the notice of heathen writers in thofe early ages. Pliny Epift. 1. 10. ep. 97. "Propofitus eft libel

lus fine auctore, multorum nomina continens, "qui negarent fe effe Chriftianos, aut fuiffe, quum, præeunte me, Deos apellarent, & imagini tuæ, quam propter hoc jufferam cum "fimulacris numinum adferri, thure ac vino fup"plicarent, præterea maledicerent Chriftio; quo"rum nihil cogi poffe dicuntur, qui funt revera Chri"fliani. Ergo dimittendos putavi."

$3. Befides thefe direct proofs, there are feveral opinions and practices of the fathers, which plainly imply a belief, that hypocrites were not members of the church. They reckoned that believers and holy perfons alone, had a right to the facraments. What elfe meant the Deacon's crying with a loud voice, before the difpenfing them," Sancta funt fanctis, nemo accedat im

66

parat (r). Let none come in hypocrify, or "only with a feigned faith and love (s). Let him "who is baptized be a ftranger to all wickedness, 66 a friend of God, an enemy to the devil, chaste, pure, holy (t), &c." Auguftine fays, that bad men, whether in the church or out of it, have no juft or lawful title to baptifm (u): and Origen, that he only rightly and with profit partakes of the Eucharift, who does fo with an undefiled mind and a pure conscience (v). Tertullian informs, that a folemn renunciation of the devil, and of the pomps and vanities of the world, was

(r) Chryfoftom hom. 17. in ep. ad Hebr. & Eclairciffemens fur la Euchariftie par Blondel, c. 22. (s) Conft. Apoftol. 1. 2. c. 57.

*c. 18.

(t) Ibid. 1. 3. (u) De baptifmo, contra Donat. 1. 5. § 8, (v) Comm, ad Matth. p. 254.

always

always previous to baptifm (w): and that we are not baptized that we may renounce fin, but because we have already renounced it, and are purified in heart. "Non ideo abluimur, ut delin

cr

quere definamus, fed quia defiimus; quoniam "jam corde lati fumus (x)." Hippolitus mentions as a condition of baptifm, the washing away our moral impurity, and cafting from us the burden of fin (y). And Juftin Martyr fays, it is lawful for none to partake of the Eucharift, unlefs he believe our religion true, having been wafhed in the laver of regeneration; and live fo, as Chrift has enjoined (z).

The ftate of the Catechumens is another proof of this (a). For at least two years, they continued under trial: and were not honoured with the name of brethren, or admitted to baptifm and church-membership, until it appeared, upon a ftrict enquiry into their behaviour, that they were refolved to live as became the difciples of Chrift (b). I might add, that the refufing to reftore apoftates to church privileges, without the fulleft evidence of their fincere repentance, indicates their opinion, that they only have a right to those privileges, who are truly holy.

§ 4. The antients, inftead of diftinguifhing as we do between a visible and invifible church, afserted, that there was one only church, confifting of true believers, united in faith, worship,

(w) De Cor. Milit. c. 3. c. 6.

(*) De Penitentia, (y) Homil. in Theoph. § 10. Op. ed. Fabricii, vol. I. p. 264. (z) Apol. 1. § 86. p. 128.ed. Grabe. (a) Pfanner de Catechumenis, c. 1. (b) Origen, contra Celf. l. 3. p. 142. & Con. 42. Concilii Eliberitoni.

and government of which one church, fome were really members, while others only feemed to be fo, and in truth were as much without it, as Pagans and Jews (c). Hence Origen often terms hypocrites της νομιζόμενες απο της εκκλε olas. A fociety of true believers, united to one another in external communion, was the only thing, the fathers acknowledged as a church. So far were they from owning a vifible church, diftinct from the invifible: that they did not own an invisible distinct from the visible. Had they acknowledged an invifible church in the sense we do, they would no doubt have acknowledged, that all were members of it, who were renewed in the fpirit of their mind, whether baptized or not, whether outwardly joined or not to any particular fociety of Chriftians. But fo far was this from being the cafe, that their Catechumens, whatever appearances they had of piety, were never accounted church-members, or ftiled by them Chriftians or Brethren (d). For the fame reafon, Schifmatics, who, though agreeing with the church in doctrine and worship, had on other accounts separated from her, were reckoned by the fathers, no true Chriftians, but cut off from the body of Chrift (e): yea, deftitute of love to God, and enemies to the Redeemer (f). They

