Irenicum, to the lovers of truth and peace heart-divisions opened in the causes and…

The fourth thing is, to charge him, and if it be in a matter of consequence, to adjure him in the Name of God (who is the searcher of the hearts of men, and will judg them at the great day accordingly) that he deals plainly and sincerely, not to dare to put a pretence upon that which he knows his conscience cannot justify him in; if there be indeed any conscientiousness in the man, this will startle him.

The fourth thing is, to charge him, and if it be in a matter of consequence, to adjure him in the Name of God (who is the searcher of the hearts of men, and will judg them at the great day accordingly) that he deals plainly and sincerely, not to dare to put a pretence upon that which he knows his conscience cannot justifie him in; if there be indeed any conscientiousness in the man, this will startle him.

But it may be this will not prevail, wherefore in the fifth place, whatsoever a man holds, though his conscience be never so much taken with it, yet if it cannot stand with the power of godliness, but destroys it, if this man be in a Christian society after all means used to reduce him, if he still perseveres in it, he is, notwithstanding his conscience, to be cast out of the society of the Saints; this is not a little matter, if a man hath any conscience in him, it cannot but be a dreadful thing to him: If poison be got into a glass, and you cannot wash it out, the poison and glass too is to be thrown into the sink: Such a man as this is, with the conscience that he hath, is to be thrown upon the dung-hill. If a man by his wickedness cuts himself off from the mystical body of Christ, the Church may cut him off from his visible, he hath forfeited his Church-priviledger.

But it may be this will not prevail, wherefore in the fifth place, whatsoever a man holds, though his conscience be never so much taken with it, yet if it cannot stand with the power of godliness, but destroys it, if this man be in a Christian society after all means used to reduce him, if he still perseveres in it, he is, notwithstanding his conscience, to be cast out of the society of the Saints; this is not a little matter, if a man hath any conscience in him, it cannot but be a dreadfull thing to him: If poyson be got into a glass, and you cannot wash it out, the poyson and glass too is to be thrown into the sinck: Such a man as this is, with the conscience that he hath, is to be thrown upon the dung-hill. If a man by his wickedness cuts himself off from the mysticall body of Christ, the Church may cut him off from his visible, he hath forfeited his Church-priviledger.