thesis, presumptions, and notions, no other way considerable, but as received by tradition from our fathers.

But I shall for the sake of some carry on this discourse to a fuller issue; there is another common notion of schism, which pleads to an original from that spoken expressly of it, by a parity of reason, which tolerable in itself, hath been and is injuriously applied, and used, according as it hath fallen into the hands of men who needed it as an engine to fix or improve them in the station wherein they are, or were; and wherewith they are pleased. Indeed, being invented for several purposes, there is nothing more frequent than for men, who are scarce able to keep off the force of it from their own heads, whilst managed against them by them above; at the same time vigorously to apply it for the oppression of all under them. What is on all hands consented unto, as its general nature, I shall freely grant that I might have liberty and advantage thence to debate the restriction and application of it to the several purposes of men prevailing themselves thereon.

Let then the general demand be granted, that schism is diúipeois tñs Évótηros, 'the breach of union;' which I shall attend with one reasonable postulatum, namely, that this union be a union of the appointment of Jesus Christ: the consideration then of what, or what sort of union in reference to the worship of God, according to the gospel, is instituted and appointed by Jesus Christ, is the proper foundation of what I have farther to offer in this business. Let the breach of this, if you please, be accounted schism; for being an evil, I shall not contend by what name or title it be distinguished. It is not pleaded that any kind of relinquishment or desertion of any church or churches is presently schism, but only such a separation as breaks the bond of union instituted by Christ.

Now this union being instituted in the church, according to the various acceptations of that, word, so is it distinguished. Therefore, for a discovery of the nature of that which is particularly to be spoken to, and also its contrary, I must shew,

1. The several considerations of the church, wherein, and with which, union is to be preserved.

2. What that union is, and wherein it doth consist, which

according to the mind of Christ we are to keep and observe with the church, under the several notions of it respectively. 3. And how that union is broken, and what is that sin whereby it is done.

In handling this triple proposal, I desire that it may not be expected that I should much insist on any thing that falls in my way, though never so useful to my end and purpose, which hath been already proved and confirmed by others beyond all possibility of control; and such will many, if not most of the principles that I proceed upon appear to be.

CHAP. IV.

Several acceptations in the Scripture of the name church. Of the church catholic properly so called. Of the church visible. Perpetuity of particular churches. A mistake rectified. The nature of the church catholie evinced. Bellarmine's description of the church catholic. Union of the church catholic, wherein it consists. Union by way of consequence. Unity of faith. Of love. The communion of the catholic church in and with itself. The breach of the union of the church catholic, wherein it consisteth. Not morally possible. Protestants not guilty of it. The papal world out of interest in the church catholic. As partly profane. Miracles no evidence of holiness. Partly ignorant. Self-justitiaries. Idolatrous. Worshippers of the beast.

To begin with the first thing proposed. The church of Christ living in this world, as to our present concernment, is taken in Scripture three ways.

1. For the mystical body of Christ, his elect, redeemed, justified, and sanctified ones throughout the world, commonly called the church-catholic militant.

2. For the universality of men throughout the world, called by the preaching of the word, visibly professing and yielding obedience to the gospel; called by some the churchcatholic visible.

3. For a particular church of some place, wherein the instituted worship of God in Christ is celebrated according to his mind.

From the rise and nature of the things themselves, doth this distinction of the signification of the word church arise; for whereas the church is a society of men called out of the

world, it is evident there is mention of a twofold call in Scripture, one effectual, according to the purpose of God, Rom. viii. 28. the other only external. The church must be distinguished according to its answer and obedience to these calls, which gives us the two first states and considerations of it. And this is confessed by the ordinary gloss, ad Rom. 8. 'Vocatio exterior fit per prædicatores, et est communis bonorum, et malorum, interior vero tantum est electorum.' And whereas there are laws and external rules for joint communion, given to them that are called, which is confessed, the necessity of churches in the last acceptation, wherein obedience can alone be yielded to those laws, is hereby established.

In the first sense the church hath as such the properties of perpetuity, invisibility, infallibility, as to all necessary means of salvation attending of it; not as notes whereby it may be known, either in the whole, or any considerable part of it, but as certain adjuncts of its nature and existence. Neither are they any signs of less or more certainty, whereby the whole may be discerned or known as such; though there are of the individuals whereof it doth consist.

