Churches so appointed and established in order as hath been declared ought to hold communion among themselves, or with each other, as unto all the ends of their institution and order, for these are the same in all; yea, the general end of them is in order of nature considered antecedently unto their institution in particular. This end is, the edification of the body of Christ in general, or the church catholic. The promotion hereof is committed jointly and severally unto all particidar churches. Wherefore, with respect hereunto, they are obliged unto mutual communion among them- selves; which is their consent, endeavour, and conjunction, in and for the promotion of the edification of the catholic church, and therein their own, as they are parts and members of it.
This communion is incumbent on every church with respect unto all other churches of Christ in the world equally. And the duties and acts of it in all of them are of the same kind and nature; for there is no such disparity between them or subordination among
184 TKUE NATURE OF A GOSPEL CHURCH.
them as should make a difference between the acts of their mutual communion, so as that the acts of some should be acts of authority, and those of others acts of obedience or subjection. Wherever there is a church, whether it be at Rome or Eugubium,^ in a city or a village, the communion of them all is mutual, the acts of it of the same kind, however one church may have more advantages to be useful and helpful therein than another. And the abuse of those advantages was that which wrought effectually in the beginning of that disorder which at length destroyed the catholic church, Avith all church-communion whatever: for some churches, especially that of Rome, having many advantages, in gifts, abilities, numbers, and re- putation above many, above most churches, for usefulness in their mutual communion, the guides of it insensibly turned and per- verted the addresses made unto them, the advices and assistances desired of them in way of communion, or their pretences of such addresses and desires, into a usurpation, first of a primacy of honour, then of order, then of supremacy and jurisdiction, unto the utter overthrow of all church order and communion, and at length of the Avhole nature of the catholic church, as stated and subsisting in par- ticular churches; as we shall see.
All churches, on their first institution, quickly found themselves indigent and wanting, though not as unto their being, power, and order, yet as unto their well-being, with their preservation in truth and order upon extraordinary occurrences, as also with respect unto their usefulness and serviceableness unto the general end of further- ing the edification of the church catholic. The care hereof, and the making provision for this defect, was committed by our Lord Jesus Christ unto the apostles during their lives, which Paul calls 'H /aI- pt[j!,va vaeZiv tuv IxxXriffiuv, 2 Cor. xi. 28, "The care of all the churches;" yet what was only a pressing care and burden unto them was after- ward contended for by others as a matter of dignity and power ! the pretence of it, in one especially, being turned into a cursed domina- tion, under the style and title of " Servus servorum Dei."
But if a thousand pretences should be made of supplying churches' defects, after the decease of the apostles, by any other order, way, or means besides this of the equal communion of churches among them- selves, they will be all found destitute of any countenance from the Scripture, primitive antiquity, the nature, use, and end of churches, yea, of Christian religion itself Yet the pretence hereof is the sole foundation of all that disposal of churches into several stories of sub- ordination, with an authority and jurisdiction over one another, which now prevails in the world. But there is no place for such imagina- tion, until it be proved either that our Lord Jesus Christ hath not appointed the mutual communion of churches among themselves by ' See note, vol. xv. p. 300. — Ed.
OF THE COMMUNION OF CHURCHES. 185
their own consent, or that it is not sufficient for the preservation of the union and furtherance of the edification of the church cathohc, whereunto it is designed.
Wherefore, our Lord Jesus Christ, in his infinite wisdom, hath constituted his churches in such a state and order as wherein none of them are able of themselves, always and in all instances, to attain all the ends for which they are appointed, with respect unto the edi- fication of the church catholic; and he did it for this end, that whereas the whole catholic church is animated by one spirit, which is the bond of union between all particular churches (as we shall see), every one of them may act the gifts and graces of it unto the preservation and edification of the whole.
Herein then, we acknowledge, lieth the great difference which we have with others about the state of the church of Christ in this world. We do believe that the mutual communion of particular churches amongst themselves, in an equality of power and order, though not of gifts and usefulness, is the only way appointed by our Lord Jesus Christ, after the death of the apostles, for the attaining the general end of all particular churches, which is the edification of the church catholic, in faith, love, and peace. Other ways and means have been found out in the world for this end, which we must speak unto immediately. Wherefore it behoveth us to use some diligence in the consideration of the causes, nature, and use, of this communion of churches.