A80640:483
The way of Congregational churches cleared in two treatises. In the former, from the…
The way of Congregational churches cleared in two treatises. In the former, from the historical aspersions of Mr. Robert Baylie, in his book, called, A dissuasive from the errors of the time. In the latter, from some contradictions of Vindicæ Clavium : and from, some mis-constructions of learned Mr. Rutherford in his book entitled The due right of presbyteries. / By Mr. John Cotton, sometime preacher at Boston in Lincoln-shire, and now teacher of the Church at Boston, in New-England.The way of Congregational churches cleared in two treatises. In the former, from the historical aspersions of Mr. Robert Baylie, in his book, called, A disswasive from the errors of the time. In the latter, from some contradictions of Vindicæ Clavium : and from, some mis-constructions of learned Mr. Rutherford in his book intituled The due right of presbyteries. / By Mr. John Cotton, sometime preacher at Boston in Lincoln-shire, and now teacher of the Church at Boston, in New-England.
London: printed by Matthew Simmons for John Bellamie, 1648
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.
"Yea, but Particular Churches may fail.
What then? So may the true Disciples of Christ fail (in respect of bodily subsistence) and yet the gates of Hell never prevail against them; For they will be received into everlasting habitations. Luke 16.9.
Yea, but Particular Churches may fail and fall away from the Faith; all the Churches of Asia are fallen from Christ to Mahomet: and sundry in Europe, from Christ to Anti-Christ.
Yet those Churches that were founded upon Christ, and builded upon that Rock, they neither failed, nor fell away. It was their Successors, and not they, that failed, and fell in that sort. If the Posterity of an holy Particular Church do degenerate, they were never founded upon Christ, but in an outward form. God may remove the Candlestick (that is) his particular Church) out of that place (say out of Corinth or Ephesus, Rev. 2.5.) yet he will ever have some or other Particular Churches visible in one place or other; and so against that Church state, the gates of hell shall never prevail. Dr Whitakers declareth the Judgement of Orthodox Protestants in this point; Nos dicimus, aliquam semper fore in mundo Ecclesiam, quae Christo pareat, eamque visibilem, De Ecclesia, Quest. 3. Cap. 2. Junius in his Animadversions in Bellarm. Controv. 4. de Concil. & Eccles. Cap. 13. Art. 1. Concludimus inquit, ne visibilem quidem Ecclesiam, posse Desicere, atque interire, adeo ut in se ipsa sit invisibilis, &c. And Doctor Ames beareth the like witness. Ecclesia nunquam plane desinit esse visibilis. Medull. l. 1 cap. 31. And this they intend of some Particular Visible Church or other. For a Catholic Visible Church they dispute against, but maintain the Catholic Church to be invisible. Whitakers de Ecclesia Q. 2a. 1o, Dicimus Ecclesiam Catholicam invisibilem esse, etiam tum cum Particularis quaeque Ecclesia vel maxime floret.