The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor showing…The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor shewing…

2. Consider, that if any offended Members, upon pretence of Error, either in Doctrine or Practice, should by this Text become Judges (as well as Parties) of the Grounds and Lawfulness of their Separation: Then it will follow, that half a store notorious Heretics, or scandalous Livers (when they have walked so as they foresee the Church are ready to deal with them, and withdraw from them) shall anticipate the Church, and pretend somewhat against them, of which themselves must be Judges, and so withdraw from the Church, pretending either Heresy or Disorder; and so condemn the Church, to prevent the disgrace of being condemned by the Church. How needful then is it, that Men of peaceable Dispositions, and not of froward and factious, and dividing Spirits, be chose to rule the Church of God, for fear lest the whole Church be lea•••ed and soured by them.

2. Consider, that if any offended Members, upon pretence of Error, either in Doctrine or Practice, should by this Text become Judges (as well as Parties) of the Grounds and Lawfulness of their Separation: Then it will follow, that half a store notorious Hereticks, or scandalous Livers (when they have walked so as they foresee the Church are ready to deal with them, and withdraw from them) shall anticipate the Church, and pretend somewhat against them, of which themselves must be Judges, and so withdraw from the Church, pretending either Heresy or Disorder; and so condemn the Church, to prevent the disgrace of being condemned by the Church. How needful then is it, that Men of peaceable Dispositions, and not of froward and factious, and dividing Spirits, be chose to rule the Church of God, for fear lest the whole Church be lea•••ed and sower'd by them.

Fourthly; As there must be care used in choosing Men to rule the Church of God, so there must be a consideration ⟨p. 54⟩had, that there are many things darkly laid down in Scripture, this will temper our Spirits and make us live in Peace and Unity the more firmly in things in which we agree; this will help us to bear one another's Burden, and so fulfil the Law of Christ, in as much as all things necessary to Salvation and Church-Communion are plainly laid down in Scripture. And where things are more darkly laid down, we should consider that God intended hereby to stir up our diligence, that thereby we might increase our Knowledge, and not our Divisions, for it may be said of all Discoveries of Truth we have made in the Scriptures, as it's said of the Globe of the Earth, that though Men have made great Searches, and thereupon great Discoveries, yet there is still a terra incognita, an unknown Land; so there is in the Scriptures, for after Men have travelled over them, one Age after ano yet still there is, as it were, a rra incognita, an unknown Tract to put us upon farther search and enquiry, and to keep us from censuring and falling out with those who have not yet