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

IT is marvellous to observe this partial dance: But Church-History may convince the understanding Reader, that so it hath been, and so it is; First, the zeal of some holy persons doth at first break forth in some lawful, and in some indiscreet and unwarrantable expressions. Secondly, the malignant enemies of Godliness, hate and oppose these expressions, for the sake of the persons and the zeal expressed. 3. When they are dead, God performing ⟨p. 279⟩his promise, that the memory of the just shall be blessed, Prov. 10. 7. The carnal party of that age as wel• as others, do honour those whom their fore-fathers hated and murdered. Math. 23. 29, 30. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because ye build the tombs of the Prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our Fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets: Wherefore ye be witnesses to your selves, that ye are the children of them which killed the Prophets: Fill you up then the measure of your fathers. The wicked of one generation kill Gods servants, and the wicked of the next Generation do honour their names, and celebrate their memorial: The reason is because, it is the Life of Godliness, which the sinner is troubled with and hateth: And therefore it is the living saint whom he abhorreth. But the name and form of Godliness is less troublesome to him, yea and may be useful to make him a Religion of, to quiet his conscience in his sin: And therefore the name of dead saints he can honour, and the form of their worship, and corps of piety he can own. And having become so Religious, both his former enmity to living holiness; and his carnal zeal for his Image of Religion, engage him to make a stir for it; and persecute those that are not of his way. And when the zealous and devout people of that age see this; they loath that carcass or Image which the formalist contendeth for, and many •lye from it with too great abhorrence for the persons sake who now esteems it; forgetting its original, and that it was such as they, that set it up, and were the first inventers.

IT is marvellous to observe this partial dance: But Church-History may convince the understanding Reader, that so it hath been, and so it is; First, the zeal of some holy persons doth at first break forth in some lawful, and in some indiscreet and unwarrantable expressions. Secondly, the malignant enemies of Godliness, hate and oppose these expressions, for the sake of the persons and the zeal exprest. 3. When they are dead, God performing