way (when there is fcarce any other) of appeafing the anger of God? And how many are there who will venture their fouls, rather than cheerfully fubmit to the wholfome difcipline of the church of Chrift? What strange unthoughtfulness is this!

A man that fins without blufhing will yet pretend to be ashamed to do penance; he will not fcruple to offend God, but he thinks it too much to let the world know that he is forry for it. But then we are fure, that such a man's confcience is neither well informed, nor well awake. For a man that believes the Gospel will hardly imagine, that the hiding or the difowning his fins in this world will make his account the lefs hereafter.

Now, this being a matter of great concern to the fouls of men, it will become me to be very plain and particular upon this head of church cenfures, and the neceffity there lies upon all who have deferved them of fubmitting to them out of a principle of confcience, and not out of fear of fines or imprisonments. And I am the more obliged to do this, because this matter is not well understood by many, and not well received by moft, who fhould understand things better.

d

And in the first place, St. Paul faith exprefsly, that the governors of the church have a power from Chrift; what this power is we learn from other places of the fcripture.

2 Cor. xiii. 10.

First,

it

it is a fpiritual power: The princes of the Gentiles exercife authority over them, (faith. Chrift) but it fhall not be fo among you. Your authority fhall be purely fpiritual; a fpiritual house, as the church of Chrift is called by St. Paul,' must have fpiritual go

vernors.

And their power, as is plain from the gofpel, confifts of thefe following particulars: They are to receive into the houfe or church of God, fuch as are fit to be members of fo holy a fociety. For this end they had the keys of the kingdom of heaven (that is, of the church of Chrift) given them, to admit fuch as are worthy, and defirous to enter into it.

After this, their duty is (for they have a duty and burden, as well as a power) their duty is, to teach and to exhort with wholefome doctrine; to tell men what they ought to do to be faved; to pray for the fouls committed to their charge; to fupport, and to comfort the weak; to offer to God the oblations of the people; and to administer those facraments, without which we cannot hope to be faved.

Besides these parts of their office, they have power given them by Chrift, who well forefaw, that many would embrace Christianity who would afterwards be a fcandal to it; he therefore gave the governors of his church

Matth. xx. 25.

f 1 Pet. ii. 9.

power

power, after they have rebuked, admonished, withstood the difobedient and profane, to caft them out of his family, the church; with this afsurance, that whatever they did on earth in the way of their duty, fhould be made good in heaven.

In the time of the apostles, and a long time after, Chriftians were fo well convinced of this, that finners durft not live in difobedience to their fpiritual paftors, in matters relating to their fpiritual welfare; though there was then no law to punish them for fuch contempt. Nay, the laws and government then encouraged men to defpife and refift their fpiritual guides, whom they punished with imprisonment, fines, and death. And yet Christians were more afraid of their cenfures then, than now men are of imprisonment.

An instance we have, in the fifth chapter of St. Paul's firft epiftle to the Corinthians, of this fubmiffion:-A man who had embraced Christianity, led by his former lufts, would needs marry his father's widow. He was cenfured for this fault, and turned out of the church; he had no dependence in the world upon them that did this; all that they could do, was to reprefent to him the dangerous condition into which he had brought himself; and, if he had pleased, he might have despised their counsel, and taken his own ways: but obferve what he did; he was fo

Matth. xviii. 18.

well

well fatisfied that what his spiritual governors had done would moft certainly fhut him out of heaven, and that whilft he was out of the church he was out of the way of falvation, that he falls into a deep forrow for his fin, submits himself to the orders of the church; and the governors of the church, being fatisfied with his penitence, received him again. into their fociety, where he might perfect his repentance, be abfolved, and comforted."

Now; what is it could prevail with men to fubmit to perfons, who to the eye of the world had no manner of authority over them; but that all Chriftians were then fatisfied, that no man had a fhare in the bleffings which Chrift had purchased to his church, but fuch as fubmitted to the lawful governors of his church, in things fpiritual? Pray confider, from whom do you receive baptifm? from whom do you receive the Lord's fupper? from whom do you receive instruction to life eternal ?

And are not we as much the minifters of Chrift when we rebuke and cenfure the wicked, and turn out the obftinate and profane, as when we baptize and receive men into Chrift's church, as when we pray for, inftruct, and comfort the faithful? And will not Jefus Christ hear us, and confirm our fentence, as well as hear our prayer?

For God's fake, be not fo perverse as to think otherwise.

2 Cor. ii. to ver. 10.

We

We profess to have no power given us by Christ, but for your edification; that is, to build, and to establish you in godliness.

We pretend not to any power to lord it over God's heritage; but this is the power we have from Chrift to rebuke, and that with authority,' as very well knowing that God will warrant us in what we do in his name, and for his honour.

We have power to deny the facraments to all fuch as render themselves unworthy of them.

We have power to shut men that are obftinately wicked out of the church, that they may no longer fcandalize the Chriftian profeffion; and to charge all other Chriftians not to accompany with them. And those that will not obey, do not reject our authority, but the authority of Chrift.

Laftly; We have power to receive the penitent, to abfolve, and to comfort them.

And the fame Lord who gives us this power, gives all penitents, who fubmit to it, an affurance that they may depend upon what we do in his name. Whatsoever ye loofe on earth, shall be loofed in heaven.-Whofefoever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto them.

And now, though many people, for want of knowing these truths, (though they are all fcripture truths) and though many out of a profane and worldly fpirit, do fet at nought and make light of church cenfures; and though

Tit. ii. 15.