Quer. 21. Is it your opinion, That it is unwarrantable to take parents engaged to educate their children, when baptized, according to the confeffion of faith of this church? or not?

Anf. It is my opinion.

Quer. 22. Is it your opinion, That Christ, by his ascen. fion, hath tranflated the place of the church's worship from earth to heaven, and the feat of the church's power? or not? And, if it be, In what sense do you understand it?

Anf. It is my opinion, That heaven itself, where Christ our High Prieft is entered, and where he fits ruling on the throne of his father David, is what we now have, instead of the worldly sanctuary, and the holy places made with hands, and what we have instead of mount Zion, where David's throne was fet.

Quer. 23. Is it your opinion, That a minister's preaching the neceffity of repentance, and a mourning frame of heart, in order to fit people for approaching to the Lord's table, is to make them seek for a righteousness of their own? or not? Anf. It is not my opinion; if he do not preach up repent. ance, and a mourning frame, instead of Christ's righteousness, which is to destroy repentance and a mourning frame.

Quer. 24. Is it your opinion, That because God or his Spirit doth all for us in the business of salvation, that therefore we are to do nothing? or not?

Anf. God forbid that it should be my opinion.

Quer. 25. Is it your opinion, That the practice of our anceftors, at the reformation and revolution, in defending the true religion by arms, against the unjust oppreffion of Papifts and tyrants, was unwarrantable? or not?

Anf. The Protestant cause, (fo far as the sword is concerned in it), and the revolution, is a civil, not properly an ecclefiaftical cause; and a most righteous cause it is, as it stands in opposition to antichristian tyranny, and oppreffion of the confciences and just liberties of men; and thus it is the common cause of mankind against slavery of foul and body.

Quer. 26. Do you think yourself obliged, in confcience, to teach and publish these your opinions, differing from the received doctrine of this church, unto the people? or not? Ans. I think myself obliged in confcience to declare every truth of Chrift, and keep nothing back, but to speak all the words of this life, and to teach his people to observe all things whatsoever he commands, so far as I can understand; VOL. I. and

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and that, notwithstanding of others their differing from me, and my being exposed to hazard in the declaring of them.

A query separately put to Mr Glas by the fynod.

Confidering that in Mr Glas's answers to the proposal, If he did adhere to his former fubscription of the Confession of Faith and Formula, and would again renew it? he says, his scruples against signing are mainly the two therein mentioned: they think it convenient that he be interrogate, If he hath freedom in his mind to sign all the other articles of the Confession of Faith, as the confeffion of his faith?

Mr Glas's answer.

I have not freedom to refuse any thing in our Confession, but what relates to the passage already mentioned, in the chapter concerning Christian liberty, and liberty of confcience, and in the chapter concerning synods.

An 155

An Explication of that PROPOSITION contained in Mr Glas's answers to the synod's queries, "A congregation or church of Jesus "Chrift, with its prefbytery, is, in its dif

cipline, subject to no jurisdiction under "heaven."

TOGETHER WITH

A LETTER Concerning communion in the Lord's Supper. In answer to some confiderations on that subject sent to the author by a friend.

If. iv. 5. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and Smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night : for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

[First published in the year 1728.]

ADVERTISEMENT.

IF any shall find themselves obliged to appear against what is here advanced, it is intreated, that they bring with them no other authority but that of the word of God alone; and that they do not fatisfy themselves with referring to what others have done before them, but fairly bring forth what light they themselves have to offer, from the word of God, against what is here said, and against that only; and, further, that they forbear metaphysical wrangling, and charging the author with any erroneous opinion not expressly owned by him in these papers; and this, if they would not lose their labour, for clearing the truth, and convincing those whom they judge erroneous.

The explication of the before-mentioned proposition.

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Omè are at a lofs how to understand this proposition, and how far a practice suitable to it may take place without prejudice to the present establishment; and therefore something

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thing needs to be said, 1. For clearing the sense of the propo fition. 2. For shewing how far the intendment of it is without prejudice to the present establishment.

