us, by a lively faith in Christ's promises, to disregard our light afflictions, that are but for a moment, seeing that, by patience, and an humble, pious resignation to the divine will, they are in mercy sent to work for us an unfading, eternal weight of glory. In confirmation of these truths, all Christians are equally taught to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; there being but one body and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. (Eph. iv. 3, 4, 5. And chap, v. 23), For, as the husband is the head of the wife, even so is Christ the head of the church, and the Saviour of the whole body of it. And, therefore, all who have manfully fought the good fight of faith, and honestly finished their course, shall be admitted to the grand assembly of the church of the first-born which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just meu made perfect. (Heb. xii. 23.)

Further to the reasons already produced, why we consider all true members of Christ's body as constituting a catholic or universal church, the following may be added:

First, to distinguish it from the Jewish church, which was confined to a certain people, and was to continue but for a time; whereas the Christian church takes in all mankind, and is to last to the end of time, a pro

phecy of which is contained in Psalm ii. 7,

8:

The Lord hath said,

Thou art my Son; this day

have I begotten thee.

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Secondly; another reason is, that in this part of the Creed is comprehended what is to be believed by all Christians, namely, that the faith here declared, is not that of any one particular church, or distinct community (however purely Christian it may be), which, according to the decision of God's wise providence, may fail and cease, as other Christian churches have done, by neglecting their first works; but the faith here mentioned, is only that of the pure church of Christ, which shall never fail, and to which alone (including real Christians of every particular church) the promises of God do belong; for any one church can no more be called the catholic church, in the pure sense the words have been explained to you, than London may be called England, or England the whole world. But it may be further necessary to reconsider the enlarged sense of this expression, in order to remove a mistake which unlearned people are apt to run into, from not distinguishing between THE catholic church and a catholic church, though the difference, on consideration, will appear very great, Many, likewise, because the word ca

tholic is added to the church of Rome, which is called Roman Catholic, are apt to confound the characters of these two churches, though most of their tenets and doctrines are entirely opposite; for, under the title of THE CATHOLIC church (as. before observed), is to be understood the whole church, or body of all genuine Christians throughout the world; but a catholic church means no more than a sound part of that body; such a church, as by the purity of its doctrines, in communion with the true catholic or universal church of Christ, is particularly opposed to innovations and institutions of heretics and schismatics, those founders and supporters of opinions contrary to the pure word of God, the genuine catholic faith, and Christian doctrine; and who wantonly and wilfully, without sufficient reason, separate from that church, which, upon clear evangelical principles, may be justly called the true church, or a sound branch of it.

Now, both these descriptions of people, whatsoever they may pretend, are really no parts of the catholic church; for it is self-evident, that as the church, truly so called, must be that first planted by Christ and his Apostles, and which has continued ever since to teach the same doctrines it received from them (or if, in case of its occasional apostacy, it has returned to the study and promulgation of the truth), no

heretic, consequently, can be a true member of it; because heretics are those who deny or disbelieve that faith which Christ and his Apostles delivered to this church, not only in some lesser points, but in the most essential and fundamental articles of it. And, for the very same reason, separatists cannot justly be accounted true members of Christ's church, because they openly forsake, separate, or cut themselves off from the communion of the catholic church, if they desert any one sound part of it; for, it is a manifest contradiction to say, they actually continue members of the same, who, by their own wilful separation from it, have renounced its communion. And it follows from these premises, that this must be the case of all who refuse communion with the church of England, unless she can be proved no true part of the catholic church. But that is impossible, because she holds the true catholic faith, as delivered in the Holy Scriptures, as drawn up in the creeds of the church, and. likewise acknowledged by the purest and most ancient councils to be sufficient to entitle all who profess thus much, to be truly catholic orthodox Christians: she also holds communion with all such Christians as profess the same faith.

How far the church of Rome, or the popish church (so called from the chief bishop or

governor of it residing at that place, and being styled Pope or father thereof), may be judged schismatical and heretical, I do not think immediately concerned with the present subject, which principally relates to our faith in the TRUE catholic church, or a just notion of what is meant thereby.

Lastly, that this church has every claim to be called HOLY, cannot be disputed, especially when we more particularly consider the end of Christ in forming it; the rules he has appointed for its conduct; the promises he has made for the observance of them; the sacraments, ministry, and all its ordinances, which clearly are calculated to make it holy; and, above all, as every one, who is indeed a faithful member of it, is in a measure actually sanctified and purified by the influence of the Holy Spirit, so far are they truly, though imperfectly holy now, and shall hereafter be altogether spotless.

In the introduction to this Discourse, and the statement of the members of this article, I treated but briefly on the concluding expression, the communion of saints. It is certain, from the language in which the Creed or Belief is composed, the terms may signify holy persons or holy things. Of the former I delivered a full description, showing you, that by saints we are properly to understand such as answer the end of their calling by a lively faith and holy