cipline tends to throw much light on the word of God, and to lead a church conftantly to appeal to Scripture, the advantage of which is manifeft. It directs the attention of church members to paffages to which none else think of giving heed, whereby, in fact, they make them void. Almoft all the difficulties which occur in the exercise of difcipline, arife from the difficulty of afcertaining the duty of individuals in particular circumstances. When this is discovered, the duty of a church is eafily established.

As thofe only can be expected to have a competent knowledge of the administration of human laws who have attended courts of justice, fo Chriftians become acquainted with the laws of Christ by witneffing their application in his churches. Thefe laws are often vilified, as productive. of ftrife and divifion, from being imperfectly understood and improperly administered. This is apt to be peculiarly the cafe with a church newly formed, the members of which have been connected with focieties where fcriptural order was not known, or at least not acknowledged. Such ought to be very careful, left, through ignorance and inexperience, they bring reproach on the name of Christ.

I conclude this chapter, by quoting a remarkable teftimony to the excellence of Chriftian difcipline by one who was not in a fituation where he could practise it.

Dr Macknight, to keep no company with wicked perfons, though feemingly fevere, was in the true spirit of the gofpel. For the laws of Christ do not, like the laws of men, correct offenders by fines, and imprisonments, and corporal punishments, or outward violence of any kind, but by earnest and affectionate representations, admonitions and reproofs, addreffed to their reafon and conscience, to make them fenfible of their fault, and to induce them voluntarily to amend. If this remedy proves ineffectual, their fellow Chriftians are to shew their disapprobation of their evil courfes, by carefully avoiding their company. So Chrift hath ordered, Matt. xviii. 15, 16. 17. "Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee, thou haft gained thy brother; but if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witneffes every word may be established. And if he fhall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." Earneft reprefentation, therefore, from the injured party, followed with grave admonition. and reproof from the ministers of religion, when the injured party's representation is ineffectual, are the means which Chrift hath appointed for reclaiming an offender; and with great propriety, because being addreffed

thee, go

to influence his will as a moral agent, and fo to produce a lafting alteration in his conduct. But if these moral and religious means prove ineffectual, Christ hath ordered the fociety of which the offender is a member to fhun his company and conversation, that he may be ashamed, and that others may be preferved from the contagion of his example. This laft remedy will be ufed with the greateft effect, if the refolution of the fociety, to have no intercourse with the offender, especially in religious matters, is openly declared by a sentence deliberately and folemnly pronounced in a public affembly, (as in the cafe of the incestuous Corinthian), and is steadily carried into execution.

• The wholesome discipline which Christ instituted in his church at the beginning, was rigorously and impartially exercised by the primitive Christians towards their offending brethren, and with the happieft fuccefs in preserving purity of manners among themselves. In modern times, however, this falutary discipline hath been much neglected in the church; but it hath been taken up by gaming clubs, who exclude from their fociety all who refuse to pay their game-debts, and fhun their company on all occafions as perfons abfolutely infamous. By this fort of excommunication, and by giving to game-debts the appellation of debts of honour, the winners on the one hand, without the help of the law, and even in

claims effectual, while the lofers, on the other, are reduced to the neceffity either of paying, or of being fhunned by their companions as infa-` mous. I mention this as an example, to fhew what a powerful influence the approbation or difapprobation of thofe with whom mankind affociate have upon their conduct; and from that confideration, to excite the friends of religion to support her against the attempts of the wicked, by teftifying on every fit occafion, their disapprobation of vice, and their contempt of its abettors; and more especially, by fhunning the company and converfation of the openly profane, however dignified their station in life, or however great their fortune may be *.

CHAPTER XI.

OF FORBEARANCE.

SOME churches, formed, in most things,

on the model of the New Teftament, have fallen into a very hurtful extreme concerning difcipline. They require all to be of the fame mind in all things, and do not feem to fhew that respect to

the rights of confcience, and that tenderness to perfons of different degrees of advancement in religion, which we uniformly find infifted on in the word of God. Hence difcipline is apt to degenerate into a system of terror. This tends to overawe and to prevent a member from acting as he thinks right, or from freely delivering his opinion, left he should displease others, or even be put away from the church. It leads him fin

fully to please men, and to facrifice the authority of Chrift at the fhrine of the church. It may indeed produce filence and non-refiftance, and the appearance of unity, but it is the filence of flaves and hypocrites. In confequence of this tyranny over confcience, undeferved reproach has been caft upon Chriftian difcipline.

In entering on this fubject I would make the following remarks.

1. There is an abfolute neceffity for perfonal conviction both refpecting truth and duty. No Christian can act religiously upon the conviction of another.

2. The important duty of mutual forbearance refts not only on the precepts given to the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak, Rom. xiv. and xv. but on every one confidering themselves to be but learners in the fchool of Christ. It furely ill becomes fuch to act as if they were infallible.

3. The Scriptures acknowledge no man as a