Manner of Conversation 1 Cor. 10.32 and to give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God But as the Apostle saith whatsoever things are true Phil. 4.8 honest just pure lovely of good report if there be any Virtue and if there be any Praise think on these things Now from these Scriptures we may conclude that tho' our present excessive fashions are not all expresly forbidden yet if any kind of adornings are prohibited and if those Texts were written for our Instruction as I think none can doubt thereof or be so bold to deny it that have any Sence of true Religion then surely they require all the Saints both Men and Women at least to abstain from all those excesses in Apparel which are not of good report among sober Men and whoever putteth on such Attire or Ornaments of Apparel as are not of good honest and modest report they are guilty of breaking the Commandments of Christ and so are to be dealt withal by the Church as disorderly Persons who bring a scandal upon their Holy Profession Besides it is not only a grief for sober Christians to see such Pride of Spirit appearing in their Communion but it s also a stumbling to others which are well inclined to walk in the ways of the Lord with them as I have found by my own experience For when I was first awakened to seek the Lord and the good of my Soul the extravagant Dresses of some Professors among whom I heard the Gospel preached occasioned me to think there was the less Religion in them and that they looked not as if they were Christs People and for this cause alone I having then no Light in Gospel-Ordinances of Communion I departed to another Church which appeared more like sober Christians and there I have continued about five and twenty years And considering the Scripture saith the Lord hateth a proud look And God resisteth the proud Prov. 6.16 17. Jam. 4.6 1 Pet. 5.5 Math. 16.24 Rom. 6.4 but giveth Grace unto the Humble And that the Commandments of Christ require our Conformity in all things suitable to his Name and Truth and those Holy and Self-denying Principles we profess how can such excesses in Apparel which even gives their Profession the Lie consist with their sincere Obedience to him Jam. 2.18 How do they shew their Holy Faith therein by their Works but rather as it is said of her that liveth in Pleasure that she is dead while she liveth Gal. 6.7 Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a Man soweth that shall he also reap For he that soweth to his Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life Everlasting To conclude our Baptized Churches that are for particular Election and final Perseverance in the same Faith and Order of the Gospel in full Communion together they nor many others have not any Reason to reflect on the true design of this Treatise or on the Matters contained therein as any ways tending to the Interruption of our Peace on the settled Principles of our Churches but to the purging out the leaven of unrighteousness that may be found among them nor can any Person in our Communion appear against the plain Contents of this Treatise but they must at the same time appear for and Countenance such sinful Manners Erroneous Doctrine false Worship and corrupt Administration of Gospel-Ordinances as the Word of God and the general Profession of our Churches does plainly witness against and consequently they will apparently shew themselves opposers of Reformation or such as labour to weaken and confound the Baptist Churches and our pure Religion Yea farther if corrupt Manners which is manifestly sinful by the Moral Law of God or such Erroneous Doctrine false Worship or irregular Administrations of Gospel Ordinances as are prohibited our Communion by the Holy Scriptures should be knowingly suffered therein it is a visible Mark of Degeneration and thereby the Church partakes of the Sins of particular Members Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thine Heart thou shalt in any wise rebuket thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Or as it is in our Margin that thou bare not Sin for him And Paul saith to Timothy Lay Hands suddenly on no Man 1 Tim. 5.22 neither be partakers of other Mens Sins keep thy self Pure Besides it is shewed before what warrant and command we have in the New Testament for withdrawing our Communion in the aforesaid Cases of Sin and from disorderly Persons And therefore when a Church persisteth in a wilful neglect of this Duty she brings her self under the guilt of Sin for breaking of Christs Commandment but in Case this were faithfully performed yet the Church should still endeavour 2 Thes 3.14 15. Tit. 3.10 by due admonishing of such Offenders to reduce them to their Obedience and if no Repentance be found Gal. 5.12 1 Cor. 5.4 5. 