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Supper, could not anfwer at all without betraying their ignorance. And I am fully perfuaded, that there are many perfons who would make no fcruple of coming to the Lord's Supper, if they could anfwer any finifter purpose. by doing it, (though they were conscious of their unfitnefs for it) could they do it without any enquiry into their views, &c. who would not be hardy enough folemnly to declare to a church or minifter what they knew to be false, and who would be deterred from attempting it, by the profpect of fuch a previous examination.

Befides, it may naturally be supposed that this method would be ferviceable, in putting many perfons upon looking into the state of their minds, and taking pains to be duly prepared for this ordinance, who might otherwife attend it in a careless manner, and fatisfy themselves with the form of godlinefs, without the power of it.'

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"Well, but after all, where is the authority of a minifter or a church thus to examine men, pre"vious to their admiffion to the Lord's fupper? "We are not directed [in fcripture] to examine "them, and we must not go beyond our com"miffion." I answer; this authority, though not exprefsly committed to them in fcripture, naturally follows from scripture-premifes, as well as from reafon; and would be thought juftifiable in the cafe we have fuppofed above, or in any fimilar inftance. But let it be further obferved, that this authority in Christian minifters, which I am vindicating, feems to me neceffarily to follow from the nature of their office, as watchmen, as fhepherds, as overseers, as rulers of the church; and to be included in those general exhortations delivered to them, to watch for fouls as thofe that muft give an account, to instruct, to warn, to reprove, to exhort, &c. according to the neceffities of their feveral hearers. Now, in order to difcharge their duty with fidelity and fuccefs, it is

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in many cases as neceffary for them to examine (or, if you dislike that word, to question) the perfons with whom they have to do, with respect to their views of things, and the difpofitions of their minds, as it is for the physician to enquire of his patients into the particu ftate of their bodies, in order to adapt his prefcriptions thereunto; in which cafe, no one is unreasonable enough to question his authority, or to charge him with going beyond his commiffion; and why a minister's right to enquire into the state of the minds of his hearers fhould be put upon a different footing, or why he should be thought to need any exprefs commiffion, I am at a lofs to conceive. If he would inform their judgments in any important particular, he muft know that they are ignorant; if he would warn them of any danger, he must know whether they are liable to it. But in many cafes he cannot know either, whatever he may fufpect, without enquiry. To apply this to the prefent cafe: Suppofe a perfon intimates his intention to come to the Lord's Supper; the minifter has reafon to fufpect that he does not understand the nature and defign of it, or that his views in coming to it are unwarrantable; that he is abfolutely unfit for this folemnity, and in danger of eating and drinking judgment to himfelf;' will you fay that minifter muft fhew a particular commiffion from heaven, before he can claim an authority to afk that perfon what his fentiments and his views are, in order to inftruct or warn him, to prevent his aggravating his own guilt, and bringing a difcredit on the religion of Jefus? By the fame method of reafoning you might as easily prove, that neither a minifter nor a parent has a right to catechife children, becaufe, though they are ordered to inftruct them, they have no exprefs commiffion to examine them; and they ought not to exceed their commiffion," or go'beyond the bounds of their lawful authority.

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But I must further obferve to you, Sir, that this right of a church (or minifter in their name) to examine candidates for communion, and to demand fome previous declaration of their Christianity, seems to have fufficient foundation in the well-known practice of the primitive church. You have told us, that "all profeffing Chriftians have a right to the "Lord's Supper.' What you mean by profeffing Chriflianity, as giving this right, I am at a lofs to find: but it is plain the fcripture makes it to be that very thing which you except against as unneceffary, viz. " a previous declaration of a man's Chriftian"ity," there called confeffing with the mouth." See, amongst other paffages, Rom. x. 19, 20. If

