any fociety of minifters and elders in an extrajudicial capacity. 2. Befides the ordinary examinations in parishes, it is meet there be diets of examination particularly for non-communicants, and specially those of the younger fort. And for this end, that once every year at least, especially before the celebration of the facrament of the Lord's fupper in the congregation, ministers, from the pulpit, exhort and ftir up non-communicants to ferious godlinefs, and the ufe of the means of knowledge; and intimate to all fuch as defire to be prepared to partake of that ordinance, that they give in their names to him, and wait on the diets of catechifing to be appointed for fuch. 3. The names of fuch as offer themselves to be inftructed, in order to their being admitted to the Lord's table, are to be kept in a roll feparate from that of the whole congregation, and to be brought into the feffion, and read before them; that it may be recommended to all the brethren, to have a particular eye on the inrolled, each especially on those of his own diftrict; to excite, admonish, and exhort them, to a walk becoming the gofpel, and the high privilege they are aspiring to. 4. When a non-communicant removes out of one parith into another, it were fit that he produce fufficient teftimonials from the place of his former abode, before he be inrolled amongst thofe who have offered themselves to be instructed as above faid, in the congregation to which he comes. 5. When one defires to be admitted to the Lord's table, he is in due time to intimate his defire to the feffion, that they may maturely confider of it. But it were fit, that the party fhould in the first place acquaint the minister with his purpose; who, if he finds he has not made a competent proficiency by the pains taken on him, in the examinations of non-communicants, or otherwise, may advise him yet to forbear for a time. 6. The feffion entering on this affair, a ftrict inquiry is to be made among the members, particularly at the elder or elders of the diftrict which the party belongs to, concerning his life and converfation; whether he be guilty of any fcandal; owns, fubmits to, and ordinarily attends, the ordinances of Chrift, the public and private worthip of God; if he be of a pious and fober deportment, and reputed to be a worshipper of God in fecret; and if he be the head of a family, whether he worships God in his family. 7. If nothing be found on that part to hinder his admiffion to the Lord's table, the feffion convening, on a fet day, in the place of public worthip, and the doors being open, that all the communicants, and those who have offered themselves to be inftructed as above faid, may have accefs, if they pleafe; he is, in face of feffion, to give proof of his knowledge of the principles of the Chriftian religion, and particularly of the nature, ufe, and ends, of the ordinance of the fupper, by making a confeffion of his faith, either in the way of a continued discourse, or by answering questions thereupon proposed by the minister. 8. And here special confideration is to be had of fome who are known to be ferious, and willing to learn, yet are weak; namely, that the queftions be propofed to them, fo as they may be answered by Yes, or No; or that the truth and error be both laid before them, and they afked, which of them they believe. 9. The trial being ended, the feffion is to judge, whether the party be endowed with competent knowledge of the principles of the Christian religion, or not. 10. And if they be fatisfied in this alfo, the party is to be put explicitly to confent to the covenant, (whereof he defires the feal), to be the Lord's, live unto him, and ferve him all the days of his life, by anfwering exprefsly the following (or the like) queftions. I. Do you believe the doctrine of the Shorter Catechifm of this church, fo far as you understand the fame, to be the true doctrine agreeable to the holy fcriptures, and refolve, through grace, to live and die in the profeffion of the fame ? 2. Do you confent to take God in Chrift to be your God, the Father to be your Father, the Son to be your Saviour, and the Holy Ghoft to be your Sanctifier; and that, renouncing the devil, the world, and the flesh, you be the Lord's for ever? 3. Do you confent to receive Chrift as he is offered in the gofpel, for your prophet, priest, and king; giving up yourself to him, to be led and guided by his word and Spirit; looking for falvation only through the obedience and death of Jefus Chrift, who was crucified without the gates of Jerufalem; promifing, in his ftrength, to endeavour to lead a holy life, to forfake every known fin, and to comply with every known duty? 4. Laftly, Do you promife to fubject yourself to exhortation, admonition, and rebuke, and the dif cipline of the church, in cafe (which God forbid) you fall into any fcandalous fin ? 11. The party having profeffed, confented, and promifed, as above faid, is to be admitted to the table of the Lord, by a fentence of the feffion; which is to be recorded in their regi fter, and an extract thereof allowed to be given him, when called for. 12. It were fit, that the names of all thofe who, from time to time, are admitted to the Lord's table, be inrolled in a bound book belonging to the feflion. 13. And how often foever that ordinance be administered in a congregation, the aforefaid roll of those who have at any time been admitted, is always to be read over diftinctly, in prefence of the feffion, fome competent time before, and the members required to declare, if they know any thing against the life and converfation of any of them. 14. If any thing be objected, the feffion is to order private exhortation or admonition, or fift the accused before them, as they fhall fee ground, and find the matter to require. And this is to be fo managed, as that the accused be fifted, as aforefaid, on report concerning the private exhortation or admonition made, before the time of the administration of the facrament. But those who have once been orderly admitted, are at no time after to be denied the privilege they were admitted to, except in the cafe of fcandal; for which they are to be debarred by the feffion, till they have removed the scandal according to the difcipline of the church: Which done, they are restored to their former church-state.' N° 4. Mr Gabriel Wilfon's fpeech before the Synod of Merfe and Teviotdale, in defence of his fermon preached before that fynod, Oct. 1721. See p. 377. MODERATOR, How many foever may be otherwife minded, this day I take to be a day of the Lord's jealoufy and indignation on all ranks and conditions of men, and on all focieties and affemblies. The anger of the Lord has fet us on fire round about, yet we know it not; and though it confumes us, we lay it not to heart. Of