Christ and his Church: or, Christianity explained, under seven evangelical and ecclesiastical heads; viz. Christ I. Welcomed in his nativity. II. Admired in his Passion. III. Adored in his Resurrection. IV. Glorified in his Ascension. V. Communicated in the coming of the Holy Ghost. VI. Received in the state of true Christianity. VII. Reteined in the true Christian communion. With a justification of the Church of England according to the true principles of Christian religion, and of Christian communion. By Ed. Hyde, Dr. of Divinity, sometimes fellow of Trinity Colledge in Cambridge, and late rector resident at Brightwell in Berks.

SECT. IV. Christian communion beginneth with the Church, but endeth with Christ both in the word, and Sacraments, and Prayers; and that the Church is bound in all these to advance, not to hinder our Communion with Christ, either by denying the people the use of the Scriptures, or by teaching them supersti∣tious prayers, as to Saints and Angels, wherein Christ nei∣ther can nor will communicate with men: The ready way to have communion with Christ, is by peace and holiness, and wherein that communion chiefly consisteth.

TRue Christian communion beginneth with the Church, as with the body of Christ, but endeth with Christ himself, as with the head: God hath joyned those two toge∣ther, let not man put them asunder; Nor is it the intent of this discourse to divide this Christian communion into two seve∣ral communions, by reason determining or defining, ratione ra∣tiocinata, because the body cannot subsist without the head, but only by reason discussing or debating, ratione ratiocinante, be∣cause the head is different from the body: And every good Christian is to take notice, that though he may consider this com∣munion severally, yet he may not persue and embrace it so. For he cannot have actual communion with Christ, unless he have actual communion with his Church, no more then he can have communion with the head, unless he have also communi∣on with the body: yet may he not rest satisfied in his commu∣nion with the body, the Church of Christ, till they come there∣by to have communion with the head, even with Christ himself.

For our Christian communion is much like Jacobs ladder, the lower part whereof was set upon the earth, but the top of it reached up to heaven; And behold the Lord stood above at the top of it, Gen. 28. 12, 13. So is our Christian communion; The lower part of it is with the Church the body of Christ here on earth: but the upper part or top of it, is with Christ in hea∣ven: And we cannot say that our Christian communion is a

true communion, unless Christ be at the end of it; as for exam∣ple, in hearing the word (read and preached) we at first communicate with the Church, which speaketh to the out∣ward man, but we hear it not profitably to our salvation, un∣less we at last communicate also with Christ, speaking by his Spirit unto our souls, or to the inward man; Paedogogus est Jesus, Our teacher is Jesus, was thought by Clemens of Alexandria, a fit subject both to fill and to name his books of Christian In∣stitutions (v. lib. 1. Paedag. cap. 9.) For as the Church teach∣eth the people, so also Christ teacheth them much more: and the Churches paedagogy i•• or should be to bring them unto Christ, not to make them rest only upon their own teaching for soul-saving truths: nor is this Doctrine any disparage∣ment to the Church, no more then Saint Pauls was to the Law, when he said, The Law was our School-Master to bring us unto Christ, Gal. 3. 24. Nay indeed it is the greatest honour of the Church, (as it was of the Law,) that God is pleased to use her teaching as a means or instrument to bring us unto Christ; That as the Church teacheth us by explaining saving truths to our un∣derstandings, so Christ may teach us by imprinting the same truths in our wills and affections, & therefore the Church should above all things, take heed of offering those truths in her expla∣nations, which she cannot believe, nor wish that Christ should ratifie by his impressions, such as are all those Doctrines which are the inventions of men, and not the institutions of Christ.

And forasmuch as it cannot be denied that Christ teacheth more powerfully by his own word then by ours, it is evident that the Holy Scriptures may not be denied to the people in their own tongue by that Church which will labour to advance their communion with Christ; and as evident, that the people are not bound to communicate with that Church which will not labour to advance this, the highest and greatest part of their Christian communion: Again, in receiving the holy Eucharist, we must not only communicate with the Priest exhibiting unto us the bread and wine, but also, and much rather, with Christ himself exhibit∣ing unto us his most precious body & blood, or we shall receive but half a Sacrament, and enjoy but a half communion: This is Saint Pauls Divinity; The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which

we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Co. 10. 16. We bless the Cup, and we break the bread; there∣fore you must communicate with us, (which we could not say, if we did refuse to do either; for we could not desire you to relinquish your communion with Christs institution, to fol∣low ours;) But the Cup which we bless, and the bread which we break, is the communion of the blood and body of Christ; therefore you must not communicate chiefly, and much less only with us, but also and much rather with Christ himself.

