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

4. These divisions cause men to make the gifts of others useless to themselves, whereas God puts opportunity into mens hands, to get much good by those excellent gifts their Brethren have, yet if there be any difference between them, either they will not acknowledge the gifts of GOD in them, or otherwise they have no mind to receive from them that good they might have, because their hearts are not with them.

Ninthly, they hinder our graces; how little of God and §9Christ, little spiritualness appears in Professors of Religion since these rents and divisions have been amongst us, in comparison of what in former times hath appeared. As the members of the body (says Augustine) are not quickened, except they be joined, so even the members of Christ do not receive of the quickening virtue of Christ, except they be joined: Here is the reason of the deadness, coldness, emptiness, barrenness, vanity of your spirits, you are not joined: O where are the heavenly Christians that were wont to be, those humble, those holy gracious souls, who lived by faith, who were able to deny themselves, their whole lives were nothing else but a continual exercise of self-denial, who were not only patient, but joyful under afflictions? Where are those watchful Christians who walked close with God, who enjoyed such spiritual communion with him, as made their faces shine in their holy heavenly conversations? Where are those tender, broken-hearted Christians that were wont to be, who lived upon the Word, to whom the Word was more sweet then honey and the honey comb? Now there is another kind of face of Professors of Religion, as if there were godliness in these days, not of the same kind with that which was formerly. If our fore-fathers, who were the most holy and gracious, should rise again, they would not own those for Professors of Religion who now make a great noise, keep a great stir about Religion, as if they had got up higher then their fore-fathers had, and yet are loose, vain, frothy, false in their way. Certainly, those holy, gracious Saints, whom these new Professors sleight, were they alive, they would abominate them, as the great disgrace of, and dishonour to Jesus Christ and his Saints.