An Answer Made to an Open Challenge, Errata – Chapter 1
Errata.
Reader,
I Cannot own theſe ſheets till thou haſt corrected theſe following errataes in them.
In the Title page read ob hoc vel maximè.
In the Preface p. 3 l. penult. r. duty. p. 9. l. 16. r. foreign. l. 27. r. conſidering. p. 13. l. 10. r. December, after. l. 12. r. fortnight. p. 15. l. 2. r. account. p 16. l. 25. r. judgements. p. 22. l. 10. dele never. p. 23. l. 1. r. are theſe. l. 5. dele that the Apoſtle. r. gave other order. l. 20. r. tell us. p. 27. in marg. r. Aretii Problem. l. 16. r. would not theſe. p. 31. l. 30. r. foreign. p. 39. l. 15. dele at. ib. r. returne. p 39. r. us. p 41. l. 25. r. there were. ib. l. 33. r. the people.
In the book. p. 9. in marg. r. foreign. & ib. 36.1. p. 11. l. 3. r. I doubt. p. 12. l. 32. r. not. To. p. 14. l 9. r. Reverend. p. 15. l. 6. r. Thus we ſee. p 16. l. 13. r. firſt for. p. 18. l. 4 r. ſwine are. p. 22. l. 29. r. having appointed. p. 24. l. 12. r. yet theſe. l 13. r. heare men. p. 26. l. 26. r. ſome ſuch in. p. 28. l. 4. r. jure. p. 28. l. 29. r. he might. p. 29. l. 1. r. ruſh p. 32 in marg. r. edit. Lutetiae. p. 35. l 12 r. is chiding p. 37. l. 20 r. (except at that time.) l. ult. r. obſerves. p. 39. l. 31. r. purged. For. p. 40. l. 25. r. three things. p. 41. l. 25. r. it for. p. 42. l. 13. dele that. p. 43. l 25. ingenuous. p. 48. l. 21. dele ſo. l. 22. r. things forbidden. p 49. l. 2. dele may be true. l. 2. dele it. l. 15. r. true in. l. 28. r. untied. l. ult. dele firſt. p. 53. l. 16. r. foreign. p. 54. l. 32. r. nay it. p. 55. l. 13. r. he hath. p. 57. l 6. (if but baptized.) p. 71. l. 11. r. was to be eaten in. p. 72. l. 4 r. was eaten. p. 73. l. 10. r. ate. p 74 l. 32. r. the twelve. p. 76. l 4. r. he did not. p. 77. l. 32. r. fourth d ſh. l. 33. r. reſt: Immediately (ſaith the Doctor.) p. 78. l. 9. r. Aphicomen. l. 19. r. did eat. l. 28. r. the Doctor. p. 79. l. 9. r. ingenuous. p. 82. l. 31. r. fourth cup. p. 83. l. 21. dele ſecondly. p. 84. l. 1. r. with it: one. p. 87. l. 9. r. keep pure. p. 95. l. 24. r. If a groſſely, &c. l. 35. r. foreign. p. 111. l. penult. r. one bread. p. 113. l. 33. r. of the elements. p. 121 l. 1. r. conceſſions l. 16. r. releeve me. l. 18. r. I ſhall. l. 27. r. Elderſhip judge. p. 125. l. 1. r …uridicall. p. 128 l. 7. r. the Conſtitutions and ſome, &c p. 129. l. 2. …. …at…chumeni. l. 10. r, foreign. p. 130. l. 2. r. foreign. l. 4 r. foreign. l. 7. r. foreign. l. 10 r. foreign. l. 33. r. de. la. Barre. p. 131. l. 4. r. foreign. p. 132. in marg r. foreign. ibid. r. foreign. p. 133. l. 14. r. of none of. p. 134 l. 12. r. Binius. l. 29. r. in this Century. p. 137. l. 33. dele to. p. 140. l. 3. r. demonſtrandam. p. 141. l. 10. r. that he ſhould be. p 143. l. 12. r. that ſome p. 147. l. 23. r. penitus deploratos. p 148. l. 13. & in marg. dele Anthony. p. 155. l. 24. r. Dr de-Lawne. p. 161. l. 29. r. foreign. l. 31. dele And. l. 33. r. conſtitutions. p. 166. l. 12. r. augeatur. l. 25. r. minding. p. 167. l. 12. r. foreign.
CHAPTER I. Containing the State of the queſtion.
QVESTION 1. Whether the Suſpenſion of ſome perſons from the Lords Supper, be deducible from Scripture or Reaſon.
THE termes of this Queſtion are two.
1. Suſpenſion of ſome perſons from the Supper of the Lord; that is the ſubject.
2. Deducible from Scripture or Reaſon, that is the predicate in queſtion betwixt us.
1. As to Suſpenſion of ſome perſons from the Supper; wee meane no more then a denyall of that Ordinance to ſome. This ſuſpenſion is uſually diſtinguiſhed into Juridicall and Paſtorall, or privative and poſitive.
