2. _We will prove, that he that will come to the Sacrament, ought
first to submit to examination._
3. _That the power to examine, belongs not to the Minister alone, nor
to the Minister with the whole Church, but to the Minister and
Elders._
4. _We will answer the Objections, that are brought against this way
of examination by the Minister and Elders._
For the first of these, we say;
First, That the _Presbyterial-Government_, doth not precisely &
peremptorily require of those that come to the Sacrament, that they
should first be examined by questions and answers, but if any man or
woman shall make a good profession of their Faith in a continued
discourse, without being _asked any questions_, it will be as well
accepted, as if they were examined by particular questions.
Secondly, that this _examination_ or _profession_ is not required
every time men come to _the Sacrament_, but only _at their first
admission_.
3. That he that is duly admitted into compleat _Church-fellowship in
the Presbyterian-way_, is not only by vertue of his first admission,
freed from all _after-examination_ (unless it be when he falls into
any scandalous transgression) in the Congregation, to which he
belongs; but he is inabled by a certificate from his Eldership, to
receive the Sacrament in any Church of the Christian world of the same
constitution, without any new examination.
Fourthly, that the reason why ancient men and women, and others, that
have formerly under the _Prelatical Government_ been admitted to the
Sacrament, are now required to submit to examination, before they can
be again admitted, doth not _proceed from the nature of the
Presbyterian Government, but chiefly from the neglect of the
Prelaticall_: For it is so evident, that it cannot be denyed, that
under the former Government, men and women of all sorts, though never
so ignorant or scandalous, were in most places admitted promiscuously
to the Sacrament without any examination. Now this grievous disorder,
and great iniquity in the Prelatical Government, is the principal
cause of all the trouble we meet withal in ours; and we desire
earnestly our people to distinguish with us, between a Church
deformed, and reformed. If the Churches of God in _England_ were once
so reformed, that there were an orderly admission, by examination or
profession, unto the Lords Table by the Eldership; then we should
require none to come to examination, but such only as never yet
communicated, whom we would endeavour to train up in knowledge, by
catechizing, and by Gods blessing, make fit in time, to be partakers
of such heavenly mysteries. But now because our Churches, through want
of Discipline, are deformed, & all sorts have been sinfully admitted
without tryal: Hence it is, that we are forced, even out of tender
regard to the souls of old people, and to free our selves from the
guilt of their sins, and out of desire to keep the Sacrament from
prophanation, to examine even aged people (many of whom we find very
ignorant) and all sorts as have been formerly admitted (many of whom
we find to be very unworthy) that so we may bring our Congregations
into Gospel-order. This we say, _we are absolutely necessitated to do
upon conscientious grounds, which we cannot recede from, though we
find it very prejudiciall to our selves, and to our Government_. But
in the mean time, we desire our respective Congregations to consider,
that this is a necessity, that the iniquity of former times hath
brought upon us; and that it doth not flow from the principles of our
Government, but only from the negligence and sinfulness of Prelatical
Governours.
The second thing propounded, is to prove, that he that will come to
the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, ought first to submit to
examination, and tryal, as it hath been formerly explained: For this
purpose, we will lay down these three Propositions.
1. _It is the Will of Jesus Christ, that no grosly ignorant, or
scandalous person should come to the Sacrament._
2. _That it is the Will of Jesus Christ, that those who are grosly
ignorant, or scandalous, should be kept from the Sacrament (if they
offer to come) by the Officers of the Church._
3. _That it is the Will of Jesus Christ, that Church-Governours have
some sufficient way to find out who are such ignorant and scandalous
persons, that they may be kept away._
[Sidenote: 1. Proposition.]
_That it is the Will of Jesus Christ, that no grosly ignorant, or
scandalous person, should come to the Sacrament._
1. No _grosly ignorant person_, because the Scripture saith, _that a
man must first examine himself, and so eat of that bread, and drink of
that cup_; and it likewise saith, that he that will come to the
Sacrament must be one that _discerneth the Lords body_; otherwise he
_eats and drinks damnation to himself_; and it adds, that we are to do
this _in remembrance of Christ_, and thereby to _shew forth the Lords
death till he come_. And therefore a man that is grosly ignorant, and
is not able to examine himself, nor to discern the Lords body, nor to
remember Christ; nor understands what it is to shew forth the Lords
death, ought not to come to the Sacrament, no more then a baptized
Infant, who is therefore not to partake of this Ordinance, because of
his want of knowledge.
2. No _scandalous person_: This is evidenced from the words of the
Apostle, _Let a man examine himself, & so let him eat_, &c. from which
words we gather two things:
1. That he that would come to the Sacrament, _must examine himself_;
which examination ought to be according to the nature of the Ordinance
of the Lords Supper, _viz._
1. In general; whether he be worthy to come, or no; (not with a
_worthinesse of merit_, but of _Evangelical suitablenesse_.)