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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44866	A vindication of the essence and unity of the church catholike visible, and the priority thereof in regard of particular churches in answer to the objections made against it, both by Mr. John Ellis, Junior, and by that reverend and worthy divine, Mr. Hooker, in his Survey of church discipline / by Samuel Hudson ...	Hudson, Samuel, 17th cent.	1650 (1650)	Wing H3266; ESTC R11558	216,698	296

in answer to M. Ball. It grieved me much that I saw them no sooner I have only inserted a few annotations upon those tractates because I was loth to make a Postscript and because I found that most of the material passages in them concerning this subject were already spoken unto in this book I have now shewed mine opinion on this question and submit it to your sage and mature judgements and should be glad that my betters would shew me theirs and either correct what I have erred or failed in or make more clear what I have endeavoured to prove and defend If I have herein erred I would not willingly be an heretick but shall be willing upon conviction and proof to retract the same but if I have defended a truth as I conceive I have I should be glad to be confirmed in it and gladder to have the truth confirmed that it may appear so to others Now God the Father who is the God of truth and Jesus Christ who is the way the truth and the life and the holy Ghost who is the Spirit of truth guide you and us into all truth So prayeth Your unworthy fellow-labourer in the Lord SAMUEL HUDSON Septemb. 8. 1649. AN EPISTLE TO THE READER THe Reverend Authour of this learned Tractate some few years ago did put forth a Book about the Essence and Vnity of the Church-Catholike visible and the priority thereof in regard of particular Churches This Book was written with so much ingenuity perspicuity and learning that Reverend and godly M. Hooker is pleased to passe his judgement upon the Authour and his Book in these words Survey of Church-discipline pag. 15. While I was enquiring and writing touching this Ecclesia Catholica visibilis an especial providence brought a book to my view which did purposely entreat of this particular subject The Author M. Hudson a learned man and a faithful Minister of the Gospel when I had considered his writing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I found his judgement sharp and scholasticall his spirit Christian and moderate his expression succinct and pregnantly plain to expresse his own apprehensions So that my heart was much contented with the acumen and judicious diligence of the Authour though I could not consent to what he writ yet I could not but unfainedly prize the learning perspicuity and painfulnesse expressed in his writing To this Book by him so much commended he returns an answer and before him one M. John Ellis junior And it seems there are two other Tractates about the same subject written from N. E. The one by M. Norton in answer to Apollonius the other by M. All●● and M. Shepherd in answer to M. Ball. For the truth is the ●●●tion there held forth if granted would utterly overthrow the grounds and pillars of the Congregational government For 〈◊〉 there be a Church-Catholike visible and this Church be not only a Church-Entitive but a Church-Organical and a Totum integrale having all Church-power habitually seated in the Officers of it which they have commission from Christ to exert and put into act upon a lawful call And if particular Congregations are integral parts and members of the Church-Catholike as the Jewish Synagogues we●●f the Jewish Church And if the Ministry Ordinances and censures were given by Christ first to the Church-general-visible and secondarily to the Church-particular Then it will necessarily follow That the particular Congregation is not the first receptacle of Church-power And that all Church-power is not intirely and independently in a particular Congregation which are two of the chief foundations of the Congregational government I shall not at all speak to the first but as for this last That all Church-power is solely and independently in a particular Congregation it seems to me not only to be contrary to the Scripture a Act. 15. Mat. 18.17 Deut. 17.8 9 10 11 12. 1 Tim. 4.14 but to the very light of nature and to carry many great absurdities with it For 1. It takes away all authoritative appeals and all authoritative waies of uniting particular Churches one with another 2. Then the Churches of Jesus Christ should have no Church-communion in discipline one with another They may have Christian-communion but no Church-communion 3. Then no Minister could preach as an Officer out of his own Congregation but only as a gifted brother and as a private Christian 4. Then no Minister could administer the Sacraments which is an act of office out of his own Congregation nor as I conceive give the Sacrament to a member of another Congregation 5. Then when his particular Church is dissolved he ceaseth to be a Minister and must receive a New Ordination 6. Then a Minister baptizing a childe baptizeth him only into his own Congregation For if he be not an Officer of the Catholike Church he cannot baptize into the Catholike Church which is directly contrary to 1 Cor. 12.13 7. Then when the Officers excommunicate a person he should only be excommunicated out of that particular Congregation c. 8. Then Christ should have as many intire bodies as particular Congregations Christ should not only have one Body whereof particular Congregations are part but every Congregation should be a Body of Christ by it self 9. It would make way for toleration of heresies and blasphemies and let in as many religions as there are particular Congregations 10. It would make the Churches of Christ stand divided one from another in respect of government and thereby bring ruine upon one another Even as in a civil State if particular Corporations should be independent from the whole in point of government it would quickly bring destruction upon the whole For the removing of these and such like absurdities This learned and iudicious Authour in the Book fore-mentioned laid down a quite contrary Thesis That there is a Catholike visible organical Church to which Ordinances and censures are firstly given by Iesus Christ And that every Minister is seated by God in this Catholike visible Church and hath a virtual and habitual power to preach as a Minister in any place where he shall be lawfully called Indeed he is not an actual Minister of the Church-Catholike nor hath actually the charge of the whole Church as the Apostles had but habitually only by reason of the indefinitenesse of his office He hath power in actu primo by vertue of his office though not in actu secundo sive exercito he hath jus ad rem every where but not in re any where without a call He is a Minister of Jesus Christ and thereby hath right and power to perform the acts belonging to his office but for the execution of it there is required a call thereunto This position is opposed and confuted by the fore-named Authours And in answer to them but especially to M. Hooker and M. Ellis This Reverend Minister hath here written a Vindication which he hath done with so much meeknesse moderation ingenuity perspicuity and learning that

