81 A CHRISTIAN cncrcli. first, A confession of all the necessary articles of christian religion. Secondly, A professed subjection to -all, the necessary rules of christian duty. Thirdly, Such a blameless and holy practice in life; as may make the profession of the lips appear, in the common judgment of men, to be the sincere sense of the heart. NOTE, under the first head, I say, a confession of all the necessary articles of christian religion, rather than the christian faith, that I may plainly include the practical articles of repent- ance and new obedience, &c. as well as the doctrinal ones. Rea- son and revelation, nature and scripture, seem to make these three things necessary to a credible profession of christianity. For if a man makes never so fair an appearance of christian duties in his practice, et if in words he refuses to profess the christian faith, or deny any necessary doctrine or duty of it, he is not worthy of christian communion. Or if a man give- ne- ver so good an account of, his knowledge and belief of all the articles of the christian religion, and his moral conversation and carriage towards men, has been generally blameless in the eye of the world ; yet if he utterly refuse to declare his sincere inten- tion to practise anyof the plain and necessary duties of the chris- tian religion, he cannot be accounted worthy of christian com- munion. Or if his words make never so full a confession of all the doctrines and duties of christianity, and profess a sincere be- lief of and submission to them, yet if in his constant practice he be a liar, an adulterer, a drunkard, a known cheat, or a robber, &c. his wicked practice makes his profession incredible, he is not worthy of christian communion. SECT. II.But I would deliaer my thoughts more fully on these three particulars that make up the credibility of a profes- sion, and shew what is implied in each of them. First, it con- fession of allthe necessary articles of christian religion, includes in it those articles that are necessary to salvation, and those that are necessary to maintain and practise this communion; which two are certainly different from each other. Though it has been often said in a charitable way, and with very good reason in general discourse, that " there should be _nothing required in -order to christian communion which is not necessary to salve- tion," yet this cannot exclude the knowledge of what christian communion is. The very nature of the thing requires that we should know how to practise this communion, beforewe can actually practise and enjoy it. Now as the Lord's - supper itself is not of absolute necessity- to salvation, the things neces.sary to communicatein the Lord's-supper, must imply something more than merely the things necessary to salvation ; as I shall also make plainly appear under the seventh question, which will be entirely employed on this first part of christian profession, and therefore I proceed to thesecond.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=