630) nay allow one of their Churches to meet at once in feveral houfes or places, where feveral Paftors may pro tempereofficiate : and,yet, this con- fritiethwith all the forementioned ends ofthe relation. 4. And indeed diforders and confitìons inChurches, mutt not beour meafure, to judgeof their Nature and conflitution by, thoughone in a Swoonemay be hardlydifcerned from a dead man, yet life is neverthelefs. effential to aman. The Principalities in Germany may be fo curtalecf, and intanglèd, that it (hall be hard for Lawyers to judge whether.the Princes be proper Soverains. and Monarchs or not. And yet whatcloth conlfitute Monarchy and Soveraignity is krown. A Ship may be made folittle, and a Barge fo big, as that it may be hard to diftinguith them by name : and yet a ShipandBarge axe divers. If in one great houfe, there he le verat men with their Wives Childrenand Servants, in Lycra! rooms or parts, and one have tome fuperioriry over the refl, theyy being free journy -men or labourers under him, the degree of the Power of thechief Mafter here may be in feveral cafes fo various, as that it (hall be hard for any man to fay, whether this be one Family only ormany. But mull we therefore remove all dillinc`tion ofFamilies, or forfake the old and ufual definition. The fame 1, fay of Primary pertiçular Churches. Stepney Parifh, or Gila.Criplegate, or Martins in the fields may be fo great, as to make a doubt ofit, whether thcyare tingleChurches; and fo may fome Lancet- prePari(hes, that have very dillant and large Cha,pelries. But (hall the difeafe or extaordinary cafe, or dicfñulty offuch a Parilh, makeus change theold and true definitionofa Church? And thus force Presbyterians have argued' from the Multitude ofCon- verts at,erufalem and Epbefus; that they could not be one particular Church, lb as tomeet all in one place(which is the common and lirongeil objeEtion again(t us )., But a. undoubtedly there were many 'frrangers, there, that were ready to pals away to other places. 2. And the Spirit knew that the Church was quickly by perfecution to be fcattered. ._g.., And on afuddain there was not timeto fettle them in exaEt order;as after- ward they did in all the Churches. ?Ws., 14. 23. But many Apofilesbeing, there they might tranfiently have - divers meetings at once, 4. And the rumber and dillance of them all was nogreater thenmight confilf with . the forementioned Church Ends and definition. They that meet one day with oneApotile, might meetthe nextdaywith another, and might 'have PerfOnal Communion and Converfation. And 5. The text faith that they did meet all in one place :. and as Dodfor Hammond:-aforecited> faith, they deny the plain. text that do deny it they were not diliri- buted into divers afhimbles ; and the [4fl] that meet together,mufl mean. thegreaterpart of t heChurch membersat once.And I.my felfhave Preached toaCongregation,fuppofcdbyunderf landingperfonsinit,tobe fix thou- fand, andall to have heard : and as many more might have lleard the next day : and fo twenty thoufand might make a Church, when vicinity' maligth otherwife na,pattle attain judo we find_ that.men fpeaking;,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=