How it pleased God to work in them, to bring them home to Christ, whether the law have convinced them of sin, how the Lord hath won them to deny themselves and their own righteousness, and to rely on the righteousness of Christ, then they make a brief confession, or else an answer to a few questions about the main fundamental points of Religion, that it may appear indeed whether they be competently endued with the knowledge of the truth, and sound in the faith, and about the Godhead, the Trinity, the work, our first estate of innocency the fall our redemption, Christ his Natures, his Offices, Faith, the Sacraments, the Church, the Resurrection, the last judgement, such as every Christian man is bound to learn and give account of; we refuse none for weakness, either knowledge or grace, if the whole be in them, and that any of the Church can give testimony of their Christian and sincere affections, and then the Church consenting to their admission, one of the Elders propounded to the party, the covenant that he must enter into with God and the Church, whereunto the party expressly covenants, then is reciprocally received the Churches covenant back again by the voice of the elder. This is all the secret we have among us, neither have we any more secret carriage, than this which no godly man that ever came over to us have ever disliked, you come not more willingly to have communion with us, then we receive you, upon no harder terms then have been declared.
HOw it pleased God to worke in them, to bring them home to Christ, whether the law have convinced them of sinne, how the Lord hath wonne them to deny themselves and their owne righteousnesse, and to rely on the righteousnesse of Christ, then they make a briefe confession, or else an answer to a few questions about the maine fundamentall points of Religion, that it may appeare indeed whether they be competently endued with the knowledge of the truth, and sound in the faith, and about the Godhead, the Trinity, the worke, our first estate of innocency the fall our redemption, Christ his Natures, his Offices, Faith, the Sacraments, the Church, the Resurrection, the last judgement, such as every Christian man is bound to learne and give account of; we refuse none for weakenesse, either knowledge or grace, if the whole be in them, and that any of the Church can give testimony of their Christian and sincere affections, and then the Church consenting to their admission, one of the Elders propounded to the party, the covenant that hee must enter into with God and the Church, whereunto the party expresly covenants, then is reciprocally received the Churches covenant backe againe by the voyce of the elder. This is all the secret we have among us, neither have we any more secret carriage, than this which no godly man that ever came over to us have ever disliked, you come not more willingly to have communion with us, then we receive you, upon no harder termes then have been declared.