(c) Befides feveral of the paffages cited, 2. from St. Auguftine and others, fee Auguftin. doctrin. Christ. 1. 3. c. 32. & de Bapt. contra Donat. I. 1. c. 17. 1. 4. c. 16. 1. 6. c. 8. (d) Pfanner de Catechumenis. Bingham Orig. Ecclef. 1. 10. c. 1, 2. (e) Cyprian ep. 52. ad Antonianum, p. 73. Auguftin. de unit Ecclef. c. 4.

(f) Cyprian ep. 72. ad Stephanum. Auguftin. de bapt. contra Don. 1. 3. c. 16. I. 4. c. 17. & contra Crefcenium, 1. 2. c. 10.

would

would never have embraced this uncharitable and unfcriptural hypothefis, had they acknowledged an invifible church, made up of good men of oppofite fentiments and practice in matters of doubtful difputation. They rightly held that inward faith and holiness, as well as purity of worfhip, and a profeffion of orthodox fentiments, were requifite, in order to union with the church. But then it foon became a generally received when opinion, fuggefted perhaps rather by pride and Roman Em party fpirit, than Scripture or reafon, that the braid Chr proper form or effence of the church confifted in stianity, fellowship with the Apoftolic churches: by which soon &! they meant subjection to Bifhops lawfully elected and ordained, and invefted in their office by the apoftles, or their fucceffors in uninterrupted fucceffion as alfo union and agreement with other lawful Bifhops, and the churches under their

care.

peror em

§ 5. The greater part of modern Chriftians, have, I acknowledge, in their fentiments of the nature of the church, widely deviated from Scripture and antiquity. And the fiction of a vifible. church, really in covenant with God, and yet partly made up of hypocrites, has almoft univerfally prevailed. What were the causes of this, I ftay not to enquire.__One thing however deferves to be remarked. Truth, in this particular, has gained fignal advantages over vulgar prejudice and fyftematic ideas, even where it has not enabled men entirely to fhake off these fetters. Many able Lutheran divines, who efpouse the common diftinction of a visible and invifible church, and warmly oppofe the Calvinift doctrine of the perfeverance of Saints, have notwithstanding afferted and proved, that the proper notion

F 4

notion of the word Church, in the New Teftament, is, the congregation of the inwardly fanctified, or, as others exprefs it, thofe elected to eternal life, and against whom the gates of hell fhall never prevail. The Reader may confult Jo. Gerhardi loci Communes, tom. V. Loc. de Ecclefia, $50. p. 241. Seb. Schmidii Collegium Biblicum pofterius loc. 16. dict. 1. § 20, 21. Davidis Hollazii, Examen Theologicum acroamaticum, Part. 4. cap. 1. quæft. 3, 4, 14. Jo. Fr. Buddei, Inftit. Theol. Dogmatica, 1. 5. c. 3. § 2. not. ***: the length of which paffages, would too much fwell this work, and therefore forbids my tranfcribing them. Nay, Arminian writers have ftrongly argued against Popish Divines, that God alone knows who are members of the church, because inward faith and purity, though indifpenfibly requifite for church-membership, are invifible to the human eye. See Limborchii Theologia Chriftiana, 1. 7. c. 13. § 18. & feq. Nor have there been wanting writers, no way inferior to the beft and wifeft of the fathers, who have more thoroughly adopted their ideas on this fubject. I might mention many great and good men in both Englands, who have defended the congregational plan of church-government (f), or the exclufive right of true believers to the Lord's Supper. The learned Vitringa has caft confiderable light on this fubject in his Obfervationes Sacræ, 1. 5. c. 7, 8, 9. But none have handled it with fuch accuracy of method, force of genius, extent of

(f) The congregational plan of church-government, I am far from approving. But it is no reafon with me, for rejecting an important truth, that congregational divines have afferted it.

learning,