As to the first of these, we must again confider, 1. What may be meant by a congregation or church of Jesus Chrift? 2. What by its prefbytery? 3. What by its difcipline? and, 4. How it is said to be in its discipline subject to no jurifdiction under heaven?

If these things be cleared, there will be no remaining dif. ficulty about the sense of the proposition. But before we proceed to them, we must take notice, that as the query to which this proposition is an answer, took its rife from Mr Glas's declining to affirm, that the constitution of the church of which the Formula speaks, is founded in the word of God; so the proposition respects no other thing but that word of God, and what appears to the author of the proposition from thence: and therefore unto that word we must have respect, in explaining the proposition. And whence should we have our notions of the church, if it be not from scripture-revelation? Or if this matter be no way described or determined there, who then should describe or determine it to us? But if there be any that think Chrift hath not appointed any church order or government, nor laid down any plan of it, in his word, and therefore men may make what model of it they think most convenient; or if there be that think the plan laid down by Chrift and his apostles, concerned only the firft age or ages of Chriftianity, and that it is in the power of more advanced ages to alter it for their own conveniency, as feems meet to their wisdom; fuch will not see the need of troubling their heads with this proposition, or any explication of it: and therefore, without troubling ourselves further with them, we shall proceed to explain the several branches of the proposition by the light of scripture-revelation, which will no doubt be very agreeable to the authors of the query, who have subscribed to this, as a great and important truth, "That the government of the church is founded in the word " of God," and reckon it a crime of a very hainous nature to alter their opinions on this head.

1. The first thing in the proposition that comes to be cleared is, "A congregation or church of Jesus Chrift."

And, 1. Here it is obvious, that the words congregation and church are made of the fame import. Yet it is a matter very infignificant what they be in any human proposition; but we are told, " Every word of God is pure: He is a shield

" unto

" unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto " his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." And therefore the import of God's word on this subject must be diligently fought after; and if the proposition has added nothing to his words here, it will be clear, and no lie in this part of it.

The word church, [ἐκκλησία,] when it is used in scripture to fignify another thing than a Christian congregation, it yet fignifies a congregation. Thus that unlawful assembly at Ephesus brought together into the theatre against Paul by the craftsmen, is called ἐκκλησία, a church, Acts xix. 32.41.; and * 39. it signifies an assembly. Thus we see the use of the word in other cafes.

But this word is ordinarily applied in scripture unto a more sacred use; and then indeed it sometimes signifies the body assembling, and sometimes the assembly of that body; but ftill a congregation. The whole body of the disciples at Corinth is called the church, 1 Cor. xiv. 23. And we find the affembly of that body also called the church, 1 Cor. xi. 18. 20." When ye come together in the church.""When ye come together into one place." See, to this purpose, 1 Cor. xiv. 34. 35. "Let your women keep filence " in the churches. And if they will learn any thing, let " them afk their husbands at home; for it is a shame for wo" men to speak in the church." The women were members of the church at Corinth, whether at home or in the assembly: so that the different assemblies of that same body of men and women that came together into one place, from time to time, to eat the Lord's supper, and to teach and hear, are called churches : " Let your women keep filence in the af" semblies. If they will learn any thing, let them ask " their husbands at home; for it is a shame for a woman to " speak in the affembly."

The whole nation of Israel is called a church, Acts vii. 38. But that was a congregation, and had one place of worship, the tabernacle of the congregation. The catholic church of Chrift, his holy nation and kingdom, the antitype of that church of Ifrael, is also a congregation, having one place of worship, where they all assemble by faith, and hold communion: and when all the members ofit are fully gathered in, they will be one glorious assembly. We find it called the " general af. " sembly and church of the first-born, whose names are writ" ten in heaven," Heb. xii. 22. 23.

It may be a question, if all the disciples of Christ through

out