upon unfcriptural grounds, feparated from the ministers and people of Chrift, and have made up themselves into fects and parties, quite off from the Chriftian catholic footing; yet we muft think this word of the Lord has fome fenfe, and that herein we are called to fomething, which would be of great advantage to us, if we fhall comply with the call.

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But the great question is, What this yoking together, and this feparation, fhould mean? Marriage it cannot be for fuppofing a believer to be yoked together in marriage with a very grofs unbeliever, can it be faid, that it is the great duty of the believer to come out from and be feparated from the unbelieving yoke-fellow in marriage? But this is the cafe here, that they who are unequally yoked together, believers with unbelievers, are called to come out from among them, and be feparate. Civil communion it cannot be either: for feparation in this refpect would be to go out of the world, or turn monks, and tranfgrefs many commandments of Jesus Chrift. The Apoftle here refers to the prohibition in the law, of yoking an ox and an afs together; and speaks of fuch a yoke, wherein believers ought not to be yoked with unbe lievers, because of the unfuitableness of these two' forts of perfons for that fame yoke: and this he aggravates in feveral expreffions: "What fellowship hath righteoufnefs with un"righteousness? What communion hath light with darkness? "And what concord hath Chrift with Belial? or what part "hath he that believeth, with an infidel? and what agree« ment hath the temple of God with idols?" And the Apofle fpeaks here of fuch a yoke as believers ought not to be joined in with unbelievers, because of the unfitnefs of unbe lievers for that yoke: "Be not unequally yoked together "with unbelievers: For ye are the temple of God; as "God hath faid, I will dwell in them, and walk in 'them; "and I will be their God, and they fhall be my people. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye fepa"rate, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive "you." Further, This is fuch a yoking together, fuch a communion and fellowship, fuch a having part with and a greement with unbelievers, as whereby the church at Corinth, the people of Chrift joined in a church there, were straitened in their own bowels; for it is given as a direction to them, for their enlargement, when ftraitened in their own bowels, "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers;" fo that it is a direction of the fame fort with that which was gi ven in the 5th chapter of the ift epiftle, "Know ye not that

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"a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? purge out there"fore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump." And as he is calling them there to clear their church-communion of fuch as were unworthy of it, fo he does here. He had fpoke of fome among them that began to deny the refurrection of the dead, after they had professed the faith, 1 Cor. xv. and what he says here may point to them; but he extends his exhortation, and makes it more general, and calls for a separation betwixt believers and unbelievers; no doubt, fuch a feparation as the Corinthians were able to make, who could not fearch mens hearts: and there may be alfo here fome eye to the subject on which he infifts, 1 Cor. x. 14.—22.; compare Rev. ii. 14. And now, what is that yoke, that communion and fellowship, wherein believers must be by themselves, and not with unbelievers, if it be not churchcommunion? And what part of Chriftian communion is it, wherein they muft not be yoked with them, if it be not the highest inftance of it, the Lord's fupper? The affembly of divines at Westminster, in their confeffion, apply this text un. to the fubject of the Lord's fupper; and they that have the utmost regard to the mind of that venerable body of men in all points, will not reckon this a falfe glofs upon the place. And if it fhall be granted, as it cannot well be denied, that this place of fcripture points to church-communion, then let us confider, whether this exhortation and folemn call," Be not unequally yoked," &c. be directed to the overseers of the church of Corinth only, or to every church-member. And I reckon we can be in no ftrait to find, that every Christian is concerned in it, and will find himself obliged to answer the call; and while he thinks of doing fo, he had need to take heed to the direction given in the first verse of the following chapter. We might also observe, how the first converts anfwered that call, Acts ii. 40. "Save yourselves from this " untoward generation. They that gladly received the "word, were added: and they continued ftedfaftly in the apo ❝ftles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and "in prayers."

3. Every one that professes the faith of the gofpel, every difciple of Chrift, is bound to have a converfation becoming the gospel; and it is the duty of the meaneft disciple of Chrift to ftudy this. The Apostle earnestly exhorts the church at Philippi to this, Phil. i. 27. 28. "Only let your converfation "be as it becometh the gospel of Chrift: that whether I "come and fee you, or else be abfent, I may hear of your VOL. I. "affairs,