if that holy men of God M. Hooker were alive I doubt not but he would passe the same judgement upon this Book which he did upon the former The truth is The Question is full of difficulty and intricacy the path in which he walks is an untrodden path and the pains which he hath taken in the compiling of this work and the learning which he hath discovered herein is so great as I am very confident That whosoever reades the Book will commend the Authour and his abilities though he should not in every thing resent his opinion The Scope of the Book is to contend for the extents and rights of Christs political Kingdom in his Church upon earth and to demonstrate the unity of it and thereby to lay a foundation of unity between particular Churches which is as necessary for the preservation of them as purity and verity For a Church divided against it self cannot stand Sad it is to consider That whereas Jesus Christ hath left two waies for the uniting of Christians in faith and love the devil should make use of both of them to disunite and divide us The first is The Sacrament of the Lords Supper which was instituted to be a Feast of Love and a Band of Vnion between Christians but by Satans cunning it hath proved an apple of strife and of great contention not only between the Papists and the Protestants the Lutherans and the Calvinists but between us also and our dissenting brethren The second is The Government of the Church which was ordained by Christ to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and as a golden chain to link them together in purity verity and unity to heal breaches and to make us minde the same things and to be perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgement But by the devils policy whose property it is to bring evil out of good it is become the great bone of contention and a middle wall of partition between Christians and Christians This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation But my comfort is That Jesus Christ came into the world to remove the wall of partition that was between Jew and Gentile and to make both one and he is not only a foundation 〈…〉 his people to build their faith and hope upon but also a corner stone to unite beleevers one to another He it is that will shortly remove all these Wals of partition between brethren and will become not only our Redeemer but our Peace-maker For he hath praied for all those that should beleeve in him That they may be one as thou Father art in me Joh. 17.21 22 and I in thee that they also may be one with us that the ●●●●ld may beleeve that thou hast sent me And the glory which thou hast given me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one This Praier will in due time be fulfilled together with those three soul-comforting Prophecies concerning the times of the New Testament Ier. 32.39 Zeph. 3.9 Zach. 14.9 In the mean time it is our duty to study unity as well as purity To this the Apostle exhorts us with great earnestnesse and affection 1 Cor. 1.10 Phil. 2.1.2 3. Eph. 4.3 4 5 6. This the present times call for with a loud voice And this shall be the care and praier of Your unworthy servant in the work of the Ministry EDMUND CALAMY Errata PAge 10. line 16. for priatively reade privatively p. 14. l. 36. for vale e quantums valeat quantum p. 1● l. 24. for Foance r. France p. 18. l. 5. for Catechism r. Doctrine of the Church correct the like fault p. 7. l. 10. p. 18. l. 37. put a ●●ddlepoint after these words Members for your part p. 29. l. 5. blot 〈…〉 ●at aliquid significat p 545 l. 34. for or r. for p. 59. l. 31. for visibly r. visible p. 7● l. 5. blot out not p. 73. l. 32. blot out there p. 74. l. 11. is consisted r. consisteth p. 87. l. 13. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 91. l 4. for for a particular r. of a particular p. 103. l. 34. for set p. 107. l. 18. for chough r. though p. 127. l. 5. for it r. is l. 16. for integrals r. integral p. 136. l. 17. for as well as r. as well as p. 144. l. 20. for to what r. in what p 163. l. 31. for presbyterio r. presbyterio p. 168. l. 5. for no more it is r. no more then it is p. 176. l. 6. for p●stors r. pastors p. 191. l. 16. for and Israel r. in Israel p. 194. l. 1● for diut●s r. diuit●s p. 201. l. 14. for good r. goods p. 231. l. 1. for Christ r. Christian p. 238. l. 13. for primally r. primarily p. 260. l. 2. for folds r. fields p. 262. l. 5. for two men r. two women This Leaf being forgotten to be inserted in the former part of this Thesis it was thought fit to adde it here M. Norton a reverend Minister in N. E. in his Treatise of the Doctrine of Godlinesse printed since his answer to Apollonius defineth the Church-Catholike to be the number of the elect and redeemed whom God hath called out of the world unto a supernatural estate and communion of grace and glory with himself in Jesus Christ And affirms that there is but one Catholike Church because there is but one faith And then comes to distinguish this Catholike Church in respect of its adjuncts into invisible and visible And then defines a visible Church to be a similar part of the Catholike Church consisting of a competent number knit together by way of visible Covenant to exercise an holy communion with God in Christ and so one with another according to the order of the Gospel And then distinguisheth this visible Church into pure and impure impure into 3. branches viz. Simply erring Schismatical Heretical And then makes the matter of this visible Church to be Saints i. e. visible beleevers From whence we have these concessions 1. That there is a Church-Catholike which is but one 2. That this Church Catholike is visible yea let me adde further out of his answer to Apollonius Politica visibilitas est adjunctum respectu Ecclesiae Catholicae pag. 87. i. e. political visibility is an adjunct in respect of the Church-Catholike 3. That this Church-Catholike is an integral 4. That the particular Churches are similar parts of that integral 5. That these particular Churches consist of visible beleevers which as himself in his answer to Apollonius confesseth are not all Saints in truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but many of them only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in appearance 6. That some of these visible Churches may be impure not only simply erring but schismatical yea heretical But saving my honourable respect to so worthy a man I cannot see how these things are consistent with his definition of the Church-Catholike for how can the