ot so properly
passing under the name of the lesser and greater excommunication) is not
only much approved by the church of Scotland, and the synod now assembled
at Westminster, but also by the reformed churches of France, the Low
Countries, and of Poland, as is to be seen in the _Book of the
Ecclesiastical Discipline of the Reformed Churches in France_, chap. 5,
art. 9; in the _Harmony of the Belgic Synods_, chap. 14, art. 8, 9; in the
canons of the general synod of Torn, held in the year 1597.

12. That the distinction of that twofold church censure was allowed also
by antiquity, it may be sufficiently clear to him who will consult the
sixty-first canon of the sixth general synod, with the annotations of
Zonaras and Balsamon; also the thirteenth canon of the eighth synod (which
is termed the first and second), with the notes of Zonaras; yea, besides,
even the penitents also themselves of the fourth degree, or {~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH DASIA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}
{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH PERISPOMENI~}, that is, which were in the _consistency_, were suspended from
the Lord's supper, though as to other things of the same condition with
the faithful; for, to the communion also of prayers, and so to all
privileges of ecclesiastical society, the eucharist alone excepted, they
were thought to have right: so sacred a thing was the eucharist esteemed.
See also, beside others, Cyprian, book 1, epist. 11; that Dionysius, the
author of _The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy_, chap. 3, part. 3; Basil.,
_Epist. to Amphilochius_, can. 4; Ambrose, _De Officiis_, lib. 2, chap.
27; Augustine, in his book against the Donatists after the Conference,
cap. 4; Chrysostom, hom. 83, in Matt.; Gregor. the Great, _Epist._, lib.
2, chap. 65, 66; Walafridus Strabo, _Of Ecclesiastical Matters_, chap. 17.

13. That first and lesser censure by Christ's ordinance is to be inflicted
on such as have received baptism, and pretend to be true members of the
church, yet are found unfit and unworthy to communicate in the signs of
the grace of Christ with the church, whether for their gross ignorance of
divine things, the law, namely, and gospel, or by reason of scandal,
either of false doct