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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41456	A sermon preached at Bishops-Stratford, August 29, MDCLXXVII, before the Right Reverend Father in God, Henry, Lord Bishop of London, &c at his Lordships primary visitation / by Jo. Goodman ...	Goodman, John, 1625 or 6-1690.; Goodman, Godfrey, 1583-1656.	1678 (1678)	Wing G1124; ESTC R48	18,196	42

Society that there be Head and Members but there must be some Ligaments to the end that there may be Union that is that all those Members of this Society which lie otherwise scattered through so many Ages and Countreys may both become united together to make up one Body and also joyned to their common Head Christ Jesus Now as in the natural Body the Nerves which perform this office proceed from the Head so it is here Christ Jesus hath delivered an Institution of Religion the open profession of which is the Sinew of this Society the Church namely all those that hold and maintain the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures and especially of the New Testament are united to the Church as Members and to Christ as their spiritual Head For this is the Charter of our Corporation and contains the Laws of our Society he that addes to this distracts and divides the Church and he that abates or diminishes it incroaches upon the Prerogative of Christ the Head The Church of Christ and the profession of the Religion of Christ are of equal extent and the Holy Scripture is the Standard of both But as a symbolical representation of this Union we are speaking of or rather as a standing federal Rite of this Society our Lord Christ hath also appointed the frequent participation of the holy Sacrament wherein we solemnly recognize him our Head and our Fellow-Christians as Members of the same Body which therefore is properly called the Synaxis or Communion To which purpose the Apostle allusively to the New Testament speaks of the Church of the Jews 1 Cor. 10. 2 c. they were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the Sea and did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink c. But more clearly and expresly of the Christian Church vers 17. For we being many are one Body for we are all partakers of that one bread The sence of which place and the summe of what I have been saying is this That as by holding and professing the Religion of Christ Jesus contained in the Holy Scripture we are united to him and Members of his Church materially so it is our duty that this be solemnly and formally executed by those holy Rites of his institution 4. But in the fourth and last place it is not sufficient that there be an Union of the Head and Members but there must be Order also amongst the Members themselves otherwise it would be a Multitude but not a Church Wherefore in this Society though as we have said all that profess and acknowledge the Doctrine of the Scriptures are Members yet some of those are of an higher quality and more publick use and influence than others namely such as bear Office in this Society So saith the Apostle Eph. 4. 11. He gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. for the orderly knitting of the Saints together into a Body and for the edifying that Body of Christ These and their Successors are the Governours and Officers of the Church as a Church or as it is such a peculiar distinct and spiritual Society To these the Head of this Society hath promised his presence to the end of the world to these he hath given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven saying Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven c. and He that receiveth you receiveth me and he that refuseth you refuseth him that sent me These as I said are the Governours of the Church as a Church But because as it was well observed by Optatus Milevitanus Respublica non est in Ecclesia sed Ecclesia in Republica and it was not the design of our Saviour in constituting this Society of a Church to revoke or abrogate the Powers and Authority of the Civil State therefore Kings and Princes though as such they are not properly Officers of the Church in its peculiar consideration yet have and retain their ancient right of Legislation and prescribing to the external management of this Society In which respect it was said by the great and famous Constantine that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a Civil Bishop or as we commonly speak supreme Governour or Moderator of the Church And now having shewed what our Saviour meant when he said he would build him a Church it will neither be difficult nor unusefull to shew the Reasons of this Institution i. e. Why our Saviour would not leave every single Believer upon his own score but would have them associated and incorporated as aforesaid The great usefulness of this Institution might easily be made appear in very many Instances but I will mention but these three 1. It pleased our Saviour Christ to require such a conjunction and combination of Christians to the intent that by that means they might be the better able to hold up his Truth and Religion in the world For if this had been left to the care of particular Christians singly and separately such is the diversity of their Capacities and apprehensions so different have been their Educations are their Interests and would be their Expressions and so great would be the difficulty of holding intelligence and correspondence with each other that it is not imaginable how the mind of Christ should have been uniformly and intirely represented to all those that would have been concerned in it therefore in regard this summe was too great to be laid out upon private security it pleased him to deliver this great Depositum to the Society of the Church This is that which I take to be meant in that famous passage of the Apostle 1 Tim. 3. 