SECTION V. §1. THUS, it has been fufficiently proved, that a church is a fociety of faints, fincerely profeffing the fame faith, partaking of the fame facraments, interefted in the fame Spiritual privileges, and entitled to the same heavenly bleffings and that therefore hypocrites belong not to that fociety. This is the Bible idea of the word church, and therefore it ought to be received, however it differ from fashionable opinions. Yet it may not be amifs to fhew, that this was also the sentiment of the primitive Chriftians. The Catholics and Donatifts entertained the fame notions about the nature of the church. They only differed about her marks, and where he was to be found. The Donatifts afferted, that if a church retained in her bofom the openly profane, it was thereby defiled, nay, ceafed to be a true church, fo that its act became null and void, and baptifm, conferred in it, was to be renewed. The miniftry of a hypocrite they acknowledged, that of an openly profane perfon they denied to be valid. They confeffed, that men fecretly wicked, though intermingled with the church, did not pollute her, because the was ignorant of their wickednefs (a). The Catholics went further, and held, that the church was d (a) Optat. Milevitanus, 1. 2. p. 44. ed. Parif. Coll. Carthag. 1. p. 39, and 3. p. 87, 89. Auguftinus in Breviculo Coll. 3. c. 8. libro poft Coll. c. 9, 10. & contra Epift. Parmeniani, 1. 2. c. 10. § 21, not not defiled even by harbouring those within her, whose wickedness the knew (b). Auguftine often appeals to Cyprian as of this opinion. His own opinion was, that hypocrites may be tolerated in the church, because it is impoffible for men, by fearching the heart, to spy out their hypocrify, but that thofe fhould be expelled out of it, whofe naughtiness is publicly known (c). 2. In the mean time, none of the fathers maintained, that hypocrites were true members of the church. To begin with Auguftine. How warmly foever he oppofed the Donatifts, yet he acknowledges de doctrina Chriftiana, 1. 2. c. 22. and in many other places, that the church properly means a collection of regenerate perfons, who truly believe in Chrift, and who all together make up the one myftical body of Chrift their head. He fays in exprefs terms, de doct. Chrift, 1. 3. c. 32. "Non enim revera Domini corpus eft, quod cum illo non erit in æternum. "De Baptifmo, contra Donat, 1. 4. c. 13. Sem"per ab illius ecclefiæ quæ fine macula & ruga "eft unitate, divifus eft, etiam qui congregati"oni fanctorum, in carnali obduratione mifcetur. Ad ecclefiam non pertinent avari, &c. “ ibid. 1. 5. c. 3. Videntur effe intus, nec taillius columbæ membra pertiEcclefiam non tenent, nifi qui divina mandata cuftodiunt, reliqui intus tantum videntur, ib. c. 27. Non omnes qui 66 men ad unicæ "nent, ib. c. 16. (b) Their arguments for this may be seen, Coll. Cartrag. 1. p. 39. Auguftin. de unitate eccl. c. 14. & in libris, contra Parmenianum & Petilianum. (c) Ep. 54. ad Cornelium, p. 78. ed Baluzii & ep. 52. ad Antonianum, Z, & 74. "rubifcum "nobifcum funt, ex nobis funt, ib. 1. 6. c. 3. Non "pertinent ad ecclefiam, quamvis intus effe vi"deantur, ib. c. 24. § 44. Qui fuper arenam "ædificant, verba Domini audientes, fed non "facientes, extra petram effe convincuntur, quod "eft extra ecclefiam, ib. 1. 7. c. 51. Puto mę non temere dicere, alios ita effe in domo "Dei, ut ipfi etiam fint eadem domus Dei: 66 alios autem ita dici effe in domo, ut non per"tineant ad compagem domus, fed ficut effe "palea dicitur in frumentis. De unitate Eccle"fiæ, c. 25. $74. Multi funt in facramento 66 rum cummunione cum ecclefia, & tamen jam "non funt in ecclefia." Hypocrites lurking in a church, were no more accounted by Augufline a part of it than excommunicated perfons: whence he infers, De unit. eccl. c. 4. & de Bapt. contra Donat. 1. 