Receiving in or Shutting out of the Church To Receive into the Church is to Admit such as make a Profession of Christianity to Admit 'em I say by the Sacrament of Baptism to all the outward Acts of Communion To shut or cast out of the Church is by Excommunication to Exclude unworthy Persons from that Priviledge of church-Church-Communion to deny 'em the Liberty to Pray or Receive the Sacrament or perform any Religious Office in the Publick Assemblies of the Church And now accordingly has Christ appointed the Bishops and Governours of his Church to be as Shepherds to Oversee the Flock as you will find Act. 20.28 and has given 'em The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 16.19 that is Authority as to Admit into the Church by Baptism all who make a Profession of Christianity so to Expel out of it by Excommunication all those scabbed Members thereof who contrary to such their Holy Profession either by their pestilent Heresies or by their scandalous Ill Lives are Unworthy of it and in danger to Infect it If they Preach or any-wise propagate any pestilent Heresy contrary to the fundamental Truths of Christianity let their Persons be never so acceptable upon the account of some shining Vertues of Charity or their Doctrines never so Plausible as pretending to Reason they ought not to be spared Tho' we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be Accursed that is Excommunicated and cut off from Church-Communion Gal. 1.8 So far was this Blessed Apostle so Zealous for the Glory of his Saviour from sparing others that he would not have himself be suffer'd to continue in the Communion of the Church were it possible he should be guilty of propagating Heresy And so likewise is any Person guilty of a notorious and scandalous Ill Life Why then also are the Governours of Christ's Church commanded To put away from 'em that wicked person 1 Cor. 5.13 And all the Members of the mystical Body are so far bound to take notice of such an Excommunication as to disown and discard such a Person and to have no Society with him so 1 Corinthians 5.11 If any man that is called a Brother be a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such a one after Excommunication they were not to Eat In such Cases as these indeed an Evil Member becomes no Member and is to be to the rest as a Heathen Man and a Publican that is one that is out of the Church Matth. 18.17 â—ll he cuts â—elf off 〈◊〉 causless â—m and â—ation 〈◊〉 any of â—bund 〈◊〉 And so likewise is he who cuts himself off from that mystical Body the Church by a causless Schism and Separation from any of its sound Parts I say any of its sound Parts for wherever there is a true Church if there be nothing in its Doctrine nor Worship that is sinful every Person is bound to Continue stedfastly in the Doctrine Prayers and Sacraments and Fellowship of that Church as in the Apostle's times they did Act. 2.42 and to reject the Communion of all other Parties and Sects of Christians or otherwise he will cut off himself from the Church and will cease to be a real Member of it as the Finger ceases to be of the Body when it is cut off from the Arm. Thus in either of these cases indeed shall a Person dis-continue to be a Member of Christ's Church when either he is Cut off by the just Sentence of those Governours in the Church who have the Power of the Keys to Receive in or Shut out or when he Cuts himself off by a causless Separation and Schism from any of its sound Parts But otherwise all Persons who have Enter'd into Covenant with God and have been Admitted into it by Baptism are Members of Christ's Church as has been already sufficiently prov'd and need not again be repeated And so shall Partake of those exceeding great Priviledges which belong to the Members of it which what and how great they are I come next to declare unto you THE Sixth Lecture Wherein I was made a Member of Christ BY the Church of Christ as has been shew'd is meant a Visible Society of Men call'd forth of the World to the Knowledge Belief and Service of the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost and Professing the same in Opposition to the Service of Satan and all false Gods whatsoever and also to all those vicious and immoral Practices which did so notoriously accompany the Pagan Worship and indeed professing an utter Hatred to all Sin of any kind And it is a Society as has been shew'd you combin'd into one Covenant with God by outward Sacraments and holding Communion with each other under Jesus Christ its Head And a Member of Christ's Church you have also seen is every One who has been Enter'd into this visible Society of Holy Men and into this Covenant with God by Baptism and who holds a constant Communion without swerving aside into separate Assemblies with that Particular True and Orthodox Church whereof he is a Member and in whose Verge he lives Every such Person I have shew'd you is a Member of Christ's Church and will