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

8. If known evil in any that doth communicate, pollute the Ordinances in themselves, Then how can a Believer communicate with himself? Because, ⟨p. 135⟩1. he hath corruption. 2. He hath as full knowledge of it as of any other mans, yea, that which may make him think it more than what he knoweth of any other man. 3. That corruption is as near him as the corruption of any. 4. The Law doth more particularly strike against corruption in him as to himself, than that which is in any other. Yea, 5. this corruption doth certainly, in so far pollute the Ordinance to him, and make him guilty. Now the same grounds that say he may communicate with a good conscience, notwithstanding of his own corruptions, will also say, he may communicate notwithstanding of that which is in another, much more: because the sins that follow his corruption are his own sins, which cannot be said of the sins of others. And if repentance for his own sin, resting upon Christ, protesting against the body of death (which yet are but the acts of the same person, in so far as renewed, differing from himself as unrenewed) If, I say, such acts may quiet his conscience, and give him confidence to partake, notwithstanding of his own corruption, and that even then when he as unrenewed may be accounted guilty, may they not much more give him confidence in reference to the sins of another, which are not so much as his deeds.

8. If known evil in any that doth communicate, pollute the Ordinances in themselves, Then how can a Believer communicate with himself? Because, ⟨p. 135⟩1. he hath corruption. 2. He hath as full knowledge of it as of any other mans, yea, that which may make him think it more than what he knoweth of any other man. 3. That corruption is as near him as the corruption of any. 4. The Law doth more particularly strike against corruption in him as to himself, than that which is in any other. Yea, 5. this corruption doth certainly, in so far pollute the Ordinance to him, and make him guilty. Now the same grounds that say he may communicate with a good conscience, notwithstanding of his own corruptions, will also say, he may communicate notwithstanding of that which is in another, much more: because the sins that follow his corruption are his own sins, which cannot be said of the sins of others. And if repentance for his own sin, resting upon Christ, protesting against the body of death (which yet are but the acts of the same person, in so far as renued, differing from himself as unrenued) If, I say, such acts may quiet his conscience, and give him confidence to partake, notwithstanding of his own corruption, and that even then when he as unrenued may be accounted guilty, may they not much more give him confidence in reference to the sins of another, which are not so much as his deeds.