by our Saviour and his apostles; who, though necessarily divided into many separate congregations and particular churches, yet compose but that one general church, which is here affirmed by the creed to be one, holy and Catholic.

Now that the unity of the church is herein contained, appears not only from that this article is in the singular number, and from that the fathers put this constant interpretation. upon it; but also from that in some creeds, to render it the more obvious and indisputable, the word one is added thereto, as in the Nicene, or rather Constantinopolitan creed, "I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic church" and in the exposition thereof, by Alexander bishop of Alexandria, he expresses it by "the one and only Catholic and Apostolic church."

Now, though in several respects the universal church may be said to be one, yet, that it may not go beyond the bounds of my designed task, I shall only take notice of what was principally intended by the inserters of it in the creed, which was, that the church is one as to her faith and doctrine; that though she be enlarged through the face of the whole earth, yet all her members universally assent to the same necessary truths of the gospel,

and that she is one as to her love and charity; there being an harmonious agreement and union between particular churches which com plete and perfect the universal one.

That the unity of the churches faith was hereby designed, will more evidently appear, when I shall come to consider the occasion of its being placed in the creed; for the present, I shall only cite a pregnant passage in Irenæus very pertinent to this purpose, which is, that immediately after his repetition of the creed, he writes, "that the church altho' dispersed through the whole world, yet, as if she dwelt in one and the same house, did diligently preserve this faith, believing it, as if she had but one soul, and one heart, and uniformly preaching and teaching it, as if she had but one mouth; for, although there be different dialects in the world, yet the force of tradition is one and the same; for neither do the churches in Germany, Spain, France, the East, Egypt, Libya, or the middle of the world, believe otherwise; but as the sun is one and the same in the whole world, so the preaching of the truth shines every where, and enlightens all men who are willing to come unto the knowledge thereof."

But the unity of the church universal, be sides the uniformity of her faith, included al

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30 the love and concord, union and commun ion, which was and ought to be between her particular members and churches, which is now partly contained in the following clause of the communion of saints, and is partly to be considered under this article, to render the interpretation thereof complete and entire. In reference whereunto, it directs us to this ob servation, that although the universal Catho lic church be composed of different and almost innumerable members and churches, yet that she is but one body; and those particu lar parts are, or ought to be united amongst themselves by love and charity, without factions and schisms, and so agree as to the execution of their ecclesiastical power and gov ernment, that whatsoever is justly determined in one church according to the common laws received by them, is not thwarted and contradicted by another; and, if any schismatical and factious spirits rent and divide one church, they are not favored or countenanced, but disallowed and condemned by others; all, churches harmoniously concurring in this bond. of love and charity, diligently avoiding every thing that might break this kind of unity of the church universal.

Now that which gave occasion unto the fa thers to introduce the unity of the church thus

expounded into the rule of faith, where the heresies and schisms wherewith they were pestered and assaulted, designing to oblige hereby all orthodox Christians at their baptism, to declare, that they would firmly adhere to the one and undivided church of Christ which preserved the faith of the gospel pure from heresies, and the union thereof free from schisms and divisions.

Now that the unity of the churches faith, and an adhesion thereunto, was for the forementioned reason designed hereby, appears from the frequent references which the fathers in their disputes against heretics, make unto the faith and doctrine of the church, and especially of those parts of her who were planted and confirmed by the apostles, challenging the heretics to be determined by their arbitrement and exhorting the faithful to follow their prescriptions and directions which method is 'frequently used by Tertullian (in whose works is the first mention of this clause as an article of the creed,) as in his book of prescriptions against heretics, where he several times refers his readers to the faith received in the church, and admonishes them to "reject as lies, whatsoever doctrines were contrary to the truth of the churches;" as also by Irenæus who from time to time" challenges

the heretics to stand to that tradition, which from the apostles, by the succession of presa byters, was preserved in the church; in which church God placed apostles, prophets, doca tors, and the rest of the spirit's operation, whereof they are not partakers who do not run unto the church, but deprive themselves of life by their evil faith and wicked works; for where the church is, there is the spirit; and where the spirit of God is, there is the church, and all grace" So that by assenting to the unity of the church in this sense, it was thereby intended to declare, that forsaking all heretics & renouncing communion either with them or their heresies, we will adhere and firmly stick to the faith and doctrine received in the apostolical and universal church.

But, as the unity of the church, as including its faith, was intended against heretics, the corrupters thereof; so also, as comprehending its love and charity, it was designed against schismatics, who were subverters thereof, and the introducers of all disunion, confusion and disorder; which will be manifest from this consideration, that all ths legal acts of a particular church were esteemed and reckoned to be the acts of the universal one, and were not contradicted, but ratified and approved by other particular churches; and if any did uns