1. Poſitive ſuſpenſion, which is called Juridicall, is an act of the Officers of the Church, whereby (having had due cogniſance of the party that deſires the Supper of the Lord, and finding him unfit, or unworthy) though he hath formerly been admitted; Yet they by vertue of the truſt repoſed by Chriſt in them, warne him to abſtaine from the Lords Table, and deny the Ordinance to him if he intrudes.
2. Privative Suſpenſion, which I alſo call paſtorall, is an act of the Miniſter of the Goſpell, whereby hee alone (the Church wanting other Officers) finding ſome perſons (though formerly admitted) not able to examine themſelves, or unworthy in reſpect of open ſcandall to come to that Holy Table, doth not only as their Paſtor, admoniſh them to forbeare, but withholds the elements from them, if they preſume to come to the Lords Table.
God willing I ſhall anon ſpeake to the ſecond of theſe: whether privative ſuſpenſion be lawfull or no. But that is not my preſent buſineſſe. But ſuppoſing there be an elderſhip conſtituted in a Congregation, whether this elderſhip may keep away any from the Lords Table, for ignorance or knowne ſcandall, if he be a Chriſtian, and not de facto, Excommunicated. This is that which Mr Boatman cals a Phariſaicall dreame; an uſurpation of Chriſts authority, a thing not deducible from Scripture. That which he humbly (and boldly) challengeth all the Miniſters on Earth to make good. (if he durſt have ſtood to his word)
2. Nor could his meaning bee any thing elſe; For in his Congregation there is an elderſhip eſtabliſhed according to Ordinance of Parliament, by a due election of the major part of the Congregation preſent after publike notice given three Lords daies each after other, which he hath throwne downe, and publiſheth this Doctrine, that he might prepare his people for a proſtitution of that ſacred Ordinance.
As to the ſecond terme, Deducible from Scripture, I take it for granted, that my indifferent Reader will grant me that to be ſufficiently deduced and proved from Scripture, which is evinced from it by neceſſary conſequence, if it be there either foreign, or foreign, though not foreign. If Mr Boatman or any other will deny me, that any thing is to be proved from Scripture, but what is there foreign and foreign, He makes our Saviour a very inſufficient Logician, who thus proves the reſurrection.Mat. 22.32, 33. Mat. 22.31, 32. and his Auditors very weake, who (the Evangeliſt ſaith) were very well ſatisfied with the proofe. And thoſe who agree with the Anabaptiſts in that whimzy, will be bound to reconcile that of St James (James 5.4.) to truth,Iames 5.4. by ſhewing us where the Scripture ſaith foreign: The ſpirit that dwelleth in you, luſteth to envy. Yet the Apoſtle ſaith, the Soripture ſaith it. But I will ſuppoſe Mr Boatman ſo rationall, as to grant me this, or elſe he will be bound to deny the Sacrament to all women, Baptiſme to all children, and the Lords day to be a Sabbath. So that the queſtion is this:
Whether ſuppoſing a Church have a Preſbytery,The Queſtion ſtated. it be in the power of that Preſbyterie, having found ſome perſons (baptized and not excommunicated) groſly ignorant or ſcandalous, in the name of the Lord Jeſus, to warne them for a time to forbeare communicating at the Lords Table, and if they preſſe unto it, to deny it to them, by declaring the Church hath no Communion with them; or the like,—&c.
In the proving the affirmative part of this Queſtion,
1. I ſhall not trouble my ſelfe to prove they may doe it. I ſhall ſufficiently prove that, in proving They ought to doe it; for though a thing may be lawfull, and yet not expedient; yet a thing cannot be neceſſary and yet unlawfull. Nulla neceſſitas peccandi, we are not neceſſitated to ſin.
2. I ſhall not enter into a particular enquiry, what degrees of ignorance render a perſon obnoxious to this cenſure, nor yet what vitious qualifications in point of ſcandall doe it; it is enough for me if I prove it concerning any, (how notoriouſly ignorant or erroneous, or ſcandalous ſoever, (provided they be not abſolutely excommunicated) for if any one ſort of ſinners, either ignorant, or haereticall, or ſcandalous (except Turkes, Jewes, Heathens and excommunicate perſons) may have this Ordinance denied to them, though they preſſe to it, Mr Boatman's confident challenge will be anſwered, and he engaged to make it good, or recant for his raſhneſſe and preſumption. The queſtion being thus ſtated; I accept this Bold challenge, and ſhall prove it by this principall ſyllogiſme, which ſhall be the head of my enſuing Arguments.
To thoſe to whom it may not lawfully be given, it may lawfully be denied. But there may be ſome Baptized perſons in the Church, to whom it may not lawfully be given.—Ergo,
The Propoſition cannot be denied, except we will ſay that we are neceſſitated to ſinne; for if there may be ſome, to whom we can neither lawfully give the Ordinance, (though they come) nor lawfully deny it to them; we are obliged to ſinne, there being no medium between them two. I ſhall therefore prove the aſſumption by ſeverall Arguments. viz.
That there may be ſome Baptized perſons, not yet abſolutely caſt out of the Church, to whom the Sacrament of the Lords Supper may not lawfully be given.