or because he is envious, or malicious, as I should because he is continually accufing, and cenfuring, and exclaiming against the Faults of other Men; as if it were a certain Mark of his Christianity, to set a Mark of Infamy upon others.

But then suppose thou doft certainly know them guilty, and therefore refusest

to communicate with them.

2dly. Let me ask thee, Whether thou haft obferved the Rule of Jefus Christ towards thy offending Brother, before thou thus account him an Heathen, and a Publican? The Rule that he hath given us, we find Matth. 18. ver. 15, 16, 17. and it is a moft obfervable Place to this Purpose: If thy Brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his Fault between thee and him alone if he shall bear thee, thou haft gained thy Brother: But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the Mouth of two or three Witneffes, every Word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church: But if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be to thee as an Heathen Man and a Publican. This is a perpetual standing Rule in this Cafe, from which we ought not to vary: If thy Brother shall trefpafs against thee; i. e. not. only if he shall wrong thee, but if he fhall wrong either his God, or his Religion,

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gion, by any flagitious Crime that gives Offence and Scandal to thee, and fo is a Trespass also against thee: What then? Must thou presently forsake the Communion of the Church, because of such an one's Offences? No, faith our Saviour, first of all it is thy Duty to admonish him privately: If thereupon he reform, thou savest thy Brother: If yet he perfist, thou must not as yet break off Communion with him, but try another Course. Take with thee grave and faithful Witneflès, and again admonish and reprove him. Though this Course should not prevail neither, yet still thou must own him as thy Brother, and communicate in all Ordinances with him, till thou haft tried the laft Remedy, and that is to tell the Church, i. e. the Sanhedrim, who in our Saviour's Time, were both Ecclefiaftical and Civil Judges: Inform those of his Miscarriages, who have the Power of the Keys committed unto them. And if he hear not them neither, but still persist obftinately and refolvedly in his Sins, then at last let him be to thee as an Heathen Man and a Publican; that is, after the Church hath excommunicated, and cast him out from the Affembly, and Society of the Faithful (for that is fuppofed in those

Words,

Words, if he hear not the Church, and will not obey their Sentence and Decree.)

But suppose I should tell the Church, and yet the Offender is not cut off by a due Execution of the Sentence of Excommunication, may I not then look upon him as an Heathen, and refuse Communion with him?

By no Means: For our Saviour in this Place bids us to account fuch a Man as an Heathen and Publican, on Supposition only of Church Cenfures pafs'd upon him. And therefore he prefently adds, Verfe 17. Let him be to thee as an Heathen Man and a Publican; and, Verfe 18. Verily, I Say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth, fhall be bound in Heaven, i. e. whosefoever Sins ye fhall bind upon his Soul by the dreadful Sentence of Excommunication, they fhall be bound upon his Soul by the God of Heaven, and your Deed fhall be ratified and confirmed by his Juftice. So then as long as he continues in the Church, fo long thou oughtest to account him thy Brother, and to communicate with him in all Ordinances : For though thou oughtest to be his Reprover, yet thou art not appointed to be his Judge, neither muft thou remove thy felf, because perhaps thou canst not remove him. What fome Mens Opinion

in this Matter may be, I do not know, but I am fure this is the Mind of Jefus Chrift, and his exprefs Command. Now thou who refufeft to come to the holy Communion, because perhaps there may be some scandalous Sinner there, haft thou difcharged thy Duty firft towards him? Haft thou rebuked him privately between bim and thee? Haft thou upon Contempt of that private Admonition, rebuked him before felect Witneffes? Haft thou upon his continued Obftinacy, complained to the Church of the Scandal and Offence he hath given thee? If not, whosoever thou be, I charge it upon thy Soul, and anfwer it to God his Judge, and thine, how dareft thou to feparate from the Communion of the Church? How dareft thou contradict the exprefs Order and Command of Chrift, and think thy felf the more holy and more pure for doing fo? Is this Confcience? Is this Religion? Is this strict Piety and Godliness? Let me tell thee, it is a Piece of grofs Hypocrify and Pharifaical Pride to feparate, becaufe of their Sins, and yet never to reprove them for their Sins. Never think by this Courfe to escape being a Partaker of their Guilt. If they profane this holy Ordinance, if they eat and drink Damnation to themselves, thou art the Cause I 2.

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of it, who oughteft after Admonition to have accufed them, and art as much polluted by it, as if thou hadst joined with them; yea, and more, fince another Man's Sins cannot pollute me, unless I am defective in mine own Duty. Thou communicateft with them in their Guilt and Sin, but only refusest to communicate with them in the Worship and Service of God.

But poffibly you will fay, Tell the Church. To what purpose is that? When is it that we fee any cut off for notorious and fcandalous Crimes? It may be for disobeying the Orders of the Church in Point of Government and Difcipline, fome few may undergo this heavy Cenfure; but fewer for tranfgreffing the Laws of God, and the great Precepts of Moral and Chriftian and Honefty. To this I answer 3

First, 'Tis a grofs, though common Mistake, to think, that Difobedience against the lawful Commands of Autho rity, is not as heinous a Sin, as those open Pollutions which abound too much in the World, and appear black and ugly to every Man's Eye and Reason: For fure I am it is as often, and as exprefly forbidden as any Sin whatsoever; and the Confequences of it are of more publick