continue such except his Lawful Governours therein should cut him off by a just Excommunication or he should cut off himself by a sinful and unnecessary Separation And now having sufficiently made it appear in the former Discourse to this purpose First what kind of Body that is which is call'd the Church of Christ and also Secondly having shew'd you what it is to be a Member of it it will be now requisite that I should also Demonstrate to you in order to make you sufficiently sensible of which the Two former Points have been so largely treated of Thirdly what vast and invaluable Priviledges do accordingly belong to every Member of Christ's visible Church I say to Every Member of Christ's visible Church for it is not my Business here to Enlarge on the more peculiar Priviledges of those who are styl'd Members of the Invisible Church who are the sincere Part only of Christ's visible Church Those perhaps I may also declare in few words by the By. But the Priviledges which I am here concern'd to Treat upon and to Acquaint you with are such as belong to every Member of the Church I have been speaking of And these Priviledges The Priviledges of our being Members of Christs Church which do peculiarly belong to all the Members of Christ's Church as they are the Members of such a Body whereof he is the Head are these Two First a most reasonable and excellent Body of Religion and Laws together with most profitable and edifying Institutions and Ordinances appointed by Him our supreme Head and Governour to conduct us to Heaven Secondly a sufficient measure of Divine Grace and Assistance deriv'd down upon us from Him our
and Churches for the convenience of Government and Worship but holding Communion with one another in One and the same necessary and fundamental Points of Christianity necessary to constitute the Church under Jesus Christ their superiour Head â—hurch â—ist a â—der'd 〈◊〉 â—n some â—overâ— some â—ed And First The Church of Christ is the Society of Christians consisting both of Lawful Governours and Pastors and of the People of God committed to their Charge The Church of Christ is not a Confus'd an Undigested Headless Multitude but a Regular and well-order'd Society Hence it is so often in the New Testament call'd The Kingdom of God as Matth. 21.31 The Kingdom of Christ as Rev. 11.15 and The Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 11.12 and the Members of it Children of the Kingdom Matth. 13.38 And Eph. 2.19 20 21. The Members therefore are styl'd Fellow-Citizens Members of a Houshold and Parts of a Temple all which Expressions speak the Church of Christ to be a Regular Society of Men combin'd and knit together by Laws derived from some supreme Head and Governour A Society I say wherein some are Superiours some are Inferiours some Governours some Governed and who altogether make up a well-compacted Body of Men. This last cited place out of the Ephesians speaks the Thing out Now therefore saith he to those who are call'd into the Church ye are no more Strangers and Forreigners but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God and are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets that is Governours and Teachers Jesus Christ being the the chief Corner-stone in whom all the Building fitly framed together groweth up into an Holy Temple in the Lord. Here in this Description of the Church you have Jesus Christ the chief Corner-stone or Head of the Building and Body the Apostles and Prophets Foundation-stones next unto him and all the rest of Christians Fellow-Citizens depending upon Jesus Christ their supreme Head and Others his subordinate Governours and Teachers next under him and the Whole represented a well-compacted Building Or to make it yet more clear to you Eph. 4.11 12. it is said that He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ So that upon the whole Matter you see that the Church of Christ is a well-order'd Society of Men. And I do withal say that in the Constitution of Christ's Church it is requir'd that the Governours and Pastors thereof be Lawful Ones that is such as Christ has Commission'd to those Offices because if they Usurp the sacred Offices of the Church without being lawfully Ordain'd to the same by the Successors of Christ and his Apostles there will be very great danger of a Nullity in all their Ministerial Acts and Offices You must all needs understand this That those who shall pretend to act in any Office by the King's Authority without a true Commission the King will be so far from reckoning himself Oblig'd to Confirm what they shall pretend to do in his Name that he will punish the Presumption of such Officers and those that adhere to ' em And what reason have those to expect better Treatment from the King of Heaven who shall either take upon themselves the Ministry or recieve an Ordination to it from those Hands who have no Power to Confer it or shall Adhere to such Usurping Ministers To put the case as Favourably as possibly we can it does not appear that God is under any Promise or Engagement to hear the Prayers that such Ministers shall put for the People to convey the Graces of his Holy Spirit by the Sacraments they shall Administer or to Ratify the Pardon of those Penitents whom they shall Absolve whereas he has assured the Church with respect to his lawful Ministers that whatsoever of this Nature they shall do on Earth shall be Establish'd in Heaven Matth. 