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John 15.

I.

ticulars of our Duty, or what are the Things that make for Peace, in both these Respects.

I begin with what is due from us to the Church in order to Peace, as Peace ftands in Contra-distinction to Schifm. And this Point I fhall beg leave to difcufs very plainly and particularly; because I fear many of us have wrong Notions about it: And yet it is a matter of fuch Confequence, that the right understanding of it would go a great way to the Cure of the fad Divifions that are among us.

What I have to fay upon this Point, I fhall comprize in the Four following Propofitions; taking my Rife from the First Principle of Church-Society.

The First Propofition I lay down, is this, That every Chriftian is, by virtue of his Chriftianity, a Member of the Church of Chrift, and is bound to join in External Communion with it, where it can be had.

For the clearing of this, let it be taken Notice of, That the Method which our Saviour fet on foot for our Salvation, doth not fo much confider us as fingle Perfons, as joined together in one common Society. It was his Design, to gather to himself a Church out of Mankind, to erect and form a Body Politick, of which himself should be the Head, and particular Chriftians the Members; and in this Method, through Obedience to his Laws and Government, to bring Men to Salvation.

This is variously set forth to us in the New Teftament. Sometimes Chrift and Chriftians are reprefented under the Notion of a Vine;

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of which He is the Root, and They are the Branches. Sometimes under the Notion of a 1 Cor.12. Natural Body, of which Chrift is the Head, and all Believers the Members. And accordingly, whatever Chrift is faid to have done, or fuffered for Mankind, he is faid to have done or fuffered for them, not as fcattered Individuals, but as incorporated into a Church. Thus Eph.5.29. Chrift loved the Church, and gave himself for A&s 20. it. Chrift redeemed the Church with his own Blood. Chrift is the Saviour of his Body, that is Eph.5.25. to fay, the Church; with many Paffages of the like Importance. The plain Confequence from hence is, That every Perfon, fo far as he is a Chriftian, fo far he is a Member of the Church. And agreeably hereto, it is very plain, that Baptifm, which is by all acknowledged to be the Rite of Initiating us into Chriftianity, is in Scripture declared to be the Rite whereby we are entred and admitted into the Church. Thus St. Paul exprefly tells us, 1 Cor. 12. That by one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body.

Now then it being thus evident, that every Chriftian, as a Chriftian, is a Member of that Body of Chrift which we call the Church;. there will be little need of taking Pains to prove, that every fuch Perfon is obliged to join in External Communion with the Church, where he can do fo; for the very Nature of this Church-membership doth imply it. Without this, neither the Ends of Church-Society, nor the Benefits accruing to us therefrom, can be attained.

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Firft, not the Ends of it: The Ends of Church-Society are the more Solemn Worship of God, and the publick Profeffion of our Religion, and the mutual Edification one of another: Now, how these can be in any meafuré attained, without affociating together in publick Affemblies and mutual Offices, and other Acts of External Communion with one another, cannot any ways be imagined.

And as little, in the Second Place, can it be I conceived, how without this we can be made Partakers of the Benefits and Privileges that Chrift hath made over to the Members of his Church. For we are to confider, that God hath fo ordered the matter, (and without doubt for this very Reafon, to unite us the more firmly in Society) that the Privileges of the Goffel, fuch as Pardon of Sin, and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, are not ordinarily conveyed to us fo immediately by God, but that there muft intervene the Miniftry of Men. God's Holy Word and Sacraments are the Channels in which they are derived to us; and thofe to whom he hath committed the Ministry of Reconciliation, and the Power of the Keys, are the Hands that must dispense them. We have no Promife of Spiritual Graces, but by thefe Means: So that in order to the partaking of them, there is an abfolute Neceffity laid upon us of joining and communicating with the Church.

It is true indeed, God doth not fo tie himfelf up to thefe Means, but that he can, and will, in fome Cafes, confer the Benefits of

them

any

them without them: As in Cafe of a General Apoftacy of the Church; or of Perfecution for Religion; or of any unjuft Excommunication, or other Cafe where Communion with a true vifible Church is denied to us. But though God doth ac extraordinarily in extraordinary Cafes, where thefe Means cannot be had ; yet this doth not at all diminish, much lefs take away the Neceffity of making ufe of them when they can be had.

From what hath been difcourfed on this First Propofition, we may, by the way, gather thefe Two Things; I only name them:

1. How untrue their Pofition is, that maintain, That all our Obligation to Church-Communion doth arife from a voluntary Admiffion of ourfelves into fome particular, Congregation, and an explicit Promife or Engagement to join with it in Church-Ordinances.

2. How wildly and extravagantly they difcourfe, that talk of a Christianity at large, without relation to a Church, or Communion with any Society of Chriftians.

The Second Propofition is, That every one is bound to join in Communion with the established National Church to which he belongs, fuppofing there be nothing in the Terms of its Communion that renders it unlawful for him fo to do.

For if we are bound to maintain Communion with the Catholick Church, as I have before proved, it is plain, that we are bound to maintain Communion with that Part of it, within whofe Verge the Divine Providence has caft us. For we cannot communicate

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with the Catholick Church, but by communicating with fome Part of it: And there is no communicating with any Part of it, but that under which we live, or where we have our Residence.

Well, but it may be faid, that there may be feveral diftin&t Churches in the Place where we live. There may be the fixed Regular Affemblies of the National Church; and there may be separate Congregations; both which are, or pretend to be Parts of the Catholick Church; fo that it may be all one as to our communicating with that, wich of these we join with, fuppofing we join but with one of them; and confequently, there is no Neceffity from that Principle that we should hold Communion with the Publick Affemblies of the National Church.

But as to this, I defire it may be confidered, that That which lays an Obligation upon us to join in Communion with the Church, (to wit, our being Members of that one Body of Chrift) doth alfo lay an Obligation upon us, as much as in us lies, to preferve the Unity of that Body, (for this both the Fundamental Laws of Society, and the exprefs Precepts of Chriftianity, do require of every Member:) But now to make a Rent in, or feparate from any Part of the Body of Chrift, with which we may lawfully communicate (and fuch we now fuppofe the Established Affemblies of the Nation to be) is directly contrary to the preferving the Unity of that Body: And therefore, certainly, fuch a Rent or Separation, must

be.

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