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THE church may be considered either as unto its essence, constitution, and being; or as unto its power and order, when it is organized. As unto its essence and being, its constituent parts are its matter and form. These we must inquire into.

By the matter of the church, we understand the persons whereof the church doth consist, with their qualifications: and by its form, the reason, cause, and way of that kind of relation among them, which gives them the being of a church, and therewithal an interest in all that belongs unto a church, either privilege or power, as such.

Our first inquiry being concerning what sort of persons our Lord Jesus Christ requireth and admitteth to be the visible subjects of his kingdom, we are to be regulated in our determination by respect unto his honour, glory, and the holiness of his rule. To reckon such persons to be subjects of Christ, members of his body, such as he requires and owns, (for others are not so) who would not be tolerated, at least not approved, in a well-governed kingdom or commonwealth of the world, is highly dishonourable unto him. But it is so come to pass, that let men be never so notoriously and flagitiously wicked, until they become pests of the earth, yet are they esteemed to belong to the church of Christ. And not only so, but it is thought little less than schism to forbid a Psal. xv. 1-5. Psal. xxiv. 3, 4. Psal. xciii. 5. 2 Cor. viii. 23. Ephes. v. 27. VOL. XX. 2 A

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them the communion of the church in all its sacred privileges. Howbeit, the Scripture doth in general represent the kingdom or church of Christ, to consist of persons called saints, separated from the world, with many other things of an alike nature, as we shall see immediately. And if the honour of Christ were of such weight with us as it ought to be; if we understood aright the nature and ends of his kingdom, and that the peculiar glory of it, above all the kingdoms in the world, consists in the holiness of its subjects, such a holiness as the world in its wisdom knoweth not, we would duly consider whom we avow to belong thereunto. Those who know aught of these things, will not profess that persons openly profane, vicious, sensual, wicked, and ignorant, are approved and owned of Christ as the subjects of his kingdom, or that it is his will that we should receive them into the communion of the church. But an old opinion of the unlawfulness of separation from a church, on the account of the mixture of wicked men in it, is made a scare-crow to frighten men from attempting the reformation of the greatest evils, and a covert for the composing churches of such members only.

Some things therefore are to be premised unto what shall be offered unto the right stating of this inquiry: as,

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1. That if there be no more required of any as unto personal qualifications, in a visible uncontrollable profession, to constitute them subjects of Christ's kingdom, and members of his church, but what is required by the most righteous and severe laws of men to constitute a good subject or citizen, the distinction between his visible kingdom and the kingdoms of the world, as unto the principal causes of it, is utterly lost. Now all negative qualifications, as that men are not oppressors, drunkards, revilers, swearers, adulterers, &c. are required hereunto; but yet it is so fallen out, that generally more is required to constitute such a citizen as shall represent the righteous laws he liveth under than to constitute a member of the church of Christ.

2. That whereas regeneration is expressly required in the gospel, to give a right and privilege unto an entrance into the church or kingdom of Christ, whereby that kingdom of his is distinguished from all other kingdoms in and of the b 2 Tim. iii. 1-5. c Ezek. xxii. 26. d John iii. 3. Tit. iii. 3-5.

world, unto an interest wherein never any such thing was required; it must of necessity be something better, more excellent and sublime, than any thing the laws and polities of men pretend unto or prescribe. Wherefore it cannot consist in any outward rites, easy to be observed by the worst and vilest of men; besides the Scripture gives us a description of it, in opposition unto its consisting in any such rite; 1 Pet. iii. 21. And many things required unto good citizens, are far better than the mere observation of such a rite.

Of this regeneration baptism is the symbol, the sign, expression, and representation. Wherefore unto those who are in a due manner partakers of it, it giveth all the external rights and privileges which belong unto them that are regenerate, until they come unto such seasons, wherein the personal performance of those duties whereon the continuation of the estate of visible regeneration doth depend, is required of them. Herein if they fail, they lose all privilege and benefit by their baptism.

So speaks the apostle in the case of circumcision under the law; Rom. ii. 25. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.' It is so in the case of baptism. Verily it profiteth, if a man stand unto the terms of the covenant which is tendered therein between God and his soul; for it will give him right unto all the outward privileges of a regenerate state; but if he do not, as in the sight of God, his baptism is no baptism, as unto the real communication of grace and acceptance with him; so in the sight of the church, it is no baptism, as unto a participation of the external rights and privileges of a regenerate state.