16.19 And we are farther told by St. Paul Heb. 5.4 That under the Old Law No Man took the Honour of the Priesthood unto himself but those who were called of God as was Aaron And as to the Ministers of the Gospel St. Paul does sharply demand Rom 10.15 How any shall Preach the Gospel except they be sent So that it does extreamly concern all Christian People that the Governours and Pastors of the Church be lawful Ones such as are Sent Ordain'd and Commission'd thereunto And now if you would be well satisfy'd who are certainly Sent An Episcopal Clergy undoubtedly such Ordain'd and Commission'd to Govern and Teach in the Church it is beyond all doubt that Bishops are lawful Governours in the Church of Christ and that those who are Ordain'd by their Hands have Commission to Preach the Gospel and Administer the Sacraments because they do undoubtedly derive their Power by an uninterrupted Succession from Christ and his Apostles for our Saviour when he sent forth his Disciples into the World to Preach the Gospel and to gather a Church he told 'em Mat. 28.20 He would be with them or stand by 'em in giving Authority and Success to their Ministry to the end of the World and yet for certain for 1500 Years he did Authorize no other than those Episcopally Ordain'd as the Histories of all Ages of the Church do testify so that it concerns you who have not that Necessity to plead for not Enjoying Bishops and an Episcopal Clergy as our Sister Churches Beyond-Sea think they have It concerns you I say as you would be secure of being within the Pale of a right Constituted Gospel-Church not to separate your selves from this wherein you are undoubtedly under a true Gospel Ministry But to proceed â—e Church â—he univerâ— Society of â—istians â—ng in men â—all Natiâ— as well of 〈◊〉 Gentiles 〈◊〉 of the â—â—s Secondly The Church of Christ is the Vniversal Society of Christians The Christian Church is not now confin'd to one particular Place or Nation as the Jewish was but is Catholick and Universal spread over all the Face of the Earth and taking in all Nations of Men as well those who were Gentiles as those who were Jews For Christ is our Peace and hath made both One and hath broken down the middle Wall of Partition between us Eph. 2.14 The Synagogue of the Jews consisted of one Nation and the more solemn Parts of their publick Worship were confin'd to one Place as you will see Deut. 12.5 6. So that it was rightly said Joh. 4.20 Tho' the Woman of Samaria did Schismatically question it That Jerusalem was the place wherein men ought to Worship For the Temple was the only place in which the Sacrifices could be Offer'd and wherein the Priests could perform their daily Ministration so that the Church under the Law was an Inclosure divided from all the World besides But our Saviour at the opening of the Christian Church assures the Woman who demanded of him Whether in
upon our Lives and more powerfully to restrain us from a course of Sin and to unite us to the Practice of Vertue and Holiness than others and when they have done this to send us to God the Father to seek for Acceptance meerly through Christ his Son And upon these and the like accounts therefore such Truths as these are more particularly necessary to be Believed by us in order to our Justification before God and to our Salvation in the other World and are therefore called the Articles of our Christian Faith being a Summary and Collection of such Doctrines out of the Holy Scriptures as are of a more Concerning Nature than the rest And must therefore be distinctly Known and explicitely Believed All those other Truths of what Nature soever contained in the Holy Scriptures are indeed necessary also to be Believed at leastwise Implicitely that is we are to be possess'd with a General Perswasion that they are all certainly true because God has Reveal'd them as such But these latter which we call the Articles of our Christian Faith must be positively and Explicitely Believed that is we must throughly understand 'em and be assuredly and distinctly perswaded of each single Truth contained in 'em as without which understanding and perswasion a Good and Christian Life will not be wrought in us nor a reliance on God's Merits in Christ for the acceptance thereof Created in our Souls Such for instance is the Belief that there is a God Some Instances of such Truths for this is the very first Principle of all Religion and must necessarily make us stand in awe and fear