25

    contribucions, the deacons are to call upon them to do

    their duty; If their call sufficeth not, the church by

    her power is to require it of for members. And

    where church power through the corrupcion of men

    doth not or can not attayne the end, the Ma=

    gistrate is to see that ye Ministery be duly pvided

    for, as appeares from the commanded example of

    Nehemiah(a). The magistrates are nursing fathers

    & nursing mothers(b) and stand charged wth

    ye Custody of both tables. And because it is

    better to prevent a Scandall that it may not

    come, & easier also, then to remoove it when

    it is given, its most suteable to rule that by ye

    churches care each man should know his pro=

    porcion according to ye rule, what he should do,

    before he do it; that so his judgemt & heart may

    be satisfyed in what he doth, & just offence

    prevented in what is done.  (a) Neh. 13.10.11  (b)

    Isai.49.23.

         ¶ Chapt. 12 of the Admission of members

              into ye church.

                   1

      The dores of ye churches of cht upon earth do

    not by gods appointment stand so wide open

    that all sorts of people good ^or & bad may freely

    enter thereinto at their pleasure; But such as are

    admitted thereinto as members ought to be exami=

    ned & tried first, whethr thay be fit & meete to

    be recd into church=society, or not The Eunuch

    of Aethiopia before his admission was examined

    by Phillip whether he did beleeve on Jesus Cht wth

    all his heart(a). The Angell of ye church at Ephesus

    is commended for trying such as sayed they were

    Aples & were not(b). And there is ye like reason