Againft Perfemtion. 73 9· )O· Direct. ro. T'ak..e heed (l engaging j!OUT fel<~rJ in a Sell or Fallio11! for when once )'OU de- Din•ft. IO· pau rrom Ca1bolicftCh<lrity, there groweth up infiead of it, a partial rcjfel1 to the intcretl of that .StCl: 10 which you Jfi)'O: And you will think that whatfocver doth promote that Sed, doth pro· mole Chrifiianity, and what ever is againfi that Sett, is ~gainfl: the Church or caufe df God. A narrow Stdarian fep2.raling mind, will m11.ke .illl the truths of God give place, to the opinions of. his party; and wiil mcafurc theprofperity of the Gofpd in tht: world, by the profpe'riry of his party; as if he had forgot, that there are any more men on the fo:cc of t'hc earth, or thought God, .regarded none but them. He will not fiick to perfecmc all the rdl of the C1urch of ChriH, if rh~ interdl: of his StCl: n:quirc ir. When once men incorporacc thernftlvcs into a pany, it poffcffcth them wi;h anothLr fpirit; even with a flrange uncharitablcnefs, injldlice, cruelly and p;tniality! What hath the Ch1il\im world fulftred by Qnc SdiJ pcrf(;'cuting anorhtr, and f-lQ:ion rifing up in tu- · ry, to ma·intain its own intcrcO, as if it had befn to mJintain the being of all Rdigion! The bloodthirliy Po~pi!\s, whofc Ir.qudi<ion, MJtTJcrcs , and manifold murders have ti!lld the earth with rh.: blood of innoccnrs, is a l~fficient tcllilllony of this. And llill here among us, they f~em as thidly ot blood as Lvcr 1 and tell us to our flccs, rhat they would foon make an end of us, if wewere ia their power: As -if the two hundred thoufar.d lately murdered in fo (horr a time in Irela;;d, had rather irricat<d than quenchr their rh:rn. And all [atiiu1z n~rnully rcnderh to perfccution. O·Nnnot therefore any dividmg opinions or names : Maintain the Unity of che Bod}' of Chrill ( not ofrhe body of rhe Pope ) ! Ltt Cbrijiian and Cath~·lir:k._, beall your tirles, as to your Rdigion. Muk thofc that caufc divilions and ultCnccs, and avoid them, Rom- 16. 17. §. 3 I· D1rec!. 11· To this end, Overvalue not a1ry priv:~te or fingular opinion!, of }'OUr oR'# 9r Din{!. I I• otlurJ: .For if on10c fpirirual pridE", and ignorance ot your own weak:1ds, hath made 'you cfpoufe forne particular opinion as peculiarly your own; you will doteon the brars of your ownbraips, and will think your cot;c;:Hs to be far more illuminating and nc:cd1iry than indeed the:y 2re> as ifmens· linccrity lay in the cmbra::ingof them, ?-nd their-falvarion on the receiving of them·' And then you will rmke a puty for your opinion, and will think all that are againll ir, deferve to be cafi out, as enemies to tdormation, or tO the ttmh Of God, or to the Church : And perhJps twenty years after t.Xpericnce may bring you tO your witS, and m1ke you fl:e, cirher the fa!Ch ood or the frnalndS, of all thoie points, which you made (f0 great a ffiatter of; and then what comfort will you have in yom perfccu:ions? · 1 1 - . 9· 32. Direct. 12. Obey not tbcfolicitatiom offelfijh paf!ionate difputeu. B;(hops and Divines falling Direft. 