doubt; and therefore what could be more natural, than for the Apoftle, when mentioning fuch fcandals among the Corinthians, to put them upon trying the state of their fouls, and proving their fincerity? This is certainly the cafe in this Apoftle's directing the fame perfons to prove themselves, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. ufing the fame word there, which he uses here, and giving his direction on the like occafion. For in the Second Epiítle (as well as in the First) his putting them on examining and proving themselves, was on occafion of his mentioning fome feandals found among them; as is plain from the foregoing context. And yet there it is exprefsly faid, That the thing concerning which he directs them to prove themfelves, is, whether they be in the faith, and whether Chrift is in them. Nor is there any thing more in the preceding context of one place, than in that of the other, obliging or leading us to understand the Apoftle to intend only a trying whether they were fcandalous, and not whether they were fincere Chriftians.

And as to the words following in the next verfe; "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth "and drinketh judgment to himself, not difcerning the "Lord's body:" Thefe words by no means make it evident, (as fome hold) that what the Apoftle would have them examine themfelves about, is, whether they have do&rinal knowledge, fufficient to underftand, that the bread and wine in the facrament fignify the body and blood of Christ: But on the contrary, to interpret the Apoftle in this fenfe only, is unreafonable, upon feveral accounts. (1.) None can fo much as go about fuch an examination, without first knowing, that the Lord's body and blood is fignified by these elements. For merely a man's putting this question to himself, Do I understand that this bread and this wine fignify the body and blood of Chrift? fupposes him already to know it from a previous information; and therefore to exhort perfons to go about fuch an examination, would be abfurd. And then (2.) it is incredible, that there should be any fuch grofs ignorance appearing in a number of the

communicants in the Corinthian church, if we confider what the Scripture informs us concerning that church: As particularly, if we confider what an able and thorough inftructor and spiritual father they had had, even the Apostle Paul, who founded that church, brought them out of their Heathenish darkness, and initiated them in the Chriftian religion, and had inftructed them in the nature and ends of gospel-ordinances, and continued at Corinth, conftantly labouring in the word and doctrine for a long while together, no lefs than a year and fix months; and, as we may well suppose, administering the Lord's fupper among them every Lord's day; for the Apoftle fpeaks of it as the manner of that church to communicate at the Lord's table with fuch frequency, 1 Cor. xvi. 2. And the Corinthian church at that day when the Apoftle wrote this Epiftle, was a church noted for excelling in doctrinal knowledge; as is evident by chap. i. 5, 6, 7. and feveral other paffages in the Epiftle. Beides, the communicants were exprefsly told at every communion, every week, when the bread and wine were delivered to them in the administration, that that bread fignified the body, and that wine fignified the blood of Christ. And then befides, (3.) The Apoftle by his argument in chap. x. 16. fuppofes the Corinthians doctrinally acquainted with this fubject already. It therefore appears to me much more reafonable, to apprehend the cafe to be thus; The offenfive behaviour of the communicants at Corinth gave the Apostle reason to fufpect, that fome of them came to the Lord's table without a proper impreffion and true fenfe of the great and glorious things there fignified; having no habitual hunger or relish for the fpiritual food there reprefented, no inward vital and experimental taste of that flesh of the Son of Man, which is meat indeed. The word tranflated difcerning, fignifies to difcriminate or diftinguish. The tafte is the proper fenfe whereby to difcern or diftinguish food. Job xxxiv. 3. And it is a fpiritual fenfe or tafe which is that whereby we difcern or diftinguifh fpiritual food. Heb. v. 14.-" Those who by reafon of use,

