial reference to any particular Church. That which conſtitutes one a member of a particular Church, doth ſo conſtitute him a member of that Church, as that he is not (in that reſpect) a member of all Churches, or of any other. Therefore the Apoſtles, &c. were members of no viſible Church, if they were not members of a viſible Church Univerſal. 2.Acts 15. 1 Cor. 16. The Apoſtles were viſible Heads of the whole Church, and did Decree and Ordain with reference to the whole Church. This they could not do as members of one particular Church, but as tranſcendent Officers, and as viſible Heads of the Catholike Church. The Apoſtles have been called heretofore (and that juſtly) foreign. Now many and all Churches under the ſame viſible Officers, are but one Church: many Corporations under one King, are but one Body Politick. The twelve Tribes in Iſrael under one King, made but one Kingdom. 3. The Apoſtles, &c. admitted members into the Catholike Church, neither in the preſence nor under the notion of any particular Church.Acts 8. & 10. & 16. The Eunuch, Cornelius, the Jaylor, and ſuch like, were baptized members of no viſible Church, if there was not a viſible Church Univerſal.Eccleſia non eſt Reſp. non ariſtocratio, ſed regnum. Beza Ep. 83. p. 367. 4. Chriſt is one viſible Head, one Maſter of the family, one Biſhop, one King viſibly, by vertue of his Laws and Ordinances, and works of ſpecial providence in the Churches. Chriſt walketh in the midſt of the golden candleſticks, Rev. 1. and ſitteth in the midſt of two or three gathered together in his Name, Matth. 18. Thus a King, though abſent from his Kingdom, is a viſible King in his Kingdom. The King of England is viſibly King of Scotland, though he makes his abode and keeps his Court in London. 5. The Church of the Jews was a type and patern of the Chriſtian Church, Ezek. 40.41, 42. Revel. 11.1, 2. compared with Rev. 21. The Church of the Jews conſiſted of many Tribes and many Cities, yet was but one Body politick. The great Synedrian of Jeruſalem, might reſemble the great Presbytery of the Apoſtles and extraordinary Elders, in reſpect of more ordinary execution in Primitive days, and Synods and Councels, in reſpect of leſſe ordinary execution in ſucceeding ages.Acts 12.1. Eph. 3.21. 1 Tim. 3.15. 6. It is correſpondent to Scripture-phraſe; the viſible Church is termed in Scripture one Univerſal Church, Matth. 16.18. the Univerſal Church is one viſible Church, becauſe it is deſcribed as acting viſibly in the adminiſtrations of the Keys: This may be more fully proved in another place.See Calvin Inſtit. lib. 4. cap. 1. In Eph. 4. the Univerſal Church is one viſible Church, becauſe it is deſcribed by its viſible Officers, Apoſtles, Prophets, Evangeliſts, Paſtors and Teachers. 1 Cor. 12, the Univerſal Church is one viſible Church, becauſe it is deſcribed by its viſible Officers in like manner. Rev. 11.1, 2, 3, the Univerſal Church is deſcribed as viſible, by one city, by one court; and is called the outward court, and ſo diſtinguiſhed, as it is viſible, from the myſtical Church, which is reſembled by the Temple. 7. The myſtical Union of Brotherhood doth naturally conſtitute one Body myſtical: Why ſhould not the viſible Union of Brotherhood in profeſſion, conſtitute one Body viſible? The Lord ſevered the children of Iſrael into Tribes; yet ſo as that all might be one Body, under one Prince and Prieſt. 8. All natural grounds of fellowſhip in particular Churches, in reſpect of more ordinary execution,A ſin againſt authority, is a greater ſin; an evil inflicted by authority, is a greater evil. do beſpeak fellowſhip in one Catholike Church in point of leſſe ordinary execution. Brotherly Union, Chriſtian profeſſion, the edification of the Church, the celebration of the Name of Chriſt, all theſe are prevalent. Chriſt is glorified moſt eminently in the great Aſſembly. Pride and Independence are inſeparable. If the children of Jacob had been divided into Tribes as independent States, they might ſoon have rejected one another as Eſaeu and Jacob did. The notion of a relation doth cheriſh affection and maintain union. 9. The manner of admiſſion in Primitive days, obligeth to all Churches, to the whole Church as well as to a particular Church.2 Chron. 15.12. & 34.31. As all Iſrael together was wont to profeſſe their purpoſe to walk according to the Law before the Lord; ſo all converts in Primitive days did profeſſe their purpoſe to walk with all Saints in all the Ordinances of Chriſt. That covenant which converts then made, ſeemeth to be general with reference to all Churches. Thus then the Church Militant is one viſible Body, one Houſe, one Family, one Tabernacle, one Temple, one Candleſtick, one Citie, one New Jeruſalem, Rev. 21. this Jeruſalem hath twelve gates, and theſe gates are particular Churches, which do admit into the whole City, as well as into the particular gates: every gate is an entry into the city, and all in the city have a virtual admiſſion thorow every gate. Every Common-wealth hath power offenſive ſecondarily for the defending of it ſelf, or any other in caſe of oppreſſion. Abraham had power to reſcue Lot; but this power is not equal to the power of Churches. God hath diſtinguiſhed Eſau from Jacob in point of Politie; but God hath united the children of Jacob, by one ſtaff of beauty and another of bonds, both by temporal and ſpiritual authority before Chriſt came. God hath altered the conſtitution of the world; ſin hath rent the world in pieces: but God hath repaired and united the Church by an Uniformity of Ordinances, and by an identity of profeſſion under one viſible Head the Lord Chriſt. All Saints are next brethren as the children of Jacob were, and united, by a perpetual bond. The Churches do approve of each others acts by mutual conſent, when one Church admitteth members, electeth Officers, diſpenſeth Cenſures, it acts for all Churches. What is done by one gate in Jeruſalem, is done by the whole city (intuitu, Beza Ep. 68. p. 290.though not interventu totius Eccleſiae) as Maſter Parker diſtinguiſheth to another purpoſe. Laſtly, it is generally ſuppoſed that all Churches have power to act together, and to exert power of Juriſdiction in a General Councel. Calvin is expreſſe, Inſtit. l. 4. c. 8 & 9. And if this be granted, it follows that the Church is one viſibly. It could not act as one in a General Councel, if it were not one viſibly.—Operari ſequitur eſſe.
