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Note 20.—No church is obliged to receive a person to membership, simply because he brings a valid letter from another church. Each church is to be sole judge of the qualifications of persons to be received to its fellowship.

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church discipline

Church-members are supposed to be regenerate persons bearing the image and cherishing the spirit of Christ, in whom the peace of God rules, and who walk and work in “the unity of the Spirit, and the bond of peace.” But unhappily, even the saints are sanctified only in part, and troubles sometimes arise among brethren. The evil passions of even good men may triumph over piety, and partisan strife may destroy the peace and the prosperity of the body of Christ. All this should, if possible, be avoided. Corrective discipline seeks to heal offenses; but it is better to prevent them, than to heal them. It is, however, better to heal and remove, than to endure them.

Now these offenses and occasions of dissension in the churches arise from various causes, and are largely preventable. Most frequently they come by the following means: