SERMON II.

EPHESIANS ii. 18-22.

Now

For through him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father. therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

THE words of the Creed which come now to be considered are these, viz." The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion. of Saints."

First, the meaning is to be opened. By the catholic church is meant, all true believers, all real Christians of whatsoever age or country, of whatsoever station in life, or outward profession, considered together as one living body, of which Christ Jesus is the illuminating, quickening, and governing head. The church is called holy, because every real member of the church is holy; separated from the corrupt mass of mankind, abstracted from the taste and spirit of the evil world, set apart for the use and service of the Lord; having a principle of spiritual light and life communicated to their souls in regeneration, deriving continual fresh supplies of grace and holiness from Christ the head, and devoting their time, talents, and possessions to the glory of God. And the church is called catholic, because it is not limited to any one people, or confined to any one nation, but comprehending the universal, invisible church of Christ; however separated by time and place, however distinguished by outward names and denominations, however persecuted or abused by the children of this world, all those belong to the catholic church that are justified by the

blood, and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And the saints, who are the living members of Christ's Church, have communion with him their glorious head, and with one another; in Jesus their life, their head, their husband, and their Lord, they enjoy a mutual intercourse and communion in love, in counsels, and in interests.

Hear this set forth in the words of the Reverend Mr. Newton, The saints that are in the earth, have communion with Christ in love; Jesus by his Spirit manifests and confirms his love to his people; for this purpose he meets them at his throne of grace, and in his ordinances; there he makes himself known to them, as he does not unto the world; causes his goodness to pass before them; opens, applies, and seals to them his exceeding great and precious promises, and gives them the Spirit of adoption, whereby (unworthy as they are) they are enabled to cry Abba, Father. He causes them to understand the great love wherewith he has loved them, in redeeming them by price and by power; washing them from all their sins in the blood of the Lamb, recovering them from the dominion of Satan, and preparing for them an everlasting kingdom, where they shall see his face, and rejoice in his glory. The knowledge of this his love to them, produces a return of love from them to him; they adore and admire him, they make an unreserved surrender of their hearts to him; they view him, and delight in him as their God, their Saviour, and their portion; they account his favour better than life; he is the sun of their souls: if he is pleased to shine upon them, all is well, and they are not very careful about other things; but, if he hides his face, the smiles of the whole creation can afford them no comfort. They have likewise communion with Jesus in counsels; the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him;' he deals familiarly with them, he calls them not only servants, but friends, and he treats them as friends; he affords them more than promises, for he opens to them the plan of his great designs from everlasting to everlasting; shows them the strong foundation, and inviolable securities of his favour towards them; the length and breadth, and depth, and height of his love, which passeth knowledge; and the unsearchable riches of his grace he instructs them in the

mysterious conduct of his providence, the reasons and ends of all his dispensations in which they are concerned. He teaches them likewise the beauty of his precepts, the path of their duty, and the nature of their warfare; he acquaints them with the plots of their enemies, the snares and dangers they are exposed to, and the best methods of avoiding them; and then on the other hand, he permits and enables them to acquaint him with all their cares, fears, wants, and troubles, with more freedom than they could unbosom themselves to their dearest earthly friends; his ear is always open to them, he is never weary of hearing their complaints and answering their petitions. The men of the world account it an high honour and privilege to have an unrestrained liberty of access to an earthly king; but what words. can express the privilege and honour of the members of the holy catholic church, who, whenever they please, have access to the King of kings; whose compassion, mercy, and power, like his majesty, is infinite! The world wonders at their indifference to the vain pursuits and amusements by which others are engrossed; that they are so patient in troubles, so resigned when visited with sickness, so well satisfied with that state of poverty and obscurity, which the Lord for the most part allots them; but the wonder would cease, if what passes in secret were publicly known; they have meat to eat that the world knoweth not of; they have obtained the pearl of great price, they have communion with God, they derive their wisdom, strength, and comfort from on high, and cast all their cares upon him, who, they assuredly know, vouchsafes to take care of them, for they have likewise communion with the Lord Jesus in interests. The Lord claims them for his portion, he accounts them his jewels, their happiness in time and eternity is the great end which, next to his own glory, he has immediately and invariably in view. In this point all his dispensations of providence and grace shall at last meet; he himself is their guide and guard; he keeps them as the apple of his eye, the hairs of their head are all numbered; in all their afflictions he is afflicted, regards all injuries done to them as if done to himself; and not an event in their lives takes place, but it works for his glory and their good. And, as he is pleased thus to espouse their interest, so they on the other hand through grace are devoted to him;

they are no longer their own, they would not be their own, it is their desire, their joy, their glory to live to him, who died for them; he has won their hearts by his love, and made them a willing people in the day of his power: the glory of his name, the success of his cause, the prosperity of his people, the accomplishment of his will, are the great and leading objects that are engraven on their hearts; and to which all their prayers, desires, and endeavours are directed; they count nothing dear, not even their lives, if set in competition with these. In the In the very midst of their afflictions, if the Lord is glorified, if sinners are converted, if the kingdom of darkness is confounded, if the church flourishes, they can rejoice. But when iniquity abounds, when love waxes cold (as it now does), when gospel privileges and ordinances are abused, when the preaching of the word seems to be a savour of death unto death, when professors depart from the power of godliness, then they are grieved and cut to the heart, then they are touched in what they count their nearest interest, because it is their Lord's."

Thus the members of the holy catholic church, the real Christian believers, have communion with Christ their quickening head, in love, in counsels, and in interests. Happy state indeed this: O! how blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God; how nobly superior are their enjoyments to all that this world can afford; well may they count all things else but loss and dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord. And then the saints that are in the earth, being thus united to the Lord Jesus, are also brought into a state of communion one with another; they are of one spirit with regard to their faith, hope, and enemies; their hearts are knit together in love, they rejoice and mourn for one another, and minister to mutual love and edification, by example, by reproof, by exhortation, by consolation, and by prayer; for they are careful to let the light of their holy conversation shine before others by way of reproof; their zeal for the glory of God, and compassion for souls, makes them deal faithfully with those that they see stepping aside from the path of duty, for they are always desirous to instruct and animate each other; and it is the wish of their hearts to see the Lord's people walking in the light of his countenance, and going on their way rejoicing; for however scattered over the face

of the whole earth, they meet daily at the throne of grace, and pray for each other; they are ready to take up the words of David, and say, "All my delight is among the saints that are in the earth, and such as excel in virtue." And let this suffice by way of showing the meaning of these words of the Creed, "The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints."

Now for the duties implied in this article. Would you be members of the holy catholic church, without which you are strangers and foreigners, aliens and outcasts from God, members of the devil's kingdom, and children of wrath? Would Would you, I say, be members of the holy catholic church? Then, in consequence of a vital union with Jesus, the great head of the church, you must come out from the world which lieth in wickedness; separate yourselves from the works and ways of the ungodly, be distinguished from the world in your views, affections, and conduct; dedicate yourselves to his sacred service, worship him in spirit and in truth, and set forth his most worthy praise, and be willing to suffer shame and persecution for his name's sake. Search the word of God, and see whether all this is not declared to be essential to genuine Christianity. I beseech you to consider well what you are doing; as you value your souls see to it, that you rest not in outward names and notions, in outward privileges and services, while you remain destitute of that which enters into the essence of the true church of God. Are you then spiritually united to the Lord Jesus, as your prophet, priest, and king? Has he communicated his Spirit to you as a principle of divine life? And has this wrought an essential difference between your spirit, aims, conversation, affections, and way of conduct, and that of the bad world you live in? Do you dread conformity to the world? having escaped the pollutions that are in it, maintaining an holy singularity, and longing for an heart truly cast into the mould of these words of St. Paul, "I am crucified unto the world, and the world unto me;" whatever ye do, do all to the praise and glory of God? Would you rather that God be glorified, than that all the gains, and enjoyments, and distinctions in the world be conferred upon you? And do you indeed regard yourselves, not as your own, but bought with a price? Does Jesus reign the alone Lord of