As the devil is the father of lies, fo all they that are of the devil are liars, who will never make a scruple of a lie to hurt others, or ferve themselves. The whole Heathen religion was one great lie, in oppofition to the truth of the divine law. Much evil is threatened to thofe who put evil for good, and good for evil; who make the heart of the righteous fad, by predicting evil to them, and by promising happiness and profperity to the wicked. Thus did they fpeak of old, who were called falfe prophets; and it would be happy for us, if there were none of them amongst us: but, wherever they are found, they are the minifters of Satan : and how fair and fine foever they may fpeak on fome occafions, it is no proof of their goodness; for Satan is fometimes, as it ferves his purpose, transformed into an angel of light, and affects an holy and heavenly character; and then he is most a devil, because he can moft deceive.

CHAP. II.

OF THE MEANS OF GRACE, AND THE MARKS BY WHICH THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS TO BE KNOWN.

HAVING explained the nature of thefe two focieties, the holy church, and the wicked world, we must confider the ufe of the church, and the marks by which it is to be known. It is promifed," that he who believeth, and is baptized, shall be faved." But how fhall we have this baptifm, unless we have it from thofe whom God hath appointed to baptize? It is alfo promifed, "he that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life" and how thall we receive the body and blood of Chrift, but from the church, to whom he faid, when he inftituted the Lord's fupper, "Do this in remembrance of me?" This being the commemorative facrifice of the New Teftament, it can be offered only by a pricft; and all the world cannot make a prieft. The minifters of the Old Teftament were ordained to their office by an immediate commiffion from God to Mofes, the mediator of that time betwixt God and the people. The minifters of the New Testament were ordained by Chrift himself; from

whom the authority descended to others, and shall reach, through a variety of hands, to the end of the world.

This is the way God hath been pleased to take to make men holy, and bring them to himself, through this dangerous world, as he brought Noah and his family out of the old world into the new, by means of an ark, which was a figure of his church. It is therefore of infinite confequence that we fhould be able to know, with certainty, whether we are in the church, or out of it. If we are out of it, we are in the world.

If we had been

out of the ark, we fhould have been drowned. It is true, we may be in the church, and yet be loft; for was not Ham in the ark, who was a reprobate? But if we are out of the church, how can we be faved?

I would not, for the whole world, unworthy as I am; I fay I would not, for the whole world, and all the kingdoms of it, be in doubt whether I was tranflated, or not, into the kingdom of Jefus Chrift. I would not be in doubt, whether I have the facraments, or whether I have them not. But how can I be fure in this cafe, unless I know what the kingdom of Chrift is; where it is to be found; and what are the marks by which it may be known? Many ftrange abuses in religion have arisen on occasion, and under the specious name of reformation; a very good word; but it hath been applied to a great many bad things, even to madness and blasphemy. We are fallen into times when some say, "lo, here is Chrift," or, " lo, there;" in the "defert," or in the "fecret chambers ;" and are bid to take heed that no man deceive us. What a terrible cafe fhould we be in, if we had no fufficient warnings given to us, and no rule to go by! But as the lightning which cometh from the eaft fhineth unto the weft, fo plain and notorious was the establishment of Chrift's kingdom in this world, together with the form of its conftitution, and the orders of its miniftry, in all the countries wherever it was planted. It would be unreafonable: indeed it would be lamentable; it would feem as if God had mocked us, contrary to the nature of his mercy, that he should publish a way of falvation, and leave it uncertain where it is to be found.

From what is faid of it in the Gofpel, it is impoffible that the church fhould be a fociety obfcure and hard to be diftinguished. "Ye are the light of the world," faid Chrift to his difciples; "a city that is fet on a hill cannot be hid." Light is fure to thew itself; and it comes in ftrait lines, which direct us to its

fource. A city placed upon a mountain is fo elevated above other, objects, that it cannot be difficult to find it; rather, it is impoffible to mifs it; it cannot be hid:" and Chriftian people in all ages feem to have agreed, that it fhall not be hid for when we approach a city in any part of Chriftendom, the churches are generally first feen towering over all other buildings.

Chrift hath given us a precept, that, under certain circumftances, we should tell our cafe to the church: but unlefs it be known what and where the church is, this cannot be done. The precept therefore fuppofes, that the church must be known to us,, The fame must follow from the injunction of St. Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews." Obey them that have the rule over you, and fubmit yourselves: for they watch for your fouls, as they that must give account." Chap. xiii. 17. The rulers of the church must therefore be known to us; for it is impoffible we fhould do our duty, and fubmit ourselves to them, unless we are fure who they are.

The church then muft, in its nature, be a fociety manifest to all men. Some may flight it, and defpife it, and refuse to hear it; but they cannot do even this, unless they know where it is to be found.

When we enquire more particularly what the church is, it may be best to proceed as we are obliged to do in fome other cafes ; first, to learn what it is not; that we may go upon right ground, and understand with more certainty what it is.

