Catholic communion defended against both extremes, and unnecessary division confuted in five parts ...…Catholick communion defended against both extreams, and unnecessary division confuted in five parts ...…

39. To say, That it will but enrage them, and make them worse, is to be uncharitably censorious, as if they were so partial, passionate and proud, as not to endure to be contradicted, nor to hear us give a Reason of our Judgment and Practice, and defend it against Error. I can bear it without alienation from them, in Respect and Love, if they say, That I am erroneous, or bad, or whatever they will censure me. If they cannot bear my true Confutation of Church-dissolving, and Love-destroying Principles and Errors, that proveth them not better than I in Judgment and Charity. If I yet please men, I am no longer the Servant of Christ. Carnal Policy in complying with sin, never was blest of God, tho for some Job it seemed to be needful. If a man going out of the World, may by silence betray the Truth, on pretence of despairing of success, even with godly men, and let Peter lead Barnabas into dissembling Separation, in reverence of Peter's Name, then Paul was too blame; and who then shall ever own Truth or Duty, or try to save the Church from danger, if he must not do it till the mistaken do consent? Or if a pretence, That the Disease is uncurable, shall excuse us; and godly men must be taken for Dogs and Swine, that must not have God's Truth given ⟨image 121⟩them, lest they tread it under foot, or turn again, and all to •end us?

40. Either this Doctrine of renouncing Communion with all Churches that use Forms of Liturgy, as Idolaters, or false Worshippers, and Adversaries to the Spirit, and the Office of Christ (and that Churches must covenant to obey none but Christ in any thing duly belonging to Worship, or any manner or accident of it): I say, Either this must be confuted, or not: If not, Christian Love and Communion are given up as hopeless, and Christ deposed by denying his Kingdom or Church: And why strive men about Ceremonies, when they have renounced the substance, and pulled down the house, and threatened all that come not out of it. •ut if it must be confuted, 1. When, if not now? must it first take deeper Root, and deceive more? Both Extremes already are silencers of all that would undeceive them: And those that accuse one sort of silencers, are the other sort themselves, and cannot bear a Confutation.