More proofs of infants church-membership and consequently their right to baptism, or, A second…

§. 6. Therefore that which hath undone the Churches peace is, that too many Teachers, being themselves too forward to controversies, have too hastily drawn in their people into their quarrels, and cast such bones before them in books and pulpits instead of food, which break their teeth and set them together by the ears instead of nourishing them. And so one mans hearers ⟨p. 291⟩are taught to dispute for this sort of Government, and another's for that sort; one mans for free-will and another's against it; when perhaps neither they nor the master of the quarrel can tell you what it is? and so of an hundred more such like. The honest hearers when they should be digesting the ancient Christian doctrine, and learning to increase in Love to God and man, and to practise a holy and a heavenly life, and prepare for a comfortable death, and happy eternity by a Living faith and hope, are taught that if they be not zealots for this opinion or that, for Anabaptistry, for separation, &c. if they pray by a book, or if they join with those that hold such things as they hear called by odious frightful names, they are not then right zealous Christians, but corrupt or compliers or lukewarm; And thus each Church is made a miserable Church-militant, and trained up to war against each other.

§. 6. Therefore that which hath undone the Churches peace is, that too many Teachers, being themselves too forward to controversies, have too hastily drawn in their people into their quarrels, and cast such bones before them in books and pulpits instead of food, which break their teeth and set them together by the ears instead of nourishing them. And so one mans hearers ⟨p. 291⟩are taught to dispute for this sort of Government, and anothers for that sort; one mans for free-will and anothers against it; when perhaps neither they nor the master of the quarrel can tell you what it is? and so of an hundred more such like. The honest hearers when they should be digesting the ancient Christian doctrine, and learning to increase in Love to God and man, and to practise a holy and a heavenly life, and prepare for a comfortable death, and happy eternity by a Living faith and hope, are taught that if they be not zealots for this opinion or that, for Anabaptistry, for separation, &c. if they pray by a book, or if they joyn with those that hold such things as they hear called by odious frightful names, they are not then right zealous Christians, but corrupt or complyers or lukewarm; And thus each Church is made a miserable Church-militant, and trained up to war against each other.