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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

N

fible

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?

Arf

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 ?

N 2

Anf

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