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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44866	A vindication of the essence and unity of the church catholike visible, and the priority thereof in regard of particular churches in answer to the objections made against it, both by Mr. John Ellis, Junior, and by that reverend and worthy divine, Mr. Hooker, in his Survey of church discipline / by Samuel Hudson ...	Hudson, Samuel, 17th cent.	1650 (1650)	Wing H3266; ESTC R11558	216,698	296

Nam visibile est quod videri potest licet nunquam videtur Visible is that which may be seen though it be never actually seen Videri potest or may be seen is referred to the capability of the object to be seen not to the particular act of every agent at all times But take visible in his sense Quod u●o intuitu videri potest as a Kingdom representative in a Parliament Is a Parliament only visible ●o such as do actually see it and invisible to all others Is it not visible because not visum Men know it may be seen though they see it not though they exercise their knowledge only about it and not their senses yet that makes it not a genus or secunda notio It is visible though not actually seen Cameron de Ecclesiae conspicuitate pag. 245. saith the Church is visible as the world is we cannot see the whole world together but secundum partes successivè non uno obtutu attamen nulla est pars terra habitabilis quae non possit cerni Now only the invisible company have internal spiritual communion and are elect many of those that have external communion and are visible members shall perish And yet by reason of their profession are said 2 Thes 1.1 to be in God the Father and the Lord Iesus Christ as Ames also confesseth Ames med lib. 1. cap. 32. art 9. Such was the Church of Corinth and Ephesus c. wherein all were not in communion for life And of such Christ speaketh Ioh 15. ● Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he takes away And vers 6. If a man abides not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned These are said to be redeemed 2 Pet. 2.1 denying the Lord that bought them And sanctified Heb. 10.29 And hath accounted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing And in Pauls exordiums to his Epistles To the Church of God to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus called to be Saints 1 Cor. 1.2 These are called the sonnes of God Gen. 6.2 And Deut. 14.1 It is spoken of Israel in general ye are the children of the Lord your God And Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Iesus Now it is not to be conceived that all the members of the Churches in Galatia were true beleevers They are called the children of the Kingdom Mat. 8.12 i. e. reputed so but yet many of them were cast out into utter darknesse And Act. 3.25 Ye are the children of the Covenant which God made with our fathers Their advantage by being of the visible body was great every manner of way Rom. 3.1 2. To them pertained the adoption Rom. 9.4 and the glory and the Covenant and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Which adoption is not internal adoption proper only to true beleevers for it is a priviledge belonging to the body of that people but it is the honour of being separated and reputed the children of God and so to live under the external Covenant and service of God and promises though they had not grace to improve them They are called Ro. 11.17 branches of the true olive partaking of the root and fatnesse of the Olive which were broken off and others ingraffed in their room which cannot be meant of the invisible company of elect but the visible Church God did not blot some out of his book of election and put others in or break off any true beleevers and graff others in but only out of their visible Church standing and partaking in outward Ordinances Object But is not this absurd that Christ should have wicked men who are limbs of Satan to be of his mystical body Carnal wicked men to be members of such a gracious glorious head Answ If by mystical body be meant the company of elect faithful ones that are knit to Christ by the Spirit on his part and by faith on their part and receive spiritual sap and vertue and grace from Christ internally it were altogether absurd to suppose any limb of Satan were so but mystical body is taken in opposition to a natural and civil body Now draw a word as suppose head from its natural and proper signification to a civil use and head will signifie a King who is called a civil head and then draw it to a theological use and it is called a mystical use of that word and so Christ is called a spiritual or mystical head and the Church a mystical body And in this sense mystical and organical are competible for both visible and invisible members may be said to be of the mystical body of Christ though in a different respect in regard of their communion the one visibly only the other not only v●sibly but also invisibly And in this sense M. Cotton in his Catechism cals a particular Church a