1 Tim. 1.20 she ought to proceed to a farther Act of Authority and cut them wholly off from her fellowship But if any plead that so strict a Discipline as hath been argued for in this Treatise cannot be duely observed without indangering their Church-state It deserves our Noting either as a Carnal Reflection on the Holy and Righteous Precepts of Christ and on his Wisdom as not prescribing such Laws which conduceth most to the Glory of God and the good of his People here on Earth or it is a sign that such a Church has been so long in the neglect of their Duty towards Christ and one another and are so far degenerated in their Spirits as that they seem to be past recovery And if this be the State of some who perhaps may have as high a Conceit of themselves as the Church of the Laodiceans had and say Rev. 3.17 18 19. I am Rich and increased with Goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Christ counselleth such to buy of him Gold tried in the Fire that thou mayest be rich and white Raiment that thou mayest be Cloathed and that the shame of thy Nakedness do not appear and anoint thine Eyes with Eye-Salve that thou mayest see And saith our Lord As many as I love I rebuke and chasten Be zealous therefore and repent least he come and fight against thee with the Sword of his Mouth Behold Rev. 2.16 saith he I stand at the Door and knock If any Man hear my Voice and open the Door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Be not afraid therefore to go about this good work of Reformation do thy Duty and leave the success to God whose Blessing you may expect and whose awful presence may so far attend the Authority of Christ by which you Act as to stop the Mouth of carnal Reasonings insomuch that instead of indangering the loss of your Church-state Math. 16.18 Jam. 4.8 9 10. you may rather expect and find the Lord will strengthen establish and settle it on the Rock of Ages against which the Gates of Hell shall not prevail To close Altho' I have used the Word withdraw in the Case of a Private Members removing Communion from a Church which may not be done in so solemn a Manner as when a Church withdraws her Communion from a Member because this is done by an Act of Duty and Authority given to the Body and the other is done as an Act of Liberty and Duty pertaining to a Member and warranted by the Scriptures as hath been shewed yet the Word withdraw being it self of a harmless and indifferent Signification it cannot be excepted against unless it be for want of other Matters to Cavil at However I have also this to say that the Word with-draw was thought proper to be used in the same Case in the Congregationals twenty eighth Article of the Institution of Churches before recited FINIS ADVERTISEMENTS THere is Published by the same Author a Book Intitled Truth soberly Defended in a serious Reply to Mr. B. Keach's Book called The Breach Repaired in Gods Worship c. As also a Vindication of a Book Intitled Prelimited Forms of Praising God vocally Sung by all the Church together proved to be no Gospel-Ordinance with a Narrative wherein is detected Mr. Keach's Abuses under the Hands of several Elders and other Brethren By Isaac Marlow Price bound 1 s. There is likewise Published a Treatise of the Holy Trin unity Asserting the Deity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the Unity of Essence with God the Father By I Marlow Price bound 9 d. Moreover there is Published A Tract on the Sabbath day wherein the keeping of the First-day of the Week a Sabbath is justified by a Divine Command and a Double Example contained in the Old and New Testament c. By Isaac Marlow Price 1 s.
signifiing not only Doctrine delivered Math. 15.2 3. but also a Command Ordinance or Institution as before 2 Thes 2.15 plainly makes out that they were not only to withdraw from Persons of disorderly Conversation or defective in Morals but also from such as were corrupt in Doctrine or disorderly in their Gospel Administrations that being as great a Violation of Gospel Order and as pernitious to Christians as Immorality Which must be granted or else there is no Authority given to the Church to deal with Members of corrupt Principles c. Now this Command saith he being general includes all disorders of any kind in Manners Doctrine or Practice and is a sufficient warrant were there no more for our Obedience to exclude such as disorderly practise the Ordinance of Baptism from our immediate Communion at the Lords Table tho' not from our Love and Affections Having hitherto been discovering the Scripture Grounds of Separation from Church Communion with all disorderly Persons in Manners Doctrine false Worship or irregular Administrations of Gospel Ordinances I shall now proceed as followeth 1. To Answer the chiefest Objections I find against such Gospel Separation 2. To give a particular Instance of some confused Matter about Communion already Printed amongst us with several Queries thereupon 3. I shall present my humble Advice to some of our Baptized Churches And 4. I shall leave some few things to the serious Consideration of those that have received a Gracious Discovery of the Love and Favour of God unto their Souls or that have good Hope thro' Grace of Eternal Life and yet are walking at large out of the Communion of a