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

We stir up likewise the corruptions of others, in these our divisions; do you not see those distempers formerly mentioned, working and breaking forth in your Brethren when you provoke them in your contending with them? O pity, pity thy Brother, if thou canst not pity thy self; does it not grieve thee, that thy Brother should bring sin upon himself? Were it not better for thee to suffer; then for thy Brother to sin? It is an evil thing to be an occasion of grief to our Brethren, The Lord does not willingly grieve the children of men, but to be occasion of sin to them is much worse: When did you ever meet with your Brethren, and had your spirits put into any heat, but after your parting when you began to be cool, you then saw ⟨p. 205⟩cause to grieve for unbeseeming words, carriages, breakings forth of passion, that there was either in you or them: Sometimes in a froward debate there is more sin committed in one hour, then there is otherwise in a whole twelvemonth, between those who live lovingly and sweetly together: yea, sometimes such corruptions are stirred by differences and divisions, that one would think were not competible to a Saint; namely, the rejoicing in the evil of other men, yea of godly men. David said, his zeal had ever consumed him, because his enemies had forgotten Gods word; but some mens zeal do even consume them, because their friends do remember Gods Word; the more inoffensive they walk, the more are they troubled; it were endless to mention the uncharitableness, wrong, malice, injustice, oppression, cruelty, with the abundance of other sins that are caused by our divisions.

We stirre up likewise the corruptions of others, in these our divisions; doe you not see those distempers formerly mentioned, working and breaking forth in your Brethren when you provoke them in your contending with them? O pitty, pitty thy Brother, if thou canst not pitty thy selfe; does it not grieve thee, that thy Brother should bring sinne upon himself? Were it not better for thee to suffer; then for thy Brother to sinne? It is an evill thing to be an occasion of griefe to our Brethren, The Lord does not willingly grieve the children of men, but to be occasion of sinne to them is much worse: When did you ever meet with your Brethren, and had your spirits put into any heat, but after your parting when you began to be coole, you then saw ⟨p. 205⟩