iii!:!i;Hfi ll;!!![:!lill!llt!l' f 5 ^ ^ ^ ' F-l ^ H5525 :i^ BV 600 .H55 1844 Hill, George. What is the Church of Christ? WHAT IS THE CHURCH OF CHRIST? JOHN D. TOY, PRINTER, CORNER OF MARKET AND ST. PAUL-STS. BALTIMORE. WHAT IS CHURCH OF CHRIST? /Jv ^ t (f-^q.s^ 1^ i^t. Sirs, ^e are brethren."— Acts vii. 23. BALTIMORE: DANIEL B RUNN E R, No. 1 Charles street. 1844. A PASTORAL LETTER |)eople of t!)e Wxottsz of iHarj^lanlr. Dear Brethren : Our blessed Lord declares it to have been the end of His birth and coming into the world that He should bear witness unto the truth. ^ It is through the truth^ He affirms in His solemn communings with the Father, tliat they whom He sends into the world are sanctified.* To speak the truth in love, is the mode of growing up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ.^ Now the truth is unchangeable and indivisi- ^ John xviii. 37. " John xvii. 17 — 19. 3Eph. iv. 15. Vi PASTORAL LETTER. ble. "./2Z7 things whatsoever Jesus had com- manded them," the apostles were to "teach" men " to observe ;" * and by so teachmg them, they brought them to "the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness." ^ As Chris- tians we are bound equally to all the truth, in faith and practice, and to every part. It is no privilege of ours to select what we deem im- portant, and lay the rest aside. We have not THE truths if we are destitute of any portion of it. If our destitution is the result of our own choice, we are guilty of the rejection of the whole. It came from heaven entire. It was sent into the world, by its commissioned bear- ers, entire. It must be acknowledged and held in that same entireness. We dare not, therefore, dear brethren, assent to those who distinguish between preaching the Church and preaching Christ. It is undenia- ble that our Lord Himself "commanded"^ re- ference to "the Church."* It was certainly iMatt. xxviii. 20. sTitusi. 1. 3 See Matt, xxviii. 20. " Matt, xviii. 17. PASTORAL LETTER. Vll one of the "things" His apostles were sent to "teach men to observe." How they did teach men on the subject, the whole inspired Epistle to the Ephesians shows. Surely no man can read that Epistle through, and doubt whether its holy writer considered the mode in which men are gathered together in Christ,^ and the nature of their union in Him, as fundamental parts of the truth as it is in Jesus.* "The Church" he declares to be that for ^vhich Christ "gave Himself." ^ Who that believes in the efficacy of that most precious Gift, but must desire to know what it purchased .? And how much more, when taught that, so pur- chased, it is presented unto Himself,* to be "His body, the fulness of Him who filleth all in all!" Is the nature of that which is so spoken of, among the lesser things, which may be safely laid aside, while weightier matters of close personal interest engross the attention.? My brethren ! if there be a question of all-en- 'Eph. i. 10. 2Eph. iv. 21. 3Eph. V. 25. 4Eph. i. 23. Vill PASTORAL LETTER. grossing moment to each one of us in particu- lar, it is Whether he be a living member of the Body of his Redeemer, "of His ilesh, and of His bones." ^ For has not He told us, that except we abide in Him, as living branches of the true Vine, we must be cast forth unto the burning ?2 Whether we be branches of the Vine; whether, being so, we abide in Him, bearing fruit; are surely vital questions to those who expect to live through His Name ! Observe, I beg you, that this question affects the evidence and warrant of our hope, not tlie kind and degree of the hope itself. L\ Christ ALONE is our hope.^ But liow are we assured that we are "i?i Him?"* The Name of Christ alone is our salvation.^ But what is our warrant to take shelter in that Name.^^ and lEph. V. 30. 2 John XV. 1—6. 3 1 Cor. XV. 19. 2 Cor. v. 17. 1 Thess. i 3. "Eph. i. 3, 10, 12; iii. 6. Gal.iii.27. Rom. xii.5. 1 Pet. iii. 16. 5 Acts iv. 12. John iii. 18. 6 Acts x. 43; ii. 38; xix. 5. 1 Cor. i. 13.— Acts xv. 14, 17. Rom. X. 13—15. PASTORAL LETTER. ix our proof that we have done it? There are differences within our own communion on this very important point. But those differences do not affect the nature and extent of our de- pendence upon the free grace of God by which Christ Jesus "is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctiiication, and redemp- tion; that, according as it is written. He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."i On the contrary, those who most strenuously insist on the necessity of union with Christ in His Body, the Church, by communion with a definite visible society, traceable in its existence and organization up to Him, do so in the deep- est sense of the utter inability of man to save himself, — his entire dependence on redeeming love for all the work, from first to last, by which he is to be translated from darkness into light and from condemnation into everlastino- to life. It is because "we put not our trust in any thing that we do," 2 that we look to Christ for all^ in the way of His provision. ' 1 Cor. i. 30, 31. -^Collect for Sexagesima. X PASTORAL LETTER. It is because we believe forms and ordinances to be utterly worthless except as His Spirit gives them vitality and saving efficacy, that we insist on tracing them all to Him, and finding His promise to be in all, or utterly eschewing them. The more thoroughly we believe, the more strenuously we inculcate, the depravity of na- ture and helplessness of condition of the unre- generate man; the freeness and fulness of jus- tifying and sanctifying grace ; the entire absence of all claim of merit in the receivers ; the need of a change of heart, wrought by the hidden working of the Spirit in the inner man; the dependence of the new birth for its beginning, of the renewed life for its continuance and growth, wholly and solely on the influences from above that are shed abroad abundantly by God the Holy Ghost on such as neither resist nor quench them; the uselessness of all forms and ordinances to the adult partaker who has not a living faith ; the increase of condemnation resulting from the abuse of spiritual privileges, PASTORAL LETTER. XI gifts and influences ; — these fundamental princi- ples of the Gospel the more we cherish and exalt, the better we are qualified to appreciate the full importance of the question, What is the Church? the more humbly we shall approach it, the more fervently we shall pray for Divme assistance in the solution. Observe again, I beseech you, brethren, that so far from tampering with the holy Word of God, or setting aside its supreme and sole au- thority, it is the deepest reverence for its teach- ing that leads us to maintain the indispensable- ness of communion with the visible Church of Christ as organized by His command. We receive that teaching implicitly, and refuse to explain it away or lower it in accommodation to prevailing views of fitness. If others can be induced to admit that "the Body of Christ" is a mere abstraction, an unreal notion, a name for an aggregation of individuals without cor- porate organization or functions, ice can not^ because we dare not set aside the plain letter of Scripture, which says, "as the body is one, and Xll PASTORAL LETTER. hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so ALSO IS Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized info one hody. — Ye are the Body op Christ, and memhers in particular. — So wc^ being many, are 0x\e Body in Christ, and every one memhers^ one of another."^ This is no description of "an aggregation" of inde- pendent persons or communities, but of "a body wliose life dejyends on its unity." As we read it, we receive it; and are sure that we receive it rightly, because the whole Christian world, for fifteen hundred years, without an exception, so received it. Hard of admission as it may be to mere reason, (though indeed it is not hard, rightly taken,) trying as its consequences may prove to our natural feelings and propensi- ties, (though indeed, to the spiritual mind, they are full of peace, and hope, and triumph,) we bow humbly in acceptance of this representa- tion of the company of believers, because it is tlie representation of the Bible. In the Bible, J 1 Cor. xii. 12, 13, 17. Rom. xii. 5. PASTORAL LETTER. XUl in the Bible alone, we seek for all saving truth. From the Bible, from the Bible alone, we would derive all, even the least particulars of our faith and teaching. But it must be the Bible in its own pure, primitive meaning; not explained away, and accommodated to modern notions and evil times. And now, dear brethren, what I would fain say in person to each one of you, on a topic among the most important that can occupy your thoughts, I offer to your use as I found it in this little volume ready prepared to my hand in a form better than I could give it. In dis- charge of my duty to God, and for His sake to you, I commend the followmg pages to your use. Give them, I beseech you, thoughtful and prayerful study. Let not prejudice WTest aside your judgment, nor any human authority deter you from embracing and holding fast whatever you shall find clearly proved, by sound reasoning, out of God's holy Word. Remember that it is the truth of God you are seeking to find out, and that you are doing XIV PASTORAL LETTER. it IN God's sight. My earnest and continual prayer shall go up before Him, that if in any thing as your teacher / have erred, He will cor- rect me, and show my error and save you from it; and that you may be guided by His blessed Spirit into the acknowledgment of all truth, and obedience unto it with a ready mind. Your affectionate brother in Christ, and servant in the Gospel, William Rollinson Whittingham, -JSishop of Maryland. Baltimore, Feast of the Presentation of Christ w the Temple, 1844. PREFACE To my fellow-members in the Church of Christ I desire affectionately and sincerely to dedicate the present little volume. My object is to direct their attention to that sacred society to which it is our privilege to belong, and with which our present happiness and our future hopes are so intimately connected. It is not, indeed, proposed to give a view of the polity or constitution of the Church, to consider its orders of ministers, its laws and canons, its synods, its rules of faith, its forms of worship, its authority. It is not proposed to furnish an outline of its XVI PREFACE. history under the varied scenes of persecution and prosperity, or any sketch of its future pros- pects, how it shall be universally established in the earth, or how it shall be finally purged from unworthy members, and be made perfect and complete. Nor, again, is it proposed to consi- der the Church under the various important at- tributes which inseparably belong to it, as being holy, and as being catholic, and as being apos- tolic, and the like. I would simply direct Christ's members to the fact, that there truly is a Church to which they belong, and define what that Church is by its essential principles. Does the subject. Christian reader, appear too plain to require any comment, too simple for even the most ignorant to need instruction ? Still, I pray you, give me your patient attention to what I have to say. For even if the question be already fully comprehended, yet may it not be useful to recal what we know, and by a careful contemplation of our Christian calling, to learn to cultivate more and more the character to which it ought to lead us.