145

THE

True Church of Chrift

Shewed from the

Concurrent Testimonies of
Scripture and Tradition.

The SECOND PART.

CHAP. I,

The Vifible Church of Chrift, is only in
One Communion.

T

HE First General Council after the
Apoftles, to wit, that at Nice, of
318 Bishops, anno 325, Can. 8, has
this Decree concerning the ava-
tians, Of these, that fometimes call
themselves

L

themselves. Pure, when they come to the Catholick and Apoftolick Church, the Holy great Synod ap points That, having Impofition of Hands, they remain fo in the Clergy.

II. IN the Senfe, and perhaps from the Words of this Decree, the Second General Council, of 150 Bishops, at Conftantinople, anno 381, model'd Four Pro- that Article of the Creed, I also believe One, perties of Holy, Catholick and Apoftolick Church. By

the True

Church.

which we are taught, That the True Church
of Chrift upon Earth, hath thefe Properties, 1.
That it is Due in Faith and Communion. 2.
Holy. 3. Catholick or Dniverfal. 4. N-
poftolical, by a continual Succeffion of Pastors
from the Apostles. The First (which is the
Subject of be proved two
this Chapter),
different ways, viz. by Scripture, and ni
verfal Tradition bro

I.

O

UR Bleffed Saviour told the Jews, St. John 10 ver, 16. Other Sheep I have, which are not of this Fold, Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my Voice: and there shall be Dne Fold, and One Shepherd. It is an Obvious Ro. flexion, and Confonant perhaps enough to the Words of this Text, that few Creatures keep more together, than Sheep of One Paftor and One Fold. If you fee one, you fee them all. They may have their little Quarrels, but they are fill together. They herd together, they feed together, they are houfed together. Do National Churches, in point of Religion, belong to

One

One Fold, which are in Different Communions; and will neither Affemble, Pray, nor Communicate together?

2. CHRIST begg'd of his Father, in favour of his Difciples, the night before his Paffion, St. John 17. ver. 11. That they may be one. And v.20,21, Neither Pray I for these alone,but for them also, which fhall believe in me through their Word: that they all may be One. The Efficacy of which Prayer was foretold, St. Joh. 10. ver. 16.

3. WHEN by the Preaching of St. Peter, there were about Three Thousand Converted upon the Same Day, A&t. 2. ver. 41. St. Luke, in the following verfe, gives us this Account of them, that they Continued ftedfastly in the Apoftles Doctrine, and Communion, xai on nowovie, and in Breaking of Bread, and in Prayer. See alfo ver. 44, and 46.

4. THO' the Scripture names feveral Churches of Christians, as the Church of Afia, 1 Cor. 16.v.19. Revela. 1. ver. 4.the Churches of Galatia, 1 Cor. 16. ver. 1. the Churches of Macedonia, 2 Cor. 8. ver. 1. the Church in the Houfe of Philemon, Philem. ver. 2.the Church in the House of Aquila and Prifcilla, i Cor. 16. ver. 19. and the Care of all the Churches, 2 Cor. 11. ver. 28. Yet it is Evident, that all thefe Churches were in One Communion: I mean, in Communion with St. Paul, and the other Apostles then living.

5. THE Unity of the Church, according to Mr. L. p. 16. is defcribed by St. Paul, Ephef. 4. Now, have difagreeing Churches, of Different Communions, Accufing each other of Herefy, Superftition, or Idolatry; and Excommunicating one the other; the fame Faith, ver. 5? Are they One Body, ver. 4? Do they keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace, ver. 3? Do they L 2

fpeak

the Truth in Love, and grow up into Christ their Head; from whom the whole Body is fitly join'd together, and compacted by that which every Joint fupplieth, to the Increafe of the whole in Love and Concord, ver. 15, 16? Which Concord makes the Church not only One (Cant. 6. ver. 9.) but Terrible alfo, as an Army with Banners, ver. 10.

§. II.

By Univerfal Tradition.

A

cr

Church, fays Mr. L. p. 14, is a Society Profeffing fuch a Religion, be it "True or Falfe. Thus there is a Church of the Jews, of Heathens, of Chriftians, and Mahometans. p. 726 15, Yet there is no Chief Priest over all thefe; but

every Church, as a Nation, is Independent of each "other. And thus among the feveral Nations, and "Churches of the Heathens. And thus, in our

way of fpeaking, when we fay, The Fathers of "the Church, or The Primitive Church, we mean

nat any Particular Church, &c. or Confin'd to a*ny One Nation. True, but we mean a Church in One Communion only. For, does Mr. L. imagine, that the Greek and Latin Fathers, with thofe few that writ in other Languages (as St. Archelaus Bishop of Cafcar, and St. Ephrem Deacon of Edeffa,inSyriaque) were not in the fame Communion? Or that the Primitive Church was in feparate Communions, of which St. Luke fays, Act. 2. ver. 44. All that believed were together, oavom To al, and had all things Common and ver. 46. Continuing daily with one Accord (unanimously) in the Temple, σεσκαρτερῶντες ὁμοθυμαδόν ? I fould be forry to think either Mr. L. or his Reader, capa

:

able