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thou shalt confefs with thy mouth the Lord Jefus, and fhalt believe in thine heart. . . . thou shalt be faved: for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confeffion is made unto falvation.' This profeffion of faith, or declaration of a perfon's Christianity, was as neceffary as baptifm itself, and required previous to it; which (as was hinted above) is a fact of confiderable importance in the prefent debate, baptifm being the rite of initiation into the church. When we read, in the New Teftament, of perfons believing, and being thereupon baptized, we are to understand it of their profeffing to believe: for Simon Magus himfelf, it is faid, believed, and accordingly was baptised. We cannot reasonably understand this account of him as implying that he was a real believer, but only that he professed to be one. We read concerning fome converts, that they came confeffing their ⚫ deeds,' and declaring that they believed Jefus was the Chrift. Even John's difciples, when they came to be baptized by him, confeffed their fins." And it appears that a profeffion of faith was demanded in the primitive times before the perfon, defiring baptifm, was admitted to it; as is evident from the cafe

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of the Eunuch, to whom Philip preached the gospel in his chariot. When, upon feeing a quantity of water, the Eunuch asked what hindered his being baptized, Philip, having before preached to him Jefus, demanded a profeffion of his faith, (not confidering baptifm itfelf as "the declaration of it,") If thou believeft with all thine heart, thou mayest.' The Eunuch accordingly made his profeffion in thefe words, I believe that Jefus Chrift is the Son of God.' Which profeffion, according to the ufual language of the New Teftament, and taken in connexion with Philip's enquiry, together with his previous inftruction, amounts to a declaration, that he embraced all the effential doctrines of Christianity, that he cordially approved the way of falvation by Chrift, and chearfully fubmitted to it. That we have fo few inftances of the like profeffion recorded, and that thofe are fo concifely expreffed, may eafily be accounted for by confidering, that the facred history is ufually exceeding brief, more being generally to be understood than is expreffed; that certain particulars mentioned in a few cafes may naturally be fuppofed in other similar ones, though not noticed; and especially that the primitive times (as Mr. Venn has well remarked *, p. 52, &c.) when Chriftians were perfecuted, rendered it lefs neceffary to demand a very explicit profeffion than the prefent, when Chriftianity is eftablished by the civil magiftrate, and it is rather to a man's fecular advantage, than otherwife, to bear the Chriftian name.

From what has been advanced on this part of our fubject, perhaps it may appear, that you had not fo fufficient a foundation as you imagined for charging thofe churches with making unfcriptural terms of communion, or rather with " having gone deep in"to fuperftition," (for that feems to be the con

I can by no means think with you, (Letter to Mr. V. p. 41.) that he has faid more on this head than the cafe required. nexion

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nexion) who require "an account of perfons experience in religion, as an evidence of their being "in a state of grace, and having a title to heaven, "before they can be admitted to communion." P. 53.

I will not undertake to vindicate, but on the contrary will freely exprefs my difapprobation of, those focieties that infift upon a minute and circumftantial account, from all whom they admit to communion, in all circumftances, of the means, by which serious impreffions were first made upon their minds, and the manner in which the work of religion has been carried on, &c. for, though fuch accounts may fometimes be truly edifying to others, many pious perfons are not able to give them, and they are no neceffary evidence of being in a state of grace. Leaft of all can I attempt to vindicate the conduct of those deacons, or other members of churches, who take upon themselves, in an authoritative manner, to examine the candidates for communion, concerning fuch articles of faith as neither they nor themselves are like, ly to understand, and as are acknowledged by good men in general to be by no means effential to the Chriftian character; to enquire into all the feelings of their minds; to demand a kind of confeffion of their fecret fins; or to infift upon direct answers to fuch questions as are adapted more to difplay their own knowledge (oftener perhaps their own ignorance) than to procure any rational fatisfaction concerning the meetnefs of the candidate to be admitted to the Lord's Supper. Such intolerable ufurpation as this ought ever to be difcouraged, as it has, in many inftances, been attended with very pernicious confequences. Many pious perfons have been deterred from the thoughts of that holy ordinance, which, could they otherwife have been admitted to it, they would have attended with delight. And fome, it may be, who have propofed themselves to commu

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