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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	church_n	false_a	teacher_n	2,669	5	9.2889	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88693	Suspension reviewed, stated, cleered and setled upon plain scripture-proof. Agreeable to the former and late constitutions of the Protestant Church of England and other reformed churches. Wherein (defending a private sheet occasionally written by the author upon this subject, against a publique pretended refutation of the same, by Mr W. in his book, entituled, Suspension discussed.) Many important points are handled; sundry whereof are shortly mentioned in the following page. Together with a discourse concering private baptisme, inserted in the epistle dedicatory. / By Samuel Langley, R.S. in the county palatine of Chester.	Langley, Samuel, d. 1694.	1658 (1658)	Wing L405; Thomason E1823_2; ESTC R209804	201,826	263

his representing to his Minister Mr. W. how he was unsatisfied in the doctrine of the general admission contended for Mr. W. for the satisfaction of his Parishioner had shewed himselfe willing and desirous to admit of a collation with some Ministers of a different judgement from him therein as I have to shew under the hand of Mr. M. the Gentleman aforesaid And indeed I was cordially desirous to have the controversie search't into to the very bottome as being of great moment and my selfe sufficiently inclinable if I know mine own heart to receive any convictions Mr. W. might afford rationally to sway me to his part as the most desirable upon many outward accounts if it could but appeare to be warrantable which made me the more willing to consent to the Requests aforesaid Now when this Paper of mine by Mr. M. was communicated to Mr. W. Mr. M. hath certified me under his hand that Mr. W. in stead of returning a private answer as was expected for a candid brotherly impartiall discussion of the point as if he had gotten some mighty advantage with abundance of triumphing and insulting expressions gave out he would print it And further Mr. M. attests under his hand in these words And whereas some of Mr. W. his friends had given out on his behalf that the reason why he answered this paper of Mr. Langleys in print was because several Copies were dispersed of it in his parish and he had no way to meet with them but this of printing his answer I doe hereby declare that this is utterly untrue I was so far from giving or suffering Copies to be taken of it that to my knowledge I never shewed the paper to any in the parish but himself and there were no Copies of it extant among us I my self not so much as reserving a Copy but that which was in his own hands till they were printed and published by him T.M. Many other passages Mr. M. hath testified under his hand but I shall omit inserting the same here in respect to Mr. W. whose disparagement I seek not to the Reader to whom personall matters I know will be tedious and to the cause it selfe I defend which needs not the infirmities of its opposers to raise it selfe by When I had intimation of the resolution for printing my paper I said I would not lift up my lip to desire a forbearance I think I could have been content to have seen my self rationally confuted But when I saw the answer and how in stead of close answering the argument before him he did so pitifully extravagate and so sedulously seemed to endeavour the disgrace of my person rather than the confutation of my cause I was much confirmed thereby in the opinion I had asserted Let the equall Reader freely judge herein 22 Mr W. saith p. 150. Truly I have not done pious and renowned Timson the honour I should in omitting the many and material passages that I find in his Epistle to the Reader and every where so exactly set forth in his excellent Book It were pity but he should honour Mr. Timson as the Scholar did Zabbarel who being set to epitomize him transcribed every word saying all was so sweet he could leave out none But some Palates count mouldy cheese the best and the material passages Mr. W. hath honoured his renowned Timson with the quotation of are so unsavoury and tainted as will disgrace the judgement of the Author and Citer of them p. 37 38 99 100. He calls your Church-officers saith M. W. Intruded Elders c. This forsooth is an honourable quotation It is not my business now to discuss the Controversie whether any persons but Ministers or preaching Presbyters may be chosen and designed by the Church to joyn with the ministers in the Ecclesiasticall externall government thereof If I should speak any thing concerning it in this last Digression I should premise a distinction to be put betwixt what is appointed in Scripture by divine institution and command for all Churches at all times to observe and what is gatherable from Scripture precedents and passages to have then been lawfully used in the Church of God and therefore may still lawfully be imitated Of this later sort are Lords-dayes Collections 1 Cor. 16.1.2 Pastors and Teachers as distinct offices allotted