by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink of the same Spirit-that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular," 1 Cor. xii, 12, 13, 25, 26, 27.

5th. ONE FAITH. It is plainly asserted that there is one common faith. Titus i, 4. One like precious faith of all that bear the name of Christians. 2 Peter i, 1. A unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to which we must all attain. Eph. iv, 13. A faith once delivered to the saints, (Jude 3,) for which we must strive earnestly, and in which we must build up ourselves. There is a faith of the gospel, for which we are exhorted to contend as with one soul. Phil. i, 27. Viewing this one faith as the object of faith, it comprehends all the truths contained in Scripture. Looking at it as the exercise of faith, it justifies the sinner, purifies him from sin, and by it he overcomes the world. The inference of Romanists respecting this one faith is vain, viz., That it must be either theirs, and then we cannot be saved without it; or ours, and then they cannot be saved: for this one faith, into which all Christians are baptized, contains the great truths of Christianity as to its object, and its exercise consists not merely in assenting to dogmas of faith, but particularly confiding and relying on Jesus Christ for salvation, accompanied with true penitence and forsaking of sin, and followed by the fruits of the Spirit of God in the heart and life.

6th. ONE BAPTISM, by which we profess our faith; administered in the name of the Trinity, and so the sacramental covenant by which we engage ourselves to the Lord Christ: it is indicative of the influences. privileges, and effects of the Christian religion.

7th. ONE HOPE of everlasting glory, to which glory Christians have been called by the preaching of the gospel, and they should live with the same expectation of being all brought to the same blessed end, to one glorious abode in heaven.

8th. THE NATURE OF THIS UNITY, which the apostle prescribes, is, the unity of the Spirit. For the whole body of Christians is here said to have one Spirit, and their unity is styled the unity of the Spirit. The body is one, for by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body. And to the whole body of the church of Corinth he speaks thus: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 1 Cor, iii, 16: "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, that is in you?" 1 Cor. vi, 19. By the unity of the Spirit we are to understand not only a spiritual unity, but also a unity of sentiment, desires, pursuits, &c., such as is worthy of, and springs from the Spirit of God. The seat of Christian unity is in the heart or spirit; it does not lie in one set of thoughts, or in one form of worship, but in one heart and soul. This unity we are to endeavour to keep, by exerting ourselves to the utmost. If others will quarrel with us, we must take all possible care lest we quarrel with them. If others will despise and hate us, we must not despise and hate them. In the bond of peace. Peace is a bond, as it unites persons, and makes them friendly with each other. A peaceable disposition and conduct

bind Christians together; whereas discord and contention disjoin their heart and affections. Christ, saith the apostle, (Eph. ii, 16-18,) hath reconciled both Jew and Gentile into one body unto God, and hath made peace between them, for by him we have both access by one Spirit to the Father, and therefore having this one Spirit, by which we are made one body, and the sons of the same Father, we are all fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the family of God: and are all built into a habitation of God through the Spirit. From the foregoing the following inferences are drawn:

Inference 1. None but true Christians are members of that catholic church of which Christ is the head, since the whole body is united to him by the communication of the Holy Spirit, whom the wicked of the world cannot receive, John xiv, 17; they being sensual, having not the Spirit. Jude 19.

Inference 2. Nothing can unite any professor to this body but the participation of the Holy Spirit; and therefore nothing else can make him a true member of that church which is his body. Hence the apostle informs us negatively, "That if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him, he is none of his," Rom. viii, 9, 11. He also declares affirmatively, that "by this we know that he abideth in us, and we in him, because he hath given us of his Spirit," 1 John iv, 13. For "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,” Rom. viii, 14. And “because we are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts," Gal. iv, 6. It is therefore a certain truth, that nothing can unite us to that church, or body, of which Christ Jesus is the head, but the participation of the Spirit.

Inference 3. That no error in judgment, or mistake in practice, which doth not tend to deprive a Christian of the Spirit of Christ, can separate him from the church of Christ.

Inference 4. That we are not to acknowledge any persons as our spiritual guides, unless we have good reason to believe that they belong to that church of which Christ is the head, and to which only the promise of the Spirit doth belong.