of offending him if we throughly believe and consider it Such is the Belief that he is our Father who Created us and all the World for this will make us love him who gave us our Being And such again is the Belief that he Exercises a just and a wise Providence in the Government of the World for this will make us submit our selves to all his Dispensations as being the Appointments of one who knows better than our selves what is best for us And to instance also in some which are the Truths purely of Reveal'd Religion Such is the Belief that the Son of God came down from Heaven to suffer Death for us to Redeem us from the Punishments of Hell for this as it shews us how Odious a thing Sin is when nothing less could satisfie God's Justice against it than the precious Blood of the Son of God and consequently does extreamly tend to create in our Hearts an utter hatred to all Sin So hereby we are taught that Christ has made a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice and Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World And such lastly is the Belief for I need not now stand to mention every Article that all our Bodies shall rise again at the General Resurrection that then we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to Receive a Just Sentence for whatever we have done in the Body whether it be good or bad for this will make us careful how to lead our Lives so in this World that we may not be Condemned in the next These now are some of those Articles of our Christian Faith and are such Divine Truths as are more particularly necessary to be Believed by us as containing in them the greatest reason in the World to restrain us from all manner of Sin and to encourage us in the Practice of all Religious Duties And yet are Doctrines withal of extraordinary force to remove all conceit out of our Minds concerning our own Merits and to make us rely solely upon God's Mercies in Christ for the Acceptance of our most Holy Performances And let this suffice as to the first thing proposed which was to declare unto you something in general of the Nature of the Objects or of those Truths to be Believed the Articles of our Christian Faith And now Secondly I will also shew you what it is to BELIEVE these Truths so as to make us capable of Life and Happiness And if it be ask'd how we must Believe these things What it is to Believe those Truths so as to make us capable of Life and Happiness why we must be so throughly and firmly perswaded of their undoubted Truth as to be accordingly Influenced as I have now said by the Belief thereof to the Practice of Good Works and then to betake our selves to Jesus Christ to Interceed with the Father for their Gracious Acceptance Our Belief thereof must be Operative and Practical I say our Faith must be such as does Influence us to a Good Life for such is the Faith that St. Paul tells us is now required in the Christian Religion in order to Salvation Gal. 5.6 In Jesus Christ says he neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love Some render the words and that more rightly Faith that is perfected by Love which does more expresly signifie the Apostles meaning that that Faith which will save us must be such which is perfected by the addition of those Duties which we owe to God and our Neighbour And St. James does with great Industry shew that the Christian Faith which has the promise of Justification and Salvation is a Powerful Practical Belief and that none other has any Promise What says St. James 2.14 doth it profit my Brethren tho' a Man saith he hath Faith and hath not Works can Faith save him Faith if it have not Works is dead being alone v. 17. and is no more than what the Devils have for the Devils believe and tremble v. 19. Such was the Faith of Abraham and of all the Saints And the Faith indeed for which the Holy Patriarchs and Saints were renowned of Old and are now so highly Rewarded in Heaven was a Powerful Practical and Working Faith indeed which excited them to the highest and the hardest Acts of Obedience that it was possible for Men to perform Thus Heb. 11.17 18. we read that by Faith Abraham when he was tryed offered up Isaac and he that had received the Promises offered up his only begotten Son and he a Son too in whom God had promised him great Blessings And yet at God's Command he readily Obeyed believing that God would be as good as his promise to him tho' it was by raising him again from the Dead By Faith Moses when he was come to Years refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh's Daughter chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of Sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he had respect to the recompence of reward v. 24 25 26. It was a great temptation to Moses to be made a Prince if he pleased in which Estate he might enjoy the highest Pleasures this World could afford but he Believing that God would infinitely reward him