^ Or, perhaps, the PREFACE. XVll very fact of its simplicity may liave caused it to be somewhat overlooked, while it cannot diminish its importance: and errors may have passed undetected, because they occur where we have so little expected to find them. True, there was a time when the Church was well known and understood. When Christians were comparatively few in number, and were surrounded and pressed m on every side by enemies who despised and persecuted them on account of their faith, then the Church was clearly perceived to be not a mere name, but something definitely marked out, and discerni- ble as a living reality. The fellow-feeling arising from common dangers, and the necessity of mutual encouragement and protection, made them lay aside private differences, and fully realize their bond of union as one body through- out the w^orld. They were able to discover the fellowship they actually possessed one with an- other, by means of the daily exercise of those brotherly duties of affection which these trials and sufferings compelled them to render: and XVlll PREFACE. the boundary line which surrounded them and kept them distinct from others, was too plainly marked out with the blood of martyrs to escape the observation of any. But God has blessed his Church with peace. She is no longer a besieged city, but enjoys her liberty in quiet and security. But the danger hence arises lest her bulwarks become neglect- ed; lest we hardly know where the boundary line runs, where the actual limits lie which divide the Church from the world, that un- organised and indefinite multitude from which she has in mercy been called forth. There is need that we walk about Zion, and go round about her, and tell the towers thereof; that we mark well her bulwarks and consider her pala- ces, that we may tell it to the generation follow- ing. Yet suppose not that our task is the mere work of an antiquary, wlio searches into things almost lost in the obscurity of ages, from the love of investigation and curiosity alone. We are not tracing out the course of old walls which PREFACE. XIX surrounded a city long since in ruins, and whose inhabitants have long become extinct. Ours is an inquiry of personal interest, for our title and our rights depend upon it. The charter of our King is to the City of God, and if we pitch our tents without, and neglect to enter in, we can- not claim the privilege which the charter pre- scribes. And let us remember, that here must be our security against the assaults of the opposers of the faith of Christ, At all times, although un- der various forms, there will be made the at- tempts of infidelity and corruption, if not of per- secution, to undermine and triumph over the truth. In guarding against these attacks, in up- holding the faith in its purity and its integrity, we need that bulwark of defence which Christ has Himself bequeathed, the witness of his Church as one Body throughout the world. We must act in concert, as one army of our God. And to this end we must understand in what our unity consists ; we must be able to dis- tinguish the banner under which we are mar- XX PREFACE. shalled, and to know the watchword of the General to whom we have sworn allegiance. It is a source of pleasure and satisfaction, that they for whom I have written these chapters are those who would not be otherwise than mem- bers of Christ^s Holy Church. I have not writ- ten for such as care not about the Christian name, and who despise the Church of God, which He hath purchased with his own blood. To these the whole subject would prove distasteful and tedious. But it will be otherwise with those for whom I have written. Among them I may reckon upon meeting readers friendly disposed to what I have to say, and having at least the subject on which I write at heart. I may pre- sume upon finding many already engaged in the service of their King, and seriously desirous of having their heavenly calling set before their view, in order that they may the more earnestly endeavour to fulfil the duties it imposes on them. It is my wish that these pages may, in some degree, be productive of such results. Although any thing like direct controversy PREFACE. XXI has been avoided, yet it has been my endeavour to meet any objection which might be likely to sug-g-est itself to the mind of the reader. I have desired to write calmly and without prejudice, and in that spirit of charity which on this sub- ject, above all others, ought especially to be maintained. If there is here to be found any thing harshly or uncharitably spoken, I willingly retract it, and wish it unsaid, so far as it is harsh or uncharitable. For the truth needs not vio- lence or heat of words ; and if there is any truth in what I have written, I would that it should be conveyed in plainness and simplicity of ex- pression. I conclude in the words of one who has ably and learnedly written on the Church of Christ, and who has proved himself a champion of our own branch in particular against the aspersions cast upon it by its enemies, by "beseeching God, ,for his mercies' sake, to enlighten them that sit in darkness, to bring back them that are gone astray, to raise up them that are fallen, to strengthen them that stand, to confirm them XXll PREFACE. that are doubtful, to rebuke Satan, to put an end to the manifold unhappy contentions of these times, to make up the breaches of Sion, to build the walls of Jerusalem, and to love it still." George Hill. Shrivenham. % # CONTENTS Preface, xv PART I. The Doctrine. CHAPTER I. The Definition proposed 1 CHAPTER II. The Church consists of Believers 5 CHAPTER III, The Church is a Society 11 CHAPTER IV. How the Church is one Society , 32 CHAPTER V. The Church was founded on eartli by Jesus Christ .... 57 •k: XXIV CONTENTS. PART II. The Moral. CHAPTER I. Page The advantages and importance of Membership in the Church of Christ 75 CHAPTER ir. The Christian Character, as resulting from the knowledge of what the Church of Christ is 113 CHAPTER III. Prayers in reference to the Church of Christ, with a Table of Christian Churches 140 PART I CHAPTER I. DEFINITION OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. WHAT is the real and strict meaning of the Church of Clirist, would appear (it might be supposed) to the most indifferent person, an inquiry not unworthy of his attention, whatever were his faith, or sentiments concerning religion. To us, however, who look to Christ Jesus as to our God and Saviour — who receive his words and institutions as the words and institutions of God, and who acknowledge that there is none other Name but his given among men whereby we must be saved, — to us it is far more than a subject deserving merely of curiosity and specu- lative inquiry ; — it is one of the deepest interest 1 2 DEFINITIOx\ OF THE and importance. And further, professing as we do, our belief in this Church, as one of the articles of our Creed, it is plainly a part of our general duty of yielding a reasonable faith, not to suffer our profession on this point to be igno- rantly made, or but obscurely known. Our whole faith is designed to be directed to the bringing forth its appropriate works, yet unless in some degree known and understood, it must be fruitless and nnprofitable. Since, therefore, from the doctrine of "the Holy Catholic Church," in which we declare our belief, some moral is doubtless intended to be drawn, some lessons of brotherly kindness towards her members — of subordination to her rulers — of coniidence to- wards her Head, we cannot remain ignorant of the doctrine, without being exposed to the dan- ger of failing in the important duties which de- pend upon it. Giving then all diligence, (according to the Apostle Peter's rule of profession in Christian excellence,) in adding to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge; and desiring that we may neither be barren nor unfruitful in our holy pro- fession, we enter upon our inquiry. What is to be understood by "the Church of Christ.^" Let the question before us be clearly understood. CHURCH OF CHRIST. S It is not proposed to consider tlie Church in a spiritual point of view, in its hidden privilcg-es and its inward blessings. Important as such a subject might be, our present object is mainly and principally to view it in its external features, as it is outwardly discernible; — as it not only presents itself to the mind of the Christian, but also stands forth before the world at large. Further, it is not designed to inquire into the marks by which a sound Church may be distin- guished from an unsound, but the marks whereby that which truly is the Church of Christ may be distinguished from that which is not the Church of Christ. These two questions are often con- founded, but for a right understanding of the subject must be kept distinct in the mind. For as when we speak of a true man, in the sense of an actual veritable man, one who is truly such, and no counterfeit — we must not be understood as if speaking of a true man in the sense of a man trustvrorthy and honest, so now let it be observed we do not ask the question, What is a true or sound Church? — with this the present treatise has nothing to do : — our inquiry is rather What the Church of Christ truly is. To this inquiry the answer which 1 . . , , . „ Definition. is proposed is simply this: — The 4 definition of the church. Church of Christ is, The one Society of Believers which was founded by Christ Jesus. We shall proceed in the following chapters to confirm in order, each one of the material points in this definition. Our object will be to show that the Church, (1st.) consists of Believers; (2nd.) constituted a Society ; (3rd.) wJiich is one ; and (4th.) was fomided upon earth hy Christ Jesus. And these points, fully understood, will be found to include the essential particulars which combine to make up the idea of the Church, and will be sufiicient to enable us to recognise it in its various branches, wherever they may be found. CHAPTER II. THE CHURCH CONSISTS OF BELIEVERS. AMONG those higher powers of discernment with which God has endowed man, is that by which he feels himself mysteriously over- whelmed with the sense of something above him and around him, far beyond his know^ledge and conception. He finds in himself, and in all things terrestrial, a deficiency which he cannot supply, and often feels a kind of restlessness for something purer and more satisfying than any thing which he here enjoys. And then there is the deep, dark mystery of death before him, which he seeks, but seeks in vain, to fathom. He finds himself here for a few short years in the light of life, but whither he shall pass in the night of death, or where he shall wake again, this by his own philosophy he cannot tell. These yearnings of the soul of man form that part of his constitution which has fitted him to. 1* 6 THE CHURCH be a religious being. He is made and adapted for faith : — for laying hold on some hope which shall reveal a supply for his deficiencies, which shall ease him of his restlessness — give him something for his soul to confide in — direct his aims to high and holy things — yield him com- fort in death, and a ray of light beyond the grave. Such a hope is set before him in the Gospel. It has revealed to him a way of salva- tion, and brought life and immortality to light. And it not only invites him to believe, but de- mands faith as the grand indispensable requisite, without which he cannot be admitted into the covenant which it proposes. Men are received into membership in the Church, not as being of this nation or of that, not as being great or learned, not for personal distinction's sake or reward, but simply as men of faith in the Gospel of Christ. Thus, Philip's reply to the officer who desired Christian baptism was, "If thou believest with all thy heart thou mayest." To which the officer answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."