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

When the young and ungrounded sort of Christians, do by their errors, pride or passions disturb the Churches peace & order, it is the Pastors usually that are first and most assaulted by their abuses, and therefore are most impatient and exasperated against them: And it were well if we were so innocent our selves, as that our consciences need not call us to enquire; whether all this be not partly the fruit of our own miscarriages. However seeing that both the eminency of our grace, and the nature of our office, should make us more sensible of the Churches dangers, and more solicitous of its safety, than the private members are; I think that the chief part of the Duty is incumbent upon us, which must be done in order to the prevention of these maladies, and to the cure. And therefore I think that the principal work of a Director or Counsellor in this case, must be with the Ministers of Christ themselves; The Churches peace lieth most upon our hands: And if we miscarry, and will not understand instruction, nor bear admonition, nor do our parts, how little hope will be left of our tranquility? The body must needs languish, when the Physician is as bad as the disease.

WHen the young and ungrounded sort of Christians, do by their errors, pride or passions disturb the Churches peace & orde, it is the Pastors usually that are first and most assaulted by their abuses, and therefore are most impatient and exasperated against them: And it were well if we were so innocent our selves, as that our consciences need not call us to enquire; whether all this be not partly the fruit of our own miscariages. However seeing that both the eminency of our grace, and the nature of our office, should make us more sensible of the Churches dangers, and more solicitous of its safety, than the private members are; I think that the chief part of the Duty is incumbent upon us, which must be done in order to the prevention of these maladies, and to the cure. And therefore I think that the principal work of a Director or Counsellor in this case, must be with the Ministers of Christ themselves; The Churches peace lieth most upon our hands: And if we miscarry, and will not understand instruction, nor bear admonition, nor do our parts, how little hope will be left of our tranquility? The body must needs languish, when the Physician is as bad as the disease.