BOOK III. CONCERNING THEIR SECOND ASSERTION, THAT IN SCRIPTURE THERE What the is, and in spect THE MATTER CONTAINED IN THIS THIRD BOOK. 1. What the Church is, and in what respect Laws of Polity are thereunto necessarily required. 2. Whether it be necessary that some particular Form of Church-Polity be set down 3. That matters of Church-Polity are different from matters of Faith and Salvation; 5. Their meaning who first urged against the Polity of the Church of England, That 6. How great injury men by so thinking should offer unto all the Churches of God. 7. A shift notwithstanding to maintain it, by interpreting commanded, as though it were meant that greater things only ought to be found set down in Scripture particularly, and lesser framed by the general rules of Scripture. 8. Another device to defend the same, by expounding commanded, as if it did signify grounded on Scripture, and were opposed to things found out by light of natural Reason only. 9. How Laws for the Polity of the Church may be made by the advice of men; and 10. That neither God's being the Author of Laws, nor yet his committing of them 1. ALBEIT the substance of those controversies whereinto Church we have begun to wade, be rather of outward things apperwhat re- taining to the Church of Christ, than of any thing wherein Laws of the nature and being of the Church consisteth; yet because are there- the subject or matter which this position concerneth, is A antony Form of Church-Government, or Church-Polity, it therefore required. behoveth us so far forth to consider the Nature of the Church, ne cessarily as is requisite for men's more clear and plain understanding in what respect Laws of Polity or Government are necessary thereunto. That Church of Christ, which we properly term his body mystical, can be but one; neither can that one be xii. x. 28. sensibly discerned by any man, inasmuch as the parts thereof (1 Cor. are some in heaven already with Christ, and the rest that are 12, 27.] on earth (albeit their natural persons be visible) we do not discern under this property whereby they are truly and infallibly of that body. Only our minds by intellectual conceit are able to apprehend that such a real body there is, a body collective, because it containeth an huge multitude; a body mystical, because the mystery of their conjunction is removed altogether from sense. Whatsoever we read in Scripture concerning the endless love and the saving mercy which God sheweth towards his Church, the only proper subject thereof is this Church. Concerning this flock it is that our Lord and Saviour hath promised, "I give unto them eternal life, John and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hands." They who are of this Society have such marks and notes of distinction from all others, as are not object unto our sense; only unto God who seeth their hearts and understandeth all their secret cogitations, unto him they are clear and manifest. All men knew Nathaniel to be an Israelite. But our Saviour, piercing deeper, giveth further testimony of him than men could have done with such certainty as he John did: "Behold indeed an Israelite, in whom is no guile." If we profess as Peter did, that we love the Lord, and profess xxi, 15. it in the hearing of men, charity is prone to believe all things, and therefore charitable men are likely to think we do so, as long as they see no proof to the contrary. But that our love is sound and sincere, that it cometh from "a pure heart, and 1 Tim. a good conscience, and a faith unfeigned," who can pronounce, saving only the Searcher of all men's hearts, who alone intuitively doth know in this kind who are his? And as those everlasting promises of love, mercy, and blessedness, belong to the mystical Church; even so on the other side, when we read of any duty which the Church of God is bound unto, the Church whom this doth concern is a sensibly known company. And this visible Church in like sort is but one, continued from the first beginning of the world to the last end. Which company being divided into two moieties, the one before, the other since the coming of Christ; that part, which since the coming of Christ partly hath embraced and partly shall hereafter embrace the Christian Religion, we term, as by a more proper name, the Church of Christ. And therefore the Apostle affirmeth plainly of all men Christian, i. 47. i. 5. xii. 13. Eph. iv. 15. Acts John xiii. 13. Col. iii. 24. iv. 1. [Acts that be they Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, they are all incorporated into one company, they all make but " one 1 Cor. body."* The unity of which visible Body and Church of Christ consisteth in that uniformity+ which all several persons thereunto belonging have, by reason of that "one Lord," whose servants they all profess themselves; that " one Faith," which they all acknowledge; that "one Baptism," wherewith they are all initiated. The visible Church of Jesus Christ is therefore one, in outward profession of those things which supernaturally appertain to the very essence of Christianity, and are necessarily required in every particular Christian man. "Let all the House of Israel know for certainty (saith Peter), that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, even this Jesus whom ye have crucified." Christians therefore they are not, which call not him their "Master and Lord." And from hence it came, that "first at Antioch," and afterwards throughout the whole world, all that were of the Church visible "were called Christians," even amongst the xi. 26.] Heathen: which name unto them was precious and glorious; but in the estimation of the rest of the world, even Christ Jesus himself was execrable, for whose sake all men were so likewise which did acknowledge him to be their Lord.‡ This himself did foresee, and therefore armed his Church to the end they might sustain it without discomfort. "All these things will they do unto you for my name's sake; yea, the time shall come, that whosoever killeth you will think xvi. 2. 