trate. To which hurtful extreme, nothing has
more contributed than the abuse of church power, by such as suffer their
passion and private interests to prevail with them, to carry it to
outward force and corporal punishment: a practice they have been taught
to dislike, by their extreme sufferings, as well as their known principle
for a universal liberty of conscience.

On the other hand, they equally dislike an independency in society:--an
unaccountableness, in practice and conversation, to the rules and terms
of their own communion, and to those that are the members of it. They
distinguish between imposing any practice that immediately regards faith
or worship, which is never to be done or suffered, or submitted unto; and
requiring Christian compliance with those methods that only respect
church-business in its more civil part and concern; and that regard the
discreet and orderly maintenance of the character of the society as a
sober and religious community. In short, what is for the promotion of
holiness and charity, that men may practise what they profess, live up to
their own principles, and not be at liberty to give the lie to their own
profession without rebuke, is their use and limit of church power. They
compel none to them, but oblige those that are of them to walk suitably,
or they are denied by them: that is all the mark they set upon them, and
the power they exercise, or judge a Christian society can exercise, upon
those that are members of it.

The way of their proceeding against such as have lapsed or transgressed,
is this. He is visited by some of them, and the matter of fact laid home
to him, be it any evil practice against known and general virtue, or any
branch of their particular testimony, which he, in common, professeth
with them. They labour with him in much love and zeal, for the good of
his soul, the honour of God, and reputation of their profession, to own
his fault and condemn it, in as ample a manner as the evil or scandal was
given by him; which, for the most part, is performed by some written
testimony under the party's hand: and if it so happen, that the party
prove refractory, and is not willing to clear the truth they profess,
from the reproach of his or her evil doing or unfaithfulness, they, after
repeated entreaties and due waiting for a token of repentance, give forth
a paper to disown such a fact, and the party offending: recording the
same as a testimony of their care for the