sits at thy right hand, interceding for sinners. I believe, O God, that he has fulfilled his promise to his disciples, of sending to them his Holy Spirit, and that the miraculous gifts, bestowed upon them, proved his exaltation, at the same time that they enabled them to propagate his religion throughout the world. Lord, I believe: increase my faith, and strengthen it against the weakness and frailty of my own mind, against the false reasonings of sceptics and infidels, and against the pride and presumption of libertines. Let no unreasonable prejudice cloud the light of my understanding; let not pride and vanity obscure the proofs of thy holy Revelations; let no partiality pervert my judgment in matters of infinite consequence; but, above all, let no unreasonable passion or sinful lust corrupt my will, and indispose me to entertain thy holy and excellent laws. Make my faith lively and effectual, and let the fruits of it appear in my life and conversation. Extend it to all the circumstances of thy holy obedience, that it may not only enlighten my mind, but purify my heart, and conquer my sinful passions. Make my faith perfect by charity, the true characteristic of thy disciples; that thus, by believing in thee, and loving thee, in this life, I may see and enjoy thee eternally in thy heavenly kingdom, through the merits of Jesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour. Amen. PRELIMINARY INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING THE CHURCH, The form of its Government, the extent of its Powers, and the limits of our Obedience. Q. DOES it not appear from scripture that the Church is a well-formed regular society? A. It appears from scripture that the Christian Church is not a confused multitude of men, independent one on another, but a well-formed and regular society. It is called a family, whereof Christ is the master, of whom the whole family is named.(z) It is said to be the city of the living God; (a) whence Christtian people are fellow-citizens with the saints. (b) And it is often mentioned as a kingdom, of which Christ is the king: Thus, in our Lord's words, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; (c) where the Church and the Kingdom of Heaven mean the same thing. As a family, a city, and a kingdom, are societies, and the Christian Church is represented by them, that must likewise be a society. Q. Is not the Christian Church a society founded by God, and are not all men obliged to become members of it? A. The Christian Church is not a mere voluntary society; but one whereof men are obliged to be members, as they value their everlasting happiness: for it is a society appointed by God, with enforcements of rewards and punishments. That it is of God's appointment is certain; for it is the Church of the living God.(d) That it is enforced with rewards z Eph. iii. 14, 15. b Eph. ii. 19. d 1 Tim. iii, 15. a Heb. xii 22. e Matt. xvi. 18, 19. and punishments is not less certain: for remission of sins, the grace of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life, are declared to be the privileges of the Christian Church, and annexed to baptism, the constant rite of initiation into the Church; Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (e) And the consequence of neglecting to hear Christ and his apostles may be understood from Matthew x. 14. Whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for that city. Now, as God, by instituting this society, and annexing such rewards and punishments, has sufficiently declared his will, that men should enter into it, all men are obliged to become members of it; and it can in no other sense be called a voluntary society, than as it is left to every man's choice, whether he will be for ever happy or miserable. Q. Is not the Christian Church a spiritual society? A. The Christian Church is a spiritual society. It was founded in opposition to the kingdom of darkness. This is plainly implied in our blessed Saviour's words. to St. Peter: Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall never prevail against it. (f) Whence the members of the Christian Church are said to be delivered out of the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of Christ.(g) And the Christian people, as soldiers under Christ, are said to fight, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(h) Their armour is not such as will guard them against carnal, but spiritual enemies; it is the armour of light, (i) the armour of God, the girdle of truth, the breast-plate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit.(j) And this spiritual Society, or Kingdom of Christ, was, by the design of its Great Founder, to be distinct from all earthly kingdoms. My kingdom, says Christ, is not of this world: (k) for as earthly kingdoms are designed for men's temporal welfare, so the end of this heavenly kingdom is to promote our everlasting happiness. Q. Is not the Christian Church an outward and visible society? A. It is an outward and visible society. The name of Church is constantly applied in the Scriptures to such a society. Thus we find it used by our blessed Saviour himself: Tell it to the Church. If he neglect to hear the Church.(1) It is compared to a marriage feast, to a sheepfold, to a net full of fishes, to a field of corn, &c. by which allusions the society of Christians, which is the notion implied in the name of Church, is evidently described as a visible body of men, taken out of and separated from the rest of the world. Public rulers were appointed to govern the Church, the faith was to be publicly confessed, the public worship of God to be frequented, and visible sacraments to be received by all the members of it; and consequently the Christian Church is an outward and visible society. Q. Is not the Christian Church an universal society? A. It is an universal society, both with regard to place and with regard to time. With regard to place; for Christ's commission to his apostles was, to preach the Gospel to every creature, (m) and to teach and baptize all nations: (n) and with regard to time; for it is prophesied concerning Christ's kingdom, that it shall be established for ever, as the sun and moon thoughout all generations; (o) and we are told by St. Paul, that Christ must reign, till all his enemies, the last of which is death, shall be put under his feet, (p) which cannot j Eph. vi. 13. 7 Matt. xviii. 9. p 1 Cor. xv. 25, 26. k John xviii. 36. be till the general resurrection; and he himself has promised to be with his apostles and their successors always, even unto the end of the world.(q) Q. Must there not be, of necessity, officers in the Christian Church? A. Since no well-regulated society ever did or can subsist without officers to govern it, and without some subordination among these, and since it appears that the Christian Church is a regular society, it must, of necessity, have its officers. And as this society is to be continued by a succession of believers to the world's end, it follows, that there must be an uninterrupted succession of officers till that time. And as it is a society of God's institution, the officers of it must receive their commission from Him. Q. Prove that there are officers appointed in the Christian Church. A. That there are officers in the Christian Church does not admit of doubt. Our blessed Lord, the head and founder of it, when on earth, chose twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, whom he named apostles, (r) and gave them power and authority over devils, and to cure all manner of diseases; (s) and besides these, he appointed other seventy.(t) After his resurrection, when he declared, All power was given unto him in heaven and in earth, he commissioned his apostles to teach and baptize all nations, (v) and invested them with the same authority which he had received from his Father; AS my Father hath sent me, EVEN SO send I you: (u) as he had received authority to send them, so he gave them authority to send others. Accordingly when they were further endued with power from on high (w) by the descent of the Holy Spirit, whom Christ promised to send, we read, that they ordained the seven deacons, (x) that Paul and Barnabas Matt. xxvii. 20. Matt. xxviii. 19. r Luke vi. 12, 13. |