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affairs, that ye ftand faft in one fpirit, with one mind, "ftriving together for the faith of the gofpel; and in nothing "terrified by your adverfaries." We plainly fee wherein it is that the apoftle defires to find the converfation of the Phil. lippians, and of all fuch after them, appearing fuitable to the gofpel: he tells us, it will be becoming the gospel," if they beftanding faft in one spirit, with one mind, ftriving toge"ther for the faith of the gospel, against the adverfaries of "it" and that fo as he may either fee it, being present among them, or hear of it being abfent, and hearing of their affairs. So that we may observe, that it is the faith of the gofpel in the open profeffion of it that he is fpeaking of, and calling us to ftrive for against the adverfaries. And while we contend for the faith of the gospel of Chrift, as it is diftinguished from nature's light, and oppofed to the wifdom of man in the things of God; and as it is diftinguished from the law of Mofes, and opposed to Judaism; are we not alfo bound to contend for it, as it is the most "holy faith, the faith once delivered to the faints," Jude 3. 19. 20. in oppofi tion to a carnal, worldly, fenfual profeffion of faith, no wife influenced by the spirit of Chrift in the gofpel, nor attended with good works? Further, we fee the Apoftle is fpeaking of an open ftrife for the faith in the profeffion of it, against open adverfaries; for it is only fuch a ftrife that he could fee or hear of, being abfent, and hearing of their affairs. And he is not fo much fpeaking of a man's ftriving alone in this place, as of a company of Chriftians living together in a place, and ftriving together in a body, ftanding faft in one fpirit, with one mind striving together, fo as one being present might fee, and being at a distance from them might know no otherwise but by report. And this was the church at Philippi. Let them that speak much of a "converfation becoming the go

fpel," confider this, that where there is not fuch a ftrife for the faith of the gospel as this, there there is fomething very confiderable wanting to make out a "converfation be "coming the gofpel." If there be no room nor place now for an open ftrife for the faith of the gospel of Christ in the profeffion of it, as it has been defcribed, then there is no place among us at this day for that "converfation becoming "the gofpel" of which the Apoftle speaks in this text: but if there be, as no doubt there is every where, in every place where there are fuch as thofe to whom the Apostle writes this rpiftle; then, if thefe fhall be yoked together in partaking of that bleffed bread and cup, which is the communion of the

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body and blood of Chrift, and fo become one bread and one body with them that cannot confefs that faith of the gospel of Chrift, that "holy faith once delivered to the faints," and with the open adverfaries of that faith; might it not be thought, in that cafe, that the ftrife of which the Apostle is fpeaking is compofed, and the fire that was kindled by the difciples of Chrift, in their being "joined in one fpirit, with one mind, ftriving for the holy faith" of the gospel against the adverfaries, is quenched and put out, now when the differing parties are joined together in the clofeft external bond of Christian union and communion that can be thought of? And we need be at no lofs to fee, if this exhortation be directed to the bishops at Philipp? only, or to all the faints there ap pearing fo to be and faints we must be, or no Chriftians. Now, if you fhall inquire, what we are contending for in this business about Chriftian communion, particularly in the Lord's fupper? our anfwer is, We are aiming at a "conver"fation becoming the gofpel," in ftriving together for the holy faith of the gofpel of Chrift, in oppofition to a fort of faith not influenced by the gospel, not favouring of Chrift, nor of his fpirit, but dead, carnal, worldly, and fruitless, that paffes under the name of the Chriftian faith, and has come instead of the "faith once delivered to the faints." And "who is fufficient for these things?" But the strength of the Lord Jefus is made perfect in weakness.

4. The exercife of brotherly love toward our fellow.com. municants is neceffary unto a right partaking with them in the Lord's fupper, and there is no more place for the exer cife of this grace toward our brethren, whom we have seen at a communion-table, than there is any where else, if our fellow-communicants be not proper objects of this love. I need not add to what is faid on this fubject in the Narrative; only, if I be to profefs brotherly love to my fellow-communicants, as I feem to do in the moft eminent manner when I become one bread and one body with them, I cannot do this without abominable hypocrify and diffimulation, if I look not upon them as the faints and faithful in Christ: and therefore I may fay with the Apostle, speaking of church communion,

Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as "6 ye are unleavened. For Chrift our paffover is facrificed for "us. Therefore let us keep the feaft, not with old leaven, "neither with the leaven of malice, and wickedness, but with "the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth." But I have wearied myself, and I fear will weary you, and I am in hafte;

and therefore I fhall only put you in mind of another confide

ration.

5. All the difciples of Chrift are by him inclined to a peculiar fellowship with their brethren; and it is very agreeable to the new nature in real believers to feek after separate Christian fellowship: therefore you have heard a great complaint of promifcuous communion in the Lord's fupper among them from time to time. If they have been confcientiously diffatisfied with it, and yet have continued in it, even when they faw no help for it, no appearance against it; and if in that cafe the Lord pitied them, as he pitied Ifrael according to the flesh in Babylon, where they were mingled with the nations, and had not their liberty; they have reason to blefs him for it but now, when they are called to come out, and there is an appearance, made against that with which they have all profeffed diffatisfaction, and that appearance every where oppofed; how far can they be answerable to Jefus Christ, if they continue in mixed communion and in bondage, and fo do what in them lies to knock that in the head which they have been pretending confcientiously to wish for and to advance, and promote that effectually which they have been fo long groaning to be delivered from? Should any worldly inconveniency, or any carnal reafonings and confultings with flesh and blood, against the word and call of Chrift, and of their own confciences, divert them, or any way terrify them, from going forth unto him without the camp bearing his reproach? "Here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to * come."

I ams

SIR,

Yours, &c.

The