I V PR F. P A C E. THE D fgn of the enfuing Difcourfe is to difeover the Nature of an inflituted Church of Chrifl, in refpeéi both of Matter and Form, wherein you have the fe- veral Branches of Church- Government di/linaly handled, (hew - ing the Laws, Forms and Ordinances of the Houle of God, With the going in and going out thereof, that every Thing may be done according to Rule, and nothing merely human maintained therein. There is no part of the Temple, or Temple- worßip, or Di': cipline, but what the meajùring Line of the Wordfhould be draw.,un over ; Rev. xi. 1. And there was given me a Reed Iike to a Rod; and the Angel faid, A rife, and meafure the Temple of God, and the Altar, and them that wórfhip therein. There is no Temple under the new Di/ e; fation, but an in/lituted Church, nor any Reed or Rod to meafure it with- al, but the Reed of the Word. When John had a Vi/ion of the holy Jerufalem, he obferved that the Wall of the City had twelve Foundations, and in them the Names of the twelve flpoflles. The Foundation, the Groundwork ofit was 4ofio- heal: So mull the Foundation of an inf ituted Church be. .rind 'when the City was meafisred, the Length, and the Breadth, and the Heighth of it were equal, twelve thoufand Furlongs. Here again, the Root of the Number is twelve, whether you take the Meafilre of the Height, or the Breadth, or the Length: And he meafured the Wall thereof, a hundred and forty four Cubits. The Root is in twelve, and the Multiplication is by twelve; twelve Times twelve make a Hundred forty ana four. Every Thing appertaining to this Ho ÿ City muß be Apof tolical as to the Foundation, and allo to the Superßruthire. 1. If we take a View of the Worfhip of God, we find that every Branch of that bath the Stamp of Divinefluthority upon it. The Ordinances that are to be adminitred in an inßi- tuted Church are of Chriß's own flppointment, to be proved either by exprefs Precept, or by flpoßolical Precedent. It was Chriß that ordained Baptifm to be adminißred to Difciples, as a regular Prequalification to Church- memberfhip, Mat. xxviii. 19. He it is that ordained Prayer to be made in his Name, A 3 ,tbi
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