for his Self-denial in refusing such Worldly Honours and Pleasures chose rather to be one of those mean Persecuted People the Children of Israel By Faith thousands of Blessed Saints before us endured tryals of cruel Mockings and Scourgings yea moreover of Bonds and Imprisonments they were Stoned they were Sawn asunder were Tempted were Slain with the Sword they wandred about in Sheep-skins and in Goat-skins being destitute afflicted tormented of whom the world was not worthy they wandred in Desarts and in Mountains and in Dens and in Caves of the Earth Heb. 11.35 36 37 38. They were terrible Sufferings which the Servants of God in former times have been put to undergo but as dreadful as they were being supported with a firm belief that they should be infinitely recompenced for their Sufferings and Losses they thereupon cheerfully underwent the severest that the Wit or Malice of Men or Devils could invent or inflict upon ' em Such a powerful practical working Faith indeed was that for which the Holy Patriarchs and Saints were of Old renowned and are now rewarded in Heaven A Faith I say which excited them to the highest and hardest Acts of Obedience that it was possible for Men to perform And such a Powerful Practical Active and Working Principle is Faith whensoever the things Believed are of great Importance or Concernment to us And such an Operative and Practical Principle is Faith whenever the Things believed are of great Importance or Concernment to us Some things indeed as an Excellent Person does well observe are of such a Nature that the Belief or Knowledge of 'em goes no farther but rests in it self as the Knowledge or Belief of bare Speculative Truths that do not at all Concern us but some things again are of such a Nature as being once firmly and truly believed and known carry a Man out to action Thus for Example If you should hear another threaten'd that he should certainly be Kill'd if he stir out of his House to morrow it would not hinder you from going Abroad tho' you firmly believe the threatning because it is a truth in which you are not Concern'd But the Person so threatned if he does throughly believe the danger will certainly not stir out of his House that day because it is a Truth that he is very much Concerned in On the other side If you should hear of a Promise made to another Person of a Thousand Pound if he will be at the Pains to go but to such a place it will not make you go there because it is a Promise that you are not Concerned in but the other Person if he be certainly perswaded the Promise will be made good to him will certainly go to the appointed place because it is a Promise that he is Concerned in And so likewise as to the case in hand That a sure Promise of the Pardon of our Sins and Eternal Happiness is made over to us in the Second Covenant on condition we will forsake the Service of Satan and of Sin that we will Repent heartily Believe practically and Obey sincerely is a Truth that the Devils to their great grief are fully perswaded of for they believe and tremble St. James tells us But this Faith of theirs does not put them upon Repentance and Amendment because those gracious Promises do not Concern them and they have no Promise of Salvation tho' they should Repent and Amend But as to us whom they do Concern and to whom they are made if we are really perswaded that if we amend we shall be certainly Saved we shall immediately upon such perswasion seriously Repent of what has been done amiss heretofore and take care to Obey God for the future for every Man that hath this Hope in God purifieth himself even as he is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 In short the Articles of our Christian Faith are every one of 'em so many Motives and those the most powerful ones in the World to stir us up to a diligent Reformation of our Hearts and Lives They are in themselves the most obliging Arguments to it and with respect to us they are the most Concerning and Important Truths that can be containing in the meaning of 'em either Threatnings to scare us out of Sin or Promises to allure us to Obedience Either such considerations as are apt to excite our fears when we are in a course of Impiety or are Grounds whereon we may build the vastest hopes in the Performance of our Duty And if any one does not live accordingly a Godly Righteous and a Sober Life I dare be bold to say it is owing to some spice of Infidelity lurking in his heart whereby he is not throughly perswaded of or does not actually consider these Truths But he that does throughly Believe and Consider them can hardly fail of being a good Liver Thus necessary you see it is that our Belief of all the Articles of our Christian Faith be such as does Influence us to good Works And then after all 2. It must be a Belief that causes us to betake our selves to Jesus Christ to Interceed with God the Father for their Gracious Acceptance 2. To Believe savingly we must apply our selves