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

they used no compulsive violence to force those who through weakness differed from them, to come up to their judgments or practice. Yes, It is also more tolerable in Papists, not to tolerate any difference in opinion or practice, because First, they believe they have an infallible Judg to decide all Controversies. 2ly. They hold implicit faith in the judgment of their Clergy, to be sufficient warrant to justify the belief or practice of the people, or of any particular man, and yet they suffer differences in opinions and practices amongst them; They have their several orders of their Monks, Priests, Friars, Jesuits, they differ very much one from the other, and yet agreeing in the root, they are suffered, supposing those two helps to union; they have an infallible Judg, and implicit faith; we have cause either to admire at their moderation in their mutual bearing one with another, or at the disquietness, the rigidness of spirits amongst us, who cannot bear with far lesser things in their brethren differing from them; for we profess, we know no such external in fallible Judg, upon whom we may depend; neither dare we warrant an implicit faith. We teach men, that every man must be persuaded in his own heart, must see the rule of his own actions, must give an account of his own way to God: now what can men that have the most gracious & peaceable spirits, you can imagine, do in such a case? Before they believe or do what their brethren believe or do, they must see the authority of the Word to ground their faith or actions; and for the present, ⟨p. 62⟩though sincerely willing to know Gods mind, and diligently laborious to search it out, yet they cannot see it: and yet according to this sour, rigid principle, they must be forced to it by violence, what is it but to command the full tale of brick to be brought in, where no straw can be had, if this be not? Straw might be had in Egypt by seeking for it; but here, after the most careful and painful seeking for it, yet it cannot be had.

they used no compulsive violence to force those who through weakness differed from them, to come up to their judgments or practice. Yes, It is also more tolerable in Papists, not to tolerate any difference in opinion or practice, because First, they believe they have an infallible Judg to decide all Controversies. 2ly. They hold implicite faith in the judgment of their Clergie, to be sufficient warrant to justifie the belief or practice of the people, or of any particular man, and yet they suffer differences in opinions and practices amongst them; They have their severall orders of their Monks, Priests, Friars, Jesuites, they differ very much one from the other, and yet agreeing in the root, they are suffered, supposing those two helps to union; they have an infallible Judg, and implicite faith; wee have cause either to admire at their moderation in their mutuall bearing one with another, or at the disquietness, the rigidness of spirits amongst us, who cannot bear with far lesser things in their brethren differing from them; for we professe, we know no such externall in fallible Judg, upon whom we may depend; neither dare we warrant an implicite faith. We teach men, that every man must be perswaded in his own heart, must see the rule of his own actions, must give an account of his own way to God: now what can men that have the most gracious & peaceable spirits, you can imagine, doe in such a case? Before they believe or do what their brethren believe or do, they must see the authority of the Word to ground their faith or actions; and for the present,