A TREATISE ON THE CHURCH, &c. &c. PART FIRST. CHAP. I. OF THE NATURE AND CONSTITUTION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, To understand the nature and design of the Catholic Church, we must consider the world at large as lying in wickedness, and consequently in a state of condemnation before God. Out of this wicked society, of which all are by nature born members, God has been pleased to call men into another society very different from it; the object of which is to minister to their salvation, by so purifying them from the corruptions of a fallen world, that they may not be condemned with it. This society is sometimes called the Church of Christ, because he purchased it with his blood, sometimes his Kingdom, because he is the king and governor of it,-and sometimes, as in the apostles' creed, the holy Catholic Church; which term Catholic was early applied to it, not only to declare its universality, and that it is not confined to one nation or country, as the Jewish church was; but, more especially, to signify the orthodox faith and communion it maintains, and to distinguish it from the assemblies of heretics and schismatics. In general, the Catholic Church may be thus defined: It is the one universal Society of all christian people, incorporated by the new covenant in baptism, under Jesus Christ its supreme head,—and distributed under lawful governors and pastors, into particular churches holding communion with each other, in all the essentials of christian Faith, and Worship, and Government. Or more briefly, It is the Society of all faithful christians, under their lawful Bishops and Pastors *. This is agreeable to the characteristic marks or notes of the church given in the holy scriptures, where the primitive christians are represented as having adhered to the apostles' Doctrine, Worship, and Fellowship, i. e. in their communion and under their authority. "They continued stedfastly," says St Luke, "in the apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers," (Acts ii 42.-1 Johni.3.) In strict conformity with this is the definition given by our Reformed Church in the 19th Article, in which "the Visible Church" is described to be "a congregationt of faith * Although this definition of the Catholic Church is applicable merely to the church militant on earth, yet there is a more extensive signification of it, and of the greatest importance in our disputes with the Romanists. For the Catholic Church includes not only the orthodox christians of this age, but of all ages since the first plantation of christian churches. I do not, says that accurate Scotch divine, Bishop Sage, take the Catholic Church of Christ to be any thing now, nor its communion to be another communion than it was in St Paul, St Ignatius, St Cyprian, or St Augustine's age. + The term congregation in this place, did not, when the Articles were made, imply a single assembly of christians, as the Independents ful men, in which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments duly administered according to Christ's ordinance, in all things that of necessity are requisite to the same." For the sacraments cannot, in the judgment of our church, be duly administered according to Christ's ordinance, but by those ministers who are "lawfully called and sent into the Lord's vineyard," (Art. 23. compared with the Offices of Ordination.)—That these are the true notes or marks by which the Catholic Church is to be known, is the opinion of our most eminent divines*: Wherever (says Dr King, Archbishop of Dublin) we find the faith of Christ, and the persons professing it, living in submission to their regular pastors, there we have found a branch of the Catholic Church. It is by these marks we must find the Catholic Church, if we would not mistake the society of schismatics and heretics, nay of heathens for her. We maintain (says Dr Bramhall, Archbishop of Armagh) that an entire profession of saving truth, a right use of the word and sacraments, and an union under lawful pastors, being taken jointly, do distinguish the church essentially from all other societies in the world. assert, but had precisely the same signification as the term Catholic Church. Indeed the two terms were at that time considered so perfectly synonymous, that, in the translation of the bible then used, Christ is called, "the head of the congregation, which is his body," and is mentioned as saying to Peter, "on this rock I will build my congregation." *King's Answer to Manby, Dub. 1687, p. 5. 54. Bramhall's Works, p. 143. Bingham's Works, Book VI. 3. and XVI. 17. Field of the Church, p. 31. 80. Sherlock's Discourse on the Notes, and Vind. of do. in the Preserv. against Popery, Vol. I. Kettlewell's Works, I. 663. 679. II. 582. Archbishop Usher's Sermon before King James I. p. 6. 7. 12. Archbishop Hampton's Inquisition of the true Church, and those that revolt from it. Dub. 1622. The first part of the above-mentioned definition is generally acknowledged, viz. I. That the Catholic Church is the one universal society of all christian people, incorporated by the new covenant in baptism, under Christ its supreme head. -For the scriptures expressly tell us, that the church is a body, whereof Christ is the head: "He gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body," (Eph.i. 22.23.) Into this society Christ commanded his disciples to admit "all nations, baptising them," and "to preach the gospel to every creature,” (Matt. xxviii. 29.) The legal bond which unites the church, and renders, its members one regular corporation, is the new covenant; and as God ratified his covenant with the Jews in the visible solemnity of circumcision,—so, in place of this, Christ introduced the sign of baptism to ratify the new covenant between God and us. For having by baptism entered into the service of the living God, we are directed and have promised to resist and renounce the enemies of our salvation, the world, the flesh, and the devil; that, by a sincere performance of the baptismal covenant, we may be entitled to the blessings and privileges of the holy gospel, viz. pardon of sin, and eternal life through Jesus Christ. And hence we are said "to be baptised into the body," or church of Christ, (1 Cor. xii. 13.) because baptism, which is our admission into the christian covenant, is only, in other words, our admission into the christian church, which is the body of christian people confederated by the new covenant. But, until we are baptised, the new covenant is not struck between God and us, nor have we, ordinarily, any right or title to any of the blessings promised in it, even although we should perform all the duties it requires. That which makes all christian people "one body" or society, is their being all united under one and - the same supreme head and governor. Accordingly St Paul tells us, that as there is but "one body," i. e. one church, so there is but "one Lord" or supreme Governor of that church, (Eph. iv. 4. 5.-Col. i. 18. -Eph. v. 23.) II. The Catholic Church is the society of all christian people distributed into particular churches; which distribution is made for the convenience of divine worship. At first, indeed, the whole Catholic Church was only a single congregation, but this in a short time increased so fast, that the members of it could no longer exercise the public worship of God in one place or assembly; and therefore they were distributed into several congregations, which, in scripture, are called by the name of churches, as being similar parts of the Catholic Church, even as every breath of air is called air, and every drop of water, water. These single congregations were not permitted to be independent of each other, but were all, at first, under the jurisdiction of their lawful governors, the apostles; and soon after, for the convenience of government, many of them (especially of those that were neighbouring) were collected into one body under one head or Bishop, who was the common guide of all the members of it, both clergy and laity. And these collections of several congregations, under their several Bishops or Governors, are also frequently called churches, and, in truth, are the only true form of a gospel church : For instance, the Church of Corinth contained in it several congregations, and therefore, though in the dedication of his epistle, the apostle calls it "the Church of God which is at Corinth," (1 Cor. 12.) yet in the epistle, he enjoins "that their women keep silence in the churches," (1 Cor. xiv. 34,) from whence it is evident, |