Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
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A90276
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Of schisme the true nature of it discovered and considered, with reference to the present differences in religion. / By John Owen D.D.
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Owen, John, 1616-1683.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing O780; Thomason E1664_2; ESTC R203088
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121,002
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281
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thus related In quem alium crediderunt Gentes universae nisi in ipsum qui jam venit Cui enim alii Gentes crediderunt Parthi Medi Elamitae qui habitant Mesopotamiam Armeniam Phrygiam immorantes Aegyptum regionem Africae quae est trans Cyrenem Romani incolae tunt in Hierusalem Iudei Gentes caeterae ut jam Getulonum varietates Maurorum nulli fines Hispanarum omnes termini Galliarum diversae Nationes Britanorum inaccessa loca Romanis Christo vero subdita Sarmatarum Dacorum Germanorum Seytharum abditarum multarum Gentium Provinciarum Insâ—larum multarum nobis ignotarum quae enumerare non possumus in quibus omnibus locis Christi nomen qui jam venit regnaâ— ad Iudaeos Some have sayd and doe yet say that the Church in this sence is a Visible Organicall Politicall body That its visible is confessed both its matter and farme bespeakes visibility as an unseparable Adjunct of its subsisting That it is a body also in the generall sence wherein that word is used or a society of men embodyed by the profession of the same Faith is also granted Organicall in this businesse is an ambiguous terme The use of it is plainly Metaphoricall taken from the members instruments and Organs of a naturall body Because Paul hath said that in one body there are many members as eyes feet hands yet the body is but one so is the Church It hath been usually said that the Church is an Organicall body What Church Paul speakes of in that place is not evident but what he alludes unto is The difference he speaks of in the individuall persons of the Church is not in respect of Office Power and Authority but gifts or graces and usefullnesse on that account such an Organical body we confesse the Church Catholick visible to be in it are persons indued with varietie of gifts and graces for the benefit and ornament of the whole An Organicall Politicall body is a thing of another nature a Politick body or Common-wealth is a Society of a certain portion of mankind united under some forme of Rule or government whose supreame and subordinate administration is committed to severall persons according to the Tenor of such Laws and Customes as that Society hath or doth consent unto This also is said to be Organicall on a Metaphoricall account because the Officers and Members that are in it and over it hold proportion to the more noble parts of the body Kings are said to be Heads Councellors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the constitution of such a Common-wealth distâ—â—ctly as such it is required that the whole hath the same Laws but not that only Two Nations most distinct and different on the account of other ends and interests may yet have the same individuall Laws and customes for the distribution of Justice and preservation of peace among themselves An entire forme of Regiment and government peculiar thereunto is required for the constitution of a distinct Politicall Body In this sence we denie the Church whereof we speake to be an Organicall Politicall Body as not having indeed any of the requisites thereunto Not one Law of Order the same individuall Morall Law or Law for Morall duties it hath but a Law given to the whole as such for Order Polity Rule it hath not All the members of it are obliged to the same Law of Order and Polity in their severall Societies But the whole as such hath no such Law it hath no such head or Governour as such Nor will it suffice to say that Christ is its head for if as a visible Politicall body â—t hath a Politicall Head that Head also must be visible The Commonweal of the Jews was a Politicall body of this God was the Head and King hence their Historian saith their Government was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and when they would choose a King God said they rejected him who was their politicall Head to whom a sickle was paid yearly as Tribute called the sickle of the Sanctuary Now they rejected him not by asking a King simply but a King after the manner of the Nations yet that it might be a visible Politicall Body it required a visible supreame Magistrate to the wholeâ—… which when there was none all Polity was dissolved amongst them Judg. 21. Christ is the head of every particular Church its Lawgiver and Ruler but yet to make a Church a visible Organicall Politicall Body it 's required that it hath visible Governours Rulers and of the whole Nor can it be said that it is a Politicall body that hath a supreame Government Order in it as it is made up and Constituted of particular Churches and that in the Representatives convened doth the supream visible power of it consist for such a Convention in the judgement of all ought to be Extraordinary only in ours is utterly impossible and de facto was not among the Churches for 300 years yea never besides the visible Catholick Church is not made up of particular Churches as such for if so then no man can be member of it but by vertue of his being a Member of some visible Church which is false profession of the Truth as before stated is the formall Reason and Cause of any Persons Relation to the Church visible which he hath thereby whether he belong to any particular Church or no. Let it be evidenced that the Universall Church whereof we speake hath any Law or Rule of Order and Government as such given unto it or that it is in possibility as such to put any such Law or Rule into execution that it hath any homogeneous Ruler or Rulers that have the care of the Administration of the Rule and Government of the whole as such committed to him or them by Jesus Christ that as it hath the same common spirituall and known Orders and Interests and the same Specificall Ecclesiasticall Rule given to all its Members so it hath the same Politicall interest Order and Conversation as such or that it hath any one cause constitutive of a Politicall Body whereby it is such or hath at all the forme of an Instituted Church or is capable of any such forme and they that doe so shall be farther attended to CHAP. VI. Romanists charge of Schisme on the account of separation from the Church Catholick proposed to consideration The importance of this plea on both sides The summe of their charge The Church of Rome not the Church Catholick Not a Church in any sence Of Antichrist in the Temple The Catholick Church how intrusted with interpretation of Scripture Of intepretation of Scripture by Tradition The interest of the Romane Church herein discharged All necessary truths believed by Protestants No contrary principle by them manifested Profane persons no members of the Church Catholick Of the late Romane Proselyts Of the Donatists Their businesse reported and case stated The Present
