has a kingdom and subjects over whom he reigns; that is, Form of over the children of disobedience :

That Jesus Christ has also His kingdom and subjects; and when the apostles gained over any of the subjects of Satan unto Christ, they are said to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.

Now, when any of Christ's subjects become rebellious, and refuse to be governed by the laws of the Gospel, His ministers are bound to admonish them of their sin and of their danger; and if they refuse to obey their godly admonitions, then to turn them out of that society of which Christ is the Head; and consequently, such persons fall under the power of Satan again, who useth his subjects like slaves. And God permits him to do so, that sinners, if they are not utterly lost, may with the prodigal, when he was forced to herd with swine, see the state they are fallen from, and repent, and desire to get out of the snare and power of the devil, and be restored to the favour of God.

'So that Excommunication is made use of, not as a punishment only, but as a remedy; that sinners seeing the evil state they are in, being deprived of all hopes of salvation while they are out of the Church, may desire to be restored to God's grace, from which they are fallen, that they may work out their own salvation with more fear for the time to come.

'But here I must take notice of one thing which often hinders the Discipline of the Church from having this good effect upon sinners. They are apt to say, If I am shut out of this Church, I can go to another. Why, has Christ more Churches than one? "Is Christ divided?" saith the apostle. Do not all Christians profess to believe one holy, apostolick Church? And is not this Church a member of that holy Church? And have not the ministers of Christ here the same authority from their Lord and Prince as any other Christian bishop, namely, the authority of binding and loosing? And will not our sentence, when we proceed according to the rules which Christ hath given

Excommunication.

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Form of us, be confirmed in heaven? If so, what advantage will Excommuni- a sinner get by going to another society, if after all Jesus Christ shall confirm the sentence of his former pastor? and for want of being reconciled by him, shall shut him out of heaven?

'It is true our Lord hath not given us any power to compel men by outward force either to come into or to continue in His Church; but will people for this reason despise the power which Christ hath given us? They will hardly do so, if they know what St. Paul hath said upon this: "The weapons we use " (saith he)" are not carnal, but mighty through God;" that is, God can humble the stoutest sinner, and make the power of His ministers effectual, when they use their power for His glory, and according to His will.

"You see, good Christians, that we take upon us no authority but what Christ has given us, what His apostles exercised, and what we are bound by our most solemn vows to exercise.

'Every bishop, for instance, at his consecration solemnly promises, that he will correct and punish disobedient and criminous persons within his diocese, according to such authority as he has by God's Word. What authority he has by God's Word you have already heard. And all serious Christians must acknowledge that we should become adversaries to ourselves, to our Church, and to our country, if we should suffer Church discipline to fall into decay, while we are warranted and bound, both by the laws of God and of this land, to exercise it; especially when vices of this kind begin to grow upon us.

Only let us take care that we use this authority as the apostle directs, for edification, and not for destruction.

'And if we must be forced to shut this unhappy person out of the Church, let it be with the same compassion and reluctancy that a father turns his rebellious child out of his house; not with a desire that he should starve, and be lost for ever, but that, being made sensible of the misery of being out of his father's house, he may more

earnestly desire to return and be received into favour, and Form of become a more dutiful child for the time to come.

'God has infinite expedients to bring back sinners that are gone away from Him. We know how the prodigal

was brought to a sense of his condition by the miseries he met with when he was from under his father's care; how David's eyes were opened by a parable; how Manasseh became an instance of repentance when in bonds: and we should not despair, but be confident rather, that God will bless His own institutions in the hands of us His ministers, for the good of all such persons as draw these censures upon themselves. And it will be far from being severity to them, if by these means they be brought to a sense of their evil condition, and their souls be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

'This is the design of Church censures; and that they may have this good effect, the apostle has given directions to all Christians not to accompany with such, that they may be ashamed. And our holy Church in her Articles, as you will find it in the Thirty-third Article of the Church of England, has declared in these words: That person which by open denunciation of the Church is rightly cut off from the unity of the Church, and excommunicated, ought to be taken of the whole multitude of the faithful as an Heathen and Publican, until he be openly reconciled by penance, and received into the Church by a Judge that hath authority thereunto.

'Pursuant to which Article, the Church in the eightyfifth Canon appoints, that All persons excommunicated, and so denounced, be kept out of the church by the churchwardens:

'And in the sixty-fifth Canon directs, That all such as stand lawfully excommunicated shall every six months be openly denounced and declared excommunicate; that others may be thereby admonished to refrain their company and society.

'As for any temporal penalties or incapacities which an excommunicate person may be exposed to, these do not properly belong to the Church; they are no part of our sentence; they are altogether in the hands of the civil

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magistrate. Our sentence is purely spiritual; it is the Excommuni- sentence of Jesus Christ, and only concerns the good of the souls of those He has committed to our care. It is part of that ministry which we received by the imposition of hands, and which we most humbly pray God to enable us to exercise, to His glory, to the putting a stop to the growing vices of the age, and to the edification of the Church of Christ, which He hath purchased with His blood. Amen.'

THE SENTENCE.

'It is with great reluctancy, God is our witness, and after many prayers to God for their conversion, that we proceed to this last remedy which Christ has appointed for the conversion of sinners.

'But we hope you are not shut out that you may ever remain out of the Church; but that you may become sensible of your errors, and return with more zeal to your heavenly Father.

'In the meantime, we must do our duty, and leave the event to God.

'In the name of Jesus Christ, and by the authority which we have received from Him, we separate you from the Communion of the Church, which He has purchased with His blood, and which is the society of all faithful people; and you are no longer a member of His Body, or of His Kingdom, until you be openly reconciled by penance, and received into the Church by a Judge that hath authority so to do.'

When persons excommunicated are received back into the

Church.

'I, an unworthy minister of Jesus Christ, by the same authority and power, even that of our Lord Jesus Christ; by which, for thy obstinacy and other crimes, thou hast been excluded from the Communion of Christ's Holy Church-by the same power I do now release thee from

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that bond of Excommunication, according to the con- Form of fession now made by thee before God and this Church; Excommuniand do restore thee again unto the Communion of the Church of Christ; beseeching the Almighty to give thee His grace, that thou mayest continue a worthy member of the same unto thy life's end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.'

-Bp. Wilson's Works, vii. 121 ff., Lib. Anglo-Cath. Theol.

* A Form of Receiving Penitents

A.D. 1706

To be duly and devoutly observed in all Churches and Form of Chapels within the Diocese of Man.

After Morning Prayers, the person who is censured to penance, standing in the accustomed place and habit, the Minister shall exhort him as follows:

'Brother,

The Church being a society of persons professing to live in the fear of God, and expecting the judgments of God to fall upon them if His laws are broken without calling the offenders to account; it is reasonable that every member of this society who has been guilty of any scandalous offence should either openly confess his sins, and promise reformation for the time to come; or else be cut off from the Body of Christ, which is the Church.

'Now, to awaken you to a true sense of your condition, I will set before you the Word of God; that you may certainly know what will be the end of a wicked life, and that knowing the terror of the Lord, you may speedily turn unto Him and make your peace.

'Hear then what the Apostle St. Paul saith of great

offenders:

"Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,

Receiving
Penitents.