^ And those admitted into the Church upon the first preach- ing and miracles of the Apostles are described » Acts viii. .37, 38 CONSISTS OF BELIEVERS. 7 as, "They who gladly received the word," or shuply, as "believers," who as such, were "bap- tized," and "added unto the Lord."^ There could be no higher quality required from man than this pure and holy faith — no higher scope at which to aim in the constitution of any body of men. For this faith is in its objects most exalted, in its influence most purifying. It is the root of all holy thoughts and acts — the soul's communing with God — the wing of the soul which bears it to heaven — and the key which opens the mysteries of the unseen world. And there is this benediction connected with it, "Blessed are they which have not seen and yet have believed." The question which now presents who are itself is, Whom are we practically to ^e'levers ? account Believers? With the heart we know that man believeth, and it is true that in his works his faith must be displa3"ed. But we are men, and can neither see into the heart of others, nor with any certainty decide upon the motives of their actions. In our own indivi- dual case, indeed, we must examine into the reality and genuineness of our faith, nor rest • Acts ii. 41 ; v. 14. 8 THE CHURCH content till we behold in it its fruits: but in Those who ^^^P^^^ ^^ Others, we are expressly profess commanded not to judge. Our gene- ral rule therefore must be, in the mat- ter of faith, to account others only as they ac- count themselves. He, who professes himself a believer, we must esteem to be a believer, so far as regards the general classification which our present argument requires. Especially it is just to consider him a believer by whom this profession has been openly made in solemn sacrament before God and the conOTegation — a ratification far more serious than that of ordi- nary oath : and we must continue to esteem him as such, until by some public act or declaration of his own, he would be understood to have renounced the faith which once he professed. We need no argument to prove, that among those whom we thus account as believers, there will be false believers as well as true. There will be the self-deceiver, and he who attempts to deceive others on the one hand, as well as the genuine and sincere on the other. In the Church, therefore, as consisting of believers, we may expect that the same mixture of good and evil will be found. And the Scripture under various emblems plainly represents that such CONSISTS OF BELIEVERS. 9 must be its character. The vine had dry and barren bmnches, as well as good and fruitful ones. The net of the kingdom of Heaven gathered of every kind, both good and bad. The tares were sown by the enemy among the wheat in the field, and gi-ew up with it, the ser- vants not being permitted to root them up, lest they should root up the wheat also. The end of the world will reveal a wide difference be- tween the two classes which are thus described ; but till then, we must judge of them by their profession, and deem them alike as believers. But further, in the number of be- rpj^^^^ ^j^^ lievers must be included not only t)eiiig incom- those who personally make a profes- sureties for sion of faith, but also they, who ^^'' ^^"^• being incompetent of faith in themselves, profess faith in the person of others who act in their stead. These cannot, we may be sure, be guilty of actual disbelief, or a rejection of the faith; and on this ground, they may, perhaps, be even more readily admitted to the name of believers than the former, by whom a profession might outwardly be maintained, while actual infidelity bears sway within. But a stronger claim in their behalf rests on the declaration, that "God accepteth a man according to that he hath, and 10 THE CHURCH CONSISTS OF BELIEVERS. not according to that he hath not." They have not the exercise of faith, because they have not yet the power; but the Church pledges her's, and God, who was wont to deal with his people the Jews, not individually only, but as a nation, receives them and owns them as believers upon the Church's faith, openly declared in their name, in the profession made by their sponsors. I CHAPTER III, THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS A SOCIETY. T has been shown in the preceding chapter, that the Church consists of believers ; believ- ers indeed, known and accounted such only by their profession ; yet since our inquiry respect- ing the Church relates to it as it is discernible by outward marks and notes, it suffices that the faith of those who compose it, be in like man- ner estimated as it is outwardly declared. But the definition proposed assigns a limita- tion: it describes the Church, not as believers merely, but as a society of believers. The object of the present chapter will therefore be to prove that believers who compose the Church, are necessarily believers formed into one body — that it is in fact a society. What is the bond or principle of unity — what it is which makes them one, and unites them all into a w^hole, will be the subject treated of in the chapter M^hich follows. 12 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST Hitherto, while considering the Church only in the separate individuals who compose it, we have not met with any difference of opinion de- serving of particular notice. But now that we have entered upon the consideration of the Church in its collective capacity, we find three distinct opinions very extensively prevailing on the subject. These opinions it would be very easy to assign to their respective parties, to the principles with which they each most consist- ently combine. At the same time, unaccountable as it may be, through the want of consideration, they are to be found indiscriminately held by those whose sentiments on other religious mat- ters would generally be found to agree. It will be best, therefore, to state them simply, and ex- amine them on their own merits. Three opin- The Churcli, according to many ions stated, persons, is the wliole number of be- lievers. It matters not where or how, singly or together, so as they believe in our Lord and Saviour, they are his Churcli ; and the Church, as we can discern it, is the whole number of those who profess this faith. This is the first of the opinions which prevail on the subject. The opinion of others is, the Church is the whole number of societies of believers. It is IS A SOCIETY. 13 quite possible, these would admit, to be a be- liever in Christ, and yet not a member of his Church, because still an unenrolled believer, an unbaptized person. In order to be a member of the Church, it is necessary to be a member of some Christian society ; and by being individu- ated into a particular community, we obtain an entrance into the Church Catholic ; so that the Church does not consist of the whole number of believers, but it consists of the ichole number of bodies or societies of believers. The third opinion is that which has already been stated in our definition. The Church is itself a society of believers. It is a number of persons not separate and distinct, but, as be- lievers, combined together into one fraternity. As individuals, indeed, they are many; and as particular Societies, or Churches, they are many ; but there is also some real and actual bond which unites them, and constitutes them one society". Now it will be seen that the two Is th e former opinions, although widely dif- cimrch a ferent from each other, are yet alike ^rl'socrety ? in one respect : that they describe the Church as denoting a class or description. The one says. It is a certain class of men ; — the other. It is a certain class of societies : so that the ques- 2 14 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST tion is simply, Is the Cliurcli, taken collectively, a society^ or is it a class f And if it can be shown that it is the former, it must follow that both the opinions must be rejected, in which it is viewed as the latter. What is a I am Writing for plain people, and Class ? ^j^^ therefore desirous, before proceed- ing further, to make. as clear as possible what is meant by the two words — a class, and a society, and to point out the distinction of the one from the other. Now what do we mean by the for- mer, when used by us ordinarily in other mat- ters .'' If we were speaking of any of the various professions of life, we might probably make use of the term ; we might call, for example, all la- bouring men a class of people ; tradespeople, or farmers, or the gentry, distinct classes or descrip- tions of men. It seems we perceive a certain similarity in the pursuits and mode of procuring a livelihood among the individuals composing each of these sets ; and hence, although every individual is wholly independent of the rest, we in imagination put them together, and speak of them as a class. In like manner, to add further examples, we may range together all charitable people in the world; as being individuals alike in this respect, that they have each a disposition IS A SOCIETY. 