Gospel Church As also an Exhortation in another Case concerning Gospel Communion Lastly in a Postscript I have shewed that it is the Duty of all true Believers in Order to Church Communion to subject themselves to the Ordinance of Water Baptism and have also discoursed against excess of apparel and then made a general Conclusion of this Treatise Objections Answered I. Object Rev. Chap. 2. Chap. 3. None of the seven Churches of Asia in the Epistles to them were commanded to withdraw their Communion or separate themselves from any of those Persons among them which the Holy Ghost charged with Evil. And therefore neither Churches from any of their Members nor any Members from their Churches should separate themselves from one anothers full Communion at the Lords Table unless it be for gross and scandalous Evils Answer If this Argument holdeth good and warrantable for Persons and Churches to keep their Communion at the Lords Table under the Guilt and Non-repentance of lesser Evils it will also justifie such Communion with those that are guilty of grosser Sins For the Church of Pergamos had them that held the Doctrine of Balaam Ch. 2.14 who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the Children of Israel to eat things sacrificed unto Idols and to commit Fornication And this was also the Sin of the Church in Thyatira Ver. 24 25. to whom it s said That unto the rest in Thyatira as many as have not this Doctrine and which have not known the depths of Stan as they speak I will put upon you none other burthen But that which you have already hold fast till I come And therefore seeing the Church of Thyratira suffered that Woman Jezebel to seduce the Servants of Christ Ver. 20. to commit Fornication and to eat things sacrificed to Idols which must be meant in honour to them 1 Cor. 8.9 10. Ch. 10.27 28 29. for otherwise Meats sacrificed to Idols were not unlawful to eat tho' sometimes not expedient for the sake of weak Brethren then surely the rest that escaped those Pollutions and had no other burthen put upon them than to hold fast that they had already cannot rationally be thought then to be in the same Communion with those Idolaters and Fornicators Gal. 5.19 20 21. for such have no Inheritance in the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 5.2 4 5. Besides we have an Instance of a Fornicator that was separated from the Church or delivered up unto Satan So that tho' there is no express command in the Epistles to those seven Churches of Asia for withdrawing their Communion from any evils mentioned therein yet doubtless it was their Duty from other Precepts then written to cast out those that were guilty of such notorious Sins as were in some of those Churches And those Christians of Thyatira which the Holy Ghost commended that were in the same City with those that were reproved and perhaps originally in full Communion together in one Body it is rational to believe were separated from their Communion for Dr. Hammond in his Margin reads in Ver. 24. thus But unto you I say the rest in Thyatira c. for the Kings M. S. reads it so * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See also the Bibles Printed by the Deputies of Chris Barker 1599. and by Robert Barker 1607. Ch. 2.2 which imports another distinct Church or People in that City And the Reason why Christ threatned those defiled Christians which were the Church to whom the Epistle was primarily directed was because they suffered those evils when they should have purged out such Offenders as the Church of Ephesus did for what else can be meant by those Words I know thy Works how thou canst not bear them which are Evil and thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them liars who were therefore doubtless rejected from their Communion But if any say that these Words thou canst not bear them which are evil have only respect to the following Words And thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars I have this to Answer 1. That if it were so yet it shews that this Church did not bear with such Lyars in their Communion otherwise they could not be properly commended for not bearing with them 2. The Word and thou hast tryed them c. implieth a particular different thing or other Persons to those preceding Words in general And how thou canst not bear them which are evil like as we find in the same Verse that the Word and thy Labour and thy Patience denoteth different things to each other and particulars of the general Word I know thy Works So that the Text does clearly demonstrate that the Church of Ephesus did neither bear those that were Evil nor those false Apostles in their Communion which Exposition is confirmed by the Dutch Annotations on those Words and how thou canst not bear them which are evil that is say they such as are scandalous in Life and Doctrine Thus their Zealis commended here in the Evercise of Ecclesiastical Discipline So that the aforesaid Objection That none of the seven Churches of Asia were commanded in their Epistles to separate themselves from any of those Persons which the Holy Ghost charged with evil is invalid And
