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life and admitted to the presence of God. Jerusalem sometimes is taken for the church on earth, sometimes for that part of the church which is in heaven, to show that as both are represented by one, so both are but one city of God. Wherefore thus doth the apostle speak to such as are called to the Christian faith, "Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant," Heb. xii. 22. Indeed the communion of the saints in the church of Christ with those who are departed is demonstrated by their communion with the saints alive; for if I have communion with a saint of God, as such, while he liveth here, I must still have communion with him when he is departed hence ; because the foundation of that communion cannot be removed by death. The mystical union between Christ and his church, the spiritual conjunction of the members to the Head, is the true foundation of that communion which one member hath with another, all the members living and increasing by the same influence which they receive from him. But death, which is nothing else but the separation of the soul from the body, maketh no separation in the mystical union, no breach of the spiritual conjunction; and consequently there must continue the same communion, because there remaineth the same foundation. Indeed, the saint departed before his death had some communion with the hypocrite, as hearing the word, professing the faith, receiving the sacraments together; which being in things only external, as they were common to them both, and all such external actions ceasing in the person dead, the hypocrite remaining loseth all communion with the saint departing, and the saints surviving cease to have farther fellowship with the hypocrite dying. But seeing the true and unfeigned holiness of man wrought by the powerful influence of the Spirit of God, not only remaineth but also is improved after death; seeing the correspondence of the internal holiness was the true communion between their persons in their life, they cannot be

said to be divided by death, which had no power over that sanctity by which they were first conjoined.

This communion of the saints in heaven and earth, upon the mystical union of Christ their head, being fundamental and internal, what acts or external operations it produceth is not so certain. That we communicate with them in hope of that happiness which they actually enjoy is evident; that we have the Spirit of God given us as an earnest, and so a part of their felicity, is certain. But what they do in heaven in relation to us on earth particularly considered, or what we ought to perform in reference to them in heaven, beside a reverential respect and study of imitation, is not revealed unto us in the scriptures, nor can be concluded by necessary deduction from any principles of Christianity. They who first found this part of the Article in the Creed, and delivered their exposition unto us, have made no greater enlargement of this communion, as to the saints of heaven, than the society of hope, esteem, and imitation on our side, of desires and supplications on their side: and what is now taught by the church of Rome, is, as unwarrantable so a novitious interpretation.

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The necessity of the belief of this communion of saints appeareth, first, in that it is proper to excite and encourage us to holiness of life. "If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship one with another," 1 John i. 6. But "if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" 2 Cor. vi. 14. When Christ sent St. Paul to the Gentiles, it was open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Christ," Acts xxvi. 18. Except we be turned from darkness, except we be taken out of the power of Satan, which is the dominion of sin, we cannot receive the inheritance among them who are sanctified, we cannot be thought "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." Indeed there

can be no communion where there is no similitude, no fellowship with God without some sanctity; because his na ture is infinitely holy, and his actions are not subject to the least iniquity.

Secondly; the belief of the communion of saints is necessary to stir us up to a proportionate gratitude unto God, and an humble and cheerful acknowledgment of so great a benefit. We cannot but acknowledge that they are "exceeding great and precious promises," by which we become "partakers of the divine nature." "Who am I?" said David," and what is my life, that I should be sonin-law to the king?" 1 Sam. xviii. 18. What are the sons of men, what are they who are called to be saints, that they should have fellowship with God the Father? St. Philip the apostle said unto our Saviour, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth;" whereas he hath not only shown us, but come unto us with the Father, and dwelt within us by his Holy Spirit; he hath called us to the fellowship of the angels and archangels, of the cherubim and seraphim, to the glorious company of the apostles, to the goodly fellowship of the prophets, to the noble army of martyrs, to the holy church militant on earth, and triumphant in heaven.

Thirdly; the belief of the communion of saints is necessary to inflame our hearts with an ardent affection towards those who live, and a reverent respect towards those who are departed and are now with God. Nearness of relation requireth affection, and that man is unnatural who loveth not those persons whom nature hath more immediately conjoined to him. Now no conjunction natural can be compared with that which is spiritual, no temporal relation with that which is eternal. If similitude of shape and features will create a kindness, if congruity of manners and disposition will conjoin affections, what should be the mutual love of those who have the image of the same God renewed within them, of those who are endued with the gracious influences of the same Spirit? And if all the saints of God living in the communion of the church deserve the best of our affections here on earth, certainly when they are dissolved and with Christ, when they have been blessed with a sight of God, and rewarded

with a crown of glory, they may challenge some respect from us, who are here to wait upon the will of God, expecting when such a happy change shall come.

Fourthly; this tendeth to the directing and enlarging our acts of charity. We are obliged to be charitable unto all men, because the love of our brother is the foundation of our duty towards man, and in the language of the scriptures whosoever is another is our brother; but we are particularly directed to them that are of the household of faith. And as there is a general reason calling for our mercy and kindness unto all men, so there is a more special reason urging those who are truly sanctified by the Spirit of God to do good unto such as appear to be led by the same Spirit; for if they communicate with them in the everlasting mercies of God, it is fit they should partake of the bowels of man's compassion; if they communicate with them in things spiritual and eternal, can it be much that they should partake with them of such things as are temporal and carnal?

To conclude; every one may learn from hence what he is to understand by this part of the Article, in which he professeth to believe the communion of saints; for thereby he is conceived to express thus much-I am fully persuaded of this as of a necessary and infallible truth, that such persons as are truly sanctified in the church of Christ, while they live among the crooked generations of men, and struggle with all the miseries of this world, have fellowship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, as dwelling with them, and taking up their habitations in them: that they partake of the care and kindness of the blessed angels, who take delight in the ministration for their benefit: that beside the external fellowship which they have in the word and sacraments with all the members of the church, they have an intimate union and conjunction with all the saints on earth as the living members of Christ; nor is this union separated by the death of any; but as Christ in whom they live is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, so have they fellowship with all the saints who from the death of Abel have ever departed in the true faith and fear of God, and now enjoy the presence of the Father,

and "follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth." And thus I believe the communion of saints.

ARTICLE X.

The Forgiveness of Sins.

THIS Article hath always been expressly contained and acknowledged in the Creed, as being a most necessary part of our Christian profession: and for some ages it immediately followed the belief of the holy church, and was therefore added immediately after it, to show that remission of sins was to be obtained in the church of Christ. For seeing the Creed at first was made to be used as a confession of such as were to be baptized, declaring their faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in whose name baptism was administered; they propounded unto them the holy church, into which by baptism they were to be admitted, and the forgiveness of sins, which by the same baptism was to be obtained; and therefore in some creeds it was particularly expressed, I believe one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

Looking thus upon this Article, with this relation, we find the sense of it must be this, that we believe forgiveness of sins is to be obtained in the church of Christ. For the explication whereof it will be necessary, first, to declare what is the nature of remission of sins, in what that action doth consist; secondly, to show how so great a privilege is propounded in the church, and how it may be procured by the members of the church. That we may understand the notion of forgiveness of sins, three considerations are required; first, what is the nature of sin, which is to be forgiven; secondly, what is the guilt or obligation of sin, which wanteth forgiveness; thirdly, what is the remission itself, or the loosing of that obligation.

As the power of sin is revealed only in the scriptures, so the nature of it is best understood from thence. And

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