Church not only a governing head to give it Rules and Lawes but as it were a Naturall head unto the body which is influenced by him with a new spirituall life which Bellarmine professeth against as any requisite condition to the members of the Catholick Church which he pleadeth for In that same which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies sake which is the Church which assertion is exactly paralell to that of 2 Tim. 2. 10. Therefore I endure all things for the Elects sake that they may obtaine Salvation so that the Elect and the Church are the same persons under severall considerations and therefore even a particular Church on the account of its participation of the nature of the Catholick is called Elect 1 Pet. 5. 13. and so the Church Mat. 16. 18. is expounded by our Saviour himselfe Mat. 22. 24. But to prove at large by a multiplication of Arguments and testimonies that the Catholick Church or Mysticall body of Christ consists of the whole number of the Elect as Redeemed Justifyed Sanctifyed Called Believing and yeilding obedience to Christ throughout the world I speake of it as Militant in any one Age and of them only were as needlessly actum agere as a man can well devise It is done already and that to the purpose uncontroulably terque quaterque And the substance of the doctrine is delivered by Aquinas himselfe p. 3. Q. 8. A. 3. In briefe the summe of the inquiry upon this head is concerning the matter of that Church concerning which such glorious things are spoken in Scripture namely that it is the Spouse the Wife the Bride the Sister the only one of Christ his Dâ—ve undefiled his Temple Elect Redeemed his Sione his Body his new Jerusalem concerning which inquiry the Reader knowes where he may abundanly find satisfaction That the asserting the Catholick Church in this sence is no new Apprehension is known to them who have at all looked backward to what was past before us Omnibus consideratis saith Austin puto me non temere dicere alios ita esse in domo dei ut ipsâ— etiam sint eadem domus Dei quae dicitur aedificari supra petram quae unica columba appellatur quae sponsa pulchra sine macula ruga hortus conclusus fons signatus patens aquae vivae paradisus cum fructu pomorum alios autem ita constat esse in domo ut non pertineant ad compagem domus Sed sicut esse palea dicitur in frumentis de Bapt. lib. 1. cap. 51. who is herein followed by not a few of the Papists hence saith Biel. accipitur etiam Ecclesia pro tota multitudine praedestinatorum in Canon Miss Lec 22. In what sence this Church is invisible was before declared Men elected redeemed justifyed as such are not visible for that which makes them so is not But this hinders not but that they may be so upon other Consideration sometimes to more sometimes to fewer yea they are so alwayes to some Those that are may be seen and when we say they are visible we do not intend that they are actually seen by any that we know but that they may be so Bellarmine gives us a description of this Catholick Church as the name hath of late been used at the pleasure of men and wrested to serve every designe that was needfull to be carryed on to the interest which he was to contend for but in it self perfectly ridiculous He tells us out of Austine that the Church is a living Body wherein is a body and a soule thence saith he the soule is the internall graces of the spirit Faith Hope and Love the body is the externall profession of Faith some are of the soul and body perfectly united to Christ by faith and the profession of it some are of the soule that are not of the body as the Catechumeni which are not as yet admitted to be members of the visible Church but yet are true believers Some saith he are of the body that are not of the soul who having no true grace yet out of hope or temporall feare doe make profession of the faith and these are like the haire nailes and ill humours in an humane body Now saith Bellarmine our definition of a Church comprizeth only this last sort whilst they are under the head the Pope which is all one as if he had defined a man to be a dead creature composed of haire nailes and ill humours under an hat but of the Church in this sence so farre It remaineth then that we enquire what is the Vnion which the Church in this sense hath from the wisdome of its head Jesus Christ That it is one that hath an union with its head and in it selfe is not questioned It is one sheepfold one Body one spouse of Christ his only one as unto him and that it might have onenesse in it selfe with all the fruits of it our Saviour praies Joh. 17. 19 20 21 22 23. the whole of it is described Eph. 4. 15 16. may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ from whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectuall working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body to the edifying it selfe in love And of the same importance is that of the same Apostle Col 2. 19. not holding the head from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God Now in the union of the Church in every sense there is considerable both the formalis ratio of it whence it is what it is and the way and meanes whereby it exerts it selfe and is usefull and active in communion The first in the Church as now stated consists in its joynt holding the head and growing up into him by vertue of the communication of supplies unto it therefrom for that end purpose That which is the formall Reason and cause of the Union of the members with the Head is the formall Reason and Cause of the Union of the members with themselves The Originall Vnion of the members is in and with the Head and by the same have they union with themselves as one body Now the inhabitation of the same Spirit in him and them is that which makes Christ Personall and his Church to be one Christ mysticall 1 Cor. 12. 12. Peter tells us that we are by the promises made partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. we are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have communion with it that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no more but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I cannot easily consent Now it is in the person of the Spirit whereof we are by the promise made partakers he is the Spirit of promise Eph. 1. 13. promised by God to Christ Act. 2. 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