QUESTION X. 101 that a man 'understands five lines of it : Yetif this be the pro= per test, such ignorant creatures must be received to thenoblest and highest ordinances of Christ upon earth. Suppose a poor wretch that wants bread, and knows almost nothing of christianityi hears that such a congregation maintain their poor well, and in order to secure a good maintenance, he gets a few scripture - expressions on the most important points without book; his life has been obscure, unknown, and, so far as appears, not any way scandalous ; he proposes himself to communion with this church, he repeats the creed, or, if he be desired to make a larger confession, he takes up his bible and says, " I be« lieve every word that is contained between these two leathern covers to be true; and I resolve to live according to it." This poor wretch may demand admission according to such principles. If you say, there must be some enquiry made, whether he understands the words of scripture, or no, then there must be some determined sense put upon those words of scripture as pro= posedby the church, or as assented to by the communicant ; and thereby you depart from your pretended rule, that the express words of scripture are a sufficient test of knowledge. I grant, that after theUtmost search and enquiry intochristian profession, and piety of conversation, some hypocrites will creep into the best-ordered and purest churches; human affairs are so consti- tuted : We cannot know the hearts of men : Tares and wheat must grow together till harvest: But it is sufficiently plain in scripture, that they ought not to admit those to christian com- munion, who understand not the first principles of christianity ; and therefore we ought to seek some satisfactory evidence of a thing that may so easily be found, viz. christian knowledge, and not bind ourselves td such a rule of admission as can give no evidence, whether a communicant has christian knowledge, or no. I might add under this argument also, that as a child, an' ideot, or a person ignorant, or a heathen may claim communion according to this rule ; so a child or a heathen is a sufficient judge who has knowledge enough to be admitted to the fellow- ship of a church of Christ ; for a child, or a heathen, can tell whether the person proposing himself subscribes his bible,or no ; whether hedeclares his general assent to all the scripture,or no ; or whether he repeats any express words of scripture aright, or no. As there is no need of any real understanding in commu- nicants upon this principle, so there is no need of any judgment or prudence in the churches of Christ, in order to receive them : No need of elders or governors, men of wisdom and discretion to use the keys of the church, where the door is so wide, that half the children in a parish may .go into the church c3
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