A Resolution of Some Cases of Conscience Which Respect Church-Communion

A Resolution Of Some Cases Of Conscience Which Respect Church-Communion by William Sherlock. This treatise presents a Catholic understanding of church fellowship, arguing that the visible Christian Church is one Body united to God by a divine Covenant in Christ. It explains that baptism initiates believers into this Covenant and into the universal Church, and that Church-Communion denotes belonging to the whole Body and sharing in its privileges and duties, including prayer, the Lord's Supper, and the governance of the Church. Sherlock contends that the Church cannot be divided into independent sects without injuring unity, and he critiques Independency and other schismatic models that would separate Churches from Churches. The work defines terms such as Church, Church-Communion, and the distinctions between constant and occasional communion, and lays down rules to distinguish true Catholic communion from separate conventicles. It emphasizes obedience to ecclesiastical authority, the necessity of maintaining communion with the orthodox Church, and the aim of edifying the Church through unity, order, and shared ordinances.