An apologetical reply to a book called an answer to the unjust complaint of…An apologeticall reply to a booke called an ansvver to the unjust complaint of…

1. Mine own judgment and persuasion I will express in Dr. Ames his words thus.¹ So many parish assemblies of England as have any competent number of good Christians in them united together for to worship God ordinarily in one society, so many have essential and integral form of a visible Church, and all they have entire right to Christ, and to all the means of enjoying him: however they are defective in the purity of their combination, and in the complete free exercising of their power. To prevent all mistake, he declareth what he meaneth by essential and integral form thus. The essential form of a visible Church is the covenant of God, or true faith made visible by profession; the notes and marks whereof are the word and Sacraments rightly administered, and received with fruits of obedience. The integral constituting form is that state, relation, or reference which a Congregation of such professors have one to another by virtue of their settled combination, the note or mark whereof is their usual assembling together into one place, and watching one over another. So that, however the defects and corruptions, in those Churches, are to be witnessed against, and howsoever it is the duty of Christians to endeavour (as much as in them is) ⟨p. 282⟩to procure the reformation of those defects, and not to partake in the sins of any Church. Eph. 5.11. and amongst true Churches to make choice of those, whereunto to join themselves, which are most pure,² so far as they are able (as the same learned writer saith, elsewhere) yet to dischurch them wholly, & to separate from them, as no Churches of Christ, or to deny baptism to the infants of their known members is not warranted by any rule in the Scripture, that I know, nor justified by my assertion or practise.

1. Myne owne judgment and persuasion I will expresse in Dr. Ames his words thus.¹ So many parish assemblies of England as have any competent number of good Christians in them united together for to worship God ordinarily in one society, so many have essentiall and integrall forme of a visible Church, and all they have intire right to Christ, and to all the meanes of injoying him: however they are defective in the purity of their combination, and in the compleate free excercising of their power. To prevent all mistake, he declareth what he meaneth by essentiall and integrall forme thus. The essentiall forme of a visible Church is the covenant of God, or true fayth made visible by profession; the noates and markes whereof are the word and Sacraments rightly administred, and received with fruits of obedience. The integrall constituting forme is that state, relation, or reference which a Congregation of such professours have one to another by vertue of their setled combination, the noate or marke whereof is their usuall assembling together into one place, and watching one over another. So that, however the defects and corruptions, in those Churches, are to be witnessed against, and howsoever it is the duety of Christians to indeavour (as much as in them is)