Selected quad for the lemma: head_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
head_n	body_n	member_n	mystical_a	10,421	5	11.0632	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85045	A discourse of the visible church. In a large debate of this famous question, viz. whether the visible church may be considered to be truely a church of Christ without respect to saving grace? Affirm. Whereunto is added a brief discussion of these three questions. viz. 1. What doth constitute visible church-membership. 2. What doth distinguish it, or render it visible. 3. What doth destroy it, or render it null? Together with a large application of the whole, by way of inference to our churches, sacraments, and censures. Also an appendix touching confirmation, occasioned by the Reverend Mr. Hanmore his pious and learned exercitation of confirmation. By Francis Fulwood minister of the gospel at West-Alvington in Devon.	Fullwood, Francis, d. 1693.	1658 (1658)	Wing F2500; Thomason E947_3; ESTC R207619	279,090	362

give assent 3. they give assent to the Covenant of Grace 4. They are perswaded in a general māner that God will perform his promises to the members of his Church Ep. to his declar of a man estate And ads Mark here is a true faith wrought by the holy Ghost yet not saving faith either First that the calling whereby men are brought to leave the world to renounce Idols to embrace the true religion Hystorically to believe the Gospel to see a necessity of depending on Christ repentance and obedience to salvation are no real works but this would be against common sense for we see the contrary with our eyes Or secondly that these common works are also saving works but this would be against experience which sadly tells us that men may go so farre and yet no further in the way to heaven or else against the doctrine of perseverance Or Thirdly that these common graces do not really constitute a visible Church but this would be against what we have formerly proved Or Fourthly and lastly that God is not the worker of these common effects by his Word which would indeed be against Religion I shall therefore conclude this Argument with those known and pertinent words of Amesius hence saith he even visible Hinc ecclesiae etiam visibiles particulares ratione fidei quam profiteutur rect è dicun tur esse in Deo paTre in domino Jesu Christo 1 Thes 1. 1. 2 Thes 1. 1. Medul p. 168. and particular Churches by reason of the faith which they professe as also I might adde by reason of the grace which they have received from God are rightly said to be in God he doth not say ratione fidei qua but ratione fidei quam profitentur that being the faith of God which they professe through the work of the common grace of God upon them they are rectè or truely said to be in God without any further consideration of any saving grace by which they believe received from him CHAP. VII The Argument from Christ as the head of the visible Church THe second Argument from the efficient is taken from Christ as the cause efficient of the visible Church according to dispensation or as he is the head thereof Thus Christ may be considered to be truely the head of the visible Church without respect to saving influence therefore the visible Church may be considered to be truely his body without respect to saving grace The reason of the connexion here is most evident but I must needs confesse that the antecedent requires as well a modest inquisition as strong demonstration seeing it is easily noted to crosse many plain expressions of eminent Divines In this antecedent there are two distinct branches First that Christ is the head of the visible Church this passeth Secondly that he may be so considered without necessary respect to saving influence this is my task which I shall humbly undertake after I have gotten a faire understanding with my reader therein For I desire it may be heeded that I do not affirm that Jesus Christ doth performe the office of a head fully without saving influence but as it is expressed truely i. e. in some measure truely 2. It may be also observed that truely here stands not in opposition to mystically but to falsly or to seemingly onely for though our Divines do usually mean by the mystical body the Church invisible yet doubtlesse Master Cotton as is well noted of him by others also doth not speak improperly when he termes a particular visible Church a mysticall body and if that be granted the visible Church though not particular may also challenge the same title and if the visible Church be granted to be the mystical body of Christ then Christ may be said to be its mystical head Besides if Christ be indeed the head of the visible Church as none do doubt and if he be not the head thereof as it is Physically or Mathematically taken which none will affirme who can deny but that he is so Mystically 3. Further may it be noted that it is not said that Christ doth performe the office of an head to the Church truely without saving influence in any other consideration but as it is the visible Church for if any will assert a Church invisible I am not bound at all to follow him and say that this Church invisible also hath true influence from its head Christ which is not saving a thing not to be imagined 4. Lastly neither do I offer to say that Christ is the head of his body visible without saving influence but that he may be so considered without respect thereunto seeing there are influences not saving which yet descend from Christ as