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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 Chrift, by his afcen 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 fense do you understand it?

Anf. It is my opinion, That heaven itfelf, where Chrift 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 fanctuary, and the holy places made with hands, and what we have inftead of mount Zion, where David's throne was fet.

Quer. 23. Is it your opinion, That a minifter'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 Chrift'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 bufinefs of falvation, that therefore we are to do nothing? or not?

Anf. God forbid that it fhould be my opinion.

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

Anf. The Proteftant cause, (so far as the fword is concerned in it), and the revolution, is a civil, not properly an ecclefiaftical caufe; and a most righteous cause it is, as it ftands in oppofition to antichriftian tyranny, and oppreffion of the confciences and just liberties of men; and thus it is the common cause of mankind against slavery of soul 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?

Anf. 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 whatfoever he commands, fo far as I can understand; VOL. I.

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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 anfwers to the proposal, If he did adhere to his former fubfcription of the Confeffion of Faith and Formula, and would again renew it? he says, his fcruples against figning are mainly the two therein mentioned: they think it convenient that he be interrogate, If he hath freedom in his mind to fign all the other articles of the Con feffion of Faith, as the confeffion of his faith?

Mr Glas's anfwer.

I have not freedom to refuse any thing in our Confeffion, but what relates to the paffage already mentioned, in the chapter concerning Chriftian liberty, and liberty of confcience, and in the chapter concerning fynods.

An

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An Explication of that PROPOSITION Contained in Mr Glas's anfwers to the fynod's queries, "A congregation or church of Jefus "Chrift, with its prefbytery, is, in its difcipline, fubject to no jurifdiction under "heaven."

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TOGETHER WITH

A LETTER concerning communion in the Lord's Supper. In anfwer to fome confiderations on that fubject fent to the author by a friend.

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

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IF any fhall 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 metaphyfical wrangling, and charging the author with any erroneous opinion not exprefsly owned by him in these papers; and this, if they would not lofe their labour, for clearing the truth, and convincing those whom they judge erroneous,

The explication of the before-mentioned propofition. Omè are at a lofs how to understand this propofition, and how far a practice fuitable to it may take place without prejudice to the prefent establishment; and therefore fome

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thing needs to be faid, 1. For clearing the fenfe of the propo fition. 2. For fhewing how far the intendment of it is without prejudice to the prefent establishment.

As to the firft of thefe, we must again confider, t. What may be meant by a congregation or church of Jesus Christ? 2. What by its prefbytery? 3. What by its difcipline? and, 4. How it is faid to be in its difcipline fubject to no jurisdiction under heaven?

If these things be cleared, there will be no remaining dif. ficulty about the fenfe of the propofition. But before we proceed to them, we must take notice, that as the query to which this propofition is an answer, took its rife from Mr Glas's declining to affirm, that the conftitution of the church of which the Formula fpeaks, is founded in the word of God; fo the propofition refpects 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 propofition. And whence fhould we have our notions of the church, if it be not from scripture-revelation? Or if this matter be no way defcribed or determined there, who then should defcribe or determine it to us? But if there be any that think Christ 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 moft convenient; or if there be that think the plan laid down by Chrift and his apoftles, concerned only the firft age or ages of Christianity, and that it is in the power more advanced ages to alter it for their own conveniency, as feems meet to their wifdom; fuch will not fee the need of troubling their heads with this propofition, or any explication of it: and therefore, without troubling our felves further with them, we fhall proceed to explain the feveral branches of the propofition by the light of feripture-revelation, which will no doubt be very agreeable to the authors of the query, who have fubfcribed 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.

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1. The first thing in the propofition that comes to be cleared is, “A congregation or church of Jefus 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 propofition; but we are told, "Every word of God is pure: He is a fhield

❝ unto

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Add thou not unto

" unto them that put their trust in him.
"his words, left he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
And therefore the import of God's word on this fubject must
be diligently fought after; and if the propofition has added
nothing to his words here, it will be clear, and no lie in this
part of it.

The word church, [ixxanoia,] when it is used in scripture to fignify another thing than a Chriftian congregation, it yet fignifies a congregation. Thus that unlawful affembly at Ephefus brought together into the theatre against Paul by the craftsmen, is called ixxλnoia, a church, Acts xix. 32. 41.; and 39. it fignifies an affembly. Thus we fee the ufe of the word in other cafes.

But this word is ordinarily applied in fcripture unto a more facred use; and then indeed it fometimes fignifies the body affembling, and fometimes the affembly of that body; but ftill a congregation. The whole body of the difciples at Corinth is called the church, 1 Cor. xiv. 23. And we find the affembly of that body alfo 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 fhame for wo" men to speak in the church." The women were members of the church at Corinth, whether at home or in the affembly: fo that the different affemblies of that fame body of men and women that came together into one place, from time to time, to eat the Lord's fupper, and to teach and hear, are called churches: "Let your women keep filence in the af"femblies.If they will learn any thing, let them ask "their husbands at home; for it is a fhame for a woman to "speak in the affembly."

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

It may be a question, if all the difciples of Chrift through

out

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