9th. The means of preserving this unity are, lowliness and meekness, long-suffering and forbearing one another in love, walking worthy our vocation. By lowliness we are to understand humility, and entertaining lowly thoughts of ourselves, which is opposed to pride. By meekness is meant that excellent disposition of soul which makes men unwilling to provoke others, and not easily to be provoked or offended with their infirmities; and it is opposed to angry resentment or peevishness. Long-suffering implies a patient bearing of injuries, without seeking revenge. Forbearing one another in love, signifies bearing their infirmities out of principle of love; and so as not to cease to love them on account of these. The best Christians have need to bear one with another, and to make the best one of another; to provoke each other's graces, and not their passions. We find much in ourselves which is hard to forgive ourselves; and therefore we must not think it strange if we find that in others which we think hard to forgive; and yet we must forgive them as we forgive ourselves. Now without these things unity cannot be preserved. The first step toward unity is humility; without that there will be no meekness, no patience or forbearance, and without these no unity. Pride and passion break the peace, and

make all the mischief. Humility and meekness restore the peace and keep it. Only by pride cometh contention; by love and humility, peace and unity are promoted. We do not walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, unless we be meek and lowly of heart: for Christ, whom we are to imitate, was meek and humble.

10th. The reasons or motives for this unity. We are all the children of the same Father, redeemed by the same Saviour, enlightened and renewed by the same Spirit, baptized with the same baptism, members of one body, exercising the same faith, aiming at the same end, walking in the one way of holiness. Such are the reasons for unity. But they are such as are rejected by all wicked men, and are followed only by truly pious persons.

11th. The importance of unity. How can spiritual brethren fall out by the way? Have they not all one Father, all one Head? Do they not all form one body, and are they not all members of each other? How monstrous it is to see the nails pulling out the eyes, the hands tearing off the flesh from the body, the teeth biting off the tongue, &c.! And is it less to see the members of a Christian society bite and devour each other, till they are consumed one of another? Every member of the mystical body should labour for the edification and comfort of the whole, and the honour of the Head. Did all Christians live peaceably with each other and all mankind, glory would redound to God, and peace and good will would abound to man.

2. Unity of itself is not a mark of the true church. It is necessary that unity be joined with faith and doctrine. Nor is every union of faith and doctrine a mark of the true church; it must be a unity of true faith and true doctrine, that is, of the doctrines of the apostles and prophets. "If ye remain in my word ye are my disciples indeed," John viii, 31. Although therefore the true church is one, and its true members agree in one religion, it cannot be inferred from hence, that wherever unity and concert in religion exist, there is the true apostolical church. There is a twofold unity, as Thomas Aquinas on Eph. iv, sect. 1, says, "The one good, the other bad; the one of the Spirit, the other of the flesh." As there is one church of God, there is one Babylon of Satan. "If Satan be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand?" Matt. xii, 25. A Scriptural unity is productive of great advantages; if the unity be bad; it is a fruitful source of mischief. When Aaron and the congregation of Israel worshipped the golden calf, was their unity a proof of the purity of their worship? All the priests of Baal conspired against the prophets of God. In the time of Jeremiah the whole people conspired against the true worship of God. The ten tribes at Bethel were as much united as the two at Jerusalem; but notwithstanding their union and the superiority of their numbers, they were guilty of schism. Christ by the common council of the priests and elders, and by the suffrage of the people, was condemned to death. The heretics, too, of the first ages were closely united against the orthodox faith. All which go to show, that not every unity, but one of faith and doctrine, nor indeed this, unless it was a unity of the true faith and doctrine, is a true mark of the church of Christ. It is therefore certain that union of itself is no proof of a pure and sound church. If the Romanists would derive any advantage from their professed union, they must prove to us that their doctrines are

apostolical, that their terms of communion are not sinful; in short, that they are united by the love of God and man, in the practice and profession of the truths of the Christian religion as taught in the canonical Scriptures. Without this, their union will prove their church to be a mischievous schism from the one catholic and apostolic church.

The unity existing or professed by the Church of Rome will next claim our attention.

3. Roman Catholics plead for their unity the Scriptural declarations in which the church is called one body, one fold, &c. They also quote that, "Every kingdom divided against itself is desolated," Matt. xii, 25. "God is not the author of confusion, but of order," 1 Cor. xiv, 33.

No Protestant denies that the church is one, but he justly denies that unity of itself is a true note of the true church. All unity is not of God; nor is all dissent derived from Satan. But the unity of sound doctrine and pure Christian love is that which is enjoined particularly in Scripture. But the Romanists attempt to evade coming to a test by this unity, and endeavour to carry us to their outward unity artificially made up of union with the pope and the clergy. Their claims to unity must therefore be examined in their various parts.