So that it seems to be implyed that the Christians in those Primitive times were so zealous to preserve the Reputation of the Gospel-Ministry and the Purity of their Communion as that they were ready to receive an Accusation against an Elder sooner and on lesser evidence than against a private Member insomuch as the Apostle thought it needful to charge them not to receive an Accusation against an Elder under the legal Evidence of two or three Witnesses Moreover we see how strictly the Apostle charged Timothy that he should not use partiality in any Case of Sin to prefer one before another whether Elders as there were sometimes several in one Church or private Members Tit. 1.5 Act. 20.17 Gal. 2.11 14. but them that sinned should be rebuked before all i. e. those whose Sins could not be privately covered for want of their Repentance they whoever they were should be rebuked before all viz. so as the rebuke should reach as openly as the Sins were known and that others might also fear And therefore there is not the least Reason from Scripture for any to imagine that an Elders Sin should be more favourably dealt with than a private Members or that there is a different Rule for judging of them but that the Precepts of Christ for purging out the Leaven of Unrighteousness are to all alike Eph. 6.9 Col. 3.25 Lev. 10.1 2. Deut. 1.17 for as the Lord respecteth no Mans Person no not for Office-sake So he hath commanded us saying Ye shall not respect Persons in Judgment V. Object We ought not to leave a Church till Christ be departed from it Answer 1. If this be true then no Baptized Congregation should receive a Member from our Brethrens Communion of the Independant Churches For who can say that Christ hath left them so as not to succeed their Ministry with true Conversion of Souls and so as not to give something of his gracious presence to them and others that are sound in the fundamental Principles to Salvation who truly fear the Lord and sincerely obey him according to their Light tho' the Mist of Mens Traditions may not be clearly wiped from off their Eyes I think none can be so uncharitable and censorious as to affirm it But yet we may safely say the more we come up in our Obedience to the perfect Rule of Christ the greater our Peace and Comfort shall be and the more or the presence of God we shall enjoy in the gracious discoveries of his Eternal Love unto our Souls 2. If Christ hath not left our aforesaid Brethren and others that are not of our Communion without some gracious Manifestations of his Presence among them And if therefore according to the Objection their Members ought not to leave their Churches do not then those Baptists which plead this Argument for a mixed Communion among themselves and yet receive the Members of those Independant Churches condemn themselves thereby as Countenancers Abetters and Receivers of disorderly Persons and as such who according to this Objection have little or nothing more to say for their Separation and keeping up a distinct Church-state from them then for a private and worldly Interest And therefore away with such Pretensions for they are but a shame to us 3. If we ought not to leave a Church 'till Christ is departed from it it must be meant either of a partial or total departure If it be understood of Christ's Partial departing from a Church we must either allow it lawful for a Member to leave his present Communion when Christ hath in part forsaken that Church so as for their Declension of Spirit they are suffered to fall into such corrupt Manners erroneous Doctrine false Worship or irregular Practices which the Lord hath commanded to be purged out from among them or else that the Church it self has Power to prescribe Limits of Communion according as she shall judge without regard to the written Precepts of Christ that his presence doth bound it But as I believe no Baptized Churches will open their Mouths in favour of such an absolute Authority within themselves for that we own the Scriptures to be our Rule so it cannot be denied but that it is lawful for Members to remove their Communion to a Church which is more Pure for the same causes as a Church should withdraw their Communion from a single Member if for any cause at all But if they mean that we should not separate from a Church till Christ is wholly departed from it then it may be also argued that a Church should not withdraw their Communion from a Member till Christ be wholly departed from him Besides if a single Member should not depart from a Church till Christ be wholly departed from it then the Question is Whether Christ may be said totally to depart from a Church till at least it is manifest that she is absolutely apostatized in her Spirit from some one Article of our Christian Faith which is essential to Salvation and if till then it be unlawful for single Persons to separate their Communion from a Church of Christ than if their Church