Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 2.djvu/50

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TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.

"Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. xviii. 18.)

"Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John xx. 23.)

"Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. xxviii. 20.)

9thly. Christ hath appointed the Church as the only way unto eternal life. We read at the first, that the Lord added daily to the Church such as should be saved; and what was then done daily, hath been done since continually. Christ never appointed two ways to heaven; nor did he build a Church to save some, and make another institution for other men's salvation. "There is no other name under heaven given unto men, whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus," and that is no otherwise given under heaven, than in the Church[1].


Here, then, I finish my series of arguments. Not that there are not many others, which might be brought forward, to show that Dissent is wrong; but I prefer confining my remarks at those which have something in common with one another. The principles upon which all the reasonings here given are in some sort founded, are. 1. the Christian duty of obedience; 2. of preserving unity; 3. of avoiding, in all cases where we can with a safe conscience, any giving occasion of offence, or pain, or perplexity, to our Christian brethren:—in other words, the duty of having an eye always to Christian charity, i.e. brotherly love, in our way of performing our duties, especially those about the limits of which we are not quite sure.

  1. How is it we speak of the external unity of the visible Church, when there are many different Churches in different nations? All the Church of God are united into one by the unity of discipline and government, by virtue whereof the same Christ ruleth in them all. For they have all the same pastoral guides, appointed, authorized, sanctified, and set apart by the appointment of God, by the direction of the Spirit, to direct and lead the people of God in the same way of eternal salvation: as therefore there is no Church, where there is no order, no ministry; so, where the same order and ministry is, there is the same Church."—Pearson.