A vindication of the Animadversions on Fiat lux

That there is no necessity that the Church should be always the same as to visibility, or always visible in the same manner, or always equally visible as to all concernments of it. 2. You mistake the whole nature of the visibility of the Church, supposing it to consist in its being seen with the bodily eyes of men: whereas it is only an affection of its public profession of the Truth, whereunto its ⟨p. 381⟩being seen in part or in whole by the eyes of any, or all men, doth no way belong. 3. That the Church, as I said before, was indeed never absolutely visible in its Head and members: He who was the Head of it being never in his whole person visible unto the the eyes of men, and he is yet as he was of old visible to the eyes of faith, whereby we see him that is invisible. So that to be visible to the bodily eyes of men in its head and members, was never a property of the Church, much less such an one, as that thereon its sameness in all Ages should depend. 6. You fail also in supposing that the numerical sameness of the Church as a body, depends absolutely on the sameness of its members: For whilst in succession it hath all things the same that concur unto its Constitution, order, and existence, it may be still the same body corporate, though it consist not of the same individual persons or bodies natural: As the Kingdom of England is the same Kingdom that it was two hundred years ago, though there be not now one person living that then it was made up of. For though the matter be the same only specifically, yet the form being the same numerically, that denominates the body to be so. But that I may the better represent unto you, the proper genius and design of your Discourse, I shall briefly mind you of the principles which you oppose in it, and seek to evert by it, as also of those which you intend to compass your purpose by. Of the first sort are these; 1. That the Lord Christ God and Man in one person is, and ever continues to be the only absolute Monarchical Head of his own Church. I suppose it needless for me to confirm this Principle by Testimonies of Scripture, which it being a matter of pure Revelation is the only way of confirmation ⟨p. 382⟩that it is capable of.

That there is no necessity that the Church should be alwayes the same as to visibility, or alwayes visible in the same manner, or alwayes equally visible as to all concernments of it. 2. You mistake the whole nature of the visibility of the Church, supposing it to consist in its being seen with the bodily eyes of men: whereas it is only an affection of its publick profession of the Truth, whereunto its