The true nature of a Gospel church and its government

1. THEY must be Members of that Church, by which the Sentence is to be denounced against them. And this, as we have proved before, they cannot be without their own consent. One Church cannot Excommunicate the Members of another. They are unto them as unto this matter without, and they have no power to judge them. The foundation of the Right to proceed against any herein, is in their own voluntary engagement to observe and keep the Rules and Laws of the Society whereunto they are admitted. The offence is given unto that Church in the first place, if not only. And it is an Act of the Church for its own Edification. And there is a nullity in the Sentence which is ordained, decreed or denounced by any who are not Officers of that Church in particular, wherein the Sin is committed.

2. THESE Church-Members that may be justly Excommunicated, are of Two sorts.

1. SUCH as continue obstinate in the practice of any scandalous Sin, after private and public admonition. The process from the first Offence in Admonition, is so stated in ordinary cases, Matth. 18. that there is no need farther to declare it. The Time that is to be allotted unto the several Degrees of it, shall be spoken unto afterwards. And unto a right judgment of obstinacy in any scandalous Sin, it is required, (1.) That the Sin considered in it self be such, as is owned to be such, by all, without doubting, dispute or hesitation. It must be some Sin that is judged and condemned in the Light of Nature, or in the express Testimony of Scripture; yea, such as the Holy Ghost witnesseth, that continued in without Repentance, it is inconsistent with Salvation. If the thing it self, to be Animadverted ⟨p. 212⟩