100 A cse svTIAw ciYcacif. make it appear thus: Each single person that offers himself taa communion with a particular church, has liberty given him by this rule, to put his own sense on the commands of Christ in demanding of communion; but the ministers or members of this church, are not allowed this liberty to put their own sense on thecommands of Christ about receiving him. Perhaps they know by discourse and conversation, that this person- denies some articles of the christian faith which they think necessary, while he confesses the words of scripture, and abuses them to a pernicious sense; yet he has liberty to impose himself on their communion, because he thinks he is fit for it in his own sense of scripture; but they cannot, according to this rule reject him, though in their sense of scripture they think him unfit. According to his own interpretation of the bible, he says, he owns all the fundamental articles : According to their inter- pretation, they say, he denies some of them ; yet this test opens . the door of admission to him, whensoever he demands entrance, and does not permit them to shut it. They believethe scripture forbids them to receive such to christian fellowship, who have not received the Christian faith, yet this rule allows them not to for- bid him their fellowship, though they think he dénies the faith in some necessary parts of it. They think, according to their seuse of the word of God, that he has no appearing right to the kingdom of heaven, and consequently that he has no right to enter into the church or kingdom of Christ on earth; but ac- cording to this rule they are bound to admit him, even contrary to their own sentiments and consciences. He has liberty to de- mand, but they have none to refuse. This seems to me like a restraint of the liberty of a multitude of professed christians, ta' secure or indulge the liberty of a catechumen, which is far from impartial justice, in the very nature of things. Now certainly Christ would never impose such a rule of communion on his churches, which should not be reconcileable to common justice, and to that great and general rule of his, do to others as you would have others do toyou. SECT. IV. My third argument is this : That a child, an ideot, or a very ignorant man, may repeat any short form of confession, drawn up in the express words of scripture, and say, he believes it ; or he may subscribe or assent to any longer form, even the whole bible itself: But surely a child, an ideot, or an ignorant person who have not a real knowledge and under- standing of the things of christianity, are not fit to be received into a Christian church, nor admitted to the Lord's-supper. There is no formal repetition of a few words by memory, can give any proof of christian knowledge in the heart ; no assent or subscription to a book, as big as the bible, can make it evident
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