Irenicum, to the lovers of truth and peace heart-divisions opened in the causes and…

Their heart is divided between God and their Idols; They would not cast off the worship of God wholly, that was too much; they loved their Idols, but they must not have all: to divide between God and them they thought was fair. Their hearts were also divided one from another; and just it is with God, that those who divide from him, should divide one from another. 2 King. 15. you may see what woeful divisions there were amongst them, King against people, and people against King, Civill Wars. Their King comes upon one of their own Towns, and smites it, and rips up all the women that were with Child in it, and all because they opened not to him. O the rage and cruelty of men of proud spirits, when they get power into their hands! for then their pride swells, being blown up with the flatteries of such as are about them: As if they were such gods upon earth, as they might do whatsoever they pleased, and the lives, estates, liberties, comforts of all must lie under their feet, and must submit to their lusts and humours. You shall find further in the whole Chapter, there was nothing but conspiring, mischieving, and murdering one another. In their Church State there was nothing but factions and rents one from another; some were for ⟨p. 3⟩the true worship, some for the false. And amongst the false worshippers there were divisions too: Some were for the calves that Jeroboam set up at Dan and Bethel; some were for Baal: great contention there was between these. You know the story of Jehu an Idolater, yet destroying the worshippers of Baal and his Idols.

Their heart is divided between God and their Idols; They would not cast off the worship of God wholly, that was too much; they loved their Idols, but they must not have all: to divide between God and them they thought was faire. Their hearts were also divided one from another; and just it is with God, that those who divide from him, should divide one from another. 2 King. 15. you may see what wofull divisions there were amonst them, King against people, and people against King, Civill Wars. Their King comes upon one of their owne Towns, and smites it, and rips up all the women that were with Child in it, and all because they opened not to him. O the rage and cruelty of men of proud spirits, when they get power into their hands! for then their pride swells, being blown up with the flatteries of such as are about them: As if they were such gods upon earth, as they might doe whatsoever they pleased, and the lives, estates, liberties, comforts of all must lie under their feet, and must submit to their lusts and humours. You shall find further in the whole Chapter, there was nothing but conspiring, mischieving, and murthering one another. In their Church State there was nothing but factions and rents one from another; some were for