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Golpel 12enqsiora.

109

them

out,

fuck

as

creep

in

unawares fhould

be

kept out.

Ma.

ny cry

out,

they will not

have

communion

with any Church

,

becaufe

there

are

fome

wicked

men in

it

;

and

others

fay

,

while there

is

a

Church

on

Earth,

the

tares

will

be

among

the

corn,

and chaff will

be

among the wheat :.

be

not

deceived

,

I

know none

in

the

world that

does

think

there

is

any

Con-

gregation

fo pure,

but

that

tome

ungodly

one may

creep in-

to

it

:

but confider,

to

have

forne evil ones in

the Church

is

one

thing,

and

the

Church to

have

power to

cart

them

out,

that

is

another

thing 'tis

true,

they

will

creep into

the

Church,

but

when they are crept

in,

and appear

to

be

ungod-

ly

ones, we mutt do

our

duty

;

tell

them

of

their faults,

and

if

they

will not

hear us,

.

we muff tell it

to the Church and

if

the

Church

have

power

and

will

not deal

with them

,

it

need not at all

hinder our

communicating

with them

:

but

here

lies

the

cafe,

Whether

we fhould-

withdraw,

becaufe

e-

vil ones

are among

them?

or,

Whether

we can

joyn with

that

Church

wherein

there

is

no

power to

keep them

out,

and after

they are

crept

in

to caft

them

out

?

they

will

creep

into

the

Church,

they

came

in unawares

;

but

the

ftate

of

the

Church

fhould

be

fuch,

that

they

fhould

fuffer

no

evil

men

to

come

in,

and

if

they

do

come

in,

it

is

unawares

to

the Church,

by

making

a

Profeffion

of

Religion

;

for

the

Church

can

go no

further

than

what

does

outwardly

appear

unto

them

:

if

men

make a Profeffion

of

Religion,

and have

a

converfation agreeable to

it,

the

Church

can

go no

further

;

but

for

a

Church to

admit

all,if

they

be

no

fwearers, no adulterers

,

or

grofs livers

in

any

other

fin,

although

they

make

no

Profef-

fion

;

nay,if

they do

but

hire

a

Houfe in

the

Parith,

it

is

enough

to

make

them members

of the

Church,

and

when

they

are

in,

there

is

no

power to

caft

them

out

;

and

if

a

power

heretof

ire

,

the

remedy

was

worfe than

the

difeafe

;

it

was fuch

a

power

as

was never

ordained

of God

:

Whether

we

fhould

joyn with

fuch a

Church or

no

;

or

whether

we

fhould

withdraw

,

be-

caufe

there

is

fome evil ones

among

them

is

qu-2ffi bnuble

?:

furely none

can imagine

there fhould

be fuch

a

pure

Church

in

the

world,

as

that

thereefhoul

htazch

tares

admit

of

none

But

if

there be

a

power in

P

3y

but