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the new Peculium, though now confifting of Several Nations? But this, if it be fo, muft make this Body alone holy, and all Perfons who are not Members of this Body, therefore unholy in God's fight, because they are not Members of this holy Body. The fame must be neceffarily fuppofed in the forementioned Antitheta of St. Paul. He fuppofes the Confort which is not of the new Peculium, to be in a· ftate of Unrighteousness and Darkness, to be under the power of Belial, to be inhabited by Idols, for that very reafon, because they were not in the new Peculium. On this account he obliges the Members of the true Peculium to be Jeparate, to renounce fuch Marriages, if they would have him own them for his own Sons and Daughters. Plainly implying, that fuch Marriages were a mingling and debafing of his own Seed as well as that of the holy Patriarchs, as I have alfo already obferved. And this is perfectly agreeable to the whole feries of the Reafoning of the New Teftament. St. John allows no Communion with the Father and the Son, but by a vifible Communion with him.j felf and his other fellow Apoftles, 1 Eph. i. 3. And he allows no Life, no Light, no Truth, but in that fame Communion. Qn the contrary, he implies that, all who are out of it, are for that reafon, in Darkness, in Death, and in Error. He never admits of any middle state, but fuppofes every one who is not in one of these Difpenfations, for that reafon, to be under the other. And indeed St. Paul's word so, contains all that were out of the true new Peculium ; not only the Heathen Idolaters, but, but alfo thofe of the old abrogated Peculium,: who did not own the Righteoufnefs which was ἐκ πίσεως, It took in allo all the Herefies then known

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§. XXXVII.

pal Commu

known of, as making Shipwreck of the Faith, 1 Tim. i. 19. as a departure from the Faith, iv. 1. as erring from the Faith, vi. 10. as overthrowing the Faith, 2 Tim. ii. 18. as reprobate concerning the Faith, iii. 8. I do not know of any avowed Schifm, that openly frequented oppofite Affemblies, in that earlieft Age of the Apoftles. But, if there had been any, their ve ry divifion from the Body of the iso, was fufficient to rank them among St. Paul'saris, whatsoever had been the caufe of the Divifion, and how little foever it had concerned the common Faith. Thus it appears, that St. Paul's Reafonings do extend to Dividers of all forts, that there could be no valid Marriages be tween them and the Members of the Ortho thodox Communion. So clear it is, that only one Communion among Chriftians was then thought to have the whole Right of the new Peculium. So clear withal it is, that our prefent Latitudinarian Notions are perfectly dif ferent from thofe of the pureft Apoftolical Age.

That really they are fo, appears in this very All who were Subject of my prefent Difcourfe. The reafon out of Epifco- why thefe Marriages were forbidden, was the nion, are rec- uncleanness and impurity of the Confort that koned as un- was not of the Peculium, that is, of the Holy clean by Igna- Seed. This made the mingling of the Holy tius, in the Seed with them to be a pollution of the Holy Seed it felf. Whofoever therefore were, in which is al- the judgment of the Church, unclean, are, for lowed to have that very reafon, uncapable of Ecclefiaftical place under the Marriages. But this is the cafe of Schifmaticks Gofpel.

mystical Uncleannefs,

alfo from Epifcopal Communion. So the Apoftolical Ignatius, who certainly knew the Apofiles minds better by perfonal conversation with them, than any of our modern Innovators can

poffibly

poffibly do by reafoning from the Writings of the Apostles at the diftance of fo many Ages. His words are very clear to this purpose: Ignat. Ep. ad Ὁ ἐντὸς θυσιασηeis ὢν καθαρός όξιν [ ὁ ἢ ἐκτὸς ὢν Trall. n. 7. nabae's v.] These words are to be added, as Dr. Voffius has rightly obferved, out of the old Tranflator, who is herein feconded by the Copy of the Interpolator alfo. The left words being the fame, made the omiffion very eafie in the tranfcriber of the Florentine Copy. And the following Words and Reasoning connect with thefe Words, and plainly Suppose them defigning to give an account in what fenfe they were unclean who were not of the true Com munion. Thus they connect very pertinently, but not at all if thefe Words be omitted. So he goes on: Τετ ̓ ἔσιν, ὁ χωρὶς ἐπισκόπε καὶ πρεσ βυζερία και διακόνων πρέπων τι, τθ ν καθαρός τιν Ty owned not. He that is within the Altar is clean: But be who is without it is not clean; that is to fay, He who does any thing without the Bishop, and the Presbytery, and the Deacons, is not clean as to Confcience. This Phrafe nabacis Ty owerfiet is defigned to exprefs the cleannefs relating to the new Peculium in oppofition to the cleanness required by the Mo Jaical Law. It can therefore have nothing to do with any abrogated part of the Mofaical Difcipline, that cannot juftifie any Reasoning from it under the Gofpel. The Expreffion is the fame which is ufed in the Canonical Wri ters, and is there oppofed to the external legal Purifications. So natagg oweidners, 1 Tim. iii. 9. 2 Tim.i. 3. is ufed in oppofition to the nalacitis & cugros, Heb. ix. 13. This Purity therefore from dead Works, is afferted by the Apoftle to the Blood of Chrift, v. 14. in allufion to the legal Purifications from dead Bodies.

