Four Serious Questions Concerning Excommunication

Four serious Questions of Grand Importance, Concerning Excommunication, and Suspention from the Sacrament; propounded to the Reverend Assembly, and all Moderate Christians, to prevent Schisms, and settle Unity among us, in these divided Times; by a Lover both of Peace and Truth.

T He business of Excommunication, and Sequestration from the Sacrament, now in public Agitation, is a matter of great moment, much difficulty, and very circumspectly to be handled, established, to prevent Prophanation and Scandal on the one hand; and Arbitrary, Tyranicall, Papal Domineering over the Consciences, the spiritual Privileges of Christians, on the other; which will necessarily follow, if it fall into indiscreet, over-severe, ambitious, passionate or revengeful hands, as we felt by woeful experience under the Papacy and Prelacy: (Nam paucis res illa tuto committi potest: Mox solet subrepere Dominandi studium, & sub praetextu Pietatis suunt paenas ob privata odia, aut Dogmata, vel Talia; as Aretius well observes; who debating this question; An hodie restitui possit Excommunicatio? Resolves thus. Sunt qui disciplinam hanc etiam hodie reducere velint, in eam{que} rem toti incumbant; Alii in eo videntur desperare: Et quanquam despera • dum non putem, tamen perquam arduum judico, nec non impossible praesentibus moribus, col • a submittere ejusmodi disciplinae: For which among other reasons, he renders this. Accedunt exempla corum, qui idem conati, cum risu destitêre, aut quibus pessime cessit: magno studio in Germaniae quibusdam ecclesiijs instituta fuit; sed cecidit in spongiam natus ridiculus mus: as some fear it nay now do among us, unless it be settled with great wisdom, caution, moderation, certainty, and as little as possible herein left to any man's discretion; The serious consideration whereof hath induced me to propound these ensuing Questions to our Venerable Assembly, and all other moderate Christians, who ought in all things (especially in this) to avoid Extreames, and the seeming affectation of any greater lording power over the Consciences or Privileges of their Christian Brethren, then of right belongs unto them; least they approve that in, or usurp that to themselves, which they have so vehemently heretofore declaimed against in, denied to, and quite taken away from the Pope and Prelates.

1. Whether Matthew 18. 16. 17. Let him be to THEE, (not to the whole Church, and all others) as a Heathen, and a Publican, (meant only of personal private trespasses between man and man, not public scandalous sins against the Congregation, as is clear by v: 15. If thy Brother shall trespass against THEE, &c. not the Church: and Lu. 17. 3. 4.) Or 1. Cor. 5. 5. 11. 1. Tim. 1. 20. To deliver such a one to Satan, &c. with such a one no not to eat, &c. be properly meant of Excommunication, or suspension from the Sacrament only? And what warrant there is in Scripture for Ministers or others to suspend men from the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper only, and not from the Congregation and all other public Ordinances, together with it? since 1. Cor. 5 7. 9 13. John 9. 22 32. 33 chap. 12, 42, chap. 16. 2. 2 Thes. 3, 14. 2 John 16. 11. 3 John 10. Numb. 12. 14. Deut. 23 1, 2, 3 with all other Scriptures alleaaged for the proof or practice of Excommunication; speak only of putting, casting out, and excluding men wholly from the Congregation, Syragogue, and all public Christian Communion; but not one of them of excluding, or suspending men only from the Sacrament, and not from 〈◊〉 public Ordinances, as Prayer, Preaching, and the like: And since in the primitive times, (is is evident by Tertulians Apollogy: c. 39. De Paenitentia Lib. and others) scandalous persons, were ever excommunicated and wholly cast out of the Church ( extra Gregem dati ) not barely sequ • stred from the Sacrament: Whence all the Canonists and School-men determine: Excommunicatus non possit interesse divinis Officiis in Ecclesia, vel extra cum aliis: and define Excommunication to be, An Ecclesiastical censure, which deprives a man from the Communion of the Church, Sacraments, and all public Ordinances: and A • etius defines it, to be, A • icuius professi Religionem nostram, à consortio fidelium, in sacris et prophanis rebus exclusio, &c. which excludes men totally from the Church, and all public Ordinances, not from the Sacrament only.

2. By what Divine Authority or Scripture Text, can any Minister lawfully keep back any Christian from the Sacrament, (not actually Excommunicated and cast out of the Church for some notorious scandal upon a legal Conviction) who earnestly desires to receive it, though in his own private judgment he deemes him unfitting or unworthy? since we read of no circumcised person in the Old Testament, ever debarred from the Passover by the Priests, that was willing or desirous to eat it, though perchance not altogether so prepared to ea • e it, as God requi • ed, Exod. 12. 3. 4. &c. 44, to 58. 2 Chron. 30. 13. to 21. Since Christ himself admitted Judas to it, though he knew him to be a Devil, a Traitor; John 6. 70. 71. as is clear by Math. 26 20. to 31 Mar: 14. 18. &c. Luke 22. 14 &c. John 13. 31. And since Paul in the 1. cor. 11. 20. to 36: usurped no other Authority to himself, nor gave any power to others, to keep unworthy receivers from the Sacrament, but only admonished them of the danger of unworthy receiving, and thereupon advised every Receiver, to examine HIM SELFE before he came to receive? And whether the Minister by admonishing his Flock, of the danger of unworthy receiving, and seriously dehorting such as he deemes unworthy not to receive the Sacrament til they become more fit to participate, under pain of eating and drinking their own damnation, and other judgments that will ensue thereon, hath not thereby discharged his full duty and conscience, as this text of the Corinthians. Ezech. 33. 1. to 10. Acts 20. 26. 27. with the Liturgyes of our own and the French Churches, in their Exhortations before the Sacrament, both intimate and resolve?

