Catholic unity, or, The only way to bring us all to be of one…Catholick vnity, or, The only way to bring us all to be of one…

But now if you had all but so much wit and grace, as to meet together and make an Agreement, that you will All be a holy people to the Lord, and you will All join together in a godly life, and you will All be the sworn professed enemies of the way to Hell, and join together against your Ignorance, and Pride, and Covetousness, and Drunkenness, and Swearing, and Railing, and all Profaneness and Iniquity; and if you would All agree together, to set up prayer, and reading, and holy exercises in every house in Town and Parish, and that you will all redeem the time for your souls, especially that you will wholly spend the Lords day in the necessary delightful work of God; then what abundance of your difficulties would be ⟨p. 166⟩removed? and how easy and pleasant would the way to heaven be! Then there would be none to discourage poor ignorant souls, by deriding at a godly life; nor none to entice them to wicked courses, nor none to tempt them by their ill examples; and the number of the godly would encourage men, as the fewness of them now discourageth. Th•s troubleth men in the•r passage to Heaven, when we are ill-yoked together, and one draws backward as the other draws forward: and if the husband be for God, the wife is for the world; or if the wife be for Heaven, the husband will needs go the way to Hell and if one neighbour be godly, the two, if not ten or twenty next him will be ungodly: And as the Israelites spies, they raise up false reports of the Land, of the state of godliness, and of the persons themselves, to discourage others: ⟨p. 167⟩whereas if you would all agree together, you might march on comfortably without all this ado.

But now if you had all but so much wit and grace, as to meet together and make an Agreement, that you will All be a holy people to the Lord, and you will All joyn together in a godly life, and you will All be the sworn professed enemies of the way to Hell, and joyn together against your Ignorance, and Pride, and Covetousness, and Drunkenness, and Swearing, and Railing, and all Profaneness and Iniquity; and if you would All agree together, to set up prayer, and reading, and holy exercises in every house in Town and Parish, and that you will all redeem the time for your souls, especially that you will wholly spend the Lords day in the necessary delightful work of God; then what abundance of your difficulties would be