to the E PHE S I AN S. 475_ ----- -----~----'---'--=- bers of the particular Church. How prove you that? Saith he verfe I I. He~ gave fame Prophets {olneEvangehf/.r, a1td (ome P,iflors a11d Teachers; 'which Sern!o" 'you all know are th~ Officers of pmicul.ar Chmchej. So tllatby_fil!ingall i1J,all, ?'Xl~:V•• he cloth hot on!§ mean filling the Univerfal Ch~rch, but a particular Church With~ all the Officers ofir, till it come to that proportion offlaturc that he hoth appothted it to. So much for the explicatibn of thts; what is meant by Chnrch, ahd wh'ether both be meaAt or no. . Now my Brethren, how far the word Chttrch,(fet afide the Univerfal Church,) may reach,whcth~~ or no it may not reach beyond a parttcular Corrgregatwn that db' meet together tn one placets the great Qyeflton of thefe tunes; And l know that fame have expected that Jlhould fpeak to thts, bccaufe, and meerly becaufe the word Church is here in tile Teltt. As (that I may flate the Qt!efliory to you, for I fl10ll do no in6re,) whether yea or no, befides a parucular Congregation that met together in one place,(which you fee is reckoned a Church and the-whole Church,) many Congregations, many Churches united in one may riot be called 9nc particular Church. When I fly many Churches, the meani~g is this, niany Churches though they do not meet together m <lne place for ordmatlces of Wot· fhip, of Prayer and Sacraments and hearing the Word, yet are but one in refpcct of 0\fcipline and Goverhmetlt; Whether or' no thefe are not to be reckoned one Church mecrly for Difcipline fake, Excommunication and the Cerifurcs of the' Church. Here is the Q>eflion. As for Example, whether many Churches un" der one Diocefan Bi01op, (in order to being governed by him,) though,all the Churches in that Shire cannot meet together to Pray and receive the Sacraments, &c, yet whether in refpec.t of Qifcipline and Government they migllt not be uni– ted in one under him as their Governour. Or Secondly, whether yea or no many Churches, that do not,nor cannot meet together to pray or to hear in common, or to receive the Sacrament in common, yet being to be fubjec.t to all the Elders and Minifiers within fuch a Circuit, whe– ther they may not be faid to be one in that refpec.t, as being under thofe Elders ~nd Mini!ters, which is aPrcs!rytaian ChurcG. Whether doth the Scripture al– low this yea or no? Or whether that only a particular Congregation, (taking in.bdth the Elders and Minifters and the Congregation it felf together that enjoy both \~'or/hip and Difcipline together,) is faid to be a particular Church and none elfe. This ts t he great Controverfy of the times, and this you expect ( it may be,) that I /hould Anfwer. ' If you will take the Arifwerof my Judgment, you know that already. Ifyou will take an Anfwer out of other Scriptures, l have no ground to run out iQto it from this Text. For all that this Text faith is but this, that he is the Head of his Church which is his Body. He doth not determine whether a Dioccfan Church be his Body, or whether aPreslryterimt Church be his Body, or only a particular Con$regation.Only my Brethren to dew;mine this I will but give you tillS one rule out of the Text, and that is this, that nothing is or can be reckoned the Church of Chrifi,but what may be called a difhnd: Body to Chrift. Now then take many Congregations united together in one under a Diocefan Bi010p, you mufi make that one man the Church and a Body to Chrifi, Take Jikewife many Congregations united in one under many Miniflers, you muft make thefe Mini– fiers _met together the Body of Chrift. Now then the Rule I lhall give you will be fatr and eafie, In M.llt. 18. I]. there our Saviour Chrift cloth firfi let fall the infiituti~n of a particular Church, that is clear of all fides; And I fpcak to the Chu~chm hand, for It ts a Church not only for Prayer and the Sacraments, bui for Dtfctphne, for he fpeaks of one that is to be cafi out; If '"''Y ma" offmd,faith hq, go tdt theCh~rch. Now by Church here he cannot mean the Univerfal Church, that IS plam; Why? Becoufe you cannot call all the men in the World together that are Saints to tell them,you cannot C?ll Men and Angels together,that is with· out qucflton. What then is meant by Church, for he fpeaks of a new inflitmion under the New Teflament? My Brethren, what is moant by Church in that I8. of Matt. you mufl find it in the ApoOles writings, for Chrill left it to ihem to in• terpret, you mufl go and find it in the Epijltes oJPtlllt, and in the .lffls a{ the .If. pojltes, for they Interpreted Chrifi and his meaning. Pp p Now
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