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…

9. Moreover, if we could but ⟨p. 254⟩all Agree in the Spirit of Holiness, We should then overcome that pride and self-conceitedness, that breaks our peace, and raiseth errors, and puts us into dissentions. What makes us all so hardly to Agree, and to be of so many minds and ways, but that every man naturally is proud and self-conceited, and wise in his own eyes, and confident of every fancy of his own? All his own Reasons seem strong to him: and Gods own Reasons do seem unreasonable to him: And can we ever agree with such men as these, that think themselves wiser then God and Scripture, and dare prefer the very folly of their own muddy brains, before the word and wisdom of their Maker? Give these men as plain Scripture and Reason as you will, they have more wit (as they think) then to believe you; and what they want in Reason, they have in Pride and Self-conceit; and ⟨p. 255⟩therefore your wisdom is folly to them. But now when the Spirit of Holiness comes, it takes them down, and abaseth and humbleth the proud and self-conceited, and makes them ashamed of the folly and weakness of their own understandings, so that a man may speak to them now as to men of reason, and have a hearing and consideration of his words. A humble godly man is low in his own eyes; and therefore suspicious of his own understanding, in doubtful things; and therefore is more flexible and yielding to the truth; when others are so stiffened by Pride, that they are readier to deride the wisest that shall contradict them: If therefore we could but all Agree in Holy meekness and humility, what readier way could there be in the world, to draw to an end of our differences and divisions!

9. Moreover, if we could but ⟨p. 254⟩all Agree in the Spirit of Holiness, We should then overcome that pride and self-conceitedness, that breaks our peace, and raiseth errors, and puts us into dissentions. What makes us all so hardly to Agree, and to be of so many minds and ways, but that every man naturally is proud and self-conceited, and wise in his own eyes, and confident of every fancy of his own? All his own Reasons seem strong to him: and Gods own Reasons do seem unreasonable to him: And can we ever agree with such men as these, that think themselves wiser then God and Scripture, and dare prefer the very folly of their own muddy brains, before the word and wisdom of their Maker? Give these men as plain Scripture and Reason as you will, they have more wit (as they think) then to believe you; and what they want in Reason, they have in Pride and Self-conceit; and