kinds of it to any such purpose, as that he aggravates all sort and kinds of it with the epithet of nefarious, or abominable.

A man may say, What is there almost that they have not committed lewdness in this kind withal? on every hill, and under every green tree is the filth of their abomination found: saints and angels in heaven; images of some that never were; of others that had been better they never had been; bread and wine, cross and nails, altars, wood, and iron, and the pope on earth are by them adored. The truth is, if we have any assurance left us of any thing in the world, that we either see or hear, feel or taste, and so consequently that we are alive, and not other men, the poor Indians who worship a piece of red cloth, are not more gross idolaters than they are.

2. All that worship the beast set up by the dragon, all that receive his mark in their hands, or forehead, are said not to have their names written in the book of life of the Lamb,' Rev. xiii. 8. which what aspect it bears towards the visible Roman church, time will manifest.

All these sorts of persons we except against, as those that have no interest in the union of the catholic church. All profane, ignorant, self-justiciaries, all idolaters, worshippers, or adorers of the papal power, if any remain among them, not one way or other visibly separated from them, who fall not under some one or more of these exceptions; as we grant they may be members of the catholic church, so we deny that they are of that which is called the Roman. And I must needs inform others by the way, that whilst the course of their conversation, ignorance of the mystery of the gospel, hatred of good men, contempt of the Spirit of God, his gifts and graces, do testify to the consciences of them that fear the Lord, that they belong not to the church catholic, it renders their rebuking of others, for separating from any instituted church national (as is pretended), or more restrained, very weak and contemptible. All discourses about motes, have a worm at the root, whilst there is a beam lies in the eye. Do men suppose, that a man who hath tasted how gracious the Lord is, and hath by grace obtained communion with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, walking at peace with God, and in a sense of his

love all his days, filled with the Holy Ghost, and by him with joy unspeakable and glorious in believing, is not strengthened against the rebukes and disputes of men, whom he sees and knows by their fruits, to be destitute of the Spirit of God, uninterested in the fellowship of the gospel, and communion thereof?

CHAP. V.

Of the catholic church visible. Of the nature thereof. In what sense the universality of professors is called a church. Amiraldus's judgment in this business. The union of the church in this sense wherein it consists. Not the same with the union of the church catholic; nor that of a particular instituted church. Not in relation to any one officer, or more, in subordination to one another. Such a subordination not proveable. Tà apxaia of the Nicene synod. Of general councils. Union of the church visible not in a general council. The true unity of the universality of professors asserted. Things necessary to this union. Story of a martyr at Bagdat. The apostacy of churches from the unity of the faith. Testimony of Hegesippus vindicated. Papal apostacy. Protestants not guilty of the breach of this unity. The catholic church in the sense insisted on, granted by the ancients. Not a political body.

THE second general notion of the church, as it is usually taken, signifies the universality of men professing the doctrine of the gospel, and obedience to God in Christ, according to it, throughout the world. This is that, which is commonly called the visible catholic church, which now, together with the union which it hath in itself, and how that unity is broken, falls under consideration.

That all professors of the gospel throughout the world, called to the knowledge of Christ by the word, do make up, and constitute his visible kingdom, by their professed subjection to him, and so may be called his church, I grant. That they are precisely so called in Scripture is not unquestionable. What relation it stands in to all particular churches, whether as a genus to its species, or as a totum to its parts, hath lately by many been discussed. I must crave leave to deny that, it is capable of filling up, or of being included in, any of these denominations and relations. The universal church we are speaking of, is not a thing that

hath, as such, a specificative form, from which it should be called a universal church; as a particular hath for its ground of being so called. It is but a collection of all that are duly called Christians in respect of their profession; nor are the several particular churches of Christ in the world, so parts and members of any catholic church, as that it should be constituted, or made up by them and of them, for the order and purpose of an instituted church, that is, the celebration of the worship of God, and institutions of Jesus Christ according to the gospel; which to assert, were to overthrow a remarkable difference between the economy of the Old Testament and the New. Nor do I think that particular congregations do stand unto it in the relation of species unto a genus, in which the whole nature of it should be preserved and comprised, which would deprive every one of membership in this universal church, which is not joined actually to some particular church or congregation, than which nothing can be more devoid of truth. To debate the thing in particular, is not my present intention, nor is needful to the purpose in hand.

