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

For instance: The most of the persons whom the Papists now keep holy days for, were very religious godly people: And the zealous Religious people of that age, did think that the honouring of the memories of the Martyrs, was a great means to invite the infidels to Christianity, and to encourage the weak to stick to Christ: And therefore they kept the days of their martyrdom, in thanksgiving to God, and in honour of them. The wicked of that age hated and persecuted both the Martyrs and them that honoured them. In the next age Religion being uppermost in the world, the wicked did turn Hypocrites, and keep Holy days for the honour of their names whom their fore-fathers murdered. At last when it was observed that the Papists who burned the living Saints, were the greatest honourers of the dead, the most religious people turned quite to dislike and reject those very days, which their predecessors had set up in thanksgiving to God, for the doctrine, example and constancy of the Martyrs.

For instance: The most of the persons whom the Papists now keep holy dayes for, were very religious godly people: And the zealous Religious people of that age, did think that the honouring of the memories of the Martyrs, was a great means to invite the infidels to Christianity, and to encourage the weak to stick to Christ: And therefore they kept the dayes of their martyrdome, in thanksgiving to God, and in honour of them. The wicked of that age hated and persecuted both the Martyrs and them that honoured them. In the next age Religion being uppermost in the world, the wicked did turn Hypocrites, and keep Holy dayes for the honour of their names whom their fore-fathers murthered. At last when it was observed that the Papists who burned the living Saints, were the greatest honourers of the dead, the most religious people turned quite to dislike and reject those very dayes, which their predecessors had set up in thanksgiving to God, for the doctrine, example and constancy of the Martyrs.

The same all along I may say about the Relicts of Martyrs, and pilgrimages to their shrines, which the Religious sort begun at first, and loathe at last.