is it not the Communion of the Blood of Chrift? The Bread which we Break is it not the Communion of the Body of Chrift? For & woλa, As many as are of us, are One Bread, and One Body; for we are all Partakers of that One Bread: Fairly importing that the very Purpose of this Myftery is, to Unite all Chriftians into One Com

munion.

23. It might be largely prov'd from the fi nal Tendencies of all the Christian Laws and Duties of Charity, Sympathy, Brotherly Kindness, Meeknefs, Gentleness, Patience, Humility, Self-denyal, &c. All the Chriftian Laws and Duties whatsoever which are of any Uniting, any Healing, any Soddering, any compacting Efficacy.

24. It might be as largely proved from the common Principles, and the conftant Course of Government and Difcipline which prevail'd in the Catholick Church, in the Apotolick Age, and the next fucceeding Ages. No Principle more uncontroverted, in those Primitive Times, than this, That 'tis one Communion that Conftitutes the Unity of the one Catholick Church of Chrift. Innumerable are the Teftimonies colligible to this purpose, from the Remains of Clemens Romanus, Barnabas, Hermes, Ignatius, Polycarp, Juftin Martyr, Athenagoras, Irenæus, Clemens A exandrinus, Tertullian, Minutius Felix, Origen, Cornelius, Firmilian; All the Fathers of the firft and pureft Centuries. St. Cyprian, Optatus, St. Auguffin, &c. have written Volumes to this purpose. Nay, even the Antient Hereticks and Schif

maticks

maticks themselves own'd this for an undoubt ed Principle. Never one of them maintain'd that there might be more than one Salutary Chriftian Communion. All they had the confidence to fay, was, that their Communion, whatever it was, was the One Communion which Unites all Chrift's true Members into One Body. So 'twas pretended by the Novatians, and by the Donatifts: And 'twas in purfuance of this Fundamental Principle, that there can be but One True Saving Chriftian Communion, that they were fo Earneft to have Bishops, of their own Commmunion, every where fettled.

25. Only one thing more let me add, for preventing of Miftakes. By the Catholick Church, all this while, I do not mean (as thofe of the Church of Rome do) All the Chriftians of this present Age maintaining any one Communion. No: no doubt many call'd Chriftians; Many call'd Chriftians Churches, may be of One Communion, and in the mean time, that One Communion may be Heretical or Shifmatical, or Both. I mean all the Orthodox Chriftians of all Ages fince the firft Plantation of Chriftian Churches. I understand the Word [Catholick] as extending to all Ages as well as to all Orthodox Chriftians of any particular Age. I do not take the Catholick Church of Chrift to be another thing, Now, nor its Communion to be another Communion, than it was in St. Paul's, or St. Ignatius's, or St. Cyprian's, or St. Auguftine's Age. Whatsoever particular Church in this prefent Age is fo conftituted as to Government, and fo Qualified as to F Terms

A

Terms of Communion, as that, had the been exiftent in those mentioned Ages, fhe would have been in the One Communion of the Oné Catbolick Church, That Church,as Ireckon, is a found Part of the True Church Catholick. As,in thofe Early Ages, there was OneCatholickChurch made up of all particular Churches, united by the Cement of One Catholick Communion; So as I calculate, that fame Catholick Church always continues; And it continues to be cemented by One Communion; and the Terms of that One Communion muft continue the fame. Thẻ fame Faith, the fame Government,the fame Catholick Rules of Difcipline, in a Word, the fame Conditions of Communion between Sifter Churches ought always to continue. She must be either aň Heretical or a Schifmatical Church, or Both, which forges new Terms, or requires new conditions of Communion,

26. That which compacts all particular Churches into One Body, One Church Catholick being thus Stated, Explain'd and Prov'd; I fhall but name that which conftitutes the U nity of a Particular Church. Tis a due Dependence of all the Members on that which is the Principle of Unity to that particular Church. The Catholick Church confifts of Similary Parts, that is, of particular Churches, each of them like to another in frame and conftitution. A particular Church is an Organiz'd Body: A whole made up of Dif fimilary Parts, Of Members rang'd into different Ranks and Orders. Every Body (Political as well as Natural) duly Organiz'd, has an

Head.

Head. On this Head, all the Members muft depend; To it they muft adhere; with it they must be united; otherwife they cannot continue Living Members. Cut off a Branch from the Root and inftantly it dies; or a Beam from the Sun, and forthwith it evanishes; or a Stream from the Fountain, and presently it dries. They are St. Cyprian's Comparisons. Some of them, our Saviour's. What Life is there in a Finger when cut off from the Hand? Or in an Hand when cut off from the Body? Or in a Body, when feparated from the Head? Now, Sir, I affirm that in every particular Chuch, a Bishop continuing in the Unity of the one Church Catholick, is this Head. All the other Members, whether fubordinate Officers or fingle Chriftians, are bound, in their refpective Stations, to depend on him, to adhere and be fubject to him, and keep to his Communion.

$27. That every Bishop continuing in Communion with the Catholick Church was the Principle of Unity to his own Particular Church, was a Principle as Univerfally received as any other whatfover, in the Primitive Times. That about the middle of the third Century, it was an undoubted, uncontroverted, univerfally receiv'd Principle, has been lately fully prov'd, to the Conviction of all that are not Obftinate, by our Countryman, the Author of the Principles of the Cyprianick Age. That it continued to be a Principle as undoubted, as uncontroverted, as Univerfally received for many After-Ages, is fo NotoriF 2

ous

ous as to need no Proof, neither can Greater Evidence be collected for the Undoubtedness. Uncontrovertedness, the Univerfal Reception of any other Principle any way relating to Ecclefiaftical Government, froin the Monuments of Prior Ages, even up to the Apoftolical Age: In fhort, Sir, How could it be other than an Acknowledg'd Principle to all thofe who believ'd Epifcopacy to be of Apoftolical Inftitution? Now this was fo Univerfally believed by all Chriftians, before, as well as in St. Cyprian's Time, that I dare confidently fay you are not able to produce fo much as one Diffenting Voice. The Truth is, never antient Heretick nor Schifmatick had the Brow to call it in Question. Never a Sect of them all but found it neceffary to have their own Bishops to be their Principles of Unity.

28. I only affirm these things at prefent. To prove them fo fully as they might be proved, would extend this Letter to too great a Length: And I may have occafion in my next, to give that which, in due Estima tion, may be reckon'd fufficient Evidence for them. Wherefore,

29, I come now to give you (that which, you complain, I did not give you before) a Defcription of Schifm. 'Tis eafily colligible from the preceding Principles. SCHISM is a Breach of the One Communion which unites the Catholick Vifible Church into One Body. That Particular Church which gives up Communion with other Particular Churches continuing

in