to severall persons Rom. 12.7 8 c. Of which sort also I humbly conceive the Station of such as are now called Ruling Elders is to be accounted not meerly so an excogitation of prudence as if it had no footsteps in Scripture paterns nor yet so absolutely by divine appointment as that all Churches sin who in any times have not made use of them And this I take as a mean betwixt two extreams I shall not so much as name the Arguments commonly produced for the Scripturalnesse and Reasonablenesse of their Office I shall onely crave leave to offer one Scripture which is not so much taken notice of as I think it should be for the clearing this point having before warned the Reader that it is not the name but thing I aim at Acts 15. The Synod there mentioned wrote Decretall Letters after this manner v. 23. The Apostles and Elders and Brethren send greeting unto the Brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch Syria and Cilicia c. And then the Decree it self is recorded in the following verses That which I would have here observed relating to the point in hand is that some under the name of Brethren are joyned with the Elders or Pastors from whence ariseth this Argument viz. If these called Brethren acted authoritatively in this Ecclesiasticall Decree and yet were not privat Christians the Disciples or Members of Jerusalem Church then some select persons not Ministers did act authoritatively in Ecclesiasticall government But the former is true Therefore the later In the Consequence of the Antecedent I see nothing likely to be denied The Minor I shall endeavour to prove in its two parts 1. That these brethren acted authoritatively in this Ecclesiastical Decree is evinced by many of these strong Reasons whereby the Reverend Assembly in their Answer to the Reasons of the Dissenting Brethren concerning Presbyterial Government presented to the Honourable Houses of Parliament p. 65. do prove that the Elders did act authoritatively as well as the Apostles the which are further improved by the London Ministers in their Jus Divinum Reg Ecclesiastici p. 224. to evince that both the Elders and Brethren acted authoritatively as well as the Apostles The Elders and Brethren say the London Ministers who were as authoritatively members of the Synod as the Apostles did in all points as authoritatively act as the Apostles themselves For 1. The letters containing the Synodical Decrees and Determinations were written in the name of the Elders and Brethren as well as in the name of the Apostles vers 23. 2. The Elders and Brethren as well as the Apostles brand the false Teachers for troubling the Church subverting of soules declaring that they gave the false Teachers no suck Commandment to preach any such doctrine v.

of those Hereticks who so much pressed circumcision It is by the learned Doctor Hammond made parallel to that of 1 Cor. 16.22 viz. as he saith on the place as an expression of excommunication of the highest degree answerable to the SHAMATHA among the Jewes which he explained on 1 Cor. 16.22 to be excommunicated from the hope of the Lord and as leaving the offender to Divine vengeance agreeable to the denunciation of Enoch Jude v. 14. which is denounced against them who love not Christ that is as he excellently expounds it who fall from Christ by renouncing of him to avoid persecution especially if teachers of others so to do and justifying the thing as lawfull as it is said the Gnosticks did See Doctor Hammond in Apoc. 21.8 denying the Lord before men who bought them 3. That phrase also of delivering to Satan though a tolerable sense of it may be and is accommodated to the ordinary excommunication still in use in the Church yet many if not most learned Interpreters think it had a further and more peculiar sense in those Apostolicall times which the Church doth not now look at nor expect viz. the externall buffeting the offender by Satan 4. There are two other passages which though they are by divers referred to some excommunication yet I think we can build little or nothing upon them in the explication of this point The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be cast out of the Synagogue used John 9.22 and 14.42 and 16.2 Now this is applyed only to the Jewes their wicked practice against them who owned Christ and the phrase is no where that I know of justified by Christ or his Apostles And me thinks we have little reason to seek for the nature of Christs Otdinance in the vile practice of his enemies taken by it self The other passage is in 3 John 10. where Diotrephes is said to cast the Christian Jewes out of the Church that is a Church of the Gentile-Christians Let us a little peruse the Text which runs thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. I would ask Who are these he cast out of the Church Not those who would entertain the Jewish Christian strangers there is no probability any would be so sottish as to excommunicate them for their will desire or intention to have entertained those guests and if those he is said to have cast out were the guests themselves called the brethren then excommunication cannot be here meant because they were not under the jurisdiction of that Gentile-Church nor any Officer therof and so could not be cast out of that particular Church in which they were not before 2. It cannot be proved that Diotrephes was any Church-officer in that Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signifie one who seeks inordinatly or assumeth dignity as well as one that useth immoderatly the same and it is very probable saith Doctor Hammond that this Diotrephes did this without having any reall authority in the Church as a presumptuous confident bold person and then his act in casting any out of the Church would not be accounted a sentential excommunication 3. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is frequently used in the New Testament to signifie any hindring although it be not by any act authoritative forbidding nor pretend thereunto and is rendred to hinder Luke 11.52 and to withstand Acts. 11.17 and to let Rom. 1.13 and therefore that passage wherein this Diotrephes is said to forbid or hinder and withstand them who would be more hospitable then himself doth not invite us at all to interpret the following words of any authoritative Ecclesiasticall censure Upon the whole matter I humbly conceive that this passage here He casts them out of the Church doth denote nothing else but his thrusting out the Jewish guests from being kindly harboured telieved and accommodated in that Church he by his factious and pragmatical endeavours taking upon him to be thought some body more then ordinary laboured to draw the Church to joyn with him in that inhospitality wherein he had among many too good successe But I shall not contend in this onely I have signified the probabilities which incline me to conceive that Ecclesiasticall excommunication is not strictly signified by the phrase of casting out of the Church here used at least that it is so dubious that it will be no foundation stone in the Doctrine of Excommunication §. 3. I shall now proceed to consider the less questionable and more plain phrases and passages in the New Testament whereby excommunication is intimated which are such as these Let him be to thee as an Heathen and Publican Matth. 18.17 that is in some respects as to thy behaviour towards him and esteem of him as generally the Interpreters I meet with do understand it To bind on earth v. 18. doth also relate to the same thing That fifth chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians hath most in it concerning Excommunication of any one chapter in the Bible Here are severall phrases signifying the same thing v. 2. That he who hath done this deed might be taken away from you So also v. 13. Put away from among your selves that wicked person The phrase of delivering to Satan used vers 5. and 1 Tim. 1.20 so far as it may signifie what is yet of continued use in the Church is commonly interpreted by the words of Christ before mentioned Matth. 18.17 Let him be to thee as an Heathen and Publican Satan being visibly the God of the Infidell world and of the manifestly and notoriously prophane and wicked men as the Publicans though Jewes were accounted by their own Nation But there are in this chapter two more expressions concerning excomunication which we must somwhat more insist upon especially the former which wil help to clear the later The one of these in v. 9. and 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I wrote to you in an Epistle not to keep company with fornicators c. the meaning wherof he cautions against mistake v. 10. yet not altogether with Fornica-tors of this world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be rendred not at all as 1 Cor. 16.12 or in no wise as Rom. 3.9 or taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an Adverb of confirming not surely as Luke 4.23 Act. 18.21 21.22 28.4 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not found in that ancient manuscript which the profoundly learned Doctor Hammond hath given us an account of in what it differs from the other received Greek Copies Quasi dicat What I wrote to you concerning your not keeping company or not being mingled with fornicators In that word Fornicators I meant not at all or surely I meant not or at least I did not altogether mean the Fornicators of this world c. For ye must needs go out of this world For with Calvin I so understand those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q. d. Quid opus est vobis praeclpere de fili is seculi quando ut semel

