QUESTION II. 59 Church, I will never quarrel with any man, whether he will call it a divine order, or merely prudential, since the scripturehas not determined this matter with incontested evidence. These ministers, officers and persons so deputed by the church, are therefore the first proper judges of the credibility of any per- son professing the christian faith, and desiring communion with that .church ; for these are supposed to be qualified above others with christian knowledge and wisdom, and they are also appointed by the church to the care and conduct thereof Yet in this case they are not so absolute and supreme, but that the congregation must some way or other approve of their judgment, either by an explicit vote, or at least by a silent consent, before the proposed communicant is received to the com- munion of the church ; for it is still the consent of the church that must make him a member of it. Or thecongregation may for just reasons disallow of their judgment in particular cases; and if they proceed obstinately to mismanage their affairs of this kind, and especially in notorious instances, and makethe terms of admission larger or narrower than Christ has appointed, or if they notoriously misapply the right rules of admission or exclu- sion to wrong persons, that church or society may reverse their sentence, and act according to their own judgment, and if it be needful may also call them to an account for it, and assume the judgment, exclusion and admission of communicants entirely and immediately into their own hands ; till they shall chase other officers who shall preside in this affair, and exercise this power more agreeably to those sacred rules and terms of communion which that society believes to be the will of Christ in his word. SECT. IV.This conduct of affairs seems to be founded on the very natureof religious societies, and the common light of reason ; and it seems also to be much countenanced by a. variety of scriptures in the New Testament, where the directions of the apostle concerning the receiving and excluding of mein- bers are addressed to the churchesof Christ at Rome, at Corinth, at Thessalonica, &c. I might multiply quotations to this pur- pose ; Rom. xv. 7. Receive ,ye one another, as Christ also re- ceivedus to the glory of God: Rom. xvi. 1, 2. I commend unto you Phebe our sister that ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints; 1 Cor. v. 4. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, w/yen ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power ofour Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan, tic. Verse7. Purge ye out therefore the old leaven. Verse 13. Put away from hmong yourselves that wickedperson ; 2 Thess. iii. 6. Nowwe command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord .lesns Christ, that ye withdraw,yourselvesfrom every ()rather tkat rcallceth disorderly.
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