nances and in Acts of Church communion, do what lies in them, that God's Worship shall fail; and whereas fome will fay, that they could like to com- municate with the Apostles as the primitive Chri- ftians did; it is made plain that fuch irreligious People as refufe to joyn with the present Bishops and Minifters in Church-communion,would no more joyn with the Apostles themselves, if they were, and if they officiated in Perfon among them.
6. Without fuch Obligation of bolding Communi- on with the Catholick Church in that particular orthodox part thereof in which Chriftians live, no Church-order can be maintained; and as God is the Author of Order and not of Confufion, fo this Order did the Apostles or Apoftolical Men fettle in the Churches which they planted and fettled, viz. a particular Paftor, and a particular People to be mutually related one to another, and to joyn together in Church communion.
1. The Scripture Notion of Separation being a withdrawing from publick Affemblies, or refufing to communicate with them, proves it to be a Chri- ftian's Duty to refort to them, for if it be a Sin to withdraw from, then must it be a Duty to refort to Church Affemblies, and fo doth the Scripture- Notion of holding Fellowship and Communion.
A Church frate giving Men Right to Church- communion will be in vain, and the means of Grace will be in vain if not made use of, by Mens reforting to Religious Affemblies.
They that refort not to Religious Church-Affem- blies excommunicate themfelves and fo forfeit that Right; nay, and a multitude of Men being fo irreligious, provokes God to remove his Candlestick,
which is the forest Judgment that can come upon a People. The danger and mifery of Popery re- turning among ft us by God's Judgment for Mens general contempt of the Holy Ordinances they enjoy in this Reformed Church.
Quest. 12. What Churches are they that may be truly called Separate Churches?
Anf. Thofe that are of a different Communion from that of an established, found and orthodox Part of the Catholick Church, and all Persons a ̈e Schifmaticks and Separatifts that joyn to, or eom- municate with any Church of a different Commu nion from it.
Three Rules of Catholick Unity, fhewing which are Churches of different Communions that cannot be Members of each other.
1. One Bishop, and fo one Church in one City Hereby the Ancients preferved several Assemblies in the fame City, in the fame Communion, viz. by their being all under the Government of one and the fame Bishop.
Thofe then must be Separate Churches that dif own the Government of the proper Bishop of the City and the Region belonging to it, and thit set up Antibishops, or Schifmatical Presbyters, not sub- ject to, but oppofing his Authority.
2. Meetings of Perfons that forfake the Efta- blished church and its folemn Affemblies, out of diflike of its Doctrine, or Worfiip, or Government, cannot be Members of the Established Church, and confequently are Separate Churches.
2. A Member of any particular Ghurch that is Orthodox, is a Member of the Catholick burch, and confequently of all other particular Churches, and a Fellow-member of all Chriftians in them, and confequently that Church is a Jeparate Church which will not own another Churches Members as her own.
The Independent Churches therefore are fepa- rate Churches, for no Man can be a Member of them, though he be a Member of the Catholick and of the National church, by being baptized; no, nor is the Member of one Independent Church a Member of another Independent Church, fo that they are Separatifts and Schifmaticks from one a- nother as well as from the Churches Catholick and National.
The Presbyterians alfo, forming themselves into diftinct Bodies and Societies under diftinet Go- vernours, and not yielding obedience to thofe of the Established Church, nay, condemning its conftitu- tion, and endeavouring its fubversion, can in no good fenfe be one Church with, or Members of the Established Church, and fo are feparate Churches.
Quelt. 13. May not a good Chriftian fafely fufpend his Communion with the particular Church he lives in, or is it not beft for him to do so, bê- caufe of the woful Divifions therein?
Ant. After a brief reflection upon fome Perfons total fufpenfion of Church communion, reforting to no Religious Affemblies at all, it is shewed, that Divifions in the Church can be no better reafon for fufpending all Communion with any Church, than it is for Mens being of no Religion at all, because there are fo many Religions in the World. It is pof
fible, and therefore it is necessary for any one to difcern which is the true and orthodox Church, and then, the rule is, prove all things, hold tast that which is good.
There were Church-divifions in the Apostles times as well as now, and if church-divifions can excufe from Church communion, then never was Church communion a duty, nor ever will be, for never was the Church free from Divisions, nor ever will.
There is a plain Rule for fettling the well mean- ing Country mans thoughts amidst thefe Divifions, and that, to confider whether the Church be lives in, being Established by lawful Authority, have any finful thing in its Communion; and if he can find no fuch, to bold clofe Communion with it, and avoid all feparate Churches, because the ad- vantage lies ever on the fide of lawful Authority.
Queft. 14. Can nothing less than fome finful Terms of Communion, impofed in the Established Church, juftifie Mens feparating from it, or from its stated Solemn Affemblies?
Anf. It is a Chriftians indifpenfable Duty to communicate with the Established Church in her Aflemblies for Peace and Unities fake, unless he cannot do it without Sin: if it were otherwife, there might be no end of Divifions and Subdivi fions.
Quet. 15. Are they then in duty bound to com. municate conftantly with the Church of England who are its natural Members, that know of no finful thing require i of them in holding in its Com munion, and in token thereof actually communicate with it without fcruple when they pleafe?
Anf. They are in duty bound to it. Whether Men look upon themselves as Members of the ca- tholick Church, or of the particular Church they live in; their Church-communion must be as fix'd and conftant as is their Church-membership; and be that is not a fix'd Member, and holds not a fix'd Communion with the one, neither is he a fix'd Member of the other, nor holds be a fix'd Com- munion with the other, and whoftever divides from the one divides from the other.
The only Question to be put in this cafe is, Is the Established Church a found and orthodox Church, or is it not?
The faults found in it by different Persons, viz. a few Ceremonies, or our Common-prayers, or our Forms of Prayer, briefly wiped off. If a Man fe- parate from one Church for any thing hitherto al- ledged against it, he must upon the fame account Separate from the Primitive Churches, from the Holy Martyrs and from all the Reformed Churches.
As for them who have communicated, and fill do by times communicate with our Church without fcruple, they must be without excufe in going from it, or not communicating conftantly with it, and are felf-condemned; for if they do it at all, Why not conftantly? Both Separation and Communion are either Duties or Sins. Nothing canJustifie Mens not doing that always which they can do fometimes. Happy is the Man that condemns not himfelf in that which he alloweth.
Queft. 16. May not any good Chriftian lawful- ly communicate with diftinct feparate Churches or Meetings, who yet is minded to hold Communion with the Established Church for the main ?
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