SERMON XLVIII. THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. SERM. XLVIII. [Matt. 28. 19.] EPH. ii. 19. Now therefore ye are no more Strangers and Foreigners, but OUR blessed Saviour having commanded that all nations should be made His disciples by being baptized, “in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost," all that are so baptized were always reckoned in the number of His disciples, or Christians, which being all considered together as a body of men distinct from the rest of the world, make up that which we call Christ's Holy Catholic Church; Holy, because it professeth that holy faith and religion which He hath revealed to the world, and Catholic or Universal, because it consisteth of all Christian people that ever did or ever shall live in any part of the universe. That there is such an Holy Catholic Church, is one of the Articles of the Christian faith, contained in the Apostles' Creed, and all Christians in all ages have all the reason that can be to beMatt.16.18. lieve it, in that Christ Himself hath said, "The gates of Hell shall never prevail against His Church." But this Church, though as it is a body, the body of Christ, it is Holy as well as Catholic, yet nevertheless while it is militant here on earth, there are many unsound, unholy members in it, many who neither believe nor live according to their holy profesMatt.13.24, sion. Christ Himself compares it to a "field" where "tares" ver. 47. are sown as well as "wheat," to a "net" that takes in "all Matt.22.10, sorts of fish," both "good" and "bad," and to a "marriage 25. 71 feast," at which some "have" and some "have not" a "wedding garment." Thus within the pale of the Church there are always false as well as true believers, sinners as well as Saints; but still in all ages there are some who really believe and live according as they are there taught, and so may truly be called Saints, and are esteemed such by God Himself, and therefore in the foresaid Creed, after the profession of our belief, that there is an Holy Catholic Church in the world, we immediately add the "Communion of Saints" to express our belief, that in the said Church there are some that are real Saints, and as such have fellowship or communion among themselves, distinct from the rest of mankind, which being one of the great Articles of our faith, and yet not so commonly understood as it ought to be, I shall endeavour to make it as plain as I can, from the words which I have now read. The Apostle having put the Ephesians in mind of the sad condition they were in so long as they continued Gentiles, that "at that time they were without Christ, being aliens Eph. 2. 12. from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." He then acquaints them how much the case was altered with them, upon their conversion to the faith of Christ, that by Him, they who before were far off, are now made near and reconciled to God, as well as the believing Jews, being made one body with them; so that through Christ both Jews and Gentiles, even all that believe," have ver. 18. access by one Spirit unto the Father." From whence he draws this conclusion in my text, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the Saints, and of the household of God." Whence he plainly takes it for granted that there are such persons in the world which are real Saints, that these are all incorporated, so as to be a community or society distinct from all other, a kind of city, or body politic of themselves; that all who are not Saints are strangers and foreigners, or as it is before expressed, "aliens to the commonwealth," or rather as it is in the original, to the polity of Israel, they are not free of the said city, nor have any right to the privileges of it; but that when any of the sinners XLVIII. SERM. become Saints, they are in course admitted to the freedom of this city, so as to be fellow-citizens with all other Saints, of the same communion or fellowship with them. This is a noble subject, which rightly understood and considered, will not only afford extraordinary matter of joy and comfort to those who are Saints already, but will be of mighty force also to encourage and excite us all to do all we can to get into the number of them; and therefore I shall endeavour to bring it down, as near as I can to the meanest capacities in the congregation. For which purpose we must first observe, that by Saints we are to understand such only as by a quick and lively faith in Christ have their hearts freed from all vicious habits, and purified to that degree, that they really love God above all things, and fear nothing so much as His displeasure, and therefore make it their constant care and study to please [Luke 1.6.] Him, to serve, honour and obey Him, "walking in all His commandments and ordinances" to the utmost of their power" blameless," so as to be holy according to their capacities, "as He who hath called them is holy in all manner of conversation," and yet after all, believe or trust only in the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, whereby to be justified or accounted righteous or Saints before God; these are all the Saints of the most high God, and no other persons in the world are so. [1 Pet. 1. 