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A39582 The first pinciples [sic] of the doctrine of Christ together with stronger meat for them that are skil'd in the word of righteousness, or, the doctrine of living unto God, wherein the body of divinity is briefly and methodically handled by way of question and answer / published at the desire and for the use of the Church of Christ in Norwich in New-England by James Fitch. Fitch, James, 1622-1702. 1679 (1679) Wing F1064; ESTC R29838 51,004 168

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was to be for ever happy hence Joy Rom ● 3 4 5. 2. The Perfection 1. Of the soul immediately after its departure out of the body Phil. 1. 23. 2. Of the soul and body both glorified at the day of Judgement Eph. 4 13. Phil. 3. 20. 21. Joh. 17. 23. Hitherto of internal and mystical union to and communion with Christ proper to believers now of external and visible union to and communion with Christ Quest What is visible union to and communion with Christ Answ Visible union to and communion with Christ is that whereby believers doe visibly profess the Faith and subject to the visible government of Christ having visible communion with Christ in his ordinances and thus the Church considered as visible doth in which those who have only and nothing but a visible union to communion with Christ are Hypocrites 1. A visible professing of the faith having and holding forth so much knowledge of Christ as may let Christ into the soul not grosly and sottishly ignorant 2. Doe subject to the visible Government of Chirst in his Ordinances Isai 44. 5. 2 Chron. 30. 8. And thus to the judgement of rational charity are visible Saints they profess this in words and their works do not deny it Tit. 1. 6. And visible Saints may be considered in a segregative or a congregative manner 1. Segregatively as scatter'd sheep by themselves as those certain disciples scatter'd Act. 19. 1. 2. Congregatively as flocking together and thus a Church as a visible body doth But those who have only an external and visible union and communion with Christ but not internally mystically and sincerely these are Hypocrites Luk. 8. 13. 1 Ioh. 2. 19. Ioh. 15. 2. Quest What is a visible Church Answ A visible Church is a company of visible Saints joyned in a visible covenant with Christ and one with another to walk together in the use of Christs Ordinances in a visible Church order 1. That there is a visible Church is manifest otherwise Christ hath no visible Body no visible Officers or they to officiate to them who are not visible 1 Cor. 12. 12. 2. The matter of a visible Church is visible Saints for Christ's visible Church is called his Body 1 Cor. 12. 12. his Temple Ephes 2. 21 22. therefore the matter of this ought not to be visible Rebels and Traitors 3. The form of a visible Church is their covenanting 1. There is such a covenant for the covenant so often mentioned with the Israelites 1. It was not the covenant of works for that was made only with our first Parents and with us in Adam but since mans fall who could engage in that 2. Not the covenant of grace strictly taken for believe and live for many were in the covenant spoken of made with the Church of the Jews who were never in the covenant of grace but were graceless Zach. 11. 10. 3. Yet this belongs to the covenant of grace as an Ordinance appointed by it and an outward means to administer it 2. That this is a form of the visible Church appeareth 1. They are a City and Corporation therefore a covenant to make them such 2. They joyne in holy fellowship either without consent or with consent if without consent then though a Church be unwilling they cannot keep them out then they cannot cast them out though they ought to keep out the unworthy and to cast out the obstinate offender If by consent then it is either manifest or unknown consent if an unknown consent be sufficient to admission then an unknown dissent may be sufficient to keep out or cast out and if a manifest consent be necessary to a joyning in Church fellowship then a covenant for what is a Church covenant but a manifest consent to walk with Christ and one with another according to the rules of the Gospel in visible Church order Quest How may a visible Church be considered Answ A visible Church may be considered in respect of the time in which it lived 1. As it was confined to a Family from Adams time to Moses time and then they had Prophets to be extraordinary Rulers and the Head of the Family was the ordinary Ruler and the rule of Religion was given by Tradition A visible Church may be considered either as totum homogeneum or Integrale 1. As totum homogeneum and thus is distributed into individual Congregations and Churches as mankind into Individual men and thus every individual Church hath the matter and form of a Church and thus we read of the Churches of Christ 1 Cor. 11. 16. 2. Or as totum Integrale or an individual man made up of his members and so every individual Church doth consist of its members and in this sense comes in the consideration of a Church as Organicum totum as fitted for operations for the good of the whole And hence Governours and governed 1. Governours who exercise Authority over the ●hurch having the Ecclesiastical 〈…〉 s doctrinal Judicial 1. Doctrinal dispensation of the Word as Church Officers and of the Sacraments Rom. 11. 17. Eph. 4. 10 11. the administration of these committed to Church-Officers 2. Judicially by the Officers with the consent of the Church 1. In respect of those without 2. And within 1. Without 1. Some to be taken in by opening 2. Some to be kept out by shutting the dore of the Church 2. In respect of those within to bind loosen 1. To bind the first degree of which is admonition the second degree is excommunication Math. 18. 16 17 18. The Ministerial Rulers of the Church who act in the name of Christ the supream Ruler and Head of the Church Col. 1. 18. these are extraordinary ordinary 1. Extraordinary called of God immediately Gal. 1. 1. and had infallible direction and inspiration from God Gal. 1. 1 2. 2 Pet. 1. ult 2. Ordinary Rulers called of God mediately by the Church Acts 3. 5. Acts 14. 23. hence Election and Ordination 1 Tim. 5. 22. and these ought to rule according to the Word given by the extraordinary Rulers 2 Tim. 1. 13. 2. The governed is the Church Heb. 13. 17. and may be considered in respect of the time in which it lived 1. In a Family from Adams time to Moses time some Prophets were Rulers 2 Pet. 2. 5. Jude 14. 2. The Head of the Family was the ordinary Ruler Gen. 18. 19. the eldest Son Exod. 24. 5. Numb 3. 12. 14. And then the Rule of Religion was given by Tradition it was not written until Moses time Quest How was it with the Church in Moses time Answ The Church in Moses time and afterwards was in and confined to the people of Israel who had their great congregation and inferior congregations the Synagogue and their extraordinary Rulers were Prophets some of them wrote the old Testament and their ordinary Rulers were the high Priest inferior Priests and Levites and the Rulers of the Synagogues and of this Church Christ came typed out in