PART III. name of Gehenna, or Valley of Hinnon. And this

38.

Of the literal

sense of the

cerning hell.

Gehenna, is that word which is usually now translated HELL; and from the fires from time to time there burning, we have the notion of everlasting and unquenchable fire.

Seeing now there is none, that so interprets Scripture con- the Scripture, as that after the day of judgment, the wicked are all eternally to be punished in the Valley of Hinnon; or that they shall so rise again, as to be ever after under ground or under water; or that after the resurrection, they shall no more see one another, nor stir from one place to another it followeth, methinks, very necessarily, that that which is thus said concerning hell fire, i spoken metaphorically; and that therefore there i a proper sense to be enquired after, (for of all me taphors there is some real ground, that may be ex pressed in proper words,) both of the place of hel and the nature of hellish torments, and tormenter And first for the tormenters, we have their n ture and properties, exactly and properly deliver appellatives. by the names of, the Enemy, or Satan; the A cuser, or Diabolus; the Destroyer, or Abadd Which significant names, Satan, Devil, Abadd set not forth to us any individual person, proper names use to do; but only an office, quality; and are therefore appellatives; wh ought not to have been left untranslated, as t are in the Latin and modern Bibles; beca thereby they seem to be proper names of demo and men are the more easily seduced to believe doctrine of

Satan, Devil, not proper names, but

And because by Lam, to rear

451

hem, PART III.

Destroyer, is meant

be in the kingdom

ks;

the

reby

38.

dom of God after the NCA

earth, as in the former
Scripture it seems to be. tr Expr
dom must be on earth astr
the time before the Jeve at p
God's kingdom was in Puestor au
round about, were the imetos c
and consequently by Satena
enemy of the Church.

The torments of hell are

by weeping, and gnashing of

12. Sometimes by the un
Isaiah lxvi. 24, and Mark

1 of

ay of

npre- The joys of life eternal, being and salvation, the same thing. er re

utely, kness,

reated

iption,

to the

times, by fire, as in the place now une me worm dieth not, and the fire is not many places beside: sometimes by an tempt, as Dan. xii. 2, And many of them a in the dust of the earth, shall ar everlasting life; and some to home, lasting contempt. All which places phorically a grief and discontent of mine f

the sight of that eternal felicity in odies, th they themselves through their own and disobedience have lost. And her felicity in others, is not sensible but son with their own actual miseries that they are to suffer such bodily pains

PART III. 39.

Church the

CHAPTER XXXIX.

OF THE SIGNIFICATION IN SCRIPTURE OF

THE WORD CHURCH.

THE word Church, (Ecclesia) signifieth in the books of Holy Scripture divers things. Sometimes, though not often, it is taken for God's house, Lord's house. that is to say, for a temple, wherein Christians assembled to perform holy duties, publicly, as (1 Cor. xiv. 34) Let your women keep silence in the Churches: but this is metaphorically put for the congregation there assembled; and hath been since used for the edifice itself, to distinguish between the temples of Christians and idolaters. The Temple of Jerusalem was God's house, and the house of prayer; and so is any edifice dedicated by Christians to the worship of Christ, Christ's house: and therefore the Greek fathers call it Kupiakn, the Lord's house: and thence in our language it came to be called kyrke, and church.

Ecclesia, properly what.

Church, when not taken for a house, signifieth the same that ecclesia signified in the Grecian commonwealth, that is to say, a congregation, or an assembly of citizens, called forth to hear the magistrate speak unto them; and which in the commonwealth of Rome was called concio: as he that spake was called ecclesiastes, and concionator. And when they were called forth by lawful authority, (Acts xix. 39) it was Ecclesia legitima, a lawful Church, ἔννομος ἐκκλησία. But when they were excited by tumultuous and seditious clamour, then it was a confused Church, ἐκκλησία συγκεχυμένη.

It is taken also sometimes for the men that have right to be of the congregation, though not actually

39.

assembled, that is to say, for the whole multitude PART III. of Christian men, how far soever they be dispersed : as (Acts viii. 3) where it is said, that Saul made havoc of the Church: and in this sense is Christ said to be the head of the Church. And sometimes for a certain part of Christians, as (Col. iv. 15) Salute the Church that is in his house. Sometimes also for the elect only; as (Eph. v. 27) A glorious Church, without spot, or wrinkle, holy, and without blemish; which is meant of the Church triumphant, or Church to come. Sometimes, for a congregation assembled of professors of Christianity, whether their profession be true or counterfeit ; as it is understood, (Matth. xviii. 17) where it is said, Tell it to the Church; and if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be to thee as a Gentile, or publican.

the church is one person.

And in this last sense only it is that the Church In what sense can be taken for one person; that is to say, that it can be said to have power to will, to pronounce, to command, to be obeyed, to make laws, or to do any other action whatsoever. For without authority from a lawful congregation, whatsoever act be done in a concourse of people, it is the particular act of every one of those that were present, and gave their aid to the performance of it; and not the act of them all in gross, as of one body; much less the act of them that were absent, or that being present, were not willing it should be done. According to this sense, I define a CHURCH Church to be, a company of men professing Christian religion, united in the person of one sovereign, at whose command they ought to assemble, and without whose authority they ought not to assemble.

defined.

39.

PART III. And because in all commonwealths, that assembly, which is without warrant from the civil sovereign, is unlawful; that Church also, which is assembled in any commonwealth that hath forbidden them to assemble, is an unlawful assembly.

A Christian commonwealth

all one.

It followeth also, that there is on earth, no such and a church universal Church, as all Christians are bound to obey; because there is no power on earth, to which all other commonwealths are subject. There are Christians, in the dominions of several princes and states; but every one of them is subject to that commonwealth, whereof he is himself a member; and consequently, cannot be subject to the commands of any other person. And therefore a Church, such a one as is capable to command, to judge, absolve, condemn, or do any other act, is the same thing with a civil commonwealth, consisting of Christian men; and is called a civil state, for that the subjects of it are men: and a Church, for that the subjects thereof are Christians. Temporal and spiritual government, are but two words brought into the world, to make men see double, and mistake their lawful sovereign. It is true, that the bodies of the faithful, after the resurrection, shall be not only spiritual, but eternal; but in this life they are gross, and corruptible. There is therefore no other government in this life, neither of state, nor religion, but temporal; nor teaching of any doctrine, lawful to any subject, which the governor both of the state, and of the religion forbiddeth to be taught. And that governor must be one; or else there must needs follow faction and civil war in the commonwealth, between the Church and State; between spiritualists and temporal