and upon their entertainment of every novel opinion to preach
separation! How hath God's word been stretched and torn to furnish
these men with arguments to tear churches! Have not our ears heard
those texts that say, "Come out from among them, and be separate,"
&c., and "Withdraw from every brother that walks disorderly?" I
say, have we not heard these texts that were written to prevent
disorder brought to countenance the greatest disorder that ever was
in the church of God, even schism and division? whereas one of these
exhortations was written to the church of Corinth to separate
themselves from the idol's temple, and the idol's table, in which
many of them lived in the participation of, notwithstanding their
profession of the true God; as appears, 2 Cor. vi. 1.6, 17, compared
with 1 Cor. viii. 7, and as 1 Cor. x. 14, 20, 22, recites; and not
for some few or more members, who shall make themselves both judges
and parties to make separation, when and as often as they please,
from the whole congregation and church of God, where they stood
related; for by the same rule, and upon the same ground, may others
start some new question among these new separatists, and become
their own judges of the communicableness of them, and thereupon make
another separation from these, till at last two be not left to walk
together. And for that other text mentioned, 2 Thess. iii. 6, where
Paul exhorts the church of Thessalonica to withdraw themselves from
every brother that walks disorderly; I cannot but wonder that any
should bring this to justify their separation or withdrawal from the
communion of a true (though a disorderly) church. For,

(1.) Consider, that this was not writ for a few members to withdraw
from the church, but for the church to withdraw from disorderly
members.