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

They are dangerously mistaken that think that Satan hath but one way to mens damnation. There are as many ways to Hell, as there be to the extinguishing of Love. And all tendeth unto this, which tendeth to hide or deny the Loveliness, that is, the Goodness, of them whom I must Love: much more that which representeth them as odious. And there are many pretences and ways to make my Neighbour seem unlovely to me: One doth it as effectually by unjust or unproved accusations of ungodliness, or saying, Their worship is Antichristian, formal, ridiculous, vain; as another doth by unjust and unproved accusations of Schism, Disobedience ⟨image 9⟩or Sedition. And they that love Godliness, may be tempted to cast off their love of their Neighbours, yea of the truly Godly, when they once believe that they are ungodly. And the white Devil is a Love-killer as well as the black. He is […] mortal an enemy to Love, who back biteth another, and saith, he is Profane, or he is an empty formalist, or he is a lukewarm temporizing complying man-pleaser] as he that saith [He is a peevish factious Hypocrite.] I am sure he was no Malignant, nor intended to gird at Godliness, nor to grieve good men, who told us that it is Satan's way to transform himself into an Angel of Light (that is, one that pretendeth to make higher motions for Light and for Religious strictness, than Christ himself doth;) and that his Ministers are sent forth by him as Ministers of Righteousness, 2 Cor. 11. 14, 15, 16. who will seem more Righteous, than the Preachers of truth. Satan will pretend to any sort of strictness, by which he can but mortify Love. If you can devise any such strictness of opinions, or exactness in Church orders, or strictness in worship, as will but help to kill mens love, and set the Churches in divisions, Satan will be your helper, and will be the strictest and exactest of you all: He will reprove ⟨image 10⟩Christ as a Sabbath breaker, and as a gluttonous person, and a Wine-bibber, and a friend (or Companion) of Publicans and Sinners, and as an enemy to Caesar too. We are not altogether ignorant of his wiles, as young unexperienced Christians are. You think when a wrathful envious heat is kindled in you against men for their faul••, that it is certainly a zeal of Gods exciting: But mark whether it have not more wrath than Love in it: