A confession of my faith and a reason of my practice

First. Because the true visible Saint hath already subjected to that ⟨p. 95⟩which is better; even to the righteousness of God, which is by Faith of Jesus Christ; by which he stands just before God; he also hath made the most exact and strict rule under heaven, that whereby he squares his life before men. He hath like precious Faith with the best of Saints, and a conversation according to light received, becoming the Gospel of Christ: He is therefore to be received, received I say, not by thy light, not for that in circumstances he jumpeth with thy opinion; but according to his own Faith which he ought to keep himself before G•d. Conscience I say, not thine own, but of the other; For why is my liberty judged by another mans conscience. 1 Cor. 10.29. Some indeed do object that what the Apostles wrote, they wrote to gathered Churches, and so to such as were baptized. And therefore the arguments that are in the Epistles about things circumstantial, ⟨p. 86⟩respect not the case in hand. But I will tell such, that as to the first part of their objection, they are utterly under a mistake. The first to the Corinthians, The Epistle of James, both them of Peter, and the first Epistle of John, were expressly written to all the Godly, as well as particular Churches. Again; if Water-baptism, as the circumstances with which the Churches were pestered of old, trouble their peace, wound the consciences of the Godly; dismember and break their fellowships, it is although an ordinance for the present to be prudently shunned; for the edification of the Church as I shall show anon, is to be preferred before it.

First. Because the true visible Saint hath already subjected to that ⟨p. 95⟩which is better; even to the righteousness of God, which is by Faith of Jesus Christ; by which he stands just before God; he also hath made the most exact and strict rule under heaven, that whereby he squares his life before men. He hath like precious Faith with the best of Saints, and a conversation according to light received, becoming the Gospell of Christ: He is therefore to be received, received I say, not by thy light, not for that in circumstances he jumpeth with thy opinion; but according to his own Faith which he ought to keep himself before Gd. Conscience I say, not thine own, but of the other; For why is my liberty judged by another mans conscience.