that the church in Jerufalem did all affemble with one accord in one place and if there was no presbytery there but a congregational one, we need not go to Ephefus, or any where elfe, to feek a claffis; I am fure, not to Lyftra, where, you fay, was the prefbytery that laid hands on Timothy. I would be content to see how you make up the proof of a claffical prefbytery in that place, against the author of the Defence of national churches, who affirms it to be a feffion; for he brings Acts xiv. 23. to prove kirk-feffions: and he also is of the mind, that the churches throughout Judea and Galilee were certainly congregational. There are now three of you that have written for claffical prefbytery, the author of the Defence of national churches, the author of the Naked truth, and yourself, the author of the Original conftitution of the church; and I humbly advise you to enter into a concert among yourselves, that you may fully understand your own fcheme, and come to understand one another, and be reconciled among yourselves before you write again, with the intolerable confidence you have hitherto fhewed, against the congregational way. But how should I expect that you will write confiftently with one another, while I think it is moft eafy to manifeft, that there is not any one of you that writes confiftently with himself? The grounds you lay down for your arguings to prove the fubordination of judicatures, are fuch as do indeed serve to overthrow it, and to establish the congregational plan as the only fcriptural plan. I. Your first foundation, which you call a noble one, is the nature of the unity or oneness of the visible body of Chrift; and upon this I offer the following things to your fe rious confideration. 1. As you have not yet manifefted any vifible body of Chrift, but a congregation of the visible members of his my ftical body coming together to the Lord's fupper; fo the oneness of fuch a vifible body of Chrift will never make out a fubordination of judicatures; but, if it be well confidered, does not appear to confift with it. We may have a metaphy. fical view of the univerfality of the vifible members of the myftical body of Chrift; but that this univerfality of visible members is, or ever was at any time, one vifible church in a political fenfe, or one vifibly organifed body, is fo far from being a truth, that it is evidently falfe in fact. And if all these visible members of the body of Chrift should at any time happen to be members of a visible body of his, all partaking of that one bread and cup; this is a thing altogether acciden tal unto Chrift's inftitution of fuch a church or visible body of his: yea, there are some visible members of that myftical body into which we are baptized, that are not capable of being one bread and one body in such a visible church, nor objects of its difcipline, nor of acting any part as members of it; and thefe are the infant-feed of believing parents, of whom the kingdom of heaven is, as well as of their believing parents, and who are, by the exprefs word of God, to be accounted holy. Now, a visible church or body of Chrift is united while it continues ftedfaftly affembling in his name with one accord in the doctrine, and in the fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers, praifing God with one mind, and one mouth, ftanding faft in one fpirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gofpel, endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, and forbearing one another in love, walking in an orderly fubjection in the Lord, unto an eldership or prefbytery of their own chufing, and maintained by themselves, and obferving the Lord's.command, Matth. xviii. 15.-20. The unity of fuch a body of 'Chrift is remarkable in the Lord's fupper, wherein all the members are one bread and one body, being all partakers of that one bread; and this fhews forth the union and communion of Chrift's mystical body, even as that bread and that cup fhews forth his body and blood, wherein the mystical body has communion, I Cor. x. 15. 16. 17. This unity of a vifible body of Chrift is likewife manifeft in its order and discipline; while the bishops or elders do all agree, in the prefence of the flock, to bind or loofe in Chrift's name, and therein unanimously profefs their fubjection to their one and only Lord Chrift, and his mind and will manifefted in his word, which is the fceptre of his kingdom, thus ruling and leading the flock as examples, and not as lords over God's heritage; and while the flock unanimoufly profeffes fubjec tion to the authority of their Lord Chrift in his word, in confenting to the agreement of his elders, and, as one foul, concurring with them in calling on his name for binding or for loofing. When you fhall manifeft, that the fubordination of judicatures is confiftent with all this unity of a visible body of Christ, I shall attend to you: but if, when it came in, under pretence pretence of curing and preventing divifions, it made more; and when it pretended only to conduce to the well-being of churches, it ferved to deftroy their being, you must excufe me, if I fay, that the unity and oneness of a visible body of Christ, establishes not the fubordination of judicatures, but makes it void. 2. Suppofing it were true, as it is falfe, that you fay, p. 88. 89. "That gofpel-ordinances and church-privileges were gi ven primarily to the univerfality of profeffors; and that "particular affemblies of Chriftians have their rife merely "from the impoffibility of their joining all together, for the "convenient administration of gospel-ordinances, and enjoy. "ing other ordinary church-privileges:" I fay, fuppofing this, unto whom does this gift of ordinances and privileges belong in the next place, when the univerfality of profeffors cannot assemble in one place, but unto them that can conve niently affemble for the adminiftration and enjoyment of them all? And what fociety is it upon which the grant of all go. fpel-ordinances and church privileges falls, if it be not a congregation of the faints? There are the inftitutions of worship, there muft the Lord's fupper be, and no where else; there are all the ordinary officers of Chrift's appointment. Upon this fociety, therefore, and none other, does the inftitution of ordinances, and grant of church-privileges, fall, when