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

If it be asked then, under what notion, or upon what account that moral serious profession is to be accepted as satisfying? We answer, upon this account, as it is apparently serious and edifying, without determining whether it be sincere or not, but as convinced that by such a profession the prejudice and offence that came by the former miscarriage, and left a blot upon the Church, and a stumbling-block before others, may be removed. So, that as it was unbecoming a Church-member to commit such a scandalous sin, So now by such a serious profession, that blot of making Christianity to be accounted a fostering of profanity is wiped away, that stumblingblock of his example is taken out of the way, so that this profession may be edifying to prevent the stumbling of any other upon his Scandal, and the accepting thereof may look like a hopeful mean of edifying the person for the time to come, and recovering of him from that snare he was into; and so as his scandalousness in these respects was the account upon which he was actually, or was to have been Sentenced, So oppositely thereto this serious profession having a proportionable edification, or of it self a tendency to edifying, in all the respects mentioned going alongst with it, it is the account upon which it is accepted as satisfying, without determining of the sincerity thereof, leaving the person to answer before God for that, and before men to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, which was Johns way in dealing with such as came to his Baptism, Matth. 3. upon whose sincerity we think its clear that he did no way decide; but of this enough: We come to confirm our answer.

If it be asked then, under what notion, or upon what account that morall serious profession is to be accepted as satisfying? We answer, upon this account, as it is apparently serious and edifying, without determining whether it be sincere or not, but as convinced that by such a profession the prejudice and offence that came by the former miscarriage, and left a blot upon the Church, and a stumbling-block before others, may be removed. So, that as it was unbecoming a Church-member to commit such a scandalous sin, So now by such a serious profession, that blot of making Christianity to be accounted a fostering of profanity is wiped away, that stumblingblock of his example is taken out of the way, so that this profession may be edifying to prevent the stumbling of any other upon his Scandal, and the accepting thereof may look like a hope•ull mean of edifying the person for the time to come, and recovering of him from that snare he was into; and so as his scandalousnesse in these respects was the account upon which he was actually, or was to have been Sentenced, So oppositly thereto this serious profession having a proportionable edification, or of it self a tendencie to ediying, in all the respects mentioned going alongst with it, it is the account upon which it is accepted as satisfying, without determining of the sincerity thereof, leaving the person to answer before God for that, and before men to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, which was Iohns way in dealing with such as came to his Baptism,