Object. The whole Church hath no viſible Head.
Anſw. Particular Churches are viſible Churches when they are deſtitute of viſible Officers: The whole Church accordingly may be one viſible Body without any viſible Officers, at leaſt in reſpect of power to act conjunctim ordinarily. 2. Chriſt is ſuppoſed to be a viſible Head in ſome reſpect; and Eccleſiaſtical Policie is acknowledged to be Monarchical in reſpect of Chriſt.Judg 8.23 Joſephus obſerves that there was a Monarchical Theocracie in Iſrael: we may as well conclude that there is ſuch a Monarchie in the Chriſtian Church to the end of the world. 3. The Church is one ſo as to act ordinarily, as one, diviſim. And therefore when a particular Presbytery excommunicateth any perſon, he doth excommunicate that perſon out of all particular Churches or the Univerſal Church; and that by the authority of the univerſal Church, becauſe there is ſuch a mutual conſent in all Churches.
Paſtores (ſaith Chamier) ſi minùs ſingulos, tamen omnes, Eccleſiae toti praefectos aſſerimus, Apoſtolos non modò omnes ſed etiam ſingulos. Some of our modern Divines do ſeem to allow onelyonly of an eſſential and inviſible unity, and yet they do aſcribe a judicial power to Synods and Councels. The Fathers ſo praedicated the unity of an univerſal Church, that they laid foundations for an univerfal Biſhop. Res Divinae (according to Polanus) adminiſtrantur Synodali foreign, confirmantur regia foreign. In Synodo est authoritatis apex, totius Eccleſiae unitas, ordinis firmamentum. Leid. Prof. de Conciliis. The Papiſts would build their Babel for their Pope on this foundation: but they ſhall not proceed, becauſe God hath divided the tongues of the Chriſtian world: Proteſtants ſpeak the language of Canaan, and it cannot be underſtood by the Antichriſtians.
The Church of the Lord Chriſt,Pro. 2. Acts 2 & 14. 1 Cor. 1. & 11. Gal. 1. Rev. 2, &c. in reſpect of more ordinary or conſtant execution, is many Churches. 1. The Scripture frequently calleth particular congregations the Churches of Chriſt, and declareth that they were intruſted and furniſhed with compleat power to adminiſter both Tables of the Law, the Covenants, the Seals, the Cenſures, in all Ordinances. 2. Conveniency and neceſſity do require it, becauſe it is impoſſible for the whole to maintain fellowſhip in one place for edification. The Church of the Jews (though but one Nation) could congregate but ſeldome: Circumciſion was permitted at home, the Paſſeover was celebrated by families apart, onelyonly in Jeruſalem. 3. The Apoſtles direction and approbation is evident. They ordained Presbyters in particular congregations, and confined them to their particular congregations. Asts 20 and 14, they ordained no ordinary Officers ſine titulo, but with reference to particular congregations. Theſe particular Churches are called The tents of the ſhepherds, Cant. 2. the chambers of the temple, Ezek. 40. the gates of new Jeruſalem, where the Presbyters are to ſit in judgement for the ordinary, Rev. 21. Theſe are ſo many chambers of preſence; Chriſt ſitteth in the midſt of them, Matth. 18. thoſe that are admitted into any one chamber, are admitted into the whole houſe, as thoſe that are admitted into any one gate of New Jeruſalem, are admitted into the whole city. It is determined in Politicks, that ſubordinate cities have need of Government within themſelves.Triumvirale Synedrium. If we look upon the type or patern of the Chriſtian Church in the State of Iſrael, we ſhall finde that the leſſer cities in Iſrael had their particular Preſbyters, though conſiſting but of three Elders, ſuch was their frame of Policie. Pistro Soane Polano, the author of the Hiſtory of the Trent Councel (that excellent and impartial Hiſtorian) obſerveth that Epiſcopal power hath mounted from an office of charity (practiſed in all congregations in the Primitive days) to ſuch an height, as maketh it ſuſpected to Princes, and terrible to the people, to whole Kingdoms. Let this be the concluſion: All congregations have a divided power, but not an Independent power. The Synagogues in Iſrael had a divided power, yet dependent upon the Temple: they could excommunicate, Joh. 9. and in all probability, the Prieſts and Levites in the Temple did not admit ſuch as ſtood excommunicate in the Synagogues, until the caſe were decided.