A37042:297
The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…
The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal divided into four parts ... : in each of which there are not a few choice and useful questions, very shortly and satisfyingly discussed and cleared / by ... Mr. James Durham ... who being dead (by this) yet speaketh ; and published by John Carstares ... ; to which is prefixed an excellent preface of famous Mr. Blair ... ; together with a table of the contents of the several chapters of each part.
Edinburgh: printed by Christopher Higgins, 1659
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
CHAP. XIV. Clearing whether the Ordinances of Christ be any way polluted by corrupt fellow-worshippers.
But yet two things are to be satisfied. 1. It may be said, But are not the Ordinances of Christ someway polluted by the unworthiness of such scandalous partakers? and if so, can polluted Ordinances be partaken of without sin? Answ. We may consider polluting of Ordinances in a threefold sense. 1. An Ordinance may be said to be polluted, when the essentials and substantials thereof are corrupted, so as indeed it ceaseth to be an Ordinance of Jesus Christ: Thus the Mass in Popery, is a fearful abomination, and a corruption of the Sacrament: in this respect, the Ordinance (if it may be called an Ordinance after that, for indeed it is not an Ordinance of Christ) is polluted, and this may be many ways fallen into, and communion in this, is indeed sinful and cannot but be so.
BUt yet two things are to be satisfied. 1. It may be said, But are not the Ordinances of Christ someway polluted by the unworthinesse of such scandalous partakers? and if so, can polluted Ordinances be partaken of without sin? Answ. We may consider polluting of Ordinances in a threefold sense. 1. An Ordinance may be said to be polluted, when the essentials and substantials thereof are corrupted, so as indeed it ceaseth to be an Ordinance of Jesus Christ: Thus the Masse in Popery, is a fearfull abomination, and a corruption of the Sacrament: in this respect, the Ordinance (if it may be called an Ordinance after that, for indeed it is not an Ordinance of Christ) is polluted, and this may be many wayes fallen into, and communion in this, is indeed sinfull and cannot but be so.