up

in the Communion of the Catholick Church, involves her felf in Schifm. By fuch giving of Communion, the divides her felf from the One Church of Chrift; She cantons her felf into a Communion diftinct from, and by confequence oppofite to the One Communion which cements the One Body of our Lord. That Party which, in any Particular Church, feparates from, or forfakes the Communion of the Vifible Principle of Unity of that particular Church continuing in the Unity of the Catholick Church, feparates from, or forfakes the Communion of the Catholick Church. For, that which is feparated from any Part adhering to the Whole, muft of neceffity be Separated from the Whole. A Finger, by being cut off from the Hand, is feparated from the whole Body. The number of the feparated Perfons or Parties, whatever it be, alters not the cafe. A Million feparated from the One Communion of the One Catholick Church of Chrift is as much a Schifinatical Million, as a Dozen fo feparated is a Schif matical Dozen. If the Party fo feparated continues in its ftate of Separation, but without Forming another Communion, 'tis in your State of Negative Schifm. 'Tis ftill cut off from the Body. If it forms another Commu nion, Rears another Altar, Erects another Priesthood, 'tis in your ftate of Pofitive Schifm. Perhaps thefe States are not equally criminal: The ftate of Pofitive Schifin feems to have oft Aggravations. But both are States of Schifm; and both do highly endanger thofe F 3

Souls

Souls which are involved in them. Thus, Sir, you have my Notion of Schifm. I proceed now to the next thing I undertook, which was,

30.II. To fhew That Schifmaticks,by being fuch, are cut off from the only falutaryCommunion,theOne Communion of the One Vifible Body of Chrift, and therefore are not to be communicated with.Nothing plainer from the foregoing Principles. There is, there can be but One Body, One Catholick Church of Chrift. This one Body is one by the cement of one Communion. This one Communion, therefore must be the only falutary Communion. Those who are in a State of Schifm, whether Negative or Pofitive, are cut off from this One Communion. Thofe who are cut off from this One Communion, cannot have a lawful Communion. And 'tis not lawful to joyn in an unlawful Commu

nion.

31. These things, Sir, feemed to me to be fovery Obvious, that I did not expect, any Thinking Man would ever call any of them in Queftion. But you have difappointed me. You have attempted to maintain the Lawfulnefs of holding Communion with Schifmaticks. It may be found on due confideration (fay you, Vind. p. 10. 1. 37, &c.) that every kind of Schifm whereof a Church or Body of Chriftians may be Guilty, is no fufficient Reafon to refuse all Communion with them in Worship. This your Pofition you have endeavoured to establish by Scripture, Reason, and Antient Precedents. But you have not Eftablished it. Your Arguments are weak.

32. Firf

32. First, From Scripture, you Reafon thus: We read of Schifms in the Church of Corinth. 1 Cor. 1. 10, 11, 12. And was it Unlawful for fuch to joyn in Worship together? I answer, No. Twas fo far from being Unlawful, that it was more than lawful; 'Twas neceffary: And they did fo: No fhadow of Evidence from Scripture that the Chriftians of Corinth were divided into different or oppofite Communions. That they were not, feems plain from both St. Paul's Epiftles to them; And the Schifms mentioned i Epift. ch. 1. 3. import not that they were. They import no more than that there were Mifunderftandings, Debates, Different Opinions, Difcordant Humours, Heats, Altercations, &c. amongst them and 'tis, certain, thefe may be, may be to very great Heights, without erecting oppofite Altars; without running into Oppofite Communions. I doubt if, juft now, you your felves of the prevailing Prefbyterian Communion in this Nation, do all speak the fame thing; are all per fectly joyned together in the fame Mind, and in the fame Fudgment, And then,

33. Suppofing the Corinthians had, indeed, erected. oppofite Communions, yet, without queftion, 'twas their Duty to have United, and Joyn'd together in Worship. But how? Suppofe one of the two Communions was the One Catholick Communion,, Were those of this Communion allow'd, for the fake of Peace, to forfake it, and to go over to the other, the Schifmatical Communion? Certainly, they were not: But those who had erected the Schift

F 4

matical

matical Communion were infinitely obliged forthwith to forfake it, and return to the Catholick Communion, from which they had feparated. This, and this only, was the way to re-unite them into One Communion. Be

fides,

34. 'Tis a Queftion, Whether, when St. Paul wrote either Firft or Second Epistle to the Corinthians, they were form'd into an Or ganiz'd Body; Whether they had any ordi nary Officer or Officers fet over them, to head them, and be their Principle of Unity. Divers Learn'd Men, both Antient and Modern, have been of Opinion that they had not: and very plaufible Reafons are produc'd for it. But if this was then their cafe, it feems to have been quite another than that of Organiz'd Churches; particularly than Ours, this day, in Scotland, is.

35. What I have faid, is more than enough to thew the Weaknefs of your Argument taken from the Scriptures. Yet, with your leave, I am inclin'd to fay a little more. I muft tell you, that it even furprizes me to find you attempting to Juftify Communion with Schifmaticks by Arguments taken from the Holy Scriptures, efpecially of the New Teftament, which do not more zealonfly Condemn any thing than they do Schifms, Schif maticks and Schifmatical Communions.

Take the following Tafte.

36. Schifm is not only Condemn'd as naturally tending to fubvert Our Lord's Kingdom, Matt. 12. 25. Tis not only Difgraced

with

4.3.

with the abominable name of being a Work of the Flesh. I. Cor. 3. 1, 3, 4. II. Tim. II. Pet. 2. 10. Jude v. 19. Such a work of the Flefh as is Eartbly, Senfual, Devilib. Fam. 3. 15. Such a Work of the Flesh as Excludes from an Inheritance in the Kingdom of God. Gal. 5. 20, 21. 'Tis not only, by our Lord Himfelf, John 15. 4, 5, 6. Made fuch a Crime as configns the Criminal to Everlasting Burnings: For, that the Abiding mention'd, there; fignifies continuing in the Unity of the Vifible Body of Chrift; the One Communion of the One Church Catholick: And that the Separation, there mentioned, is a Separation from the One Communion of that One Visible Body, of neceffity you your felf muft confefs, unless you will fay (what your Confeffion of Faith cannot allow you to fay) that the Members of the Invifible Church, that is, the Elect themselves may be Severed or cut off from Chrift, become withered Branches, and be caft into the Fire. Schifim, I fay, is not only fo noted in the New Teftament, but alfo, 'tis exprefly made a Sin against the Holy Ghost. Heb. 6. 4, 5, 6, 7. and Heb. 10. 25, &c. Nay, if we may believe St. Auftin, 'tis the Sin against the Holy Ghoft, mention'd Matth. 12. 32. I fay St. Auftin: For he infifts largely to this purpose in divers Places, particularly in his Eleventh Sermon on the Words of our Lord. Such an Hideous thing is Schifm. In confequence of this

37. No Sinners more odioufly reprefented. in Holy Writ than Schifmaticks. They are

Exotick