Lastly, Thus is it also in our prayers▪ we are bound in our praying to communicate not only with the Church as the body, but also with Christ as the head; and consequently the Church is bound to use no other prayers then such as may be agreeable with Christs communion, and available by Christs intercession: For if we pray out of his communion, we cannot hope to ob∣tain what we pray for, by virtue of his intercession: And this (I conceive) was one main reason why publick Li∣turgies were at first established in the Church, that Christians might know before hand the terms of their communion, and be assured in their own hearts, that no other prayers should be offered unto them, then such wherein Christ himself would joyn with them in intercession, which assurance during the ex∣traordinary effusions of the Spirit, was grounded upon the infallibility of their persons who prayed; but when it could no longer be grounded upon the infallibility of the persons that prayed, then it was thought fit it should be grounded upon the infallibility of the thing or of the prayer; for that faith cannot rest but upon infallibility; and the people, as well as the Priest, ought to pray in Faith, wherefore this assurance is not only very just and reasonable, but also very necessary and religi∣ous, since we all know we must pray in the merit of Christs in∣tercession, if we hope our prayers should find admittance to God, and acceptance with him, and we are sure he will not in∣tercede with us in such prayers as we have not learned from him. For which cause the Church also teacheth us to conclude all our prayers after this manner, Per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum, through Jesus Christ our Lord, as if we were bound to believe that Christ then prayeth for us, when we are praying for our selves, (according to the rules of his word)

and that we have hopes to be heard not by virtue of our own, but of his intercession: And tis observable that Saint Paul saith of those who worshipped Angels, that they held not the head, (Col. 2. 19.) because in such worship, Christ who is the head, could not joyn with them, nor they with him: accor∣cordingly Saint Chrysostome thus expostulates with such a wor∣shipper, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Why do you let go the head to lay hold on the members, whilst you think to come to God by the Angels, (he might have put in Saints too, by the same reason, if that worship had been then in fashion) and not immediately by Christ? For if you fall from him you are certainly lost; and the way to fall from him, is not to lay im∣mediate hold on him; for he that layes not immediate hold of him, cannot lay fast hold of him; Tis holding of the head, not of the body, that gives the nourishment whereby we encrease with the encrease of God: and Angels are of the body, no less then men; Accordingly the Fathers of the Council of Laodicea, give this reason why they accurse them who called upon Angels in their worship, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, (Can. 35.) because such men have forsaken the Lord Jesus, and are guilty of idolatry: And it is a pitiful evasion of Baronius to say that the Council spake of false Angels, which the Heathen called Genii; for besides that no Christians ever worshipped them, and the Canon only concerns Christians, tis too great an absurdity to be pinned upon a Council, to say they spake of Angels, when they meant Divels: For our parts, we must conclude that praying to Saints and Angels is a very unwarrantable, a very unsafe, a very uncomfortable way of praying, because we are sure we cannot have communion with Christ in such prayers: For though he can, doth, and will join with us in saying, Our Father, yet he cannot, will not, saying, Our Brother; Though he doth join with us in our intercessions to the Creator God blessed for ever, yet he doth not, cannot joyn with us in our intercessions to any creature; And therefore since the Church requires our communion only by authority from Christ, it is evident that no Church can just∣ly require our communion in this or any other practice, wherein it self doth not communicate with Christ: For in such prayers as these, we can only hold of the body, (or rather