to Jesus Christ to interceed with God the Father for our Gracious Acceptance This I have formerly in the beginning of my Exposition insisted upon yet such is the growing Infidelity of the World with respect to this which is the most Essential part of Christian Faith that it would not be unseasonable should I again shew you that we must depend upon the Mediation of Christ with the Father for us that our imperfect Righteousness may be graciously accepted to our Justification This is that Act of Faith which is called in Scripture Believing in Christ and to such a Believing as this it is that our Justification is Attributed by St. Paul Gal. 2.16 Know this that a Man is not Justified by the Works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have Believed in Jesus Christ that we might be Justify'd by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law for by the Works of the Law shall no flesh be Justify'd And as this Act of Faith the Relying upon God's Mercies in Christ does wonderfully exalt the Divine Justice and Mercy so it leaves no place to the Creature to Attribute any part of its Happiness to it self but does utterly exclude all occasions of Boasting God hath set forth Jesus Christ his Son to be a Propitiation through Faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the Remission of Sins that are past through the forbearance of God Where is Boasting then it is excluded By what Law of Works nay but by the Law of Faith Rom. 2.25 27. So that it is not enough that we Believe punctually but it is moreover necessary that we rely also on God's Mercies in Christ that our imperfect Holiness may be accepted or otherwise even our Assent to all the
that chuse to Act and Perform it Every Sin against Knowledge and Conscience is a wilful Sin when our own Heart rebukes and checks us at the time of Sinning telling us that God hath forbidden that which we are about to do notwithstanding which we presume to do it And as for them they are all of an heinous Guilt and of a crying Nature such Sins are a despising of God's Law and therefore are call'd Presumptuous Sins and are said to be acted through a Rebellious Pride and with an high Hand Numb 15.30 And those who have committed such are said Heb. 10.29 to have done despight to the Spirit of Grace because as well the Spirit of God as their own Reason have resisted 'em in the committing of such Sins which Resistance notwithstanding they have violently broke through And as to such Sins therefore they will make us the Children of Wrath and subject us to punishment as well now as under the Law as is evident from that place Heb. 10.28 29. now mentioned He that despised Moses's Law died without Mercy of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant an unholy Thing which they do who do wholly apostatize and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace which they do who do sin wilfully And this they will be accounted to do whether such Sins be Directly and Expresly Wilful and Chosen or only Indirectly so Some Sins are directly and expresly wilful and by Interpretation Sometimes Men eye and view the Sin they are about to commit before they chuse or act they pause and deliberate doubt and demurr about it they have a Conflict and Dispute in their own Minds whether they should commit or keep off from it And when notwithstanding this they commit it that Sin is then directly and expresly chosen and wilful and done in despight of the Spirit of Grace and is therefore of a very heinous and damning Nature But besides these there are other sinful Actions which are not chosen directly and expresly but only indirectly Some indirectly and interpretatively and by interpretation that is when Men expresly chuse such a state of Things as make some sinful Actions after that to be no longer a matter of free Choice but almost necessary and unavoidable Thus he that wilfully drinks 'till he is drunk and then in his Drink commits Murder and Uncleanness or any other mad Frolicks or sinful Extravagances without any deliberation or consideration at all shall nevertheless be judged to have wilfully committed those Sins because he did deliberately and wilfully fall into that Sin of Drunkenness which when he was in by depriving himself of his Reason made those or any other Sins unavoidable at that time So again he that watches not over but indulges and gives way to his Passions and in his Anger kills a Man and he that accustoms himself to a Sin so often that he knows not when he commits it as to swear in either of these cases also he shall be judged wilfully in God's account to have committed Murder and to have swore because any Man may chuse to indulge and humour his Passions or to accustom himself to that Sin which makes his falling into other Sins so unavoidable And lastly he that wilfully neglects the means of attaining to any Grace or Vertue will be judged wilfully to have omitted his Duty which in the use of due means