CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

1. Because fortitude and strength is in Unity, Vis unita fortior, A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand, saith our Saviour; When one piece of the Wall divides from the other it foretells ruin; As that Heathen to his Sons, giving them a Quiver of Arrows, intimating thereby as long as they agreed they were invincible: All the united power of the Church is little enough against their common enemies, and shall they weaken themselves.

1. Because fortitude and strength is in Ʋnity, Vis unita fortior, A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand, saith our Saviour; When one peice of the Wall divides from the other it foretels ruine; As that Heathen to his Sonnes, giving them a Quiver of Arrows, intimating thereby as long as they agreed they were invincible: All the united power of the Church is little enough against their common enemies, and shall they weaken themselves.

2. As Unity strengthens, so it opposeth the Enemy more successfully, which is the devil and all his Instruments; What is there that the Popish adversary doth more insult with, then to upbraid with the divers Sects that are among the Protestants, for although we can retort and tell them of their divisions, and that in fundamental Points, yet it is our shame and grief that such a charge is in some measure true, though not in that height the Adversaries do revile, for none of the Reformed differ in Fundamentals; As for the Socinians though they do vehemently oppose Popery, yet we take not them to be of the Reformed Church, who overthrow the Foundations of our Christian Religion; But this is certain, The Protestant differences give advantage to the Papists, thereby they gain upon unsettled persons; Look you, say they, they have no certainty among themselves, They know not where to stay, The Lutheran spirit judgeth the Calvinistical, diabolical; And thus unconstant, inconsiderate persons look upon this as a great Argument against the Truth, whereas even in the Apostles times the Church of God had sad divisions amongst themselves, as 1 Cor. 3. Oh then let us bewail the corruption of the best, that they should be so far transported with passion as to neglect the Truths of God by giving advantage to the common adversary.