Mifchief than those of other Sins which may be more fcandalous, but cannot be more damning.

Secondly, I answer, That never was there, nor indeed can there be, either in our Church, or any other Church, fhape the Government of it after what Model you please, any Person excommunicated, but only upon the Account of Contempt of its Authority. Let his Crime be what it will in the first Instance, yet it cannot be for that, but only for Difobedience that this dreadful Sentence is denounc'd against any. For if the Offender fubmit and be penitent, there needs no fuch Cenfure, fince it is appointed only to bring them to Repentance. If he doth not submit either to the Trial of the Cause, or the Satisfaction impofed: In the first Cafe there can be no Judgment made concerning the Crime of which he ftands accufed; in the fecond, he is excommunicated, not because his Guilt is proved, but because he obstinately refuseth to give due Satisfaction for it: So that in both it is merely Contempt. and Disobedience that can involve any Perfon in this Cenfure. And this holds certainly and univerfally of all the Churches of Chrift upon Earth, of what

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whatsoever Denomination or Discipline they be.

But, Thirdly, If fo few are excommunicated, who are guilty of fcandalous and flagitious Offences, I beseech you to confider whether a great Part of this Blame may not be laid upon your felvés for not doing your Duties in accufing and convicting them. Have you ever made any publick Complaints against obftinate and incorrigible Sinners that were not heard and accepted? If not; why do you accufe the Church, to which you ought to accufe others? But once for all, let me fpeak it to you who are of this Parish, that if any of you shall duly accufe any of thofe too few who communicate with us of a scandalous Crime committed by him, and will undertake to prove and justify his Accufation, I will here undertake not to admit fuch an one, until he hath given Satisfaction according to the Nature of his Offence.

But howfoever, fuppofe that all the Officers of the Church were negligent in their Duty, that can be no Excufe for not performing yours. If you do your Duty, you leave it upon their Confciences, and have delivered your own Souls. But in any Cafe you ought not

to

to separate from Communion with any Church-Member 'till he ceaseth to be a Church-Member, and is cut off by the Sword of Excommunication. Then, and not 'till then, you may look upon him as an Heathen Man, and a Publican: For wicked Mens communicating pollutes the Ordinance only to themselves, and not to you. If they eat and drink unworthily, they eat and drink Damnation to themselves, but not to the worthy Partakers. The Virtue and Efficacy of the Ordinances comes not to you, through those who are Communicants with you, (for then indeed it might receive a Taint from their Pollution) but it comes immediately from the Institution and Benediction of Jefus Chrift: So that when you have performed your Duty, you may receive a pure Sacrament in the Af fembly, whereof fome may be impure and defiled.

But here I know, Flesh and Blood will tumultuate, and say,This is the ready Way to run my Head into a Bee-hive. What need I, that may live quietly by my Neighbours, provoke their Enmity and Hatred by turning Informer? For accufing them will prove but a thankless and a troublesome Office. Truly, I know no Neceffity for it, befides the ftrict and exI 4 prefs

prefs Command of Jefus Chrift. And wilt thou be thought to value the Purity of his Ordinances, who doft not value the Authority of his Commands. Tell it the Church, is his Injunction; and if this be to be an Informer, know that the Name is more honourable than is vulgarly apprehended, and it is far better to be an Informer than a Schifmatick.

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But the great Place infifted on to invalidate all this that I have faid, is 1 Cor. 5.11. But now I have written unto you, not to keep Company; if any Man that is called a Brother be a Fornicator, or Covetous, or an Idolater, or a Railer, or a Drunkard, or an Extortioner, with fuch an one, no not to eat. And from this it is argued, that if I may not eat common Bread with them, then much lefs may I eat facred Bread with them at the Lord's Table.

I am forry I have so just Occafion to retort the Argument against their Practice. For certainly if our diffenting Brethren would exclude all Fornicators, and Railers, and Drunkards from their Society, their Sacraments would not be fuch general Musters as they are, but perhaps be as thin as ours. But to pass that by, 1 return a double Answer.

First, That we may well conceive the Apoftle here giving Direction to the whole Church

Church of the Corinthians, what Method they should use towards thofe who were profligate and notorious Sinners; and he bids them that they fhould not company, nor eat with them, i. e. that they fhould caft them out of the Church, not caft themselves out. They fhould excommunicate them from the Body of the Faithful; but not that any of them should separate from the Communion of holy Ordinances before they were excommunicated. This Senfe feems very fair and full For in the foregoing Part of the Chapter, the Apostle had given them in Charge, to caft out the incestuous Perfon, who was a notorious Example of Wickedness, and a great Scandal to their Church. Afterwards he fets down Rules how they should demean themselves towards others who were likewife guilty of known Crimes. And these he diftinguisheth into two Sorts; those who vifibly belonged to the World, and were profefs'd Heathens; and thofe who belonged to the vifible Church, and were wicked Chriftians. For the former Sort, he tells them, that they might civilly eat with them, Verfe 9, 10. I wrote to you in an Epiftle, not to company with Fornicators; yet not altogether with the Fornicators of this World, or with the Covetous, or Extortioners,