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

The third step, is Admonition, that is, when convictions have no success, then ought Ministers to proceed to judicial and authoritative admonitions, as the word is in the direction, Tit. 3. 10. A man that is an Heretic reject, after the first and second admonition. This admonition hath no new reason to inform the judgment, which is already presupposed to be done, but it addeth these two, 1. It hath a concurring weight to affect the conscience which hath withstood or smothered the light; and so it is, with Gods bl•ssing, useful to make former despised light more seriously and impartially to be ⟨p. 232⟩weighed and considered, when in His Name the admonition is particularly upon that account directed to them. 2. It is a warning, giving advertisement of some sadder thing coming, if they shall continue to reject the Truth, and so it is a shoring of them for that particular fault, before the stroke be laid on, that either, by Gods blessing, it may humble and soften them, and so put them to endeavour the preventing of the coming stroke; or, if they continue stubborn, it may make them more inexcusable; and thus there is the clearer access to proceed to rejection. This admonition¹ may be considered in these three steps, 1. It may be in private, after the Minister's conferring with the persons and his finding them guilty, he may not only instruct them, but afterward, if they continue, admonish them, and that as a Minister, in the Name and Authority of Jesus Christ, which is more than the admonition of a private person. 2. There is a step of this admonition to be past judicially by a Church-judicatory when the person is brought before them, whereby they judicially interpose their authority to admonish such a person of the evil of his way, and of the necessity of the present duty of repentance for the same, like that which sinfully and most abominably was misapplied by the Priests and Pharisees,