any other communion So he And in the same chapter speaking of suspension he saith The lesser excommunication excludeth onely from the Sacramentall pledges and assurances of Gods love which when it is pronounced against them that stubbornly stand out and will not yeeld themselves to the Churches direction and disposition is properly named Excommunication I have the rather insisted on this because of two consequences which wil naturally and easily flow from this doctrine viz. 1. That the scruple hinted by Mr. W. p. 133. and insisted on by others in opposition to our abstension or suspension is manifestly frivolous and groundless They say if a parent turn not his children out of doores he will not deny them bread and apply their simile that in like manner those who are not excommunicated or not cast out of the Church should not be denyed the Sacramentall bread in the Lords Supper 2. That Church-membership taken at large doth not give right to persons of years to the Lords Supper For then they who are cut off by any excommunication should be admitted they being still parts of the Church of God as Field calls them §. 7. 3. Since excommunication is a withdrawing or rejecting of one from communion hence it follows that as communion is more or lesse so this withdrawing and therefore excommunication is capable of degrees to be more or less And some more notable degree may be denominated by one name and another by another Thus it was among the Jewes the common nature of whose excommunication was a withdrawing from some communion as ours is Many of the learned have described theirs in the three speciall degrees of it as Schindler pentaglot in voce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gerrard harm Evang. c. 178. gives a summary account of them out of several Authors The first was truly a separation or withdrawing But the second was more solemnly such Quâ quis solenniter in totius Ecclesiae conspectu exclusus est The word solenniter some such man as Mr. W. would catch and cavill at as he doth p. 18. against such a passage in my papers What saith he is your Suspension such an Apocryphall business that it deserves no solemnity in the managing thereof Unto such inconsiderable flirts I shall not trouble my self nor the Reader with any answer But I insist not in describing wherein the severall sorts of their excommunication did consist there being much difference among the learned in that See Dr. Hammond on 1 Cor. 5. But that there were severall sorts and in those that one was a severer degree of exclusion or separation and withdrawing from then another The four degrees or steps in the censure of excommunication among the Greeks formerly are mentioned by most who have written on this controversie The stantes succumbentes audientes and plorantes But the Gentlemen who oppose us alledge that those were steps in readmission of the excommunicate not steps or degrees in excommunication But though I confess this is an ingenuous answer yet methinks we may rationally inferre the lawfulness of proceeding by steps in excommunication from that supposed lawfulness of admitting severall steps of delivering out of excommunication Sure I am there is as much ground in Scripture and reason too as I apprehend for the former as there is for the later And that conceit of excommunication under the notion of a dismembring and turning out or cutting off from Church-membership being I conceive sufficiently and clearly refelled in the fore-going Section this inference will appear much more evident and convincing But I shall offer here these two considerations for the further confirming of gradual excommunication or putting out of Ecclesiasticall communion 1. If there be nothing in the nature of excommunication it self which is against a graduall procedure in excommunication nor any Scripture prohibition of it and if it be not contrary to the generall Rule of doing all things in the Church orderly and to edification then it is lawfull But the former is true therefore the later also That there is nothing in the nature of excommunication against it hath been shewed in that withdrawing communion which expresseth the nature of all excommunication is capable of degrees That there is no Scripture prohibition hereof is to be reckoned upon till some Scripture prohibition be produced which I could never yet see nor hear so much as pretended by any Nor is it contrary to the Rule of orderly and edifying transaction of affairs in the Church since courses of mildness and gentleness are most likely to edifie when they thwart not Justice and Right as those do not which are not contrary to the Word the Rule of Right and Justice 2. Again if a person may have no right to yea ought to be debarred the Sacrament who yet ought not to be turned out of all that private Christian communion which some excomunication deprives of then there may be degrees of excommunication or putting one out of Ecclesiasticall communion and particularly one degree of abstension or suspension preceding for some time the withdrawing of private Christian communion But the former is true therefore the later The Consequence I suspect not the deniall of the Antecedent stands firmly upon these two pillars viz. 1. That no Christian notoriously under gross and scandalous wickedness hath any right to the Sacrament nor hath the Minister any rightfull commission from the Donor or author of the Covenant and Seals thereof to administer or give the Sacrament unto him As suppose in point of faith a notorious Heretique who denies a fundamentall of the Christian