In the second, the church hath perpetuity, visibility, and infallibility as qualified above, in a secondary sense; namely, not as such, not as visible and confessing, but as comprising the individuals whereof the catholic church doth consist. For all that truly believe, profess; though all that profess, do not truly believe.

Whether Christ hath had always a church in the last sense and acceptation of the word, in the world, is a most needless inquiry: nor are we concerned in it, any farther than in other matters of fact, that are recorded in story: though I am apt to believe, that although very many in all ages kept up their station in, and relation to, the church in the two former acceptations, yet there was in some of them scarce any visible society of worshippers, so far answering the institution of Christ, as to render them fit to be owned and joined withal, as a visible particular church of Christ. But yet, though the notions of men were generally corrupt, the practice of all professors throughout the world, whereof so little is recorded, and least of them that did best, is not

rashly to be determined of. Nor can our judgment be censured in this, by them who think that when Christ lay in the grave there was no believer left but his mother, and that the church was preserved in that one person: so was Bernard minded, Tractat. de Pass. Dom. (ego sum vitis) sola per illud triste sabbathum stetit in fide, et salvata fuit ecclesia in ipsa sola.' Of the same mind is Marsilius in Sent. quæst. 20. art. 3. as are also others of that sort of men. See Bannes in 2. 2. Thom. quæst. 1. art. 10. I no way doubt of the perpetual existence of innumerable believers in every age, and such as made the profession that is absolutely necessary to salvation one way or other: though I question a regular association of men, for the celebration of instituted worship, according to the mind of Christ. The seven thousand in Israel, in the days of Elijah, were members of the church of God, and yet did not constitute a churchstate among the ten tribes. But these things must be farther spoken to.

I cannot but by the way remind a learned person, with whom I have formerly occasionally had some debate in print about episcopacy, and the state of the first churches, of a mistake of his, which he might have prevented with a little inquiry into the judgment of them, whom he undertook to confute at a venture. I have said, that there was not any ordinary church officer instituted in the first times, relating to more churches in his office, or to any other church, than a single particular congregation; he replies, that this is the very same, which his memory suggested to him out of the Saints' Belief, printed twelve or fourteen years since, where, instead of that article of the apostolic symbol, the holy catholic church, this very hypothesis was substituted.' If he really believed that in professing I owned no instituted church with officers of one denomination in Scripture, beyond a single congregation, I renounced the catholic church, or was any way necessitated so to do, I suppose he may by what hath now been expressed, be rectified in his apprehension. If he was willing only to make use of the advantage, wherewith he supposed himself accommodated by that expression, to press the persuasion owned in the minds of ignorant men, who could not but startle at the noise of deny

ing the catholic church, it may pass at the same rate that most of the repartees in such discourses are to be allowed at. But to proceed.

In the first sense the word is used Matt. xvi. 28. Upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' This is the church of the elect, redeemed, justified, sanctified ones, that are so built on Christ; and these only, and all these are interested in the promise made to the church; there is no promise made to the church as such, in any sense, but is peculiarly made therein, to every one that is truly and properly a part and member of that church. Who, and who only are interested in that promise, Christ himself declares, John vi. 40. x. 28, 29. xvii. 20. 24. They that will apply this to the church in any other sense, must know that it is incumbent on them to establish the promise made to it unto every one that is a true member of the church in that sense, which whatever be the sense of the promise I suppose they will find difficult work of. Eph. v. 25-27. Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.' He speaks only of those, whom Christ loved antecedently to his dying for them, whereof his love to them was the cause; who they are is manifest, John x. 15. xvii. 17. And those on whom by his death he accomplished the effects mentioned, by washing, cleansing, and sanctifying, bringing them into the condition promised to the bride the Lamb's wife,' Rev. xix. 8. which is the 'new Jerusalem,' xxi. 2. of elected and saved ones; ver. 27. Col. i. 18. contains an expression of the same light and evidence; 'Christ is the head of the body the church;' not only a governing head, to give it rules and laws; but as it were a natural head unto the body, which is influenced by him with a new spiritual life, which Bellarmine professeth against, as any requisite condition to the members of the catholic church, which he pleaded for. In that same sense, ver. 24. saith the apostle, I fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church :' which assertion is exactly parallel to that of 2 Tim. ii. 10. 'Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they