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

Even so when Satan findeth that he cannot directly destroy the Unity of the Church, and bring division into credit, he will be more zealous for unity than Christ himself: He will then endure no disagreement among Christians, no not in an opinion, nor a form, or ceremony; not in meats or drinks or keeping of days, or in judging of things lawful or unlawful, which are not of necessity to the Churches concord. He is either for Tolerating all propagation of Heresy and practise of wickedness, or else he is so much for Unity, that no difference almost is to be tolerated. For he well knoweth that while men are imperfect such differences will still be: And then if he can but persuade the world, that for Concord sake they must not be endured, what followeth but that the dissenters must be fined, imprisoned or banished to bring them (or the rest) to unity. And so he will se• all the world together by the ears, in cruelties and blood-shed, and in hating one another, and all under pretence of making them one. You may think that till mankind be all turned Bedlams, they can never be so cheated by such a gross deceit, nor ever guilty of so mad a work. But what will you say if this be the common case, of the far greatest part of the Christian world? And what will you ⟨p. 272⟩say further, if after above a thousand years universal experience of the unhappy success, they continue it still as the only way to unity and peace? Look but about you with opened eyes, and see whether it be not so.

Even so when Satan findeth that he cannot directly destroy the Unity of the Church, and bring division into credit, he will be more zealous for unity than Christ himself: He will then endure no disagreement among Christians, no not in an opinion, nor a form, or ceremony; not in meats or drinks or keeping of days, or in judging of things lawful or unlawful, which are not of necessity to the Churches concord. He is either for Tolerating all pr•pagation of Heresie and practise of wickedness, or else he is so much for Vnity, that no difference almost is to be tolerated. For he well knoweth that while men are imperfect such differences will still be: And then if he can but perswade the world, that for Concord sake they must not be endured, what followeth but that the dissenters must be fined, imprisoned or banished to bring them (or the rest) to unity. And so he will se• all the world together by the ears, in cruelties and blood-shed, and in hating one another, and all under pretense of making them one. You may think that till mankind be all turned Bedlams, they can never be so cheated by such a gross deceit, nor ever guilty of so mad a work. But what will you say if this be the common case, of the far greatest part of the Christian world? And what will you