Reply. 1. There is no cause of fear that Irreligion and Apostasy will break into Churches, if the Porter look well unto the Doors of the Lords House, that no adult persons be received into personal Membership, but such as regularly approve their personal […] for all Church-communion. O•, if such evils break into the Church, through the hypocrisy of such a creep in unawares, Jude, ve•. 4. yet then Christ lath left a clear and plain way to prevent and heal the same, by […] such under the watch, and Discipline, and Government of the Church. But the admitting of such adult persons as are not qualified for Church communion in all Ordinances, will be found, in the issue, the cause of the breaking in of Irreligion and Apostasy into Churches, by the fault of men, who […] without Christ, and receive such as he […]. Nor will the Churches censuring of such, prevent or heal those evils, seeing blesseth only his own institutions, not […] Devices. Humane Inventions usually cause the Evils which they pretend to cure; as we see in the Love-feasts, which brake love among the […], 1 Cor. 11. 18—23. 2. Though no Church way is left by Christ for preventing or healing such evils in men that should not be of the Church; yet, if they were kept out of the Church; […] their fitness of Communion should appear; as these evils, and the like, would not inevitably break into ⟨p. 16⟩Churches, so neither need any Church-members be let alone in their wickedness, seeing Christ hath delegated the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, to bind and loose, and Directions how to manage them toward delinquent Members that are orderly admitted into Church-communion, Mat. 16. 17,18,19. Nor need they, who are not thus joined to the Church, be let alone, if the Authority in Families, and in the Common-wealth, be wisely and faithfully managed by the Rulers of both, to restrain those under their power from evil companies, and courses, and to constrain them to a constant reverent attendance to all Family-duties of Religion, and to the Word publicly Preached in Church-Assemblies, and to the Sanctifying of the Christian Sabbath, as a Day of holy Rest unto the Lord. Such means will be blessed of Christ, to the preventing of the out-breakings, and some of them to the healing of those evils Faith being wrought in their hearts, through the efficacy of the Spirit, in and by the Preaching of the Word;
Reply. 1. There is no cause of fear that Irreligion and Apostacy will break into Churches, if the Porter look well unto the D•ors of the Lords House, that no adult persons be received into personal Membership, but such as regularly approve their personal 〈…〉 for all Church-communion. O•, if such evils break into the Church, through the hypocrisie of such a creep in unawares, Jude, ve•. 4. yet then Christ lath left a clear and plain way to prevent and heal the same, by 〈…〉 such under the watch, and Discipline, and Government of the Church. But the admitting of such adult persons as are not qualified for Church communion in all Ordinances, will be found, in the issue, the cause of the breaking in of Irreligion and Apostacy into Churches, by the fault of men, who 〈…〉 without Christ, and receive such as he 〈…〉. Nor will the Churches censuring of such, prevent or heal those evils, seeing blesseth onely his own institutions, not 〈…〉 Devices. Humane Inventions usually cause the Evils which they pretend to cure; as we see in the Love-feasts, which brake love among the 〈…〉, 1 Cor. 11. 18—23. 2. Though no Church way is left by Christ for preventing or healing such evils in men that should not be of the Church; yet, if they were kept out of the Church; 〈…〉 their fitness of Communion should appear; as these evils, and the like, would not inevitably break into ⟨p. 16⟩Churches, so neither need any Church-members be let alone in their wickedness, seeing Christ hath delegated the Keys of the Kingdome of Heaven, to binde and loose, and Directions how to manage them toward delinquent Members that are orderly admitted into Church-communion, Mat. 16. 17,18,19. Nor need they, who are not thus joyned to the Church, be let alone, if the Authority in Families, and in the Common-wealth, be wisely and faithfully managed by the Rulers of both, to restrain those under their power from evil companies, and courses, and to constrain them to a constant reverent attendance to all Family-duties of Religion, and to the Word publickly Preached in Church-Assemblies, and to the Sanctifying of the Christian Sabbath, as a Day of holy Rest unto the Lord. Such means will be blessed of Christ, to the preventing of the out-breakings, and some of them to the healing of those evils Faith being wrought in their hearts, through the efficacy of the Spirit, in and by the Preaching of the Word;