mystical body of Christ wherein all are not of the invisible company And as the body admits of such a distinction so doth the head also for Christ affordeth spiritual communion to some inwardly as well as outwardly by Ordinances even saving graces and comforts by the Spirit of grace to others only outwardly by Ordinances and by common works of his Spirit In the same sense that a visible Church may be called a mystical body of Christ Christ may also be called a mystical head thereof As Christ terms himself a Master so he hath evil slothful unfaithful servants and stewards as a King he hath rebels that will not have him to rule over them even in his Church Mat. 25.26 Luk. 19.14 as a shepherd he hath goats as well as sheep Mat. 25.32 as a housholder he hath vessels of dishonour as well as honour 2 Tim. 2.20 Mat. 25.2 as a bridegroom he hath foolish virgins as well as wise invited to the wedding as a husbandman he hath tares among his wheat Matth. 13.25 as a fisherman he hath rubbish in his net as well as good fish Mat. 13.47 as a vine he hath unfruitful branches as well as fruitful Joh 15.6 Christ saith my people are foolish they have not known me sottish children that have no understanding that are wise to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge Ier 4.22 yea stubborn and rebellious people In the N.T. there were some in the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 11. that had not the knowledge of God denying the resurrection guilty of drunkennesse at the Lords table guilty of fornication and uncleannesse and lasciviousnesse and had not repented And Tit. 1.16 Paul speaks of some in the Church that professed they knew God but in works denied him being abominable disobedient and to every good work reprobate And 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a form of godlinesse and denying the power thereof And Phil. 3.18 19. Enemies to the crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God

latent among the Idolaters who never bowed the knee to Baal nor kissed him and God might own the people for their sakes being the better part though the lesse Secondly though God doth not divorce a Church for all Idolatry yet they deserve it And at last came forth the sentence of Lo-ammi and Lo-ruhamah against the ten Tribes for it Hos 1.6.9 Thirdly I answer it may be verè Ecclesia as is said of the Church of Rome by some but not vera pura and it was needful for me as near as I could to give a description of a true Church But I will not contend with any about this description you may take a more comprehensive description A visible Church may be described to be a company of those that own or do professe the doctrine of Christ Or such as professe the true Religion The third term to be opened is Sect. 3. Catholike universal or Oecumenical The word Catholike is frequently given to such Churches as hold the true doctrine of the Apostles and in that sense it is the same with Apostolical as it is opposed to heretical and so we finde it frequently used in Eusebius Socrates and S●zomen So Damasus is called Bishop of the Catholike Church at Rome and Aurelius of the Catholike Church at Carthage and Callinicus of the Catholike Church at Peleusium And the Councel of Nice cals the Bishops of the Orthodox Churches Bishops of the Catholike and Apostolical Church And in that sense I suppose M. Ellis intends it in the title of his book which he cals Vindiciae Catholicae a found or Orthodox vindication For if he means by it A general vindication against all that assert a Church-Catholike visible he is mistaken therein also for M. Rutherford hath written professedly of my question in both the branches of it that there is a Church-Catholike visible and that it is the prime Church though I confesse I knew not of it when I printed my Thesis But this signification doth not fully comprehend my meaning of the word Secondly Catholike is taken for an office in the Church next under a Patriarch that was as his Vicar general and is called in Latine Rationalis See Salmas de primat Pap. p 21● Thirdly Catholike universal or general is taken for a logical second notion abstracted by the minde of man comprehending divers different species under it Fourthly It is taken in the same sense that we use to take Oecumenical that which is or may be all over the world The first and last sense are only pertinent to this Question viz. the Orthodox Church over all the earth and especially this latter and therefore now I have inserted the word Oecumenical into the question And in both these senses Augustine takes it who saith the Church is called Catholike Quia universaliter perfecta est in nullo claudicat per totum orbem diffusa est Aug. de Gen. ad l●t cap. 1. We are to know that the Church of God admits of several distinctions from several accidents As in reference to the times wherein the Church hath existed or doth exist it is distributed into the Church under the Old Testament and the Church under the New And this again is distributed into the primitive and