the head upon his body the Church and upon many of the members thereof that shall never be saved and this is enough for my present purpose because in whatsoever sense Christ may be said to leave the influence of a head upon his Church the Church may in the same sense be said to be his body and if it shall truely be made to appear that Christ doth really performe the office of the head when he doth not give saving grace it will thence easily follow of it selfe that the Church may be conside●ed to be truely his body without respect thereunto Now that Christ may be considered to be thus truely the head of the visible Church without respect to saving grace I think appeareth thus Arg. 1. Christ truely dispenseth gifts and graces not saving to the visible Church and to many particular members thereof Arg. 1 that shall never be saved as he is a head therefore he may be considered to be truely the head of the visible Church without respect to saving influence The Antecedent which is alone to be proved hath three parts 1. That Christ doth truely dispense gifts and graces not saving to the visible Church which none that know what the gifts of prayer preaching healing c. or what the graces of illumination conviction common faith and common love are will offer to deny 2. That Christ bestoweth these both gifts and graces upon some particular members of the visible Church which shall never be saved this also will be easily granted me 1. Concerngifts in Judas and in those that are reserved to cry out another day we have prophecied in thy Name and in thy Name we have Mat. 7. 22 cast out devils and Secondly concerning graces if we but once shall think upon that sad catalogue the Apostle recordeth Heb. 6 4 5 6. 3. That Christ bestoweth these gifts and graces not saving Profession of saith before a visible Church uniteth to Christ as head of the visible Church whether the person be sincere or no cobbet of Inf. Bapt. p. 57. as a head which is also very evident 1. Because they are gifts and graces abound in the Church alone 2. Because they are conveyed to the Church by the dispensation of Ordinances which

other metaphors given him in Scripture to stand in relation to the visible Church without respect to saving grace therefore also under this of a Head The consequence cannot be denied seeing he is still but the same thing the same mediatour and represented under the same offices by all those various metaphors which the Scripture giveth him and therefore there is the same reason for one and all and an equal extent in the meaning and application of them all Now that Christ is considered under all those many other Metaphors given him in Scripture to stand in relation to the visible Church without respect to saving grace appears by induction 1. As he is a King he hath subjects bad and good some to be blessed but some to be cursed at the great day yet both children of the Kingdom 2. As he is a Master he hath some faithful and some slothful yet both his servants 3. An Husbandman that hath tares as well as corne and both in his field chaffe as well a wheat and both in the barne 4. A Fisher that hath fish that is bad as well as good yet both in the net 5. A Vine that hath some branches that bring forth much fruit and yet others that bring forth no fruit and yet both in him John 15. 2 6. A Father that hath rebellicus as well as dutiful children yet both children Isa 1. 2. 7. A House-keeper that hath vessels some to honour some to dishonour yet both vessels and within the house 8. A bride-groom that hath Vrgins to attend him some with oyle in their Lamps and some with none yet both Virgins therefore why not such a head as hath some members sound and others rotten and yet both related that is mystically united to him There are two special objections against this relation of wicked men to Christ which I hold my self bound to labour to salve before I passe on Object 1. The first is taken from the metaphorical termes of body and head and may be formed thus That member which hath not life in it self though it be yet united to the body is not truely a member of that body unde equivocè agunt membra tribui cadaveribus as Shibler saith But wicked men have no life in themselves therefore they are not truely but onely aequivocally members of the body of Christ Answ 1. To the proposition which hath first its proper and secondly its metaphorical sense I allow it in its proper but I deny it in its metaphorical sense or in this rigid application In omni parabola Hoc tenendum est ut utamur parabolis tanquam picta tabella Itaque reprehendenda est illa anxiet as sollicitudoeorum qui in parabolis Christi omnia student resccare ad vivum quod est non interpretari sed vexant Camero praelect in Mat. 18. 