The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…

Again, suppose this difficulty to be overcome, and such a congregation to be settled, Is it not possible that even some of those members should become scandalous? Then, supposing that by the plurality of that Church, such persons were not accounted scandalous, or not cast out, what were to be done? According to the former grounds, these who suppose themselves only pure, could not continue in communion, but behoved again to separate; and if so, then upon the renewing of the former supposition, there behoved still to be a separation in infinitum. For, there can no Church be expected on earth, in which these cases are not supposable and possible. And so now we may resume the conclusion, Either a private person must acquiesce, as being exonerated when he hath followed the action before the Church, or he shall have no ground of peace any where, till he be out of the world, or out of all visible Churches. And so also there can be no other way of keeping public order and ordinances; and of eviting scandal and confusion.

Again, suppose this difficulty to be overcome, and such a congregation to be settled, Is it not possible that even some of those members should become scandalous? Then, supposing that by the plurality of that Church, such persons were not accounted scandalous, or not cast out, what were to be done? According to the former grounds, these who suppose themselves only pure, could not continue in communion, but behoved again to separate; and if so, then upon the renuing of the former supposition, there behoved still to be a separation in infinitum. For, there can no Church be expected on earth, in which these cases are not supposable and possible. And so now we may resume the conclusion, Either a private person must acquiesce, as being exonered when he hath followed the action before the Church, or he shall have no ground of peace any where, till he be out of the world, or out of all visible Churches. And so also there can be no other way of keeping publick order and ordinances; and of eviting scandal and confusion.

This truth is fully made out by those three worthy and pious Divines of New England, Cotton, Hooker, and Norton: The last whereof, by many reasons evinceth this in his answer to Apollonius his last question, pag. 162, 163. and doth from the Church of Corinth in particular confirm this: There (saith he) was impurity or corruption in worship, for women taught in the Church; There was corrupt Doctrine, many denied the Resurrection; in manners,