Creed or in point of manners suppose one hath committed whoredome and it is notoriously known both these remaining visibly impenitent are uncapable of having the Lords Supper lawfully given unto them And yet 2. an offender though so notorious as in the forementioned cases ought not forthwith to be rejected and turned out of all that Christian private communion which some excommunication deprives of For the proof of the former of these two propositions I must crave the Readers patience and God willing in the following discourse he shall find it I hope clearly and convincingly confirmed The later of them I know none that deny And there is Scripture-evidence for it The heretick Titus 3.10 is not to be rejected and cast out of all that private Christian communion which some excommunication deprives of till after the first and second admonition which are not to be given together and at one time as all acknowledge but at some distance And a person is not thus to be rejected till obstinate Now obstinacy in wickedness referring to faith or manners cannot be suddenly manifested but requires several admonitions being to be rejected by an offender before he can be declared obstinate §. 8. 4 There are sundry sorts of persons in sundry capacities concerned and exercised in withdrawing from a scandalous brother 1. The Ministers the Stewards of the Mysteries of God 2 The people 3. The whole Church of Officers

Respondent indeed But what he might have said as befitted a Respondent in a few lines he must spend many leaves upon though not altogether in the following part of his booke This being the very point of my argument and this place most fit to consider it more throughly I shall here make my reply to him upon it once for all §. 3. Visible unbeleevers is not taken saith he p. 47. in the same sense in the Major and Minor In the Major according to the ancient and famous sense of the Catholique Church for pagan Infidels for men without for non-receivers of Christian doctrine but positively standing under the delusion of some visible Idoll or Idolls In the Minor according to your moderne Brownisme that 's one of the flowers he useth to dress me a garland with and private sense for Christians within the Church baptized and adult but manifestly defective in their Christian Ethicks though orthodoxall otherwise in all points of faith and frequenters of our Church Assemblyes and solemnities as professedly of our Protestant perswasion in point of Religion and divine worship By the way I might reply What if these baptized adult persons are not orthodox in faith nor frequenters of our Church assemblies and Solemnities Are they then unbelievers in the first sense or must there be a third sense devised for them The Reader will observe this confusion But if he had applied this distinction such an one as it is he had done somewhat becoming the place he hath taken upon him But that he leaves at large Well since one good turn requires another I will endeavour to make out his Answer as he ere-while thought to do my Argument And it may be this Visibly unbelievers may be taken in a two-fold sense 1. For Pagan-infidels 2. Morbid-Christians under which term I suppose he will contain scandalous and notoriously-prophane Christians or else he saith nothing to the question Now take visible unbelievers in the former sense for Pagan-Insidels and then I grant the Major Those who are visibly unbelievers that is Pagans are such to whom the Lords Supper ought not to be administred And then I deny the Minor All who in word openly renounce Christ are not visibly unbelievers that is visibly Pagans But take visible unbelievers in the later sense for Morbid-Christians and then I grant the Minor Those who by word openly renounce Christ are visibly unbelievers that is Morbid Christians But then I deny the Major and say That those who are visibly unbelievers that is Morbid Christians are not such to whom the Lords Supper ought to be administred I appeal to any judicious Reader whether I wrong Mr. W. in this guessing at the application of his distinction and answer thereupon to my Argument And indeed this elsewhere he gives us in as his sense many times over and over p. 50. saith he You mis-judge in taking the Morbid Church members of our Parochial Assemblies to be unbelievers and Infidels positively as Pagans c. So p. 51 52 53. and passim alibi §. 4. Here Mr. W. asserts that to use the word Infidel or unbeliever for any but Pagans who never took on them a positive obligation to the service of the true God is Brownisme And that the Scripture and Catholique sense of the word doth onely denote Pagans But how hastily was this asserted by him shall be shewed in the following observations concerning the Scripture use of the word 1. Christ said to Thomas John 20.27 Be not thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not an unbeliever but a believer Was not he now in a possibility ex natura rei though baptized to have become an unbeliever by apostasie from the principles of the Christian faith especially this that Jesus is the Messias 2. Those two Texts 2 Cor. 6.14 15. Be not unequally yoaked with unbelievers What part hath a believer with an Infidel and Titus 1.15 To the unbelievers nothing is pure c. are both expounded by Dr Hammond whose reasons are worth weighing to be understood of the Gnostick Hereticks called there Infidels or unbelievers in that their doctrines and practices made so great an opposition to the Gospel 3. And on Matth. 