Rome ruin'd by VVhite Hall, or, The papall crown demolisht

SECT. 2.

Obj. WHat is that you tearme the Church?

Ans. A company▪ of Beleevers met together in* 1.1 one place, for the administration of the Ordinances of God, to publick edification.

Obj. Who doe you terme Beleevers?

Ans. Such as are willing, and doe comply with the precepts of* 1.2 Christ, who hath said, By this yee shall know yee are my Disciples, if yee keep my commandements; as also Joh. 14. 15. 21. 23. 24. and 15. 10. 14. as also Luke 14. 26. 27. it is not therefore every one that saith Lord, Lord, but he that doth the will of Christ that is his Disciple, and therefore they are much mistaken that thinke the assumption of the name of a Christian, doth make them one, as the generality of people doe in these dayes.

Obj. Suppose there be one thousand Beleevers in one place, or City, must they all meet together at one place, or else is it not a Church?

Ans. I have no such drift in this definition of the Church (as you would either opprobriously, or for want of judgement cast upon me) as that the Catholique Church cannot be a true Church, because they cannot all meet together at one place; for,

I acknowledge a Church may as well consist of part of the Be∣leevers* 1.3 of a city, or kingdom, as of all the Beleevers thereof; Paul writing to the Galatians, writeth not to the Church of Galatia, (as if they had all been Members of one individuall Body) but to the Churches in Galatia, (in the Plurall) so that as wel part of the Beleevers of a City (met together) may be termed a Church, as well as if they were all met together; therefore in such a case, as when all the Beleevers of a City, &c. cannot conveni∣ently meet together in one place, to receive edification, they may without all doubt meet at two, three, or more places, each di∣stinct from other; so that as you Presbiterians erre in the gene∣rall, so also in the particular diffinition of our Church.

Notes

• * 1.1

  What the Church is.
• * 1.2

  What a Be∣leever is.
• * 1.3

  How a church may be divi∣ded int•• parts, and yet conti∣nue a church.