some corrupted member of the body) but we cannot hold of the head; and consequently in such prayers as these, there can be no true Christian communion; for that so beginneth with the Church, as that it endeth with Christ; so beginneth in earth, as that it endeth in heaven; Saint Johns determinati∣on may best decide this controversie (for some mens pervers∣ness, hath made it so) who in very few words thus sets forth to us our Christian communion, That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, 1 John 1. 3. Where we may see that God imparted not the knowledge of Christian truths to his Church that she might reserve them to her self, but that she might pub∣lish and declare them to his people: That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you: God hath declared them to us, that we should declare them to you: And the reason why the Church is bound to declare these Christian truths to the people, is, to establish them in the true Christian communi∣on, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ; where we plainly see, that Christian communion begins with the Church, and ends with Christ; nor would the Apostle seek to draw them to have fellowship with him, but that with him they might also have fellowship with Christ; he desires not to magnifie this communion from himself, but from his Saviour: He therefore exhorts them to have communion with the Church, that they might have communion with Christ: For indeed there are at least two degrees, if not parts, of our Christian communion; the first is our communion with Christs Church as with the body, that ye also may have fellowship with us; The second is our communion with Christ himself as with the head, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ; and this communion is or ought to be the end of all preaching; that which we have seen and heard, de∣clare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship, &c. This is or should be the intent of all preaching; even the communion of the people with the Priests, and the communion both of Priests and people with Christ; so likewise saith Saint Peter, speaking of our blessed Saviour, His Divine power hath given

unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you might be partakers of the Divine nature, 2 Pet, 1. 3, 4. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, not only partakers of, but also communicants in or with the Divine nature, as if he had said, the end of your communion with us, is, that you may thereby have communion with God; His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of himself; And we are desirous to impart to you this knowledge, that you may have part in the same life and godliness: He hath given to us exceeding great and gracious promises, and we desire to publish them ro you, that by these, you also with us, might be parta∣kers of the Divine nature: But because this communion is or should be the only task of our whole life, and is the only, comfort of our death, I will yet alledge one more testimony for it, and that shall be his who was wrapt up into the third hea∣vens, that he might the better shew us the right and the straight way thither, and he bids us Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 2. 14. thereby dec••aring unto us as it were the two integral parts of our Christian communion, Peace and Holiness, and the reason why we should embrace them both, even that we may come to the beatifical vision: follow peace with all men, that you may have communion with Gods Church; and follow holiness, that you may have communion with God himself; for if you leave out either of these, or leave following either of these, you can∣not see the Lord: We that follow peace with no men, not so much as with our selves, how shall we see God? we that fol∣low holiness in no kind, at least conscientiously, but only con∣tentiously, pretending to set it up in some one commandment, that we may the more plausibly beat it down in all the rest, how shall we see God? Let all unpeacefull and unholy men, (for surely they go both together, though holiness hath of late been made a pretence for breaking the peace) here see the danger of their perversness, that hereafter they feel not the mischief of it: those who neither follow peace nor holiness, and yet pretend their eyes are open, so as to see God, more then all

the world besides, For it is a sad thing so to see God, as not to come neer him; Dives could do so in hell; He could see Abra∣hams bosome; though he could not get neer it, for it was afar off saith the Text, Luke 16. 23. Tis a sad thing to have a Vision of God without a fruition; but tis an impossible thing to have a fruition without a communion; Excellently Alensis asks this question, Per quid est unio membrorum in corpore Ec∣clesiae? By what is it that good Christians are joined together, or the faithfull are united as members in the body of the Church? and he thus answers it: Per unam perfectionem; una enim est per∣fectio in capite Christo & in omnibus Sanctis, sc. Spiritus sanctus ex quo est nobis communio Trinitatis: et per unam dispositionem, sc. Fide, spe, charitate, opere; nam Idem credunt, Idem appetunt seu volunt, Idem expectant, Idem imitantur: Par. 3. q. 12. m. 2. art. 3. Christ and good Christians are all united together by one Perfection, and by one Disposition: By one perfection, for there is the same perfection in Christ the head, and in all the Saints which are his body, to wit the Holy-Ghost, which joins them both in communion with the blessed Trinity: and by one Disposition, to wit, in Faith, Hope, Charity and Works: for they all believe the same thing, viz. The first truth: All desire the same thing, viz. The chiefest good: All expect the same thing, viz. Eternal bliss: All imi∣tate the same thing, viz. The pattern or example of holiness, and hence it is that they all are of the same communion.