The sum is, the universal church is not so called upon the same account that a particular church is so called. The formal reason constituting a particular church to be a particular church, is, that those of whom it doth consist, do join together according to the mind of Christ in the exercise of the same numerical ordinances for his worship and in this sense the universal church cannot be said to be a church, as though it had such a particular form of its own; which that it hath, or should have, is not only false but impossible. But it is so called, because all Christians throughout the world (excepting some individual persons providentially excluded) do, upon the enjoyment of the same preaching of the word, the same sacraments administered in specie, profess one common faith and hope; but to the joint performance of any exercise of religion, that they should hear one sermon together, or partake of one sacrament, or have one officer for their rule and government, is ridiculous to imagine; nor do any profess to think so, as to any of the particulars mentioned, but those only, who have profit by the fable. As to the description of this church, I shall acquiesce in that lately given of it by a very learned

Saith he, Ecclesia universalis, est communio, seu societas omnium cœtuum' (I had rather he had said, and he had done it more agreeable to principles by himself laid down, 'omnium fidem Christianam profitentium sive illi ad ecclesias aliquas particulares pertineant, sive non pertineant') 'qui religionem Christianam profitentur, consistens in eo, quod tametsi neque exercitia pietatis uno numero frequentent, neque sacramenta eadem numero participent, neque uno eodemque omnino ordine regantur, et gubernentur, unum tamen corpus in eo constituunt, quod eundem Christum servatorem habere se profitentur, uno in evangelio propositum, iisdem promissionibus comprehensum, quas obsignant, et confirmant sacramenta, ex eadem institutione pendentia.' Amyrald. Thes. de Eccles. nom et. defin. The. 29.

There being then in the world a great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, kindreds, people, and languages, professing the doctrine of the gospel, not tied to mountains or hills, John iv. but worshipping ¿v távti tóny ; 1 Cor. i. 2. 1 Tim. ii. 8. let us consider what union there is amongst them as such, wrapping them all in the bond thereof, by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ; and wherein the breach of that union doth consist, and how any man is or may be guilty thereof.

I suppose this will be granted: that only elect believers belong to the church in this sense considered, is a chimera feigned in the brains of the Romanists, and fastened on the reformed divines. I wholly assent to Austin's dispute on this head against the Donatists: and the whole entanglement that hath been about this matter, hath arisen from obstinacy in the Papists in not receiving the catholic church in the sense mentioned before; which to do, they know would be injurious to their interest.

This church being visible and professing, and being now considered under that constituting difference, that the union of it cannot be the same with that of the catholic church before mentioned, it is clear from hence, that multitudes of men belong unto it, who have not the relation mentioned before to Christ and his body; which is required in all comprehended in that union; seeing many are called, but few are chosen.' Nor can it consist in a joint assembly, either

ordinary or extraordinary, for the celebration of the ordinances of the gospel, or any one of them, as was the case. of the church of the Jews, which met at set times in one place for the performance of that worship which was then required, nor could otherwise be accomplished. For as it is not at all possible, that any such thing should ever be done, considering what is, and shall be, the estate of Christ's visible kingdom to the end of the world; so it is not (that I know of) pleaded, that Christ hath made any such appointment: yea, it is on all hands confessed, at least cannot reasonably be denied, that there is a supersedeas granted to all supposals of any such duty, incumbent on the whole visible church, by the institution of particular churches, wherein all the ordinances of Christ are duly to be administered.

I shall only add, that if there be not an institution for the joining in the same numerical ordinances, the union of this church is not really a church-union: I mean, of an instituted church, which consists therein, but something of another nature. Neither can that have the formal reason of an instituted church as such, which as such can join in no one act of the worship of God instituted to be performed in such societies: so that he that shall take into his thoughts the condition of all the Christians in the world; their present state, what it hath been for fifteen hundred years, and what it is like to be ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος, will easily understand, what church-state they stand in, and relate unto.

3. It cannot possibly have its union by a relation to any one officer given to the whole, such a one as the Papists pretend the pope to be. For though it be possible that one officer may have relation to all the churches in the world, as the apostles severally had (when Paul said the care of all the churches lay on him), who by virtue of their apostolical commission were to be received, and submitted to in all the churches in the world, being antecedent in office to them; yet this neither did, nor could make all the churches one church; no more than if one man were an officer or magistrate in every corporation in England, this would make all those corporations to be one corporation. I do not suppose the pope to be an officer to the whole church visible as such,