devil, (by whom he is held captive) and recovered by the will of the Lord; but we cannot conceal from you, with great forrow, that no one has as yet ap. peared before us, who hath in the leaft given us to understand, that he by the frequent admonitions given him, (as well in private as before witneffes, and in the prefence of many) is come to any remorse for his fins, or hath fhewa the leaft tokens of true repentance; fince then he daily aggravates his fin (which in itself is not fmail) by his ftubbornefs, and since we have fignified unto you the last time, that in cafe he did not repent, after fuch patience fhewn him by the church, we should be under the difagreeable neceffity of being further grieved for him, and come to the last remedy; wherefore we at this prefent are neceffitated to proceed to this excommunication according to the command and charge given us by God in his holy word; to the end that he may hereby be made (if poffible) afhamed of his fins, and likewife that we may not by this rotten and as yet incurable member, put the whole body of the church in danger, and that God's name may not be blafphemed.

Therefore we the minifters and rulers of the church of God being here affembled in the name and authority of our Lord Jefus Chrift, declare before you all, that for the aforefaid reafons we have ex. communicated, and by thefe do excommunicate N. from the church of God, and from fellowship with

Chrift, and the holy facraments, and from all the fpiritual bleflings and benefits which God promifeth to and beftows upon his church, fo long as he ob@inately and impenitently perfifts in his fins, and is therefore to be accounted by you as an heathen man and a publican, according to the command of Chrift, Mat. xviii. who faith, that whatfoever his minifters fhall bind on earth, fhall be bound in heaven.

Further we exhort you beloved Christians, tokeep no company with him, that he may be ashamed: yet count him not as an enemy, but at all times admonifh him as you would a brother. In the mean time let every one take warning by this and fuch like examples, to fear the Lord, and diligently take heed unto himself, If he thinketh he ftandeth, left he fall; but having true fellowship with the Father and his Son Jefus Chrift, together with all faithful chrif tians, remain ftedfaft therein to the end, and fo ob. tain eternal falvation. You have seen, beloved brethren and fifters, in what manner this our excommunicated brother hath begun to fall, and by degrees is come to ruin; obferve therefore, how fubtil fatan is, to bring man to destruction, and to withdraw him from all falutary means of falvation; guard then, against the least beginnings of evil, and laying afide, according to the exhortation of the apoftle, every weight and the fin which does fo cafily befet us, let us run with patience the race that is fet before us looking unto Jefus the author and finisher of our

faith; be fober, watch and pray, left you enter into temptation. To day if you will hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts, but work out your own falvation with fear and trembling; and every one repent of his fins, left that our God humble us again, and that we should be obliged to bewail fome one of you but that you may with one accord, living in all godliness, be our own crown and joy in the Lord.

Since it is God who worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure, let us call upon his holy name with confeffion of our fins, faying,

Righteous God and merciful Father, we bewail our fins before thy high majesty, and acknowledge that we have deferved the grief and forrow caused unto us by the cutting off of this our late fellow member; yea we all deserve, shouldst thou enter into judgment with us, by reason of our great tranfgreffions, to be cut off and banished from thy prefence, But O Lord thou art merciful unto us for Chrift's fake, forgive us our trefpaffes, for we heartily repent of them, and daily work in our hearts a greater measure of forrow for them; that we may, fearing thy judgments, which thou executeft against the ftiff-necked, endeavour to please thee: grant us to avoid all pollution of the world, and those who are cut off from the communion of the church, that we may not make ourselves partakers of their fins; and that he who is excommunicated may become asham

ed of his fins: und fince thou defireft not the death of a finner, but that he may repent and live, and bofom of thy church is always open for those turn away from their wickednefs: we there humbly befeech thee, to kindle in our hearts a zeal, that we may labour, with good chriftian nitions and examples, to bring again this exc nicated perfon on the right way, together those who through unbelief or diffolutenef aftray.

Give thy bleffing to our admonitions, have reafon thereby to rejoice again whom we must now mourn: and that may be praised, through our Lord Je hath thus taught us to pray,

Since we then by virtue of the command of God, are in duty bound to receive fuch perfons with joy, and it being neceffary that good order fhould be used therein, we therefore give you to understand hereby, that we purpose to loofe again the aforementioned excommunicated perfon from the bond of excommunication the next time when by the grace of God we celebrate the fupper of the Lord, and receive him again into the communion of the church; except any one of you in the mean time, fhall fhew juft caufe why this ought not to be done, of which you must give notice to us in due time. In the mean time, let every one thank the Lord, for the mercy fhewn this poor finner, befeeching him, to perfect his work in him to his eternal falvation, Amen.

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Afterwards, if no impediment be alledged, the Minifter fhall proceed to the re admiffion of the excommunicated finner, in the following man

ner:

Beloved chriftians, we have the last time informed of the repentance of our fellow member N. to the end that he might with your fore knowledge be again received into the church of Chrift: and whereas no one has alledged any thing why his re-admiffion ought not to take place, we therefore at prefent purpofe to proceed to the fame.

Our Lord Jefus Chrift, Mat. Chap. xviii, having confirmed the fentence of his church, in the excom

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