dance of the fame nature in the Writings of other Holy Fathers and Martyrs of the Primitive Church, but either thefe will awaken well-meaning People, who unadvisedly infnare themfelves in Schifms, Separations and Divifions from the Orthodox Church we live in, to a more ferious Confideration of their Error, Sin and Danger, or there will be fmall hopes of other Authorities doing it, though I fhould fill a whole Velume with them.

To conclude, I prefume every good Chriftian will acknowledge it to be his Duty daily, and moft fervently to Pray for the peace of Jerufalem *, viz. that the God of Peace, the great Lover of Concord, would of his great Mercy and Goodnels, give, and restore, and establish perfect Peace, Unity, and brotherly Love and Charity to his whole Catholick Church, and more particularly to this molt Orthodox Part of it, the beft of Reformed Churches, wherein we live (in the Words of our pious Litany) that all who profefs his Holy Name may agree in the Truth of his moft Holy Word, and may live (in an unfeigned Concord) in Unity and godly Love; and if it could be obtained of the Separatists to make more use of that most perfect Form of Prayer which our Lord taught his Difciples, and required of them, and of us all in them, when they prayed to fay, than they either use to do, or (out of groundless prejudice against all Forms of Prayer) will allow of. And did they then understand it in its true M 3 and

* Pfal. 122.

7.

and comprehenfive meaning? they will undoubtedly find, that this Catholick Unity and Church Communion is what is prayed for, and all Schifm, Separation and Divifion is prayed againft in the fecond Petition (Thy Kingdom come) and alfo, according to St. Ignatius his Notion of doing the Will of God, as alfo according to the Nature of the Thing in the third Petition (Thy Will be done in Earth as it is done in Heaven.) And then, forafmuch as all Mens Endeavours ought to anfwer and to be conformable to their Prayers; for if Men endeavour not what they pray for, they do but dif femble with God: This only thing fingly confidered is fufficient to engage Men to this as their unquestioned and indifpenfible Duty, even as ever they will approve their fincerity in their Prayers to God, to take their utmost heed as of dividing, or making any Schilms or Divifions in his Church, fo of following, joyning with, or communicating with Schifmaticks, or any that caule, or are but in a Schifm or Divifion; for whofoever will practife as he prayeth, or at leaft as he ought to pray, he must unite himfelf clofely to that particular Sound and Orthodox Eftablished Church where he liveth, there being no other way for him to unite to the whole Catholick Church, to which all shall be added that fhall be faved, for

Acts 2. 47. of that Church is every particu lar Sound and Orthodox Nati onal Church a Part and Member: And blessed are thofe Eyes that shall fee this Catholick Unity, Which

Which the God of Peace, the Lover of Concord, grant, That as there is but One Body, Ŏne Spirit, and One Hope of our Calling, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptifm, One God and Father of us all, (o we may all be henceforth fo fenfible of the great Sin and Danger of our unhappy Divifions as benceforth we may (if it be God's bleffed Will) be ali of one Heart and of one Soul, knit together in the Holy Bands of Truth and Peace, mutual Love and Charity, and with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie God through Jefus Christ our Lord, To whom with the Most Holy Spirit, be all Honour, Glory and Praife for ever more. Amen. Amen.

FINIS

M 4

152

THE

CONTENTS,

PREFACE

SEP

Eparation from an Established Church is no Sin,
but a Chriftians Duty in cafe of Idolatry,

Herefie and Tyranny. The Church of Rome

is justly charged with thefe, for the which we Pro-

testants do justly renounce her Communion, but

the Church of England cannot justly be charged

with any of them.

A good Minifter cannot choose but fadly refent

bis Peoples running to Separate Meetings, and

ke cannot excufe himself from the utmost endea

vour to reduce them that actually feparate and

preferve them from Separation who are yet in the

Church's Communion.

His care and endeavour mostly proves in vain

which occafions this Difcourfe.

Many common People are apt to run into, and

to live in Schifm and Separation through an high

Opinion of the Teachers and Peoples feeming god-

linefs that are in Separate Meetings, but great is

the danger as well as vanity of being mifled hereby.

As

As godly Men as any of them can be, have given
their Teftimony for the Church of Englands be-
ing found and orthodox, and have pronounced
Schifm and Separation to be a Sin, and a damna-
ble Sin, namely, our Glorious Martyrs, the most
Eminent Divines in the Reformed Churches, the
old Non-conformists, and many Diffenters of chief
Note in this prefent Age.

The Author's defign in this Difcourfe.

The Questions answered, and their
Answers in this Discourse,

Quest. I. What is a Church?

Ant. The Church is a Body, or a Society of
Men called to Faith and Repentance, united to
God, and to one another by a Divine Covenant.
The Gospel Covenant is the Foundation of the Chri-
Stian Church.

Quest. 2. What is it to be a Member of the
Christian Church?

C

Anf. Men are received into the Church of
Christ, and become Members of the Chriftian
Church, by being taken into Covenant with God
in Chrift, and to be fo taken into Covenant with
God in Chrift, and to be received into Chrift's
Church, or to become Church-members are one and
the fame thing.

Quest. 3. How or when are Men vifibly taken
into Covenant with God, and thereby made Mem-
bers of the visible Church of God?

Anf. In their Baptifm, where note, it is not fo
in the Independant Conftitution, for being taken