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

First, We say, that whether they did actually object that or not, yet there was ground for them to object the same if it had weight, as the Text cleareth: Neither could the Apostle, knowing that ground, and having immediately mentioned the same, have access to press them all indifferently to communicate together, if his direction meet not the case; for this might still have stood in the way, that many of them were such and such, and therefore not to be communicated with; and if it be a sufficient reason to keep them from joint communicating, then the case being so circumstantiated, it would also be a sufficient reason to keep him from imposing that as a duty upon them, at least, so long as the case stood as it was.

First, We say, that whether they did actually object that or not, yet there was ground for them to object the same if it had weight, as the Text cleareth: Neither could the Apostle, knowing that ground, and having immediately mentioned the same, have accesse to presse them all indifferently to communicate together, if his direction meet not the case; for this might still have stood in the way, that many of them were such and such, and therefore not to be communicated with; and if it be a sufficient reason to keep them from joynt communicating, then the case being so circumstantiated, it would also be a sufficient reason to keep him from imposing that as a duty upon them, at least, so long as the case stood as it was.

Secondly, We say, that it is not unlike there was such hesitations in some of them; and that (whatever was among them) it is clear, that the Apostle doth expressly •peak to this case, and endeavour to remove that objection out of the way, to wit, that men should not scare at the Sacrament, because of the profanity of others: and that therefore they might without ⟨p. 139⟩scruple as to that, communicate jointly, and •arry one for another, which is his scope, ver. 33. This will appear by considering several reasons whereby he presseth this scope, for that, ver. 33. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together, tarry one for another, is the scope laid down as a conclusion from the former grounds which he hath given. Now, when he hath corrected their first fault, to wit, their irreverent manner of going about the Ordinance, by bringing them to Christs institution, ver. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. He cometh, in the last place, to meet with this objection, What if others be present who palpably cannot discern the Lords Body, and so cannot communicate worthily? Can it be safe to communicate with such? Or, is it not better to find out some other way of communicating apart, and not together with such? The Apostle giveth several answers to this, and reasons, whereby he cleareth, that their division was not warrantable upon that ground, from ver. 28. And so concludeth, ver. 33. that notwithstanding thereof, they might tarry one for another.