336 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHI. who shall help Min up? Or how can one be alarm alone; Ec. iv. 10. Handjoining in hand adds force and strength, assistance and stability to any purpose or design whatsoever; kind frequent meeting together gives fellow-christians opportunity of exhorting one another to maintain their common christianity, as in lieb. x, 25. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, but ex- hort one another, andprovoke one another to love and to good works. Christians when they come to mutual acquaintance and agreements of this kind, they afford better help to one another, when under difficulties by advice, and under sorrows they re- lieve each other bychristianconsolation and social prayers. They afford greater aid and strength to each other against temptations and dangers, because they are better informed of each others circumstances and tempers. They know one another's wants and weaknesses more, theypityone another withmore tenderness, and they guard each other against the common injuries and.in- suits of men. Happy the persons who are thus united in the fellowship of the gospel, andwho by practising these duties, and communicating and enjoying these advantages, cast a glory upon thegospel of Christ. The thirdgeneral head leads meto enquire moreparticularly Who are the persons who should thus receive oiee another in the Lord, or join together in christian fellowship. The general direction of the New 'Testament is contained in the words of my text, that we should receive into this sacred communion all that Christ has received to partake, of his salvation, and that we make no other test whereby to receive persons into our particular congregations, than a credible profession of those things which Christ has made necessary in order to partake of his benefits. Receive ye one another as Christ hath us ; Rem. xv. 7. whether ye be Jews or Greeks, whether ye be bond orfree, whatsoever different character ye sustain in the civil life, or whatever different nations gave you birth. Whosoever makes a credible profession to have received Jesus Christ and his gospel, and their practice be correspondent to their profession, they are to be received by us, though they maydiffer in particular opinions, or in particular practices which are of less moment and importance. This is one great design of St. Paul's xiv. chapter to the Romans. In leis day there were some christians that maintained a regard to Jewish ceremonies, there were others who thought themselves entirely delivered from all those yokes of bondage ; some eat meat with freedom, while others only eat herbs ; some ob- served par.icular days as holy, while others neglected to observe them ; some were weak in the faith, and others strong; but they are all called to eceiveone another intochristian fellowship, and not to make these doubtful disputations, a bar to their sacred
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