Epiftles; a which Epiftles, faith he, they themSelves, that is, the Clergy of the Donatifts, read in your Congregati cns, and yet will not communicate with the Churches of thofe Places and Cities who received thofe Epistles. After which, the faid Father elegantly introduces the Apoftolical Churches, expoftulating with the Donatifts for their uncharitable refusal to hold Communion with them; Let, faith he, the Churches unto whom

d Quas Epiftolas & ipfi in veftris congregationibus legunt, & locorum & civitatum Ecclefiis, quæ ipfas Epiftolas accipere me

tamen non communicant eorum

ruerunt. Tom. 7. Part. 1. cont. Donat. poft Collar. c. 2.p. 728.

• Clament Ecclefiæ Pontifices

.

Bythinia, Afiae, Cappadocia, cæterarumque Orientalium Re gionum, ad quas Beatus Petrus Apoftolus fcripfit; O Pars Donati, non novimus quid dicatis:

quare nobis non communicatis?

Si Cæcilianus mali aliquid fecit, -quare nobis præjudicat? Ibid. c. 3. p. 728.

the Bleed Apoftle Peter wrote, of Afia, Bythinia, Cappadocia, and the ther Eastern Parts,fpeak, and they will fay, O ye, Party of Donatus, we know not what you say: Why will ye not communicate with us? If Cecilian hath done any evil, why must it prejudice us? Let the Seven Oriental Churches also speak, unto whom the Apoftle John wrote, of Ephefus, Smyrna, feptem Ori

f Clament etiam fimiliter Ecclefiæ

entales, ad fcribit

quas Apoftolus Johannes, Ephefi, Smyrna, Thyatiræ, Sardis, Philadelphiæ,Laodicea, Pergami, & dicant, Quid vobis fecimus, Fratres? Quare Chriftiani cum Chriftianis pacem habere non vultis ? Quare in nobis communia Sacramenta, refcinditis? Ibid. c. 4. p. 729.

Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Pergamus, and they will fay, What have we done unto you, Brethren? Why will not you Chriftians have Peace with Chriftians? Why will you annul

• Dicant etiam Ecclefiæ, ad quas Paulus Apoftolus fcribit, Romanorum, Corinthiorum, &c. literas ad nos datas fratres quotidie legitis, qui vultis adhuc effe de parte Donati, in ipfis Epiftolis per nomen pacis nos Apoftolus falutavit, dicens Gratia vobis & pax à Deo Patre & Domino noftro Jefu Chrifto; Quare pacem in noftris Epiftolis legendo didi

ciftis, & eam nobifcum tenere noluiftis? Ibid. c. 4. p. 729.

in us the common Sacraments? Let also the Churches unto whom the Apostle Paul writ, of Rome, Corinth, Philippi,Colloffe, and Thef falonica, speak, and they will fay, You, Brethren, of the Party of Donatus daily read the Epiftles Sent to us, in which the Apoftle faluted us by the naming of Peace, faying, Grace and Peace be unto you from God the Father, and from our Lord Jefus Chrift: Wherefore then have je learned Peace by reading it in our Epifiles, and yet will not maintain it with us? And, after the fame manner, the faid Father might have reprefented all the other Parts of the Catholick Church, reasoning with the Donatifts for their Pride and Folly in refufing to hold Communion with them; it being an horrid Piece of Arrogance to limit the Church to their own Party, and an intolerable Act of Schifm, to re

ง

quire the reiteration of Baptifm and other Adminiftrations (which are to be received but once,) on those who were to be admitted into their Church, as if their former Baptifm, &c. had been vain, wholly infignificant, and nothing at all.

Wherefore, that fuch fchifmatical Notions and Practices, fo deftructive of Chriftian Charity, and fubverfive of the Unity of the Catholick Church, might be repreffed and contradicted, it is moft probable, that the Communion of Saints was added in the Creed as an Appendix to, or Explanation of the Holy Catholick Church; by which it was intended to declare, That though there be feveral particular Churches and Congregations throughout the Face of the Earth, yet that there ought to be a Communion and Correfpondence between them, as far as is neceffary, poffible and convenient; that whatfoever is regularly performed and determined in one, either as to Acts of Worship or Discipline, must be allowed by all others to be valid and good, feeing particular Churches are no other than fo many distinct Limbs, Members, or Parts of the Catholick and Uni verfal one.

CHA P. VII.

A brief Explication of the Forgiveness of Sins: Not conftantly repeated in the Creed till the Days of Cyprian, though fometimes expreffed, and always fuppofed from the very beginning of Christianity. Two Interpretations are given thereof, a Primary, and a Secondary one. To have a clear Idea of the Primary one, which respects Šins committed before Baptifm, it will be neceffary to reflect on the on the great Wickedness of the World before the Publication of the Gofpel; by means whereof they were under Guilt, which the Heathens knew by the Light of Nature, but could not tell how to remove it. The Jews had no Univerfal Affurance of the Pardon of Sins: Wherefore the Apostles were fent forth to reveal an infallible way for the obtaining it, viz. by Believing, and being Baptized; which is proved to be the primary fenfe of this Article, always fuppofed, or elfe expreffed in the Creed from the very firft Preaching of the Gospel, viz. that all paft Sins are for the fake of Christ, remitted to all Peniten

Penitential Believers at Baptifm : Wherein thefe Two Things are contained, First, That our Sins are forgiven for the fake of Chrift: Secondly, That the time of their Forgiveness is at Baptifm. Remiffion of Sins afcribed to Baptifm, which is always to be understood with due Regards to the Qualifications of the Perfons baptized. Why Sins are faid to be forgiven at Baptifm. The Secondary Jenfe of this Article, respected Sins committed after Baptifm. The rigorous Notions of the Bafilidians, Montanifts, but especially of the Novatians, who denied the Pardon of God, or at least of the Church, to Scandalous Sins perpetrated after Baptifm. The wretched confequences of this Opinion, as an Antidote there-against this Claufe was conftantly recited in the Creed. Both the Senfes of this Article repeated. The Refurrection of the Body is in fome Creeds the laft Article, and may be confidered in conjunction with the Refurrection of our Saviour. The Refurrection from the Dead being a necessary Point of our Religion, and withal being early oppofed both by Heathens and Hereticks, it hath been always a Part of the A a 4 Creed