Now many good people are alarmed at the manifold divisions which abound; they say, Can this be the true Church of GOD, which is torn asunder into so many parties and sects, and broken to pieces? For it is evident throughout the Scriptures, that the Church of GOD must be one; and how can we be safe unless we belong to the one true Church?

It is a reason, indeed, why we should be humbled to the dust before God. They who were without the covenant of promise in the Gospels received admission into all its benefits, when they were humbled at the sense of their condition. The woman of Canaan, who confessed she was not one of God's children, and considered herself to be but even as the dogs, that "eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table;" the heathen centurion, who said that he was not worthy that CHRIST should enter under his roof because he was a Gentile: these were very high in God's favour, because they were humbled at the want of those privileges which others had, and thereby brought more to a sense of their unworthiness and uncleanness.

Now it is very certain that no blessing can ever go with divisions and dissensions; but if we labour for peace and unity, to "keep the unity of the SPIRIT in the bond of peace," we shall have the blessing of God's children. He will not lay to our charge the divisions and dissensions which we have not occasioned and cannot help; HE will keep us secretly in His tabernacle from the strife of tongues, and fill our hearts with that peace which passeth all understanding.

SERMON CCXCV.

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

EPHESIANS iv. 3-6.

"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the SPIRIT in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one SPIRIT, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one LORD, one faith, one baptism, one GOD and FATHER of all.".

MEN are always endeavouring to join and associate together, and in some way to have fellowship with each other. It is something to belong to the same country and the same parish among strangers, and often by little clubs and societies, for some mutual profit or pleasure, men combine together and entertain something of good-will towards each other. Still more so when born of the same parents, bred up in the same house, brethren and sisters, and relations more or less near. Or, again, if men can. agree together, in politics, or any other subject in which they are strongly interested, this also binds them together. And thus in numberless other ways mankind are always disposed to join hand in hand and heart with heart among each other. And, surely, no wonder; for of all things in this world, love and mutual affection is the most of all things worth living for: of all worldly comforts it is by far the greatest: "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith '." Love in a family, love among friends, love in a neighbourhood, there is nothing equal to this in some way or other men will always endeavour to be joined together with others, even though it be to do evil. But,

1 Prov. xv. 17.

4

now,

all this which we see throughout the world is but a sign of something infinitely greater and better, that which is called in the Creed the Communion of Saints; that mysterious and unspeakable union and love by which Christians are to be bound together with each other and with GOD.

If brethren upon earth feel in a manner one, and have love for each other because they have the same earthly parents; how much more they who as Christians have one FATHER which is GOD, and one Spiritual Mother which is the Church of GOD? If children of the same womb and nursed at the same breast have any brotherly love for each other; how much more they who have one Baptism by which they are made children of God? If they who are of the same country upon earth, or the same profession, are in a manner joined together as fellow-countrymen, fellow-soldiers, fellow-travellers, fellow-labourers, fellow-servants; how much more they who are travelling together to the same heavenly country, having one MASTER and SAVIOUR; being made "fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of GOD?" If men are friends with each other because they agree in worldly politics; how much more when they agree in holding the one faith, once delivered to the Saints; when they love and value, and are deeply concerned for, the same great doctrines and truths of GOD? Those are all of earth, this is of heaven; those are party spirit, this is Divine charity.

But the Communion of Saints is something infinitely more excellent than any thing that can be thus explained; for Christians being grafted by Baptism into the Body of CHRIST, are made like parts of each other. As the body is one," says St. Paul, “and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is CHRIST. For by one SPIRIT are we all baptized into one body 2." And as the limbs of the same body feel for each other, so, says the Apostle, is it with Christians. "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." CHRIST is in all, CHRIST is in each, and therefore all feel for each other. We are, as the same Apostle says, members one of another." And this mysterious union arises not

21 Cor. xii. 12, 13.

3 Rom. xii. 5.

only from our partaking of one Baptism, but also from the other Sacrament. "We being many," says the Apostle, "are one bread and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread "."

And this love which Christians are to feel for each other, is to be something perfectly different in kind from those combinations and fellowships which are in the world; and so great and true, that mankind will see it to be, not of an earthly, but of an heavenly nature, and will discern in it something Divine. "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another"." Thus our LORD speaks of His peace as a gift quite different from that which is found in the world: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you." And before offering up the great Sacrifice of HIMSELF, our LORD prays for this union among His disciples of a nature so unspeakable, so unlike any thing that is in the world, as to be a resemblance of that unity whereby our LORD is One with the FATHER. "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on ME through their word; that they all may be one; as THOU, FATHER, art in ME, and I in THEE, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that THOU hast sent ME." And again, "I have declared unto them Thy Name, that the love wherewith THOU hast loved ME Now this we may see is the spoken of as something so

may be in them, and I in them "." Communion of Saints; and it is

Divine, in the love of Christians to each other even upon earth, as to be like a miracle in the world.

And when the HOLY SPIRIT came down on the day of Pentecost, there was a remarkable sign of this union in the eyes of all men. For we read in Genesis, that when men endeavoured to build a tower to heaven, the curse of Babel came upon the world; GoD came down to confound their language, so that they could no longer understand one another's speech, and "scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth," so that the people should be. no longer one, of one language. For if they continued one, they would be able, as it were, to build a tower to heaven. But on

4 1 Cor. x. 17.

6 John xvii. 21, 22. 26.

5 John xiii. 35.

7 Gen. xi. 6. 9.

Whit-Sunday, the first day in some sense of the Christian Church, this curse was removed, when the HOLY SPIRIT came down and gave the Apostles power to speak all languages of the world then was it shown that however scattered abroad and divided by different languages, and in different countries throughout the whole world, yet that Christians should be one, one people; should have, as it were, one language, and understand each other. That as the Jewish nation had been all one, separate from other nations, of one heart, one language, one family; so should the Christian Church be throughout the world, all united together in the Communion of Saints.

And although we see it is now very different, yet it once was thus united; for we read in the Acts of the Apostles of the early Church, that it had this mark of CHRIST: "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common "." And no wonder that they should have been all one, for we read also of them, "That they continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came on every soul 1."

And as this love and union was to be the sure sign of true Christians, whereby it should be known to all men that they were disciples of Christ; so are we told that the want of this union and concord was a no less certain indication that they had fallen from the faith. "Now I beseech you, brethren," says St. Paul to the Corinthians, "by the Name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, . . . . that there are contentions among you 2" I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. For whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" Here St. Paul declares that the very existence of divisions among them was a sure sign that they were not walking in the SPIRIT: and

8 Acts ii. 6. 12.

1 Acts ii. 42, 43.

9 Acts iv. 32.

2 1 Cor. i. 10, 11.