4. Adhesion to the pope of Rome is no proper part of Christian unity. The members of Christ's church are united to one another and to Christ their head by charity. The Church of Rome makes adhesion to the pope, not to Jesus Christ, to be of the essential constitution of the church. This being the great question between them and the Greek Church, and all the other churches of the world, is so far from being a sign to know the church by, that it is the great question of Christendom, and is condemned by all the churches of the world but themselves, and therefore is very suspicious as a fundamental article of religion, or as a note of the true church. That this adherence to the pope cannot be a certain mark of the true church, we prove by the following considerations :

(1.) There are no direct or even inferential proofs from Scripture, that the pope is the head of all Christians, and with whom they are to be in communion. The scriptures adduced by them to prove this would never occur to an unprejudiced person as teaching any such thing as this headship of the pope.

(2.) The Scriptures not only nowhere teach that the Roman pope is head of the church, but, on the other hand, they contradict it. The Scripture acknowledges no one head of the church but Christ. Eph. i, 22, and v, 24. None other is the chief shepherd but Christ alone. John xx, 11; 1 Pet. i, 1. Hence the apostolic and primitive church, immediately succeeding the apostolic times, acknowledged no Roman pontiff as head of the church, but gave this honour to Christ alone, who supplied life and spirit to his mystical body.

(3.) Formerly, when the pious ancients cultivated intercourse with the Church of Rome, she was a preserver of the apostolic faith; but in later times her doctrine is contaminated by many corruptions and errors. Wherefore, as formerly, on account of the preservation of apostolic doctrine, all the churches communicated with the Church of Rome; so, in later times, on account of the depravation of Christian doctrine, they ought to secede from her. As the Roman pontiffs have degenerated

from the ancient bishops of Rome, the modern Church of Rome has also departed from primitive purity.

(4.) The fathers never ascribe this monarchy to the pope. The proofs of this are very ample.*

(5.) Those who separate from Christ, and not from the pope, cease to be true members of the true church; because Christ, not the pope, is the head of the church. "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned," John xv, 6. "Which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted,... maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love," Eph. iv, 15, 16.

(6.) Many have separated from the pope who were, nevertheless, true members of the church. Victor excommunicated the Asiatic churches, who, nevertheless, were true churches, and had many synods and orthodox bishops. Marcellinus was condemned for idolatry by a Roman synod; therefore the Church of Rome, which was then a true church, was separate from him. Pope Liberius condemned Athanasius, the defender of the Catholic faith. So says Baronius: 66 Liberius subscribed to the decision that was introduced against Athanasius, and received the decrees of faith adopted by the Syrmian Council." Liberius, writing to Ursacius and Valens, the Arians, says: "Let your prudence acknowledge, that Athanasius is separated from the communion of the Church of Rome." Certainly, Athanasius did not cease to be a member of the true church, though he was separate both from the Church and pope of Rome. Honorius was condemned as a Monothelite by the sixth Council of Constantinople, which retained the communion of the Catholic Church. The Council of Basil deprived Eugenius of his seat. Many other instances might be given. From the foregoing cases it is clear, that union with the pope is not necessary to the unity of the true catholic church of Christ.

(7.) Many popes were not so much as members of Christ, but the basest of criminals and the enemies of all godliness. Of others who were not so notoriously wicked, they could not be certain that they were the members of Christ, or of their father, the devil. To make communion with men confessedly very wicked a note of true Christian unity is the highest absurdity.

(8.) Other popes were heretics; and, certainly, communion with heretics is a singular mark of true Christian unity. If the pope be heretic, he is, ipso facto, no pope; because heresy, as Bellarmine allows, is one of those cases in which a general council may interfere. This is manifest in the case of Liberius, who was deprived by the Roman clergy, and Felix was made pope.

(9.) No man can be certain who is the true pope. For if the pope be a Simoniac, he is, ipso facto, no pope. And many popes have been shown to be Simoniacs, and strong suspicions are entertained of

* See many quotations from the fathers on this point, quoted by Gerhard, de Ecclesia, sec. 194, 234.

Liberius sententia adversus Athanasium late subscripsit, et decreta fidei in Sirminensi Synodo scripta suscepit.-Baron. Annal., tom. iii, anno 357, p. 709.

+ Cognoscat prudentia vestra, Athanasium ab Ecclesiæ Romanæ communione sepa

ratum esse.