[364 5. II. The fecond cafe about Church Cove pants deferveth no longer a difcnffion. He that will put any article unnecetfiry into any fucfiCove- iiant, finfc lly corrupteth the order of the Church: As if he would bind the people to be Church Goverc :H -airs, or never to depart from that par- ticular Church but by the confent of the Paitor, or the flock, or any filch like : And he mittaketh that will make a more explicite contrast to be More neceffary than it is, But it feemeth ffrange to us that any underífanding Chriftian fhould deny, that confnt is abfolutely neceffary to the being of an adult member both of the univerfal, and each particular Church refpetfively. What bindetb a man to confent is another queftion, but if he be any member of the Church till he profefs confent, we know not what a Chrittian or Church member is. An explicite covenant is neceffary to our relation to the V ziverfal f h srcb for it mutt be Ço1e 'ìniz,ed f2cramentally : That we exprefs it by writings or words is not of neceffity to our 'memberíhip of a particular Church : But confent is neceffary ; And rst al confent expreffed fatisfatorily,is a contraft or Covenant: It the Paftor fay all th at confent, hold up your band, or ftand up,or flay here while the reft depart, &c. thee are fagnifications of con- fent And if it be notified that all that appear at -the folemn Affemblies, and attend the Paftors Mi- niffry, fhall be taken for Confenters, their prefence and attendance is a profeffion of Confent indeed , and fo a covenanting. But though the moll expli- cit be not neceffary ad effe, no man can give a rea- fbn why it fhot ld not be beff ad bene efJe, feting the moff intelligent and plain dealing in the great things ofCod, are molt fuitable to the work., and ftref
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