15 of benevolence and kindness, and exercise them- selves accordingly in works of charity, we view them in our own minds, and speak of them as a class. So, again, temperate people; for these, as being alike in this, that they never give way to excess, we naturally, in our minds, classify together, however distinct they may be, and dis- similar in all other respects. When Linnaeus, the great naturalist, arranged plants into their various classes, he did not combine them toge- ther under appropriate names, from any real connexion which one plant had with another : a sweet pea has nothing more to do with a labur- num, although they stand together in the same class, than it has to do with a thistle or a pear- tree, in another. He examined only in what points one flower corresponded with another, and then distributed them into their respective classes, solely on the ground of the similarity perceived. On the other hand, if we observe what is a how we ordinarily use the word so- Society? cie/2/, it will be perceived that we imply by it, not similarity only, but a certain actual joining together and connexion of the members which compose it. We speak of charitable persons, it has been already observed, as being a description 16 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST or class of people ; but we call them a society, if they join together, for the furtherance of some common design, into an organized and connected body. Temperate people we may call a class ; but if any enrol themselves together, as such, we naturally designate them a temperance society. Criterion of ^^^^ difference to be observed is distinction this : in a class there is no real union : between a . . ' Class and a the parts have nothing to do with one ..ociety. another; only we see in them some points of resemblance, and thus think of them together, as a notion, and name them together — • like a heap of wheels wholly out of gear, which we may, notwithstanding, class together, and call machinery. A society, on the contrary, is a reality, an union, Avhich exists elsewhere than in our own minds. It is an actual organization, with all its parts bearing to one another a mu- tual relation; like the corresponding pieces of machinery no longer separated, and only existing as individual wheels, but put together into a sys- tem, and capable of working as an engine. And this distinction between a class and a society we may, in all cases, readily detect, by observing that a class (being nothing really existing) can have no founder, has no rules, no discipline, requires no formal admission, and permits of no IS A SOCIETY. 17 formal rejection; whereas the reverse of all this must be the case in respect to a society. The classes of plants, for example, as arranged by Linna3us, were not founded by him; for the similarities among them, which he brought to notice, had existed long before : he only com- bined them accordingly in a sort of imaginary union. The class of temperate people, again, cannot have been the institution of any founder, because it also exists only as a notion ; and the belonging to this class of men, or the ceasing to belong to it, depends solely on the simple fact of being temperate or not, and by no means on any mode of admission, or discipline, or rejec- tion, which any may have the power to exercise. A society, on the contrary, possesses these attri- butes; for being an actual combination, there must have been some one who has produced the combination ; and being a combination according to system and organization of parts, there must be some rule and order by which it is so orga- nized : and thus the having a founder, and disci- pline, and officers, and modes of initiation, and of expulsion, constitute the distinguishing marks whereby a body of men may be known as a society. 2* 18 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST The Church If now we liavG gained any insight IS a Society, j^-j^^ ^]-^g meaning of these two words, and are able, in some degree, to discern the one from the other, we may proceed to show, from the criteria ah'eady given, that the Church is not a mere class or description of persons, but an actual society. In the first place, it because it •' ^ ' has a has a founder. The Church claims, """ ^^' as its great Head and Founder, the Lord Jesus Christ : it ascribes its first existence to his selection and appointment of members; and its principles, and objects, and rules, have proceeded from his divine wisdom. It was be- gun in the Apostles, whom He expressly chose to be witnesses of all He did and suffered upon earth, and to Avhom He fully taught the great truths of his holy faith ;^ and in testimony of this it has received his name. It is the Church of Christ. He is the Head of his Body, the Church ; and from Him the whole family in hea- ven and earth is named. ^ and mode of Again, the Church has an initia- initiation, j-^j-y sacrament. Baptism was by our Lord Himself appointed to be the sacred rite of admission into the number of his disciples, the 1 Luke xxiv. 45 — 4S. Acts i. 2. 2 Rom. xvi. 16. Col. i. 18. Eph. iii. 15. IS A SOCIETY. 19 door into his Church. "Go ye," was the com- mission to the Apostles, "and teach" (or "make disciples of") "all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." ^ The believer in Baptism is then first received into covenant with God; and all the promises of forgiveness of sins which are made to those who believe, are then per- sonally applied and sealed. ^ Hence the first preaching of the Apostles was, "Repent, and be baptized," as declaring to all who embraced the faith which they proclaimed, that Baptism was the first step, w^hich need not afterwards be repeated, whereby they might enter into the inheritance of the promises of God. Now if as soon as an unbeliever becomes a convert to the faith of Christ, he hy that act of conversion alone becomes a member of the Church, there would be no use in this appointed mode of in- corporatmg members, no meaning in this holy ordinance. Yea, why might not the mere be- liever, claiming to be a member of the Church on the ground of his belief in the Christian faith, assert at once the full privilege of being partaker of the mysteries of the Lord's Supper.? »Matt. xxviii. 19. sjyiark xvi. 16. Eph. i. 13. 20 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST So that the fact of there being an initiatory- sacrament is a plain evidence that the number of those among whom it admits any person is an actual body or society. But let us suppose the objection to be raised, that Baptism is initiatory, not absolutely into the Catholic Church, but into some particular Church or community of believers 5 and that it cannot consequently be adduced as a proof that the Church Catholic is a society, but only that particular Churches are societies, which none would be disposed to deny. Such a view of the nature of Baptism would be wholly at variance with the Apostolic declaration, that there is One Baptism; for it would increase the number of Baptisms to the number of the particular Churches into which the holy rite admitted new members. None, it is hoped, would seri- ously admit such a degradation of this sacra- ment from its exalted dignity and rank of being an act of admission into Christ^s holy Church Universal, into a mere act of admission into a local community, conferring membership in that particular community alone. It is opposed to the spirit of the entire service of Baptism, as used in the Church of England, and other Churches throughout the world : and members IS A SOCIETY. 21 of one religious denomination will often have their children baptized by ministers of another, because they look upon the Sacrament — and they do so justly — as one whereby they are grafted not exclusively into some particular Church, but absolutely into the Church Univer- sal. Indeed this Catholic character of Baptism is admitted by most denominations in the very principles upon which their societies are con- ducted. For admission into the society of many of the ordinary denominations must in many cases be wholly distinct from the time and cere- mony of Christian Baptism. The individual is baptized perhaps in infancy — in riper years he enters into their society : and so again, if any one leaves the sect of which he has hitherto been a member, and joins himself to another, he is not by most parties required again to receive the form of Baptism, but some other rite of admission is deemed sufficient to intro- duce him into the new fraternity. Thus Bap- tism must be, and by all parties is admitted to be, an incorporating not merely into a particu- lar body of believers, but into the Church at large; and as such it may fairly be placed in the list of the marks whereby the Church is 22 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST distinguished from a mere class, and shown to be in itself a real and actual society, and a sacra- Again, we infer that the Church ment of fei- is a society, because it possesses an ^^' especial sacrament of fellowship in the Holy Eucharist: this holy communion is the "mystery of peace," and the "sacrament of society " — an act of religious testifying and rati- fying of an union existing among the members. "We being many," says St. Paul, "are one bread and cne body, for we are all partakers of that one bread." And that the union or society to which this Sacrament testifies is not of a local or party character only, is plainly evinced in the nature of the holy rite itself : it directs us to the one great Head of his Church, in whom is neither barbarian, Scythian, bond, or free. It may indeed, in an especial manner, kindle love and harmony among those who personally communicate together; but it must likewise be felt and prized as a participation with a body more widely diffused — the mystical body of Christ, which is the blessed company of all faithful people. and officers Again, the Church has its minis- and rules. ^gj.g j^^^^j ofHcers — its discipline and powers of excommunication. It does not con- IS A SOCIETY. 23 sist of isolated, unconnected individuals, but of members in a mutual relation to each other, of an organization of pastors and flocks. St. Paul therefore writes, "God hath set some in the Church, first Apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers." ' To Timothy, as one bear- ing authority in the Church, the same Apostle gives direction to award honours to desendng elders, to try offenders, to ordain to the office of the Christian ministry, to reprove, to rebuke, to exhort; while others he exhorts to obey them that have the rule over them, and sub- mit themselves, "for," says he, "they watch for your souls, as they that must give an ac- count." * The two sacraments, also, of which we have already spoken, in themselves neces- sarily unply the existence of officers in the Church, and of an authority to admit or to reject those who would partake of its privi- leges. It may be demonstrated fi-om them, that these ministers and officers, however limited may be their individual jurisdiction, are yet ministers (in their respective order, as bishops, priests, or deacons) of the Church at large; for the Sacraments are sacraments of the Church M Cor xii. 28. Eph. iv. 11. Rom. xii. 6— 8. 