of+drJgwell. ag appointedFleas to be fudges vpon earth, with fuchnneafureofauthoritie that no man falling after baptifinecan without their fentence and deternnie nationbe reconciled; and they can not rightly iudge,vnleffe theyknow all amans finnes:therefore all that fall after baptifine are bouude by Gods word co open all their finnes to a ptiefi.e/ln(. It is falle which theyfay that priefis are iudges,hauing power to examine and take knowledgofmens fannes,and iurifdióìion whereby they can properly abfolue and pardon or tetaine them. For Gods word bathgiuenno more toman,but a rainifferie ofreconcilearion,whereby inthe name ofGod, and according tohis word,he doch preach, declare, and:pronounce,that God lothpardon or not patdon his finnes. Againe,pardon may trulybe pronounced, and right iudgetnent oftheefiateofanyman, without a particular rehearfall ofhis finnes. For he which foundly and truly repentsofoneor fomefew finnes,repents ofall.Se- condly,this confeflion is ouerturned by the praaifeoftheProphets and A- poliles,who not onely abfolued particularperfons, but alto whol Churches without exac`iion of auricular confeffon..When Nathan theProphet had rebukedDauid for his two great and horrible crimes, Dauid touched with rernorfe raid,/haw rimmed, and Nathanprefentlywithout further examina- tion declared vnto him in the name ofGod, that his linnet were forgiuea him. Thirdly, itcan not be proouedby any good andfufficient proofes, that this confeflion was vied in theChurch ofGod till after flue or firehundred yeares were expired. For the confeflionwhich was then invie, was either publicke before the Church, or the openingofa.publicke fault toTomepri- uate perfon in fecret. Therfore to vrge ficke men vnto it lyingat thepoint ofdeath,is to lay more burdens on thetn,tben euer God appointed. And whereas they make it a neceffarie thing to receiue the Ec charia in the time ofEicknes toward death, and that privately ofthe fickcpartie a- lone,they haue no warrant for their pra Life andopinton.For in thewant of the facrament there is nodaunger, but in thecontempt: and theverycon- tempt it felfe is a finite which maybe pardoned, ifwe repent. And there is no reafon whywe fhould thinke that lacke men fhouldbe depriuedof the comfortof the Lords fupper, if they receiue it not indeath; becaufe the fruit andefficacie ofthe facratnent oncereceiucd, is not tobe refirained to the time ofreceíuing, but itextendes it Idle to thewhole timeofmans life afterward. Againe the fupper oftheLord is noprivateaeiion,butmeerely ecclefiaflicall : and therefore to be celebrated in the meeting and affembly ofGods people; as our SaniourChrifi prefcribech,when he faith, DoeyeLui.zs.L , Mid: and Paulin raying, Whenyecome tTether. But it is alleadged that the Ifraelites did rate the Pafcall lambe in their houles whenthey were inE- :a Co gypt. e 1nf..The Ifraelites had then no libertie.to makeany publicke mee- ting for that endetand God commanded that the Parcel! lambe fhould be eaten inall the honksofthe Ifraelites atone and the fame infiant; and that in.effea wasas much as if it had beetle publicke. Againe , they allcadge a Canonof theCouncil ofNice; which decreeth.that men beeing about to die,
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