fending party were dead n. VI. Although the corruption of man be fuch as is apt to study arguments, unduly to put afunder thofe whom God hath joined together in marriage; yet nothing but adultery, or fuch wilful desertion as can no way be remedied by the church or civil magiftrate, is caufe fufficient of diffolving the bond of marriage o: wherein a publick and orderly courfe of proceeding is to be obferved; and the perfons concerned in it, not left to their own wills and difcretion in their own case p. T CHAP. XXV. Of the Church. HE catholick or univerfal church which is invisible, confifts of the whole number of the Elect, that have been, are, or fhall be gathered into one, under Chrift the head there Whofoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. v. 32. But I fay unto you, that whofoever shall put away his wife, faving for the caufe of fornication, caufeth her to commit adultery: and whofoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery. n Mat. xix. 9. And I fay unto you, Whofoever thall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and fhall, marry another, committeth adultery: and whofoever marrieth her which is put away, doth commit adultery. Rom. vii. 2. For the woman which hath an husband, is bound by the law to her husband fo long as he liveth: but if the hufband be dead, fhe is loofed from the law of her husband. v. 3. So then, if while her husband liveth, fhe be married to another man, fhe fhall be called an adulterefs: but if her husband be dead, fhe is free from that law; fo that the is no adulterefs, though he be married to another man. VI. o Mat. xix. 8. He faith unto them, Mofes, becaufe of the hardness of your hearts, fuffered you to put a of; way your wives: but from the beginning it was not fo. v. 9. (See letter n.) I Cor. vii. 15. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a fifter is not under bondage in fuch cafes: but God hath called us to peace. Mat. xix. 6. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh, What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put afunder. p Deut. xxiv. I. When a man hath taken a wife and married her, and it come to pass that fhe find no favour in his eyes, becaufe he hath found fome uncleanness in her: then let him writeher a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and fend her out of his houfe. v. 2. And when fhe is departed out of his houfe, fhe may go, and be another man's wife. v. 3. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and fendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife; v. 4. Her former hufband who fent her away may not take her again to be his wife, of; and is the fpoufe, the body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all a. 1 II. The vifible church, which is alfo catholick or univerfal under the gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law) confifts of all thofe throughout the world, that profess the true religion b, together with their children c; and is the king-dom wife, after that he is defiled: for that is abomination before the Lord, and thou shalt not caufe the land to fin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. I. a Eph. i. 10. That in the difpenfation of the fulnefs of times, he might gather together in one all things in Chrift, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him. v. 22. And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, v. 23. Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Eph. v. 23. For the hufband is the head of the wife, even as Chrift is the head of the church and he is the Saviour of the body. v. 27. That he might prefent it to himself a glorious church, not having fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish. v. 32. This is a great myftery: but I fpeak concerning Chrift and the church. Col. i. 18. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firft-born from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. : II. b 1 Cor. i. 2. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are fanctified in Chrift Jefus, called to be faints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jefus Chrift our Lord, both theirs and ours. I Cor. xii. 12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: fo alfo is Chrift. v. 13. For by one Spirit, are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one fpirit. Pfal. ii. 8. Afk of me, and I fhall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for thy poffeffion. Rev. vii. 9. After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, flood before the throne, and before the Lamb clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. Rom. xv. 9. And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written, For this caufe I will confefs to thee among the Gentiles, and fing unto thy name. v. 10. And again he faith, Rejoice ye Gentiles with his people. v. II. And again, Praile the Lord all ye Gentiles, and laud him all ye people. v. 12. And again Efaias faith, there fhall be a root of Jeffe, and he that shall rife to reign over the Gentiles; in him fhall the Gentiles truft. c I Cor. vii. 34. For the unbelieving hufband is fanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is fanctified by the hufband: elfe were your children unclean; but now are they holy. Acts ii. 39. For the promife is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God fhall call. Ezek. xvi. 20. Moreover, thou haft taken thy fons and thy daughters, whom thou haft born unto me, and thefe haft thou facrificed unto them to be devoured: is this of thy whoredoms a fmall matter, v. 21. That thou haft flain my children, and delivered them to caufe them to dom of the Lord Jefus Chrift d, the house and family of God e, out of which there is no ordinary poffibility of falvation f. III. Unto this catholick vifible church, Chrift hath given the miniftry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the faints, in this life, to the end of the world: and doth by his own prefence and fpirit, according to his promife, make them effectual thereunto g. IV. This catholick church hath been fometimes more, fometimes lefs vifible h. And particular churches, which are mem pafs through the fire for them? Rom. xi. 16. For if the firft fruit be holy, the lump is alfo holy; and if the root be holy, fo are the branches. Gen. iii. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed: it fhall bruife thy head, and thou shalt bruife his heel. Gen. xvii. 7. And I will eftablish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, in their generations, for an everlafting covenant; to be a God unto thee, and to thy feed after thee. d Mat. xiii. 47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was caft into the fea, and gathered of every kind. Ifa. ix. 7. Of the increase of his government and peace there fhall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to eftablish it with judgment and with juftice, from henceforth even for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hofts will perform this. e Eph. ii. 19. Now therefore ye are no more ftrangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the faints, and of the houshold of God. Eph. iii. 15. