6o<) With what Minijlers to Communicate. ~· 36. I I I. Your duty towards othtrs in this your pre-paration is, r. To forgive thofe that have done you wrong, and ro conftfs your ~aul~ to thofe w~om you have wronged, and ask them forgive~ ne.fs, and make them amends and refiuutton fa far as m your power : and to be reconciled to thofe wnh whom you arc falleo out : and to fee that you love your neighbours as is your {elves, Mattb. 5 • 23? 24, 25, :6, 44· James 5• x6. 2 Thu you fcek advice of your P.:llors, or fame fit perfons, in cales t~at arc too h~rd for your felves to refolve, and where you need thtir fpecial help. 3· Thu you lovmgly admomfh them that you knew do intend to comrnuniclltc unworthily, arid to come thither in their ~ngodlinefs, and grofs fin unrepented of : that you !hew not fuch hatred ofyour Bro-– ther as to fulfn hn upon him, Levit. 19. 17. but tell him his fat~lts as Clwifi hath dircded you Matth. 18. 15, 16, '7· ·and do your parts to promote Chrifis di!i:ipline, and keep pure the Church' 1 Sec· 1 Cor. 5· throughout. • • Dire[!. 6. ! ~·3?·. Dire~.6. IYhm y~u come_ to theh~ly Communio?4>_1et n?t the.ovtr·[crupuloHJ. regardofthe ptrfon of the Ml~ijlcr, or th~ comfany, or 1he.tmpcrfelhonr ofthe mmiflraHon, dijtu~b your nuduations, nor eaU away ) you~ mmds .from tbe htgh and {crzous emploJ_m_em of the day : Hypocntcs who place their Religion in btJddy fXtrci{tJ,have taught many weal{ ChrijhauJ to take up unneceffary fcruples, and to tUIO their eye and obfervadon too much to things without them. .. Q!efi. But fhould "'' have no regard to the du, celebration of tbefe facrul myfteries, and totbt Mi•ifttr andCommuuicanll, and nunner of adminijlr11tion l . , Anfw. Yts: You_Chould hav< f<>much rrgud to them, •· As to foe that nothing he amifs through your ddault, whJCh IS m your power ro amend : 2· And that you Joyn ·not m the committing of any known fin: But, J, Take not every fin uf another for your fin, and think not that you are guilty of that in oth~rs which. you ca~not amend ; or t~at you mufi forfake the Church and Wrufilip of God, for th<fe conupttons whtch you are not gutlty cf, or deny your own merciu, bcca.ufe others ufurp them or abufe them. 2.If you fufpcGt any thing irnpofed upon you to befinful_to y,u,try ir before you come thither; and leave not your minds open to difiurbance, when they fbould be wholly em– ployed wirh Chri!l. ~e~. r. §. 38. ~1ell. r. !tlay we la-afuUy receivt tbiJ·St~erament from an ttngodly and unworthy Minifttr? Anfrt'. vyhocver you may lawfully commit the guidance of your fouls to as your Pafior, you may M~y we re. lawfully receive theSJ.cramcnt from; yca 1 and irt[ome cafu from fame others: For in cafe: you come cctVe from an ir'lto a Church that y0u are no member of, you may lawfully joyn in communion with that Church ~f"'~tb~ fOr that pl(fent, as a ilranger, though they have aPallor fo faulty, as you might not lawfully oomm.i: 101 er the ordinary conduct of your foul to. For it is tbtir fault and not your~, that they chofe no better: and (in lOme cafes) fuch a fi:lult as will not w1rnnt you to avoid communion with them. Buc you may not Rtccive if you know it, flOm a Htretick, that teacheth any error againfi the Effcnce qf Chrifiianity : 2· Nor from a mm fo utterly ignorant of the Chrifiian faith or duty, or fo ~trerJy un– able to Teach it to others, as to be nowrioufly uncapable of rhe Miuifiry. 3 Nor from a man pro· fdfedly ungodly, or that Cctterh himCclf to preach down Godlincfs it felf. Thefe you mull never own as Minillers ofChrifi, that are utterly uncapable of it. But fet that you take none for fuch that are not fuch. And there are three forts mo~e which you may not rtctive from, when you have your choice, nortake them for your Pafiors : but in cafeoi Neccffiry jn,pofed on you by others, it is lawful and your du.ty: And rhat is, •· V[orpers that maize themftlvu your P•llors without a lawful Call, and perhaps do forcibly rhru!\ out the La<r{ulPajlors of 1he Church: 2· Weak, ignonnr,cold and lifcltfs ~rcachers, thir are tolerable in cafe of neccffity, but nor to be compued with worthier men. 3· Miniflers of fcandalous vicious lives: ·It is a fin in you to prc:ferr any one of thefc before a better, and to choofc them when you have )(.OUr choice. Bur it is a fin on th~ ether fide, it' you rather fubmit not to one of thefe, thanbe quite witho1.1t, and haVe none at all. You own norrheir faults in fuch a cafe, by fubmirting to their Minifiry. ft 9· 29• ~efi. 2· May we commttnicate fl)iJh unn;or:hy perfonr, or in an Ulfdifciplintd Church? ~c d 2 ' 'd AnjW. You mu{\ here: diA:inguifh if you will not Ci'l : and rhar, I· Between pcrfons fo unworthyas E~tt~s(;r:~~~h.· to be no-CbriftianJ, and thofe that -arc culpablefc.md.ilcuJ Cb~ijfianr: 2· Between afewmtmbeTJ, and tbustochebetthe wbolt fociety or thedenominating part: 3· Bctw~cn fm pro{eifed and ownc~, and fin difowne? by ~:n~~\h;~, a fecming penitence: 4· And betwetn a Cafe of .Lrbert)_when I have m~ chOice o~ a Better foc1ety; Qgi~ peroand a Cafe of Neccffity, when I mufi commumcate WI-th rhe worfir foctety or wtth none. And fo Cm. en cor.CtI anfwer, ~~:u~a?:i~ cum impiis non fed it? Qu.is corum _f1lut~;i in :trc: h~c etl,,nullc ~cdefi.:_, ull~m D~o ;adverfantium ut Noe diluvii tempore; non admiGt ? ut pcrfp;cue monfir:nctuc non 1Uli wnox.Ios vel pommmes egregws, m donumca d~lllo ef(.: debere? I· You ought not to communicate at a'l in this Sacrament wit~ a focinr that profcifeth not Chri– flianity: if the wholt: body or denominacing paxt be Cue~ : that ts, J, Wah fuch as never mad_e pro– feffion ofChrifiianity at all. 2· Or have Apottar!zed from Jt: 3 Or that op"nly own any Hercfit mcon– fi!lrnr wirh the Effintia/Faith or Dmy of a Chriffi-an. 4· Or that are nutoriuufly ignorant whatChri· flianity is. ·· . 2· It is the duty ofthe Pa!lors and Governours of the Church, to keep away notNIOUS fc~mdalous olfendors, rill they Chew Repentance : and rhe peoples duty to afliLl th~m by pmate reproof, and informing tht: Church when there is caufe. Therefore if it b~ through the negleCt at yo_ur own duty that the Church is 'Orrupted and .undifciplincd, the fin IS yours, whether yo1.1 recnve wich them or not,
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