'tis needless to repeat here, having been already confidered at large). But now even after this Cenfure, the Church ftill continued to have care as concerning the Effects of its Difcipline, that it might be a means to bring fuch Sinners to Sorrow unto Repentance, that the Spirit might bë Saved in the day of the Lord: It waited therefore for, and watched what effect its Cenfure had on fuch Sinners, and in café they became fenfible upon it of their Sin and Danger, and fought Peace with the Church, and Reconcilement with God, by the means of its Miniftry; then did the Church take upon it felf the care of inftructing them to Repentance; and upon the Penitent's fubmitting to, and going thorough with that Course of Repentance, which upon the best judgment that could be made of the State, and Circumftances of the Sinner, and nature of the Offence was thought neceffaty; there was an abatement or Relaxation of the Cen fure, the Penitent's Sorrow and Repentance, appearing. This is feen in what S. Paul did at Corinth, upon the Submiffion and Sorrow of the Incestuous Perfon, whom he had before put under Cenfure, whom as f faid before, the Apostle feems to have admitted to Penance, in order to his being testored, or (as more commonly that act

of

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 alfo. 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 eafily forgive, or as the Church could not readily admit to the hope of forgiveness, but it must be liable to fcandal in its Miniftry, as giving countenance to Sin; the Church then found it felf under a neceffity to use great deliber. ation 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 Prefumption of the Penitent's fincerity, and of a change in the Hearts of fuch, before the Cenfure 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 ic given in charge to Timothy, that he thould Lay hands Juddenly on no Man, neither be partaker of other Mens Sins ; fpoken doubt lefs in reference to Impofition of hands in Penance, (a way of Benediction used in reconciling Sinners to the Church) to in timate to him, that if this were hastify done without care to procure in fuch 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 eafly, might continue to live in, and on him allo would be chargeable the mifchiefs which fuch disorder and scandal must occafion in the Church, to the prejudice of true Religion and Godliness. And to this purpofe also is that of the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, where he faith, It was impoffible, that those who fell away after having been once enlightned, and having tafted of the Heavenly gift, and been partakers of the Holy Ghoft, &c. which muft fuppofe their Sin Prefumptuous, and done in despite of God's grace, should be renewed again to Repentance; to wit, by the Church; to let fuch 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 inconsistent with the hope of Salvation, which hope therefore it became not the Church to give unto such 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.

L

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 Correspondence will be clear, fo 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 Difcipline was this. The Church as looking on it felf under a Truft 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 House of God. For this purpose, as it demanded of those who were baptized, that they folemnly renounce 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 Christianity, that they fhould be inftructed as in Chri