successive So in regard of the places where the Church doth exist or persons of whom it consisteth it receiveth the distinction of universal and particular Now in this question universal is meant principally in regard of persons and places and not in regard of time The Church Catholike existing on earth at the same time is compared with particular Churches existing at the same time also What the universal visible Church is The Vniversal visible Church is the whole company of visible beleevers throughout the whole world Now whereas M. Ellis vind p. 52. saith this definition of the Church Catholike reacheth not the subject of my question but contains what is of all hands confessed I answer I aimed at no more in the first part of my question but to prove that there is a Church Catholike visible which he saith is of all hands confessed and then I have as much as I desired namely the subject of my question granted But I will further adde that which M. Ellis thinketh wanting to make it pertinent to this question viz. That this company is one visible Kingdom of Christ on earth The Evangelical Church which is so often called by Christ the Kingdom of heaven several men give several descriptions thereof I shall set down some of their sentences Ecclesia Dei vivi est columna firmamentum veritatis toto orbe terrarum diff●●sa pr●pter Evangelium quod praedicatur sicut dicit Apostolus in omni creatura quae sub coelo est Aug. Sancta Ecclesia nos sumus sed non sic dico nos quasi ecce qui hic sumus qui me modo auditis sed quot quot sunt Christiani fideles in universo terrarunt orbe quoniam a solis ortu usque ad occasum laudatur nomen Domini Sic se habet Ecclesia Catholica mater nostra Aug. Serm. 99. Adhuc habet Ecclesia quo crescat donec illud impleatur Dominabitur a mari usque ad mare Aug. in Matth. Dissemina●a est Ecclesia super omnem terram Iren. lib. 3. cap. 11. Non altera Romana urbis Ecclesia altera totius orbis aestimanda Gallia Bithinia Persis Oriens India omnes barbarae ge●tes nationes unum Christum adorant unam observant regulam veritatis Si authoritas quaeritur Orbis major est urbe Jerom. ad Evan●r Distincti per Orbem Ecclesiarum conventus unam Catholicam faciunt Ecclesiam Beda in 1 Pet. 2. Catholica Ecclesia est illa quae diffusa est per universum orbem Cyril Hierosol Catech. 18. Quum unus sit Deus una fides unus Dei hominum mediator Jesus Christus unicum Ecclesiae caput consequitur necessariò unam quoque esse Ecclesiam Bezae conf fid cap. 5. art 2. Saepe Ecclesiae nomine universam hominum multitudinem in orbe diffusam designamus quae unum se Deum Christum colere profitetur Calv. Iustit l. 4. c. 1. s 7. Est Congregatio omnium per orbem universum qui consentifide Evangelica Bulling Est caetus hominum Christum suum regem sacerdotem prophetum profitentium Keckerm In novo Testamento vocamus Ecclesiam pro omnibus qui Christo nomen dederunt Zuingl Vniversa multitudo Christianorum quae se fidelem censet simul num fidelis populus una Ecclesia dicitur Idem Ecclesia significat totam illam omnium multitudinem qua generatim ex vocatione professione externa astimatur Trelc Ecclesia Catholica ex hominibus unius temporis est Caetus eorum omnium qui doctrinam Evangelij de Jesu Christo in carne jam manifestato per universum mundum profitentur Dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 2.5 i. e. mundus ille

managing their own affairs and such affairs as are of general concernment and of greater weight then can be transacted in a particular Eldership or Classis or Provincial or National Assembly fall out very seldom The Apostles themselves after their dispersion kept no such general standing Court much lesse is it needful now Cogi Optimates non semper est necesse Chamier tom 2. lib. 10. cap. 8. sect 15 16. where he answers this objection fully A general Councel ought to be saith Salmas only Quoties exigit causa communis c. Apparat. 273. It is not ad esse Ecclesia nec ad benè esse Ecclesiae sed ad optimum esse Ecclesiae saith M. Rutherford The Church of Antioch had once an occasion of appeal to a Synod at Ierusalem but no such cause of constant recourse thither This Objection may be made as well about the Christian Magistrate seeing he is to be a nursing father to the Church and such were promised by God it may be marvelled that God should let the Evangelical Church want them in the infancy of it for above 300. years and many of the Emperours after they proved Christians were wasters of the Church and promoters of Arianism and Popery and not nourishers of the Church But we must not undertake to prescribe God what is best Times and seasons are in his hand Obj. If general Councels be the supream Ecclesiastical Judicatories then how dare any particular Churches at most but if National abrogate and swear against the Ordinances and government established by the Catholike Church And this Objection he bids me minde vin p. 56. I suppose he meant the Objection in reference to the National Oath and Covenant against Arch-bishops Bishops c. Answ Although