he might have done acceptably Thus in either of these cases when Men fall into any Sin either by Drunkenness or by indulging and not watching over their Passions or by reason of having long accustomed themselves to such Sins or lastly by neglecting the Means of attaining to any Grace or Vertue In any of these cases he that commits a Sin his Sin will be accounted as indirectly and interpretatively chosen and voluntary because he did willingly do those things which brought and betray d him into such Sin or wilfully neglected those Means which would have preserved him from them And so his Sin will be condemned as a chosen and wilful Sin and a Transgression of God's Law and he punished as a wilfully disobedient Person So that the difference between the Law and the Gospel is not such as that wilful Sins shall be now unpunish'd But the difference is 1st that those who sincerely and entirely obey shall not be called to an account for unchosen and involuntary sins But here the difference is very great and comfortable and it is this That First Our unchosen and involuntary Sins which through the Weakness and Frailty of our Nature we cannot always avoid through the Mediation of Christ now under the Covenant of Grace those who sincerely and entirely Obey the Laws of the Gospel shall not be called to an account for such And such unchosen and involuntary Sins are those which we commit either through Ignorance because we did not understand our Duty or through Inconsideration because we did not think of it And unless our Ignorance and Inconsideration be themselves wilful we shall not be condemned for the Failings we have committed through either of ' em The first cause of an innocent and pardonable Involuntariness is Ignorance of our Duty The first cause of an innocent Involuntariness Ignorance of our Duty when we do what God forbids because we do not know that He has forbid it for such Failings as we ignorantly commit we shall not be condemned under the Covenant of Grace for Christ who is our High Priest as St. Paul assures us will have compassion on the Ignorant and them that are out of the Way Heb. 5.2 Provided it be not wilful True it is there are those that are wilfully ignorant for either they shut their Eyes and will not see their Duty or they are idle and careless and will not enquire after it So that if they do not know their Duty it is because they do not desire the Knowledge of it or will be at no pains for it they neither read the Word nor come to hear it nor to be Catechised and if they do come neither think nor consider afterwards upon what they have heard nor pray to God to make all those means of Knowledge effectual to their Salvation And in the neglect of these Means of Knowledge they make themselves wilfully ignorant and so their Ignorance will not be their Excuse but their condemning Sin because it was wilful and chosen But if you have an honest Heart desirous to be taught that you may know and do your Duty and use an honest Industry by Reading coming to be Catechised by constantly Hearing of the Word If thus you do all that lies upon you to be informed what you ought to do and yet afterwards if through Misunderstanding you fail then through the Grace of the Gospel and the Mediation of our Saviour what you have been wanting in will not be
the Image of God in Knowledge Righteousness and true Holiness are the only Persons of which the Invisible Church as it is call'd does consist in this World these perhaps being meant by the Little Flock Luk. 12.32 and of such only will the whole Church in the World to come be made up being of The many that are Called the few that are Chosen Matth. 20.16 But if we consider the Church of Christ in its full Latitude and in that imperfect State wherein it now is on this side Heaven many Hypocrites and bad Men as well as truly sincere and good Christians do belong to it for the Church of Christ here on Earth is compar'd Matth. 13.24 25. to a Field which contains Wheat and Tares growing up together and to a Net ver 47. wherein there are Fish both good and bad Such you see is the Nature and Temper of that Body of Christ his Church concerning which I thought it requisite to give you a more than ordinary full account even in this place before we come to the Article I Believe the Holy Catholick Church because that otherwise it cannot be so well Apprehended â—t it is to 〈◊〉 Member â—hrist's â—rch Secondly What it is to be a Member of Christ's Church which now the way being so far clear'd I shall in few words shew you And from what his been said it does easily now appear that a true Member of the Church of Christ is one who belongs to that Society of Christians which consists of Lawful Governours and Pastors and of the People of God committed to their Charge the one Ministring in Holy Things and the other Partaking thereof at their Hands He is not a Member of that narrow and enclos'd Society of Worshipers the Jewish Synagogue