An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

Christ intended to erect a Church; How so!¹ Common Philanthropy, which does alike for all men, doth no such singular thing, as to cull and call a Church, a select company out of the rest of mankind: No, it is impossible, because the Love is common, and the work singular; no less than special love must do it, such as God sets upon his chosen ones; Christ intended to set up a Church; very true, and he hath pitched upon the individual ⟨p. 189⟩persons, which shall make it up, he hath set down their names in the Book of Life; or else his providence, which is so accurate in the little Flies and Gnats, as to set down every wing and little part, which makes up those minute animals, should be very lame and imperfect in that great design of a Church, a Church only being designed, and not the persons of which it should consist: Christ intended to set up a Church; Yes, and he resolved to give such Grace, as should infallibly effect it: Providence, such is its wisdom and accurate perfection, never fails or falls short of its intent; no, not in a design of Justice, and that to come to pass through the hardest medium can be used by it, we need not scale Heaven for this, but have a Scheme let down from thence, to assure us of it. 2 Chron. 18. God intended that Ahab should go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead; and though the manner of it were by a lying spirit, yet it infallibly came to pass, how much more must providence be unfailable in such a design of Grace, as that of a Church: Its true, suasory resistible Grace cannot secure it, because it leaves the issue of all upon the will of man; irresistible Grace must come in, ⟨p. 190⟩or else we may lay by the design of a Church, and confess with Corvinus, Finis mortis Christi constaret, etiamsi nemo credidisset. As for that place of St. John, That ye may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ: By us is meant S. John or the Apostles, not the Church or body of Christ: But were that Church meant, it hinders not but that they in the use of the Evangelical Truths and Ordinances might come to an immediate Communion with God and Christ, as the Apostles had; thus the Learned Grotius on the place, Ut & vos ipsi non minùs quàm nos frucium inde percipiatis, societatem cum Deo & cum Christo.