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A32762 The divine institution of congregational churches, ministry and ordinances [as has bin professed by those of that persuasion] asserted and proved from the word of God / by Isaac Chauncy ... Chauncy, Isaac, 1632-1712. 1697 (1697) Wing C3748; ESTC R38739 70,081 155

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belong to this and not to other m Heb. 12.23 § 13. The Catholick Church is but one onely a Eph. 4.4.5 1 Cor. 12.12 and it cannot be visible as Catholick for the greatest part are not seen by us being Saints in Heaven b Eph. 1.10 3.15 Elect Infants and many not known by Profession and if Men apply Catholick to the Professors of Christianity living at the same time upon the Earth and call them the Catholick Visible Church it is a mistaken Appellation for they are neither a Visible Church nor Catholick Not a Visible Church because 1. Christ hath instituted none such 2. They are never seen in coetu or in a Congregation as a Visible Church is nor can be till the last Day c Mat. 13.41 3. Christ never gave Ordinances for such a Communion 4. All these are not under any visible bond of Confederation together which is the form of a Visible Church Profession is no Bond but a proper requisite only thereto 5. Christ never instituted such a Church Ministry but what were set in a particular Church and exercised in such The Apostles Christ's extraordinary Ministers were first set in the Church at Jerusalem d Eph. 4.11 1 Cor. 12.28 and were first Officers there and tho their Commission reached to the Planting and Governing other Churches that should succeed yet they exercised not their Ministry or Apostolick Power to any supposed Catholick Church Visible nor wrote to such but gathered particular Churches out of the World and in them settled a distinct Ministry and Ordinances peculiar to each wherein they exercised their own power as far as necessary for their Settlement and Edification Again there is no Catholick Visible Church for 1. If there be there is two Catholick Churches which is a contradiction and contrary to that Creed called the Apostles 2. All visible Professors if a Church cannot be Catholick because they are not all the Members of Christ on Earth and they that profess at large at least are not Members of Christ many if not most of them 3. It is not a Catholick Church because it 's not a Body-Corporate in any visible manner nor are capable of answering the ends of such in Government Order or Priviledges 4. If there be a Catholick visible Church it 's rational there should be a Catholick visible Pastor and from these Principles arose the Pope and the Papal Jurisdiction established throughout the professing World In the first Ages after Christ each particular Church called it self Catholick from the Profession of that Doctrine which was called the Catholick Faith because received by all the Churches Afterward the Word Catholick was applied to a supposed Universal Visible Church and became not only serviceable to the rising of the Mystery of Iniquity but a great Foundation of the Antichristian Fabrick which was afterward built thereon with all the Ecclesiastical Tyranny and Papal Superstitious Pomp imaginable The Protestants that have cast off the Universal Pastorship of one and will not endure a Catholick single Pastor do most of them retain the Notion of an Universal Visible Church as also of divers Catholick Pastors dividing that Catholocy which they will not allow the Pope among themselves each one exercising the Office and Power of a Catholick visible Pastor where-ever he comes having bin ordained by a Presbytery of a Catholick Constitution to a Catholick Pastorship to the Catholick Church To conclude Our best Protestants in opposition to the Papists have still denied the being of a Catholick Visible Church amongst whom was Famous Dr. Whitaker whose Arguments upon this Question against Duraeus are Quoted by Mr. Hooker in his Survey ch 15. p. 265. Our Savoy Confession allows the Name but denies the Nature Ch. 26. § 2. Institution of Churches § 6. for it saith it s not entrusted with the Administration of any Ordinances nor hath any Officers to Rule and Govern as such and what a kind of Visible Church is that that is neither the subject of Ordinances or Officers Mr. Hooker saith Church is the Genus of all particular Churches but a Visible Church in the