For either the miscarriages which they fell into, were quickly retrieved by them, the truth infallibly cleared, and provision made for Peace, Unity and Moderation in and about things of less concernment; or else the evil, guilt and danger of them, remained only with and upon some particular persons, the notoriety of whose wickedness and folly cast them out by common consent from the communion of all the Disciples of Christ. But no sooner was that sacred Society [Greek or Hebrew] with their immediate successors, as Egesippus speaks in Eusebius, departed unto their rest with God, but that the Church it self, which until then was preserved a pure and incorrupted Virgin, began to be vexed with abiding contention, and otherwise to degenerate from its primitive original purity. From thence forward, especially after the heat of bloody and fiery persecutions ⟨image 5⟩began to abate, far the greatest part of Ecclesiastical Records consists in relations of the Divisions, Differences, Schisms and Heresies that fell out amongst them who professed themselves the Disciples of Christ. For those failings errors and mistakes which were found in men of peaceable minds, the Church indeed of those days extended her Peace and Unity, if Justin Martyr and others may be believed, to such as the seeming warmer zeal, and really colder charity of the succeeding Ages could not bear withal. But yet divisions and disputes were multiplied into such an excess, as that the Gentiles fetched advantage from them not only to reproach all Christians withal, but to debtor others from the pro•ession of Christianity. So Celsus in his third Book deals with them; for saith he, [Greek or Hebrew]. At first when they were but a few, they were of one mind, or agreed well enough: But being increased, and the multitude of them scattered abroad, they were presently divided again and again; and every one would have his own party or division, and as in a divided multitude opposed and reproved one another; so ⟨image 5⟩that they had no communion among themselves, but only in name, which for shame they retain. So doth he for his purpose, as is the manner of men, invidiously exaggerate the differences that were in those early times amongst Christians: for he wrote about the days of Trajan the Emperor: That others of them took the same course, is testified by Clemens, Stromat. lib. 7. Augustin. lib. de Ovib. c. 15.
For either the miscarriages which they fell into, were quickly retrieved by them, the truth infallibly cleared, and provision made for Peace, Vnity and Moderation in and about things of less concernment; or else the evil, guilt and danger of them, remained only with and upon some particular persons, the notoriety of whose wickedness and folly cast them out by common consent from the communion of all the Disciples of Christ. But no sooner was that sacred Society 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 with their immediate successors, as Egesippus speaks in Eusebius, departed unto their rest with God, but that the Church it self, which untill then was preserved a pure and incorruppted Virgin, began to be vexed with abiding contention, and otherwise to degenerate from its primitive original purity. From thence forward, especially after the heat of bloody and fiery persecutions ⟨image 5⟩began to abate, far the greatest part of Ecclesiastical Records consists in relations of the Divisions, Differences, Schisms and Heresies that fell out amongst them who professed themselves the Disciples of Christ. For those failings errors and mistakes which were found in men of peaceable minds, the Church indeed of those dayes extended her Peace and Vnity, if Justin Martyr and others may be believed, to such as the seeming warmer zeal, and really colder charity of the succeeding Ages could not bear withal. But yet divisions and disputes were multiplyed into such an excess, as that the Gentiles fetcht advantage from them not only to reproach all Christians withall, but to deterr others from the pro•ession of Christianity. So Celsus in his third Book deals with them; for saith he, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉. At first when they were but a few, they were of one mind, or agreed well enough: But being increased, and the multitude of them scattered abroad, they were presently divided again and again; and every one would have his own party or division, and as in a divided multitude opposed and reproved one another; so ⟨image 5⟩that they had no communion among themselves, but only in name, which for shame they retain. So doth he for his purpose, as is the manner of men, invidiously exaggerate the differences that were in those early times amongst Christians: for he wrote about the dayes of Trajan the Emperour: That others of them took the same course, is testified by Clemens, Stromat. lib. 7. Augustin. lib. de Ovib. c. 15.
