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A59819 A discourse concerning the nature, unity, and communion of the Catholick Church wherein most of the controversies relating to the church are briefly and plainly stated / by William Sherlock. Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707. 1688 (1688) Wing S3291; ESTC R25626 35,974 70

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signifie an organical Body though that the Church on Earth is also by Christ's own institution of which more hereafter but it is so called for mystical reasons which I shall briefly explain to you 1. Now I first observe that the Relation between Man and Wife is but an Emblem and Figure of that Union which is between Christ and his Church Hence the Apostle exhorts Husbands to love their Wives even as Christ loved his Church and tells us of Marriage It is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and his Church 5 Ephes. 25. 32. 2. That to be the Body and the Spouse of Christ signifies the same thing Hence the Apostle argues That men ought to love their Wives as their own bodies 28 v. For no man ever hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as the Lord the Church 29. For we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones 30. So that the Wife is the Body the very Flesh of the Husband and so is the Church of Christ. 3. To understand this matter why the Church is called the Body and Spouse of Christ we must enquire why the Wife is called the Body of the Man Flesh of his Flesh and Bone of his Bone and the reason of that is because the Woman was formed out of the Man. God at first formed Man with an entire humane Body of the Dust of the Earth and out of Man while he slept he formed the Woman who though a distinct separate Person yet was part of the Man Flesh of his Flesh and Bone of his Bone And this was a natural Marriage for two were by nature one Flesh and this was the natural and fundamental reason of the Matrimonial Union For this cause shall a man leave his Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife and they two shall be one Flesh. For though other Women are not made as Eve was no more than other Men are made as Adam was yet the Woman being originally of the Man the reason holds as to the whole kind and in subsequent Marriages a legal Ceremony and Contract does what a natural Formation did at first that is unites two into one Flesh. Thus the blessed Jesus out of great pity and compassion to fallen man intending to marry us unto himself and thereby to recover us out of a state of sin and misery first marries our Nature to himself by an hypostatical Union as Man was created first and then the Woman formed out of him Christ took a humane Body of the substance of a pure Virgin which signifies that it was an Espousable Nature which he took and was a Pledge and Earnest and Medium of our Marriage to him For though we cannot be married immediately to the Divinity yet to a God Incarnate we may For Marriage requires that Husband and Wife be of the same nature But this is not enough that the Husband and Wife partake of the same Nature but the Woman must be formed out of the Man which makes her Flesh of his Flesh and Bone of his Bone. And thus accordingly the Church is formed out of the Body of Christ and is in a mystical sense his very Flesh and Bones as St. Paul speaks We are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones For the Sufferings of Christ in the flesh gave life and being to the Church he purchast to himself a Church by his own Bloud that is he formed to himself a Church out of his broken Body as Adam's Body was broken and a Rib taken out of him to form the Woman And therefore as the Woman was made of the same Flesh with Adam so the Sufferings of Christ in his humane nature purchased a Church not of Angels but of Men of the same nature with himself as the Apostle observes 2 Heb. 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of Angels but he took on him the Seed of Abraham and therefore is not the Saviour of Angels but of men is not married to the Angelical but to the humane nature And to make the Analogie still more compleat as the Woman was formed out of Adam's side so was the Church out of Christ's side for when he was pierced with the Souldiers Spear there came out of his side both Water and Bloud 19 John 34. and the Evangelist sets a peculiar remark upon it He that saw it bare record and we know that his record is true and he knoweth that he saith true that ye might believe 35 v. and this is especially observed and great weight laid on it 1 John 5. 6. This is he that came by water and bloud even Jesus Christ not by water only but by water and bloud This some think signifies no more but that it was a demonstration that he was truly dead in that his heart was wounded where there is a Capsula called the Pericardium which contains water which being pierced water came out together with bloud but the water and bloud came out distinct though from the same wound which was never known before and cannot be done again by the greatest Artist and though this might be a reason why St. John might take notice of it in his Gospel where he gave an account of his death yet it does not seem a sufficient reason why he should lay such weight on it in his Epistles This is he who came by water and bloud not by water only but by water and bloud and therefore I doubt not but the ancient Fathers were in the right who tell us that the two Sacraments of the new Covenant flowed out of his side which are the formation of this spiritual Spouse his Church the birth and the nourishment of it Baptism and the Lords Supper which came from his wounded body and have both of them a peculiar respect to his Death and Passion Thus we see the Church is called Christ's Body and Spouse for mystical reasons because it is formed out of his broken Body his Death and Sufferings giving life and being to the Church and therefore it is but one Body because all those who are redeemed by his Bloud and united to him by Covenant which is a kind of Marriage-Vow and Contract are his Body and Spouse And therefore the Sacraments of the new Covenant Baptism and the Lords Supper do no otherwise unite us to each other than they unite us all to Christ which makes us all one Body or as the Apostle speaks with respect to the Lords Supper For we being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread We all partake of the same Body of Christ which is therefore called the Communion of his Body and Bloud and therefore we all are but one Body so that it is a vain thing to inquire after any other Principle of Unity for the whole Church but the Union of all Christians to Christ who are one Body by their Union to one Head. But it may be