24.51 he makes those two words hypocrites and unbelievers of equall importance i. e. saith he Knaves false deeeitfull persons expressed by S. Luke in setting this down ch 12.46 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unbelievers or unfaithfull And he renders the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 21.8 unfaithful that fall off from Christ 4. The Jewes after Christs ascension who received not Jesus for their Christ or Messias were unbelievers in Scripture-sense Act. 14.2 and 17.5 yet were they not then Pagans under no positive obligation of worshiping a false God And an excommunicate person who hath been baptized and still professeth the Christian faith is to be dealt with as an Heathen yet he is no Pagan nor absolutely cut off from the Church as hath been shewed above And the Apostle tells us that the Jewes were broken off by unbelief though they were Church-members before Rom. 11.23 5. Belief doth ordinarily in Scripture-sense denote such a professed acceptance of the Gospel-call as includes sincere obedience and visible believing visibly sincere actuall obedience And on the contrary unbelief and unbelieving may in Scripture-sense denote wilfull disobedience and rebellion against the Gospel and visible unbelief such visible notorious rebellion or actuall disobedience Therefore some disobedient within the Church may be termed unbelievers For the Concrete is rightly denominated from the abstract a just man from justice so an unbeliever from unbelief prevailing The Antecedent is manifest in many Scripture-instances 1. That believing to which justification and pardon of sin is annexed is a sincere and obedientiall believing 2. And so also is that to which salvation is promised But to a Scripture-believing is annexed justification Act. 16.39 and pardon of sin Act. 10.43 And also to it is promised salvation and that most frequently Act. 16.31 Rom. 10.9 1 Cor. 1.21 Gal. 3.22 Eph. 1.19 2 Thess 1.10 Heb. 4.3 10.39 John 3.15 16 18 36. 6.35 40 47. 11.25 26. 12.46 Rom. 1.16 9.33 Mark 16.16 1 Pet. 2.6 1 Iohn 5.10 3. It may also be observed how Abraham is called the Father of believers in respect of that eminent and exemplary faith of his which was truly justifying and saving and included in it sincere actuall obedience Rom. 4.3 Gal. 3.6 So not to believe is not to obey Rom. 15.31 Rom. 10.16 They have not all obeyed the Gospel For Esaias saith Lord who hath believed our report And this is referred to the Jewes who were Church-members at least before Christs death And those in the later time who should depart from the faith may be called unbelievers those departers from the faith mentioned 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3 4. the learned Mr. Mede doth shew are meant of Papists and the grand apostasie of the Antichristian Man of Sin So those who draw back from the truth

judge of persons as unbeleevers I asserted only that there are some such as would amount thereto What those are was not our businesse to enumerate If I say some irregular in their conversations are to be excommunicated will it hence follow that all irregular persons in any respect such are to be excommunicated What coherence is here And yet this toy seemes to tickle his phansie and he plays with it againe and againe p. 58 59 c. And gravely as if in sober sadness thus delivers himselfe Some irregularities in mens lives we hold not unreconcilable with a true doctrinal perswasion nor with the habit of saving faith neither When such irregularities become notorious publique and scandalous the parties so offending are legally to be proceeded against But for every private miscarriage a Pastor is not to debar a man at his pleasure upon the verbal information of some few in private but deal gently by private conference with the party informed against as a Father with his child And then he points his tale on me in these words This were more Christian-like than your rash frequent and rigorous suspensions In answer whereto I say 1. Neither the habit of saving faith in persons nor of dogmatical faith as I have already shewed is directly enquired after by us in order to administring the Sacraments to them but the visible exercise thereof which an habitually godly man may be destitute of for a time 2. Who said any irregularities might debar one except notorious publique or scandalous 3. Some notorious miscarriages need not any tryall for the proving them to be such as deserve excommunication But the offenders are ipso jure excommunicate having manifestly and publiquely lost their right at present of actual admission to some Church Communion 2 Epist. John v. 10 11. If there