8. of it It is a general complaint by those that see how much it is abused That men are apt to receive apprehensions about the mystical union betwixt Christ and his members from the natural union betwixt the natural head and body Certainly a metaphor may be press'd to death so farre as the Scriptures apply this metaphor of head and members to Christ and his Church we may safely venture but further though it may be true it will not bear an argument That I have good ground thus to except against the proposition I leave in one word to the determination of all but Anabaptists for if this be a true proposition that none can be truely a member of the body of Christ that hath not spiritual life in himself then of necessity it followeth that the children of the holiest parents in the world are not to be accounted truely members of the body of Christ from their parents holinesse seeing that is the life that is in the parent and is not inhering in the childe but onely relative to it the childe hath not this life in its self but in another and therefore according to this proposition 't is not a true but onely an aequivocal member of Christ if we but once grant in the sense intended that it is an essential requisite to every member ut vitam habeat in se that it Infantes nati in ecclesia sunt etiam de ecclesia contra anabaplistas Ursin have life in it self and yet we know that it is the general opinion that ch●ldren born in the Church are also of the Church against the Anabaptists Answ 2. But we may let the Metaphor hold if we distinguish of life in the minor which may with favour of my reader be conceived to be such as is a necessary requisite to visible Church-membership or such as is a necessary requisite to saving or if you had rather invisible Church-membership if you please you may call the first an ecclesiastical or political life the last a saving or a spiritual life If the objection meaning in the minor the first of these then I deny it viz. that wicked men have no life in themselves for it is very evident that wicked men have so much life in themselves if any be requisite as is essential to visible Church membership I confesse life is somewhat unusually attributed to wicked men and to ascribe it to them as such is a contradiction seeing quatenus wicked they are dead yet seeing they are to be considered in a double respect 1. As wicked men in nature 2. As holy men in state and condition wicked men inherently holy men adherently wicked men habitually holy men relatively holy by Covenant by separation dedication obligation and profession though they be dead indeed in the first sense why may not they be truely said to be alive in the second if holinesse and life be equivolent here as must needs be granted and this holinesse of separation to God by Covenant and Baptisme and continued profession be a real thing as Camero saith and I think hitherto hath hardly been denied in terminis Such are doubtlesse Christians and not so far alienated from the life of God as the Gentiles or Heathens are they are not now Ephes 4. 18. without Christ or aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel or strangers to the Covenants of promise having no hope or without God Ephes ● 12. in the world which is the Scripture-description of such as are in a Gentile condition viz. out of the verge and pale of the visible Church Yea I have one and he an authour not to be contemned considering what paines he took in the controversie that saith expressely that wicked men are not onely members of the Church in the general but as the Church is the body of Christ and that they have the life of true members in them his words are these Such may be and and are of the visible Church who onely outwardly submit themselves to the true worship of God though they be not true worshippers this profession of the true religion and submission I speak of is all in

by persons who possibly never shall be saved and therefore who have not any saving grace The visible Church consisteth of good and bad as at the beginning we see it did in Cain and Abel whereupon our Saviour compareth the Church to a net in which are fishes good and bad But I shall conclude the matter out of doubt with the observation made for us by the industrious exposition of the English Articles The members of the visible Church it saith are some of them for God and some against God all of them not withstanding deemed parts of the Church so long as they make no manifest and open rebellion against the Gospel which also addes that the Churches bear witnesse hereunto referring us to confes l. Hel. v. 1. Art 14. and 2. c. 17. Bohem. c. 8. Gal. Art 11. Wittimb Art 32. Survic Art 15. whereunto I also refer my Reader CHAP. XXIII The judgement of the Brownists and of our Church against them herein THe third more special occasion exacting the judgement of the Church herein was given by the Brownists whereupon we shall briefly note two things to serve us in our passage 1. That it was the opinion of the Brownists that the essence of the visible Church consisted in saving grace contrary to what I am labouring to prove 2. That this was judged an errour and a great part of the errour of Brownisme as such by the eminent patrons of our Church and truth in that generation going onely before as in the present designe 1. That this was the opinion of the Brownists indeed viz. that the essence of the visible Church carrieth in it saving grace most plentifully appears by their asserting owning and pleading for the same in all their writings witnesse Smith Barrow Ainsworth Robinson Johnson and Cann c who tell us Defence of the churches p. 17 their Apol. p. 44 counterpoison p. 115. and 200 Barrows true description of the visible church p. 2 Principles and infer p. 8. 