Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…

And here the strong judicious Christian for his part will never be guilty of Church-divisions: For, 1. He will make nothing necessary to Church-communion, which any sober, pious, peaceable minds shall have any just reason to except against, or which may not well be manifested to be for the Edification of the Church: 2. And he will bear with the weak dissenters so far as will stand with the peace and welfare of the Church. 3. And ⟨p. 143⟩he will particularly give leave to such weak ones as cannot yet hold communion with him, being peaceable, and not promoting heresy, ungodliness or sedition to join to another Church where they can hold communion, with peace to their own Consciences: as long as they continue their foresaid Catholic-communion. For the strong know that they must not only [bear with] but [bear] the infirmities of the weak, and not to please themselves, but every one of them to please his neighbour for good to edification, For even Christ pleased not himself.— And so they will receive one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God, not despising the weak, nor rejecting them that God receiveth, Rom. 15.1, 2, 3, 7. & 14.1, 2, 3, 4, 17, 18. And thus you may see how easy a matter it were to unite and reconcile all the Christian World, if the principles of the judicious confirmed Christian might be received and prevail; and that it is not he that is the cause of the abundance of sin and calamity which divisions have caused, and continued in the Church. But that which now seemeth an impossible thing may quickly and easily be accomplished if all were such as he: And that the difficulty of reconciling and uniting Christians, lieth not first in finding out the terms, but in making men fit to receive and practice the terms from the beginning received by the Churches: This is Lirinensis his Quod semper, ubique & ab omnibus receptum est. (supposing still that the Magistrate be submitted to by every soul, even as he is the keeper of both tales, Rom. 13.1, 2, 3.)

And here the strong judicious Christian for his part will never be guilty of Church-divisions: For, 1. He will make nothing necessary to Church-communion, which any sober, pious, peaceable minds shall have any just reason to except against, or which may not well be manifested to be for the Edification of the Church: 2. And he will bear with the weak dissenters so far as will stand with the peace and welfare of the Church. 3. And