And are we not taught the fame Things in the New Teftament? Are not Chriftians continually called upon to put on Charity, which is the Bond of Perfectness, Coloff. iii. 14. to do all Things without Difputings and Murmurings, Phil. ii. 4. to do all their Things with Charity, 1 Cor. xvi. 14. And that all Things Should be done with Decency and in Order, 1 Cor. xiv. 40? And that as they ought to keep Peace at Home and in the Church of Christ, they should give no Offence neither to Jews nor Gentiles, but as far as poffible live peaceably with all Men. 1 Cor. x. 32. Rom. xii. 18.

In the last Place, the Light of Nature and Reafon alfo acquaints us, that when Persons who belong to one religious Society travel to diftant Places, they should have some Recommendations by Epiftles to other Societies, which are built upon the fame religious Principles, that they may be received into their Affemblies, and enjoy all the Parts and Privileges of Worship and friendly Society together with them? This is called occafional Communion, to diftinguish it from that fixed and conftant Communion, which the agreed Members of the fame religious Society constantly enjoy.

And here alfo the New Teftament very happily concurs with the Dictates of Reafon and common Prudence: For when primitive Chriftians were called by Providence to a Diftance

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ftance from their own dwelling, and from that Church with which they usually worshipped, they were recommended by Letters unto other Chriftian Churches in the World, that they might be received by them into all the Parts of Chriftian Fellowship. Such Epiftles St. Paul fpeaks off 2 Cor. iii. 1. he needed them not, though others ftood in Need of them: And fuch a Recommendation had Phebe, a Member of the Church at Cenchrea, when the travelled to Rome. Rom. xvi. 1, 2. I recommend unto you Phebe our Sifter, who is a Servant of the Church of Cenchrea, that you receive her in the Lord, as becometh Saints. And fuch a recommendatory Letter was written by the Brethren of Ephefus, to commend Apollos to be received by the Churches of Achaia. Acts xviii. 27. The Brethren wrote, exhorting the Difciples to receive him.

SECT,

SECT. V.

Where Revelation is filent, Reafon muft direct.

T

HUS we have seen a Variety of Inftances, wherein the Rules of Chriftianity and Scripture, fo far as relates to focial Religion, correfpond with those which the Light of Reafon and Prudence would dictate to wife and fober Men, engaged in a religious Society. Some of these are represented to us in the New Teftament, as express Commands; others we may draw by easy Reasonings from the Examples of the Apostles and the primitive Churches, as well as from the Circumftances which are contained, either in the Matters of Fact or in the Exhortations that relate to them.

And here I would obferve, that tho' right Reafon might guide us into moft of the fame Practices, yet it is a vaft Advantage to us that we have fo many of thefe Things prescribed, intimated or approved by the inspired Writings of the New Teftament: For fo imperfect is our Understanding, and fo weak our Judgement, that the Reasonings of Men, E 4

even

even of a fingle Congregation, or their Humours which go for Reafon, would not easily agree in the fame Methods and Forms of Management, and there would probably be a far greater Variety of Opinions, and greater Difficulties in the Conduct of Church Affairs, than now there are; though even now there are fo many, that render the Chriftian World a Theatre of perpetual Contest: But it must ftill be acknowledged that one main Spring of the Controverfy is, because the Paffions and Pride and Interefts of Men, will not fuffer them to hearken either to Reafon or Scripture,

Tho' Scripture hath determined fo many Particulars in a perfect Conformity to right Reason, yet it must be confeffed there are o ther Things which relate to Chriftian Worship and Order, which are paft over in Silence, or at least, are not mentioned and prescribed with fuch Plainnefs and Evidence in the Word of God, as is fufficient to direct every fingle Punctilio of our Practice. It is the Pretence of finding out in Scripture every leffer particular Piece of Conduct in a Chri ftian Church, even fuch as belongs to all religious Societies, that has tempted men to run to the Old Teftament, and enquire of Mofes and Aaron for Advice, where they could not find it exprefsly written in the New, and strangely to warp and pervert many Texts

of

of the New Teftament from their native and proper Meaning.

Let it be granted then, that Scripture is filent in fome little Particulars about focial Religion: But even here we are not left without any Direction, nor are we fent to uncertain Traditions to make up for the Silence of Scripture, but we are naturally remitted to the common Reason of Things and human Prudence as our Guide*. Yet always, as I faid before,

The Sufficiency and Perfpicuity of the Scripture in Things neceffary to Salvation, is not at all impeached by this Conceffion; for (1.) The Determinations of fome leffer Affairs relating to publick Worship, or the Conduct of Chriftian Societies, are not Things neceffary to the Salvation of any particular Perfon, or to the Effence or Being of a Chriftian Church, though they may be needful to its well-being and its comfortable and regular Subfiftence. (2.) When Scripture is faid to be fufficiently full and clear in all Things neceffary to Salvation, this doth not mean to exclude the common Exercife of the Reason and Prudence of Men, in order to apply the general Directions of Scripture to particular Cafes which occur, even in Things which are neceffary to Salvation. As for inftance: Scripture bids us do good and relieve the Poor: But it doth not tell us how many Poor we must relieve, whether two, or twenty, or two hundred, nor whether for one Day or many, &c. This must be determined by the particular Circumstances of every Christian, and by the Exercise of his Reason and Prudence, upon the fpecial Occafions and Objects which appear. Again, Scirpture requires of us to deny ourfelves and to mortify our Appetites and Paffions: But it leaves it to the Reafon and Prudence of every Christian, in what Things, at what Seafons, in what Manner, and in what Degree this must be done, and how far we must go in mortifying all Paffion and Appetite, or in