2Heb. xiii. 17. 1 Thess. v. 12, 13. 24 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST Catholic, and consequently they by whom they are administered, must be ministers of the Church Catholic. The authority of each law- ful minister, although exercised in one congre- gation only, is not confined to that particular Church, but extends to the whole body. Thus Baptism being, as it has been already shown, the way of incorporation, not into a particu- lar Church only, but into the whole body of Christ — he who lawfully administers Baptism is a minister of the whole Church. The Holy Communion is an act of fellowship wdth the blessed company of all faithful people; he, therefore, who has the right to admit or to excommunicate, must be a minister of the same blessed company. By these marks we know the Church to be a real society ; not merely as limited to local communities, not merely over the individuals who are co-worshippers in one congi'egation, but as one universal body, she has her officers, her corporate powers, her dis- cipline, her organization. The jurisdiction of her ministers may be limited to a congregation, a parish, or a diocese, or a province, but their official acts are the acts of the Church at large — themselves are the ministers in the temple of God. IS A SOCIETY. 25 Such are the marks by which we Scriptural discern the Church to be an actual profj^^a"^ society, as distinguished from a mere society, class; a reality, and not a vague, unreal ab- straction;^ a corporation, and not a mere de- scription of individuals. Let us briefly notice, that many of the metaphors under which the Church is spoken of in Scripture, expressly denote this its corporate character. It is de- scribed as Abraham's seed;^ as the household of faith; 3 as the family of God;* as a city, or body of citizens;^ as a fold;^ as one bread and one body;"^ as a temple;* as the kingdom of heaven; 9 as the branches in the vine.^" In all these various metaphors we find one common feature, that of combination of their respective parts; and the especial idea which they are intended to convey, must be this associated corporate character of the Church, as one body fitly joined together and compacted. If the Church were a class of people merely, it would have sufficed to have called them men of faith; » See note 1, at the end. ^Gal. iii. 29. 3Gal. vi. 10. Eph. ii. 19. ^Eph. iii. 15. 5Eph. ii. 19. Heb. xii. 22. ejohn x. 16. 7 1 Cor. X. 17. 8 1 Pet. ii. 5. 9 Matt. xiii. '"John xv. 5. 3 26 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST but they are a society^ and therefore are more appropriately called Abraham's seed. If it were a class merely, it would have sufficed to have called its members living stones; but being a society, the Apostle completes his metaphor by adding, "built up a spiritual temple." In like manner, though individually they are sheep of Christ — the servants of God — grains of corn in the heavenly garner, or the separate members of Christ — yet as being a Church, as viewed collectively, the scriptural emblems appropri- ately convey the further idea of an union exist- ing among them, and describe them as members organized into one body, grains combined into one bread, servants forming together the king- dom of God, or constituted as his united house- hold, and sheep folded under one Shepherd, and in one fold. Such are some of the simple yet striking me- taphors under which the Church of Christ is spoken of in Holy Scripture ; and from these, as well as from the appeal to the actual nature of the Church itself, its origin, its sacraments, its ministry, we must infer that the Church is not a mere class, but indeed an actual society. Con- sequently, both of the opinions respecting the Church must fall to the ground, in which it is IS A SOCIETY. 27 held to be a class only. It can be neither a mere class of individuals, according to the one opinion ; nor a mere class of societies, according to the other. It is something more : it is a body- knit together, and united. It is itself a society, a real actual community, to be discerned and known as any other society may, and to be dis- tinguished from all others by its own peculiar constitution, and history, and origin, and objects. Here the present chapter miffht ^ ^ ° The second have been brought to a close. But I opinion fur- am unwilling to pass on without cusse^d!" making a few observations relating more expressly to the second definition, which describes the Church as all societies of believers. Hitherto we have only viewed this definition as it falls into the same error as the other rejected definition falls into, namely, that of making the Church the name of a class. It approaches, however, nearer the truth, and being thus more likely to mislead, requires that its peculiar defi- ciencies should be separately noticed. The definition now spoken of has this very The Church important recommendation, that it re- Catholic not ^ ' distinct from jects the absurdity of supposing that particular it is possible to belong to the Church in the abstract, without belonging to the Church 28 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST in some particular portion. To imagine, indeed, the Catholic Church to be any thing distinct from the particular societies, or churches, which compose it, would be as absurd as to imagine the human body to be something distinct from its members. It would be like asserting that England was a territory distinct from the coun- ties which compose it, so that a man could be a native of England, and yet not a native of some particular district. I remember being told by a religiously disposed man, that he professed the principles of the "Baptists," and always attended their place of meeting, although he had not joined their "Church." He belonged (he said) to no " Church." When he was asked whether he thought he was a member of the Church of Christ, he answered, with much surprise, that he considered that all true believers were such. So that here is a man who belonged to the Church of Christ, but yet was not in any particular part of it, as if, to repeat the illustration just before given, a man could be in England and not in some particular county. He could understand how the mere profession of the tenets of the Baptists did not make him a member of their society, but yet thought that the mere profession of the faith of a Christian was enouo^h to make IS A SOCIETY. 29 him a member of the Church Catholic. He had a definite notion of the " Chmxh of the Baptists ;" but when he came to speak of the Church of Christ he took it to be a mere abstraction with- out parts, and thought that he could be a mem- ber of it in the general, although not yet in any- definite branch. Rejecting this absurdity, the defi- The particu- nition which we are now considerinor, lar churches ®^ must he asso- rightly acknowledges that something ciated into more is required in order to consti- °"^" tute Church-membership, beside the being sim- ply a believer. It says, the members of Christ must be associated members, incorporated into some company of believers. Thus it maintains this important truth, that the idea of the Church implies an actual joining together. The believer must be associated to be in the Church ; as the leaf must be on a bough, in order to its being reckoned part of the tree. But then it stops here; it rests satisfied with having the individu- als combined into companies, while these com- panies still remain distinct and separate from each other. The Church is still no more than an abstraction, though it be of bodies of men and not of individuals. There is just enough of the truth admitted, to show that we must admit 30 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST more. For if any joining together is requisite, there must be a complete joining together of the whole. It is not sufficient that the privates be formed into battalions, the battalions must also be marshalled as an army. It is not sufficient that the leaf be on the bough, the bough must be on the trunk : if the bough happen to be dis- severed, the leaf which adheres to it is in no wise more on the tree than the dry leaf which is fluttering about by itself in the wind. And in like manner, in order to be in the Church, it is not sufficient to belong to a company of be- lievers, to be an associated or incorporated mem- ber of a Christian community, unless that com- munity is itself a part of the Church, and in some sense forms with it but one society. We do not then deny the existence of parti- cular churches, or the necessity of belonging to one, if we are members at all of the Church Catholic. The leaf which adheres to the tree, must be in particular adherence to its own re- spective branch. It is an absurdity to suppose that the Church Catholic can exist distinct from particular churches : but then we must further maintain, that being composed of such particular churches, it is moreover a real society. From all the evidence which has been advanced, we IS A SOCIETY. 31 must infer that it is not a mere genus compre- hending other societies under one general name ; it is itself a society of societies, combining the many communities of which it consists into one united body.^ The Church of Christ is not the aggregate, or whole number of believers, but it is the whole number of its members, of those believers who have been incorporated into it: — it is not the aggregate, or whole number of societies of be- lievers, but it is the whole number of those societies of believers which are its parts and branches. For the whole Church is an organi- zation, and tliose individual believers who be- long to it, and those societies or churches of believers which belong to it, must be individuals and societies formed into one consistent whole, by some common uniting bond. 1 Note 2. CHAPTER IV. HOW THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS ONE. IF the reader has gone along with tlie argu- ment in the preceding chapter, and feels satis- fied that the Church is a society, he has already an argument that the Church is one. He already, therefore, feels that there is a reality and force of meaning in the Apostle Paul's declaration, "Ye are all one in Christ Jesus :" and he can enter into the general spirit of our Saviour's beautiful prayer, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them which shall believe on me tlirough their word ; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us," The Church is one — not merely ought to be one — should strive to be one — but is one. The Church is one, not merely because it happens not to be more than one, but because it cannot be more than one. "Ecclesia HOW THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS OXE. 33 una est et dividi non potest," says St. Cyprian. * The Church is one, and cannot be divided. — It is one essentially, even as God is one. But we require to know in what this unity consists. We look round, perhaps, upon the countries professing Christianity, and seeing everywhere many actual divisions among those who are called Christians, and much want of unanimity, and little intercommunion both be- tween individuals and between Churches, we are at a loss to know where is the one society of Christ's Church Catholic, or to find a clue by which we may assure ourselves that we are one in that Church. Knowing its essential oneness, and at the same time seeing the actual disordered state of Christians, we begin perhaps to suspect that the Church must be some very small body ; and wonder why, with all its comprehensiveness of design, and its universal adaptation to the wants of man, it should have remained so small and so undistinguished a body. But it is not thus : on the contrary, when we discover what is the true principle of unity in the Church, and apply that principle as the criterion by which to ascertain which are actually branches and limbs 1 Ep. 74. (Ed.Tauchn.) 