10 that the Church is a separated company of righteous men from the open wicked men of the world and that it cannot consist of all sorts good and bad in which no unclean thing or person entreth that keepeth the unity of faith in the bond of peace and love unseigned that is a company of faithful people that truely worship Christ and readily obey him a company of Converts a visible communion of Saints that is such as are separate from all known sinne practising the whole will of God known growing in grace and knowledge and continuing to the end And more fully and accurately let Smith be heard once more in the name of the rest the true forme of a true visible Church saith he is partly inward and partly outward the inward Princ. inf p. 11 part of the forme consisteth in three things 1. The Spirit 2. Faith 3. Love The Spirit is the soul animating the whole body faith uniteth the members of the body to the head Christ Jesus love uniteth the members of the body each to other the outward part thereof is a vow promise oath or Covenant betwixt God and the Saints 2. Now that this was held the errour of the Brownist and a part of their Brownisme and that it was not the allowed opinion of the true Church especially in England appeares abundantly in the disputations of all our Divines against them wherein we find these two propositions irrefragably proved 1. That an Assembly may be a true visible Church though its worship be very corrupt 2. That persons may be members of the visible Church by professing the true Religion though without sincere grace or holy life the latter of which is directly for us and in defence whereof Dayrel so smartly replied to Mr. Ainsworth you speak saith he you know not what for herby you imply a true visible Dayr p. 36 37 Church is a company of people professing and practicing such things as will bring them to salvation Whereupon it follows that there is no hypocrite in the visible Church for whose practice is answerable to his holy profession he is no hypocrite nor reprobate or any that shall be damned and thus you unawares confound the visible and the invisible Church Johnson himself testifieth thus much on our behalf even while he His defence of the churches and Ministry of England p. 71. saieth his accusation against us the forward preachers of England as he pleaseth to call them teach saith he that the true visible Church of Christ is not a separated company of righteous men from the open wicked of the world but may consist of people good and bad Neither may we think that that this was the doctrine of the Episcopal A book by sundry godly and learned Ministers standing out suffering in the cause of non conformity party alone for the very non-conformists have a book extant intended purposely against the separation and therein neere the beginning of that book they openly acquit themselves of and charge Barrow and the old Separatists with this errour that they held the visible Church to be a company of faithful people that truely worship Christ and readily obey him CHAP. XXIV Seven Arguments yet further proving that the judgement of the Church hath alwayes been on our side introduced by two Objections THere is a twofold distinction by some made use of to evade or weaken the authority aforesaid 1. It is urged that some eminent Divines assert that hypocrites are onely equivocè and not verè of the visible Church But hereunto we need only remember what hath formerly been I think truely observed that such Divines understand by Church in the proposition the Church of the saved which they themselves usually called the Church Catholick or the Church inviand none can doubt but such Church-membership is predicable of hypocrite onely nominally or equivocally and not really 2. It is also pleaded that some as eminent affirme and teach that hypocrites are onely in the Church not of the Church But * This tenent may seeme to cross many of our own D●vines in their writings against the Papists but indeed it doth onely seem so for it is manifest that the Church which they intend is not the same with this which I have to deal withal for they speak of the Chu●ch catholick consisting only of the Elect. Hudson his Epistle Here we may fairly understand our Divines to meane the visible Church in the former and the invisible Church in the latter branch of this distinction q. d. they are in the visible When Willet had let fall that expression that wicked men are in but not of the Church he presently corrected himself adding yea they wicked men may be members of the visible church for a time Gen. 2. contro of the church p 62 Church but not of the Church invisible as the number of the saved Or as before we received from Doctor Field We are to take them as intending onely when

same ground viz. without a censure may it not Answ I must have leave to speak my minde and to say it doth not follow indeed there seemes to be the same reason for both had not God in Scripture otherwise disposed I affirme that persons found ignorant may be deniedt his communion without a Church censure upon the foresaid grounds and I grant that so also might the scandalous but that God hath provided a heavier punishment for them Mat. 18. 17. 