Understand the standards for full church membership in this foundational work on Christian discipline and community life.
This edition presents a thorough examination of the qualifications required for a complete standing and full communion in the visible church, drawing on early church practice and New Testament guidance. It discusses the role of baptism, faith, repentance, and the grateful bond of brotherly love that ties believers together in a unified body.
- Explore how church leadership, ordination, and admission to the sacraments were understood in historical practice.
- Learn how the New Testament imagery of one heart and one mind informs church unity and discipline.
- Discover the debate over who may participate in the Lord’s Supper and how covenants shape eligibility.
- See reflections on humility, examination, and the balance between tradition and principled reform.
Ideal for readers of early American theology and those seeking a clear view of church governance and fellowship.