The first, is, what might constitute a true Church, or a Member thereof, after defection and corruption in the Church of Israel, or after Antiochus his abominations, That may be sufficient to constitute a true Church after the defections and corruptions of Antichrist; But renouncing of former errors, erecting again of the Ordinances and professed subjection to them, was enough then. Therefore it ought to be so now. There can be no question of the minor, but that this was sufficient amongst the Jews, any who readeth the Reformation that followed the defections under Ahaz, Manasseh and others will be abundantly convinced of this. For Hezekiah opened the Temple which his father had shut, erected again the public Ordinances to which the people submitted. If it be doubted if that will follow in our case, these things will confirm the consequence; first, the unity of the Church Catholic visible, they and we being one Church, It may well therefore be argued from the example of the one to the other, as what made them no Church, will make us no Church; and so what doth make them a Church, must also have that same weight with us. Secondly, The allusion to the manner of the Old Testament is so plain in this place, that it doth both confirm and illustrate this same. It doth confirm it, that it expresseth how the Kingdoms of the earth become the Lords, in the last Verse, and it saith, The Temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His testament, &c. which words allude to that defection of Ahaz, 2 Chron. 30. where the Temple was shut, the Ark of the Testimony was not seen until the days of Hezekiah, who opened the Temple and made the Ark in due manner to be visible and the Word to be brought to public, whereby the face of the visible Church was recovered; and so this remarkable event, is illustrated by this, that so the Ordinances shall be obscured amongst many Nations during Antichrists height, as the Temple was shut in Ahaz time, yet shall these clouds be blown away and light be brought forth to Nations by a public profession of the Gospel, whereby they shall become visible Churches to the Lord. This Argument is from the very scope of the place.
The first, is, what might constitute a true Church, or a Member thereof, after defection and corruption in the Church of Israel, or after Antiochus his abominations, That may be sufficient to constitute a true Church after the defections and corruptions of Antichrist; But renouncing of former errors, erecting again of the Ordinances and professed subjection to them, was enough then. Therefore it ought to be so now. There can be no question of the minor, but that this was sufficient amongst the Iews, any who readeth the Reformation that followed the defections under Ahaz, Manasseh and others will be abundantly convinced of this. For Hezekiah opened the Temple which his father had shut, erected again the publick Ordinances to which the people submitted. If it be doubted if that will follow in our case, these things will confirm the consequence; first, the unity of the Church Catholick visible, they and we being one Church, It may well therefore be argued from the example of the one to the other, as what made them no Church, will make us no Church; and so what doth make them a Church, must also have that same weight with us. Secondly, The allusion to the manner of the Old Testament is so plain in this place, that it doth both confirm and illustrate this same. It doth confirm it, that it expresseth how the Kingdoms of the earth become the Lords, in the last Verse, and it saith, The Temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His testament, &c. which words allude to that defection of Ahaz, 2 Chron. 30. where the Temple was shut, the Ark of the Testimonie was not seen untill the dayes of Hezekiah, who opened the Temple and made the Ark in due manner to be visible and the Word to be brought to publick, whereby the face of the visible Church was recovered; and so this remarkable event, is illustrated by this, that so the Ordinances shall be obscured amongst many Nations during Antichrists height, as the Temple was shut in Ahaz time, yet shall these clouds be blown away and light be brought forth to Nations by a publick profession of the Gospel, whereby they shall become visible Churches to the Lord. This Argument is from the very scope of the place.
