The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…

TO the second thing, to wit, what is not necessary, or to be enquired for, by Church-officers to be an ecclesiastic satisfaction for removing of an offence. We answer, That the saving grace of repentance, or godly sincerity therein in the person, is not to be enquired into, as the alone ground upon which they may rest satisfied. For, 1. That would put a Church-judicatory so far as they could to determine of the state and graciousness of every offending person before they were satisfied, which were absurd, that not being the object of Church discipline, and it's nowhere to be found that men are called judicially to determine of the state of another. 2. It would lay this ground, That none should be after any offence recovered and admitted to privileges, except they were thought really to be gracious; which would infer, that none should be admitted to the Church, but such; yea, that none should be continued in the Church, but such; because readily there are none, but in less or more give offence, so far as may be the ground of a private admonition, which doth once table them▪ and if nothing can be satisfying but what giveth ground to account them gracious, it would come to that, that men are to be excommunicated because they are not thought to be gracious, ⟨p. 89⟩and cannot give evidence of that. 3. So every person that were received after an offence, would have a Sentence of a Church-judicatory standing to prove them to be converted, which certainly would prove offensive, and a stumbling to many who are too apt to ground presumption on a lesser occasion. 4. It would put Church-officers upon the rack, and prove a torture to them: For, 1. There is no evidence given in the word whereby one may know the gracious estate of one another infallibly; And shall that be only satisfying to us, which by no means we can know? 2. God hath not given men dominion over consciences to search or censure them in their ends, motives, &c. but as appeareth in their outward actions, and there being nothing that can evidence soundness in the outward action it self, because Hypocrites may come that length, it cannot be that that must be their task, to decide where there is no possibility to attain to a satisfying decision.

TO the second thing, to wit, what is not necessary, or to be enquired for, by Church-officers to be an ecclesiastick satisfaction for removing of an offence. We answer, That the saving grace of repentance, or godly sincerity therein in the person, is not to be enquired into, as the alone ground upon which they may rest satisfied. For, 1. That would put a Church-judicatory so far as they could to determine of the state and graciousnesse of every offending person before they were satisfied, which were absurd, that not being the object of Churchdiscipline, and it's nowhere to be found that men are called judicially to determine of the state of another. 2. It would lay this ground, That none should be after any offence recovered and admitted to priviledges, except they were thought really to be gracious; which would infer, that none should be admitted to the Church, but such; yea, that none should be continued in the Church, but such; because readily there are none, but in lesse or more give offence, so far as may be the ground of a private admonition, which doth once table them and if nothing can be satisfying but what giveth ground to account them gracious, it would come to that, that men are to be excommunicated because they are not thought to be gracious,