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

1. From the name whereby he calleth this holy Society, [Greek or Hebrew] ([Greek or Hebrew]) a Church; i. e. a company called out. Whence? see Joh. 15.19. To what? ⟨p. 14⟩See 1 Cor. 1.2. How? Not only by active vocation, by mans ministry, exhorting them to repent and believe: So sundry are called, who are not, in the least, wrought upon to answer that call, but put it off (as they who were invited to the great Supper, Luk. 14.18.) with excuse. Such are called, but no Church. Therefore more is required to qualify for membership of a visible Church, viz. passive vocation, whereby they are wrought upon to answer Gods call, by submission thereunto, at least, in outward profession, though some do it but feignedly, Ps. 18.44. Saints, by internal and invisible calling, are such, as answer Gods call inwardly and spiritually. Saints, by external and visible calling, are subdued to yield obedience to the Word in visible profession. Thus, all that were called into the Vineyard, had so much efficacy of the Spirit in them, that they all came into the Vineyard, and laboured in it, though not with like sincerity. Mat. 20. According to this clause of the Chapter, the Churches planted by the Apostles, were constituted, for the materials of them; else the Apostles could not have given both the^† members and^* Churches such high titles, as they did. Nor did they by these titles describe the ⟨p. 15⟩invisible Church only, but visible Churches. For to such, Paul wrote his Epistles: and the like expressions are applied, in other texts, manifestly to visible Churches. Nor do these titles describe particular Churches only according to the better sort of members, but such they did, in the judgement of christian charity, conceive all their members to be, as Paul told the Philippians,