174 W/JOIII 1Pe muft Lo)!e as Godly. prefent reception of thefc benefits. f\nd therefore it is that the antient Writers flill affirmed that a11 rhe \~~~~~~:~t~~ Baptized were regenerated,_ jufii~cd a~d adopted : Whether an adult p~rfon be truly fit for Baprifm fum tefbmo· or no'", the Patlor that bapuzeth JS to Judge: And he mufi fee the credible figns of true faith and re· nia in D. G.t- pentanee before he baptize him: which are no other than his undertiauding, voluntary, fober proftf.. takttHo~tra tion of confent to the Baptifma1 Covenant: Bur when he is baptized, and profdfeth to fland to that ~:~~~~~:~. ~o.vcnant once made, he is to be judged~ godly t:,crfon ~y all the Chu.rch-mem~ers, who have not fuf~ I hcJent proof of the contrary: Bccaufe 1f he be fmcere m what he dtd and titll profdfeth, he is cer .. tainly godly : And whether he be fincerc or not, he himfdf is the bell and regular Judge or difcer· ner, {o fn as to put in his claim to Baptifll), which the P.dlor .is obliged 11ot to deny htm, without difproving him; And the Pafior is Judge as to his actual admittance : Aud therefore the people have nothing nwj[arily to do, but know whether he be baptized and 11and to his baprifm: For which they arc to take him as {incere ; Unlcfs by his notorious dlf.Covery of the contrary they can difprove him. Thefe arc: not only the true terms of Cfmrch·communion, but of Love to the godly: And though this gocth hardly down with fome good men, who obferve how f,w of the baptized feem to be fcrioufly religious, and therefore they think tlut a Vifible Church member as fuch, is not at all ro be accounted fincere, that is, to be believed in his profCfiion, and that we owe him not the fpecial love which is due to the godly, but only a common love due only to profdfors without rcfpe& to their fincerity; Yet this opinion will not hold true : Nor is a proffffio1J required without refpeCl: to the truth or falfhood of it: the credibility of it being the vtry reaton thar it is requifire. Nor is it any mber faith or conftnt to the Covenant below that which is fincere and Caving, which mufl: be profdfed by all that will be taken for Church·members. And though thofe that are of the contrary opinion arc afraid ie11 this will occauon too much 11rictnefs in the Pal1ou in judging whofe Profef– fion ·is credible, and confequently will countenance ftparation in the people, yet God-hath provided a fufiicient remedy againfi that fcar,by making every man the opener of his own heart, and tying us by the Law of Nature and of Scripture, ro take every mans ProfdTion for credible, which is fober, un– dnfianding and voluntary, unlefs they can difprovc it, or prove hill} a lyar, and perfidious, and in– credible. And whereas it is a latitude of Charity which bringeth them to the contrary opinion, for fear \ell the incredible profdfors ot Chriflianiry, fhould be all excluded from the Yilib\e Church; yet indeed it is but the lmage of Charity, to bring Catechumens into the Church, (as to ftt the Boys of Difputations ofRight to S:tnamems. .~•ft·S· ~cft.6. the lowefi Form among them that are in their Greek,) and to deny all fpecial Chrifl:ian I:.ove ~to all Vifiblt: members of the Church as fuch; and to think that we are 110t bound to take any 'of them (as fuch) to be fincere or in the favour of God, or jul1ified, for fear of excluding thofe that are nor. But of this I have written largely in a Treatife on this fubjecr. Q!)eO. 5· Muft wt tal(_e all Vifible·Ghurch·mcmbm alii~,! to be godly, and love t~tm rqually ? An[w. No; There are as many various degrees of credit due to their profdhon, 2s there are Vl– rious degrees of credibility in it : Some manifeft their tincerity by fuch full and excellent evidences in a holy life, that we are next to certain that rhey are fincere: And feme make a profc:tlion fo ig– norantiy, fo coldly, and blot it by fo many falfe Opinions and Vices, that our fear ofrhem may be greater than our hope; Of whom we can only fay, that we are not altogether hopelcfs of their Gncc– rHy, and therefore mufi ufe them as godly men, becaufe we cannot prove the contrary: but yet ad– moniCh them of thL'ir danger, as having much caufe to fear the worfi: And there may be many notorious wicked meH in fomc Churches through the Pafiors fault, for want of Difcipline. And thefe tor order {akc we mufi affemble with, but not diffcmble with them and our own confciences, fo as to take rhcm for godly mm, when the contrary is notorious; nor yet to admit them to our famili· ariry. The Pallor hath the keys of the Church, but ·we have the !<eyes of our own houfes and hearts. Q!)efl. 6. Mujf we lovt all rqually that ferm truly godly; tbe ftrong and the wral(_? A•fw. No: he that loverh men for their holinels, will love them according to the degrees of their holinefs, as far as be can di[ccrn it. . !J0eft. 7· Q;eil. 7· Muft ,.,e love him more who h•th much grace (or holinefs) and i< little ufeful for n>ant of gi[11, or l1im that bath lefi grace aJtd eminent ufeful gifts? ~,p.s. Anfw. They mul1 both be loved according to the diverfity of th<ir goodnefs. He that bath moft graq: is beft, and therefore mofi to be loved in himfelf: But as a Means to the converfion of fouls and rhe honour of God in the good of others, the man that harh the mofi eminent gifts, mufl:: be rnofi loved. The tiril is more loved in and for his own goodnefs: The fecond is more lovely proptrr aliud as a means to that which is mote lowd than either of them. ~eH.S. Muft we love bim as agodly man, wbo live11J in any great ormortal fi'~ ? . Anfw. Every man mufi be loved as he is: If by a mortal fin, be meant a fin mconfifient w1th ~he Love of God and a ftatc: of grace, then the quefiion is no quefiion; it being a contradiCtion wh1ch is in quefiion. But if by a grrat and mortal fm, be meant only this or that act of finning, and the quefiio(l be, Whether that act be mortal, that is, inconfifient with true gnce or not? Then the par~ ricular act, with the circurnfiances mufi be confidered, before that qudlion can be anfwered. .Mur– der is one of the mofi heinous fins: And one man may be guilry of it, out of deliberate habauatc malice: and another through a fudden paffion; and another throUgh mcer inadvertency, carekfnefs, and negligence: Stealing may be done by one man prefurnptucufly, and by 1 anothcr mccrly to fave the life of himfclf or his children : Thcfe will nor equally prove a man m a Hate ofdeath, an~ withOut true grace. And which is a mortal fin inconfil1ent with the life of Grace, and which not, ts before fpoken to, and belongerh not to this place. Only I fiJall fay, that the fin ( be it gre:~~;
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