558 CHARACTER OF A SOUND, cutthstances between particular churches must be allowed without any breach of charity, or without disowning one another. And he that cannot be a member of one, particular church, may quietly join himself to another, 'without condemning that which he dis- senteth from, so far as to hinder his catholic communion with it, (even as among the Papists, men may be of which order, or of re- ligious persons theybest like, as long as they submit to their.gen- eral government.) And here the strong, judicious Christian, for his part, will never be guilty of church divisions. For, 1. 'he will make nothing necessary to church communion, which any sober, pious, peaceable minds shall have any just reason to except against, or which may not well be manifested to be for the edification of the church. 2. Andhe will bear with the weak dissenters so far as will stand with the peace and welfare of the church. E. And he will particularly give leave to such weak ones as cannot 'yet hold communion with him, being peaceable, and not promoting heresy, ungodliness, or sedition, to join to another church, where they can hold communion with peace to their own consciences ; as long as theycontinue their aforesaid catholic communion. For the strong know that they must not only bear with, but bear the " in- firmities of the weak, andnot to please themselves, but every one of them to please his neighbor for good to edification. For even Christ pleased riot himself." And so they will "receive_ one an- other, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God, not despising the weak, nor.-rejectigg them that God 'receiveth ;" Rom. xv.. 1-3. 7. xiv. 1 -4. 17, 18. And thus you may 'see how easy a matter it were to unite and reconcile all the Christian world, if the principles of the judicious, confirmed Christian might be received and prevail; and that it is not he that is the cause of the abundance of sin and calamity which divisions have caused and continued in the church. . But that which now seemeth an impossible thing, may quickly and easilybe accomplished if all were such as, he. And that the difficulty of reconciling and uniting Christians, .lieth not first in finding out the terms, but in making men fit to receive and practice the terms from the beginning received by the church- es. This is Lirinensis's Quod semper, ubique, et ab omnibus receptum est.;' supposing still that the magistrate e submitted to by every soul, even as he is the keeper of bot tables; Rom. xiii. 1 -3. 2. But the weak Christian is too easily tempted to be the di- vider of the church, by expecting 'that it be united upon his im- possible or unrighteous terms. Sometimes he will be orthodox overmuch, or rather wise in his own conceit, (Rom. xii. 16.) and then none are judged fit for his communion that be not of his opinion, in controverted doctrinals, (e. g. predestination, the man-
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