give him. But if the offender neglect or refuse to do it,
the brother offended is to go, and convince, and admon-
ish him of it between themselves privately. If, there-
fore, the offender be brought to repent of his offence, the
admonisher hath won his brother.

But if the offender hear not his brother, the brother
offended is to take with him one or two more, that, in the
mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be es-
tablished, (whether the word of admonition, if the offend-
er receive it or the word of complaint, if he refuse it.)
For if he refuse it, the offended brother is by the mouth
of the ELDERS, [ministers or pastors, as the term is to be
understood at the present time,] to tell the church; and
if he hear the church, and declare the same by penitent
confession, he is recovered and gained.

And if the church, discern him to be willing to hear, yet not fully convinced of his offence, as in case of heresy, they are to dispense to him a public admonition; which, declaring the offender to lie under the public offence of the church, doth thereby WITHHOLD or SUSPEND him from the holy fellowship of the Lord's Supper, till his offence be removed by penitent confession.

If he still continue obstinate, they are to cast him out by EXCOMMUNICATION; Matt. v. 23, 24, Luke xvii, 3, 4, Matt. xviii. 15, 16, 17, Titus iii. 10...

97. Punishment of public and known offences.

But if the offence be more public at first, and of a more heinous and criminal nature, to wit, such as are condemned by the light of nature, then the church, without such gradual proceedings, is to cast out the offender from their holy communion, for the further mortifying of his sins, and the healing of his soul in the day of the Lord Jesus; 1 Cor. v. 4, 5, 11.

[It seems to be especially the duty of the pastor, in a

case of this kind, to bring the subject before the church; otherwise the affair might be unduly neglected, and the cause of religion suffer. The ancient RATIO DISCIPLINE, (Art. vi. 3,) says, If one under the covenant and government of the church fall into a scandalous transgression against the laws of our holy Redeemer, and that transgression be at once and at first a matter of publicfame, the PASTOR, upon the cry, reckons it his duty to inquire into it, and bring it immediately under an ecclesiastical cognizance.*]

§ 98. Of the proper spirit or temper in dealing with offenders.

In dealing with an offender, great care is to be taken, that we be neither over strict or rigorous, nor too indulgent or remiss. Our proceeding herein, ought to be with a spirit of meekness, considering ourselves, lest we also be tempted; and that the best of us have need of much forgiveness from the Lord. Yet the winning and healing of the offender's soul, being the end of these endeavors, we must not daub with untempered mortar, nor heal

* At a meeting of an Association of ministers, held at Cambridge at an early period, (MAGNALIA, Bk. v. § 8,) it was decided to be particularly a minister's duty to inquire into public scandals, although no formal complaint should be brought to him; and among others, for the following reasons. (1) According to the Apostolical direction, an inquiry into an offence was ordered upon this consideration, viz. It is commonly reported, 1 Cor. v. 1.—(2) The elders of Israel were to make inquiry into an offence after this manner, viz. If thou shalt hear say, then shalt thou inquire, and make search and ask diligently; Deut. xiii. 12, 14.—(3) The neighbors may be so far under the power of temptation, as to forbear making orderly declarations of scandals committed; and it is, therefore, necessary, that such things fall under the inquiry of the pastor, alarmed thereto by common fame.-(4) The pastor of a church is by office to watch over the conversation of the people, and a noise of scandal, arisen in the conversation of those under his watch, is a sufficient provocation for his inquiry into it.

the wounds of our brethren slightly. On some have compassion, others save with fear; Gal. vi. 1, Matt. xviii. 34, 35, Ezek. xiii. 10.

[Although the pastor is the agent in bringing public and known scandals before the church, and is required to do it without unnecessary delay, there is good reason to believe, he would not be approved in taking that step, without first having sought an interview with the offender; either alone, or attended by a few of the brethren. It is true, that such scrupulous formality of procedure is not so requisite in cases of a public nature, as in those, which are known only to one, or to any very small number. But the law of Christian kindness is thought to require, that the offender should enjoy the privilege of privately disclosing either his defence or his repentance, previous to the public accusation. And such has been the practice of the churches.-See Mather's Ratio Disciplinæ, Art. VIII. 3; also Dwight's Theology, Sermon + CLXII. &c.]

