The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

2. That it is of men as the material cause, not of other creatures, for none but reasonable creatures are capable of Gods Image, and so none but they can make a Church: and among reasonable creatures, I exclude Angels, though they had a kind of calling to that excellent estate they are in, yet the Scripture speaks so sparingly of it, that we cannot tell how to define it, and therefore I meddle not with it: and besides, the Church is here considered as it is purchased by the blood of Christ, which Angels were not, neither are they tied to the ministry of the Word, as the Church in her calling is.

2. That it is of men as the materiall cause, not of other creatures, for none but reasonable creatures are capable of Gods Image, and so none but they can make a Church: and among reasonable creatures, I exclude Angels, though they had a kinde of calling to that excellent estate they are in, yet the Scripture speakes so sparingly of it, that we cannot tell how to define it, and therefore I meddle not with it: and besides, the Church is here considered as it is purchased by the blood of Christ, which Angels were not, neither are they tyed to the ministery of the Word, as the Church in her calling is.

3. I add, dwelling every where, to note that I define the Church, that is Catholic, as the Creed calls it: which terms in the most evident sense agree to the Church now under the Gospel, since the partition wall between Jews and Gentiles was broken down: and yet in some sense it may agree to the Church from the beginning: for even in the time of the Jewish Church, the Nations were not simply barred from fellowship with the Jews; and therefore we read of three sorts of people that belonged to the Jewish Church, to wit, the Jews themselves and Proselytes, that is Gentiles that professed the Jewish religion, and were circumcised, and withal religious or devout men, that were Gentiles converted to the Jewish religion, but were not circumcised, such as were Cornelius, and divers others.

3. I adde, dwelling euery where, to note that I define the Church, that is Catholicke, as the Creed calls it: which tearms in the most euident sense agree to the Church now vnder the Gospell, since the partition wall between Iewes and Gentiles was broken downe: and yet in some sense it may agree to the Church from the beginining: for euen in the time of the Iewish Church, the Nations were not simply barred from fellowship with the Iewes; and therefore we read of three sorts of people that belonged to the Iewish Church, to wit, the Iewes themselues and Proselites, that is Gentiles that professed the Iewish religion, and were circumcised, and withall religious or deuoute men, that were Gentiles conuerted to the Iewish religion, but were not circumcised, such as were Cornelius, and diuers others.