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

THE Mystical Church indeed hath none but true Saints. But the Visible Church containeth multitudes of Hypocrites; who profess themselves to be what they are not: They profess to believe in God, while they neglect him; and to be ruled by God, while they disobey him, and are ruled by their lusts: They profess to Love God and forsake the world, whilst they love the world, and God is not in all their thoughts: They profess to love the holy Scriptures, whilst they neglect them and love not the holiness of their precepts. They profess to believe in Jesus Christ, whilst their hearts neglect his grace and government. They profess to believe in the holy Spirit, and to hold the Communion of Saints in the Catholic Church; whilst they resist the Spirit, and love not Saints. All this showeth that they are Hypocrites. But abundance of Hypocrites are in the Visible Church. Nay, God would have no Hypocrites cast out, but those who bewray their hypocrisy by impenitency in proved Heresy or gross sin.

THE Mystical Church indeed hath none but true Saints. But the Visible Church containeth multitudes of Hypocrites; who profess themselves to be what they are not: They profess to believe in God, while they neglect him; and to be ruled by God, while they disobey him, and are ruled by their lusts: They profess to Love God and forsake the world, whilest they love the world, and God is not in all their thoughts: They profess to love the holy Scriptures, whilest they neglect them and love not the holiness of their precepts. They profess to believe in Jesus Christ, whilest their hearts neglect his grace and government. They profess to believe in the holy Spirit, and to hold the Communion of Saints in the Catholick Church; whilest they resist the Spirit, and love not Saints. All this sheweth that they are Hypocrites. But abundance of Hypocrites are in the Visible Church. Nay, God would have no Hypocrites cast out, but those who bewray their hypocrisie by impenitency in proved Heresie or gross sin.

We must not model the Church of Christ according ⟨p. 34⟩to our private fancies: We are not the Lords of it, nor are we sit or worthy to dispose of it Look into the Scripture, and take it for the Rule, and see there of what manner of persons the Visible Church hath been constituted in all ages of the world till now. In the first Church in Adams family, a Cain, was the first born member, and so continued, till he was excommunicated for the murder of his brother. In a Church of eight persons who were saved out of all the world, the Father and Pastor was overtaken with gross drunkenness, and one of his sons was a cursed Ham. In a Church of six persons saved from the wickedness of Sodom, two of them (Lot's sons in law) perished in the flames among the unbelievers: a third was turned into a pillar of salt: the Father and Pastor was drunk two nights together, after the sight of such a terrible miracle, and after so strange a deliverance to himself: and committed incest twice in his drunkenness: The two that remained (his daughters) caused his drunkenness purposely and committed incest with him. In the Church in Abraham's family, there was an Ishmael: And in the Church in Isaacs family there was an Esau: and even Rebekah and Jacob guilty of deceitful equivocation: And Abraham and Isaac denied their wives to save themselves in their unbelief. In Jacob's family was a Simeon and Levi, who murdered multitudes under a pretence of Religion, and under the cover of false deceit: And almost all his sons moved with envy, sold their brother Joseph for a slave; and some were hardly kept from murdering him: And his daughter Dinah was defiled