15.] But then we must observe withal, that no man can become such a saint or holy person, but only by the Holy Spirit of God, for all men at first are born in sin, and John 3. 5. always continue in the same state, except they be born again of water, and of the Spirit." If they be born again of water, or baptized according to Christ's holy institution, they are thereby made members of His holy Catholic Church, but that they may be also of the Communion of Saints, they must be born again likewise of the Spirit which proceedeth from Christ the head of the Church, and is there communicated by Him to all that truly believe in Him, and to none else. It is by this means only that they are regenerate, sanctified and made new creatures, and so brought out of the state of sin into the state of holiness and Salvation, ac3. 5, 6. cording to that of the Apostle, "not by works of righteous ch. 7. 39. 13. ness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour." Having "from the beginning 2 Thess. 2. chosen us to Salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." From hence we may next observe, that seeing all that are made Saints, are made so by the Spirit of God, as they have all "the fellowship of the Spirit;" Phil. 2. 1; so by Him they have fellowship both with the Father and Son, whose Spirit He is; and seeing they are all made Saints by one and the same Spirit, they must needs have fellowship also one with another. This we are taught by the same Spirit in St. John saying, "That which we have seen and 1 John 1. 3. heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellow 2 Cor.13.14. ship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, This therefore is the foundation and reason of this great article of our faith, the fellowship or Communion of Saints: 5. for "seeing they have all access by one Spirit to the Father," Eph. 2. 18. and "by one Spirit are all baptized into one body;" there- 1 Cor.12.13. fore" as we have many members in one body, and all mem- Rom. 12. 4, bers have not the same office, so the Saints, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." And therefore they all have the same fellowship with one another as the members of the same body have, being all quickened, influenced, and governed by the same Spirit; by which means among them all, “There is but one body, and Eph. 4. 4-6. one Spirit, even as they are all called in one hope of their calling; one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in them all," which shews the strictest union, the nearest relation, and most intimate Communion of all Saints, that can possibly be among any creatures whatsoever, which is therefore sometimes expressed by their being all of the same family, the household of God, as it is here called, sometimes by their being all brethren, for being all born of God, they are all 1 Pet. 2. 17. C C SERM. alike His children, and so constitute a Divine fraternity or brotherhood among themselves. XLVIII. But that which I design to speak to more especially, is their being all fellow-citizens, for seeing they who are sanetified are here said to be made fellow-citizens with the Saints, the Saints must needs be fellow-citizens to one another, all of the same city, the most renowned city in the Heb. 12. 22. world, called in Holy Writ, "The City of the living God, Gal. 4. 26. the Heavenly Jerusalem," and "Jerusalem which is above and is free, and which is the mother of us all." This is the metropolis or mother city of all the Saints, of which they are all free, and none but they; but they are all fellowcitizens there, and so are a spiritual corporation, a body politic of themselves, distinct from all the world besides; for the understanding of which, we shall briefly consider the extent, the nature, the government, the laws, the trade or business, the public assemblies, the privileges, and the strength of this Holy City. First therefore we must know that this is a city of very large extent, it reaches as far as from earth to Heaven, and so is divided into two parts, the upper and the lower. The upper city I call that which is in Heaven, which is as much John 14. 2. the larger as it is the higher part of this Holy City. “There are many mansions in it," enough for all that ever were, or shall be, or can be sanctified, and so made fit to dwell there; and although we have cause to fear, there may be more at least of mankind in the regions of darkness, yet we cannot doubt but the inhabitants of the Heavenly Jerusalem are already so many, that no mortal man is able to count them. Heb. 12. 22, For the Apostle tells us, that besides an "innumerable 23. Rev. 7. 9. company of Angels," there is "the general assembly and Church of the first-born," and "the spirits," all the spirits "of just men made perfect." And in a transient glance that St. John had of the place, besides an hundred forty and four thousand of all the tribes of Israel, he beheld, and lo, "a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and people, and tongues." There are Moses and Elias, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the servants of the Most High God, that ever lived and died in His true faith and fear from the beginning of the world to |