The Preface. andbound to lay by theLove which 1 owe to all Chrifls mem- bers, or to deny the Communion of the Churches, which is bothmy Duty, and 1 am foreananvaluable Mercy. And I mufffay,that 1 havefeenmoreofthe Ancient Difciplineex- ercifed of late , without a Prelate, in fowe Parijb Church in England, than ever 1 taw or heard of exercifed by the Bithops in a thoufandlatch churches a'l mydayes. And it is not Names that are Ef ential to theChurch, nor that will fatisfte our expeEáations. We are for Bifhops in every Church; Andfor Orderfake, we wouldhave one to be the chief. We d.(like thole that dtf- obey them in lawful things, as wall as you. But let them have aflock that is capable oftheir perfonal Government , and thenwe fhall be ready to rebuke all thole that feparate from them, when we can fay as Cyprian (Epift.69, ad Pupian.) [ Omnis Eccle(ix populus colleítus eli, & adunatus, in individua concordia fibi jun us. Soli Loris reinanferint, qui etti intus eflént, ejiciendi fuerant Qui cum Epifcopo noneli, inEcclelìa non eft ( that is, in that particular Church.) Cyprian had a people that could all meet together to confuit or confent at legit about the Communion or Excommunication of the members. Epitt. 5 5, Cornel he tells Cornelius howhardthe people were to admit the lapfedor fcandalous upon their return ifthe mani- fefiation ofrepentance were not full. The Church with whom the perfon hadCommunion,was then it that had a Bi- fhop, and Was nogreater then to be capable of the Cogni. seanceof his caufe, andofreceiving fattsfaciion by his per- fonal penitence. Brethren ! (for foI will prefume to call you,whether you will or not) Some experience bath perfwaded me, that if we had hone ly and faithfully ¡opted in the praltice of fo much of Difcipltne, as all our principles require, it would have helped us to that experimental knowledge (by the blef- Q fing
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