The true nature of a Gospel church and its government

CHAP. I. The Subject Matter of the Church.

THE Church may be considered either as unto its Essence, Constitution and Being; or as unto its Power and Order, when it is Organized. As unto its Essence and Being, its constituent parts are its Matter and Form. These we must enquire into.

By the Matter of the Church, we understand the persons whereof the Church doth consist, with their Qualifications: And by its Form, the reason, cause and way of that kind of Relation among them, which gives them the Being of a Church, and therewithal an Interest in all that belongs unto a Church, either privilege, or power, as such.

Our first Enquiry being concerning what sort of Persons our Lord Jesus Christ requireth and admitteth to be the visible Subjects of his Kingdom, we are to be regulated in our Determination by respect unto his Honour, Glory, and the Holiness of his Rule. To reckon such persons to be Subjects of Christ, Members of his Body, such as he requires and owns, (for others are not so) who would not be tolerated, at least not approved,¹ in a well Governed Kingdom or Commonwealth of the World, is highly dishonourable unto him. But it is so come to pass; that let Men be never so notoriously and flagitiously wicked, until they become pests of the earth, yet are they esteemed to belong to the Church of Christ. And not only so, but it is thought little less than Schism to forbid them the Communion of the Church in all its sacred Privileges. Howbeit, the Scripture doth in general represent the Kingdom or Church of Christ, to consist of persons called Saints, separated from the World, with many other things of an alike nature, as we shall see immediately. And if the Honour of Christ were of such weight with us as it ought to be; if we understood aright the nature and ends of his Kingdom, and that the peculiar Glory of it, above all the Kingdoms in the World, consists in the Holiness of its Subjects, such an Holiness as the World in its wisdom knoweth not, we would duly consider whom we avow to belong thereunto. Those who know ought of these things, will not profess that persons openly profane, vicious, sensual, wicked and ignorant, are approved and owned of Christ as the Subjects of his Kingdom,