A27054:750
The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness…
The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness of it, and the detection of false dividing terms / opened by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for John Hancock, 1680
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§. 4. If any one excommunicated justly for heresy, apostasy, or impenitence, in any crimes, shall offer to defile and endanger any other Church by intrusion or deceit, the Church which cast him out ⟨p. 244⟩is bound by the Laws of Love and Concord, to send notice to such endangered neighbour Churches of the person and his case, to prevent their hurt: And unless the Church that cast him out have criminally forfeited their credit, other Churches are bound by the Law of Charity to take their sentence as probably just, and not to receive the ejected person, till he have either proved his sentence unjust, or profess repentance. Not that they are bound absolutely to exclude him and deny him audience (though yet they claim no superiority over the Church that excommunicated him;) but as neighbours and parts of the same Church universal, they must hear both sides before they deny any Christian communion that claimeth it; at least when his allegations have great probability of truth, and seem to weigh down all that they have received against him.
§. 4. If any one excommunicated justly for heresie, apostasie, or impenitence, in any crimes, shall offer to defile and endanger any other Church by intrusion or deceit, the Church which cast him out ⟨p. 244⟩is bound by the Laws of Love and Concord, to send notice to such endangered neighbour Churches of the person and his case, to prevent their hurt: And unless the Church that cast him out have criminally forfeited their credit, other Churches are bound by the Law of Charity to take their sentence as probably just, and not to receive the ejected person, till he have either proved his sentence unjust, or profess repentance. Not that they are bound absolutely to exclude him and deny him audience (though yet they claim no superiority over the Church that excommunicated him;) but as neighbours and parts of the same Church universal, they must hear both sides before they deny any Christian communion that claimeth it; at least when his allegations have great probability of truth, and seem to weigh down all that they have received against him.