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§. XXXVIII.

according to his

He exprefly denies, that thofe legal Sacrifices could make him that did the Service perfed, as pertaining to the Confcience, v. 9. The fame is elsewhere called owed nos fan, joined with naðaegʻ nagdía, 1 Tim. i. 5. and isis, v. 19. and oppofed to the pún cagnòs, 1 St. Pet. iii. 21. Thence the purging of the Confcience, and the defilements of Confcience, which we alfo elfe where read of in contradiftinction to the legal Purifications and Defilements. Hence there fore it appears, that this very cafe of Separati on from the Communion of the Bishop, is alone fufficient to involve the Perfon guilty of it in the myftical Impurity, which is the fame thing under the Gospel as the legal Impurity was under the Law, and confequently makes it as uncapable of Marriages within the new Peculium, as the carnally unclean Nations were under the old. And it is to be remembred, that the un cleanness of the Afs was the Symbol confidered in the prohibition of yoking it with the Ox. So we have feen, that the Law de repo infifted on by the Apoftle, was explained by Philo. And however, this was a principal con fideration, that would make fuch mingling of the Holy Seed derogatory to its Holiness.

Yet this Impurity is not all that is applyed They are alfo, to Schifmaticks by this Apoftolical Writer: Doctrine, un- though this alone be fufficient for invallidating der the power Marriages with them, by this Reasoning from of the Devil. the Old Teftament to the New, infifted on by our Apoftle. Ignatius carries this very cafe higher, fo as to reach the higher Argument ufed by the fame Apostle, drawn from the impoffibility of concord between Chrift and Belial. This allo he makes to be the cafe of dividers from Epif copal Communion, that, however they neither know, nor defign it, yet they are really obnoxi

ous

ious to the power of the Devil. His words to this purpose alfo are very exprefs: Obe Ο λάθρα ἐπισκόπε τὶ πράσων, των διαβόλῳ λαβράς · Ep. ad Smyrn. n. 9. He who performs any religious Office without the knowledge of the Bishop, (that is the notion of algeia,) performs it to the Devil. What thofe religious Offices were, which he alluded to both in this and the former place, himself explains in this fame Epiftle, n. 8. They were Baptifm, the Eucharift, the then received 'Ayana, the Feafts of Love mentioned alfo in the Canonical Writings of the New Teftament, and in general, all forts of Ecclefiaftical Offices. For his prohibition there is general: Μηδές χωρὶς τὸ ἐπισκόπε τὶ προσέτω ἢ ἀνηκόντων εἰς ἢ ἐκκλησίαν. The performance of any of thefe without the Bishop's leave and approbation, was indeed a algeid in the fenfe of that Age; but not fuch as would. be accepted by Got, and therefore could be really received by none but the Devil, nor was this the effect of any intemperate undifciplin'd Zeal, as our Latitudinarian Brethren may conceive. They who will be pleased to confider these things, with the application which the momentousness of the things deferves, without prejudices from our modern Syftems, will eafily find, that this cenfure of that great and holy Martyr was indeed the natural refult of the Doctrine and Reafonings of the Apoftles themfelves. The Writings of the New Teftament allow no middle ftate, at leaft fince the publi cation of the Gospel, and the conftitution of the new Peculium. They plainly fuppofe, that all who did not belong to God, did for that very reafon, belong to the Devil. All who came over to the true Communion, are faid there to be turned from the power of Satan unto God.

They

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