The true nature of a Gospel church and its government

3. IT is also required, that the previous process in and by private and public Admonition, and that repeated with patient waiting for the success of each of them, be duly premised. Whether this extend it self unto all causes of Excommunication, shall be afterwards enquired into. Ordinarily it is so necessary unto the Conviction of the Mind and Conscience of the Offender, and to leave him without either provocation from the Church, or excuse in himself, so suited to be expressive of the Grace and Patience of Christ toward Sinners, so requisite unto the satisfaction of the Church it self in their procedure, as that the omission of it will probably render the Sentence useless and ineffectual. A crying out, I admonish a First, a Second, a Third time, and so to Excommunication, is a very absurd observation of a Divine Institution.

3. IT is also required, that the previous process in and by private and publick Admonition, and that repeated with patient waiting for the success of each of them, be duly premised. Whether this extend it self unto all causes of Excommunication, shall be afterwards enquired into. Ordinarily it is so necessary unto the Conviction of the Mind and Conscience of the Offender, and to leave him without either provocation from the Church, or excuse in himself, so suited to be expressive of the Grace and Patience of Christ toward Sinners, so requisite unto the satisfaction of the Church it self in their proceedure, as that the omission of it will probably render the Sentence useless and ineffectual. A crying out, I admonish a First, a Second, a Third time, and so to Excommunication, is a very absurd observation of a Divine Institution.

4. IT is required, that the case of the Person to be censured as unto his profession of Repentance on the one hand, or obstinacy on the other, be judged and determined by the whole Church in love and compassion. There are few who are so profligately wicked, but that, when the Sin wherewith they are charged, is evidently such in the Light of Nature and Scripture, and when it is justly proved against them, they will make some profession of Sorrow and Repentance. Whether this be sufficient, as in most cases it is, to suspend the present proceeding of the Church, or quite to lay it aside, is left unto the judgment of the Church it self, upon consideration of present Circumstances, and what is necessary unto its own Edification. Only this Rule must be continually observed, that the least appearance of haste or undue precipitation herein, is to be avoided in all these cases, as the bane of Church-Rule and Order.