Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…

The judicious faithful Christian knoweth, that there are three degrees or sorts of Christian Communion, which have their several terms: 1. The universal-church Communion, which all Christians as such must hold among themselves. 2. Particular Church-communion, which those that are conjoined for personal Communion in Worship do hold under the same Pastors and among themselves. 3. The extraordinary intimate communion that some Christians hold together, who are bosom ⟨p. 140⟩friends, or are specially able and fit to be helpful and comfortable to each other.

The judicious faithful Christian knoweth, that there are three degrees or sorts of Christian Communion, which have their several terms: 1. The universal-church Communion, which all Christians as such must hold among themselves. 2. Particular Church-communion, which those that are conjoyned for personal Communion in Worship do hold under the same Pastors and among themselves. 3. The extraordinary intimate communion that some Christians hold together, who are bosome ⟨p. 140⟩friends, or are specially able and fit to be helpful and comfortable to each other.

The last concerneth not our present business: we must hold Church-communion with many that are unfit to be our bosom friends, and that have no eminency of parts or piety, or any strong-persuading evidence of sincerity. But the terms of Catholic Communion, he knoweth, are such as these. 1. They must be such as were the terms of Church Communion in the days of the Apostles. 2. They must be such as are plainly and certainly expressed in the holy Scriptures. 3. And such as the Universal Church hath in some ages since been actually agreed in. 4. And those points are likest to be such, which all the differing parties of Christians are agreed in as Necessary to Communion to this day (so we call not those Christians that deny the essentials of Christianity) 5. Every man in the former ages of the Church was admitted to this Catholic Church-communion, who in the Baptismal Vow or Covenant, gave up himself to God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; as his Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, his Owner, Governor and Father, renouncing the flesh, the world and the Devil. And more particularly, as man hath an Understanding, a Will and an executive power, which must all be sanctified to God, so the Creed was the particular Rule for the Credenda or things to be Believed, and the Lords Prayer for the Petenda or things to be Willed, Loved and Desired, and the Ten Commandments for the agenda or things to be done: so that to Consent to these Rules particularly, and to all the Holy Scriptures implicitly and generally, was the thing then required to Catholic Communion. The belief of the doctrine being necessary