worshippeth God in a false manner so it be not in fundamentals of Salvation and maketh void a Commandment of God through Mens Traditions and are corrupted in their Morals they must still hold their Communion with such a People and it 's hard to tell how far a Church may be guilty of these Evils and not loose the Essentials to Salvation But if such a corrupt Communion ought to be held rather than a Persons Separation from it should be allowed lawful the consequents of it naturally tends to the overthrow and Extirpation of our Baptized Churches for then what Obligation of Conscience is there for Baptized Believers to set up by themselves such a Church-state which is despised and rendred obnoxious to many Christians and which is accompanied with divers discouragements and outward disadvantages more than others Besides unless it be lawful for a Member or the smaller number of a Church to separate from their corrupt Communion many Christians cannot reform nor worship God with the Church or in the Administration of all Gospel-Ordinances according to their Consciences for generally Reformers are the fewest number and if these should continue in their irregular Communion their Light will be hid and smoothered in the croud of corrupt Professors and rather put under a Bushel than on a Gospel Candlestick Mat. 5.14 15 16. to shine more clearly to those that are round about them VI. Object We are say some Persons for Charity and Union and therefore we are for Communion at the Lord's Table with Christians as such If we believe them to be but real Christians we ought to hold our Communion with them Answer 1. To our Brethren of the Congregational or Independant Churches of whom some have argued with me after the Nature of this Objection as if we were too strait in our Charity for not holding Communion with
Math. 18 15 c. tho' they more particularly respect corrupt Manners or immoral Wrongs and offences of Brethren against Brethren comprehending a Prohibition of lesser as well as grosser Evils as appears from the Authority of other Scriptures Exod. 23.1 Thou shalt not raise a false report put not thine hand with the Wicked to be an unrighteous Witness Psal 15.2 3. And David shews us who shall abide in the Lords Tabernacle and who shall dwell in his Holy Hill He that walketh uprightly he that backbiteth not with his Tongue nor doeth evil to his Neighbour nor taketh up a reproach against his Neighbour c. And Psalm 101.5 Whoso privily slandereth his Neighbour him will I cut off And the Apostle saith Rom. 3.8 And not rather as we be slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say let us do evil that good may come whose Damnation is Just And in 2 Thes 3.11 to 15. we are commanded to have no company with such as through Idleness eat not their own Bread but are busie Bodies And 1 Cor. 5.7 8. Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a new Lump as ye are unleavened For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us Therefore let us keep the Feast not with old leaven neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness And ver 11. He saith I have written unto you not to keep Company if any man that is called a Brother be a fornicator or covetous or an Idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one not to eat And in Gal. 5.19 20 21. See also 1 Cor. 6.9 10. 1 Tim. 1.9 10. Col. 3.9 Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these Adultery fornication uneleanness laseiviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulation wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders drunkenness revellings and such like as all lyars Rev. 21.8 of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And then surely none of those evils tho' of the lesser sort of them when known to us should be suffered in the Communion of a Gospel Church And in Math. 7.12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets So that whatsoever wrong is done to any contrary to this general precept it is a breach of the Moral Law Math. 19.19 Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And therefore such Offenders should not without Repentance for their Sin be suffered in our Holy Communion at the Lords Table But some may think that all those particular evils in Gal. 5.19 20 21. come not under the Cognizance and Judgment of the Church for excluding of those who are guilty of them from Communion To which I shall briefly say That tho' there may be some kind of immoral Variance Emulation Wrath and Strife that may not arise to so high an offence if they be only suddain passions that are soon over yet where there is a sixed Variance between Brethren that shews it self to proceed from immorality Or Emulation from a striving to exceed in Envy or Disdain or in Wrong to another or malicious anger without a cause there we have ground for Exclusion from Communion as our Saviour saith Mat. 5.22 to 25. Whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment Therefore if thou bring thy Gift to the altar