A survey of the summe of church-discipline. Wherein the vvay of the churches of New-England is warranted out of the vvord, and all exceptions of weight, which are made against it, answered : whereby also it will appear to the judicious reader, that something more must be said, then yet hath been, before their principles can be shaken, or they should be unsetled in their practice. / By Tho. Hooker, late pastor of the church at Hartford upon Connecticott in N.E.

Answer.

The consequence is to be denied, as no way sutable to the rule of truth, as it hath appeared at large in the former enquiry, and this one thing is also enough to make it palpable. I am bound by that divine command to keep many brethren from danger, with whom I occasionally meet with once or twice in my life: and therefore can relieve them no more: Am I there∣fore bound by my office to watch no more, nor lend no further relief to such as be committed to my care? Will it go for good pay at our appearance before Christ, to say, I am bound by of∣fice to watch no more over the people left to my care and custo∣dy, then I am bound as a Christian to be my brothers keeper, in a Classis or Province? Many of them I could never see, or very seldome lend any succour unto in all my life: Therefore I am bound to doe no more to those that are under my charge: If I occasionally meet with them, to doe good occasionally to them, but never to bestow my time and strength constantly to attend their comfort, to binde up the broken, to recall those that go a∣stray, and to heal and help the feeble. The second Reason comes out of the same mint, and in form its thus.