15. where the Church is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the pillar and ground of Truth I know well what perverse use they of the Church of Rome make of this Text and what pitifull shifts some on the other side make to avoid that danger and therefore I thought it worth my labour in a former Discourse of this nature and at a like Solemnity to vindicate the Text from the hands of those that abuse it and the world by it But at present it is sufficient to intimate that though it be evidently true that the truth of Christianity neither depends upon the Authority nor needs the Warranty of men yet was the Society of the Church a wise Expedient of our Saviour for the holding forth and holding up his Religion in the world Nor let any one suspect that this will give any countenance to the unwritten Traditions of the Church of Rome or evacuate the just Dignity and Authority of the Holy Scriptures for it is and must be acknowledged that the written Word is the immediate Conservatory of the Truth of the Gospel yet the Society of the Church doth the same thing remotely and generally which the other doth particularly and immediately that is to say this holds up the Holy Scripture preserves and

assures that as the Summe and Code of our Religion as on the other hand the Holy Scripture rules to us the particular Doctrines and Laws thereof To which sence both S. Austin and S. Ierom agree when they affirm that as the Jewish Church was Columna Nubis the Pillar of a Cloud or was incorporated by God to hold up that Ceremonial form of Religion in the Old Testament so the Society of the Christian Church is Columna Lucis or was instituted to hold up that Truth whereof the former was a shadow namely the Doctrine of the Gospel in the times of the New Testament And Saint Austin more particularly expresses himself in his 42. Epistle Radix Christianae Societatis per Sedes Apostolorum Successiones Episcoporum certâ per orbem propagatione diffunditur i. e. Christian Religion is preserved and propagated by the advantage of established Order and successive Government of the Church 2. Christ Jesus would have a Church and his Disciples imbodied and formed into a Society that by means of such conjunction and relation they might be more usefull to one another by instruction admonition counsel reproof and example and so not onely hold up the Doctrine joyntly but hold one another mutually to the practice of Christianity as having a common care and concern for the good of each other for the sake of the whole To which purpose it is observed by the generaliy of Learned men that Gen. 4. 26. and 6. 1. in the Infancy of the World there was a distinction between the Sons of God and the Sons of men by the latter of which they understand that profane part of mankind that cast off all care of God and Religion but by the former such as retained a sense of God and care of his Worship and that these formed themselves into a Body and became a distinct Society for the better practice and prosecution of that great affair of Religion But the influence which this Provision hath upon the practice of Religion is so notoriously evident that the Apostle Heb. 10. 23 c. discourses after this manner to those Jewish Christians that seemed to stagger in their Devotion Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith without wavering Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is For saith he if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth c. The plain sence of which remarkable passage is this that keeping Church-Society is the way to keep upright in our Profession and warm in our practice and the forsaking of that the ready way to Apostasie and no other tolerable sence can be made of the Discourse of the Apostle but this To which I think it not amiss to adde a worthy Observation of that Learned man Mr. H. Thorndyke He Thorndyke Service of God in Religious Assemblies inquires What should be the reason that the People of the Jews before their Captivity were upon all occasions prone to lapse into Idolatry whenas after their Return from that Captivity they never seemed inclinable that way and yet notwithstanding before the Captivity they were never destitute of the extraordinary Admonitions of Prophets sent from God on purpose to warn them of that sin and danger and after the Captivity they were deprived of this singular advantage And at last gives this ingenious and probable account viz. Before the Captivity though they had the frequent Admonitions of the Prophets as aforesaid yet they had few or no Synagogues insomuch as we never hear of any Synagogue-worship during all that time but after the Captivity Synagogues were very numerous and by means of the frequency of those Assemblies he thinks it might come to pass that they were kept from an evil they were so prone to that Prophecy it self could not cure them of it 3. Church-Order was appointed to fit and train men up for the Kingdom of Heaven to teach and inure men to live in Love and Peace and Order here in a Church Militant that so they might be fit for eternal Society in the Church Triumphant It seems to be one reason amongst many others why those that are designed for the Service of the Church are usually bred up in Colleges and Universities namely that Collegiate life accustoming them to Order and Obedience disposes them to be subject to the Government of the Church And as a College is an Embleme of the Church so is the Church below of that above and the Education in the one makes men fit Candidates of the other For it is not to be imagined that any mere Ornaments of Knowledge and Eloquence or any other Gift or Grace how eximious soever can qualifie a man for the celestial Mansions and