Page images
PDF
EPUB

grofs, by the judgment of any perfon or fociety. This may not be, and yet each perfon taken fingly may vifibly be a gracious perfon to the eye of the judgment of Christians in general. These two are not the fame thing, but vaftly diverfe; and the latter may be, and yet not the former. If we fhould know fo much of a thousand perfons one after another, and from what we observed in them should have a prevailing opinion concerning each one of them, fingly taken, that they were indeed pious, and think the judgment we paffed, when we confider each judgment apart, to be right; it will not follow, when we confider the whole company collectively, that we fhall have fo high an opinion of our own judgment, as to think it probable, there was not one erroneous judgment in the whole thoufand. We all have innumerable judgments about one thing or other, concerning religious, moral, fecular, and philofophical affairs, concerning paft, present, and future matters, reports, facts, perfons, things, &c. &c. And concerning all the many thousand dictates of judgment that we have, we think them every one right, taken fingly; for if there was any one that we thought wrong, it would not be our judg ment; and yet there is no man, unless he is ftupidly foolish, who when he confiders all in the grofs, will fay he thinks that every opinion he is of, concerning all perfons and things whatsoever, important and trifling, is right, without the leaft error. But the more clearly to illuftrate this matter, as it relates to vifibility, or probable appearances of holiness in profeffors: Suppofing it had been found by experience concerning precious ftones, that fuch and fuch external marks were probable figns of a diamond, and it is made evident, by putting together a great number of experiments, that the proba bility is as ten to one, and no more nor lefs; i. e. that, take one time with another, there is one in ten of the ftones that have these marks (and no vifible figns to the contrary) proves not a true diamond, and no more; then it will follow, that when I find a particular stone with thefe marks, and nothing to the contrary, there is

a probability of ten to one, concerning that ftone, that it is a diamond; and fo concerning each ftone that I find with thefe marks: But if we take ten of these together, it is as probable as not, that some one of the ten is fpurious; because, if it were not as likely as not, that one in ten is falfe, or if taking one ten with another, there were not one in ten that was falfe, then the probability of thofe, that have these marks, being true diamonds, would be more than ten to one, contrary to the fuppofition; because that is what we mean by a probability of ten to one, that they are not falfe, viz. that take one ten with another there will be one falfe ftone among them, and no more. Hence if we take an hundred such stones together, the probability will be juit ten to one, that there is one falfe among them; and as likely as not that there are ten false ones in the whole hundred: And the probability of the individuals must be much greater than ten to one, even a probability of more than a hundred to one, in order to its making it probable that every one is true. It is an eafy mathematical demonftration. Hence the negative of the foregoing queftion by no means implies a pretence of any scheme, that fhall be effectual to keep all hypocrites out of the church, and for the establishing in that fenfe a pure church.

When it is faid, thofe who are admitted, &c. ought to be by profeffion godly or gracious perfons, it is not meant, they should merely profefs or fay that they are converted or are gracious perfons, that they know fo, or think fo; but that they profefs the great things wherein Chriftian piety confifts, viz. a fupreme refpect to God, faith in Chrift, &c. Indeed it is necessary, as men would keep a good confcience, that they fhould think that these things are in them, which they profess to be in them; otherwife they are guilty of the horrid wickednefs of wilfully making a lying profeffion. Hence it is fuppofed to be neceffary, in order to mens regularly and with a good confcience coming into communion with the church of Christ in the Christian sacraments,

[ocr errors]

that they themselves fhould fuppofe the effential things, belonging to Christian piety, to be in them.

Ir does not belong to the prefent question, to confider and determine what the nature of Chriftian piety is, or wherein it confifts: This question may be properly determined, and the determination demonstrated, without entering into any controverfies about the nature of converfion, &c. Nor does an afferting the negative of the queftion determine any thing how particular the profesfion of godlinefs ought to be, but only that the more effential things, which belong to it, ought to be profeffed. Nor is it determined, but that the public profeffions made on occafion of persons admiffion to the Lord's fupper, in fome of our churches, who yet go upon that principle, that perfons need not esteem themselves truly gracious in order to a coming conscientiously and properly to the Lord's fupper; I fay, it is not determined but that fome of these profeffions are fufficient, if those that made them were taught to use the words, and others to understand them, in no other than their proper meaning, and principle and custom had not established a meaning very diverfe from it, or perhaps an use of the words without any distinct and clear determinate meaning.

PART SECOND.

REASONS for the NEGATIVE of the foregoing
Queflion.

HAVING thus explained what I mean, when I fay, That none ought to be admitted to the communion and privileges of members of the vifible church of Chrift in complete ftanding, but fuch as are in profeffion and in the eye of the church's Chriftian judgment godly or gracious perfons: I now proceed to obferve fome things which may tend to evince the truth of this pofition. And here,

I. I begin with obferving, I think it is both evident by the word of God, and also granted on all hands, that none ought to be admitted as members of the vifible church of Chrift but vifible faints and profeffing faints, or visible and profeffing Chriftians.-We find the word faint, when applied to men, used two ways in the New Teftament: The word in fome places is fo ufed as to mean those that are real faints, who are converted, and are truly gracious perfons; as 1 Cor. vi. 2. " Do "not know that the faints fhall judge the world?" Eph. i. 18. "The riches of the glory of his inheritance "in the faints." Chap. iii. 17, 18. " That Chrift may

ye

dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted "and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend "with all faints, what is the breadth," &c. 2 Theff. i. 10. "When he shall come to be glorified in his faints, ❝and admired in all them that believe." So Rev. v. 8. Chap. viii. 4. and xi. 18. and xiii. 10. and xiv. 12. and xix. 8. In other places the word is used fo as to have respect not only to real faints, but to fuch as were faints in vifibility, appearance, and profeffion; and fo were outwardly, as to what concerns their acceptance among men and their outward treatment and privileges, of the company of faints: So the word is used in very many

places, which it is needless to mention, as every one acknowledges it.

In like manner we find the word Chriftian used two ways: The word is used to exprefs the fame thing as "a righteous man that shall be faved," 1Pet. iv. 16,17,18. Elsewhere it is fo used as to take in all that were Chriftians by profeffion and outward appearance; Acts xi. 26. So there is a twofold use of the word difciples in the New Teftament. There were difciples in name, profeffion, and appearance; and there were those whom Christ calls difciples indeed, John. viii. 30, 31. The word is anas, truly. The expreffion plainly fuppofes this diftinction of true or real difciples, and those who were the fame in pretence and appearance. See alfo Luke xiv. 25, 26, 27. and John. xv. 8. The fame diftinction is fignified, in the New Teftament, by thofe that live, being alive from the dead, and rifen with Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 11. Rom. vi. 11. and elsewhere) and thofe who have a name to live, having only a pretence and appearance of life. And the diftinction of the visible church of Chrift into thefe two, is plainly fignified of the growth of the good ground, and that in the ftony and thorny ground, which had the fame appearance and show with the other, till it came to wither away; and alfo by the two forts of virgins, Matth. xxv. who both had a fhew, profeffion, and vifibility of the fame thing. By these things and many others which might be obferved, it appears that the distinction of real faints and visible and profeffing faints is fcriptural, and that the visible church was made up of these two, and that none are according to Scripture admitted into the visible church of Christ, but those who are visible and profeffing faints or Chriftians. And it is the more needlefs to infift longer upon it, because it is not a thing in controverfy; fo far as my fmall reading will inform me, it is owned by all Proteftants. To be fure, the moft eminent divine in New England who has appeared to maintain the Lord's fupper to be properly a converting ordinance, was very full in it. In his Appeal to the Learned, in the title-page,

« PreviousContinue »