338 CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. and in answer to this question, I must say, it is left very ranch to the liberty and prudence of men. In general there should be an many as to give it thename of a public assembly : And yet if there are but a few christians within the reach ofoneanother, who can conveniently meet once a weekat thesame time and thesame place for religious purposes, I think these may join themselvesin christian fellowship, and the promise of our saviour belongs to them, Where two or three of you are met together in my name, theream F in the midst of then ; Mat. xviii. 20. We might also observe, that no more should usuallyjoin together in one society, than can frequently meet tógether in one place at one time, and be edified by the mouth of one preacher, or lift up their joint prayers and praises to God by the lips ofone minister : And perhaps the very words of my text may include that meaning, Receive one another,that with one mind and one mouth you mayglorify God the Father. The Corinthian church met together in one place LCor. xiv. 23. Andwhile one spoke inprayer, prophecy, or exhortation, the others were called o silence andattention, verse 31. Now a company of christians thus agreeing in the most ipt- portant articles of faith and practice, and consenting to unite toge- ther to worship God through Jesus Christ in all his ordinances, andtokeep up theChristian interests in the world, are properly a church of Christ. Such was the church of Corinth, such the church at Philippi, such the several churches of Galatia, and the churches ofAsia, of which mention is made in the New Testa- ment * ; and their agreement to worship and walk together in christian fellowship, is that church- covenant which in the very nature, of things is necessary to constitute a regular christian society, and to maintain the gospel in the world in the principles and practices of it é Nor can there be any christian communion maintained in an orderly manner, without sucha covenant or agreement as this is, either more plainly expressed, or neces, sarily implied ; It is only the addition of some things which Christ has not required to such a covenant or agreement as this is, that has exposed the name of achurch covenantto so many reproaches' in the world : Otherwise, I am sure, it deserves none. k It is granted the scripture sometimes speaks of a church in the house, which is smaller than that of a public assembly, unless it mean that the Christians of one place met together in that house forworship : sometimes it speaks of the church at Jerusalem, which in the first formationof it seems to be of a larger extent than could worship in one place, as consisting of many thousand souls : But we musbremember, that thenational church of the Jews could not be sup. posed all at once tobe dissolved so as to form itself into particularcongregations, with all that regularity and order which afterward was observed in single chrie- tian societies : or perhaps the word `r church" may be sometimes used tosignify all the Christians that dwell either in one city or in one house, without regard -t0 any such special agreement of walkingor worshipping together..
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