The church then, as a fociety, is not the work of man; nor can it poffibly be fo. I have laid the foundation of all my reasonings upon this fubject, in the diftinction betwixt the church and the world, as two separate parties. The church is fo named *, because it is called or chofen out of the world. 'Till it is fo called out of the world, it hath no being: but it cannot call itfelf, any more than a man can bring himself into the world.

Our Christian calling is as truly the work of God, and as much independent of ourselves, as our natural birth. The church muft have orders in it for the work of the ministry: but no man can ordain himself, neither can he (of himself) ordain another, because no man can give what he hath not. "How fhall they preach," faith the Scripture, "unless they be fent?"

And again,

no man taketh this honour to himself, but he that is called of

* In Greek Ennλnoia.

God, as was Aaron." Nay, even "Chrift glorified not himself to be made an High Prieft, but he that faid unto him, thou art my fon, this day have I begotten thee." The church muft have promifes; without which, it can have no reafon or encouragement to act but no man can give it those promises; which are "exceeding great and precious." The church must have power, without which it can do nothing to any effect: but there is "no power but of God." It muft have power to forgive fins; the forgiveness of fins in the holy catholic church, being an article of the Apostles creed: but "who can forgive fins, but God only?" It must act in the name of God, or not at all; because it acts for the falvation of man: but no man can act in the name of God, but by God's appointment. No ambaffador ever fent himfelf, or took upon him to fign and feal treaties and covenants (fuch as the facraments of the church are) without being fent; that is, without receiving authority fo to do, from an higher power. The act would be fo far from beneficial, that it would be treasonable. If an army were to raise itself without commiffions, what would fuch an army be, but a company of banditti, leagued together to plunder and deftroy the honeft fubjects of an eftablished community?

Nothing therefore is plainer, on thefe confiderations, than that the church neither is, nor can be from man. It is no human inftitution; and as it acts under God, if it acts at all, it must act by his authority and appointment. It is properly called, the church of God, (of the living God, in oppofition to the profane focieties, felf-erected for the worship of dead idols) and mankind might as reasonably prefume to make God's world, as to make God's church.

Farther enquiry will fhew us, that the church is no confufed multitude of people, independent of one another, and fubject to no common rules; but a regular fociety, like to other focieties, in fome refpects, and unlike them all in others. It is called a body, a family, a city, a kingdom. A body is a regular ftructure, the limbs of which being joined together, are fubordinate and fubfervient to one another, and are animated by the fame foul or fpirit. So faith the Apostle, "for by one fpirit we are all baptized into one body." 1 Cor. xii. 13. It being alfo called a family, the members of it must have some common relation to one another being called a city, it must be incorporated under fome common laws; and being a kingdom, it must have some

form of government and magiftracy. Families, cities, and kingdoms, are focieties; and the church, being represented by them, must be a regular fociety. But in this the church differs from all other focieties, because they belong to this world, and their rights and privileges are confined to it: whereas the church extends to both worlds, the vifible and the invifible, and is partly on earth, and partly in heaven. In its earthly members it is visible; in its rulers, it is vitible; in its worthip, it is visible; in its facraments, it is vifible. But being also a spiritual fociety, it hath a life which is hidden, and in the inward and fpiritual grace of all its outward ordinances, it is invifible. As a kingdom in which God is Judge, and Chrift is a Mediator, and angels and faints departed, are members, it takes in the heaven itself, and is the "heavenly Jerufalem," which is " the mother of us all;" infomuch, that when we are admitted into it, our "converfation* is in heaven," and the angels of heaven are our fellow-fervants; all making one great family under Jefus Chrift, in whom "all things are gathered together in one, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth :" on which confideration, what is rightly done in the church on earth, stands good in heaven, as if it had been done there; and the Apottles of Chrift received from him, the keys of the kingdom of heaven," with a power of binding and loofing, which extends to heaven itfelf: and when Chriftians go to heaven, they are not carried into a new fociety, for they are already, by the grace of God, tranflated into it by baptifm; whence the Apostle speaks of their tranflation, not as a thing expected, but even now brought to pafs. He hath tranflated us," &c. Col. i. 13.

"

The church doth alfo differ from other focieties, in that it is catholic or univerfal; it extends to all places, and all times, and is not confined to the people of any nation, or condition of life, but takes in Jews, Greeks, and Barbarians, the rich and the poor, the bond and the free; and is therefore properly fignified in one of our Saviour's parables by an inn, where all that offer themselves are accepted. The commiffion of Chrift to his Apostles, was to "teach and baptize all nations."

The church being a kingdom, not of this world, is of a spiritual nature, and in that capacity it is invifible; but as a kingdom in this world, it is vifible, and must have a visible administration.

* Gr. Mohdɛupa, our citizenship.