The staves of beauty & bands opened in a sermon preached at Yarmouth, August…The staves of beauty & bands opened in a sermon preached at Yarmovth, August…

1. A Contrario. Consider the Unity and Confederacy of Satan, and all his Instruments against Christ and his Church; for our Saviour telleth us, that Satan is not divided against himself, Mat. 12. 26. We read of the^b Gates of hell, whereby we understand the united Powers and Counsels of the kingdom of Darkness against the Kingdom of Christ; and as Devils, so the wicked of the world join hand in hand against the Church; they^c consult together with one consent, and are confederate against it; they will lay down their own private enmities to combine against Christ, as ^dPilate and Herod did; Fas est & ab hoste doceri; if enemies unite to destroy the Church, should not we unite to preserve it? especially considering what ⟨p. 55⟩a^c grave Historian noteth, That in the cause of Religion, every Subdivision is a strong Weapon in the hand of the contrary party. Our intestine Mutinies and Distempers, do the Enemies work for him. He may stand still, and please himself, to see us bite and devour one another. Again, Consider the Turpitude, Deformity and Danger of Schisms and Divisions, which are the same in a Political or Ecclesiastical body, as in the natural, wherein whatsoever mangleth and separateth part from part, doth greatly weaken and deform the whole. They gratify the common enemy; Hoc Ithacus velit. They grieve the holy Spirit, as wounds in the body natural put the soul to pain. They dishonour the holy. Gospel which is a Gospel of Peace. They loosen and weaken the Interest of Religion; for when ^fwe bite and devour one another, we are in danger to be consumed one of another. They minister occasion to profane Spirits to turn Atheists, and cast off all Religion, as a ⟨p. 56⟩thing of uncertainty, wherein the Professors thereof themselves know not how to agree. They have their foundation in carnal and sensual Interests, as Pride, Revenge, Discontent, Covetousness, and other inordinate Lusts, and therefore are reckoned by the Apostle amongst the