be a Member of Christ which the good Emperor Theodosius preferred above his being Head of the Empire For if there be a Heaven upon Earth it must needs consist as our eternal happiness hereafter in a Communion with God and his Son Jesus Christ and to this the Text guides even to Mount Sion Heb 12.22 and to the City of the Living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the First-born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judg of all and to the Spirits of Just Men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant To confirm you in this Society is the end of all our preaching and your hearing for when our Saviour ascended up on high he gave some Apostles Eph. 4.11 14. some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers that we should be no more Children tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine but for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ This our Apostle intimates to be the end of all the Scriptures but more especially of the Text That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye may have fellowship with us c. Church-Communion is my present Subject concerning which I observe these three parts in the Text. I. The ground and foundation of Apostolical Communion That which we have seen and heard II. Wherein this Communion consists from the divers notions of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Scripture That ye may have fellowship with us i.e. the Apostles III. The excellency of this Communion And truly our fellowship is with the Father c. That I may the better fix your meditations on my discourse and that upon the Text I shall give you the Substance of both in this short Argument That Church which holds Communion with Christ and his Apostles in Doctrine Omnis Doctrina quae cum Ecclesiis Apostolicis Matricibus Originalibus fidei conspirat veritati deputanda Tertul. de praescript Government and Worship is a true Member of Christs Church in which Salvation may be had But the Church of England holds Communion with Christ and his Apostles in Doctrine Government and Worship Therefore the Church of England is is a true Member of Christs Church in which salvation may be had My first Proposition I shall prove from Act. 2.42 where it is recorded of the Primitive Christians That they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers and it follows v. 47. The Lord added daily to the Church such as should be saved whence I observe 1. That by reason of this Communion they are expresly denominated the Church Plebs sacerdoti adunata as Saint Cyprian 2. And that to this Church Salvation is appropriated God daily added to the Church such as should be saved The Proposition being sufficiently proved I shall for the greater perspicuity prove the Assumption gradually according to the parts into which I divided the Text And shew 1. That the Church of England holds Communion with Christ and his Apostles in Doctrine Anno 1660. Those dissenting Ministers that presented to the Parliament their Reasons for Reformation of the publick Doctrine c. did assure us in the first words that it was far from their thoughts to oppose or disparage orthodox Doctrine a well composed Liturgy Rites for decency and order Ordination of Ministers Apostolical Episcopacy and due Rules of Discipline I wish that as we have heard the voice of Jacob so we had not felt the hands of Esau for though the truth of all that they desired hath been proved by many Worthies in our Israel yet as St. Chrysostome says though we bring the Sun-beams in our hands men will not be perswaded there doth not want light to convince but they resist the Spirit of Truth that should convert them Pray we therefore That he who promised the holy Spirit to them that ask it Luk. 11.13 would pour down such plentiful measures and operations of it into the hearts of this people that as we all profess his holy Name so we may agree together in the truth of his holy Word and live in unity and godly love And so I begin with the first part of the Text viz. The ground and foundation of Apostolical Communion which is the Doctrine delivered in the Scriptures of the New Testament wherein the Church of England doth hold Communion with Christ and his Apostles The things of which the Apostles were eye and ear-witnesses from the beginning of the Gospel that word of life 1 Joh. 1.1 that was spoken by the wisdom of God attested by a voice from Heaven accompanied by the power of God in such variety of Miracles is the only infallible foundation of our Faith and Communion beside which we in vain expect any other either guide or ground Luk. 16.31 Non opus est revelatione post Evangelium Tort. of equal certainty for as our Saviour determined concerning Moses and the Prophets the same may be said of Christ and his Apostles If we believe not them neither will we be perswaded thought one should come from the dead Yet is it no disparagement to our preaching or your hearing that we cannot preface our Sermons as the Apostles did That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you seeing our Saviour hath pronounced them blessed Joh. 20.29 with an Emphasis that have not seen and yet have believed The spirit of perversness did not dye with Pharaoh and the Jews of old There have been little less than Miracles wrought in our generation but if as our Saviour intimates there should be Miracles indeed done in the midst of us there are a sort of Pharisaical persons that would oppose still I shall therefore take it as granted that we do believe those things which Christ and his Apostles have declared unto us in the books of the New Testament In iis quae apertè in SS posita sunt inveniuntur omnia quae continent fidem moresque vivendi S. August de Doct. Christ. 2.9 2 Pet. 3.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Chrys in 2 Thes Hom. 3. and that in them we have the will of God declared unto us concerning all such things as are necessary to our Salvation that they are a most certain and safe rule of Faith able to make the man of God perfect throughly furnished to every good work 2 Tim. 2.13 And whereas it may be objected from St. Peter that in them are some things hard to be understood I answer that the things that are necessary to be known are but few and those are obvious to ordinary capacities and such as are obscure and difficult are not necessary or if there be some difficulties that may be thought necessary to be explained then as Diamonds are best formed by Diamonds