objected against this that this confines the Church to the company of the Elect who are the mystical Body of Christ that according to this Notion there can be no visible Church upon Earth for no man can tell who belongs to the mystical Body of Christ which is made up only of true and sincere Christians and no man can see who they are without seeing their hearts Now this is a mighty prejudice against any Notion if it destroys the visibility of the Church which is so plainly taught in Scripture and does for ought we know unchurch the greatest Member of visible Church-Members if the Church consist only of those who were elected from all eternity and are in time called by the Grace of God to a state of real Holiness and Sanctification and made the living Members of Christ's Body I cannot possibly see how there can be a visible Church on Earth for this internal Grace which makes a Church-Member is invisible and therefore Church-Members are invisible too and then I fear the Church it self must be invisible if all the Members of it are invisible for invisible Members cannot make a visible Society and to say that the Field in which the Corn and the Tares grow together is visible will not make the Church visible unless this visible Field as visible be the Church and then the Tares as well as the Corn must be Church-Members for to see where the Corn grows if we cannot see the Corn does not make the Corn visible and if the Corn only be the Church invisible Corn cannot make a visible Church Which has made me often wonder that some learned Protestants and that of late too have so much insisted on this Notion which gives manifest advantage to their Adversaries and serves no end that I know of but what may better be served without it But the Union of the Church to Christ which I have now explained is a visible Union for we are united to Christ by the Gospel-Covenant and the Covenant is visible the Sacraments of the Covenant Baptism and the Lords Supper are visible the profession of Faith and obedience to Christ made by these visible Sacraments is visible also and therefore the Church which is united to Christ by a visible Covenant visible Sacraments and a visible Profession is visible also But you 'll say can wicked men then be Members of Christ's mystical Body yes no doubt but they may in this World if they can be in Covenant with him We are united by Covenant and those who are thus united are Members of his Body and Christ has but one Body which is his Church and mystical Spouse And what absurdity is there in saying that men may be in Covenant with Christ and not perform the conditions of the Covenant nor obtain the rewards of it This no man will deny but that bad men who live in visible Communion with the Church who are baptized in the name of Christ and feast at his Table are visibly in cove●ant with him for if the Sacraments of the Covenant do not prove that we are in covenant no man can tell whether he be in covenant or not Now all that are in covenant with Christ are his Body and unless we can find two Covenants and two Bodies for Christ we must grant that good and bad men in this World are in the same Covenant and Members of the same Body Our Saviour tells us that there are some branches in him which bear no fruit but they are in him for all that though they shall be taken away and separated from him 15 John 2. St. Paul disswades the Corinthians from Fornication by this Argument that they are the Members of Christ Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot God forbid 1 Cor. 6. 15. Which supposes that such a thing may be done that the Members of Christ may be made Members of a Harlot and that supposes that very bad men may be Members of Christ's Body But are not all the Members of Christ mystically united to him and can there be such a mystical Union between Christ and bad men I answer if by mystical Union be meant being united in the same Life and Spirit it is plain that bad men are not thus mystically united to Christ for they are not living but dead Members of his Body they are branches that are in the Vine but bear no fruit and yet may be Members of his mystical Body which is so called not upon account of any mystical Union which some men ●alk of of but no man could ever explain but for mystical reasons as I have already shewed you Now if those mystical reasons for which the Church is called the Body of Christ include wicked Professors and concealed Hypocrites as well as truly good Men then I hope bad Men may be said to be the Members of Christ's Mystical Body without such a Mystical Union to him Now I observed before the Mystical Reason why the Church is called the Body of Christ Flesh of his Flesh and Bone of his Bone is because he purchas'd the Church with his own Blood the Church is formed out of his broken Body as Eve was formed out of the Body of Adam And therefore if bad Men who are in Covenant with Christ are the purchase of his Blood and have a Covenant-right to the expiation of it and all the benefits procured by it then they are the Members of his Mystical Body Flesh of his Flesh and Bone of his Bone. And methinks no man should deny that those who are in Covenant with Christ should have a Covenant right to the Expiation of his Death and all the Blessings purchas'd by his Blood for otherwise we cannot tell what it is to be in Covenant if it confer no right to the Priviledges of it and yet no man has a right to the Purchase of Christ's Blood but those who are his Body and therefore if bad men may have such a Covenant-right as certainly they have if they be in Covenant then they are by Covenant united to his Mystical Body If you object that by this reason all Mankind are Christ's mystical Body for He died for all Men and therefore they are all the Purchase of his Blood and consequently they are his Mystical Body which is formed out of his broken Body I answer it is true indeed that in some sense Christ died for all because none are excluded from the Benefits of his Death who unite themselves to his Body by Faith and Baptism but yet he died for none so as to give them an immediate Right and Title to the Purchase of his Blood for his Purchase is confined to his Church which is his Body He is the Saviour of the Body He loved his Church and gave himself for it And therefore his Church only is his Mystical Body Flesh of his Flesh and Bone of his Bone and