4. that he doth God good service." "These things I tell you, that when the hour shall come, ye may then call to mind how I told you beforehand of them." But our naming of Jesus Christ, the Lord, is not enough to prove us Christians, unless we also embrace that Faith which Christ hath published unto the world. To shew that the Angel of Pergamus continued in Christianity, behold how the Spirit of Christ speaketh, "That he might reconcile both unto God in one body." Ephes. ii. 16. "That the Gentiles should be inheritors also, and of the same body.” Ephes. iii. 16. Vide Th. p. 3. q. 7. art. 3. ["It is noted by one of the Fathers, Christ's coat indeed had no seam; but the Church's vesture was of divers colours; whereupon he saith, in veste varietas sit, scissura non sit; they be two things, unity, and uniformity."-LORD BACON, Essay III. "There are certain ideas John XV. 21. of Uniformity, which sometimes strike great geniuses, but infallibly make an impression on little souls they discover therein a kind of perfection, because it is impossible for them not to see it."-MONTESQUIEU, Esprit des Loix. liv. xxix. ch. 18.] 1 Cor. i. 23. Vide et Tacitum, lib. Annal. xv. "Nero quæsitissimis pœnis affecit, quos, per flagitia invisos, vulgus Christianos appellabat. Auctor nominis ejus Christus, qui Tiberio imperitante, per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio affectus erat. Repressaque in præsens exitiabilis superstitio rursus erumpebat, non modo per Judæam, originem ejus mali, sed per urbem etiam, quo cuncta undique atrocia aut pudenda confluunt celebranturque.” ii. 13. de Vir landis. advers. hath Hares. lib. i. The cap. 2, et 3. "Thou keepest my name, and thou hast not denied my Apoc. Faith." Concerning which Faith, "the rule thereof (saith Tertullian) is one alone, immoveable, and no way possible to Tertull. be better framed anew." What rule that is, he sheweth by gin. Verehearsing those few articles of Christian belief. And before Tertullian, Ireney; "The Church, though scattered through Iren. the whole world, unto the utmost borders of the earth, from the Apostles and their Disciples received belief." parts of which belief he also reciteth, in substance the very same with Tertullian, and thereupon inferreth, "This Faith, the Church being spread far and wide preserveth, as if one house did contain them: these things it equally embraceth, as though it had even one soul, one heart, and no more: it publisheth, teacheth and delivereth these things with uniform consent, as if God had given it but one only tongue wherewith to speak. He which amongst the guides of the Church is best able to speak, uttereth no more than this; and less than this the most simple doth not utter," when they make profession of their faith. Now although we know the Christian Faith, and allow of it, yet in this respect we are but entering; entered we are not into the visible Church before our admittance by the door of Baptism. Wherefore, immediately upon the acknowledgment of Christian Faith, the Eunuch Acts (we see) was baptized by Philip, Paul by Ananias, by Peter xxii. 16. an huge multitude containing three thousand souls; which ii. 41. being once baptized, were reckoned in the number of souls added to the visible Church. As for those virtues that belong unto moral righteousness and honesty of life, we do not mention them, because they are not proper unto Christian men, as they are Christian, but do concern them as they are men. True it is, the want of these virtues excludeth from salvation. So doth much more the absence of inward belief of heart; so doth despair and lack of hope; so emptiness of Christian love and charity. But we speak now of the visible Church, whose children are signed with this mark, "One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism." In whomsoever these things are, the Church doth acknowledge them for her children; them only she holdeth for aliens and strangers, in whom these things are not found. For want of these it is, that Saracens, Jews, and Infidels are excluded out of the bounds of the Church. Others we may not deny to be of the visible Church, as long as these things are not wanting viii. 38. in them. For apparent it is, that all men are of necessity either Christians or not Christians. If by external profession they be Christians, then they are of the visible Church of Christ; and Christians by external profession they are all, whose mark of recognizance hath in it those things which we have mentioned, yea, although they be impious Idolaters, wicked Heretics, persons excommunicable, yea, and cast out for notorious improbity. Such withal we deny not to be the imps and limbs of Satan, even as long as they continue such. Is it then possible, that the self-same men should belong both to the Synagogue of Satan, and to the Church of Jesus Christ? Unto that Church which is his mystical body, not possible; because that body consisteth of none but only true Israelites, true sons of Abraham, true servants and saints of God. Howbeit of the visible Body and Church of Jesus Christ, those may be, and oftentimes are, in respect of the main parts of their outward profession, who in regard of their inward disposition of mind, yea, of external conversation, yea, even of some parts of their very profession, are most worthily both hateful in the sight of God himself, and in the eyes of the sounder parts of the visible Church most execrable. Our Saviour therefore compareth the Kingdom of Heaven to a net, whereunto all which cometh, neither is, xiii. 24. nor seemeth fish; his Church he compareth unto a field, where tares, manifestly known and seen by all men, do grow intermingled with good corn, and even so shall continue till the final consummation of the world. God hath had ever, Exod. and ever shall have, some Church visible upon earth. When Ps. cvi. the people of God worshipped the Calf in the Wilderness; 2 Kings when they adored the Brazen Serpent; when they served viii. 4. the gods of Nations; when they bowed their knees to Baal; xi. 13. when they burnt incense and offered sacrifice unto Idols; isa. true it is, the wrath of God was most fiercely inflamed against them, their Prophets justly condemned them as an adulterous seed and a wicked generation of miscreants, Ixvi. 15. which had forsaken the living God; and of him were likewise forsaken, in respect of that singular mercy wherewith he kindly and lovingly embraceth his faithful children. Howbeit, retaining the Law of God, and the holy Seal xiii. 11. of his Covenant, the sheep of his visible flock they continued even in the depth of their disobedience and rebellion. Wherefore not only amongst them God always had his Matt. xiii. 47. xxxii. 19, Jer. 2 Kings xxii. 17. lvii. 3. i. 4. Jer. 1 |