Church communion, and to this End he hath no more to do, but only to examine and confider whether that particular Church he lives in be a found and orthodox Part of the Catholick Church (and fo the moft Eminent Diffenters have acknowledged it once to be; ) and if he find it fo, or can fay nothing to the contrary, then is he bound to Church-communion with it at the Peril of the damnable Sin of Schifm and caule. lefs Separation, because by this he will divide himself from the one Body: For this muft he needs do, that divides from any found and orthodox Part thereof, and particularly that Catholick Church he lives in, which is as eafie to understand as it is what it is for any Member to be divided from the natural Body: For by all that hath been faid, there is given a fair Account what Schilm is, and who are Schifmaticks, even fuch as withdraw their Communion from the Catholick Church, by withdrawing it from that particular Church they live in, being a found Part of the Church Catholick. But on the other hand; the Man walks fafely that conftantly communicates with that particular Church he lives in, which he can fee no other but to be found and orthodox, for by this means he holds communion with the one Body, the Catholick Church; in all which, I think, there is a very good Office done to every wellmeaning Chriftian; in thus affifting him to compofe his thoughts in fo weighty a matter as Chriftian-unity and Peace is, and in cautioning him against Divifions and Separations: The Scripture moft frequently, and most affectio nately

nately injoining the one, and alike zealously forbidding the other, and he must be either inexcufably ignorant or extremely perverfe who reads. the Scriptures, and is not very tender of them both.

For a farther clearing whereof, I fhall in the next Place confider the Chriftians, both Privilege and Duty: His Privilege by his Baptifm, wherein he was made a Member of the Catholick Church, and fo hath Right and Title to Church-communion: His Duty, which is conftantly to exercile that Church-communion, to which he hath a Right and Title, from both which will follow the true Nature and Notion of Schifm and Separation, and its great Sinfulnefs, fo fhall that be my next Inquiry, which will not now need many words.

Queft. X. Who are they that have a juft Claim to Church communion, and the Exercises thereof as their Right and Privi lege ?

Anf. Unto which the Answer is obvious, It is all baptized Perfons, as Church-members, until they renounce it, or forfeit it by fcandalous Sin; for as the Members in the natural Body have their refpective Services, and Ufes, for the Benefit of the whole Body, which cannot be performed by other things that are no Members; and as in a Body politick or civil Society, or Corporation no Man can take any Office on him, no, not for its profit, unless he be a Free-man and a Member thereof, and he must D

affume

aflume it in a legal Courte according as the Charter directs ; even juft fo it is in the Chriftian Church, which by a Divine Covenant or Charter is one Body or one Society of Chrifti. ans. It is the privilege of Church members to exercife all or any Acts of Church-communion, as preaching, hearing, praying or receiving the Lord's Supper; and if any do fuch Acts that are no Church-members, thofe Acts of theirs can be no Acts of Church-communion, for they have nothing to do with Church-communion, that are no Church members. But then,

Two things must be here added, and they challenge our fpecial Notice. First, Whoso have that Right and Title to the publick Exercife of Church communion, as Church members in any one found and orthodox Church; they have by the Laws of Catholick- unity and Church-communion, the fame Right and Title thereunto in all other found and orthodox Churches, whitherfoever they may happen to come: And fecondly, On the other hand, whofo is justly cut off, or caft out from that Right and Title by Excommunication in any one found and orthodox Church, he by the fame Laws of Catholick-unity and Church-communion forfeits his Right and Title to Church-communion in all other Churches, untill he repent and be reconciled to that particular Church whereof he is an immediate Member, and no other orthodox Church (knowing of the cenfure pafs'd upon him) may receive fuch a Man into communion without a regular Abfolution; and the Reafon hereof is very evident, viz. Because the Church

Church is Catholick, and is in all places but one. To fay more of this, feems utterly needlefs: It is fo plain in the very Nature and Reason of the thing; the next Question then shall concern the Chriftian's Duty agreeable to, and confequent upon this his Right and Title as a Church-member: To which I proceed.

Quest XI. Is it not the unquestioned Dus ty of all Church-members whofe privilege it is, to challenge this Right and Title to Church communion; to hold, maintain, and exercife all publick Acts of Churchcommunion in the particular Church they live in?

Anf. There, or no where, is it their unqueftioned Duty, if it be a found and orthodox Part I of the Catholick Church: For it is a Churchmember's Duty, as well as Privilege, to do the Part of a Church-member, or else it is in vain for him to be one. A Member of the Catholick Church muft communicate with, and do the Part of a Member of the Catholick Church, which he cannot otherwife do, than in the place he lives in; concerning which he must do his - utmost to judge aright of that Church he lives in; whether it be indeed a found and orthodox Part of the Catholick Church, and if upon ferious Examination he find it fo, or at least find nothing to the contrary, it is his part and duty = as a Member of the Catholick Church to hold communion with it in its publick Affemblies,

D 2

fand

*Acts 2.

42.

converts

and all holy Offices in them; and unless he do this, he doth not live as a Church-member, which is in effect to fay, he lives not like a Chriftian. For, for a Pattern to all Chriftians, St. Peter * the 3000 Souls that were by Baptifm made Church-members, continued ftedfastly in the Apostle's Doctrine, in their Fellowship, and breaking of Bread and Prayers. It is true, if a Church-member be juftly excommunicated, and fo caft out of the Church's Communion, having no Right, he can have no Duty to communicate, but in that cafe his Duty is to reform himself, that he may be reconciled and received again into the Church's Bofom; and it will aggravate his Sin if he do not immediately endeavour this. But otherwife every one that is made a Chriftian, or a Churchmember by Baptifm, is in duty to continue ftedfaftly in all the publick Exercises of Churchcommunion, which if he do not, whether he turn Infidel, Schifmatick, or prophane, he in effect renounceth his Church-membership, and confequently his Chriftianity. It's plainly wonderful, that ever this fhould be made a queftion, Whether it be a Chriftian's Duty to come to the Church's-affemblies conftantly, and to join in all Holy Offices there, where he lives; and it is methinks as eafie to refolve, as if the queftion was Whether it be neceffary for every Man that is a Chriftian, to do the part of a Chriftian? But fince we have many ungodly Chriftians in our Church's Bolom that account themfelves as good Members of the Church of

England,