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faith_n catholic_n church_n visible_a 4,689 5 9.3932 5 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A53671 A brief instruction in the worship of God, and discipline of the churches of the New Testament, by way of question and answer with an explication and confirmation of those answers. Owen, John, 1616-1683. 1667 (1667) Wing O721; ESTC R9489 80,905 231

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unto the end of the World This promised presence respects only the observance of his commands Some men are apt to look on this authority of Christ as that which hath the least influence into what they do If in any of his institutions they find any thing that is suited or agreeable unto the light of nature as Ecclesiastical societies government of the Church and the like they say are they suppose and contend that that is the ground on which they are to be attended unto and so are to be regulated accordingly The interposition of his authority they will allow only in the Sacraments which have no light in reason or nature so desirous are some to have as little to do with Christ as they can even in the things that concern the worship of God But it would be somewhat strange that if what the Lord Christ hath appointed in his Church to be observed in particular in an especial manner for especial ends of his own hath in the general nature of it an agreement with what in like cases the light of nature seems to direct unto that therefore his authority is not to be considered as the sole immediate reason of our performance of it But it is evident First That our Lord Jesus Christ being the King and Head of his Church the Lord over the house of God nothing is to be done therein but with respect unto his authority Matth. 17.5 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him Ephes. 4.15 Speaking the truth in love grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplyeth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it self in love Eph. 2.20 21. Ye are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord in whom you also are built together for an habitation of God through the spirit Secondly And that therefore the suitableness of any thing to right reason or the light of nature is no ground for a Church observation of it unless it be also appointed and commanded in especial by Jesus Christ. Thirdly That being so appointed and commanded it becomes an especial institution of his and as such is to be observed so that in all things that are done or to be done with respect unto the worship of God in the Church the authority of Christ is alwayes principally to be considered and every thing to be observed as commanded by him without which consideration it hath no place in the Worship of God Quest. 19. What is an instituted Church of the Gospel Answ. A society of Persons called out of the World or their natural worldly state by the administration of the Word and Spirit unto the obedience of the Faith or the knowledge and Worship of God in Christ ●oyned together in an holy band or by special agreement for the exercise of the communion of Saints in the due observation of all the Ordinances of the Gospel Rom 1.5 6. 1 Cor. 1.2 1 Cor. 14.15 Heb. 3 1. James 1.18 Rev. 1.20 1 Peter 2.5 Ephes. 2.21.22 23. 2 Cor. 6.16 17 18. Explication The Church whose nature is here inquired after is not the Catholick Church of elect Believers of all ages and seasons from the beginning of the World unto the end thereof nor of any one age nor the universality of professors of the Gospel but a particular Church wherein by the appointment of Christ all the Ordinances of the Worship of God are to be observed and attended unto according to his Will For although it be required of them of whom a particular Church is constituted that they be true Believers seeing that unless a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God and so on that account they be members of the Church Catholick as also that they make visible profession of faith and obedience unto Jesus Christ yet moreover it is the will command and appointment of Christ that they should be joyned together in particular societies or Churches for the due observation of the Ordinances of the Gospel which can alone be done in such Assemblies For as the members of the Catholick Church are not known unto one another meerly on the account of that faith and union with Christ which makes them so whence the whole society of them is as such invisible to the World and themselves visible only on the account of their profession and therefore cannot meerly as such observe the Ordinances of the Gospel which observation is their profession so the visible Professors that are in the World in any age cannot at any time assemble together which from the nature of the thing it self and the institution of Christ is indispensably necessary for the celebration of sundry parts of that worship which he requires in his Church and therefore particular Churches are themselves an Ordinance of the New Testament as the National Church of the Jews was of old For when God of old erected his Worship and enjoyned the solemn observation of it he also appointed a Church as his institution for the due celebration of it That was the people of Israel solemnly taken into a Church relation with him by covenant wherein they took upon themselves to observe all the laws and ordinances and institutions of his worship Exod. 20.19 Speak thou with us and we will hear Exod. 24.3 And Moses came and told the People all the words of the Lord and all the judgements and all the people answered with one voice and said all the words which the Lord hath said we will do Deut. 5.27 All that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee we will hear it and do it And God accordingly appointed them Ordinances to be observed by the whole congregation of them together at the same time in the same place Exod. 23.17 Three times in the year all thy Males shall appear before the Lord thy God Deut. 16.16 Three times in a year all thy Males shall appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose Neither would God allow any stranger any one not of the Church so instituted by him to celebrate any part of his instituted worship untill he was solemnly admitted into that Church as a member thereof Exod. 12.47 48. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it and when a stranger shall sojourn with thee and will keep the Passover to the Lord let all his Males be circumcised and then let him come near and keep it and he shall be as one that is born in the Land for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof To the same end and purpose when the knowledge of God was to be diffused all the World over by the preaching of the Gospel