and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave there thy Gift before the altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy Gift These Words notwithstanding there are some old Testament Terms used were spoken for Direction to us under the Gospel for Christ in this Sermon was Gospelizing the Law And therefore I gather from them that in Case a Person trespasseth against his Brother he should not offer his spiritual Gift in publick Church Worship till he hath reconciled himself to him and then it consequently follows that the same trespass which debars him from offering his Gift upon the Altar whatever is meant by it does also debar him from his full Communion at the Lords Table And seeing from this Scripture he ought of himself to forbear his Communion till he be reconciled there is likewise Reason for the offended Brother or the Church if the Case be known to it to forbear his Communion with him or withdraw it from him till he giveth satisfaction by Repentance for the same immoral Trespass which forfeits his present Priviledge to Minister in publick Church Worship does also forfeit his Priviledge of Commuion with it at the Lords Table Moreover it is worth our Observation that the Word Therefore if thou bring thy Gift to the Altar refers the Reason of this Exclusion from Communion to the Evils in the foregoing Verse as the cause thereof which is for being Angry with a Brother without a cause for saying to his Brother Raca that is dull blockish See Dutch Annot. or vain or thou fool in disdain reproach and envy So that as on the one hand we are forbidden on forfeiture of our Church Communion to cast contempt reproach and scorn upon any Brother for his weakness in the Faith or for his natural Infirmities and to bear a sixed anger without a cause So on the other side nothing is here intended by our Saviour to forbid an intelligible expressing of our Detestation and Abhorrence of that which is Evil as we are commanded Rom. 12.9 2 Cor. 7.11 Ch. 10.6 and as also we are allowed to use a holy Indignation and Revenge against all disobedience yet so as to consist with Love and Pity to Mens Persons 3. Under this Head of Diseourse concerning corrupt Manners or evil Actions we may bring many other particular Cases for which Offenders ought to be withdrawn from and without Repentance for their Sin they should not be suffered in the Communion of the Visible Church of Christ As 1. For breaking the Christian Sabbath in disobedience to the Fourth Commandment and the Example of Christs Apostles and the Primitive Churches 2. Eph. 6.1 2 5. For being disobedient to Parents and Masters in Lawful and Reasonable things 3. For a Rebellious breaking Covenant with a Church of Christ when it is not in Case of Conscience of Moral Necessity nor of real Expediency 4. For taking the Holy Name of the Lord our God in vain Gal. 5.19 21. 2 Tim. 3.2 to 6. 5. For Lasciviousness mentioned before which is Lecherousness or Wantonness in Behaviour and for many other Sins some of which are particularly expressed and others are included under the general Head of Trespasses against the Moral Law Secondly It is the Duty of Christians to withdraw their Communion in Church Fellowship from all those that hold erroneous Doctrine in or
The same causes as will justifie a single Persons removing his Communion to another Church will also justisie a Parties Separation to sit down by themselves in a Church-state otherwise there is no erecting of Reformed Churches to be allowed where there was none before Which if it be there lawful to reform as surely it cannot be denied there is neither Scripture nor Reason as I can find to debar a reforming party from settling themselves in the Order of a Regular Gospel-Church where there is one already if they find it expedient for them But 2. To prevent such misapprehensions of giving Church-members too great a Liberty I shall here remind the Reader that if he duely considers what I have said in this small Discourse he will not find the least allowance for Persons to remove their Communion out of Novelty or meerly for their Pleasures-sake or for Trivial Matters and Pretences for herein the Church is bound in faithfulness to Christ and the Souls that are under her special care to use the means directed to in the Scripture for preserving her mutual Peace and Welfare But for real Conscience-sake Separation should be allowed to keep themselves pure from corrupt and sinful Manners Erroneous Doctrines in essentials to Salvation and from false Worship and irregular Ordinances and unless there be a Moral Necessity or a real Expediency for it no Separation else is lawful for every Member is or should be in Covenant with the Church to walk in the ways of the Lord together with them But yet when a Church of Christ shall alter in any part of their Faith or Practice essential to a regular Church the Members thereof are free from their former Covenant Not simply because the Church has broken the Conditions of it for that were to acknowledge her Members to be under