HOW TO DO GOOD TO MANS. 557 sinful usurpations, and that their cause is maintained by belying, hating, and murdering true Christians. And, on the other side, too many make laws of love and com- munion tò themselves, and confine Christ's church within their little, various, -and perhaps erroneous, sects ; and all others they love withpity; but only those of their cabin and singular opinions they love with complacency and communion:. those that condemn such as Christ justifieth, and say that Christians are not his, are near ofkin to one another, though one sort show it by persecution, and the other.but by excommunication, ór schismatical separation. u Wo are all one in Christ Jesus;" Gal. iv; 28. And, there- fore, I advise all Christians to hate the causes and ways of hatred, and love all the causes and means of love. Frown on them that so extol their singular sentiments as tobackbite others, and speak evil, of what they understand not ; especially such as the pamphlet- eers of this age, whose design is weekly and daily to fight against Christian love, and to stir up all men, to the utmost of their pow- er, to think .odiously of one another, and plainly to stir up a thirst after; blood: never did Satan write by the hand of man if he do it not bysuch as these : the Lordof love and mercy rebuke them. And take heed of them that can find enough in the best that are against their way to prove them dishonest, if not intolerable ; andcan see the mote of a ceremony, or nonconformity to a cere- mony, in their brother's eye, and notthe beam of malice, or cruel- ty, in their own. Take heedof those that areeither forconfound- ing toleration of all, or for dissipating cruelty on pretense of unity. That land, or church, shall never truly prosper where these three sorts are not well distinguished : 1. The approved, that are to be encouraged. 2. The tolerable, that are to bepatiently and loving- ly endured. 3. The intolerable, that are to be restrained. They may as well confound men, and beasts, wise men and mad men, adults and infants, as confound-these three sorts, in reference to religion. , I add this note to prevent objections, that though meekness and gentleness promote peace; yet to speak sharply and hatefully of hatred, unpeaceableness,and cruelty, and all that tends to de- stroy love, is an act, oflove, and not of an uncharitable, unpeacea- bleman.. vii. If you love the common good of England, do your best to keep up sound, serious religion in the public parish churches, and be not guilty of any thing that shall bring the chief interest of re- ligion into private assemblies of men only tolerated, if you can avoid it. Indeed, in a time of plagues, and epidemical infection, tolerated churches may be the best preservatives of religion, as it was the
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