exceptionable exterior in many respects, without true repentance, faith in Christ, or an obedience, flowing wholly from the love of God. There must be some evidence of these, as well as of mere external morality, to entitle men to be considered visible saints.

It is the language of all the writers, to whom we are accustomed to look as authority on these subjects, that the character of church members is of more consequence than their number. They express great anxiety, that those, who profess the name of Christ, should be holy. It is better, that the churches should consist of a few, who fix their minds on the enjoyment of God as their chief good, than that they should embrace multitudes, many of whom are governed by merely worldly motives. That this has ever been a fundamental principle, we have already had repeated occasion to remark,-See §§ 11, 17, 25, compared with Platf. chap. III.; also W. Bartlet's Model of the Primitive Congregational Way, chap. I.; Cotton's Way of the Churches of Christ in New Eng land, chap. II. § 2; Church-Government and Covenant discussed, in an Answer of the Elders of New England to XXXII Questions, Qs. II. &c.

§ 51. Claims or right of such to admission.

Those, who are redeemed by the blood of Christ and bear his image, have a claim, a right to church fellowship, and to the privileges, attendant upon it. The church has its origin in the will of God, and not of men; its foundations are deeply laid in the rebellions of the human race, and in the wisdom and the mercy, which have provided for their redemption. No body of mere men, therefore, has a right to control, or act against its principles, but merely to administer them. It may, undoubtedly, be their duty to extend the blessings of the church state as far as

possible; but it is neither their duty, nor their right to check, and diminish them in any way. Hence no per sons, who sincerely assent to the creed and the ecclesiastical organization of a particular church, and give suit, able evidence of possessing a christian character, can be refused admission. Accordingly it was long since clearly maintained by Dr. Owen, (ORIGINAL, NATURE, &c. OF CHURCHES, Chap. viii.) that congregational churches can never deny their communion unto any persons, high or low, rich or poor, old or young, male or female, whose application for admission is seconded by such a profession of faith in Christ and of obedience to him, as is not contradicted by sins of life.

The Platform says, (Chap. xii. § 2,) "The things, which are requisite to be found in all church-members, are repentance for sin and faith in Jesus Christ, Acts, ii. 38, viii. 42, 37;" implying, that, where these qualifi cations are had, it is incumbent on the church to receive such. In the next section of the Platform, are the fol lowing judicious and charitable expressions, which may serve, in some measure, to show the sentiments of the framers of that instrument in respect to the subject before us: "The weakest measure of faith is to be accepted in those, that desire to be admitted into the church, Rom. xiv. 1; because weak christians, if sincere, have the substance of that faith, repentance, and holiness, which is required in church members, and such have most need of the ordinances for their confirmation and growth in grace. The Lord Jesus would not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed; but gather the tender lambs in his arms and carry them gently in his bosom."-Matt. 12: 20, Isa. 40, 11.

§ 52. Statements of personal religious experience.

It is the practice for persons, who are proposed to be admitted into a church, to give some account of their religious belief, and of their personal religious experience. If this practice were not followed, it would be difficult to secure the exclusion of all, who do not give some evidence of a renewed heart; an object so dear to the churches, and so essential to their well-being. Sometimes a written statement is presented to the church, entering, according to circumstances, with greater or less particularity into the details of the person's doctrines and experience; sometimes the statement is verbal; and in other cases, the examination is conducted in the way of question and answer. The mere method or form of the examination is not considered important, but may be different, at different times, according as the situation of the applicant, or of the church, or of the pastor may seem to render preferable.-But there are a number of established principles to be kept in view in connection with this general statement.

(1) Some allowance is to be made for the natural character, and for the merely intellectual qualifications of the individual. If, for instance, he be very ignorant or very diffident, it is not always to be expected, that his statements will be so consistent and satisfactory, as they might otherwise be. A candid construction is to be put upon his narrative, taking into view all the peculiarities of his situation. Indeed the church, in view of the circumstances alluded to or of others of a kindred character, may deem it advisable in some cases to satisfy themselves by a private rather than a public examination. And this may be done either directly by the private members of the church themselves, or indirectly through the inquiries of the deacons or the pastor, or by availing themselves of both these resources.

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(2) Although the churches, in addition to strictly scriptural belief, universally regard a renewal or change of heart, resulting in true holiness of character, as a prerequisite to full communion, still the exact time and manner of this inward work are not required to be specified. The ways of God's operation in the hearts of men are various, and the inquiry before the church is rather, whether there be grace in the heart, than how it came there. "I was once, (says the pious Baxter,) in a meeting of christians as eminent for holiness as most in the land, of whom diverse were ministers of great fame; and it was desired, that every one should give an account of the manner and time of his conversion, and there was but one of them all, that could do it. And I aver from my heart, (he adds in respect to himself,) that I neither know the year nor the day when I began to be sincere.”

The great point is to introduce into the church such as the Scriptures intended, and to exclude none of that character. And the particular manner, in which this important result is to be secured, has ever been considered as of less consequence, than the result itself. At any rate, nothing ought to be done which will tend to defeat it. Neither the manner, nor the principles of the examination should be such as to deprive any true follower of Christ of the privileges, which he designed for his children." As for this or that mode, (says Dr. Increase Mather,)* in examining of persons, that offer themselves

* See Dr. Increase Mather's Epistle to the Church in Cambridge, Mass. prefixed to Cotton Mather's Life of Mitchel in the Magnalia. The sentiments of the Churches on this subject are also declared in the Work, entitled, Church Government and Covenant, Discussed in answer to xxxii Questions, Qs. viii.; in the Platform at Chapter xii. §§ 4, 5; and in Mather's Historical Remarks, Magnalia, Bk. v. § 6. See also Mass. Historical Collections, vol. x. p. 5.

to be communicants in our churches, whether it shall be by a more continued relation of the work of grace in their hearts, or by questions and answers, (as was practised in the church at Hartford in Mr. Hooker's time, and which may possibly be as edifying a way as the former,) or whether the persons, designing to partake in the Lord's supper, shall declare their experiences orally, or in writing, are prudentials, which our Lord has left unto churches to determine, as they shall find most expedient for their own edification. Nevertheless the SUBSTANCE of the thing, (viz. either a relation as 'tis called, or an equivalent,) ought to be insisted on."

53. Grounds or reasons of the foregoing practice.

Some objections were made, in the beginnings of our ecclesiastical polity, to this practice, and the consequence was, that it was subjected, as has happened in other cases, to a serious and critical inquiry; and the sense of the churches was expressed in various ways in regard to it. (1) It was defended, in the first place, on the ground of Scripture. "Time was," says Increase Mather* in the Epistle referred to in the last Section,

* INCREASE MATHER-Congregationalists justly look back upon Increase Mather with those feelings of grateful veneration, which they are wont to associate with the memories of Robinson and Owen, of Hooker and Cotton. He was truly a venerable name; a man to be beloved; a light in literature and religion. If he did less than the other distinguished men, who have been mentioned, in fixing the landmarks of the Congregational system, he has the high praise of scrupulously watching them, and keeping them in their place, the greater part of a century. He was for a number of years the president of Harvard College; he sustained the office of minister sixty-two years; and closed his laborious and useful life at Boston, in August of 1723, in the eighty fifth year of his

age.

Beside numerous publications, which had no particular relation