THE CHURCH ONE IN CHARITY. 385 The faithof Christians at first consisted in few points, those which were professed in baptism, of whichwe have divers summaries in the ancients (Iren. i. 2); by analogy whereto all other propositions were expounded, and according to agreement wheretosound doctrines were distinguished from false, so that he was accounted orthodoxwho did not violate them. " So he that holds that immovable rule of truth which he received at his baptism will know the words, and sayings, and parables, which are taken out of the Scriptures," &c.' II. It is evident that all Christians are united by the bands of mutual charity and good-will. They are all bound to wish one another well, to have a compla- cence in the good and acompassionof the evils incident to each other, to discharge all offices of kindness, succour, consolation to each other. This is the command of Christ to all : "This is my commandment," says he, "That ye love one another," John xv. 12; 1 John iii. 11; 1 Thess. iv. 9. This is the common badge by which bis disciples are discernedand distinguished: "Hereby," says he, "shall all menknow that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another," John xiii. 35. They must have " the same love," Phil. ii. 2; they must " love as brethren, be compassionate, pitiful, courteous each to other," 1 Pet. iii. 8; they must " bear one another's burdens;" and " especially, as they have opportunity, do good to the household of faith," Gal. vi. 2, 10. " If one member suffer, all the members must suffer with it; and if one member be honoured, all the members must rejoice," 1 Cor. xii 26. " The multitude of them who believe must be" (like that in the Acts) " of one heart and of one soul," Acts iv. 32. " They must " walk in love," and "do all things in love," Eph. v. 2; 1 Cor. xvi. 14. Whoever, therefore, highly offends against charity, maligning or mischieving his brethren, thereby separates himself from Christ's body, and ceases to be a Christian. " They that are enemies to brotherly charity, whether they are openly out of the church, or seem to be within, they are pseudo- Christians and Antichrists." " When they seem to be within the church, they are separated from that invisible conjunction of charity; whence St John, `They went out from us, but were not of us.' He says not, that by their going out they were made aliens, but because they were aliens, therefore he declares that they went out."' Sic autem qui regulam veritatis immobilem spud se habet quam per baptismum accepit, hæc quidem quo sunt exScripturis nomina et dictioneset parabolas cognoscet, &c. Iren. i. 1; Vid. Gr. p. 4. 2 Hujus autem fraternn charitatis inimici sive aperte foris sint, sive intus esse vide- antur, pseudo- Christiani sunt et Antichristi.Aug. de Bapt. iii. 19. Cum intus vid- entur, ab illa invisibili charitatis compage separati sunt; unde Johannes, 1 John ii. 19, Ex nobis exierunt, sed non erant ex nobis.' Non ait quod exeundo alieni fatti sunt, sed quod alieni erant, propter hoc eosexisse declaravit. Ibid. VOL L 25
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