CONCERNING THE CHURCH, AND AN INSTRUCTIVE COMPARISON HOW WE MAY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, AND THE CHURCH OF ANTI-CHRIST.
Gellius complains that we destroy and leave the church of God, and that we are devilish sects and conspirators; and, on the contrary boasts that they gather an abiding church. Therefore, in my opinion, it is necessary, in the first place, to compare the churches with the requirements of the Scriptures, that the pious reader may know the difference, and see which and what the Church of Christ is, and also what the church of anti-Christ is; how long they both have existed; of whom they are; of whom they are brought forth; to what purpose they are begotten; of what disposition or nature they both are; what their fruits are; and by what signs they may be known, lest he be deceived by the preachers, and mistake the church of Christ for a heresy and conspiracy, and the church of anti-Christ for the church of Christ.
In the first place, it should be taken into consideration, that the community of God, or the church of Christ, is an assembly of the pious, and a community of the saints, as is represented by the Nicene symbol; who, from the beginning have firmly trusted and believed in the promised seed of the woman, which is the promised Prophet, Messiah, Shilo, King, Prince, Emmanuel, and Christ; who accept his word in sincerity of heart, follow his example, are led by his Spirit, and who trust in his promise in the Scriptures, Deut. 18: 18; Gen. 49: 10; Jer. 23: 5; 33: 15; Isaiah 7: 14.
Such are now, generally called Christians or the church of Christ, because they are born of Christ's word by means of faith, by his Spirit, and are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone, as the children of Jacob, on account of their natural birth, were called the house of Israel, Rom. 9: 7–9.
On the contrary it should be observed that the church of anti-Christ is a gathering of the ungodly, and a community of the impenitent, who reject the aforementioned seed, Christ, and his word, and oppose his will, and for that reason are called the anti-Christian community or church, because they, through the spirit and artifices of anti-Christ, although in semblance of the word, and in the name of Christ, teach, believe, act, and establish a strange worship, contrary to the Spirit, word, example, and ordinance of Christ.
In the second place, it should be observed that the church of the pious is from the beginning; yet, it had not always the same ordinance; nor was it always called by one name in the Scriptures. For, before their departure from Egypt, they had no particular, written law; yet they feared the great and powerful God, faithfully served Him, offered burnt-offerings, and walked in his ways, as may be seen in the case of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others; they were, at that time, called God's children. Afterwards, Abraham was commanded to circumcise himself and his household, and all the males after him, on the eighth day after their birth. Gen. 17: 10. About four hundred years after that, Moses gave the law; and from that time they were generally called the people of God, or the house of Jacob and Israel. At last Christ Jesus, the Messiah of all the world appeared, to which all the Scriptures point. All those who hear him, believe his word and follow him, are now called Christians, or the church of Christ, as heard, Isaiah 58: 2, 4; Jer. 23: 5.
Although at different times she was under different ordinances and usages, and, although the church is called by different names, as said, yet all, before, under and after the law, who, in sincere, true fear of God, walked, and continue to walk according to the word and will of God, and trust in Christ, are one community, church, and body, and will ever remain so; for they are all saved by Christ, accepted of God, and gifted with the Spirit of his grace. It should also be observed that the church of the ungodly, which is the church of anti-Christ,
