Judge of Right and Wrong in Things Civil, though it must be applied, by the Reason and Wisdom of Man, to particular Cafes. A Rule, or Square, is not imperfect because it requires the Hand of the Builder to apply it, in order to measure the House, or the Wall. We are not Brutes that cannot reafon, nor mere white Paper, fit to take nothing but the exprefs Stamp of Letters and Syllables; Reasoning is one of our nobleft Powers, and God demands its Exercife: We are bid to fearch the Scriptures, and compare fpiritual Things with fpiritual. It is impoffible to transfer, or apply, any general Sentence of Scripture to particular Exhortations, Reproofs, Inftruction, Conviction, or Comfort for ourselves or others, without deducing Confequences, and thereby bringing the general Words to our daily prefent Occafions: Nor is it poffible for any Perfons to be admitted into a Church of Christ, upon just and regular Grounds, without comparing their perfonal Characters, their Confeffions, and their Practice with the Word of God, by the Exercise of our Reason, and applying to that particular Cafe, what we derive and infer from general Rules, or parallel Examples; now all this cannot be done without making Use of the Confequences of Scripture.

6th Confideration. This Teft of Chriftian Knowledge, this fuppofed Rule of Communion,

munion, is not found among the exprefs Words of Scripture. I might therefore ask Leave of our Proteftant Brethren, who strenuously maintain this Principle, to make an Addrefs to them, in their own Language, thus: "Surely if this Rule of Chriftian "Communion be of fuch abfolute Neceffi

ty to maintain Peace, and fecure Truth, << we may wonder why it is not written "down exprefly in Scripture. Has Jefus Chrift fo little confulted the Peace of his Churches, and the Truth of his Gofpel, as to neglect fo neceffary a Rule of "Church Communion, without which you fuppofe, that neither Peace nor Truth can be maintained? O what a World of "Strife and Confufion in the Churches might have been prevented, by an exprefs Appointment of the Words of Scripture, to be the univerfal Test of "Knowledge for Chriftian Communion? "Is the Scripture fo careful to express all Things neceffary, and yet is this omit"ted? May I not thence infer, according "to your own Principles, that this Rule " of Communion is not neceffary? Indeed, " in my Opinion, it is fo far from being "written in the Bible in exprefs Words, "that by all the Exercife of my Reason, I "cannot derive it from my Bible, by any plain or certain Confequence; I have not feen Evidence enough to believe it

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"to be a sufficient, or an appointed Rule; much lefs of fo abfolute Neceffi"ty to Chriftian Communion, Truth or "Peace".

QUESTION

QUESTION XI.

Whether all Sorts of Proteftants may join together as Members of the fame Church?

B

SECTION I.

Y the Name Proteftant, I intend not only those that protested against the Corruptions of the Roman Church, and the Edict of the Emperor in Germany at the Beginning of the Reformation, but I conclude alfo all that hold the fame general Principle, making the Bible the only and perfect Rule of Faith and Manners, and giving every single Person a Right to judge for himself concerning the Senfe and Meaning of the Bible in Matters of Religion, and to practife according to his own Sentiments in Things facred.

Now if the Queftion be put, Whether all fuch Perfons profeffing the fame Proteftant Principle with all their different Sentiments, may be united in the fame Church, I answer, (1.) It

(1.) It is impoffible, and they cannot. (2.) It is unlawful, and they ought not. (3.) If it were both poffible and lawful, yet it is highly inexpedient, and therefore it should not be done.

First, It is impoffible, and they cannot join in the fame Communion. There are fome Actions neceffary in order to Christian Communion in Worship, which are appointed in General in the holy Scripture, but must be performed in fome particular and determinate Way: Now this in the very Nature of Things makes it neceffary to determine the Words of Scripture to a particular Senfe and different Sects of Proteftants determine these Words in fuch different Ways, as will often be exceeding hard, and fometimes utterly impoffible, to be reconciled and made confiftent in one Communion: As for Inftance,

;

1. Some cannot in Confcience attend upon the Ministry of a Perfon, who has not been ordained by the Impofition of the Hands of a Diocefan Bishop, for they think him no Minister of Christ; others refuse him for a Minifter, who has not had the Hands of feveral Prefbyters imposed in his Ordination ; and there are a third Sort again, that think either of these two Ordinations to be unneceffary, if not unlawful; and believe him no Minister of Christ, unless he be chosen by a Congregation, and fet apart to that Work amongst them by Fafting and Prayer. S

Note,