QUESTION VI. 79 sons as these to occasional communion, though theyhave no fixed relation to any particular church.; and the general rules of chris- tianity willoblige them to perform several relative duties towards their fellow-christians, and to help to support the externalcharges of those churches, with whom for a season they hold fellowship. But after all, I must confess that the special duties, which belong to a fixed settled communion of christians, are so generally plain in scripture, and so necessary from the very nature of religious societies, as described under the fourth question, that in my opinion, any. church of Christ has reason to make very careful enquiry into the real christianity of a person who desires occasi- onal communion only, but utterly refuses all manner of fixed communion with any church where he has proper opportunity; unless his habitation be always unsettled, or his circumstances, very peculiar, or he can give some other just reason of his re- fusal to the church. 1 should alsoadd in this place, that if per- sons should be freely and readily indulged and tolerated in this sort of loose communion, because they may have some sort of appearance of reason for it, others that have much less reason, or none at all, might probably demand and expect it : and these examples would tend greatly to the dissolution and confusion of churches ; in such a case, though it may be barely lawful, yet it seems not to be expedient, and therefore should not be commonly practised, since it leads to the ruin of churches, rather than to theiredification ; 1 Cor. x. 23. except in cases extraordinary. Another very obvious question arises here, viz. Whether a church, or religious society, may refuse a person who offers him- self to become a fixed member of that church in constant and complete communion, and makes avisible and credible profession of bis faith ? Whether a church can lawfully forbid such a person tobecome a complete member, and restrain him only to a sort of occasional or incomplete communion ? ANSWER. Though it is certain that without such fixed soci- etiesor churches, public christianity could not be well maintained, and therefore far the greatest part of christians are certainly obliged to become members of some particular christiansociety ; yet as there may be some peculiar cases which may excuse a per- son from fixed communion and membership, so there may be pe- culiar cases also which may excuse a church from receiving some persons to complete membership with them, though they may admit them to occasional communion. Let it be considered, that by admitting a person to fixed communion, and making him a member of that particular so- ciety, he not only acquires a right to join with the society in all the ordinances of the gospel and special communion, in public on the Lord's-days, but he bath a right to be with them at anymore private meetings of the whole church, and to consult and act in
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