"he gave

preme head. For the scriptures expressly tell us that the church is a body, whereof Christ is the head; him to be head over all things to the church which is his body," Eph. 1. 22, 23. Into this society Christ-commanded his disciples to admit all nations, baptizing them, and "to preach the gospel to every creature," Matt. 28, 29. The legal bond which unites the church, and renders its members one regular corporation, is the new covenant; and as God ratified his covenant with the Jews in the visible solemnity of circumcision, so, in place of this, Christ introduced the sign of baptism, to ratify the new covenant between God and us. For having by baptism, entered into the service of the living God, we are directed and have promised to resist and renounce the enemies of our salvation, the world, the flesh and the devil that by a sincere performance of the baptismal covenant, we may be entitled to the blessings and privileges of the holy gospel, viz. pardon of sin, and eternal life through Jesus Christ. And hence we are said to be baptized into the body" or church of Christ, 1 Cor. 12. 13. because baptism which is our admission into the christian covenant, is only in other words our admission into the christian church, which is the body of christian people confederated by the new covenant. That which makes all christian people one body and society, is their being all united under one and the same supreme head and governor. Accordingly St. Paul tells us that as there is but one body, i. e. one church, so there is but one Lord or supreme governor of that church. Eph. 4. 4, 5.-Col. 1. 18.-Eph. 5. 23.

II. The catholic church is the society of all christian people DISTRIBUTED INTO PARTICULAR CHURCHES; which distribution is made for the convenience of divine worship. At first indeed, the whole catholic church was only a single congregation, but this in a short time increased so fast, that they could no longer exercise the public worship of God, in one place or assembly; and therefore the first distribution of it was into several congregations, which in scripture are called by the name of churches, as being similar parts of the catholic church, even as every breath of air, is called air, and every drop of water, water. For thus, those believers, who were accustomed to assemble in any one particular house, to worship God, are frequently called churches; as the

church in the house of Nymphas 1 Cor. 16. 5. In which houses in all probability, there was an upper room, consecrated and set apart, according to the custom of the Jews, for divine worship, in which upper rooms, not only the believers of the family, but other neighbouring christians were wont to assemble for the public exercise of divine worship.

*

But these congregations growing numerous, there' was made a second distribution of them (for the convenience of government,) by which many of these neighbouring congregations, were collected into one body, under one head or bishop, who was the common guide of all the members, whether lay or clergy, appertaining to them. And these collections of several congregations under their several bishops or governors, are also frequently called churches; for instance, the church of Corinth contained' in it several congregations, and therefore though in the dedication of his Epistle, the Apostle calls it, "the church of God (in the singular number) which is at Corinth" 1 Cor. 12. yet in the Epis tle he enjoins that "the women should keep silence in the churches;" from which it is evident that in that church, there were several churches or congregations ; and thus we also read of the church of Jerusalem, of Antioch, Ephesus, &c. which churches doubtless consisted of several congregations, in and about those populous cities, which were all united in one body, under the inspection of one governor, whom we now call bishop.

III. The catholic church is the one universal society of all christian people, distributed into particular churches (under lawful governors and pastors,) HOLDING COMMUNION WITH EACH OTHER. What these

lawful governors and pastors, are, I shall fully explain hereafter. By particular churches, holding communion with each other, I mean, owning each other as parts of the same body, and admitting each others members, as occasion serves, into actual communion with them in all their

religious offices. The communion which particular churches are obliged to, as they are similar parts and

This is clearly proved by Mr. Bennet in the defence of the Disc. on schism, p. 3. and answer to Shepherd's considerations, p. 1.

distributions of the catholic church, is, that they should not divide into separate churches, so as to exclude each others members from communicating in each others worship, whenever they have occasion to travel from one church to another. For so long as there is no rupture between distant churches, no declared disowning of each other, no express refusal of any act of communion to each others members, they may be truly said to maintain all necessary communion with each other.

The catholic church is one by the communion of all its parts, and therefore they who break communion with any one part, must necessarily disunite themselves from the whole. For when two churches separate from one another, it must be either because the one requires such terms of communion as are not catholic, or because the other refuses such as are. Now that church which requires sinful or uncatholic terms of communion, dues hereby exclude, not only one, but all parts of the catholic church, from its communion (because they are all equally obliged not to communicate with any church on sinful terms of communion ;) but, in doing so, separates itself from the communion of the catholic church. And so on the other hand, that church which refuses commu- / nion in any other church upon lawful and catholic terms, does hereby separate itself from the communion of all parts of the catholic church. All those particular churches therefore, into which the catholic church is distributed, must be in communion with each other, otherwise they are so far from being distributions of the catholic church, that they are only so many schisms and divisions from it.

