which the Foundation of Chriftianity ftands, without the belief of which we cannot be fav'd; as that Chrift is the Saviour of the World, and the fole Mediator between God and Man; together with the Fundamental Verities upon which his Mediation depends. In thefe there is to be an universal Confent and Agreement among Chriftians, who are to join together in a Unity of Faith: this is the meaning of thofe Scriptures, that require us to mind, and think, and speak the fame thing; to stand fast in one Spirit with one Mind, and to strive together for the Faith of the Gospel. There are other Truths of leffer moment, that do not affect the Foundation in thefe a greater Liberty and Latitude of Belief may and must be allow'd, but in the one Faith, once deliver'd to the Saints, all Chriftians should agree, and be perfectly join'd together in the fame Mind and the fame Fudgment. Which is the first Branch of this Communion of Saints. The : 2d Is a ftedfast Continuance in the Apostles Fellowship; which being mention'd apart from breaking of Bread, must be understood of owning their Authority, and adhering to their Government: for the Apoftles were appointed by Christ as his Deputies to teach and govern his Church; and the adhering to their Difcipline, as well as Doctrine, is call'd Living in their Fellow/bip. Now to continue in the Apoftles Fellowship, is to own the Authority of the Bishops and Paftors of the Church, who fucceed the Apostles in that Office; for Chrift promis'd to be with the Apostles to the end of the World: which could not be with them in their own Perfons, who died foon after, but in their Succeffors, who were to teach and govern the Church to the end of the World. So that by keeping in Fellowship with our lawful Bishops, who are their Succeffors, we may be faid to keep in Fellowship with them. This is the fenfe of thofe words, Obey them that have the Rule over you in the Lord, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your Souls; Heb. 13. 17. and elsewhere, Know them that are over you in the Lord, and have them in honour for their Works fake. This then is part of this Communion, to live in fubjection to our refpective Bifhops, and adhere to their Government, without being feduc'd from them into Sects or Combinations. 3dly, Another Branch of the Communion of Saints is a ftedfaft Continuance in Breaking of Bread; that is, in receiving the Holy Sacrament: for we being many (faith the Apoftle) are one Bread, and one Body; for we are all Par X 4 takers Part II. takers of that one Bread; 1 Cor. 10. 17. meaning, that as we are all admitted into the Church by our Baptism, so we are all united in it by one Communion; for the Bread that e break, is it not the Communion of the Body of Chrift? and the Cup of Bleffing which we blefs, is it not the Communion of the Blood of Chrift? as the Apoftle argues in the 16th Verse of that Chapter. Bread, we know, is the staff of our natural Life, that keeps the Body and Soul together; and Chrift is that living Bread that preferves our fpiritual Life, and unites us to him and one another. So that we cannot better fhew ourselves the living Members of Christ's Body, than by living together in one Communion: for Chrift would have no Schifm in his Body, no dividing or feparating from one another, but joining in one Fellowship and Communion; that as all Chriftians belong to the fame Body, fo they fhould endeavour to keep the Unity of it in the Bond of Peace, which is by one Communion, that being the fole Bond that can keep them together; infomuch, that in all Places where we come, either in our own or foreign Countries, we are to affociate, where we may, in the publick Acts of Worship, and likewife receive all others into our Communion, to fhew that we are all of one Body, and believe the Communion of Saints. 4thly, The laft, tho not the leaft Act of this Communion, is the continuing stedfast in Prayers; that is, chiefly in the publick Prayers and Devotion of the Church: for tho God is ever ready to hear the private and fecret Prayers of his People, yet he esteems himself most honour'd, and we appear most united by joining in the publick Devotions for which reafon the Apoftle wills Chriftians, not to for fake the affembling themselves together, as the manner of feme is ; Heb. 10. 25. but to hold faft the Chriftian Profeffion, and adhere to the publick Devotion without wavering. By this we have Fellowship with God and one another, and this is a principal Branch of the Communion of Saints: for hereby we addrefs to one God thro' one Mediator, putting up the fame Petitions, and according to our Saviour's Direction agreeing together in what we ask; which puts a greater Life, and procures better Acceptance to our Prayers. We may not then refufe to join in publick Prayers with the Chriftians of any Place or Country where we come, nor refufe to admit any that come to us: For tho the Forms of Prayer and Liturgies may be different in feveral Churches and Countries, yet while they are made by the fame Rules and 313 and offer'd up for the fame Ends; that is, while they are all put up to one and the fame God, for the fame common Mercies, and thro' the Merits of the fame Mediator; they are for fubftance the fame, and we may and ought, as Occafion requires, join and admit one another to them, tho put up in diftant Places, and in different Forms of Expreffion or Language. Thus having feen wherein the Communion of Saints confifts, let us in the next place enquire, with whom the Saints have this Communion. In answer to which, St. John tells us, 1. That we have Communion with God the Father, 1 John 1. 3. Our Fellowship is with the Father. And this on God's part confifts in the Communication of his Grace and Goodness unto us; on ours, in the Returns of Love, Gratitude, and Adoration to him: by both which we become transform'd into his Image, and are made in fome measure Partakers of his Divine Nature. 2. We have hereby Communion with God the Son; for God hath called us (faith St. Paul) unto the Fellowship of his Son, Fefus Christ our Lord; 1 Cor. 1. 