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

And in this dividing work, the Devil doth as make-bates do, who first goes to one man and tell him a tale what such a one said against him, and what a dangerous person he is, and then go to the other and say as much of the first to him: So the Devil saith to the Presbyterian, O take heed of the Independents! and to the Independents, Take heed of these Presbyterians; To the Anabaptist he suggesteth, Avoid these Protestants: Take heed of them, for they Baptize infants: And to the Protestants he saith, Take heed of these Anabaptists, for they are against baptizing any till they come to full age: To one he saith, Away from that Church, or think not those persons to ⟨p. 72⟩be religious; for they pray by the book: And to the other he saith, Take heed of those people, as whimsical and proud, and brainsick fanatics; for they pray without-book by the Spirit. To one sort he saith, Take heed of those people, for they wear a Surplice, or Kneel at the Sacrament, or answer the Priests in the Responses of the Common-prayer: To the other he saith, Take heed of these disobedient, stubborn, self-conceited people that will sit at the Sacrament, and will not conform to the orders of the Church. I am not now minding whose opinion is right or wrong, among all these parties, or any like them; But how charitable to your souls the Devil is, when he would destroy your charity and your souls; and how piously and kindly he would have you take heed when he would lead you to perdition: and how great a Reformer he will be, if he may but do it by Dividing.

And in this dividing work, the Devil doth as make-bates do, who first goes to one man and tell him a tale what such a one said against him, and what a dangerous person he is, and then go to the other and say as much of the first to him: So the Devil saith to the Presbyterian, O take heed of the Independents! and to the Independents, Take heed of these Presbyterians; To the Anabaptist he suggesteth, Avoid these Protestants: Take heed of them, for they Baptize infants: And to the Protestants he saith, Take heed of these Anabaptists, for they are against baptizing any till they come to full age: To one he saith, Away from that Church, or think not those persons to ⟨p. 72⟩be religious; for they pray by the book: And to the other he saith, Take heed of those people, as whimsical and proud, and brainsick fanaticks; for they pray without-book by the Spirit. To one sort he saith, Take heed of those people, for they wear a Surplice, or Kneel at the Sacrament, or answer the Priests in the Responses of the Common-prayer: To the other he saith, Take heed of these disobedient, stubborn, selfconceited people that will sit at the Sacrament, and will not conform to the orders of the Church. I am not now minding whose opinion is right or wrong, among all these parties, or any like them; But how charitable to your souls the Devil is, when he would destroy your charity and your souls; and how piously and kindly he would have you take heed when he would lead you to perdition: and how great a Reformer he will be, if he may but do it by Dividing.