VIII. It is apparent by the Epiftles of the Apostles to the primitive Chriftian churches, their manner of addreffing and treating them throughout all thofe Epiftles, and what they fay to them and of them, that all those churches were conflituted of members fo qualified as has been represented, having fuch a vifibility of godliness as has been infifted on; thofe who were reputed to be real faints, were taken into the church under a notion of their being truly pious perfons, made that profession, and had this hope of themfelves; and that natural and graceless men were not admitted defignedly, but unawares, and befide the aim of the primitive churches and minifters; and that fuch as remained in good ftanding, and free from an offenfive behaviour, continued to have the reputation and efteem of real faints, with the Apostles, and one with another.

There were numbers indeed in these churches, who after their admiffion fell into an offenfive behaviour; fome of which the Apoftles in their Epiftles fpeak doubtfully of; others that had behaved themselves very fcandalously, they speak of in language that feems to fuppofe them to be wicked men. The Apostle Paul, in his Epiftles to the Corinthians, oftentimes fpeaks of fome among them that had embraced heretical opinions, and had behaved themselves in a very disorderly and fchifmatical manner, whom he represents as exposed to cenfure, and to whom he threatens excommunication; and upon occasion of so many offences of this kind appearing among them that for a while had been thought well of, he puts them all upon examining themselves, whether they were indeed in the faith, and whether Chrift was truly in them, as they and others had fuppofed, 2 Cor. xiii. And the fame Apoftle speaks of great numbers among the Galatians, who had made a high profeffion, and were fuch as he had thought well of when they were first admitted into the church, but fince had given him cause to doubt of their state, by giving heed to feducers, that denied the great gospel-doctrine of juftification by faith alone: Yet notwithstanding,

the Apoftle fpeaks of them in fuch language as fhews furprise and disappointment, and implies that he had looked upon them as true Chriftians, and hoped that his labours among them had had a faving effect upon them. Gal. i. 6. "I marvel that ye are fo foon re"moved from him that called you into the grace of "Chrift, unto another gofpel." Chap. iv. 11. "I am "afraid of you, left I have beftowed upon you labour "in vain." And ver. 20. "I defire to be present "with you now, and change my voice; for I ftand in “doubt of you." As much as to fay, I have hereto•fore addressed you with the voice of love and charity, as fuppofing you the dear children of God; but now I begin to think of speaking to you in other language.' In the fame chapter, to fhew them what little reafon he had had to expect that they would come to this, he puts them in mind of the great profeffion they had made, and the extraordinary appearances there had formerly been in them of fervent piety. Ver. 15. "Where is the "blessedness you spake of? For I bear you record, that "if it had been poffible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them unto me. The Apostle James, in his Epiftle, fpeaks of fcandalous perfons among the twelve tribes that were fcattered abroad; fome that were men of unbridled tongues; fome that seem to have been a kind of Antinomians in their principles, and of a very bitter and violent fpirit, that reproached, condemned, and curfed their brethren, and raised wars and fightings among profeffing Chriftians, and were also very unclean in their practice, adulterers and adultereffes, chap. iv. 4. And in the fifth chapter of his Epiftle, he feems to fpeak to the unbelieving Jews, who perfecuted the Christians, ver. 6.-And the Apoftles are also often fpeaking of fome that had once been admitted into the church, crept in unawares, who had apoftatized from Chriftianity, and finally proved notoriously wicked men.

But otherwise, and as to fuch members of the vifible church as continued in the fame good standing and vifibility of Christianity, wherein they were admitted, it is

1

evident by the Epiftles of the Apoftles, they were all in the eye of a Chriftian judgment truly pious or gracious perfons. And here I defire the following things may be particularly observed.

The Apoftles continually, in their Epiftles, fpeak to them and of them, as fuppofing and judging them to be gracious perfons. Thus the Apoftle Paul, in his Epiftle to the church of the ROMANS, chap. i. 7. fpeaks of the members of that church as beloved of God. In chap. vi. 17, 18, &c. he "thanks God, that they had obeyed "from the heart that form of doctrine which had been "delivered them, and were made free from fin, and be"come the fervants of righteoufnefs," &c. The Apoftle in giving thanks to God for this, muft not only have a kind of negative charity for them, as not knowing but that they were gracious perfons, and fo charitably hoping (as we fay) that it was fo; but he feems to have formed a pofitive judgment that they were fuch: His thankfgiving must at least be founded on rational probability; fince it would be but mocking of God, to give him thanks for bestowing a mercy which at the fame time he did not fee reafon pofitively to believe was bestowed. In chap. vii. 4, 5, 6. the Apoflle fpeaks of them as thofe that once were in the flesh, and were under the law, but now delivered from the law, and dead to it. In chap. viii. 15. and following verfes, he tells them, they had received the Spirit of adoption, and speaks of them as having the witness of the Spirit that they were the children of God, beirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift. And the whole of his difcourfe, to the end of the chapter, implies, that he cfteemed them truly gracious perfons. In chap. ix. 23, 24. he speaks of the Chriftian Romans, together with all other Chriftians, both Jews and Gentiles, as veffels of mercy. In chap. xiv. 6, 7, 8. fpeaking of the difference that then was among profeffing Chriftians, in point of regard to the ceremonial inftitutions of the law, he fpeaks of both parties as acting from a gracious principle, and as thofe that lived to the Lord, and should die unto the Lord; "He that regardeth the day, re