generical consideration can no more be found existing out of individual particular Churches than a Man can be found existing under the generical consideration of Man out of individual Men. But that a totum aggregatum of all Churches in this World can be made and be a visible Church he denies upon Learned and convincing Reasons which will stand their Ground against all contradiction To whom for brevity sake we refer the Reader where also he evinceth that there 's no Catholick Visible Church considered as a totum Representativum i. e. as a Representative Church in all the Pastors that there cannot be a Catholick Visible Representative Church and that there is no such thing as a Representative Church of any kind of greater or lesser extent § 14. What the Scripture speaks of a Church is either of a Church in general and indefinitely belongs to any or of a Church in Specie either Catholick and invisible or particular and visible but saith nothing of a Catholick Visible CHAP. III. Of a Congregational Church in General Of Christ's Dispensation as Head A visible Church defined Revealed Worship exercis'd first in Families then in Instituted Churches The Foundation of visible Churches laid in Abraham's Covenant Two parts thereof The Church of Israel First Essential then Organized The difference between the Mosaical and Gospel Oeconomy The Church of Israel Congregational § 1. THE Lord Jesus Christ exerts his Headship not only by the more immediate Administration of his Spirit a 1 Cor. 2.11 12. 12.4 7.13 Eph. 4.3 7. internally in the hearts of his People whereby he constitutes his Mystical and Catholick Body but also as the Apostle and High-Priest of our Profession b Heb. 3.1.2 6. by external Means of Grace Constituting and Ordaining particular visible Churches and in them Ministry and Ordinances suited to the State and respective Ages of the World c Heb. 9.1.8.10 Deut. 29.1 for the filling up and edification of his Mystical Body d Eph. 4.12 13. and blesseth such accordingly to his great Glory and good of his Chosen e Eph. 3.21 Ps 106.45 Exo. 20.24 Deut. 4.8 § 2. A Visible Church is a Particular Assembly of Professing Believers a 1 Cor. 1.2 visibly embodied in Christ b 1 Cor. 12.27 for a stated and holy Communion c Act 9.31 in one place d 1 Cor. 11 20. with God and one another in all instituted Ordinances e Act 2.42 appertaining to themselves and their immediate seed f Act. 2.39 Isa 61.9 65.23 Eph. 6.4 for God's Glory in Christ g Eph. 3.21 and their mutual Edification h 1 Cor. 14 5.12.26 § 3. God's External Worship by Revealed Religion was first celebrated in Adam's Family a Gen. 4.3 4. and continued in the Families of the Faithful till the time of Abraham
professing Right thereto to the Believing Parent covenanting and his immediate Infant-Seed in him d Isa 65.23 chap. 44.3 Gal. 4.28 Fourthly The Seal of the Righteousness of Faith given to both Parent and Seed Fifthly The Ministry of the Gospel with all other Ordinances of Christ's Institution which each is capable of for spiritual advantage in the communion of the respective Members thereof e Gal. 3.7 8. § 3. A Visible Church is a spiritual a 1 Pet. 2.5 Body b Rom. 12.4 5. of Believers c 1 Cor. 1 2 with their immediate Seed d Gal. 3.26 27 28. 4.28 separate from the World e 2 Cor. 6.17 and given up unto Christ and one another in a Publick Covenant f 2 Cor. 8.5 Isa 56.6 7. for fellowship g 1 John 1.3 7. Phil. 1.5 1 Cor. 11.20 in all instituted Worship and Ordinances h Mat. 28.20 in one place i 1 Cor. 14.23 to the Glory of God k 1 Cor 10.31 and their own Salvation l Phil. 1.9 11. § 4. A visible Church is always particular a Rev. 1.20 Col. 2.5 a Catholick being not visible as hath bin shewed for a Visible Church is not a Society gathered together and made up of all the select People in the world there is none such can be here but it s such as is limited to a People and Place and is the subject of the Ministry and Ordinances there b 1 Cor. 11.20 14.23 Act 2.41 And though it should be supposed that there is a Catholick visible Church which cannot be granted it is to be observed that the Spirit of God speaks always of Churches in their respective places as distinct Churches each one entire in it self c 1 Cor. 1 2 1 Thes 1.1 not one Epistle wrote to any under the Name of the Catholick visible Church nor to any Church or Congregation as part of it but we read of writing to a Church in such