12• out among thcmfelvls, and then duwing Princes to own 'their quarrels> when they find their ar~ gt1mems will nor ferve, h11th been the dithad:ion, divifion and ruine of theChrilliin world. And he that fa11tth in with one of the parties, to bear out tHat by the rnines of the other, is loft himfelf in their contentions. Would Rulers let wrangling Bifhops ar1d Difputers alone, and ,never lend them their Swords to end rhCir difference~, unle[s the fubfiance ofReligion be endangered, they would be weary of quarrelling, and would chide_ then\fdve5 friends, 'atid no {uch ti:agical confequems would follow, as do when d1c Sword interpofeth to Cupprefs the! difcountenanced party , and to end rheir Syllogilins and wran,glings in blood. . . §. 3'3· D,rect. I3• Tak.! heed lrft an uncharit•ble hurting Jpirlt dt prevail ttndcr the name of boly Dzre[i. 13• Zeal. As it did with'Jamhs and John~ when'thcy \\'Ou'~d ha,vt tire from Fleavcn eo have revenged the contempt of their MinHlry: To whon:t Chrifi fa!rb,' YtJ<!row not wb,:zt tntmllcr of jpiril ye ar~ of. Luke 9. ss. The difference between aCh'rifiian zeal, and an envi~us, contentions,ccnforious, hurtfUl zeal, is ex~ cellently defcribcd by the Apof\le Jame.r, 'CHap. 3· throughdur, TYhrre cmyiug and jlrife i1, there if confiifion, andevtry evil wor~ The wifdom frdm above i1 firJt ].rtre, thw pcaCuzb/el · gcrttlc, eafie to be iJttreatcd, full of {"'Crcy and good rvorPJ, withc•ut partiality and hypJcrifie. §. 34· DireCt. 14. 1he CadJolicl{ Churcb/ anJ/ Particuldr Churchu, and our Commtmion n·ith each, DirdJ, 14• mujt be dijfiuguijhed; and a man nmft no~ be cajt 9ul of' Out CtJtholic~ Communion, becaufe by fame tolerable differrnce he is uncap1bable ofCommunion with fome particular Church. If a man be im .. peniteur in any Herefic or fin, which is contrary to the commOn nature of Chriflianitybr Godlincfs, and fo unfit tor Catholick Communion, he is to be cafi out Of Chrillian Communion: But if fame pirticular Church do impofe any unnecdfary dc6hine or pratl:icc, and he dare not approve it, or joyn in it (be it right or wrong ) ; yea, or if he withdraw himfclf from _one C~urch, through the badnefs of the Minifirr, or through any falling out betwee~ them, and Joyn to :mother that hath a Minifier more fuirable to his cafe ; thefe are not crimes to be punifhed Wirh ejection from Catholick Communion. He that is not fit for Communion with fome om p:1rticul~tr ChUtcb, may be tit for Communion with many otbcrJ, that give him no fuCh occafion of difference or difiattt". \Vithout CatholicJt principles, perfecmion will nor be avoided. ; §. 35· Di.-efr. 15. Ltt Cburch Vnion and CommJ~nionbe laid ~pon nolle bt~t · Cti~nlfck .tcfm1, which Di·re{J. 1 }• are poffible ~nd fit f or all tobe .zgreed in. Common Rc~fon will tell arly 1 rmpawal marl; Jhat there Seemy Tre:~can be no more ctfcd"ua\ engine tO divide 'the Church<s, and taife contCntiot1s and perfetutions, than t.:fe, o~ ATrut to make Laws for Church-communion req~i!ing _ruch ~onditions, as .it is cert~in the me~i~er~ cannot ~~~t~'~h~~cl~::d confcnt 10. If any man knew that my opm1on ts agamH tH,CdoChme of T.r:mG.tl.>rtant'l'fnon, or of the Dominicans Predetermination, and he would rna~e a Law that no matl fhall have Communion with that Church who fubfcribeth not td' thefe , he unavoidably exchl<!e<h ' me ( Uulcfs t befuch a Beafi, as to Believe uotiJing foundly, and ther-efore to f~~Y l ll}ty thing. J (~e.ver theChurchts agree, and Chrifiians be re,om:iled·, it mu{) be by leaving Out all dividing im'pofi{ibns, and requiring noth.ing ••
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