First, Our Union with the Church, is a sign of our proportionable union with Christ: And our separation from the Church, doth signify that we are separated from Christ. He that is United but to the Visible Church, is but visibly (by Baptism and Profession) united to Christ: such a union is spoken of in Joh. 15. 2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. He that is united to the mystical Church, of the Regenerate and spiritual, is united to Christ by faith and by the spirit: For his union to Christ is at the same instant of time, with his union with the Church: but in order of nature goeth before it. He that is divided from this mystical Church, cannot possibly (at that time) be a Member of Christ in the spiritual sense: As the member which is cut off from the body, is also separated from the Head. And he that himself forsaketh the Visible Church as such, forsaketh the mystical Church and Christ himself. For to forsake the Visible Church ⟨p. 67⟩as such, is to cease to be a Professor of Christianity. One may be a Member of the Visible Church, and not of the spiritual; but you cannot be a Member of the spiritual Church, if you forsake and refuse the visible Church as such. For though a man may be regenerate by the Spirit, before he make an open profession or be baptized (and without baptism in some few cases) yet so he cannot be, if he refuse to be a Professor. Its possible indeed to be a member of the Universal Church, both as Mystical, and as Visible; as spiritual and as professing, while we have not opportunity to join with any one particular Church, or to separate from some particular Church, without separating from the Universal: But to separate from the Universal Church, is to separate from Christ.
First, Our Union with the Church, is a sign of our proportionable union with Christ: And our separation from the Church, doth signifie that we are separated from Christ. He that is United but to the Visible Church, is but visibly (by Baptism and Profession) united to Christ: such a union is spoken of in Ioh. 15. 2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. He that is united to the mystical Church, of the Regenerate and spiritual, is united to Christ by faith and by the spirit: For his union to Christ is at the same instant of time, with his union with the Church: but in order of nature goeth before it. He that is divided from this mystical Church, cannot possibly (at that time) be a Member of Christ in the spiritual sense: As the member which is cut off from the body, is also separated from the Head. And he that himself forsaketh the Visible Church as such, sorsaketh the mystical Church and Christ himself. For to forsake the Visible Church ⟨p. 67⟩as such, is to cease to be a Professor of Christianity. One may be a Member of the Visible Church, and not of the spiritual; but you cannot be a Member of the spiritual Church, if you forsake and refuse the visible Church as such. For though a man may be regenerate by the Spirit, before he make an open profession or be baptized (and without baptism in some few cases) yet so he cannot be, if he refuse to be a Professor. Its possible indeed to be a member of the Universal Church, both as Mystical, and as Visible; as spiritual and as professing, while we have not opportunity to joyn with any one particular Church, or to separate from some particular Church, without separating from the Universal: But to separate from the Universal Church, is to separate from Christ.