a place d Revel 3.1 c. 1 Cor. 1.1 and divers Churches in a place as Country or Province we find distinguisht by the places where they were as Town City in which they were e Gal. 1.2 Rev. 1.4 Again each particular Congregation had its proper Elders relating to it f Act. 20.17 Phil. 1.1 Act 14.23 and not to others or to a Catholick visible Lastly the Church at Jerusalem the first Primitive was indeed the biggest and largest we read of but to make it any other than a particular Congregation is as weak Divinity as it is Logick for it continued to Assemble together in one place g Act 5.12 and was called but one Church and was not the Church that was visibly Catholick for it contained not the Churches of Samaria h Act 9.31 and Antioch i ib. 15.2 3 soon after gathered § 5. Wherefore the Subject defined by us is a particular Church not because the Catholick is a Genus of it but because the Catholick and a Particular are two distinct Species of Church by proper Adjuncts e. gr A particular Church is visible here on Earth in coetu a Act 5.12 which the Catholick Church is not It assembles in one place b 1 Cor. 11.20 which the Catholick cannot here It 's the subject of external Ordinances Officers and Discipline c Phil. 1.1 1 Cor. 5.4 which the Catholick is not The Members are known by visible Profession and confederation d 2 Cor. 9.13 which the Members of the Catholick are not known by § 6. The next general Nature as we have shewed to a Church is a Body Politick or Corporation for Body is thus distributed in Scripture Acceptation it is Natural or Political Political is Civil or Spiritual the Spiritual is a Church which is a spiritual Body Politick and that is invisible and Catholick or visible and Particular Here we are on a Particular Congregation which we say is a spiritual visible Body Politick a Rom. 12.4 5. 1 Co. 12.27 That it is a Body in a Political sence is most manifest for the Scripture calling it so it must be concluded that it cannot be so in any rational sence but as it is a Body Corporate not Civil but Spiritual it being of spiritual Matter b 1 Cor. 3. 1 Gal. 6.1 spiritual Form c 1 Pet. 2.5 and for spiritual Ends d 1 Cor. 12 3.3 7.8 Eph. 5.19 1 Pet. 2.5.9 Neither is it invisibly spiritual for spiritual things are both visible and invisible e Col. 1.16 18. 2.5 1 Pet. 2.5 but its spiritual in opposition to civil Hence the Church we are speaking of is a visible spiritual Body-Politick and as such having a special and peculiar Relation to Christ the Political Head f Heb. 3.1.6 wherein the special Glory and Excellency of this Church doth ly § 7. The great Concern therefore of this Body is its true Political Relation to Christ as the head thereof a Eph. 4.15 16. that it be by its visibility at least Christ's Corporation b 1 Cor. 12.27 1. By his Purchase c Act. 20.28 2. By his Charter and Institution being founded upon his Doctrine Rules and Appointments d Mat. 28.20 3. That the Dispensation be Christ's so that all things therein transacted be in the Name and Power of the Lord Jesus Christ e Col. 3.17 and to God's Glory by him f Eph. 3.21 4. That the Matter of this Church be visibly approved as Members of Christ's Mystical Body and so in Christ Jesus by Faith visibly at least g Phil. 1.1 2 Cor. 6.15 16. 5. That their association into one Body be by explicite Covenant first to Christ the Head and to one another as visible Members of Christ supposed faithful and Loyal to him h Rom. 15.6 7. Isa 56.7 1 Pet. 5.9 6. The great ends of it are 1. A freedom in Christ i Gal. 5.1 and the Spirit k 2 Cor. 3.17 from all other Political Heads as such in this spiritual relation and all pretendedly Ecclesiastical l 2 The. 2.4 or Civil m Isa 26.13 or Pastoral compulsion and Arbitrary Government within themselves n 1 Pet. 5.3 3 John 10. 2. The great enjoyment of the Presence and Blessing of Christ o Rev. 3.1 Eph. 1.3 3. Their communion in Christ with one another p 1 Cor. 10 16. and thereby their edification in Grace q 1 Cor. 14 26. and continued growth in Christ r Eph. 4.15 in the solemn and sacred use of all his holy Institutions and Appointments All which they look upon not as Bondage but their desirable Enjoyments and Priviledges granted to them by the Charter and Seal of the New Testament ſ Eph. 1.3 Col. 2.19 Eph. 1.18 19. § 8. As it is and ought to appear a spiritual Body a 1 Pet. 2.5 and therefore visible it must be made up of such Members