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. f Acts ii. 47. Praifing God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily fuch as fhould be faved. fet fome in the church, firft apostles, fecondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Eph. iv. 11. And he gave fome, apoftles: and fome, prophets : and fome, evangelifts: and fome, paftors and teachers: v. 12. For the perfecting of the faints, for the work of the miniftry, for the edifying of the body of Chrift: v. 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the meafure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift. Mat. xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost: v. 20. Teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Ifa. lix. 21. As for me, this is my covenant with them, faith the Lord, My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, fhall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth c thy feed, nor out of the mouth of thy feeds feed, faith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. IV. Rom. xi. 3. Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they feek my life. v. 4. But what faith the answer of God unto him? I have referved bers thereof, are more or lefs pure, according as the doctrine of the gofpel is taught and embraced, ordinances adminiftred, and publick worship performed more or lefs purely in them i. V. The pureft churches under heaven are fubject both to mixture and error k: and fome have fo degenerated, as to become no churches of Chrift, but fynagogues of Satan I. Nevertheless, there fhall be always a church on earth, to worship God according to his will m. referved to my felf feven thoufand `men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Rev. xii. 6. And the woman fled into the wildernefs, where the hath a place prepared of God, that they fhould feed her there a thoufand two hundred and threefcore days. v. 14. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that fhe might flee into the wildernefs, into her place: where fhe is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the ferpent. i (Rev. ii. and iii. chapters throughour.) I Cor. v. 6. Your glorying is not good: Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? v. 7. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Chrift our paffover is facrificed for us. V. k I Cor. xiii. 12. For now we fee through a glafs, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then fhall I know even as alfo I am known, (Rev. ii. iii. chapters.) Mat. xiii. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30. Another parable put he forth unto them, faying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man, who fowed good feed in his field: But while men flept, his enemy came and fowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was fprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares alfo, &c. v. 47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a VI. There net that was caft into the fea, and gathered of every kind. /Rev. xviii. 2. And he cried mightily with a' ftrong, voice, faying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul fpirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Rom. xi. 18. Boaft not againft the branches: but if thou boat, thou beareft not the root, but the root thee. v. 19. Thou wilt fay then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. v. 20. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou ftandeft by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. v. 21. For if God fpared not the natural branches, take heed left he alfo fpare not thec. V. 22. Behold therefore the goodnefs, and feverity of God: on them who fell, feverity; but towards thee, goodnefs, if thou continue in his goodnefs: otherwife thou fhalt be cut off. : m Mat. xvi. 18. And I fay alfo unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church : and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it. Pfal. Ixxii. 17. His name fhall endure for ever: his name fhall be continued as long as the fun and men fhall be bleffad in him: all nations fhall call him bieffed. Pfal. cii. 28, The children of thy fervants fhall continue, and their feed fhall be established before thee. Mat. xxviii. 19, 20. (Sce in letter g.) I 4 VI. # Col. Chap. XXVI. VI. There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jefus Chrift n. Nor can the pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof; but is that antichrift, that man of fin, and fon of perdition that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God 0. CHAP. XXVI. Of the Communion of Saints. ALL faints that are united to Jefus Chrift their head, by his Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, fufferings, death, refurrection and glory a: and, being united VI. n Col. i. 18. And he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead : that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. Eph. i. 22. And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, : o Mat, xxiii. 8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Mafter, even Chrift, and all ye are brethren. v. 9. And call no man your father upon earth: for one is your Father, who is in heaven. v. 10. Neither be ye called mafters for one is your Mafter, even Chrift. 2 Theff. ii. 3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day fhall not come except there come a falling away firft, and that man of fin be revealed, the fon of perdition: v. 4. Who oppofeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped: fo that he as God fitteth in the temple of God, fhewing himself that he is God. v. 8. And then fhall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord fhall confume with the Spirit of his mouth, and fhall deftroy with the brightness of his coming. v. 9. Even him whofe coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and figns, and lying wonders. Rev. xiii. 6. And he opened his mouth, in blafphemy against God, to blafpheme his to name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. I. a 1 John i. 3. That which we have feen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye alfo may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. Eph. iii. 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be ftrengthened with might, by his Spirit in the inner-man; v. 17. That Chrift may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, v. 18. May be able to comprehend with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; v. 19. And to know the love of Chrift, which paffeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulnefs of God. Johni. 16. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. Eph. ii. 5. Even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Chrift,, (by grace ye are faved.) v. 6. And hath raifed us up together, and made us fit together in heavenly places in Chrift Jefus. Phil. iii. 10. That I may know him and the power of his refurrection, and the fellowship of his fufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Rom. vi. 5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death: we fhall |