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

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.

Ninthly, they hinder our graces; how little of God and §9Christ, little spiritualness appears in Professours 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 (sayes Augustine) are not quickned, except they be joyned, so even the members of Christ do not receive of the quickning vertue of Christ, except they be joyned: Here is the reason of the deadness, coldness, emptiness, barrenness, vanity of your spirits, you are not joyned: O where are the heavenly Christians that were wont to be, those humble, those holy gracious soules, who lived by faith, who were able to deny themselves, their whole lives were nothing else but a continuall exercise of self-denyall, who were not onely patient, but joyfull under afflictions? Where are those watchfull Christians who walked close with God, who enjoyed such spirituall 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 Professours of Religion, as if there were godliness in these dayes, not of the same kind with that which was formerly. If our fore-fathers, who were the most holy and gracious, should rise againe, they would not own those for Professours of Religion who now make a great noyse, keep a great stirr 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 Professours sleight, were they alive, they would abominate them, as the great disgrace of, and dishonour to Jesus Christ and his Saints.