34 HOW THE CHURCH in that unity, instead of finding the Church to be only a small section of professed believers, we shall find that it includes within its pale the vast majority; and that it may, not only on the ground of its design and capabilities, but even on the score of its actual extent, justly claim to be called Catholic, one everywhere. Our present inquiry then is. What is that prin- ciple of unity, whereby in the Church we are not separate independent believers, or separate independent societies of believers, but bound to- gether in one body ? in what consists that unity which brings us alltogether, and makes us all one Unity of the In the first place, it is plain that all Church con- Q^^ist's members in his Church are sists not in meeting to- not Considered one, as a congi*egation get 161, niight be called one, because they meet all together in one place. At one time it was possible for the Church to do this. When the number of the disciples whom Christ left behind Him in the world consisted only of "about one hundred and twenty names," then they could, and did actually all meet together; as, for example, on the day of Pentecost they "were all with one accord in one place."* But ' Actsii. 1. OF CHRIST IS OXE. 35 ever since that day, an assembly of the entire Church together has been impossible : its num- bers have become too great to admit of such an unity as this. Christ had intended that the so- ciety which He instituted should not be confined to Jerusalem, but that it should extend from city to city, and from village to village, from nation to nation, and from country to country, till all the world should be fdled with the knowledge of God and of the way of salvation. Accord- ingly it has been thus extending. Gentiles, as w^ell as Jews, have received the religion of the Gospel. The members of Christ may be found in countries far distant from each other — to the east and to the west, with the wide sea between them. It is plain, then, that the unity of the Church consists not in the whole assembling together in one place; and unless Christ has prayed in vain, '•'•that they all may l)e one," men may be of the one body, and united together within the one fold, who have never met, whose very names and existence may be unknown to each other. Since, then, Christ's members can- not in sinii- not all meet together, and so be one, lantyof yet (2ndly) may not their unity con- JJ^^"^' ^""^ sist in their all using the same sacra- 36 HOW THE CHURCH ments, and services, and forms of religion, al- though it be at different places ? But to this it must be replied, that similarity can never con- stitute unity. It is true, indeed, that Catholic minds will experience pleasure in reflecting how far they are praying, as it were, with one heart and with one mouth, with their fellow believers, although widely dispersed; and will delight to think that they are using the very words of prayer and praise, in which holy men of old have joined, who have now entered into their rest: but, at the same time, this uniformity of services is rather a sort of evidence and exem- plification of the unity of the Church, than the matter in which that unity really consists; for there may be no unity subsisting even where the same external rituals, and forms, and disci- pline are adhered to, just as regimentals may be assumed and worn by men who have no con- nexion with the troops to whom the dress pro- perly belongs. On the other hand, there may be unity between churches, where different ser- vices and customs prevail. For if we strictly consider it, it is no more possible for the Church, spread, as we know that it is, over the whole world, to worship in precisely the same forms, than it is for them to assemble in the same OF CHRIST IS OXE. 37 place. The language spoken by different na- tions is not the same; so that the words must vary : the expressions in use in different coun- tries are not the same, they have, moreover, dif- ferent civil rulers and bishops to pray for, so that the style and matter likewise of their reli- gious services must vary. Hence, from the necessity of the case, it is plain that the unity of the Church does not consist in a mere simi- larity of fonns and sendees and rites. Ceremo- nies may be changed according to the diversities of countries, times, and men's manners, consist- ently with God's word, and yet the real oneness of the Church remain unaffected. 3rdly. But perhaps it will be said, not in simi- "The mere outward forms, it is true, larity of faith, are nothing; that which makes the whole Church throughout the world one, that which constitutes its unity, is the common profession of the great and fundamental doctrines of our holy faith." In that form of sound words, the Apostles' Creed, our profession of faith was made when we were admitted in Baptism into the Church of Christ : none can be a member of the Church, even in name, unless he has professed to hold the fundamental doctrines therein contained, and no church can continue a sound church except 4 38 THE CHURCH as holding uncorriipt the same truths. But no resemblance or likeness, consisting in the com- mon profession of the same faith, can constitute the unity of the Church. The Church has al- ready been proved to be a society, and the unity into which we are inquiring must be an unity which combines it as a society ; but similarity is the ground upon which things are referred to a particular class^ so that if all the Church's unity is to be resolved into this, it wc3fuld cease to be a society at all. Strictly speaking, as it was ob- served under the preceding head, similarity and unity are two distinct things, and the former may exist without the latter. If we observed a num- ber of buildings precisely resembling each other in form, materials, Stc. we might speak of them as having unity of design, but we could not say there was unity of house. There is a story told of a man, who, wishing to keep bees, set himself to catch as many as he could among the flowers, and then shut them up together in a hive. None can deny but that they precisely resembled one another in appearance and nature; there was similarity, but yet notwithstanding there was no bond of unity existing among them, they were not a stock. In like manner a man may be a believer OF CHRIST IS ONE. 39 in the great articles of the Christian faith, and so far exactly resemble other true believers, and yet may not, perhaps, be one with them in the body of Christ. There may be those who individually appear like the sheep of the good Shepherd, who yet are not within his fold. Thus, then, we cannot consider similarity, whether it be in outward forms, or even in the fundamental matter of faith, as constituting that unity of the Church for which we seek. It is not meant, (be it remembered,) that it is unes- sential that there should be one faith to each and all, and the same holy sacraments duly ad- ministered; there must be one faith, and one baptism, as well as one God and one Lord : nor is it meant that it is a matter of indifference that we join in a holy uniformity with one mouth and one voice, sending up our common adorations to our Heavenly Father. These things, it is simply affirmed, do not constitute and effect that condition which St. Paul de- scribes when he says, "Ye are all one in Christ Jesus." But, 4thly, it is sometimes as- not in una- serted, that the unity of the Church "^"^^^J' means peace and haniiony among Christians; that it is Christian love or charity which con- 40 THE CHURCH stitutes its unity. But even this claim must fail. We often, indeed, use the word in the sense which is here given, but Avhen we speak of the unity (or unanimity) which cliarity pro- duces, we mean something very different from that which makes one the whole body of Christ. This may be made evident by many considera- tions. The unity which charity produces has for its contrary hatred, and rancour, and jea- lousy; the contrary to the unity which we are now discussing, is plurality. The unity wliich charity produces can be exercised only towards the living; the unity w^hich joins together the Church, is one which unites the living mem- bers and the departed members — all in every place, and of every time, who having been once received into the family of God, have preserved unbroken that sacred fellowship. The unity of love and charity is a grace which we may pray for, as we do, for example, in the prayer for the Church militant, and in other prayers of our Church ; the unity which forms our present inquiry cannot, strictly speaking, be a subject for prayer, because the Church cannot exist except as one. Again : the distinction will, per- haps, be rendered more evident if we consider that the unity of peace and charity may, and OF CHRIST IS OXE. 41 ought to join us with all mankind, with the Pagan and the Jew, the Mohammedan and the idolater, with Avhom we cannot have that unity M-hich makes the Christian Church to be called one. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy- self :" this is a rule which extends to all, and we may not stand to ask the question, Who is my neighbour? But the Church is but a por- tion taken out of the world, and the bond which unites its members among themselves must be one which distinguishes and separates them from others, and cannot extend itself in- discriminately to all. And then, again, if it were peace and unanimity which constitutes the essential unity of the Church, would there not be reason to fear lest that unity now no longer exist? There have been too often breaches of charity- within the Church : — there was contention even between St. Paul and St. Barnabas, so sharp that they departed asunder the one from the other ; ^ there have been rival parties each condemning the tenets and doc- trines of the other wdth much heat and bitter- ness of spirit, opposite factions rending the Church from motives of ambition and love of 1 Acts XV. 39. 