_Of the End and Scope of this Government of the Church._
The end or scope intended by Christ in instituting, and to be aimed at
by Christ's officers in executing of church government in dispensing the
word, sacrament, censures, and all ordinances of Christ, is (as the
description expresseth) _the edifying of the Church of Christ_. This end
is very comprehensive. For the fuller evidencing whereof these two
things are to be proved:1st, That Jesus Christ our Mediator hath under
the New Testament one general visible Church on earth. 2d. That the
edification of this Church of Christ is that eminent scope and end why
Christ gave the power of church government and other ordinances unto the
Church.
I. For the first, that Jesus Christ our Mediator hath under the New
Testament a general visible Church on earth, made up of all particular
churches, may be cleared by considering well these particulars.
1st. That it is evident by the Scriptures that Jesus Christ hath on
earth many particular visible churches: (whether churches
congregational, presbyterial, provincial, or national, needs not here be
determined.) "Unto the churches of Galatia," Gal. i. 2. "The churches
of Judea," Gal. i. 22. "Through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the
churches," Acts xv. 41. "To the seven churches in Asia," Rev. i. 4, 20.
"The church of Ephesus," Rev. ii. 1. "The church in Smyrna," ver. 8.
"The church in Pergamus," ver. 12. "The church in Thyatira," ver. 18.
"The church in Sardis," Rev. iii. 1. "The church in Philadelphia," ver.
7. And "the church in Laodicea," ver. 14. "The church that is in their
house," Rom. xvi. 5; and Philem. 2. "Let your women keep silence in the
church," 1 Cor. xiv. 34. "All the churches of the Gentiles," Rom. xvi.
4. "So ordain I in all churches," 1 Cor. vii. 17. "As in all churches
of the saints," 1 Cor. xiv. 33. "The care of all the churches," 2 Cor.
xi. 28. The New Testament hath many such like expressions.
2d. That how many particular visible churches soever Christ hath on
earth, yet Scripture counts them all to be but one general visible
Church of Christ. This is manifest,
1. By divers Scriptures, using the word church in such a full latitude
and extensive completeness, as properly to signify, not any one single
congregation, or particular church, but one general visible Church: as,
"Upon this rock I will build my Church," Matt. xvi. 18. "Give none
offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Greeks, nor to the Church of
God," 1 Cor. x. 32. "God hath set some in the Church, first, apostles;
secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers," &c., 1 Cor. xii. 28. "I
persecuted the Church of God," 1 Cor. xv. 9; Gal. i. 13. "The Church of
the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth," 1 Tim. iii. 15.
"Might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God," Eph. iii. 10.
"In the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto thee," Heb. ii. 12.
In which, and such like places, we must needs understand, that one
general visible Church of Christ.
2. By such passages of scripture as evidently compare all visible
professors and members of Christ throughout the world to one organical
body, having eyes, ears, hands, feet, &c., viz., several organs,
instruments, officers, &c., in it, for the benefit of the whole body; as,
"He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and
some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," Eph. iv.
11, 12. "There is one body," Eph. iv. 4. "As we have many members in one
body, and all members have not the same office; so we being many are one
body in Christ, and every one members one of another," &c., Rom. xii.
4-9. "As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of
that one body being many, are one body; so also is Christ," (i.e.,
Christ considered mystically, not personally,) "for by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free," &c., 1 Cor. xii. 12, to the end of the chapter, which
context plainly demonstrates all Christ's visible members in the world,
Jews or Gentiles, &c., to be members of one and the same organical body
of Christ, which organical body of Christ is the general visible Church
of Christ; for the invisible church is not organical.
II. That the edification of the Church of Christ is that eminent scope
and end, why Christ gave church government and all other ordinances of
the New Testament to his Church. This is frequently testified in
scripture. 1. The apostle, speaking of this power generally, saith, "Our
authority which the Lord hath given to us for edification, and not for
the destruction of you," 2 Cor. x. 8. The like passage he hath again,
saying, "according to the authority," or power, "which the Lord hath
given to me for edification, and not for destruction," 2 Cor. xiii. 10;
in both which places he speaks of the authority of church government in
a general comprehensive way, declaring the grand and general immediate
end thereof to be, affirmatively, edification of the church; negatively,
not the subversion or destruction thereof. 2. In like manner, when
particular acts of government, and particular ordinances
are mentioned, the edification of the Church, at least in her members,
is propounded as the great end of all: e.g. 1. Admonition is for
edification, that an erring _brother may be gained_, Matt. xviii. 15,
16, that wavering minds may be sound in the faith. "Rebuke them
cuttingly, that they may be sound in the faith," Tit. i. 13, that
beholders and bystanders may fear to fall into like sins. "Them that sin
rebuke before all, that others also may fear," 1 Tim. v. 20. 2.
Excommunication is for edification; particularly of the delinquent
member himself; thus the incestuous person was "delivered to Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day
of the Lord Jesus," 1 Cor. v. 4, 5. "Hymeneus and Alexander were
delivered to Satan, that they might learn not to blaspheme," 1 Tim. i.
20: more generally of the Church; thus the incestuous person was to be
put away from among them lest the whole lump of the church should be
leavened by him, 1 Cor. v. 3. Absolution also is for edification, lest
the penitent party "should be swallowed up of too much sorrow," 2 Cor.
ii. 7. 4. All the officers of his Church are for edification of the
Church, (Eph. iv. 7, 8, 11, 12, 16,) together with all the gifts and
endowments in these officers, whether of prayer, prophecy, tongues, &c.,
all must be managed to edification. This is the scope of the whole
chapter. 1 Cor. xii. 7, &c., and 1 Cor. xiv. 3-5, 9, 12, &c., 26; read
the whole chapter. That passage of Paul is remarkable, "I thank my God,
I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I had rather
speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach
others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue," verses 18,
19. Thus church government, and all sorts of ordinances, with the
particular acts thereof, are to be levelled at this mark of edification.
Edification is an elegant metaphor from material buildings (perhaps of
the material and typical temple) to the spiritual; for explanation's
sake briefly thus take the accommodation: The _architects_, or builders,
are the _ministers_, 1 Cor. iii. 10. The _foundation_ and _corner-stone_
that bears up, binds together, and gives strength to the building, is
Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. iii. 11; 1 Pet. ii. 4, 6. The _stones_ or
_materials_ are the _faithful_ or _saints_, 2 Cor. i. 1. The _building_,
or house itself, is the _Church_, that spiritual house, and _temple of
the living God_, Eph. ii. 21, and iv. 12; 1 Cor. iii. 9, 16, 17. The
edification of this house is gradually to be perfected more and more
till the coming of Christ, by laying the foundation of Christianity, in
bringing men still unto Christ, and carrying on the superstruction in
perfecting them in Christ in all spiritual growth, till at last the
top-stone be laid on, the Church completed, and translated _to the house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens_.