an absolute tye while she makes no Alteration of her Faith and Practice For as none of our Churches in Covenanting with their Members by giving them the right hand of fellowship does intend thereby absolutely to bind themselves from any future Alteration of their Faith or Practice if in Conscience they should be otherwise informed so the like Liberty is but equitable for the Members to have and therefore as there is the same Reason for it so it ought to be equally taken for granted in their Covenanting with the Church that each Member in Covenant hath an equal Reservation of Liberty of Conscience to the Church and neither side ought to impose on each other for that is a making themselves the perfect standard of Religion like the Church of Rome 3. 2 Pet. 5.1 2 3. The Apostle Peter exhorteth the Elders to take the oversight of the Flock Not by constraint but willingly not for filthy Lucre but of a ready Mind Neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being ensamples to the Flock And Paul saith That to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth 2 Cor. 1.23 24. 1 Tim. 6.2 5. 2 Tim. 2.22 Chap. 3.5 Not for that we have Dominion over your Faith but are helpers of your Joy And Timothy was commanded as a single Person to withdraw himself from those Professors of Religion that were corrupt in Doctrine Now if the Apostles who were the infallible Pen-men of sacred Scripture disclaimed Lordship over the Saints and Dominion over their Faith Why should any hold such Principles as will naturally assume such a regal Power over the Consciences of their Brethren as tendeth to enthral them in divers troubles when they go about to remove their Communion from them for Conscience-sake considering also they themselves are but lately delivered from the Yoak of Persecution And for such who make it their frequent Practice to receive Members that remove for Conscience-sake from other Congregations that are true Churches of Christ as to their visible Matter and part of their Form to hold such Principles as will deny their own Members Liberty of Conscience without their Censures Snares or Inthralments to frighten their weak Brethren to continue in their Communion against the Light which they have received is consequently assuming such an Arbitrary Dominion over their Faith and Consciences which neither God nor Nature hath given to them and is not Consonant to the Law for doing to others as they would have others do to them in the like Case And to speak the plain Truth of such a Principle and Practice it is no better then claiming a right of Imposition on the Consciences of their Brethren and a holding fast all they have and all they can so get right or wrong And therefore seeing the Light of Scripture and Reason with common Equity is repugnant to such an Arbitrary Dominion over the Faith and Consciences of the Saints and that this Principle of denying a single Member his Liberty of Communion according to his Light is also a bar to Religious Reformation I conceive none should go about to hinder a single Persons removing from them for Conscience-sake any other ways than by Arguments from the Scriptures for the Regularity of their Communion and if herein they cannot satisfie his Mind I believe the Church should do no more then if they please to enter him in their Book departed from them for the cause for which he leaveth them for as much as his Principles are not opposite to any of their Essentials of Communion And in Case they were yet if he holdeth no Error in fundamentals to Salvation it better suits with the Grace of Love and universal Charity to one another to let him peaceably remove his Communion than by a harsh and sower Spirit to widen the Differences that are between Saints and Saints and to fright a weak and tender Conscience with the Censure of a Church which if it be not according to Christs Institutions it is neither bound in Heaven nor should it be binding on our Consciences But if a single Member should alter in his Faith or Practice from any of his Church Essentials of Communion and yet seek to continue in the same Church then to prevent the spreading of his Leaven to the Pollution of the Body or their being defiled with his Errour by Participation in full Communion with him they have ground on Non-repentance to withdraw from him and if he persisteth in such an Errour to purge him out from their Communion But to conclude the aforesaid Objection What spiritual Comfort can any have in Church-Communion where there is not an agreement in the Essentials thereof doth not the sweetest Communion depend on the greatest Union in Faith and Practice why then should any Christians be kept in Bondage and be deprived of the chiefest ends of Church-Communion which are to glorifie God in the purest worship they can attain to the Knowledge and Practice of and to enjoy the comfortable Communion of Saints in the Unity of Faith and of the Spirit which is the bond of Peace Secondly I shall present you with a particular instance of the confused