A53704:371
An enquiry into the original, nature, institution, power, order and communion of evangelical churches.…
An enquiry into the original, nature, institution, power, order and communion of evangelical churches. The first part with an answer to the discourse of the unreasonableness of separation written by Dr. Edward Stillingfleet, Dean of Pauls, and in defence of the vindication of non-conformists from the guilt of schism / by John Owen.An enquiry into the original, nature, institution, power, order and communion of evangelical churches. The first part with an answer to the discourse of the unreasonableness of separation written by Dr. Edward Stillingfleet, Dean of Pauls, and in defence of the vindication of non-conformists from the guilt of schisme / by John Owen.
London: printed by J. Richardson for Nath. Ponder, 1681
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Chapter 6: Congregational Churches alone suited unto the ends of Christ in the Institution of his…
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
To express and exercise this Love, in all the Acts and Duties of it among his Disciples, was one end of his appointing ⟨p. 121⟩them to walk in Church-relation one unto another, wherein this Love is the bond of Perfectness. And the loss of this Love, as unto its due exercise, is no less a pernicious part of the fatal Apostasy of the Churches, than is the loss of Faith and Worship. For hereon is Christendom, as it is usually called, become the greatest stage of Hatred, Rage, Wrath, Bloodshed, and mutual Desolations, that is in the whole world; so as that we have no way to answer the Objection of the Jews, arguing against us from the divine Promises of Love and Peace in the Kingdom of the Messiah, but by granting that all these things arise from a Rebellion against his Rule and Kingdom. Now this Love in its exercise is eminently preserved in this order of particular Churches: For,
To express and exercise this Love, in all the Acts and Duties of it among his Disciples, was one end of his appointing ⟨p. 121⟩them to walk in Church-relation one unto another, wherein this Love is the bond of Perfectness. And the loss of this Love, as unto its due exercise, is no less a pernicious part of the fatal Apostacy of the Churches, than is the loss of Faith and Worship. For hereon is Christendom, as it is usually called, become the greatest stage of Hatred, Rage, Wrath, Bloodshed, and mutual Desolations, that is in the whole world; so as that we have no way to answer the Objection of the Jews, arguing against us from the divine Promises of Love and Peace in the Kingdom of the Messiah, but by granting that all these things arise from a Rebellion against his Rule and Kingdom. Now this Love in its exercise is eminently preserved in this order of particular Churches: For,
1. The Principle of their collection into such Societies, next unto that of Faith in Christ Jesus, is Love unto all the Saints. For their conjunction being with some of them as such only, they must have a Love unto all that are so. And none of them would join in such Societies, if their so doing did in any thing impair their Love unto all the Disciples of Christ, or impede it in any of its Operations. And the Communion of these Churches among themselves, is and ought to be such, as that all of them do constitute as it were one Body and common Church, as we shall see afterwards. And it is one principal Duty of them, to stir up themselves in all their Members, unto a continual exercise of Love towards all the Saints of Christ, as occasion doth require; and if they are defective in this Catholic Love, it is their fault, contrary to the Rule and End of their Institution.