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

Secondly, it is a time of Fasting and Prayer; England never knew what such Fasting and Prayer meant, as it hath known of late: No nation in the world that we know of ever knew the like; and shall we in such times as these, when we are casting down our selves before Almighty God, when we are judging our selves before him, in the pride and frowardness of our hearts contend against one another? Isaiah 58 4. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to fight with the fist of wickedness. It is a fist of wickedness indeed, that fights in times of Fasts. Is it such a Fast that I have chosen? How do we in the days of our Fasts, acknowledge our vileness, our unworthiness of the least mercy, our pride, our self-love, our envy, our passions, all those distempers that are dividing distempers, yet still we continue in them, and they break forth into dividing practices? Surely our Fasts will rise up in judgement against us, to make the sin of our divisions out of measure sinful.

Secondly, it is a time of Fasting and Prayer; England never knew what such Fasting and Prayer meant, as it hath knowne of late: No nation in the world that we know of ever knew the like; and shall we in such times as these, when we are casting downe our selves before Almighty God, when we are judging our selves before him, in the pride and frowardness of our hearts contend against one another? Esay 58 4. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to fight with the fist of wickednesse. It is a fist of wickedness indeed, that fights in times of Fasts. Is it such a Fast that I have chosen? How doe we in the dayes of our Fasts, acknowledge our vileness, our unworthyness of the least mercy, our pride, our self-love, our envy, our passions, all those distempers that are dividing distempers, yet still we continue in them, and they break forth into dividing practices? Surely our Fasts will rise up in judgement against us, to make the sin of our divisions out of measure sinfull.

Thirdly, It is a time also of great mercies; We are afflicted, but not forsaken; and mercies should sweeten our spirits. This Summer hath been a continued miracle of mercies; if our agreeing together, our love to one another were now beyond the expectation of all men, as Gods mercies to us have been beyond, and above all expectation, even such a fruit of mercies would be the greatest mercy of all. But if instead of being sweetened by mercies we are the more embittered one against another, how great is this sin? If we shall take occasion from our victories