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

Reas. 2 From Christ's appropriating such a particular Church to himself, owning it for his [my Church] q. d. I own any Church thus built by my self to be my Church; according to that in Act. 2.47. The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved. The Lord added them. How? Not only by giving them saving faith, and so adding them to the invisible Church, but also by his inclining their hearts to offer themselves unto the fellowship of the visible Church, and to profess their faith before them: and by bowing the hearts of the Apostles […] Brethren to receive them into visible • munion ⟨p. 16⟩of visible Ordinances; as appeareth, v. 41, 42. Thus he added them, daily to the Church; which clears it to be an act of the Lords ordinary dispensation, and therefore presidential to the Churches in their ordinary practice. They, who were thus added, are said to be such as should be saved. That is; they were such, either in the judgment of the Lord, which is infallible; or in the judgment of the Church, which is fallible. The Church looked at them, according to their fruits, viz. their profession of faith, and their Christian conversation, observing so much in both, that they saw reason, in charity guided by rule, to conceive them to be in a state of Salvation. Such were the three thousand spoken of in v. 41. as appeared by their affectionate and submissive inquiring of the Apostles, whom they mocked before, what they should do to be saved, being pricked in their hearts. v. 37. and afterwards, by their gladly receiving the Word; both of promise, for themselves and their Children, with faith; and of precept, to repent and be baptized, and to save themselves from that froward generation, with obedience. True it is, that they could not in one day make so large accounts of Gods work upon them, as are ⟨p. 17⟩commonly held forth in our Churches: nor do we effect too large narrations, but wish such passages, as are superfluous, left out: And at that time, less was needful to be expressed, than necessity calls for among us, ordinarily. For the Apostles had a more quick Spiritual discerning, than ordinary Officers and Churches have. And concerning the three thousand, Act. 2.