come any to your house and bring not this doctrine receive him not into your house nor bid him God speed Where particular private Christians as well as others were commanded to deale with such as excommunicate in law whether the governing Church upon a juridical tryall had declared them to be such or no. What need is there of witnesses to prove an unmarryed woman who hath borne a childe is a fornicatresse or of Judges to try and discerne whether this sin without repentance manifested for it deserve excommunication Is not 1 Cor. 5.11 a sure Rule unless pronounced by the Church-Governours or any other 4. Yet it s not unlawfull to take juridical cognizance of such plaine cases Abundans cautela non nocet And upon good reason it may be judged meet and most orderly where it may be 5. What meanes he by a Pastors debarring any at their pleasure Is not this an odious insinuation Do we pretend to arbitrary Government 6. Did any ever say that for any private miscarriage one might be debarred 7. What quarrel hath he against verbal information Is it unsufficient on that account or must it needs be written 8. May not some private miscarriage that is some grievous wickednesse privately committed and known to two or three only yet persisted in after the procedure mentioned Math. 18. be a cause of excommunication as well as a publique offence notorious in its own nature without all such previous admonition according to 1 Cor. 5. 9. What means he by the information of some few in private Is the information taken before persons chosen by the Parish for the congregationall government thereof an information taken before some few in private What would he have it before all the Congregation or before how many of them What rambling exceptions are here 10. I doe hereby provoke Mr W. to prove that any have been suspended or excommunicated in the Parish I minister to except for grosse offences notorious through the nature of their crimes or the publickness of their committing them or by a juridicall receiving the testimony of sufficient witnesses thereupon And those offences too visibly continued in without repentance after admonition And these Cases have been very rare with us not so many I think as the years have been of my serving the Church here And then commonly the issue hath been comfortable and upon their profession of repentance they have been restored with great joy and that shortly we administring the Sacramens in a constant frequent course I confesse some few have been desired to refrain for one time or perhaps two upon severall grounds respecting themselves and others when yet it hath been then signified to them that they were not suspended nor should be debarred by us And yet Mr. W. so far is he from the timerousness he censures me for dare tell the world in print of my rash frequent and rigorous suspensions §. 2. At p. 60. Mr W. is pleased to add By our administring to believers is meant to such believers as we may have certainty that they are believers But of mens faving faith which lies invisibly in the hearts of the havers thereof we can have but a conjecture or charitable hope of their baptisme and of their true doctrinall confession of saith we may have certainty And their visible conformity to the means of faith solemnities of the Christian Religion with their brethren in the publick ordinances of worship is a visible testimony of their owning the Christian Religion And the outward administration to them as to visible believers is equally their outward right with the strictest livers For Ministers are but the outward ministrators of the elements in the Lords Supper the Spirit is the inward administrator of the invisible grace Whereunto I return 1. That we must have a certainty those are believers that is visibly such to whom we administer I readily grant 2. That we can have any more certainty of a persons dogmaticall faith then of his justifying faith I have before denied and do still upon the grounds above mentioned He that pretends to know who is really a dogmaticall believer must pretend to know the heart immediatly Mens dogmatical or doctrinal as wel as their saving or justifying faith which lies invisibly in the hearts of the havers thereof we can have but a conjecture or charitable hope of Yea let me add It is as difficult if not more for a Christian to discern in himself whether he hath a true dogmaticall faith i. e. whether he doth assent to the truths he professeth as to know whether he consents to the same receiving them in love And who that hath been acquainted with the troubled spirits of the godly and their temptations hath not had experience of those dangerous doubtings about believing or assenting to the great points of Christianity concerning Christ the Scriptures c. I know a Minister would give much to be constantly assured that he believes the doctrines he preacheth concerning those common and great points of the last judgement heaven and hell and the like Yea do not all doubts about our justifying faith recurr to the doubting about our doctrinall faith as the