of his is understood) to have granted full Reconcilement with the Church, as thinking and judging him to have forrowed after a godly fort, and fo by his True Repentance to be in the way of obtaining Reconciliation with God also. Only in case the Sin were very great, fuch as neceffarily implied the Offender to be of a profligate Confcience, and unlikely to become a True Penitent; or the guilt fuch as it could not be fuppofed the Divine Mercy would easily forgive, or as the Church could not readily admit to the hope of forgiveness, but it must be liable to scandal in its Ministry, as giving countenance to Sin; the Church then found it felf under a neceffity to use great deliberation in the admitting fuch Offenders to Penance, and to prefcribe a long course of Penance, and fee it gone through in fuch a manner, as might give fome Presumption of the Penitent's fincerity, and of a change in the Hearts of fuch, before the Censure were taken off; and in fome cafes it was not thought fit at all to admit the Offenders fo much as to Penance, to any hope or means of Reconciliation with the Church; but to leave them altogether to the Mercy of God, and to the bewailing of their Sins, if peradventure God might give them Repentance and fhew

them

them Mercy. Therefore as I faid was it given in charge to Timothy, that he should Lay hands fuddenly on no Man, neither be partaker of other Mens Sins; fpoken doubtlefs in reference to Impofition of hands in Penance, (a way of Benediction ufed in reconciling Sinners to the Church) to intimate to him, that if this were haftily done without care to procure in such true Repentance, and without knowledge of its being wrought in them, upon himself would lie much of the guilt of fuch Sins, as those Sinners thinking themselves in the way of Salvation, by being admitted to the Station of Penitents, or restored to the Communion of the Church thus cafily, might continue to live in, and on him also would be chargeable the mischiefs which fuch diforder and scandal muft occafion in the Church, to the prejudice of true Reẻ ligion and Godliness. And to this pur pofe alfo is that of the Apoftle, in his Epiftle to the Hebrews, where he faith, It was impoffible, that thofe who fell away after having been once enlighted, and having tafted of the Heavenly gift, and been partakers of the Holy Ghoft, &c. which must suppose their Sin Prefumptuous, and done in despite of God's grace, fhould be renewed again to Repentance; to wit, by the Church; to let 1uch Sinners know L 2

that

that they must not expect the Church to give them any affurance of their Reconciliation with God after fuch Sins. As that of S. John concerning the Sin unto Death, not to be prayed for, intimateth that the Church might not take upon it to do in this as in other cafes; i. e. to intercede with God by Prayers on their behalf, as for other Sinners; Sins of fo great a guilt being utterly inconfiftent with the hope of Salvation, which hope therefore it became not the Church to.give unto fuch Sinners; but leave them to expect what God might do of his Infinite and Extraordinary Mercy, and deny them the hope ufually given to other Penitents, to make fuch wretched Sinners the more folicitous and humble in bewailing their Sins, and to deter others the more, that they might not dare or prefume to do wickedly in fuch manner. This was the Practice and Method of Difcipline, according to the Apostles and in the Churches of their time; which the feveral Parts thereof referred to in feveral Scriptures occafionally, being put together

make out.

CHAP.

LE

CHAP. V.

ET us but compare now the Practice of the Primitive Church, with this that we find done in time of the Apostles, and as the Correfpondence will be clear, so that Correspondence will clear up to us the Practice pointed and referred to in the Scriptures, (that have been confidered by us) to be fuch, as we have conceived it from the hints and intimations given us therein.

Now the Primitive Discipline was this. The Church as looking on it felf under a Trust by having the Power of Baptifm, did therefore concern it felf to engage all thofe, who embraced Chriftianity, to a Profeffion thereof, and a Refolution to live after it; and upon these terms only would the Church admit Men by its Baptifm into the Houfe of God. For this purpose, as it demanded of thofe who were baptized, that they folemnly renounced the Vices of the Age, and the wicked courfes of the World; fo did it take care on behalf of them that had been won to believe the Truth of Chriftianicy, that they should be instructed as in ChriL3 ftian

ftian Truth; fo in the neceffity of making a Profeffion of Christian Life, and of engaging in that Profeffion with fincerity.. There is nothing more evident in the practice of the whole Church from the beginning than this, That there was a Time allowed and required by the Church for those that profeffed themselves converted, to believe the Truth of Chriftianity, to give Trial of their Conversation, that it might be feen whether in likelihood they would apply themselves to live like Chriftians, and what affurance or prefumption the Church might conceive that they would not betray the Profeffion thereof, before they were admitted to Baptifm. During this time of Trial thefe Scholars and Learners of Chriftianity, were Catechifed and inftructed not only what to believe, but how to behave themselves as Chriftians, admitted to converfe among Chriftians, to come to their Affemblies, and to be present and bear part in fome of the things of God's Service; as in the Praises of God, and hearing the Scriptures Read and Expounded, and were difmiffed with the Church's Prayers; that by God's Grace they might be refolved to make a good Profeffion and to be good Chriftians. This appears in Clemens Alexandrinus his Pæda •gogus, in the Apoflolical Conftitutions, and