The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness…

§. 21. III. And truly I think on several accounts that the Novatian heresy was not such as deserved Excommunication from the Catholic Church, though they sinfully separated from those concordant ⟨p. 186⟩particular Churches, which by advantage got the name of the Catholic. For 1. wise men are not agreed what the heresy was: But the skilfullest agree that it was not a denial of pardon before God in another world, to the penitent, but only of Church-pardon and admittance to Communion: And some of their accusers told them that their first founders denied such Church-pardon only to those that denied Christ or lapsed against Christianity in time of persecution (good Christians that came out of prisons being too unwilling to receive those when the storm was over, that had saved themselves by denying the faith), and that the denial of it to other criminals came in after by degrees on supposed parity of reason. 2. And I find it confessed by their adversaries that the wicked lives of the Catholics occasioned this addition; and that the Novatians were otherwise Orthodox, and of better lives than most of the Orthodox. 3. And I find that the proudest and worst Bishops (such as Nestorius) were their sharpest Adversaries, and that the best lived lovingly and as brethren with them: Chrysostom once threatened their Bishop in Constantinople, but went no further, and recalled it at the next word. Atticus and Proclus kindly kept peace with them. And though Socrates and Sozomen are by many accused as being Novatians, for speaking well of them, I see no reason to believe it; unless every man that chooseth rather to speak truly of dissenters, than maliciously and slanderously, be therefore of their opinion. But if it were so, it would be so much the greater honour to the Novatians, with them that discern, that we have no ancient Church-historians that write more credibly than Socrates and Sozomen; or in whom the footsteps of veracity may by a stranger be easilier discerned: If their historians are ⟨p. 187⟩truest, it's like they were not the worst men. And to say, [Let men be never so pious, such an opinion cuts them off from Christ] deserveth indignation rather than confutation.

§. 21. III. And truly I think on several accounts that the Novatian heresie was not such as deserved Excommunication from the Catholick Church, though they sinfully separated from those concordant ⟨p. 186⟩