9. And St. John to the fame purpose, Truly our Fellowship is with the Father and his Son Fefus Chrift. He, as Head, derives down Strength and Nourishment to his Church; and we, as Members, communicate with him, and by the Influence of his Grace are kept and cherish'd to eternal Life. 3. The Saints have Communion likewife with the Holy Ghoft, which is in Scripture ftyl'd the Fellowship of the Spirit. And indeed, the Communion with the Father and the Son is wrought and preferv'd in us by the Communication of the Holy Spirit; and therefore they are join'd together in that folemn and frequent Benediction, The Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Love of God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all. 4. The Saints have fome Communion with the Holy Angels, who are therefore faid to be miniftring Spirits to the Heirs of Salvation. They not only attend and affift them in their ways, but likewife rejoice in their Welfare for we read, that there is Foy in Heaven over one Sinner that repenteth; Luke 15. 10. 5. The Saints have or ought to have Communion with all the Members of the Church militant here on Earth: not that they can all actually meet in the fame Place, but that they all agree in the Subftance of their Worship, or never separate Part II feparate or divide in it for leffer matters: for if we walk in the Light (faith St. John) we have Fellowship one with another; 1 John 1. 7. Chriftians are join'd together by all the Ligaments and Endearments of Religion, and therefore may not divide either in Affection or Communion. : Laftly, The Saints have fome kind of Communion with the departed Members of the Church triumphant in Heaven. And this confifts in praifing God for them, in propounding their pious Examples, and endeavouring to tread in their fteps, by an Imitation of their holy Lives and Actions for which reafon the Apoftle, fpeaking to all that are called Chriftians, faith, Te are come unto Mount Sion, unto the City of the Living God, the heavenly Jerufalem, and an innumerable Company of Angels, to the general Af fembly and Church of the First-born, that are written in Heaven, and to God the Fudge of all, and to the Spirits of just Men made perfect, and to Fefus the Mediator of the New Covenant; Heb. 12. 22, 23. meaning, that they should endeavour to be conformable to them in their Lives here, that they may be fitted for a more immediate and complete Communion with them hereafter in Heaven. This is the Communion of Saints. But, Thirdly, What is it to believe this Communion of Saints ? Why, this implies not barely an Affent to the Truth of it, but a firm Adherence to it, and in the whole Course of our Lives continuing ftedfaft in this one Communion. This we are taught to do, not only by the Example of the first Chriftians here in the Text, but by many exprefs Precepts to the fame purpofe. Chrift pray'd that his Followers might be one: and St. Paul ftrictly warns all Chriftians, that there be no Divifions among them, but that they remain firm in the Faith and Communion of the Church, being of one Accord and one Mind. So that they who break into different Communions, or divide the Unity of the Church by Sets and Schifms, do not rightly understand or believe this Article; for by refufing to communicate with their Brethren, and excluding others from their Communion, they divide the one Fold and one Flock of Chrift, and make new PartitionWalls in the Church, when the old one is broken down. In a word, they who make other Covenants befide that of Baptifm neceffary to intitle Chriftians to the external Privileges of the Church, make the Pales of it narrower than Chrift Chrift hath appointed, and thereby in effect deny or disown the Communion of Saints. But fince we all profefs to believe the Communion of Saints, how comes it to pafs that fo many Sects and Divifions are found among Chriftians ? Why, There are two things that have unhappily occafion'd this Breach of Communion in the Chriftian Church. The one is, the requiring unlawful Conditions of Communion; the other is, the refufing of lawful ones. The former is the Fault of the Church of Rome, who by adding new Articles of Faith, and corrupting their Worship by impure and finful Mixtures, have driven a great Part of the Chriftian World from their Communion. The latter is the Fault of Sectaries and Diffenters, who by an obftinate Refufal of the lawful Rules of Order and Decency in Divine Worship, have wilfully broke off from the Communion of the Church of England, and set up separate and fchifmatical Meetings of their own. The first is a juft and neceffary Separation; for where we cannot communicate without committing of Sin, there we are requir'd to feparate, to come out from among them, and not to touch the unclean thing; 2 Cor. 6. 17. And in fuch Cafes, they who impofe fuch finful and unwarrantable Terms, not they that refuse them, make the Breach, and are the fchifmatical Dividers. The fecond is a finful and unjuft Separation, because it breaks the Communion of the Church without a juft Caufe: for where the Conditions of Communion are lawful, and may be comply'd with without Sin, as the Diffenters themfelves own by their Occafional Communion; there to divide, is to commit a Sin, and to be guilty of evident and notorious Schifm. But may we not leave an imperfect or impure way of Worship, to join in better or purer Ordinances? No, for this would open a gap for all Confufion, especially if every one fhould judge for himself of these purer Ordinances, and be allow'd to feparate upon that pretence; for this would multiply Schifms, and leave no end of Divifions, as may be fadly feen in the numerous Sects of our days, who are still refining upon one another, till they have evaporated their Religion into Air, and almost refin❜d it all away. Thus I have explain'd to you the Communion of Saints, wherein it confifts, with whom it is held, as also when it |