Certain disputations of right to sacraments, and the true nature of visible Christianity defending…

For the Father and Mother to be put out, or judged out, and yet the child taken into the same body as a branch of them, and on their account, is plainly to Do and Undo, and contradict our selves.

To this it is said by some, That an Excommunicate man loseth but his Jus inre, and not adrem; and retaineth still his fundamental Right; and therefore as to this, is still a Church-member: he is but suspended from present benefit, and not cut off from all Title. To which I answer; 1. If this be true of all Excommunicate persons, then is it impossible so much as by a Declarative Excommunication, to cut off any from the Universal Church: If a man maintain that Christ is neither God, nor Redeemer, but a Prophet, second to Moses or Mahomet, ⟨p. 287⟩and yet will call himself a Christian, and usurp communion, if we cast him out, he hath still a Fundamental Right. Can any man have a fundamental Right, that denieth any Fundamental Truth? But if any will say, That this is not Excommunication, but Declaring or Judging a man to be an Apostate: I reply, Rather than we will differ about the Name, call it what you please, as long as you know what we mean. He that notoriously showeth that he hath not Christ, hath no fundamental Right. Whether Matth. 18. and 2 Thes. 3.14. 1 Cor. 5. speak of this or that sort of Excommunication, is little to our Question.

To this it is said by some, That an Excommunicate man loseth but his Jus inre, and not adrem; and retaineth still his fundamental Right; and therefore as to this, is still a Church-member: he is but suspended from present benefit, and not cut off from all Title. To which I answer; 1. If this be true of all Excommunicate persons, then is it impossible so much as by a Declarative Excommunication, to cut off any from the Universal Church: If a man maintain that Christ is neither God, nor Redeemer, but a Prophet, second to Moses or Mahomet,