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

for, this is not only engaging of a particular person, but of all the party, and doth hold forth a confidence in them notwithstanding of that; whereas the contrary is disobliging and irritating of all, because it proposeth all of such an opinion or practice to be unworthy of charge or trust, which no man can well digest; and it some way necessitateth them in a divided way to endeavour some other way of entering, and to increase their diffidence of them who so partially (in their esteem at least) manages matters, and prefers the strengthening of a side, to the edification of the Church; as any different party cannot but expound it, seeing they seem to themselves to have some persuasion of their own integrity in the main work. 7. There would even be mutual visits and¹ fellowship, civil and christian, as hath been; yea, rather it would be increased; for if men have some confidence that others love their persons, respect them as Ministers, and esteem of them as Christians, they will be easily induced to trust the other as such also. 8. If reflections and bitterness be vented by some (as even good men are too ready to indulge to themselves a liberty in debate to exceed in this) yet there would be no such meeting given. Luther is censured for exceeding in this, even by such as loved him; and it is a most excellent advertisement that Calvin giveth to ⟨p. 343⟩Bullenger and others, thus provoked by him, Epist. 57. That either they would not answer such a Paper at all, or, in answering it, to remember, That they had a most eminent servant of Christ to answer, and so not to be provoked by his vehemency, seeing he also had corruptions; and thus expresseth his own resolution, Etiamsi me Diabolum voca•et, me tamen hoc illi honoris habiturum, ut insignem Dei servum agnoscam, &c. It is upon this ground, that Augustine and others, most zealously affected with the schism of the Donatists, yet because they kept in other things sound in the Faith, they mention such of them as were sober, very honourably, and carried to them very brotherly; and particularly he used to visit their Bishops, if he had been going elsewhere for Ordination or other affairs; and some of them also used to visit him, whom he entertained most kindly, ever speaking to improve both for begetting a better understanding, as may be gathered from instances cited out of his Epistles in what is before and after this.