.Q:!eft. 5· ~eft.6. !&.eft. 7· ~eji. S. ~eji.IOo Whom we muft_judg~ true CIJriftianr. Q!ef\. 5• Whom muft we judge for jinccre and fan[iijied Chriflialtf l A11[w. J, All th?fc that Proftfs to ~~ fuch, whom you cannot di.fprovr. 2. But as thCre are fevc 4 tal degrees of CVJdence and probabtlltf, fo rnufi there be f(VCral degrees of fOUr good Opinion of others. Of fame who give you the highdl probability, you may lllve.rhe ftrongell confidence O•ort of cerrainr~: Of others you may .have lcfs ; and.of fame yo~ may have much more fear thanbape. 3· And yet m matter~ ~f Churth-r1g~ts and publlck ~ornmunwn, your (e8rs will nor allow you to ufe them as no Chnthans : For thctr profiffion of faub and repentonce ts ecruin: And as long 5 your fears of their hypocrifie or unfoundnds is but uncertain, it mufl not (on that account' prevail; deprive another of his right. " 0 ~dl. 6. But is Hot my error 'tJY fin, ifI prove miftak.fn, and taJte that mau fur a fincere Cbrijlian ~ •u~l · . Anfw. If you judgeditto beart•in, yourjudgemrot and error was yourfin; But if you only JUdged him a Profeffor ef Chrijlianity, and one rliat on chat account you were bound to have Church-commu.nion with as if he were finc~re, b~cau{f: you cannot prove the contrary, this was ~o error : Or tf you erred for want of fuffic1ent evidence to know the truth , this enor is not in Jt felf a fin. Q!cll. 7. Whmt m•ft I judge a vijible membrr of tbe Church, witb wl.om I am thU< bound ,. hold communion ? · Anfw. r.1f you are the P<fior of the Church who are made 'the Judge, at his admittance by Baptifm or afterwards, you mull fo judge of every one who makerh a crtdible profeffion. of trKt Chrijlianity, that is, of his prt[ent Con{t~tt ts the Sacramental Covenant : And that proidlion is ctc– dible; which is, t• Underftood by him that makerh it, z, Deliberate, 3· Voluntary, 4 . Seemingly fcrio~s, 5· And is not difproved by valid evidence of the contrary. The(~ arc th( true mcafures of Church·comn\union: For every man; next Gpd, is the Judge of his own heart: And God would have every man the Choofcr or Refufer of his own mercies. '\ 2. But if you are but aprivate member of the Church, you are to judge that perfon a vifible mcm• btr of the Church, whom the Paftor hath taken in by Baptifm, and not caft out again by excom– munication : Except the contrary be notorioUI : And even then you are oft obHged for o.rdcr fake to carry your felf towards him as a vifible member, till he be regularly call our. Q!eft. 8. Whom mHj! I judge a true worjhipptr ofGod, and whom not? Anfw. Him that profdfeth true Chrifiianiry, and joyneth in true WoiOlip with a Chriftian Church or privately ( when hind<red ) acknowledgeth the ttue God. in all his E!l'mti•l Attributes, and hear: eth his Word, and praycth to him for a1l things nc:cdfary to {alvation; and praifeth him acc 0 r. dingly; not giving the Wor01ip proper to God unto any creature: And doth all tbit as a finner redeemed by ]cfus Chrifi, 'trufiing in his Merits, Sacrifice and int('rceffion, and glVeth not his Office to any other. And he is a f•lfe Worjhipper who denyeth any effential Attribute of God, or dfenrial put of the Office ofChtill; or giveth thefe to any other ! or reful<lh his Word, or excluderh in his prayers, any thing cffential to Chrifiianiry, or abfolutely necdfary to falvation. But fecundum quid, in leJfer partJ, or circumftanceJ, or mta[ares, every man on earth is a falfe WorCl1;ipper, that is, he of– fereth God a wotthip fame way faulty and imperfect : and harh tome fin in his worlhipping of God : And fin is a thing that God requireth not , but forbiddeth even in the fmallefi mcafurcs. Qieft.s>. Which m•ft I judge & trueChu"b ofCbrij!, and which a fal[t Clmrch l Anfw. The Univcrfal Church is but ont, and is the whole fociety of ChriO:ians as united to Chrifl their only Head: And rhis cannot be a falfc Church. But if any ot~u:r f<t up an Ufurper as the Uni· vetfal Head, and fo make another Policy and Church, this is a f•lfe Church formaUy, or in ifS policy : But yet the members of this falfe Church or policy, may fame of them as Chrillians be alfo members of the uue Church of Chtift : And thus the 1\.oman Church as Papal is a fa/fe Catholick.. Church, have– ing the Policy of an Ufurpet : but as Chriftians they may be membets of rbe true Catholick Church of Chrilt. But for aparticular Church, which is but part of the Univerfal, that is a true Church con– fidered meerly as an ungoverned Community, which is a true part of the Catholick, prepared for a Paftor, but yet being without one: But that only is a uue Political Church , which confifierh of Profcffcd Chriflians conjoyned under a true Pafior, for Communion in the profdfion of true Chri· fiianity, and for the uue worthipping of God, and orderly walking for their mutual allifiance and falvation. Q!eft. 10. Whommuff "'e j•dge true Prophets •nd Paftors of the Church l An[w. He is a true Prophet, who is fent by God, and fpca~erh truth by immediate fupernatural revelation or infpiration. And he is a falfe Prophet, who either falfly faith, that ht hath D;vme re– velations or infpiration, or prophefieth falthood as from God. And he is a true Pallor ar the bar of God, who is, ,, Comp<tently qualified with abilities for the Office. 2· CQITlp<tenrly difpofed ro ir, with willingnefs and defire offuccefs: And hath right ends in undertaking and difchnging it -3- Who bath a juft admillion, by ttue Ordination ofPaftors, and Confent of the flock : And he is ro be ac– counted a uue Paftor in foro Ecclefi.e, in the ChuiChes judgement, whom the Church judgeth tohave all thefe qualifications, and thereupon admitteth him into poffeUion ?f the place, rill his incap•·. city be notorious or publickly and fi1fficiently proved, or he be removed or made uncapJbl<. Tit.2.
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