A second admonition to Mr. Edward Bagshaw written to call him to repentance for…

12. And it much wrongeth them that they forget what a Mercy it is, that Christ hath not made the power of the Pastors or Church to be arbitrary, in admissions or exclusions; but hath tied them up to certain terms, and prescribed to them whom to Receive or Reject: And that they consider not, what confusions otherwise would be brought into the Church, and what Church-tyranny men would exercise; And how the difference of mens Judgements, Interests, Temptations and Passions, would make almost as many sorts of Churches, as there are individual Governors and Churches. And one would make one measure, and another another measure of their communion.

12. And it much wrongeth them that they forget what a Mercy it is, that Christ hath not made the power of the Pastors or Church to be arbitrary, in admissions or exclusions; but hath tyed them up to certain terms, and prescribed to them whom to Receive or Reject: And that they consider not, what confusions otherwise would be brought into the Church, and what Church-tyranny men would exercise; And how the difference of mens Judgements, Interests, Temptations and Passions, would make almost as many sorts of Churches, as there are individual Governours and Churches. And one would make one measure, and another another measure of their communion.

13. And it greatly wrongeth such men that they never had right apprehensions of the Nature and great Necessity of Vanity among believers, and the Churches of Christ. They cry out Truth must not be sold for Peace, when they neither know aright what is Truth or Peace. But by Truth they mean their own doubtful opinions, and by Peace they mean their own quietness with men. We easily confess, that as Peace signifieth our freedom from ⟨p. 8⟩persecution or sufferings, or from the reproach of men, the least holy truth is to be preferred before it, and more tenaciously held than it: But if by Peace, they mean the Unity and Concord of believers, or of the Church of God, they speak dangerously, and suppose a pernicious falsehood, that Gods Truth, and such Peace or Concord, may at any time be separated: And it is no wiselier spoken, than if they had said, A mans eye-sight or health is to be preferred before the Union of his soul and body, or before the Concord of Head and Heart, or before the conjunction of his members. When as non cutis nulla est affectio. Destroy the Subject, and you destroy the Accidents. Without union of parts, the Church is no Church; Dividing it, is destroying it. A House or Kingdom divided, cannot stand. And when it is no Church, it hath no Truth as a Church, nr any thing that dividers did contend for. An Integral member may rather be cut off, than the whole should perish: But what member will separate it self from the bdy? Or who but a murderer will on pretence of curing, be a divider and dissolver?