This is he of whom nothing not great, nothing common, nothing not exceeding the ordinary state of mankind, on the one hand or the other, is thought or spoken. Some say he is " the head and husband of 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" ui^to the whole catholic chiu'ch, endued with a plenitude of power, with other ascriptions of the same nature innumerable; whereon it is necessary unto every soul, imder 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," " tlie idol shepherd," " the evil servant that beateth his fellow-servants," " the adulterer af 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 con- troversy already in his word, will ere long give it its ultimate issue
THE CHAMBER OF IMAGERY. 5G9
ill liis 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 pre- servation of believers from bemg 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 lierein; 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.
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. v. 25-27, This, therefore, all do agree in who profess Christian religion; but tvhat that glory is, and where- in it doth consist, — v/lience it is, and is said to be glorious, — is not agreed upon. The Scripture, indeed, plainly declares this glory to be spiintual 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 liis righteousness, in its sanctification and purification from the defilement of sin, with its fniitfulness in obe- dience^ unto tlie praise of God. Add hereunto the celebration of divine w^orship in it, with its rule and order, according to the com- mandment 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 com- pared 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, wall admit that its glory should consist in things of any other nature. But the generality of mankind had lost that spi- ritual light wherein alone this gloiy 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, wdiilst 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
670 THE CHAMBER OF IMAGERY.
tliat the Church of Christ is very glorious and ilkistrious in the sight of God, holy angels, and good men, a way must bi3 found out to make it so, and so to appear in the Avorld. Wherefore they agreed on a lying image of this glory, — namely, the dignity, i>romotion, wealth, dominion, power, and splendour, of all them that had got the nde of the church. And although it Le 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 spi- ritual 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 conse- quents 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.