The church of God is the fpiritual body of Chrift.

1.

means every man may be a Chriftian indeed, and fo abide. Now I come in order to fpeak of those things that relate to Chriftians, as they are stated in a joint fellowship and communion, and come under a vifible and outward fociety, which fociety is called the church of God, and in fcripture compared to a body, and therefore named the body of Chrift. As then in the natural body there be divers members, all concurring to the common end of preferving and confirming the whole body, fo in this Spiritual and myftical body there are alfo divers members, according to the different measures of grace and of the Spirit diverfly adminiftered unto each member; and from this diverfity arifeth that diftinction of perfons in the visible fociety of Chriftians, as of apoftles, paftors, evangelifts, minifters, &c. That which in this propofition is propofed, is, What makes or confiitutes any a minister of the church, what his qualifications ought to be, and how he ought to behave himself? But because it may seem fomewhat prepofterous to speak of the diftinet offices of the church, until fomething be faid of the church in general, though nothing pofitively be faid of it in the propofition; yet, as here implied, I fhall briefly premise fomething thereof, and then proceed to the particular members of it.

§. II. It is not in the least my design to meddle with those tedious and many controverfies wherewith the Papists and Proteftants do tear one another concerning this thing; but only according to the truth manifested to me, and revealed in me by the testimony of the Spirit, according to that proportion of wisdom given me, briefly to hold forth as a neceffary introduction both to this matter of the miniftry and of worship, which followeth those things which I, together with my brethren, do believe concerning the church.

The Church then, according to the grammatical fignification of the word, as it is used in the holy fcripture, fignifies an assembly or gathering

of

word

and fignifi

tion with

out the

of many into one place; for the fubftantive ixxAsia The etymocomes from the word xxan I call out of, and logy of the originally from anew I call; and indeed, as this inxxecía is the grammatical fenfe of the word, fo alfo it is the church, the real and proper fignification of the thing, the cation of it. church being no other thing but the fociety, gathering, or company of fuch as God hath called out of the world, and worldly fpirit, to walk in his LIGHT and LIFE. The church then fo defined is to be confidered, as it comprehends all that are thus called and gathered truly by God, both fuch as are yet in this inferior world, and fuch as having already laid down the earthly tabernacle, are paffed into their heavenly manfions, which together do make up the one catholick church, concerning which there is fo much controverfy. Out of which No falvachurch we freely acknowledge there can be no falvation; because under this church and its de- church. nomination are comprehended all, and as many, of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they be, though outwardly ftrangers, and remote from thofe who profefs Chrift and Christianity in words, and have the benefit of the fcriptures, as become obedient to the holy light and teftimony of God in their hearts, io as to become fanctified by it, and cleanfed from the evils of their ways. For What the this is the univerfal or catholick spirit, by which church is. many are called from all the four corners of the earth, and fhall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob: by this the secret life and virtue of Jefus is conveyed into many that are afar off, even as by the blood that runs into the veins and arteries of the natural body the life is conveyed from the head and heart unto the extreme parts. There may be members therefore of this catbolick church both among bea- Turks and thens, Turks, Jews, and all the feveral forts of Chri- Jews may ftians, men and women of integrity and fimplicity members of heart, who though blinded in fome things in their of this understanding, and perhaps burdened with the

fuper

become

church:

tion of the

fuperftitions and formality of the feveral fects in which they are ingroffed, yet being upright in their hearts before the Lord, chiefly aiming and labouring to be delivered from iniquity, and loving to follow righteoufnefs, are by the fecret touches of this holy light in their fouls enlivened and quickened, thereby fecretly united to God, and therethrough become true members of this catholick church. Now the church in this refpect hath been in being in all generations; for God never wanted fome fuch witneffes for him, though many times flighted, and not much observed by this world; and therefore this church, though stillin being, hath been oftentimes as it were invifible, in that it hath not come under the obfervations of men of this world, being, as faith the fcripture, fer. iii. 14. one of a city, and two of a family. And yet though the church thus confidered may be as it were hid from wicked men, as not then gathered into a vi fible fellowship, yea and not observed even by fome that are members of it, yet may there notwithstanding many belong to it, as when Elias com plained he was left alone, 1 King. xix. 18. God anfwered unto him, I bave referved to myfelf seven thoufand men, who have not bowed their knees to the image of Baal; whence the apoftle argues, Rom. xi. the being of a remnant in his day.

