QUESTION X. 99 things, must judge of the sense of scripture for himself, using the best helps of translators and expositors that he can obtain : so each community using the same helps, must judge for them- selves of the sense of the word of God, with regard to their conduct in admitting persons to partake of sacred ordinances among them." Therefore that particular church whose com- munion is desired, must determine whether any human words, in which a persons faith is'confessed, are orthodox in their sense, or no; whether they do truly answer the end of such a con- fession or no; and include the necessary articles of the Chris- tian faith ; and whether they give sufficient evidence of a man's knowledge in christianity, in order to admit him to their com- munion. Suppose a modern Socinian, or a more orthodox man, should refuse the common English translation of the first chapter of St. John's gospel, and confess his faith in words of his own translation thus : " In the beginning was reason, and reason was with God, and reason wasGod :" Suppose an Athanasian refuses the English translationof Rev. iii. 14. where Christ is called " the beginning of the creation of God," and says apx ought to be translated the " head of God's creation," lest Christ be represented as acreature, and he will put this text into his con- fession of faith. Suppose an Arian, an Antinomian, an Antho- pomorphite, a Pelagian, a Calvinist, each confess their faith in the words of scripture of their own translation ; none of these English words, are in the strictestand properest sense, the words of God, but the words of fallible men; and the particular church whose communion is sought must necessarily interpose with their' own sense of scripture, according to the best advan- tages they have : They must interpose, I say, so far as to judge, whether any of these persons have so interpreted those contro- verted texts, in which each chuses to confess his faith, as to ex- press aright what they believe to be the necessary articles of christianity; and though there be no necessity, that achurch and its members should agree in the sense of every text, yet there must be finally such a sense of some scriptures, given or as- sented to by the person desiring communion, as may satisfy that church that he,has knowledge sufficient for it. Now this may be done without an imposition of any set human forms of words, as I have shewn before. SECT. III. My second argument is this : To make a mere confession of express words of scripture a sufficient test of knowledge to demand Christian communion, denies that liberty to somechristians, which it indulges to others ; nay, it denies the same liberty td a whole community of christians, or to their ministers, which it indulges to each catechumen, or to every single person that offers himself to their communion. I 6 2
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