make him fit to live in eternal Love and Peace and Concord with holy Spirits that could not be brought to be peaceable humble and obedient and submit to the Culture and Discipline of the Church There were therefore upon the whole matter great Considerations why our Saviour should build a Church And so much for the First part of my Text. PART II. I proceed now to the Second the Foundation of this Fabrick Upon this Rock will I build my Church I am sure it can be no new thing to Learned men to note what triumphs they of the Church of Rome make upon this passage Tu es Petrus is urged upon all occasions as if not onely S. Peter but the whole Succession of Popes were hereby made infallible Oracles of Truth and universal Pastors over the whole Church of Christ If we object that Petrus and Petra are two things they will answer that our Saviour spake in the Syriack tongue and that there Cepha answers to both But if we enquire why Rock must needs signifie Head of the Church or why to be built upon as a Rock must signifie to govern especially if we inquire why S. Peter might not have a Priviledge conferred upon him that such a man as Hildebrand Boniface Innocent or some other either ignorant lewd or enormous Bishops of Rome were not fit for we should receive but slender satisfaction from them However I will not insist upon those Subtilties but deliver my self plainly for the unfolding this part of my Text in these two Points 1. It is notoriously evident to any man that consults the Scriptures impartially that the whole number of Apostles have that said of them which is tantamount to this in the Text I mean the Church is said to be built upon them as well as upon S. Peter For example Eph. 2. 20. the Church is said to be built upon the foundation of the Apostles Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone that is Christ Jesus first set on foot the Doctrine of the Gospel and gave them his Apostles both commission and abilities to preach it and gather Disciples and form them into the Society of a Church and they

Jerusalem II. APPLIC And this leads me to my Second Application and to address my self to the Clergy You my Reverend Brethren are not only Members but Officers of this Society give me leave being in this place to recommend to you very earnestly the doing all the honour and service you can to the Church of Christ Put the case we have but slender Encouragements and live in an ungratefull Age that men will misinterpret our Zeal blaze our Infirmities resist our Endeavours and oppose their own good yet we are in an honourable Employment we serve a good Master and shall not lose our reward Therefore let me take the confidence to press upon you the following particulars First Let us be sure for the sake of the Church to pay such Reverence to our Superiours in it as may render them Venerable in the eyes of all others For assure our selves that if we slight their Persons and dispute their Injunctions we teach other men to despise them and our selves too and tuine the whole It is a memorable passage of our Saviour Matt. 3. 13 c. He comes to John the Baptist to be baptized of him John forbids him saying I have need to be baptized of thee c. And it is certain our Saviour had no need of Baptism having no stain of Sin upon him notwithstanding saith our Saviour Suffer it to be so now for it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness that is saith Hugo Grotius it became the Son of God and Saviour of the World to give publick honour and veneration to the Ministry of John the Baptist And most certainly what became our Saviour towards him who as he acknowledges was not worthy to unloose his shoe-latchet must needs become us towards those that God and man have made our Superiours In the next place let us take care to submit our private Sentiments to the Judgment of the Church and not oppose our private Opinions to the publick Doctrine It was a memorable discourse of S. Paul to the Corinthians Ep. 1. Chap. 11. When he had been delivering his judgment about Long hair and such other matters of decency to the reasons he gives of his judgment in those affairs he subjoyns these words vers 16. But if any man seem to be contentious we have no such Custom neither the Churches of God As if he had said If the reasons I give prevail not with you yet the Practice of the Church is with me and the Custom of the Church ought to be sufficient to rule such a Case Thirdly Let us remember it is Church-work we are imployed about and that work is to be done in peace we must therefore gain upon men by love and gentleness oblige them by condescension and goodness not exasperate and drive them from the Church by passion and frowardness Especially we must be sure that we represent not the terms of our Communion narrower than needs must lest we depopulate by such Inclosures and make the Church become a Conventicle but consider well the importance of those words of our Saviour He that is not against us is with us It is recorded by several Historians that when the Persians had wasted Greece and amongst other instances of Barbarity had also burnt down the Temples of their Gods the Greeks when they emerged from the Calamity and recovered their own Territories would never after re-build the ruines of those Temples but left them as they were that they might be Monuments of the Persians Barbarism and keep up in the Greeks an everlasting odium and detestation of them But Pausanias on the other side observes it to have been the wisdom of the Macedonians that in Pausan in Boeot none of their Conquests they ever erected any Trophies lest whilest they perpetuated the memory of their Victories they perpetuated also the Quarrel and provoked their Enemies to an immortal shame and hatred and to watch an advantage by some