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

Again, such consequents and practices that follow¹ Church-determinations, may either be presently necessary to be practised and daily practical, as suppose a Church should make constitutions for administration of Baptism and the Lords Supper, by mixing in with the essentials thereof, such and such corrupt ceremonies and additions; Or, they may be such practices as are only supposable and possible; but it may be exceeding improbable-like, at least for the future, that there shall be occasion to put them in actual exercise; though, it may be, there was some present exigent giving occasion to such a determination, which possibly may never recur; As suppose, a Church should determine, that a converted Jew, or Turk, should not be baptized in the manner that others are baptized, but some other way; it may be there was some Jew or Turk to be baptized when that determination passed; but that particular Act being by, there is no probability that ever there may be access to put the same in practice again, although it be not simply impossible. Now there is great odds betwixt these two; and in effect this last case, doth look liker a doctrinal determination when the occasion thereof is past, than any way to be practical.

Again, such consequents and practices that follow¹ Church-determinations, may either be presently necessary to be practised and dayly practicall, as suppose a Church should make constitutions for administration of Baptism and the Lords Supper, by mixing in with the essentials thereof, such and such corrupt ceremonies and additions; Or, they may be such practices as are only supposable and possible; but it may be exceeding improbable-like, at least for the future, that there shall be occasion to put them in actuall exercise; though, it may be, there was some present exigent giving occasion to such a determination, which possibly may never recur; As suppose, a Church should determine, that a converted Iew, or Turk, should not be baptized in the manner that others are baptized, but some other way; it may be there was some Iew or Turk to be baptized when that determination passed; but that particular Act being by, there is no probability that ever there may be accesse to put the same in practice again, although it be not simply impossible. Now there is great odds betwixt these two; and in effect this last case, doth look liker a doctrinall determation when the occasion thereof is past, than any way to be practicall.