a Father saith he where is mine honour Mal. 1.6 That is express and manifest it in your humble behaviour Gods gracious condescention to us will not excuse our unmannerly contempt of him He takes away the greatest ornament from Religious Worship that takes away reverence from it Maximum ex amicitia tollit ornamen tum qui tollit verecundiam Cicero Earthly parents expect to have their blessing asked by their Children on their knees and Christ did so address himself to his Father That Commandment that forbids us to bow down and worship false Gods enjoyns us to bow down in the Worship of the true God David requires it more expressly Ps 59.6 O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker As it is our priviledg to walk with God so 't is our duty to walk humbly with him And being thus prepared we may have fellowship with the Father c. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity Isa 57.15 whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a humble and contrite spirit This God promised when he first gave the Law by Moses and was served at an earthen Altar In all places where I shall record my name Ex. 20.24 I will come unto thee 2 Chron. 7.15 and I will bless thee And when Sâ—lomon had with great magnificence built a House for God and dedicated it to his Worship Now saith God mine eyes shall be open and my heart attend unto the prayer that is made in this place and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually Said God these things for the sake of the Altar of earth or of Solomons Temple No but God had recorded his Name there and there he was publickly invocated by the united Prayers of his People And therefore Christ reneweth the same promise Where two or three are gathered together in my Name Mat. 18 20. there am I. And there he hath promised his perpetual Presence Lo I am with you always to the end of the world Mat. 28. And is not the world well altered with sinful men since the time of Gods appearing upon Sinai Where was blackness and darkness and tempest and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words which words they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more A sight so terrible that it made Moses exceedingly fear and quake But we are come to Mount Sion c. and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel It is said of Israel What Nation is so great who hath God so nigh Deut. 4.7 this makes a Nation truly great to have God nigh them as the Lord our God is near unto us in all that we call upon him for A great priviledg this is yet not so great as that which we have by Christ in whom as the Apostle says 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 1.6 God hath made us his chief favourites and encourageth us by the mediation of our great high Priest to come boldly unto the Throne of Grace Heb. 4.14 and hath promised that we shall obtain mercy and find grace to help at a time of need And what surer pledg can we have of Gods constant favour than that which the Apostle mentioneth He that spared not his own Son Rom. 8.32 but delivered him up for us all how should he not with him freely give us all things We may say therefore with a filial confidence Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father a Father that knows all our wants and weaknesses and spareth us as a Father spareth the Son that serveth him Nemo tam Pater Inter Deum bonos homines auncitia quaedam est Amicitiam dico imo recessitudo Sen. Luk. 11.13 tam pius nemo Our Saviour would have us guess at Gods compassions towards us by ours to our own Children If ye that are evil know how to give good things to your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him What nearer Communion can there be He hath already given us his Son he is daily pouring down his spirit and only reserves himself for our everlasting reward 2. And of this we may be the better assured by the communion that we have with his Son Jesus Christ With whom our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 6.14 a mutual communication and participation He assumed our nature and infirmities and so knows our weaknesses and imperfections and will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able Yea he hath taken on him all our sins and made full satisfaction for them He is of God made unto us wisdom righteousness 1 Cor. 1.30 sanctification and redemption not by way of imputation only as a Cloak to cover our iniquities but of real efficacy purging our Consciences from dead works delivering us from the power of Satan renewing his own Image upon us that we may be partakers of the Divine Nature and out of his fulness receive Grace for Grace And thus will Christ be the Saviour of his body sanctifying and conforming it to himself Eph. 5.23 protecting it by his special providence guiding and comforting it by his Spirit and at last glorifying it with himself eternally To apply this 1. May we have Communion with the Father and with his Son Let us not then be solicitous for the mediation of Saints and Angels and bestow more devotion and honor on them than on the immediate service of God and our Saviour Those holy Spirits will be all of our Communion they join with us in praising God and will in their capacities be ministring Spirits to our necessities For worshipping them we have no Apostolical Precept or Example but many to the contrary and therefore See thou do it not Rev. 19.10 I am thy fellow-servant worship thou God 2. Let us walk worthy of so holy Communion if we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth Our not doing according to the truth we profess is a giving the lie to it a disgracing of our Religion as if it did allow us in wickedness Wash you Isa 2. make you clean c. Come now and let us reason together A holy man may talk with God as a man talketh with his friend But What Communion hath light with darkness 2 Cor. 6.14 15. what concord hath Christ with Belial None but Virtuoso's can be of this Royal Society wherefore Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity In this only separation is to be justified in having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness Our Communion with their persons will not defile us if we avoid their sins The
