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

6. If the Ordinance be polluted to one that is clean Then it is either the deed of the Church-officers that doth pollute it, or the deed of the scandalous person that doth communicate; But neither of these can be said: Not the first, for that would suppose that all the Ordinances were polluted, although no scandalous person were present actually, because they were not actually excluded, and though they were absent, yet there being no impediment made to them by Church-officers, as to their guilt, it is the same. Nor the second, Because, supposing a person not to be debarred, it is his duty to communicate; and can it be said, that he in doing of his duty upon the matter, should make that not to be a duty to us, which lieth on by a joint command, which requireth eating ⟨p. 134⟩from him and from us, as it requireth praying?

6. If the Ordinance be polluted to one that is clean Then it is either the deed of the Church-officers that doth pollute it, or the deed of the scandalous person that doth communicate; But neither of these can be said: Not the first, for that would suppose that all the Ordinances were polluted, although no scandalous person were present actually, because they were not actually excluded, and though they were absent, yet there being no impediment made to them by Church-officers, as to their guilt, it is the same. Nor the second, Because, supposing a person not to be debarred, it is his duty to communicate; and can it be said, that he in doing of his duty upon the matter, should make that not to be a duty to us, which lieth on by a joynt command, which requireth eating ⟨p. 134⟩from him and from us, as it requireth praying?

7. The Lords ordering it so in His providence, that He admitteth unsanctified Officers to administrate His Ordinances, and yet withal, accounting them Officers, and the Ordinances in their hands to be His Ordinances, and that even when they are known to be unsound (till in His own way they be removed) doth demonstrate this, that pollution in joint worshippers doth not pollute the Ordinances to others. For, if any did pollute them, Then most of all scandalous Officers; But these do not. Ergo, &c. We may see it, first, in the scandalousness of Priests under the Law; for we must either say that there were no scandalous Priests, or that the people did then offer no sacrifice and join in no worship, or that sinfully they did it: All which are absurd. 2. We see in Christs time, the Scribes and Pharisees were pointed out by Him as scandalous,