§ 99. Treatment and rights of the excommunicate.

While the offender remains excommunicate, the church is to refrain all member-like communion with him in spiritual things, and also from all familiar communion with him in civil things, further than the necessity of natural, domestic, or civil relations do require; and are, therefore, to forbear to eat and drink with him, that he may be ashamed; Matt. xviii. 17, 1 Cor. v. 11, 2 Thess. iii. 6, 14.

Excommunication being a spiritual punishment, it doth not prejudice the excommunicate in, nor deprive him of his civil rights, and, therefore, toucheth not princes, nor other magistrates in point of their civil dignity or authority. And the excommunicate being but as a publican and a heathen, (heathens being lawfully per

mitted to come to hear the word in church assemblies,) we acknowledge, therefore, the like liberty of hearing the word may be permitted to persons excommunicate, that is permitted unto heathen. And because we not without hope of his recovery, we are not to account him as an enemy, but to admonish him as a brother; 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25, 2 Thess. iii. 14.

§ 100. Restoration of the offender on repentance.

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If the Lord sanctify the censure to the offender, so as by the grace of Christ he doth testify his repentance with humble confession of his sins, and judging of himself, giving glory unto God, the church is then to forgive him, and to comfort him, and to restore him to the wonted brotherly communion, which formerly he enjoyed with them; 2 Cor. vii. 8.

[The churches do not suspend or excommunicate for any particular length of time. There is much reason to regard such a course as contrary to the will of Christ, although precedents may be found for it in ecclesiastical history. Whenever there are satisfactory indications of repentance, whether after a shorter or longer period, the offender is entitled to restoration; and it is not only the acknowledged duty, but the practice of the churches promptly and cheerfully to grant it.]

§ 101. Of immediate separation from corrupt or scandalous churches.

The suffering of profane or scandalous livers to continue in fellowship, and partake in the sacraments, is doubtless a great sin in those, that have power in their hands to redress it, and do it not. Nevertheless, inasmuch as Christ and his apostles in their times, and the prophets and the other godly in theirs, did lawfully partake of the Lord's commanded ordinances in the Jewish church, and neither taught nor practised separation from

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the same, though unworthy ones were permitted therein, and inasmuch as the faithful in the church of Corinth, wherein were many unworthy persons and practices, are never commanded to absent themselves from the sacra ments, because of the same; therefore the godly in like cases are not presently to separate. Rev. ii. 14, 15, 20. Matt. xxiii. 3. Acts iii. 1. 1 Cor. vi. and xv. 12.

$ 102. Of refusing to attend the Sacrament with scandalous per

sons.

As separation from such a church, wherein profane and scandalous persons are tolerated, is not presently necessary; so for the members thereof, otherwise unworthy, hereupon to abstain from communicating with such a church in the participation of the sacraments is unlawful. For as it were unreasonable for an innocent person to be punished for the faults of others, wherein he hath no hand, and whereunto he gave no consent; so is it more unreasonable, that a godly man should neglect duty, and punish himself, in not coming for his portion in the blessing of the seals, as he ought, because others are suffered to come, that ought not especially considering that himself doth neither consent to their sins, nor to their approaching to the ordinance in their sin, nor to the neglect of others who should put them away, and do not; but on the contrary, doth heartily mourn for these things, and modestly and seasonably stir up others to do their duty.

If the church cannot be reformed, they may use their liberty, as is specified, chap. xiii. sect. 4, [referring to the Cambridge Platform.] But this all the godly are bound unto, even every one to do his endeavor, according to his power and place, that the unworthy may be duly proceeded against by the church, to whom this matter doth appertain; 2 Chron. xxx. 18, Gen. xviii. 25. Ezek. ix. 4.