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

Secondly, And yet if we give up our selves to their conceits and humours, and forsake the way of truth or peace to keep their favour, it will prove the more dangerous extreme. I have before ⟨p. 393⟩noted the peril of Ministers and the Church by this temptation. The rawest and the rashest professors are commonly the most violent and censorious; And so ready to scorn and vilify the gravest wisest Pastors, who cross their opinions, that many honest Ministers have been overcome by the temptation; to forsake their own judgement, and to comply with the violent to escape their censures and contempt: But this is not the way to the Churches peace. It may prove a palliate cure for a time, to put by at the present some sudden inconvenience: But it prepareth for after troubles and confusions. First, it will make the rashest and indiscreetest people (which is usually the women and young men) to be the Governors of the Church: Whilst all their Teachers must humour them lest they displease them. Secondly, When you have followed them a little way, and think there to stop, you must follow them still further, and never can foresee the end: For that weakness and passion of theirs which crieth up one error to day, is pregnant with innumerable more; and may cry up more to morrow, and so on. And one error commonly draweth on more, and one miscarriage engageth them to another: And the last are usually the worst: And the same ends and reasons which made you go out of the way to please them, will make you still follow them, how far soever they go, unless you repent. Thirdly, And if you repent and leave them, it must cost you dearer than prevention would have done: And you might have at much cheaper rates, forsaken them just there where they forsook the ⟨p. 394⟩way of truth and peace. Fourthly, And you will by following the conduct of giddiness and passion, disadvantage your Ministry as to all the less zealous, and all the more sober and peaceable of the godly; And you will bring your selves into contempt with these, for your levity injudiciousness and instability: And so you will lose much more than you will get. Fifthly, And in the mean time you will be made but the vulgars instrument to do hurt:

Secondly, And yet if we give up our selves to their conceits and humours, and forsake the way of truth or peace to keep their favour, it will prove the more dangerous extream. I have before