Baxter - BV669 B3 1681

(. 42 fuch as are uncapable, either through notorious Ignorance; or Heretic, orutter Infüfficiency as to the Effentials oftheir Office, or bydifclaiming themfelves any. Effential part of the Paftoral Office, or by notorious Preaching againftGodlinefs, end'oppofingthe Churches neceffary good,] are indeed no trueChurches of Chrift, but only are Analogically or Equi- vocally Incalled'; M you may call a Communityof Chriftians that have noPattor or Church , which is no Organized or Political Society. 72. But yet I think it not limplyunlawful to joyn at anytime with fuch anAffembly : For I may joyn with a Chriftian Family, or occafional Af- fembly; though not as with a Church. 73. We hold that all theChriftians in theWorld (in particular Chur- ches or out) do make upone Catholick or Univerfal Church ; which is Myftical and Invifible, . in that, r. theFaith of Mens minds is Invifible, -z. and Chrift is Invifible to us Mortals nowhe is in Heaven. But it is alfo Vifible, is In refpeEt of theMembers and their outward Baptifmand Pro- feffon, I. and becaufe that Chrift the Head was once Vifible on Earth, and is ftill Vifible in Heaven to the Glorified part (as the King is to his Courtiers, when the reft of the Kingdom Teeth himnot.) and will bly appear again to all. 74. We hold that this Univerfal Church is One in Chrlft alone, and that it hath no other Kingor Head ; That he hath Jnftituted no Vicari- ous Head, either Pope or General Council; Nor is any mortal man ot. mencapable of fuch an Office. 75. We hold therefore that the Roman Pope ('and General Councils, if theyclaim fuch an Headship) isan ilfurper of part ofChrift's Preroga- tive ; which having ufurped he bath ufed againft Chrift , and hisinte- reft; againft the Soveraigntyof Princes, and against the true Unity,Con. cord, Peace and Holinefs of the Churches. 76. Andwe hold that it was the modellingof the Church to the Policy of the Roman Empire, which gave the Pope theadvantage for this ufurpa- tion : And that the Roman Catholick Papal Church is ameer HumaneForm, and an Imperial Church, asmuch as the Archbithop ofCanterbury as Supe- riour to the reft of England is-of Man, andthat Body fo united is aNa- tional Church : And that the General Councils were never truly General, asto all the Churches in the World, but only as to the Roman Imperial Church; Noneconfiderable ever coming to fuch Councils, but thofe that were or had been inthe Roman Empire, or Come very few that clofely bor- dered on them: Nor had the Roman Emperour (who ufually called, or gave his Warrant for fuch Councils, or Governed them) any power over the Clergy of all the reft ofthe ChriftianWorld, (inEthiopia, the outer Armenia, Pet-fia, India, &c.) Nor did the Imperial Pope then exercife any power over them. Andweare perfúuaded that the power of the Pa- triarchs of Alexandri4, Antioch, 7erufalem, Conflantixople, and of the Me- tropolitans, Primates, &c. flood on the fame foundation with the Prima- cy ofthe Pope, and that one is nomore of Divine right than the oBut ther;

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