Councels are very reverend and to be submitted unto in the Lord yet are they not infallible but may erre they are not regularegulans but regulata regulanda and to be tried by the word of God and if they speak not according to that they are not to be obeyed Clavis errans non ligat Yet it is safer to be guided by a multitude of Counsellors in a great yea general Assembly if it were rightly gathered which the Popish Councels were not then to stand bound by two or three Elders in a particular Congregation without relief The doctrine of that famous Councel of Nice and some others following was found and we have not departed from them therein And we know that although many Councels were corrupt and not rightly chosen nor acting uprightly according to the word but guided by factions and swayed by the Pope and the best not infallible yet the Scriptures are a constant infallible rule to walk by Nec ego Nicenam Synodum tibi nec tu mihi Ariminensem debes ●anquam praejudicaturus objicere Nec ego hujus authoritate nec tu illius detineris August advers Maximin lib. 3. Chap. 8. CHAP. VIII An answer to M. Ellis's Prejudices Probabilities and Demonstrations against an universal visible and as he cals it governing but should have said Organical Church And his wrong stating of the question rectified MR Ellis hath set down divers just prejudices as he cals them and strong probabilities vind chap. 3. pag. 10. and Demonstrations vind ch 4. p. 19. against this position or rather against an opinion of his own stating and framing for I know none that own it as he hath stated it But it is an easie thing to set up a man of straw and then beat it down at pleasure Sect. 1. Before I answer these prejudices probabilities and demonstrations it will be requisite to view what M. Ellis denyeth and what he granteth and how he stateth the question and what is the true state of it and where in the difference lyeth between him and his opponents and then we shall the better see how his prejudices probabilities and demonstrations will lie against the question in hand First he denyeth the question to be meant of the essential onenesse of the Church whereby all the Christians in the world divisins and in their several places doe visibly outwardly and openly professe for substance the same faith seals worship and government and so may be said to be one company one society one Congregation in nature and essence vind p. 7. But indeed this onenesse is included in the question and is the very foundation and ground of all we desire no other unity then will necessarily flow from this This Entitive visible unity of the whole as one society under one head in one visible Covenant under the same seal under the same laws from the same authority is enough to denominate a Church-Catholike visible and one visible kingdom of Christ here on earth And to this Church as one integral society were the Ordinances and priviledges primarily given and for their enjoyment thereof was the organicalnesse and politicalness added and it was made one habitual organical visible Kingdom of Christ on earth because all these visible subjects have one common right to and communion in the same Ordinances and priviledges indefinitely in this whole visible kingdom But I fear this will not su●e our brethren who make not the general Covenant which giveth the essence and entitivenesse to the Church but the particular Covenant compact and confederation to give the right to the Ordinances Their tenet as far as I can collect from their books is that a company of visible beleevers being joyned together in a particular holy Covenant have thereby right to the enjoyment of all Gods Ordinances and hence flow their right of choosing and ordaining Officers over themselves the Ordination in their sense being nothing else as I conceive but a designation or assignation of those chosen men by the imposition of hands of some men appointed by them in their name and behalf to be their particular Officers to dispense the Ordinances of Jesus Christ unto them And hence also floweth their right of censuring and ejecting those Officers again if they miscarry themselves Ejusdem est instituere destituere and if the Congregation can appoint men to lay hands on their Officers in their behalf and set them up then also if they see cause they can appoint men to lay hands on them by censures and pluck them down again or else they must go out of their Congregation to neighbour Elders for that censure which is contrary to their own tenet if it be an Ordinance of God Yea they must go out of their Congregation for discipline which is most contrary to their principles and that indeed where the greatest pinch lyeth for they do not so much startle at a Ministers dispensing the word or Sacraments to other Congregations for that is done frequently by them or at the exercise of the key of discipline and as I conceive that it is that which breedeth this difference between us And if they must go out of their Congregation for the censure of their Elders why not by