Disciples were not polluted by having a Judas among them Nor was Judas his sin less because he lived in the Communion of Christ and his Apostles it will be an aggravation of our disobedience that we who pretend to be his most familiar Friends and are admitted to feed at Christs Table should lift up the heel against him Our care not to offend him should bear proportion with the measure of his friendship to us and that abundant Charity which we have received from Christ our head should be mutually conveyed to his members and not like those who write themselves e Societate Jesu but are enemies to all but their own Fraternity Joh 13.35 15.14 Then will our Saviour own us for his Disciples when we love one another and for his Friends when we do whatsoever he commands us 3. Let us bless God that hath called us to Himself his Son and his Apostles here let us fix as the primitive Christians did who though they saw the cloud of persecution ready to pour down Cataracts of blood upon them yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were resolved to weather it out Act. 2.42 Our Saviour foretold his Apostles and they have informed us that we must resist even to blood that we may not startle at any opposition as at a strange thing And when we see how active and patient too every Sectary is for the promoting of any faction they that are members of the Catholick Body should shew that they have still the blood and spirits of the primitive Christians animating them with courage and resolution answerable to their high Calling Consider therefore him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself Heb. 12. he suffered both from Herod and from Pontius Pilate and so did the Apostles from false Brethren as well as from open enemies If we suffer by the Papists as Sectaries and by the Sectaries as Papists even in this also we are made conformable to the Son of God and may say Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ It is begun in the Church Militant and shall be perfected in the Church Triumphant And the light afflictions we endure here shall add weight to the Crown of Glory hereafter If then our Church Communion be as Jacobs Ladder which had God at the Top of it Gen. 28.12 13. though the Foot be on the Earth for it was God sent his Son and the Son of God sent his Apostles and the Apostles took care for a succession in the Church of God till Christs second Coming they are great despisers of the Ordinance of God and the blessings annexed to them that turn their backs on them and wilfully forsake their own mercies for when our Saviour promised a succession of Pastors to his Church he appropriated his blessing to them Lo I am with you with them in a special manner more than with others else the promise would signifie nothing If therefore we run after them that run before they are sent as they go not on Gods message Heb. 5.4 so they cannot effect Gods end upon us No man taketh this Honour to himself but he dishonours God as if God could not provide for his Church or as if humane inventions were more effectual instruments of Piety than Gods Ordinances It was said by some that God in those times had raised up extraordinary Ministers Many indeed have pretended to be such and Christ foretold of their coming There shall arise false Christs and false Proâ—eets men of no ordinary dignity Mat. 24.24 26. and â—â—y shall shew great signs and wonders draw great multitudes and not of the ordinary â—â—rt they shall if it were possible deceive the very elect they shall captivate the Consciences of men and cause great alterations 〈◊〉 Church and State But behold saith our Saviour I have told you before therefore if they shall say Behold he is in the deâ—ert go not forth Behold he is in the secret Chambers believe it not He is neither in the Cells of Hermits nor in the Chambers of Sectaries his presence and blessing is with his Church which he redeemeth with his Blood to which he promised his Spirit and in which he hath from the beginning preserved a succession of Pastors and will 〈◊〉 it to the end against all the powers of Hell God loveth the Gates of Sion saith David more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Here will I dwell saith God Ps 87.2 Ps 132.13 133.3 for I have a delight in it from Sion he will command 〈◊〉 blessings They that will enjoy the priviledges of a Society must live under the Government and be obedient to the Laws of it and if we expect to partake of the blessings promised to the Church of Christ we must live in its Communion As for intruders and hirelings Quisquis ab Ecclesiâ separatus adulterae jungitur à promissis Ecclesiae separatur S. Cypr. Jer. 23.32 My Sheep will not hear their voice nor follow them saith Christ or if they should they will be led through briars and thorns I sent them not nor commanded them saith God of such Prophets therefore they shall not profit this people at all Not profit them you will say there are none like them for knowledg and discourse of heavenly things none make longer prayers or manifest greater zeal this may be and yet they are not profited 1 Cor. 13. 1. Let St. Paul demonstrate how this may be He supposeth they be men of excellent gifts and have the tongues of Men and Angels as eloquent as Apollo's but wanting Charity they are as sounding-brass make a great noise but profit nothing 2. They are men of great knowledgâ— can expound the most mysterious parts of the Revelation and they have such a plerophory of Faith as carrieth them on against 〈◊〉 opposition they can remove mountains yet wanting Charity they profit nothing 3. Yea but they have Charity also they bestow all their goods on the poor and give their bodies to be burnt yet they may want true Charity that Charity that is long-suffering and kind that doth not envy nor vaunt it self is not puffed up or behaveth it self unseemly that doth not seek her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evil c. If they do not practise these things themselves and preach them to their Disciples they cannot profit them Rev. 16.18 they may please them by their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 complementing them as the Saints and Elect of God they may be a means of profiting them too in respect of Temporal advantages but though they lead them to a warmer Sun they carry them farther from Gods blessing If they sow the seeds of division and improve them to separation to unchristian censuring Jam. 3.15 Hortari ad Ecclesiae reformationem subtrahere unitatem Hereticae institutionis est Cypr. Jer. 7.9 irreconcilable malice and invincible prejudices against