The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole…

To open this Point, Consider,

First, That it is a great Dispute, Who are truly members of the visible Church? The Papists they make all public and gross sinners to be truly of the Church; even as a wicked or ungodly man may be truly and indeed a Citizen of such a City, and have the Liberties thereof. But the Reformed Divines, they say, Gross and profane men are not truly and indeed of the visible Church, which is a company of sheep, and not goats. It is that through neglect of Discipline and want of godly order, profane obstinate men may abide in the Church, who yet are to be cast out of it. And this is not a ground for any to separate uncharitably and sinfully from the Church so polluted; yet such wicked men continuing amongst believers, are not internally, but externally, and in appearance only of the Church: Even as a wicked branch, or a dead hand is a part of the body equivocally, it receiveth no life or influence; so neither do these, though they pray, hear, come to Church, yet they receive no more spiritual benefit from Christ, then the glass eye doth vital operation from the soul. And Bellarmine himself doth at last acknowledge, That public and open sinners, though they be De corpore Ecclesiae, yet they are not De Anima. Happily therefore the Papists do not so much contradict the Doctrine of the Protestants, as themselves. For Amesius doth reject that Proposition, which Bellarmine doth impose on us; as if we held internal grace necessarily constituent of a member of a visible Church; external profession of faith, and of obedience to Christ, is enough to this, though Regeneration be wanting. John said, Some were not of them, though they were amongst them, 1 Joh. 2.19.

First, That it is a great Dispute, Who are truly members of the visible Church? The Papists they make all publick and grosse sinners to be truly of the Church; even as a wicked or ungodly man may be truly and indeed a Citizen of such a City, and have the Liberties thereof. But the Reformed Divines, they say, Grosse and prophane men are not truly and indeed of the visible Church, which is a company of sheep, and not goats. It is that through neglect of Discipline and want of godly order, prophane obstinate men may abide in the Church, who yet are to be cast out of it. And this is not a ground for any to separate uncharitably and sinfully from the Church so polluted; yet such wicked men continuing amongst believers, are not internally, but externally, and in appearance only of the Church: Even as a wicked branch, or a dead hand is a part of the body equivocally, it receiveth no life or influence; so neither do these, though they pray, hear, come to Church, yet they receive no more spiritual benefit from Christ, then the glasse eye doth vital operation from the soul. And Bellarmine himself doth at last acknowledge, That publick and open sinners, though they be De corpore Ecclesiae, yet they are not De Anima. Happily therefore the Papists do not so much contradict the Doctrine of the Protestants, as themselves. For Amesius doth reject that Proposition, which Bellarmine doth impose on us; as if we held internal grace necessarily constituent of a member of a visible Church; external profession of faith, and of obedience to Christ, is enough to this, though Regeneration be wanting. John said, Some were not of them, though they were amongst them,