have their fenfes exercifed to difcern both good and "evil" apos dixxpioi, &c.; a word of the fame root with that rendered difcerning, in 1 Cor. xi. 29. He that has no habitual appetite to and relish of that fpiritual food, which is reprefented and offered at the Lord's table; he that has no spiritual tafte, wherewith to perceive any thing more at the Lord's fupper, than in common food; or that has no higher view, than with a little feeming devotion to eat bread, as it were in the way of an ordinance, but without regarding in his heart the fpiritual meaning and end of it, and without being at all fuitably affected with the dying love of Christ there. in commemorated; fuch a one may moft truly and properly be faid not to difcern the Lord's body. When there fore the Apostle exhorts to self-examination as a preparative for the facramental fupper, he may well be underfood to put profeffors upon inquiring whether they have fuch a principle of faith, by means whereof they are habitually in a capacity and difpofition of mind to difcern the Lord's body practically and fpiritually (as well as fpeculatively and notionally) in their communicating at the Lord's table: Which is what none can do who have but common grace, or a faith fhort of that which is justifying and faving. It is only a living faith that ca pacitates men to difcern the Lord's body in the facrament with that fpiritual fenfation or fpiritual guft, which is fuitable to the nature and defign of the ordinance, and which the Apoftle feems principally to intend.

PART THIRD.

OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.

OBJECTION I.

THE Scripture calls the members of the visible church by the name of difciples, fcholars, or learners; and that fuggefts to us this notion of the vifible church, that it is the School of Chrift, into which persons are admitted in order to their learning of Chrift, and coming to fpiritual attainments, in the ufe of the means of teaching, difcipline, and training up, established in the school. Now if this be a right notion of the visible church, then reafon fhews that no other qualifications are neceffary in order to a being members of this fchool, than fuch a faith and difpofition of mind as are requifite to perfons putting themselves under Chrift as their Mafter and Teacher, and fubjecting themselves to the orders of the fchool.

But

a common faith and moral fincerity are fufficient for this. Therefore the Scripture leads us to fuppofe the visible church to be properly conftituted of those who have these qualifications, though they have not saving faith and true piety.

ANSWER. I own, the Scripture calls the members of the visible church by the name of difciples. But I deny, it therefore follows that the church which they are members of, is duly and properly constituted of those who have not true piety. Because, if this confequence was good, then it would equally follow, that not only the vifible, but also the invisible or myftical church is properly conftituted of those who have not unfeigned faith and true piety. For the members of the mystical church, as fuch, and to denote the special character of fuch, are called difciples; in Luke xiv. 26, 27. 33. and in John viii. 31. and xiii. 35. and xv. 8. This fhews, that in

the argument I am answering, there is no connection between the premises and the conclufion. For the force of the objection confifts in this, that the members of the visible church are called difciples in Scripture: This is the fum total of the premifes: And if there be any connection between the premises and the conclufion, it muft lie in the truth of this propofition; The church whofe members are called by the name of difciples, as fignifying their fate and quality as members of that fociety, that church is properly and fitly conflituted, not only of perfons truly pious, but of others that have merely a common faith and virtue. But this propofition, we have feen, is not true; and fo there is no connection between the former and latter part of it, which are the fame with the premifes and conclufion of this argument.

2. Though I do not deny, that the vifible church of Christ may fitly be reprefented as a school of Christ, where perfons are trained up in the use of means, in or der to fome fpiritual attainments: Yet it will not hence neceffarily follow, that this is in order to all good attainments; for it will not follow but that certain good attainments may be pre-requifite, in order to a place in the school. The church of Chrift is a school appointed for the training up Chrift's little children, to greater degrees of knowledge, higher privileges, and greater ferviceableness in this world, and more of a meetnefs for the poffeffion of their eternal inheritance. But there is no neceffity of fuppofing, that it is in order to fit them to become Christ's children, or to be introduced into his family; any more than there is a neceffity of fuppofing, because a prince puts his children under tutors, that therefore it must be in order to their attaining to be of the royal family. If it be neceffary, that there fhould be a church of Chrift appointed as a fchool of inftruction and difcipline, to bring perfons to all good attainments whatfoever, then it will follow, that there must be a visible church constituted of scandalous and profane persons and heretics, and all in common that affume the Christian name, that fo means may be used with them in order to