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

The Authors I. Purpose, II. Reasons and III. Prognostics of this Book.

The Authors I. Purpose, II. Reasons and III. Prognosticks of this Book.

I. IT is none of the business of this Book to single out any one Party in the world, & to tell you by Application how far they are under the guilt of Schism: I meddle with the Cause, and leave each person to make application to himself. It is SIMPLE CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY which I plead for, and the Love and Unity and Concord which are its Ligaments and Essential parts. And it is a SECT as a SECT, and a FACTION as a faction, and not this or that Sect or Faction, which I detect and blame. Yet I doubt not but as in the same City there are the wise and the foolish, the sound and the sick, and in the same Army there are valiant men, and Cowards, so in the same Churches there are Christians of various degrees of Wisdom, Integrity and strength: And all men should earnestly desire to be of the wisest, the Holiest and the most fruitful sort, and not of ⟨image 3⟩the more erroneous, impure, or scandalous and unprofitable. And if the sick will make themselves a Party, and call the sound, the Adverse Party, I will endeavour to be one of a Party in that sense; and to obey God as exactly as I am able, and to worship him as spiritually and holily as I can, and to Love him with all my Mind, and Heart, and Strength, and lament that I can reach no higher, and do no more: And if any will call this by the name of Heresy or Schism, they shall see that I can avoid Heresy and Schism at as dear a rate, as enduring the Name and Imputation of that which I avoid. It is not the Name of a Schismatic that I am writing against, but the Thing, by whatever Name it is called. It is UNITY, LOVE and PEACE which I am pleading for: And it is DIVISIONS, HATRED and CONTENTION which I plead against: And it is the Hypocrisy of men which I detect, who betray Love, Unity and Peace by a Judas kiss; and will nor, or dare not openly renounce them, and defy them, but kill them with dissembling kindness: who cry them up, while they tread them down and follow peace with all men, that are not of their party, as the Dog followeth the Hare, to tear it in pieces and destroy it: Who fight for LOVE by making others