42 THE CHURCH worldly power; while between the respective portions of the Church in different countries, friendly feelings have been destroyed, and visi- ' ble communion has ceased to be maintained. Is it not plain, that if the essential oneness of tlie Church depended on its harmony, and una- nimity, and love, that tliat oneness is lost, and that the Church itself is, in consequence, shat- tered and destroyed ? But we have the predic- tion and promise of Christ himself, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The Church must stand for ever, and stand in that intrinsic unity without which she cannot be. It is sad indeed to know that such discords and variances, and rendings, have existed, yea, and do exist, among those who ought to be of one heart and of one soul, united in a holy bond of truth and peace, and faith and charity. They involve us in a fearful amount of guilt, as family hatred and civil wars are the more atrocious, because they take place between those who are bound by ties of nature to unitedness and peace; but as hostile citizens and brothers are still one in blood, so may there be found a real oneness in the Church, unaffected by the vari- ances, and distinct from the harmony of its members.* » Note .S. OF CHRIST IS 0.\E. 43 5th. Nor, again, does the principle not in supre- of the unity of the Church consist o,\^J^he"ad in its being all under the superinten- bishop, dence of one head bishop. This is the ground of unity wliich is maintained by those who limit the Church of Christ to such only as acknow- ledge the supremacy of the Bishop or Pope of Rome, the doctrine which is properly called popery. Now that this supremacy cannot be any bond of unity essential to the Church, is plain from this, that the Church existed many centuries without its being so much as claimed. For it was not authorized by any institution of our Lord : we read, indeed, of an occasion when, upon his confession of faith, St. Peter received an especial blessing and commission, and we know that the first converts on the day of Pentecost w^ere made through his preaching; but these circumstances, and others which the Romanists advance, were not deemed by the early Church a sufficient reason for constituting him or his successors universal Bishops, or the Church of Rome mistress of all churches. For our Lord chose twelve as his disciples, and not one only. They were all the foundation upon which the Church was built. ^ He gave them ' Compare Matt. xvi. 18, with Eph. ii. 20, Rev. xxi. 14 ; also John xxi. 17, with Acts xx. 28. 44 THE CHURCH all the same authority and the same commission in the administration of the sacraments.* He addresses Himself to ten of the Apostles, when, after his resurrection. He said, "As my Father hath sent me even so send I you ;" and when He breathed on them, and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." 2 Hence we find no traces in the Acts of the Apostles, and the later inspired writings, of any supremacy of one over the rest then recognised in the Church ; and among the canons of one of the earliest councils we find the encroachment of one bishop upon the ten-i- tory of another is expressly forbidden, as con- trary to the principles of the Church, and fos- tering the pride of worldly ambition.^ In short, the doctrine in question was one which gained ground by slow and almost imperceptible de- grees, and it was not till the thirteenth century that it received any formal recognition or ap- probation of the Church of Rome herself. Our argument, then, is this: if the union of all Christians under one supreme head on earth is the principle of unity which constitutes the so- ciety of the Church, then there was no Church 'Compare Matt. xvi. 19, with Matt, xviii. 18. ajohn XX. 21—23. ^ Council of Ephes. can. 8. OF CHRIST IS ONE. 45 instituted by Christ, and no Church for many ages after Christ. For they were not then so united; they did not then acknowledge one supreme Bishop as their head and centre of unity. But the Church did exist then, and therefore this cannot be the essential principle of its unity. The Church was then an actual society, and its members not being bound to- gether in their mutual fellowship, by having one head, were united by some other principle of society and unity. But after all, the superintendence of one head bishop (whether as supreme, or with the more reasonable claim of presiding and being first among the rest) whatever may be urged for it, as the right constitution of the Church, would not effect a full and true unity. ' For in itself it gives but the links of a chain laid together but not joined. So long as any one individual pope continues, the whole body under him are (it is true) united in a bond of unity. But the universal bishop must die; and by his death this unity is destroyed. When his successor occupies his room, there takes place rather the rejoining together the body of the Church by a 1 Note 4. 46 THE CHURCH new bond, than the continuance of the former union. Thus we have, as it were, the unity of each successive generation separately among themselves, but no unity of succeeding' genera- tions the one with the other. The unity of the Church becomes rather a series of successive unities; and we might infer that there have been as many successive churches, as there have been numbers in the series of the popes. But the unity which we are seeking for, the unity which in reality joins the Church of Christ, must be such as not only binds in one all Christ's members on earth at present, but it must Ihik them also with those that have pre- ceded, and the times that are past. To render the supremacy, or primacy, of one bishop an actual continual unity, it would be necessary to combine the series of popes by some system of transmission of office in succession from one to another. Each pope must appoint and ordain his successor in his office, which we know is not the mode of their election. There must be no breaks in the chain; it must not be an unity which needs to be renewed itself by some fur- ther link of connexion. But the insufficiency of the one visible head to constitute the principle of unity to the Churcli, OF CHRIST IS OXE. 47 is further seen when we consider that it can at no time unite more than one of the two great portions into which the whole body is divided. Were it capable of being a centre of oneness to the Church on earth, still it could establish no unity between them and the Church in heaven. And, therefore, even though one Bishop were received by the whole Church on earth as its visible head, he would be the head of a part only of the Catholic Church, and could be no principle of unity to the whole. But the Church on earth and the Church in heaven, although widely divided in place and circumstances, is yet but one church, and one prmciple of unity must unite the whole. To know what consti- tutes the whole Church a society, truly and essentially one, one universally at all times and in all places, we must discover some bond which shall not only unite us into one brother- hood on earth, but shall connect us also with the saints which reign in heaven, and make us one body with the apostles and our Lord. And now if that which makes the entire Church of Christ, as a society of believers, to be one, is not the having one head on earth, is not mere peace and concord and unanimity, is not even the profession in common of the same 48 THE CHURCH holy faith, is not a mere similarity of forms and acts of religion, is not personal meeting all in one place for united worship — we must again ask, In what then does this unity of the Church really consist? what joins together all Christ's members now on earth in one body, and more- over joins them with all their brethren who have ever gone before ; yea, even with Christ Himself? And the true answer is. This prin- Unity of the . , ^ . . , . Church con- ciple ot oncucss cousists HI tlicir sists^inits QYigin, What makes grandsons or great-grandsons one with those who have preceded them ? — It is having a common ancestor. What makes all the different currents of a stream to be one ? — It is their flowing from one spring. What makes all the various branches and leaves of a tree to be but one together? — It is the growing from the same root. In like manner what makes the Church of Christ to be but one? — It is the having one beginning; the descent from one origin. The members who composed it a hundred or a thousand years ago may be dead and gone; but by this principle of unity it is the same Church now that it ever was. For it is like the unity which subsists in a regi- ment of soldiers. We may hear it said that such a regiment fought in such battles, and on OF CHRIST IS OXE. 49 such occasions — battles and times lon^ past, and which have now become to us mere matters of history. The men who fought are not the same men as now compose the ranks, — every man may have been changed; yea, successor after successor may have occupied every post since the events took place : but it is still the same regiment, because it has never come to an end, or had a new beginning. It has gone on, and will yet continue, by successive supplies of recruits, a few at one time, and a few more at another time, still retaining its own name, and numbers, and colours — its own trophies of vic- tory, its own spirit, and military fame. "The unity of the Church," says St. Cyprian,^ "is preserved in her origin." And Tertullian* writes, "The Apostles founded churches in every city, from which churches, others spring- ing up, have borrowed the germ of faith, and the seeds of doctrine, and still borrow, in order that they may become churches. And by this they also are deemed apostolic, as the offspring of apostolic churches. Every race is necessarily reckoned as belonging to its origin. Therefore these numerous and great churches are that one 1 De Unit. Eccl. 2 pe Priescript. Haer. cap. 20. 3 50 THE CHURCH prime church founded by the Apostles, to which we all belong."