"of your calling. ONE Lord, ONE Faith, ONE

Baptism. ONE God and Father of all," Eph. iv. Can any man who reads this, doubt of the meaning which St. Paul put on the prayer of Christ, "That His Church might be ONE?" one BODY as well as one spirit ?-but further:

In the epistle to the Philippian Church, there is a strong exhortation to them also to "stand fast "with ONE spirit and ONE mind." Surely every man must perceive that these expostulations and injunctions for UNITY would be utterly useless, at best, if the Unity intended were an invisible thing, as some imagine it. What can we know of either the Unity or the Division of an Invisible body; if indeed the very idea be not an inconsistency?

But perhaps the best proof, that it is a Visible Oneness which is intended, will be found in the rebukes and censure which visit those who violate it; and which are of a kind which, without doubt, would be wholly inapplicable to the violators of any Invisible Unity.' "We command you (the

faithful) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, "that ye WITHDRAW yourselves from every bro"ther that walketh disorderly, and not after the

1

See Gal. v. 12 ;

1 Thess. v. 14;

2 Thess. iii. 14.

"tradition which ye have received of us," 2 Thess. iii. 6.

I conclude, then, that these passages, illustrative of the history of the Apostolic Churches, are surely decisive on this point-that the body of Christians in ONE place constituted ONE Church, and that it was a grievous sin to separate from it, or in any way to divide it: and concerning those who do so, St. Jude summarily says, "these are

646

they that separate themselves, sensual (or worldly), not having the Spirit," Jude 19.

The doctrine now deduced from the Scriptures hath been the doctrine of Christ's Catholic Church from the beginning. The Christians of one place were always to be one body, however numerous the parts-one Church, however numerous the congregations. And they had not only one Body, but, as we have seen, one Spirit, one Doctrine, and one Baptism. Either to separate from the Body, or from the Doctrine (i. e. any doctrine about which the Catholic Church had ever spoken with but one voice1), was to infringe the Catholic UNITY, and be guilty of SCHISM.

1 See Lecture I., p. 26.

2

2" Where no ministry, and no ordinances of Christ are, there is no Church; so where the same ministry and the same ordinances are, there is the same Church."-PEARSON.

G

But now it may perhaps be asked, Is there after all no case in which separation from a Church may be a duty? And, in reply, I will not say that such a case is impossible, but I will say, that the supposition is so extreme and improbable, that no direction respecting any such case can be found in those Scriptures which we profess to take as our rule. Look thoroughly for yourselves, and judge of the truth of what I now say. You cannot find in all the Bible a single clear precept, or approved example, to justify separating from any Church; even a corrupt one. The Churches addressed in the Apocalypse were very corrupt, but the people were not exhorted to withdraw from them, or set up new Teachers, or rebel against the "Angel" or chief ruler. Of one of the Churches (that of Şardis) it is even declared that it "had a name to "live and was dead," Rev. iii. 1. Yet to the members of this not merely corrupt but "dead" Church, there is an exhortation to reform, and not to separate. It is obvious, then, that even if (as may be alleged) we are to be guided only by the Spirit of the Scriptures, in the absence of express precept, there must at least be some extreme and overwhelming and manifest necessity— something beyond the positive "deadness" of

the Church-before separation can possibly be justifiable. If ever, indeed, any man shall in his conscience believe, after weighty consideration and much prayer, that by continuing in the communion of any Church he shall peril the salvation of his soul-it need hardly be said, that he is bound to separate-and, however mistaken he may be, he is a conscientious dissenter. Be it remembered, however, that, even in this case, he will not find in all the Bible either precept or example to guide him-that it is a condition of dreadful uncertainty to be in-to be cast, with a chart indeed, but as it were without pilot, on a sea of changeful opinionsand further, that this is the only case in which separation from the Church can be conceived of as justifiable, for a man who receives the Scriptures.

The force of arguments such as these which have now been used, is not unfrequently evaded by those who will not meet them openly. They say: "These points are not 'essentials' after "all; they are only matters of discipline."" But, let me ask, are they sure that they are adequate judges of what is essential and what is not?

Should not the whole word of God be a rule to us? I know not what right we have to select a few doctrines or precepts and call them " essen

tials," and cast aside the rest of the Holy Volume as "less profitable" or non-essential." Surely our Lord has not revealed any useless truths; nor did he give any information that some things which he taught were less essential than others; and I cannot but believe, that the man who simply desires to know and to obey His will, will bow with reverence to the whole of his revealed law; and not pretend to honour one part by degrading another. For "all Scripture is given by inspira"tion of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for "reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works," 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.

But, indeed, it is by no means clear that what are slightingly termed "matters of discipline" hold any thing like a second-rate position in the Christian system. Take, for example, the rule of Apostolic ordination, which would doubtless be ranked by many among "matters of discipline."

It is surely of essential and vital consequence to be truly baptized into Christ; and to "eat his "flesh and drink his blood with thanksgiving and yet the validity of these sacraments is thought, by many, to depend on Apostolic ordination; and