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 ...…

The Catholic Communion that he seems to aim at, is to receive and reject the same persons in every Church that are received in or rejected by any one. We are for as much of this as is needful to the purity and peace of the Church: But we do not believe that all the Christian World is bound to take all the godly persons for excommunicate, who shall be excommunicated here according to the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, &c. Canons of the Church of England; nor to silence all Ministers that you silence. ⟨p. 30⟩When we were newly silenced, 1662. some great men were employed to affirm, That if we would go and preach to the Americans it was an excellent work, and they would bear our charges: I told them, that our lives would be spent ere we could learn their Languages, as fit to preach to them. But it seems if we had gone, Catholic Communion would have silenced us there too, and have obliged the Americans, if we converted them, to reject us.

The Catholick Communion that he seems to aim at, is to receive and reject the same persons in every Church that are received in or rejected by any one. We are for as much of this as is needful to the purity and peace of the Church: But we do not believe that all the Christian World is bound to take all the godly persons for excommunicate, who shall be excommunicated here according to the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, &c. Canons of the Church of England; nor to silence all Ministers that you silence. ⟨p. 30⟩When we were newly silenced, 1662. some great men were imployed to affirm, That if we would go and preach to the Americans it was an excellent work, and they would bear our charges: I told them, that our lives would be spent e're we could learn their Languages, as fit to preach to them. But it seems if we had gone, Catholick Communion would have silenced us there too, and have obliged the Americans, if we converted them, to reject us.

What if Bishops excommunicate men for not paying the Civilians their Fees, or for not repenting of a truth, or silence us for not assenting and consenting to all in their book? must all the World reject us in conformity to them? It's an heinous crime for any one man to draw a Nation to sin with him; but much more to engage all the Christian World to sin with him; yea, and that on pretence of Catholic Communion. Christ saith (by his Spirit in his Apostle), Him that is weak in the faith receive, and receive one another as Christ received us. If Bishops silence and excommunicate even them that ate strong in the Faith, must all the World disobey Christ to obey them?