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

The right understanding of this takes away a great prejudice that many have against such as desire to keep to Divine Institutions, not only in Substantials, but in the Circumstantials of worship; they think it an unreasonable thing, that divine Institution should be required for every circumstance in worship; this hath bred a great quarrel in the church: and well may it be thought unreasonable, if we required Institutions for circumstances in worship, which are but natural or civill helps, and have no worship at all in them, for that indeed were endless, and a mere vanity. Certainly Institutions are to be required only in things that are raised beyond what is in them naturally, in tendering my respects to God by them, or expecting to draw my heart nearer to God, or God nearer to me in the use of them. The contention about Uniformity is much increased for want of a right understanding of this difference in the circumstantials of worship; did we understand one another in this, we might soon have Peace as concerning this thing.

The right understanding of this takes away a great prejudice that many have against such as desire to keep to Divine Institutions, not onely in Substantials, but in the Circumstantials of worship; they thinke it an unreasonable thing, that divine Institution should be required for every circumstance in worship; this hath bred a great quarrel in the church: and well may it be thought unreasonable, if we required Institutions for circumstances in worship, which are but naturall or civill helps, and have no worship at all in them, for that indeed were endlesse, and a meer vanity. Certainly Institutions are to be required onely in things that are raised beyond what is in them naturally, in tendring my respects to God by them, or expecting to draw my heart nearer to God, or God nearer to me in the use of them. The contention about Uniformity is much encreased for want of a right understanding of this difference in the circumstantialls of worship; did we understand one another in this, wee might soon have Peace as concerning this thing.

In these latter sorts of circumstances we must also distinguish. There are some that must of necessity be determined, as time and place; it is therefore necessary, there should be an uniformity in these, in all the members of every society respectively, that they agree to meet in the same place, at the same time, natural necessity requires this: but natural necessity requires not the binding of several Churches to Uniformity in things of this kind. The urging Uniformity beyond the rule in such things, hath in all ages caused woeful divisions in the Church. Eusebius tells of Victor, Bishop of Rome, about two hundred years after Christ, broke off communion