A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. lutely necessary to the nature and being of a church of Christ, The second has also some valuable advantages towards the well- being of a church, and the purity and the profit thereof in the inward and experimental parts of christianity, though some per sons of extreme bashfulness may have beenhereby discouraged and hindered from christian communion. Both of these me- thods have some advantages, and some inconveniences ; and it is not my design at present to decide whichof the two has the greatest ; but this is certain, that every church must judgefor itself how large, or how narrow ; how general, or how parti- cular a profession of christianity must be, in order to render it credible to themselves yet let each church take heed that they make notthe door of admission larger or straiter than Christ has made it. The second sort of christian duties are those that are neces- sary to practise christian communion, especially if constant com- munion be desired, such as, to meet at the same time, and in the same place with some church of Christ, to perform christian worship, with them there, to agree to the general methods of worship, the customs, order, and discipline that are practised in that church, so far as they can find them agreeable to the will of Christ in his word, or so far as they are necessary to maintain the being, order and peace of all religious societies. This is so much, and so plainly implied in the very natureof communion or fel- lowship, that it is always supposed to be consented to, even where it is not expressly mentioned; this will appear more evident under the next question. This profession of consent to the worship or order of that church, does not forbid or prevent any person from attempting to reform any mismanagements in the worship or discipline of the church byargument and friendly persuasions; but only it re- strains him from all tumultuous and irregular proceedings, in order to such reformation ; according to the great canon of the apostle, " let all things be done decently, and in order;" 1 Cor. xiv. 40. It is upon this account he forbids the Corinthians to speak with unknown tongues without interpretation, to break in upon the public worship, or for several persons speak all at once, Si-c. and such natural rules of decency as these, may, in some sense, be called the commands of our Lord, ver. 37. to which we owe a professed subjection. But if a man cannot consent to the most constant and essential forms of ministration, worship and discipline, as practised in that church, it is far better that he should join himself to some other society, whose chief practices and government are more agreeable to his own senti- ments. SECT. 1V. The third thing that goes to make up the credibility of our profession, is " such a blameless and holy
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