Ellis on Article XIX: Of the Church

HE visible Church of Christ is a Con- gregation of faithful Men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the . Sacraments. be duly ministered according to Christ’s Ordinance, in all those things thar of neceslity are requisite to rhe same. As the Church of Ferusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch have erred, fo also rhe Church gf Rome hath: erred; not only in their Living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in Marrers of ’ Faith. ’ Obj. r. That the Church is compared to a Fold, wherein are Sheep and. Goats, 1. e. good and bad; Therefore the Church is not only the : Congregation of the Faithful. Answ. Wicked Men may be said ro: be in ’ the Church, bur not of the Church. Obj. 2. Very many Sets have boasted, that with them was to be found whoisome Doftrine, and a right use of the Sacraments ; and there Fore-these Marks do not always. distinguish the grue visible Church. 62] 304 Answ, It is-one thing falfly ra:boast, and . another really to have; the’infadlible Word of God, well. considered, will show’ ro what Assembly Men oughr to joyn themselves. We find that the Ber&ans (tho’ aut of the Pricftly Order) could. know how:; ro - value St. Paul’s New Doctrine, with Profit ro themigives. t * Ob. 3. That these Marks are later and.more obscure than the Church later because the Do- fors or Teachers are before the Dottrine ; more obscure, because it s the part of the Church to explain its own Doftrine. .. Answ.

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Thirty Nine Articles. 45 Ansv. The Word of God, tho’ not as the

-| written Word, yet as to its Substance, was

before the Church, because by that the Church was formed : Bur tho’ it wereafter the Church, yet it mighr be a mark of ir, as the Effect may be a mark of the Caulg. Even the written Doctrine was before 1ts Teachers,

{ who have lived in these last Ages: And then,

ro an Unbeltever, the Church is more plain and-remarkable rhan the Scripture, as to its external Form ; bur ro a Believer, the Scri- prure is plainer than the Church, as to its

’ internal Form, because the Holy Spirit en- { lightens the Minds of the Faithful. Now the

-4 | Church explains rhe Scripture, but then ir is

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by Scripture, because it lays down Scripture in its own simple native Light : And fo far we ought ro give credit to rhe Decisions ‘of the Church, as far as its Determinations are agree- able to the Scriprures. | Obj. 4. We can assign no time wherein the

Church of Rome has failed.

Answ. As to the time wherein the Church of Rome has begun to fail, the Apostle wir- nefserh, That in his time the foundations of that Mystery of Iniquity were already laid, 2 Thess. 2. 7. And Christ tells us, Mat. 13.25, That the Enemy the Devil came and sowed Tares among. the Whear, while Men, slepr, that is, before. they were’ aware::. And who (Z.pray yon) -will . be able to show-us, when Religion began foto be corrupted by the Pha» risces as it. was 2 Ir is sufficient ro us, that the Doctrine of the Romanists ( as we now find x) 1s not conformable to the Word of God.

_ Obi, 5. He can name no visible AffJeqonor 7 Church

46 A Defence of the Church that has had a Being, since the DefeRi. en of the Church of Rome. |

Answ. Iris no strange thing, that the rrue Church should be so opprefled by the violence of Persecutions, and Errors so far prevail, as that no Publick. Assembly, either very numerous or very remarkable, can be found ro worship

God rightly : As inthe time of Elijah, 1 Kings 19. 14. The Prophet complains, thar he alone was lefr, nor only of the Prophets, bur of all! the Sons of I/rae/, with whom the publick and ordinary Worship of God was yer obs served ; and that these Words of the Prophet. are to be taken in the largest Sense, and not / of the Kingdom of Samaria alone, the Apostle ’ gives us to understand, Rom. 11, And then, the Kings of Fudah ar thar time revolted, and ! grew cold in their Worship, and the service of God : Now those Seven thousand that had not bowed the Knee tro rhe Image of Baal,. did nat constitute any visible Church, because * they lay concealed in the midst of Idolaters, and not so much as the Prophets were known. Let ns withal consider, how small a Church it was, while Christ was alive, and almost all Men opposed him and his Doctrine ; and * when the Son of Man shall come the second time, he will hardly find Faith in the Earth, Luke’r$S. $. All this is not said; as if there were not visible Assemblies to be found agree- ittg with us in Doctrine; for the: Eastern Churches have retained the Fundamentals of Religion uncorrupted, and would never be Subje& ro the See of Rome : So in orher. Countries; there have’been always Afffemblies of the Faithful ;thathave-mainrained our Cause, . as very many have demonstrated. ART.”

ad.

Thirty Nine Articles. 47

ART. XX. Of the Authority of the Church.