3. Whether the unprofitable, and unworthy hearing of the word, be not as great, as dangerous, as damning a sin, as the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament, as Math. 10. 14. 15. Mar. 16, 15, 16, Luk 8. 18 Heb 2 1, 2, 3. c. 3. 7, 8, 1 • . c. 6. 6. 7. 8: assert? Whether Ministers upon the self same grounds and pretences (of partaking of other men's sins, of being guilty of their damnations, of not giving holy things to Dogs and casting Pearls before Swine; Math. 7. 6. meant principally of preaching the Gospel to such as shall contemn it, not of the Sacrament, as is clear by Math: 10, 14, Mar. 16, 15. 16. Acts 13 46, 51) may not as well keep their people from preaching of the word, and refuse to preach unto them, left it should not profit them for want of faith, Hebr. 4 2. but increase, or aggravate their sins, and become unto them the Savour of death unto death, 2 Cor 21 5. 16 John 12: 4 • . as from the Sacrament? And what substantial difference they can produce, warranted by Scripture, why they may not deny to preach the word to such Christ • ans whom they deem unprofitable under, or unfit to hear it, as the Sacrament to those whom they judge unmeet to receive it?

4. Whether, seeing God only knows the Secrets of all men's hearts, and who are his, 2 Chron. 6. 30. 2 Tim. 2. 19. not Ministers; who may oft times deem those Worthy Communicants, who are not (as close Hypocrites, &c. ) and those unworthy who are not, 1 Samuel 16. 5. to 14. S • eing he can suddenly change notorious sinners hearts, lives, and bring them to repentance in a moment, before Ministers can take real notice of it, Act. 9. 3. to 28. Seeing we must not censoriously judge one another, because we fall or stand to our own Master, Matth. 7. 1. Luk. 6. 37. Rom. 14. 4. to 15. Seeing none must quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised Reed, nor discourage weak Christians by overmuch rigor, or indiscretion, Matth. 12 20. Rom 14. Seeing every Communicant is bound to examine HIMSELFE, which he best knows, (not others peremptorily to examine him) 1 Cor. 11. 27. 28, 29. 2 Cor. 13 5. Gal. 6. 4. 5. And every man is only to bear his own sin, not another's, in which he is no partaker, Gal 6. 4. 5. Ezek. 33. 1. to 10. Ezek. 18 4 to 21. And seeing every Christian when he is invited to the Sacrament, is bound under pain of sin and contempt to receive it, 1 Cor. 11. Heb. 10. 29. Whether can any Minister in point of Conscience refuse any Christian, not actually excommunicated, the Sacrament, if he desires to receive it, in case he profess his sincere repentance for his sins past, and promise newness of life for time to come, though in his own private opinion, he may chance to judge him a person unfit or unworthy to communicate? If yea, let him show his charter for it in Scripture: This I am certain he cannot do: If he allege, he cannot do it in point of Conscience, because he should be paraker of his sin, if he eat and drink damnation by unworthy receiving: The Apostle resolves the contrary; that he eats and drinks damnation only to HIMSELFE, not to the Minister, or the other Communicants; that he shall only bear his own burden, and give an account of himself to God, Gal. 6. 4, 5. Rom. 14. 12. And the administration being only the Ministers act, which is a holy and divine institution, the unworthy participation the parties own iniquity, (as is his unworthy hearing, praying &c. ) not the Ministers; it can no more involve the Minister in the guilt of it, then his unprofitable hearing; of which no Minister holds himself guilty, who with care and conscience faithfully dispenseth the Word unto his Auditors, Eze. 33. 1. to 10. Acts 20. 26. 27; which Lucas Osiander proves at large against the Anabaptists.

Seeing therefore there is as much danger to people's Souls in their unworthy, unprofitable hearing of the word, as receiving of the Sacraments; and since Ministers are and may be unto God a Sweet savor of Christ, as well in them that perish, by unworthy receiving the Sacrament as in them that are saved, by worthy participation thereof; as they are in the preaching of the Gospel, 2 Cor. 2. 14, 15, 16. I cannot discern any shadow of reason, why any godly Ministers should over-earnestly contest for such a large or unlimited Ecclesiastical power, to exclude their Christian Brethren from the Sacrament (when not actually excommunicated from the Church and other Ordinances) as some pretend to; much less, why any of them should resolve to give over their Ministry to which Christ hath called them, in case they cannot obtain such a power from the Parliament, as neither Christ, nor his Apostles, nor the Primitive Christians in the purest times did ever exercise; or why any should forwardly separate from our Church, in case such an unlimited arbitrary power be not established in our new Presbiteries, as our very Lordly Prelates never durst to claim. Moderata durant. Wherefore my earnest request to all Ministers and people shall be, to rest fully satisfied with such a limited Jurisdiction in this kind, as our Honorable, Parliament upon serious debate, shall in their Piety and Wisdom think meet to settle, for the prevention of scandal, Prophanesse in the people, of Tyranny and oppression of men's consciences in the Presbytery; the only desirable boundary between these two Extremities, which must be avoided with all special care.