3. O that God would make you know what spirit you are of, and what you are doing! Alas, brother, will you leave England no hope of a Cure? What hope, while we are impenitent? What Repentance, while we justify our sins? Yea, while the Preachers teach the people to justify them,1 and become the defenders of the sins which they should preach against; and fight against their brethren that do but call m•n to •• p•nt: ⟨p. 88⟩What! is Godliness up, and in honour among us, while Repentance is down, as an intolerable abhorred thing! What a Godliness is that, which abhorreth Repentance? I am offended greatly with my own heart, that melteth not into tears over such lines as th•se, for England's sake▪ and for Religions sake; For the honour of God, and for the souls of men. Is that [a new Cause of separation] which hath been the Cause since the days of the Apostles to this day? Did ever man read the histories of the Schisms and Heresies of the Churches, and not find out this Cause, this old, this ordinary Cause? If you had remembered but what Socrates and Sozomene say of the Church of Alexandria alone, what contentions, what tumults, what blood-shed these weaknesses and faults of Christians caused, it might have told you, it is no new thing. O lamentable case of miserable England, that even among the zealouser sort of Ministers, any should be found, that either vindicateth all Christians from the charge of Ignorance and Injudiciousness! Or that thinketh these are no Causes, or no culpable Causes of divisions! That have no more acquaintance with the people of this land! And know no better them that they plead for! That such should seek to flatter poor souls in despite of that open light, and undeniable […] of all the Christian World! That in an age when the weaknesses and faults of Christians have wrought ⟨p. 89⟩such heinous effects among us, they should be denied! And when God by judgements hath so terribly summoned us to repent, by silencing, dissipations, imprisonments, reproaches, and most dreadful plagues and flames; alas, shall we call to professors that have ruined us by Ignorance and Injudiciousness (the gentlest names that their sin will bear) and say, Repent not Christians, you are not ignorant or injudicious;
3. O that God would make you know what spirit you are of, and what you are doing! Alas, brother, will you leave England no hope of a Cure? What hope, while we are impenitent? What Repentance, while we justifie our sins? Yea, while the Preachers teach the people to justifie them,1 and become the defenders of the sins which they should preach against; and fight against their brethren that do but call m•n to •• p•nt: ⟨p. 88⟩What! is Godliness up, and in honour among us, while Repentance is down, as an intolerable abhorred thing! What a Godliness is that, which abhorreth Repentance? I am offended greatly with my own heart, that melteth not into tears over such lines as th•se, for England's sake▪ and for Religions sake; For the honour of God, and for the souls of men. Is that [a new Cause of separation] which hath been the Cause since the daies of the Apostles to this day? Did ever man read the histories of the Schismes and Heresies of the Churches, and not find out this Cause, this old, this ordinary Cause? If you had remembred but what Socrates and Sozomene say of the Church of Alexandria alone, what contentions, what tumults, what blood-shed these weaknesses and faults of Christians caused, it might have told you, it is no new thing. O lamentable case of miserable England, that even among the zealouser sort of Ministers, any should be found, that either vindicateth all Christians from the charge of Ignorance and Injudiciousness! Or that thinketh these are no Causes, or no culpabie Causes of divisions! That have no more acquaintance with the people of this land! And know no better them that they plead for! That such should seek to flatter poor souls in despite of that open light, and undeniable 〈…〉 of all the Christian World! That in an age when the weaknesses and faults of Christians have wrought ⟨p. 89⟩such heinous effects among us, they should be denied! And when God by judgements hath so terribly summoned us to repent, by silencing, dissipations, imprisonments, reproaches, and most dreadful plagues and flames; alas, shall we call to professors that have ruined us by Ignorance and Injudiciousness (the gentlest names that their sin will bear) and say, Repent not Christians, you are not ignorant or injudicious;
