Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 1.djvu/301

 very Church which set up at Jerusalem when He came upon earth; and none of the sects have this great gift. It is a branch of that Holy Church, which promised to be with, "even unto the end of the world." You must surely often have met in the Bible with mention of "the Church:" what did you suppose the word to mean?

J.—I do not know, Sir, that I had any very clear idea what it meant; but I rather thought it meant all sincere Christians in all parts of the world, to whatever Church or sect they might belong.

Dr.—Then it seems you did not understand the word "Church" to signify a body of men, bound by the same laws, acting together, speaking the same thing, attending the same worship, reverencing the same Pastors and Teachers, and receiving at their hands the Sacraments which has ordained. Yet it is quite certain that this is what our meant, when He spoke of His Church. He meant a Church such as the Church of England. This will be clear to you from Matth. xviii. 15, 16, 17. In these verses speaks of the Church; in the last of them He bids His Disciples regard any one who should in certain cases refuse to "hear the Church," as a heathen, and a publican; as an opposer of His authority, and an outcast from His sacred fold. Thus it appears the Church He speaks of, is not a mere number of good people scattered over the world, who may or may not have communion with each other, (which was your notion of the word,) but one public orderly body, consisting of Ministers and people, such as the Church of England. To be sure the Church of England happens to have wealth and honour, and that first Church had not; but this is but an accidental difference between them. If the Church of England were to lose its wealth and honour, it would not, could not cease to be a branch of the true Church. For the true Church, and the Church of England, as a branch of it, is founded on a rock, and against it the gates of hell will never prevail; as you may read, Matth. xvi. 18, 19.

J.—If you would kindly write down these texts for me, I will turn them out of my own Bible, and think over them. There is one thing, however. Sir, which comes into my mind to ask you. Even supposing all Christians ought to join together in one, yet they do not. There are a good many religions among us, and how is a plain unlearned man like me to know which is the real Church, spoken of in these passages?