The nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of their judgment in certain things…

LV. The Distance of Doctrines or Objective Religion must be distinguished from the passion and peevishness, of subjective distance of mens minds, e. g. Suppose Grammarians differ about a Criticism (whether Vergilius or Virgilius) be the truer spelling; and Philosophers differ de vacuo, de definitione spatii, temporis, &c. de causa motus projectorum, &c. and Divines differ of the translation of a Text, of the antiquity of the Hebrew points, of the time of Easter day, of a Ceremony, or Form of Prayer, of the lawfulness of a Lay-Chancellors use of the Church-Keys; Would not an impartial stranger say, How concordant and happy are these men, that differ in no greater matters? And if they all fall together by the ears about such things as these, it is an aggravated Subjective Schism, and a shame to such wranglers, who deserve the remedy of scolds: But sure they that peaceably and calmly differ about the aforesaid things, viz. whether we are bound to Love God once a year? whether the Pope may excommunicate and depose Kings, that will not extirpate all Protestants. Whether an excommunicate King may be murdered as no King, &c? these are far more distant really in point of Religion, than the other.

LVI. And we must lament that we find in Church-History, and by too much experience, that there hath been, and is in too many Pastors, such a selfishness and high esteem of their own judgments, and so little sense of the common weakness of mankind, and the lowness of our ⟨p. 93⟩highest degrees of knowledge, and so little Love to others as to themselves, that by envy and impatience, they raise or increase Schisms in the Church, by making a causeless outcry against Schism, or making little differences seem great: They that cannot bear with Persons and Congregations, who in little matters differ from them, because they prefer some other Teacher before them, and say somewhat against their opinions or ways, do condemn themselves while they cry down Schismatics, and seem not to know what manner of spirit they are of: The Wisdom from above is first pure, and then peaceable, and gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and hypocrisy; and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by peace-makers: But if there be envying and strife, it is infernal wisdom, earthly, sensual and devilish, introducing confusion, and every evil work, whether it be found in Factions, Contentions, Antichurches and Heretics, or in those that can bear with no Dissenters, nor receive them that are weak in the faith, but make things unnecessary, and their own conceits and wills the measure of mens liberties and their censures. He that would pursue all as Rebels in a Kingdom, who interpret not every Law alike, would more divide the Kingdom, than all mens different expositions now do.