not one fingle Point of them; whether it be of the three coeternal and coequal Perfons in the ever bleffed Trinity afferted there; or of one true Apoftolical Church founded by the Order of the Son of God amongst Men (of which I shall speak more in the following Head) or of the Forgivenefs of our Sins, for Christ's Sake, on the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace, or of the General Refurrection of all Men, or of a strict Judgment to come, and of a Life everlasting in Happiness or Mifery for good and bad Men: Forgot not, I fay, one fingle Point of these Apoftolical Truths, upon account of any arrogant Scruple of proud Reason against the Mystery of your incomprehenfible Creator's fure and certain Revelations; and much less upon the profane and vain Babblings (to use the Apostle's Words) of Men of perverfe Minds, who feek to turn away plain-hearted Believers, from the Acknowledgment of the Truth; But upon this folid Foundation, establish your Chriftian Faith, and waver not, and you shall perform the principal Part of this Condition of the Covenant of continuing ftedfast in the Apostle's Do&trine, as you are requir'd to do.

And as to the other Part of their Do&trine, relating to a ftrictly moral and holy Life, the Church has doubly provided to inftruct you thoroughly in that alfo. 1. By preferving as faithfully for you all

the

the genuine Records and Writings both of the Evangelifts and Apostles themselves in the New Testament; as I fhew'd you the had done their Creed before: And 2. by drawing up ready to your Hand, a Summ of all the faving Doctrines contain'd in those infpired Scriptures, in her most excellent Catechifm: Read, ftudy, and ingraft into your Hearts then, the plain Doctrine of the Sacraments of Christ there, together with your Duty to God and your Neighbour, fo compendioufly, and yet compleatly reprefented to you in it, fteering the Course of your Lives and Converfations by it, and doubt not but you continue as ftedfaft in the Apostles Doctrine, as the first of Chriftians did.

The three laft Conditions of the Covenant will fall under one general Confideration, and having been longer than expected in the reft, I fhall make one joynt Explication of them all; and you will find indeed the Nature of the Things themselves requires it fhould be fo.

For the Particulars are thefe, that every Chriftian muft continue ftedfaftly in Fellowship or Communion with the Apostles; and in breaking of Bread; and in Prayers with them, And you'll be apt to think perhaps, at first hearing, that these Duties feem fo peculiarly belonging to the first Converts, who lived in the fame Time with the Apostles themselves, that it should be impracticable to be done in our Days, who E

live

live fo many hundred Years after them. But affure yourselves (my beloved Brethren) that the Duties are as practicable still, and the Obligation lies as ftrong upon us in thefe fatter Ages of the Church to do fo, as it fay upon any primitive Believers who were cotemporary with them; and the Obligation is founded upon no lefs a Bottom than our Saviour Christ's infallible Promife to thofe Apostles, that he would be with them always to the End of the World: And three or four Things carefully consider'd,、 will open this Truth very clearly to you.

1. Confider then, that our Saviour's minifterial Commiffion, to teach and baptize all Nations, was folely and wholly given to thofe very Apoftles at his laft Farewell to the World. So St. Matthew tells us, (chap.xxviii. y. 16. to the End of that Chapter.)

2. That by fending them forth, as the Father had fent him, Job. xx. 21.) he both enjoyn'd them to publifh the Gofpel as long as they lived, and authorised them to ordain their Succeffors for the fame Purpofe, and to govern the Churches before they died. Each Part of which apoftolical Commiffion St. Paul (who had a right Hand of Fellowship with them all) eminently put in Practice by paffing through whole Kingdoms to convert them to ChriActs xiv. fianity, and by ordaining Elders (that is, Minifters of the Churches) in every Place

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where

where he found them wanting; and moreover, giving full Power to fuch as he af fign'd the larger Jurifdictions, to ordain fpiritual Governours and Minifters to fuc-, ceed them likewife: As appears by his strict Charge to Timothy (whom he had made Bishop of Ephefus before) in thefe Words, The Things which thou haft beard of me, fays 2 Tim. ii. he, amongst many Witneffes, the fame commit 22. thou to faithful Men, who shall be able to teach others alfo. And in the fame Manner to Titus again (whom he had made Bishop of the Inland of Crete) For this Caufe, faid Tit. i. 5. he, left I thee at Crete, that thou shouldst fet in Order the Things that are wanting, and ordain Elders in every City. And remember

3. That to no other Perfons whatfoever amongft the Thousands of Followers and Disciples of the bleffed Jefus, was such a governing and minifterial Power in the Churches intrufted by him befides.

From thefe Confiderations, duly weigh'd, we muft fee, that the Holy Jefus, (that divine Lord of Unity and Peace) manifeftly intended his Church upon Earth, to be but one; and that an univerfal apoftolical Church too (as our venerable Creeds call it) or as the Holy Ghost styles it, a spiritual Building, raifed upon the Foundation (not of any fingle Apostle) but of all the Apostles and Eph.ii zo. Prophets; each being a Pillar equally strong to bear up any Part of the whole, which fhould be built upon it: And Jefus Chrift himself

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himself the only fingle Corner-Stone, who by the Truths which he revealed for our Belief, and by the Doctrine he taught for our Inftruction to eternal Life, and by his own Spirit promised to abide in this Church for ever, unites the whole into one. And judge ye now (my beloved Brethren) in what other Manner the bleffed Jefus fhould make good his folemn Promife to his Apo ftles, that he would be with them to the End of the World (who notwithstanding were mortal, and dyed by Martyrdom or natural Death, like other Men) but by continuing present for ever with this apoftolical Church, which is fo evident a Plant, you fee, fprung up from the genuine Seed of their Doctrine, and of the minifterial Authority derived fucceffively from them alone? And highly remarkable to this Purpofe it is, and feems to fpeak our blessed Saviour's own Meaning directly to be fo; that, in the fame Breath, wherewith he utter'd their minifterial Commiffion to them, he gave them this Promife, without a Tittle of Interruption between them, of being with xxviii. 19, them always to the End of the World. Confult St. Matthew's Text, and you'll find it to be fo. T

Matth.

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And now to apply this to the present Point in Hand. It will follow from hence; that whofoever fhall hold Communion with a Chriftian Church, which has these Testimonials of truly apoftolical Doctrine taught amongst