The power of Congregational churches asserted and vindicated in answer to a treatise of…

Concl. 5 The Church of Christ, built by himself upon this Rock, in using the means which he hath appointed for their safety, is impregnable. The Church of Christ is here indefinitely taken, for a particular Congregational-Church instituted by Christ, according to the sense of the former conclusions, not, for this or that, definitely.

Therefore if any object, that the gates of Hell have prevailed against the Greek-Churches, those golden Candlesticks in Asia, and against Rome, whose Faith was spoken of throughout the whole World, and against sundry other particular Churches?

Answ. I Answer, 1. Though it be true, that the gates of Hell have prevailed against this or that particular Church; yet not against a particular Church, indefinitely considered, or (which is the same) against the Church, in general, existing in its particulars. In this sense, the visible Church doth not fail. For, (1.) Christ ever had, and will have some or other visible Church on Earth, wherein the general nature of a visible Church is preserved, as the Genus is in its Species, and the nature ⟨p. 46⟩of man in this or that individual; as when the Lord preserved Noah and his Family, in the Ark, mankind was preserved in them, though multitudes of men were destroyed in the Deluge. (2.) Christ will show, that he makes a difference between Churches, wherein are some true Believers mixed with many Hypocrites, and other Societies. Therefore he will not suffer such visible Churches to be totally destroyed, as he doth his open enemies, Hos. 11.8, 9. Isa. 1.8, 9. & 6.13