Question 49 — What is the duty of the elders of the church towards persons desiring to be admitted unto the fellowship of the church?

Answer — ^aTo discern and judge by the rule of truth, applied in love, between sincere professors and hypocritical pretenders; ^bto influence, direct, comfort, and encourage in the way, such as they judge to love the Lord Jesus in sincerity; ^cto propose and recommend them unto the whole church, with prayers and supplications to God for them; ^dto admit them, being approved, into the order and fellowship of the gospel in the church.
^aActs viii. 20, 23; Titus i. 10; Rev. ii. 2; Jer. xv. 19.
^bActs xviii. 26; 1 Thess. ii. 7, 8, 11.
^cActs ix. 27, 28.
^dRom. xiv. 1.