he sets down rules, how they should demean themselves towards others, who were likewise guilty of known crimes: and these he distinguisheth into two sorts; those, who visibly belonged to the world, and were professed Heathens; and those, who belonged to the Visible Church, and were wicked Christians. For the former sort, he tells them, that they might civilly eat with them, vv. 9. 10. I wrote unto you in an epistle, not to company, with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world: that is, I meant not that you should wholly abstain from the converse of heathens, who are vile and wicked; for, since the greatest part of the world are heathens, the necessity of human life requires that you should have commerce and dealing with them. But, for the other sort, those, who are lewd and wicked Christians, cast them out: company not eat not with any brother that is a fornicator, or covetous, or a drunkard, or the like: account them as heathens, yea, worse than heathens, inasmuch as they deny that faith by their practice, which they profess with their mouths. The whole scope of which seems to be, that the Apostle commands them to deal with such as with the incestuous person, and that the Church ought to cut them off by excommunication; but not that any member of the Church should separate from communion with them in the public ordinances, until that judicial act were passed upon them. But,

[2] Most likely it is, that, when the Apostle forbids us to eat with such, he means only familiar, domestical eating; and not ecclesiastical, in the participation of the Lord's Supper; if so be they be not cut off by the censure of excommunication.

And that appears, because the Apostle forbids them so to eat with wicked Christians, as they might lawfully eat with wicked and idolatrous Heathens. "I forbid not," saith he, "all converse with heathens, that never made profession of the faith and religion of Jesus Christ: but I forbid you to company with a brother, that walketh disorderly; yea, I would not have you so much as to eat with such an one." Now if they might eat with professed Heathens, but not with licentious Christians, I suppose it will be evident to every one, that hath but understanding enough to name him a man, that this eating, here spoken of, was not eating at the Sacrament, for what had heathens to do there? but only of private, friendly, and familiar eating.

But, still, it may be and it is urged, that "If we may not eat with them civilly at their own table, much less then may we eat with them religiously at God's."

To this I answer,

1st. That we have now the same liberty allowed for our converse with wicked Christians, as the Apostle granted for converse with wicked Heathens; or else, truly, as he saith, we must needs go out of the world. And, therefore, the circumstances of times being so much altered, we may lawfully eat and converse with them, since, in many places, there are few others to converse with.

I answer,

2dly. It doth not at all follow, that, if I may not eat familiarly with a loose Christian, therefore I may not eat sacramentally with him for the one is of mere choice; the other is my necessary duty, till he be cast out of the Church*. I may choose my acquaintance and familiar friend, with whom to converse: and, if I choose those who are wicked and ungodly, I then sin; because I shew I have a delight in vain persons. But I cannot choose church-members; nor say I will communicate with this man, and not with this, till one of them be cut off from the body of Christ by excommunication, unless I intend to make a rent and a schism; which certainly they do, who depart from the communion of the Church, upon such a pretence.

This, I think, may be sufficient, in answer to the Third great Objection, That it is unlawful to partake with us of the Lord's Supper, because sometimes wicked men are admitted unto it. For, besides that our Saviour himself admitted Judas, whom he calls a Devil; and that the Congregations of the Schism are not so perfectly pure, but that we may, without breach of charity, tell them, All are not saints whom they admit: besides this, if you know any scandalous persons among us, it is your own fault that they are admitted. And will you leave off that, which is your dnty, for not doing your duty? If, when you have done your duty, yet they are still retained, the fault ceaseth to be yours, and lies upon them whose care it ought to be to exclude such; nor doth your communion in that case pollute the ordi

* Calvin. advers. Anabapt. Quòd autem vetat cum his cibum sumere, qui sunt vita dissoluta, id ad privatam consuetudinem pertinet non ad publicam communionem.

nance to you. We are not to eat with them after they are cut off by the censures of the Church; but we may eat with them whilst they continue members of the Church, although perhaps it may be the sin of others to retain them.

iv. Lastly, Some may think it unlawful to communicate with us, because of the SCANDAL AND OFFENCE, THAT THEREBY WILL BE GIVEN TO WEAK BRETHREN. Though they have no such great doubts nor scruples in themselves, that should deter them from coming; yet they are afraid of that woe, which Christ hath denounced against those who offend any of the little ones.

To this I answer only in brief, That, if we are once fully satisfied in our consciences that it is our duty, we ought not to take any notice at all of the censures and offences of the whole world. Yea, though the offence they take should not be only an offence of contristation, and cause sorrow in them when they see us do that which is contrary to their present judgment; but though it should prove an occasion of sin unto them: yet we ought not to forbear it; nor to sin ourselves, to keep others from sinning. For, as we must not do evil out of hope that good may come thereby, so neither must we forbear what is good out of fear that evil may ensue thereupon. When we approve ourselves to God and our own consciences, we ought not to value the censures of others, who decry our duties; nor to put ourselves out of the way of our obedience, to put others out of their groundless offences. If they will be offended at my doing of my duty, let them be offended: and this shall be my comfort, that, if I have not their good word, yet I shall have the good word of my own conscience; and, at last, the good word of my God, with an Eugè, Well done, good and faithful servant; and, then, let all the men in the world think and speak what they will of me.

And thus I have gone through those Four grand Objections, that usually keep men off from participating of the Holy Ordi nance of the Lord's Supper, and hope I have answered them satisfactorily.

which

Nothing now remains, but earnestly to beseech you, for the Lord Christ's sake, who offers that flesh and blood to you, he offered upon the cross to his Father, that you would no

longer content yourselves in your separation; but come unanimously with us, to receive that blood, by which both you and we hope to be saved. And let not some little circumstances (which yet you see how defensible they are, and how hard to be gainsaid by scripture or reason) make you fly off from so substantial and necessary a duty as this is. Certainly, it shews that we have but little spiritual hunger and thirst, if we cannot endure wholesome food, though it be not in every particular dressed as we could fancy.