all which this prefent occafion, being fuch an one as I know not if the like, in all its circumstances, has happened in any Reformed church fince Calvin's days, is an inftance none of the least notable and discernible. Moderator, According to the meafure of the gift beftowed on me, I delivered before this Reverend Synod, what I took to be the Lord's mind and meffage by me. In which meffage, I, according as I conceived the itate of religion in thefe lands required, and as my fubject led me, endeavoured to witness for truth, and against fin. Among others, I offered my poor and mean teftimony to that glorious gofpel-truth, the juftification and falvation of loft and undone finners by free grace, without works, through faith in a crucified Saviour; where, at the fame time, the unalterable obligation of the law of God upon believers, and the neceffity of holiness in the redeemed, was in the strongest and plaineit terms afferted. I likewife bore witnefs, not immodestly, as I thought, though fomewhat plainly, againft fin, the defections of former and prefent times, for which I did, and do ftill, apprehend the Lord's anger is not turned away, but his hand is ftretched out fill. Upon fomé fome words, Moderator, and occafional paffages, in my enlargement on these two heads, am I this day called in queftion before this court. Moderator, It is known all the world over, and will be while the world lafts, that where a man's difcourfe is in general folid, found, and to the purpose, little notice is taken, or feverity used, as to fome words or phrafes, though not fo well chofen, or fitly fet; because men for most part remember themfelves to be but men, who cannot promife on every occafion to write or speak infallibly; elfe proceffes of this fort had not unto this day been fuch a rarity in the churches of Christ, and particularly in the church of Scotland. Now, fince it is undeniable, fo might it not have been expected, if the main of what I delivered on thefe fubjects had been agreeable, and acceptable, the want of fome of that accuracy and exactness of words, or prudence, which others knew themselves could have managed thefe fubjects with, would have been overlooked or pardoned? But the measures which have been taken, will, I am afraid, occafion fufpicions, which I heartily with may be groundless. There are, Moderator, many things to perfuade a shyness and wariness in judging and condemning what is delivered as a meffage from the Lord, which it might be reckoned impertinent for me to infift upon before fuch a reverend judicatory; and therefore I fhall not do it Far be it from me to mean hereby, that it fhould be any fcreen to a man's delivering error or herefy, that he does it from the pulpit; or that this Reverend Synod fhould not thew a due zeal for the purity of gofpel-doctrine: but I must fay, it was a fore matter, if fo many learned men, having their fpiritual fentes exercited to difcern betwixt good and evil, could not judge of the doctrine of a fermon they heard, without fo much ado, and fuch a proce dure, fo very extraordinary; having for its native tendency (however the mercy and wifdom of Divine Providence may turn it) the utter and irretrievable ruin of a man's reputation and usefulness in the world; things that no judicatory of jetus Christ should be very fond or rath of attempting. This, I fay, being the native tendency of fuch measures, every failing or imperfection, the wit and invention of men fet on work, and doing their utmoft, may find out in a man's papers, forced from him, will be fo far from juftifying fuch pomp and folemnity before the Lord, the world, or their own confciences, acting a faithful part, that, without they have fome very confiderable matter for their foundation, they may be a perfecution Jefs merciful, and more bloody, than carrying one to a scaffold would be. Moderator, It is given out of me, propagated among the people, and through the church, as far as it will go, that I B deny deny the Father in the glorious Godhead, the neceffity of ho linefs in believers, that the law of God is binding upon them, or that there is any need of a preparatory work of the Holy Spirit on the fouls of men, &c. and what not? and now, when the fermon is delivered, that I have altered it, and kept back all the grofs things that were in my papers, and which I delivered before the Synod; whereas the brethren appointed to receive the copy know, and the brethren of the committee know, they have a faithful copy of my notes; and not only so, but of all things delivered by me, though they were not in my notes, fo far as I can remember them. Whatever measure I have got, or may further get, never did one give his judges fairer play against himself, than I have done. What fhall I fay, Moderator ? I am made a gazing-stock, a reproach, and a world's wonder, throughout Scotland, and may be further too, for any thing I know. Reproach fometimes breaks my heart; and were it not in fome meafure I believe the promises, and the fpecial providence of God, I behoved to fink, and be broken effectually. Moderator, It is not in the power of this Synod, were they ever fo willing, to make reparation of the injuries done me by means of their procedure: for infamy will ftick better. As to the point of prudence and expedience, under which confideration fome of the quarrelled paffages will fall, I will not pretend fo much as a tolerable skill of that fort; but I defire to depend on him on whom the fpirit of wisdom and understanding refts, and in whom dwell all the treasures of wifdom and knowledge. The expediency of fpeaking and acting in particular inftances, is a point we will never all be agreed in; but good folk, as they will be differing among themfelves, fo they may happen to be of a different judgement from our Lord Jefus Chrift himself in fuch cafes. The gospel furnithes us with inftances enow of this, particularly of the woman who was not only accepted and approved of our Lord, but has an everlafting badge of honour put upon her for a deed which was the object of the difciples indignation Moderator, I adduce this, not as if I took mine for an exact parallel cafe, but only as a document of what may be, where even good folk are very confident, and reckon themfelves pretty fure; and it is not very choiceable, nor what any of us would wifh, to be of a different judgement from Chrift, efpecially in fuch matters as concern his own glory. Moderator, As ministers should show an example of impartiality one towards another, in cafe of error or vice, fo ought they to fet people a pattern of charity, tenderness, and brotherly love, in not wreiting, fretching, or ftraining one another's words or actions, to fuch meanings as they neither fairly bear, nor were ever intended to exprefs, or fo as to discover the |