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

This may be done you know otherwise then by the tongue: This hath been an old dividing way, if we can blast the chief of a party, we shall do well enough with the rest, wherefore let us make as ill interpretations of what they do as possible we can; let us fasten as ill things upon them as we can have any colour or pretence for; let reports be raised, fomented and spread, whether they be true or no, it makes no matter, something will stick.¹ Jer. 20. 10. Report, say they, and we will report it; do but raise a report, let us be able to say we heard it, or there was a Letter writ about such a thing, and we will boldly assert it and divulge it; the very apprehension of it will prevail with many howsoever, these men shall not have that esteem in the hearts of men so generally as heretofore they have had, and if we once get down their esteem, we shall do well enough with their cause; if we can meet with any bold spirit that will venture to encounter with them in this, that will dare to take upon him to gather up, or make, or aggravate, or wrest reports, or do any thing that may render them otherwise in the thoughts and hearts of men then hitherto they have been, we shall break them, it is but one or two venturing the hard thoughts of men to make an experiment, some may be found fit for such a business, we will find out ways to encourage them; if their hearts begin to fail, we will apply warm clothes to them, we will one way or other support them; this must be done, or else whatsoever we do will be to no purpose; something or other must be found to serve our ends in this. Doth Moses prevail too much in the hearts of the people? something must be found against him; if we can find nothing against himself, yet we will find something against his wife, She is an Ethiopian woman, Numb. 12 1. and yet who was she but the daughter of Jethro, to whom he had been married many years before? for an Ethiopian and a Midianitish woman are all ⟨p. 161⟩one; but now we are resolved to pick out whatever we can get information of, though it be in things done many years since, when they were in the University, when they lived in such or such places in times of old, it will serve our turn, we may fasten it upon them,