who by their peculiar Rites and Ways of Worship were confin'd to one Nation and Place no more than he is one of the Gentile World at large but he is one who either himself was call'd or is descended of those who were call'd from out of the wicked World of Jews and Gentiles to a Holy Profession and Calling viz. To the Belief of the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost as also to Repentance from dead Works to serve Him the only Living and True God And he is call'd as to Faith and Repentance so to enjoy the Priviledges of the Gospel and the Rewards of such Faith and Repentance namely Most Reasonable and Excellent Laws and Ordinances to Conduct him to Heaven with a plentiful measure of Divine Grace and Assistance also convey'd by those Ordinances to Enable him to Obey those Laws and he is one who to the End of being of that Society of Men the Christian Church and of having God a Friend to him and he himself a Servant of God's has solemnly Enter'd into Covenant with God in his Baptism and continues often to Renew the same in the Lord's Supper because the Divine Goodness does in both Vouchsafe to make over and ensure to him those exceeding Great and Invaluable Priviledges and most singular Benefits as well as he on the other side does solemnly Engage to yield himself up to the Service and Obedience of God Farther yet a Member of Christ's Church is one who is not only United to the Catholick Church in and by one Covenant that is in the Profession of the same Faith and Repentance and in the Enjoyment of the same Priviledges and in the use of the same Sacraments But also he maintains this Union therewith by Communicating with that particular Part of the Catholick Church where he lives and whereof he is a Member in particular by communicating I say therewith in Hearing together with the rest of the Body the same Doctrine in Joyning in the same common Prayers and receiving the same Holy Sacraments and Lastly in Receiving from and Administring mutual Assistances to the Members of that Body wherever dispers'd or however distress'd over the Face of the whole World as there shall be occasion And lastly a Member of Christ's Church is One who belongs to that universal Society of Men call'd out of the World to such Duties and Priviledges as has been spoke and is United into one Body by the same means as has been declar'd under Jesus Christ its supreme Head And if you consider him as a Member of the Kingdom of Christ he is one who is Delivered by God from the power of Darkness and is translated into the Kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.13 that is he is one of those who is deliver'd by the Gospel from under the Tyranny of Satan under which the whole World was held Captive and is made a Subject to the Gracious Government of the Son of God From what has been said it does plainly appear I think that such and such a One only is a true Member of Christ's Church And in the Sence of your Catechism which teaches all to Answer That in their Baptism they are made Members of Christ every Person who has been admitted into the Church by Baptism is a Member of Christ and shall continue such till he is cut off by the just Sentence of those Governours in the Church who have the Power of the Keys to Receive in or Shut out or till he cuts off himself from that mystical Body by a causless Schism and Separation from any of its sound Parts Every Baptized Person I say is a Member of the Visible Church Every Baptized Person is a Member of the Visible Church So the Apostle expresly speaks Gal. 3.27 assuring us that As many as have been Baptized into Christ that is the Christian Church have put on Christ or have put on that Relation to Christ that Members have to the Body True it is amongst those that are Incorporated by Baptism into the Church many do prove but very unsound and unfruitful Members such as tho' they are admitted into that Holy Society in order to their Edification and through Conversion by the means of those Holy Ordinances which Christ has appointed in in his Church do yet continue to be very bad Men both in their Principles and Practices Hence it is said Matth. 22.10 that of those who are called into the Wedding that is the Church by the Servants or Officers of the Bridegroom that is Christ there are as well Bad as Good Yet as appears from that and many the like Parables of our Saviour concerning the Materials and Constitution of his Church even such bad Men when once Baptized into it are Members of it And shall continue to be Members of it And shall continue such 〈◊〉 off by â—st Senâ—◠〈◊〉 those â—ave the 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 to Reâ—â—n or â—â—ut till such time as they are cut off by the just Sentence of those who have the Power of the Keys to Receive in or Shut out For this you are to know that Christ has given his Apostles and their Successors in the Government of the Church a Church Authority consisting in