The Godly mans ark, or, City of refuge, in the day of his distress…The Godly mans ark, or, City of refuge, in the day of his distresse…

That all Church-reformation, and Sacrament-purity must begin from Church-members, and proceed from them in Christs way unto Church-officers; That if any man who is called a Brother, be a Fornicator, or a Railer; or a Drunkard, or guilty of any other scandalous sin, It is your duty, who are ⟨image 19⟩members of the same body with him, and know his guiltiness, to labour by private admonition to gain him to God, not to shame him by telling others, but to gain him, by telling him alone. But if he will not hear you, then you are in an orderly way, to bring it to the Church, which if you neglect to do, the sin of Church-pollution is your sin, and not the sin of your Church-officers. If there be three doors to get into an house, he that keeps me out of the first, keeps me out of the other two. All Sacrament-reformation begins with you, you are the first door at which it enters: if you fail of your duty, the sin lieth at your door, not at ours. It is the custom of all people (though otherwise godly) if a scandalous sinner be admitted to the Lords Supper, to charge the sin of it upon the Minister, and in the mean time to forget that the sin is theirs, not his, because they have not done what Christ would have them, for the gaining of him, and for the enabling of the Church, to proceed ⟨image 19⟩against him by censures, if he prove obstinate. The Lord give you hearts to think of this, and give you grace (instead of murmuring against, and complaining of mixed communions, and of separating from us because of them) to contribute your utmost towards the purging of our Congregations, and to practise all those duties which Christ requires of you in order thereunto.

That all Church-reformation, and Sacrament-purity must begin from Church-members, and proceed from them in Christs way unto Church-officers; That if any man who is called a Brother, bee a Fornicator, or a Railer; or a Drunkard, or guilty of any other scandalous sin, It is your duty, who are ⟨image 19⟩members of the same body with him, and know his guiltiness, to labour by private admonition to gain him to God, not to shame him by telling others, but to gain him, by telling him alone. But if hee will not hear you, then you are in an orderly way, to bring it to the Church, which if you neglect to do, the sin of Church-pollution is your sin, and not the sin of your Church-officers. If there bee three doors to get into an house, hee that keeps mee out of the first, keeps mee out of the other two. All Sacrament-reformation begins with you, you are the first door at which it enters: if you faile of your duty, the sin lyeth at your door, not at ours. It is the custome of all people (though otherwise godly) if a scandalous sinner bee admitted to the Lords Supper, to charge the sin of it upon the Minister, and in the mean time to forget that the sin is theirs, not his, because they have not done what Christ would have them, for the gaining of him, and for the inabling of the Church, to proceed