The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…

Yet the various degrees of the Grace of God, do certainly also make great variety of apprehensions. When God giveth to some those true ⟨p. 354⟩illuminations, those thirsting desires after truth, those heart-experiences, those delightful relishes, those powerful effects and victories, which he giveth not to others, they are made to differ & must needs have different apprehensions of such things. In which sense Christ saith, that he came not to send peace but division, that is, to be such an object, and preach so holy a doctrine, and give such grace, as would occasion divisions, by making his sanctified ones differ from the world, and occasioning the irritation of the worlds malignity.

Yet the various degrees of the Grace of God, do certainly also make great variety of apprehensions. When God giveth to some those true ⟨p. 354⟩illuminations, those •hirsting desires after truth, those heart-experiences, those delightful rel•shes, those powerful effects and victories, which he giveth not to others, they are made to differ & must needs have different apprehensions of such things. In which sense Christ saith, that he came not to send peace but division, that is, to be such an object, and preach so holy a doctrine, and give such grace, as would •ccasion divisions, by making his sanctified ones differ from the world, and occasioning the erritation of the worlds malignity.

And indeed the grand difference between the seed of the woman and of the serpent, the holy and the carnal seed, is that which is the root of the greatest and sorest divisions in the world; which will never be reconciled till Christ at the day of judgement shall say to one part, Come ye blessed, and to the other Go ye cursed: For the carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to his law, nor indeed can be (in sense compsito.)