fatal revenge to blot out their own infamy I need not in this Auditory make any Application of these two Stories yet because I would be understood by all I express my meaning thus We of this Church have several sorts of Enemies There are some we can never have peace with nor security from we must cheat our selves if we think of any syncretism or coalescency with them with such therefore the terms of distinction must be maintained we must stand upon our guard and quit our selves like men there can be no accommodation nor peace nor truce but what is fallacious But there are others of whom there is hope that they may be gained and all that I say is this in such a case let us rather endeavour to make them good than exasperate them by remembring that they have been evil or reproaching them for what they have done amiss But above all let us not forget to honour and adorn the Church by true Piety and Vertue A very bad Opinion recommends it self with great advantage if the promoters of it seem pious and devout but Profaneness and Immorality if it will not confute yet will shame and baffle the best Profession in the world Therefore my Brethren let not us onely have our Loins girt but our Lamps burning That if any shall have the folly to reproach our way as a cold formal Devotion we may effectually convince and shame them by the Holiness of our Lives the Heavenliness of our Minds by a great and quick sense of God and a remarkable Devotion That it may be said of us as of the Ministers of Religion in Origen's time Hi sunt qui vivunt ut loquuntur loquuntur ut vivunt S. Hierome observes of the Platonists and Stoicks that they were wont to hold their Conferences and Disputes commonly in the Porches of the Temples of which he imagines this to have been the reason Ut admoniti augustioris habitaculi sanctitate nil aliud nisi de virtute cogitarent Let the Sanctity of God's House wherein we daily minister and the Majesty of the living God we serve awaken and keep alive in us a constant Gravity and quick sense of Piety And then the most Sceptical men will be ashamed to blaspheme Religion and call it a meer Juggle of the Priests when they see us live under the Power of it And then shall the Divine Glory descend upon us and our Church as it was wont to do upon the Ark of God III. APPLIC But to come to a Conclusion Let us encourage our selves touching the estate and prosperity of the Church by the Prediction of our Saviour that all the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Let us not be disquieted with rumours of the strength and number of its Enemies Though Ammon and Amalek the Philistines and Inhabitants of Tyre I mean though Atheist Sceptick Papist Fanatick all combine against it the Prediction of our Saviour shall stand Josephus reports of the Jewish Priests that when Pompey's Army rushed rudely into the Temple of Jerusalem when the Priests were busie about the Sacrifice and filled all with amazement and consternation the Priests went on with their business neither laid aside the Sacrifice nor performed any part of it tumultuarily or timorously They it seems considered they were doing their duty and imployed in God's work and therefore did not doubt but he would defend them and bear them out So let us do our work undauntedly and couragiously that neither the Scoffs of Atheists abash us nor the rude Follies of Ignorant persons move us nor the Conspiracy of all together tempt us to such meanness of spirit or weakness of Faith and Courage as to grow despondent and say with David at a low ebb of mind We shall one day fall by the hand of Saul but rather imitate that 1 Sam. 27. 1. bravery of his with which he dismay'd and conquered Goliah The Lord delivered me from the mouth of the Lion and from the paw of the Bear and shall deliver me from this uncircumcised Philistine To which purpose let us call to mind the miraculous Providence by which this Church was reared in King Edward the Sixth and Queen Elizabeth's days and withall consider by what admirable Providences it was restored and revived in our days and then surely we shall conclude it a fabrick of God's building and which he will ever protect But if any shall be so diffident as to say It may be true of the whole Church that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against that but this part of it or this particular Church may perish for answer I appeal to whosoever impartially reads the Scriptures and hath perused Ecclesiastical History to say if he can whether any Church in the whole world is more truly Evangelical than this or comes nearer either for Doctrine or Government to those founded by the Apostles themselves And if this be so why should we doubt of the continuance of the Divine Providence over it To which I adde for a Conclusion of all Look over the History of all Times and Countreys of all States and Kingdoms and consider if ever any orderly and considerable Society in the world was dissolved otherwise than by being broken and divided in it self And let the consideration hereof oblige us to the truest Love and firmest Union amongst our selves Our Saviour hath told us that a Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand and the very Kingdom of Satan requires Order and subsists by Unity Let it not be true in every instance especially in this fatal one that the children of this world much less the subjects of the Kingdom of Darkness are wiser than the children of light But let us as I have said sincerely practise our Religion courageously own our Profession and maintain the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace and Love amongst our selves And then all the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against us Which God of his mercy grant through Jesus Christ our Lord To whom c. FINIS