the univerfality of profeffors cannot affemble. And if you inquire, Why may not this grant belong to a fociety made up out of these churches, and reprefenting them? I anfwer, It cannot; becaufe fuch a fociety, give it what name you will, cannot obferve all these ordinances, and enjoy all thefe privileges. Your argument for extending the government as far as it can be extended, will conclude as well for managing the Lord's fupper as extensively, and placing it in as large a fociety as that wherein the paffover was placed. For the more extensively the ordinances are adminiftered, the more agree. able it is fill to the primary grant; which was, say you, to the catholic church visible; and fo one communion-table, from off which the whole members of the catholic church in the nation fhould receive the Lord's fupper, and to which they fhould, from time to time, refort, as the Jews to the altar, is more agreeable, by your argument, to the primary grant, than a congregational one; even as a national affembly of rulers for government is more agreeable than a congrega. tional one. But it is fill more agreeable to fuch a catholic grant grant of ordinances and privileges, that it fhould fall next upon a congregation, than upon a nation or province. For thus it can be more uniformly observed and enjoyed, without any confideration of the fizes, and fhapes, and diftinctions of nations, and in an exact agreeablenefs unto the obfervance and enjoyment of it in an affembly of the whole profeffors of the name of Christian faith: so that, in seeing any one of thefe congregations, we may fee the fame things that we fhould fee if the univerfality of profeffors were affembled for the obfervance of all ordinances, and the enjoyment of all church-privileges; and the fame things that we fhould fee, if we should go through all the churches upon the face of the earth, an assembly of the fame kind, the same sort of members, the fame ordinances of worship, the fame church-officers, the fame order and discipline, and the myftical body of Chrift fhewed forth in the same manner. I own this is the most beautiful view I can have of the catholic church, according to your notion, and according to what you say, of the grant of all ordinances and church-privileges being made primarily to that catholic body. And I fee not that your ar gument can indeed prove any thing, if it be not this, that there can be no church but a congregation, unless the univerfality of profeffors could affemble together for observing all gofpel-ordinances, and enjoying all church-privileges; and that would ftill be no more but a congregation. 3. The fcriptural unity or oneness of thefe churches, and of the catholic church, no way favours provincial and na tional fynods, and the fubordination of judicatures, and can be no foundation for them. Your catholic vifible body united, and under one vifible catholic government, I believe not; feeing it is not a proper object of faith, as not being revealed, and as being an object of sense, yet never seen by any. I acknowledge freely to you, I have not understanding enough for the visible union of this body that you contend for, except you could make one vifible paftor and bishop, or unanimous college of bifhops, over all the paftors and congregations in the world, and one visible place of worship for the whole body to refort unto. The fcripture gives me fome notion of the unity of the catholic church, the church of the firft-born, which is described Heb. xii. 22. 23. 24. Rom. xii. 4. 5. 1 Cor. xii. 12. 13. Eph. i. 10. 22. 23. Eph. ii. 5. 6. 16.-21. Eph. iv. 4. 5. 6. 15. I also see the Apostle accommodating his doctrine of the unity of that holy catholic church, the myftical body of 16. Christ, Christ, unto a visible church, a congregation of faints, wherein that catholic body is fhewed forth, and exhorting the members, in their feveral ftations, to walk according to it, and fhew it forth, Eph. ii. 22. Rom. xii. 6.-10. Eph. iv. 1. 2. 6.— 3. I Cor. xii. 27.; and fo I like wife understand the visible unity of a visible church or congregation of the faints, fhewing the holy catholic unity in the affembling of themselves together ftedfaftly, and with one accord, for the obfervation of all the ordinances of Chrift, according to his word, and particularly the Lord's fupper, 1 Cor. x. 15,—18. I alfo perceive, that in every congregation of the faints obferving the word of Chrift, the unity of the catholic body is vifible; fo every one of these churches, in the open obfervation of the word of Chrift, wherein his authority is vifible, and which is one for them all, is as like another, as one copy of your book is like another, or like the whole im. preffion: fo that, when I have the copy now before me, I have your book, and have no occafion for gathering together the whole impreffion. Thus the church in Theffalonica, was one with the churches in Judea, in the observation of that word, "which wrought effectually in them, when they recei "ved it, not as the word of man, but as the word of God," 1 Theff. ii. 13. 14. That word which was then delivered to them by the apoftles, prophets, and evangelifts, and which we have now in the fcripture of the New Testament, was as the feal, and a church in Judea, and another in the city of Theffalonica, as two impreffions of the fame feal. And as this word, when duly received and obferved, will make the churches one and uniform every where, so there is an onenefs and uniformity in the oppofition to it every, where; as our Lord has abundantly foretold, and as is. manifeft from 1 Theff. ii. 14. As any church, then, is more or lefs vifibly conformed, to that word of Jefus Chrift, the only uniting head and lawgiver of the church, it has more or lefs of the true visible oneness and uniformity of churches. And though there should be but one church in the world vifibly obferving that, word, that church has the true catholic vifible unity and uniformity. As it is the duty of the difciples of Chrift every where, to conform themselves to that word, wherein his authority is vifible, and that as they fhall be anfwerable to him their Judge, Lawgiver, and King, to whom every one of them muft give an account of himself; fo it is the duty of every church to bring up itself visibly to that word in all things wherein |