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

A second sort of such contests, are, When faults are alleged which either are not true, or cannot be ⟨p. 365⟩proven, although possibly they may be both gross and true, for both of these did the Novatians and Donatists trouble the Church, insisting long in charging many crimes upon men particularly upon Cecilianus and Osius, which they could never be able to make out, although they alleged that such faults were cloaked by the Catholics, and that they were not to be communicated with. In this case the Orthodox took three ways to remove such a difference. 1. By pleading forbearance of awakening such contests, and exhorting rather to keep union, than to hazard to break it upon such grounds, and so (as Augustine saith) ut quaedam incerta crimina pro certa pace Deo dimitterentur, Cont. Epist. Parm. lib. 1. cap. 3. 2. If that could not be acquiesced in, they admitted the thing to proof, over, and over again, that by lawful trial it might be decided, as we will find in the former instances, the same case of Cecilianus was often tried, even after he was absolved. It is true the Donatists did not acquiesce, but did separate, (for which cause they were ever accounted most gross Schismatics) yet is it of it self, a way wherein men may satisfyingly acquiesce. A third way sometimes used, was, That when divisions were like to be occasioned by dissatisfaction with a particular person against whom things could not be judicially made out so as to found a Sentence, nor yet possibly was there so full satisfaction with him in every thing, as by owning of him to hazard a rent, where a people were stumbled by him, they did without judicial processing, or Censuring, interpose with the Bishop to cede, and wrote to the people to choose another. So in that Council of Carthage, Canon. 91. letters are written to Maximianus (called Episcopus Bagiensis) and the people, that he might cede the Bishopric, and they might choose another; yet there is no mention of any made-out accusation, or Sentence, but that for the good of the Church, Synodo placuit, &c. ⟨p. 366⟩There is mention made elsewhere in history of a Bishop of that place, of that name, who had been a Donatist, and did return to the communion of the Church; but, if this be he, or what was the cause of this appointment, is neither certain, nor of great concernment in this.

A second sort of such contests, are, When faults are alleaged which either are not true, or cannot be