4. God alone is judge concerning this regeneration, as unto its internal real principle and state in the souls of men,g whereon the participation of all the spiritual advantages of the covenant of grace doth depend: the church is judge of its evidences and fruits in their external demonstration, as unto a participation of the outward privileges of a regenerate state, and no farther. And we shall hereon briefly declare what belongs unto the forming of a right judgment

e John iii. 5. Acts ii. 38. 1 Pet. ii. 21. Acts xv. 8. Rev. ii. 23.

f Phil. iii. 18, 19. Tit. i. 15, 16. h Acts viii. 13.

herein, and who are to be esteemed fit members of any gospel church-state, or have a right so to be.

1. Such as from whom we are obliged to withdraw or withhold communion, can be no part of the matter constituent of a church, or are not meet members for the first constitution of it. But such are all habitual sinners; those who having prevalent habits and inclinations unto sins of any kind unmortified, do walk according unto them. Such are profane swearers, drunkards, fornicators, covetous, oppressors, and the like, ' who shall not inherit the kingdom of God; 1 Cor. vi. 9-11. Phil. iii. 18, 19. 2 Thess. iii. 6. 2 Tim. iii. 5. as a man living and dying in any known sin, that is habitually, without repentance cannot be saved; so a man known to live in sin, cannot regularly be received into any church. To compose churches of habitual sinners, and that either as unto sins of commission, or sins of omission, is not to erect temples to Christ, but chapels unto the devil.

2. Such as being in the fellowship of the church, are to be admonished of any scandalous sin, which if they repent not of, they are to be cast out of the church, are not meet members for the original constitution of a church. This is the state of them who abide obstinate in any known sin, whereby they have given offence unto others, without a professed repentance thereof, although they have not lived in it habitually.

3. They are to be such as visibly answer the description given of gospel churches in the Scripture, so as the titles assigned therein unto the members of such churches, may on good grounds be appropriated unto them. To compose

churches of such persons as do not visibly answer the character given of what they were of old, and what they were always to be by virtue of the law of Christ or gospel-constitution, is not church edification but destruction. And those who look on the things spoken of all church members of old, as that they were saints by calling, lively stones in the house of God, justified and sanctified, separate from the world, &c. as those which were in them, and did indeed belong unto them, but even deride the necessity of the same things in

11 Cor. vi. 9-11. Phil. iii. 18, 19. 2 Thess. iii. 6. 2 Tim. iii. 5. Rom. ix. 6,7. Tit. i. 16. k Matt. xviii. 16-18. 1 Cor. v. 11.

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present church members, or the application of them unto those who are so, are themselves no small part of that woful degeneracy which Christian religion is fallen under. Let it then be considered what is spoken of the church of the Jews in their dedication unto God, as unto their typical holiness, with the application of it unto Christian churches in real holiness, 1 Pet. ii. 5. 9. with the description given of them constantly in the Scripture, as faithful, holy, believing, as the house of God, as his temple wherein he dwells by his Spirit, as the body of Christ united and compacted by the communication of the Spirit unto them; as also what is said concerning their ways, walkings, and duties; and it will be uncontrollably evident of what sort our church members ought to be; nor are those of any other sort able to discharge the duties which are incumbent on all church members, nor to use the privileges they are intrusted withal. Wherefore, I say, to suppose churches regularly to consist of such persons, for the greater part of them, as no way answer the description given of church members in their original institution, nor capable to discharge the duties prescribed unto them, but giving evidence of habits and actions inconsistent therewithal, is not only to disturb all church order, but utterly to overthrow the ends and being of churches. Nor is there any thing more scandalous unto Christian religion, than what Bellarmine affirms to be the judgment of the papists in opposition unto all others; namely, that no internal virtue or grace is required unto the constitution of a church in its members.' Lib. 3. de Eccles. cap. 2.

4. They must be such as do make an open profession of the subjection of their souls and consciences unto the authority of Christ in the gospel, and their readiness to yield obedience unto all his commands.' This I suppose will not be denied; for not only doth the Scripture make this profession necessary unto the participation of any benefit or privilege of the gospel; but the nature of the things themselves requires indispensably that so it should be. For nothing can be more unreasonable than that men should be taken into the privileges attending obedience unto the laws and commands of Christ, without avowing or professing that

1 Rom. x. 10. 2 Cor. viii. 5. ix. 13. Matt. x. 32, 33. Luke ix. 16. 2 Tim. ii. 12. Rom. xv. 9. John xii. 42. 1 John jv. 2, 3. 15.

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