But it must be observed, that in a divided state of the church, there may be different communions, and yet both remain parts of the catholic church, as in the excommunications of old, about keeping Easter; and in case of a precipitate sentence, when one bishop takes upon him to excommunicate others for little or no cause, and against the advice of his brethren.*

IV. And lastly, the communion which these particular churches, into which the catholic church is distributed, hold with each other, is three-fold: 1. In all the essentials of christian Faith. 2. In all the essentials

*Bishop Stillingfleet's works, vol. 6. 675. London cases, 1. p. 123—and Preservative against popery. vol. 2. App. 95. Kings answer to Manby, p. 4.

of christian Worship. 3. In all the essentials of christian Discipline. 1. In all the ESSENTIALS of CHRISTIAN FAITH. By the essentials of Faith,* I mean those doctrines, the belief of which is necessary to the very being of christianity; for as in all arts and sciences there are some first principles upon which the whole scheme of their doctrines depend, and the denial of which, like removing the foundation of a building, dissolves and ruins the whole structure; so in christianity there are some principles so fundamental to it, as that the removal of them shakes the whole scheme of it in pieces. Now the great fundamental, as the apostle tells us, is Jesus Christ, "for other foundation can no man lay, than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. 3. 11.; and the apostle pronounces those men apostates from christianity, who hold not the head," which is Jesus Christ, Col. 2. 19. But yet the bare belief of Jesus Christ, or of this proposition that Christ came from God, is not all that is essential to the christian faith, which includes not only his mission from God, but also the end of his mission, viz. to be a mediator between God and man. For christianity as it is distinguished from natural religion, is nothing but the religion of the mediator, as consisting wholly of the doctrine of the mediator, together with the duties thence arising; so that whatever proposition, the mediatorship of Christ necessarily and immediately implies, it is a fundamental article of the christian faith, which no man can deny, without innovating on the whole religion, and turning it into a quite different doctrine from true and real christianity. this proposition, that Christ came down from God to mediate between God and man, includes the whole doctrine of the gospel: and therefore whatever proposition is so either necessarily included in it; or so inseparably conjoined with it as that the denial of it doth by necessary and immediate consequence overthrow the mediation of our Saviour, it must be essential to the christian faith; and the more necessary connection there is between any particular doctrine, and this all-comprehending doctrine of the mediation, the more necessary and essential it is to the christian faith.†

For

* Scotts christian life, and Sherlock def. ubi supra. Field on the church p. 77. 1633.

↑ See Sherlock's vindication of def. of Stillingfleet, p. 248. 1682. where he proves that "the denial of the godhead of the

Now whosoever believes not, or at least denies any essential part of the christian faith, is not a christian, and that, not only because he wants a part of that faith which denominates men christians, but by disbelieving that part, he does by necessary consequence overthrow the whole of christianity, for so Tertullian de præscrip. c. 37. expressly asserts," they who are heretics, cannot be christians." Hence it is that heretics, who are such as ob stinately deny any fundamental article of christianity, are in scripture ranked with heathens and infidels; and the governors of the church are required to exclude them from all christian communion, Gal. 1. 8. to reject them them, Tit. 3. 10.-1 Tim. 6. 5: and if heretical persons are to be thus treated, then much more are heretical churches, and therefore as such, must be utterly unqualified for christian communion. Therefore a common agreement in all the essentials of christian faith, which is the opposite of heresy, is necessarily included in catholie communion; accordingly the scripture frequently presses all christian people to this common agreement as a most essential part of their communion with each other; for they are required "to mind or think the same thing," Phil. 2. 2.-2 Cor. 13. 11.-1 Cor. 1.-10. to " hold fast the form of sound words" 2 Tim. 1. 19. Phil. 1. 27. to "keep that which is committed to us" 1 Tim. 6. 20. which is that "one form of doctrine which was delivered" to us, Rom. 6. 17. The meaning of all which is, not to oblige us to be of one mind and judg nient in all points of religion; for that is no more in our power, than it is to be all of one stature; but that we should all unanimously consent in all those fundamental asticles of which that one faith consists, which is the common creed of christians; so that it is not the differing of one church from another in doctrines, that are either remote from or near the foundations of christianity, that dissolves their communion in the christian faith; but so long as the essential doctrines of the gospel are secured on both sides, no corrupt doctrines on either side can warrant a breach of communion between them. It is true,

Son, and the Holy Ghost, overthrows the whole doctrine of salvation by Christ, as it is taught in the new testament, and that we cannot truly believe the great fundamental doctrine of salvation by Christ, without the belief of the holy trinity."