When Men fall into several Parties,1 burning in Zeal against each other, abating charity, censuring and condemning one another, backbiting and reviling each other, through envy and strife; when they look strangely on each other, as being of several sides, as if they were not Children of the same Father, nor Members of the same Body, or as if Christ were divided, one being of Paul, and another of Apollo, &c. and every one of a Faction, letting out their thoughts in jealousies and evil surmises of each other, perverting the words and actions of each to an ugly sense; and snatching occasions to present one another as fools, or odious to the hearers (as if you should plainly say, I pray you hate, or despise these People, whom I hate and despise:) This is the core of the Plague sore, it is Schism in the bud. S. 16. When People in the same Church do gather into private Meetings, not under the guidance of their Pastors, to edify one another in holy exercises, in love and peace, but in opposition to their lawful Pastors, or ⟨p. 63⟩to one another, to propagate their single opinions, and increase their Parties, and speak against those that are not on their side, Schism is then ready to increase and multiply, and the Swarm is ready to come forth, and be gone. S. 17. When these People actually depart, and renounce or forsake the communion of the Church, and cast off their faithful Pastors, and draw into a separated Body by themselves, and choose them Pastors, and call themselves a Church, and all without any just, sufficient cause; when thus Churches are gathered out of Churches, before the old ones are dissolved, or they have any warrant to depart; when thus Pastor is set up against Pastor, Church against Church, and Altar against Altar, this is Schism ripe and fruitful, the Swarm is gone and hived in another place. S. 19. If they shall also judge that Church to be no Church from which they separated, and so cut off a part of the Body of Christ by an unrighteous Censure, and condemn the innocent, and usurp Authority over their Guides; this is Disobedience and Uncharitableness, with Schism. A true Christian that hateth Fornication, Drunkenness, Lying, Perjury, because forbidden in the Word of God, will hate Divisions also, which are so frequently and vehemently forbidden, Jo. 17. 21, 22. Ro. 14. throughout. Ro. 15. 12. 1 Cor. 1. 10. Eph. 4. 1, 2, &c. 1 Cor. 12. Phil. 3. 15.
When Men fall into several Parties,1 burning in Zeal against each other, abating charity, censuring and condemning one another, backbiting and reviling each other, through envy and strife; when they look strangely on each other, as being of several sides, as if they were not Children of the same Father, nor Members of the same Body, or as if Christ were divided, one being of Paul, and another of Apollo, &c. and every one of a Faction, letting out their thoughts in jealousies and evil surmises of each other, perverting the words and actions of each to an ugly sense; and snatching occasions to present one another as fools, or odious to the hearers (as if you should plainly say, I pray you hate, or despise these People, whom I hate and despise:) This is the core of the Plague sore, it is Schism in the bud. S. 16. When People in the same Church do gather into private Meetings, not under the guidance of their Pastors, to edifie one another in holy exercises, in love and peace, but in opposition to their lawful Pastors, or ⟨p. 63⟩to one another, to propagate their single opinions, and increase their Parties, and speak against those that are not on their side, Schism is then ready to increase and multiply, and the Swarm is ready to come forth, and be gon. S. 17. When these People actually depart, and renounce or forsake the communion of the Church, and cast off their faithful Pastors, and draw into a separated Body by themselves, and choose them Pastors, and call themselves a Church, and all without any just, sufficient cause; when thus Churches are gathered out of Churches, before the old ones are dissolved, or they have any warrant to depart; when thus Pastor is set up against Pastor, Church against Church, and Altar against Altar, this is Schism ripe and fruitful, the Swarm is gone and hived in another place. S. 19. If they shall also judge that Church to be no Church from which they separated, and so cut off a part of the Body of Christ by an unrighteous Censure, and condemn the innocent, and usurp Authority over their Guides; this is Disobedience and Uncharitableness, with Schism. A true Christian that hateth Fornication, Drunkenness, Lying, Perjury, because forbidden in the Word of God, will hate Divisions also, which are so frequently and vehemently forbidden, Jo. 17. 21, 22. Ro. 14. throughout. Ro. 15. 12. 1 Cor. 1. 10. Eph. 4. 1, 2, &c. 1 Cor. 12. Phil. 3. 15