1 Cor. 5. by the censure of the Church If it be Gods will that scandalous persons must be excommunicated and thus denied this Sacrament what are our reasons to the contrary Therefore the consideration of such as will not examine themselves as appeareth by their obstinacy in scandal is to be referred to the next head viz. of censure and the case of ignorance alone is to be tried here Quest 4. But who are those that appear by ignorance not able to examine themselves Answ Certainly not onely children fools and madmen nor these properly indeed these are reduced under the rank of the ignorant but even thereby 't is evident that ignorance is more properly attributed to persons of years and in the use of reason then unto these However children c. are debarred quia ignorant the ignorant as such and not as children or as in any other consideration are immediately incapable of performing the condition of self-examination and therefore as such are not to be admitted and 't is all as proper to say that growns affectedly ignorant persons cannot examine themselves as children fools if we know they cannot by reason of ignorance The duty to be performed is such as necessarily requireth knowledge and where there is want of knowledge whether naturally or morally there we are sure the condition of right is wanting and consequently admission is to be denied when all is done This Text is conditional or not if not then none for want of self-examination are to be suspended no not so much as children c. but if then all that appear not to be able to examine themselves are to be suspended equally with them and I despair of seeing any reason to the contrary for if persons quia non-self-examining are forbidden then all persons non-self-examining are forbidden and consequently all ignorant persons whatsoever Quest 5. But what degree of ignorance is sufficient to ground suspension upon Answ This must be left in the hands of prudence and charity but it may be measured by its influence upon this duty of self-examination if a person hath not so much knowledge as in any good measure to see his sinnes and to discerne the Lords body aright in the Sacrament of which he is to examine himselfe this is a sufficient ●ause of denying the Sacrament to such a person in my opinion Digression 5. The grounds of denying the Sacrament to some Church-members formally considered We have last considered the Object about which this is conversant or to be exercised we proceed to the ground or principle of it formally considered the authority whence it is derived 1. Negatively 2. Positively The power of the Church to keep back the ignorant from the The ground of denying the Sacrament negatively considered 1. Not Reason Lords Table is not founded in reason as if because that through ignorance men have no rational capacity of improving this Sacrament therefore reason discovering this should warrant the Church in denying the Sacrament to them this is but a being wiser for God then he is for himself 't is but bad reasoning against Gods Will if God will have such in Covenant as cannot express consent and such sealed in Covenant as in reason cannot improve it what is that to us God may do what he will with his own this would reason children out of the Church and Covenant out of Baptisme and Circumcision as well as the Supper who are all as capable of acting at a few years old in eating and drinking bread and wine as of suffering at a few dayes old in Circumcision or Baptisme or in their Church and Covenant-relation as soon as they are borne and as able to improve that as these 2. Neither is this power grounded in prudence or a prudential Nor prudence care and caution for the good of our peoples soules who not discerning the Lords body may eat and drink judgement to themselves prudence is a good assistant but a bad principle of Church power Interest in priviledges especiully this of the Supper falls under the head of spiritual property and right which prudence serveth well to discerne but not to make or alter prudence ought indeed to labour to the utmost that persons come not to the Supper unworthily but doubtlesse she goeth beyond her laste if she once ventures to deny those whom God doth not or whom he doth deny if she hath no call thereunto matters of property are matters of necessity and justice as before but prudence hath to do onely with things in themselves indifferent 3. Neither is mutual consent in ecclesia consederata by a Nor mutual confederation or consent Church-Covenant a sufficient ground of th●s power as if because a company of people do agree together not to give the Sacrament to the ignorant c. therefore they may deny it to such 't is known that upon this ground a learned man of late hath L. M. fixed all Church-power but I verily beleeve that the confederated Churches dare not trust themselves upon this foundation or venture their power or government to stand or fall upon this bottome Doubtlesse mutual consent is of great power in all societies and may dispose even of all indifferent things for order and decency in Christian societies or Churches but are denying Sacracraments casting out Churches c. things indifferent The persons under Church power are allowed this dommunion in the Word of God or not if they be allowed it by the word how can mutual consent warrant the Church to disallow it if not then it is determined before by the word that such persons should not be admitted that wicked persons should be put away from among us and then the power in the Church to do this is plainly derived thence I mean from those Scriptures and not from mutual consent though this be very useful quoad exercitium for the putting of this power in execution according to those Scriptures To me this seems nothing but a pretty device to make the confederated Churches fall to the ground between two extreams They have hitherto pleaded much for Scripture for every circumstance of Church-government but thus they should stride too large from hence upon the sole ground of prudence and mutual consent for the very substance of it as if the former Basis would bear neither any longer 4. Neither is this power grounded on Mat. 7. 6. or such like Scriptures for we here treat of that power to suspend such persons as are not censured but dogs and swine