7. c. 2. that though we have fellowship with a church, in which bad men lurk, we have no fellowship with these bad men. Cyprian's fentiments are equally clear. De opere & Eleemofynis, p. 24.1. "Quid fecit in do"mo Dei perfidum pectus? Quid, qui Chrifto " omnino non credit, apellatur & dicitur Chri"ftianus?" & Ep. 55. p. 83. he tells us, that thofe only who perfevere are the church, and that apoftates are not of God's planting, but as it is faid, 1 John ii. 19. though they went out from us, were never of us. Indeed, the high encomiums given the church throughout Cyprian's works, demonftrate, that he did not confider hypocrites as members of it. Origen tells us, that wicked men are not to be accounted Chriftians (d); that they were not (d) Contra Celf. 1.4. p. 176. admitted admitted except by fraud to their affemblies (e): that a Christian, who is truly fuch, fubjecting himself only to God and his word, cannot be hurt by the devils (f); that the body of Chrift is the whole church of God animated by the Son of God; and that the members of this body are whosoever believe, because as the foul enlivens and moves the body, which of itself is destitute of life and motion, fo the λoyos excites his myftical body the church, and every member of it to a becoming temper and behaviour, fo that without him they do nothing (g); that he who commits grofs fins, fuch as covetousness, fornication, &c. is not truly a brother, but, as the apoftle obferves, is only called a brother (h); that, if the gates of hell prevail against any, they are not that church which is built on a rock, but a multitude of men in the church, falsely boafting that they belong to it; and that a foul having fpot and wrinkle, and not holy and undefiled, is neither the church, nor a part of it (i). He grants that the churches in his days were filled with bad men, but often infinuates, that those were only members of the church in name, and that to call focieties of bad men churches, was an impropriety of speech (j). "Cum ali Tertullian ad nationes, 1. 1. c. 5. "quos de noftris malos probatis, jam hoc ipfo, "Chriftianos non probatis.' Clemens Alexandrinus defines the church the congregation of the elect (k); and fays, there is (e) Origen, contra Celf. p. 178. Matth. p. 234. (i) lb. p. 276. etii. (f) Ib. 1. 8. (b) Comm. ad (j) Ib. p. 260, p. 147. ed. Hu (k) Strom. 1. 7. c. 5. p. 846, ed. Potteri. one one true church, in which the righteous are enrolled according to the decree, and which gathers within her bofom, thofe whom God had predeftinated, having forefeen they would be righteous (1). Hermes's Paftor afferts, that men whofe faith is feigned, and who have not forfaken all wickednefs, though they may lurk in the church, đọ not belong to her (m). Nothing can be fuller or ftronger on this head than the words of Irenæus Adverfus Herefes, 1. 3. c. 24. edit. Maffuet. "Ubi enim ecclefia, ibi & fpiritus Dei; & ubi fpiritus Dei, illic eccle"fia." And 1. 1. c. 10. he fays, that the true members of the church have one heart and foul, as well as one mouth. Athenogoras's teftimony is equally exprefs. Apol. c. 2. ed. Oχ. εδεις γαρ χρισιανος πονηρός, εξ μη υποκρινεται τον λόγον. Juftin Martyr pronounces it evident, that those are not Chriftians, though in words they may profefs the doctrine of Chrift, who do not live as he has taught (2), Ignatius expressly diftinguishes between being called Chriftians, and being truly fo (0); fpeaks of fome who were only Chriftians in appearance (p); and expreffes his defire, that he might not only be called a Christian, but found such (9), So univerfally known was the diftinction, between those who were, and those who only called themselves Chriftians, that it did not escape (1) Ibid. p. 899. 13, and 18. (17) (0) Ep. ad Magnes. c. 4. (q) Ep. ad Rom. c. 3. (m) L. 1. vif. 3. 1. 3. fim. 9. Ap☎l. 2. c. 22. ed. Grabe. (p) Ep. ad Trall. c. 10. F 2 the |