12 A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. from among yourselves that wicked person. If a man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, keep no company with such a one : no, not to eat. And those who deny the resurrection, andoverthrow thefaith of some, are delivered to Satan, and cast out of the church into the world, which is his kingdom, that they may learn not to blaspheme ; 1 Tim. i. 19, 20. and 2 Tim. ii. 17, 18. Rea-. son and christianity also join to inform us, that, upon the credible evidence of a sincere repentance, and a changeof heart and life, such-offender should be forgiven, and received into the religious society again : So the offending Corinthian was forgiven, and received and restored again to the love and communion of the christian church there. See 2 Cor. ii. 7 -9. V. It is evident to common reason, when such a voluntary religious society is instituted, the right of receiving or casting out members, or restoring them upon repentance, lies originally in the society itself, because the society. itself is formed, and subsists, by the mutual compact of its own members ; and whatsoever qualifications are required of persons, in order to become mem- bers of this body, it is the society itself that has an original right to judge whether the persons have these qualifications or no. It was upon the mutual acknowledgment of such qualifications, expressed or implied, that this society was first founded; and as a voluntary society, it must be maintained on the same foot, otherwise new members will be likely to be admitted, and im- posedupon them, to the great dislike and injury of the society. Indeed they may depute several particular persons of their num- ber, whom they suppose better skilledtherein, as elder andwiser, to act for the whole society and particularly to examine into the qualifications of persons, and the merits of the cause, when mem- bers are to be received, or to be castout ; but they should never renounce their own original right. They may also appoint any particular person to go before the rest in this matter, togive them his advice herein, to acquaint them what persons are fit to be re- ceived, and to pronouncethe sentence of receiving them into the society, or excluding them from it, according to the evidence of their qualifications : And this, I presume, will be usually allowed to be the office of the fixed pastor, or presidentof the assembly, where there is such a president. And does not the New Testament generally give directions agreeably to this dictate of the light of nature ? Does not St. Paul direct to the churches themselves his apostolic advices about receiving, casting out or restoring members ? See his advice to the church at Rome ; Rom. i. 7. and xiv. i. Ye saints at Rome, receive him that is weak in faith; Rom. xv. 7. Receive ye one another; Rom. xvi. 2. Receive ye Phebe in the Lord as be-
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