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

Sixthly, when our profession will cause public disturbance, and that to the godly, the disturbance of mens corruptions who will oppose out of malice, is not much to be regarded. When it was told Christ the Pharisees were offended, he cared not for it, but he made a great matter of the offence of any of his little ones. When men who love the truth as well as we, shall not only be against what we conceive truth, but shall be offended, and that generally at it; if we have discharged our own consciences by declaring as we are called to it what we conceive the mind of God, we should sit down quietly, and not continue in a way of public offence and disturbance to the Saints. The rule of the Apostle will come in here, Let the spirit of the Prophets be subjects to the Prophets: we should wait till God will some other way, or at some other time have that prevail in their hearts and consciences of his people which we conceive to be truth, and they are now so much offended at. There could never be peace continued in the Church, if every man must continually, upon all occasions, have liberty openly to make profession of what he apprehends to be a truth; never have done with it, though the Church, which is faithful, and desires unfeignedly to honour Christ and his truth, be never so much against it.

Sixtly, when our profession will cause publick disturbance, and that to the godly, the disturbance of mens corruptions who will oppose out of malice, is not much to be regarded. When it was told Christ the Pharisees were offended, he cared not for it, but he made a great matter of the offence of any of his little ones. When men who love the truth as well as wee, shall not only be against what we conceive truth, but shall be offended, and that generally at it; if we have discharged our own consciences by declaring as we are called to it what we conceive the mind of God, we should sit down quietly, and not continue in a way of publique offence and disturbance to the Saints. The rule of the Apostle will come in here, Let the spirit of the Prophets be subjects to the Prophets: wee should wait till God will some other way, or at some other time have that prevaile in their hearts and consciences of his people which we conceive to be truth, and they are now so much offended at. There could never be peace continued in the Church, if every man must continually, upon all occasions, have liberty openly to make profession of what he apprehends to be a truth; never have done with it, though the Church, which is faithfull, and desires unfeignedly to honour Christ and his truth, be never so much against it.