Section V: The Glory of the Church
the church," "the vicar of Christ over the whole world," "God's vicegerent," "a vice-god," "Peter's successor," "the head and centre of unity" unto the whole catholic church, endued with a plenitude of power, with other ascriptions of the same nature innumerable; whereon it is necessary unto every soul, under pain of damnation, to be subject unto him;—others aver that he is "antichrist," "the man of sin," "the son of perdition," "the beast that came out of the earth with two horns like a lamb, and a voice like the dragon," "the false prophet," "the idol shepherd," "the evil servant that beateth his fellow-servants," "the adulterer of a meretricious and false church:" and there is no mean betwixt these;—he is undoubtedly the one or the other. The Lord Jesus Christ, who hath determined this controversy already in his word, will ere long give it its ultimate issue in his own glorious person, and by the brightness of his coming. And this is an eminent idol in the Chamber of Imagery in the Roman
Church. But at present it is evident wherein lies the preservation of believers from being inveigled to bow down to this image, and to worship it. A due sense of the sole authority of Christ in and over his church, with an experience of the power of his word and Spirit unto all the ends of its rule and order, will keep them unto the truth herein; and nothing else will so do. And if once they decline from this in any instances, seem they never so small, so as to admit of any thing in the church or its worship which doth not derive immediately from his authority, they will be disposed to admit of another guide and head in all other things also.
Section V: The Glory of the Church Sect. V. Again: it is a notion of truth, that the Church of Christ is beautiful and glorious.
There are many prophecies and predictions concerning it, that so it should be; and there are sundry descriptions given of it as such. Its relation unto Christ, with his love unto it, and valuation of it, do require that it should be so glorious; yea, his great design towards it was to make it so to be, Eph. 5:25–27. This, therefore, all do agree in who profess Christian religion; but what that glory is, and wherein it doth consist,—whence it is, and is said to be glorious,—is not agreed upon. The Scripture, indeed, plainly declares this glory to be spiritual and internal;—that it consists in its union unto Christ, his presence with it, the communication of his quickening Spirit unto it, the clothing of it with his righteousness, in its sanctification and purification from the defilement of sin, with its fruitfulness in obedience, unto the praise of God. Add hereunto the celebration of divine worship in it, with its rule and order, according to the commandment of Christ, and we have the substance of this glory.
And this glory believers do discern, so as to be satisfied with its excellency. They know that all the glories of the world are no way to be compared to it; for it consists in, and arises from, such things as they do value and prefer infinitely above all that this world can afford. They are a reflection of the glory of God or of Christ himself upon the church; yea, a communication of it thereunto. This they value in the whole, and in every member of it; neither the nature, use, nor end of the church, will admit that its glory should consist in things of any other nature. But the generality of mankind had lost that spiritual light wherein alone this glory might be discerned. They could see no form or beauty in the spouse of Christ, as only adorned with his graces. To talk of a glorious state of men, whilst they are poor and destitute, it may be, clothed with rags, and haled into prisons or to stakes, as hath been the lot of the church in most ages, was, in their judgment, a thing absurd and foolish. Wherefore, seeing it is certain that the Church of Christ is very glorious and illustrious in the sight of God, holy angels, and good men, a way must be found
out to make it so, and so to appear in the world. Wherefore they agreed on a lying image of this glory,—namely, the dignity, promotion, wealth, dominion, power, and splendour, of all them that had got the rule of the church. And although it be evident unto all that these things belong unto the glories of this world, which the glory of the church is not only distinguished from, but opposed unto, yet it [they?] must be looked on as that wherein it is glorious; and it is so, though it have not one saving grace in it, as they expressly affirm. When these things are attained, then are all the predictions of its glory accomplished, and the description of it answered. This corrupt image of the true spiritual glory of the church,—arising from an ignorance of it, and want of a real experience of the worth and excellency of things internal, spiritual, and heavenly,—hath been attended with pernicious consequents in the world. Many have been infatuated by it, and enamoured of it, unto their own perdition. For, as a teacher of lies, it is suited only to divert the minds of men from a comprehension and valuation of that real glory, wherein if they have not an interest, they must perish for ever.
Look into foreign parts, as Italy and France, where these men pretend their church is in its greatest glory: what is it but the wealth, and pomp, and power of men, for the most part openly ambitious, sensual, and worldly? Is this the glory of the Church of Christ? Do these things belong unto his kingdom? [No;] but by the setting up of this image, by the advancement of this notion, all the true glory of the church hath been lost and despised. Yet these things, being suited unto the designs of the carnal minds of men, and satisfactory unto all their lusts,—having got this paint and gilding on them, that they render the Church of Christ glorious,—have been the means of filling this world with darkness, blood, and confusion. For this is that glory of the church which is contended for with rage and violence.
And not a few do yet dote on these images, who are not sharers in the
advantage it brings unto its principal worshippers, whose infatuation is to be bewailed.
The means of our preservation from the adoration of these images also is obvious, from the principles we proceed upon. It will not be done without light to discern the glory of things spiritual and invisible; wherein alone the church is glorious. And in the light of faith they appear to be what indeed they are in themselves,—of the same nature with the glory that is above. The present glory of the church, I say, is its initiation into the glory of heaven, and in general of the same nature with it. Here it is in its dawnings and entrances; there, in its fulness and perfection. To look for any thing that should be cognate, or of near alliance unto the glory of heaven, or any near resemblance of it, in the outward glories of this world, is a fond imagination. And when the mind is enabled to discern the true beauty and glory of spiritual things, with their alliance unto that which is above, it will be secured from seeking after the glory of the church in things of this world, or putting any value on them unto that end.
That self-denial also, which is indispensably prescribed in the gospel unto all the disciples of Christ, is requisite hereunto; for the power and practice of it is utterly inconsistent with an apprehension that secular power, riches, and domination, do contribute any thing unto the church's glory. The mind being hereby crucified unto a value and estimation of these things, it can never apprehend them as any part of that raiment of the church wherein it is glorious. But where the minds of men, through their native darkness, are disenabled to discern the glory of spiritual things, and, through their carnal, unmortified affection, do cleave unto, and have the highest esteem of, worldly grandeur, it is no wonder if they suppose the beauty and glory of the church to consist in them.