^ Here then we have a true and actual unity. It is not a mere likeness or similarity, which would constitute us similar rather than truly one, — which would leave our union only a mental conception, a child of fancy — such as we create for our own convenience, when we discern some points of resemblance among many things, and consequently put them together un- der some general abstract name. On the con- trary, we have here an actual point of contact ; — we are made one, as we meet in one head, as we proceed from one beginning, as we flow from one veritable source. And this principle of unity imparts a complete union. It gives unity to its sacraments, its min- istry, its worship. It unites its members of every generation. Ascending to the very origin, there could never have been a time when this unity was wanting to the Church, while, as be- ing itself the essence of the Church's perpetuity and power of continuance, it must last as long as the Church exists. Nor does this principle of unity confine the Church to any local limita- tions. The unity remains wherever the Church ' Note 5. OF CHRIST IS OXE. 51 is established, as a family may leave its birth- place, and, spreading over all the earth, still retain its kindred and the blood of the common stock. Their line is gone out through all the earth; yea, as it becomes transplanted into hea- ven, the Church loses nothing of this its con- nexion with those who remain behind, nor ceases to be one with them in the family of Christ. This principle of unity is further one by which we may distinguish which are the com- ponent parts of the Church, and which are not. To be in the unity of the Church is equivalent in meaning to being in the one Church; and not to be in the unity of the Church, is only another form for expressing not to be of the one Church. And thus when we know in what the essential unity of the Church consists, we may ascertain by its absence or presence whom the Church includes. From one pure fountain we may have seen many different streams to flow. One may take this course, and another that; their several lines may become more remote the further they flow from their common source, their branches more numerous, and the scenery by which they pass more diversified ; but they are all one, and they flow with one water. But 52 THE CHURCH should some neighbouring spring bubble forth, and claim to be in affinity and connexion with these streams, we have only to trace it back and discover whence it was, to detect the falsehood of its assumptions. The genuine stream when traced through all its course, will be found to terminate in the one true spring from which the other streams have proceeded; and the true Church will be no less plainly known, when examined as mapped down in the records of history, and traced upwards to its source. And this principle of unity — thus actual, and complete, and practical — is such an unity as truly makes and constitutes what we mean by a society. Thus we find other societies, wholly distinct in nature and in object from the society of the Church, which are united by a similar principle. Some of my readers m.ay be ac- quainted, for example, with some of the larger benefit clubs which extend themselves through most parts of this country, by means of branch lodges in different districts connected together. Now in what manner would it be necessary to proceed, in order to establish in any town not yet occupied, a lodge or branch society in con- nexion with some such '••Unity," in order to enjoy the same privileges in common with all . ./ ■-, c 4,^ <£^ OF CHRIST IS OXE. 53 its members ? In other words, what is that bond of miion which must unite us with the rest ? It would be of no use to say, We will establish a lodge, and adopt rules and orders, and frame a constitution precisely similar with those of the society or "Unity" we propose joining. They would still disown us as any part of themselves. The union we must seek, must be one based on transmission or descent. It must be like that which we are now ascribing to the Church, one of succession. The individuals who propose the new society must obtain a certain number of members from some existing lodge duly quali- fied in conformity with the rules of their order, to establish a new lodge. By these must the first members be enrolled, and the new officers instituted, and henceforth they are one with the whole order. It matters not through how many successive steps the original institution may pro- ceed; how many degrees of affinity may inter- vene, and appear to separate the elder and the junior branches of the entire body; they are all derived from the parent club : here is one prin- ciple of unity pervading the whole, and so they are one society. And this unity is not affected by the fact that their local afiiiirs are under their own indepen- 5* 54 THE CHURCH dent administration : the various branches may so far be all distinct bodies, but the reality of the unity of the whole is still recognised in their common funds, and in the mutual interchange of assistance and correspondence. -And thus so far as they are both societies, it is allowable that we draw a comparison between the Church of Christ, and the benefit club ; and recognise in both a similar principle of unity, constituting each respectively in all its various ramifications one single society. Let us, how- ever, while we apply this illustration, bear in mind the immeasurable difference which must exist between the two: — that our society is founded by one who was Himself God, and that the benefits of which its members are permitted to be partakers, are proportional^ly great. What can the club for mutual assistance in things of earth, with all its advantages, boast in compari- son with those enjoyed by us as members of Christ? These are benefits for the soul, and not confined to the body — ^iDcnefits for eter- nity, and not of a mere temporal nature — ^giving means of restoration from the deadly plague of sin, not from bodily sickness alone — supplying the means not liow we may be decently interred, but how we may gloriously rise. OF CHRIST IS ONE. 55 It may, however, be said, that the oneness which must exist between Christ and his mem- bers, may be understood in a hidden and spirit- ual sense, and that to this spiritual bond of unity we have not referred. This spiritual union is indeed frequently set before our notice by our Lord and his apostles in the word of God, and constitutes the true life of the Church, as the Spirit is the life of the body. This spiritual union, however, cannot exclude the necessity of an external and discernible bond of unity. For the Church has already been shown to be a society, a body of men orga- nized and combined in an external system and community. There must, therefore, be some principle upon which as a society it holds to- gether. This principle it has been our pro- fessed object to ascertain, as it is that to which the proposed definition of the Church directed our attention. Our main design is to describe the Church in its outward, external character — as it is seen by the world — as it is an object of sense, and capable of demonstration — as it is the visible pillar and ground of truth. We de- scribe a tree or a plant by its outward form and parts, if we desire to make it more generally known, and to direct to it the attention of 56 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS ONE. Others. We do not, when this is our end, ana- lyze its interior structure and the flow of its juices. Now the result at which we aim in our present inquiry is of a similar kind as it regards the Church: namely, that it may be accurately discerned and truly known, and cor- rectly appreciated. We exhibit it, therefore, as it is a Church — in its outward character as a society of believers. What kind of unity it has in that capacity as an outward society we have now determined; it is in fact the bond of having or being derived from a common origin. There is none beside which imparts that actual brotherhood which is a main feature in Christ's society — none else which is in any sort a de- monstrable bond of Church unity. We shall proceed to distinguish this its unity from that of any other society, by a mark no less open to investigation and proof. For so far as it is a society, it is to be estimated and judged of as any other society might be, and it is the part of common sense and reason to treat of it in this plain and tangible form. CHAPTER V, THE CHURCH WAS FOUXDED OX EARTH BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. TPIE principle of unity in the When the Church is, as we have seen, its cilriS'w^ derivation from one origin. That founded, origin, we come next to consider, is its institu- tion on earth by Christ Jesus our Lord. When veiled in human flesh. He had come into our world of sin and sorrow, and for the sake of rebellious man deigned to dwell among us; then in furtherance of his great design in the redemp- tion of the world. He founded his holy Church. But it will be said. Had God no ^^^ before Church in the world before Christ jurist came, came? Our answer to this question must de- pend on the meaning in which it is asked : for if we take the words in our own sense and answer at once in the negative, we shall doubt- less be misunderstood. If it is meant to ask, 58 THE CHURCH FOUNDED ON EARTH Had God no believing servants in the world before Christ came — had He no men of faith and holiness and prayer — no recipients of the dews of his heavenly grace ? — God be praised, we must reply, we know that there were many such. Did not Abraham believe God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness ?i Does not the apostle enumerate a great cloud of Avitnesses, who through faith obtained a good report ? Yea, the time would fail to tell of all who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises. 2 The faith of the Church was no novelty, first introduced when Christ came. Repentance, the expecta- tion of a Messiah, and trust in an atonement for sin, had long before been preached : they had been made known even from the fall of our first parents, and their expulsion from Eden; and God, who hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, had in sundry times and divers manners spoken in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. ^ Or, if it be meant to ask — Had God no so- ciety of believing people before Christ came, called out of the world to be his peculiar, that 'Gen. XV. 6. Rom. iv. 3. ^Heb. xi. •'Heb. i. 1. 2. BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 59 is, his own, people, and bound together by holy religious ties, ordained and sanctified by Himself ? — then we must answer. It is true God had such a society. There was a chosen family of "sons of God" before the flood, the guar- dians of sacred truth, in the knoAvledge of God and of his promised redemption, ^ the preservers of his holy worship, « and the participators of his grace and blessing. ^ God also made a cove- nant with Abraham and his seed:* He made a covenant afterwards with the house of Israel, w^hen "he took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Eg^^pt:"^ and the greater part of the Old Testament is a history of God's chosen people and of his dealings with them. St. Stephen 6 describes the nation of the Jews during their wanderings as "the Church" (sxxA7]