II. §. III. Secondly, The church is to be confidered The defini- as it fignifies a certain number of perfons gathered church of by God's Spirit, and by the teftimony of fome God, as ga- of his fervants raised up for that end, unto the a vifible belief of the true principles and doctrines of the fellowship. Chriftian faith, who through their hearts being

thered into

united by the fame love, and their understandings informed in the fame truths, gather, meet, and affemble together to wait upon God, to worship him, and to bear a joint teftimony for the truth against error, fuffering for the fame, and fo becoming through this fellowship as one family

and

and houfhold in certain refpects, do each of them watch over, teach, inftruct, and care for one another, according to their feveral measures and attainments: fuch were the churches of the primitive times gathered by the apoftles; whereof we have divers mentioned in the holy fcriptures. And as to the vifibility of the church in this refpect, there hath been a great interruption fince the apostles days, by reafon of the apoftafy, as will hereafter appear.

come a

church

§. IV. To be a member then of the Catholick How to be church, there is need of the inward calling of God member of by his light in the heart, and a being leavened that into the nature and fpirit of it, fo as to forfake unrighteousness and be turned to righteousness, and in the inwardness of the mind to be cut out of the wild olive tree of our own firft fallen nature, and ingrafted into Chrift by his Word and Spirit in the heart. And this may be done in those who are strangers to the hiftory, (God not having pleased to make them partakers thereof) as in the fifth and fixth propofitions hath already been proved.

feffion of

bers of the

To be a member of a particular church of Chrift, The out as this inward work is indifpenfibly neceffary, fo ward prois alfo the outward profeffion of, and belief in, the memJefus Chrift, and thofe holy truths delivered by true church his Spirit in the fcriptures; feeing the testimony of the Spirit recorded in the fcriptures, doth answer the teftimony of the fame Spirit in the heart, even as face anfwereth face in a glass. Hence it follows, that the inward work of holiness, and forfaking iniquity, is neceffary in every refpect to the being a member in the church of Chrift; and that the outward profeffion is neceffary to be a member of a particular gathered church, but not to the being a member of the Catholick church; yet it is abfolutely neceffary, where God affords the opportunity of knowing it; and the outward teftiT

mony

The mem

Antichrif

mony is to be believed, where it is prefented and revealed; the fum whereof hath upon other occafions been already proved.

§. V. But contrary hereunto, the devil, that bers of the worketh and hath wrought in the mystery of initian church quity, hath taught his followers to affirm, That no stacy their man, however holy, is a member of the church of empty pro- Chrift without the outward profeffion; and unless he be

in the apo

feffion.

The decay of the church:

initiated thereinto by fome outward ceremonies. And again, That men who have this outward profeffion, though inwardly unholy, may be members of the true church of Chrift, yea, and ought to be fo esteemed. This is plainly to put light for darkness, and darknefs for light; as if God had a greater regard to words than actions, and were more pleased with vain profeffions than with real holiness: but these things I have fufficiently refuted heretofore. Only from hence let it be obferved, that upon this falfe and rotten foundation Antichrift hath built his Babylonish ftructure, and the Antichriftian church in the apoftafy hath hereby reared herfelf up to that height and grandeur fhe hath attained; fo as to exalt herself above all that is called God, and fit in the temple of God as God.

For the particular churches of Chrift, gathered in the apostles days, foon after beginning to decay as to the inward life, came to be overgrown with feveral errors, and the hearts of the profeffors of Christianity to be leavened with the old spirit and converfation of the world. Yet it pleafed God for fome centuries to preferve that life in many, whom he emboldened with zeal to ftand and fufWhen men fer for his name through the ten perfecutions: but became these being over, the meeknefs, gentleness, love, by birth, long-fuffering, goodnefs, and temperance of Chriftiand not by anity began to be loft. For after that the princes Christianity of the earth came to take upon them that procame to be feffion, and that it ceafed to be a reproach to be a loft. Chriftian, but rather became a means to preferment;

Chriftians

converfion,

men