...I believe it to be the mind of Christ, that all who are true servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, sound in the faith, called to the ministry, and owned of God therein, should love one another, pray for one another, bid one another Godspeed, own one another as fellow soldiers, fellow servants, and fellow labourers in the vineyard, and, so far as God offereth opportunity, help one another in the work of the ministry. Each of these positions also may be proved by the Word of God.
I am aware that, practically, it is a point of far greater difficulty and delicacy than the communion of private Christians, because I can own many a one as a fellow-Christian, and can joyfully sit down with him at the Lord's Table, while I may think many of his views of divine truth defective, and could not receive him as a sound teacher. But although caution and sound discretion are no doubt to be used in applying this or any other Scripture rule, yet the rule itself appears to be simple enough - that, where any minister of any denomination holds the Head, is sound in doctrine and blameless in life, preaches Christ and Him crucified as the only way of pardon and the only source of holiness, especially if he has been owned of God in the conversion of souls and upbuilding of saints, we are bound to hold ministerial communion with him, whenever Providence opens the way.
What are we that we should shut our pulpits against such a man? True, he may hold that Prelacy is the scriptural form of church government; he may have signed the thirty-seventh article of the Church of England, giving the Queen the chief power in all causes, whether ecclesiastical or civil: still, if he be a Berridge or a Rowland Hill, he is an honoured servant of Christ. True, he may hold Establishments to be unscriptural - he may not see, as I do, that the Queen is the minister of God, and ought to use all her authority in extending, defending and maintaining the Church of Christ: still, if he be like some I could name, he is a faithful servant of Christ.
True, he may have inconsistencies of mind which he cannot account for - he may have prejudices of sect and education which destroy much of our comfort in meeting him - and can we plead exemption from these? He may sometimes have spoken rashly and uncharitably - I also have done the same. Still, I cannot but own him as a servant of Christ. If the Master owns him in His work, shall the sinful fellow servant disown him? Shall we be more cautious than our Lord? True, he may have much imperfection in his views; so had Apollos. He may be to be blamed in some things, and withstood to the face; so it was with Peter. He may have acted a cowardly part at one time; so did John Mark. Still, I maintain that unless he has shown himself a Demas, 'a lover of this present world', or one of those who have 'a form of godliness, denying the power thereof', we are not allowed to turn away from him, nor to treat him as an adversary...
...the living servant of Christ is dear to my heart, and welcome to address my flock, let him come from whatever quarter of the earth he may. I have sat with delight under the burning words of a faithful Lutheran pastor. I have been fed by the ministrations of American Congregationalists and devoted Episcopalians and all of my flock who know and love Christ would have loved to hear them too. If dear Martin Boos were alive, pastor of the Church of Rome though he was, he would have been welcome too; and who that knows the value of souls and the value of a living testimony would say it was wrong?
...I have looked at this question from the brink of eternity, and in such a light, I can assure your correspondents that, if they know the Lord, they will regret, as I have done, the want of more caution in speaking of the doings and motives of other men. Let us do our part towards our Dissenting brethren according to the Scriptures, however they may treat us. We shall be no losers.
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