H

.66

In

gardeth it unto the Lord, &c. For none of us liveth "to himself, and no man [i. e. none of us] dieth to him"felf. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, or "whether we die, we die unto the Lord: Whether we "live therefore or die, we are the Lord's." In chap. xv. 14. he fays, "I myself alfo am perfuaded of you, "my brethren, that ye are full of goodnefs." His being thus perfuaded implies a pofitive judgment of charity. -And the fame Apostle in his First Epistle to the CoRINTHIANS, directs it to "the church at Corinth, that 66 are fanctified in Chrift Jefus, called to be faints, with "all that in every place call on the name of the Lord "Jefus ;" i. e. to all visible Chriftians through the world, or all the members of Chrift's vifible church every where: And continuing his speech of these, chap. i. 8. he fpeaks of them as thofe " that God would confirm "to the end, that they may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jefus Chrift:" Plainly fpeaking of them all as perfons, in Christian esteem, favingly converted. the next verfe, he speaks of the faithfulness of God as engaged thus to preferve them to falvation, having called them to the fellowship of his Son. And in the 30th verfe, he fpeaks of them as having a faving interest in Chrift; “Of him are ye in Chrift Jefus; who of God is made "unto us wifdom, righteousness, fan&tification, and re"demption." In chap. iii. 21, 22, 23. he fays to the members of the church of Corinth," All things "are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or "the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours, and ye are Chrift's." In chap. iv. 15. he tells them, he had begotten them through the gospel. In chap. vi. 1, 2, 3. he speaks of them asthofe who fhall judge the world, and shall "judge angels:" And in ver. 11. he fays to them, "Ye are washed, ye are fanctified, ye are juftified, in "the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of "God." And in chap. xv. 49. to the end, he speaks of them as having an intereft, with him and other Chriians, in the happiness and glory of the refurrection of

46

the juft. And in his Second Epiftle, chap. i. 7. he fays to them, "Our hope of you is ftedfaft; knowing that "as you are partakers of the fufferings, fo fhall ye be "alfo of the confolation.". This ftedfaft hope implies a pofitive judgment. We muft here understand the Apoftle to speak of fuch members of the church of Corinth, as had not visibly backslider, as they whom he elsewhere speaks doubtfully of. Again, in the 14th and 15th verfes, he speaks of a confidence which he had, that they fhould be his rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jefus. In all reason we must conclude, there was a vifibility of grace, carrying with it an apparent probability in the eyes of the Apoftle, which was the ground of this his confidence. Such an apparent probability, and his confidence as built upon it, are both expreffed in chap. iii. 3, 4. "Ye are manifeftly declared to be the Epiltle of ༢,4. Chrift, miniftered by us; written not with ink, but with "the Spirit of the Living God; not in tables of stone, "but in the fleshly tables of the heart; and fuch truít "have we through Chrift to God-ward." And in ver. 18. the Apoftle fpeaks of them, with himfelf and other Christians, as all with open face, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, and being changed into the fame image, from glory to glory.—And in the Epiftle to the churches of GALATIA, chap. iv. 26. the Apostle speaks of visible Chriftians, as vifibly belonging to heaven, the Jerufalem which is above. And ver. 28, 29. represents them to be the children of the promife, as Ifaac was; and born after the Spirit. In the 6th verfe of the fame chapter, he fays to the Chriftian Galatians, Because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. And in chap. vi. 1. he speaks of thofe of them that had not fallen into fcandal, as fpiritual perfons.—In his Epifle to that great church of EPHESUS, at the beginning, he bleffes God on behalf of the members of that church, as being, together with himself and all the faithful in Chrift Fefus, "Chofen in him before the founda

tion of the world, to be holy and without blame be"fore him in love, being predeftinated to the adoption